#it’s annoying cause I only got like 4 chapters in before the urge started and I haven’t gotten back to it yet

[jackattack20writes]

One more Percy Jackson post before I shove it back into the deep dark crevices of my mind once more. I just really need to say that Riordan should’ve stopped PJO at the first series and just done stuff like the Kane Chronicles where it’s the same world and shit but you let the old characters go and introduce new ones with new mythologies. Like best example is how Magnus Chase is just randomly related to Annabeth so you can justify Percy and her showing up even though it was already established that mythologies stay away from each other back in Kane Chronicles.

Although it might just be I’m bitter and old but I really think he peaked with PJO and Kane chronicles and the later stuff suffers from overusing characters that have finished character arcs who then get wrung out like wet towels so there’s something interesting for them to do.

I don’t even know why I’m still talking about this. Actually it’s probably cause none of my irl friends ever read anything other than Jack Reacher, Comics and sportsmen biographies so this is the only place to talk about it. Actually it’s also probably cause I’m trying to avoid the waffle stage of writing the ending to the last chapter of Fate/Hero before the reboot

Whoops got existential on a Percy Jackson post again.

[rainieclown]

DEADLY OBSESSION

michael myers x reader - chapter 3: blood pill

when you're in your room, you feel tired and lonely. it's been a long afternoon with doctors running around to find a new carer for you while miss burnham went home to recover. most of all, you were terrified that michael was being treated unfairly. there were sick rumours of doctor loomis mistreating patients, but you'd have to wait and see.

tags: angst, morning sickness, pregnancy/pregnancy tests

warnings: forced abortion, vomiting, angst, crying, yandere themes

huge trigger warning for (forced) abortions this chapter, i want to go into how patients are treated by the hospital as this is set in the 1980's and people in mental hospitals were treated cruelly around that time (esp in the halloween franchise) if you can't read this chapter, that's completely fine! i hope you're doing well, drink plenty of water and eat three meals - rin <3

michael had been gone for 4 weeks now, and you felt terrified. when you woke up this morning, you started vomiting and found that you can't move too quickly as you'll grow nauseous. miss burnham had visited, and was on crutches, only to be sent home by the administrator of the hospital. you felt lonely, they still hadn't found a free nurse as the hospital was pretty full, causing most of the staff to be overworked and unable to fit you on a schedule. so, doctor addison took you in on his more light schedule, he was simply researching cotard syndrome, and had three patients under his care for therapy and interviews about how they felt and how they became the way they are today. so, when you got up, after checking michael's room for any sign of him, you headed to the rec room where one of doctor addison's patients sat. they were talking, and the poor girl was truly convinced she was a vampire, referring to herself as "the mistress of the dark." you believed her name was thelma, but you weren't sure as she was never interested in talking to you and you just left her be. "thank you for your time, miss howcroft. i shall leave you to your undead activities." doctor addison bows his head before heading over to you.

"good morning, y/n. you look a little rough." the doctor greets, and you huff. "mhm. i feel sick, just spent 5 minutes throwing up." you sigh, and doctor addison hums, beginning to scribble down notes on a new page. "tell me your symptoms?" he suggests, and you hum. "nauseous, just feeling generally ill. i feel like i'm going to throw up." you tell him, and he hums, writing down the information you gave him. "morning sickness?" he suggests, looking up at you. "pfft, yeah maybe." you sigh, grabbing a cup to fill up with water. "is there any chance you could be pregnant?" he asks, and you choke on your drink. growing flustered, you stammer slightly, looking away from the man. "i'm guessing so from what i witnessed." he teases, nudging your side. "shut up..! i'm not pregnant." you huff, glancing at your stomach. "you could be, i'll get a test for you." he says, leaving the room.

you sigh, looking over at thelma who was staring at you. she makes a small noise as she realises she's been caught gawking, and you furrow your brows as she slinks away out of the room. you had noticed her wandering around curiously, sometimes spending her time with a burn victim. they seemed to get on pretty well, and you and doctor addison made a bet that they were secretly dating. when doctor addison returns, he hands you a thin box. "take this, and tell me the results asap." he smiles, pushing the box into your hands. "fine.. but i don't think i'm pregnant as morning sickness normally happens before this time." you note, but doctor addison corrects you. "no, morning sickness starts around the 4th to 6th week of pregnancy." he smiles, and you roll your eyes as you walk into the bathroom.

your heart dropped when you saw the results. you were pregnant. terrified of how the doctors would react, how miss burnham would react, but most importantly.. how would michael take it? would he be happy or would he ditch you? "fuck.." you whimper, tears streaking down your face. a few gentle knocks sound through the bathroom and you flinch. "y/n? are you done?" doctor addison calls through the door, and you whine as you open it up for him. "so..?" he asks softly, and you hand him the stick. "oh my... congratulations!" he smiles brightly, pulling you into a hug. you cry into his coat, and addison's smile drops as he rubs your back. "how will everyone react?" you whimper, and the blonde man sighs. "that i can't say, but we have to tell the board of your pregnancy. i'll leave it to you to tell mr. myers. come on, i'll take you to solitary to see him." he says, his british accent gentle and soothing. "thank you.. i'm scared but- i have to tell him at least." you sniffle, letting him lead you out of the room.

you've never been to solitary, as you normally stayed in your room or stowed away in the corner of the room. so seeing all the patients locked away and seemingly bored or distressed scared you. "is he okay?" you ask softly, and doctor addison shrugs. "i'm not sure.." he says softly, glancing at one of the more erratic patients in his cell. all of them were sound proof, inside and out, and were dark and cramped. "oh god.." you mumble, grabbing the doctors arm tightly for protection as you rest a hand over your stomach without realising. you get to michael's cell, and you see doctor loomis sat with him. michael spots you immediately, and his eyes brighten a little. you give him a small wave, upset at the bruises on his face and neck, desperate to get in there and hold him tightly. doctor addison gets his master key and unlocks a small panel on the door. "doctor loomis, i need to borrow mr myers." he says firmly as the older doctor turns. "ah, doctor addison. what a surprise." he grins, standing from his chair and turning his back to michael. "i'm just about done here. keep a close eye on him, he's deemed dangerous." doctor loomis says as he steps out.

you slip past the doctors and latch onto michael tightly, wrapping your arms around his neck, forgetting about his bruises. he doesn't seem to care as his shackled hands find your hips, holding you closer. "i've missed you.." you mumble, moving away to cup his face in your hands. "me too. are you alright?" he rasps, voice rough from lack of use. you nod slightly, leaning your forehead against his as you gently brush his hair with your fingers. "how peculiar. i've never seen anyone get a positive reaction out of him." doctor loomis notes, and addison hums. "they have a special bond, but we need to let them have a private conversation as i tell the board the situation." he says, closing the door to speak to loomis privately as well.

"are you alright?" you ask, still resting one of your hands on his cheek. "mhm. i'm fine." he replies, nuzzling into your neck as he pulls you fully onto his lap. the two of you sit in a comfortable silence as you curl into his chest. "how long until you get out?" you ask after a while, and michael hums. "soon." he responds, kissing the top of your head. "can i tell you something..?" you continue, voice quiet. "of course." he says, tilting your chin with his finger so you would look at him. "i'm pregnant.." you announce, averting your gaze from his. michael smiles, the thought of you swelling with his child was so hot to him, a true marking, but the thought of having a kid annoyed him. he doesn't like kids... but he'd make an exception for you. "michael..?" you mumble, tears welling in your eyes.

"don't worry, i'm happy." he smiles, nuzzling his nose against yours. you smile, kissing him softly. "thank you for not turning me away.." you sigh happily and michael rolls his eyes. "i would never. you're mine now, forever." he mumbles, resting his large hand on your stomach. you feel warm inside, and despite being terrified of the teen pregnancy, you felt happy that you weren't in this alone. the door opens abruptly, and you jump. "y/n, please come with me so we can talk." doctor loomis crosses his arms and you feel unsafe as you shuffle closer to michael. "talk to me here.." you say quietly, not willing to leave michael again, and he clearly feels the same way as he holds you tighter- this time being careful of your stomach. "fine. i'm assuming you've told him of your predicament." doctor loomis adjusts his glasses before continuing. "the board just won't allow a pregnancy between two patients, let alone between two 17 year olds." he continues as doctor addison looks away. "i'm sorry, but we're going to have to perform an abortion." the blonde sighs from where he stood. "what?! no!" you protest, draping your arms around your stomach protectively. "don't worry, y/n. it'll be over before you know it." doctor loomis smiles.

michael moves to stand, putting you down carefully and moving in front of you. "don't touch them." he says, voice rough as he speaks up. "i'm afraid you have no say in the matters, myers. hand them over." loomis says, folding his arms. "no." he furrows his brows, feeling you clutch the back of his shirt as you nuzzle into his back. "myers, this is crucial. let me take y/n to my operation room." loomis says sternly, taking a step closer. "over my dead body." he growls, and loomis simply smiles again. "we'll dig one hole." he shoots back, grabbing michael's wrist and stabbing a syringe into his vein. michael feels himself growing weaker slowly, but his urge to protect you- to protect his baby- is too much. tugging on his shackles, he tries to lunge for the doctor, but alas, he slumps to his knees as you gasp, moving to help him.

"now then, y/n. come with me please." loomis smiles at you, taking your arm into his hand to pull you from michael. "no! michael, help!" you yelp, trying to struggle. "enough, doctor loomis! you can't hold my patient like that." addison steps up, trying to pull you from the older doctor. "now now, addison. you don't want to get in trouble for stopping the process now, would you?" loomis teases, and you feel dizzy at how fast the doctor had pulled you. michael tries to grab you again, but he collapses fully onto the floor, unable to help you as you cry. eventually, a needle pricks your neck and you cry in pain before growing dizzy. "michael..!" you whimper as your world goes dark.

when you awaken, you're lay in your bed, snugly wrapped up in your blankets but something's wrong. you feel... empty. you can just tell that your baby was gone, and you start to sob. you cry for hours, feeling no motivation to get up to dry your tears or get some water for your dry throat. you just cry, clutching your stomach as you roll onto your side. your baby wasn't even a month into development, and they had stripped you of them. you barely got to experience pregnancy with michael, barely got to feel like a parent. your door clicks open, and you don't even react as you sob into your pillow. "y/n." a gruff voice starts, and you finally turn. michael moves over to your bed, and you scramble to hug him tightly. "they- they..!" you wail, and michael sighs as he holds you close to his chest.

michael didn't feel anything, but the sight of you mourning made him feel sick. he wanted revenge on the facility for making you feel like this, wanted to murder anyone who hurt you. "my baby..!" you cry, still clutching your tummy as he holds you. michael kisses your head softly, rubbing your belly for you. "it's okay. they won't get away with this. i'll make sure of it." he grumbles, a tinge of anger in his voice. "they killed my baby.." you whimper, hands coming up to grasp onto michael instead, his presence comforted you as you guessed he was feeling the same way. "it's alright.. i'll make sure they never hurt you again." michael states, laying down with you carefully as you settle with him, letting you cry yourself to sleep into his chest.

time passes, and doctor addison grants michael access to stay in your room whilst you mourn. he feels rage boiling his blood as he has to force you to eat, to drink, to shower, to take medication, to take care of yourself at all. they made you like this, and he was going to make them pay for every ounce of distress that filled your mind. currently, you were fast asleep against his chest, mumbling something incoherent in your sleep. michael can't sleep, and he doesn't mind staying awake until you feel better even if it kills him. you were his top priority, his obsession. he loved you deeply, and cared about what happened to you.

they had destroyed all progress you had made, you couldn't even get out of bed to go to therapy. michael gives you a small kiss on your forehead as you shuffle in your sleep slightly, your hands clutching his shirt tightly. tears are slipping from your closed eyes as you sleep, and michael gently rubs them away, leaning in again to kiss you softly. you relax slightly, but when he pulls away you whimper. "my baby..!" you cry despite being asleep. michael lets out a small breath as he rubs your back, fluttering soft kisses over your face so that you would settle again. "michael..?" you mumble, and he hums softly. "it's okay, i'm here." he says back, unsure if you're still sleeping or not.

you doze off again, content in your dream, still grasping his shirt tightly to keep him close. michael checks the time behind him, it was 3:41 am, time was going so slow. michael's throat was dry, and he can't fight the urge to go get water. slowly, he slips from your grip and gets up, unknown to the fact that despite unconscious you knew he left. as he gets a drink from the tap in the bathroom, you cry softly, curling in on yourself. your cries grow distressed as you lurch up, wide awake. "mike!" you yelp, hands trembling as you search for him. the other patient steps from the bathroom quickly, stalking over to grab you tightly. you settle with your head on his chest as he bundles you up into his arms. "it's okay.." he mumbles as your tears wet his shirt. "why did they do this to me..?" you cry, looping your arms under his to pull him closer. "because they don't care about anyone in this hospital." michael's reply is sour, and he moves back to the bed with you.

you sniffle as he lays you down, and you make grabby hands at him. chuckling, michael joins you and wraps you both up in the covers. "thank you for being here.." you mumble, nuzzling into his chest as you wrap your arms around his middle. "mhm, i love you." he smiles, kissing your head softly. "i.. i love you too." you reply softly, smiling brightly. after a few moments of silence, michael assumes you've fallen asleep but your small voice mumbles his name. "hm?" he looks down at you. "if we get the chance, would you like to have kids?" you ask softly, and michael is slightly taken aback. "in here or when we get out?" he questions back and you shrug. "either." you mumble, and michael thinks. "absolutely. i'll do anything for you." he says softly, "besides, the thought of you being full of my kids is hot as fuck." he adds teasingly, enjoying how you fluster. "thank you.." you mumble to the first part as he gives you a soft kiss.

michael pulls your leg over his hips and you hum, happily shuffling closer to him. "you're so cute.." michael whispers as you settle on him. "stop." you whine, hiding your smile. "mm, no." he teases, lifting your head to give you a soft kiss. three soft knocks interrupt your moment, and you sit up. "it's almost 4 am, who..?" you trail off as michael gets up, gesturing for you to stay put. slowly, michael peels the door open and is surprised to see doctor addison standing there. "may i come in?" he asks softly, and michael looks back to you. you seem uncomfortable, yet nod, so michael lets him in. "i just want to apologise.. i shouldn't of told them, i just... my research means anything to me and if i slip up it will mean nothing." he explains, and michael hides you protectively behind him.

you sniffle slightly, leaning against michael's shoulder. "however, if anything were to reoccur... i promise i won't tell as long as i can keep doing my research." he says, placing another pregnancy test on your bedside table. you eye it curiously, and despite feeling a lot of pain you know it's always possible to try again. "thank you.." you mumble, circling your arms fully around michael as he continues to watch the doctor's every move. "i hope you can find it in you to forgive me, y/n.. i think miss burnham is coming back soon so hopefully you both can do art therapy again." he smiles, leaving the room after bidding farewell.

michael grabs the test, offering it to you. "what do you think?" he asks softly, and you take the box from him. "i might still need some time, but i will happily try again." you smile, and michael smiles back.

[horansqueen]

Stuck With You - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Let My Love Open The Door

🡪chapter 1  🡪chapter 2  🡪chapter 3  🡪chapter 4  🡪chapter 5  🡪chapter 6   🡪chapter 7  🡪chapter 8  🡪chapter 9  🡪chapter 10  🡪chapter 11 🡪chapter 12 🡪chapter 13 🡪chapter 14 🡪chapter 15 🡪chapter 16 🡪chapter 17 🡪chapter 18 🡪chapter 19 🡪chapter 20 🡪chapter 21 🡪chapter 22 🡪chapter 23 🡪chapter 24 🡪chapter 25 🡪chapter 26

College Enemies To Lovers AU

characters // masterlist // instagrams // mood board

When people keep repeating That you'll never fall in love When everybody keeps retreating But you can't seem to get enough

Let my love open the door Let my love open the door Let my love open the door To your heart

When everything feels all over Everybody seems unkind I'll give you a four-leaf clover Take all worry out of your mind

Let my love open the door Let my love open the door Let my love open the door To your heart

The only key to your heart That can stop you falling apart Try today, you'll find this way Come on and give me a chance to say

Let my love open the door It's all I'm livin' for Release yourself from misery There's only one thing gonna set you free

click here to be on the update list

NIALL

                                            I wanted to ask Devon what we would do when we'd go back to school. Would we pretend nothing happened or would we keep this little thing going on between us? I wanted to know but I didn't want to ask, scared of the answer and of what it would do to my mood. Instead, we kept laughing together, playing board games, watching tv and discussing. I didn't want things to end and I was ready to stay locked in this apartment forever if it meant that our relationship, whatever it was, would never stop. I knew it was impossible but I decided to just enjoy the time we spent together and try to figure out the rest later, when we'd go back to normal.

I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms on my chest as I stared at her putting some music on. She was only wearing a hoodie and panties and even if it made it difficult to concentrate, I loved that she felt at ease like that around me. A song invaded the room and she just started dancing, making me chuckle.

"Late night, a long day Somehow it's never quite enough And maybe I'm lazy It's been so long, sometimes I feel like giving up

So now I'm staying up all night 'Cause I'm trying to understand Why I feel like I've been stuck here forever

Break out today I'm throwing my fears away You don't even know Break out today I'm throwing my fears away You don't even know You don't even know

Maybe I'll get through Just one more day of feeling dumb I don't think I need to Get over this until I feel like growing up

So now I'm staying up all night 'Cause I'm trying to understand Why I feel like I've been stuck here forever

Break out today I'm throwing my fears away You don't even know Break out today I'm throwing my fears away You don't even know You don't even know"

I listened to the song and my amused smile turned into a sad one. I was trying so hard to throw my fears away and be the way I used to be before my ex girlfriend made a mess out of me but I was just starting to realize that fears are normal. What is not normal, however, is to stop myself from living my life and find love just because someone fucked me up before. I looked at Devon, wishing she could understand the meaning behind the lyrics she was singing herself and when the song ended, I took a few steps closer and my smile changed again as she looked at me with a laugh.

"Sorry!" she chuckled, licking her lips. "I didn't want to annoy you."

"You never annoy me."

Her lips curled in a fond smile and she bent slightly to take my hands in hers. "You wanna dance with me?"

I chuckled but raised my nose up before letting out a groan. "I'm not very good at that..."

"Come on, you just saw me dance, you can't be worse than me!"

My lips curled more and I brought one of my hands up to make her twirl. She started giggling and I pulled her closer. She almost tripped and bumped into my chest. Instead to move back, she looked up in my eyes and smiled gently at me before licking her lips.

"Maybe you'd rather do something else, then?" she asked in a whisper, nibbling on her bottom lip and raising her eyebrows.

I knew what she meant and I couldn't say I was not tempted. I let my eyes roam on her and squeezed her fingers in mine. "We can dance."

She seemed surprised but she just nodded and I looked around for my phone. I found it on the couch and grabbed it, quickly putting a song that started gently on the speakers. I put my phone away and extended my hand to her. She seemed to hesitate but she finally put her palm against mine and I pulled her closer gently. We danced in silence until I slid my hand to her lower back, pulling her slightly closer and she pressed her cheek on my chest, near my shoulder. I was not really into dancing. In fact, we could have just stayed there, in each other's arms, without moving, and it would have been good with me. I leaned my chin on her head and closed my eyes as a bunch of thoughts invaded my head.

Being afraid was normal, it was so obvious now, but I had to overcome those fears, and my biggest fear at the moment was about the girl I was holding close to me, and the feelings I had for her.

"I like you too, Devie."

She seemed to tense against me but I ran my fingertips softly on her back and she relaxed a bit.

"Before we left, you said you really liked me." I explained, licking my lips as she pulled away gently. I looked down at her  and let my eyes roam on her face. I could read fear but also something else in her eyes, and it was the very first time I couldn't decipher what it was. "I just wanted to say that I like you too. Maybe even more than that."

"You... you don't even know me."

"I know you more than I knew my ex girlfriend." I pointed out with a shrug. "And you know me more than pretty much anyone. I've opened up to you in a way I can't with anyone else."

I waited a few seconds as her lips parted and I sighed, taking a few steps back but pulling her with me by her hand. I sat on the coffee table and she placed herself between my legs, her bare thighs brushing against mine. I wanted to run my hands on her but instead, I grabbed her other hand and squeezed her fingers.

"I tried pushing you away, but the more I push you away, the closer I want you to be." I admitted, shaking my head but still staring up at her. "I'm not asking you for a romantic relationship, I know you're not ready and to be quite honest, I don't think I am either. But there's something between us, right? Something stronger than lust? Something that's different than friendship?"

Her traits softened and she shook her head slightly. "I'm trying not to think about it, Niall." she whispered, bringing both her hands on my cheeks as she cupped my face. "I don't want to analyze everything, I don't want to give a name to what we have. I don't want to ask myself too many questions. It was different since day 1. I mean, I don't just make out with my friends, and I don't get stuck with random people often." This time, I chuckled sadly. "I don't know what it is, and I don't want to know."

I thought about the soft kisses I gave her in the elevator after we made out. They were the same type of kisses she gave me earlier after we both came.

"I know you said you never wanted to fall in love again." I pointed out in a murmur, feeling my heart jump in my chest. "I've said the same thing. But, do you think about it sometimes?"

"About what?" she asked just as low.

"About love."

Her eyes roamed on me and one of her thumbs brushed against my bottom lip. I could have sworn she was about to tear up and I held my breath, waiting for her answer.

"No. Almost never." she admitted with a sad smile. "But if I had to fall in love again, It would probably be with you."

Her words made something stir so bad in my stomach I thought I was about to throw up. Slowly, I got up and her arms fell on her sides. I grabbed her face the way she had cupped mine a few seconds before, my fingers spread on her cheeks, chin and jaw, and bent down to kiss her. She let me, whimpering low in my mouth as I felt her grip the front of my shirt.

"Niall, wait." she expressed after a few seconds, pulling away and shaking her head. "You know we can't date right? We'd just destroy each other. Love... it's not for me. I've tried it and hated it. It hurts too much. But we can be... something, I don't know what." she shrugged and pressed her lips together. She was near tears and I shook my head, bending down to kiss her again. "I'm sorry."

"No, hey, shh." I kissed her lips a few times, cupping her face again. "We can be friends. We can make each other feel good. Let's start with that okay?"

"Okay." she whispered, nodding, as I pressed my mouth on hers again, leaving some love on her lips. "I just.. I need a shower."

She quickly moved away from me and walked past me as I sighed, remaining standing up and closing my eyes. I felt like the first few weeks after we met, we could have ended up dating. Hell, I felt like before Henry appeared, she would have been willing to at least try, maybe go on a date with me or something like that. But now? I hated this man for fucking her up like that and I hated myself for not being honest with her and with myself from the beginning. I couldn't help but wonder if she would have broken up with me after seeing Henry again, had we started dating earlier, but I pushed that thought away. We would never know and it really didn't matter anyway. It's not like I could go back in time to fix my mistakes even if I wanted to.

I waited until I heard the shower and sighed again, going back to my room to grab a t-shirt and two pairs of sweatpants. I put one on and walked to the bathroom, knocking at the door with one of my knuckles.

"Yes?"

I opened the door slightly and glanced at her through the glass before turning around and leaving the pants and the shirt on the counter, trying to fight the urge to look at her again.

"I brought clothes for you."

"Oh, thank you."

She sounded disappointed but I tried not to think too much about it and got out, closing the door behind me and walking back to the living room. I grabbed my guitar and started playing an old song on it to change my mind. It brought me back to when I was dating Abby and I held my breath, closing my eyes at all the memories. It's insane how we mostly remember the nice moments with someone when they're not around anymore. I knew I had more bad moments than good ones with her but the first thing that came to my mind was the first time I saw her, the first time I kissed her, and even if I knew she never really loved me, the first time she said 'i love you'.

It was so different with Devon and I felt so lost. I didn't know what to do, I barely knew what I wanted. All I knew was that I needed her close to me at all times, and it seemed extremely selfish of me. The first time I saw Abby, my heart had jumped in my chest and I remembered how beautiful she was. The first time I saw Devon, her physical appearance didn't matter to me. All I could feel was the electric connection between us and I knew immediately that we had something special going on. It was not just something I felt towards her, it was something reciprocal, something I felt because she felt it and vice-versa. Even now, I could see it in her eyes when she looked at me and I knew she saw the same thing in mine.

When she came back, she was wearing my clothes and I let my eyes travel on her body. Her hair was wet and messy but she looked cute and when she bent down to grab my guitar and put it away, I just let her. Slowly, she straddled me and when I realized what she was doing, I spread my legs on the couch.

"I thought you were going to join me in the shower." she admitted, nibbling on her bottom lip.

"Did you want me to?"

"Mm, maybe."

Slowly, she pressed her lips on mine and my fingers gripped the couch harder. We didn’t really kiss the last few times we touched each other and feeling her mouth so impatient and eager against mine reminded me how much I had missed it. Our kiss grew and when I slipped my tongue in her mouth, she wrapped her lips around it and started sucking on it.

