#it’s fine she was half asleep anyway and didn’t clock Shit

[extreme-technicality]

The only thing that works better for killing the Vibe than cold water is your kid walking in mid-Vibing

[s-4pphics]

dial. 2 (e.w.)

wc;cw: 5.3K, fratadjacent!ellie, she has community dick, all ocs r black coded <3, mentions of psychs(shrooms), weed, alcohol, fun parties, dubcon they’re faded, LIGHT SMUT MDNI LEMME COOK YALL, dirty talk, fingering, ellie ain’t shit, stone tops r hot, smidge of angst bc it’s me n i hate joy

playlist :p

You woke up alone. 

When you reached over on Ellie’s side and felt nothing but a folded pillow, your eyes shot open. You ignored the pounding of your head and peered over at Ellie’s bedside alarm clock. It was almost noon, and you were starving. 

You instantly sat up when you heard Ellie’s laughter coming from the living room alongside a high-pitched voice rambling about last night. You threw the hot blankets off your sweaty form and dressed quickly, tossing your shredded stockings in Ellie’s small garbage. 

You pried Ellie’s door open and made your way into the packed living room, the soccer boys stretching and putting in eye drops while Niah snored on the couch. Ellie was standing by the open front door, her body leaning against the frame as she nodded and spoke to… the same girl from last night! 

“El, I literally couldn’t fucking move! I thought I was gonna fuckin’ die if I did anything!” 

Ellie shook her head with a bright smile, waving two candy-bars in her hand, “That’s fucking crazy, damn. Don’t try that shit with these, you’ll be off your ass. Eat half a fucking square and see how you feel.” 

“I will,” the girl took her bars and handed Ellie a stack of bills, “Trip with me after finals?” 

Your heart stuttered in your chest at her suggestive tone, and it shattered when Ellie reciprocated. 

Her head tilted and her tone quieted, “You can handle all that at once?” 

“All what?” The girl eased closer into Ellie’s space, and one of the soccer players’ dog whistled. Ellie leaned down to whisper into the girl’s ear, and she huffed and pushed her away playfully. She departed with a flirty bye, El, and Ellie returned it just as lowly. You should’ve stayed asleep. 

Ellie shut the door softly and shoved her bills into her sports bra, and you fled to her room before she could see you. You shut the door softly and pressed your ear up against the white wood. 

One of the soccer players crossed his arms over his chest, impressed, “Fuuuck, dude, how the fuck do you pull like that?”

“… I know how to eat pussy. Ask her when she’s up,” she said with a scoff. 

“Don’t needa ask, I heard. Dick,” your face burned with embarrassment. 

Ellie’s boisterous laughter shook the apartment. You could hear her sock-covered feet padding on the floor as she inched closer to the door. You moved back to her mirror when her knob twisted and pretended to fix your tangled hair. 

Ellie waltzed in and shut the door behind her. 

“Hey,” you croaked, trying to sound as casual as possible. Don’t look at her!

“‘Sup,” she barely acknowledged. You flinched. You could see her rummaging around her room, shoving her earnings into a small shoe box on her nightstand. 

Your gaze dropped to a random smudge on her mirror, “Um, Ellie?” 

“Hm?” Ouch. 

“… Do you like cupcakes?” you squeaked nervously. 

“… Yes?” 

“Really?” You twirled with a grin on your face, your arms giddily waving around in the air. “Me’n Niah always make cupcakes on Wednesday in the West Wing! Did you know they just upgraded their toaster oven?! We’re making some for Dina and Jesse but they only like vanilla like boring losers. I personally like red velvet, but we can make any flavor you want!” 

You rambled joyfully, eager to hear her flavor preference. She seemed like a strawberry person! Or German chocolate—

“Vanilla’s fine.” 

She answered plainly, and your spirit dropped. You didn’t allow your disappointment to show on your face too much, your arms falling limp at your sides. 

Your efforts failed when she shut you down, “I don’t mean to be rude, but I really need… t’get ready and stuff.” 

You shook your head incessantly, “No, no, I get it! I, um… I needa get Niah up anyway.”

Ellie nodded and stared at you blankly. She didn’t say anything else after that, impulsively reorganizing her little piggy bank. Sadness churned in your gut, your smile dropping as you clenched your fists.  

“S-See you Wednesday?” 

“… Yup.” 

You gave her a stiff nod and spun towards the door. You left as quickly as you could, shutting it harder than you should’ve. Tears built in your eyes against your will; Dina told you Ellie was aloof and a bit awkward, but she always seemed so comfortable around all your friends. You tried to justify her behavior since you were strangers, but it’s been weeks, and she’s been inside you! She never bothered to ask anything about you when you first met, even though you desperately wanted to know everything about her. You were starting to question if she even knew your name. 

That familiar feeling from years ago was coming over you in the middle of your friend’s hallway, and you instantly felt nauseous. You prayed you would never experience something like that again; You moved fucking cities because of it, for gods sake! Maybe you were just too overbearing, too naive. Too… uppity for some people. 

You’re a lot to handle! Not everyone is built for that. That’s just something you’re gonna have to understand at some point. 

You knew Niah would cause a scene if she saw you upset, so you wiped your tears with your itchy sleeves and forced your insecurities down despite their desire to crumble you, making your way over to your best friend’s laid out form. You crouched and gently shook her awake. 

“Ni. Ni, wake up,” your voice wouldn't stop cracking!

She choked and coughed awake; Her cotton mouth must be deadly! She smacked her lips together as her eyes tore open, dry as ever. 

“Hi,” you whispered, “We gotta go. It’s almost noon.” 

You had to pry Niah off Jesse and Ellie’s sofa, but you were able to get her out the door eventually. With her little goodie bags! You closed the entrance to their apartment and began your walk down the hallway. 

You ignored the tears in your heart when you heard their front door lock; Ellie didn’t even want to see you out. 

… Were you really that bad? 

You said nothing the entire Uber ride back to the dorms. Niah fell asleep on your shoulder, and you cried silently, watching the white of winter pass you by. 

Class was fucking killing you. 

You were exhausted and filled notebooks were practically overflowing out of your book bag; You were shocked that students’ bodies weren’t scattered across the quad. The first term was always the worst. 

At least it was Cupcake Day! You couldn’t wait for Niah to pick you up. 

“Order for Kayla!” 

You were currently waiting on the chai latte Ellie was making, her back turned to you and she mixed your hot drink. You definitely weren’t here to secretly watch as she frothed cream in her cute, little Starbucks hat! Not at all! 

She placed the lid on your drink and locked eyes with you. She didn’t call your name out, only sliding you the steaming cup with a quiet enjoy, spinning to return to her station before you could thank her. 

You sighed and grabbed the steaming cup from the serving counter, snagging a seat farthest away from the coffee station. You sipped and waited with a crestfallen spirit, listening to the way Ellie’s voice lifted when she called out other peoples’ names. You wished you knew what you did wrong. 

You concluded and accepted the fact that simply Ellie didn’t like you. 

Outside of sex, obviously. 

You thought baking would distract you from the graying of your heart, but it only darkened as you iced the cooled desserts. 

“Taste this. Is it too sweet?” 

You turned and met Niah’s manicured finger covered in cream cheese frosting. You tasted it and instantly cringed as your tastebuds were overtaken by icing sugar. You were definitely getting older; Younger you would’ve told her to add two more cups of the soft power! 

“Fuck,” she sighed and grabbed another pack of cream cheese from the small counter. “If you don’t like it, it must be trash.” 

“… Yeah.” 

She laughed lightly, “What the fuck? You’re not gonna coddle me?” 

You only shrugged and continued to swirl chocolate frosting on the remaining cakes. 

Niah wasn’t having it, “Bro are you good? You barely said shit to me all day.” 

You shrugged and dolloped more of the better batch of icing on the cake, “I’m fine, class just sucked today.” 

And Ellie hates me!

“Talk to me,” you saw her set her piping bag down near the cooling tray. 

You lied, “Nothing to talk about. You know I hate my cognitive science class.” 

Niah only hummed, and you know she’s only dropping the conversation for your sake. You would come to her when you were ready and less distraught by embarrassment. 

You two finished in rigid silence. You made a small baggie full of cupcakes for Ellie like you did Jesse and Dina, making sure to add extra chocolate sprinkles next to the E fondant placed on her small desserts. You hoped she would accept the peace offering. 

Your throat was so dry. 

You tapped your foot mindlessly against the floor as you and Niah waited for Jesse to open the door, gift bags scrunched in your jittery hands. You hoped you and Ellie could talk. Please be home!

The door ripped open, and Jesse greeted you. 

“WHAT DAY IS IT!” 

“IT’S CUPCAKE DAY!” you and Niah shouted, holding up the filled decorative bags. 

He hugged you both before allowing you entry, Dina already sat at the small dining table set with cute China plates and a tea kettle. There was no sign of Ellie; The excitement in your shoulders dropped. 

You set the sweet treats on the table and took a seat across Dina, Niah next to you. Jesse grabbed the steaming kettle and filled your cups up while Dina ripped the bags open. 

“Greedy ass. Have some couth,” Niah scolded Dina playfully. 

You jumped in with a sneaky smile, “Yeah, Dee, where’s your manners!” 

“ME?!” she dropped the bag in shock, “I know you’re not talking!” 

Your jaw dropped when she pointed an accusatory finger at you, “What’d I do!” 

“Oh, now you’re confused! You two kept us up all night, why d’you think we slept so long after that party!” 

Your face burned at the insinuation as Jesse and Niah snickered off to the side. Dina dug in the bag in search of her embroidered cupcake, shaking her head, “It’s silent now! Crazy.” 

“She’s on your head,” Niah laughed out. Jesse sipped his tea like Kermit. 

“… I hate all of you! Gimme my fucking cupcake!” 

Dina passed you the bag after snagging hers and Jesse’s, and you snatched your wrapped dessert from the now crumpled bag with a pout. Ellie’s cupcakes were left at the bottom of the bag still in perfect condition. At least they were pretty. 

Dina, Jesse, and Niah migrated to the couch after you volunteered to tidy up the kitchen. Dina offered to help, but you shooed her away. She immediately grabbed Ellie’s bong off the little coffee table and packed it for the three of them. You knew their pothead asses wanted to smoke!

You were wiping the crumby table down with a wet wipe when your phone vibrated in your pocket. 

Your heart sped up in your chest at the message. Has she been here the whole time! Why didn’t she greet you! Your thumbs flew over your keyboard at the speed of light. 

She answered instantly, and your core spasmed. 

You gazed up to check on your friends, happy to see that they were paying you no mind! You probably looked insane standing in the kitchen with no air in your lungs. 

Why were you this tempted to walk into her room and ride her into the sunset? 

Your heart sank when you didn’t receive a text after that. Did you make her mad? Did she not want her cupcakes anymore? 

You sighed and put your phone back in your jean pocket, finishing the nearly clean table. You leaned over it to get the little spots you missed. 

“Hey, housewife,” she said quietly, pinching your ass like she always does. 

Ellie’s raspy tone vibrated your eardrums, and you nearly dropped to your knees at the nickname. Her hair was down, and she had on grey fucking sweatpants. You would be her stay-at-home wife any day of the week! Iron her clothes, change her sheets, let her bend you over the counter while you’re cooking her dinner—

You peered at her over your shoulder, “Hi.” 

Your cracked mumble made her smirk, “Those mine?” 

Her head jerked towards the folded goodie bag, and you nodded, still bent over the table. She peered down at your ass before pulling out a seat. 

“Sit with me.” 

… An actual invitation that didn’t involve proposals to eat your ass?! Were you two actually getting somewhere? 

You yanked your chair out and plopped in it, excitingly sliding the goodie bag towards her so she could pull her cupcakes out. You propped your head up with a grin and watched as she unwrapped the dessert, taking a slow lick of the sloppy icing job. She held eye contact with you with each pass of her tongue, and your eyes filled with hearts. 

“Tastes good,” she mumbled before biting into the dessert. 

“It’s not too sweet?” You sounded love struck. 

She shook her head with a sly grin, “No such thing.” 

… Why was she so fucking sexy! 

“You coming on Friday?” she said around another bite. 

Please make me cum on Friday! 

“Yes,” your heart fluttered when she mumbled cool. “D’you know what you’re gonna wear?” 

“Not yet. I might make a fucking homemade reindeer shirt or something, I’m broke,” she tossed the last bit of cake into her mouth and licked her fingers. 

“I bet that’d look so cool! You’re so talented!” You beamed. You remembered viewing some of Ellie’s sketches that were hung on her wall and bed frame before she drilled you into her mattress. You always thought her depictions of Pokémon characters were so cute! 

You saw her eyes widen before she looked down at the table, “Thanks.” 

Her face was red, and her eyes didn’t meet yours… Was she blushing? 

The moment was ruined, though. She hopped up from her seat before you could say anything else, quietly thanking you for the cupcakes. She scurried back to her room after throwing Niah a stiff see ya, slamming her door shut. 

Everyone turned to look at you with confused stares, and all you could do was shrug sheepishly, your heart saddening. What did you say that was so embarrassing; She is talented! 

Ellie was so interesting. 

Your study seshes with Niah were flying by. You swore your eyeballs were going to fall out if you stared at one more note sheet. 

How was Niah able to smoke and not take at the same time! 

Your last class of the week was finished, and you zoomed back to your dorm to get ready for tonight. This was one of the last parties of the semester and you wanted to impress! 

You didn’t get out of the library until seven. The sun was starting to set, and you were nowhere near ready! You already had your outfit: a purple glow-in-the-dark Santa’s hat and your matching faux fur mini dress, but you needed an hour and a half for your hair, at the bare minimum! Niah needed to hurry up and finish her project meeting so she could help you pick shoes! What the fuck goes with purple anyway?

You stripped and showered quickly. You were in the middle of detangling your hair when Niah burst through the door with her books in hand. 

“Fuck these professors bruh! They never give us this much work to do during the fucking semester and now we’re doing twelve fucking assignments at goddamn once five days before the year ends! I’m sick of this bullshit— “

You hyperfocused on perfecting your part, “Bitch, I don’t care about that! What color goes with purple best? Should I wear white or black shoes! What the fuck do I do?!” 

Niah kicked her boots off and tossed her books on her dresser in the middle of her rant, already stripping down, “Mind you, I’m paired with two fucking idiots! How am I supposed to explain two-dimensional kinematics to somebody who— “

“NIAH!” 

“WHAT!” 

“… Take a deep breath through your no— “

“I’m not having a fuckin’ panic attack, relax. Wear white shoes,” she huffed before grabbing her pen out of her shoebox stash. You needed one of those for your liquor bottles! 

Niah snagged your speaker before rushing in the bathroom to shower. Blow drying your hair was going to be a fucking pain! 

After finishing your hair and taking five spaced out shots over the next three hours, you and Niah were off into the night. You don’t know how you were trucking it so fast towards the Uber; You almost broke your damn ankle when you practiced walking earlier! Snapchat was already blowing up with people at the soccer house. And the music actually sounded good! 

You slurrily asked your Uber if you could aux for the drive, in which he confusedly replied if the oxe could what? Niah laughed uncontrollably the entire ride. She always did love getting older Uber drivers! 

The deeper you drove into the neighborhood, the more packed it was, people in sparkly, short dresses and more ugly Christmas sweaters. They were all hooting and laughing down the block, and it took everything in you to not rip the car door open and hop out to mingle! 

The Uber parked in front of the white, four-floored home. You and Niah thanked him before jumping out and brushing past the lengthy line; You loved having friends in high places! Dina texted saying she’d be waiting for both of you by the door. 

“Dina!” you shouted over the loud, bustling crowd. You waved at her when she saw you, grabbing your hand to pull you and Niah through the packed porch. 

The soccer house was dimly lit with red and green LED lights and the walls were covered in Christmas socks and ornaments. They even had a blow-up snowman to take pictures with! She pulled you and your roommate into a bone-crushing hug and kissed your cheeks before pulling you deeper inside, making sure to keep you close so you wouldn’t get lost in the crowd. 

She paused at the counter and grabbed the bottle of vodka, untwisting the cap and handing it to Niah. She wasted no time in downing a large gulp before passing it to you to do the same. You scowled at the taste and Dina laughed, wrapping her arm around your shoulders to lead you and Niah into the kitchen. The soccer team were timing each other’s shotguns, and by the blank look on Jesse’s face, he must be losing. 

The players hugged you and Niah politely before Jesse pulled you in a tight hug. He shouted over the blaring speakers, “I’m getting cooked!” 

A laugh escaped you as he shook his head and hugged Niah. She pulled her phone out of her bra and stared at you, waiting for you to answer her message. 

You smiled and nodded, grabbing Dina’s hand to pull her onto the dance floor. Ellie hadn’t passed your mind once. 

In all your years of being the trip-sitter and designated driver, you’ve never lost your friends in a crowd. You always prided yourself on being the most reliable person to party with! 

So how did you end up losing your two friends, taking six more shots, and grinding on a random girl who was showing your neck a little too much love? You had no idea how long it’s been since Niah took Dina to the bathroom, the girl was hot, and you’re a slut! You gladly accepted the attention! 

You were sipping from the bottle like you paid for it while grinding on whoever the fuck was grabbing your hips. Were you a bad person if you imagined Ellie was the one doing it? You hoped not. 

Your head fell back on the girl’s shoulders, the fuzzies from her sweater tickling your neck as you moved against her, pushing your hips back on her front. You peered down at her… veiny hands, holy fuck, watching her watch glisten under the faint lights in the room. 

Your arm came around her neck to pull her closer, her lips moving against your ear. 

“Wanna go smoke?” she mumbled in against your skin over the 8O8s, and you nodded as fast as your neck would allow. 

You pulled away from her and brushed past dozens of heads until you reached the back patio. You pried the door open in your haze and stepped outside, almost slipping on a rock like an idiot. 

Your heart, nor your pussy was prepared to see Ellie and her friends seated on lounge chairs passing blunts around. Your drunk brain was sloppily telling you that something bad was going to happen! The loose strands of her hair were pulled back with little snowman clips, and she drew her own reindeer with a marijuana leaf behind it on a plain t-shirt. 

You pulled your phone out to make it seem like you didn’t notice her, your screen filled with texts from Niah and Ellie. 

Fuck, fuck! 

You felt an arm wrap around your waist to guide you to a seat. Right across from Ellie. You’re fucked, you’re fucked!

You were pulled into the girl’s lap… You swore she told you her name, but you don’t remember! Ellie’s staring right at you! Why were her friends so fucking hot? The girl was massaging your hip and making sure your dress was pulled down enough, oh fuck—

Your eyes moved before your brain could stop them, meeting Ellie’s searing gaze as she gauged you, taking in your exposed thighs like she wanted to rip you to shreds. Hotly. She held your stare while she brought the roach between her lips and pulled from it, inhaling the sphere-shaped carbon before exhaling slowly. 

The hammering in your ears wouldn’t stop. You had no idea what Ellie’s friends were laughing at, but she wasn’t laughing with them. Her eyes flickered from yours to the person behind you that was rolling up; Her jaw was clenched tight, and her brows were slightly furrowed. 

… The fuck was happening right now. 

The hot girl under you passed you the packed blunt, “Spark this for me?” 

You jumped at the whisper. You nodded and took the lighter, flicking it and bringing the flame to the end of the blunt, rotating so it could catch evenly. 

“You can hit it first,” you stared into the girl’s… pretty eyes. Shit. 

You pulled from the blunt before passing it back to her, exhaling the carbon over your shoulder so it wouldn’t hit her face. 

Ellie hadn’t moved from her position on the chair, but she was stiff, and her face was tense. You have never seen her like this before! 

She leaned forward to stub the roach out on the table before standing. And walking towards you. And staring you down, fuck, you’re going to die! 

“Mind if I borrow her for a sec?” 

She held your gaze as she spoke, but it wasn’t directed at you. Smoke escaped from behind you. 

“… Why?” 

“Needa talk to her, Abby. About Dina,” she finally looked behind you and at the girl. Why’d you feel faint? Said girl—Abby squeezed your hip and your walls jerked. 

“… Okay,” she looked weirded out by Ellie’s tone, but her expression eased when she looked at you. “Come find me when you’re done?” 

You mumbled sure and Ellie scoffed, grabbing your wrist, and yanking you out of Abby’s lap. She led you through the jumping crowd and up the stairs, her hold on your arm getting stronger with each step. 

She led you down a hallway before reaching up on the door sill and retrieving a key, unlocking the door, and leading you in. 

She shut and locked the door behind you, tossing the key on the bed behind you. Ellie looked so deep in thought. 

It was silent. Ellie was biting her nails. 

…

…

…

“I like your shirt.” 

You wanted to slap yourself! No one fucking cares! Something’s obviously bothering her!

“… Is Dina okay?” Ellie only nodded, and you followed. 

“Um, great…” 

You looked around the room; It had a bunch of women from sports magazines plastered on the wall and the bed wasn’t made with clothes scattered all over the floor. It wasn’t a complete pigsty. That’s a plus, right? 

Ellie stealthy crept up behind you, her hands gently caressing your shoulders before sliding down your arms. She leaned forward so her head rested on your shoulder, her breath tickling your ear when she spoke. 

“You’re so fuckin’ hot.” 

You gasped harshly at her voice, and you felt her smile. Her slippery hands hooked under the hem of your dress and slowly slid it up, her nails grazing against your skin. You couldn’t stop shuddering. 

“Remember when I asked somebody to fuck you with me?” She kissed your shoulder gently and you melted. She never treated you so softly! You nodded. 

Your dress sat around your waist and your pussy dripped into your panties, your breath heavy when she whispered, “That was her. Think she’s gotta little crush on you.” 

“R-Really?” 

“Mhm. You like that?” She inched your panties down your thighs. 

“I-I dunno—“ She was massaging your tits that were spilling out of your dress and you couldn’t breathe. 

“You don’t know?” Her voice had a harsh bite to it, and all you could do was shake your head. You don’t know what to do, what to say—

“So, if I hit her up right now to tell her to come fuck you with me, you’d say no?” Her hand cupped your pussy, her palm digging into your clit. You hand came to rest atop hers to lessen the gap. Her slender fingers reached down and scooped some slick to bring back up to your clit. She rubbed you in slow circles and lapped at your neck, sucking more marks into your skin. You dug your nails into her wrist. 

“I-I— “

“You what? Wanna fuck my friends? Want them t’pass you around and give you back to me?” She spat, and you moaned at the imagery. Her friends were so fucking hot!

… Give you back to her? What does she mean?! You’re about to flatline if she keeps touching you like this! 

“Ellie, fuck— “

“Yeah? I treat this pussy good?” Her fingers sped up on your clit, forcing more juices out of your cunt. You squeezed around nothing, and your head fell back on her shoulder, whining at the ceiling as your orgasm grew in your tummy. 

“So good, Ellie, fuck yes!” 

“Uh huh, bend over, angel,” you listened and kicked your heels off before laying over the corner of the mussed bed, your hat flying off in the process. 

“Put that back on,” she muttered. 

“Hm?” you threw over your shoulder. She looked so sexy right now, what the fuck. 

“Your hat, s’cute. Put it back on.” 

You swore your heart grew wings. You sloppily threw it over your head and her fingers slid inside you. Your walls stretched to accompany her digits, and your head dropped onto the covers. The ring on her index finger was pressed against the entrance of your cunt the deeper she slid, and you squealed when her pace quickened. 

Your orgasm rose much quicker than you would’ve liked. You never wanted Ellie to stop touching you! You want her close, close, close—

“Missed this angel cunt, my fucking god.” 

“M’close, El, please, fuck! —“

“Yeah? Like when do what I fuckin’ want?” 

“Yes! Yesyesyesyes—“ Your walls were strangling her. 

“Who’s pussy is this,” she sounded so gross, like she already knew your answer. 

“E-Ellie’s pussy,” She hits it so good! 

“So cum for me, baby.” 

You did, you did, you did! 

You would’ve hit the floor if she wasn’t there. Her free arm wrapped around your waist to hold you up. You could hear her laughing as your legs shook and your cunt choked the fuck out of her, moans of her name muffled by the blanket that your face was shoved into. 

“Atta girl, feels nice?” She cooed at you as her pace slowed. You whined in agreement while your clit twitched in aftershock. 

She kissed the bottom of your spine before helping you into the mattress to recover. You heard her phone go off. 

“C’mon, put your shoes on. Dina’s ready to go.” 

… She expects you to walk?! 

Ellie slipped off somewhere after leaving you with Dina and Niah, saying that she had something to take care of before leaving. The party was still live!

And Jesse was fucking sloshed! He could barely stand up without his teammates supporting him. 

Your arms were thrown around Niah’s neck while you sweetheart danced to Future. She gets so smiley when she’s faded; It’s adorable! 

“Where’d your girl go?” she yelled over the music. 

You blushed and smiled, “I dunno! She said give her a minute!” 

Niah nodded and whispered in Dina’s ear, and Dina gave her a thumbs up. 

“Come pee with me right quick!” 

You agreed and followed her through the crowd again — the one downside to great parties: you can barely fucking move! You reached the dimly lit hallway and thanked god that the line wasn’t long. 

Until Niah grabbed your arm to stop you in your tracks. 

You flinched and furrowed your brows at her, “What’s the matter?” 

“Uh, nothing!” She looked around frantically, “Let’s just use the one upstairs!” 

“… Why?! The line isn’t even long,” You nudged her off you playfully and pointed at the three girls standing by the bathroom door. She stopped you again. 

“Bro I can wait til we get home. C’mon—“ She shook her head at you. 

But you brushed past her, “Stop being weird! It’ll take two seco— “

Your heart plummeted from your chest to the floor when you saw Ellie with her hand up shroom-bar-girl’s skin-tight dress, her tongue sliding over hers in a deep kiss. Shroom-bar-girl looked like she was about to explode, and Ellie smirked, her lips moving over hers like she was talking her through it. 

Tears jerked in your eyes at the sight, your fists clenching, painted nails digging into your palms. But you couldn’t look away. 

Niah grabbed your hand and yanked you away from the disastrous scene, trekking back through the crowd— can they fucking move! — and out onto the porch. You wiped your tears roughly when Dina approached with a concerned look, but Niah brushed her off, saying you’ll tell her in the morning. 

Niah hugged you while you cried silently, the both of you waiting in the freezing cold for the Uber. 

You and Ellie were never official, but you couldn’t ignore the fiery pain that sliced through you like a blade. 

After all this time, did people still find you this disposable?

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BACK ON MY ELLIE SHIT BIG PUR

if theres a typo no theres not

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teaser, 1, 3, four

[kindheart525]

It wasn’t much of a surprise that Golden grew more distant after the ferret fiasco—Swift had to admit that they had been pretty insensitive. He didn’t blame him for avoiding them a lot more. But he still couldn’t help but feel there was something illogical about it all. Golden seemed pretty convinced that Prophecy’s had something to do with this. 

