#it's meant to look grown out in which case his hair does give me that vibe but the beard not so much

[emmavakarian-theirin]

i knew it was only a matter of time before it happened but to actually see beardless lucanis and on my dash?? BEGONE

[p0rk-guts]

HUSKER!!!! Husk. Whatever. THIS OLD CAT!!!! ^ - ^

comparison + breakdown ⬇️

Look idk what possible lore reasons there could be for Husk having bird wings and tail feathers whether it's hidden somewhere online or to be determined later in the show even though I can't for the life of me even guess why they're there (if you've got any hc's tho I'd love to hear em) but I just got rid of em entirely, at least for the time being. Declutters him a little. They're definitely a little much.

And I've always hated those buttons on his chest fur... Are they part of his pattern.... Are they hot glued on...... What is it with Viv and melting clothing and flesh together.........

He also does NOT look 60-70 like at all (pretty sure that's canon but I just got it off the wiki) so I tried to remedy that by giving him more wrinkles and creases. He's a Persian cat thing now bc some of them really do be lookin like mustache wearing old guys fr. Also his neck fluff is sorta supposed to allude to facial hair w/ some greying sprinkled in! He's officially like... 62 now. + He's fatter bc 1) beer belly 2) Persian cat build and 3) Vivzie twink fatigue

Husk's outfit is objectively silly for his grown ass to be wearing but I like the hc I've seen around as that being a stipulation in his deal with Alastor where he figuratively and literally "took the shirt off his back". Considering how as an overlord he had a nice suit and he (possibly. Definitely In headcanons) doesn't even like showing off sinner features, or his body at all, especially not in such a way. Is this canonically the case? Probably not. But hey 🤷🏾‍♀️

I made some comparatively minimal changes there. I undid his tie bc man's usually drunk and doesn't have the energy to fuss with it. I also gave the ends a bit of a spade shape. The clasps on his suspenders are meant to be clovers and there are still hearts on his hands. For the diamond face... I kinda tried to put it into his tail? But that's kinda iffy so 3.5/4 card faces achieved 👍🏾

Turned his top hat into a more flat wide brim hat that i could NOT for the life of me find a name for... Just wider fedoras I think? but they seemed to be kinda popular at the time. For my Husk, as an overlord he occasionally wore a fancy top hat when he was showing off, and now this is like. His downgrade replacement he's got to wear. + Some playing cards tucked into the hat band!

Made those yellows his primary colors bc in my rewrite greed is gold and I definitely think that would've been one of his major sins in life. Also a bit of gluttony too, which I made orange, so I added some of those tones in there. Allsoo after fussing with the colors for literal days I stilllll kindahateemalittle BUT IT'S FINE. I'll figure it out

And that's all for him!! Realized I forgot to put the little anti Viv banner on my last post but then again idgaf fr it's whatever. If you don't know I hate her you'll learn before long

And, of course, dvelopment sketches 4 sticking around!!!!

Ok that's all bye ✌🏾🧍🏾‍♀️

[desultory-novice]

White-Haired Noir (Older)

I wasn't kidding when I said Noir has become more of "my OC" than before. Anyway, they tell me cringe is dead, so let's get on with it!

BE HAPPY TEENAGE BOY ...Uh... ADULT MALE??!

(Pictured: Would you believe this guy was once my Dark Matter Swordsman???)

No longer a teary-eyed apprentice, White-Haired Noir in ~the future~ (circa Star Allies??) has become a knight in his own right, swearing his service to Dedede as thanks for helping house the bruised, battered, emotionally unstable teen boy so many years ago.

Dedede Stop Adopting People Challenge (impossible)

Over the years (and with plenty of hard hitting, gloves-off training from Meta Knight) Noir has both grown up and grown accustomed to life on Popstar. He's regained some semblance of a life (gasp!) and inner peace. (...When Popstar's not being invaded, that is.)

He has friends (and rivals), is able to stomach food and drink a bit better, and has accepted Gooey, finally. He can even speak positively of his lost childhood with his little sister, on occasion.

Despite Popstar's generally warm weather, the Shiver Star native continues to dress in highly concealing fashion, as his upper body still bears the scars of his interrupted Dark Matter transformation; one reason he grew his hair out long was to help conceal the ones on his neck better, so as not to frighten the younger Waddle Dees.

[Assorted Text Wall Below]

-

Age Range: Mid 20s and up (Tbh, his specific age'll probably fluctuate depending upon the kind of story I want to tell. This is, quite simply, an adult Noir who's got his life more together.)

Abilities: Mild regenerative abilities, magic reflection, healing/purification, light projection [Rainbow Sword] 

Protective magic and various physical ability-boosting magic [These come courtesy of the crystals adorning his jacket, a gift from the Queen of the Fairies. Noir is still a squishy human, after all. His fine swordplay aside, he needs magical enhancements to not get accidentally steamrolled by Kirby's other friends.]

Hobbies: swordplay, stargazing, crochet (Taranza taught him the last one, both as a mental grounding exercise and to help rehabilitate Noir's Dark Matter corrupted hands for performing delicate tasks. Half of Dream Land has one of Noir's early crochet octopi sitting in their storage. Nowadays, he makes toys for the younger Dees.)

Etc: Because of his closeness with King Dedede (and in large part due to their matching scarves/sashes), his general protectiveness of the Waddle Dees, as well as his fairy-tale outfit (which Ribbon helped with) Noir has picked up nickname of the "Prince of Dream Land"

A highly unfitting one, Noir has been heard to privately complain. In what world could an unwashed, damaged, sharp-tongued orphan with hands near-literally dyed in blood become a prince...?

Height-wise, if we consider King Dedede to be one of a breed of extinct "mega penguins" then Noir, fully grown, is of comparable height. (Dedede insists he's taller because of this crown puff. Huzzah! His title as king is safe!) In human terms, this does make Noir a short king :cough: prince, which in his case is due to malnourishment, physical abuse during puberty, and just plain genetics. ^^;

Anyway, despite how shockingly decent he looks cleaned up, Noir is still a feral cat at heart, and he hasn't lost his sass either, even if the edges have been somewhat filed off with time.

(Even the most angsty and tragic of emo boys can only go so many years with sparkly, shimmering, pastel rainbow hair (1) before they give up the act and start smiling ju~st a little more! ^_-)

-

(1) It is completely impossible for Noir to return his hair to its original dark maroon/black, btw. Even the strongest dye refuses to stick.

...And yes, he has attempted.

--

(Q: When is this...? Cause he still looked 16 in that FL comic you did.) (A: That's because I hadn't thought ahead when I wrote it! This form is basically meant as something to pull out for the later games with some extra padding for any future games/events. >w< )

(Q: So... is that FL comic still Apologies canon?) (A: ~ish! He would definitely be his older self now. That said, this Noir did still encounter Elfilin by chance, immediately recognized him as ID-F86, and had a PTSD episode over it, dredging up old memories he'd believed he had come to peace with. It was the closest the Dark Matter in Noir had come to re-awakening in years. Elfilin's sincere apology to the innocent victims of Forgo's rage helped Noir keep from losing himself completely and he was able to recover.

Also, following Crystal Shards, Noir DID resume having daily nightmares about Adeleine and her fate. That was why MK encouraged him to stay with the fairies of Ripple Star for a time and recuperate; that Noir could resume his training with Meta Knight later on. The grateful fairies all turned out to completely ADORE him - particularly, his shining rainbow hair. This period away from Popstar meant that he totally missed out on Amazing Mirror though.)

(Q: If he missed Amazing Mirror, what games DIDN'T he miss?) (A: He was actually there for a somewhat altered version of Meta Knightmare Ultra in Planet Robobot! It was his first "mission" with his teacher. (And I have a fanfic brewing about that, thanks to the anon who asked what if Noir got within wishing distance of Star Dream...)

Unlike Meta's relationship with Kirby, where Meta trusts Kirby to bounce back from everything and is excited :wipes drool off face: to see how much Kirby will grow, Meta Knight tries (somewhat) to keep his very human disciple out of danger, if he can. He's not soft on him by any means, with hard blows and even harder life lessons, but he knows that Noir came to them hanging onto life by a very frayed thread and he only pushes as far as he believes Noir can take.

Nowadays, he's much more trusting of him to handle himself.

(Q: Assuming he was in SA, where was he during TDX, RtDL, and FL? (A: In both Triple Deluxe and Forgotten Land, he was away from Popstar. Record of Stopping Dedede Abductions: 0/2. He rolled his eyes at a giant beanstalk erupting from Dream Land leading to a kingdom in the clouds "...You're kidding?" and Dedede was stomping mad when Noir laughed outloud about the story of the abduction - which concealed the fact that Meta Knight WAS LAUGHING TOO.

In Return to Dream Land, Noir was still on Popstar but didn't participate in the adventure in any capacity. When everyone returned and told the tale of Magolor's betrayal, his response was a deadpan, "Okay but you all saw that coming a mile away though, right? .........Tell me you saw that coming." He was a little less sassy when he heard Magolor's downfall came at the hands of a corrupting artifact.)

(Q: Wasn't Noir taller than Dedede in that one random sketch?) (A: As an Earth human. Noir eventually became Popstarian size.)

(Q: It's nice that he's okay but... but Adeleine... ; _ ; ) (A: Yeah... However, similar to Blade and Gooey in the main verse, in the AU AU, it was Painter who took care of and sheltered the Dark Matter outcast. Noir initially hated Gooey, because he despised Dark Matter for destroying his family and he hated it every time Gooey tried to approach him - like a sign that he would never escape his mistakes. Only later was he forced to confront Gooey and realize that Gooey was always seeking Noir out because of Adeleine's memories Gooey had taken in. They eventually had a painful heart to heart, where Noir was able to experience his sister's last memories through Gooey. Noir now lets him wear Painter's beret in memory of her.)

--

Anyway, that's now two (and a half (?) if you count "Snowflakes") Noirs who have escaped the cycle of misery! Hooray!

Don't worry, Main Timeline Noir, your salvation comes next............Probably???? >w<

[chiefdirector]

Briefing | Tim Bradford | The Rookie

Act One | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 |

(Y/N) lifted the travel cup to her lips, finishing off the final dregs of her coffee, before placing it back down onto the desk. Tim sat next to her at the front of the room as they, including Nolan, Harper, and Chen, waited for Grey and Lopez to arrive. His arm was slung over (Y/N)’s shoulders, pulling her into his side.

She closed her eyes, trying to drown out the chatter from her colleagues. Relaxing wasn’t something (Y/N) ever really succeeded in, she was hard-wired to always think of the worst outcome, and multiple times her panic and worry had caused her to lose focus on what was really important. She tried to focus on her breathing as a way to not start to worry. It had been a habit Grey had gotten her on to, inhaling for two seconds, and exhaling for four. 

Putting focus on her breathing meant that she could silence out the rest of her surroundings. She could feel Tim’s breaths as she leant on his, his arm pulling her closer. She could feel the slight stubble he had grown rub against her hair as he rested his head on hers.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Tim whispered into her hair, “It’ll be okay.”

(Y/N) just nodded into his chest, enjoying the moment until it was interrupted by the sound of Grey coughing. She whipped her head up, bumping Tim’s as she moved.

“Are you two done?” he asked, looking less than impressed. “Because if you are, we have business to solve.”

The two split up, keeping a respectable distance, but Tim still kept a hand on her thigh as they both turned their attention to Grey. The other officers all gathered round the front tables as Grey stood at the podium.

“Right, so we all know why we're here, there have been a couple of developments in the Diaz case and the threat it poses to us.” Grey opened the file in front of him, flicking through the pages until he found the interview report. “Starting when Bradford and Lopez interviewed one Damian Barrett.”

“Yeah,” Lopez took over from where she was perched on a table, “He was questioning over a store robbery, I thought he was innocent but (Y/N) noticed that he had a familiar tattoo. She had seen it on a waiter in some Italian restaurant, La Fazenda.”

“Wait what?” Tim interrupted, taking his hand back as he turned to his wife, “Why did you not tell me this?”

“I didn’t think it was important.”

“Not important? Your life is in danger, and you think that seeing something like that isn't important enough to tell me?”

“Look. I thought it was nothing, this is the first I've heard about it since.” (Y/N) looked down. She reached over to place her hand on Tim’s shoulder but he shrugged her off.

“Well clearly it was something,” Tim snapped, before taking a breath, trying to regain his temper, “look, just next time, tell me. No matter how minute.” He turned back to Lopez, “Anyways, continue.”

“Well I ran another, more detailed background on him. He was in some deep financial trouble which seemed to disappear when he was released from jail two years ago. He was held at the twin towers jail before he was sentenced. Which is where we believe he met Diaz.” Angela moved towards the chalkboard at the top of the room, grabbing the chalk and writing down names as she continued to speak, outlining her theory. “Barrett came from a family of crooks, including a sister who was serving life at Central California Women's Correctional Facility.”

“So he took a bribe? Or is he being paid to do someone’s dirty work?” Harper asked.

Angela nodded, writing the initials R.D on the board. “I think someone brought him out. And he has to comply to pay off a neverending debt.”

(Y/N) shifted in her chair. “I’m not following. What does his sister have to do with this?”

“The handwriting analysis came back to me, we had a match to an inmate at the Central California Women's Correctional Facility. It also gives us some form of motive, revenge. This station and some of its officers got on this inmate’s bad side. They want to make us suffer.”

“What are you getting at Lopez?” Grey asked, crossing his arms.

“I have it on good authority that R.D was not Regina Diaz, or anyone posing to be her. I believe that R.D is Rosalind Dyer.”

As Angela finished speaking, the room fell into silence as the officers tried to process the words spoken. (Y/N) had heard of Rosalind Dyer, everyone in L.A had, but she couldn't understand why she would target them in particular. On all accounts, Dyer was sociopathic, surely she would want to target all cops in the city and not play cat-and-mouse with a  select few. (Y/N)’s mind was spinning so fast that she barely noticed Tim’s hand grabbing hers again or Chen’s almost sob from the other side of the room.

(Y/N) blinked, bringing herself back into the room. “Why is she after us?”

All eyes turned to her. 

(Y/N) did not understand what she was missing. Clearly there was something that they all knew. Something serious. Tim turned in the chair, still holding her hand, so that his body was facing hers, inadvertently blocking her view of the rest of her colleagues as he began to recall the story of what Dyer had done.

He left out a lot of the minor details, but he told her about Caleb and what he had done, how they had Dyer come and show where more of the bodies she killed were, he spoke about the torment Lucy went through. Lastly, he told her about Nick Armstrong’s betrayal.

“Detective Armstrong?” She asked, the information she had been told spinning through  her mind as one link suddenly became clear to her. “He was partnered with my case worker before. Kade Sullivan. Do you think that was how she managed to get her information?”

“It’s a possibility.” Grey moved from the podium and towards his officers, “If we are dealing with Rosalind Dyer, we need to be hyper-vigilant. She will be watching us and she will know that we are watching her. Our only trump card will be that there is a chance that she doesn't know that we have figured out who's behind this. Do not trust anyone outside of the room with this information. We will all need to work together to overcome this, but Chen, I do understand if you would want to take a step back from this.”

Lucy swallowed the lump that had grown in her throat. “No Sir, I’m right where I want to be.”

“Okay then. We will meet back here tomorrow morning after roll call. We will need a cohesive plan, but for now all of you go home and rest. You will need your energy as these next days or weeks will be intense. You're all dismissed.”

----------

“So why did Dyer go after the precinct in the first place?” (Y/N) pulled back the duvet as she got into bed. “I get that she wanted revenge on Armstrong, but the rest of us? I mean what did we ever do to her?”

“She is sick in the head, that’s why. She plays mind games, and questioning why she does stuff means she wins.” Tim said, joining her in bed.

“Look Tim-” (Y/N) started, stopping herself as the words didn’t come forth. She took a breath, trying to regain some composure before starting again. “I’m sorry. I should've told you about Barrett. I just didn’t want you to worry.”

“It’s my job to worry.” He said, shuffling down in the sheets, opening his arm up for (Y/N) to cuddle into him. “I will always worry about you, but you need to be honest.”

“I promise.”

Instead of responding, Tim just placed a kiss onto (Y/N)’s head as he shuffled down to sleep.

Chapter 22 | Chapter 24

Series Masterlist | Masterlist

Tags: @xceafh @kmc1989 @buba424 @salty0cracker @iamasimpingh0e @malindacath @agentred27 @hufflepuffwhore13 @tessalynni @anaferreira-4

Tags are open :)

[mishy-mashy]

The same fic as Hasta la Vista baby, but going a bit more back in time to focus on En's wacky marriage with his best friend (Hima. An OC) when he was actually alive

In which two ace people marry into a QP relationship, because one (Hima) wouldn't shut up about marriage

Featuring,

Tall woman + short man = PROFIT?

"Ah! Ow! I'm sorry OW!! Hey!!!"

En hmphed, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed.

"Just so you know, I've grown another inch."

She rubbed her head, relieved of his pulling her hair for her slight. "Congratulations on hitting 5'2, then."

En deals with spontaneous proposals everyday until he agrees

[Day 1]

"Let's get married!" she seemed to decide, planting her fists on her hips.

"....."

"What's with that look?!"

En had stopped midstep and stared at her, eyes slightly wide in confusion, brows crinkled, not sure what to say or if she really meant it. Much like the face of one seeing a drug addict suddenly burst in front of them, butt naked, and running off. She was absolutely the equivalent to that right now.

".... We- We're 19," En tried to reason, not understanding why she decided that. "We just graduated, and we're too young-"

"Age is just a number," she deadpanned. "Jail is just a room. Marriage is just an agreement."

"How does jail tie into this conversation?!"

"Clearly, you deserve it, for breaking my heart," she sniffed. "Jail! Jail for a thousand years!"

***

Banjo squinted. Because did En just sprint by in a panic, with Hima-san on his heels with a rolled newspaper, shouting "JAIL!!!"?

"... Was that En?"

"He probably deserved whatever it was," Torino dismissed. He kept his gaze ahead, taiyaki between two fingers. "You don't argue with girls. They'll rain hell when you do."

Banjo didn't look convinced. His brow scrunched, turned in the direction the pair ran off.

"Would you'd like to get in Hima-san's warpath?" Torino quirked a brow. "Once she makes up her mind, she doesn't stop. I don't doubt her Quirk influences that."

"Welp! Good luck, En!" Banjo threw him under the bus, turning away immediately to continue a happy march down the ruined pavement.

[Day 2]

"Please please please please please!"

En stared blankly at her. Then his gaze went down to the distance between them. His paused yellow tape measure was pointedly stretched in front of him.

"Didn't I say five meters?"

She slumped in her dogeza. "Come on, En! I didn't mean to knock you out! I'm sorry! Marry me!"

"En, it was only for a few seconds," Nana said, exchanging paper bills with Torino in a silent bet over the pair. "And to be fair, you're the one that ran into the pole."

"I wouldn't have been running if she wasn't chasing me," En kept on, arms crossed.

[Day 3]

En didn't look away from the hamburger menu he was pointedly keeping his attention on, gaze up at the shining neon.

Very obviously so, to avoid looking at his friend, who currently bended down on one knee to his left, waiting for his attention to propose.

"Oh, honeybunch? Sugar plum?" No way was she starting to sing-song for his attention. "Pumpy-umpy-umpkin?"

"No."

"Hey, my sweetie pie-"

En speedruns the marriage process because his friend wants to (divorce included?)

"Sorahiko-senpai, give me the marriage certificate," En nearly hissed over their burgers.

Sorahiko chewed slowly. "Why?"

"I'm about to set the world record for fastest divorce—!!!"

Sorahiko is the worst person to go to for relationship advice.

[Case 1]

"Gran Torino, you should really keep your nose out of their business," Crimson Riot said, after watching Hima walk off after a quick conversation with Torino.

"I didn't say anything bad," Torino said.

"You just told Hima-san to fill Smoke Eater's shoes with pie filling and bake for 20 minutes?"

"If she can't find Smokey, he'll eventually come looking for her as the culprit," Torino defended.

Then his phone started blowing up with panicked texts from said Smokey.

"See? She found him."

"Actually," Crimson glanced at his own phone, receiving similar messages, "he's asking why you told her to do that. She just texted him the new plan you told her to do."

Couldn't she have just texted him for his location? Crimson thought.

Truly, she was not the sharpest person there was.

"Her phone was 1%, so it's probably dead now... he can't reach her cell either," Crimson read, taking in the new information pouring through his texts in even more of a frenzy. "Straight to voicemail. And he's two districts over, so he's not gonna make it home in time to stop her. Oh, wow."

He chewed. "Sounds like a skill issue."

"Torino—"

[Case 2]

"I'm just saying, naming a kid Butter Stick isn't a bad name," Torino defended over his mochi. That he stole from En's pantry, but no one really cared to stop him at the time. They already learned to stop buying taiyaki, because Torino was a rat who kept breaking into their apartment for it.

It still didn't stop them from waking up and finding him eating their cereal in the kitchen. He'd broken 3 windows – always the same one – before Hima finally explained how to open it.

En currently laid on the couch he was kicked to sleep on tonight, back facing them and angry steam wafting from his head.

Nana pulled the container of mochi away from him. After he egged on En's wife, leading to her original "intellectual debate" over what foods would work as human names becoming too heated, Torino didn't deserve his sweet cravings fulfilled. Especially when it was out of En's pocket.

[Case 3]

"Divorce her," Torino declared immediately, after bearing witness to Hima blue shelling En on the TV.

"It's just a video game," Nana said from her spot on the couch. "Stop telling him that every time something happens."

"She took the last taiyaki earlier, she deserves it," Torino decided.

"Right," Nana mumbled into her hot chocolate. "Tell me that again when she's strung you up on a flag pole with her Quirk."

[julieloves074]

Your Dance (Jeremiah Fisher x Y/n)

Summary: A Debutante Ball isn’t exactly what Y/n had in plac this summer but in the end she got to dacne with her Prince Charming 

Warnings: Swearing, kissing, cancer, death, drinking, angst, fluff, sadness, happy ending 

Words: 15K

(Not my GIF :) )

My mom died of cancer I was very little, when I was 5, and my dad was nowhere to be found, thankfully aunt Laurel was more than welcoming to me. She treated me like one of her own, I lived with her and my two cousins which also meant I got to spend every summer at Cousins beach with the Fishers.

“Hey let me control the music for once!” Belly screamed in the back of the car, Steven and I had finally found a few songs we both liked so we kept the cord from her and I think Laur was thankful.

“When you have your own car we’ll talk” Steven said proudly.

“This isn’t even your car, it’s mom’s” she answered back and I burst into a laugh, she wasn’t wrong, we all just used Laurel’s car.

“Whatever, whenever you pass your driving test then we’ll talk” he adapted his sentence and this time no one could argue his case.

Bells didn’t try for the aux chord after that, we weren’t far from the summer house anyway. It was already in the air though, the smell of the ocean, the noise of the seagulls, and then finally: the house.

My heart jumped an extra few times whenever that house came into view, the only place I ever felt like I belonged but also the house where sometimes feeling like an outsider was inevitable. I pushed the second thought aside when I saw the blonde curly haired boy that sat on the front stairs. The door behind him wide open, he has been waiting for us just like he does every year. Conrad used to too, but he was being really off with everyone recently.

Him and I were always close, just like Belly and Jeremiah, that’s just the way it was, we told each other secrets no one else knew. Why? I don’t know it just kind of always clicked, but as the years passed by he distanced himself, and all I could do was respect his wishes. That’s when Jeremiah and I started to hang out a lot more, the summer his mom got sick was hard on everyone but I think Jere found a rock in me since that’s how I lost my mom too.

“They’re here!” I could hear Jere shout as Seven parked, I was first out of the door, he ran towards me like a mad man, his arms flew around me and he lifted me up into a spin.

“Finally you’re here!” He said into my hair which made me hold onto him tighter, I’m sure he had meant ‘us’ plural, the Conklins, but who said I couldn’t pretend that was meant for me and only me?

When he put me down I couldn’t help but look into his ocean blue eyes, and his now muscular body, he did say he was going to the gym but I wasn’t expecting this level of commitment. When his eyes met mine his lips pulled into a smirk, not that I was looking at his lips, I just noticed it in the corner of my eyes.

The charm was disenchanted when Belly jogged towards us and Jere ran to give her a bear hug.

“Look who’s all grown up?” He admired her with a huge smile, I guess that was true, I saw Belly every day, so she still looked the same to me as she always has but thinking back on last summer she really has flourished.

“Y/n my love come give me a hug!” That kind, carefree voice pulled me out of my thoughts, I walked in her direction fast, she wore another of her stunning sundresses, and her iconic sunglasses in her hair.

“Susannah! How have you been?” I asked, her fingers brushing down my hair,

“I’ve been missing you! I’m still upset that you didn’t come see us last month” she expressed. I was supposed to come visit Susannah in Boston last month to work on a charity event that was taking place this summer but one of my exams was moved to that week, I would have missed it but it equated to twenty-five of my grade for the year.

“I know, I was so angry when they moved the exam later, but I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to talk about all that stuff now that we’re here” I hugged her back.

“Beck get your ass over here and give me a hug!” Laurel called out from somewhere behind me. I wasn’t ready to let Susannah go- not yet.

“I do have a surprise for you later” she whispered in my ear before letting me go, her smile bright and I can’t shake off the sparkle in her eye. I nodded and grinned back at her.

Conrad had come out now too, “Y/n hey you alright?” He asked giving me a quick hug before jogging over to Steven.

After all our introductions, the moms went inside and it was time…

“BELLY FLOP!” Steven screamed and they all chased Belly, finally Conrad managed to grab onto her, they carried her all the way to the pool. I’ve always left them to it, even though they didn’t start doing this until she turned 6, on my second summer at Cousins it still felt like it wasn’t really my place.

I didn’t let that ruin the mood though, I followed shortly throwing my phone onto one of the lounge chairs, and rushing over to the pool side,  I watched Belly pull Conrad in. Then I had an idea, the two other boys didn’t notice me behind them so I rushed into them and tackled them, “Welcome Summer!” I yelled, all of us ending in the pool laughing.

Steven poked his head out chocking out some water.

“Breathe Steven, we’re not dragging you to the bonfire in a hospital bed” I laughed, Jere came up from under the water, pushing his curls back with his hands, a cheeky grin covering half his face.

“Y/n/n come here right now,” he chucked coming towards me.

“I don’t think I want to!” I laughed going to turn away.