"Fuck, don't do that." I whispered with a chuckle, my eyes still closed. "Can't stop thinking what it would feel like around my cock."

"Well, maybe I could-"

"No, stay here." I cut her, opening my eyes and letting them roam on her face. She raised her eyebrows and my hands slipped from her upper arms until her waist before I pulled her closer and licked my lips. "Please, stay here."

"I want you so bad." she whispered, her lips brushing against mine as she talked. "I can't believe we didn't fuck yet."

I kissed her harder and she whimpered in my mouth as I pushed her more against my lap. I could feel my cock swell between her legs and she ground down on me, making me even harder. I gripped her hips hard and helped her move on me slowly, feeling her pussy rub on my cock, separated by the fabric of our pants.

"How does my cock feel? Good?"

She just grabbed one of my hands on her waist to bring it on her breasts, over her shirt, and I leaned a bit on the couch as she kept grinding on me. I gripped one of her tits and she moaned more when my thumb rubbed on her nipple. I wanted to lie her down, take her clothes off and push my cock inside her to find out how she felt but the wait was making me dizzy and I knew that when it would happen, it would be even better.

"Is that what you meant when you said we can make each other feel good?" she asked in a whisper, her pussy still rubbing slowly against me.

"Fuck yes that's what I meant." I admitted low, making her smile. "I bet you're so fucking wet right now."

"I'm dripping."

My hand grabbed her tit tighter and I let the other slide down to her ass, gripping one of her cheeks hard enough to make her whimper and squirm a bit. "You're such a horny little slut, yea?"

I felt my heart jump in my chest at the words that came out of my mouth. We had never discussed what we liked and I didn't want to insult her or turn her off. I was about to apologize profusely when she whimpered.

"Mmhm, yes, I'm so horny for you."

My lips curled and she leaned her forehead against mine, her eyes closed. I moved my hips up to meet hers and groaned, feeling my sweatpants rub harder against my cock as she went quicker.

"You know what I'm gonna do to you next time?" I asked in a whisper, not waiting for her answer. "I'm gonna grab your hair and fuck your mouth. You like that?"

The simple thought of my cock in her mouth brought me close to an orgasm and when she moaned, I ran my hand to her other breast and gripped her hair tight.

"Do you? D'you want to feel the tip of my cock at the back of your throat?

"You know I do." she admitted, squirming on my lap and bringing a new sensation to me as my heart jumped. I was so close I could cum any second and I closed my eyes, trying to last a little longer, at least until she'd start cumming too. "I'm going to beg for it."

"Ride me harder." I just said, making her sit up immediately.

She started doing what I told her and I brought my mouth closer to her breasts. I could see her nipples peak through the fabric and groaned low as I brought my lips to them, sucking on one through her shirt and making her shake over me. I couldn't take it anymore and grabbed her waist, laying her down a bit roughly on the couch before moving over her and crushing my mouth against hers. I felt her hips grind up against my cock and I couldn't stop thinking that if we weren't wearing pants, it would definitely slip inside her and I would be able to feel her throb around me. The thought made me push my hips so hard against her that I felt her sink a bit in the cushion of the couch. Her hands reached for my hair and she gripped it tight as my lips ran to her neck.

"Cum for me, I want to feel you shake." I ordered in a low tone, hoping she'd just comply.

It took a few seconds and she started squirming, her grip tightening in my hair and her back arching as she quivered beneath me, It brought a rush to my brain, a mix of her getting an orgasm against me and the fact that she obeyed me without question, and I started cumming too, biting maybe a bit too hard the skin of her neck.

"Fuck."

Our orgasms both lasted longer than normally and when it left my body, I relaxed suddenly and buried my face in her neck. She smelled of my soap with a hint of sweat and I turned my head, placing a few kisses behind her ear.

"I thought you were just gonna take my pants off and fuck me." she admitted with a chuckle.

"Can't lie and say I didn't think about it." I chuckled too, moving my head up and holding myself with my upper arms on each side of her head. "I should have?"

"Mm, no, we can keep that for tomorrow."

"You want to fuck tomorrow?" I asked with an amused smile, making her raise her nose up in an embarrassed way.

"You think we can stop ourselves from fucking?"

This time, I laughed louder. "No!"

We remained silent for a while and the more she looked at me, the more her lips curled. "How does anyone look so good from this angle?" she asked, making me shake my head.

"You think I look good?" I asked jokingly, waving my eyebrows a few times and making her groan.

"Oh shut up."

"Alright alright," I smirked, moving off of her and getting up before extending my hand to her. She grabbed it and I helped her up quickly.

"I need new pants." I admitted, scratching the back of my head with a grimace. "Are you tired?"

We ended up laying down together in my bed in silence. I stared at the ceiling, not really knowing what to say. I loved doing anything sexual with her but when it was over, I ended up wondering how long it would last and how bad it would hurt when it would stop. I tried to accept that maybe she would never want to date me but I couldn't give up yet, it was too hard and painful to do.

"Do you think you could fall in love with Abby again if she came back and said she still loved you?" she asked randomly, making my lips part slightly. The question was legitimate and at the same time, I had no idea how to answer it. Would I give Abby a second chance? Probably not. "I mean, you can never know how you'll feel when it happens. You may think you know how you'll react to a certain situation but until it really happens, you can't be sure of what you'll feel or what you'll do." she added, making me believe she was talking about Henry and the fact that she saw him again after a few months when she probably thought she never would again.

"I can't be sure, but I like to think that I would never give her the chance to hurt me again." I finally admitted, turning my head her way. "Why? Did Henry message you or something?"

"Yes."

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest by my throat and I sat up quickly, turning her way and bending down a bit to look in her eyes. I had never felt so nervous in my life and let my eyes roam on her face, trying to decipher her expression.

"You're not gonna go back with him, will you?"

Devon moved up slightly, holding herself on her elbows. Her face was close to mine but not close enough to touch and the left corner of her lips raised up slightly in a sad smile. "Don't be silly, Niall." she expressed softly. "He didn't say he wanted me back, and there's no way I'd go back to him."

My shoulders fell and I exhaled, just realizing that I was holding my breath. "What did he want?"

"He just apologized." she explained, shrugging a shoulder. "Said he missed me, and that he was sorry about how it all ended."

"Devie, you won't let him play with your heart again, right?"

Her facial expression changed into a fond one and slowly, she brought her hand behind my head, pulling me closer to her. I felt every muscle of my body relax when our lips touched and she brought me down with her as she lied back on the bed. The kiss was slow and soft, and somehow, I hoped it showed just all the feelings I had for her. I felt her palm slide slowly from my hair to my jaw and when the kiss broke, she licked her lips.

"No one's gonna play with my heart again, especially not him." she let out in a whisper, making me nod. "Niall?" I raised my eyebrows and she moved her head up a bit to kiss me again. "You make me feel alive, and.. and wanted. And smart, and pretty. No one ever did that before."

I sent her a small smile and rubbed my nose gently against hers. "You feel like that because you are all those things. You don't need me."

She pressed her lips together and teared up, making my heart twist in my chest again.

"I do. I need you."

[sly-merlin]

KILLING ME - 4

(minor friendly chapter)

pairing : law student! Reader + yuta

Genre : angst, mafia au/arranged marriage au

Warnings : none.

Words : 5k

Summary:

"life's never fair y/n. Realise it as soon as you can. It is the only secret for living a regretless life."

Or

"curiosity got the cat hitched"

K.m masterlist

A/n : this series is totally minor friendly now. ✨

Previous morning in Taeyong’s office

“What was that for!” taeyong questioned jaehyun, clearly annoyed by his previous hostile mannerisms towards you. Jaehyun was on the receiving end of taeyong’s infuriation immediately after you departed from his office with doyoung.

“What!?” Jaehyun tried to act oblivious to Taeyong's accusations.

“Why were you trying to scare her? Escort ring! For fucks sake Jae, I expected better from you.”

“But it wasn’t a dead loss. And even you went along in the same wagon, so don’t put everything on me alone.” Jaehyun justified himself by shrugging his shoulders lightly. “And admit it! She was giving you a hard time. That bitch was not buying anything!

Taeyong knew jaehyun was right. Your unsatisfied replies and never ending enquiries were exasperating him, but he would rather preserve his precious ego than admitting that to jaehyun.

He ruffled his well-made hair before replying to Jaehyun, who was expecting some gratitude with a smug face.

“I-- just be careful and refrain from doing and saying anything that might put a dent in my plan. It’s a chance Neo would never get again. So be patient and don’t go around opening your mouth about this to anyone.” jaehyun reluctantly nodded,not hearing what he wanted but his affirmation calmed taeyong’s nerves. He couldn’t trust jaehyun entirely but his options were limited.

All the pieces were in the right place, for now. Nothing could go south right!

But jaehyun couldn’t completely understand the rationale behind Taeyong’s design.

and nor could the figure standing outside, completely hidden from the insiders.

The dread of the forthcoming finals substantiated the shortage of vacant seats in the kwanjeong library. You tried your best to arrive as expeditiously as possible for a person who partied, got abducted, arranged her own marriage, and again partied in grief, all in spam of about 34 hours. Finding no available seat, you decided to settle down on the floor. You gulped your cup of Americano in one go and began with the donut. As per a wise saying, Caffeine and sugar were the best combination as a breakfast for someone trying to get through their day with only 4 hours of sleep, the intellect being none other than your own self!

Yesterday was a pretty long day. Though you were worn out from the adventures with wonwoo last night, your brain wasn’t exhausted enough to shut down properly when you tried to close your eyes.The flashes of the events had shrouded you with a mixture of regrets and worries. What was the guarantee that you won’t end up dead tomorrow! What if taeyong was lying! But the fact regarding moon industries was absolutely legible. Maybe you should get a restraining order or something! But the existence of a person is necessary for that and yuta was a fucking corporate in the public eye and you were sure taeyong held some powerful position in the rich hierarchy as well, otherwise, covering the shits without revealing their true identities was not the job of some measly gang leader. There was more to taeyong than what someone could perceive just by looking. Will you be considered one of them now! After the little stunt that landed you straight into yuta’s life, you weren’t sure that he’d not strangle you in sleep. And What were you going to say to them? Chelin, yeom, guk, yeong.

and your thoughts spiralled from taeyong,yuta towards chelin and your friends and didn’t rest anytime before 4a.m. Waking up at 8 sharp , you took a shower and made your way towards the library.

And now you were here. 2 students passed your figure indicating that there were 2 vacant seats. Finally, after 15 minutes. They might have been the overnight students, you thought and walked inside before anyone else could claim the treasure. You had to find a new topic of thesis and do some research for an international paper your professor was writing, and you being his designated so-called subordinate had to help him, involuntarily of course. But in this world, the student who could refuse their professor’s demands was yet to be born! Marking the place by placing your bag, you started the search for last month’ law journals and digests. One and a half hours passed, but you couldn’t find anything on the international court of justice i.e. what your professor hadn’t already included. The urge to go out was profusely weighed down by your own sentiment of avoiding your friends. So you decided in favour of swallowing the bitter pill.

5 hours passed. The vibration of the timer in your phone prompted you to run off and get some food. It was already 2:30 and the lack of real food was making the tasks harder than they already were. Stepping outside into fresh air, instant regret of not bringing an umbrella washed over you. The sun was too bright unlike your mood and walking all the way to your favourite canteen would end up in you getting another headache. But you silently wished that every being from yesterday’s party was suffering from the same treatment of the over-the-top optimistic planet. why to suffer alone!

“Shortie” you lifted your head, spotting the combo of buy 1 get 1 free, heading your way.

“Where were you the whole day? And if you aren’t going to pick calls then please do that poor thing a favour and sell it!” yugyeom barked while running his hand through his hair.

You shrugged jungkook’s elbow from your shoulder and replied “I was busy with prof. Joong’s work. And I have to be somewhere after 4 so I was a bit-

“Joong should adopt you already man!” Jungkook interrupted, nudging your sides with his fingers.

“ but I thought he wanted to be her sugar daddy!” At that gyeom gave a serious and stern look to kook, pretending to ponder over his statement for a second and then suddenly they both started laughing, hands hitting you everywhere to support their doubling figures.

“Get away from me, idiots!” you shouted, trying to get away from them. Once they were done with showing their exaggerated emotions, you all giggled together in unison. they were wearing their fundraiser t-shirts, you noticed.

“When is the fundraiser?”

“At 5. But you won’t be there to support us cause you are busy with your daddy!” kook exclaimed while bumping your shoulder with his arm.

“I didn’t say I’m going for Joong’s work and no, he’s not my sugar daddy, doofus. I’m busy with tutoring. I missed someone’s Saturday class so—

“Okay, chill tiger. You need to breathe. It’s a boring event anyway.” gyeom said in a comforting tone, interjecting your rapid fire speech.

“I’m gonna have lunch, are you two going?” you suggested.

“Yeah, it’s our break and Yeong and Minjun have eaten already, so that leaves you!” kook pouted when gyeom mentioned his boyfriend’s name.

“Let’s go! I want my sugar” your dramatic pout made yugyeom pet your hair lovingly and the three of you started walking on a stone pathway on the way to the canteen.

“Where’s your umbrella?” jungkook asked you. He knew how much you hated walking under the sun after the drinking escapades.

“I forgot but let’s not talk about it. it’s making me grumpy.”

“Okay! but why don’t you cover your head with that scarf instead.” he said pointing towards the silky material around your neck.

“Naahh, it ruins my fashion” they gave each other a puzzled look, shrugging their shoulders for they both couldn’t gather the reason for your weird behaviour.

At lunch, you talked to them about the fundraiser and gave your own contribution for the noble cause. The conversation with them progressed too easily and for about an hour you forgot about the turmoil in your life, which was still unknown to them.

After parting away, you went straight to your professor to show him your progress. He took note of the materials you found on recent cases and dismissed you without showing any gratitude. Not even a word of appreciation.

A ping!

Jaemin: noona, doyoung hyung is picking you up at 4 but he won’t enter the campus. Be out at 4!

You let out a frustrated groan at his text. You had only met him once, when he conferred upon you the honour of connecting your phone to his server but that was not the only favour you received! He also saved his contact number with various hearts that you obviously removed after reaching home. you could only pray to heavens that he won’t be there today as well!

You made your way to the library again, this time to work on your thesis. The time passed faster than you thought. The alarm you placed earlier vibrated, indicating it was 4 already! You hastily made your bag and ran out of the library. It took 10 minutes to reach the gates of the campus. When you passed your dorms building, the idea of ditching doyoung and going to bed sounded tempting but as usual, nothing was going your way these days. You felt like the old catch 22 was in action.

You passed through the gates and looked around the road to find doyoung's car but he was nowhere to be seen. While you were scanning the whole area, a low voice called your attention.

“What are you finding, I’m right here under your nose” a voice said through gritted teeth.

Yes, he was indeed sitting in the car right in front of you and the only one you missed apparently. You walked around the car to sit on the passenger seat, the tinted windows hiding you from the outside funfair.

“What took you so long? It's 4:15 already.”

“I don’t have a car like you so I walked myself here and it’s not like I did it purposely anyway.” You contended, the annoyance in your voice matching his own.

“Whatever, we are already late so turn around. Taeyong would be mad.”

“No I’m not turning around. First that cloth bag, then the handkerchief you tied on my eyes yesterday, its painful man. I’ll lose my eyesight this way. And I can navigate the whole city from this place, you can’t hide your dungeon from me now” you reasoned. He didn’t tie your hands yesterday but your eyes were still covered.

“Then give me your scarf. I’ll cover your eyes with your own choice of article. It’s not painful or else you won’t be wearing it right! he said mockingly, pointing towards your neck.

“Umm, this scarf is act-

“Give me that already. I have some other things to handle as well.” assessing your options, you hesitantly removed the scarf, turning around to face the window immediately. Doyoung tied it across your eyes, checking the knot twice and tapped your shoulder. As you turned around, doyoung’s doe eyes widened, if that was even possible. Your collarbone and neck, which was visible through your v neck top, was covered with pretty purplish bruises. You fidgeted with your hands, flustered, feeling his eyes on you. But he remained quiet, focusing on the task at hand.

The whole drive was quiet and though your hands were not tied, you kept them on your backpack, hesitant to start any conversation. The car stopped finally, the mixed feelings coming back. The same process followed. He guided you inside but this time you passed only one door and the walk was quite shorter as well.

As doyoung was about to remove your scarf, a hand stopped him, or that was what you understood from the movements at that time.

“Silky scarf, blindfold and hickies haan! Being kinky doyoungie. She’s your sister-in-law. Show some respect boy!” a voice remarked, the air around your face suddenly filled with chocolate and coffee. You hiccupped all of a sudden, earning a chuckle from the unknown presence.

You tried to reach for the blindfold, but your hands were caught mid-air, the said hands removing it. You blinked your eyes a few times to make out the figure’s face. He was standing, mostly bending to match your stature, face smiling to show all of his teeth.

Yuta.

You, surprised, took a step back but instead bumped into the one behind you.

“I’ll take over from here, doyoung.” but fortunately, he didn’t budge. Your hold on the backpack tightened, your eyes lowered to avoid his gaze. The only thing in your view were his baggy pants and white sports shoes.

But yuta could see only you and nothing else. Taeyong wasn’t the only one awaiting your arrival. Yuta was equally anticipating you. His night was just as sleepless and anxious as you. He was afterall at the other end of the rope.

He raised your head, fingertips lightly grazing your chin. His hooded eyes roamed around your face like he was expecting you to show some contempt , hatred,nervousness! He straightened up abruptly and started tying the silk around your neck. You flinched at his touch but he remained void of any reaction. His half denim jacket and white t-shirt hid you from the surroundings, his arms almost engulfing you. He repositioned himself to match your height again, arms crossing against his chest.

���Looks like someone had a fun night.” and in a second, his honey smile changed into a smirk, letting go of any trace of earlier softer expressions. And the look on his face was enough to scare the shit out of anyone.

“Stop yuta” a taller man you recognised from yesterday as Johnny, pushed yuta aside from your view. It was then you saw that everyone was there. Including the one you were yet to encounter.

Your eyes wandered from one side to the other. Johnny let you inspect.

“Doyoung, what was the need to cover her eyes?” Johnny whispered to doyoung, breaking your trance.

“Why is everyone nagging me so much” he whined in a screeching voice.

“Karma bitch” Johnny pointed his forefinger towards him before giving his attention to you.

“Hey, how are you y/n.” he asked, his cheerful voice totally in contrast with the weather of the room.

“I’m- ummm.” you cleared your throat before continuing. “I’m fine Johnny. As fine I can be.” you mumbled the last part but he surely heard you.

“You remembered my name!” he clapped, his eyes turning into crescents. You gave him a tight lipped smile in return, waiting for some instructions. As if on cue, taeyong’s loud voice graced your ears.

“Come y/n. make yourself comfortable” he indicated towards the couches that were almost already occupied. Johnny gestured to you to proceed, walking with you. You passed yuta who was still smirking and sat on the single seat available next to taeyong. You placed your backpack on the large table in the middle of the room. It looked like a normal living room for guests, just with too many couches to accommodate the gang. You felt like an uninvited because apparently everybody was watching you like a hawk. Their stares changed sight only when yuta came to take a seat on one of the couches, exactly opposite to yours. You met his eyes briefly before turning your face towards your bag again.

Who knew the rusty zips of your bag were so interesting!

“So y/n I thought you should meet everyone. You are going to be part of this family soon. Better get acquainted with all.” taeyong addressed you while he sat on his couch majestically like a king. You heard a dry laugh and if you had to guess it had to be from jaehyun or yuta.

You didn’t understand why he wanted that. You were just a risk till yesterday and now means to discipline yuta.

And why all the formalities if you were gonna leave anyway.

“I’m going to leave anyway, taeyong. So I don’t see a need to do it!

You were too consumed to notice how your sentence turned all the heads around you. Some started giving side eyes to each other. There was something they were all missing.

“I said you could leave. But not without my permission. So, you’d be stuck for now, maybe till months or years.”

You gulped at his words. Taeyong turned your only hope into a distant dream. Maybe you were too foolish to gauge the situation.

“You want something to eat or drink before we continue” he asked in a sincere voice. Shaking your head, you rubbed your eyes with the palms of your hands to stop them from moistening. There was nothing more embarrassing than to cry in front of a bunch of strangers who didn’t give a shit about you.

“No, please continue.” you emphasised again to not draw any more attention to yourself than already was. And you internally thanked Taeyong who continued as if you weren’t just gonna cry!

“You will move in with yuta on Saturday,” it was Monday. “The wedding ceremony would be held in the morning. So you have a few days to prepare, everything from your dress to every other thing you need shall be arranged. Just name it and you’ll have it!”

Wedding ceremony! That was not on the plate!

“I don’t want a cerem-

“Leave the bullshit ta-

You and yuta both cut off each other simultaneously. You glanced at his side, finding him already piercing his gaze into yours.

“There’s no need for it. The paper signing is enough. It’s not like we are in-

You knew taeyong understood what you were trying to say, so you didn’t continue. But you were already having a feeling of superiority over yuta for being the first to offer your opinion. It felt like a payback for flustering you earlier. You refrained from facing him again, your body turned towards taeyong only, but you felt satisfied with the thought of him being riled up.

“Oh, but I want a ceremony taeyong and mark is going to be the best man. He’s so excited. You can’t do that to him!” yuta emphasised through the variation in his voice. You knew he changed his argument purposely , but you maintain your cool, opting to ignore him . bear and forbear.

Taeyong raised his eyebrow at you but you shook your head again.

“I don’t think it’d be a good idea. It’s not a normal one anyway so why pretend!” you held your ground.

“You aren’t getting married to a mannequin.” yuta retracted. “I’m getting married as well and don’t anyone dare say that I made a mistake and blah blah. At last I’ll be hitching so I want a ceremony and Japanese at that!”

Oh yeah, he was Japanese. You have missed that as well.

All the other men in the room, 9 to be exact, were nodding at everything that was being said. They were unable to decide whose argument was worth taking side for. Finally Johnny spoke-

“I think y/n is right” looking at nowhere in particular, he continued. “What’s with pomp and show when it’s nothing more than an agreement”

“But if yuta hyung wants it, then why not. They are going to live together, he should have his say as well.” It was Mark who took yuta’s side. He didn’t know why but watching yuta losing ground urged him to support his brother.

You looked briefly at the boy who just argued with Johnny.

“He’s mark y/n.” taeyong said the answer you were looking for. “And he’s Jungwoo, jeno, doyoung, you have already met him, then jaehyun, johnny, renjunie, hendery. Others are busy so you’ll meet them some other day probably.”

A few waved towards you, including Mark, who shyly withdrew his hand quickly. They all probably hated you as there was no other reaction towards a person who almost put your life in danger!

“Can we get to a middle ground now? I’m already getting tired of this” jaehyun grumbled, leaning into the couch.

“Ok so, he wants a celebration of a lie! What about me then? You are all here but I have no one. I’m alone and probably will be. Because taeyong, you haven’t told me how am I going to reveal this to my friends? I may not have a family, but still there are people close to me. They are my best friends, roommate, and many others who need to know! How am I going to explain to them that their friend who didn’t even have a boyfriend, is getting married suddenly? I don’t even have parents to cover it with an arranged marriage. How to convince them? Give me a way and I’ll agree” you pointed out the very important detail that they were missing. But they needed to know that there was other side of the paper as well and your reasons were not just a cry in the wilderness.

Nobody made a sound. Everything went quite like a dark night until-

“I hope this is not the calm before a storm!” you looked over to see the person who broke the silence. It was another young man coming with a food trolley, probably from the kitchen.

“I thought we have a guest so I prepared some coffee and donuts. I hope you like sweets y/n” the man was smiling ear to ear, seeming too happy with your visit.

“I-

“I’m kun.” he introduced himself and you shook his hand. He seemed too polite for a criminal. “Have this and tell me how it is” he forcibly handed you a dessert plate with a chocolate glazed donut. You took it out of politeness but felt a bit weird to be the only one eating it. You watched him with quizzical eyes as he took one for himself and sat on the arm of your couch. Everyone was now staring at your movements.

“Eat it, eat it. These are for you and me only.” he cajoled.

You decided to take a bite and then place it back just to stop the awkwardness.

As you bit it from one side, your brain short circuited. “Holy shit, bro. What is this sorcery.” your genuine and innocent reaction made Kun laugh loudly, some of the others joined in as well.

“Thank god, you like it! I’m so glad you aren’t one of weight conscious ones, otherwise it’d have been weird.” he started munching on his own piece.

“I’m a sugar bear. I can’t live without sugar. I just had a donut in the morning but it was bleh compared to this. You are a master chef bro.” and for a minute you forgot the previous tense environment. Everyone was glad that Kun came to save the situation and except to you, it was known that obviously he heard everything from the kitchen.

“You ate one in the morning! Then it’s the last one you’re getting. Everyone help yourself. She’s not having any more!” as if they were waiting, everyone except mark and yuta picked them up.