Nonsense! 

It was merely a coincidence and Swift was sticking to it. Lemon, and even Swift a little bit, had been real dicks in other ways, but there shouldn’t have been such a fuss about a bad fortune that wasn’t real.

But now something was off about Lemon Wedge.

“Hey. You good?”

Swift lightly poked the stallion, who seemed really unfocused, even more than usual.

“Are you hungover? You know you can’t do that in this line of work—“

“I’m up! I’m awake!”

Lemon suddenly jerked his head up, revealing deep, dark circles under his eyes. Too much for a simple hangover.

“What’s going on? You’ve been out of it all day. You look like you haven’t slept at all.”

Swift’s basic medical training kicked in as he started inspecting his coworker.

“Are you sick? You shouldn’t be here if you are.”

“No dude, I’m just fine. Don’t get all doctory on me.”

Lemon protested and tried to push him away, though he was so disoriented that he missed.

“I got the night shift at Hayburgers. It sucks, it’s nasty as shit, but I gotta make a living somehow.”

Swift cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

“I thought you were doing alright? You have an apartment.”

“Yeah, barely. I was.”

Lemon chuckled bitterly.

“I…”

He yawned.

“I lost a bet like, a month or two ago. I can’t remember at this point. But it was a really big one, like I could have gotten really rich if I won. But instead I lost like a half a year’s rent and I gotta make it back.”

“Ooh…shit. I’m sorry, that sucks.”

Swift thought of how awful it would be to lose so much money and end up in such a tight spot. Even though gambling was a reckless and avoidable decision, he still couldn’t help but sympathize with his coworker’s struggle.

But was it avoidable?

Something about taking risks, and how that would be his downfall. All demonstrated with a deck of cards, like from a game of poker. This is what Prophecy told Lemon Wedge. And she hadn’t even met him before! It seemed awfully on the nose.

And for something to happen to both Lemon and Golden was undeniably uncanny.

Could it be…? No. Swift couldn’t fall for it. Sure, it was unlikely for two coincidences in a row to happen, but not statistically impossible. She was still wrong, she had to be. But nevertheless, he couldn’t waste time worrying about it.

Especially when his coworker was literally falling asleep on the job.

“Hey. Wake up.”

Swift nudged him again, but once he noticed the drool coming down from Lemon’s mouth he realized he really was sound asleep. So he nudged a lot harder.

“Dude! Stop doing that!”

“I’ll stop when you quit taking naps at work!”

The unicorn pulled himself from getting defensive against the stallion yelling at him, assuming a more professional air.

“Look. You’re clearly too exhausted to focus. There are lives on the line in this job, and if you can’t even stay awake for a single conversation then you can’t guarantee you won’t administer the wrong medication or botch a CPR routine. You could seriously endanger ponies in this state.”

“But…but I need the money…just get me some coffee, I can—“

“Coffee’s not going to cut it.”

Swift stopped Lemon, even though he looked completely desperate.

“If you mess something up you’d get fired anyway, then you’d really have no money. Just—there’s too much at stake, even if it sucks for you there’s a lot more than just you. So go home and sleep until you can function at your job—either of them.”

Lemon seemed to have lost all will to protest as Swift walked him over to the office where he could clock out. Then once he was sure Lemon was on his way out, Swift went back to his own work as usual. 

Things sure sucked for Golden and Lemon right now. But Swift tried not to think about Prophecy, because that would mean acknowledging the possibility that he was next.

~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile: Gentle Sheen Previous: Broken Mirror Next: Blue Cat Crossing

Background by CloudyGlow

[hopelesshawks]

Congratulations on 1000 followers! Love the event ideas too. I was hoping for a Music Mashup with Hawks. About me-5' nothing, love baking and embroidery, enjoy teasing my SO, former dog groomer and current house wife, I can either be the quietest person you know or the loudest/most talkative depending on what the other person I'm engaged with needs.

For song I wanted to go with Always Be You by Cherish Danae

https://open.spotify.com/album/3OvKr9jazhFAOQ3MFzwnm1?si=NulCLQRURyC9fu4zlhVOMQ

Thank you! For the congratulations and for taking part in the event ❤️

Omg I love this song now, it's so beautiful and honestly so perfect for Hawks, thanks for putting me onto it. I'll also include the song at the bottom of the post. Holy shit this turned out long but I hope you like it

"You sure you don't want me to stay a little later?" your best friend asks yet again as you practically push her out the door.

"Yes, I'm positive," you chuckle, "and I know for a fact your boss will kill you if you're late again so go I will be just fine."

"But you shouldn't be alone on your birthday," she pouts.

It's a familiar argument at this point, one your friend has made several times since you realized she was about to earn herself strike three with her boss just so she could hang with you until your boyfriend got home. You roll your eyes fondly as you get her out the apartment and then lean on your door jamb to say your goodbyes.

"Hawks will be here soon, he should be flying home by now," you explain.

"I still don't understand why he'd accept a multi-day mission in another city the same week as your birthday. He's cutting it awfully close you know! Has he even texted you yet today?"

"He'll tell me happy birthday in person when he gets here. Trust me. Now get out of here before you get yourself fired."

Your friend begrudgingly leaves and you can't help but chuckle at her antics. She's a little on the overprotective side but you adore her anyway. You don't actually know what time Hawks will get back so you decide you may as well keep your hands busy while you wait, grabbing your needle, thread, and latest project while you settle onto the couch. From there it's easy to lose track of time, lost in the familiar motion of the needle, so much so you don't even notice that the sun is setting until a knock at your balcony door startles you out of your concentration.

Your surprise melts into fond affection as you take in the sight of your clearly rundown boyfriend leaning heavily on the glass door as he waits for you to let him. You’re up in a heartbeat, sliding the door open and letting him pull you into an embrace as he enters.

“Sorry I didn’t warn ya I was coming ahead of time, villain busted my phone,” he explains, his voice heavy with exhaustion, “can we collapse on your couch for a minute?” There’s scarcely a moment between you nodding and your back suddenly hitting the seat cushions of your couch as he maneuvers you over and plasters himself against you, his taller frame enveloping yours almost completely.

“Crushing me babe,” you chuckle but the only reply you get is a huff as he shuffles down the couch to give you more room to breathe and that’s about it. All you can do is roll your eyes fondly again before taking back up your embroidering, allowing him to nap as the early evening turns to late night.

You try not to disturb him but you know you’ll both regret it if you sleep on the couch all night so when Hawks shows no sign of rousing even as the clock ticks closer and closer to midnight, you gently shake his shoulder until he blinks up at you with golden eyes.

“We should move to the actual bed sleepy bird,” you explain and he nods, clearly still half asleep. He rises slowly and reaches out to grasp hold of your hand, tugging you with him as he makes his way back to your bedroom.

You allow yourself to be led if for no other reason than the fact you always think there’s something particularly adorable about Hawks when he’s this tired, but as his eyes reach the clock by your bed he freezes.

“Everything ok?” you ask, confused by the sudden stop.

Your boyfriend whirls around to face you, his hands grasping your shoulders as you register the exhaustion that has swirled around his golden irises only moments ago has been replaced with guilt and panic.

“Yesterday was your birthday,” he says abruptly, his mouth a grim line of disappointment.

“Today is my birthday, yea, but—“

“No, it’s after midnight. Yesterday was your birthday and I missed it.”

You’d planned on teasing him a bit about it in the morning but you recognize that tone of voice and immediately you soften.

“Baby it’s alright,” you assure him but he shakes his head, pulling away and shoving his hands into his pockets.

“It’s not, I shouldn’t— you deserve better,” he insists, blowing out a breath of frustration as he sits on the bed, eyes trained on the ground.

Anyone who didn’t know him would miss it, but to you the self-flagellation is obvious. He hates disappointing you, hates letting you down, hates when he gets so fixated on work that he neglects you. Your poor bird, so desperate to be good and so frequently caught between being a good boyfriend and a good hero. You can practically see the gears in his brain spinning as he hyper analyzes every second of the past few days, trying to identify what he could’ve done better to avoid this failure. If you let him he’d probably do this all night, replaying each singular moment until he’d solved it even if the answer was an unrealistic standard to set himself to. But of course you won’t let him, not when he already expects far too much of himself.

You move to stand in front of him, gently taking his face in your hands and tilting it up so his eyes meet yours. “Baby, it’s ok. You’re exhausted, of course you are. It’s hard being number two, there’s nothing you could have done,” you assure him, but he swallows hard, not quite able to accept your words just yet.

“Even if it’s understandable you still deserve someone who can put you above everything else. You… you should be with someone who can make you their everything,” he whispers into the quiet space between you both.

You shake your head fondly, a small smile gracing your lips.

“Fortunately for us that’s my call to make not yours.”

“You’d be better off without me.”

“You’re wrong,” you insist, your words filled with a conviction that speaks loud even though your voice is still soft and he cannot help but close his eyes and tremble with it, the number two hero in all of Japan turned to putty in your hands.

“Look at me,” you request but he resists, not fully prepared to find the love he already knows will be in your eyes.

“Keigo, look at me.”

How can he refuse when you say a name he used to hate like it’s something precious?

His eyelids flutter open and he nearly gasps when your gazes meet.

“I know you find this hard to believe, but trust me when I say that if I had to choose, it’ll always be you,” you assure him before pressing a kiss to his lips.

He sighs into it, drawing you in close until he can properly fold you into his arms and wings. It’s the same thing you’ve told him a hundred times before but each time is a precious gift nonetheless. As if reading his mind you break the kiss but don’t go far so your lips still brush against his as you repeat the words again.

“It’ll always be you.”

[snelbz]

Life As We Know It {Chapter 19}

Summary: After the sudden deaths of Nesta’s sister and Cassian’s best friend, they gain guardianship of their nephew, Nyx.

Based on Life As We Know It (2010) and a prompt sent in by anonymous for our Nessian fanfic contest. This is a modern au.

Instead of doing a tag list for this story, we have decided to have a set posting schedule. Chapters will be posted weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Occasional surprise chapters could be posted at miscellaneous times. Chapters will be posted on both my and Tara’s blogs! >> @tacmc.​

Life As We Know It Masterlist

Shelby’s Masterlist

Tara’s Masterlist

A/N: Well, we promised a chapter today, so we decided to follow through on that. Even if we did post a surprise chapter last night. Oh, well. Enjoy! 🙃✨

Cassian sighed as he opened his eyes.

Another year older, another year wiser.

Well.

Another year older, anyway.

He blinked as he looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. 7:58. Two minutes before his alarm would have gone off.

He hated when that happened, when his mind woke him up just before his alarm went off. There was no time to go back to sleep, it was perfect sleeping time wasted.

It was bullshit.

With a yawn, Cassian swung his legs over the side of his bed and got up. He stumbled to his dresser and pulled on a pair of sweatpants, just in time for his alarm to go off.

“Fuck you,” he muttered, quickly turning it off before flinging open his bedroom door.

It smelled delicious.

He meandered down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Nesta was icing a giant cake.

Her eyes darted to his.

He blinked.

“Get out!” she ordered.

“What the hell are you-.”

“Out!” she ordered, yet again.

Nyx babbled something at the top of his lungs that closely resembled, YEAH!

He did as he was told, blearily blinking as he stumbled back into the living room. He dragged a hand down his face. “Can I at least have some coffee?”

“In a minute!” She called and he heard quick footsteps, followed by the back door opening and closing. It opened again and she said, breathlessly, “Okay. You can come in now.”

Tentatively, Cassian rounded the corner and he found Nesta placing a platter of cinnamon rolls on the counter in place of the—

“Where did the cake go?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

Nesta was lifting a cinnamon roll onto each of the plates in front of her, cutting the one for Nyx into tiny bites for him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He blinked again, half-wondering if he’d imagined the decorated monstrosity he’d seen on the counter, but he sniffed, smelling the air again.

It mostly smelled like the sweet and spicy scent of cinnamon, but—

No, that was definitely cake he smelled.

“Right…” he said, pulling forks out of the silverware drawer and setting one next to each plate. “You’re up early.”

“Had a lot to do before renovations start this morning. I’m meeting Helion and the contractor at the restaurant at nine.” She sipped her own coffee, not looking at him. Mixing truth and lies, it seemed, since he knew she was meeting the contractor this morning. As for a lot to do, he knew everything at the restaurant was already taken care of. She cleared her throat. “I wasn’t expecting you to be up so early either.”

Cutting into the gooey cinnamon roll, he said, “I gotta be at the bar in an hour. I’m talking with Kallias this morning before my shift starts.”

She set her coffee down and finally looked at him. “You have to work today?”

“Yeah,” he replied, popping the bite of pastry into his mouth. He resisted the urge to moan. “It’s Tuesday. I always work on Tuesdays.”

She hesitated, deciding whether she should speak or not. “But it’s your birthday.”

He couldn’t stop his smirk. He knew there had been a cake.

“And who told you that?” He asked, leaning over to wipe Nyx’s face off. The poor kid had icing all over his face, all the way up into his hair.

“That’s not important,” she said.

“Elain, then,” Cassian went on with a grin.

Nesta pretended like she hadn’t heard him and took a giant bite of her cinnamon roll.

“I’ll take Nyx with me to the bar,” Cassian said. “Viviane texted. She has the stomach flu.”

Nesta cringed. “That sucks. I...wait - you’re taking a baby to a bar?”

Cassian shrugged. “He’ll be fine. I only have to stay until two or so.”

“A baby,” she repeated, blinking. “To a bar.”

“You prefer to take him into a construction zone?” Cassian asked. “One that you’re in charge of? That sounds stressful.”

Nesta’s eyes narrowed. “I can ask Elain to watch-.”

“I’m taking him with me and he’ll be fine,” Cassian said, shaking his head. “I promise.”

Nesta narrowed her eyes. And he held up both hands. “I promise,” he repeated.

“Fine. But call me if you need to and I’ll come get him,” she sighed, shaking her head. “I’ll be in my office most of the day, so it’s not like he’ll be running around in a construction zone.”

“And I’ll take the carrier and physically wear him all day, so it’s not like he’ll be running around the actual bar.”

Nesta groaned. “Fine. Fine. But take the pack-n-play, his monitor and toys. He can entertain himself well enough.”

“Okay,” Cassian nodded, finishing off his cinnamon roll. He pulled Nyx out of his high chair, who was now playing with and wearing most of his food, rather than eating it, and said, “I’ll give him a bath while you get ready.”

“Okay.” He was nearly in the living room when he heard, “Cass?” He turned and looked back at her, still not completely used to the familiar nickname from her. She was blushing slightly. “Happy birthday.”

Smiling, he said, “Thanks,” and turned to head up the stairs.

Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all.

*

“Any birthday plans?”

“You’re looking at it.”

Kallias chuckled as he observed Cassian, a wiggly baby strapped to his chest, counting the liquor bottles that lined the wall.

“How old are you anyway?” he continued, wiping down the bartop. “Thirty? Thirty-one?”

“You wound me,” Cassian muttered, scribbling a number down on his clipboard, not bothering to tell Kallias just how close to thirty he was getting to.

“I would say we should do shots to celebrate your big day,” Kallias began, taking Nyx’s outstretched hand. “But, I think your little housewife would disapprove.”

Cassian snorted. “If Nesta Archeron ever heard you call her such a thing, you’d lose a very important body part.”

“Not interested in that, thank you very much,” he muttered. “She ever gonna stop in, so I can see this terrifying woman you’ve told me about?”

“About that…” Cassian pulled Nyx out of the carrier and carried him into the back office, setting him down in the play pen. Grabbing the baby monitor, he made his way back into the front room.

Kallias looked up from where he was cutting limes at the bar. “About what?”

He leaned a hip on the bar and crossed his arms over his chest. “Nesta is going to be expanding the restaurant, adding a bar. That’s actually where she is right now, why I’ve got the kiddo with me. Didn’t really want him in a construction site.”

“Hot nanny couldn’t keep him?” Kallias asked, grinning.

Cassian rolled his eyes. “No, she’s sick. But, uh-.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m gonna be leaving and going over there, managing for her.”

Kallias eyes widened. “Oh. Shit.”

“Yeah. And I’d like you to come over there with me. Be my assistant manager at the new place.”

Kallias stopped cutting, mid-lime. “You do realize we are two out of five people that work here, right?”

Cassian nodded, slowly. “Yeah, I do. And I also know we can hire more people here.”

Kallias looked back down at his half-cut lime. “Assistant manager, huh?”

“It’s in a great part of town, we’d get amazing tips on top of already being paid more,” Cassian said. “It’s an amazing opportunity.”

“So I’d be stupid to say no, then?” Kallias asked, continuing to cut his limes.

“Incredibly stupid,” Cassian agreed.

Nyx’s happy babbling came through on the baby monitor.

“I’ll think about it,” Kallias said, at last.

“Think about it, then tell me yes, because I’m not going there without you,” Cassian said.

Kallias snorted. “You’re a shitty liar. You’re going, whether I go or not.”

“And why wouldn’t you come with me?” Cassian asked, facing his friend. He and Kallias had worked together for years, since Kallias came in at twenty-one, during his senior year of college. “You want to be stuck in this dive bar forever? I know you. You’re a creature of habit. If I leave you here, you’ll be here for the next twenty years.”

Kallias didn’t bother telling him it wasn’t true. He just shook his head. “I guess we better start interviewing people, then.”

*

The day did not go as planned. Cassian had to stay and help out until nearly five-thirty, and by the time Cassian walked in the front door, Nyx was knocked out cold in his car seat. He gently set it down and unbuckled him, carrying him into the kitchen. It smelled divine, like roasting herbs and cooked veggies, even if he couldn’t see anything radiating the delicious smells.

Nesta was also nowhere in sight, so he took Nyx up to his nursery and laid him down, setting the baby monitor back up where it usually sat. He slipped the screen in his back pocket and made his way back downstairs, hurrying out to his truck to get Nyx’s diaper bag and the folded up playpen.

As he was setting it back up in the living room, he heard the sliding glass door open and close and made sure he was making enough noise to alert Nesta of his presence.

“You’re home,” she said, leaning on the doorway. “Nyx asleep?”

“Out like a light,” he said, tossing the few toys he’d brought with him back into the pen. “He had fun though.”

“Good. Dinner is almost done,” she smiled. “I hope you’re hungry.”

“Starving,” he sighed and took another deep breath in. “It smells amazing.”

Turning, Nesta walked back into the kitchen. “Steak, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and green beans, and homemade rolls.”

He watched as she took the carrots and green beans out of the oven and placed them next to a plate of steak she must have just brought in from the grill.

Cassian’s mouth was damn near watering.

He looked at the spread as she spooned the mashed potatoes onto his plate. “I think I’m in love with you.”

Nesta tensed, then something like nervous laughter sputtered out of her mouth. “Well, I had to cook red meat for you on your birthday.”

“Does that mean you’ll be having yourself a steak, Archeron?” he asked, taking the full plate from her outstretched hands.

She gave him an amused look. “Hell no. You get both. I have a chicken kabob on the grill.”

Cassian licked his lips as he took his plate to the table. “Consider me a lucky man. Thank you.”

“Of course,” she said, clearing her throat. She piled her plate high with potatoes and veggies before going onto the deck and coming back with a grilled chicken kabob on her plate. She sat across from him. Cassian’s mouth was already full.

“How is it?” Nesta asked, cutting up a carrot before popping it into her mouth.

“Delicious,” Cassian said, mouth full. “So good.”

“If you don’t slow down, you won’t be able to enjoy the flavor,” Nesta said, knowing full well that he wouldn’t listen. Cassian practically inhaled everything on his plate within minutes.

He moaned, stretching back in his chair before running a hand through his hair. “I must say, Nes, you really outdid yourself.”

“Well, it was the least I could do after you worked and were on baby duty all day,” she said, popping a few green beans in her mouth.

They talked about their days as she finished eating. He told her about Kallias’ agreement to move to the restaurant, she told him about the beginning of construction.

They’d kept half the restaurant open, putting up a temporary wall to keep as much noise and dust out as they could, but the sooner the build was done the better. They both agreed on that.

“So, despite your switch with the cinnamon rolls this morning,” Cassian said from where he sat as she rinsed off their plates, “I’m fairly sure I saw a cake when I came downstairs.”

“Really now,” she said, and he saw the small smile on her face.

“Mhmm,” he nodded. “And, you know, I like cake.”

“And why, exactly, would I make you a cake?” She crooned, that little smile remaining.

“Because I’m the world's best roommate and uncle, obviously,” he said.

Nesta laughed as she stood. “Yeah, whatever.”

After exiting through the back door, she returned a moment later with a big, homemade cake.

It was exquisite.

Perfectly decorated and topped with vanilla and buttercream frosting, it read Happy birthday, Cassian!

As Nesta placed it on the countertop, Cassian asked, “Nesta, when the hell did you find time to make this?”

She shrugged. “Stayed up later and got up early. Didn’t have to be too early since you decided to sleep in today, but…” Her words trailed off. “I figured it was the least I could do.”

His mouth tightened, emotion he wasn’t expecting hitting him and he cleared his throat. “You gonna sing to me?” He asked, cracking a joke to break the tension that was slowly growing.

Nesta threw her head back and laughed. “Absolutely not.”

Cassian bit back his retort and the monitor in his back pocket went off, crying coming from upstairs.

“I’ll get him,” she said, standing up. “I’m sure he’s hungry. Will you cut up green beans and carrots for him?”

He nodded, the cake forgotten as he did what he was told, and Nesta returned with a bleary-eyed Nyx a few minutes later.

“Hi buddy,” Cassian said, chuckling at Nyx’s hazy expression. He was already sitting at the table with a plate of cut up food.

The second Nyx saw the display, he was whining and reaching for it.

“Slow down, you need to be buckled into your seat first,” Nesta said, shaking her head.

“I can’t blame him,” Cassian said, as Nyx was strapped into his high chair. “I’m starving when I wake up, too.”

Nesta rolled her eyes. “Men.”

The second Nyx’s diapered butt hit the seat, he was stuffing his mouth.

“I guess we should wait for him to eat the cake,” Cassian said, looking longingly at the cake.

Nesta chuckled. “No patience?”

“When it comes to homemade baked goods?” Cassian scoffed. “No.”

She snorted, which had Cassian raising an eyebrow. She looked at him. “What?”

“Nothing,” he replied, shaking his head. “That was just…cute.”

Nesta didn’t reply, but he swore she could see her cheeks heating as she turned to put the leftovers from dinner away.

Once Nyx’s plate was cleared, Nesta cut three slices of cake. One was barely a sliver, one was mostly icing and one was damn near a quarter of the cake. She took the one with extra frosting for herself, placing the small one in front of Nyx and the larger one in front of Cassian.

Again, Nyx wasted no time scarfing it down. Cassian didn’t either, helping himself to another, much smaller piece afterwards, but not touching it yet.

“You sure you don’t want to sing to me?” He asked, taking a bite of the cake. “It would complete my day.”

Nyx, an impending sugar crash, was already dozing again. Apparently, his day with Uncle Cassian had well and truly worn him out.

She rolled her eyes and wiped the excess cake off of Nyx’s face. Pulling him out of his high chair, she said, “No, I think I’m good.”

“I’m just saying,” Cassian pushed. “If you wanted to really wish me a happy birthday, a song would do.”

Nesta snorted, taking Nyx in her arms and swaying, back and forth. “You’ve never heard me sing.”

“If your singing is as good as your cooking, it must be amazing,” Cassian promised.

Nesta rolled her eyes. “Have I told you that you’re full of shit?”

Cassian pretended to debate it. “Maybe once or twice.”

Nesta chuckled, and said no more about it. “Finish your cake, Nazari. This little monster is ready for bed. I’ll put him down. It’s your birthday.”

It wasn’t that putting Nyx to bed was exhausting. Although sometimes it could be a chore, Cassian nodded and took another bite of his cake as Nesta and Nyx disappeared.

In their absence, Cassian cleared his plate.

The cake was delicious.

He knew Nesta was an amazing cook, but didn’t know that her baking skills were just as good. It was the best cake he had ever eaten. He was even considering getting himself a third piece, but decided against it as she rounded the corner back into the kitchen.

She sighed, falling into her chair. “That may have been record time to get him down. He was practically asleep before I’d even pulled the curtains shut.”

“He had a big day,” Cassian said, eyeing the piece of cake on her plate that she hadn’t even touched. “Taught him how to make a mojito. He’s a pro. Maybe we should hire him on at the bar.”

Shaking her head, Nesta cut into her cake and took a bite. She chuckled. “I’m sure that doesn’t violate any labor laws.”

“Nah, we’re his guardians,” Cassian said, waving a hand. “We can certainly get some free labor out of him.”

She rolled her eyes. “I honestly can’t tell if you’re kidding or not.” She took another bite of cake, and Cassian’s eyes dipped to her mouth. He was quiet for long enough that she asked, “What?”

He hesitated but said, “You’ve got a little—”

He didn’t finish his sentence, instead he leaned forward across the small space between them and swiped the frosting that was on the corner of her lips away with his thumb.

Nesta didn’t move.

She didn’t push him away, didn’t tell him to stop touching her, either.

Cassian’s thumb lingered against her lips, and when she looked up, he was already watching her, quietly.

She opened her mouth to say something.

What? She wasn’t sure.

But, when her lips moved, Cassian’s did, too.

He kissed her, softly, slowly, and Nesta melted right into it.

[today-only-happens-once]

in the dark

title: in the dark

word count: 6102

Summary:  Steve is plagued with nightmares following the Vecna fight, but it's fine. Nobody needs to know about it. They have their own stuff to deal with.

Warnings: angst/hurt/comfort with a happy ending, Season 4 spoilers, nightmares, trauma, anxiety/panic attacks, cursing, self-worth issues, Steve blames himself a lot, Steve has absent and implied emotionally-abusive parents

Read here on AO3

--

Steve wakes up gasping for air.

His vision is still swimming a little, and he knocks over a half-empty glass of water as he fumbles blindly for the switch on the lamp by his bed. 

“Shit,” he mutters under his breath, grateful that nobody is around to hear how shaky the word is. The room is flooded in a warm light and Steve can’t help the way the tightness in his chest relaxes. His room, fully lit. Completely absent of black vines that can (would, did) tighten around his throat. 

Steve runs a trembling hand through his sweat-soaked hair, then down his face. The clock on the dresser across from him tells him that it’s four in the morning. He leaves the light on as he ungracefully flops back on his bed. The sheets beneath him are damp from his sweat, and the blankets are in a jumble on the floor. He must have kicked them off in his sleep. He’d been doing that a lot recently. 

He doesn’t remember the last time he slept through the night. 