“Y/N RUN!” Belly shouted to me, I did as she said trying to push my way through the water to the other side of the pool, he swam after me though, grabbing me by my legs and dragging me down, I yelped before resurfacing.

“Payback,” he said and I splashed him with water, “Wow this how you treat me on your first day here, where has the attitude come from huh?” he was being sarcastic so I just rolled my eyes at him, “See I thought you’d run into my arms and beg me to kiss you now that I’ve got my new bod,”

“Don’t say bod ever again,” I cringed at his choice of wording.

“Whatever I know you’re madly in love with me anyway,” he said just brushing me off, I had to stop myself before I continued, my heart and head were in a conflict. My heart blocked out my logical thinking- I wanted nothing more than to kiss him then and there and yet my head knew this was just Jeremiah Fisher, biggest flirt of Cousins Beach.

“Whatever, you’ve got to accept that not everyone is obsessed with you Jere” I said finally, pretending not to care.

“Aw no, come on turn that frown upside down as mom says,” he smiles moving towards me again, using his fingers to lift the corner of my mouth into a smile, his eyes on my lips, my eyes scanning his whole face. “There much better, that’s what I like see,” then he looked back up to my eyes and I couldn’t help but smile for real, how could I not? It was Jeremiah. I don’t know how I wasn’t blushing like crazy.

“This summer is going to be so good,” he said swimming away from me slowly on his back, looking up as if he was imagining all the things that were going to happen, this is when I realised that everyone had gone back inside, I could see them all in the kitchen.

“Summers here are always good,” I replied making my way to the edge, splashing some more water on my face, hopefully cooling myself down.

“Yeah it’s my favourite time of the year,”

“Because you get to spend with meeeeee?” I asked sarcastically.

“Well I was going to say because the moms are too busy to pay attention to me so I get away with pretty much everything but-” he said swimming over.

I opened my mouth, fake offence hanging wide, “Huh- I see how it is Fisher,” I turned away getting out the pool.

“Hey-!” He got out behind me and jogged towards me laying an arm around my shoulder, “You know I’m kidding right?”.

I looked up to him, “You should be glad I like Susannah otherwise I would beat your ass,” I say confidently,

He chuckles and frows his brows, “Even if you didn’t like my mom- which is impossible- you would still beat my ass and she would probably cheer you on, she loves you more than any of us I swear to God,” I laughed back, it was true I did love her and she would be my number one supporter, I remember when we had a fake fighting competition in the living rooms one of the days when I was ten. She was cheering for her sons but when I came onto our DIY rink it was my name she called.

We walked like that towards the house, when we got to the glass doors Jere was about to step in before Laurel stopped him, “You’re not walking like that into your mother’s house you’re not, the floor’s have just been cleaned!” she expressed with a stern face.

“Could you possibly be able to get us towels then?” He pulled a puppy face, curling his lips and batting his eyelashes, he was so childish, but it was so cute even Laur couldn’t resist him- or it was because she really cared about these floors. Now that I’m thinking about it was probably the latter.

He didn’t take his arm away until my aunt passed us towels, then Suze rushed us to get changed for dinner, his room was right next to mine on one side of the corridor, on the other side of mine was Con’s and next to his was Steven’s, poor Belly had her room on the mom’s side of the house.

I didn’t put on anything fancy, just something nice enough for dinner and comfortable enough for the bonfire afterwards.

At the dinner table we all had our set seats, always have, Con and Susannah were at the heads of the table, I sat next to Susannah with Jere opposite me, Belly next to me across from Steven and Laurel sat next to her.

“So, I have a little bit of a surprise for the girls,” Susannah announces a little into the meal, Belly and I immediately turn towards her.

“No Beck how many times have I got to tell you- you don’t have to keep getting them anything-” Laurel expressed.

“Ow stop it- stop it! Don’t be silly,” she said getting up and going to open one of the draws, pulling out two small envelopes. My brows furrows together and a nervous smile snook it’s way onto my face. Belly looked beyond excited.

“Here you go,” she said handing Belly her’s first then mine. My eyes my Jere’s for a second in a questioning manner he just shrugged. By the time I managed to look back down at my envelope Belly had torn into hers and her eyes were sparkling.

“Wow Susannah this-” she started, then I looked down at the note. This was an invitation to be debutante at this year’s debutante ball, I took a deep breath before meeting a few eyes around the table, the last ones I focused on were Susannah’s- she looked so hopeful. Don’t get me wrong I loved a good chance to get dressed up and party but being a deb?

Susannah must have seen the seen the cogs turning in my head because she said, “Please at least consider it… for me?” Her voice pleading.

“Beck those things are expensive I’m not sure-” Laurel started before getting cut off.

“Like I said I this is on me don’t let Laurel sway your decisions, have a sleep on it and then we can talk at breakfast,” she announced confidently, it was going to be as she said it, no one dared to interfere with her.

“Please tell me you’re not actually considering this Deb ball thing,” Jere laughed on the way to the bonfire, Con was the designated driver for the night but I wanted to talk there, it was a beautiful night, the air wasn’t too stuffy and the stars were gleaming tonight. I wanted to take it all in, the sight, the smell, the feeling of the gentle breeze on my skin, naturally Jeremiah volunteered to go with me, the moms would not let me go alone.

“Why not?” My voice turned a little defensive, I didn’t turn to look at him, during the summer I was a lot more laid back then during everyday life, I would almost be one of the guys but I did like some girly things too which Jere seems to forget.

“You’re not like them, dressing up in those ridiculous dresses to impress some crowds,” he brushed the whole idea off.

I didn’t want to argue with him on the first night so I let it slide, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do but seeing Susannah’s excitement and hope was enough to convince me to do just about anything. I changed the topic of the conversation.

We arrived at the party fast, time flies when you walk and talk, Con and Steven were already there, and… Belly? She was sat next to some guy with dark curly hair, I don’t want to interrupt because she looked like she was having fun so I looked at my phone, I was going to message her but I saw a message waiting for me:

I’m at the party, please don’t get mad and tell mom! I’m just catching up with a friend and not drinking!!!! Ok love you!!!!

I laughed at the text and Jere looked over my shoulder to read it. “Laurel is going to kill her when she gets back, she doesn’t even know Belly’s here,” he explained.

“Yeah and then I’ll get in trouble for not telling her,” I continued the train of thought, he shook his head.

“Don’t be a party pooper, look she’s fine! Plus Con will probs have his hawk eyes on her like he always does and if something goes wrong- which it won’t- we blame it on Steven,” he laughed taking my hand and leading me into the heart of the party.

“Deal,” I said making my way to get some drinks, Jere was already getting in some conversation with a group of girls and I did not want to witness anymore of Gigi’s desperate flirting, like that boy has hooked up with more than half of the people our age in Cousins, if he wanted to get with her he would have done it  by now. Then I felt a bit of a stab in my stomach, I don’t know whether that was meant for her or myself. I can’t recall when I started feeling this for Jere I mean he was just my best friend but I knew I had to shut the feeling down.

“You look stunning,” someone said, I turned to my left, it was Noah, at first I turned around thinking he was speaking to someone else, “Yes I meant you Y/n” he laughed and then pulled me into a hug. Noah was quite a close friend of Con’s so I knew him quite well, he had even kissed me once in a game of spin the bottle. Then last year we went out a few times because I couldn’t handle Jeremiah going out with different girls all the time. It made me feel horrible though, like I was using Noah. He was a lovely boy, he deserved to have everything with a girl, so we didn’t speak much after the summer.

“Thank you Noah, you don’t look too bad yourself- how have you been?” I asked taking him all in, he had grown a little taller, probably Con’s height, and his hair had grown out to a perfect length, and he had abs… he wasn’t wearing a shirt which was pretty distracting but I worked hard to keep my eyes trained on his face.

“Yeah I’ve been good, it’s great to see you- I’ve missed you over the year,” he said, I wasn’t sure whether he as just saying that for the sake of it but he sounded sincere enough, “I still wonder why you wanted to cut stuff off so abruptly last summer,” he said picking up his own drink, “Was there someone else?” he didn’t seem angry or annoyed just genuinely interested.

My throat dried up a little and for a second I wasn’t sure what white lie to use, “I just wasn’t sure what I wanted, summer was ending and we both have lives outside of Cousins if you know what I mean,” I ran my hand through my hair making it fall back onto my face, framing around my eyes, a certain blonde with blue eyes appearing in the forefront of my mind.

“Do you wanna like sit down, catch up a bit?” he asked pointing towards the sand a little closer to the water, I turned to Jeremiah automatically, he had his arm around two girls and he was smiling biting his bottom lip, his eyes on the girl’s to the left lips, with my best happy face I nodded to Noah.

We talked for what felt like hours, and we just kept drinking, taking turns to go get more for the both of us, it was Noah’s turn when I looked at my phone it had just hit midnight, brushing the hair out my face again I scanned the crowd finding Belly easily still sitting talking to that boy, wearing a hoodie that I’ve never seen before, Con was sat with a girl who was wearing a red cap but his eyes escaped to look at Bells every few seconds, they’re both oblivious twats. Then there was Jere slow dancing with a short haired brunette, keeping her close and cozy. I would have stared at them forever if Noah hadn’t brought me back to reality.

“This is nice huh? Listen I’m going to be honest, I want to give us another go, maybe if you’d be up for it? I only live an hour and a bit away from your actual house and I can always drive if we wanted to make us work,” his eyes lit up when they met mine, I’m unsure whether it was because the moon had found the perfect place or because he was hopeful I’d say yes.

I wasn’t expecting that to come out of tonight, It would be so easy to fall back into this routine, letting my heart race for the Fisher boy but escaping to Noah when the heartache became too big to carry anymore. That would mean I was using him and that wouldn’t be fair on him, unless I finally got over my silly little crush on Jere, which by the looks of it I really needed to.

I stared out into the water, there was small waves hitting the sand, the reflection of the moon was gleaming in the night sky, “Hey,” he said resting his fingers on my chin and making me look towards him, “if you don’t want to just say, but I just needed to get it off my chest, we could just try it, if you’re still not feeling it in a few days then we can stop,”

I opened my mouth to say something when I heard gasps behind me, naturally I strained to look at what had happened- there I was Belly on the floor and Conrad aiming his fists at some guy’s face, I flashed my eyes back to Noah.

“Sorry,” I said before standing up and running towards Belly, some girl from the country club helped me lift my cousin up from the sand. In no time Jere and Steven were over pulling Conrad away from the other guy, it was the weird man from the gas station. Steven put his arm around Belly while Jere led Con towards the car. This night was getting worse by the minute. I pointed the middle finger to that guy and began walking towards the car.

It was a few moments before I felt someone walking behind me, it was Noah.

“Look Noah right now is not a good time,” I tried to say, keeping a polite smile.

“I know, I’m just trying to make sure you’re okay, I know you tend to put everything that goes wrong on your shoulders but this isn’t on you,” he said, it brought a small smile to my face, he really did remember, maybe he did care.

“Thank you, but really I’m fine,”

“Okay, I’ll walk you to the car,” he reassured me, I was half thankful we were parked a few minutes walk away but I still didn’t feel quite safe walking there by myself in the dark so I just nodded to him and let him talk about a project he was doing over the summer. I could image myself with him, he was nice and not bad looking if I squinted and tried enough there could possibly be something there.

A lot faster than I thought the Fisher’s red jeep appeared in my sight, “The car is looking a bit full,” Noah said sheepishly, Conrad was in the back laying across the seats, his head on Steven’s shoulder, “I can always give you a ride,” he suggested and all of a sudden it didn’t seem like such a bad idea, everyone in the jeep seemed tense and I didn’t want to add that to my headache.

I was considering my answer when Jere spotted us, he had just gotten out the car, “I was just coming to get you, I didn’t know where we lost you,” his smile fell a little when he spotted Noah, “Hey Noah man! How you been? Thanks for walking Y/n to the car,” he said quickly putting an arm around me, I could tell he didn’t want to continue the conversation much longer.

“Hey- yeah it’s good to see you too it’s been a while huh? Yeah I didn’t want her to walk alone since you guys rushed off,” I could hear a sip of accusation in his voice, he knew how Jeremiah was, he was a caring boy but at the end of the day he was still a boy only thinking about having fun and nothing else.

“Yeah anyway,” Jere brushed him off pulling me closer towards me, “Ok lets get in the car Y/n”

“Jere-”

“Please get in the car,” he had a finality in his tone that I didn’t know he possessed, I didn’t appreciate him telling me what to do but I knew that Belly was waiting for me in there, everyone in that car was ready to get back to the summer house.

“It was good seeing you again Y/n/n” Noah started and the curly haired blonde frowned a bit at his use of the nickname, only close people ever used it, “Text me when you get home, andwhen you’ve thought about what I said,” he continued and stood stuck in place watching me go towards the car, he didn’t move until he saw that I was sat there with my belt on.

We all got yelled at when we got back into the house, Laurel was sat on the porch with her glass of wine, shaking her head as we pulled into the drive, but the anger in her face rose even more when she saw Belly and then Conrad.

“Belly are insane? Getting in what- some king of fight?” she started, firstly making eye contact with each of us before settling on Belly.

“It wasn’t her it was me,” Con’s voice rose in the air, Laurel’s eyes shifted to him immediately.

“You’re supposed to be the oldest Conrad I’m less than impressed with you tonight, with all of you in fact, you should be glad all of you are fine and alive who would have known what could have happened tonight. Everyone into bed now, we will talk about this in the morning,” her voice was stern. We all started heading inside.

“Y/n/n wait up for a second,” she said so I stopped in my tracks, she waited until everyone else was inside before she spoke up again.

“Let’s sit down for a minute huh? Just you and me,” Laurel said while taking her seat on the porch, I took a deep breath before lowering myself to the ground hoping she wasn’t going to comment on the stink of alcohol on me, suddenly I regretted drinking as much as I did. I look up to Laur, I always have and not just because she took me in but because she was a strong-willed but loving woman, her self-control and level headedness was something I wanted to achieve- I hated to disappoint her.

“Look I know that I haven’t always been able to provide everything for you, especially in the recent years with my divorce with your uncle, it’s just been pretty much me supporting you three growing monsters,” I chucked at her endearment, she didn’t look at me, she chose the drive instead.

I interrupt her before she continues, even though I know she hates when anyone does that, “You’ve done and are doing more than anyone could ever ask of you,” I say, have I acted ungrateful? “You’ve treated me like one of your own children and given me so much love- I don’t need anything more,” I reassure her, this time she does look at me, tears in the corners of her eyes, I want to know what has sparked this conversation.

She pulls my hands into her and places them into her lap, she rushes her fingers over mine, soothing me or maybe herself, “Oh Y/n I love you, you are growing into such a lovely young lady,” she said.

“I love you too, so much- and I only have you to thank, really, and well Susannah as well,” I add pulling a big smile, she pulls me in for a quick hug before getting back to her pervious position.

“Yes about that, I wanted to talk to you about the Debutante ball-”

“I know, I won’t do it, I just felt awful rejecting the invitation at the table when Susannah looked so excited, I know we don’t have the money, and that she offered to pay but-” I started ranting and this is when Laurel’s smile grew bigger than I had ever seen her since her divorce, apart from when she saw Susannah.

“I know I always say you shouldn’t rely on others for well, financial aid but I think it would make Susannah really happy if she had you and Belly do this, or even just one of you, so if you’re up I will be your number one supporter, and well-” she started and then looked back out into space. The silence wasn’t awkward but I hated to see my aunt struggle to say something, this happened so rarely, “I know your mom always wanted you to be a debutante, Amy was always into all that girly stuff,” she explained and I gave her hand a squeeze.

We didn’t talk about my mom often, Laurel’s last memories of her sister were sour especially that she nearly lost Susannah to cancer too.

“Ok lets get inside it’s really late we should both get some sleep,” she said wiping under her eyes, pretending that she wasn’t uspet, I knew better than to prod the matter, instead I took a deep breath before standing up and changing the topic, I told her I saw Noah and she wiggled her eyebrows at me.

She came to my room for a few minutes while I explained what he said to me at the bonfire, she asked, “Well are you going to give him another chance? He really was a lovely boy and from what he said tonight its clear that he genuinely likes you,” but I couldn’t reply, she was right that Noah was almost perfect and his parents too but I couldn’t lie to her when the person my heart beat for was in the room behind the wall. After this she went to her room too, and I laid there with all my windows open and the fan on looking at the ceiling wondering what to do, it was only the first day of the summer and I was already confused. The very thing I didn’t want to be.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

 I got greeted with ‘good mornings’ as I walked into the kitchen the next morning, everyone seemed to already be mulling around, Susannah and Laurel were drinking their coffees at the table, Belly on the opposite side looking through some magazine. Con was laying on the couch in the other front room while Jeremiah and Steven were working on the magic hangover soup.

I was feeling better than I expected after last night’s fiasco, Con’s fight sobered me up real quick, that’s when the emotions and events of last night started to flood in.

“Morning everyone,” I said sitting at the table, before I could say anything else I had a bowl of cereal and a drink placed in front of me. I didn’t need to turn around to know who had placed it there, he kissed the top of my head, “There you go sleepyhead,” Jere said walking back over to Steven. I couldn’t pull the smirk off of my face and I said “thanks” not that he heard it anyway.

“Susannah,” I started, her whole face lit up and she faced me with that beautiful smile of hers, “I have decided to be a Debutante this year,” her mouth opened wide I swear I could even hear as small gasp, she was out of her chair and pulling her arms around me in no time at all.

“Ah! This is so exciting! I’m so glad- we’re going to have so much fun! We have to shop and find you an escort! This is going to be wonderful!” she exclaimed, I looked towards Laurel who smiled too and gave me a supporting nod.

“Actually I have decided that I wanted to be a deb too,” Belly announced though she sounded unsure in her decision. This went from an expensive deal to a really expensive deal, I was sure that Belly would decide against it, that was one of the main reasons I agreed, so Susannah would have at least one of us but I just couldn’t let her pay for both of us.

“That’s amazing!” I exclaimed, I was happy for her truly, I was just going to have to tell Susnnah in private that I changed my mind or make up some other reason for backing out, even though a part of me actually really wanted to do it.

“Well, what a fantastic way to start the morning! So who’s going to be Y/n’s escort and who Belly’s?” Suze asked with much enthusiasm.

“I went last year!” Con announced, I remember the way me, Belly and Laurel looked through all the pictures Susannah sent to us after the ordeal last year, Belly flushed at each one while I laughted at how uncomfortable he looked in most of them.

“And I swore off balls!” Jere announced from behind me, I couldn’t turn to look at him, I wanted him to be my escort and he just crushed that, not that it mattered because I wasn’t going to do it anymore anyway.

“Steven?” Suze asked as a last resort.

He chuckled before answering, “I’m escorting someone else,” at this we all gasped and Jeremiah burst into a fit of laughter.

“Let me guess you let Shayla tangle you into this business,” he laughed.

“Who’s Shayla?” Laurel asked.

“Maybe she did, but who am I to say no to a pretty girl I like?” he asked pulling a ‘I’m a winner here’ face before walking out of the kitchen.

“Well it seems like all the Conklins are going to be involved this year, you Fisher boys have something to look up to,” Suze said.

“It doesn’t matter anyway because I’m planning on finding my own date,” Belly said standing up, dropping the magazine onto the table and heading upstairs. She was probably going to ask that guy from the bonfire last night.

“We’re off to thee country club, our first shift boys!” Jere announced sipping some more of his coffee, I couldn’t get my eyes off him, his aura intoxicating like a drug.

“Yeah bro!” Steven ran over and fist bumped Jere, “We’re gonna be so rich this summer!” he exclaimed grabbing the car keys off of the kitchen island.

“Don’t worry Y/n/n we’ll do something when I get back so don’t get too sad,” he messed up my hair by rushing his hand through it, an annoyed expression played out on my face.

“I was actually looking forward to some peace and quiet,” I said nonchalantly, he feigned shock and hurt, I burst into a laugher and closed my eyes in the progress.

“Yeah whatever, I finish at four so be ready by then,” he explained before kissing the top of my head, I felt my body go stiff at the motion, but it didn’t look like anyone else noticed thankfully. He’s done it before, that and pushing my hair behind my ears were his favourite hobbies during the summer, and probably to whatever girl he’s got at home for the rest of the year. But I didn’t want to think about that particularly.

“I’m going surfing,” Con announced dropping his now empty glass into the dishwasher and rushing up the stairs. And so all the boys from the summer house disappeared, it was much quieter without them. I was going to take a job up this summer too but Laurel seemed adamant that I should just take the time to enjoy myself this summer, next year I’ll be busy applying collages.

“Looks like it’s just us girls today then,” Susannah said before taking another sip of her drink and smiling at Laurel and I.

Quick footsteps rush downstairs we all turn our heads when Belly rushes in, wearing some of the new clothes she got specifically for this summer, to impress Conrad I thought, but he was going surfing and she was just going to be spending the day with us…

“Actually I’m meeting Cam today so it’ll just be you three, ok love youuuuu but I’ve got to go! I’ll message see you later!” she ran out the back door and grabbed her bike before any of us as much as moved a muscle.

“Who’s Cam?” Laurel asked confused, running her fingers over her forehead.

“A new boyyyyyy?” Suze asked leaning across the table towards me, Laur’s eyes followed to me too.

I chuckled grabbing my bowl and lifting up from my seat, “She met his last night at the bonfire- or well she actually met him at that Latin convention a few years ago for the first time or something, that’s what she told my yesterday anyway”

“Aww our Belly is growing up, do you think she’ll ask him to the dance?” Suze asked with hopeful eyes.

My aunt’s eyes tried their best to not travel in my direction, she had been sure, as had I, that Belly would decide against being a debutant. I wasn’t about to let any of this upset me, I put on a smile, I was excited for her. I pulled my eyes back to Susannah “Maybe!”

“Right let’s go shopping! We can pick some things out for Belly when we get there too,”

“She’s going to hate that,” I said with a devilish grin.

“As much as I love her growing into a beautiful young lady and finding a summer romance she still just blew us off for the boy, we are better company I can assure! So it’s her own fault,” she exclaimed also getting up and putting her mug in the dishwasher, “Well come on we don’t have all day!”

“Except that we do Susannah,” I pointed out

“Yes but not for waiting around! For shopping, come on!” she grabbed onto my arm and pulled me towards the door, grabbing hold of her sunhat and purse.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

 We had been walking around the town for two hours when we stopped at a little café to grab some cold smoothies.

“I can’t believe we haven’t found anything you like yet! You looked gorgeous in so many things!” Susannah exclaimed sipping out of her straw, removing her iconic sunglasses.

That wasn’t exactly true I had loved a few bits and pieces that we found but things we picked out for Belly also had nice price tags, I had seen them but Laurel has not- thankfully- though she will probably make me relay them to her later.

“I’m just going to use the restroom before we continue,” Laurel excuses herself rushing to a nearby public toilet, I took this as a good time to talk to Susannah. I turn to her quickly opening my mouth to speak, but before I can she grabs my hand and stands up.

“Lets go!” she giggled jogging from the table, I quickly manage to grab my phone before we’re rushing off.

“But where are we going?” I ask laughing.

“To try on dresses of course!”

“But what about Aunt Laurel?” I ask frantically.

“She’ll find us- live a little!” she exclaimed, I took a deep breath and let out a full laugh as she pulled me behind her.

We were both out of breath when we arrive at a fancy looking shop, most of the dresses in the windows look like wedding dresses, they are all so beautiful. After a second of a breather she pulled my hand towards the entrance.

“Susannah before we go in we should really talk about something,” I say cautiously.

“We have plenty of time to talk, time to try on dresses is what we’re losing right now, Jere said he wanted to take you out at four so time is passing!” she exclaimed.

“Since when do you let the boys dictate your time?” I ask with a sly grin.

“I don’t usually but” she took a short pause, looking for her next words, “It’s summer,” she said.

We walked around, Suze was suggesting lots of dresses, when she noticed my pattern of ‘no’s and weary looks she started picking out dresses without waiting for my opinion, one of the workers came over. She greeted Susannah with a kind smile, Suze really does know everyone in Cousins Beach, and with no surprise everyone loves her.

“Here let me help you with these,” the young woman said and started to carry the dresses into one of the changing rooms. Susannah followed behind her, and I was behind her.

“Susannah I really appreciate this but we need to talk before I try these on,” I really didn’t want to try any of them on for the fear that I really would fall in love with one of them and that would just add to the little panful vein of jealously that ran through me.

“Y/n just go put one on Laurel is on her way to the shop now, we can surprise her with one!” she exclaimed, again before I could argue the shop assistant guided me to the changing room.

I felt stiff and uncomfortable in the first dress, by the time I had stepped out my aunt was sat in the seat next to Susannah, I was expecting to see some kind of angry expression but all I could see was a sad smile.

“No I can already see from the way that you’re walking that it’s not the one. Next!” the blonde exclaimed, I couldn’t help but smile at her. And so I did as she asked and went to put on the next one, and then the next and then the next. After about nine dresses I was exhausted.

“Laurel would you be a gem and go find out about their hat colour palettes?” Susannah asked her best friend, but I could see from the expression behind her eyes that there was some other motive, when my aunt disappeared Susannah stood up, I opened the changing room door to show her there were no other dresses.

“Is now the time to talk?” I asked with a hint of, not annoyance, but tired eagerness.

“No not yet, I saw this dress two years ago and asked them to store it away for a small fee, I remember that summer you had left earlier for some reason and I had come in here just looking around and it was centre of the shop of a mannequin. The second I saw it I thought of you, my little, well not so little anymore Y/n/n. It would mean I lot to me if you would try it on” her voice had turned so sincere, I couldn’t believe it, she didn’t actually have something put away for me… and she paid to have it put away, here was to hoping that Belly would like it.

A different worker, this one with short coppery hair brought out a black bag, her teeth shined a perfect white as she placed the bag in the changing room. She said she’d assist me as the back of the dress was a bit of ‘guess where this piece of material goes’ game.

Even as I was sliding the material on this one felt different to all the other dresses, maybe it was a placebo effect because of what Susannah had told me? I tried to shake the giddy feeling off. When the worker was done helping me out she said she’d announce me to Susannah.

I took a deep breath as the lady said my name, Suze started cheering and I stepped out onto the platform, the blonde looked like she was about to faint, or cry, or scream I couldn’t quite tell which and it was making me anxious.

“Turn around dear,” she encouraged standing up, for a second I couldn’t believe it was myself I was looking at, “You look beautiful,” she smiled, I closed my eyes and turned back around, Susannah looked a little taken aback.