“Mark” Kun motioned towards the tray and he grabbed one as well.

“What if I was allergic to chocolate, kun” you asked him while finishing your treat.

“Oh please! Even ten eats it.” he laughed to himself at his reference, which went over your head.

“Now coming to the point.” Everyone looked at taeyong who was already done with eating. “Y/n doesn’t want anything special so it’ll happen like that. No!yuta, lemma speak. And you y/n, it’s upon you to make your friends believe. Make up a story or do whatever you want. You don’t want to tell them about the wedding. Fine with me but do let them know at least that you have a boyfriend that you are moving in with! It’s on you both to make this arrangement believable.

“okay , sho now I shuggenly hab a voyfiend” you started speaking without even finishing the bite in your mouth. you continued once you chewed it.

“won't they be suspicious. They know exactly what I do and what I don’t. It’s almost impossible to put a façade in front of them.”

“Oh please, don’t tell me they even know from where you got those hickies” jaehyun’s curt statement was a hit below the belt. Kun was about to scold him when you elaborated his statement further to prove that he was doing nothing but burning his own fingers.

“Yes, actually they happen to know. When, where and from whom I got these. Anything else you want to ask?.” he rolled his eyes on your reply, busing himself with the delicacy instead.

“They don’t know yuta. So if you want you can introduce him to your people. He won’t be posing any problem, take my word for it.”

“I’ll go with you if you also accompany me,that I guess would be a problem for you. You don’t want to be seen with a criminal, or do you!” yuta jabbered. He was trying to push your buttons to measure your limit. But little did he know that you were far from being that easy.

“I just said I don’t want a wedding. I’ll agree to anything that is reasonable and is not degrading to me.”

“Ok then, nobody would force you to do what you don’t want.” Taeyong decided to take matters into his own hands now. “And we’ll organise a small, very intimate gathering at taeil’s office to celebrate as yuta wants. And you’ll be introduced as Mrs. Nakamoto to our corporate world.” taeyong finished gauging both of your reactions. The surname was foreign and cringing to you. But it was going to be yours, so there was nothing you could do, for now.

“What do you mean ‘our’ corporate world.” you got puzzled at his choice of words.

“You’ll find out soon and it's nothing scary, don’t worry.” Kun responded on behalf of taeyong this time, handing you your cup of coffee. “Tell me if it’s cold, I’ll-

“No it’s totally fine.” you assured him, without even taking a sip. He was being nice enough already.

“If my opinion has no value, then what am I even doing here!” yuta shouted, getting up from the seat.

“yut-

Before Kun could say anything, he stormed off. Mark tried to follow but taeyong stopped him from doing that.

“Don’t mind him. He’s a hot head.” Johnny laughed in between his bites.

You only nodded, sipping your coffee. You were glad he was gone. Sugar has always done wonders for you and it was having the same effects now as well. You were able to think more rationally now.

“One more thing” you furrowed your brows at taeyong. What was left now! “Do you want any specifications in the house? It’s my responsibility. A wedding gift you can say. If you need anything like extra closet, a more spacious kitchen-

“Kitchen?” you let out a brief chuckle at that. Everyone’s eyes were on you now. “It’ll be totally fine if I don’t even get a kitchen. I can’t cook anything besides ramyeon and salads. So I won’t even need that.”

“You are a student. Don’t you know anything basic.” It was Jungwoo who spoke in the sweeter voice than Kun's.

“No. I grew up in an orphanage and they provided us everything. I left when I started law. So all in all, I never had anyone to teach me. That’s why if you want to know best food trucks and restaurants in the city, I’m your best option.but, if that yuta knows how to cook, ask him about the kitchen.” you spoke nonchalantly .But you didn’t realise how uncomfortable the air had become. a heavy silence took over the light atmosphere.

“I’m sorry noona” Jungwoo apologised sheepishly.

“It’s fine. After all there are some things that your hacker can’t find out. only I can tell you those.” saying that, you faced taeyong again. “But if you insist, I can always use a study room.” you tried to enlighten the mood again.,ppp

“Ok. I’ll find something suitable for you both.” you hummed, not knowing what to say anymore.

“Can I go back now?”

“Yes, doyoung will drop you.”

“No, I’ll go with her.” Johnny said, grabbing your attention. He didn’t look sulky like doyoung so, it’d be fine, you guess.

They said you goodbyes. Mark seemed hesitant to even look at you, but you couldn’t care less. He was just a stranger after all.

Yuta couldn’t realise why everyone was trying to be so nice to you. Till yesterday, he was allowed to put a gun on her head but now every being was against him. He didn’t know why he was so furious at Taeyong, to force him to marry you or for dragging Mark into this mess. Taeyong knew how to play dirty, but yuta never thought he’d use his own brother. There was no option for him as well, as taeyong has said. He showed interest in a fucking celebration to contradict you, but you were not backing down and that felt like a punch to his gut.

He drove towards his stress reliever. The infamous Japanese club, the only place where he could drown his sorrows.

The club was packed despite it being Monday. That was one thing he liked about it, you’ll never be disappointed in this place.

“ゆた!” The hostess chimed seeing yuta. “久しぶり” [ long time, no see!]

He signed her to give him 2 shots. She did as told but her gaze was following yuta’s, which rested on her cleavage. He came here only for 2 things after all.

He gulped the drink in a second without blinking an eye.

“バックルーム” [ back room]

She wasn’t someone to be told twice. She handed her hand towel to her co-worker and followed the path. Who was she to reject him after all?

He drove back silently again. The relief he felt was all dissipated now. Instead his mind was already wandering towards you. Your headstrong attitude was troubling him. his plans were all down and out. He hated you , from the moment he laid his eyes on you. You acted like you were invincible but he knew it was just a mask to protect yourself.

He had noticed how you rubbed your eyes to hide your disappointment for you didn’t want to appear weak. All he had to do now was to find a vulnerable part of you, to hit you where it’d hurt the most. It’d be last time he lost to you.

Afterall, beginning is always easy, it is continuing that’s hard!

[scarecrow-supremacy]

Arranged Love | Pt 4

Thank you to Mrs. Hatake for requesting this prompt to me!

In which: f!reader is interested in being in a fwb like relationship, but is forced into an arranged marriage with the one and only, Hatake Kakashi. Both (y/n) and Kakashi only agree to marry for the sake of convivence. (y/n) with her needs, and Kakashi with his wish to revive his clan.

AO3 Chapter

Lime/Smut warning 

*Lime, but the next chapter will probably be smut ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)*

Infinite things I could hate about you

The way you walk

The way you talk

The way you capture my mind

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick...

You counted the soft noises of the clock, knowing full well that your alarm clock was bound to go off at any moment now. You could have gotten up to start your day early, but you, quite frankly, lack the motivation to do so. Anyways, it was your day off. Being productive is highly overrated... You mentally uttered. Why get out of bed when you could cuddle with your plush lavender body-sized pillow all morning? You groaned, your actions making your further realize how friggen lonely you felt within. If only the pillow could have been a person...

You glared daggers at the rose gold engagement ring upon your finger. Technically, you really weren't lonely. Hell, there was a part of you that would have preferred to be alone again. Why him?! Annoyed thoughts swarmed your mind, keeping you from attaining proper relaxation. Of all people...Why him? You pulled your pillow closer to your chest, burying your face into the cool silken cover and squeezing it tightly. Why, why, why? Your mind paced. It wasn't that you were thinking about him, Hatake Kakashi, so much. It was how you thought about him that filled you up with despair.

New feelings...shining in a new light.

What is wrong with me?!

Your eyes traveled to your stomach, your diary still opened up to the page you were writing last night. The whole diary idea was Kurenai's, back when you were made jonin, around the age of 14. She knew you weren't the best with opening up to people. So to let out your pains, she had recommended writing about them. And in honesty, you were glad that you had decided to take her advice. Writing did make you feel better. Ranting out all of your troubles without any worries of being judged. As of these days, most of your entries were about Kakashi or how you wanted to relieve yourself. It's almost concerned you that you wrote about him so damn much. Just shove him aside!

"Urg!" Your groaned, gathering the willpower to get up from your blanket cocoon and take a nice and warm shower, "Sulking won't do any good..." With a sigh, you entered your kitchen, telling yourself that you'd shower after grabbing something to replenish your hunger. It was glaringly obvious that cooking wasn't your forte. In fact, you were absolutely horrendous at it. Honestly, you wouldn't be surprised if you somehow managed to burn water while trying to boil it.  You, the woman dubbed Ibara-hime, the Thorn Princess, could not cook if your life depended on it.

After contemplating what you could make without burning your kitchen down, you simply made yourself a cup of your favorite herbal tea to energize your body. It wasn't much, but it helped wake you up.

Ding dong, the bell to your apartment rang. "Gimme a sec!" You called out the person, throwing on your flak jacket just for formalities. "Oh..." Your face fell, yet your stomach fluttered, "It's you–"

"Yeah, it's me," one Hatake Kakashi mocked the tone you had greeted him with, running his fingers through his silvery hair. You didn't want to think much of it, but his hair just looked so soft...

"What do ya want, Hatake?" You put your hands on your hips and pouted.

Kakashi groaned as he made himself welcome inside your quaint home, "I'm bored," He simply told you, plopping himself right in the middle of your couch. What a dick, you muttered, having to sit on a chair instead of the sofa. "Wahh..?" You whispered as Kakashi's eyes took in ever single bit of you. Your skin started to burn, although his gaze wasn't exactly giving off a positive vibe. "Stop eyeing me like that, Hatake." You mustered up the courage to spit out.

"Oi, it's not my fault," Kakashi sassed, "Take a look at what you're wearing, yariman." Slut, his deep and rich voice had called you.

Anger stirred up inside of you, along with embarrassment, causing your skin to feel as if it was on fire. You felt yourself get flustered as you looked down at your short skirt, which had rid up your legs, and lacy dark green bra that had been reveled by your unzipped vest. "O-oh!" You breathed, your hand going to zip up your flak jacket, yet was slapped away before you could. "What the hell, Hatake?" You flashed him a bewildered look.

Kakashi chuckled smugly, the smirk under his mask apparent, "Don't... I kinda like you dressed like this." He stated matter-of-factly.

"But you j-just," You stuttered out, "called me a..." you trailed off, averting you eyes. Urg, the audacity of this pervert, your inner self spoke. "Perverted idiot."

"Call me what you want," Kakashi grabbed your hand, "I'm your perverted idiot, forever." He laughed softly. Woah, he never acts like this...

"Did somebody drug you?" you sweat-dropped, unintentionally blurted out your thoughts, "You normally don't act like this."

Kakashi sent you a wary look, but you could tell he felt slightly hurt by your remark, "No..." he replied cautiously, "I just thought...it would be good to loosen up."

Your expression softened ever so slightly, "Oh..." the two of you sat in pin drop silence.

"You know," Kakashi ventured, "dark green is my favorite color."

"Hatake!" You yelped, instinctively covering your chest, "I'm going to take a shower!" You turned you back to your dreaded fiancé, stomping out of the room to go bathe.

"I might as well join you then," Kakashi shrugged, causing you to stop dead in your tracks.

"I'm sorry what?!" you exclaimed

"I haven't showered yet today."

"Urg..!" He's drugged, I'm sure of it... you thought, finally giving in to Kakashi. "Kitanai yarō!"

 "Well," Kakashi tapped his foot, carefully placing his flak jacket upon the silken sheets of your bed, "aren't you going to strip down?" He asked as he started to remove the cloth bindings from his thigh and ankles.

"Y-yeah..." you flushed softly, "J-just gimme a second." You dashed off, tossing my clothes into your basket of dirty laundry and grabbing a towel to wrap around your bare body, "Okay..." you mumbled, peaking your head out from the bathroom. The tension in the room was heavy and hot, almost uncomfortable. It was...something you had never felt. Hence, you couldn't put your finger on a way properly to describe the situation. Yet heat rushed to your core, even the tiniest smidge of arousal turning on your mind. You felt like your every movement was being recorded in Kakashi's mind. His gaze digging into your soul like a kunai in delicate flesh. Like his– No, no, no, no! No pervy thoughts, (y/n)! Stay classy, you ordered your mind, preventing it from trailing off. We have a dignity, remember?

You hesitantly got into the shower, testing the waters for the proper temperature. "Ahhh," you moaned ever so slightly, the raining down of the water slipping down your body and rejuvenating your sores from the previous night's round of nightmares. "Oi..." Kakashi started to speak as he entered the shower from behind you, ending up grunting incoherently. You shook your head, sighing in disapproval whilst rubbing from body wash into your soft (s/t) skin. You felt a pair of hands brush past your hair, reaching for the hair conditioner, "Rose and sandalwood, eh? No wonder you smell like a garden and incense shop." Kakashi breathed down your neck.

You tried your best not to look back at him, your heart racing for reasons you tried to reject. Nope! We can't be falling for him! You let out a slight gasp as Kakashi's hands found their way to your hips, tracing the gracefully toned muscles of your stomach. "Kakashi...what are you doing?" You whispered, just loud enough to be heard over the running water.

"I read your diary," you could practically heard the smirk on Kakashi's face, "I think I can help you with your needs..." Kakashi licked the helix of your ear. A shudder went down your spine, a foreign though crossing your mind. Maybe, just maybe, we could make this work... your mind ventured. "Kami, I've been having some problems myself, big problems..." Kakashi told you, his voice velvety coffee as he nipped at your neck. His hardening length pressing against your round ass. You could feel your walls start to clench; you were surprised that your body was reacting to Kakashi's touch like this.

No disturbance could get in the way of this exhilarating moment, right?

"(Y/N)! RAIDŌ ASKED ME OUT! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!" The voice of Mitarashi Anko screeched, she wandered into your bathroom, "YESS!"

"Anko..." You cringed, clenching your fists, "W-wrong t-time..." You moaned as Kakashi's finger teased your clit.

"What?" Anko called out, "I can't hear you over the water. Could ya speak up."

Kakashi pumped faster, "You heard her, louder." His intentions directing towards your moans, blessed music to his ears.

You sucked your breath, "N-never m-mind, Anko!" You managed to force out, trying your absolute hardest to not moan.

"Wait...Is that..." Anko's voice trailed off, "Kakashi's mask, and his..."

"A-anko! Pl-pleas j-just..." you bit your tongue, "go. Ju-just tell me l-later!" You begged her, turning to look at Kakashi with pleading eyes. Not now, Kakashi, you tried to convey with your widened (e/c) eyes.

"OH HELL NO! SORRY!" Anko cried out, causing Kakashi to pull his fingers out of you with a let down sigh. The smoke of Anko's hasty teleportation jutsu lingering for a few moments.

The mood had officially been broken. Thanks a lot, Anko, you mentally swore. But holy hell, you were about to get laid. Shamefully, you looked at the floor as Kakashi rinsed our your hair. "I–" you tried to speak, yet your voice faltered as you took a moment to observe Kakashi's face.

"Are you still in for it?" Kakashi raised his eyebrow; his left eye lidded.

"Oh! Uh..." your heart suddenly fluttered, "Y-yeah." You told him shyly.

Kakashi flashed you a smirk, "How about we just dry off, then..." He winked at you.

Yep, I'm convinced he's drugged... There's no other explanation...

Infinite things I try to love about you

They way you walk

The way you talk

The way you capture my mind

[seventeenlovesthree]

“Shall we go together?” (8/24) | A Taishirou Christmas drabble countdown

Just a little Taishirou-centric Christmas fic I’ve been meaning to write all year long, so here we are. The plan was to post 12-24 drabbles to complete telling the story and the Christmas spirit succeeded in the end.

🧡💜

Chapters: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]

Characters: Taichi Yagami, Koushirou Izumi, Yuuko Yagami, Hikari Yagami (mentions of other Chosen Children)

Main POV: Taichi Yagami

Genre: Friendship (& romance)

Rating: K

Wordcount: 721

December 24th, 11:33 AM

~

 “What took you so long?”

 Upon returning from their little grocery shopping tour, Taichi and Hikari stepped into the kitchen – and definitely hadn’t expected the cookie pile to have grown that much. Yuuko, however, eyed them even more curiously.

 “Onii-chan insisted on buying at least six boxes and we had to make sure none of the eggs were even remotely damaged”, Hikari chuckled, nudging Taichi with her elbow, before putting the bag on the counter, starting to unpack. At least now they could all expect Taichi to make omurice for the entire family…

 “Very responsible… Anyway, you’re back just in time, we ran out of dough.”

 Taichi only pouted – and tried his best to look naturally annoyed while doing so. Which was difficult when your lips desperately wanted to curl into a smile. Internally, he cursed himself for the thought that had just entered his mind after he had spotted Koushirou sitting at the table.

 “Merry Christmas Eve, Koushirou-san!”, Hikari finally got around to step towards said table, bowed down a little, just to have Koushirou return the gesture, both smiling happily.

 Taichi was still facing away.

 “Merry Christmas Eve to you too, Hikari-san. Looks like you two have been successful?”, Koushirou asked and Taichi pulled all of his strength together.

 ‘You just thought he looked cute in that stupid apron, now stop being a coward and look at him!’, he scolded himself, then eventually nodded towards Koushirou in an attempt to greet him casually.

 “Same goes for you, did you use a time capsule to make all this?”, he giggled at all the baked goods, patting Agumon’s and Tentomon’s backs and causing Koushirou to laugh as well. That at least gave Taichi a little bit of a confidence boost again. Waiting until Hikari turned back to their mother together with a now much more lively Tailmon to prepare a new dough, he leaned down to Koushirou, whispering: “And? Did you figure anything out?”

 “Not exactly”, Koushirou whispered right back, already in ‘conspiracy mode’, “As mentioned, the sparks have been too weak to measure anything significant. Did you stumble over anything suspicious on your way?”

 “No, nothing…” Admittedly, Taichi hadn’t paid much attention to the electronics around them, but he was certain that he would have noticed if something odd had happened. And the same applied to Hikari. Especially Hikari. “Maybe it really was just random?”

 “Possibly…”

 Taichi couldn’t help but watch his friend a little bit more closely – that serious face, so deep in thought, brows furrowed, obviously worried. That damn apron.

 “Would be a good thing, huh?”, Taichi smiled reassuringly, unable to suppress the urge to calm Koushirou down. As adventurous as they could get, having a peaceful Christmas together still sounded like a thing worth wishing for. Leaning even closer, he lowered his voice some more: “Mom didn’t step on your toes too much, did she?”

 And it worked this time, Koushirou laughed again. “Not at all, it was fun, actually. I also couldn’t remember the last time I’ve been that invested in cooking.”

 “Still, sorry I didn’t tell you in full.”

 “It’s fine, I know you’re not the most elaborate texter.” Taichi raised his eyebrows at that; was that sass he heard there? “And I’m accustomed to read between the lines by now.”

 “Oh, you think you’re able to read me?”, Taichi teased back in the same, almost challenging tone – but he couldn’t keep up that demeanour for too long. Too distracted by the closeness. And something in particular. “Ah…”

 “What?”

 Koushirou blinked and Taichi reacted instinctively; without thinking twice, he raised his right index finger to gently brush across Koushirou’s nose – just to immediately pull it back as if he had gotten an electrical shock himself.

 “… There was flour on your nose…”, he mumbled and brought some more distance between their bodies.

 “Oh… Thanks”, Koushirou replied in an almost robotic way, but Yuuko didn’t give either of them enough room to process what had just happened;

 “What are you two whispering about over there? Let’s get this done, we have to make sure all your friends get something this year.”

 “Y-yeah, Daisuke would never let Hikari hear the end of it ever again”, Taichi responded. Almost sounding like his old self again, even though there was a little thunderstorm raging in his heart right now.

[starsfic]

The Ghosts of Fiery Cloud Manor, Chapter 4: Fiery Cloud Manor at Night

Summary: Literally what it says on the tin.

AO3

-_-

Xiaojiao gasped when the house, gate and doors still flung wide open, came into view. "You weren't kidding when you said this place was epic!"

"It gets better when you see the inside." Xiaotian promised.

That was an understatement. Xiaojiao was soon running around, streaming the manor with awestruck gasps and squeals of excitement. Spindrax, looking like Xiaojiao had hung the moon, and Xiaotian followed her. "Oh, you poor neglected beauty!" she said, stuffing her phone in his hands to grab and cuddle a decorative sword. "Who just abandoned you?!"

"Come on," Xiaotian said, turning the camera to wave bye before turning off the stream. "The poor neglected beauty will be waiting for you!" Xiaojiao whined, putting the sword back and giving it a longing stroke.

“You weren’t kidding when you said there wouldn’t be much,” Spindrax noted, reaching for the nearest gas lamp. She scraped her nail over the grime. Underneath was the gleam of brass.

“And that’s why we should get to work! Come one, the supplies are in the front.”

As much as he had enjoyed the manor alone, it was even more fun to have company. The trio set to work putting a shine on the ballroom's floor, setting a rhythm in their work that was briefly stopped to skate in their socks across the floor because polished ballroom floors and music demanded it. Then they turned to try to clean those massive mirrors. “Is there a ladder?” Spindrax asked. “Like, maybe in a garden shed?”

“Probably in the back,” Xiaotian said, leading them to the kitchen. “I haven’t looked out there-”

He opened the door and the three gaped.

The backyard was an overgrown mess, much worse than the front yard and to the point that they couldn't see if there was a shed. The plants would require much more weed killer than the measly little bottle he had gotten at the hardware store. Xiaotian slammed the door shut. “The mirrors can wait,” he said and the girls nodded their agreement.

They ended up spending the rest of the day in the library, Xiaojiao cataloging the books while Xiaotian and Spindrax dusted the shelves. (Once, the eldest girl had to take out a spider.) Questions were thrown at him about the house, but they were always tinged with respect. For some reason, that made him feel better.

Sunset came too soon. As he locked the door, he found himself giving the knockers a fond stroke. “Yes, your boyfriend’s very cute,” Xiaojiao said with a grin. “Come on, dinner’s waiting.”

Dinner was warm and cozy and Xiaotian was satisfied as he stripped down into his pajamas. He was so glad his friends liked Fiery Cloud. He wasn’t sure why it mattered, but he was glad nonetheless.

Then his phone started ringing.

Xiaotian yelped when he picked it up, finding it was BAO (DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT). Despite the warning label he had placed on her contact, he found himself answering. “Hello?”

“Xiaotain.” His sister’s voice was sharp and clinical. “It was about time you responded.”

“I don’t want you calling me.” It was his first response. “Please, leave me alone.” He tried to keep his voice even. No need to shout and have Xiaojiao interrupt.

There was an annoyed sigh. “I can’t, not until we figure out how we’re going to handle this situation.” This situation, as if she hadn’t caused it by telling their parents where he was even though he had asked her not to. “Believe me, I didn’t know Father was planning to attack you.”

“Except he did because you told him.”

There was an annoyed snarl. “Xiaotian, if you would just apologize, we can work on this together. You'll have to e-”

He hung up before Bao could finish her sentence. Xiaotian stared at his phone before he realized he was trembling, dropping his phone. Then he was running out of the room, past the monkey, barely hearing Syntax’s confused calls of his name when he hit the main floor.

He was halfway up the trail before he realized where he was going. "Please let me in, please let me in, please let me in…" Xiaotian chanted, slamming open the gate and rushing up the stairs and through the doors. He slammed the doors shut and then he was a little ball against them, muffling sobs into his knees.

The only witness was the house.

Finally, his tears were spent. A chilly wind blew and Xiaotian shivered. He had forgotten his jacket back into his room. He got to his feet and started walking. Movement would warm him up and he had never seen Fiery Cloud at night.

It was dark, but the moonlight coming through the windows made it a bit lighter. He drank it in, feeling like he was walking between two realms entirely. Sticking his hands in his pockets revealed that he had brought his phone.

The music made it better, in his opinion.

Soon, Xiaotian was dancing along to the music, singing along to some of the lyrics as he went. At one point, he slammed his hands up-

And hit the wall hard.

Xiaotian yelped, watching a lamp just drop off the wall and hit the basement door. The glass shattered across the floor. He gaped in horror at the damage, a squeak escaping him when the knob of the basement door just...fell off. "Oh no…" He groaned, scrambling over to try and see if he could reattach the knob.

But all of his fussing grew distracted when the basement door creaked open under his attentions. Xiaotian got to his feet, staring at the darkness below. The music was still playing, but it was nothing compared to the urge to go down there. He pulled out his phone and flicked on his flashlight, (ignoring how it's presence turned this 'cool two realms' into 'horror movie'), and descended down.

The basement was dark, dusty, and cold. At first, all he saw was that. But as his eyes adjusted and his flashlight moved, he could make out hundreds of jars and a few barrels. This must've been the storage for winter.

Then he moved around a corner.

He froze.

Because grass was tickling his toes and the air was warmer here.

And, right in front of him, gleaming in the darkness, was a staff.

[everlarkficexchange]

A Simple Choice

Written by: @justajjfan​​​​

Beta’d by: @sunsetsrmydreams​​​​

Prompt 83: Katniss is whipped instead of Gale in Catching Fire, Peeta’s the one who’s there to take care of her after. [submitted by anonymous].