Whatever. It’s fine. 

He waits until he cannot feel his heartbeat hammering against his ribcage before he rolls out of bed and starts his day in the kitchen of his empty house. He wasn’t going to be falling back asleep anyway. 

–

“No offense, Steve, but you look like shit.”

Steve is less than 20 minutes into his shift, restocking movies that had recently been returned. Ordinarily, he’d be doing the bare minimum. But he found that restocking gave his hands something to do, and his brain something else to focus on. Robin leans her elbow on the nearest shelf of movies and rests her head in her hand, giving Steve a very pointed once-over. Steve rolls his eyes. 

“Gee, thanks, Robin,” he quips sarcastically. “Good morning to you too.”

“I’m just saying,” she replies, putting her hands up in mock-surrender. Mid-morning sunlight streams in through the windowed front, and Steve is grateful for it. Daylight hours are easier. He doesn’t constantly want to look over his shoulder.

“Look,” Steve says, because he’s known Robin long enough to tell when she’s about to get worried, and that’s the last thing he wants. “I’m fine. Hand me that copy of Aristocats, will you?”

Steve pointedly does not look at Robin as he keeps his hand outstretched towards her. There’s a beat before the movie lands in his hand and he quickly slots it into place. Robin had this way of calling Steve out on his bullshit, and a part of him braces for it. 

“Hey, wait. You had a date last night, didn’t you?” Robin says, and Steve’s gaze flickers over to meet hers. 

“Hm? Oh. Uh, yeah,” Steve says, and it’s not technically a lie. He did have a date last night. He just… didn’t attend it. 

The truth was that he’d entirely forgotten about it. He’d been doing that a lot lately, it would seem. Hawkins had been thrown into chaos ever since Vecna had… well. People had been displaced from homes, had fled in fear and confusion, some people were still missing and maybe always would be. The mundane had begun to feel somehow… wrong. 

The world nearly ended two months ago. Could anyone really blame him if he forgot that he’d foolishly agreed to a date he hadn’t even wanted to go on in the first place? 

He had a feeling Robin would blame him at least a little bit, so he kept that detail to himself. 

“So…?” Robin prompted when Steve didn’t offer any further elaboration. “How’d it go?”

Steve swung into the next aisle over and pretended to straighten up the shelves and re-order the few that had been returned haphazardly by the few people that stopped in these days. Robin, never one to be deterred, followed close at his heels. 

Steve shrugs a shoulder. “It was fine, I guess?” 

“Fine? You guess?” Robin sighs and shakes her head. “What was wrong this time?” 

“Nothing, okay?” Steve replies, irritated. He just wants to be done with the conversation and with the shift. He abandons straightening the shelves and heads back to the front desk. 

“I don’t buy it,” she announces, following him still. “Three months ago you wouldn’t have shut up about getting a date with Stacey Wilkins.” The tone is light, but Steve has spent enough time with her to be able to tell when she’s worried and pretending not to be.

Steve hates that it’s about him this time. Nancy used to say he was oblivious, but he hadn’t missed the way Robin had seemed more reluctant to go places alone in the weeks following the whole Vecna thing. How she’d jumped at loud noises. Robin didn’t smoke, but she had started to carry a lighter anyway. 

She had enough on her plate to worry about. She didn’t need to add Steve “The Hair” Harrington to her list. 

He was fine. Just tired.

“What about you, huh?” Steve says, forcing himself to meet her eyes with a teasing smirk that feels a little bit like lying. “How are things with Vickie?”

Robin flushes red and begins rambling about the mixed signals she’s receiving, and Steve is grateful that she takes the bait and drops it. 

–

“N-no. No, don’t—!”

Steve bolts upright swinging a blind fist. His room is hot and he is dripping sweat and it’s dark. Where is he? 

Steve fumbles blindly and his hand makes contact with something large that tumbles to the floor with the sound of breaking glass. His room is dark and his skin prickles with the memory of sharp teeth and jagged claws. His throat is tight and he swears he can still feel the sharp rope of a bat tail.

His hand flies up to his throat but there’s nothing there so why can’t he breathe? 

He can feel his heart like a jackhammer against his ribs and he wonders if he might be having a heart attack at the ripe old age of 20. He should call someone, right? Do phones work in the Upside Down?

Steve clamors out of bed and his feet make contact with the floor. He stumbles to the door and it’s not until he’s swung it open and it’s ricocheted against the wall that he realizes the floor and walls are absent of black tendrils. It’s dark, but it’s not the Upside Down. 

It’s just dark.

Steve flicks on the hallway light and feels his knees shake. 

He sits down on the floor in the hallway with his head in his hands, half-dressed, until he feels like he can breathe again. 

Then he grabs his car keys and he drives. He takes the usual route: past the Wheelers’ place first, then Sinclair’s. From there, he swings by Henderson’s place, the chief’s, the Byers’. He usually ends by driving past the hospital, where he may sometimes idle in the parking lot before going to pick up Robin to take her to school. 

Driving gives him something to do, anyway. His hands grip the steering wheel like it’s a lifeline, his knuckles turning white for the first few minutes. But usually, by the time the route is done and the sun has risen, the sounds of Dustin screaming Eddie’s name has faded from the ring in his ears to a distant echo in the back of his mind. 

He’s fine. 

-

“He’s playing a gnome, which is pretty cool,” Dustin is telling him a few days later as he sits across from Steve at the diner. There’s a half-eaten cheeseburger and full plate of fries in front of him that Steve has been pretending to eat for the past half hour. 

He doesn’t have much appetite these days. He eyes the plate in front of Dustin. It’s mostly empty. Only the crusts remain of the kid’s grilled cheese, and a puddle of grease where the fries once were. Steve counts it as a win. Dustin hadn’t eaten much in the weeks following the fight with Vecna, and Steve was grateful that the kid’s appetite seemed to be getting better. 

“Though I was telling Will,” Dustin continues after taking a long sip of Coke, “that he should think about human. He said that he wanted to be an elf the next campaign, but Mike is already being a half-elf. Though I guess for balancing encounters, the class distribution is really the more important thing anyway…” 

Steve has completely lost track of the conversation. Dustin had asked him if he wanted to play Dungeons and Dragons with them, and Steve had given a half-hearted decline. He wasn’t sure the whole “sit around the table and play pretend for hours on end” was really his thing, but it was the first time Dustin’s eyes hadn’t looked dulled and hollow in a long time. 

So Steve had asked “what would that like, mean, though?” and just let him talk himself in circles. Dustin had been talking about that game for the past forty-five minutes. It was a huge improvement from the way Dustin had refused to speak for two days following Eddie’s… the whole Vecna thing.

“Earth to Steve? Hello?” Dustin says, waving a hand in front of Steve’s face. 

Steve blinks, then swats the hand away. “What? Sorry.”

“I said Will has been acting weird ever since they got back,” Dustin says with a certain exasperation. Steve looks away when Dustin’s brow furrows and the kid folds his hands in front of him on the table. “And now that I mention it, he’s not the only one.”

“Yeah, well, Jonathan’s always been kinda weird–”

“I was talking about–”

“Eleven? No offense but hasn’t she always been a little, like, weird so–”

“Okay, first of all, just saying ‘no offense’ doesn’t mean what you said wasn’t offensive and second of all, I wasn’t talking about El, either.”

Steve rolls his eyes even as he can feel his shoulders tensing. He glances over his shoulder and gives a quick wave when he makes eye contact with the waitress. “The chief? Well, he did spend like a year in a Russian prison.”

Steve says it quickly but it doesn’t stop the way it makes his stomach roll. He barely lasted an evening with Russian operatives. The idea of an entire year made him want to throw up all over again, loopy drugs be damned. 

Suddenly the lights of the diner are far too bright. The smell of grease far too thick. 

“No, not Hopper–”

“Nancy’s kid brother?”

“I mean you.”

“Me? Don’t be stupid, Henderson.” Steve mutters, digging his wallet out as the waitress promises to return with the check. “I’m fine.”

“Steve, I’m serious—”

“Yeah, so am I.” Steve can feel his heartbeat starting to pound against his ribs and he forces a tight smile. He is careful to avoid Dustin’s eyes. He tosses the cash onto the table and stands up. Dustin scrambles after him.

The early fall air is chilly now that the sun has set, and the coldness helps to steady the slight tremble to Steve’s hands. He shoves them deep into the pockets of his denim jacket. He doesn’t like that it’s dark out here, but at least he can breathe. 

“Steve! Steve, wait.” 

Steve does his best attempt to look mildly annoyed despite just how relieved he feels to be breathing cold air. Dustin’s brow is still furrowed with worry. You’re slipping, Harrington, Steve tells himself harshly. Pull it together. 

“Look, I gotta get you home or your mom is never gonna let me pick you up from AV club again.” 

Dustin stops short and looks at him. Steve doesn’t look back as he climbs into the driver’s seat and waits. There’s only a brief pause before Dustin climbs into the seat beside him. He can feel the kid’s watchful gaze as he pulls out of the parking lot, but his silence is careful. Measured. 

Eventually, Dustin seems to abandon whatever it was he was thinking of saying. He heaves a heavy sigh, and leans his head against the window. Only then does Steve risk a glance towards the kid, but Dustin isn’t looking back. He’s got his eyes trained on the passing streetlights through the windshield. 

The radio plays several songs, and by the time “Africa” by Toto comes on, Steve has nearly forgotten that Dustin is in the car beside him. Then, he speaks. 

“Sometimes I dream about what happened, you know.” 

Steve glances at him quickly. “Right,” he says, because he can’t say he’s surprised, exactly. He’s the one who first reached Dustin, still clutching Eddie’s body, in the Upside Down when they were on their way back. There was a kind of shrapnel in Dustin’s sobs as the kid had buried his face in Steve’s chest and screamed.

“I usually wake up crying,” Dustin continues quietly. “It’s weird, y’know? Because other times, I dream that everything is fine. And then I wake up, and remember that Eddie…” he stops, takes in a shivering breath, and then releases it slowly. “Anyway. Mom thinks it’s about the earthquake, so her words of comfort don’t really… work.” 

Steve knows that he should say something. That’s his job, right? To protect these kids because lord knows that they’ve been through more than they ought to have at their age. Especially, perhaps, the ordinary kids. Dustin, Lucas, Will, Mike, Max… 

Max. Bang up job he’d done on that front. Steve mostly tried not to think about it, except for his daily visit to the hospital parking lot in the morning when he couldn’t sleep. 

Steve could deal with the nightmares and the sleeplessness. It had been months. A part of him was used to it, or at least had come to expect it. Dustin was the least of them that deserved such things. 

But comfort and reassurance had never been something Steve was good at. He finds himself reaching for words that aren’t there. Maybe there’s nothing to say, but he can’t shake the feeling that he has to try. 

“It’ll take time,” he says, and he hates the way the words sound like just another empty platitude. “But Eddie would want you to keep trying, y’know? Just… one foot in front of the other…” 

“Yeah,” Dustin says quietly. “Yeah, no. I know. It’s like Frodo with the One Ring.” 

“Uh… yeah,” Steve says, because the name Frodo rings a vague bell, and he’s pretty sure it’s a reference he’s supposed to understand. “Right. Like… yeah.”

He pulls into Dustin’s driveway and puts the car in park. Dustin reaches into the backseat for his backpack and—much to Steve’s surprise—unzips it. 

“The thing, though, about Frodo and the One Ring, is that he still had the Fellowship.” 

Dustin is saying this like it’s supposed to mean something to him, and Steve finds himself nodding even though he’s not sure he understands. Dustin pulls out a large walkie talkie radio and shoves it unceremoniously into Steve’s hands. 

“What—uh. Thanks?”

“Y’know. Just in case. I pretty much always have mine within arm’s reach.”

Before Steve can think of a response, Dustin has slammed the car door shut and disappeared through his front door. 

–

Steve wakes up thrashing. He hits the ground hard.

He can’t drag enough air fast enough into his lungs and he’s slick—with blood?—and his mouth tastes like metal and he can’t see. Something has him by the legs and Steve kicks wildly. It’s not until he’s free of the blanket that had tangled itself around his ankles that he realizes it’s not a demobat and the ground beneath him is fuzzy. Carpet. 

Fuck. You gotta breathe, Harrington, he tells himself. He pulls air in and he can feel his heartbeat in the center of his throat. It makes the air catch and he wheezes a bit. It sounds inhuman. 

Blindly, Steve reaches up towards the nightstand by his bed. He needs light. The shadows of his room are too dark and too long. Instead, his hand closes around something rectangular. What the… he thinks, pulling it off the table as he rolls with a grunt off his back. 

It’s the radio Dustin gave him almost a week ago. Steve grips it like a lifeline as his other hand reaches up and switches the lamp on. 

His hands are shaking again and he curls the one not gripping the radio into a fist that he pushes into the floor. He sits up then, with his back against the side of his bed and stares at his closed bedroom door like he half-expects it to open and a swarm of bats to flood into the room. His eyes flit to the bat he had started keeping by the foot of his bed. 

Don’t be stupid, he tells himself. But the weight of the radio is oddly comforting, and Steve’s fingers twitch involuntarily towards the button. He could use the radio, if he wanted to. Dustin had told him it was “just in case”. 

Steve sets the radio aside. He’s fine. 

He glances down at his bare chest and grimaces a bit at the way he’s drenched in sweat. He supposes, though, that it’s better than the blood he’d thought he was covered in when he woke up. He runs a hand through his hair and down his neck. His fingers linger on the scar tissue. 

His other hand twitches towards the radio without his permission. 

“Shit,” he says aloud to an empty house. 

Then, as if in response, the radio kicks in with static and Steve jumps. Dustin’s voice is distorted and panicky. 

“Hello? Is anyone on?” 

Steve snatches the radio without a second thought. “Yeah, kid. What’s up?” 

“Ed…Steve? Wh–I don’t…” 

Steve takes in a deep breath against the twist in his chest and looks up at the ceiling as he answers. “Yeah. Henderson, you gotta breathe, okay?” 

There’s no immediate response, and Steve crosses his fingers that it’s because Dustin is trying to calm his breathing. He keeps his gaze on the clock on his bedside table. A minute passes, then: “Steve, Eddie… he’s… he’s gone.” 

Steve feels a pit sink in his stomach. He clears his throat before he responds. “Yeah,” he says softly into the radio. “Yeah, I know.” 

“Fuck,” Dustin says, and even through the static on the radio, Steve can hear the way his voice breaks. “Fuck, this sucks. I don’t… does it get easier, Steve?” 

I don’t know, he thinks, and a part of him feels like he’s drowning. He wants to tell Dustin yes, because it has to, doesn’t it? It’s hard to imagine how this gets any harder, and he’ll be damned if he isn’t willing to do just about anything to make the weight of these kids’ grief and fear a little bit easier to carry for them. 

“Hey, you’re okay, kid,” Steve tells him, and he knows it’s not an answer to Dustin’s question, but it’s the best he thinks he can do right now. “You’re doing great. It’s… y’know. Some nights are allowed to be harder than others, right?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, maybe you’re right. I slept through the night last night.”

Steve breathes a sigh. “That’s a good thing.” 

“I just… I miss him. And I miss Max.” 

“Yeah... Me too.” 

—

Days passed and blurred together. Steve, for the most part, stopped sleeping all together. When exhaustion caught up with him, he could usually squeeze in an hour or two before he’d wake up thrashing or screaming. He picked up more hours at the video store, telling Robin that so many people leaving Hawkins had left them short staffed and he was the only one of them not still in school. 

He kept the lights on these days, even when sleeping, but it did little to help. So Steve dealt with it. So he was running on less sleep than he had before the whole… Vecna thing. So what? 

He was fine. He’s just. So. Tired. 

“Steve?” 

At the sound of Robin saying his name, Steve blinks quickly. He’s standing in the hospital outside of Max’s room. Nancy has a cup of coffee in her outstretched hand, Robin just behind her shoulder. 

“Right. Thanks.” Steve’s lips quirk in something that might have once been a smile. Even his face muscles ache from exhaustion. He takes the cup. 

“You… looked like you could use it,” Nancy says, not unkindly. “No offense.”

Steve either doesn’t have the heart or the energy to disagree. He sees down the hall as the Byers’ make their appearance alongside Eleven and Hopper. Nancy crosses to talk to Jonathan as Will and Eleven brush past himself and Robin to join Lucas in the room. Steve follows them, if only because he can tell Robin is about to ask him a question he doesn’t feel like answering right now. 

Steve watches from the corner of the room between sips of stale hot coffee as Lucas and Will explain to Max all the details of their Dungeons and Dragons game. He doesn’t have the heart to remind them that Max usually had seemed like she couldn’t care less about it. Eleven, he realizes after a moment, is standing in the opposite corner. As far from Max as she can get from the bed while still being in the room.

When she meets Steve’s eyes, Steve makes a face and lifts a shoulder. I have no idea what they’re talking about. It has the effect he’d been hoping for: the corner of her mouth quirks in a very, very faint smile. It’s something. He’ll take that. 

He leans his shoulder against the wall and takes another sip. A month ago he might have grimaced at the bitter acridity of black coffee, but these days it was the only thing that kept him upright. He drank it without complaint. 

His eyes flit around the room, careful to avoid lingering too long on Max’s pale form in the hospital bed. He thought about the letter she had written to him, still sitting in a sealed envelope in the drawer of his nightstand. He’s not sure if any of the others read their letters, but Steve couldn’t help but feel that breaking the seal was admitting that she was gone. 

But Max is still and pale and unmoving. Steve didn’t know all the details about the shit hand life had dealt her, even before she’d set foot in Hawkins, but he knew something about shitty family. He’d since done his best to keep her safe. 

Look where that’d gotten her. 

Before he’s even fully aware, Steve drops the coffee cup in the trash can by the door and is walking down the hallway. 

“Steve?” Someone asks, but he doesn’t know who. The lights are too bright and the air smells like antiseptic and he just needs a second—

“Steve.”

“I’m fine,” he says reflexively. 

There’s an incredulous scoff that Steve instantly recognizes as belonging to Nancy. “Forgive me if I don’t believe you.” Footsteps—more than one pair—are following after him. Steve doesn’t stop, his gaze zeroed in on the elevator. 

“You’re forgiven,” he snaps. 

“Steve,” Nancy says, grabbing his arm and pulling him to a stop. “When was the last time you slept?”

Steve whirls on her, jerking from her grip. “Don’t worry about it, okay? I’m fine.”

“No offense, dude,” Jonathan says, suddenly on the other side of Steve, shoving his hands into his front pockets, “but you don’t really seem all that fine.” His brows are pulled together in concern.

Steve rolls his eyes. “Well, I am, okay? So you can just lay the fuck off.”

“Hey, take it easy,” Robin says, stepping up beside Nancy. “We’re just worried about you.”

Steve takes a step back. He really didn’t need this right now—being cornered by his friends and interrogated about how much goddamn sleep he gets. The lights of the hospital are bright and Max is pale and unresponsive and she died and he didn’t stop it and everything–everything–is his fault. 

He clenches his jaw. “It’s not your job to worry about me.”

Robin is shaking her head. “Would you just listen–”

“No, you listen to me. I’m fine. You know who’s not fine?” Steve throws a hand in the direction of the hospital room. “Max. Dustin. Any one of those kids.”

Nancy shakes her head. “That’s not your fault—” 

“Isn’t it?!” Steve grabs fistfuls of his own hair and tugs before his hands fall helplessly to his sides. They didn’t get it. “I’m always the fucking babysitter. I’m the one that’s supposed to keep them safe from all the fucked up shit Hawkins has to deal out. And I didn’t. It’s as simple as that. I failed. Is that what you wanna hear?”

“Steve—”

“I failed, like I always do. And every fucking night, when I close my eyes, if I’m not being strangled by bats and vines then I’m always too late. I’m always goddamn too late!” 

The truth has been dragged from his lungs and the words burn his throat as they tear free. The edges of his vision are blurring and he looks up at the fluorescent lights in the ceiling. He’s not going to fucking cry. He doesn’t deserve it. 

“Steve…” Robin tries to take a step towards him but Steve steps back. His back hits a wall. 

“Don’t,” he says to her, his voice strained, and Robin freezes. Steve looks back at Nancy. 

Like always, he cannot read her expression. 

“So no,” he continues, and his voice sounds like it’s been rubbed with sandpaper, “I haven’t been sleeping. But it’s just desserts, anyway. And being awake sure is a hell of a lot better than watching one of them die in my dreams. I can’t–” Steve’s voice breaks off as his gaze falls past Nancy’s shoulder and he sees the kids, the very ones he’d just admitted to failing, standing outside of Max’s room and staring at him, wide-eyed. 

“I can’t,” Steve finishes desperately. He shoves past Jonathan and bolts for the stairs.

—

A few hours later, Steve is eating a bowl of cereal in the kitchen of the empty house.

He hasn’t seen his parents since… before. He thinks they probably evacuated after it all. A note might have been nice, but Steve is far past the point of bitterness when it comes to his parents. If they left without him, well. They had never been around much anyway, unless they were there to yell at him.

The house is large and empty. Every light is on, and while he knows it’s driving up the electricity bill, he cannot bring himself to care. 

Steve hears the walkie-talkie radio crackle upstairs and he sets the bowl down and takes the stairs two at a time. He hears Dustin’s voice crackling through. 

“Steve? Steve, are you there? Over.” 

Steve snatches it without hesitation. He is too exhausted to pick up on the fact that Dustin does not sound nearly as distressed as he had the last time he came over the radio. “Whatcha need, kid?”

“Look outside, dumbass. Over.” 

Steve’s brows scrunch together as he turns towards his window in confusion. He drops the radio on his unmade bed. “Look outside…?” he trails off as he steps towards the window and peers through the blinds.

The sun has set, but he sees Dustin illuminated by the headlights of a familiar wood-paneled station wagon. The passenger side door opens and Steve sees Robin poke her head up and call something unintelligible to Dustin in the driveway. 

Steve is walking through his front door less than a minute later. “Henderson? What are you doing here?”

Dustin grins at him, but it’s Robin that answers. “We’re kidnapping you.”

“Kidnapping me?”

“Yep!” Dustin responds cheerfully, and starts shoving Steve towards the car. “Get in.” 

Perhaps, had he not been as exhausted as he was, Steve might’ve put up something of a protest or fight. Or perhaps he was admittedly relieved to see Robin didn’t resent him for the things he’d snapped at her in the hospital. Evidently, neither did Nancy and Joanthan, the former of whom was driving and the latter was in the backseat. Steve begins to wonder if perhaps Dustin hadn’t heard much about what he’d said at the hospital. It was the only explanation Steve could think of to explain why Dustin was even still talking to him. 

 As it was, Steve allowed himself to be sandwiched between Jonathan and Dustin in the backseat in a somewhat confused haze. 

They’re maybe a minute into the drive when Steve speaks. “Uh, where are you taking me, exactly?” 

Jonathan clears his throat. “My place, actually.” 

Steve’s brows furrow. “Your place?”

“Just…. Go with it, Steve,” Nancy tells him, oddly gentle, glancing at him through the rearview mirror. She offers him a soft smile, then turns her gaze back to the road. 

Steve sits in the quiet, shoulder-to-shoulder between the other two. He isn’t sure if he should say something. The only sound, really, is the music drifting through the speakers. It’s so quiet he can’t quite make out what is playing. 

Steve wonders if he should apologize for earlier, but he’s not sure that he’s sorry.

Everything he said was true. Keeping others safe is his job, and it’s something he’d come to realize he was actually pretty okay at. He couldn’t keep the threats from coming, but he could put himself between them and everyone else and swing a bat fucking hard as shit. And that had meant something. Protecting others—those kids, his friends—it was something he could do. Something that made him feel useful. Helpful. Worthy. 

But he should have known better. Max had died and Eddie had died and how the others didn’t seem to resent Steve for it…. Steve wasn’t sure he’d ever know. Because he’d failed. He was a failure. Steve Harrington is exhausted in a way that he feels in his bones, but he can’t help but think that his father had been right about him all along… and that maybe it was only a matter of time before everyone else realized it too. 

He was sure they’d realize it sooner rather than later anyway. If they weren’t going to piece it together themselves, Steve had all but told them as much at the hospital.

“We’re here,” Jonathan announces, and Steve blinks quickly and shakes his head. Did he zone out? 

He’d been doing that a lot recently too. Maybe it was the exhaustion. 

“What are we doing here, again?” Steve asks as he slides out of the backseat after Dustin. He puts his hands on his hips and looks at the house.

The living room lights are on, and briefly, Steve remembers another time when he was standing in this driveway, watching the lights of the living room. Except then, they’d been flashing like crazy, and Steve was about to have his life turn upside down. No pun intended. 

“C’mon,” Robin says, slinging an arm around his shoulders.  “Inside we go, Harrington.” 

Steve thinks about protesting. But he catches the grin that Dustin is trying and failing to hide as the kid steps up beside him, and something in him caves. He looks at the house again, takes a deep breath, and lets Robin tug him forward. 

When he gets in, he’s only more confused. Eleven and Will are sitting on the couch, laughing at something. Lucas is sitting on the floor and Mike is leaning against the arm of the couch near El. 

They all look up when they enter, and there’s a bright chorus of “Steve!” and “Hey!” and they’re smiling like they’re glad he’s there, and Steve can’t make sense of it. Because they heard him at the hospital–they must have–but they don’t seem like they hate him or resent him and something about it all isn’t adding up in Steve’s mind.

He blinks at them. “Uh—”

“Here.” Steve feels something warm pressed into his hands. He looks down. A bowl of chicken noodle soup? Homemade, by the looks of it. He looks up and sees Mrs. Byers smiling kindly at him. “Eat up.”

Steve can’t remember the last time he had a hot meal that wasn’t from a diner or restaurant. He immediately shovels a spoonful of soup into his mouth. There’s a soft, sympathetic look in Joyce’s eyes. He nods his thanks, offering a weak smile, and quickly averts his gaze. Her eyes had been kind and gentle and nothing at all like Steve’s own mother. 

It’s not a thought he wants to linger on. 

“Oh, that looks awesome, Mrs. Byers,” Robin says, and it breaks the uncomfortable tension that had started to wrap its way around Steve’s lungs. She ducks into the kitchen and chats amicably about the soup ingredients while Joyce fetches more bowls. 

Nancy and Jonathan have sunk themselves into the loveseat. Dustin is sitting on the floor facing Lucas with his back against the couch. He digs a walkie-talkie out of his backpack and sets it beside him on the floor. 

“I left one in Max’s room,” he’s saying, and he’s wrapping tape around the button on it.. “So it’s kind of like she’s here too, in a way. She can hear us, at least.” 