“This is one of the most beautiful and luxurious things I’ve ever worn, or even laid my eyes on,” the dress material was quite simple but there was delicate lace details, and the back of the dress was open with thin criss-cross details where I definitely would have put my arms if not the assistant’s help.

“I knew you would love it! I will let you in on a little secret, it’s a newer model of my debutante dress, the one I wore was the designer’s first dress and this one was her last,” she looked reminiscent...

“But I need to speak to you about something important, and before you say now is not the time I really need to say it,” I let the words rush out of my mouth like a tsunami claiming land as its own, Susannah sat back down, I sat beside her. She looked concerned now, she nodded me to go on.

“Susannah I love you with all my heart and more and you know that,” I start.

“Yes,” She replied.

“And I would do everything in my power to make you happy and proud, but I can’t let you pay my way though this debutante ordeal.”

“Y/n I already said I was more than willing to pay for you and you had agreed, this is nothing, there is no price on seeing my girl in a white dress…” there was a pause before she continued in a hurry “alongside other beautiful, maturing young women,” she argued grabbing a hold of my hand.

“I know, and I will never be thankful enough that you see me in this kind of light, really, but I know you haven’t given back the invitations yet so you can give in Belly’s and we can just misplace mine, we’ve spent some pretty coins today on just outfits for Belly and that’s not even with her white dress, which I’m sure is not cheap.” Susannah let go of my hand I could feel my heart break to pieces, “Plus I think Belly would love this dress,”.

“This is not Belly’s dress,” she then took a deep breath whilst standing up, all of a sudden I felt like a nine year old again getting the ‘I’m not angry I’m just disappointed’ talk from Laurel and Susannah alongside Conrad and Jeremiah for breaking one of Susannah’s favourite glass vases. I stood up too, trying to eliminate that pesky feeling. She ran her delicate fingers over her forehead and exhaled another sigh.

Right then Laurel walked in, “What’s going on here?” she asked before realising what conversation must have just occurred.

“We are just getting ready to leave, I’m not feeling very well, I’m sure we can come back in tomorrow or the day after, maybe Belly will grant us some time of day too. Sandra could please have the dress put back for me I will be in contact with you in the next few days,” she gave a semi-convincing smile before rushing outside, Laurel followed behind her.

The ride home was painfully quiet, Susannah’s previous excitement was completely gone now, I felt horrible, it was all because of me, now I really wish I did take that summer job then maybe I could have scraped enough to pay for the clothes and the dress and make it to the ball like Cinderella. When we arrived back at the summer house it had just hit about four, both Susannah and I excused ourself to our rooms.

I fell onto my bed, I wanted to sink under the covers and disappear. I had been in bed for no longer than 20 minutes when my door was pushed widely open and footsteps came closer to my bed.

“Not now Belly,” I announced not looking up. Except it wasn’t Belly, when my duvet was ripped from my head it was Jeremiah who smiled at me.

“Good afternoon to you too sleephead!” he said grabbing onto my arm trying to lift me, when I wasn’t budging he sat down and brushed my hair out my face, “Aw no what happened?”

“I’ve just got a headache,”

“Well get rid of it because we’re going swimming! Plus I found this awesome spot the other day where we can have a picnic with all the good snacks I brought on the way home,” he smiled expectantly. Even though I disappointed Susannah today there was no way I couldn’t give in for Jere, at least I could take my mind off of everything else.

When he had said we’re going swimming I assumed the pool, but he had meant the lake, we took out a canoe, there was no one else on the lake, it was still the early days of summer so everyone was still settling in. It was all peaceful until Jere decided to start swaying the canoe back and forth really fast.

“Jere you’re going to tip us over,”

“That’s the plan, whoever gets back on the canoe first wins!” he announces before jumping out and flipping it over. I squeal the water freezing even under the boiling sun, I rushed to the canoe which he had already flipped over and shoved him out the way, holding tight onto the wood kicking my feet.

Jere splashed water into my face and managed to get in first, cheering in a triumphant noise. He stood up, what a fool, I stared shaking the canoe under him and he couldn’t find his balance, all I had to do was lean the wood upwards slightly and he was back in the water. This time I knew payback was coming so I started swimming further away from him. His legs and arms longer than mine, and stronger-he caught up with me fast. Picking me up bridal style, we hit the part of the lake where he was stood comfortably on the ground, water up to his neck. His muscles felt toned under my finger tips and I tried my best to keep my eyes focused on his face but the tingling in my stomach was a swarm of butterflies. He held me bridal style and gave his signature smirk before chucking himself backwards with me still in his arms, I held tight onto his neck.

While all this was happening we didn’t quite realise how far into the lake the canoe had drifted, “That’s your fault!” I announced splashing him again, when he let me go.

“No wayyyy! It was you who toppled me over and then left!” he splashed back before grabbing my arm and pulling me closer to him. Just because. He simply likes when I’m near- he admitted that to me over one of our late night calls, he had a little bit to drink but that’s when he’s the most honest. I never asked him about it again though- I couldn’t risk that being some drunk slur, instead I let myself drift towards him in every room, and allow him to pull me closer.

“Should have grabbed the canoe before chasing me then!” I said and he just shook his head before diving under, I look around for him but couldn’t see him until… Suddenly I was in the air on his shoulders, his hands on my thighs, I looked down at him, brushing his hair out his face. A tingly feeling in the bottom of my stomach.

“Last person to the canoe has to drive home!” he shouted before throwing me off. He knew I hated driving after swimming. He let me win of course. He didn’t mind driving plus he’d never let me do anything I hated… not really, unless it was actually necessary.

When the sun started to set we got back onto the bank, tied the canoe back onto the car and sat down on a blanket, pulling out some snacks and drinks out the mini fridge. The wind decided to be a pain in the ass this evening. I had only worn my shorts and a tank top which I was now regretting wearing.

Jere must have seen me shiver because he threw his grey hoodie at me, I took it with a quiet thanks, he did this a lot. So we sat and talked and talked and talked. We had finished all the food but it was too peaceful to ruin. We both ended up laying down eventually looking up at the colourful sky, there was shades of pinks, oranges and yellows.

“Hey Jere,” I said after a few minutes of quiet, he turned his face to look at me, “Did you- I mean, will you be my escort at the Deb ball?” my voice shaky, I knew I wasn’t going to go but I just wanted to know, if I was doing it would my asking him be enough to break his ‘no balls’ oath.

His face scrunched up and he let out a laugh, “Sorry I actually thought you were being serious for second!” he exclaimed sitting up.

I felt as though I had been punched in the stomach. Now I wish I hadn’t asked. He took a pause after I sat up, I was so tangled up in the hit that I forgot to laugh, to give into his joke.

“You were being serious?” he asked quickly, looking back onto the lake, “Y/n/n listen… I uh,”

“No it’s fine it was a stupid question, I’m not doing it anyway I just wanted to prank you!” I said in a lifting tone but I think he could see right through me, it felt as though he could see all under my skin, “We should get back though or Laurel might kill us, Belly’s friend Cam’s coming for that movie marathon tonight right?” I said with a smile, keeping the tone of my voice even.

He looked distracted when he replied, “Uh, yeah, yeah you’re right,” he replied.

We packed everything up quickly, we played music in the car as if nothing happened, but the tension still slightly hung in the air, we didn’t talk much. When we arrived everyone was already in the living room.

“Just in time!” Susannah said when we walked in, I met Steven’s eyes which lit up when he saw Jere. I said hello to everyone and excused myself to get changed, Jere followed behind me, on the way up the stairs I removed his jumper and went to pass it back to him, “Thank for this,” I said again but he didn’t take it.

“You can keep it I’ve got plenty,” he assured me with a smile. This he has never done, he always let my wear his hoodies whenever I want even here at home but never let me keep any. Maybe he feels guilty- I hated that.

We were halfway through the second movie, the moms sat together on one couch, Cam and Belly on the other squished up on side so I could sit on the other. Jere and Steven on the floor. Conrad left after the first movie, my intuition told me it had something to do with the cuddling pair next to me. My eyes were distracted from the movies too. Every so often travelling to a certain curly haired blonde. I sighed and got up, moving towards the kitchen. Susannah entered after me.

“Y/n/n dear,” she said sitting down next to me, I took a sip of water before looking towards her.

“What is it?” I asked with a smile.

“I can see right through that sad smile and you know it!” she whispered and took my hand, “I know you said that you didn’t want to be a debutante because of the expenses, but if it wasn’t because of that, and lets say it was due to a little ignorant blonde curly haired Fisher boy, don’t let him put you off. You’ve done plenty of things that would make you a wonderful debutante and think about how well it would look on collage applications,” I went to stop her but she pulled the ‘let me finish’ face, so I did, “You deserve this, a reward, you’re beautiful with a good heart, you have to live a little, every boy in cousins will want to be your escort,” she said with a smile, the smile that tugged at all my heart strings.

I could only nod at her, tears building up in the corners of my eyes, she pulled me into an embrace, I’ve been working so hard my whole life, trying so hard to give back for the amazing family I have, to make them proud, and my mom too and sometimes it still felt as though it wasn’t enough.

“Thank you Susannah,” that was for everything she had done for me not just the deb thing or today.

“Alright no need to be sad anymore, I’ll be taking Belly’s acceptance in the morning so let me know what you want to do then, just think that the dress will always be yours, now lets get back in there ok?” she smiled holding out her arms which I gladly fell.

I gave Susannah my acceptance response in the morning, I had agreed with her that I would pay back at least some of the money when I come stay with her in February to work on a series of charity events. She shook hands with me on it and embraced me, making me smile.

 .·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

 Few weeks had passed and whilst Jeremiah and I had found our center again I found myself spending more time with Noah than my best friend, and today he was coming over for dinner, during which Susannah had encouraged me to ask him to be my escort as dance lessons were beginning tomorrow. He was the obvious choice as we were seeing each other, and yet I was wary, it’s not like I even wanted Jere to be my escort anymore- even if he changed his mind. A Lie. I changed my outfit for the forth time before making my way downstairs.

Noah and I usually hung out around town, at the beach or his house. Not that I didn’t want to be at the summer house, I just didn’t want to see Jeremiah when I was with Noah, nervous about how I’d react and moreover how he would. He’d probably be nonchalant as he had been every time someone brought Noah up, or the few times we’d all hung out as a group.

The table was set, Taylor- who had come to visit for a few days- was sat at the table next to Belly, Steven sat next to her. Conrad was helping his mom bring some last bits before taking a seat at one side of the table opposite her. Jeremiah was sat opposite me, the seat next to mine empty and the one next to it was taken by Laurel.

“I’m so glad you did decide to invite Noah tonight,” Susannah announced taking her seat with a smile. I gave a weak one back as a reply. I didn’t really want to invite him but after days of pleas I couldn’t come up with anymore excuses, plus I needed to ask him to be my escort- Jeremiah had rejected the idea- and Noah would be hurt if I didn’t ask him. Things were good between us. Stable. Not adventurous like Jere and I were but it was good. It was ok.

“Yeah we’re all so glad to see him!” Jere said not meeting my eyes across the table, sarcasm dripping from him like paint off a brush.

“Are you asking him to be your escort tonight?” Belly asked and Taylor wiggled her brows at me, I felt my cheeks blush and I ran my finger through my hair. Belly had already asked Cam to be her escort a few days ago, she was updating me on all her Conrad gossip but I didn’t comment- they needed to figure it out themsleves.

“Yeah, I’ll take him for a walk to the beach after dinner, it’s simple but-”

“It’s a you thing and that’s what he’ll appreciate,” Susannah said, and just as she did the doorbell rang.

“Speaking of the devil,” Connie said, shuffling to get up, before he was fully stood I shot up from my chair and sped walk towards the door, I could hear him teasing me.

I twisted the key and opened the door, there he was, he leant down to give me a quick peck and I begged to feel something- anything! Still there was nothing, I felt as though I was kissing a mere friend, weirdly. He laid his hand of my lower back as I led him through to the dinning room.

Everyone greeted him with warm smiles and everyone quickly settled for food.

“So what are you planning to take at college?” Laurel asked and I wanted to shoot her dagger eyes, this really wasn’t the time for an interview.

“Uh so I’m currently deciding between medicine and law, but learning towards medicine, my aunt’s a doctor and she’d always been a huge inspiration of mine, she saved a little boy at the scene of an accident, when the ambulance arrived they said he wouldn’t have made it if she wasn’t there,” the candour in his voice giving him such sincerity.

“That’s amazing,” Susannah said taking a sip of her drink, I stopped, looking at Jeremiah rolling his eyes across the table- I tried my best to ignore him but at some point Noah started noticing the little stupid reactions too and I suddenly felt embarrassed of the blonde’s actions. If I hadn’t known better I would have said that Jeremiah was jealous but that couldn’t have been the case.

At his twentieth eyeroll I’d had enough, I took a deep breath and turned to Noah, “Hey did you want to take a walk down onto the beach?” I put on my biggest smile hoping he’d understand I wanted to leave.

He laid his hand on my thigh and his eyes looked clearly at me, he was reading my face and for a minute too long because Jere’s eyes followed Noah’s hand placement, “Yeah I’d like that,”

“Great let me just change into some leggings,” I said quickly getting up, getting away from Noah’s hand contact. It wasn’t cold so I didn’t really have to change but I needed a break from him- and Jeremiah.

I was half way up the stairs when I heard a voice say, “I’m just going to run to the toilet really fast,” I paused just to be greeted with the Blonde that decided to show his attitude tonight. At this I sped up my journey up.

“Y/n let me talk to you really quick,” he whispered following me.

“Later Jere I want to get to the beach before it gets too late,” I close my door behind me, searching through one of my draws when he barges in behind me, I scoff, he knows I hate when people come in without knocking.

“Ow come on please,” he begged, when I turned around he was showing his puppy eyes, lips pouting. This time I rolled my eyes, finding my leggings in my draw.

“After that show downstairs? No. We can talk when I get back,” I said more assured this time.

“Y/n/n come onnnnn,” he said grabbing my arms and pulling me towards him, I could smell some alcohol on him, had he been drinking before dinner?

I didn’t have the energy to pull out of his grip, “What do you need Fisher?” I huffed, I didn’t like calling him by his surname and he didn’t seem to like it either, it wasn’t personal enough, the sad expression on his face made me regret it even more.

“Don’t ask him to be your escort,” he stated simply, I took a double take before moving some hair out of my face.

“Why not?” I asked furrowing my brows, he just shrugged and looked down, “I need someone to go with, I asked you Jeremiah and you said no,” I reminded him and he took a deep breath as if the memory stung him, “Was there anything else you needed?” I asked quietly, it was so unlike him to be this unresponsive, it’s unnerving.

He shook his head but didn’t move, we just looked at each other, “Are you coming?” Noah’s voice echoed from downstairs, it brought me back to reality. Yet I didn’t want to be brought back into it not when I could have stayed and looked into Jeremiah’s eyes for a little longer.

“Yeah!” I shouted quickly, rushing to the bathroom. Jere was already downstairs at the table when I came down. We had been at the beach for about an hour before I asked Noah- his reaction was polar opposite to Jere’s and that felt more like a stab to the chest than my best friend’s rejection. Noah’s smile extended bigger than I thought possible, he lifted me into an embrace and swung me around like Jere had the day we arrived. When he put me down he answered, “Yes! Of course yes! I would be honoured,” he exclaimed.

The kitchen was empty upon our return, Noah kissed me goodbye by the front door and I watched as he drove out the driveway, an uneasy weight on my chest. I brushed my hand through my hair and made my way upstairs. Tomorrow was the first dance rehearsal and I need energy- at least that was my excuse to not watch a film with Susannah and Laurel.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

 Another two weeks had passed and the ball was becoming closer and closer which consequently meant so was the end of the summer. It was a strange feeling, it was the same feeling every year. These last three months we spent here were going to become just that, a few months spent here. I brushed the throught off as we were getting ready to leave for another party, this one was at Trevor’s house a couple of roads down.

Noah wasn’t going to be there, he was going with is parents to some convention a town over but he told me that I should go, that I shouldn’t miss out on the fun on his account. Jere was the one to convince me, he said there was going to be a bounce house and I had been suggesting we get one at a party for years.

There was an array of drinks all around the house, most people were already intoxicated when we arrived, not that any of us minded, that’s what made it all so much more entertaining.  I was devastated to find out that there was no bounce house though.

“I had to get you out of the house somehow! You never come out to parties with us anymore unless Noah’s there,” he said with puppy eyes hanging onto my arm.

“I’ve been to very single party held this year,” I confront him, all the kids went to all the parties so naturally Noah did too, he had loads of friends here as well.

“Yeah whatever, but you’ve been neglecting partying with you best friend,” he argued.

“Jere whenever we went to parties together you ditched me for a hook-up,” I said raising my eyebrows, digging the knife deeper into my own heart, but I needed to say it because it was true, I needed to keep reminding myself.

“When have I done that?” he asked.

“Last year, at pretty much all the parties,” I said picking up a can of fruit beer.

“Yeah because you were too busy with Noah to see me,” he contradicted, but that wasn’t true, not exactly, Noah spoke to me for the first time when Jere ditched me for a hook up and I was stood like a loner because Con didn’t want to come to the party and Belly was too young (Steven was ill at time, in bed with summer fever). This happened another three times before I decided enough was enough. I had a perfectly perfect boy here, so I wouldn’t let Jere be the reason I hung out with him. I started dipping parties with Noah before Jere could tell me he was going, this way hurt less.

“Whatever, no matter what I say you’ll argue, I just want to have some fun,” I said taking a swing of a shot before walking over to where everyone was dancing. I think I ended up drinking too much because Jere and I ended up back on our private part of the beach behind the house. I had his hoodie on and his arms was around me and we just sat watching the waves in the night.

I was always more vulnerable when drunk, so when he Jere look at me, it felt like he was looking at me for the first time- properly. His eyes went to my lips and then back to my eyes. And then again.

“Jere-” I tried to put some power into my voice but it came out as a pathetic whisper, his hand travelled to the side of my face, brushing my cheek. Not saying a thing.

Suddenly I was feeling hot, and the air around us was warmer than before, the jumper suffocating me. He was inching towards me and I couldn’t push myself to stop him. I didn’t want this to happen like this, under the influence, I had to admit to myself that I wanted to him. But I wanted him sober, when he was actually in control of his actions.

“Jere” I tried again but he didn’t stop, I could feel his breath on my lips when my phone started ringing, he moved back slightly, his hand still on my cheek, I pulled my phone out the pocket of his jumper. It was Noah. This made Jeremiah moved completely away, the loss of warmth made me feel unsafe, alone against the world.

I hovered my thumb of the red ‘decline’ button, but then took a deep breath, I needed to be rational we weren’t eleven year olds anymore, now actions had real consequences. So without as much as a look towards Jere I answered.

“Hello,” I said, my voice still shaky, Jere turned to me, his eyes hurt, “Yeah no I’m fine, yes I’m home, we’re sat out back now, all of us just chilling, ok, yes I will do ok. Ok I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye.” I said before putting the phone back into my pocket. Now there was a silence.

“Jeremiah,” I started, my voice a whisper once again, he looked at me, looking a little sobered up, “Be my escort to the Deb ball?” before he could reply I rambled, “I know what you were about to do, and I’m not saying I don’t want to- in fact I do, and have wanted to for well… years but not like this. I asked you earlier at the start of summer, you had all of me and rejected me. And if you don’t want me then at least let me be with someone who does,” I announced not breaking the eye contacting for a second.

“It’s not that I don’t want to be your escort, or even about this stupid dance,” I tried not to wince at him calling something that means a lot to me stupid… “Listen I’m drunk and… and I’m glad the phone called what I almost did was a mistake, I just wanted to kiss someone but I didn’t want to ditch you and prove you right,” he said brushing a hand through his hair.

I just nodded, lips pushed together to not let myself fall apart. When saying those words he seemed sober enough. He didn’t want me, or this. Now I actually had my answer.

“Ok, well I’m glad we’ve got that out the way, and that you think so low of me that you were going to kiss me for the mere want to kiss someone, anyone,” I said getting up, I wasn’t annoyed that he rejected me. You can’t control your feelings, I was just angry that he had such little respect for me.

“Stop being such a baby about it Y/n it’s summer, I just want to live a little,” he said laying back on his arms, looking up at me with a grin.

“You’re right, summer’s all fun and no consequences, or at least no thoughts about consequences, sorry that we’re not all just living in your world,”

“I’m not saying it’s my world,”

“It never is,”

“Whatever Y/n you always argue when things aren’t your way, but you don’t see that your way is always the good way,”

“Like I said I’m glad we’re got everything in the air now, you’re a dick,” I said, ripping hid jumper off and throwing it at him and then walked off, I considered calling Noah and asking him to come to the house but I knew that wasn’t fair on him. Jeremiah didn’t follow when I left. When I got home I took all of his hoodies from my room and threw them on his bed, then I went to sleep.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

 I was wearing the white dress, my white dress, my hair braided intricately into a  bun with a small tiara nestled right in the centre, I couldn’t actually believe this was happening, with Belly by my side and Shayla on the other side. The one thing that couldn’t be more wrong was the fact that my best friend was still angry at me, in fairness I was still angry at him.

“Do you think Cam and I will stay in contact after the summer?” A nervous Belly asked from beside me, I haven’t seen her this stressed since the time she failed her third math test in a row and her teacher called Laurel.

“Do you want to stay in contact with him?” I ask lifting my brows.

Her lips curled together and she looked to the ground quickly before answering, “He’s a lovely boy and I’ve really had a good summer with him but- I don’t know how to put it- it’s just, he’s, he’s not-”

“He’s not Conrad?” I finished the sentence, her cheeks glowing a powdery pink, she let out a little sigh.

“It’s not like he’ll ever actually look at me like that anyway,” her smile became sad.

I was about to argue with her, how could she not see that she made his smile that much brighter, everyone looked over at the door when a frantic knocking came from outside.

“I need to talk to Y/n…” all the girls’ eyes looked to me, I swallowed down, “Now would be ideal,” the voice continued, I looked at Belly.

“Speak of the devil” I whispered with an uneasy smile, before rushing toward the door and opening it the smallest bit to make sure the other girls don’t get seen.

“What is it Conrad?” I ask frantically, he doesn’t answer for a second, he looks me up and down.

“You look beautiful Y/n” he says before he returns to reality looking frantic again.

“Thank you Connie but what is so urgent that…”

“Yes! Right- So our lovely Cam Cameron,” the moment he says that boy’s name my heart stops, what’s happened now?- “fell over on the whaling boat and broke his leg a few hours ago, he’s in hospital, his phone somewhere in the ocean...” he exclaims and the mouth falls opens. This has to be some kind of joke. Poor Belly. She must be frantic that he’s not answering her texts, and she’s not told any of us...

“You’re kidding right?” I ask, he wouldn’t joke about something like this, about something this important I know he wouldn’t.

“I wish I was, Laurel and mom don’t know, what are we going to do?”

“You know what has to be done,” I say digging my eyes into his, he shakes his head at first.

“No- she doesn’t want to see me, moreover for me to be her escort,” he whispers because there are definitely some debutante’s listening from the other side of the door.

“Are you insane! Will you two get a grip, she’s so in love with you and you know this! She’s looked up to you her whole life. And- and you look at her like she up the moon and the stars in the sky! There you go it’s all out in the open, you’re going to be her escort! Done and sorted!” I whisper-shouted, he was a bit taken aback but a smile was cracking under his worry, “I won’t tell her so she doesn’t get stressed out, but just be there, show up,” I chide him and he nods.

“Thank you Y/n, you’re amazing thank you so much,” he pulled me into a hug, I let out a relieved sigh.

“We’ve got this,” I say, but I don’t know if I’m reassuring Con or myself.

“I hope you get a grip too though, and Jere,” he announced still in a whisper

I pull away from him with shock in my eyes, “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean you idiot, he loves you, has for years he just doesn’t think he’s enough for you,”

“I told him he was everything I needed at the beginning of summer Con, but he chose hook ups and parties so maybe I’m not enough for him, and that’s ok,” I tell him-

“Y/n he didn’t know what he was doing, he’s not that smart as you’ve noticed” he exclaimed trying to make me feel better so I put on my biggest smile.

“I asked him to be my escort, twice, once in the beginning and once a few days ago, and if he couldn’t commit to a few stupid dances maybe it’ll be better if we don’t try to commit to anything more huh?” I ask rhetorically, he look like he wants to argue but I continue, “Listen Con, I’m a straightforward person ok, we don’t lie to each other, I don’t know where the tide will take me next” or in other words I don’t know if I’ll ever be back in Cousins because this was never my place, not like theirs anyway, “but I know what I want, and I’m done fighting for this so please let’s move on from this and- and just have this one night altogether again. Please,” I said, tears prickling the corners of my eyes, he wraps me in a hug again before we hear the girls shouting my name, it was almost time.

Coming back into the room I have all the eyes on me again, all the girls asking what he wanted, but the only eyes I paid any attention to were Belly’s, she looked so hopeful, I just went up to her and hugged her, tonight one of he biggest birthday wishes was going to come true.

“It’s time!” Gigi exclaimed and all the girls followed her to rush out the door, Belly grabs a hold of my hand but I tell her I need to touch up some lip gloss before I leave, and that’s how get left alone in the dressing room. I look in the mirror and smile. Actually, genuinely smile for the first time in days. I wasn’t going to let anything ruin this moment, hopefully I would sort things out with Jere tonight or before we leave then I will feel complete.

I was last on the list for my name to be called out, while I was listening to all the other girls getting called out I couldn’t be more proud of each and every single one of those girls, we had be through a lot together this summer, they all deserve this moment.

Then there’s two people in front of my Gigi who was about to be announced and then Belly who turned around and looked like she has just seen a ghost.

“Cam broke his leg this afternoon so Connie’s stepping in?” my tone was more like a question and I gave her an ‘I’m sorry’ smile and even under her horror her eyes are sparkling, “He wanted to be the one to do this anyway,” I reassure her. She smiles at me and then turns to smile Con, they send each other an awkward little wave and my heart swells for them.

For a second I close my eyes and imagine it is Jeremiah who is waiting behind Conrad for me, I even let myself smile, hoping, praying that by some miracle when I opened them he would be there.

He wasn’t.

Of course.

Noah was.

Another deep breath, that was becoming a theme tonight, and a big exhale. And so Belly was gone, then I was eye to eye with Noah, he smiled and waved but I could only smile, tempted to just run away and hide but I wasn’t doing this for myself it was for Susannah.