Prompt 116: Peeta braids Katniss’ hair to soothe her. [submitted by anonymous] 

Rating: Mature 

Warning: Mention of whipping. Use of coarse language.

A/N: We’re half-way…ish there. Thanks again @everlarkficexchange​ ; @javistg​ and @xerxia31​ for continuing to post my really late submission. @sunsetsrmydreams​ 💚

~~~

Chapter 4

Back in the kitchen I make quick work of preparing breakfast by slicing two thick pieces of bread and while I wait for them to toast lightly, I scoop a few teaspoons of home-made strawberry jam into a small dish before placing everything on the serving tray. Once the kettle has boiled, I pour the hot water into the tea pot and inhale the fragrant steam from the herbal tea leaves.

These are the things I know Katniss likes so I hope it will entice her enough to eat.

I had planned on running over to Katniss’ house earlier to grab a nightgown or something loose fitting for her to change into while her wounds healed but with my unexpected visitor, there isn’t time so it will have to wait until after she’s had something to eat.

Balancing the tray carefully, I approach my bedroom door to find it slightly open. I was positive I closed it before I came downstairs this morning so I wouldn’t wake Katniss from what looked like a peaceful sleep. But as I nudge the door gently open all the way with my foot, I am surprised to see Katniss standing by the window wrapped loosely in the thin bedsheet I draped over her yesterday, starring out towards the pathway and beyond the gate.

I take careful steps so I don’t startle her but the rattle from the empty teacup on top of its saucer ruins any attempt at me being quiet. Needless to say, Katniss doesn’t appear to have noticed me entering the room and seems caught in a trance clutching a separate piece of cloth close to her chest.

I know I shouldn’t be thinking this way about her but even draped in something as plain as a bedsheet and seeing the contours of her body as she stands in the morning light, Katniss is still the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on and the urge to sketch her image is overwhelming. But any urges I feel right now are quickly supressed with a more pressing need to check on her wounds.

With that thought in mind, my eyes dart straight to the part of Katniss’ back not covered by the sheet and what I see…or rather don’t see, causes me to loosen my grip on the tray. Luckily, I make a quick recovery of my senses and save her freshly made breakfast from ending up in a messy heap on the carpeted floor.

“Oh my God Katniss,” I announce, my voice choked with elation. “Your wounds…they’re so much better,” I manage to say as I gawk at her bare back in amazement.

The criss-cross of jagged and bloodied welts of flesh that were spread across her back and shoulders yesterday have been replaced by faint pink lines. If I hadn’t cleaned and dressed her wounds myself, I wouldn’t have known they were there. 

She nods, bringing the cloth to her face and rubbing it lightly against her cheek, clearly not startled and being completely aware of my presence the whole time, “because you took good care of me,” she replies in a soft tone.

“I think it had a lot to do with Madge Undersee’s miracle salve…not me.”

Katniss shakes her head, “it was you…even after everything. You saved me and cleaned my wounds and—” her words fade as she tries to keep her emotions in check.

She’s always been so strong but seeing her like this surprises me and it hurts in ways I cannot even describe, “it’s what we do…you and me. Protect each other…no matter what,” I concede.

“She was right.”

“Who was?” I ask but she shakes her head again before burying her face in the cloth. Whether she meant her mother or maybe her sister I don’t want to press the issue. Katniss must still be a little groggy from the pain medication and having an empty stomach isn’t helping. 

Still holding onto that mysterious cloth as if her life depended on it, Katniss steps away from the window and walks slowly towards the bed and sits, “when I woke I couldn’t find you and I called out but you didn’t answer,” she tells me, her eyes slowly cast to the armchair beside the bed.

“Did you sleep there all night?” she questions, raising her head to look at me. I nod in silent reply. “It must have been uncomfortable for you.”

“I’ve slept in worse places,” I say as I edge closer, recalling our nights in the cave and I wonder if Katniss remembers too.

Our eyes lock onto each other and I have to clench my fists tighter around the handles of the breakfast tray to fight the strong desire to wrap my arms around her and kiss her deeply on the lips. The mere thought is threatening to engulf me like a burning ring of fire.

I’m setting myself for heartbreak all over again and I need to shake these feelings away. Katniss will leave as soon as she has her strength back and when that happens, I’ll be resigned to living the rest of my lonely and pathetic life with only her memory to keep me company.

Clearing my throat, I move to the bedside table and rest the tray on top, “I’m used to waking early and I didn’t want to disturb you…and what looked like a happy dream, so I went downstairs to make a start on preparing breakfast and some broth for lunch,” I say. “I’m sorry I didn’t hear you call out for me. I tend to get a little distracted when I’m kneading bread and I wanted to make sure you had a fresh loaf for toast and of course, strawberry jam. It’s still your favourite, right?”

She smiles shyly and nods, “you remembered.”

“I’d never forget something as important as that.”

Our eyes meet again and for a few seconds, neither of us utter a word. I clear my throat to break the silence and nervously reach for the breakfast tray, placing it carefully between us and pour the tea as Katniss watches on, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ears.

I guess my hair braiding skills leave a lot to be desired.

“Mmmm…peppermint tea,” Katniss says before taking a careful sip from the steaming cup. “Won’t your mother be angry with you for not turning up for work this morning?” she adds a moment later.

“I don’t care if she is,” I say, breaking a piece of toast and holding it out for her to take.

Katniss straightens up and looks at me before her eyes fall on the piece of toast then she draws in a deep breath before taking a bite straight from my hands. When her lips brush against my fingers, my breath hitches at the sensation and I struggle to stay focused.

“I-I’m part owner of the bakery now and I decide my own hours…n-not my mother,” I say as Katniss chews slowly, her grey eyes never leaving mine.

“Looking after you will always be my first priority,” I blurt out without thinking. I should probably apologies for my forwardness but I’m so transfixed on her mouth as she chews and swallows the first piece of toast, I’d only end up saying something even more stupid.

Katniss places the teacup back on the tray and breaks a piece of toast. Good, I think to myself, she’s hungry. But instead of taking a bite herself, she brings it to my lips in offering and I open my mouth wide and gently take it from her delicate fingers.

“Yes,” she whispers as I roll the toasted bread around in my mouth. Caught under a magical spell I want to live in forever, I find myself repeating it but as soon as the word leaves my lips, the smile on my face drops when Katniss brings the cloth close to her chest.

It’s the shirt I wore yesterday.

I get up from the bed a little too quickly and spill some tea on the tray but I don’t care. I’m annoyed and angry with myself for leaving the shirt on the bathroom floor. I meant to take it with me after I showered to throw it in the trash but my mind was happily tossing on what kind of bread I would bake for Katniss, it completely slipped my mind.

Katniss doesn’t say anything as I walk over to the dresser and pull out a clean white shirt from the top drawer which I think will do until we can get something of hers.

“I always forget to pick up after myself,” I laugh, trying to make light of the situation. “Here…let me take that from you and give you this to put on instead of that bedsheet,” I say, holding out my hand with the clean shirt. “We can go to your house later to grab some of your clothes, if you’re up to it,” I suggest.

Katniss nods and takes it with one hand but still clings to the shirt I carelessly left on the floor with the other. “The bread…it smelt so familiar and I was about to come downstairs to find you but I needed to use the bathroom first and…” she says looking down at the crumbled and soiled shirt still clutched tightly in her hand. “I never meant for any of this to happen…not to you.”

“And I wished with all my heart none of this happened to you, but here we both are.”

“How many?” Katniss asks, lifting her head to look at me.

I know what she’s asking and consider lying by giving her some lame explanation but how can I when she’s been holding onto the truth so tightly in her hands all this time, “just the one but I hardly think it matters…not compared to yours.”

“It matters to me!” Katniss says in a raised voice, her chin quivering. “The salve…you used some on yourself and it’s healed just like mine, right?” There’s a desperate look on her face as she waits for my confirmation.

“Peeta?”

I feel a huge lump in my throat and swallow hard, “you needed every bit of that salve and I wasn’t about to waste a drop of it on me. Besides, I hardly feel a thing now,” I admit truthfully.

“Take off your shirt!” Katniss demands as she turns to the bedside table and reaches frantically for the tin box containing what I know sits an empty jar inside. “There’s got to be a little left for you. Your shirt Peeta…please,” she pleads, trying to scrape any remnant of salve that I know isn’t there on her finger.

I take a hold of her dainty wrist and gently remove the jar from her fingers and place it back on the bedside table, “it’s okay Katniss…it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“But you need some too. We look after each other…you said so yourself.”

Katniss places her trembling hands on my chest and guides them down my shirt and I don’t resist. Neither do I when she starts to undo each button one by one then gently pushes the fabric over my shoulders and down my arms. I stay silent the whole time and watch her face intently as she kneels on the bed and begins to trace her fingers ever-so softly over the single welt splayed mostly across my shoulder. My heart skips a beat and I let out a hiss but it’s not from any discomfort I’m feeling.

“Why is it every time I try to protect you, all I seem to do is cause you nothing but pain,” she sniffs, stopping her tender touch. “It was stupid of you to try and stop Thread. You should have stayed away.”

“Both us know I wasn’t about to stand back and watch Thread try to kill you. What were you thinking sneaking back to Twelve after you escaped with Gale and your family? That was pretty stupid too,” I counter, pulling my shirt back over my shoulders. “Why did you do that…come back I mean?”

“I-I already told you,” she answers as she helps me rebutton my shirt.

“You weren’t making much sense,” I admit. “You mentioned something about coming back for me but I’m sure that can’t be true. It was just the medicine talking,” I say as my mind replayed her slurred and sleepy words from yesterday.

“It is true Peeta. I came back for you.”

Her words are clear and precise and this time there’s no mistaking them.

…tbc

[seattlesea]

The Wasted Potential of Piper McLean’s Backstory

I think it’s safe to say that Piper’s backstory was easily the weakest, most boring, and worst-written one of all the characters in Heroes of Olympus, but it didn’t have to be. Riordan wasted a lot of potential for her backstory that could’ve added much more to her character just for ‘My dad doesn’t pay attention to me!!11!!!11!’ and then showing multiple flashbacks of Piper and Tristan spending quality father-daughter time alone together and completely invalidating all of Piper’s annoying complaining. Not only that, but Piper’s backstory is just a boring copy of Rachel’s. 

So, this is what Riordan did with Piper’s backstory:

1. ‘Neglectful’ dad. Piper spends 50% of The Lost Hero complaining about how little time her dad spends with her (and 49% thinking about Jason) instead of focusing on actually helping him. And while neglectful parenting can be very dangerous to a child’s happiness and social skills, Piper clearly wasn’t neglected or ‘ignored’. How do I know? Well for one, there are multiple flashbacks in The Mark of Athena of Piper and her dad hanging out- surfing, researching Greek mythology stories, watching Tristan’s movies and laughing over them, Tristan telling Piper Cherokee stories, etc.- and two, Piper isn’t unhappy nor unsocial and doesn’t show any symptoms of child neglect besides being clingy and possessive (but remember that the McLeans weren’t always rich, and were actually quite poor before, so Piper didn’t learn that behavior from her father). Besides, for someone who is claimed to be ‘smarter than all her other siblings’, Piper clearly doesn’t know that it’s her father’s agent that controls his schedule, not Tristan.

2. Rich and pretty= bad. In a lot of different circumstances, being rich and pretty has its cons, but Piper’s complaints about it are completely offbeat. Why? Cause we don’t know why she’s complaining about it. She complains about being rich, but why? She complains about being ‘too pretty’ (as if that’s something people legitimately complain about), but why? There’s no backstory or reasoning given to this. If there was, Piper’s constant complaining might have been valid, but Riordan just threw it into her story to give the readers a reason to take pity on and feel sympathy for her, and because he didn’t give Piper an actual reason for her complaining, it made it unbearable. If he had written it in smaller doses (much smaller) and wrote it realistically, it could’ve been really awesome. Because if you’re going to complain about something, make sure you’re complaining for a reason. Why does Piper hate being rich? Why does Piper hate having a bunch of awesome things most people would kill for? Why does Piper hate being attractive? And how Riordan tried to validate her complaining with ‘She wants to be normal’- NO ONE WANTS TO BE NORMAL. What teenager wouldn’t want a private airplane and giant mansion after living in a shitty wood house most of their life? Cause yes, Riordan, write your character complaining about her private chef making her a gold-wrapped sandwich while most of the other characters were worrying about where their next meal was going to come from and have her complain about having things while most people didn’t have 5% of what she had. That’ll totally make her a likable character. There’s a difference between being modest and being ungrateful.

3. Bullies. Being bullied sucks, and Piper has every right to complain about it. But...she didn’t. She didn’t complain at all. She didn’t even care about it. So she’s perfectly fine with being bullied and pushed around for her ethnicity, but her dad working a little overtime is the end of the world? How??? Besides that, Riordan didn’t write in bullies to shine a light on racism towards First Nations people, but for one reason only- to degrade femininity. Piper is described as a ‘tomboy’ (even though she doesn’t actually dress tomboyish, but that’s for another mini-rant) and the only bullies towards her we have been introduced to are girly-girls- Isabel and her group of friends who wore ‘matching pink tops and enough makeup for a Halloween party’, Drew Tanaka, Khione, etc. That’s not progressive, it’s sexist. ‘Femininity’ and ‘weakness’ are not synonymous, and nor are ‘masculinity’ and ‘strength’. Also, how did Isabel and her friends not know who Piper’s dad was? I’m pretty sure Tristan didn’t hide her from the entire world (though that would’ve been a way cooler backstory). 

4. Stealing. Anyone else out there who also knows that Piper isn’t actually a rebellious trouble-maker? Cause she isn’t. She got kicked out of four schools for being accused of stealing, but she never actually canonically broke any rules. As for the stealing part of her backstory, it was really, really lame. It was just a bad, invalid excuse to make Piper look like the badass and cool trouble-maker when in reality, all she did was politely ask for things. Not exactly ‘badass and rebellious’, and it was completely unnecessary. Piper wanted attention from her dad, but she got it multiple times and could’ve gotten it in many other different ways that didn’t enforce the racist ‘kleptomaniac First Nation’ stereotype. 

And this is what he should’ve done with her backstory:

1. Rich and pretty= distrust. Piper was reluctant to tell Annabeth about her famous father in The Lost Hero, but for the wrong reason. She didn’t want Annabeth to know about her movie-star dad because she didn’t want the ‘attention’, but she should’ve not wanted Annabeth to know out of distrust. And by ‘distrust’, I mean ‘not knowing if they want to know you for you or for your money’. This is a common con for rich and famous people, and they often turn paranoid and distrusting because they can never be certain if someone wants to be their friend because they think that they’re a cool person or if they want to be their friend because they’re rich and famous. That would’ve been a perfect reason for Piper to be reluctant to make new friends (especially after announcing to her whole cabin that her father was Tristan McLean), but she didn’t care. She even said that she ‘hated using the famous dad card’ but never showed signs of being dubious of new people who knew who she was. As for being pretty, a lot of attractive people are also distrustful because they never know if someone wants to date them for their personality or for their looks (and in Jason’s case, it was definitely the latter. No one wants to kiss someone a few minutes after knowing them and never actually talking to them one-on-one and it be anything but sexual attraction). Piper should’ve been very reluctant to get into a relationship (especially after Jason embarrassed and sexualized her in front of the entire camp calling her a ‘knock-out’) and it would’ve added a valid reason for her to complain about her looks. Cause again- why does she hate being attractive? Cause she’s tired of being stereotyped? No, cause she stereotypes other people. Cause she doesn’t want to be attractive? No, cause she never said anything about that. There was no reason for it, so it was a huge waste of many chapters and made for a horrible character arc. 

2. Alone in a big house. Piper complained about her dad being ‘too busy’ despite him being a very loving, caring, and inclusive father, but why didn’t she even mention the other part of it- being alone? Sure she had personal chefs, assistants, etc. with her, but no one related to her and no one who wasn’t being paid to be around her. Being alone sucks, but being alone in a giant house with a bunch of games and other stuff you’d love to share with another person but can’t? Damn. Speaking of which, what about Piper’s past schools? Five schools and no confirmed friends? It’s not like Piper has a hard time making friends since she was able to become friends with Leo (and only after being at the Wilderness School for a few months versus full school years at the others). Riordan could’ve written a very interesting backstory that didn’t have to relate to monsters (like Leo’s) but focused on the wrong parts. 

3. Impossible (and toxic) beauty standards and pressure. While being unattractive (or thinking you’re unattractive, cause you’re not ugly, you’re just not your type) sucks, being attractive (and extremely attractive) has multiple cons. Not only is there- racism in the beauty industry, society’s toxic and even deadly standards of beauty, not being open to relationships out of fear of only being liked for your looks, fear of not being taken seriously and being stereotyped, being cat-called and even the fear of rape, being compared to others, etc., but there’s the constant pressure (especially from family members, friends, and peers) of showing off your looks even if you don’t want to or are not comfortable doing so. I have an ‘hour-glass’ shaped body, and at first I loved my body and was very confident about it, but after the constant urging from my family members to wear tight (almost revealing) clothes to show off my body starting at only twelve years old despite me not being comfortable wearing those types of clothes, I hated my body and wore exclusively baggy and layered clothes for nearly 3+ years. This would’ve been perfect for Piper’s backstory, especially since her mother literally sexualized her by putting her in an ‘embarrassingly low v-neck dress’ in front of tons of campers. She wore basic, simple clothes, but she only wore them to avoid being labelled a ‘girly-girl’. It’s not even canon if she actually likes those clothes or are actually comfortable wearing them or not, she only wore them to avoid being something else she didn’t like. It could’ve led to an awesome character arc- going from insecure about your looks because people keep pressuring you into showing them off to only wearing and doing what you like. Piper tried to hide her looks, but for what reason? To avoid being stereotyped as ‘girly’? Yes, Piper, because girly-girls are the only type of girls that are pretty. Obviously.  

4. Charity. Rachel rocked this one. If Piper wanted to be kind and modest, why didn’t she give any of the things she had to people who actually needed it? Instead of moping about how rich you are, give the things you don’t want to those who need it. It’s a lot more effective and moral than spending all your days complaining and sulking, and it’s much more likely to gain readers’ favor than constant whining. 

5. Stereotypes. Riordan tried so hard to avoid the ‘snobby rich girl’ stereotype, but in my opinion- he should’ve utilized it. Piper went from ‘I don’t care about what I have’...to the exact same thing. She didn’t grow at all regarding her fortune and riches. Even in The Trials of Apollo, she lost everything and didn’t even care. Who wouldn’t care if they lost everything they had? Piper could’ve been grateful that she still had her dad and humanity while still being upset she lost everything. Back on topic- Piper could’ve gone from spoiled, obnoxious, and money-obsessed to ‘It doesn’t matter what I have or what I am but who I am’. She should’ve started off as the basic, stereotypical rich girl- a greedy, selfish, idealistic, spoiled, rude, dramatic, and overly ambitious primadonna diva who tried to buy her happiness and relationships but realized she couldn’t fill the hole in her heart with money and lipstick. Or how about the reckless homewrecker who broke hearts just for fun before realizing she actually wanted a real relationship, so started letting people in? Riordan avoiding the rich girl stereotype to make Piper more likable is what helped make her dislikable, because it ruined the chances of a good character arc. Besides, while not showing it on the surface, Riordan did actually sink into the rich girl stereotype by making Piper a selfish, ungrateful, and attention-seeking whiny brat, but she never grew from that or even realized she was doing it. 

6. Looks don’t matter. The fandom thinks that Piper is the one who stands for ‘looks don’t matter/it’s what’s on the inside that matters’, but she’s the opposite. She: -dismissed Percy and stereotyped him based off how he looked -hated her entire cabin and mother just because they were girly -hated and stereotyped Drew just cause she was wearing jewelry and makeup -constantly fussed over her looks and looked at herself more times in one chapter than all the other characters did combined -commented on Jason’s appearance multiple times, etc. So no, she isn’t the one who stands for that. The character who doesn’t think about their appearance at all is the one who stands for that, not the character who thinks about their looks 24/7. She should’ve been the character to stand for that, cause who better than the daughter of beauty and a famous, attractive movie-star? She should’ve been the one to scream to the mortal world that ‘Hey, I’m attractive but I’m not my attractiveness’. 

7. Racism. If Riordan wanted to expand on Piper’s character, why not write about the number one thing she should’ve been struggling with before being introduced to the mythological world- racism? She’s Cherokee, and there are multiple things against First Nations people nowadays like horrible living in reservations, living in the land she knows was stolen from her people and watching her father pay taxes to the very people who stole it, etc. Bullies suck, but bullies are common. The struggles of First Nations people is not, and it should’ve been added to Piper’s backstory not only to make her more realistic and better-written, but to shine a light on the racism and oppression against First Nation tribes. 

8. Monster attacks. So Piper is the daughter of a rich and famous movie star, most likely used multiple different pieces of technology, was out in the open only a few hours away from Camp Jupiter, and was out in the mortal world her whole life, but didn’t experience any monster attacks whatsoever, even at fifteen years old? That’s extremely unrealistic and dumb. Monster attacks should’ve been used to make her backstory more interesting and realistic. 

9. ADHD and dyslexia. Was I the only one bothered that Piper didn’t show any signs of ADHD or dyslexia? Every demigod has them and Frank is the only one confirmed not to, but Piper had no trouble focusing, staying still, reading, concentrating, forgetfulness, short attention spans, etc. She was even able to read the directory at Medea’s Department Store, the writing on the wall at the Cyclops-infiltrated warehouse, Greek stories with her dad, etc. In canon, she doesn’t even have ADHD or dyslexia, but showing her struggling with it (especially as the daughter of a famous movie star who’s pressured into being perfect and poised at all times) would’ve added so much to her backstory and character.  

10. Abandonment issues. So Piper’s mother literally leaves her before she was even born...and she didn’t care? It’s understandable that she would accept her mother’s choice after finding out that her mother was a goddess who couldn’t stay with her, but what about before? She didn’t even comment on it. She showed signs of abandonment issues (insecurity over her relationships, the inability to trust her partner’s intentions, constant jealousy, difficulty with feeling actual intimacy, possessive and controlling behavior, clinginess, constant need for attention, etc.) but they were never expanded on or even called out. She was portrayed as the perfect one without any faults or need for help cause she was (in Riordan’s eyes) supposed to be the ‘strong one’ who didn’t need others to help or save her, but that just led to a dull character and flat arc. 

11. Standards of perfection. Piper is the daughter of a rich and famous movie star, is extremely attractive, etc., so writing her backstory as being constantly pressured, raised, and even demanded into always being poised, presentable, and perfect her whole life would’ve been way better than whatever the hell Riordan was doing. Piper should’ve rebelled against society, not her dad who didn’t even do anything wrong. Basically- What Piper did: My dad wants to bring me to a nice salon cause he loves and cares about me? NO! I’m going to cut my own hair even though cutting your hair in First Nations culture is literally taboo without even bothering to tell my dad that I don’t want to get a haircut to see if he’ll agree! What Piper should’ve done: Society wants me to always be perfect and presentable? NO! I’ll show them that I’ll be whatever I want to be without their input!

12. Rich and famous ≠ a perfect life. People are often mistaken that rich and famous people have the best, perfect life, but they don’t. With society’s impossible standards, controversy in the fame department, tons of hate for a bunch of different reasons, and more, Piper could’ve been the one to show that more money doesn’t equal more happiness, cause who in the world would constantly want flashing cameras in their faces, the inability to go out without being followed and/or harassed, fake friends, constant judging, the inability to have any privacy or being able to do anything normal people can, etc.? 

So, yeah. Piper’s backstory was just a steaming-hot mess, a pile of wasted potential, and flat-out bad writing. Riordan could’ve written an awesome character with a great character development, but it was trashed only because he couldn’t focus on the right aspects of her backstory. 

[dindjarindiaries]

Collide - Chapter 4

summary: Needing to forget the pain Javier brings her, bella drowns herself with more drinks than she should—and ends up spilling much more than she bargained for.

warnings: angst, mentions of death/drug use, angst, mentions of driving under the influence (don’t do it!), angst, overconsumption of alcohol, did i say angst?

rating: R

word count: 4.555k

masterlist

chapter 4

The first week in Colombia surprisingly flies by. You’re able to work just fine alongside Steve and Javier—thanks to your ability to at least pretend that nothing’s unsolved between the two of you—and though you’ve made no further progress on Escobar, you feel as if you’re finally starting to get something accomplished.

Your truce with Javier has stayed limited, though. You’ve refused to let yourself be alone with him ever since that day at the market. You know that if you continue to spend time with Javier like that, you’ll both completely give in to the urge to move forward like nothing’s ever happened—and you can’t have that. Too much happened that one night, and you know too much has happened ever since. You refuse to drop everything, though you can tell it’s what Javier wants to do. But you still haven’t figured out how to approach it. You’d tried that once, and it’d gone horribly.

It’s the Saturday night officially closing out the week, and you’re wrapping up your day at the office when Steve looks at you with a twinkle in his eye. You’d know that look anywhere, even after only spending a week with him: he’s either excited about something or he’s about to light a flame under someone’s ass. Or maybe both.