Robin knocks his shoulder as he brushes past him and crosses into the living room with a bowl of soup in her hands. She sits on the floor beneath Eleven. The only space left, really, is on the floor between Dustin and Robin, so Steve wedges himself between them. 

He feels both of them lean into his shoulders just a little—just enough that, even if he closed his eyes, he’d have to be aware of them right beside him—and Steve finds the knot in his chest slacken just a bit. He’s aware that everybody is talking about something, but he doesn’t have it in him right now to follow the line of conversation. He stares, instead, into his bowl of soup. 

He thinks it’s the best soup he’s ever had in his entire fucking life. 

Before too long, he’s staring at the bottom of an empty bowl, and Robin lifts it from his hands to set it on the coffee table. Steve mumbles a quiet “thanks”, but Robin is already craning her neck back to say something teasing to Will, and it makes the whole room erupt in laughter. It’s a nice sound.

The knot relaxes a little bit more. Steve’s eyelids feel heavy, and he shifts down a bit so his head can rest on the couch cushions. He doesn’t think he’s going to actually fall asleep, given how hard sleep has been to come by these days, but there’s nothing wrong with stretching out a bit, is there?

Apparently, everyone else has a similar thought. Dustin somehow pushes his way under Steve’s arm and Robin leans her head on Steve’s shoulder. A minute or two later, Steve feels a weight on his shins and opens his eyes (when did he close them?) to see Lucas is using him to prop up his pillow. Eleven, evidently, thinks it’s a great idea as she does the same thing with Steve’s knees, stretching out in the opposite direction. Will unceremoniously occupies the full couch, his elbow just barely grazing the top of Steve’s head. 

Steve is aware that he is, essentially, a makeshift pillow for nearly every person in the room, but it’s nice. The warmth and the weight feels grounding instead of constricting. Steve’s breathing feels… easier, now. Easier than it has in months. 

“Dustin,” someone says, and Steve thinks maybe it’s Will, though he’s not sure because his eyes are closed and Steve—for once—doesn’t want to open them. “Did you bring it?” 

He hears some rustling and Dustin moves to reach for something. His backpack. Steve does crack an eye open then. Dustin pulls out a book.

Steve snorts. “Nerd,” he says goodnaturedly. 

Dustin elbows him. “Shut up and listen, okay? I just… think it might help. You might even like it. So don’t be an asshole.”

“Mm,” Steve hums. He doesn’t know why Dustin thinks reading a book to him will be helpful, but the moment he starts to read, Steve can feel the last lingering bits of tension unraveling in his chest. 

“When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton…”

Steve is asleep before Dustin finishes the first page. It’s the best sleep of his life. 

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

The Long Con Part Eleven

Previous Part | Masterlist | Next Part Pairing: Marcus Pike x Reader   Rating: T   Notes: I hope y’all had a good week! 💕 Warnings: Cursing, a lil angst, some fluff...Well, mostly fluff. Summary: The wedding day had been much more relaxed— for you, anyway.

You would’ve given anything to spend the entire day in bed with Marcus. You relished in his soothing touches, relaxing little murmurs. But you eventually pried yourself out of his arms, unpacked the few things you’d hastily thrown into your toiletries bag, and rejoined the family downstairs.

You were so tired from the work you’d done the night before, and felt so worn from what you’d admitted to the Pikes. But rather than hang around the house, you went with Marnie and Jill to drop checks off to the vendors, and helped to set up the space for the rehearsal dinner. You wanted to show them that there were no hard feelings, especially after they’d apologized several more times at breakfast. Besides, you needed the distraction. You hadn’t heard anything back from Melinda about the information that you’d given her or the team in regards to your grandmother’s potential involvement in forging Leda and the Swan (potential— you were still insisting that it was still possible that it wasn’t her; that painting showed signs of age, wear-and-tear; the materials were old; you didn’t even know where she was—); your mind drifted back to the shock on the Pike’s faces from that morning every few minutes. It was odd, knowing that Jill and Marnie now knew so much more about you, but still chattered amiably with you. If anything, this incident, your absolute honesty, seemed to have brought you closer to the family. Odd. Odd, but comforting.

-- The most vindicating moment came when Kimberly arrived at the rehearsal dinner and spotted you. The color seemed to drain from her face completely, her smile dropping in a second. You just offered her a bright grin and a quick wave. “Who are you waving at?” Marcus asked, looking around. You looked up at him, finding that his smile disappeared just as quickly, his face darkening at the sight of her. “Don’t,” You urged softly, wrapping your arm around his middle, “We’re here for Marnie, and we’re fine. There’s no need for a scene.” “I can think of a reason.” “C’mon.... Marky.” His lips quirked into a reluctant smile at your teasing, and you smoothed your hand over his side as he sighed through his nose. “Now is not the time to say anything,” You added. “...Looks like I won’t have to.” You frowned, turning back to see Jill and Marnie approaching Kimberly. Your eyes widened slightly. “What are they doing?” You asked. “I do not know,” Marcus admitted quietly. You couldn’t hear the conversation from there, but you could just make out a flash of irritation on Kimberly’s face, a rising flush of frustration before she stomped toward the door. Your brows rose sharply as she left and Jill and Marnie disappeared back into the crowd of revelers. Marcus hummed, satisfied. “You were right,” He agreed, resting his chin on your shoulder, “No need for a scene.” -- 

You leaned back against Marcus’ chest, smiling softly as you watched Hazel and Marnie do their first dance. Marcus’ arms were wrapped around your waist, his cheek rested against your temple. He swayed the two of you back and forth to the music. The ceremony had gone perfectly. Jill and Marcus had both cried a bit; you’d even seen Walter shed a couple of tears. The wedding day had been much more relaxed— for you, anyway. Marcus had been keeping close at the reception especially, and you were happy to be held. You’d met Marcus’ ex-wife, Deanna, and for all of the nervousness that had welled up in you, you’d found that she was very amiable, even sweet. She and Marcus treated one another like old friends, teased and joked. You didn’t feel intimidated by their ease. She’d been more than kind to you. It was nice to see Marcus so relaxed with his family and friends. You’d found yourself watching him throughout the day, and realizing just how much you would miss him. Not just the closeness that came with being near someone, but the closeness that came with being around Marcus. You were certain that once you returned to D.C., things would return to the work-centric relationship that the two of you had previously, and that was so odd to consider. The man now knew so many of your secrets: your favorite foods, books, pastimes… Where you were ticklish. Not that many people had such information. You were going to miss his family, too. “What are you thinking about?” He murmured.

You were thinking that you wanted to freeze this moment. You wanted to keep it somewhere safe, hold onto it for the days when the world felt like it was dark and closing in-- days that were surely just around the corner. You wanted to memorize what it felt like to be cuddled against Marcus’ chest, to be held like you were precious; you wanted to keep this feeling of warmth, this feeling of safety, and happiness.

You wanted this to be real. “...How happy they are,” You answered, smiling as Hazel rested her forehead against Marnie’s. -- 

“Okay, if you’re not gonna finish that frosting, give it,” Marcus said. You rolled your eyes, pushing the excess icing that you’d cleared off of the piece of cake onto Marcus’ plate. “You’re gonna have such a headache in the morning,” You teased, tugging your plate back toward yourself. “Am not,” Marcus chuckled before nudging your leg with his, “You having fun?” “I’m with you, of course I’m having fun,” You said honestly. Marcus grinned as he reached out, taking your hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. Then he leaned in, pressing a kiss to your temple. “I’m glad you’re here,” He murmured, “I wouldn’t wanna be here with anyone else.” You turned your head, kissing Marcus softly, and giggling after a moment. He leaned back, brow furrowed. “What is it?” “You taste like frosting,” You laughed, unable to help it. Marcus grinned, dipping his finger in the frosting he’d scraped from your plate. “You know what?” He asked before plopping the dollop on your nose. You groaned, batting his hand away and reaching for your napkin. “I don’t need any more icing, Pike, I’m sweet enough.” 

--

You settled down against Marcus, yawning widely. It was nearly three in the morning. Your feet were sore and you were all danced out, but you couldn’t remember the last time you’d had so much fun. You reached up, rubbing Marcus’ smooth cheek. “Can’t believe you shaved,” You pouted a little. “You miss the uh… The beard that was to-be?” Marcus asked. “I was getting used to it. Looked good,” You rested your chin on his chest. He smiled, stroking his hand over your shoulder. “You have everything you need for tomorrow?” “Mhm.” “Flight leaves in...What, eight hours?” Marcus glanced toward the clock on his dresser, “We should get some sleep.” You grunted, turning your head and closing your eyes. “Alright,” You mumbled, “Sleep now.” After a few moments of quiet, you heard Marcus say, “Oh, I forgot to tell you.” “Mm?” “There’s been a break in the da Vinci.” Fear gripped you as your eyes opened, your heart ticking up in your chest. You were quiet, waiting for him to go on. When he didn’t, you glanced up, finding him half-asleep already. “Tell you in the morning,” He finally mumbled, yawning widely. You smiled, leaning up and pecking his jaw. “Sweet dreams, Agent Pike,” You murmured. “Mm,” He hummed, giving your shoulder a light squeeze, “Sweet dreams, baby.” The murmur thrilled you, and you dropped another kiss to Marcus’ clothed chest before closing your eyes again. 

-- “Now you come back and visit,” Walter patted your shoulder before letting go of you. “I’d really love that,” You nodded, meaning it. You turned to Jill, smiling as she drew you into her arms and hugged you tightly. “You’ll call when you land,” She said. “We will,” You promised. “I told you we would, mom,” Marcus chuckled. He waited until she’d pulled away before leaning in to hug her. “Just, remember to— He forgets.” “I will make sure he remembers,” You smiled. “Alright, fly safe! Well, as safe as you can as passengers,” Jill glanced between the two of you, smiling as Walter tucked Jill under his arm. “Alright,” Marcus took hold of your hand, “Let’s go.” -- You took in Marcus’ profile as he swiped through the onscreen entertainment options. He was distracted, which gave you plenty of time to just...Watch. You remembered the tightness in his jaw on the previous flight, the way his leg had been bouncing. He glanced over at you, doing a double-take when he saw you looking at him. “What is it?” He asked. “You are so relaxed right now,” You smiled, “You were practically shaking the plane when we left D.C.” Marcus chuckled, leaning back in his seat a little bit, “Well… We’re done, it’s… Over, you know. It worked. Like holy shit, it worked,” He tipped his head back, looking up, “I just lied to my family for a week.” “Hey,” You soothed, nudging his arm with yours, “We just lied to your family for a week.” He chuckled, tipping his head to the side to look at you. “Yeah,” He agreed, “I could not have done this without you.” “Maybe next time you’ll just let Marnie set you up with Kimberly again.” “After the shit she pulled? Not a chance,” Marcus shook his head. He took hold of your hand, intertwining your fingers, “I still can’t believe you told my parents...What you did.” You looked down at your joined hands. “I kinda can’t believe I did, either,” You admitted quietly, “But I trust them… I trust you.” 

There was a pause before Marcus untangled his hand from yours. You felt panic snake through your veins, but Marcus’ hand raised and cupped your cheek. He drew you in for a sweet kiss. You leaned up into it, resting your hand on Marcus’ thigh and sighing softly. He rested his forehead against yours as the kiss broke, and you kept your eyes closed for a few moments, reveling in the feeling.

“I should probably stop doing that, huh,” He said softly. Please don’t, You thought.

“...Probably,” You conceded aloud.

Tag list: @hufflepuffing-all-day-long ; @spideysimpossiblegirl ; @blueeyesatnight ; @elen-aranel ; @yespolkadotkitty ; @artsymaddie ; @phoenixhalliwell ; @lunaserenade ; @winniedaboo  ; @empress-palpat1ne ; @randomness501 ; @nutmeg-20 ; @leonieb ; @the-feckless-wonder ; @lou-la-lou ; @captain-jebi ; @supernaturalgirl  ; @naturenebula21 ; @evelynseventyr ; @giselatropicana ; @heatherbel ; @marydjarin ; @annathewitch ; @absurdthirst ; @hnt-escape ; @writingletterstothefire ; @misswriter ; @bison-writes ; @xx-small-town-witch-xx ; @ajeff855 ; @hellovanessax​ ; @drinkingwhileblogging​ ; @meanperegrine​ ; @a-court-of-feysand-and-elorcan​ ; @autumnleaves1991-blog ; @xoxo-callie ; @mentally-dating-din-djarin​ ; @frenchyjuju

[infernalrevenge]

The Greatest Show

Fandom: Resident Evil 8: Village

Pairing: Donna Beneviento x Reader (Gender Neutral)

Rating: G

Summary: Donna and Angie attempt to cheer Reader up after a bad day.

Notes: A little bit of domesticity and comfort from our resident dollmaker. Yes, Reader is still a servant in the house while also being her partner -- because why not HAHAHA. Just thought this would be a fun silly thing to write.

----------

This day was not going the way you thought it would. Well, that was putting it nicely -- this day was going to shit.

It was bad enough that you had a hard time falling asleep last night and woke up in a sour mood, but then you had an argument with a new vendor at the village who not only exclaimed that there was no new shipment of vegetables that morning, but also had the gall to try and throw you out of the store under virtue that they "didn't want the freak servants of one of the freak lords tainting their good establishment." The fucking nerve!

When you got back to the manor empty-handed, fuming but attempting to prepare lunch (sans vegetables), you accidentally burned your hand on the hot stove. As if that wasn't bad enough, when you jumped back in pain, you knocked over a few plates onto the floor and had to clean all that up too. You had to complete all your other chores with just one usable hand, the other one wrapped in a loose bandage. Fantastic.

You wanted to scream. Just let out a long scream to let the frustration out.

But you didn't. You couldn't. You still had other things to do, and you weren't going to let a few setbacks ruin it all. You went about your day as usual -- or at least you tried to, because you didn't quite notice how you would grip onto cups a little tighter, with your jaw set and locked as your grit your teeth, and had a perpetual furrow in your brow that worried Donna and Angie.

"What's up with them?" the doll muttered as she watched you slam a tray down in the kitchen when you thought no one else was around.

Donna didn't reply, only looking at the tension you held in your posture -- like you were set to burst with just one wrong move.

Your thoughts were consumed with tasks to perform for the rest of the day, chanting "Just get through it, you'll be fine" over and over in your head like a mantra. You didn't want to worry Donna over such trivial matters. This was just one bad day. You were better than this! You could do this. Just get through it. Just push! Just do it!

It was close to evening when you found your last task for the day before supper: Tidying up the library. Maybe you'll see Donna and Angie there and they could help lift your spirits. Finally, something to look forward to! Angie would probably make some quip about your bandaged hand, and Donna would be winding down on the couch and picking out a movie to watch after supper while you could talk about something to take your mind off the stress. But when you were greeted with a dark and empty space, neither of them in sight, you only sighed in disappointment.

Just get through it, you'll be fine.

You swallowed the lump in your throat and blinked away the blurriness in your eyes, picking up the duster in the corner.

Just get through it, you'll be fine.

You looked up at the clock. Half an hour until supper. Right on time. You took a deep breath to calm yourself and headed for the kitchen.

You were already going through the menu in your head when you felt an insistent force collide onto your chest, nearly knocking you over.

"Angie?"

Donna wasn't with her, and didn't seem to be anywhere nearby either. She was merely floating on her own. "Y/N, just the person I'm lookin' for! Come on, I gotta show you something!" She seemed rather urgent and excited at the same time. What was she planning now?

She took your uninjured hand and started pulling.

"Wait, but I have to get ready for supper--”

"Supper schmupper, this is way more important!"

"But--”

Angie dragged you by the pant leg to the living room, leaving you no choice but to hop along and follow. There, you saw a table laying on its side covered in a shiny silky cloth, obscuring your view of what or who could be behind it. You could just barely see a familiar veil-clad head crouching underneath. Before you could ask, she yelled at you to sit down on the short stool in front of the set up.

"Angie, what's going on?"

"You'll see, I promise. Now be quiet, the show's about to start!"

With that, she waddled away behind the table, seemingly greeted by a chorus of soft giggles. You tucked your knees close to your chest and waited for the commotion to settle down... whatever this was. You were used to Angie's antics at this point, but what kind of show was she talking--

Suddenly, three puppets dressed like the lords popped up from behind the table, with another one looking like a smaller replica of Angie. They all had cutesy and somewhat exaggerated features, completely made out of felt, cloth, and stuffing. Like plushies.

What the...?

"Don't be sad, Y/N!" they said in unison, their voices remarkably similar to each respective lord, if not much higher in pitch.

"Welcome to the village, we're so glad you're here! Turn that frown upside down and give us a cheer!" they sang, each of the dolls moving along to the beat they made.

"Donna, Angie, w-what..." you started, but they kept singing. You weren't quite sure who exactly might be providing these voices -- the dolls themselves, maybe even Donna -- but you were getting more and more amused by the second.

After their short number, introducing each lord to you (Big Sister Dimi, Mr. Heisenberg, Moreau the Fish Man, and Angie, as you recall), they proceeded with the show proper. Apparently that song wasn't all the two of them had up their sleeves.

"Okay, everyone! We have something very important to do!" the doll that looked like Angie spoke up (probably played by Angie herself) "How do we cheer up a loved one?"

"A loved one?" Doll-Moreau repeated.

"Yes! When someone we care about is sad, we should help in any way we can to cheer them up, right?"

"Right!" Doll-Dimitrescu agreed.

You felt a small smile start to crack your facade. Was this all for you?

"But how do we do that?" Doll-Heisenberg chimed in.

"Well what are things that they like? What makes them happy?" Doll-Moreau asked, who turned to Doll-Angie.

"They like cookies! Chocolate chip are their favorite!"

As if on cue, you felt something tug on your leg, and you looked down to see a porcelain doll in a sailor suit lifting up a plate of cookies to you, littered with chunks of chocolate in the dough. "Thank you," you said softly, giving the little one a gentle pat on the head before they ran off back behind the table. You placed the plate on your lap and started to nibble on one as the show went on.

"What else can we do to make them happy?"

"They also like tea with their cookies!"

You could just barely hear someone whisper "Tea? Ew, why not milk?" before they were swiftly hushed. On cue again, another doll emerged with a cup of hot tea for you. You whispered another thanks before they went back, taking a sip of your drink.

"We can sing their favorite songs!" Doll-Heisenberg started trying to sing before Doll-Dimitrescu interfered with a swift knock to his head. "Not with your voice, you can't."

That was a little mean, but you couldn't help but laugh anyway. You would've choked on your tea if you had been drinking it still.

"Why don't we ask them?" Doll-Angie said, turning to face the audience -- you. "What would make you happy, Y/N?"

The smile on your face only widened, tapping a finger on your chin as you made a show of thinking deeply. Might as well play along if they put in so much effort. "Well, what would make me happy is to have my lovely girlfriend here to share these cookies with."

"You heard 'em, Donna, get over there!" The real Angie peeped from behind the table, with the puppet lords cheering on as well as she emerged from her hiding place. You didn't even need to see under her veil to know she was blushing madly at the attention, even though it was just you and the dolls in her company right now.

You moved the plate of cookies from your lap to make room for her. "Y/N..." she was about to protest, and you pouted in response, giving your best puppy dog impression and opening your arms. "I thought you wanted to cheer me up, love?"

With a sigh and a shake of her head, she settled herself on your lap, your arms wrapped around her waist to keep her steady. You looked up at her fondly and pulled her against you -- it suddenly felt like the day's worries had melted away, and all that mattered was having the woman you loved so close to you. That in itself was a great comfort.

Angie seemed to have taken the reins now, the show getting louder and more chaotic as it went on -- the dialogue was reminiscent of the banter you had with her, and some jokes were made at the expense of the other lords (and sometimes Donna), much to her embarrassment. You rested your chin on her shoulder and couldn't help but laugh along.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Donna whispered, tilting her head slightly to look at you.

"You... noticed then?" Your shoulders sagged, head weighing heavier onto hers, feeling like you wanted to hide.

"I did. It was a little hard not to." She gently took your bandaged hand in hers, pressing a tender kiss onto it. "But I didn't want to stand by and not do something about it, so... I hope this was okay."

You felt your heart swell with affection for her -- when did you get so lucky to have such a thoughtful woman by your side? "More than okay. This was very sweet of you and Angie."

A moment passed before Donna spoke again, "I just want you to know that... if there's anything you want to talk about, anything at all, know that I'm here for you, love. Always."

You could almost feel a tear come to your eye at that, "I'll keep that in mind."

You caught a glimpse of her smile at this angle, "You know I'd do anything to see you happy."

And she could see yours, "You already do."

.

.

.

(After learning of the existence of these "lord puppets", it became a game between you and Angie to hide them in plain sight whenever each lord would come visit the estate and bet on how long it took for them to notice it.

Lord Heisenberg almost never seemed to see his -- you weren't sure if he just didn't care to look around, or found it once and opted to ignore it, muttering something about it being "creepy".

Lord Moreau took a while to find his too, but when he did, you couldn't forget the look of joy and flattery on his face. It was quite adorable, and it turned to how quickly he could find the doll in a new room instead.

Lady Dimitrescu never visited, but when you and Donna went over to her castle, you always made sure to bring it with you. You would catch her daughters trying to hide their snickers when you would just stand around carrying the doll like Donna did with Angie, but whenever the lady tried to find out why, she never thought to look at you to see the commotion. Your girlfriend sometimes scolded you for it, but Angie always had a high five ready for you at the end of every visit.)

[bakugohoex]

part one: “you want to sleep on the floor”

pairing: katsuki bakugo x female reader

cw: university student y/n, implicit nsfw, fluff and language

word count: 3400+

a/n: this is dedicated to the one anon who was super sweet to me yesterday, all of your support means the world to me and i hope you guys enjoyed this 

summary: in which you’re neighbours with pro hero katsuki bakugo, one night your roommate and her boyfriend get a bit too loud, with no where else to turn you end up in the apartment of bakugo’s, sleeping beside him you both realise the hidden feelings between one another 

part two 

↞ back to my hero academia masterlist

The bed squeaked and headboard banging against the wall, moans filled the apartment and the sound of ongoing thrusts erupted out of one single room. You hadn’t slept in hours, the sound from your roommates room vibrating against the whole apartment.

What was even worse, was not just having both your rooms side by side, meaning every time the man thrusted back and forth inside of her you could hear her bed hit the wall, no it wasn’t just that, it was the fact this had been going on for hours now.

You saw the digital clock indicate three am, how could one couple go at it for two hours straight, better yet who gets horny at one am and thinks lets having a fuck session whilst their roommate is next door.

Well your friend clearly did, it wasn’t like you wanted to interrupt them, they hadn’t seen each other in a while and deserved something. But at the expense of your sleep, it was a lot more than you had expected. You had prayed they would stop but the moans of his name continued, and it seemed like they would never stop anytime soon.  

You swung your legs off your bed, yawning as the stars filled the sky, you would go to the balcony, probably try and fall asleep outside if it was summer, but it wasn’t. It was fucking winter and you could see the snow form on top of the window ledge. There was always the sofa, you put a hoodie on your body, covering the short shirt and bottoms you wore, dragging your duvet to the sofa.

Staring up at the ceiling, trying to gain some sleep, you hoped the noise of their maniac sex would calm down. But to your luck, the noise seemed to get even more louder, as if they had left the door open. You really did not need to hear the consistent grunting and moaning coming from your friend and her boyfriend. You knew tomorrow morning you wouldn’t be able to face them after the night they were having.

You were cynical, the last time you had sex being months ago. You were touch deprived and even worse the crush on your pro hero neighbour made it worse, when you’d go in the early mornings to the balcony or get your mail, you’d see the man.

He’s be sweaty from some sort of training, his black vest always clinged onto his body perfectly. He was like a renaissance art piece, he deserved to be in a museum. You tried to think about him, to get rid of the sound of your roommate, you had had an encounter with him in the morning. He had come back from an early morning run and you had gone to get the mail. Flicking through it Bakugo called your name to make sure the elevator didn’t go without him.

The pro hero was drenched in sweat and his long-sleeved running shirt clung to all his muscles, the shorts and leggings he wore underneath sticking to his thigh muscles. It was a sight for sore eyes, and you tried to not stare. “Hey Bakugo.”

You spoke politely, he looked down at you flicking through the mail, mainly magazines and other shit. “Y/n.” He spoke coldly, how could you had a crush on such a cold man.

“I saw on the news about the villains you captured, it was cool.” You tried to converse; he raised an eyebrow crossing his arms.

“It was more than cool, I did it single handily, stupid extras didn’t even help.” He smirked as if he was reminiscing in the past nights action.

You looked up at him, his jaw clenched. “Oh well you didn’t need their help in the first place, did you?” You teased a grin on your face.

He saw you step out of the elevator about to answer but instead keeping quiet, you wish you had stopped walking waiting for an answer but your boldness at teasing had made you too flustered to wait. He often was cold to both you and your roommate, mainly your roommate who found the pro hero an irritant. You often saw his friends come back and forth out of his apartment; you were shocked at how his friends were a foil of the man.

He was angry and frustrated and red riot who you assumed was his best friend frequently visited. Your roommate hated the boy due to her theory that he looked down on commoners, you were studying to go into (any career) and you had been working hard. Was she right? Were you really nothing more than commoners needing to be saved.

Your thoughts turned to your roommate and you got out of your daze of the pro hero, you really couldn’t sleep with the grunts. Your best option was to find somewhere else to sleep for the rest of the night, you were glad it was Sunday the next day so you could have a lie in.

You thought of who you could text to ask if you could spend the night, most of your friends being their own university students with their own problems. Your finger lingered over Bakugo’s number before you decided to just straight up ask him if you could sleep on his sofa.

Leaving your duvet in your room, you unlocked the door of your apartment, quickly slipping out. You finally had some peace without having to hear any more vigorous thrusts, did he want to split her in half or something. You rested your head against the door, before pacing outside Bakugo’s door, the number nine on the side. You hesitated knocking, maybe you should’ve texted before knocking at his door at half three in the morning.

It was only by accident and your nerves that you quickly knocked on the door. Maybe he wouldn’t even hear it, it was early morning, and he could be sleeping. About to leave the door, you were met by the man, he was shirtless, only wearing some grey joggers. You were almost about to admire his body, but as he raised his eyebrow a ‘what’ coming from his mouth you started to spew out your thoughts.

“…so yeah, my roommate and her boyfriend have been fucking for nearly three hours now, and I need my sleep so can I like sleep on your sofa or floor” He raised an eyebrow, his arm was leaning against the top of the door, his height making it easy for him to reach. “It’s fine, if you’ve got no room, I can just go back and h…”

“Shut up and get inside.” You were shocked but quickly obliged, walking into his apartment.