“Now we have Y/n Conklin,” said the announcer, followed by a bunch of charity work I have completed and my hopes for college. I was walking out, I spot Susannah then Laurel and then him. Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’ playing in my head the second my eyes meet his. His smile is weak but its there. The only spot left was right in front of our table, of course it was.

First was the boy’s dance, it was amazing Steven really went for it and Conrad who learned it in 10 minutes was shockingly impressive, Belly who was stood next to me clapped wildly. Then everything broke off for drinks and snacks.

Susannah runs over to me and pulls me into a hug, then Belly and Conrad. Noah stays on my arms and greets Laurel and Suze too, they compliment us and show their excitement about the boys’ dance.

“Yeah yeah good job boys, come on bring it in!” Jere exclaimed giving Steven and Con bear hugs, then complimenting Belly and turning to me, “Can we talk?” he asked stopping in front of me and pointing towards the doors. I could feel Noah’s hold on my tightening.

“Uh- yeah sure,” I removed my hand from his grip and gave him a reassuring smile, “I’ll be back in a sec ok? Get us some drinks?” Noah’s frown turned back to a smile real quick.

The cold air is nice of my skin, it feels like I’m breathing normally again.

“You look beautiful,” Jere says turning towards me, his back to the ball room, I want to smile but I can’t.

“And you couldn’t have said that inside?” I asked, I wasn’t prodding him or trying to be annoying I just didn’t want to argue.

“I’m sorry.” He announced and shakes his head, “I wish I could hit some magic ‘re-do’ button and let this summer play out again,” he continued.

“We’ve all been there, wondering whether if we did something differently the outcome would change, but like I like to say-”

“Don’t say everything happens for a reason-”

I give him a sympathetic smile, in that moment I mourn would could have been between us, “That magic button doesn’t exist,”

He steps closer and puts his hands on the sides of my face, “I know, but second chances exist, and well third…” I put all my effort into not leaning into his touch, “Give me a chance, I- Y/n I love you, and you can’t say anything to make me change my mind. I should have been the fucking one up there with you, I’ll never forgive myself for not being there for you, I was scared shitless that I would mess up, hurt you- that would affect both our families and-” his eyes have a tint of red in them.

“I know Jere, I love you too, you know that,” I put my hands on his wrists, “You will always have a piece of my heart, right here,” I say taking one of his hands and laying it on my chest.

“Let me have this dance, let me prove to you-”

“Jere I’m here with Noah, and he’s invited me to meet his parents when we get back, he’s been here all of last summer, planning all year on how he was going to win me back this summer and try harder when I was the one who pushed him away… for you,”

“I know, I know I was dick,”

“I can’t keep rereading the same story because the ending isn’t going to change Jere,” I say with finality and head back into the ball room, wiping the underneath of my eyes begging that my makeup hasn’t smudged.

Though I’m in for another dig when I enter, Noah looks less than impressed as I walk over to him, I looked for Susannah or Laurel or Belly for an escape but none of them are in my visual ground. Great.

“I can’t do this. I’m not doing it again,” he announces, I know exactly what he means but I act dumb- what else could I do?

“What do you mean? Do what again?” I ask frantically, he’s edging towards the exit.

“I can’t talk in here,” he says and I take a look around a few eyes have darted at us, I was so sick of everyone sticking their noses in my business. He rushes outside, I grab my dress and follow behind him, this time the hit of chilly air doesn’t make me better, it makes me feel sick.

“Last year you left me because you couldn’t get over Jeremiah, over the ‘what if?’ about him, I had to respect that. But he hurt you, left you in the dirt, I forgave that, because- because I really, really liked you,”

“Liked?”

“Liked, I can’t be with someone who doesn’t want to be with me, who’s heart belongs to an undeserving boy,” that’s when it hit me, Noah could insult me and the beat of my heart all that he wanted but he did not have a right to insult him.

“Don’t call him an underserving boy, this is on me, not on him,”

“Why can’t you just give him up! He doesn’t treat you right! He won’t, I’ve ripped out my heart and laid it on a silver platter for you, made plans for the future,”

“Noah-”

“No, fuck this shit, and fuck him for stringing you along, and fuck you, for letting him,” that was the last thing he said before getting in his car and driving off. I deserve it a part of me thought.

But another part of was freaking out because he couldn’t even do this last dance with me, I wanted nothing more than to kneel down and sob but the dress was too nice… and expensive for me to do that. So I lifted my head high once again that night and walked back into the room but Susannah knew, the minute I came to the table. She knew exactly what happened. Before I even made it to the table all the Debs were lining up ready to dance with their partners, I don’t get in line with them I continue moving towards the table Belly meets my eyes Conrad is nowhere to be seen, I shrug my shoulders, some part of me couldn’t believe he was about to fuck up again and not show.

That’s when the Fisher brothers rushed through the door, Con pushed Jere towards the table before getting in line with Belly. I was sat now watching Jeremiah approach quick footed. He stood in front of me.

“Will you do me the honour?” He asks holding out his hands, Susannah gasps and it looks like her eyes are about to swell with tears, “This doesn’t have to change our conversation from earlier,” he reassured me. I’m thankful he doesn’t say it ‘doesn’t change’ instead he said it ‘doesn’t have to change’ giving me the option to give him the chance after this.

I tell myself I’m taking his hand and his offer because I didn’t want to stand out, to look like a Deb who had to sit out because her date dumped her. As we get into line a thought shoots through me… “But you don’t know the dance!” I whisper to him.

He glances back at me with those clear sky eyes, and that smile that put me at ease with such little effort, “Con just taught it to me, hence being a tiny bit late for Belly,” I want to laugh, to say more to him, to not miss out on anymore time that we have left but the song starts and were in the dance.

His hand moves over my arms and joins with my gloved hands, even through them I feel the rush of electricity from his touch, then he spins me and his fingers run along the open back of my dress, it sent shivers through me. Every time we were face to face our eyes didn’t leave each other, just like our hands, and when he dipped me down at the end of the song I wanted nothing more than for him to kiss me, but he wouldn’t do it, because I said no to him.

The clapping and the cheers bring me back to reality and him too is seems in the way that he lifts me back up, everyone breaks back out into chatter, we stand there for a moment his hands still on my arms, his hold firm willing me to not leave his side.

“I’m so, so glad that it was me,” he whispered, as if speaking aloud would end this moment, my eyes shift between his eyes and his lips, his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, “Are you?”.

I don’t know what compelled me to do it there and then but I did it. My hands, almost like muscle memory, rushed to the back of his neck and pulled him down to me, my lips met his. His hands travelled to the sides of my face, then my neck and then my arms and then my waist, bringing me closer and closer.

I realise quickly where we are, pulling away fixing myself up a little, rushing a hand through his hair, “This was always your dance Jeremiah, you know that,”

He leaned down to peck my lips again, and I giggled into the kiss. His hand landed on the low of my back as he guided me back to the giddy table, of which I have no doubt, the participants have watched me kiss Jeremiah Fisher. Susannah stood up to hug me, then said she needs photos. She rushed all of us to the photo wall, it was just some blue silky fabric pinned to the wall, but it was everything it needed to be and more.

She made us take individual photos, then in our pairs, then all together, then her boys, then us Conklins, then the girls and then all the boys. Then Conrad and I had a special request for a photo. After half an hour of hogging the photo spot I’m pretty sure we had a photo of every combination.

Before I knew it we were all back home eating dinner and laughing in the around the table, then playing some silly card game I kept losing at but that didn’t matter because Jere would be beside me pulling adorable faces and trying to tickle me when I tried to sabotage his win.

I wanted it to be like this always, all of us, together.

Masterlist

[demonslayedher]

I lost a bet to myself and paid the price by making another demon sibling AU. Was originally just going to be headcanons and doodles, but I wound up writing the parts I felt like. The names of Tengen's siblings are entirely made up. This will come in two parts due to length.

Clicking each bone in his spine, Yogen stood to his full height, taller than Tengen remembered. It wasn't uncommon to go long periods of time without seeing his siblings when they were on their own missions, but Yogen shouldn't had changed that much. "I'll spare you. It wouldn't do for the Uzui clan not to have a head. Now you're the strongest one."

"...Yogen..."

"I wouldn't had been able to take you on, if not for the fact that you'd never have done it if you knew. You should thank me, Aniki. You know what I've spared you? Father was going to make us all have a fight to the death. You'd have done at least half of this."

"What have you done!?"

"I ate them," he laughed, something Tengen had never heard Yogen do in his adult voice. He had the most infectious laugh when they were children, and this rang with the same pleasure, however dissonant. "I was stunned too, at first. When I came to, I had eaten two of them, they were still warm in my mouth, their cells already nourishing mine. But you know what? I decided to eat the others. I was going to kill them anyway, what difference does it make that I should eat them?"

Tengen's face pearled back into a snarl, his eyes flaring.

"One, two, three... Eizen got away before I could bite him, though. That whelp would had done nothing for me. The one I really wanted to eat was the strongest," he said, his glowing white eyes shifting down to their father's fresh corpse. "And now, even he's nothing to me."

Tengen could stand no more of this. "Yogen!!" he screamed and gripped one of the swords at his back, and charged at Yogen all in one motion. A hard sickle burst out of the flesh of Yogen's arm and caught it, but when Tengen pulled his other sword down through Yogen's shoulder and chest, the sound of ripping sinews what different than it should had been. A look over to the injury revealed that the shoulder was repairing itself before Tengen's eyes. When had he learned any technique like that?

The momentary lapse in focus caught him, Yogen swiped up against Tengen's forearm. It felt too varied to had been spiked knuckles--those were his fingertips, he had grown claws. Tengen drew a sword up to lop off Yogen's forearm, and then his brother let out a shrill scream as his features lit up and revealed how contorted they had become. Yogen didn't look human anymore with how his veins bulged and burned. Burned? From what? Tengen took a look over his shoulder to the sun rising and casting light through the wide open door, and when he looked back, Yogen was gone.

---

Tengen watched the flames consume the house and the bodies of his slain family. He had combed it for any trace of Yogen, but his brother left none. Hope though he did that the flames may consume Yogen too, he knew in his gut that he was still out there.

Behind him, Suma sneezed in a gust of smoke that wafted into her face. Hinatsuru handed her a handkerchief, as she and Makio were already covering their faces in case of poison. Tengen didn't bother, he was resistent to most ninja poisons, and the scratches down his forearm were already less swollen. "You three should go back to your homes."

"No!" insisted Suma.

"We're already members of the Uzui clan," said Hinatsuru.

"Your revenge is ours," added Makio.

Hinatsuru made the most important point, they were already seen as his property. He could hear whispers and feel them all being watched; the other ninja clans knew what had befallen the most powerful family, and the Uzui name was now shunned. Even if Tengen wanted to stay, he had no place in the village, and neither did anything that belonged to him. The only thing left for him now was to track his brother down and drag him to hell.

Someone else was approaching, and Tengen reached for one sword. Uneven footsteps. One didn't have the splat of a foot, it was the thunk of wood--a cane, or two canes? A leisurely, but determined pace. Self-assuredness, even for entering ninja territory. A robust heartbeat. Who was coming?

"Well, is that what you all look like? I feel like I've wandered into one of those storybooks," said an old man. He had one missing leg, a full head of hair and moustache to rival it, a grin, and a telltale scar lining the underside of his left eye. "I had always left your kind alone, but I couldn't when I felt the presence of a demon over here."

"Who are you?" Tengen asked, stetching one arm before his wives while the other hand stayed at his weapon.

"You didn't chop its head off, did you, ninja boy? It's long gone by now, you know. It'll hide from daylight. Be even more trouble to find if it's one of your folk."

"How do you know about us?" Makio shot back.

"How do you children not know about demons? Aye," the old man huffed to himself as he set down a stool he carried. He planted his rump on it, then folded his arms. "The name's Kuwajima Jigoro, former Roaring Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corp. I figured this would be out of your expertise, so I've come to help."

Tengen felt in his gut he could trust that. He dropped to one knee and bowed his head, his wives all doing likewise behind him. Jigoro seemed to enjoy that, but insisted they do not. Instead of bowing, he'd appreciate the ladies rubbing his shoulders to display their gratitude, he said.

While Hinatsuru and Makio set about at each arm, Suma kneeled at his remaining foot with a gasp. "Aren't old people not supposed to be this beefy?"

"Can it, Suma!" chided Makio.

Hinatsuru said nothing, but could feel something was different in this man, not only in his physique. Whatever he had to say was going to change their lives more than the previous night already had. They all listened carefully as Jigoro orated about the existence of demons, how they eat humans, how they are near impossible to kill, but also the methods of those who hunt them, with specialized blades and an organization to support them. As he began describing Breath, however, Tengen stopped him. "I already know all that, that's ninjutsu basics. That's not giving me anything I don’t already have."

"Oh? I figured as much. Always made me curious about you pups. So you you've got the basics of Breath technique, huh?"

"It's beyond basic," he shot him an annoyed frown.

"I'll be the judge of that. See that tree over there? That's probably about the strength of the usual demon neck. Go hog wild on it." As much as showing off was against the ninja code, Tengen wasn't in the mood to argue and made short work of that tree, the only sound being the pop of it seperating into two halves. Jigoro gave him a clap, then stood with his cane. "Good accuracy. Spot on. Now you pick one out for me. Take some mercy, though, I'm only working at half-strength." He balanced on his foot and his peg, plopping the end of his cane in his palm to show off that he meant to use it in place of a sword. Tengen hated when other people tried to be show-offs, so he pointed to a tree a few rings thicker than the one he had cut.

The old man eyed it, then slid his good foot through the dirt, and as he leaned forward, clouds of steam rose from his lips. "Breath of Thunder, Fifth Form. Heat Lightning."

The sound hit Tengen so hard that he covered his ears, and the old man was gone--on the other side of the tree, which was not only cleanly chopped, but split itself in half vertically as it fell. A rarity, Tengen's jaw dropped. Jigoro looked back with a fierce grin, knowing he'd have left them all impressed.

Rather than one knee, Tengen planted his palms and face to the ground. "Please teach me this technique, Master."

"When did I ever say I wanted a student like you? You already said you know Breath technique, don't you?"

"You won't teach him?" Suma sat straight up, little tears in the corners of her eyes.

"I only want students with talents I can mold. You're already set your ways and would just try to make Thunder Breathing into what you want. You can't fill a full tea cup, as they say."

Tengen wanted to insist he's do anything to take his revenge, but the old man was right. As he was, he wouldn't be able to unlearn everything he always knew, it was as much a part of him as every experience and memory, like every scar, such as the ones running down his left arm.

"The true nature of Thunder Breathing would escape you, you'd get too caught up in how powerful it looks. You're too flashy!"

His cheeks flushed. "Say that again."

"You're too... flashy? I don't think a ninja should find that a compliment."

"You can't tell him all that and then not train him!" insisted Makio. "Please! There's got to be something you can do! Tengen-sama works really hard!"

"Tengen-sama works harder than anyone!"

"Please, Master. Tengen-sama can think flexibly, please give him a chance."

"I won't! I can already tell he's not the sort of student I'm looking for!" he barked back, and Suma burst out into sobs, while Hinatsuru hid delicate tears and Makio's face turned dark red. Jigoro flinched at the sight of the upset girls, then looked back to Tengen. "I--I didn't come out here to leave you high and dry, you know. I already told you about the Corp, didn't I? That's where you really need to go. I can't teach you Thunder Breathing, but if you really think you can pick up something new, there's an old scroll I've got of an off-shoot Breath. Someone like you might be able to pull it off. What do you say, ninja boy? How about I give that to you and you teach yourself Sound Breathing?"

---

From there, Tengen took much the same course as in canon. When he became a Pillar and had his meeting with Oyakata-sama, he was upfront about his reasons for entering the Corp. Oyakata-sama appreciated his frankness and assured him that the entire Corp would support him if they found any information on Yogen, but Oyakata-sama was also keen on the undercurrent of Tengen's heart; that he was relieved to leave the murderous ways of ninja, and that he wanted to live an upright life. This finally gave words to something Tengen always felt, but thought he had no right to wish for. He and his wives were moved and they swore loyalty to Oyakata-sama.

However, as time went on, there were no clues whatsoever about Yogen. Around the time they all got antsy, Makio finally couldn't stand it anymore and suggested they may never find him. "Think about it," she said. "This Corp is full of strong swordsmen. Someone might had already chopped off his head long before we got here."

While that should had come as a relief, Tengen couldn't help but find the idea frustrating. That revenge was his to take. He could think of only one person stronger than him who might had done it, so he described Yogen to Himejima one day and asked if he remembered seeing a demon like that. Himejima plainly replied that he was blind.

As they began to accept that they may never have closure, Hinatsuru proposed that they be satisfied bagging an Upper Moon. That should be enough for them to earn their peace, she said, and as much as it grinded away at Tengen's heart, he agreed.

In the course of performing Tengen's Pillar duties, they closed in on what was likely an Upper Moon in Yoshiwara. Hinatsuru, Makio, and Suma slipped in, but when he lost contact, Tengen went looking for some female Corp members to sneak in and see what was up. That's when he reencountered the boy whose head he meant to spill at the last Pillar meeting, as well as his two annoying buddies. Inosuke would had been satisfyingly flamboyant, if not for the fact that he was gross. The other whelp was named Zenitsu.

"You write that 'Zen' with the kanji for virtue?"

"Yeah. What's it to you?"

"Nothing," Tengen replied, never saying anything of it ever again. It didn't take long for him to notice that Zenitsu had ears on par with his own.

The boys managed to get in, and soon the plan went awry. Tengen's first encounter with an Upper Moon broke out, and that went awry in the most horrifically flamboyant of ways. Tengen found himself unconscious, needing to stop his heart to keep the demon poison from spreading, as it was many times more potent than any ninja or demon poison he encountered before. There was fire in the wreckage nearby, he'd be consumed if he doesn't move soon. In the odd space where consciousness was returning to him, his hearing reached into a deeper plain, where he could hear the most carnal thoughts pounding though the bodies of those around him.

Tanjiro was panicking.

No scent! No scent! Upper Moon Five--where did--but--no scent! No scent!!

Tengen could hear Upper Moon Six, in both bodies, but he couldn't hear any other demon. It gave off no sound. He struggled to look in Tanjiro's direction, and was stunned by the sight of a demon partway sticking out of the shadow Tanjiro has cast, guarding Upper Moon Six with a kunai stuck in his arm.

"Sakage!" growled Upper Moon Six. That is not the demon's name. "I don't need you here! Were you intruding on my thoughts?"

"I didn't need to. I heard the cacophony from ages away. You wouldn't had seen wisteria coming anyway."

Upper Moon Six looked to the kunai, while Tanjiro panicked that the poison had no effect on the newly arrived demon.

"Quit with all the fuss. I'd appreciate it if you hurry up and silence that Pillar over there," he turned his glance to Tengen. His eyes had writing in them, but that was Yogen. "I can't be bothered."

Yogen disappeared into the shadow as suddenly as he appeared, and Tanjiro fell forward with a stumble. He'd be a sitting duck like that, Tengen had to go save him, he pushed himself off the ground to--but--but his arm was missing--the scars were torn off-----

---

Yogen had been quick to learn some of the ins and outs of being a demon, but not all the finer details. He gathered from the surrounding demons' fear of the drum demon that the "Twelve Moons" were the most fearsome demons, closest to their progenitor, but didn't those other demons notice that the drum demon couldn't stomach humans as he ate them? That demon was weak, and Yogen wouldn't stand for it. He cut off his head.

It did not kill the demon, who screamed at him with the characters "Lower Six" in one of his eyes, but he shut up quick when Kibutsuji Muzan arrived. Despite warning Yogen that this was not how fights between demons were done and he should kill Yogen for acting without permission, Muzan smilingly decided to allow it, and instructed him to absorb the former Lower Moon Six and assume his role. Muzan did not care for how Yogen's name referenced sunlight, though. He renamed him Sakage on a whim.

Sakage went on to learn very quickly how to please Muzan, and how to climb the ranks. While not immune, he could resist wisteria poison, which Muzan was more than pleased to borrow from him and see how he could try to adopt it into his own cells. Sakage could move between connected shadows, and in spying on the Corp, he picked up on the hand signs the swordsmen used and quickly deciphered them, and openly reported so to the demons that outranked him. With hearing far more advanced that his brother's ever was, he listened to the information shared between crows, piecing apart their language to the best of his understanding.

Lower Moons Three and Two later, he used his spying abilities to identify his next target: Upper Moon Five.

Gyokko was startled by the challenge, and under Muzan's gaze, he could not refuse. Sakage made short work of him, and the other Moons all felt a chill. Akaza's chill was excitement.

Akaza wasted no time in chatting up the new Upper Moon, for Sakage likewise had a stated hatred for weaklings. While Sakage did find it a bit of a bother, especially since he knew he was a long way from ever being able to pose a real challenge to Akaza, he learned that the quickest way to stop Akaza from pestering him was to spar. Akaza loved to chit-chat even while sparring, though, and this became a useful way for Sakage to catch up on a hundred years of gossip about the other Upper Moons.

While it did feel they had somewhat of a friendship, one day they got on the topic of poison. "I hate people who use poison," said Akaza, between punches. "It's as cowardly and low as you can get."

Sakage, who could create a myriad of weapons from his cells as needed and always laced them in poison, was not offended, but disagreed. "I see no problem in being effective."

This gave Akaza pause, and an uncomfortable drop in his stomach. He excused himself, and bothered Sakage not so often after that.

Muzan was typically pleased with Sakage, which made Hantengu tremble that the ambitious demon had it out for him next. When Muzan was in a foul mood after Upper Moon Six's defeat, Sakage was likewise in a bad mood for the annoyance he encountered out there, someone who should had stayed hidden away instead of bearing free his inherently show-offy personality by joining the Demon Slayer Corp, especially since he was sure to have his ears set to the ground now for any new sign of him. He was certain Tengen witnessed him. But, for as much of an insult as it was to the Upper Moons that Gyutaro let him live, Tengen wouldn't be much of a threat anymore.

Still, Sakage knew to keep his cool. He had news to report, and he was certain of his deciphering. When he declared where the swordsmith village was located, Muzan had no doubts, and sent Hantengu alone. "Now why couldn't you find that, after all this time?" Muzan smirked to Nakime. She, not being of any rank, could merely apologize. Sakage took no pleasure or pride in looking better than a peer whom he knew he was stronger than. Muzan's mood could never be sustained for long, though, and he very soon frowned back to him. "You've brought no word of the blue spider lily."

"My apologies."

"Aren't ninja supposed to have knowledge of these things? Weren't you of a high ranking clan? Go back and order them to search."

And, at that moment, a dangerous thought escaped Sakage's inner filter, it leaked though to his mind at the same moment it leaked to Muzan's: But I can't show my face back there.

The way Muzan's face bent with disgust drove more terror into Sakage than when he was still a human and first encountered the demon lord. He felt certain of a swift death, but Muzan let him be. Sakage was still too useful. But, Sakage knew he'd have to crawl back to Muzan's graces by providing something of more use to him. He had to unveil a secret of more value.

--

Tengen, who remained active despite missing an eye and a hand, was present at an emergency Pillar meeting. Tokito and Kanroji were bandaged up, and they recounted how the swordsmith village was attacked by Upper Moon Four. With two Pillars and a few other reliable Corp members all working together they defeated him well before daybreak, but not before discovering an ancient ability known only as "the mark."

As he was now, Tengen knew he'd never attain this. What bothered him more was how the demons found the village, so hidden that he'd have to put his mind to it to have figured out where it was. He could had resorted to old tricks to figure it out, whether that be silently tracking the smiths after their deliveries or flirting with the Kakushi, but what recourse would a demon have had?

'I heard the cacophony----'

A demon may have had ears that rivaled his own, or were better!

Feeling sure of which demon it may had been, he set to thinking of what he would do next. If the demon moved in shadow, listening for the Corps' secrets, what would be a bigger target than the swordsmith village?

Oyakata-sama!

"Uzui-san, are you alright?" asked Himejima. "You seem quiet today."

"You look pale," added Kanroji.

"I'm jealous I won't get one of those flashy marks," he lief without flaw. "We all know I can't take any demons on like I used to. Maybe I don’t belong here."

"Uzui, what sort of talk is that?" Iguro looked to him with his flamboyant dichromatic eyes wide, and brows knit tight over them. "This isn't like you."

"I've got a different sort of mission to go on, I'll see myself out. You all stay here and keep each other company discussing this."

"Then I'll excuse myself here as well--"

"Not you, you've got no excuse," Uzui forced Tomioka back to a seated position by pressing on his head.

In conducting his own investigation, Tengen set his crow to work investigating from the sky. What the crow learned, tracing a few leaks and scolding the birds involved, was that their mid-air communications may had been what spoiled the secret location. This confirmed Tengen's suspicion about Yogen's hearing. He had a feeling about some other spoiled secrets too, and in following up with Corp members involved in previous mishaps, he concluded that the secret hand signals had been divulged.

--

(Read the conclusion reblog here.)

[angry-geese]

Alien Blues

Gojo Satoru x Reader

Warnings: none! sfw. romantic/platonic(interpretable). mainly fluff. mentions of overworking and death, but nothing graphic. gn!reader

Notes: touch-starved Gojo

Word Count: 2.3k

Gojo doesn't get a lot of downtime in his line of work.

It comes with the job. Sorcerers don't exactly work a 9 to 5. This line of work is far from a normal one. Curses don't exorcise themselves, nor do they pick convenient times to show up. He usually has his hands full; be it taking down curses, or dealing with his students. A guy like him really can't take a vacation.

Despite going to the same school—and being only a year younger than him—you didn't meet Gojo until well into your adult life. After graduating, you went off on your own. The typical way of life for sorcerers wasn’t for you. You really didn't want to work with—or under—any of the major clans. At that point, you just wanted to do your own thing. To hell with the school; you’d be fine on your own. And you were.

You spent much of your time exorcising curses across the world, traveling from place to place, not staying in a single town for very long. A lot of it was freelance work. Such jobs were typically frowned upon, or at least looked at strangely. But it really didn't bother you. On your own you were powerful, and an impressive fighter, but you were working in a world that didn't accept you.

So you said to hell with fitting in.

Doing your own thing was the best decision you’d ever made. To this day you’ll stand by that. The jujutsu world is meant for people like Gojo. It demands so much more from you, and in return gives a whole lot less. It demands perfection from you—maybe even more—while he’s the set standard for this perfection. You hold no ill will towards him for it. He didn't make things this way. But it's hard not to envy him at times.