“Alright, fuckers, time’s up,” Steve starts, causing you to snort and Javier to sigh loudly. “I’m not spendin’ another minute here when we oughtta be celebrating.”

“Celebrating what?” Javier scoffs, raising an eyebrow at Steve as he puts out his cigarette. “The fact that I endured this kind of shit for a week and barely complained?”

“No, the fact that she endured us,” Steve corrects him, gesturing to you. Javier continues to raise his eyebrow at Steve. “And the fact that you made it a week without getting laid. Congrats, Peña.”

You feel sick at Steve’s comment, but try not to show it. Javier chuckles and shakes his head, leaning back in his chair. “So, what do you propose?” Javier asks, choosing not to dwell on the last part of Steve’s words as he puts his hands behind his head. You attempt to ignore the way it tightens his shirt around his arms, pulling your gaze back to Steve instead.

“Javi, we’ve spent a week with her in Colombia and haven’t even shown her our favorite spot.” Steve clicks his tongue disapprovingly and gives a shake of his head. “I propose that we go out for some drinks tonight.”

You let out a deep breath, beginning to collect your things in your hands as you wait for Javier’s answer. Instead, he’s looking at you, and he furrows his brow when he sees your attention on him. “What’re looking at me for?” Javier questions.

“I’m waiting for your answer,” you inform him simply.

“It’s your decision,” Javier clarifies.

“Oh, I thought we were waiting on you,” you say. “I was going with or without you two dipshits.”

Steve and Javier both chuckle, and Steve slaps a friendly hand against your shoulder. “Now that’s how you survived a week with us,” Steve reminds you, shaking his head. Once Javier’s also gathered his things, the three of you walk out to your cars, finally escaping the office as you make a plan to meet back in the lobby of the apartment building in an hour’s time.

Once you’ve gotten back to your apartment, you get ready for a night out the way you always have—but perhaps with a bit more effort than usual this time around. You exchange your work shirt for something more fun, and definitely more tight-fitting to your body. You play it safe and stick to wearing pants but choose a pair that sticks more to your legs, satisfied with the way all your best assets are showing off. As far as the rest goes, you let your hair fly free as you style it minimally and touch up your makeup lightly. You don’t want to make your effort extremely obvious, but just enough for a certain person to notice.

No, you try to convince yourself. That’s not the goal. You’re just having some fun with your coworkers.

But you know that’s not the truth. You just hope that if you and Javier get a little tipsier than expected, you’ll finally spill your truths to each other and fix this mess—maybe even enough to admit your truest and deepest feelings. It’s unlikely, but you’re bold enough to continue hoping for it.

The hour’s soon arrived, and you try to ignore the way you feel nervous—why the hell am I nervous?—as you grab your wallet and head back down to the lobby. Steve, Connie, and Javier are already there, and they turn to face you upon your arrival. Your cheeks heat up slightly when you see the way Javier looks at you, and you try not to feel affected by the way his usual button-up’s opened just a sliver more than usual, and his hair’s tussled more messier than he typically has it at work.

“There you are,” Steve greets playfully. “I was startin’ to think this week really made you hate us enough to stand us up.”

You laugh, shaking your head. “No, not even you two shitheads could stand between me and a much-needed night of drinking,” you insist, watching as Steve and Connie chuckle at you. Javier, though, seems to shift anxiously, and you raise an eyebrow at his suddenly guarded behavior.

“Well, we were thinking it’s probably best to limit our number of drivers,” Steve informs you. “So, I’ll take Connie, and Javier will take you. Sound good?”

You give him a nod. “Great.”

“Then let’s go,” Steve says, gesturing with his head to the exit. You follow, standing at an awkwardly far distance away from Javier. Your gaze falls on him in slight concern, seeing the way his jaw’s practically clenched shut as his eyes stare straight ahead. A pit forms in your stomach at his change in demeanor. You’ve gotten to know Javier’s newer personality quirks very well this week, and you know it’s odd to see him looking so utterly drained of any kind of attitude or life. Deciding to swallow your own worries in exchange to heal his, you dare to ask him about it once you’re sitting alone in his car.

“Javi, are you okay?” you don’t hesitate to ask. You look over at where his hands are gripping the steering wheel just a bit tighter than usual, his dark eyes narrowing as he watches Steve’s car navigate the roads ahead of you. “You seem… I don’t know, out of it.”

“I’m fine,” Javier insists gruffly.

You hold back a scoff at his standoffish manner. “Are you tired?” He shakes his head, and you try again. “Mad?” He repeats the movement, this time gripping the wheel even tighter. “Annoyed?” You see him clench his jaw more. “Frustr—.”

“Will you just leave it?” Javier snaps, looking over at you with his dark eyes finally widened. You lift your hands in mock surrender, and immediately you see his expression fall as he clears his throat. “I’m sorry, bella, that was uncalled for. I was being an ass.” He lets out a soft sigh, his hands loosening around the wheel as he focuses on the road again. “I’ve just been stuck inside my own head too much lately, that’s all.”

A small flicker of hope makes itself known inside your chest, and you look over at him with a curious tilt to your head. “About what, cariño?”

Javier shakes his head again, the corner of his mouth twitching in a way you easily recognize. He always tended to do that whenever he was struggling with something—or trying to think of a lie. “Escobar,” he finally says, tapping his thumbs on the wheel as he speaks. “I’m driving myself crazy trying to think of where that bastard could possibly be.”

You try not to let disappointment fill you as you nod understandingly. “I know, Javi. I’ve only been here for a week and I can feel that same frustration. But the more patient we are, the more calculated we can be once we get something. He’s playing a game, and that means we have to play it, too—but we’ve got to outsmart him in it.”

Javier nods to agree, looking over to give you a small yet grateful smile as he pulls in behind Steve along the curb outside the bar. “You always know what to say, bella.” He gives your shoulder a pat before he gets out of the car, and you follow suit. Soon, the four of you are inside the rowdy bar, a drink in hand as you attempt conversation over the loud music and dozens of other people already speaking around you.

You take a quick glance around and notice the bar is practically split into two halves: one meant for socializing and talking over drinks and the other for dancing and making out with whoever’s in the closest vicinity. You wonder if the latter is usually Javier’s go-to spot while Steve sticks to the former, but you don’t have to fantasize as Javier soon dismisses himself to start heading over to the livelier part of the establishment.

It proves to be a challenge for you to pretend you’re still engaged in Steve and Connie’s conversation as your eyes beg to follow Javier and see what he’s up to. Every once in a while, you allow your gaze to drift over, and you watch as Javier starts to get close to a beautiful brunette who’s unafraid to show off her assets in a tight-fitting dress.

Good for her, you think to yourself. If you had that kind of confidence, you would’ve done the same to get Javier’s attention. You shake your head at yourself. You don’t want that. But you know deep down what you want, even if it’s a mixed cloud of confusion in your mind and heart at the moment.

Looking down at the now-empty glass in your hand, you address Steve and Connie over the music. “I’m gonna go get another drink!” you tell them, waiting until they nod to walk away from where you’ve been standing to head back to the bar. “Or five,” you add under your breath. You walk up to the bar and ask for a shot of tequila, taking it in your hand as your gaze makes its way back over to Javier again.

He makes the woman laugh. You take the shot and slam it back down onto the counter, asking for another one.

You continue to watch as Javier’s lips approach the woman’s ear, whispering something in it as his hand sneaks its way onto her waist. You take another shot and get it refilled.

The woman bites her lip up at Javier and pulls him by the collar towards the dance floor. A third shot.

Javier’s hands reach for her hips, pulling her against him as they melt together underneath the dim lights. A fourth shot.

In a grand finale, you watch Javier spin the woman around in his arms as his mouth meets hers, his hands going to places you never wanted to see. A fifth and final shot.

You can tell the bartender is concerned at your ambitious intake of so many back-to-back shots, yet you still insist upon getting a rum and coke in hand as you walk back in Steve and Connie’s direction. You can’t feel the impact of your bad decisions just yet, but you wish you could, because all you can see is the burning image of the man you’re still hopelessly in love with melting against a woman he’s just met.

“You alright over there?” Steve asks, chuckling a bit as he gestures towards you. “You were gone for a while.”

“Just deciding what I wanted,” you lie, forcing out a laugh and swallowing hard as you turn your back to the scene you can’t forget.

The longer the conversation goes on, the more you start to feel yourself fade away. Your mind is solely able to see Javier’s hands exploring the stranger’s body, and you match it to the way he’d done the same thing to you once—but in such a gentle, tender, and loving way. You question if it was truly as sacred as you used to think it was. You wonder if that woman’s feeling the same way you did: valued, beautiful, practically holy in the knowing hands of a caring creature. You marvel at the fact she likely won’t care if she never sees him again after this night when all you’ve been able to do is think of him since the moment his hands first touched you in such a manner. And finally, you ask yourself what the hell it’ll take for him to finally treat you like that again—but not just for the pleasure; because it’s the sheer passion that’s fighting its way out of his unrelenting heart.

The last thing you remember is trying to drag a tipsy Connie to the dance floor with you, insisting that you’ve got some moves you need to practice for a future date.

Meanwhile, Javier’s still wrapped up in the moment with the brunette in question. He hates the way he feels fulfilled, finally able to let his mind and heart still as he finds an outward pleasure in a woman who was, luckily, willing to help him. With every sway of her hips against him and feeling of her tongue dancing along his, Javier forgets everything he’s been bottling up inside for not just this entire week, but every single damn day since he left you in Kingsville. For the moment, the world only exists between him and this woman—whose name he either hasn’t caught yet or hasn’t bothered to remember.

Javier feels like shit using her but finds himself justified by knowing she’s also using him. It’s the kind of arrangement he’s used to. He likely won’t ever have to see her again after this, unless she happens to be at the bar at the same time as him. They’ll take out on each other what they need to in order to reap something worthwhile, and they’ll forget it ever happened once they feel better the next day. Javier isn’t proud of it, and fuck, does he wish it could be meaningful to him like it used to be a long time ago, but it’s the only thing he’s been able to find solace in since leaving you. He can forget the pain in your eyes and concern on your face when he knew you were starting to catch onto him by drowning himself in a stranger’s offering of lust—a sacrifice for his darkest demons and deepest worries.

But even that relief doesn’t last long. Thankfully, Javier’s happened to be a step away from the woman when he feels a firm grasp on his arm. He instantly turns to see Steve standing there, raising his voice above the music as he addresses him.

“We’ve got a problem, Peña,” Steve says with a furrowed brow. Instantly, Javier’s mind goes to you, and he looks past his partner to see you practically falling onto Connie’s shoulder as she struggles to support you. “She’s gonna need a ride home, now.”

Javier feels his concern for you strike him deeply, creating a pit in his stomach as he looks back to Steve. He doesn’t even question why he’s been elected to take you. “Alright,” he agrees, looking back to the confused woman with a small pang of guilt in his chest. “Lo siento, señorita, pero necesito irme ahora. Gracias por una noche muy divertida.” He doesn’t wait for her reaction as he follows Steve closely, wondering how you’ve gotten yourself in such a state.

You’ve never been one to enjoy losing control. It’s how he knows the hell you went through when he stepped out of your life—because you weren’t able to control whether or not he would reenter it. In his cruelty at the time, he’d played with it, seeing how far he could push you back until you reached the edge and fell further away from the disaster he considered himself to be. He didn’t want you anywhere near him—not for his sake, but for yours. But now, as he watches you practically stumbling into his arms, he regrets every single thing he’s done leading up to this moment, as if he already hasn’t enough for the past twenty years of his life.

“¿Qué te hiciste?” Javier asks you softly, wrapping your arm around his neck as he begins to lead you back out to his car.

“I’ll do you one better,” you slur back at him, giggling to yourself and taking a deep breath as you meet the cool air of the Colombian night. “¿En dónde está tu novia?”

Javier feels a lump in his throat suddenly appear, and he tries to swallow it back as he responds. “I don’t have a girlfriend,” he reminds you, helping you into the passenger seat of the car. He gets you buckled in, making sure it fits right before he heads over to his side of the car.

“No?” You scoff, and Javier’s still disturbed by the way your voice is completely warped by your unstable state of mind. “It sure looked like it, cariño.”

Javier exhales deeply as he brings the car to life. Shit. He’d completely forgotten the fact that you’d probably seen everything he’d done with the woman inside the bar. “It meant nothing, bella, don’t worry.”

“Don’t worry?” You echo his words yet again and laugh—a crude laugh that makes Javier clench his jaw. “You’re right, Javi, I don’t need to worry.” You pause for a second, and he looks over to see your dazed eyes looking out of the window as if you can’t even face him. “I shouldn’t worry that I was once that same woman to you.”

Javier furrows his brow. “What do you mean?”

You let out another laugh, and Javier tries not to let his frustration grow as he tightens his grip on the wheel. “Don’t play stupid with me, Javier.” He feels your gaze land back on him, but he doesn’t have the faith to return it. “You know you’ve touched me like that before.”

Javier freezes, trying to keep his focus on the road as the feeling of icy horror spreads through him. This is exactly what he’s been avoiding—but now he has to face it: at least, to satisfy your drunk self. “It wasn’t like that, bella.”

You’re quiet for a long moment, longer than Javier pleases. He takes a quick look over to see that your gaze is now full of tears, and he curses mentally as an ache starts to fill his chest. “It sure feels like it was.” He bites his lip when he hears you choke back a sob, trying to tell himself this is all because of your drunkenness—and perhaps you’re just emotional when you’re like this. “You wanted to pretend it didn’t happen, like you would’ve with this one tonight.” He hears you sniffle, and he knows you well enough to know that you’re starting to cry. “I felt like a whore for letting it happen, Javi.”

Javier’s heart breaks at your words, and he gives you a quick yet reassuring look. “You aren’t, bella. I just—it was just—.”

But it’s almost as if you never hear his words as you continue, saying the words that knock the breath straight out of his lungs. “I waited so long to preserve myself and finally gave it to you, Javier, and when I realized you didn’t want it—you regretted it—I felt so fuckin’ stupid.”

Javier discovers that he’s having a hard time breathing, now, and so he pulls the car over and puts it to a hard stop. He’s finally free to look over at you completely, his eyes widened to twice their usual size as he sees you practically shrink into your seat. Javier knows you’re not sober, that this could all be bullshit—but it’d be some pretty complicated bullshit to come up with on the spot. His hands are practically shaking at the mere thought of what you’ve just said being true. “You were a virgin?” Javier’s words come out in a haunted whisper, and he’s suddenly aware of how hard his heart’s drumming against his chest.

“I was waiting for you, cariño,” you say through a cry, causing Javier to feel lightheaded.

“You didn’t tell me!” Javier exclaims, horror pulsing through his veins. This would’ve changed so much—it could’ve changed everything. He would’ve never let that happen in the first place, and he definitely wouldn’t have tried to make you forget about it. He slams his fist against the wheel. “Fuck!” When he brings himself to calm down for a moment, he looks back over at you, seeing more tears falling down your flushed cheeks as you shrink back further away from him. “Do your parents know?”

Javier sees you freeze up upon him mentioning them, and he feels cold at the way your eyes fill with even more tears. “I don’t know,” you finally answer.

“What do you mean, ‘you don’t know’?” Javier snaps, feeling frustrated—mainly towards himself. “It’s a yes or no question!”

“I don’t know, asshole!” you yell back at him. “I never told them, but I don’t know what they thought happened that night! And I can’t know!”

Javier frowns at that. “Why not?”

He watches your lips quiver as your gaze falls. “Because… they’re gone.”

Your words hit him all at once, much too fast, and he can’t even process them before he’s spitting out the word of doubt. “What?”

Javier watches as your face contorts into something of sheer pain and hot anger towards him. “They’re fuckin’ dead, Javier! Because a couple of drugged-up motherfuckers thought it’d be funny to drive under the influence and hit them head on! Why the fuck do you think I ended up in the fucking DEA?”

Fuck. It makes sense. Javier knows it must be true—and now he suddenly can’t catch his breath.

It worsens when he hears you hiccup and sees that your sobs are starting to escape your throat. “And… A-And you weren’t even there for me, Javi. Why weren’t you there? I needed you, cariño. I was so alone, I just—I wanted you.” Your next few sobs are so heart-wrenching that Javier can’t stand them, and before he can think it through, he’s unbuckling himself and stepping out of the car, slamming the door shut behind him. He rests his elbows against the car as he buries his face in his hands, trying to process everything he’s just learned.

On that night, he took your virginity—only further contributing to the breaking of your heart when he decided to leave you months later. He made you feel like the dirt of the earth instead of the star in the sky he’d tried setting far away from himself. Somewhere along the way between then and now, your parents died, and he wasn’t there for you when you needed him the most. Your parents were like a second set of parents to him, and he didn’t even get to say a final goodbye or support you during the entire process.

Javier always knew he was a piece of shit, but now he feels like the fucking devil himself.

Yes, he’d done everything for a reason—but now he’s not sure if it was worth it. He thought it’d help you, but it’s only seemed to hurt you. Javier hasn’t hated himself this deeply in a long time—or, at least, he hasn’t allowed himself to realize how deep his hatred for himself truly goes until now. Until he has to see you suffer because of him, because of what he makes himself suffer through on a daily basis.

Remembering the state of pain he’s left you in, Javier gets back into the car, seeing you practically balled up into the corner of your seat as you stare out of the window. Silent tears are running down your cheeks, and the cloudiness of your drunken state still fills your gaze as they reflect the Medellín sky. In any other situation, Javier would be musing about how beautiful your eyes look, but he can’t even bring himself to think about something like that right now. He doesn’t even deserve to be looking at you with his own eyes.

Javier brings the car back to life and finally finishes making his way to the apartment building. Not another word is exchanged as he stops, getting out to assist you inside. Upon realizing you’ve fully passed out already, Javier curses to himself and holds you in his arms, hooking one arm under your knees and the other on your back as he carries you to your apartment. He retrieves the keys from your pants pocket and unlocks your door, not stopping until he’s gotten you to lay in your own bed. He considers changing you into something more comfortable, but decides against it, remembering the way you’d said he’d made you feel so horrible about yourself and not wanting you to feel more insecure at the idea of him seeing your body like that again. Instead, he gets your shoes off and sets you under the covers.

Javier runs out into the kitchen and manages to find a glass, filling it with water and setting it on your bedside table for whenever you wake up. He stops, regretful to leave you in such a state but knowing that it’s for the best. Javier still can’t help himself from brushing the loose pieces of hair out of your face, feeling his heart beat in both a pained and a soft manner as he looks down at you.

“I’m so sorry, bella,” Javier whispers, well aware that you can’t hear him. “I shouldn’t have let you get that close to me. I should’ve been there for you. I’m sorry that I was—that I am—nothing but a goddamn fool.” His fingertips gently brush over your forehead as he starts to pull away from you. “I don’t deserve you, anyway.”

With that, Javier finally breaks himself away from you, heading back to his own apartment. As soon as he’s inside, he throws his keys towards God-knows-where, crumbling onto his couch as he holds his face in his hands. The emotion’s welled up so badly inside of him that he can feel the warm tear he’s allowed to escape land on his cheek, and he bites his lip to prevent any more from following. He doesn’t deserve any kind of sympathy. He doesn’t deserve to feel sad.

All Javier wanted was a second chance—but he knows he doesn’t deserve that, either; so, he’ll keep pushing himself away from you to keep you safe.

chapter 5

translations:

Lo siento, señorita, pero necesito irme ahora. Gracias por una noche muy divertida. = I’m sorry, miss, but I need to leave now. Thank you for a very fun night.

¿Qué te hiciste? = What have you done to yourself?

¿En dónde está tu novia? = Where’s your girlfriend?

tags: @tarrevizslas @none-of-your-bullshit @lavenderl3mons @gooddaykate @flower-petal-blooming @stilllivindue2spite @mrsparknuts @fionnthebandersnacc @pisss-offf-ghostt @gaydreamland @longitud-de-onda @literallytrashh @kkgraham @arrowswithwifi @rage-isaquietthing @awesomefandomsunited @theforceofdarkandlight @murdermewithbooks @blushingwueen @rachelloveseveryone @madadlorian @ah-callie @mrsdaamneron @lokiaddicted @arcadianempress @benakenalove @wickedfrsgrl @pascalisperfect @absurdthirst @weirdowithnobeardo @lcandothisallday @sailorflowermoon @engineeredfiction @souls-rain @kaylaylaylayla @cailoleaf @unintentionalwriter @earthtokace

[horansqueen]

Stuck With You - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Naked

🡪chapter 1  🡪chapter 2  🡪chapter 3  🡪chapter 4  🡪chapter 5  🡪chapter 6   🡪chapter 7  🡪chapter 8  🡪chapter 9  🡪chapter 10  🡪chapter 11 🡪chapter 12 🡪chapter 13 🡪chapter 14 🡪chapter 15 🡪chapter 16 🡪chapter 17 🡪chapter 18 🡪chapter 19 🡪chapter 20 🡪chapter 21 🡪chapter 22 🡪chapter 23 🡪chapter 24 🡪chapter 25

College Enemies To Lovers AU

characters // masterlist // instagrams // mood board

I wake up in the morning Put on my face The one that's gonna get me Through another day Doesn't really matter How I feel inside 'Cause life is like a game sometimes

But then you came around me The walls just disappeared Nothing to surround me And keep me from my fears I'm unprotected See how I've opened up Oh, you've made me trust

Because I've never felt like this before I'm naked Around you Does it show? You see right through me And I can't hide I'm naked Around you And it feels so right

I'm trying to remember Why I was afraid To be myself and let the Covers fall away I guess I never had someone like you To help me, to help me fit In my skin

click here to be on the update list

NIALL

                                     I woke up and rubbed my eyes before a small snore came to my ears, making my lips curl immediately. I turned slowly to look at Devon, sleeping on her side facing me, her mouth half opened, and I brought my hand to pull a lock of her hair away from her face. I remembered what had happened the night before and licked my lips. It seemed like the taste of her pussy still lingered on them and it made my heart jump in my chest as I felt my cock swell slightly more. It reminded me that I hadn't cummed and that I would really need to take care of that soon, or it was going to become a problem.

I got out of my thoughts when she moaned slightly and shivered, squirming a bit next to me. I brought the covers over her shoulders and sighed low as my eyes roamed on her face. I had no idea what we were doing, and I knew she had mentioned us being only friends but I could have sworn she felt something more for me, too. Perhaps I was delusional. Perhaps I wanted her to have feelings for me so bad that I was imagining things, and I couldn't help the fear living inside me... I couldn't stop that little voice that kept repeating me that I was going to have my heart broken, no matter what her feelings for me were. It was scary and I had no idea what to do. Deep down, I knew it was too late. She would either tell me she didn't love me, or she'd end up hurting me by cheating on me or breaking up with me for someone else.

I nibbled on my bottom lip and brought my hand to her face, running my fingertips on her cheek gently.

"Please, Devie." I whispered before letting my hand fall on the mattress.

I don't know how long I stayed there just watching her sleep and snore but I eventually got up, dressed up and left to get some food. The grocery store was almost empty and I knew it was early but I didn't care. I started walking down the aisles, trying to think of what I could cook during our few escape days and didn't even have to wait in line to pay. I sat back behind my wheel and grabbed my phone just to check if she had sent me a message but she hadn't and I was not really surprised since she was a late sleeper. I thought about how it would feel to go grocery shopping with her if we were together and it reminded me of the times I did that with my ex girlfriend. It was painful to remember and at the same time, it made me angry. Why was I once again letting a woman get the best of me? Why was I letting someone have so much impact on my heart? Why did I end up falling so fast for a woman I barely knew?

I was slightly pissed when I got back inside but I realized she was not awake yet and I walked in the room, sitting next to her on the bed. When I looked at her, all my anger disappeared and all that was left was a sensation of lightness. I knew my pain and fear were still there, buried somewhere under that well-being feeling but for now, I didn't want to look for them.

I grabbed my phone and snapped a picture of her with her lips parted and deeply asleep, if only to always remember the feeling invading my insides at this exact moment, and let her sleep to prepare our breakfast. I put fruits, yogurt and oatmeal on the table and when she appeared, I was almost done with the eggs and toasts. My heart jumped in my chest when I saw the shirt she was wearing  but I didn't know what to say.

"What is all this?" she asked, half a smile on her lips as her eyes roamed on the table.

"Three healthy meals a day." I explained with a smile. "This is the first one. You can sit down."

"I mostly thrive on coffee. Iced or warm." she admitted with a chuckle, glancing up at me.

"I know, I noticed." I pointed out. "It needs to change."

"I just hate cooking and I tend to just forget to eat."

"I noticed that too."

She leaned against the counter, pouring herself a cup of coffee and then a second one for me as I put the eggs and toasts in a plate. She stared at me working until I raised my eyebrows and pointed out one of the chairs with my hand. Her lips curled a bit more and she sat in front of me, sliding towards me the cup of coffee she prepared for me.

"You notice a lot of things about me." she pointed out after a while.

"Perhaps, yes." I admitted with a shrug as if it meant nothing. "Like when you walked in, I noticed you were wearing my shirt."

She pressed her lips together and I could swear she was blushing but it took her a few seconds to look up in my eyes.

"It's a bit too small for me but, I don't know. It was there, and I wanted to try it on." she explained with a shrug but avoiding my eyes. "Do you want me to take it off?"

Slowly, a smirk appeared on my face and when she finally looked up at me, she let out a chuckle and rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant."

I chuckled too and started eating as she took a sip of coffee. "I know." I let out, still smiling. "I just thought it was an interesting choice of words." She remained silent but my smile fell and I became more serious. "Do you regret what happened last night?"

She sighed and stared at her place for a few seconds before finally looking up in my eyes. "I feel like I should, but I don't."

"D'you want to do it again?" I asked in a low and soft tone, raising my eyebrows. Her lips parted and I just shook my head. "Hey, no rush or anything, I was just asking."