It was not what you had expected, the same layout even with two bedrooms. “My spare room has my hero stuff in it, you want to sleep on the floor”

He was grinning at the idea of you sleeping on the floor, “I can sleep anywhere just not in a sex ridden apartment.”

“My bedrooms free.” He spoke, your face reddening.

“Umm…aren’t you s…sleeping there?” You asked not meeting his gaze.

He crossed his arms, his blond hair less spiky from sleeping. “We’re adults Y/n, we can sleep in the same bed.”

You nodded, not speaking out of fear you’d say something wrong. He walked towards the room as you followed in suit, “stay on your side and we should be fine.”

You nodded again, he went on his side, lying down bare in front of you. It was a sight, his room was boiling, you took your hoodie off he looked at you, trying to not see how your shirt rid to show your exposed stomach. He looked away just as your head popped out of the hoodie. You laid on your side, Bakugo’s broad shoulders made your own touch his as he was partially on your side.

“You have a nice apartment.” You complimented knowing the two of you were still awake facing the ceiling.

He huffed, side eyeing you, he watched as your brought the covers around your shoulders. “It’s exactly like yours, minus the horny roommate.”

You laughed at the comment, turning to face his body. You didn’t care if you both weren’t classed as friends, you were going to try and somehow become friends of sorts. “Who wouldn’t love a horny roommate?”

“Me, I need my space and defiantly cant handle being around sex noises, you should’ve shot them with your quirk or something.”

You hadn’t even told him what your quirk was, it was simple and useless in most situations. “I don’t think its possible for me to do that with my quirk.”

He raised an eyebrow still facing the ceiling, his arm had moved behind his back , you could see his arm muscles all on show, “oh yeah what is it then?”

“Guess.” You teased, stretching the word out. Bakugo finally faced you, he saw how your hair framed your face, your eyes looked tired, but you seemed more awake than you had when you had knocked on his door.

“Just tell me, shitty woman.” You pouted at the man.

“You’re no fun, I can create sparks from my fingertips, I know it’s lame, it’s why I’m at university.” Bakugo looked at you, you expected laughing to come from him, you had heard him call most people extras and those without quirks had been mocked by many people. You expected the same at your lame quirk.

“Can you show me?” He wasn’t acting the same, you ignored his calmness, putting your hand from under the cover. You rubbed your fingers together, a spark coming from each finger, it was like a firework sparkler and was painful to touch. But the application of it was never pro hero material.

His hand moved closer to it, “I would…” He did anyway, his finger touching the top, he quickly moved it away after feeling it for less than a second.

“Oww, Y/n what the fuck? It stings.” You laugh, making the sparks go away, grabbing his hand your breath cool air on it. He hadn’t expected this action, feeling your breath on his fingertips, made his ears go red.

“It’s okay now.” He pulled away, not looking at you.

You didn’t say anything, nobody said anything, you could hear the clock tick away, the minutes going past. Maybe Bakugo had gone to sleep, but as you turned back, he had been fixated on the ceiling. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” He spoke with frustration on his tongue.

“Oh, I don’t know you seemed out of it.” You spoke turning away from him, you could feel his legs move closer to your own, you didn’t dare think of the actions you wanted him to do to you. Inside trying to think of other stuff.

Bakugo instead broke the silence, “your quirk is decent.” It was some sort of compliment and you would take it.

“Really?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself.” You laugh at the boy, his own mouth twitched upwards. “At UA, there was a kid who made purple balls from his head, so you’re already one hundred times better than him.”

You supress a laugh at someone having a more useless quirk than you, “was he at least hero type.”

“He was just some extra, but he was below four foot and a pussy.” You couldn’t suppress it any longer, a laugh wavering through the room. “And a perv, he loved looking up girls skirts.”

“For some extra, you did pay attention to him.”

“When you have friends that I have, you hear too much unnecessary information.” You smile turning to face him again.

You thought of the heroes who he worked with, who came intro his apartment, they seemed like nice people to be friends with. “So what you don’t pay attention to your friends?”

“I pay attention to important people.” He turned back to face you, both of you under the covers but Bakugo’s hand had moved on top of the duvet, right on top of your body. You didn’t question the action instead questioning him.

“And who’s important to the great Katsuki Bakugo.” You gave a gleeful look waiting for a response.

He thought it out, before finding the confidence to speak, “you.”

You were dumbfounded, your eyes widening waiting for more context, “me?”

“You study (subject area), you and your roommate go to yoga every Friday night, you babysit who I assume is your nephew once a month, you like drinking coffee on the balcony and you always seem to have cooking magazines in your hand.” You were shocked at how much he had remembered and seen from you.

“You noticed.” You were calm on the outside but freaking the fuck out at how much he acknowledged about you, you had spoke about your studies, and what you normally did when you passed by him, but you never expected him to remember.

“How could I forgot your interests.” You smiled looking down before he spoke again, “oh yeah, and you have a massive crush on me.”

Your cheeks reddened, were you that obvious, “w…what?”

“Y/n, I know when girls have crushes on me, I’m surprised in the months I’ve know you; you have brought back one guy and he was the polar opposite of me.” You remembered the guy you had brought back to have sex with, he was the opposite of Bakugo, from his appearance to personality. “Was he able to fuck you good at least?”

A cocky smirk was placed on the blond’s face, his red eyes were filled with a knowing look, you shook your head feeling his hand press harder on the covers, feeling how his hand rubbed back and forth on your leg from on top. “That’s what I thought, I bet you didn’t even cum.”

“I didn’t.” You blurted out.

“You’re lucky you’re better than the other extra’s, you actually have a chance of getting with me.” You looked at him, his other hand moving towards your face.

“Just getting with you?” You hesitantly spoke, your hand meeting his to stop him.

He realised how he had phrased it and quickly rephrased it, “not just to fuck Y/n, I’m not a man whore who does one-night stands.”

“So you’d want to go on a d…date?” You question, pulling his hand towards your cheek.

“Your words not mine.” He spoke defensively, you smirked wanting to close the gap but being scared to make the first move.

He noticed your eyes move down towards his mouth before he closed the gap. The fast pace of the kiss made you more turned on for him, his hands on your cheeks bringing your closer to his face. You had never been kissed like this before, never felt this thrill inside of you and you craved more. His hand moved to your thighs, making you move on top of him, before you sat on top of his exposed chest, your lips still attached to him.

His hands on your sides bringing you closer under the covers as your hands went to his face, making the kiss’ pace fasten. You moaned his name, an instant turn on at the sound of hearing his first name, he had often seen you reading outside on the balcony, he admired how peaceful you got.

But every day when he saw how calm you looked, he fell more and more in love with his neighbour. He watched how you went through the motions every time you read a new book, it was like you were in your own fantasy and he loved it.

His grip on your sides moved to your ass, he squeezed it, making you moan again, this time allowing his tongue access inside your mouth. You loved the feeling, loved his tongue with your own, he loved how you sat on his perfectly, the way one of your hands had moved to his bare chest, glossing over each muscle. As you both parted, he bit at your bottom lip, tugging to make one last moan come from your mouth.

The sound making his ears tingle in enjoyment before he flipped you over. He craved you but was always going to ask before he moved onto other things. “I don’t want to do anything you don’t want to do.” He spoke his mouth on your stomach moving upwards, he was a predator and you his prey and he wanted to devour you.

“I want to wait.” You spoke breathlessly.

He nodded, “I can still kiss you right?” He stopped kissing right underneath your bra, his hand having lifted your shirt up.

“Yes Bakugo.” You smiled feeling his mouth latch upwards, past your bra and onto your neck. Sucking the spot, his hand on your side as he continued to nibble and bite on your collar.

“It’s Katsuki, baby girl.” The single word sent your insides into to turmoil. A purple bruise formed on your neck, before he captured your lips his own. Your legs wrapped around his back, as you brought your arms round his neck, wanting to limit the gap between the two of you.

“Baby…” You trailed off speaking through the kiss, it was too much excitement as his kiss left you a sloppy mess, you felt like putty in his hands. He let go letting you breath, before lying on his back.

“Come ‘ere.” He grabbed your waist, bringing you closer to his body. “We can finish this after our date tomorrow.”

“Is that a promise.” You smiled boldly, his face going into the crook of your now bare back, his arms around your exposed stomach and lips kissing your shoulder.

He went to your ear, licking the back of your ear before nibbling at the earlobe, “I’ll show you what you’ve been missing out on, and we’ll make your roommate hear it all.”

You smiled in agreement; his arms wrapped around your body. You had not expected this to happen, you had thought you were doomed to be alone, but in the angry boys defence, you never even thought he acknowledged you. But as you laid hearing his soft snores in your ear, you gleamed at how you had got something you had been craving for months now.

bonus scene 

You woke up the sound of Bakugo in his kitchen, finding his discarded shirt, you wore it, it was a lot bigger than you, but you hoped Bakugo liked it. You walked into the kitchen, a plate of pancakes on the table. “I mad…” He turned around seeing your cute little face in his shirt. “You really want me to bend you over right now.”

You giggled walking up to him, he grabbed your waist planting a soft kiss on you mouth. It was a lot calmer than last nights, but still had the same love in it. You heard his front door open, but Bakugo’s grasp on your was still tight, you squealed not wanting to be seen, instead Bakugo flipped you around, his body pressed onto your back and his chin resting on your shoulder.

“Oi Bakugo, did you forget we were meeting at the…” He trailed off seeing both of you. “Isn’t that your attractive neighbour.”

Your face reddened, “I said you could use my spare key in emergencies.” The door was still wide open, and you knew Bakugo’s shouting would raise some attention.

“I thought you died.” Kirishima spoke. “I’m Eijiro Kirishima, you’re the neighbour, we’ve all had to hear so much about.”

You smiled at the fact Bakugo spoke about you, it melted your heart. “I’m Y/n Y/l/n.” You smiled, Bakugo’s grip loosening as you went to shake Kirishima’s hand.

“Nice to meet you.” He smiled out.

“What the fuck is all the noise.” You saw the door of your apartment open, you looked at your roommate who looked tired and her hair dishevelled. “Y/n what the fuck are you doing in there?” she looked between Bakugo and you, the way his arm was placed around your waist.

“You didn’t, even after everything I said.” She spoke a loud. “Tell me everything.”

She grabbed your hand, dragging you out. “I’ll see you tonight.” You shouted at Bakugo who watched you walk away.

“Ooo pancakes.” You heard Kirishima gleam out, Bakugo watched you get dragged away. A smile at the fact he had finally gotten what he wanted.

proceed to part two here 

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[3rensgf]

rent a gf - two eren yeager x reader

word count: 2.9k

warnings: mentions of sex, talks about "getting bitches", eren is an idiot, fuckboy!eren implied, tatbilb mention, uhh fluff idk theres not much to warn abt in here, not beta read

notes: chapter two is out! i'm really glad a lot of people are enjoying rent a gf. it really means a lot! i see some people commented on the previous chapter, and i would love to reply to them, but i'm not familiar with tumblrs commenting system D: if you wanna leave a comment for me to just read, that's fine you can still keep commenting here on tumblr. but if you would like me to reply to it, you can comment on ao3, and i will reply! happy reading :) p.s, waffles w whipped cream r so much better

[ read on ao3 ]

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In the early hours of Saturday morning, you felt a hand shaking your shoulder to wake you. Groaning and mumbling, you sleepily swatted the hand away and pulled the covers over your head. No one should be forced to wake up early on the weekends. It was Saturday, for fucks sake. Not to mention your hangover due to last nights mistakes was making your head throb.

The hand rested on your shoulder once more, shaking you gently. “(Y/N),” Mikasa said softly. “Your alarm has been going off for the past 10 minutes. Wake up. I have water and Advil.”

“Nooooo,” you moaned, snuggling deeper into your bed. “Don’ wanna.”

Mikasa stopped bothering you for a moment, and you let your guard down. Finally you could sleep. When it was time to wake up, you’d wake up.

Right as you were about to pass out again, your blanket was roughly tugged off of you. “Mikasaaa!” you whined, covering your face with your hands. “What was that for? I was trying to sleep.”

“Get up. You have to shower and get ready for lunch with Eren today. Breakfast is almost finished,” she explained, setting down the pills and water on your bedside table. “Go brush your teeth and wash your face so you can eat. Now,” she instructed sternly, moving to your window to open the curtains. The bright sunlight hit your still half-asleep face, making you hiss quietly.

She left the room moments after, probably to check up on breakfast. Honestly, you didn’t know how she could function this early in the morning despite having partied all night last night. Curse her and her inability to get hungover.

Grumbling to yourself, you adjusted your sleep clothes that had gotten disheveled overnight to make sure you looked decent. Your sleepy gaze wandered over to your nightstand to see two Advils on a napkin beside a glass of cold water. Thanking every higher power for sending Mikasa to you, you downed both pills and the glass of water. Even though you might bitch and moan to her constantly, you really weren’t lying when you said you’d die without Mikasa.

After sitting down at the edge of your bed for a few moments, you eventually shuffled into the bathroom to brush your teeth and do your morning routine. It took longer than usual thanks to your sluggish and tired movements, but you got done nevertheless.

A wonderful aroma came from the kitchen when you left, stomach grumbling in anticipation for the wonderful food you were about to scarf down. Mikasa was in the process of setting down both your breakfasts on the island, sitting down on the stools when you walked in. “Morning, Sleeping Beauty,” she greeted, resting her chin on her hands.

“Morning, sweet angel,” you replied, sitting at the stool beside her. In front of you was a plate of Funfetti pancakes with whipped cream instead of maple syrup (syrup was for pancakes only). There were a couple of cut up fruits beside them, too. “Where did you get these?” you asked, picking up your fork to take a bite of your breakfast.

Mikasa dug into her own breakfast of oatmeal as soon as you started eating. “Went grocery shopping and saw the mix in the baking aisle. I thought you’d like it,” she explained, taking a bite of her food. “Good?”

Your response was a moan, tilting your head back as you chewed. “Insanely,” you said, cutting up another bite. You stabbed the piece with your fork and guided it to Mikasa, keeping your hand under it to catch anything if it dropped.

She finished her bite and leaned in to take the bite, humming in satisfaction at the taste. “Good,” she nodded.

“They put like crack ‘n this shit,” you said through a full mouth, shoveling forkful after forkful into your mouth.

You could feel Mikasa's judging gaze for eating like a pig, but you didn’t care. All you cared about was eating these crack laced waffles as greedily as possible. “What time are you supposed to meet Eren today?” she asked to make conversation.

You remember drunkenly slurring to her that Eren was supposed to take you out for lunch today while she was trying to put you to bed. All she did was nod and dodge your flailing limbs while she tried to change you into your night clothes.

“Uhhh,” you trailed off, “I dunno actually. I think he’s gonna text me when.” The familiar notification from your phone indicated you had a text from Eren. “Right now.”

ren ᕙ(`▿´)ᕗ - 9:04 AM picking u up at 12 dont be late

you - 9:04 AM k

ren ᕙ(`▿´)ᕗ - 9:05 AM dont use k with me that makes me sad :(

you - 9:05 AM k

“He says 12,” you told Mikasa, setting your phone back down on the table. You went to go take another bite of your waffles, only to be met with stray bits of whipped cream and waffle crumbs. How disappointing.

“You have time to get ready then,” she said, finishing up the last bit of her own breakfast. Holding her plate, she got up to go put it in the sink, taking your plate for you as well. Literally an angel.

Suddenly, she leaned in to sniff you like the weird English professor you had your freshman year and cringed. “You’re gonna need all the time you can get. You stink.”

Never mind, not an angel.

Grumbling and cursing under your breath, you got off the stool to go take a shower. “And here I was about to offer to get you something for lunch while I was out.”

“A burger from the joint I like would be nice. So would a Coke and side of onion rings.”

“Size?”

“Medium for both.”

You would’ve caved in and bought her something, anyways. Might as well know what she wanted in the first place.

Showering took longer than expected. Most of your time got wasted by you standing under the shower stream and soaking in all the warmth. It wasn’t until Mikasa knocked on the door asking you not to use up all the hot water that made you actually start going through your routine.

The clock read 10:09 when you got out. You still had more time to kill until Eren came, so you elected to sit on your bed in your towel to scroll through social media. At 10:45, you started to get ready for real now.

Your makeup was just enough to cover any imperfections on your face, and your outfit cute enough for a lunch outing with your friend-fuckbuddy.

At 11:50, you stepped out into the living room with your belongings in hand to lounge around while you waited for Eren. You would’ve gone to bug Mikasa, but she had just stepped into the shower minutes prior.

12 on the dot, a rhythmic knocking was rapped on your door, meaning Eren was finally here. Skipping over to the door, you opened it to reveal him while slipping on your shoes.

“Hey,” he grinned when the door opened. He leaned in to give you a kiss on the lips after you’d straightened up from putting on your shoes.

A grin found its way on your lips during the kiss. It only lasted a couple of seconds, ending with you pulling away with a quiet smack. “Hi,” you greeted back.

“Ready to go?” he asked, one hand leaving his jacket pocket to jut his thumb down the hallway towards the elevators.

“Yup, ready,” you said. Over your shoulder, you yelled into the apartment to say goodbye to Mikasa and locking the door once you closed. “Okay, ready for real now.”

There was a new hot pot restaurant near campus, Eren told you, that he so desperately wanted to try. He overheard some people talking about the place in his Stats class, and he’s been wanting to go ever since.

“So, about what I told you last night,” he said, leaning on the table close to you after giving your orders to the waitress. “You said you would help me get Mina.”

“I said it was a bad idea,” you countered, taking a sip of your drink.

“But you said you would help me. For a price.”

“That I… did say,” you sighed. “What’s your plan?”

Smiling, he opened up his jacket and dug into the inner pockets, getting out a small notepad and a pen. Your eyebrows raised at the sight of them. “Okay,” he started, flipping through his notepad. “So I was thinking about it this morning, and this is what I have down so far.”

Sliding it towards you, he waited impatiently for you to read what he had.

Your lips pursed to prevent giggled from leaving your lips. Well, it was a plan, alright. Written in Eren’s chicken scratch of handwriting were a few very simple steps.

eren yaegers fool proof plan to get bitches get mina aka operation rent a gf by eren yaeger 1. talk to mina to get her interested in you ✓ 2. get hot girl ((Y/N)) to pretend to be your gf and show you can be a good bf 3. get mina jealous so she wants you even more and not poopy thomas wanker 4. “break up” with (Y/N) and pretend to be sad 5. get mina to comfort you 6. get bitches make mina your gf 7. pay (Y/N) for her services 8. ta-da!

When you looked up from the notepad, you saw Eren waiting for your answer. “Well? What do you think? Is it any good?” he asked.

“Were you high when you wrote this?” was the first thing you asked him. Eren shook his head innocently. “You’re 100% serious?” He nodded.

You bit your lip, deep in thought about Eren’s supposedly fool proof plan. “What makes you think it’s gonna work?”

“I know girls and how they act. If Paradis University let me major in women -- don’t get smart with me I don’t mean Women Studies -- I would be passing all my classes with flying colors. I know it’ll work, trust me,” he said cockily, leaning back in his chair.

“No you don’t.”

“Yes I do. I know you. I know everything about you, (Y/N). I even know how to make you scream my name in--”

“Okay!” you cut him off, not wanting the strangers around you to know the intimate details of your sex life with Eren. “Okay.”

“I knew you were gonna do that. See, I do know women.”

A moment or two passed, both of you staring at each other. You with a deadpan expression, and him with a proud one. You were the first one to break the silence with a heavy sigh. “Okay, say I agree to this. What do I get in return?”

“Anything you want,” he said. “Within reason, of course. Please don’t ask me to like, hide a body or something.”

Ignoring his last comment, you continued speaking, “You’re not allowed to back out of whatever I ask you to, right? If this plan fails or succeeds, you still owe me whatever you promised.”

Eren nodded. “Of course. I swear on it.” He shifted a little so his elbow was on the table, holding out a pinky. Instinctively, you held out your pinky as well and intertwined the both of them. Pinky promises were something you and Eren had been doing for years now. It meant that the other was dead serious on their promise.

The waitress came back with your broth and dipping ingredients, setting them on the table for you right when your pinkes left each other. Thanking the waitress, the two of you talked some more while you waited for the broth to heat up.

“We should make it official. With a contract and set of rules,” he said. “Like that one movie you forced me to watch with you. The Boys I Loved or some shit like that.”

“To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” you corrected.

“Yeah, that. They’re kinda doing something like us, yeah?”

“Guess so,” you shrugged, picking up your chopsticks and a sice of pork belly when the broth started to boil. “After we eat though.”

Idle chatter was shared between the two of you as you ate. Even though you saw each other nearly every day, you never ran out of things to talk to. You could be talking about complete nonsense or how quantum physics made no sense, and you would still have the best time of your life.

By now, the broth had been drunk up and the table had been cleared out to be replaced with banana milk and ice cream. Eren brought out his notepad again to write down the set of rules for your fake relationship while enjoying your desserts.

Good progress had been written so far on the notepad. Both of you had given input and criticism on each rule made. In the end, you finally had a good set of rules written down.

(Y/N) and erens contract and rules for eren yaegers fool proof plan to get mina aka operation rent a gf by eren yaeger 1. act normally. eren and (Y/N) act like a couple already. just double the pda a little more 2. don’t tell anyone about the deal. the more people who believe in the relationship, the more likely it is for the plan to work 3. post each other on ig a lot. maybe add names and a date to bios to make it more believable 4. date night every saturday (go out or just hang out) 5. go to parties together 6. walk each other to class if you can 7. call each other cute pet names 8. after breaking up, the couple act has to stop including the sex 9. DON’T SLIP UP

payment for (Y/N):

Eren tapped a beat on the notepad, reading “payment” over and over again. Eventually he looked up at you, deep in thought. “Have you thought of anything so far?” he asked, clicking the pen to write what you wanted.

This was a tough decision. Eren was ready to give you anything to help him get Mina. You had to be wise and pick something big to take advantage of him. Something you were sure you wouldn’t ever regret getting.

“How about,” you started, trailing off, “you do my laundry for the rest of our time at ParadisU, buy me lunch every Wednesday even after we break up, recommend that godsend of a tutor you keep gatekeeping to help me too, and…”

“And?” Eren asked, looking up from his writing, waiting for your next words.

“All the orgasms I want during our relationship,” you finished, satisfied with what you chose.

“Is that all?” he asked, writing down the last of your words. “That’s a lot.”

“How about I let you know if I wanna add more,” you said. Eren nodded in response. His head hung to look at the notepad again, writing something down. Once he was done, he plaed the pen on the pad and slid it to you.

“Sign it so it’s official,” he instructed.

There were two lines beside each other, one already with Eren’s signature. Without hesitation, you signed your name neatly on the paper, giving the items back to Eren once you were done.

(Y/N) and erens contract and rules for eren yaegers fool proof plan to get mina aka operation rent a gf by eren yaeger 1. act normally. eren and (Y/N) act like a couple already. just double the pda a little more 2. don’t tell anyone about the deal. the more people who believe in the relationship, the more likely it is for the plan to work 3. post each other on ig a lot. maybe add names and a date to bios to make it more believable 4. date night every saturday (go out or just hang out) 5. go to parties together 6. walk each other to class if you can 7. call each other cute pet names 8. after breaking up, the couple act has to stop including the sex 9. DON’T SLIP UP

payment for (Y/N): eren has to do the (Y/N)’s laundry for the rest of university, buy her lunch ever wednesday, get tutor to help her and give her as many orgasms as she wants during the course of the relationship

signed x eren yaeger x (y/n) (l/n)

The two of you shook hands when Eren put away his things, to seal the deal again. The waitress came by again to give you the bill and collect your dirty dishes. Eren set down the cash needed to pay along with a tip in the check presenter before the two of you left.

You walked hand in hand back to Erens car before you realized you missed something. “Wait. What do we tell people when they ask how we got together?” you asked, pausing in your tracks.

Eren stopped with you, turning to look at you. “Um, you can say I confessed after lunch, and that this is technically our first date,” he suggested, tugging your hand to walk back to the car.

“Huh. Okay. That works,” you nodded.

The two of you got into the car a little bit past 2:30 in the afternoon, ready to go home. “Wait,” you said again, making Eren pause. “Mikasa wanted a burger from that one joint near our apartment. Could you take me there first?”

Eren smiled and nodded, starting the car. “Of course. Burger with medium Coke and onion rings?”

“How did you know?”

“She always gets that when we go there.”

“Huh… I guess you’re right.”

“When am I not?”

"Always."

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3rensgf © 2021 ; do not repost or translate my work.

[zevlors-tail]

Hi I feel really bad for sending in an emergency request but bakugou, deku, or kaminari comforting and helping a reader who is going through a major depressive episode with suicidal thoughts. I’m so sorry I feel really bad for asking

A/N: I could not have gotten this at a more convenient time. I just want to say thank you for requesting this, and please don’t be sorry for asking about this. If you want to talk my dms are open, but I hope this helps! This was extremely cathartic for me to write. I only did Bakugou for the moment, but I fully plan on coming back at some point to at least add Denki (and also Deku eventually). Bakugou as a secret comfort character for me? It’s more likely than you think.

TW: Suicidal ideation, suicidal thoughts, suicidal reader, depression. PLEASE DO NOT READ if these things trigger you. It’s extremely descriptive and emotional!

Bakugou Katsuki

“Hey...are you okay?” 

You barely snapped out of your foggy trance as you slowly blinked, your coworker’s face coming into focus eventually as you gathered your surroundings you had long since forgotten about. Your response was immediate, familiar words strung together with little effort after saying them over and over again. No longer did they drag you down and taste like lies in your mouth; now they were just the ghost of a feeling you struggled to remember, an empty shell with hollowed out meaning. 

“Oh, yeah...just tired,” you drawled. And you were.

There weren’t too many days anymore that you didn’t feel drained, didn’t feel like the weight of the world was sitting on your shoulders. You felt heavy- both mentally and physically, like there were weights tethered to your arms and legs. It made you feel utterly exhausted at the end of every day and stole your motivation to get up in the morning. Your bed never seemed more comfortable, and your sheets never seemed so warm. If you had the choice, you would allow yourself to lie there forever, to skip work in favor of sleeping through the whole day, because what good was there in being awake, anyway? Lately it just seemed like everything was a waste.

“Are you sure? You just seem...down.” Your coworker gave you a concerned look, and you thought it ironic that the day you felt you might snap was the day everyone chose to finally ask if you were alright. Maybe she could see it on your face, or maybe you finally looked how you felt inside. Whatever the case, you didn’t care. In fact, you hardly cared about anything; it was hard to care about your life when you felt there was no value to it.

“I’m fine! Just really tired,” you repeated without hesitation.

“Okay, if you’re sure.” She seemed to take the explanation without any further question, shrugging and turning around to get back to what she had been doing before. “Just make sure management doesn’t catch you staring off like that; I think they’re in a bad mood today.”