When you came back to the school, you were first assigned a teaching job.

Although you were a talented sorcerer, it was clear from the beginning you weren't meant to be a teacher. Your teaching style was viewed as a bit harsh, as you tended to just throw your students into a situation and let them figure things out for themselves, correcting them where needed. Overall you weren't a bad teacher, but your students got sent to the infirmary often. And by often, it was nearly every day. You just wanted them to be capable. You wanted your students to be prepared. To be the best of the best. How are they supposed to improve if they don't have experience?

To be fair, your students were some of the best in their grade.

For the most part you substitute if needed.

Upon first meeting, he was too eccentric for your tastes. Really, you found him annoying. Your first impression of Gojo was that he was full of himself and out of touch with the world around him. His first impression of you was that you were stuck up and a bit of a bitch.

There wasn't one thing that changed. Maybe he wore you down to the point where you tolerated him. He likes to think it was because of his charming personality. You know otherwise. His charms rarely work on you; if ever. Over time you found yourself less and less repulsed by him. The two of you bonded over harassing Nanami. On your own you weren't much trouble, but when paired with Gojo, Nanami learned to stay out of your way. If you let him. Usually you tracked him down. Your sweet tooth was just as insatiable as his. When you first took up baking, he was always nearby, wanting a taste. You’d drag him along to see new movies or shows or anything you’d think he’d like. He likes co-existing with you. The two of you don't have to even be doing anything. He can sit for hours with you by his side, doing absolutely nothing.

You've gotten to the point in your relationship where you show up unannounced. It's payback for all the times he’s come to your apartment, claiming he has some work for you, only to stay and raid your fridge, conveniently forgetting what he had to tell you. Yes you have scared the absolute hell out of Megumi on several occasions. In Gojo’s defense, he likes your cooking.

He’s not used to having you stay in one place for so long. You’re not used to it either. It feels strange sticking around Tokyo for so long. You hate feeling trapped more than anything. Maybe that’s why you moved around so much. Maybe you’re getting sentimental the older you get. For the first time in years, you feel truly at home. Gojo is one of your closest—if not your closest—friends, and there’s not much you wouldn't do for him.

You guess this is home. The end of the line, or whatever. You don't see yourself leaving for a while.

It's well after dark by the time he gets home.

The place was empty when you got here. Megumi must be out with friends. He's a strange kid. Strange circumstances lead to strange adults—or almost adults in his case. You try not to judge him too hard. You don't have a whole lot to say on his… situation.

He notices your form curled up on the couch, your face illuminated by your phone screen. The tv plays some horror movie you’ve long stopped paying attention to. Your face lights up when you see him.

His hand briefly touches your head, messing up your hair. He looks tired. There's dark circles under his eyes. He was gone for a while this time.

“I brought takeout,” you say, gesturing to the fridge, “I wasn't sure when you’d get home so I put it in there.”

“Did you eat already?” He asks. He makes a note to pay you back for the food later.

“No, I wanted to wait for you.” You say.

A bit of guilt hits him. You really didn't have to wait for him. You know his habit of being chronically late. He says he’s fashionably late, to which you reason he is never fashionable ever. He actually seemed a bit bothered by that one, which only made you tease him more.

Momentarily he disappears into the kitchen, returning with your food. You have his order memorized. There's only a handful of things he’d get anyway. He’s not a picky eater, and usually gets what you get. Pick one of about three things and he’ll probably eat it.

The food is still good even while cold. Gojo talks about his recent job while you eat. He says it was nothing special. But he called Nanami for backup, so you know that’s a lie. He hardly touches his food. Since when doesn't he want to eat? The guy has a pretty impressive appetite at times. Seriously, he could eat you out of house and home.

“Are you done?” He asks.

You nod.

He clears away the empty takeout containers from in front of you, returning the leftovers to the fridge.

When he returns, he sits next to you, throwing his arm over the back of the couch. The leather is an ugly shade. You’re sure if it weren't for Megumi, he would have bought something much worse. His taste—in everything, really—can be tacky. You make sure he knows this. Always have to keep him on his toes. Nanami is right about some things. You never take Gojo’s side for too long.

“You were gone for a while this time.” You say.

A smug looking grin spreads across his face. It's almost enough to make you roll your eyes and groan. “Sounds like you were worried about me.”

Really, you could worry yourself sick thinking about him. It's hard not to. Everyone has their limits, and you constantly wonder when he’ll hit his. Strongest or not; he’s human after all.

“Of course I worry.” As much as you hate to admit it, you care about him. You won't say it. It feels like bad luck to say it out loud.

He knows. He feels the same way. Over time he’s grown jaded and angry with the way things are. He tries not to worry too much about you. This life isn't an easy one, but you can handle yourself. He knows that. Years on your own have proven you're not only a capable sorcerer, but a talented one. The strongest doesn't need to worry about himself, so much as the people around him.

In a weird way he’s proud of you.

You open your arms, instinctively he goes into them.

You pull his head to your chest. He does little to fight against you. Hell, he practically leans into your touch. You take his glasses, setting them on the table beside you. His eyes close when your hands move to his hair, gently pulling it out of his eyes. He’s not quite sure what to do with his arms. Eventually he settles on resting them at his sides. One snakes around your stomach, coming to rest on the fleshy part of your hip. You're awfully comfortable to lay on, he notes.

Your movements are familiar, and oddly comforting. He makes note of the way your heartbeat suddenly drops off, before picking up in pace. From the smell of your shampoo, to the sound of your breathing. He can only describe it as home.

Lots of people will die in this line of work, but he has faith you’ll always be around. You’re too stubborn to die.

Touch in a sense like this is almost foreign to him. Touch in a non fighting context is just bizarre. He never de-activates infinity long enough to get hit. He's had his fair share of one night stands. Hell, he could have anyone he wants. He’s had everything and anything in between. Men and women across the world either want to be him, or be with him. But this—intimacy like this—is strange. The others get kicked out the morning after. But you’ll always be around. He likes to think he’ll be around for you too.

Maybe he’s more touch starved than he thought.

He’s Satoru-fucking-Gojou, a man like him doesn't get touched starved. He feels a wave of shame at his reaction. His face burns. His pride won't allow him to admit how much he enjoys this.

It's the first time you’ve held him close like this. The action is so oddly intimate and it’s not even in a sexual way. Your movements are familiar. He fits so nicely against your chest, he notes.

He practically purrs in delight as your fingers brush a sensitive spot towards the back of his head—where his neck and shoulders meet—sighing softly. Goosebumps rise along his exposed flesh. You take note of his reaction, and focus on that spot more, dragging your fingers across his skin. Your nails are getting long, and feel nice against his scalp. His eyes close as he leans into the crook of your neck.

"Do you want to watch something different?" You ask.

His heart nearly stops when your hand moves to cup his cheek. His face is warm. He's a wimp when it comes to horror movies. He says they don't scare him. They do. You’ve spent plenty of night sitting next to him, watching his body tense with terror.

He wasn't paying attention to the tv until now. He shakes his head, but his eyes remain fixed on the ground and not the screen.

"This is fine." He says.

"You sure?"

He nods.

He fights sleep as long as possible, but eventually he'll have to give in to it. You’ll be there long after he’s fallen asleep. Maybe even after he wakes up. His head nods, his eyes struggling to stay open. His breaths even out, his chest rising slowly.

You're not really sure what to do once he falls asleep on you. Your position isn't the most comfortable, but you suffer through it so as to not wake him up. If he’s fallen asleep on you, then he definitely needs the rest. He’s a light sleeper anyway. Any movement would be sure to wake him up.

It’s not long after that his body heat—and the sound of his steady breathing—lulls you to sleep.

You wake up to a blanket haphazardly tossed over the two of you. The tv is off. Two glasses of water are set out on the coffee table, condensation collecting on the outside. Megumi must have come home. Gojo's drool collects in a small pool on your collarbone, which is a bit gross. You use the corner of the blanket to wipe it away. It’s a bit odd seeing him so at-peace. It's rare he even lets his guard down. You rest your chin on the top of his head. His hair is soft, and tickles your neck. The sight of him makes your chest swell with affection. The intimacy of it all is enough to overwhelm you. It's been a while since you’ve cared so much about someone.

It's nice having him home.

He stirs, stretching out a bit like a cat. You card a hand through his hair. He grumbles something in response. Probably a weak “what?” Your joints are a bit stiff from staying in the same position for so long.

“Do you want coffee?” You ask.

He sleepily mumbles an answer—one which you don't understand. It's just as legible as the first. His eyes don't even open. You take it to mean he wants to go back to sleep. You pull the blanket up around his shoulders, tucking it under his chin. The sun is still barely up. You’re not in a rush to get up. You don't have anything to do today anyway, work can wait. If Nanami calls, you’ll just ignore him. You could stay in all morning if you wanted.

And you just might.

Come hell or high water, you’re staying on this couch.

In a bit you should get up and start breakfast. Most of the food in the house is for Megumi, but there should be enough to make something small. Pancakes sound nice.

[rumblelibrary]

Now that you are writing requests, I think it's only fair I send you a few after some of the ones you have sent me 😌 as you've said you were the original anon who requested Laszlo x Sapiosexual partner headcanons from me, I'm curious to see how you would write it. Take it in any direction you want to 😘

Thinking Alike [Dr Laszlo Kreizler x Reader]

Word count: 3k

Warnings: Mention of physical violence, mild stalking, smut (yup, there it is!)

Author’s note: My first smut, something easy breezy to begin with. Laszlo is an awkward mess and I love him.

It was embarrassing for Laszlo at first, to admit a weakness, so bluntly. Such a vile thing to do for a man like him.He tried reasoning through it more and more, lonely men went often to prostitutes, John himself did and with the extraordinary result not be devoured by syphilis or other diseases.He didn’t hurt himself nor others in the process.

The first time he met you it was by accident, he was invited by one of his former patients to visit her at her university, nothing unusual, he remembered her well: Julia, shy, small, bent down and backwards by a family that abused her very being, that abused her mind, development and growth.But to see her now a young woman, studying literature at university, thriving in her life and taking her own choices, she even started an internship with Sara, that was something that made a man like Laszlo proud of his job.

Briefly: that day was a success for him: from the meeting to the lunch they shared, she showed in every given moment how she treasured everything she learned at the Institute and, even though hard times were not over, she felt like she was able to face them.Then Julia asked him to join her to listen to a lecture, assuring he would love it so he obliged as it wouldn’t be too bad to feel like a student again and maybe spark some new interest in him.So he did, he sat down and leaned his back on the seat, the soft scent of the woody desks and chairs taking over his nostrils. He remembered how he was at that age, hungry, unnecessary aggressive and lonely. He smiled to himself at the memory.Poor John, still there to look after him and trying to give him a minimum of social skills.

Then the room fell into silence as you walked inside, your choice of clothing a white shirt and a burgundy skirt, a pocket watch on your side. A simple style, you wish good morning to the class and don’t indulge too much into talk.And there is where the unexpected happened.You open up simply, a picture, a quote. The description of man as William Blake: poet, engraver, prophet.To transcribe your words would be similar to the conflict of any man that ever found himself in the duty of writing, or better, transcribing a sacred text.The way you spoke, the way you held everybody’s attention, the way you moved back and forth or wrote on the chalkboard. The passion surging by your words digging into his flesh and bones, every cell into his body surging into an agonising desire to hear more. The way your words balanced, how you managed to go from interesting facts to more detailed ones, from hard critical informations to conceptual ideas.That was the beginning of something new, his brain wasn’t able to move past the thought of you. Literature wasn’t his field, but he felt like you were the spring of all truths. So it begun. He brought the books, he came to the lessons. He thrived in every stolen moment he got with you, he sulked when somebody caught your attention, even more if it was to make some silly comment or question, he adored the way  your hands traced shapes into the air symmetrically, it triggered him to wonder if you ever studied dancing, the pose of your fingers always so balanced. He learned every micro habit you had: the way you always looked at your pocket watch when it was almost half time throughout the lesson, how you changed pin in your hair every day, the way you tucked your reading glasses in your shirt only to then look for those when in need to read. His favourite moments were the ones when everybody was leaving the class and he could see you relax on the chair, gift little smiles around as you collected our belongings. Your presence was by now his safe place, those two hours he spent a the university were the only moments he felt free, even if unseen.

Until the day he was getting into the class to find it empty and you alone there.“Regular students got a card saying the lesson today was cancelled” you said and his heart sunk into his chest “I would be mad to have someone sneaking in my classroom, but I had the feeling to have seen you before”

He gulped down as you were so close by now, he could guess your favourite perfume.You handed him a book, his book with his picture inside followed by his name in cursive letters.

“What does an alienist says about my course?”

“I say, your dialectic is what many of my patients would need in order to survive”You were surprised, eyebrows raising and a slight tilt of the head, you expected to find him guilty and ashamed, surely he was, but that answer was bold.

“And you? Do you find solace in my dialectics?” He took a moment before staring up at you, you didn’t realised how tall he was by seeing him always sat in the back, but you noticed him at every lesson. How couldn’t you?An handsome, elegant grown man hiding among those twenty something, the walking stick giving away always his calculated late entrance in class, his eyes always on you digging holes.

“Constantly”His answer surprised you, you expected to confront him and send him away and now you’re torn between the feeling of cradling him in your arms and, what? “I could forgive you for a lunch” He smiles, his eyes shining “I know the perfect place”

That lunch became one of many lunches.Every time you had lesson he would wait for you and you’d share a meal.To open up to him felt almost too easy, but he was an alienist, that was his job. He also opened up with you, you shared books, and interests and long chats. He wrote you cards and you wrote back to him, he sent you his articles and you sent him yours. He asked for books to introduce children to literature and you visited the Institute helping him in the task in exchange of some entry level books about psychology. Lunches became dinners, long walks became longer, soft smiles became him offering you his arm to walk together. You were starting to develop some tenderness for him, you always wondered what he was thinking and what he would opinion over this or that, you craved to confront your opinions and Laszlo wasn’t feeling any less drawn to it.It was beginning to become difficult when you started to visit him in his dreams, he would dream of you in ways he didn’t dare to speak up about. Only the way you talked when you grew passionate about something gave him a sense of tension, a deep desire going through him as he touched his thigh with his sweaty palm to ground himself. You felt like he was growing distant, unaware of how he was growing somehow closer. Closer to the point he couldn’t resist you anymore, hide behind simple touches of courtesy, to feel your hand only when gloved, stare at every little stand of hair move unruly on your neck while you spoke so highly of any topic. It was unexpected the time, while sharing some impressions on a recent article, he put his  hand flat over the page and leaned in capturing your lips in a sudden but awaited kiss. You kissed him back realising how such a simple gesture meant so much to you. Your hand followed up resting on top of his still hiding the page from you. His lips soft, his beard tickling you lightly as your eyes shone.When he pulled back, only because in need to breathe not else, he looked at you but you smiled at him brushing your nose lightly against his making him break into a smile.  The happiest smile.

“Do you even realise how foolish is that?”

“Are you calling me a fool?” He growled at you. Yes, he followed a potential murderer across the city, got himself beat up, but he was alive and now he got more informations.

“I dare to say I am, loud and clear Laszlo”He frowned deeply, you calling him a fool?

“Take it back”

“No” “I said” he grunted as he breathed heavily through his nostrils  “Take it back” You never saw him this mad but you didn’t oblige his request, he made you sick worry and hid all this madness of crime cases from you through all this time, not even once he mentioned this …what? A hobby? Desire for adrenaline? “A man that doesn’t stand up to his own truths is a fool to me” you said coldly “all this time spent to talk about nonsense and you’re working on solving crimes? Who is the man that I know then? Does he exists only when Dr Kreizler is without a case? There’s even a real interest in what you ever said to me? Or you just needed a distraction?”

“Don’t you dare to contradict me, I am no liar”You smirked, by now he was close, almost threatening even if you know well he wouldn’t ever hurt you. “Then what are you?” He froze, his eyebrows furrowed, what should he tell you? That he loved the way your brain worked? That every time you bounced ideas back and forth he felt aroused? That you provoked in him a thirst for more, more knowledge, more passion, more life. You let out a breathy chuckle as he didn’t answer now, you were sad and disappointed. You indeed believed you had found your match and not another double faced man.You picked your coat and left his office even if your heart was shattering on the inside and begging you not to leave like that.You spent two weeks apart, two weeks in which his spot in the classroom was empty, both of you ate alone, walked alone, lived alone. An emptiness that was so heavy it felt like the sky would break under the weight of it. But he couldn’t think of you, the case was on, the victims were falling one after the other, and yet he couldn’t think clearly. Before just thinking of how you’d think helped him, but what about now? He couldn’t reach for you. You were right, he hid part of himself to you and he couldn’t ask you to risk your life or spend nights and days exploring the dark sides of human nature, even though your sensibilities and introspection would have made you the most valuable asset in any research. He locked himself in his office getting high on tea and pacing the room back and forth talking out loud trying to gain back the process you two formed together, the chemistry, the balance of thoughts. Until your voice reached to him. “What if it is not anger the motif?”You leaned against the doorframe staring at him, you gave up your anger.  You were there for him. He stared at you like he wondered if you’re even real. “How did you come in?” “I said I was from Miss Howard” “So you can also lie” You chuckled “Only for a good purpose” You moved inside closing the door behind you as you took off your coat and hat, you moved closer to him offering him your hand, palm up.He stared at your eyes, there wasn’t much to add.He put the eraser in your hand as you cancelled the chalkboard from all his previous work. What happened next was pure magic, clarity spreading through the space, every fact double checked by the two of  you as now the facts spread in order, clear, in a linear way, nothing was left to causality.You two closing each other’s sentences, you handing him books and him handing others back to you, papers, scattered pencils.Even you wearing his glasses by accident and handing those back as you reached for your own.It was a frenzy, a dance, a song. “So if this is a scheme…” you begin “…the killer will strike again on Friday” he concludes. You stare at him, a big smile creeps over your lips wide, you can save a life, it is only Monday now.He leans in holding onto your hadn’t with his left hand, but you’re just mimicking him as your lips collide. “How can you be like this? How can you be so perfect?” He groans against your lips not able to part from yours but to praise you. “We are” you correct him “we are perfect, together” he nodded slowly as you were completely right. He let you pull him on the sofa where he slept so many nights when he was too tired to go back home, a very cold and empty home. He took his time, he stood in front of you undoing those clothes he so carefully studied during your lessons almost to the point to know each item of your wardrobe. As you undressed him you realised how you never minded his arm or to help him undo his shirt, you found it poetic, you always found beauty in him, you saw it like a punishment due to something more special given to him.The poet Homer had to be blind in order to sing the war of Troy, Laszlo had to lose an arm to be able to see through others. So there you were, completely deprived of your clothing as he still conserved his bottom half, staring at each other’s eyes before he leaned his forehead against yours, shifting angle then to meet your lips with his. “Don’t, I waited enough” you whispered to him as his left hand between your legs to caress your folds with his fingers triggering a shiver down your spine. “I am the doctor here” he murmured as his fingers moved so smoothly over your slit gathering some wetness and spreading it together before pushing a finger inside you.

“I also am” you whispered back, voice shaking, even if a doctorate in literature doesn’t give you much of a position in this moment while standing helpless with him fingering you so nicely. “I know, it makes you even more beautiful” he assures to you digging his head in the crook of your neck nipping and sucking over your skin slowly adding another finger.You whined not able to move away from his fingers teasing your insides, and yet not what you were looking for. You pared your lips in a silent moan as he shook your hips making you grind slowly following his touch “I don’t want to play Laszlo” you begged “we have all the time to fool around, I missed you too much” “You can’t always use your words to boss me around like this” He smirked as he pulled his fingers slowly out of you, too slowly for your taste, he did it like you had all the time in this word, his fingers brushing over you inside, slowly slipping out covered in your wetness only to trace your clit with their tips.

He pulled back sitting down on the couch like a king on his throne, parted legs and back slightly slouched, while staring at your naked form in front of him moving his left hand to undo his pants as you approached. “You’re a vision”His whisper slowly pulling you in when you straddled him once his erection sprung free slowly guiding him to brush against your entrance. You looked up at him gulping softly before lowering yourself onto him. You stared at him as his eyes fluttered closer and you shook your hips a little trying to reach for the most comfortable position, he was thick stretching you deliciously and that little hint of pain only making it feel more complete, more needed, meant to be. A moan leaving your lips as you gasped for air, his weak right hand moving to rest on your thigh.You observed him as the desire was clouding your usual reasonable and efficient brain, his left hand grasping your hips when you begun moving on top of him. The pace erratic at first before the instinct kicked in, no more witty remarks needed here, you couldn’t make up your mind now.He groaned, his soft gasps and growls being the best sounds along with your moans, two reasonable intellectuals now lost into the simplest and most natural of the acts.Your hips yanked and lost control for a moment as his hand moved to touch your clit “So sensitive” he cooed, you were a mess of feelings, his head bowing down over your chest grasping your nipple between his lips. He teased and sucked, making all his fantasies real, finally touching and feeling you, your shivers due to him, your pleasure and pain completely in his hands.You gasped as he sucked too hard, he seemed to know you more than he knew himself and maybe it was true. He spent so much time watching you, studying you, indulging in every little reaction you had. His eyes dropped down between your joined bodies, he was mesmerised by the shapes your hips were tracing, just enjoying the view of himself sinking inside you filling you up completely, your wetness so evident making the whole process terrifically easy.

“You’re close” he sentenced “you’re so close” If you weren’t close you’d be after he said you were, like he decided it.His left hand leaving your clit as he wrapped his arm around your waist pulling you down over him. Now it was up to him as your mobility was restricted, he begun moving his hips up holding you down, he kept going so hard slamming inside you as he held you still with just that arm, the pleasure that his ruthless moves caused to you doing the rest. You couldn’t hold back any more, your moans getting lost into throaty sounds as your orgasm washed over you. 

But he wasn’t done, he kept going as you rode down your orgasm until he tugged you down one last time filling your body, a little yelp of pleasure leaving your lips as you got so full of him and your eyes fluttered lightly because of such a raw basic feeling, that fullness that was proper of a basic instinct you felt rooted into you. If you were reasonable and aware you’d be worrying about things like consequences and having to talk about the future. But you weren’t any close to it.You rested against him gathering air back in your lungs as he moved his hand on your lower back  slowly moving it up and down, his right hand’s thumb brushing over that same thigh in the smaller and sweetest gesture of attention. You shifted slightly after few moments to look at him slowly touching over his cheek with your fingertips. “Truth for the wise, beauty for the heart” He said, paraphrasing Friedrich Von Schiller, an author you used a lot in your lectures. “Truth for the wise, beauty for the heart” you repeated. That little motto became your code, the way you reminded each other the duality you were blessed with: your bright minds and your unfiltered passion. And you’d use it from time to time. You’d write it to each other’s notes. It was your “I love you” before the love word was even pronounced.

Tagged @cazzyimagines @lieutenantn @handmaiden-of-mischief @thesunflowersutra Let me know if you want to get added <3

[cafecourage]

The moment they realized they loved you. (Isekai Au Edition) Part 3

If you want more information on this AU here is the Link!

Hyrule:

- It confusing and full of yearning.

- The Fae Folk are very affectionate in nature. Physical touches and platonic kisses are just normal. Hyrule growing up briefly with them had adopted this habit.

- You are like that as well so you’re the one to take care of Hyrule when he wanted affection. Since other then Legend, it’s awkward to ask the others.

- He finds however while he still asks/gives you affection. He gets more flustered and embarrassed when you initiated contact.

___________________________________

Admittedly Hyrule never had a clear understanding of Hylian social norms. Some things were easy to pick up when he was just traveling by himself. However, there was a lot that conflicted with Fae social norms. While yes, the Fae were more mischievous and could be borderline malicious, they are very affectionate creatures. Which was the one of many things Hyrule picked up when he was being raised by the Great Fairy.

Before you join the chain, he had to hold himself back from being overly affectionate with the group. Yes, when he had chances, he would give a quick side hug or ruffling of the hair for the younger Link’s. But nothing on the level of cuddles or small peaks on the cheek and forehead. You though! You were the one to lay the affection on everyone thick. Most if not every Hero has melted from all the complements and physical affection.

Hyrule was living his best life now with you! Cuddles are a must for the two of you. Especially when one another has been having a rough day. You’ve also gotten the others involved with this newly formed ritual. He just over all feeling comfortable and loved.

Which then leads to Hyrule’s issue. Slowly he began to feel embarrassed with every peak after he heals you. Then his heart begins to race when he is cuddled up resting his head against your chest. Even holding your hands became hard for him to stand! It felt so warm but also made him fearful. He was scared of losing you. Losing this warmth. This comfort. He wanted to keep it but scared that this feeling was to good for him.

“-and that’s what happen so far.” He was visiting the Great Fairy Cotera of Wild’s Era. He had visited her each time they visited Kakariko. Cotera gently hummed messing with his hair. “What should I do?” He looks up to the giantess worriedly. His small sisters surround him ether sitting on top of him or by his side.

Their mother hummed as she thought about his problem. “My dear sweet child.” She started after a long pause “this human… do you feel different compared to your other friends? Or with your siblings in the forest?”

Hyrule thought about it after a while shook his head. “No… I did used to feel embarrassed with the others but it was different. This is more… warm?”

“Warm?” She urges him gently to continue. “Do you hate it?”

“No…” he sounded like a child, fidgeting in his seat “I hate how anxious it makes me now.” You meant a lot to him. Hyrule knew you meant a lot to everyone too, but that normal! You’ve helped them all in some sort of way! Yet he was deep in that unidentifiable emotion towards you. He adores you. All of you. Even during your more impulsive actions he didn’t mind having to heal you. Of course, he would truly rather not heal anyone with his magic. Yet… with you giving his payment in kisses on the cheek or forehead… he can’t stay mad at you.

“Chin up little one.” Cotera lifted up his head “your feelings are valid and has a simple explanation.” Hyrule pouted slightly making her giggle a bit tapping lightly on his nose. “You my dear seem to love your sweet human.”

It was like a lanterned was just lit in a dark cave he was wandering in. Finally revealing a path out. Everything thing slowly explaining itself. “Oh…” was all he could say as he was comprehending it. His sisters were giggling at their brother’s expense causing him to blush. It all made to much sense.

“Roolie! Are you nearby?” He and the Great Fairy both perk up when they heard your voice. He stared up at the Great Fairy expectingly.