I could feel my heart thump in my chest as her eyes traveled on me and I cleared my throat, taking a quick sip of my coffee, almost burning my lips.

"What's your plan for today?" I tried to changed the subject, not wanting to make her uncomfortable, and she blinked a few times before licking her lips.

"Uhm, I've felt the urge to paint, would you mind?"

"No, of course not. I wanted to work out anyway, I didn't have time this morning because I needed to buy some food." I nodded, grabbing the dishes and bringing everything to the sink. "I'll prepare the guest room and you can paint there?"

I turned around to lean my butt against the counter and she got up too, walking slowly to me. She stopped only when she was very close and tilted her chin up to look at me as my hands gripped the side of the counter tight, making an annoying squeaky sound.

"You really made me feel better last night, Niall." she whispered, licking her lips. "Thank you."

I looked down at her and brought one of my hands up to place a lock of her hair behind her ear. "T'was my pleasure."

Her lips curled and she chuckled. "No, it was definitely mine."

----

I worked out for an hour and a half and Devon was still locked in the guest room to paint. I decided to take a quick shower but I couldn't stop thinking about the way my shirt molded her chest and stomach when it was on her, and the face she made when she came the night before. I wanted to feel myself inside her so bad it was making me slightly dizzy and when I walked back in my room in sweatpants and a t-shirt, I could still feel my cock throb. I sat on my bed, leaning my elbows on my knees and sighed, closing my eyes. I knew I wouldn't be able to think about something else before I finally reached an orgasm but I was also aware that it was dangerous to do anything while I was not alone in the apartment. The truth was, I hadn't touched myself properly in so long, and quick shower masturbation sessions in the morning didn't really satisfy me. It made me realize that even when Devon was living with Lewis, I didn't do it and It surprised me.

I sat back, leaning myself with my hands a bit farther on the mattress and gripped the sheets with both hands. I really needed to do it but even more than that, I wanted to do it. I looked around my room and finally pushed myself further on the bed, laying down right in the middle. I let my hand run on my cock over my sweatpants and hissed through my teeth at the sensation before gripping myself harder. There was something exciting about the fact that Devon was not far and that I was actually thinking about her to get off but I couldn't help but wish I would do all of this with her instead. I took my cock and my balls out, wrapping my hand tight around my dick and squeezing it a bit before letting out a low 'fuck'.

I started thinking about Devon and how wet she had been the night before... how she squirmed and shook, and how she tasted. I could remember the way her pussy throbbed around my tongue and suddenly regretted not using my fingers or even better, my dick. If I had time, I would jerk off for a while but I was in a hurry since I had no idea when Devon would be done painting. I let my hand move up and down on my cock quickly, reaching for my balls with my other hand and I let out a low groan. My whole body was impatiently throbbing and I was extremely excited. That's why it took me a while to understand the noise I had heard.

I frowned and my pace slowled but when I opened my eyes, I saw Devon near the door, staring at me. I sat up quickly, my cock still in my hand, and my lips parted slowly.

"Wow, I just got caught." I chuckled while scratching the back of my head, slightly embarrassed as my heartbeats echoed all over my body.

"I'm... I'm sorry." she replied quickly, clearing her throat. "I just got here, I didn't.. I just..."

"No, Devie, it's alright." I replied, shaking my head and tugging my cock back in my pants. "I shouldn't have I mean you're here and-"

"You can keep going." she quickly let out, cutting me. "If you... If you want to."

My eyes opened wider in shock and my lips parted. I hadn't expected those words to come out of her lips but she started nibbling on her bottom lip with her head slightly tilted and I knew there was no way I would let go of this erection.

"You sure?" I breathed out as she nodded.

"Can I stay?"

I closed my eyes as my lips curled and I chuckled before looking back at her again. She had taken a few steps closer and glanced down at my pants.

"You're really something else, you know that, right?"

"Can I?" she repeated, raising her eyebrows and ignoring my comment.

My mind was racing when she sat next to me on the bed and I sighed, reaching for my cock in my pants and taking it out. I had no idea why it made me so nervous but lust overtook the stress and I leaned my back on the pillows before stroking myself slowly, my head falling back on my shoulder slightly. My eyes fluttered close and after a while, all that was left was the lust I felt for her. I kept touching myself slowly, not wanting this to be over too soon, but my heart jumped in my chest when I felt something on my legs. I opened my eyes quickly and my dick twitched in my hand when I saw her straddle me and sit on my legs. Slowly, she licked her lips and grabbed my hard cock in her hand, squeezing it and making me whimper low. I took my hand off and she started touching me, bringing inside me a feeling I couldn't describe. I didn't know how long I would last, but when she started nibbling on her bottom lip, staring down at the way her both her hands ran on my cock, one of my legs twitched and I cursed again.

"Come here, come closer."

She got back on her knees, getting closer to me and quickly, I slipped one of my hands in her pants, reaching between her legs. Her lips parted and her legs tensed as two of my fingers ran on her slit, brushing on her clit. I felt her drip, her wetness sticking to my fingers, and I looked up at her, panting low.

"You're so fucking wet, Devie." I pointed out uselessly, shaking my head. "Fuck."

I breathed out as I felt her thumb rub on the tip of my cock and slip between it and my skin. It made me stop moving for a second and I finally reached her breasts with my free hand. My fingertips slipped on her shirt, running on her nipples as they got hard under my touch. I knew I'd never have time to push myself inside her before cumming and from the moans she let out as I rubbed her swollen clit, I knew it was the same for her.

"Devie, fuck, talk to me." I whispered, sliding my hand under her shirt and grabbing one of her tits firmly. "How does that feel?" I ran my hand to the other one and she closed her eyes.

"It feels so fucking good Niall, please don't stop." she breathed out, opening her eyes to look into mine again. "Keep touching me."

I knew she liked it because from time to time, her hands stopped stroking my cock to focus on what I was doing to her but every time she'd start jerking me off again, it felt even better. She bent slightly to reach for my balls with her other hand and I groaned at how close she was. I could kiss her if I wanted, but I preferred to look at her while she stared right back at me. I didn't know why it turned me on so much, but watching her facial expression as I touched her brought me even closer to an orgasm.

"I'm so close Niall, so fucking close."

"Yea?" I asked, a small smirk appearing on my lips. "You're gonna cum for me, little one?"

Her grip around my cock tightened at the nickname I gave her and she nodded, her lips parting. I glanced at them and looked back in her eyes, my smirk getting bigger.

"Why don't you grind on my fingers?" i added low. "Show me how bad you want it."

She started doing what I wanted immediately and it made me feel dizzy to know she was so obedient. Her pussy rubbed on some of my fingers, coating them quickly, and I bit my bottom lip as I slipped two fingers inside her. She whimpered louder and I pressed my thumb on her clit as she let go of my cock to grab my arm tight, her finger sinking in my skin. She started shaking uncontrollably over me, her eyes shutting tight, and I moved my upper body closer.

"I want to hear my name." I breathed out near her ear, making her hold my arm even tighter.

"Niall, fuck." she let out low before moaning louder. "Niall!"

My cock twitched when I heard my name coming out of her lips and she came hard on my hand again. Her grip loosened and when I was sure her orgasm had passed, I took my hand off her pants and brought it back on my cock, spreading her wetness on it. She was panting as she looked down at my cock again and my heart jumped in my chest. Quickly, she reached for it and started jerking me off again, her hands traveling up and down from the base to the tip and sometimes caressing my balls and making me moan as I kept looking at her. Once again, her thumb reached between my skin and my tip and my hips jerked up at her touch.

"Darling you're gonna make me cum."

She moved her face closer and pressed her lips gently against mine as she kept stroking my dick faster. "I love your cock so much." she admitted in a whisper. "I've been trying to imagine it so often, and now I can't wait to feel it inside me."

It sent a rush to my brain and without thinking, I brought one of my hands in her hair and gripped it tightly. I heard her moan as I felt an orgasm coming. She kept jerking me off as I thrusted up despite myself, pulling on her hair a bit too hard. A groan escaped my lips again and my eyes closed as I reached my peak, my cum spurting on her hands and shirt.

"Jesus fucking Christ." I whispered as spasms made my body quiver. "I haven't cummed so hard in so long."

I remained sitting as I tried to catch my breath and let my hand in her hair fall on my thigh. She sat on my lap, cupping my face with both her hands and allowed her lips to gently brush against mine. It felt so good to feel her kiss me post-orgasm that I closed my eyes and made sure I remained motionless.

"Devie..." I breathed in-between two gentle kisses.

"Niall..."

"Devie, I-"

"Shh, no." she quickly cut me, kissing my lips softly again. "Don't talk."

"But I need to tell you-"

"No." she repeated a bit louder. "Please, Niall, don't ruin this."

I shut my eyes tighter as my heart broke. Sadness and happiness fought inside me to find out which one was stronger but it was a useless fight and I knew it. If telling her my feelings was a way to ruin this moment for her, I had no reason to tell her. There was no hope.

"I loved this so much." she admitted so low I barely heard it.

I swallowed hard and breathed in, trying to stop myself from tearing up. "Me too."

[adragonhoardingstories]

Of Blood and Bonds - Chapter 4

@mystery-5-5 @synnesstra @thesunanditsangel

@abrx2002 @clumsy-owl-4178 @daminett4life @zalladane

@heaven428 @unmaskedagain

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On that note, this book will contain swearing, mentions of rape and torture. I will try not be explicit but that's really relative. Read at your own risk. There will be warning before if I make a explicit scene so that you can skip it.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy and don't hunt me down for this.

___________________________________

"Colin this is Marinette, my sister, Marinette this is Colin." Damian introduced the redhead who seemed a bit bewildered but he recovered quickly. 

"Pleased to meet you ma'am. I didn't know that Damian had another sibling."

"Well neither did he before yesterday." Marinette laughed good-naturedly. "So you're his best friend." 

"Yep!" Damian didn't refute the statement. 

"So Miss Marinette where are you from?" 

"Just Marinette is fine Colin." 

"Bu-"

"Miss makes me feel old, you don't want that now, do you?" The boy looked scandalised. "I'm only about two years older than Damian anyways so if you want to call me by a nickname, that's fine too."

The boy grinned shyly. "Okay Marinette."

Damian looked distinctly surprised. "Well done, he still calls the others Mr, they are going to be annoyed by this development."

"Oh Damian." Marinette turned on her heels and winked at them, eyes full of mischief. "This is nothing. I got Alfred to  call me by just my first name?" 

Now, both boys looked very impressed but still disbelieving. "I'll believe it when I see it." The redhead claimed. Marinette laughed but said nothing more on the matter.

"So where are you bringing me?" 

"The Gotham's Botanical Garden. I think you'll enjoy it. However, I must warn you to stay clear of anything that may anger Poison Ivy. "

She took it in stride. "Of course, I'll ask before I do anything." 

"It'll be so fun. People don't talk about it because of Ivy but the gardens are so beautiful." Colin started ranting and Marinette hid a smile at the fond expression on her little brother's face. If one didn't know what to be looking for, they would miss it but Marinette had become very very attuned to emotions, especially after she gained the Miraculous and became Guardian. 

"-attract so many different kinds of butterflies."

"Huh." Marinette mused. "It'll be nice seeing some actual butterflies and not akumas for once."

"You mentioned akumas before too." Damian interrupted. "What are they?"

She seemed a little surprised. "Do you - do you really have no idea of what's going on in Paris?" 

Both of the boys shook their head. Even Colin looked curious now. 

"It's pretty surreal but, when I was twelve, this guy surfaced. He calls himself Hawkmoth. He sends out these magic butterflies called akumas to anyone who's experiencing any negative emotion to possess them. He makes a deal with the victims to give them powers for them to be able to take revenge upon whatever wrong happened to them and return he asks for the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir."

"Who?" Colin interrupted and Marinette blinked. She had sounded so...old, so burdened as she spoke - so different from the bubbly macaroon making girl that Damian had learnt to know. 

"Right, context. After his first akuma, two heroes surfaced in Paris too. They're powered by the Miraculous too. Hawkmoth wants Ladybug's earrings and Chat Noir's ring. No one knows why exactly and well we're not interested to find out. More power in that madman's hands can only cause harm." 

"You mean to say." Damian's voice was flat. "That there has been a sociopathic terrorist in Paris for five years and no one knows of it. Why didn't the mayor call for the Justice League?"

Marinette's face darkened. It almost made both if the boys shudder and take a step back. 

"Oh but we did. More than once, more than ten times in fact. We only stopped whenthe Leaguers asked us to stop wasting their time with pranks."

"What?" Damian exploded. "They just disregarded all the damage that must have been caused, all the phone calls. They didn't even look into it."

Marinette placed a hand in his shoulder, urging her aura to seek his and calm him down. "The thing is one of Ladybug's powers is the Miraculous Cure. It fixes all the damage caused in the midst of battle."

"All the damage?" Even Damian didn't seem to believe it at that point. 

"I know it seems too good to be true." She fished out her phone and tried to look for a video. "And we understood that but everyone in Paris is pissed that they didn't even bother come verify our so called claims. I mean for God's sake, they have aliens, shapeshifters, magicians and even guys who are themselves powered by magical jewelry if I'm not wrong." 

Marinette huffed as she found a video. It was one of the first ones from the Ladyblog, when Alya was still a reliable reporter. She played the video. It was of The Mime and it showed how he cut the Eiffel Tower in two as well as the Miraculous Cure taking effect. 

The boys especially Damian seemed horrified and Marinette felt a little of guilt for subjecting them to that. 

But then Damian looked up at her and his lazarus green eyes of reminded her that he probably had seen worse. 

"That's…" He didn't seemed to know what to say. 

"Terrifying." Colin said. "Are they all really that strong?" Marinette winced, debating whether to tell them the truth of not. 

Damian seemed to sense that. "You can tell us." He prompted and she sighed, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

"That's actually one of the tamer villians." She admitted. "The Mime appeared during the first year of Hawkmoth's reign of terror. One of the worst akumas back then that come to mind is Syren. She flooded the entirety of Paris, about three quarter of the population died and were brought back by the cure." She took another look at them and decided that she wasn't going to be the cause of their further trauma. 

"Hey, this is it, right?" She promptly changed the subject, knowing very well that she hadn't been subtle at all. "Gotham Botanical Gardens." She beamed down at them. 

"Wow, it's beautiful." She took a moment to appreciate the sight. "Hey you're right, there's a lot of butterflies. Can we go there first?" She was basically bouncing as she turned to look at her brother and his best friend. 

Colin looked gleeful while Damian seemed just amused. "You act like a child." Her brother informed her. She stuck out her tongue at him. "And you speak like an old man but you don't see me complaining." 

"Fair enough." He chuckled. "What are you waiting for? Let's go then."

He couldn't help the full-blown smile appearing on his face as both his sister and his best friend literally ran to the butterflies and started gushing together. 

He started to make his way to them when someone appeared in front of him blocking his view. His usual scowl and glare were back on his face when he looked up. The boy seemed to recoil slightly at his look but it didn't deter him more that that. 

"I don't know who you are." His tone clearly gave away that he felt like he was the one in power here. Damian cursed the time when he used to act like that. He had learnt that lesson the hard way - had learnt not to underestimate an enemy. "But you're gonna stay away from my princess. She doesn't need children like you around." 

Damian took a second to analyze him. Blond Hair. Green eyes. He remembered  reading those as Marinette's triggers during his research. He had to clench his fists to stop himself from reaching out to his weapons.

"She can decide that for himself." He said instead and went to walk around him but the boy grabbed his shoulder. 

The next thing he knew he was standing behind his sister. "Adrien." She cut in smoothly. "I didn't expect to see you here, especially not without your bodyguard." Damian could see that she was tense, her back muscles were coiled as if she was ready for a fight. 

"Princess." He was beaming. "I snuck out." He said almost proudly. "We need to talk."

"Gotham isn't Paris." Her words seemed more like a warning rather than the facts they were which the blond idiot obviously didn't catch on. "And I want nothing to do with you, haven't for  three years. I owe you nothing. Give up."

That was a clear dismissal if Damian knew one. "Princess you need to listen to me-" He reached out to grab her hand but was cut off.

The younger boy had seen her lurking but she hadn't seemed a threat so he didn't know whether he was thankful or not that she had jumped in. 

Ivy spoke "The girl asked you to go away." Thankful, he finally decided.

The boy looked a little nervous - so he did have some braincells. "Ma'am, respectfully, this does not concern you." Well not enough it seemed. 

"Oh well, respectfully." Her plants towered behind them. "I don't give a damn. Stay away from them."

The plants grabbed him and threw him just outside the park boundaries. It seemed a little tame for the likes of Ivy but then again she always did go softer for children even if they were brats.

Damian watched as the boy scrambled back to his feet and glared in their direction before he stomped off. 

"Damian." His sister was clearly fretting over him, he would never admit it but it felt good, he felt loved. "Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"I'm alright, I'm alright. I told you, I can take care of myself." 

She smiled, soft and relieved. "I don't doubt it but promise me if you see either him or Lila from yesterday, you need go the other way."

"Why?" He frowned. He had a doubt on blondie but what about that Lila girl? 

"And by Lila, do you mean the sausage haired girl?"

His sister cracked a grin at that thought she was still serious. "Yeah her."

"Why?" He repeated and she became grim at once. "Because he's sick in the head and she's a psychopath so please, promise me." She met his eyes and really, faced to that did Damian have any other choice but to accept?

She beamed at him as Colin approached them. "That was so cool. Are you okay Dames?" He turned to talk to his best friend and gave him a once over before nodding. 

"Thank you for stepping in." He heard his sister and turned around. Ivy may be one of the villains-turned-anti-hero but it didn't mean that people didn't need to be wary around her. What was Marinette thinking?

"Boys like him need to be taught a lesson before it's too late." Damian's mind immediately went to Harley's and Joker's relationship. 

"I don't think a lesson would do him any kind of good at this point but thank you." 

It was very apparent that her words made Ivy re-evaluate her. 

The woman gave a nod. "Don't mention it." She said nothing else but didn't move away. 

Marinette smiled. "By the way, I love that flower in your hair. That's a lily right?" 

"Yes." She said slowly but the spark in her eye showed that she was now interested. "You know flowers?" 

"I have a garden of my own." Marinette revealed. "I tried growing some lilies but they're no where as beautiful as this one." Marinette fished for her phone again and started showing her images. The older woman didn't say anything but Damian could see that she was interested and she seemed almost pleased.

Deeming it safe for now, he slowly turned to Colin who was staring at the scene with amazement. 

"Colin." His friend turned to him wide-eyed, "Your sister is amazing." 

He couldn't help but feel smug at the words. "Obviously." He said but then lowered his voice. "Tell me, how did she get to me so fast when she was watching butterflies with you." 

Colin sobered up at that. "She was talking to me when suddenly she just snapped her head up to look at you. I think that's when the boy came. She told me to stay there and started walking towards you. The thing is when the guy touched you, she was about half-way there, I didn't register but the next thing I knew she was standing between you and the blond." He shook his head. "There's something about her…it's not necessarily bad but she's just...different…special."

"I know what you mean." Damian agreed.

~

"-and then she spoke with Poison Ivy for one hour straight about plants and gardening. Ivy even gave us a personal tour of the botanical gardens." 

"Seriously? She usually takes forever to warm up to someone especially if the other sirens aren't with her."

"Marinette seems to be the exception." The youngest Wayne said as he but into another macaroon. Once again, he had been ambushed on his return home - this time however, it was only his brothers and that had demanded he tell them all about her. 

His felt his phone vibrate and knew it was the message he was awaiting. "She's busy during the day." He informed his brothers. "But she invited us for dinner."

His brothers looked at each other and grinned. Tommorow looked promising.

[call-me-rei]

Chapter 4

Vic woke up on Tuesday with a smile on his face. As soon as his eyes fluttered open, he thought about the picture under his pillow and seeing Kellin at school and he smiled. He couldn’t wait to see his friend that day.

He practically jumped out of bed and got dressed, excited to get to school. Mrs. Fuentes noticed the change in her son’s demeanor when he came skipping down the stairs for breakfast. It was a nice contrast to how he’d been at that time yesterday.

“Are you boys excited for school today?” she asked both of her sons. She didn’t want to put any pressure on Vic in case he wasn’t comfortable talking about why he was so happy, so she addressed the question to both boys.

“Yes!” Mike answered. “I think we’re going to P.E., and I like P.E. Ooh, I’ll need to wear my fast shoes!”

Vic couldn’t help but chuckle at his little brother. Mike was a very excitable kid. Some of it came from his age, but most of it came from his carefree nature. He liked getting into things, trying new things, and making a mess. And most times he got his older brother to do those things too. That just added to his excitement.

“Do you have P.E. today, Vic?” his brother asked.

“No, I have art.”

“Oh, art is boring. I’m sorry.”

Vic shook his head. Usually he’d agree that the class wasn’t very exciting, but today was different. Everything was just better today. Vic’s breakfast tasted better, the conversation at the table was more interesting, the sun was brighter as it rose in the sky, and the drive to school was more pleasant than it had ever been before.

The Fuentes brothers held hands as they walked into the school building. Vic smiled as Mike, who was loving the fact that his older brother was in such a good mood, swung their hands back and forth to a steady beat as they walked to the first grade hall. Vic’s smile didn’t falter as he hugged his brother goodbye.

“Be good,” Vic said. “Don’t cause problems.”

Mike scoffed. “I’m always good.”

“Sure you are.”

Mike stuck his tongue out at his brother which caused Vic to laugh. The sound was like music to the younger’s ears. He walked forward and hugged his older brother as tight as he could, letting him know that he loved how happy Vic was that morning. And Vic couldn’t lie, he was loving the mood he was in that day too. He only hoped he could keep that good feeling.

After he saw Mike enter his classroom Vic went to his own. He held his head up as he walked down the hall to the third grade section of the school and put his unnecessary items in his locker. Then he went into Ms. Barnes’ room ready to start the day.

Today was a better day. Vic was in a better mood even when nothing really changed in the last twenty-four hours. The kids at that one table still looked at him like he was the strangest person they’d seen; no one talked to him except the students at his table when Ms. Barnes instructed them to go over their answers on the morning work with the people around them, but Vic was still okay.

What kept him going was the fact that he would be seeing his friend in a few hours. After specials and lunch, he’d be outside with the thoughtful boy who gave him the beautiful picture. The thought warmed his heart.

Then he got nervous. What if the boy was expecting something back? Vic had learned from his mother never to show up empty-handed when someone gives you something, unless they gave you a birthday gift. Vic’s birthday wasn’t until February, not that Kellin knew that. He just wanted to make his sad friend feel better.

But Vic still needed to give Kellin something. How could he possibly show his appreciation? He wanted to express his gratitude verbally yesterday, but the more he thought about how much he loved the picture, the less fitting saying “thank you” was. He needed to do something better.

Thankfully he’d finished his math work before the class’s science lesson started so he had some extra time to think before the fifteen-minute brain break in-between subjects.

What if he wrote Kellin a note? No, he could think it’s cheesy, especially since he took his time with the picture. What if he drew Kellin a picture back? Sure, but of what? Vic loved drawing but he needed to know what to draw. What would show Kellin that he appreciated him?

Vic sighed and took out his binder. He opened the cover and pulled out the picture he’d slept with the night before. The picture that turned his day around and inspired the wonderful dream he’d had.

With a quiet gasp the brown-eyed boy pulled out a piece of loose-leaf paper and placed it on his desk. He knew what he was going to do, and he wasted no time starting on the project. While the rest of his classmates finished their work during the math section of the morning Vic worked, and he continued through the brain break before the science lesson. He took the project to art when the class went to specials and brought it with him to lunch so he could finish it before they went outside.

Ms. Barnes picked up her class before Mrs. Jones picked up hers, so Vic was outside before Kellin. He took his materials to the tree the two of them had spent time under the week before and sat. He continued to work while his classmates played.

Vic would’ve felt bad seeing the kids in his class playing together on the playground or kicking a soccer ball around in the field but seeing Mrs. Jones’ homeroom come outside put a smile on his face that he couldn’t hide if he tried. He looked toward the line of kids and saw Kellin near the end. The bright-eyed boy smiled when he saw his new friend in better spirits sitting under their familiar tree.

“Hi Vic!” Kellin jogged over to the tree with a wide smile on his face. “Are you feeling better?” he asked as he sat down next to the boy. Vic nodded. “Good. I didn’t like that you were sad yesterday so I’m glad you’re happy now.”

Vic’s smile grew at his new friend’s words. He loved that someone other than a family member cared about his feelings. It annoyed him when his family obsessed over how he was feeling, but when Kellin did it, it felt nice. It felt natural, like he didn’t have to force himself to be honest with him. Maybe that was what having a friend was like.

“Since you’re feeling better can we talk about that last episode of Pokémon on Saturday? Can you believe Team Rocket got away?” Vic didn’t have much to say about the episode since it just made him upset. How was it possible that Team Rocket escaped with all those Pokémon? That just wasn’t right! And for the episode to end on a cliffhanger? It wasn’t fair.

Vic let the blond boy beside him take charge of the conversation, only interjecting with quiet hums when he wasn’t too distracted with his project.

“What’s that?” Vic looked up from his page and saw Kellin trying to look over his shoulder. He was quick to hold it to his chest to keep it a secret.

“Nothing, just something for my brother.”