Logically, you knew you were dealing with depression. Depression was not something new to you; this had happened before, and you had managed to dig yourself out of your own hole each time, but this time was...different. Logic didn’t stop the thoughts rampaging through your mind, didn’t quiet the voices that told you others would be better off without you. You felt like a burden to everyone, a walking problem that caused trouble everywhere you went. Just this morning at work you had dropped something accidentally, and it had spilled all over the floor and under the tables, the mess reaching into the cracks and crevices of the tiles where it would be harder to get to. You had done the best you could to clean it up, but in the end, the janitor had to step in and clean up the mess that you made. Maybe it was just an accident, and maybe you didn’t mean to spill your food, but you couldn’t see past the fact that you were always like this. Always spilling things, always causing problems for others, always inconveniencing everyone you came into contact with. Maybe...it would be better if you had stayed in bed all day instead of coming to work.

Maybe it would be better if you had never woke up in the first place.

...No!

You shook the thought from your head, doing your best to ignore it and focus on something else. Come on, you told yourself, focus on your job. But your mind remained hazy as you continued on with work, and it only served to cause more problems for you. By the end of the day, you had accidentally dropped a couple more items, slipped on some water and fell face first to the ground, and towards the end of your shift, just as you were clocking out, you bumped into an unruly customer who was clearly having none of it today. Hands reached out to shove you away and you stumbled, tripping over your own feet as you tried to get a grip and regain your balance.

“Watch where you’re going, god! Are you blind or something!? Jesus!”

For any other person, it might have just made them upset or angry, but it would have been passed off as a bad day, a bad moment in the grand scheme of things that would go away with time. But for you? For you it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Whatever motivation and will to live you had left, it was gone within the instant, replaced with a numb, empty feeling. What was the point in all of this? If this was life, if you were constantly going to cause problems and get in people’s way, what was your purpose here?

If nothing was enjoyable anymore...you just wanted it to end. It was too late for you anyways; you felt too far gone to be saved. And honestly...what was even left to save? You felt like a shell of your former self.

And that was how you left the store, feet dragging against the ground as you numbly walked to your car to go home. It took you a while to collect yourself, so you sat there for a few minutes in the parking lot, keys stuck in the ignition and hands resting loosely on the steering wheel. Finally, you worked up the will to actually start the car, and then you were on your way home. Home...where you would probably just lie through your teeth again and go lay in bed for the rest of the night.

Bakugou was in the kitchen making dinner when you padded through the foyer and announced your arrival, the smell of spices overwhelming rather than inviting or enticing. But then again, you didn’t have much of an appetite lately, and you found the thought of sleep to be more appealing than the thought of food anyways.

“I’m home.” Your voice was quieter than usual, your tone flat and monotonous. Bakugou didn’t respond for a minute, and you wondered if he had even heard you over the sound of something sizzling in a pan.

“Y/N, that you?” A head poked out from around the corner, red eyes meeting E/C. “How was work?”

“It was work.” You blinked and kicked your shoes off haphazardly, your body already caving in on itself as you made your way to the bedroom. If Bakugou noticed the change from your usual demeanor, he said nothing about it, only going back to what he was doing in the kitchen when you retreated to your sanctuary for the night.

Finally alone with your thoughts, you crawled under the soft sheets with your work clothes still on and curled up, eyes already shutting even before your head hit the pillow. At some point you must have managed to fall asleep, because the next thing you knew you were being shaken awake by Katsuki, a sweet and savory smell drifting through the air. Your stomach rumbled, and though it felt empty, you still didn’t feel like eating emotionally. The only thing you seemed to feel now was a heaviness settling on your soul.

“Y/N, come eat.” Either you were imagining things or Bakugou’s normally gruff voice was more gentle and relaxed as he woke you from your slumber.

You protested with a whine, your face scrunching up in annoyance from being woken up. “Tired...” you mumbled.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. But you haven’t had anything since you came home from work, babe.”

“That was only an hour ago...” you started, your voice still thick from sleep. But as you looked towards your alarm clock on the nightstand next to the bed, you were surprised to find that the little digital numbers read 11:58 pm. You’d slept for a little over five hours since you had arrived home. “Shit-!”

That seemed to do the trick, and you were scrambling up and out of bed in no time, panic and confusion washing over you from your prolonged nap. Had you really slept so long? You hadn’t meant to, but it did feel nice to have a small break from everything you felt when you were awake. And again, you caught yourself wondering if maybe the world would be better off if you never woke up. Eventually the haziness of your dream state faded, leaving you with the same reality you had been facing earlier in the day. You wanted nothing more than to go back to bed and curl up in your state of melancholy, but you were up now, and Katsuki would worry if you didn’t eat anything.

The two of you made your way to the dinning room table where a plate of reheated leftovers sat along with some silver cutlery, a cute little holiday napkin leftover from Halloween resting next to it. You stared at the pumpkin covered paper for a while before picking up your fork and stabbing at whatever dish Bakugou had decided on for dinner. Lately he seemed to be on a vegetable kick, though a healthy dose of fruits and meats were also thrown into the mix for balance. You mindlessly chewed, not really paying attention to the flavor if there was any at all. In fact, it felt like you were chewing cardboard. You didn’t enjoy the taste or feel; you only ate purely out of habit and need to.

“Do you not like it?” Bakugou pulled you from your reverie of thoughts, your head snapping up in his direction when he spoke.

“Huh?”

“The food. You’ve barely touched it in the last ten minutes.”

Ten minutes? Since when had that much time passed? Looking down at your plate, you realized he was correct. Over half of your food remained untouched, bits and pieces of it spread around from your fork and pushed to the side as if it was your least favorite meal. You hadn’t even noticed you were playing with it, and you wondered how long you had been just sitting there scooting food around with a blank look on your face.

“No, it was good.” Liar. You’d hardly been able to taste it. But it wasn’t just food that had lost it’s merit to you, if you really thought about it. The world just didn’t seem as lively; colors seemed washed out and faded, food held no taste, and music just didn’t sound the same. Nothing was enjoyable for you anymore.

“Y/N. You know you can tell me if there’s something going on, right?” Bakugou’s eyes bored into you while you just stared at the brightly colored napkin.

“Yeah, I know!” you chirped back, eyes briefly flickering up to meet his gaze before returning to orange pumpkins.

“Is there anything you want to talk about?” It sounded like a question, but really it was an invite. He knew there was something going on with you. Asking you was his way of giving you room to explain yourself before he decided to pry. Usually he was mindful of any boundaries you might have had, but Katsuki was never a fool, and you tended not to open up easily. Sometimes a little pushing and prodding on his part was necessary.

“Not really? Just work, but it was the usual. I’m just tired.” Even as you tried to pass your unusual behaviors off as a bad day at work and exhaustion, you couldn’t hide the sour note that slipped into your voice along with the visible scowl you made. But the emotions were short lived, and you were back to feeling defeated and down within mere seconds.

“Hey...” You felt compelled to look up at him when he softened his voice even more, but everything in you told you to hold back and keep staring at those damn balls of orange on the napkin. Why, you weren’t sure- maybe it was to keep from crying, or maybe it was to suppress the feelings that were slowly surfacing within you, or maybe it was just because you no longer cared. “Are you alright?”

You visibly winced when he asked. Suddenly everything hurt; everything was a mess, it was all wrong, all of it, and you just wanted it to stop. The pain, the numbness, the thoughts- everything. It felt like you hadn’t been able to catch a break since the day you were born. Day in and day out you lived like that, and no one would ever ask if you were okay. No one took the time to check on you properly; no one seemed to notice when you felt like you were at your worst. Well...no one except Bakugou. He’d been your rock for a long time now, but lately everything had gotten much worse, and you had kept certain things from him so as not to burden him with your troubles. In your eyes, he had enough of his own problems; hero work was already rough on him as it was, so you kept things to yourself so he wouldn’t feel overwhelmed. 

“Why does everyone always ask that when it’s already too late?”

The words tumbled uncontrollably from your mouth as your brows furrowed, a pained look clouding your dull eyes. Bakugou took a moment to process what you said before responding, eyes still locked onto you.

“What does that mean?” He already knew. You could hear it through the apprehensiveness in his voice, see it in the way he gritted his teeth anxiously. “Y/N, what does that mean?”

You glared at the blurry orange shape below you (were you crying...?), refusing to look Katsuki in the eyes. You were afraid of what might happen if you did. “I’m just...a waste of space.” There was a strange conviction to your voice, as if you’d made up your mind about something. Bakugou did not miss this. You, however, did miss the flash of fear in his ruby eyes as you spoke. “I cause problems for everyone I meet. I’m just a giant inconvenience to the world, and everyone would be better off without me. I don’t matter.”

“Y/N.”

“Would anybody even care if I was gone? I mean really, what difference am I making here?”

“Y/N, look at me.”

“It would be better that way. People wouldn’t have to deal with me anymore, and I don’t have to deal with all of...this.” You made some sort of gesture with your hands, your voice cracking as you held back hot tears. “Life. It’s just...it’s so exhausting. I’m so, so tired of having to wake up every day and drag myself out of bed and live. Nothing is fun anymore, and it’s hard just to breathe. I mean, seriously!? Come on, ya know? I didn’t ask for this, I don’t want to live like thi-!” You choked up, silent sobs wracking your shoulders as you buried your faced in your hands. 

Across the table, Bakugou slid from his chair and made his way to you, feet thudding against the floor as he quickly closed the distance and kneeled down to your level. “I knew something was wrong, but...” He gently cupped your face in his hands, palms warm against your tear stained cheeks. “How long have you been feeling like this?”

You struggled to remember when this all started. Minutes turned to hours, hours to days, and days to weeks that blurred into months eventually. Time blended together, and you couldn’t recall the last time you felt able to get up in the morning without feeling like it was a chore. “I don’t know...” you answered honestly.

Bakugou rubbed his thumbs against your face carefully, a soft sigh leaving his lips as he brought you into an embrace against his chest. You didn’t fight it, instead leaning into his touch while crying, and the two of you stayed there for quite some time before Katsuki spoke up about how he was feeling.

“You may think that you don’t make much of a difference here on this earth, but that’s just utter bullshit, Y/N. You make a hell of a big difference to me and everyone else around you, and you would be sorely missed and grieved over. Don’t you dare for one second think that you’re not important or loved, because you are; you are so, so loved.”

“It doesn’t feel that way,” you cried.

“I know, babe. It’s hard to see it right now, I know. Your mind is telling you the opposite. But believe me when I say you are the most loving and caring person I know. You’re always reaching out to others, maybe even a little too much, and you’re always checking on them. You’ve made a world of difference to everyone. Your friends need you, your family needs you, and I need you here. And I would be devastated if anything were to happen to you.” It was hard to believe anything he said. You wanted to, you wanted to so desperately. But you weren’t sure of anything anymore, and the most you could do was cling to him like a koala and hope that what he said was true. “Let me in. Let me be there for you. Trust me, please.” You’d never heard those words from Katsuki before. They sounded odd coming from his mouth, like they didn’t really belong on his tongue. But you listened because it was Bakugou, and you wanted to trust him. You wanted to be able to feel okay, and he’d always been there no matter how much you’d tried to push him away.

“Okay,” you murmured against his chest, your tired eyes drooping shut in exhaustion. Your shoulders followed suit as they slumped downwards, and you gave in and crumbled into his arms. 

“You’re not a waste of space. You’re extremely important to me, and I don’t tell you that enough. Every day when you leave for work, I miss you. I love when you come home and greet me, and I’m a better person because of you. Y/N, you’ve gotten me through shit I didn’t think I was going to make it out of. And you know what? We can do this. We can do it together, and it’s going to take a lot of work, but we will do it. You’re not getting rid of me that easy.” You couldn’t help but to smile at that. “And I know you feel like a burden, but you’re not. Your problems are never a bother. People are here for you, they want to help support you and listen to you. I want to support you. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. Everything’s gonna be okay. I love you.” 

You couldn’t stop the fresh tears from falling, quiet hiccups taking over you as you cried into his shirt. “I love you too,” you managed somehow.

Bakugou rubbed a hand over your back, his chin coming to rest on your head as he sighed. “I’m not going to let you give up on yourself, no matter what.”

[mellow-em]

Bittersweet Temptations

CHAPTER 1

[special dt @bluewingedangel <3]

Your neighbors, Nathan and Elena, have been friends with your parents for years. Whether it’d be family gatherings or vacations, they were around; they were family. But when you return home from your final years of college, what will happen when you find that it isn't just them living in the house next door anymore?

_____________________________________

The murky layers of clouds that filled the grey afternoon sky, mutated into the clear blend of colors of the evening sunset.

I rolled the windows down over an hour ago, to let in the crisp breeze of the night to keep myself awake. It really was the longest drive of my entire life. Though, even if it had been drawn out to extremes thanks to the traffic on the highways, it was relaxing nonetheless.

I spin the steering wheel slightly, finally turning into my neighborhood. I let out an exasperated yawn, feeling my whole body yearning to be in my comfy bed again. I was tremendously exhausted.

I looked around at the strips of houses lining both sides of the road; because it had been around 7pm, lights remained visible within the windows, and families were most likely eating dinner.

Our neighborhood was known for being tranquill, that is, when you first enter anyway. The farther down you drive, the more lively it gets. My parents and I happened to live right towards the end of the street, where everybody knew everyone.

From when I was little all the way into highschool, we’d have block parties, barbecues, and random get togethers every chance we could get. Those would last for hours, leading into the am sometimes. It was chaotic most of the time, but I enjoyed it.

Not even a moment later I find myself in front of my house, pulling into the driveway with one swift turn in. I couldn’t even put the car in park before I heard an uproar by the front door, causing me to stifle a laugh and shake my head.

It’s definitely gonna be a long night.

I roll all of the windows up before shutting the car off, stashing my keys away into the side pocket of my shorts. While pushing the door open with my feet, I look up to see both of my parents awaiting to engulf me into a hug.

A warm smile rises on my face as I hug them back.

“We’ve missed you honey,” my mom softly said in my ear, smoothing my hair down before kissing the top of my head.

The hug had met its demise, and I turned around to look at the mountains of boxes overflowing within the backseat and the trunk of my car.

I inaudibly sigh in my head, knowing how time consuming this is going to be.  Luckily mother could probably sense my vexation.

“Your father and I were gonna help you whether you liked it or not, so come on.”

“Thank you, I’m sorry that drive just killed me.”

She looked at me with a knowing expression on her facial features, “This is why I told you we should’ve helped you with heading home.”

I rolled my eyes, “And I insisted that I could take care of it myself,” I walked around to the other side as each of us opened the other doors to the car to start unloading my stuff.

She chuckled, dismissing me with a shake of her head. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on, let's start getting this done so you can go to sleep,” she paused behind me with a box wedged in her hands, “ cause your walkin’ around looking like a damn zombie.”

I scoffed jokingly, “ Ha ha ha, very funny.”

“Get to it y/n!” she called out from inside of the house.

I rolled my eyes yet again while lifting a fairly large pack that held my toiletries, and released a frustrated huff. 

The thoughts of the future began to boil in my brain again, creating that oh so familiar, awful feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I knew for a fact that I couldn’t stay at my parents house for longer than a year, meaning I was going to have to figure all of my shit out within that time frame. Although it may seem like a lifetime away, the rest of my life was really on the line here.

And I couldn’t begin to admit how scared I really was.

Damn I feel like I’m being so unbelievably dramatic.

“Y/n, are you still alive over there?” The distant muffles I barely heard over me mentally walking down memory lane, became crystal clear.

My head jerked up abruptly, as I let out a small yelp, “What?”  

I notice my dad in front of me, with two containers filled with my clothes, and a small bag stacked on top of one another in his hands.

“Didn’t mean to scare ya, kiddo.”

“It's fine, I- what were you saying?”

We started to travel slowly towards the steps to the front porch, as he spoke, “I was sayin’ that we're gonna be having a small get together to celebrate you being back home tomorrow night.”

“Your small get-togethers are never just small dad, do you remember your 40th birthday? You had almost the same amount of people over as the block parties.”

He snickered, “Hey, what can I say, I’m just a popular guy,” the both of us enter the house as he turns to me again, “But I will say, it will more than likely be small. You’re just gonna see a few new faces in the mix.”

I furrow my eyebrows in confusion, “Wait what? Do we have new neighbors or something?”

The both of us walk up the stairs to my room, and place the boxes alongside the wall opposite of my bed.

“Something like that,” he pats my shoulder and hurries out the door to the hallway, leaving me even more confused, “Why do you insist on being so cryptic all the time?”

“I’m gonna get the rest of your stuff!”

I groaned, crashing into the plush comforter that was laying neatly on the bed beneath me. With no delay, my eyelids leisurely closed, and I eventually doze off.

______________________

Heat radiated from my body as I woke from a peaceful sleep. I shifted uncomfortably a few times, feeling the sweat sticking to my body.

No matter how hard I try, sleeping in the heat of this room is going to be like trying to sleep in a damn sauna. Useless.

I rolled over, with the pitch black atmosphere through the windows, and around me, taking up most of my vision.

It’s probably in the middle of the damn night.

I lifted my arm slightly to let my hand feel around the bed, in search of my phone to check the time.

Just my luck, my fucking phone is missing.

I look over to the other side of the room, where the unpacked boxes and containers remained stacked by the wall. The slight glare of the moon's reflection was hitting something on top of the windowsill.

“There you are,” the words fumbled out of my mouth sleepily, while I slowly rose from what felt like my puddles of sweat on the sheets. Stumbling in the process, I made my way over to what was thankfully my phone laying down in the moonlight.

The illumination of the screen screamed at my eyes, causing me to look away for a second, “shit that was bright.”

I adjust my eyes to the light to see the clock on the top of the screen:

3:28am

“Great. Well at least I got some sleep.” I toss my phone across the room, hearing it thump onto the side of my bed.

A wave of heat ran across my arms and legs, reminding me of why I woke up in the first place, “I’m not gonna take the chance of melting any more tonight.”

I reach over to unhinge the latch on top of the window next to me, and open it halfway. A gust of polar air simmered around me almost immediately, swiftly cooling me off to satisfaction.

I close my eyes, letting the nightly winds blow over me, with a relaxed smile forming on my face.

My small moment of tranquility was rudely interrupted by a splash from outside.

My eyes jolted open, and I instantly lurch my head up to look in that direction. To my surprise, the lights were on over Nate and Elena’s; the pool lights.

“Why would-?”

I knew for a fact that it wasn’t Nathan or Elena, knowing that they have a child on the way. Both of them were guaranteed to be asleep.

So who the hell is using their pool at 3 in the damn morning? That question replayed in my head as I stared out towards the pool, waiting to see the whoever it could possibly be.

As if on cue, I watched as the figure emerged from the pool, and a man slowly stepped out while using the ladder at the edge.  

Just like that, it felt that I didn't have control anymore. My curious eyes wandered; lingering all over him.

He wore black swim trunks that were snug on his thighs in all the right places. They sunk down to the lower half of his hips, exposing his very visible trail of hair on the lower half of his abdomen.

The more I drank of him, the more it affected me.

His chest hair glistened from the pool water that began streaming down his abs. My eyes found themselves trickling over his toned biceps, and his scattered variety of tattoos that took up only a few spots on his body.

I knew I had to look away, but I couldn’t.

I finally looked up at his face.

Holy fuck.

The lower half of his face was lined perfectly with stubble, with his seemingly soft lips as the centerpiece. I traveled up his face, noticing the wrinkles that were sketched sparingly across his features.

He ran his hand through his soaked locks of hair that partially hung in front of his face, with his muscles flexed to an extreme. He wandered over to the table and chairs that were by the edge of the pool area; that was much closer to my window.

After reaching for the towel, he rubbed it through his hair, and started drying the rest of his body with it. Him doing so caused me to look him up and down once again. I looked down to his feet, and up to his head. 

Only this time around, I was met with his eyes.

I felt an overwhelming surge of panic, but I was stuck in place. I felt trapped, with no escape from this whatsoever.

I’m such an idiot. I mentally scolded myself for letting my lustful curiosity get the best of me.

The reprimands within my mind were sliced in half, as a sly smirk traced over his lips, creating a few more layers of wrinkles upon his cheeks.

This could be chalked up to be the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever experienced.

I couldn’t decide on whether to focus on his lips or his eyes; it was becoming way too much to handle. I did a frantic dance between the two.

Coincidentally, as soon as our eyes met a final time, one of his eyelids opened and closed in one smooth motion, all while his stare remained fixated on me.

Did he really just do that? Did he just fucking wink at me?

I finally got the stamina to duck away from the window and onto the floor, with my back pressed against my former dorm room cases, and my breathing becoming more irregular by the second

What the fuck just happened?

[kwinsispn3]

Last Resort

anon asked: Hey! I love your work! Do you think you could do a sister!reader fic where Dean, Sam and Cas are away on a long hunt, and the reader (younger, maybe between 11-14) has a panic attack? Since her brothers nor Cas can help, Crowley shows up... Thank you!

Word Count: 1,762

A/N: I know panic attacks can be different for a lot of people, so I kind of just made the panic attack in this story how mine usually are. I also set this before the boys found the bunker since Crowley is still around.  *Also not my gif*

“Hey, wake up.... Y/N c’mon wake up.” Sam said as he shook your sleeping form. 

You rolled over to your side and blinked your eyes open slowly, adjusting to the light shining in from the hallway.

“M’what?” You mumbled.

“Y/N, Cas called us. Dean and I have to leave to go help him, it’s important.”

“What’s going on?” You wondered, looking over at the clock on the nightstand to see that it was 2:30 in the morning. 

“We’ll call you and explain everything later, but we have to leave. We might be gone for a few days but I wanted to let you know.” Sam said frantically.

“Okay, call me in the morning.” You said, still half asleep and not really understanding what was going on. 

Sam nodded and shut the lights off as he and Dean gathered their things before leaving the motel room. You rolled to your other side and fell back asleep within minutes.

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

You woke up the next morning and sat up in bed, looking around, you were confused as to why Sam and Dean weren't there. It took you a minute but you remembered Sam waking you up. Just as you were thinking about where the hell they went, your phone rang.

“Sam?”

“Hey, how’re you doing?”

“Uh, where are you guys and when are you coming back?” 

“Sorry for leaving in such a rush. Cas called us about some other angels that are going around taking people out. Normally he’d be able to handle this himself but they're moving pretty fast.” Sam explained.

“When will you be back?”

“Not sure, but this one might take a few days. Maybe a week at worst, but we’ll keep you updated.”

“What about food?” You asked, glancing at the small motel kitchen. 

“Dean went on a supply run after you fell asleep last night, the fridge should be stocked. We wouldn’t leave you alone if we thought you couldn't handle it.” Sam said.

“Okay, well, hurry back.” 

“We will. Gotta go, we’ll talk to you later.” “Stay safe, Y/N/N.” You heard Dean say in the background.

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

It had been 4 days since the boys left and you were bored out of your mind. You had opened snack after snack, watched way too much tv, and even snuck two of Dean’s beers. You knew he would notice and be pissed off but you didn't even care at the time. 

Just when you thought you would be fine by yourself, you weren't. 

The paranoia started to set in, which happened often when the boys would leave on longer hunts and not take you with them. Sometimes, you were able to brush it off and be patient until they got back. Other times like this, it was like a nagging feeling of terrible thoughts that would set off a panic attack.

There was a string of bad thoughts that kept rushing through your head. Wondering if Sam and Dean would be okay, if they were going to make it back safely, or if they were already dead and you just didn’t know it yet. 

These thoughts sent you pacing back and forth around the motel room. You chewed your lip as you imagined Sam and Dean walking through the door with their bags, trying your best to calm yourself down. 

You sat down on the edge of the bed as you felt your breathing picking up, feeling so panicked and uncomfortable, being alone for longer than you were okay with. You wanted to call Sam and Dean to check in but you didn’t want to be a bother. Your brothers knew that you had occasional panic attacks, but they didn’t know the extent of them. It was also a little embarrassing, so you decided to keep it on the low. 

That’s when your phone rang, seeing it was Sam, you answered almost right away.

“Sammy?” You breathed out.

“Hey kiddo. What’s up?” Dean answered instead.

“Uh, hey.... nothing much.... Is Sam there?”

“Yeah, he just fell asleep in the passenger seat. Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine, just um.... when will you be back?”

“We just finished up actually. We were able to track down the last string of dickhead angels so were on our way back right now.”

“How long?” You asked a little too eagerly. 

“Should be there in about 4 hours, could be less.... You know how I drive.” Dean let out a chuckle. 

“Ok great, hurry back.” Was all you could think of saying before hanging up the phone. 

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

Sam stirred in his seat, waking up and turning to Dean to see his phone in his hand. “What are you doing with my phone?”

“Y/N called, she was just asking where we were.”

“Oh. How is she?”

“Good... sounded a little weird though.”

“What do you mean weird?”

“I dunno. She’s probably just getting impatient.”

Sam took a moment to think about how Dean worded that, realizing you might've been having an episode.

“No more stops tonight, let’s get back as soon as possible.”

“Why?”

“She might be panicking a little bit, we’ve been gone for almost a week.”

“She’ll be fine, she just needs to get used to being on her own.” Dean started being insensitive. 

“Dean, I don’t think you know how panic attacks work.”

“She doesn't still have those, does she?”

“Yes, as far as I know she does, and depending on the person, they can get pretty bad.”

Dean didn't say anything after that and continued to drive faster. 

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

You sat on the floor up against the motel bed and talked to yourself in your head, praying to Cas since your brothers were still a long ways away. You repeated the same message over and over, expecting to see Cas pop up in front of you, but it never happened.

You started to panic even more that you started to repeat your cry for help out loud, not to anyone directly, but in hopes of feeling like someone was listening. 

You weren’t expecting it but someone was listening. 

And that someone was Crowley.

Crowley appeared after minutes of you talking, it scared the shit out of you, making you spring up from where you were sitting. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” You questioned.

“Well, someone is a little uneasy from what I heard.” He glanced back at you.

“Why are you even listening to me?”

“You clearly wanted someone to, and I was in the area.” Crowley said jokingly.

“Sam and Dean aren’t gonna like it when they see that you’re here.” You said as you backed up out of habit.

“Sam and Dean aren’t going to be here for a while now are they love? I might as well give you some sort of company.” He smirked, as he pulled out one of the kitchen chairs to sit down.

“Why are you acting nice?”

“Who said I was acting? The king of hell can’t do little Winchester a favor?”

“Why would you want to though, it’s pretty unlike you.”

“Let’s say I owe you and your brothers one, I can’t always be ruining things can I? That would just be bad for my reputation.” Crowley sassed.