“Well?” Cotera nudged him off of the petals of her fountain. “What are you waiting for little one?”

___________________________________

- Well, that was embarrassing and he knows once he starts perusing you. The more his siblings of the forest will start to tease him. Not only that but the chain also catches on pretty quickly.

- He becomes a blushing and stuttering mess around you, not pulling away from your touch but leaning more into him.

- It will be a miracle if he confesses but he will! And he will do it in a more intimate manner though, with or without help.

___________________________________

Four:

- It took long to accept but filled with soft cotton fluff.

- Isn’t canon in the manga that the colors (minus Vio) straight up try to impress a girl they just met?

- Now I’m not saying he is like that now a days, but old habits die hard right. He probably doesn’t even recognize that he still does it.

- Honest to God the resident brain cell is the only one that new point blank what was happening. Having a “not again” moment.

___________________________________

It’s been a while since Four was back in his forage. He missed every second of it. The smithing process was the one hobby each color had in common. As Link they found it relaxing, something to get their mind off of things.

That morning was no different. Traveling on the road was stressful even for a seasoned adventurer. Traveling alone was boring which was the upside according to Red. It relieved them of responsibility Green was used to taking upon himself to carry. Blue was at least a lot calmer with having to be on alert all the time. Vio had pointed out this was mainly because of You.

The chaos came back full force. The same argument has been happening recently, it was about his feelings towards you. Now they all liked you as a friend. Four knew that for a fact. He was only six when he felt your presence and this situation, he was in was as if an imaginary friend became real! At least that’s what Red felt.

No matter if they were unified or separated, Four could trust you to help him out of even the messiest situations. So, what if some of those situations were caused by him trying to impress you? That doesn’t mean anything!

Just because Blue became a stuttering mess when you surprised Four with a flower crown just meant he was taken aback at your kindness! He isn’t good at showing his emotions. Yeah, so what about Green becoming a soft mess when you first showered him in praise and affection. Wouldn’t any person do that from someone that been through hell and back with them? It doesn’t count that Red craves your affection! He is like that with everybody and just because it makes him feel different it doesn’t count. Someone saves Vio from this.

Four was conflicted which is why he was working so early in the morning. They wouldn’t shut up about their own feelings. It was a chaotic mess inside his head as soon as he woke up. A weight on his back clued him back into reality “Good morning!” You while looking down at him smiling still holding on lazily. “How is the most beautiful person here doing?”

Ah. There goes most of composure out the window. Vio was the last one standing with Green and Blue almost hanging on. You loved to tease him and he was never able to get you back. “Don’t know how are you?” Four was really struggling to keep unified and calm. He was shaking because of the other three’s nerves. You stared at him wide eyed.

“Jeez look at you!” You give him a squeeze before finally let go of him “you’ve grown! If only you were that smooth towards Erune.” You teased.

The blush he was so desperately trying to beat down started to flare up this time out embarrassment. “Can we not talk about that?” Four could only cringe when he thought back at that bit in his adventure. Him and Erune have been close friends since then, but the colors were really trying to play the hero in front of the poor girl back then. Their antics truly were really not impressing anyone.

Green was really happy he grew out of it. Seriously it‘s not like Blue really cared about it anyway he was just a kid! Red was just happy that he got a long-term friend out of it! The audacity the others had was killing Vio. They are still just as bad and it seems like no one was listening to reason.

An explosion of emotions and thoughts collided in Four’s skull. Three denying their logical side’s claim all while getting thrown every instant in their faces by the odd one out. “Whatcha making anyway?” You were observing the short knife blade curiosity not seeing the other’s internal debate. Vio felt like he had to spell it out to each of them. Pulling up memories of their actions towards the outlander. Four struggled to focus on what you were saying but it was too loud!

“Woah there.” You turn him away from his project letting it sit safely on a cooler section of the work top. “Breath Link.” You where kneeling down in-front of him holding his hand. He focused on your warmth. The way you rubbed small circles on the back of his hand. On your voice that instructed him to breathe. In for four, hold for seven, let out for eight. Repeat. Slowly the divide melded back together. Soon the voices faded out. “There we go.” You whispered “good job Link.” Four stared back at you still tired from everything but nonetheless happy that your here with him.

Man, he loved you so much.

Wait-

___________________________________

- It was definitely an I told you so moment.

- Four as a whole though is still struggling to come to terms with it, even though he had already admitted his feelings.

- Another case of: drown him in affection until he realized. Not because of him not believing you! It’s just you have four people in a trench coat here! If one is conflicted then four as a whole will feel that subtly.

___________________________________

Bonus (just Headcanons):

Wind (finding out that a Link has a crush on you)

- The little gremlin is going to have a field day! He was thinking about messing around but the other hero is doing his work for him!

- The only one saved from this Black Mail harvest is you. He does have a few things but you mostly let him off the hook when he gets in trouble anyway sooooo…

- Not the best wing man but he honestly isn’t trying. He is just enjoying the journey.

- He might be tempted to help if he was asked but there isn’t much he could do. You are his right hand after all! Why would he let your secrets go so easily?

- Imagine Wind just vibes with you when the other Link is trying their best and you literally ask if the other hero was ok since they are acting weird around you. It would take Wind a minute to get an answer because all he is thinking is: ‘are you dense?’

- Or on the flip side. If you know about their feelings. He would definitely be on board of helping you out. Again, you’re his right hand! Of course, he’ll help you! (Favoritism)

- Wind: “Don't worry. He likes your butt and fancy hair. I know. I read their diary.” (Y/n): “He thinks it's fancy?”

(Part 1) and (Part 2)

My First Request is now done :D! That was fun. Thank you Pinky and Star for the request <3

[h2bakugou]

summary: bakugou despises you, more than he does anyone else. you’re strong, and you don’t take shit from anyone. so when bakugou confronts you, it’s more than just a heated argument that ensues.

you can read the original piece here!

all characters aged 18+ au!!

a/n: a rewrite of a classic, one of the first ever fics written here on h2bakugou, hope you loves enjoy this!

key: (y/n) - your name / (f/n) - first name / (l/n) - last name / (e/c) - eye color / (h/c) - hair color / (y/q) - your quirk

warnings: swearing, smut

word count: 2.7k

nsfw under the cut!!!

»»————-　★　————-««

Being discouraged was never an option. Your goal to be a hero had been driven by your perseverance. Your classmates chose the words ‘driven’ and ‘passionate’ to describe you in your first year year-book.

Growing up, you’d been influenced by the words of others, and you vowed to not let them discourage you any longer. You wanted to be a hero, so you’d use their criticism and challenges to better yourself.

Yet, now as a third year, you were still facing challenges. One blonde, explosive, challenge named Katsuki Bakugou that had despised you the day you bucked up to him.

He hated you. Truthfully, he didn’t understand why. You were just so, aggravating. Though in reality, he saw a bit of himself in you. That fire that raged inside driving you further, he knew what that was like.

You weren’t afraid of him. You tested him every day. From ranking higher than him in tests, to beating his ass in training, god you were wiping the floor with him since you were a measly little first year still trying to learn everyone’s names.

On your side of the spectrum, you had to give credit where credit was due. Katsuki was an extremely talented, and attractive individual. He excelled in his classes, got outstanding grades, and had immense power.

But those things didn’t make up for his atrocious attitude, cocky and arrogant demeanor, and brash exterior.

You were closed off, and had boundaries-something Bakugou didn’t understand. Why you were so closed off was a mystery, something Bakugou wanted to desperately understand. A part of him was curious to see what was hiding behind your own brash exterior. 

He watched the way you bit the inside of your cheek when he called you out during a slip up in training.

But what made him far more angrier than when you ignored him, was when you got along with Todoroki.

You always seemed to be smiling around the guy, asking how he’d been over the weekend, despite living in dorms together.

Brushing up on him, rustling his hair, it made his blood boil. What did you see in him?

Today was dragging along like any other, your class stood fixed in the gym, working on some new training regiment put together by your third year Heroics teacher.

It was something similar to the ones you’d done hundreds of times by now, but you’d slipped up, a few times. You were tired, you’d barely gotten any sleep last night because classes finished late and left you to do your homework and shower on top of other things you had to do which landed you in bed at almost three or four in the morning.

So your slip up was something small, but Bakugou noticed. And he was about to make it known.

“You’re slacking today! A slip-up like that coulda getcha’ killed, maybe you should practice some more.” Bakugou chastised, smirking at you. As the buzzing fluorescent lights gleamed over your eyes, he could see so much more than anger bubbling inside them.

He now noticed the heavy undereye bags, and the way your eyes seemed to water. But as he stared into your eyes, he realized this was the first time this week you’d actually looking him in the eye when he said something to you.

You weren’t perfect, you still had moments of doubt, late at night when you thought about what might happen if they were right. What if you weren’t meant to be a hero?

Shaking it out of your head, you didn’t say anything. You focused back on your training, but it didn’t go unnoticed by Todoroki. He shot Bakugou a glare which only caused him to grumble and speak again.

“Get your head outta’ your ass, I’m not pining after your little girlfriend. She’s clearly been putting her mind elsewhere if she’s this fuckin’ terrible today.”

Despite initiating the joke, hearing himself call you Todoroki’s girlfriend made him seethe with anger. He was furious. Why’d he say that? 

“Shut up.” Todoroki replied cooly, following you out of the gym to the locker rooms.

You just laughed to yourself before you got water. Todoroki let out a stressed sigh as he stared at you.

“He’s being extra rude today.” Todoroki mentioned.

“Maybe he’s just horny.” You grimaced thinking about Bakugou and the words ‘being horny.’ 

“How would that tie into his anger toward you?” 

“Sexual. Frustration.”

Bakugou couldn't take much more of you ignoring him. Why were you so dead-set on making him seem invisible? You barely bit back at him when he called you out, and he knew you could say whatever you wanted, you’d done it to others who tried you. So what made him any different?

This was just one of those occurrences, and as he ran them through his head, every time he checked, there was always some case of you ignoring him when all he wanted was a stupid fucking acknowledgement from you. He was going to talk to you.

And he was going to do it now.

You’d finally left the gym, taken a shower, and you were now steadily approaching your dorm. You were tired, and ready to speed through any homework you might have so you could head to bed early.

But a pair of strong hands forced your shoulders into the wall.

“What’s your fuckin’ deal?” Bakugou growled at you. You just stared at him.

“What?” You answered softly, unsure of what he was accusing you of.

“You think you’re so much better than me, than everyone else huh? Walkin’ around like you fuckin’ own the place? What makes you that fucking good!?” Bakugou spat at you.

His fingers dug into your shoulder blades as he urged you to answer his question. You shoved him off of you and managed to escape his attempts at grabbing your wrists.

“I don’t. You fucking act like you own the place, like being powerful is all it takes to be number one. You might wanna take your head outta’ your ass before your hair turns brown.” You marched off to your room, fed up with Katsuki’s behavior.

“Oh yeah!? Then why do you act like such a fuckin’ ass to me!?” Bakugou shouts, running after you.

“Because you treat me like shit! You call me weak when I slip up, you’re always on my fucking case. You think I really wanna be your friend?” You stop and stare at him. 

“Or maybe it’s just because you’re a stubborn asshole that’s too blinded by his idea of being number one that he’s so fucking distracted by his arrogance to see that he’s really just a douche.” 

Your back hit your dorm door. Bakugou towered over you as his shadow cast down upon you.

“You need to watch your fucking mouth.” 

“Or maybe you need an attitude adjustment. Everyone’s grown so much but you still seem to think you’re hot shit, huh?” You reach for your doorknob, going to twist it, but you were to slow.

“I said...” Bakugou’s eyes bore into you.

“You need to watch your fucking mouth.” Bakugou opened your door, watching as you fell back, no longer supported by the wood of your door.

“Make me.” You grunted, catching yourself from falling onto the floor.

Bakugou’s eye twitched as he followed you into your room, closing and locking the door behind himself.

“Hey, what the fuck are you-”

“You’re such a bitch, just shut up already.” Bakugou groaned, yanking you further back into your room.

It all was beginning to make sense. Bakugou wanted to-

“This isn’t going to change how I think of you.” You blurted out, knowing exactly what the blonde wanted. He stared at you with a smirk.

“Put that pretty mouth to something useful unlike talking.” Bakugou began to undo his pants, allowing them to pool around his ankles. 

“You really want me to suck your cock? I don’t know, what if I bite?” You grin, watching as he angered above you.

“What the fuck did I just say?” A handful of your hair was yanked in his fist, tilting your head back.

“A-alright.” You replied. Your cunt throbbed, forcing you to squeeze your thighs together. Why were you so turned on? You didn’t exactly like Bakugou, but he was attractive. You’d give him that, but his looks didn’t make up for his horrendous attitude.

His cock stared at you, hard, tip leaking precum. You graced a single hand over the base, jerking him slowly as you leaned your head toward it. You placed a teasing kiss to the head, smearing his precum around your lips like a lipgloss.

Allowing just the head to slide into your mouth, you stared up at him, watching him fumble with his hands. 

“First time?” You pulled off to tease him which resulted in his cock slamming past your lips and hitting the back of your throat. Your eyes shot open wide as your throat burned, his cock rutting down inside your mouth.

It hurt, but it felt good at the same time.

“You really are a slut, huh. Bet you let guys use this little throat like it’s nothing.” Bakugou spat at you. You wished you could’ve said something back to him, but his cock ramming down your throat was sadly stopping you.

You could hear his whines as he grew close to cumming, but he didn’t want to waste his spend inside your mouth, so he pulled out, hissing as you licked his sensitive cock head a few times as he left your lips.

“I wanna taste you.” You murmured, reaching your hand back up to his cock, ushering him to cum in your mouth.

“H-hey!” Bakugou grunted as your mouth reconnected to his cock. It was too late for him, you were blowing him like no one had ever blown him before. And he was busting in your mouth seconds later.

Swallowing his cum and opening your mouth to show him afterward, Bakugou shook his head.

“Nasty whore.” Bakugou replied, forcing you up and onto the bed, landing on your tummy.

“Had you just asked, I would’ve laid down.” Your shirt was torn off mercilessly by Bakugou, his desperate hands trying to free your tits. Afterward came your sheer tights, followed by your panties. They pooled around your ankles as he left your skirt on for his little fantasies to run wild.

Allowing a firm hand to slap against your now exposed ass, he groaned to himself as he kneaded the skin of your ass between his fingers.

“Pervert.” You mumbled. 

Two fingers swiped through your glistening, slick-coated folds.

“The fuck did you just call me?” Bakugou teased, allowing his thumb to rub small, slow, agonizing, circles around your clit.

“F-fuck.” You breathed out, arching your back into his touch.

“Aw does that feel good slut? You want more?” Bakugou dipped his middle finger into your cunt, watching as you mewled underneath him.

You gripped your sheets with embarrassment, unsure of why you’d succumbed to him so fast. You hung your head in disapponment at yourself.

“More. Want more.” You mumbled, feeling empty as his fingers disappeared from your cunt.

“Didn’t know you’d get so wet just from sucking cock.” Bakugou chastised you again.

“Didn’t think you knew where the clit was.” You groaned. However your comment was punished by a striking feeling between your folds.

His fingers slapped against your clit, making you whine as he toyed with you.

“Surely if this wasn’t it, you’d be quiet right now.” Bakugou was just messing around with you at this point. You were panting as his fingers left your abused clit.

He bent down, spreading your cunt open with his fingers, dipping his tongue into your tight hole. You mewled as the appendage ravaged you. Flicking between your cunt and your clit, he was making you scream into your sheets as you came on his tongue.

His chuckled, licking up your mess as he pulled himself away.

“So messy.” He groaned.

“I bet you’ve been waiting for this cock to fill you up huh. I bet you finger this little cunt thinking about it.” Bakugou rubs the tip of his cock between your folds, butting it against your clit, watching as you whine.

“Just fuck me already.” You were tired of hearing him talk. You wanted him inside you.

“I can wait.” He pulled away, allowing the tip of his cock to just barely touch the folds of your pussy. You whined in response.

“Fuck, please fuck me. Please fill me up.” You begged, laying defeated against the mattress, your ass still hoisted in the air.

“That’s more like it-shit so fuckin’ tight.” Bakugou winced, his cock plunging through your tight folds. It felt so good. You were squeezing him, milking his cock without giving him a second to breathe. He felt like cumming again.

“I thought with-fuck-how cocky you were, you were gonna be smaller.” You retorted, mewling as his cock stretched you out, rubbing against your walls.

“You’re gonna regret ever thinking that.” Bakugou responded by peeling your ass apart with his hands, spitting down onto his cock as it slid out of you and then plunged back into you, sending your body jolting forward.

You moaned loudly as his cock plowed through your cunt, his hands now gripping your waist, holding you in place.

“Not so big and bold when you’re stuffed full of this cock huh?” 

“You always fuck this good when you’re angry?” You groan, panting as he rearranges your insides. 

“You wanna fuck me when I’m not?” Bakugou teases, sliding out of you before thrusting back in. Your long moan shows him he’s doing a good job.

“You might be attractive but your attitude is the worst.” You whine, feeling like you can’t hold the sheets between your fingers tighter.

“I’ll keep that in mind, slut.” Bakugou leaned and grabbed a handful of your hair, yanking it upward, pulling you into his chest. Another hand gripped your throat. 

“Fuck, right there!” You mewled, his cock plowing into you at a different angle, the head of his cock bruising all the good spots inside of you.

“Why don’t you cum on this cock?” Bakugou whispered, biting down against your shoulder.

“C-cumming!” You moaned, your cunt clamping down around his cock as you reached your high. Bakugou hissed as you squeezed around him, forcing his spend out of him and into your cunt.

He let you fall against the mattress as he pulled out, a lewd squelching sound followed by his cum leaking from your pussy was a sight to behold the blonde’s eyes.

Snapping a quick picture for later, he reached for something to wipe you up with before laying down beside you.

“Maybe if you shut up half of the time I’d talk to you.” You mumbled, still trying to catch your breath.

“What the fuck does that mean?” Bakugou stared at you.

“It means...” You rolled over on top of him, leaning down toward his face.

“We’d make a good couple if you weren’t an asshole.” You press a cheeky kiss to his lips, short enough for him not to be able to kiss back. He groans and flips the tables, forcing you under him as he kisses you passionately.

“So fuckin’ date me then and stop fuckin’ around with that half and half bastard.” Bakugou replies.

“Are you blushing?” You tease the blonde, your own cheeks feeling hotter than usual. Bakugou groans and plants his face into your pillow.

“Shut the fuck up. And not a word of this to anyone-”

“Unless I become your girlfriend yeah I know.” You lay beside him and yank up the covers over your naked body, kicking off the rest of your clothes that were uncomforabtly stuck around your ankles.

“I don’t really mean to be such an ass. I just thought-”

“Exactly, you assumed I was a dick. Just shut up, you’re making this worse for you. You really want me to break up with you after we just got together?” 

Bakugou is dead silent for the rest of the night as he eventually cuddles up next to you.

The following morning, a few people are surprised to see you actually speaking to Bakugou, and Todoroki is one of them.

Though by the end of the week, most everyone knew what went down, Bakugou mentioned it to Kirishima on accident and then it had spread.

Todoroki was thoroughly surprised, due to the entire nature of you and Bakugou’s previous relationship. But ultimately, as long as you were happy, he couldn’t be mad.

“About time you realized you liked her.” He mentioned swiftly to Bakugou as they passed in the common room.

“What you’d say to me!?”

»»————-　★　————-««

masterlist

[candlewaxandp0lar0ids]

if I can never give you peace — zero || Jungkook

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Summary: It starts like quite a few stories do, in your world. Girl meets boy, who happens to be a hybrid, girl buys him at an auction where hybrids are sold, boy falls in love with her, girl gets bored of him. Then it’s not so typical anymore, when the boy ends up forced into illegal fighting rings, until he makes a wrong move and the girl’s father decides he needs to be killed.

Where does that leave you? Well, you’re the one who handled Jungkook’s fight and generally organized his life, and, when the girl’s father, your boss and mafia leader, tells you he wants him ‘put down’, you’re the one who has to get it done. Except, instead, you let him escape, and everything turns out fine.

Until he comes back.

Also available on Ao3.

Word count (chapter): 5.8k

Genre: Mafia AU, Hybrid AU, enemies to lovers, heavy on angst, slow burn, eventual smut

Warnings & Tags (chapter): Descriptions of Violence, Tension, Dehumanization and general poor treatment of hybrids

A/N: So I have two modes and those are tooth-rotting fluff and angst feast. This is... not fluff. I hope you’ll enjoy this first installment and introduction to the series, and I will see you soon for the next one!

Next

Your eyes follow Jungkook’s every step as he walks through the crowd and enters the cage that serves as a ring. He doesn’t have to look at you to know you’re watching. You’re always watching. You’re standing in your usual corner, from where you make sure everything goes smoothly. Two tall, muscular men stand on either side of you. They look like they’re your bodyguards, but really, they’re here to handle him if he tries to do something. To everyone in the room but the two of you, this looks like every other fight night since the very first time he came to the Circle.

You’re too far for him to smell you, especially over the crowd of excited, sweaty men, but if he did, he’s sure he would pick up on the bitter scent of anxiety, would hear your heart beating a little too fast. He’d say you’re lucky the guards aren’t hybrids, but he knows that’s not the case. You never count on luck. Everybody knows that. That’s what makes you so good at your job. That’s what might just save his life.

He glances at you, finds your eyes glued on him, and gives you a smirk, which reveals his abnormally pointy teeth for a rabbit hybrid. It’s been over a year since they’ve been sharpened for him, to make him look more threatening. You’re used to them, but he still sees you swallow. For the first time he wonders, vaguely, if you had any say in that. You’re the one he meets with nowadays, but you’re not his owner, after all.

Your eyes leave him to look at his opponent. The man’s taller and has broad shoulders, he seems to have some training based on his on-guard position, and he’s older than him. You couldn’t find many informations on him, but based on his attributes, he’s probably some kind of dog hybrid.

You both know he doesn’t stand a chance.

“On my left,” the announcer roars, “some fresh meat! I give you… Jin!”

There are enthusiastic shouts, and the man shoots nervous glances around him at the crowd all around him. It’s clear that he isn’t used to that type of setting, and you feel an unexpected wave a guilt in your chest. He’s going to get destroyed tonight, you’re sure of it. You’re the one who suggested that Jungkook should fight a newbie, for the show. You don’t regret your decision, but you don’t feel good about it either.

“And on my right! The man who needs no introduction, who has won thirty! Two! Fights in a row, I give you… Jungkook!”

The crowd goes hysterical, and the hybrid facing him winces again. If he thought he had chance before that, it’s clear that he doesn’t anymore. You wonder if he’d heard about Jungkook, if his owners had prepared him well enough, if whoever owned him was betting against him. You wonder if he’d just been told he would be fighting a rabbit hybrid and assumed he would be fine.

Jungkook’s long ears are flat against his head, carefully tucked under a headband, and without those, he doesn’t look like a rabbit hybrid, too tall and broad-shouldered. Then again, he had never really been your typical rabbit hybrid.

Truth was, you had been relieved when you had been assigned to working for the daughter of Mr. Xanders. Your whole life, you had known you would end up here. Your dad had worked for the Family since before your birth, and though it was clear your mom disapproved, she had never held any illusion that you would escape it. If anything, you were the sacrifice, a way of making sure your siblings wouldn’t be forced to work for the most powerful crime family in town. That was, if you did good enough.

Getting assigned to the girl who was nicknamed “the Princess” was both a blessing and a curse. It meant you got to stay away from most of the illegal stuff, as the girl was notoriously sheltered from all of that by her father. However, it also meant that you had to basically babysit the spoiled seventeen years old, despite her being only a few years younger than you. You had dressed as professionally and sternly as you could, adorning yourself in a dark woman’s suit, but she hadn’t seemed impressed.

That was how you found yourself here, at an auction for rare hybrids. You thought the whole thing was grim — oh, how naive you had to be back then, to think this was bad — but you had obeyed orders without batting an eye. You had to do this right, and this was a pretty easy job, after all.

You gritted your teeth silently as various hybrids were brought on stage, exhibited and bought, one by one. The status of hybrids was a complicated subject in the country, always had been, but you had grown up in a poor area, where a lot of hybrids lived freely, and the idea of owning what you knew to be a person made you sick to your stomach. At least the Princess hadn’t said a word the whole time you’d been there, and you had hopes that you would leave without — God — buying someone.

Naive. So damn naive.

“I want this one,” the girl had announced decidedly, pointing at the stage with a movement of her chin.

Shit.

You looked at the stage. There, the auctioneer was highly praising the hybrid who had last been brought on stage. A surprisingly tall and muscular rabbit hybrid, with fluffy black hair and long ears falling on either side of his head. He was shaking slightly, sending terrified looks around him, and your heart tightened in your chest.

Naive and soft.

“Are you sure?” you asked, and the girl rolled her eyes.

“Do your job. Get him for me.”

Numbers flashed in your mind, the exact amount of money you were allowed to spend clear as day. It made you feel a little better, for a second. This was what you were good with; numbers, facts, informations. If you thought of the hybrid as just that — a number,  an element to compose with — you should be able to do what you were supposed to do. Do your damn job, and ensure your little brother never ever had to work here, because they wouldn’t be as kind to him.

You took a deep breath, and, after a few people had already considerably raised the price, you made your bid.

Jungkook walks to the center of the ring, arms raised high. He’s good at giving a show, good at most things, actually. He looks good here, confident, knowing exactly what he’s worth, and he’s nothing like what he was that first day. There is absolutely no fear on his face as he fists the air and people shout for him. Instead, he seems to be positively thriving on the attention he’s getting.

He’s a favorite here, because he always gives people what they came for. He makes the fight last, makes it theatrical, with twists and impressive moves. It’s been a while since he’s struggled in a fight, really struggled, which has made it easier. You recognize you’ve played your part in that. You have your word to say when picking his opponents, and you don’t want him to— well, to die, or to be too badly injured.

You know it’s not much. You know no matter what you tell yourself, that’s not protecting him. You know you should have acted a lot earlier.

But you didn’t.

They gave you Jungkook as soon as the payment was confirmed, which didn’t take long. People were fidgeting in the room, careful not to stare too long at the Princess. They knew who she was, of course. The bodyguards and your ghostly presence, one step behind her, did not do anything to soothe their nerves. No one actually knew you back then. You hadn’t earned your reputation of efficiency, no one had called you a cold-hearted bitch yet, though that would pretty much become your identifier, but you were still somewhat unnerving, with your stillness and your all black attire.