Vic didn’t like lying to his friend, but Kellin couldn’t even tell that he wasn’t telling the truth. “Oh,” was the response he gave before he went back to talking about something Vic wasn’t exactly paying attention to.

Vic eventually finished his little project and kept up the conversation with Kellin when he was done. Albeit, he didn’t say as much as Kellin did, but the blond boy liked having someone to talk to and someone who listened to his rambling. Kellin always felt as if the other kids were scared off when he started speaking faster than the rate his brain came up with words. But not Vic. Vic listened and let him talk, and Kellin appreciated that.

The two boys stayed under the tree until the whistle blew and teachers told the classes to line up. They then stood from their spots and dusted themselves off.

“Hey, Kellin?” Vic said hesitantly. The bright-eyed boy hummed as he looked at a nervous Vic. “Uh, I-I wanted to…um…” Kellin cocked his head to the side. Was Vic okay? Was something wrong? Questions of concern for his new friends flooded his mind while a different set of questions invaded Vic’s consciousness.

Why was Vic so nervous? It wasn’t like what he wanted to do was so hard because it wasn’t. Not in the slightest. So why was his brain making it harder than it needed to be? By now it was awkward: Kellin hadn’t said anything to urge him on and just let him stand there in inner turmoil. He probably thought he was a loser.

Vic shook his head to clear it. “Never mind,” he mumbled. He felt defeated from his nerves and decided it wasn’t worth it anymore. He gathered the materials he’d brought outside with him and joined his class in line before Ms. Barnes could yell at him for lagging behind. He left Kellin standing there confused about what his friend was going to tell him.

“Come on Kellin, let’s go!” a girl in his class shouted as she joined Mrs. Jones’ line. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and got in line behind her. The class walked into the building silently, but Kellin’s mind was racing with questions. He doubted he’d ever get the answers to them unless he bombarded Vic with them. That was something he didn’t feel comfortable doing. Vic had just started feeling better, and Kellin didn’t want to ruin his good mood with too many questions about something he was obviously uncomfortable talking about. He’d just have to wonder until his friend told him what he wanted to say.

Kellin kept that in mind as he gathered his things for math and science from his desk and prepared to switch to Ms. Barnes’ class. As he pulled out his math folder he thought back to the day before and the picture he left in his desk for the person who would sit there next. He had smiled when he got to his seat that morning and saw that the picture was no longer there. Vic had obviously taken it and hopefully he liked it. Kellin was embarrassed by it since he’d done it so quickly without much thought. Hopefully Vic thought it was a good picture.

“Okay class, it’s time to go. Have fun in math!”

Kellin rolled his eyes at his homeroom teacher’s statement. He’d never have fun in math.

He got to his seat in his second class and put his things on the side of the compartment that Vic had cleared out for him. The fact that his desk mate did that every day made him smile. It was so sweet of him.

Kellin reached into the desk to admire how clear it was (since his desk was never like that) when he felt a piece of paper in the center. He smiled; he knew that this was a note intended for him, similar to what he’d done for Vic.

He pulled out the paper and unfolded it. Rather than just seeing his name, he was surprised to find an entire paragraph on the outside of the note written in neat handwriting:

Kellin, Thanks for the picture. It really made me happy. I wanted to give you something back so here’s this. I hope you like it. Thanks for being my friend and caring about my feelings. You’re really nice :)

Kellin couldn’t help the wide grin that found its way onto his face and stretched the corners of his mouth. It’s not that he’d never heard those words from anyone before, but for some reason those words meant more coming from Vic. Maybe it was because Vic didn’t have many (or any) friends, or maybe it was the fact he made Kellin feel different than his other friends did.

He made Kellin feel wanted when he himself thought he was annoying. Kellin knew he rambled and talked too fast for his own good; he knew he liked too many nerdy things that his friends would never be interested in. He knew it, but he also knew that Vic liked that about him. He always let Kellin talk and never interrupted him to tell him he was speaking too fast or too much. He was interested in all of the same nerdy things Kellin was. He was someone Kellin could talk to about the things he would never tell anyone else.

Kellin appreciated that about Vic and cherished the words on the page. He was going to leave the paper like that and put it away until he realized that there was more. He’d only unfolded half of the paper that was folded in fourths. So he opened the rest of the paper until the 8.5x11 sheet was at its original dimensions. What Kellin saw made his smile grow.

Vic had drawn his dream, the same dream he’d had the night before that put him in a good mood that day, although Kellin didn’t know that. He just saw himself riding through the sky on a Pidgeot next to his new friend. Light clouds and Pidgeys surrounded them in the sky while Petilil and Eldegoss followed them in the grass. The two boys were laughing as they interacted with the Pokémon, making Kellin want to laugh too.

Vic had obviously spent a lot of time and effort on the picture. Unlike the one Vic had received, this one was colored in with colored pencils: Vic’s art tool of choice. His parents had bought him the thirty-six pack, so he had different shades of blues, greens, and browns to add to Kellin’s gift. Kellin thought it was beautiful.

The blond boy folded the paper up against its original creases and put it in his folder. He couldn’t contain the smile on his face as he did so, or the overwhelming happiness that filled his heart when he thought about the kind words on the back of the picture.

Before Ms. Barnes began her math lesson, Kellin took out a sheet of paper and wrote his own note to Vic:

I’m glad you liked my picture. I really liked yours too! Thank you so much! You’re great at drawing and you’re really nice too. I’m glad we’re friends :)

He ripped the paper in half and folded the part with the note in half and put it on top of Vic’s things in the desk. He knew the boy would find it the next day when he went to get his materials.

Kellin only hoped that Vic would like his note and believe what he said. He meant every word of it; he was glad the two of them had become friends. He felt as if Vic was a missing piece in his life that he wasn’t aware he needed. Little did he know Vic was writing his own note to his desk mate expressing those same feelings and strengthening the foundation for a friendship they’d both thought was unlikely.

[quicksilversquared]

The Wavering Peahen: Chapter 4

When Nathalie started feeling oddly ill again, both she and Gabriel were worried that the Peacock Miraculous might somehow (impossibly) be to blame again.

So naturally, they pick someone else to be the Peacock for a bit. You know, as a test subject. Except the new Peacock… doesn’t exactly know that.

links in the reblog

Two more battles passed with Pavona's role reduced to the sidelines only, her only contribution to the battles being her amok. The restriction still chafed at her, of course, but since her cold had only gotten worse Lila had to admit that maybe it was a good thing that Hawkmoth wasn't expecting her out. She felt absolutely drained and exhausted by the time she detransformed after each battle, and it was only because she was fantastic with make-up that she managed to hide how terrible she felt from her mom and everyone at school.

Normally she wouldn't hesitate to jump on the opportunity to get even more sympathy and help, but who knew who Hawkmoth was? He could be anyone and have eyes anywhere, and she couldn't risk her poorly-timed illness getting back to him. A minor cold was one thing, but this whatever-it-was was out of hand. That didn't mean that she was an invalid or something- she could still participate via her amok, obviously, since that was the only way that she had been participating for the last several fights- but he might decide that her judgement would be impaired by her being sick or something ridiculous like that and take away the Peacock.

At this point, Lila was scrambling just to keep the Peacock in her hands at all. Having some power was better than none at all, especially when it came to Ladybug and trying to defeat her.

(At this point, Lila had to see Ladybug defeated. Her blood boiled more and more every time she saw the stupid bug- how dare she be so smug about beating the akumas and sentimonsters? She should be- what, Lila didn't know for sure, but every time she and Chat Noir defeated the supervillain's monsters, Ladybug had this stupid little smirk on her face and Lila just wanted to wipe it off.)

Still, even with Pavona operating from the sidelines, Hawkmoth hadn't been happy with her. He had snarked about how bad he thought her amoks were- as though he had a leg to stand on, considering some of his akumas in the past!- and acted as though they were super-weak, even though he and his akuma were definitely hiding behind her amoks and making them do all of the hard work. If Lila hadn't been worried about losing her Miraculous before, she definitely was now.

And then Hawkmoth showed up at her window again, late at night, and Lila's heart dropped straight into her stomach.

No! No, she hadn't gotten enough of a chance to prove herself! She hadn't gotten to really fight Ladybug and get under the superheroes' skin. She just needed a little longer, another week or two and some advice to get back on track so that she could be a strong partner for Hawkmoth. It wasn't- it wasn't like she was actually incompetent!

Hawkmoth rapped at the window again, looking less than impressed with the delay. Lila startled out of her thoughts, then scrambled to go get the window and let him in. She didn't have much of a choice, really.

If this was the end of her time as Pavona, hopefully- hopefully- Hawkmoth would at least keep akumatizing her so that she could have more chances to defeat Ladybug. Hopefully she hadn't screwed things up so badly that he was going to decide that he wasn't even going to have her as an akuma anymore.

"Good evening," Hawkmoth said stiffly once he had crawled through the window and straightened up inside of her room. His eyes flashed to her neck, where the Peacock pinned to her shirt. She had had it under a scarf earlier- thankfully her cold made for an easy excuse as to why she had suddenly started wearing scarves- but it was annoying to wear scarves for longer than strictly necessary and she had taken it off as soon as she went to her room for the night. "I trust you are well?"

"I- yes, thanks," Lila managed, vaguely puzzled by the inquiry. Hawkmoth had never asked after her before. She was there to be a tool and a help, not to be coddled and watched after. "A-and yourself?"

"Good." Hawkmoth glanced around her room, then back at Lila. "I came to give you an update. I'll be out of the city soon, starting this upcoming Saturday and extending for at least a week. It's unfortunate, but unavoidable. I figured that I should probably let you know so that you wouldn't wonder why there weren't any akumas, and to let you know that you are not, under any circumstances, to try to battle the superheroes during that time. And that includes sending out amoks." He fixed her with a long look. "And I will have a very close eye on the news, so I will know if you disobey orders. And if you do..."

The silence hung in the air, threatening and ominous. Lila quashed the urge to gulp and glance towards her door, towards the room where here mom was sleeping.

"I won't try to fight them," Lila said hastily. "I promise."

"Good. We both know that it would end in disaster anyway." Hawkmoth's voice was curt, clearly not about to waste time sparing her feelings. Lila thought that that was rather unfair, really- disaster was such a strong word- but she would probably feel a bit on edge without the assurance of both Hawkmoth and one of his akumas. "I hope to send out a couple more akumas before I leave. With any luck, one of them will be successful."

Lila nodded, refraining from saying anything. Luck didn't exactly seem to be the supervillains' thing, but maybe they had been wearing down the superheroes more than they realized and a strong sentimonster and akuma combo would finish them off.

A supervillain could only hope.

"Anyway, that's all I came about," Hawkmoth added when Lila didn't say anything. "Continue to stay out of battles but be ready with a sentimonster, that's all I ask."

Lila nodded again, feeling like a bobblehead doll. "Of course. I can manage that."

"I should hope so. I'm hardly asking for a miracle." Hawkmoth sneered at that, then headed out the window. Lila stayed where she was for a minute before hurrying to close the window and lock it, pulling her blinds shut so that Hawkmoth couldn't spy on her.

And then she rolled her eyes. Seriously, that was all Hawkmoth had to say to his partner? He could have given her tips to help her improve her skills as Pavona for her to work on while he was gone, or ideas that he wanted her to implement! She might not listen to all of them- after all, he had been failing for a lot longer than she had- but it would be useful information to know, at least, and then she could come up with her own ideas based off of his.

It was like he wasn't actually interested in improving her abilities as Pavona before Mayura took the Peacock back over again. Like he wasn't actually interested in winning.

(Or like he had given her up as largely a lost cause, but Lila wasn't going to think that way. No, the entire problem laid with him, not her.)

Still, she wasn't about to lay down and let Hawkmoth's incompetence spoil her opportunity. Lila could practice fighting while Hawkmoth was gone- not with an opponent, of course, just by herself, that would have to be enough- and then maybe she would be good enough to rejoin him on the front lines and try to kick Ladybug's butt again. She could make her excuses with her mom and head out after dinner- not that she really needed excuses, as if her mom would ever stop her from going out- and then do a bit of jumping around and kicking in the relative privacy of some abandoned warehouses or something. There were bound to be a few around Paris, right?

...maybe she would just practice in her own room after school or something. Actually searching out warehouses and walking over to them sounded like too much work. Maybe the neighbors downstairs would complain, but really, who cared?

(And if they said something to her mom, then Lila would just say that she had take-home exercises for gym that she had to do to help catch back up to where they were meant to be after the school was closed for so long, or maybe she could say that she still felt very behind the other students after transferring and so was trying to get in the same kind of shape that they were in. Her mom would eat up either excuse, Lila was positive, and ta-da, problem solved.)

Maybe Paris was going to get a week off from akuma attacks, but Lila wasn't going to let the week go to waste. She was going to train, and prepare, and-

Lila's thoughts got cut off by a round of painful coughing, her throat pulsing in pain with every cough. She grimaced, reaching for her water bottle in an attempt to sooth the ache.

Well. She would train and prepare and all that, as long as this stupid cold went away.

  Three days into her akuma- and Hawkmoth-free week, Lila decided that really, hand-to-hand combat was overrated.

After looking at more than a few at-home training videos, it became very obvious that getting to a level where she would actually be able to hold her own in any sort of fight would take a lot of time (and effort, which- ugh. No, thanks). It would be impossible to put in that sort of work and make any sort of meaningful progress before Mayura reclaimed her Miraculous, or at least Lila assumed so. She hadn't exactly been told when that might happen, but Hawkmoth had made it clear from the start that this wasn't going to be a long-term thing.

Besides, Hawkmoth had made it clear during their final fight before their break that she wasn't going to be returning to the front lines as Pavona anytime soon, not even on a trial basis. So Lila abandoned that idea.

(The attempts at exercise were also wiping her out in- in minutes, really. Sometimes even only a minute of moving fast was making Lila struggle to catch her breath. It was starting to get a bit concerning.)

That didn't mean that Lila wasn't going to do anything with the Miraculous while Hawkmoth was gone. No, she wasn't going to put up with Duusu in return for nothing. Even if she wasn't allowed to send out amoks to fight Ladybug and Chat Noir, there was so much more that she could do with the Peacock. It hadn't occurred to Lila before, but the amoks could look like anything- or, more importantly, like anyone.

Maybe Marinette had finally shut up with trying to call out Lila's lies for the time being, but it never hurt to have some evidence on her side. She didn't have to be transformed for her sentimonster to stick around- she had learned that after several battles- so she could put up some poster backgrounds, make some sentimonsters that looked like the celebrities that she had claimed close connections with, and ta-da, she would have bought herself a good year's worth of no questioning of her stories. Maybe she could even sneak into the school over the weekend with a Marinette-sentimonster and take photos of it breaking into Lila's locker or otherwise acting absolutely terrible. That should be enough to get even Adrien to abandon Marinette's side, which. Well.

If she couldn't get her revenge on Ladybug while she was Pavona- as much as Lila hated to admit it, that was looking increasingly unlikely that they would defeat the superheroes any time soon- then at least Lila could get some revenge on Marinette for being such a pain in the butt.

Lila smirked to herself. That was such a good idea, and she was glad that she had come up with it. She would have to brainstorm more to hammer out the details of what she would make "Marinette" do- maybe stealing from Lila's locker and then cornering Lila in the bathroom and yelling at her?- but it was definitely something that she had to do while Hawkmoth was away.

Things were really looking up, pieces the puzzle falling into place. And after feeling so crummy for the past several weeks, it was about time things went her way. With a little luck, the ugh feeling from her cold would leave soon, and then everything would be perfect in Lila's world.

Or maybe not perfect, since of course Ladybug would still be out and insufferably smug, but close enough.

The photos, Lila decided after a bit of thought, could wait until Saturday. Her mom was going to be gone all day, so Lila would have all morning to do her transformations, and she would have the rest of the week for her to gather up her posters and other props so that her pictures would turn out perfectly. And- making it even more perfect- the class had been talking about getting together for a group picnic in the park on Saturday afternoon, so Lila could show off her photos right away. She could scope out the school, too, and figure out how she could get into the building on Sunday with her senti-Marinette without being noticed.

Once school let out on Thursday evening, Lila patted her pocket to make sure that she had her wallet and detoured off of her path home, towards the bus stop to head across the city to a poster store she had been to before. Her wallet was going to take a hit from the stop- posters weren't cheap, which was annoying since really, anyone could point a camera and print a picture out- but her mom had given her more money on top of her allowance to buy hot drinks for her throat all week and she hadn't spent it because her classmates were bringing her hot tea, so at least she had gotten a bit extra to spend.

"Ooh, are you getting decorations for your room?" Duusu asked eagerly from her collar as Lila stepped inside the shop thirty minutes later, fully fed up with Paris traffic. "There's some pretty ones! Do you even have space on you walls? Or you could rotate stuff, maybe-"

Lila tried and failed not to sigh as she did her best to tune out her kwami. Honestly, as much as she didn't want to give up her powers, she really couldn't wait to be rid of Duusu. Clueless and naive were both excellent ways to describe the peacock kwami, and it was pretty irritating to deal with.

Seriously, after being with a supervillain for who-knew-how-long and then with Lila for several weeks, one would think that Duusu would actually get used to a less-than-honest way of thinking. Sure, it might also be annoying to have Duusu judging her outright all the time, but the idiocy...

Gritting her teeth, Lila prowled down the aisle that was most likely to have the posters she was looking for. Honestly, the idiocy was worse. Then she had to decide if she wanted to even try to explain- which sounded annoyingly like justifying herself, which she didn't have to do- or just ignore Duusu's increasingly bewildered and off-base questions.

"Ooh! What about this one? It's a lovely flower field!"

Lila spared the flower field poster a glance before continuing to scour the shelves for the scenes she wanted. There were a couple specific city streets that would work perfectly, and then maybe some generic backstage scenes. If she could find some that were set inside a mansion or a palace then she could do some poses with sentimonster royalty. Since no one in her class had seen the inside of Prince Ali's castle or Buckingham Palace, it wouldn't matter if she couldn't get posters of the insides of those places.

Thankfully, the shop was well-stocked. Lila found everything she needed- she was going to get to take a lot of pictures, her evidence was going to mean that people's trust in her would be absolutely unshakeable- and checked out, trying not to grimace as the price tag mounted up.

She would just take the pictures and then return the posters, but apparently the store had a no-return policy when it came to getting a bunch of posters and then trying to bring them all back. It was annoying, but if she had to pay to keep her lies in place, then she would. It was worth it.

(Besides, she could always sell the posters online or something once she was done with them. It wouldn't be all of her money back, but it would be some, and that was better than nothing.)

Lila tucked her posters deep in the bag that the shop provided- she didn't want to risk anyone she knew seeing her with the posters, and they were all too big for her school bag, even all rolled up in the poster tubes- and headed out, eager to get home. While she didn't exactly need to rush back to her apartment to work on homework- several of her classmates had been 'helping' her by sending her either the answers or pictures of most of the work required for the problems, so several hours of homework ended up taking about half an hour instead, just copying things over and scanning whatever reading Ms. Bustier had assigned- Lila didn't exactly feel like dealing with Paris rush hour.

Besides, the longer she was out with her posters, the higher the chance that someone would see her. Maybe most of the class wouldn't think anything of it- Lila could always lie and say that she was getting the posters for her mom, showing places that she had worked, since it wasn't like the outside of the tubes showed the pictures- but she preferred to not have any trails at all, in case that brat Marinette tried to claim that she was in front of posters and that was how she got the pictures. If one of the classmates saw her now and then heard that then...

Well, she was no Max, but Lila figured that the chances were at least 9/10 that they wouldn't think anything of it. But she didn't want to risk anything.

Not when she was so close to cementing her reputation for good.

  Lila set up her room on Saturday as soon as her mom left for work, sacrificing her weekend lie-in. The posters came out and got unrolled, and Lila tacked them up around her room, one after the other. She set up some lamps to mimic the light sources in the photos- something she had learned to do after one of Marinette's none-too-subtle comments about the shadows not matching up during one of her video calls- and then set out changes of outfits for between pictures. She had spent the previous evening coming up with poses and figuring out what clothes she should wear with what setting and which celebrity, so all she had to do was follow her checklist- complete with reference photos- and it should go smooth as butter.

(She also had a bowl heaped with fruit for Duusu set out and ready, to recharge her kwami in between goes. Once she got going, she wasn't going to stop for anything, and that included her kwami's annoying appetite.)

Duusu had watched the entire proceedings with his head tilted to the side, the picture of confusion. He had been incessantly asking questions at the start, but finally- finally- fell silent when Lila snapped at him to shut up already. She didn't need his input, as absolutely useless as it was. All she needed was his powers.

"Duusu, transform me!"

Blue light flashed and Pavona smirked from her spot in the middle of the room. She hadn't transformed all week, and the feeling was even more amazing than she had remembered. She was powerful, she was fearless, she was invincible. Her confidence in her plans- well, obviously they were foolproof, and she was a genius for coming up with them.

It was pretty obvious that being sick had been muting how incredible transforming felt, or maybe she had just been feeling so miserable that she hadn't been able to truly appreciate it.

(Pavona coughed a few times seconds later, then scowled. Seriously, couldn't her cold be over yet?)

"All right, let's make a Jagged Stone!" Pavona announced to no one in particular, grabbing a button off of her bed. She had grabbed them from her mom's emergency sewing kit that morning, in case she couldn't recall the amoks once she was done with the sentimonster (after all, before now, they had all been purified by Ladybug) and had to simply smash the possessed item. With a grin, Pavona called up her power and the first sentimonster bubbled to life.

It was a perfect replica of Jagged Stone, though the eyes were perhaps a little blank. That was fine, though- the rock star was a little on the strange side anyway, a bit spacy and distractible. If he didn't seem 100% there and people could see that in the pictures at all, they would probably assume that he was just thinking about a new song that had popped into his mind or something.

"Detransform me," Pavona ordered as she strode forward, snagging senti-Jagged as she passed him and dragging him along with her. "Come on, we're taking some photos!"

"Pho-to," senti-Jagged said slowly, stumbling after her. Clearly it wasn't smart like an actual human, but that didn't matter. All she needed was his face. Lila shoved it into position, maneuvering its arms and face into a happy pose before hitting the timer button on the camera that she had set up and taking her position next to senti-Jagged.

"Look at the camera!" Lila demanded, pointing at the camera. She glanced to the side- good, it was listening, or maybe it was just coincidence- and then leaned close and beamed at the camera. One click, two, three photos, and then she could relax. "Okay, now a selfie!"

Click, click. Click, click. Lila snapped the photos, one after another, then looked through them. There were a few that just looked a touch unnatural, but the rest were fine.

"Okay, we're done," Lila told senti-Jagged. "You're dismissed."

It didn't move. It hadn't understood.

Of course it hadn't understood, that was dumb for her to even think for a moment that it might. Senti-Jagged was as dumb as bricks. Besides, telling it to vanish obviously wasn't going to work. She had to use her powers to recall the feather somehow, unless she just wanted to stomp on the button.

She transformed, and then Pavona looked towards senti-Jagged again. She didn't have any more of an idea of what to do to recall the amok then she had had the first time, so she just stomped on the button and snagged the feather out of the air. Senti-Jagged let out a surprised shriek as it dissolved, but Pavona ignored it in favor of getting another feather out and ready.

Prince Ali was going to be next, Pavona had decided. Then it would be Clara Nightingale next, followed by Ladybug, then a couple other celebs that she had claimed connections with. One after the other, no problem at all.

Was it going to be a lot of work? Maybe. But it was well worth it. And with every new character she made, they seemed to have more life to them. There was more of a spark in their eyes, they understood French- to some degree, at least- and their poses came completely naturally, and she had even been able to take a few short videos. That was pretty nice, but it did mean that they seemed to recognize that they were going to stop existing before she stomped on their button and begged her not to make them go. That was a bit annoying, but it wasn't about to deter her at all. Their pleas fell on deaf ears as Pavona wiped them out of existence and reclaimed their feathers.

She didn't have time to cater to their whines or try to explain to them why they couldn't stay, nor did she want to even bother with it. It was a waste of time.

After all, they were gone now. Why bother caring about their feelings? They were a tool, not a living being.

"And done," Pavona said happily once she had reclaimed the last of her feathers. She was feeling pretty drained and tired now, but that was hardly a surprise. She had gotten up earlier than she normally would on a Saturday to get everything ready, and then she had been going full-tilt ever since. She would have to keep working, honestly- she had to go through the photos and pick out which were natural enough to keep- but the transforming and set-up and staging was all finished. "Detransform me."