You scoffed at his sarcastic remarks, then realizing that he did a good job of distracting you from how you were feeling.

“Thanks” you gave a small smile, accepting the nice gesture Crowley gave. 

“No need... Well, I guess my work here is done.” Crowley sighed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have business to attend.” Before you could turn around to hear what Crowley was talking about, he was gone. Moments later, you heard a familiar car engine pull up in front of the motel room. 

Perfect timing.

You drew the curtains to reveal your brothers emerging from the car, with Cas already walking up to the door.

You let out a sigh of relief as you welcomed all three of them inside.

“Hello Y/N.....” Cas paused and looked around with suspicion growing on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I had a sense that one from the opposite side was lingering in this vicinity.”

“Okay, I literally understood none of that.”

“There was a demon here at some point. I’m sure of it.”

“Y/N, what’s he rambling about?” Dean asked as he hauled in the last of the things from the impala.

“Uh, I don’t know.” You lied.

Sam could see right through you face and knew something had happened. You didn’t look okay.

“Y/N, was there someone here? Did something try to hurt you?” Sam asked, grabbing Dean’s attention, stopping him from what he was doing.

“Well, Crowley...”

“Crowley!? Was he here?” Dean’s voice boomed.

“Dean, can you please not make a big deal...”

“Big deal!!?”

“Dean, dude seriously chill out. Just tell us what happened, Y/N.” Sam interrupted.

You told the three boys everything that happened. Sam immediately felt bad that he wasn’t there. Dean was worried that his little sister dealt with panic attacks this bad, but he still wasn’t happy that the king of hell just decided to pop in without warning. 

“Y/N/N, why didn’t you tell me over the phone?” Sam asked.

“I didn’t want you to worry. Plus, you were too far anyways.”

“Well next time that happens, you call us, no matter where we are. I promise, you mean more to us than our work, we’d drop everything, even if we were miles away just to get to you.” Sam explained.

“Yeah, what he said.” Dean chimed in.

“Wow, I love how much you care.” You joked.

“You know I love you Y/N/N..... but I’m gonna have to lay down some rules with Crowley, and one of them is no dropping in when I’m not here. I don’t trust that shady punk.”

Sam rolled his eyes and shrugged his arms, motioning for a hug which you gladly accepted.

“Nothing but chick flick moments over here. Get a room.” Dean scoffed.

“Shut up!”

“So, where is Crowley now?” Cas asked innocently.

“Were you even listening the whole time?” Sam asked confused.

“No, there is many things being said over angel radio.” 

“God dammit, Cas.” Dean said as he got up to grab a beer out of the fridge. “Who drank my beers?”

“Wasn’t me...” Sam shrugged. 

You knew you were in big trouble, forgetting about the choices you made earlier. So you slipped out the front door to let Dean cool down, but he had other plans. Sam quietly ratted you out as he motioned to the door that had just shut.

“Y/N! Get back here!” 

Requests are open again!

Tags:

@jackjackljaqui ​@hunting-the-grievers @susan-is-in-the-house@flirtyonsie @mersuperwholocked-lowlife @justsomedreaming

[kuroo-shitsurou]

Bestfriend (College!Childe x College!Reader) PART 1

note: hello! i'm going to be making an entire college au series for the genshin characters ehe. this is a pretty lengthy one so i had to cut it into two parts. i hope you enjoy!

word count: 4.4k

"Why can't I get this shit to work?!"

You checked the clock.

3:28 AM.

Great. You had a half-seven morning class with professor Cyrus, and yet, here you were. Baking cookies at 3:28 AM. Although, baking wasn't really the appropriate term for it. Maybe... burning was a better fit.

You weren't a culinary arts major; Far from it, actually. You were in a college course that needed immense analytical and critical thinking skills: Accounting. You loved your course. You were always amazed by how numbers can always add up properly if you analyzed all the transactions properly beforehand. It also gave you more patience to thoroughly understand each problem presented to you so that you'd end up with the right answer in the end.

Which is why you were so dumbfounded when your cookies looked like pieces of charcoal the moment you took them out of the oven.

You followed the recipe, didn't you? Why don't your baked goodies look like those gorgeous gooey chocolate chip cookies on the website?

That was the... fourth batch of cookies you made that night. Frustrated, you carelessly threw the still-hot baking sheet in the sink. You didn't even mind that there were crumbs and burnt cookie residue in your damp sink. Like, there were burnt cookies on your counter, on your dining table, and even on your stovetop. Why be bothered about the sink, right? You could clean it up in the morning, anyway.

"Why am I even doing this?" You sighed, eyeing how there was a bit of black smoke coming out of your oven. You opened a window and fanned it out to prevent the smoke detector from going off. You didn't need more nuances adding to your already dwindling patience.

Taking in the sight of the flour, sugar, and egg-coated workstation you had, you realized that baking just wasn't your forte. If only your boyfriend was interested in receiving his complete financial statements for the year, then maybe you'd have an easier time in thinking of a present for his birthday.

You looked at the calendar.

July 20th.

It was the day of Childe's birthday.

He informed you yesterday that his friends had invited him to go to a party the night of the 20th to celebrate his birthday, and you politely declined his offer for you to be his plus one. Of course, he was disappointed. You could notice by how his cerulean eyes drooped to the floor and how his thin, pink lips pushed themselves into a pout.

"But... You have to be there, _____." He whined, taking your hands in his.

"I know, Childe. But you know that I have to review my presentation for professor An's class. It's going to make or break my term grade." You were disappointed. You wanted to spend the entire day with Childe, maybe cuddled up in bed, eating hot pizza and watching Netflix. However, you knew how much he loved partying and hanging out with his friends- Kaeya, was it? and the other boys in their fraternity. You disapproved of his frat-boy party-going lifestyle, but you didn't want to impose, so you just kept it to yourself.

"But it's my birthday," He reasoned, voice laced with sadness.

"I know, darling. I know. We can still spend the entire afternoon together before you head out to party with your friends... If you want. You're free for the entire day, right?" Your voice faltered a bit, unsure of whether he'd accept your proposal or not.

"Mhm! I'd be more than happy to spend the whole afternoon tomorrow with you, babe. We can hit the amusement park, or maybe watch a movie, or maybe have a picnic, or..."

As Childe continued to ramble on about all the possible plans you could do tomorrow, you couldn't help but smile at him. How his demeanor changed, and how he could never seem to hold a grudge against you even if he was upset. He spoiled you so much and you wanted to let him know that you appreciate him as much as he loves you.

And... Here you were.

You didn't expect baking to be so hard. You thought that following a simple recipe would lead to a great outcome the first time around.

Look how that turned out for you. Your tokens of appreciation for Childe were there. In the sink, on the counter, on the dining table, and on the stovetop. All burnt and inedible.

"Fuck this baking thing, I'll just get Zhongli to help me before lunch." You muttered, taking off your apron and retreating to your couch. You didn't want to sleep in your bed because your clothes were still messy, but you were too tired to clean up (too pissed to even care, to be honest).

And so, you flopped on the couch and set an alarm for 6:00 AM before you drifted off to sleep, dreaming of burnt baking pans and noisy smoke detectors.

-

The annoying sound of your alarm rang in your ears like a never-ending mockery of how your life is going. Why do morning classes exist? Why do alarms exist?

You groggily rubbed your eyes and rolled off the couch, landing on the carpet with a soft "thud". You blindly felt around the coffee table to look for your phone. Upon feeling the silicone texture of your case, you pulled it towards your chest and squinted your eyes as the bright display of the lock screen glared against your eyeballs.

You opened your phone by using the passcode (0720, go ahead and guess what that means) and tapped on the green message icon to open your texts. You then quickly typed out a message for a certain history major.

[ Hey, Zhongli, mind if you help me out before lunch later so I could bake some cookies for Childe? ]

Sent 6:04 AM.

You looked up at the ceiling and waited for a while, already planning out your itinerary for the day. The ding! of your phone was heard, waking you more than you already were.

[ I don't see why not. I have a vacant period right before lunch. I'm off at 9:00 and I'm vacant until noon. Are you free then? ]

Received 6:06 AM.

You couldn't help but grin. Zhongli was so kind. He was Childe's friend since high school, and although you found him somehow... creepy because of the knowledge he possesses (Seriously, was his brain implanted with a computer chip or something?), you still considered him a good friend.

[ Thank you so much! Yeah, I only have one class today anyway. I'll meet you in front of the main building by 9:00. ]

Sent 6:08 AM.

You got up from the carpet and stretched for a bit, wincing when the small burn on your arm stung. You had a few cuts and burns on your hands, fingers, and arms because of how clumsy you were in the kitchen, but it was fine. Who doesn't fuck up from time-to-time

You headed to the kitchen to clean up. You dumped all the burnt biscuits into a large garbage bag, wiped the counters, and put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Most of the mess was already gone and disposed of, and you whispered to yourself that you could probably deep-clean later that evening after reviewing your presentation.

The ding! of your phone brought your attention back, and you smiled at Zhongli's response.

[ I'll see you then, _____. I appreciate you doing all this for Childe. ]

Received 6:15 AM.

You quickly made your way to your bedroom and grabbed different pieces to throw together a decent outfit. You assumed that Childe wouldn't let you go by the time that your little date would begin, so it's best to be prepared.

You hopped in the shower and did your morning routine, making sure to use your favorite body wash, which happened to be Childe's favorite scent. You dried your hair afterwards and threw on the outfit you prepared earlier. You checked your phone.

6:45 AM.

There weren't any new messages from Childe, so you assumed that he was still asleep. After all, it's his day-off from uni. The lucky bastard got to get one whole day without lectures, and the freest day you had still required you to attend one morning lecture.

"I have to rush to McDonald's if I want to make it in time," You whispered, grabbing your bag and slipping your shoes on before rushing out the door.

You wanted to buy Childe a nice breakfast before heading to your own class. So, you sprinted to the McDonald's just a corner away from your dorm and stood in line. You ordered his favorite breakfast meal: A big breakfast deluxe set with hot chocolate, five-piece nuggets, and a side of apple pie. You also ordered a McGriddle for yourself that you could sneakily bite out of in class.

Childe's apartment was right beside the McDonald's you went to, so it wasn't any trouble reaching where he was. You checked your phone again.

7:10 AM.

Crap. Twenty minutes until your lecture with professor Cyrus. Childe still seemed to be asleep, so you decided to leave his breakfast with the receptionist, Verr Goldet. She already knew who you were because of how often Childe invites you to his apartment.

"I'm really sorry to leave this with you, Verr. But I have to get to class in twenty minutes and I think that Childe is still asleep." You said sheepishly, placing the paper bag on her counter and fiddling with the strap of your bag.

"Oh, _____, you act as if I'm a stranger!" She laughed, taking the paper bag and placing it behind her. "Don't worry, I'll keep it warm for him. Would you like to leave a note?"

"Ah, yes please!" You took a piece of paper and a pen from your bag and scribbled a short message for the ginger.

Happy birthday, Childe! Have a hearty breakfast, I got your favorites. I'll see you later for lunch, okay? I love you! ♡

You tried to make your handwriting as neat as possible, and even added a messy doodle of the man himself. Although, it did look more like a potato than the man you were trying to draw.

"How cute you are." Verr sighed, "It must be nice to feel the wonders of youth."

"Thank you so much, Verr! I really have to get going if I want to get to uni in time."

"You're welcome, _____!"

You bid your farewells and headed out of the apartment's lobby, walking towards the shuttle stop nearest to you. You had at least fifteen minutes before professor Cyrus' class. The shuttle was about ten minutes away from uni, and it would take you a little over five minutes to get to his lecture hall. While waiting for the shuttle, you quickly tapped out a message for your boyfriend.

[ I left something with Verr for you downstairs. You better get it as soon as you wake up ♡ ]

Sent 7:15 AM.

The shuttle arrived as soon as you hit send. You showed your ID to the driver and scrambled for a seat, shoving earbuds in your ears to drown out the rest of the world with a bit of music. Fortunately, the shuttle ride was quicker than usual since there were lesser stops for that day. You gave a light bow to the driver before you rushed out of the shuttle doors and bolted to get to your lecture hall.

It was on the third floor of the left wing of the main building. You were desperately trying to catch your breath as you felt a burn rising in your lungs. You wanted to puke because of how hungry and tired you felt so early in the morning, but you brushed it off.

You sprinted down the hallway to professor Cyrus' lecture hall, seeing that nearly all the seats were occupied. There were still a few vacant seats at the back, but you were glad to see your friend, Xingqiu, waving you over from the middle row.

"Thanks for saving me a seat," You thanked your blue-haired friend, fixing your hair and disheveled clothes. You sat down just in time as professor Cyrus walked into the lecture hall and began setting up his laptop to present.

"No worries. I knew you'd be late. It's Childe's birthday today, no? You've been talking about it all week. I already expected that you'd do something for him this morning." He said, not even batting an eyelash as he carefully opened his laptop in front of him.

"That predictable, huh?" You chuckled, placing your own laptop on the table and taking out the McGriddle you shoved in your bag earlier. Professor Cyrus seemed to be tweaking a few things on his presentation, so you decided to use the spare minutes to eat the sandwich you purchased.

You scarfed it down in a few bites, leaving Xingqiu confused and a bit scared. He thought you were going to choke.

"Didn't you have breakfast before you left your dorm?" He asked, marveling at how you managed to eat the McGriddle in- four, maybe five? bites.

"I mean, I bought this," You said, motioning to the crumpled up wrapper in your hand. "It was getting late since I dropped by Childe's apartment to leave him his breakfast."

"How charming of you, _____." Xingqiu chuckled, slipping on his glasses.

"I wonder if he's awake now," You mumbled, loud enough for Xingqiu to hear, but he didn't react to it.

You opened your phone and saw seven messages from your dorky boyfriend.

[ _____ you're gonna make me cry ]

Sent 7:28 AM.

[ Where are you now? Are you already at uni? ]

Sent 7:29 AM.

[ God, I love you so much, _____! You even got me nuggets!! ]

Sent 7:30 AM.

[ I love you sooo much!! You're so cute it's unreal!! Btw, is this supposed to be me?? Do I really look like that??!! ]

Sent 7:31 AM.

[ I'm so lucky to have you, _____. You really are the sweetest!! ]

Sent 7:31 AM.

[ I'll see you later at noon. I'll pick you up at your dorm, okay? ]

Sent 7:32 AM.

[ You must be in class now. Good luck!! I'm already eating. Thank you so much, darling! I love you!! ♡ ]

Sent 7:34 AM.

You couldn't help but smile at how his aura radiated even through the screen of your phone. You clicked on the notification from Instagram and it opened to a video on Childe's story. It was a boomerang of him making a winky face and then showing his meal neatly placed on his table.

There was a caption beside a heart sticker which read:

What a great way to start my birthday. Thanks to my lovely @_____. I love you so much! ♡

A familiar warmth spread throughout your chest and you couldn't help but smile at how sweet he was. It was amazing, really. Childe's words and actions always had such an effect on you, and it didn't even matter how you were the one who did a romantic gesture for him because you were here all blushy and gushy over his sickeningly sweet messages of affection.

You put your phone away as soon as professor Cyrus soon started his lecture on the different trading policies limited by oversea regulations- or something like that.

The lesson itself was interesting, but you couldn't help to nod off and daydream about your wonderfully dorky boyfriend and his beautiful eyes, his cute button nose, his slim cheeks, his pink lips.

Childe sneezed.

-

As soon as the last bell rang, you quickly gathered your things and shoved them in your bag. You nodded a swift goodbye to Xingqiu before running off to the entrance of the main building.

Zhongli messaged you that his lecture ended earlier than expected, and that he was waiting for you by the entrance already.

You saw the brunette sitting on one of the benches, a thick history book in hand and reading glasses firmly sitting on top of his nose. You noticed a few girls just a couple of feet away from him. They were eyeing him up, probably drinking in the sight of this beautifully constructed creature.

You chuckled. It was common for you to be more aware of people fawning over Childe and Zhongli. They were a couple of incredibly hot males, you knew that. You got used to the sight of other people gawking and eye-fucking your boyfriend and his bestfriend that it was just hilarious and amusing at this point.

"Zhong!" You called, earning the attention of both Zhongli and the group of girls.

"Ah, _____. Glad you're finally here." He closed his book and tucked it away in his satchel (This man owned a satchel) before he stood up to greet you.

"Were you waiting long? Sorry." You said sheepishly.

"No, not at all. I was enthralled by this one chapter on the Ming Dynasty and their more underrated feats. History never fails to amuse me." Zhongli replied, a glint sparkling in his amber eyes.

"Hey, um," You inched yourself closer to him, "Mind if we go on ahead? Some of your fangirls are scaring the hell out of me." From the corner of your eye, you could see how they were drilling holes at your head from staring too hard. You could've sworn one girl was even holding her phone up, as if taking a photo.

"What?" The taller man whipped around to look at the girls and they scurried off upon seeing the intimidating glare in his eyes.

"You and Childe really attract attention everywhere you go, don't you?" You chuckled, walking towards the shuttle station.

"Childe, certainly. He, along with his... fraternity brothers do attract quite the crowd whenever they are together. As for myself, I doubt it. I'm more of the silent-type compared to him, anyway."

"Are you kidding me?" You bit your tongue to hold back the thought.

"I see."

"Those girls look familiar, though." He mentioned.

"Oh? Maybe history majors as well?"

"_____, if they were history majors, I would've at least recognized their faces more clearly. I feel like I've seen them somewhere."

"Ah, my bad. You and your eerily accurate memory." You teased, climbing onto the shuttle and sitting on one of the empty seats.

"It is not eerie, thank you very much." He retorted with a snarky tone, joining you on the seat.

"Of course it isn't. You remember what I said to Childe when we were watching that one movie Rex Lapis: Revenge of the Fallen?"

"Indeed I do. You said, "Rex Lapis would be hot if he was a human, don't you think?" and Childe replied, "Yeah, but I could probably beat him up. I'd be way hotter than him." It was comedy, really. Rex Lapis, although a fictional figure, has far more capabilities than Childe could even dream of."

"Do you... not see the eerie part of that?"

"What? That Childe thinks he can beat up an actual Archon?"

"No... Zhongli, we watched that movie three years ago."

"Your point is?"

"...I can't even remember what I had for lunch yesterday."

"Childe bought you some sushi."

"See what I mean?!"

"That means you have a poor memory, _____." Zhongli laughed at your face curling into a frown. "Anyway, while you were entertaining me with your banter, I recalled why those girls are so familiar."

"Do tell."

"They're part of Childe's posse."

You could've sworn your heart leapt to your throat. You knew that your boyfriend was pretty much sculpted by the Archons themselves, but, really? a fucking posse?

Zhongli noticed how the lump in your throat bobbed, and he decided that it was better to calmly explain how and why he knew about it.

"See, it was during the first year of university. Childe started hanging around Kaeya and his other fraternity brothers. There was this one occasion where Childe was nearly black-out drunk in a bar. If I didn't see on Kaeya's Instagram story, I wouldn't have known," You noticed how Zhongli's face visibly darkened, "These girls were hanging off him like koalas to a strong tree branch. It was unsightly."

"I... see."

"Although he was about to pass out, he pushed them away. Charming, really. He was already crazy about you even during the first year of uni. Even though you weren't together yet, he didn't want to "cheat" on you by entertaining other females." A soft smile made its way to your face upon hearing Zhongli's confession about how your boyfriend felt about you.

"I'm determined to make these cookies a success," You said determinedly.

"Glad to hear it. It seems we're already at your dormitory. You still have enough ingredients for the cookies, right? I assume you failed quite a few times yesterday."

"How did you even know?"

Zhongli once again laughed as you stepped off the shuttle, "Lucky guess."

Unbeknownst to the two of you, three figures were following you the moment you left the campus.

-

"_____ is so sweet! They got my favorite breakfast this morning." Childe mindlessly gushed over his significant other.

Diluc wasn't really one to listen to other people ramble on and on about feelings and love and romance, but it was his friend's birthday. He'd let it slide.

"Bro, that's just gross," Kaeya spat, taking a chug of his beer.

"Oh, shut up, Kaeya. Just because you don't plan on committing to anyone doesn't mean the people around you are obligated to do so as well." Diluc rebutted, without even looking up from his journal.

"You're in college. It's the time when you're supposed to have a shit ton of flings, no commitment. And yet you're here being loyal to _____?" Kaeya glared at Diluc, but the redhead only flipped him off.

"I don't see the problem with that." Childe spoke up, toying with the bracelet on his wrist. It was a gift from you during your first anniversary. You said you made it yourself, and although Childe could purchase all the expensive jewelry and accessories he wanted, this particular bracelet meant more to him than anything.

"The problem is _____'s going to hold you back!" Childe knew that Kaeya was half-drunk and it was still before noon, so he didn't really take his words seriously. "They aren't going to the party later, right?"

"No, unfortunately. They have to review a presentation for professor An's class."

"Hah! Review my ass. If I knew any better, that little toy of yours is just messing around with some other dude."

"Watch yourself." Childe stood up from his seat. He knew that Kaeya disapproved of their relationship because it wasn't really a "frat-boy" thing, but he didn't care about that. He cared about you more than a stupid reputation, and definitely more than a stupid lifestyle of partying, getting high, and getting drunk.

"Back up, softie. _____'s pussyness rubbing of on 'ya?" Kaeya's words were slurred, but Childe knew that there was malicious intent behind them.

"Look, I don't care about what you say about me. Call me a softie? Call me a pussy? I don't really give a shit. But the moment you start shitting on my _____? Don't even consider that I'd just stand around and let them be slandered, you piece of fuck." Childe was a few centimeters taller than Kaeya, and he always used that to his advantage when he wanted Kaeya to understand his point.

"Whatever you fucking say. It's your birthday, I'm not gonna fight with you on your birthday." Kaeya lightly pushed Childe away from him before downing the rest of the beer can in his hand.

"Don't mind him," Diluc spoke, staring into Childe's eyes. "He never thinks straight, whether drunk or sober."

"Yeah, I kinda got the message." The ginger chuckled, watching as Kaeya nearly tripped over his own feet while walking towards the case of beer supposedly for the party tonight.

"I'm glad that you and _____ are still getting along. It's refreshing to see normal people once in a while."

"Well, when you put it that way." Childe could only laugh.

"Where's the tall brunette at? Isn't he always with you?"

"Ah, you mean Zhongli? I don't know, actually. He has a lecture this morning and I wanted to meet him for a light meal before lunch, but he isn't answering my texts."

"I see."

As if on cue, Childe's phone emitted a soft ding!

He typed in his password and the screen faded into a photo of you. You were wearing one of his hoodies (it was way too big on you) and he could've fainted because of how absolutely adorable you looked.

He received a few Instagram DMs from Ellin. Ellin was a member of their posse. Childe would rather refer to them as "fraternity friends", but she insisted otherwise.

[ You're seriously praising _____ for being a good partner? Poor you, dear. ]

Received 9:41 AM.

He frowned.

[ What are you talking about? Mind your business. ]

Sent 9:42 AM.

[ Oh? It's not my business, sure. But you might wanna see this. ]

Received 9:44 AM.

[ 3 Images Attached ]

Received 9:44 AM.

Childe's eyes widened. Ellin sent three photos.

The first one was a photo of you and Zhongli standing awfully close to each other in front of the university's main building.

The second one was of you and Zhongli sitting beside each other in the shuttle.

The last one was... you and Zhongli entering your dormitory building.

"What the..."

He checked his messages to see if either you or Zhongli texted him about the ordeal. However, he was only greeted by messages wishing him a happy birthday from some of his family and friends back in their hometown. No messages from Zhongli, and no new ones from you.

"What the hell?"

He quickly typed out a message for his bestfriend. He didn't jump to conclusions; He trusted both of you, but what was this feeling in his gut? It felt icky, gross, and disgusting.

[ Where are you rn? Answer me. ]

Sent 9:46 AM.

His foot tapped against the floor at a rapid pace. Diluc wanted to question him, but the worried look on the ginger's face made him bite his tongue.

Childe wasn't the type of person to jump to conclusions, nor was he the type of person to get upset immediately over trivial things. But upon receiving an irksome reply from the amber-eyed bestfriend he knew and love, his blood began to boil.

[ None of your business. ]

Received 10:05 AM.

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

Long distance

Summary: Falling in love with an Army Captain just weeks before he had to leave again, wasn’t something she had planned on. And Sy didn’t even know how much he wanted to have a family until she told him she was pregnant 2 months into his deployment.

Pairing: Syverson / Reader

Wordcount: 4.2k

Warnings: fluff; implied smut

A/N: I think this might be the longest fic I wrote that doesn’t include any actual smut. Let’s see if people read it anyways lol

Masterlist

His palms were sweaty. His heart was beating a hundred miles a minute. He could feel the tiredness in his bones. Not only from the flight, but from the last 8 months. His last 8 months of being in the army. Now he was standing here, in front of the door that separated him from the real world. This wasn’t fear he was feeling. This was pure excitement. He had always wondered in the many years he served, how he would feel when he stepped through these doors for the last time, coming back from deployment. 

He pictured himself not knowing what to do with himself. Maybe he would build houses again, like he did back when he was younger with his father. Before he died. His brother had taken over the family business. He wanted to spend time with his brother. His family. Shaking his head Sy smiled to himself.

What he never would have thought was that after 8 months he would come back to a girlfriend he met only 6 weeks before he had to leave for his last deployment. And what Sy never would have even dared to dream off were the two twin baby girls he was about to meet for the first time. His twin girls.

10 months ago

“Sy….” She looked at him. The man she only met two weeks ago. He looked peaceful in his deep slumber. His face relaxed. Slowly her fingers brushed over his cheek, seeing him frown.

“Sy… Wake up.” She whispered, her face coming closer to kiss his cheek.

She heard him groan, his arm pulling her even closer than she already was, making her chuckle.

“Sy you told me to wake you up. Now….” She turned in his arms, crawling on top of him. “Wake up.” She kissed his nose, his forehead, his eyes, his chin. Slowly his eyes fluttered open. Tired blue eyes looked up at her.

“Why is your naked body on top of my naked body?” He asked, his voice heavy with sleep.

“Oh… I don’t know….” She grinned, pushing her boobs against his chest, making him groan. She could feel just how much he was enjoying this on her lower belly.

“Apparently you sleep like a stone, Captain.” She teased, making him smirk.

“You kinda wore me out last night, Peach.” His big hands landed on her ass.

“Oh… I’m sorry Captain Syverson. I’ll keep in mind to stop you the next time you drag me to your bed…” She pushed herself up. Sy looked up at her. The early sunrise made her appear like an angel. His angel.

“So why did you want me to wake you this morning?” She asked. It was sunday, and it was before 8 am. He knew that she was always up early. They had met only 2 weeks ago in the local grocery store. She had moved here only a couple months before for her job. Working as a english teacher at the local school.