Which was why you never tried to add color to it.

The Princess seemed to be in her element, not bothered by the silence and people’s obvious fear of her, even for a second. Instead, she was watching her acquisition. The hybrid — Jungkook, you remembered, because you’d heard his name after winning the auction — was staring at the floor, stealing glances at her every once in a while, before quickly looking away again. He was clearly shy, and terrified, and it looked like the Princess liked that.

When they handed the leash to her, she was quick to clip it on his collar, and you held back your disgust. Your mind went to Mark, a kind golden retriever hybrid you had grown up with, and the idea of him being collared like that almost made you retch.

But, of course, none of that could be seen on your face. You had been told that you had the perfect poker face, unreadable at all times. In moments like this, it was a true blessing.

“Hello, Jungkook, I’m Anna, and I’m your new owner. I’m going to take good care of you.”

Then Jungkook looked up at her, briefly, and an adorable smile curved his lips.

You knew then that this could only end in pain and heartbreak.

Once Jungkook is done, he turns to face Jin. The other hybrid looks like he wants to run away, but even if he tried it, he’d be pushed right back in. So he does the smart thing, and prepares himself for the fight, lifting his hands to protect himself. Jungkook does the same thing. There is a brief moment of silence, everyone bracing themselves for what is to come. Despite his earlier display, Jungkook is deathly calm now, every muscle in his body ready for action.

The second the bell rings, Jungkook is moving, so fast he’s almost blurry, and you have to avert your eyes when his fist connects with the other hybrid’s chest.

This all feels like it could have been avoided.

A relationship quickly developed between the shy bunny and the Princess. You didn’t say anything about it; that wasn’t what you were here for. A baby-sitter, sure, but not a chaperone. Anyway, it seemed like Mr. Xanders wasn’t too worried about that, and his daughter was free to do whatever she wanted as long as she didn’t get pregnant. You supposed a hybrid was the perfect choice for that, with how rare it was for them to have children with a human. It could happen, of course, but it was highly unlikely without medical assistance.

Still, you weren’t sure you liked the relationship all that much. It just felt like Anna had so much power over him. He was a couple of years older than her, since selling hybrids under eighteen was technically illegal, but it was clear from the very beginning that he had been sheltered and didn’t have much experience in— well, in any areas. A sickening feeling told you that had probably been done on purpose by the people who had raised him. You were well aware of what rabbit hybrids were usually bought for.

You watched, silently, as they got close, as Anna’s hands started to easily find Jungkook’s, as Jungkook started to rest his head on her shoulder, to scent her, as he fell in love with her. Today, maybe you would have been annoyed at the sight, annoyed by his innocence, but back then, it only made you sad.

You were also there to see Anna grow bored of him. It didn’t even take her that long, no more than a couple of months.

When she insisted on going to another hybrid auction, and asked you to bid on someone else, you knew that it was over.

“Get him to fight,” Mr. Xanders told you dismissively at a meeting you had with him. “I want the money he cost me back.”

“He’s a rabbit hybrid,” you had said, frowning. “He’s not exactly the fighting type.”

“I didn’t tell you to make him win,” he scoffed. “I don’t care if you have to bet against him. Get my money back. After that, I don’t care what you do with him.”

You didn’t realize then that that was a ‘promotion’, and that this meant you would start working in illegal settings. All you knew was the painful weight in your chest at the idea of sending Jungkook to his death. You had kept away from him, not trying to create any bonds with him, but he smiled politely and kindly when he saw you.

God, he was in love with Anna. You were sure he had noticed her losing interest in him, but you also believed he held out hope. This could— This would probably be crushing for him.

So you took the matter into your own hands. You didn’t just sign him up for an upcoming fight, but you also found him a trainer, the best you could.

“Does Anna want me to learn how to fight?” he had asked you, big brown eyes looking at you, when you had told him about the training. “So I can be her bodyguard?”

“My orders don’t come from Anna,” you’d answered, trying to stay as distant as possible.

“But will she— Do you think she’ll like me again, if I learn to fight?”

No. You thought Anna had gotten everything she wanted from him.

“I don’t know,” you had answered. You couldn’t. You couldn’t do it.

The first fight had been brutal. Devastating, in fact. Jungkook had been training, and you’d been told he was good at what he was doing, but, as a newbie, he’d been sent against an expert fighter — “for the show”, you’d heard, the exact same thing you would use as well, years later —, and you were later told he was lucky he’d made it out alive.

You stayed next to him in the hospital room. As a hybrid, he healed quickly, but he still looked terrible, body marred with black and blue, lip busted, and black eyes. When he woke up, he looked around the room, every movement he made clearly painful, and you knew, at his expression, that there was only one thing he thought about in that moment.

Anna wasn’t there.

You would never forget the look he gave you then. The way he set his jaw, the way something hardened in his eyes.

“Get out,” he had said, and you were pretty sure he had meant for it to sound aggressive, but he wasn’t good at it yet, so it was more pleading.

You had gotten up, made a move to— to pat his shoulder, to do something, but you had refrained and your hand had fallen down to your side.

“I’m sorry,” you had said, and you had left him alone in there, with his broken hopes and heart.

That night was the first and last time you considered leaving your job.

But there was no quitting, where you worked.

In the ring, of course, Jungkook is good. He leaves an opening for the guy to place a few punches, ones that can’t hurt him too much. The crowd is delirious, bets are being placed. There’s a rumor that Jungkook was injured at the last fight so tonight could be the night where he loses his title, couldn’t it? The first round is coming to an end, and he doesn’t seem to have done much so, surely, he’s not going to be able to end that guy by the third, like he usually does — and if he does, hey, at least they’ll have had one hell of a show.

The three rounds thing is something you asked him to do after an organizer told you people needed that to feel they had gotten their money’s worth. You had told Jungkook, and he’d growled an answer, but he had never won in less than that since. For all his obvious hatred of you, the organization, and everything that surrounded him, he didn’t actively oppose you most of the time. He had tried to run away, twice, but when those attempts had failed, he had seemed to realize that it was just easier to go with the flow.

When the second round starts, though, he goes wild. His bare feet are light on the floor,  his fists quick and precise. He doesn’t leave anything to luck either. Every punch lands exactly where he wants it to, when he wants it to. He dodges his opponent’s attacks easily, and he sees in his eyes the moment when the man realizes that he’s not winning this. He sees confidence turn into surprise, then into fear, and it only makes him want blood.

His right hook hits the man in the jaw with all the power he can put into it, and this time you don’t wince. You’ve gotten used to the violence now — it always takes you a while — and you’re mostly impressed at how good Jungkook is.

But that’s exactly why you’re in this situation, isn’t it?

“We should put him down,” Mr. Xanders said, with the exact same dismissive tone he had used years ago to tell you to make Jungkook fight, and you looked at him in disbelief. Surely, surely, he didn’t mean—

“I really disapprove of that solution, dad,” Anna said, shaking her head, and you realized he did.

You had been surprised by Anna’s presence, when you had walked into the office. You hadn’t worked for her in a long time, having graduated to far worse things. You had served your purpose, you supposed, made yourself practically indispensable when it came to the organizing of the Family’s business, as you knew the workings of the Family in and out, both legal and… less legal aspects. No one had ever said anything about your siblings joining.

“He attacked someone,” her father simply shrugged.

“If I may, Mr. X, it was after a fight and the man was being really aggressive after he lost the money he’d bet against—”

“I don’t care,” he said, waving his hand like you were just an annoying fly. “He attacked a human. We can’t have our hybrids doing that, otherwise it will just be chaos. You’re smart enough to know that.”

You swallowed. Something inside you was screaming. You had long shut down any form of moral compass, but it seemed like Jungkook always awoke the last remnants of it. You were pretty sure he despised you now, and you didn’t blame him for it. But, just like what you’d thought when Anna had bought him, you couldn’t shake the feeling that this just wasn’t right.

“I understand, sir.”

“That’s a horrible thing you’re doing, dad,” Anna insisted. “I thought you’d try to at least reason with him, (Y/N).”

That wasn’t your job. You knew when your opinion was asked on those things, and now was not one of those times. You also knew that you hated that she called you by your first name, like the two of you were friends, and you didn’t say anything about that either.

“I’m sorry, honey,” Mr. Xanders said warmly, like he had just refused to buy her an expensive toy, and not condemned a man to death. “I’ll make it up to you, okay?”

Anna sighed and rolled her eyes, and you assumed she’d probably stay mad at him for a while. But not too long.

Your heart was beating so loud in your chest you barely heard Mr. Xanders dismissing you, and you were relieved to be left alone when you walked out. There was only one thing you wanted to be thinking about now.

How were you going to save Jungkook’s life?

Jin hits the floor and doesn’t get up. It’s not an actual knock-out, because he’s still moving around, but Jungkook doubts he’ll even try to get back on his feet. The guy seems to be smart, he probably realizes that that would be suicide. Another minute with him on the ring? Nah. That would be a really, really stupid thing to do. Jungkook’s knuckles are bleeding — he doesn’t think they’ve been intact once in the four years he’s been fighting — and he’s pretty much unstoppable, right now.

He lets the referee grab his arm and lift it in the air as the crowd screams. They’re particularly loud tonight, because he won in two rounds. It’s not really a surprise when they force the entrance of the cage, flooding it, and Jungkook looks for you, almost instinctively. When he finds you, your eyes are on your phone. You look like you couldn’t care less about what’s happening around you, and he knows you do genuinely dislike the fights. You’ve never made it a secret. You’ve never taken care of the other hybrids owned by the family who participate, either. He doesn’t know if he’s your burden, or if you’re the one who chooses to still do that. Before, he wouldn’t have doubted it. Now… He’s not so sure.

Your eyes flicker up to his for a second, and you nod, imperceptibly. Your heart is probably beating as loud as his right now, though for different reasons.

Jungkook examines you, takes in how out of place you are in that environment, immaculately dressed, small glasses on your nose, hair pulled back, and lets himself be amused by it, one last time.

And then he’s gone.

You only visited Jungkook when there was about to be a fight, and it was clear he really didn’t like it when you showed up. You always seemed to be interrupting him, whether it was a training session or a work-out. You didn’t think you’d ever seen him do something other than those two things. You didn’t know if he had anything else.

You brought some food from a restaurant he liked, as you usually did, and got some things for the guards who would be around. That wasn’t as usual, but you had done it before, so hopefully it wouldn’t make anyone suspicious and it would allow you to have some privacy with Jungkook.

He sat down opposite from you, immediately diving into the food you’d brought, and you watched silently. His shoulders were tense, never completely down but, though he would hate to admit it, he was more relaxed around you than around anyone else. It said a lot about his life, about how desperate he was for any form of companionship, that the way you told him about his opponents almost made him feel like you cared about him. It said a lot that your presence comforted him, and it was pretty pathetic, if you asked him.

“So, who am I fighting?” he asked while eating. He never bothered with his manners when he was around you.

“A newbie,” you said. “Some fighting training from what I’ve gathered, but he shouldn’t be an issue.”

He growled. The sound was unnatural for a rabbit hybrid, but he had mastered it over the years. It was a good way of intimidating people.

“Really? I thought I told you I wanted a challenge.”

You didn’t reply immediately, and that made him look up at you. When he did, you were chewing on the inside of your cheek, hesitant. That was completely out of character. Then, you made up your mind, and your expression turned back to the unreadable one he was so familiar with.

“Keep eating, and don’t raise your voice” you ordered.

He lifted an eyebrow. Normally, he would have done something like folding his arms and waited for more, in a defiant attitude, but this was you. You would never do something like that just to assert your power over him. He hated your guts, but that was one thing he could say about you.

“Mr. X is going to have you killed because you attacked that man at your last fight.”

There. Direct, to the point, not a useless word — though you couldn’t bring yourself to use the words “put you down”. Jungkook froze for a half a second, than resumed his eating, albeit slower than before.

“It was all good as long as long as I brought him money, but he doesn’t want any trouble for it, huh?”

His voice was bitter and low, barely more than a rumble. You were confident no one was paying attention to you, since the guards ate in another part of the house and no one cared about what you were saying. They could see you through the picture window, but they couldn’t read lips. Still, you lowered your voice as well.

“Win your next fight in two rounds,” you said, instead of answering him.

He shot you a dirty glance.

“Do you really think that’s what I—”

“That should get the crowd to lose their mind,” you continued. You had gone through all the possibilities in your mind, over and over again. This was the one that was the safest for you and your family, while giving Jungkook a reasonable chance of survival. “When that happens, you’ll use the hysteria to leave through your opponent’s entrance.”

This got his attention, and he stopped trying to interrupt you, finally focusing on your words.

“I can probably get you somewhere between five and ten minutes before everyone finds out you’re missing.”

He scoffed.

“That’s very generous of you.”

“I also won’t look too hard for you,” you added, because you would obviously be in charge of that as well. “So as long as you don’t do a terrible job hiding, we probably won’t find you. Stay away from hotels, and don’t get noticed.”

Jungkook stayed silent for a while. He didn’t look at you, jaw set, and you were pretty sure he was weighing the pros and cons of your plan.

“I don’t know if there’ll be another chance,” you told him truthfully. “They want you gone after the fight.”

The silence went on a little longer, before Jungkook spoke again.

“Anna’s said yes to that?”

You didn’t miss the way his voice faltered on her name. You didn’t think he had spoken to her in years, but he still had a soft spot for her, and being reminded of it always made you sad. You had accepted, a long time ago, that life wasn’t fair, but that was particularly true when it came to him. None of what had happened to him was fair. The shy boy with the wide eyes you’d helped buy at the auction deserved better. You didn’t, probably deserved every single bad thing that had happened to you, but for him, you wished you had done something — anything — differently. So you wouldn’t be faced with a jaded, cynical version of that boy right now.

“She opposed it, but her father is still going through with it.”

“So she didn’t oppose it much.”

You didn’t answer that. It was true, and you both knew it.

You glanced at your watch. Your time here was almost over, and you had a lot of responsibilities.

“Will you do it?”

Jungkook glanced at you, eyes wary.

“How do I know you’re telling me the truth? You could just do that so you could have me killed and say I tried to escape.”

You shook your head, almost amused by the possibility.

“I would gain nothing from doing that, and if I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t go about it that way. Will you do it?”

This time, he nodded. He didn’t trust you, but he thought you were telling the truth on this.  So following your plan would be just as well.

“Good. I’ll see you for the fight.”

This would have been a good moment to wish him good luck, probably, but you didn’t do luck, so you didn’t say anything. You gave him a quick nod, gathered your things, and then you were out.

You didn’t think to say goodbye.

“We’ll get him when the crowd’s dispersed,” one of the bodyguards says, and you hum noncommittally in response, eyes on your phone.

Moron.

If these two were the ones you usually work with, they would know that your usual protocol is to go get Jungkook as soon as the referee’s lifted his hand up. That way, you can get him out as quickly as possible and you don’t have to worry about him getting mobbed. But you’ve changed your team the day Mr. Xanders asked you to ‘put Jungkook down’, so they have no idea. It’s been a week since then, which shouldn’t make it too suspicious. Hopefully.

When the crowd does move enough to see what’s going on in the cage — three minutes — one of the two men says, voice worried, “Hey, can you see him?”

Your head snaps up and your eyes scan the room. You’re relieved to see that Jungkook’s nowhere in sight.

“Where is he?” you ask urgently, and the men seem to shrink under your glare, exchanging worried glances. You roll your eyes and sigh. This may be your plan, but they’re still acting incompetent. Which is good for you, sure, but the perfectionist in you is annoyed.

“You two should pray he’s in the changing room,” you spit out as you march towards it. It takes some struggle, because the crowd isn’t exactly calming down, but it’s not too long.

Of course, Jungkook isn’t in the changing room. It was a bad idea to go look there anyway — usually you would probably have already informed everyone that he had disappeared — but these two don’t seem to realize that.

“Go search the fighting room,” you order, “make sure you haven’t missed anything. Then check the surroundings. I’ll stay there. Let me know if you find something.”

They practically run out, and you allow yourself to sit down. This isn’t even dangerous yet. If Jungkook’s done that part correctly, he should already be too far for them to find him. As far as you’re concerned, you’ve bought him — you check your watch — seven minutes. But even if you don’t doubt him, you still feel terror at the idea they could catch him. You don’t know what would happen then. You don’t want to think about it.

The seconds tick by. It’s been almost exactly ten minutes when your phone rings.

“Hello, Miss—”

“Do you have him?” you bark.

There’s a silence.

“I want an answer!” you snap.

“No. I’m sorry. We’ve lost him.”

You hang up immediately and start to dial another number to let people know Jungkook’s missing.

But, before you actually call, you let out a brief sigh of relief.

This just might work.

You get home late the following night. When you do, you’re absolutely exhausted. You’ve had a terrible day, unable to sleep a wink, and you got thoroughly chewed out over Jungkook going missing. You think Mr. X was suspicious of you, because you basically don’t fuck up, ever, but then Anna started to wax poetics about how “Jungkook was a soul who wanted to live”, and you don’t think he bought it, but it at least got his mind off of you.

You doubt he’d get you killed over that, it just isn’t worth it and you’re pretty valuable, but it would be much better if he didn’t think about it too much.

You’ve organized the searches, pretty sloppily in your own opinion. Of course, it’s possible that they could find him, but if Jungkoook does his part, everything should be okay.

You remove your shoes with a groan when you walk in. You usually never regret wearing heels, thankful for the centimeters they help you gain, but tonight you definitely do. Keeping them on for two days was not how they had been intended to be used.

Once they’re off your feet, you painfully walk to your kitchen. All you want to do is to make yourself a cup of tea before going to bed, but you stop yourself before grabbing your kettle.

Something feels— off. You’re probably the only person who could notice it, because you’re  so obsessive with everything that’s in your home, but you just can’t miss it. It’s not much, just some items that aren’t where they should be, or that were moved a little to the side.

Your breath catches in your throat, and you hesitantly grab a knife from your kitchen drawer. You don’t think that would do anything, if someone was in your apartment right now, because you can’t fight and, considering the people you work for, you’re pretty sure if someone wanted to kill you they would, but it makes you feel better.

You make your way through the living-room slowly, heart hammering in your chest. You check the bathroom, first. No one’s in there, but it’s clear that whoever was there used it as well. He didn’t put your toothpaste back where it belonged.

That only leaves your room. You walk in, carefully, to find it empty. Your bed’s done, though not exactly how you do it, and that confuses you. At least until your eyes find the necklace that’s on your bedside table.

It’s the identifying tag Jungkook wore around his neck for fights. You reach out for it, in disbelief, and that only confirms what you thought.

A laugh bubbles in your throat, and you just can’t hold it in. It escapes your lips, breaking the silence that always reigns in your apartment.

Here. He was here, in the eye of the storm, while everyone was looking for him. You have no idea where he is now, but this makes you feel like he’ll be fine. Clearly, he is a smart man and he has resources.

You fall to the ground, lean against your bed, holding the tag in your hand. You give yourself a second. That’s more than you usually get. It’s a second to close your eyes and feel grateful and happy about what happened, a second to think that perhaps not everything is dark and terrible in the world.

A second, because Jungkook made it out.

And then, you open your eyes, and you come back to your reality, which is that you’ll be working for the family tomorrow, and the day after that, and probably for the rest of your life. There’s no out for you. No hope.

But at least Jungkook should be fine. You’ll never know about it, because if he is, then you’ll never hear about him again.

If you ever do, it will only mean bad news.

Next

Thank you for reading! I hope you’ve enjoyed this first chapter and feel free to let me know if you would like to be tagged for future ones!

[alch3mic]

Beast or Prince's darling discovering their yandere tendencies? I'd love to see some drama go down

Strange how the twisting shadows of night made the estate halls feel so.. unfamiliar.

Those once pristine and well decorated walls that lured you into the estate so long ago now looked tainted by the darkness scrawled upon their surface, while the tile flooring felt even colder beneath your bare feet as you traversed the dim halls with nothing but a cellphone flashlight and the rain to keep you company.

Thunder and lightning crackled outside distantly, enlightening the hallways briefly in brilliant white flashes before plunging them back into the depths of obscurity. It, along with the deafening sounds of rain pattering against the windows, was enough to make your heart nearly pound right out of your poor chest.

.....

Was this some kind of classic horror movie set up or what?

Sheesh!

Talk about cliché! The only thing that was missing from this scene was some kind of terrible scary monster or knife wielding psycho lurking around the corner, and then you’d be the star of the next box office thriller!

At least the thought was funny enough to make you chuckle before another flash of lightning and crackling of thunder made you nearly jump out of your own skin.

...

.....Maybe.. you should’ve stayed in bed..

The thought of turning your butt right back around and just returning to your room was rather tempting.. but..

You had three burning questions in your mind that you just knew would keep you up all night if you turned back now.

Number one, what was that loud crashing sound that had woken you out of your dreams? You’re at least very certain it wasn’t thunder because the storm only started a few minutes after you left your bed.

Number two, why was the power out? Never, in all of your time of staying here, had the lights ever gone out like this. Papyrus once told you they ran on their own line out here on the estate with their own generators, separate from the city grid just so they could keep things on in case of a city wide power outage. So.. why? Why was the power out, even before this crazy storm even started? What happened?

And lastly.. number three..

....Where was Sans?

He had bunked with you in your room today after a late night of playing some video games together, but when you suddenly awoke he was... gone.

That had concerned you, because he wasn’t there when the crashing sound happened, which meant he left sometime before the storm started. It wasn't until you found his phone still placed upon your nightstand that your worries grew. He always kept his phone on him..

Now straddled with anxiety you gathered yourself before heading out in search of your boyfriend.

Just where in the world did he go?

.....

You checked your cell phone again.

...Still no service.

Dammit.

Great.. juuuust great.

...Maybe Sans' would..?

Nope.

That was a bust too.

You let out a huff of annoyance, even trying to wave his phone above your head in the hopes of getting a single bar of service, but it was to no avail.

There was another moment where you looked back to the hall you had just been wandering through, wondering if you really should just head back.. but..

It was foreign now.

You in all honesty had no idea where you were.

Like, you weren't even sure if you were in the west wing anymore, the once bright halls becoming like an endless labyrinth or darkness and spooky noises.

....

..Well, looks like your only choice now was to press on in hopes you’d find one of the brothers. The estate really was big, but they had to be somewhere..!

...Right..?

.........Right.

So onward you walked.

......

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Even the soft steps of your bare feet made eerie echoes that resounded with the quiet hum or rain.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Another flash of lightning and crackle of thunder, another small scare.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

A left..? Or maybe a right? Well that flower pot looked familiar at least. ...Maybe..? K-kind of?

.....

Alright maybe you were a little scared now.

How could you not be!?

Everything felt tense and haunting, your anxiety spiraling the more you wandered around in the dark! Maybe this was just a dream.. a weirdly realistic dream.. and you’d wake up to find yourself still nicely snuggled in bed with your bone friend all safe and soun-

Wait.

.....That was..

Oh! You recognized those doors! They led out to the garden!

That sinking feeling in your chest was replaced with a sense of hope as you finally gained a sense of your surroundings, taking a few hopeful steps forward.

BANG.

You nearly screamed as the double doors out to the garden swung open accompanied by a flash of lightning. Thankfully the light faded just in time for you to see..

"Sans!" you called out as your skeletal boyfriend stepped inside and shut the doors behind him.

You quickly approached, stopping just a few feet away.

"You're...!" you inhaled sharply, gazing upon him. "...Soaking wet!"

And also dressed.

No longer was he adorned in one of his cute sets of pajamas, but a clean white button up, dark pants, heavy boots and thick work gloves, all now sticking to his bones from being soaked by the rain.

A deep sigh came out from your boyfriend and he shook his head, drops of water twinkling as they caught the light before splattering to the floor, while other droplets were just encouraged to finish their run down his face.

"HEH. IT'S REALLY IS RAINING SOMETHING FIERCE," he muttered lightly. "I'M THANKFUL TO SEE THAT DAMNED SKY TUCKED AWAY SINCE IT'S BEEN SO SUNNY THESE PAST FEW WEEKS BUT.. WHAT TERRIBLE TIMING."

You closed the distance between you two, stopping once more right before him and looked up and down in worry.

"Are you-" you began, but he merely reached out to gently catch your chin in his gloved hand.

It felt wet and cold, sending shivers down your spine.

"I'M ALRIGHT DEAREST," Sans chuckled, his eyelights roaming over your face.

"..Really?"

The ever so familiar hearts in his eyelights seemed to grow a bit bigger as he looked at you, his hand leaving your chin to carefully brush a few strands of hair.

"REALLY," he confirmed.

You found yourself shivering once more as his cold gloved fingers lightly lingered on your cheek before he fully retracted his hand and began pulling his gloves off.

"AND WHAT ABOUT YOU MY DEAR? ARE YOU ALRIGHT? IT'S QUITE DANGEROUS TO BE WANDERING AROUND SO LATE ESPECIALLY IN THE DARK."

"..I'm fine," you said, your hand reaching inside your pocket to pull out his phone. "I just.. woke up to a crashing noise and you weren't there. Then I saw your phone and it started raining like crazy and the lights wouldn't turn on so I got.."

You flushed a bit when he smiled at your ramblings.

"..Worried."

"HEH. THOUGHT I DO APPRECIATE YOUR CONCERNS MY SWEET, YOU SHOULD NEVER WORRY ABOUT ME," he chuckled, taking his phone. "I'M HERE TO PROTECT YOU, ALWAYS."

He didn't even give the device a look over before stashing it into his wet pocket, shoving his gloves into another one and began rolling up his sleeves and loosening his collar.

A strange silence fell for a moment as you both stood there, a small flame being ignited in your chest as you watched him move.

"..Sans?"

"YES, DEAREST?"

"Is everything really okay?" you asked quietly, your hand scrunching up the fabric at the end of your pajama t-shirt.

"OF COURSE!" he said, giving you one heck of a cute smile. "...WELL, I MEAN.. THE POWER IS STILL OUT AND I AM SOAKED TO THE BONE, BUT YES EVERYTHING IS FINE MY LOVE."

....

"...You're lying to me, aren't you..?"

....

Sans didn't say another word, instead just keeping that impossibly sweet smile swept over his features as he stopped unbuttoning his collar and looked at you for a moment.

His silence was calculated, just like his expression and his movements. For he knew that if he spoke anything more, you'd catch on more to the underlying anger in his tone.

It was the exact kind of anger that always stuck around after something happened.