Duusu spiraled free of the brooch, making a beeline for the remaining bit of fruit left in the bowl. Lila barely spared him a glance as she headed for her computer, eager to dive right in and see what she had. Another coughing fit gave her momentary pause, but Lila wasn't about to let that deter her for long.

Some photos had to be cropped to hide the exposed edges of posters because she hadn't quite gotten the camera angle right, but that wasn't much of a problem. Others she cropped just to change things up and make the photos not quite so similar. The videos turned out to be useless, unfortunately- listening to them back, it was very obvious that there was outside noise from the street and from the neighbors above her- so they had to be benched until she could figure out how to edit that out. Or, more likely, until she had time to transform again and re-do those clips, hopefully while Bigfoot upstairs was out instead of stomping around.

For now, Lila had to get going or else she was going to be late meeting with the rest of the class.

As soon as her photos were loaded onto her phone, Lila snatched it up and stuffed it in her pocket, pushing herself to her feet and heading for the door with a spring in her step. She knew for a fact that Marinette was going to be there, so with any luck the photos would be enough to thoroughly ruin her day. Maybe they would be enough to start the process of ruining her friendships, too, since Marinette was hardly going to start believing Lila even with the photos and that would make her look pretty bad in her friends' eyes. That was going to be great-

Lila's progress was brought to an abrupt halt by a hacking cough before she reached the apartment door and she was forced to pause and lean heavily against the wall as a wave of lightheaded dizziness passed over her.

Ugh. How was it that her cold was coming back, but worse? She hadn't gotten any dizzy fits since the previous weekend, and certainly none as bad as that. Lila grimaced as the wave of dizziness and nausea passed, then pushed herself back up straight.

It didn't matter. Lila had her fabricated evidence in hand, and she wasn't about to let something as inconsequential as germs stop her.

[twixtandshout]

Tagged by @pidgeonpostal! And not tagging anyone else because I have SOILED the original template (soiled it!!) in deference to my [brushes off skirt] mostly clean public-facing appearance.

...I’ve been making a lot of Spongebob memes lately for someone who has not seen Spongebob.

How many works do you have on AO3?

71!

What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

...306,834. Jesus.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Uh. Many! I do a lot of one-offs (and/or start long things I never finish) in many different places. My top three fandoms by fics written are RWBY (29), Undertale (25), Gravity Falls/Transcendence AU (4).

Bet you can’t tell where my hyperfixations have fallen. 

I’ve also got some Pokémon and Sonic the Hedgehog fics back on my ff.net account, or I think I still do, anyway, but let’s never go back there pls

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Sweeter Than Honey (Undertale): Taking a Completely unsurprising first place, with over 600 more kudos than the runner-up, the haphazard Underswap fic featuring a post-college self-insert I wrote just after high school! I shake my head some at how overblown and ridiculous the gap between this and all my other stuff is (c’mon, guys, I’ve written way better fics), but this is also the fic which prompted me (and at least one other person!) to start using they/them pronouns. I’ve gotten a lot of really sweet comments about how seen and appreciated it’s made people feel, so I can’t get down too far about it.

2. To Be A Hero (BNHA): I don’t count myself as part of the BNHA fandom, for a number of reasons, but for something that’s arguably the main motivation for the entire plot, Midoriya’s quirklessness is something I’ve never thought has been handled well. This fic marked the first time I (somewhat tentatively) claimed the disability label (thanks again to Sweeter Than for prompting that realization) to hold that lens over canon. It also really shot up my chart, dang! It’s the only thing here I’d consider “recent.”

3. Three-Sentence Shipping (Undertale): Self-explanatory.

4. Brothers Beyond Bonedaries (Undertale): Ah, the way-overcomplicated AU³ I got nowhere close to finishing. One of the things I really like about Undertale is the interface screw, how Toby Fox uses the medium of the video game to pull off crazy things and enhance his game, but most of the fic written for the fandom seems dedicated to explaining it away, grounding it, rather than taking it to the next step and messing with the medium of fanfiction when you keep the story going. I tried to do something cool like that here, playing with questions like narrator and authorship and breaking the fourth wall, even taking the “final boss” fight to a “totally separate” fic reached through the first by link – but, well, then I never finished it, which probably didn’t make anything less confusing for the poor folks who missed the intent.

5. Spirit and Such (Gravity Falls: Transcendence AU): A whole fic written to line out a particular image I had, which, naturally, never made it to the page. I consider it a bit of a cautionary tale for myself when it comes to writing (near-)original content; there’s a lot I look back on and cringe. I still love the characters, though – well, the important ones – and I think just stepping away from the tried-and-true Mizar formula nets it a star sticker here.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

>w>; I try, but a lot of the time I just don’t have anything to say? Like, oh, you liked it? Neat. There’s not much to respond to in comments like that, and then I’m weighing falling down on an ~obligation~ to respond to every message in my inbox vs annoying people with copy-paste fluff responses all down the page. Plus I know I make more of an effort to comment on things that didn’t get the attention I feel they deserve, so if I’m driving up my own comment count with nonsense, am I preventing myself from being in a position to receive more comments later? And then if I do comment, am I being too effusive or running people’s ears off explaining things they don’t actually need to know? Sometimes people just want to express interest or admiration and don’t necessarily want a whole peek and guided tour behind the curtain.

Can you tell I have anxiety? x3;

Anyway, I do respond when I can. And I keep most of the comments I’ve gotten to go back and reread. 

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hm, hmm. Lots of stuff in the TQ Nonsense series would probably qualify! I’m thinking of Unfixable, Wolfsong, and Ethanol. And there’s Bursting Through A Blood-Red Sky (I Can Live, I Can Breathe), of course, but that was always intended to have a fix-it epilogue. It’s just that I wrote it in a couple of hours day-of, stared at it, and decided I didn’t wanna just then. But now that’s As Long As You’re Still Burning Bright (I’m Still Awake), and that’s probably the best romance I’ve written, so that one worked out.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve ever written?

Now and then! When the urge strikes. Uhhh, I’ve got a series of Doctor Who x Undertale crossovers I actually made a whole dang verse for that never made it to print. Get a couple great comments on that every few months or so. I think the World Trigger x Undertale crossover is probably weirder, though, by virtue of WT being a very small fandom. My enthusiasm kinda sputtered out on that one.

Mostly I just daydream crossovers with whatever happens to catch my eye at any given moment. I have a lot!!!! Though odds are out on whether I manage to remember any of them once the initial thought’s passed, lol.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Gotten a couple eyebrow-raising comments, but I think mostly I’m just too small a writer to draw that kind of attention.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don’t? think so? Think my tastes are a little niche for most people to bother ^^;

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I had someone apologize once for any language mistakes in their comment cause they had to run it through a translator! That’s not what you asked (the answer is no), but it’s very flattering to think that someone liked my fic enough to read and comment despite the language barrier.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! :D @pidgeonpostal was gracious enough to agree to co-write Five Nights at Denny’s with me off an idea about shoes. This has fulfilled a long-held dream of mine (collabing with someone, not the shoes) and also introduced me to some lovely people.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

Who has time for just one? ;3c Honestly, I care more about the characters and how the relationship – any relationship – between them changes them than I do about ~A Ship~ as a solid, bounded noun-object. I’ve got characters I like more and less and feelings about who does and doesn’t have chemistry in which directions with whom, but finding anything that agrees with those preferences is hard, harder when you take alloromanticism into account. I’ll play in any sandbox with cool toys, especially if other folks have already built sick sandcastles there.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

[kicks every single unfinished fic further under the bed] What nooo no WIPs here, everything on my account is either finished or does not exist

I’ve got a couple extra chapters of Sweeter Than floating around unposted, but 1. that fic’s a mess 2. high school Twixt and post-college Twixt are different people and trying to contort myself into three other me-shapes just cause people Like this fic is not something I’m super interested in 3. it’s headed for an emotional dip and I’d rather leave it where it is than post two chapters, stall out again, and leave folks with a bad end.

As for other fics... it’s looking more and more likely that v7 of my Yellow Brick Road AU will never actually make it out. >w>; I’ve got some really great ideas, but not enough to make me feel like I know what I’m doing, and that’s a big roadblock. Plus trying to engage with RT’s Atlas-Mantle worldbuilding in any serious capacity is... a headache. I can’t recommend the Happy Huntress Cinematic Universe enough, but it leaves some pretty big shoes to follow! And I’ve got small feet. <w<;

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue’s fun, probably as an extension of characterization. I love tearing into what makes people tick, especially against the backdrop of their environment, the story they’re in, and the people they’re up against. Voice is a double-edged sword; I’ve been told my writing is really recognizable and individual, but on the other hand, I’ve been growing frustrated with with the limits of my narrative ability. There’s a strong rhythm I keep when I write (you might notice it here, even) but that leaves me feeling predictable and stale. I’m not sure I’m great at setting as a matter of course, but I’m pretty good at describing setpieces where the need comes up; that comes from my background in poetry, as does the fun I have with sublimating and abstracting complex imagery. And I think I bring some needed nuance to the universal. For good or ill, I don’t do what “everyone else” is doing.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Well, writing, for one thing. If I don’t know how something’s going to go and don’t have the urge to write it, it isn’t getting done, which means there’s a billion things that will never see the page and a few hundred more that are never getting finished. I lose momentum easily and have a hard time getting started, and I put way too much standing on finding a foothold with other people; as critical as I am of my work, I have high expectations for the stuff that passes muster, and it never seems to measure up. I’m also really uncreative. Yeah, I can mix up elements and extrapolate events, but coming up with things wholesale is really hard, which is why I avoid it wherever possible and steal/reskin stuff from other places instead.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Something along the lines of “Hoo boy, I am Not qualified for this but hopefully it’s decent anyway.” Maria’s Spanish lines haven’t been a big deal – I’ve used it sparingly and, as a Latin language, it should be easy for English-speaking audiences to pick up on the gist – but I’ve had a harder time with Tai’s Chinese, both because I have Even Less background there and because it is, of course, an entirely different language system. If I write it out in English or Romanized italics, am I colonizing it or changing the meaning? If I write it out in the presumed-original characters (presumed because it’s Google Translate and who knows if I’m even barking in the right forest), am I confusing or alienating my presumed-majority-English-speaking audience? Where should I put the translations? Should I put the translations? And for Frisk’s sign language, thinking back, are the brackets I used instead of quotes alienating/infantilizing? I like that different characters give the text between a different feel, but I’m not an ASL speaker – and I’m pretty sure the word is “speaker,” which would only reinforce that that demographic would rather I didn’t do that. It’s important for all these characters, I think, that they use non-English language where it makes sense; it’s part of who they are. But as a white monolingual English-speaker, I don’t think I can really weigh in.

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Thaaaat’d be Pokémon, followed closely with Sonic the Hedgehog. Whether those fics are still on my ff.net account or not (pretty sure I’ve purged them, but you never know) I’ve still got a couple saved to a folder on my current laptop, ostensibly so I can look back and see how far I’ve come and more practically to allow for the possibility of furthering group cohesion through public shaming.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I still like the idea behind The Man Who Is Atlas, and Burning Bright (Still Awake) gets props for being my current fic, though it’s currently in that spot where I’m excited to get new chapters posted but also quietly marking everything up in red pen. I think Harbinger gets the crown here, at least for now.

[the-sunshine-dims]

amnesia rewrite! (chapter 5)

setting the dynamics

ch 1 | ch 2 | ch 3 | ch 4 | ch 6 | ch 7 | ch 8 |

original fic

words: 2839

ao3

contents and warnings: amnesia, deaged Janus, food, baking, fluff, Janus is master thief, virgil is the cool older family member

___________

Janus quietly snuck into the living room as he saw Logic reading, trying to be unnoticed so he could walk behind the couch and see what he was reading without bothering him, he discovered he wasn’t as sneaky as he thought however when halfway to the couch Logic just abruptly went “you can sit on the couch you know.” Without even lifting his gaze, Janus startled before just nodding and hesitantly reaching the couch, now facing the problem of not knowing if Logic just didn’t want him hovering and he should just leave or if he actually wanted him to know he could sit with him.

Once he stood in front of the couch though Logic patted the spot beside him, still not looking up, and Janus brightened a little because that was an obvious invitation, which meant Logic was okay with him there, so he quickly sat down next to him, immediately leaning over him to see what the book was about, he can’t really make it out though because it all just looks like overwhelming blocks of texts that he wouldn’t even know where to start reading.

He doesn’t like it when it’s like that, it’s why reading Wikipedia is so hard, just huge blocks of text that look more like blobs than stuff he can actually read.

He wants to read with Logic, Logic is cool, so he must have cool books too, and it would be fun to read with him, so he found this very frustrating.

Logic seemed to notice him struggling or he just got annoyed at Janus leaning on his shoulder to look at his book, regardless he captures Janus’s attention from the book abruptly as he speaks up “are you alright? Do you need anything?” He asks.

Janus decided he might as well ask, the worst that can happen is he can say no, so he quietly goes “you don’t have to.. but, can you read to me?” and He doesn’t know quite what he expected because Logic has always been really nice but he still finds himself completely bewildered when Logic just smiled softly and nodded before going back to the first page and making the move to actually read aloud.

Janus, despite the weird out-of-place confusion, still managed to grin and pump his fist in victory before moving and getting comfortable against Logic’s side as he began to read.

Less than twenty minutes later his eyes were drooping and after snapping them open a couple of times because he wanted to know where the book was going he just couldn’t fight the lull of sleep.

After a bit He decided he’d just rest his eyes for a moment so they wouldn’t be tired, after all, he didn’t need his eyes to listen to him read.

Yeah Just a moment, he’d open his eyes in just a moment.

Just.. a moment…

———

He’s more confident, if only by a little when he approaches Roman’s door, a book of fairy tales held closely and securely to his chest.

He considers backing out briefly, which he’s still unsure of why because all he remembers of them is them being nice to him so he shouldn’t be nervous around them.

He sighs quietly before deciding if he doesn’t do it now he probably won’t get the courage up again so he quickly knocks on Roman’s door, receiving a crashing sound in return before Roman opens the door with a big smile on his face that immediately puts Janus’s nerves at ease.

Roman appears to notice the book in his arms and smiles brighter somehow before whisking him into his room.

Janus gives a hopeful smile as he asks “do you like fairy tales?”

Roman smiles again “of course! What prince would I be if I didn’t? No prince at all! That's what prince!” He mocked looking offended at the sheer idea of not liking a fairytale.

The sheer silliness of the reply surprised a couple of giggles out of Janus before he could stop it, and after a second he looked up with a big smile “do you wanna read one?”

Roman hums in thought before exaggeratedly gasping “what about we create one! our own little story!” He proposes the idea with a flare.

Janus grinned and nodded excitedly, already completely stoked for just the idea of making his own fairytale, and hey the people in the book wrote stories so they couldn’t be too hard!

Roman hopped onto his bed (it had a canopy! It looked like a cool fort! Maybe he’d be able to get Roman to make a proper one with him,) and Janus followed, jumping on right next to Roman happily,

“Okay so what do you think the character's name should be?..-”

Roman continued asking general questions about the world of the story until he started telling it, occasionally stopping only to let Janus put his own little bit in there, and when it was clear Janus was happy with Roman continuing he would continue making it up out of his head, gesturing wildly to get the point across at certain points. Janus couldn’t keep himself from smiling the whole time, excitedly listening to this brand-new story and adding his own bit into the story when called on.

As Roman made up another particularly goofy character he couldn’t help but begin giggling till he couldn’t breathe, absolutely exulted, after a moment of gaining his composure he looked up and looked at Roman with what can only be described as pure delight.

He wondered if Roman would ever make another story with him.

______

Janus was instantly lured in when he smelled something sweet, and when he noticed Morality in the kitchen, looking inland of the counter mixing something in a bowl, he instantly got excited because normally that meant cookies which meant he could sneak in and grab some of the dough or by the looks of it, already mixed wet ingredients that weren’t being watched and were just right there on the island.

He grinned to himself before silently sneaking in, making sure to soften his step on the tiled floor so the noise wouldn’t alert Morality.

It was only when he took the small bit from the side and readily tasted it, immediately making a happy noise at how sweet it was, was his cover blown, Morality practically spun around to face the cause of the noise. In the process, having a lot of what he assumes to be flour, go everywhere in a big puff.

If Janus didn’t feel like a deer caught in headlights with how still he was he probably would’ve laughed because Morality looked so confused and it was funny to watch Morality’s expression change ever so slowly from stunned and confused to realizing it’s just Janus to more confusion before just somehow getting to him grinning widely, all while covered in flour “oh hey there kiddo!! You startled ol’ pat” he chuckled good naturally, obviously still very much happy and not upset about the new, considerably big, mess.

Janus’s shoulders sagged In relief before he slowly went “can I help?” Because one; then he would be helpful and he could bake and two; then he can sneak a lot more cookie dough like the master thief he was.

Luckily for his cookie dough plot, Morality grinned brightly before going “of course buddy!” And Janus swore he could hear the suppressed squeal just from Morality’s voice and he swore he would pout so hard, he was not a baby! No one should squeal at anything he does!! No one!

Despite his internal not-wanting-to-be-babied rant, Morality was still smiling so bright he was pretty sure he would blind someone before he went to fix the dry ingredient stuff so that there was enough to keep the wet ingredients from getting all sad in the oven and looking like cookie crackers.

And once Morality had busied himself up with that Janus was distracted from what he had been thinking previously and now didn’t know what to do, because he couldn’t mix dry and wet ingredients yet and he didn’t know if he was supposed to clean up the mess or wait till the cookies were in the oven, and he was bored-

The decision of what he should do was quickly solved though so he didn't have to worry, as Morality twirled around quickly (this time with only a little flour spilling out of the bowl) before going “what about we add the dry ingredients?” And at Janus’s nod, handing him the whisk and holding up the dry ingredients bowl a little above the other bowl, just simply going “add slowly” as the instructions.

So Janus did and when he finished with that and they finished making the dough Morality set up the baking sheet, leaving the two to be able to make cool shapes with the newly noticed cookie cutters as well as normal round cookies.

Which.. was a mess, to say the least, it was a complete and utter mess, especially when Morality had the brilliant idea to put a little bit of dough on Janus’s nose and Janus was instantly out of his shell and so offended, which Morality seemed to of found funny as he was just grinning and occasionally just trying desperately not to show he was laughing which made him stop being all puffy and instead he just started pouting, “this is so mean I need Cookie dough to ease the pain.”

Morality couldn't resist the urge to chuckle at that before going “you do, do you?” He asked back fondly.

Janus just nodded seriously “of course, it is the only reasonable option!”

Morality smiled again “of course,” he said fondly before continuing “what about we get this batch in the oven and you can have some from the whisk?” He asked.

Janus hummed aloud in thought before going “I guess that would be acceptable..” he nodded and Morality just chuckled again before ruffling Janus’s hair, covering it partially in some of the dough that was sticking to Morality’s hands, and going to put the dough onto the sheet, Janus after a moment more of just pouting at him followed him and began helping make the shapes, secretly evil plotting to splash him with water when he would go to wash dishes.

The rest of the evening was a little less climatic, washing the leftover dishes and counter, morality getting soaked while washing the dishes and counter, not even with tampering but because he forgot he was washing dishes or that his arms were in the sink. Morality beaming at him with proud smiles Janus whenever he did anything. the cookies being taken out and both Morality and Janus immediately trying to grab one only to be stopped by Logic who both of them hadn’t even realized was in the kitchen, them getting lectured about how they’ll burn themselves if they have one straight out of the oven. and them both outwardly ignoring whenever Janus began giggling or full-blown laughing at something, especially whenever his hair was mussed with cookie dough. and just generally a very pleasant evening.

_______

He Immediately got pulled out of his bored stupor and was quickly filled with excitement when, while resting on the couch, he briefly noticed Anxiety’s jacket from the corner of his eye before it disappeared just out of view, leading him to quickly hop up and run to follow him around the corner he disappeared behind and when he finally got caught up he gently tugged his jacket as to alert he was there.

Anxiety quickly snapped his head around to see Janus, startled at first but then only seeming confused, but not in a bad way like Janus probably would’ve thought a week or so ago “can we play again?” He asked.

Anxiety still seemed confused for a moment longer but fortunately soon seemed to process everything and after his face settled on a small subtle smirk he just went “sure kid.” And Janus grinned before detaching his hand from Anxiety’s jacket, an action he realizes he probably should’ve done as soon as Anxiety noticed him, and not a minute later. After another moment Anxiety hummed before going “do you wanna hang out in the living room or hang out in my room?”

Janus didn’t care particularly but he knew if he went to Anxiety's room they could probably listen to the loud music again and that was entertaining and he decided he liked Anxiety’s music “‘room!” He decided aloud, only making the wording (or lack thereof) slightly less confusing by pointing at Anxiety, as to indicate his.  

Anxiety gave a small chuckle before just nodding with a smile, Janus latched his hand onto Anxiety's forearm sleeve before they started walking just so Janus was holding on, though he would later deny he ever did it because that’s just embarrassing-

And soon they got to Anxiety's room once again, the big dark purple door with black accents and a sign that read Anxiety’s name welcoming them.

Janus waited for Anxiety to open the door and when he did he was instantly surprised to see a couple of stuffed animals he hadn’t seen previously, stacked on Anxiety’s bed, he gasped before running over to them excitedly, quickly hopping onto Anxiety's bed to get comfy and see the stuffies better, he heard a small chuckle from across the room and he looked over to see Anxiety with an almost fond look.

“I thought you might like them, they were just gathering dust in the back of the closet so if you want you can have a couple,” he told him and Janus nodded taking another look at the stuffies, they were all really cool and definitely Anxiety’s taste, as most of them were in palettes of black and purples, the only exception was a dark blue bat with constellations on it, maybe Logic gave it to him? Janus remembers seeing a couple of books about space stacked on his desk so he must be interested in it, so if that's the case he doesn’t think Anxiety meant to bring it out with the others.

After a while of thinking about this very important and crucial decision in silence Janus decided on a small cat stuffie that looked like Jiji from kiki's delivery service, he mostly chose it because it was really really soft, but also because all the others looked like they belonged together and were friends and he couldn’t take them away from each other!

After he made the important decision, Anxiety chuckled again before moving to sit down next to him, “so you’ve made your choice?” Janus nodded.

“The others are all friends and they’d be sad if any of them got taken, but this one can explore with me!” He told him with a grin before pausing and quietly going “thank you for letting me have a stuffie’” because thanking people was polite.

Anxiety gathered a small soft smile before nodding “of course.”

The semi-peacefulness of the moment was soon destroyed though as Janus jumped down off the bed with the plush cat in his arms before kinda just fast walking around because he had a lot of energy and he wanted to get rid of it, after a couple of minutes of this with anxiety just staring in confusion he stopped to look over at him “do you have any more cool music?” He asked.

Anxiety chuckled “kid I have a never-ending supply, trust me on that, but are you sure you wanna just listen to music again?”

Janus hummed “I’m fine doing whatever you want to do, it’s the cool sibling’s rule, whatever you do is bound to be fun and cool!” He told him, he just decided on music because he knew Anxiety did that before so he already knew it was cool.

There were a couple of indistinguishable emotions that went across Anxiety’s face In a single instant but after a moment he just breathed out a laugh before nodding “what about we both think of something cool to do?”

Janus nodded and that led to the rest of the day ending up consisting of him following around Anxiety as they walked around the house doing fun stuff, stealing from the cookie jar, accidentally making tar candy, that kind of stuff.

by the end of the day, they had stolen all of the pillows and cushions off the couch to make a fort where they did in fact end up listen to Anxiety music, not for very long though as not twenty minutes in his eyes started getting droopy and he didn’t even have enough energy to try and resist the long do call of sleep, the only thing he had enough energy to do was hold the gifted black cat tightly to his chest before he finally fell asleep.

____

By the end of all their interactions with him, all of them shared a single thought,

How could this have ever been Janus?