He looked so out of place in his red shirt and cargo pants, standing in front of the ice cream, trying to decide for a flavour.

“You look like a nut kind of guy.” Were the first words she had ever spoken to him.  He had looked at her, with the intention of probably ignoring her words, when his eyes met hers. She had felt it there too. Like being struck by lightning through her whole body. She had invited him for ice cream the very next day. 

Shaking her head she thought it was best not to dwell on the past weeks and instead focus on the time they had left before Sy had to leave. She raised her eyebrow at him.

“I wanted you to wake me, so we can do this.” He grinned, before he pulled her down against his chest, his lips finding hers as he turned her so she was on her back with him on top of her.

“Let’s wear us both out some more, hm?” He whispered against her lips as his hand parted her legs.

9 months ago

Goodbyes were not something Sy was used to. Sure he said goodbye to his brother before he went back to wherever the Army wanted him. But this was the first time his heart felt this heavy as he had to leave. 

She looked beautiful in the driver's seat, focused on the street as she drove him to the airport as he held her hand. He had told her he loved her only three days ago. Never in his life had he told a woman he loved her, but he loved her. 

“Stop staring at me, Cap.” She mumbled, her words followed by a yawn. They had spent the whole night making love to each other. He knew she wasn’t wearing any underwear under the thin summer dress she had put on to drive him to the airport, and he desperately tried not to think of how easy it would be….

“I’m serious Sy.” She looked at him from her side. He grinned to himself, turning his head to look out of the window where he could already see the base approaching. 

“Can’t blame me for looking at you, Peach.” He said. 

The rest of the drive they were silent, hanging on to their own thoughts. He almost jumped in his seat when the car stopped and she killed the engine.

Turning in her seat she looked at him.

“I can’t believe I’m one of those girls…” She whispered, looking at him.

“One of what girls?” He asked, turning towards her.

“One of these girls who say don’t forget me when you’re away.” She sucked her bottom lip in, and he could see the unshed tears in her eyes. He shook his head, as he leaned towards her, kissing her deeply. He breathed her in, his hand on the back of her head, his fingers feeling the silk of her hair. 

“I’ll be back before you know it.” He whispered against her lips.

“Promise?” She asked. He nodded, kissing her again. Forehead against forehead they looked into each other’s eyes, savouring the last touches before Sy smiled.

“Don’t dump me for some third grader from your school. I know they are cuter than I am.” 

“Idiot.” She slapped his chest.

“Your idiot.” He grinned.

“I love you.” She whispered.

“I love you too.” He kissed her again, before he breathed in deep and opened the passenger’s door of the car.

8 months ago

“I was doing laundry today and for some reason, some of my panties seem to be missing.” She said. Sy was laying on his bed, his phone propped on his chest as he looked at her on the little screen. It was the middle of the night back at home, yet she always took time to talk to him, no matter the hour he called.

“Hmm…” He hummed, biting his lip in deep thought.

“You are so full of shit.” She shook her head, rolling her eyes with a smile.

“Don’t speak to your Captain like that.” He said sternly, his eyebrow raised, while his hand searched for the flimsy piece of fabric he stole from her, holding it in front of the camera.

“You're not my captain, Sy. You are a thief.” She let her head fall against the mattress, groaning.

“You okay, Peaches?”

“Yeah. Everything’s fine. Just a little unwell.”

“I wish I could be there for you.”

“But you are, Sy.” She smiled, turning in her bed. He saw her get under the covers, her head resting on her pillow.

“Talk to me until I’m asleep?” She asked.

“Of course.” He smiled.

7 months ago

Call me as soon as you can.

The message reached him in the middle of a mission. He only found the time to answer her two days later. The reception had been shit the last couple of days, so as soon as he was back at the base he excused himself and grabbed the satellite phone, dialing her number. 

“Oh my god Sy.” He heard the relief in her voice.

“Hey Peach. Everything okay?” He asked, closing the door behind him.

“I was worried when you didn’t answer.” She said. He sighed.

“I was on a mission in the middle of nowhere. So… You okay?” He asked again. He was met with silence on the other end of the line.

“Sy I’m pregnant.” The whole world seemed to stop as he heard those words. Blinking, he looked out of the dusty window of his office.

“You’re pregnant.” He repeated, at loss of words.

“With Twins Sy. You knocked me up with twins.” He could hear her crying. The ability to form words seemed to have left him. Here he was. Thousands of miles away from the woman he loved. The pregnant woman that he loved.

“Sy?” She asked quietly.

“Sorry. I’m just… surprised?” He asked.

“You’re not upset?”

“Why would I be upset?”

“Because we only know each other for like 3 months and you’ve been gone almost half of those.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that I love you. You and our two… fuck. I’m gonna be a dad.” He ran a hand to his short hair.

“But… How? I mean we only had sex without a condom once and I made sure to pull out…”

“Apparently not fast enough Cap.” She sighed.

“How do you feel?” He asked her.

“How do I feel? Scared? Overwhelmed? Hungry? I have no idea how I feel. I miss you.”

“I miss you too. But… We’re gonna be okay. You. Me. The babies.” Sy said.

“You’re in on this? You won’t leave me alone with this mess?”

“I love you, Peach. We’re in this together.”

6 months ago

“I swear to god if you weren’t so far away I would slap your head.” She groaned, but had a small smile on her lips.

“Peach... “ Sy grinned. He was sitting in his office, about to have a briefing, but he wanted to see her before that. What he didn’t count in was her answering him completely naked.

“What? My boobs hurt. These little beans sure do start producing their food early.”

“God I wish I was there. I would find a way to make you feel better….” He hummed. He could feel his pants becoming uncomfortably tight as she kept the camera on her upper body.

“Such as?” She asked.

“Mhh…. Massaging your whole body as long as you can still lay on your stomach… Making you forget about your boobs by making you cum…” He whispered. He could see her blushing, her nipples hardening.

“I hate you.” She pouted. He smiled.

“I love you too.”

5 months ago

“Dismissed.” Sy said. The men in front of him nodded and turned around, leaving one by one until only he remained. He sighed as he looked at the clock. Right about now a doctor would find out if they were having boys or girls. Or both. 

It was getting harder and harder for him to actually focus on the work he was sent here to do. His thoughts now always went back to, was he doing the right thing? Could he get home earlier to be with the woman he loved? Those weren’t thoughts he was used to. 

Before her, there was no way he would even think of going home earlier. He was going to  have a week off in a month, just in time for her birthday and he planned to surprise her. He already put his brother on packing his stuff. 

They talked about that it would be for the best if Sy moved in with her. She had the bigger house, and frankly he didn’t care where he lived, as long as he was close to her. Sy also thought about asking her to marry him. Because that was the thing people did when they were expecting, was it? But he wanted to do it right. And not just because it was the right thing to do. He loved her, there was no question in his mind about it. But if she agreed to be his wife, she deserved the wedding she always dreamed off. Even if he had no idea what she dreamed off, because that topic never came up in their conversations. A video call interrupted his train of thoughts. Answering the call on his laptop, he could feel himself getting nervous.

“Hey Cap.” He heard her voice, before the picture connected. She was still wearing the hospital robe.

“Hey Peach. How are you?” He asked.

“Tired, but excited. We’re about to find out what we’re having.” She smiled.

“We are?” He asked. She nodded at him, as someone took her phone. 

“Hey bro.” He saw his brother’s face before the camera showed her laying next to the ultrasound.

“Hello Captain Syverson. Are you ready?” The doctor asked.

“I’m excited.” He breathed, looking at the love of his life. He could already see that she was crying.

“Don’t cry, Peach. Dan, Goddamn it take her hand.” Sy said. He heard his brother chuckle, before Dan took her hand.

“Okay. Ready?” The doctor asked. Sy only nodded. He never even thought he would have the opportunity to be there. At that moment. He wanted to kiss her for including him. 

A sound he never heard before reached his ears.

“Strong heartbeat from both, as expected.” The doctor said. Sy smiled. He was hearing his babies’ heartbeats.

“They both look very strong, just like we want them to.” The doctor continued. 

“They are so big already.” She sighed.

“Still a long way to go though.” His brother said.

“Yeah. We’re around halfway through, still a lot of growing to look forward to. Now… Are you guys ready to find out what you’re having?” 

“Yeah.” She said, looking straight at the camera. He only nodded.

“Okay… Let’s see…” The camera switched to the little screen of the ultrasound. He could see the doctor’s finger pointing.

“Yup. There’s no doubt. You are having twin girls.” He heard the voice of the doctor.

“Girls?” She and him asked at the same time.

“Girls.” The doctor repeated.

“Wow.” Sy said.

“I love you so much, baby.” She took the camera and he could see her big smile and the happy tears in her face.

“I love you too, Peach.” He smiled back, wishing nothing more than being there so he could kiss her.

4 months ago

Today Sy would move in with her. They talked everything through and organized his stuff being moved to her place. What she didn’t know was that Sy would indeed be there for the move and her birthday the next day.

“She’s gonna freak out.” Dan said as he hugged his brother, after picking him up from the airport with the moving truck.

“I hope in a good way.” He sighed.

“Please. She’s so in love with you. I never once heard her complain about anything, and I’ve been spending a lot of time with her lately to organize your move and help her.”

“I know. It’s just… Why is this happening now, and not in half a year, when I’m here to help?”

“Because life has its own plan, big brother.” Dan smiled.

“Sissy, we’re here. I brought some help.” Dan called as he opened the door for Sy to step in.

“I’ll be right down. I felt like I need to pee for the millionth time today.” She called back, making Sy chuckle.

“You have an hour before all the helpers show up. I’ll be back then too.” Dan whispered to him, squeezing Sy’s shoulder.  He nodded, watching his brother leave as he slowly walked further into the house. He had been here often enough before he had to leave, yet he could see the little changes. She was making space for his stuff in her living room. 

Apparently they would keep his couch, because hers was nowhere to be seen. On the dinner table were so many pink congratulations cards. He picked one up, his thumb brushing over the glitter writing of “It’s two girl!” the “a” being crossed out on the card and a two written over instead. He smiled. He would be back in 3 ½ months just in time to see his girls being born. He would live in a house full of girls and he couldn’t wait for it.

“Dan, do you think it’s okay if I order just some pizza later? I really didn’t feel like….” He heard her voice behind her, followed from a gasp. Turning around, he smiled.

“Surprise?” He shrugged

“Oh my god, Sy.” She whispered, before she practically jumped into his arms. He pulled her close, his nose in her hair, as he breathed her in deeply.

“Hey, Peach.” He whispered.

“What are you doing here?” She asked, her hands coming up to frame his face.

“Took a week off to be here for your birthday.” He said. He looked in between them, down to her growing belly. Slowly his hands ran down, until both of them lay on her belly.

“This is really happening.” He whispered, before he looked up at her again.

“You bet it is.” She smiled before she pulled him down so she could kiss him.

3 months ago

“I’m so tired Sy.” She groaned. “These girls are always having a party just when I am about to fall asleep.” 

Sy looked at her on his tiny phone. They had a visit from some military officers today and he had to shave. This was the only time he had to talk to her this week.

“Want me to talk to them?” He asked.

“You think they’re gonna listen to you?” She asked, chuckling.

“Hey, I’m their Dad. They better start listening to me.”

“Allright.” She grinned, changing the angle on her phone so it was laying on top of her belly.”

“Talk to them, baby.” He heard her say. Sy smiled.

“Girls. Leave your mommy to get some rest. She needs her sleep so you can grow to be healthy and happy little girls.” Sy said. He heard her laugh, before he saw her face again.

“I think it might be working, they stopped.” She shook her head.

“See? Already listening to their dad.” He grinned, putting the razor down.

“You look sexy like that.” She whispered.

“Like what?”

“Without a shirt. God I’m so horny all the time lately….” She sighed. He crocked his eyebrow.

“I thought the five days we spent in bed when I was there would had helped you with that.”

She shook your head.

“I just want to be fucked. I get wet looking at the weirdest things lately….”

Sy groaned.

“Don’t make me quit my last job just to come and fuck you.”

“Would you?”

“I would do anything for you, Peach.”

2 months ago

“I have bad news.” Sy groaned on the phone. He tried everything to not have to do this. He argued with everyone about it but there was no getting out of it. Frustrated he ran a hand over his short hair.

“What is it?” He heard her ask.

“I have to stay for a month longer, cause the Captain after me has to have surgery and won’t recover in time.”

“You won’t be here when the girls are born?” She asked.

“I’m so, so sorry, Peach. I tried everything. I talked to everyone. There’s no way of changing it.” 

“It’s not fair.” He could hear her sniff.

“I know.” He sighed.

“I want their daddy to be there when they are born. I want you to hold my hand. I need you, Sy.” She whispered. It broke his heart to hear her like that.

“I’m so sorry Peach.” He sighed.

3 weeks ago

It was the middle of the night when Sy was woken up by his phone. He tended to sleep on his phone lately, waiting for his Love to go into labour. Blinking his eyes open he searched for his phone before he answered.

“Baby?” He heard a weak whisper, followed from a grunt in pain.

“I’m here, Peach. What’s going on?” He asked, being awake immediately.

“It’s time. The babies are coming.”

He tried to stay on the phone the whole time. Yet he missed the actual moment of his girls being born because he had to work. He missed their first cry. Their first bath. The first time being held by their mother. But this was not the time to be sorry about everything he missed. He never had to leave them again, to be so far away. They had both agreed that it would be best if the babies stayed at home with Dan. Breathing in deep he stepped forward, the door opening for him. Immediately his eyes found hers. A bright smile graced her lips as she saw him. Quickly he walked over to her, letting his bags fall to the ground, catching her in his arms as she jumped, her lips connecting with his.

“I missed you. So much.” She whispered, clinging to him.

“Missed you more.” He whispered back.

“Okay let’s go home. I’ve only been gone for half hour, and I’m already going insane and feel like the worst mother ever.” She sighed.

“You are the best mother ever.” Sy said, picking his bags up from the floor as she began to walk towards the exit.

“And you’ll be the best dad.” She smiled.

It was a short ride from the airport to his new home. He could feel himself getting nervous the closer they got. And when she parked her car in the driveway he was a nervous mess.

“What if they don’t like me? They have no idea who I am?” He whispered. She killed the engine turning in her seat, taking his hand.

“They will love you, Sy. You are their father. The best father they could have dreamed of.” She kissed his cheek. 

“Okay. Let’s go and meet my girls.”

He followed quietly after she opened the door. Taking his shoes off, he grew more excited and nervous the deeper they got into the house. He could hear his brother’s voice.

“Oh there are my baby girls.” She whispered as they walked into the nursery.

“Were you the best girls for your uncle Dan?” She asked.

“They always are.” Dan answered. Sy stepped in, seeing Dan kneel on the floor, with his back to him. He turned around.

“Hey big bro.” He said, getting up. He hugged him quickly, but Sy didn’t really acknowledge anything as he looked at the two babies laying on a soft yellow blanket on the floor.

“I’ll leave you to it.” Dan said.

“Thank you for watching them.” She called.

“Always. I’ll be over for dinner tomorrow, yeah?”

“See you then.” She called, sitting down on the floor. Sy just stood there, staring down.

“Come on now. Meet your daughters.” She smiled. He looked at her, then slowly got closer and sat down on the floor.

He had seen the many pictures she had sent to him but nothing compared to the sheer beauty of the two girls laying in front of him. Slowly he reached his hands out, brushing with his fingers over their cheeks.

“Meet your Daddy, Maya and Eva.” He looked up at her, as she picked Maya up. 

“Come sit in the armchair.” She said to Sy, who still wasn’t able to form any word. He got up to sit in the chair as she carefully put Maya in his left arm. In awe, and afraid to drop her he looked down at his girl. His right hand carefully brushing over the little girls cheek. 

“And here is Eva.” She said, wanting to put her in his other arm.

“No. Come sit on my lap with her in your arms. I wanna have all my girls with me.” He whispered. Softly she smiled, sitting down in his lap, Maya in her arms as his arm came around her waist looking down at both of his baby girls. 

“They are beautiful.” He whispered.

“They are. And right now they are very calm. I don’t think I have seen them this calm.” She whispered back. 

“They are so tiny.” 

“Yeah. But they are gonna grow up.”

“Not on my watch.” He said, making her chuckle. They continued to sit like that for a while, until Eva grew a bit restless.

“I think someone’s hungry.” She said, bringing her knuckle to the little girl's lips who began to suck immediately.

“Can I…” Sy asked looking up at her.

“Let’s go to bed, so I can nurse them both, yeah?” She asked. He nodded and she kissed his forehead, before she got up from his lap.

Sy fell asleep in the arms of the woman he loved more than his own life that night. The woman he only met a year ago, but gave him everything he ever dreamed of.

“I love you, Peach.” He murmured before he dozed off.

“I love you more, Captain.” She smiled back, before she dozed off too.

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

The Long Con Part Four

Previous Part | Masterlist | Next Part Pairing: Marcus Pike x Reader Rating: T Notes: I hope y’all had a good week! 💕 Warnings: Cursing; f l u f f; me pretending that I know literally anything about art history Summary: Marcus was by your side at nearly every turn, and you could see the nerves dropping off of him more and more. 

Walter Pike was as welcoming as the rest of Marcus’ family, though you found him to be a bit more quiet in comparison to Jill and Marnie. Dinner that evening was on the Pike’s raised back porch - nice and low key. The porch overlooked the sprawling backyard that Marcus and Marnie had spent their childhood zipping around and skinning their knees in. Despite your earlier nerves, you felt welcomed and unpressured. Marcus was by your side at nearly every turn, and you could see the nerves dropping off of him more and more. That was, until Marnie diverted the conversation from wedding prep yet to be done to how the two of you had met. 

“Work,” Marcus answered automatically, sounding just a little pleased with himself. “Right, you said that, but how?” Jill asked. Before Marcus could flounder, you jumped in: “I grew up around a lot of artists, and a lot of those artists...Recreated works, let’s say,” You said, casting Marcus a small, reassuring smile, “I’m a bit of a specialist when it comes to forgeries. The Bureau calls on me to ask for help every once in a while, when a piece looks a little too good to be true-- Someone turns up with a crate of freshly painted Seurats, that kinda thing,” The Pikes chuckled, “They have me come in, take a look, see if I recognize the techniques used.” “Was this the Rose--Thing case?” Jill asked. “Rosepoint,” Marcus corrected, “And yes, actually. A Vermeer turned up-- Or it seemed to have turned up.” “It was a fake?” Marnie asked. “Unfortunately,” You nodded, “It was one of the paintings stolen from the Isabella Gardner Museum back in ‘90 -- The Concert. It’s a beautiful piece. It was found during a-- Drug bust?” You looked to Marcus to confirm, and he nodded, “Well, sometimes goods like that are held or traded as collateral for product.” “How’d you know it was a fake?” Walter asked. “There’s a painting within the painting of The Procuress by Van Baburen, and within that painting, there’s a man. His eyes are supposed to be directed down and a little to the right, at someone else in the portrait, but they were peering out of the portrait-- at the viewer, essentially. Sort of the way the girl with the glass does in Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party-- but the lighting in that portion of that painting is darker, it’s harder to read, and it’s not the focus. Anyway, I knew of a few people that would like to play...Pranks like that with their work, and would’ve been able to recreate that painting with that level of detail.” “Only two of them were in range at the time of the bust,” Marcus added, “One of them had the wrong types of materials anywhere in his workshop and trash-- we checked his credit card or bank statements going back years, and the other had… A workshop full of practice work on The Concert.” “I’m told that that’s what they call a ‘smoking gun’,” You teased, and Marcus grinned at you. “Her lectures are fascinating, too,” Marcus told his family softly, though he was watching you. That was one facet that the two of you hadn’t discussed, and you could tell from the ease with which he said it that he wasn’t lying. You gave him a sheepish smile before lowering your eyes. “Lectures?” Walter frowned. “Oh, I’m an art professor when I’m not using my X-Ray vision to fight crime,” You explained. “Did you ask her out immediately?” Marnie asked her brother knowingly. “Ah,” Marcus raised his free hand, rubbing at the back of my neck, “No, I...I took some time to get there. Well, you know when I got to D.C., Teresa and I were still together, and then parted ways. The Rosepoint case happened while I was undercover.” You felt Jill’s eyes dart toward you at the mention of Marcus’ ex-fiancé. You gave her a small smile and a nod, and she leaned back in her seat, relieved. You chuckled quietly. “I actually didn’t ask her out until a couple of months ago,” Marcus added, running his thumb over your knuckles, “After the Coleman case.” -- “Okay,” Marcus conceded with a sleepy mumble as he tugged his sleep shirt on, “You made a good point about running our story as many times as we did. That was...We were good.” “And we’re gonna keep being good, Marky,” You teased, reaching out and poking his nose. He chuckled softly, wrinkling his nose. “So, um…” He cleared his throat, “I have a few files that I brought with me, I figured I’d take ‘em downstairs and-- I’ll sleep down there. If anyone asks, I fell asleep down on the couch going over work, so we’re square,” He offered. Your brow furrowed as you watched Marcus stoop down and pull a couple of work files out of his bag. “...Oh,” You said after a moment. “Yeah. So I’ll see you in the morning.” “Okay. Night,” You smiled at Marcus as he left. Your smile wilted a little as he shut the door behind himself. You looked around his room, rubbing your hands over your arms. You still had to change into your pajamas, but you couldn’t stop yourself from looking around a bit first. The walls were a hunter green; two of the walls were lined with bookshelves that were crammed with books. There was a desk, and a reading chair by the window. Marcus had an ensuite bathroom as well, so you didn’t have to share with the rest of the family for the week. You sighed, glancing toward the door. You didn’t like the idea of Marcus sleeping on the couch. You weren’t sure if it was because he was uncomfortable, or because he was worried that you would be. You didn’t want to force the man out of his own bed. You glanced toward the full-size mattress. Maybe the two of you would’ve been...Close, but there was room enough for the both of you. -- You turned over for the umpteenth time, eyeing the digital clock. The menacing red numbers read 12:39. You groaned quietly, turning up to look at the ceiling. You groaned again, throwing the covers off. You opened the door and walked out of the room as quietly as you could, walking down the steps quietly. You could see Marcus laid out on the couch, under a blanket that -- really didn’t cover him. You crouched down beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Hey,” You murmured, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. Marcus took a moment to rouse before he opened his eyes. “Hey,” he mumbled, voice thick with sleep, “You okay?” “Come upstairs,” You urged softly, “I don’t mind sharing ‘long as you don’t.” Marcus took a moment to process that before he asked, “Are you sure?” You smiled a little and straightened, holding a hand out to him. Marcus pushed the blanket off and took hold of your hand, letting you tug him off of the couch and lead him up the stairs. He shut the door behind you, and the two of you slipped under the covers, and you settled down, head heavy on the pillow, the warmth of Marcus nearby.

--

The cheery chorus of Pike, “Morning!”s are a little jarring, but you gave them a sleepy smile and a soft, “Good morning.” Their chatter filled back in easily as you headed for Marcus. 

It was almost stunning, how soft and sleep-ruffled Marcus looked, leaning back against the counter. But you’d hardly blinked the sleep out of your eyes. Maybe it was because you were still half-asleep, maybe the morning light seeping through the kitchen curtains behind him was skewing your view. 

“Hi there,” He greeted. 

“Hi,” You mumbled, looping your arms around his waist and resting your head on his shoulder. You had woken up alone, and hadn’t wanted to seem rude by lingering in bed for too long. You sighed, closing your eyes as Marcus’ arms curled around your shoulders. “I was gonna bring you some coffee,” He admitted, “You sleep alright?” 

“Mhm.”

“Still want that coffee?” 

“All of it. Coffee pot and a straw,” You mumbled. Marcus laughed softly, turning his head and brushing his lips across your forehead. 

“Fresh pot’s being brewed now,” He told you, “Soon as it’s set, I will hand it right to you.”

“And a straw?”

“And a straw.” 

“Bendy?”

“I’ll see what I can find.” 

“Mmkay,” You sighed, tipping your head up to look at him. You found Marcus smiling down at you. He nudged his nose against yours sweetly, and you felt your stomach flutter with anticipation. 

The two of you had talked about this a couple of times since you’d reassured Marcus that you were fine with physical affection, and with kissing. Once, when you’d been at dinner, you’d thought Marcus might give you a kiss - just to sort of break the ice. You’d never worked your way up to initiating it yourself. 

But now Marcus was looking at you from under his lashes, his eyes warm, calming. His lips were close, and tempting. Marcus’ eyes searched yours for a few moments before he dipped his head, dropping a chaste kiss to your lips. You tipped your chin up, slipping your lips against his. You felt your eyes close as Marcus’ hand slid down your shoulder to smooth over your back. Marcus tilted his head to the side, the kiss deepening slightly, unhurriedly, as he cuddled you closer to him. You curled your fingers in the fabric of his sleep shirt, sighing quietly. 

You hadn’t noticed that the kitchen had gone quiet behind you. You hadn’t even noticed how engrossed you’d become in Marcus’ touch until you heard the thud of Marnie’s mug being set down in the sink beside the two of you. You startled a little bit, leaning away from Marcus and ducking your head, embarrassed. 

“Hi, Marnie,” You muttered. 

“With a kiss like that, it’s a wonder I didn’t hear anything go ‘bump’ in the night,” She teased, glancing between you and Marcus. You smiled a little as Marcus groaned, turning his head from his sister and pressing his face against your head.

“How’s the Air Supply poster?” You retorted. Marnie grinned. 

“You know what, it actually fell last night. Scared the shit outta me. Coffee’s ready,” She tacked on before stepping away from the counter. You nodded, muttering your thanks as Marnie pushed away from the counter. You glanced up at Marcus and found him searching your face. He leaned in, murmuring against your temple, “Was that okay?” 

Was he kidding?

Then again, with what you knew of Marcus Pike, no. He was not. You nodded, leaning up and pecking his lips.

“More than,” You reassured softly, “Now where do you guys keep the bendy straws?” Tag list: @hufflepuffing-all-day-long ; @spideysimpossiblegirl ; @blueeyesatnight ; @elen-aranel ; @yespolkadotkitty ; @artsymaddie ; @phoenixhalliwell ; @lunaserenade ; @winniedaboo  ; @empress-palpat1ne ; @randomness501 ; @nutmeg-20 ; @leonieb ; @the-feckless-wonder ; @lou-la-lou ; @captain-jebi ; @supernaturalgirl ; @naturenebula21 ; @evelynseventyr ; @giselatropicana ; @heatherbel ; @marydjarin ; @annathewitch ; @absurdthirst​ ; @hnt-escape​ ; @writingletterstothefire​