You've.. gotten better at hearing it over the months that you've become closer to him.

At picking up the emotions he hid behind that princely charm and smiles.

It's how you could tell that things were absolutely not alright.

That he was lying to you.

...Again.

Once again you were being kept in the dark about something.

Once again Sans was covering your eyes from seeing clearly.

Why..?

Even though the two of you had grown so close. Even though you've swore to him to the moon and back that he could trust you. Even though you promised..!

Why does he still..!?

.....

He offered his hand to you, catching your eye before you looking back up at him. That smile of his turned just a bit fonder, and he merely tilted his head in a quiet encouragement for you to take his offer.

Stand your ground.

Don't let him do this!

Not again!

....

Quietly you took his hand, the feeling of his bones damp and clammy against your warmed skin from having your fists clenched so tightly before.

He bent in, and placed a tender kiss upon your check, making you shiver from the cold water that trickled on to your neck and shoulder.

Then he pulled back out, giving you one more loving smile before taking a step, and then another..

And you did the same, following as he led you away from those double doors out to the garden and back into the blackened halls from whence you came.

His boots squeaked against the marbled floorings and loose raindrops continued to descend down his skull, followed by the soft patter of your feet as he led you without another word.

...Again.

Again you were.. too afraid to say anything. The words came bubbling up your throat, threatening to break free at any moment.

But you kept your mouth shut tight.

You were afraid....

Of what the truth might be.

Of this fairytale that you so desperately sought and now finally had.. falling to pieces.

Of who your Prince Charming might really be.

Was he really the soft, sweet and lonely skeleton you saw beyond all of the make believe? Or was he..?

.....

Another distant flash and strike of thunder, and once again the halls were enlightened.

Your gaze dipped only for a second from Sans' back, enough to catch a bare glimpse of something before it became dark once more.

....

That..

Couldn't have been right..

..Right?

Something like that... shouldn't be...

.....

..No..

Your eyes were certainly not deceiving you.

You know what you saw.. without question, even in the passing light.

For at the very edges of Prince's dampened white shirt.

...Was red.

"DEAREST."

"Y-yes?"

"JUST REMEMBER, I LOVE YOU VERY, VERY MUCH... AND THAT EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT."

check out my other writings | feel free to drop me a ko-fi!

[msmarvelwrites]

Season Of The Witch

Summary: Your witchy abilities get you in quite a bit of trouble from time to time… But this time you don’t mind so much. 

Pairing: Bucky x reader 

Warnings: Swearing, fluff, honestly i think that’s it. Just soft boy Bucky.

Word Count: 2k

Author's Note: I had a lot of fun writing this one. Little bit of a witchy- halloween vibe for ya guys… Honestly I’m really in love with this idea, so who knows- if you like it I might write a part 2! 

Huge Thank you to @cutie1365 for editing this mess! Couldnt have done it without her!

“Okay, okay. What colour am I thinking of now.” Peter squealed, plopping himself down on your bed, staring at you like a kid on christmas. 

Being the Avengers personal psychic has its benefits, but this was certainly not one of them. You thought your party-trick of a superpower would have grown old on your friends, and yet it always seemed to draw a crowd of non-believers. You weren't the toughest or the strongest by any means, but you sure knew your way around a person's thoughts, which proved to be an advantage to the team. Mostly you were in charge of recon, but that didn't stop Natasha from dragging you to the gym every weekend and torturing you with super hero level workouts. 

“How many more times are we going to do this, Peter?” You sighed, but soon realised he wasnt caving. “Blue. Just like last time it was orange and the time before that thirteen. Can we please stop.” 

Peter scanned you over for a moment, before relaxing back on your headboard. 

Fine, but only because Mr. Stark said he was ordering Chinese and it's probably here by now. His voice echoed through your mind. 

“Actually, I heard Wanda say he’s getting pizza.” You corrected.

“How did you-?” He paused, eyes agape as your words registered. “That is seriously cool, you know that? I mean, I hang from the walls but that- that is cool! I can see why they coined you The Witch now,” Peter playfully shouted. “Can you do that with anyone, at any time?” 

You smiled sheepishly, remembering the times your wandering mind had gotten you in some pretty uncomfortable situations. You tried your very best to stay out of your friends heads, but sometimes that was easier said than done. Especially when it came to the former Hydra assassin. His thoughts seemed to creep into your mind, seeping through the cracks unbidden. Sometimes his mind would wander aimlessly, but that wasn't always the case. You knew about Bucky’s dark past, however hearing it in his own cruel words was something else entirely. Though he would never utter the words allowed they were seared into your mind. You had every sense to avoid the man and yet his voice, like gravel and smoke, drew you in, intoxicated on his every word as it clouded around your subconscious.

“Unfortunately” You sighed, easing back into the mattress and unconsciously biting at the corner of your mouth. Your gift didnt make you very popular when you were younger. You were honestly surprised it was so welcomed here. Most people consider you an invasion of privacy...  But Peter was different from the highschool kids you grew up with. Maybe it was due to the fact he was different too, but something about the way his mind wandered made you believe that radio-active spider or not, Peter would always be Peter. 

“What does Bucky think about?” 

That knocked you out of your thoughts. You snapped your head up and looked at Peter, who only seemed to have a curious look in his eyes. 

He’s so broody and mysterious. Guy gives me the creeps. 

“Bucky is a sweetheart deep down.” You faked a smile, concerned as to why you felt the need to defend him. From an outside perspective, it was possible to fear the former Winter Soldier. However, knowing what you did haunted your nerves. 

“I’m sure very, very deep down.” Peter chuckled. “I’m going to go grab some pizza before Sam eats it all. Are you coming?” 

You smiled softly, preparing yourself for the dinner with your friends. Though you enjoyed having a sort of family, dinners together would often grow overwhelming in your mind, voices colliding though your head, brewing into a storm in your thoughts. 

“I’ll be down in a few.” With that, Peter stumbled out of your room and down the hallway leaving you with your thoughts. You closed your eyes, concentrating on the many different voices faintly echoing around you. You could only make out bits and pieces as they vibrated through the walls and all around you. At first, it was hard to identify whose voice belonged to who, but soon after you moved into the compound it became easy. 

Natasha thought in poems. Her brain was always working on the next solution- the next verse. Her mind wandered in and out of trains of thought like a dancer, drifting back and forth with ease. It was always relaxing listening in. 

Tony was constantly listening to his music wherever he went. You had an inkling it was because he knew how powerful you were. ‘Like built-in surveillance,’ he’d often say. Though, you’d never deflate his ego in letting him know you could still hear his thoughts clear as day. 

But then there was Bucky. It took you a while to understand his thoughts. They always seemed erratic and chased- never one thought all at once, but it soon became clear why. Bucky was constantly correcting himself. When his mind began to tiptoe into the darkest corners, he’d change the conversation, ushering it back to what he thought was right. Listening to his internal debates became a favourite pastime of yours. He often reminisced about his time in the forties. You liked how easy it was, listening to him think. Though you had never said more than five words to him allowed, you were content with this little part of him. Pieces only you both knew. Like the beautiful woman he would lose himself daydreaming about. The way he described her made you feel flush all over. He never thought her name, and yet it stung all the more knowing his heart was stolen. His beautiful ‘ведьма’. Not that you stood a fighting chance. Not to mention the impending age gape you both shared. Often he would find you staring and a string of curses would follow as he realised he’d be caught. You never meant to intrude, but then again, that wasn't entirely true. 

With a huff, you swung your legs off the bed letting your feet hit the cold wooden floors, but before you could even open the door, you heard him. His voice was so loud you almost didn't know if he was speaking aloud or not. 

Just do it, you punk. Walk up there and ask her. What’s the worst that could happen?.... She could plunge a knife into your back- no…. She wouldn't do that and you know it. If you ask her, she might say yes… Honestly that might he worse than- 

You swing the door open, startling Bucky back a few paces as your eyes might his. Instantly his face blooms with pink as his mind races- his thoughts an incoherent mess. 

“Hi Bucky.” You spoke only above a whisper. 

“Oh jesus! I didn't know you were right there.” He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck trying to steady his breathing. 

“Sorry…” You mumbled, breaking eye contact and suddenly finding the floor very interesting. “I didn mean to scare you-”

“You don’t- I mean, you didn't scare me.” He chuckled, his mind suddenly blank. “It doesn't matter right now because I, uh… I was wondering if you're coming for dinner.” 

You nodded your head, “Yeah, on my way now.” You smiled softly. 

“Great,” Bucky grinned, running his hand through his cropped hair and stepping aside. “I can walk with you.” 

You nodded, swallowing hard as you swung the door shut and began walking side by side with Bucky in heavy silence. 

“Know what’s for dinner?” Bucky finally spoke. 

“Pizza. Your favourite.” You affirmed, meeting his curious eyes. His strides slowed until he was at a full stop. 

“I never told you that.” He pried, looking at your in question. 

You froze, suddenly aware of what you had just said. There was nothing more you wanted than to sink into the floor and let the earth swallow you whole. 

“Uh,” You nervously laughed, “You must have at some point. Yeah, I remember now, it was-”

“How often do you listen?” he interrupted, making your mouth clamp shut. 

You thought about lying, though it didn't seem right. You knew all his secrets and all he asked was this one. Surely you could grant him that even if it cost a punch to the ego.

“All the time,” You started, your eyes never leaving the floor. “I don’t mean to. At least that’s the way it started. I really try to put you guys all on ‘mute’ when we're together, but your voice always comes through. I don't know what it is, but I like the way you think.” You admitted, feeling heat rising from your chest.

“You like the way I think?” He pried, taking a few steps closer to you. You could feel the tension buzzing around the hallway, ricocheting off the walls and exploding all around you. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so embarrassed. It's such an invasion of privacy. You must hate me. I promise I won't tell anyone about the things I hear. Especially her.” 

“Her?” He chuckled, taking another step toward you leaving only a few tiles between the two of you. 

“Ведьма.” You choked out. “You think about her all the time. She sounds beautiful, by the way. I’m sorry, that's overstepping… I just, I’m sorry. Really I’ll just go-”

Before you could turn on your heel and run for the hills, Bucky's hands were around your wrists, holding you still. His eyes were pleading as he opened he opened and shut his mouth trying to find the right words to say. 

“For a witch, you sure aren’t very intuitive.” Bucky signed, your eyes finally landing on his.  “My beautiful witch, don’t know by now?” 

You blinked at him, your mouth suddenly dry and words caught in your throat. Before you could speak, his thoughts broke through the air, tumbling around you. 

Are you listening, doll? His voice echoed around you sending a shiver down your spine. You nodded your head, watching as his eyes crinkled up as he a lopsided grin formed on his pink lips. 

It’s you. It’s always you. I've tried to stop, trust me. I just can’t seem to shake it.

You almost didn't notice the smile that began to pull at the corners of your mouth as you took in his words. They drifted in the air around you, echoing through your mind as Bucky’s thumbs rubbed circles into your skin. 

“Ask me.” You spoke up, a sudden confidence serging through your core. Bucky raised a brow, scanning you over until your words resonated with him. 

“Right, of course.” He cleared his throat, letting go of your hands and intertwining his own nervously. “Would you ever consider letting me take you out. To dinner, maybe?”

You bit down on your bottom lip to stop yourself from giggling as you listened to his internal monologue of nerves that followed his question. 

“Took you long enough.” You chuckled, watching as his smile lit up the room around you. Before you could stop yourself you closed the distance between you, draping your arms around his shoulders and crashing your lips onto his. Bucky froze, but almost as instantly melted into you, his hands finding their home on your hips as he pulled you in. You wanted nothing more than to melt into him but his racing thoughts swirled around you, causing a giggle to fall from your lips. 

Holy Shit. Kiss her back, you moron. Oh god she smells so good. What is that? Cinnamon? Citrus? Shit, she's so close to me. Don't panic. Don't panic. Fuck she feels good. Just relax, and- Oh shit. Can you hear me? 

You couldn't help but throw your head back, laughter bubbling out of your chest as his thoughts raced through his head. 

“I can tell you're going to be a lot of fun, Barnes” You mumbled against his lips.

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

A/n: Nervous Bucky is my favourite can you tell? I loved this one, show some love if you felt the same! 

@cutie1365    @whateveriwant

@projectcampbell    @kalesrebellion

@calwitch     @hpandmcu177a

[alyssadeliv]

The Forgotten One

First      Previous

Chapter 10

Chosen One. 

Marianne Al Ghul. 

Mari. 

Pixie.

The Lily of the Desert. 

Marinette Dupain. 

Ladybug. 

The Great Guardian.

And now she would eventually become Marianne Wayne. 

She had had multiple names and lived for what felt like a hundred lives, all very different, but all of them with one thing in common. Damian. 

From the moment he was born until her first death, she lived for him. Always there to aid and protect him at all costs. At all costs. She lived for him. The only time she had something for herself, it was taken from her. So she wasn't good with owning things. Her whole life nothing was truly hers. Damian was the League’s. The Miraculous were the Order’s. She was divided between two organizations. Never truly belonging to one or the other. She ached to belong, so it was very important that she proved herself to her father. She knew she was never enough for her mother, she was indeed the second option. Useful enough to not be discarded, but not the heir she most desired.

So now. Standing in front of her Father, having imagined this moment her whole life, she had to admit, she was scared. Would he reject her too? Would she be enough?

“Father… This is Marianne, your daughter.” Damian presents her. She doesn't know how to act so she stays in place, awaiting instructions or directions, but still getting the time to analyze the man in front of her.

He was taller than she imagined, but intimidating with his Batman attire just as she had pictured. He looked at her in a cautious way, as if at any moment she would combust into flames. She kept her eye on him, looking for some sort of sign on how to act. It took some time but eventually, his expression turned to a mesmerized one. 

“You look like my mother…” He whispered, reaching to her with his right hand but never touching her. His face in awe. “How… I-”

He turned his head to Damian as if he could explain more. In his face a lost and anxious expression. She could see that her little brother wanted to comfort their father, but didn't know how. So he stayed at her side, hoping that his presence was enough. Clearly, it wasn’t.

“I need to think'' And with that he turns and walks out of the cave, never even sparing a glance back. The only thing that can be heard are his footsteps, and when those are gone, an awkward silence installs.

Only then does Marianne let go of the air she didn’t even know she was holding. With not even a nod of his head father had dismissed her. He was similar to Mother after all. Only ever interaction with her if needed, just to make sure she was still alive. She could deal with that, she knew what to expect. That actually calms her more than it should. The uncertainty was still there, but at least she knew that deep down he could care for her in the future as her mother did. 

“Daeh Washanuh” She tells her brother when she sees his indignant face. Her father needed time, she understood that, so for now she would let him be. 

She still felt a bit weak, having spent all her energy between fighting her brother and mending her injured body. Damian must have seen said exhaustion because he instantly went to her side, to support her. With her body pressed against his side, and a strong arm crossing her waist holding her she admired how much he had grown. He was taller than her now. Stronger too. Gone was the 10 year old that followed her around. In his place was a slight better version of that person. She gives him a reassuring smile, trying to transmit her gratitude and appreciation without words, the same way she would do before they were separated. She could only hope they still understood each other after years of no contact.

Damian chooses that instant to start introducing the others. The redhead in the wheelchair looks at her with interest, as if trying to solve a puzzle. She doesn't seem to be judging her like the guy in the red leather jacket with a shocked expression is, so she counted that as a win. The dark haired teen that she knocked out a few days ago looks like he’s seen better days, and by the dark spots under his eyes and the large cup of what she assumed to be coffee in his hand, he was an insomniac, like her. The two still wearing their full costumes start to remove their masks, the one in blue has a calm expression, but the other is still very much shocked.

“Habibti... This is Richard Grayson, Timothy Drake, Barbara Gordon, and Jason-”

“Todd.” She smiles. “Long time no see.” 

How could she ever forget those blue eyes that hunted her dreams. He was a big part of her past, and she would always be able to spot him in a crowd. 

She can almost remember the first time she met him. At only 13 she was tasked with training this overemotional 16-year-old. Let’s just say their relationship wasn’t good at the beginning. He carried too much anger inside of him to allow him to listen to what she was trying to teach him. He was hot-headed and stubborn, and most of the time she just wanted to throw her dagger at him to see him bleed. But after some time they got close. Closer than they should. 

At that time Grandfather had intensified Damian’s training so she wasn’t able to see him much, instead, she found herself around Jason a lot. They confided in each other. She gave pieces of herself to him that she never gave anyone else, only for him to be ripped from her life as punishment. 

Last she heard her mother had dealt with him. She assumed she had killed him. But seeing him in front of her, healthy and very much alive was a relief. She had mourned him for a long time, but the joy she feels in knowing he was alive was immense.

“Pixie!” Jason speaks for the first time, by now he already got up from his seat, and is now standing in front of her. Different from her Father's reaction, he seems to need to touch her, to guarantee that she is real and truly there. Confused about how she knew his older adopted sibling, Damian backs away from his sister, too stunned to properly comprehend what was happening. She now was using Jason as support, feeling the heat of his body next to her’s, just proving that he was really there.

Pixie was a nickname he gave her when they first met after he discovered she could do magic. At the time she did not understand the reference, not having grown up with fairytales, but after he patiently explained to her about fairies she could see where he was coming from. Small and Magic. That was enough to describe her. And secretly she was pleased to have a nickname especially made for her. “I told you we would see each other again…” He says with a smug smirk on his face. Caressing her cheek with his hand. Oh, how she missed that look on his face. 

“Am I the only one that’s freaking out with this scene in front of us?” The spell is broken by the voice of the blue hero. Richard. The first adopted son of Bruce Wayne. She knew a bit about him, when she was younger a part of her training was inspired by his stunts on the field. “How the hell do you know her, Jaybird? Bruce’s secret love child?” 

He still holds her, more for support than anything else. It’s been a long time since they’ve been together, but their friendship hopefully still remains. She takes him not letting her go, as a sign that she wasn’t the only one affected by this unexpected reunion. When she first arrived at Gotham she knew she would inevitably meet her extended family when she finally sought her brother. And yes, it came to no surprise that Jason Todd was once her father’s ward. But remember that she did believe him to be dead. And if that was truly the case she would carry her secrets to her grave. But apparently, it was time to come clean to her brother. Her relation with Jason was the one thing she ever kept from Damian. And she could see from the look on his face that he was very confused.

She detaches herself from Jason and tries to reach her little brother, but the day's activity finally takes a toll on her body and she trips and almost collapses on the floor if not for the two that come to her rescue. Jason being the one closer to her catches most of her weight, but Damian has both her hands into his own.

“I'm fine…” She tries, but by the look on both their faces, they don’t believe her one bit.

“Dick, why don't we leave the rest of the interrogation for tomorrow? When Bruce can participate.” Barbara speaks for the first time. She pushes herself away from the table and starts making her way out of the cave in her wheelchair. It seems that her words have power, because with only a grunt and a side glance and he leaves as well. Sometime between her father leaving and Jason making himself known Timothy fell asleep, face down on the table in what could only be described as an uncomfortable position.

If she wasn’t so exhausted she would have questioned how easily Damian’s family accepted to wait until tomorrow for answers. If it was her she would want them as soon as possible. No matter what.

“Come, I’ll show you to my room” Damian removes her from Jason’s arms and starts directing her through the same path all the others took out of the cave. Tomorrow she would come back and admire all the technology and weapons the Bat Cave provided, but for now, she was content in being almost carried to a comfy bed. After almost a month of chasing Gabriel Agreste around the globe and mostly sleeping when she could, wherever she could,  just the thought of sleeping in an actual mattress brought her immense joy. “I promise to not ask questions today, but I need an explanation for the display of affection you gave Todd downstairs.” His tone is stern and she knows he meant that. 

"Deal." He nods, accepting my answer.

We walk through a long corridor for quite some time, but eventually, we stop in front of a door. Damian opens it and carries me to the bed. He sits me in his bed and goes to his wardrobe. While he does that she admires the size of his room, which is big, just as it was in the League, but here she can see bits of his personality. Photos on the wall, drawings on the tables. She is happy that he gets to explore his part of himself. When he comes backs he hands a change of clothes to her, and without saying anything he makes his way to what Marianne assumes is an adjacent bathroom. Leaving her room to change alone. He gave her a black long-sleeved shirt and black pajama bottoms that were definitely too small to git him now, and she can only question as to why he has it still.

She removes her attire and changes into the offered clothes, but not before inspecting the place where there was supposed to be a wound. She was healed, as expected, but her dried blood still clings to her abdomen. By now Damian finally comes back, wearing an outfit similar to hers and carrying a damp towel.

“I thought you would want to clean yourself of the blood.” He hands her the towel. She in return gives him a sincere smile, accepting the offered object and immediately removing all traces of blood from her body. 

While she did that, he sat on the other side of the bed, removing some pillows and getting under the covers. Marianne leaves the towel on the floor beside the bed and carefully puts one knife on the bedside table and her dagger under her pillow. Old habits die hard after all.

Damian observes her with a nostalgic look on his face but otherwise remains silent. He turns the light off by the switch near his bed and the bedroom immediately gets dark, the only source of light coming through the closed windows. As she gets under the covers she feels his body getting closer to hers. And she can’t help but smile again, remembering how many times they did this exact same thing during their childhood without their mother knowing. Or at least they thought she didn't know, not knowing she merely allowed them this simple thing.

“Aishtaqt lak ya 'akhi” She repeats the same words she said to him when they were on the rooftop earlier that night.

Her only answer is his hand finding hers and giving it a squeeze.

Final chapter of part one! Do you like the stoy so far? After a lot of messages from you guys I decided to continue with a part 2 of this story. Still haven’t decided how long it would be, probably about 10 more chapters but who nows. Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter, its was finals week at my university and you know how it is. 

Let’s hope I get more time to write! Thank you all fot the support do far! You are all amazing!

It curently 3 am so sorry if there’s any mistakes!

Next

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[ahockeywrites]

Is that blood? - Matthew Tkachuk

Prompt: “Is that blood?” “Yes but that doesn’t matter right now, what does matter is-” “You are literally bleeding.” Warnings: as the prompt says mentions of blood, children

The sun basked down in St Louis and you were spending time with the Tkachuk family over summer break. It was pretty normal for you to wake up in the late morning and make your way over to the Tkachuk residence for a barbecue style lunch, then spend the rest of the day either in their pool, playing sports in the backyard or going to the shops with whoever wanted to.

Today was no different, you had made your way across to their side of town with a car full of their favourite Starbucks drinks. It was the least you could do to thank them for their hospitality and letting you crash their family plans. Chantal always told you that you were like a child to her and you were always welcome to join them for as long as you wanted. Being an only child was difficult but having two honorary brothers and one honorary sister did make everything a lot more fun. Matthew and Brady spent their time protecting you from the boys in the neighbourhood and Taryn was the perfect person for you to chat to about relationships.

There was one thing, however, that you had kept from Taryn. The crush on her eldest brother that had been manifesting over the past few years. Hockey training had been good to him, he had grown into his body and you couldn’t help sneaking a glance or two at him. You thought you were being slick, and you were the first time. But every other time, he had noticed you staring and was thinking about the best way to approach you.

Matthew had been harbouring a crush on you since the start of the summer when he saw you in that bathing suit. The red one with white polka dots, it highlighted all of your features perfectly and he knew that hiding this crush would be difficult with the amount of time you spent at their house.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried to tell you, there was just always something stopping him. The first time, the two of you were in the kitchen fetching some drinks to bring out to everyone and as he was about to tell you, Brady walked in, covered in some combination of beer and liquor that smelt horrible. You had basically forced Brady upstairs and ran out of the kitchen to try and get rid of the smell.

The second time, you, Matthew, Taryn and Brady had gone to the mall just for a shopping trip as you thought that Matt needed an entire new wardrobe and that would only happen if he was there and could help choose his clothes. Brady had dragged Taryn to some store to try and find something for his girlfriend because he knew he wanted to get her a gift, but had absolutely no idea what sort of thing would be good.

You and Matt were in a clothes store and had picked out a few things for him to go and try on. He wasn’t being overly cooperative but was enjoying spending time with you. He also wasn’t the best at modelling, but you accepted it because he played hockey. One thing you didn’t realise would be difficult to find was jeans. Matthew liked to remind you that he suffered from a hockey butt and it would be hard to find a pair that actually made it over his glutes. Every single time he made the comment, which was often, you told him that you could always make him a pair if he needed to.

Eventually, you both went to the food court to grab something to eat. It was pretty busy but you were able to sneak around the people blocking the way to find a place to sit down. Matt insisted that he bought you lunch and was going to tell you exactly how he felt when it was just the two of you and your food. But, when he was about to pay, he saw that Brady and Taryn had found the table you were sat at and it was another chance ruined.

Matthew had the entire thing planned out for the third time, but what he didn’t anticipate was having a load of his small cousins running around his back yard. He let out a groan but was able to hide it. As he was about to drop you a text warning you of the kids, you pulled into the driveway. He thought it was going to be impossible for him to tell you how he felt for you. 

At this point, he just accepted that the universe had decided that the two of you would never be more than friends. Matthew knew that just being friends with you was not a bad thing at all, he always valued your opinion and advice just as much as his mother’s. 

You jumped out of your car to hear the sounds of children causing havoc on Tkachuk terrace and knew that you’d be having a fun day being pulled between different games and people. By this point in the summer, Chantal had given you the code to get in through the back gate as you were over almost every single day. Slowly and quietly, you opened the gate so that none of the younger Tkachuk’s would hear you and try to escape the garden.

The endeavour was successful and you were able to make it all of two steps before Keith noticed the iced coffees in your hand. “Ah! Y/N, always making my day,” he said walking in your direction to give you a hand with the drinks. He took half of them from your hands and noticed that you had written names on each of them so you could get them to the right person. He shot you a smile when he noticed and knew that he’d be able to get them to whoever wanted them without having to constantly ask you.

Keith noticed the small things you did for his family that most people wouldn’t notice. Bringing coffees to the house was just another thing to add to the list which included flowers for Chantal, muffins for everyone almost every time you visited to helping Taryn with her school work when she got stuck, and his personal favourite, seeing you interact with the younger members of his family. The way Charlotte and Sarah would gravitate towards you whenever the three of you were together. They always wanted you to do something with them, building lego, doing their hair, swimming. It was difficult for them to separate from you.

Today was no different, as soon as they heard your name, their little legs propelled the two of them towards you. You lifted them both up, one in each arm, and spun them around a few times. The conversation started immediately and they needed to know everything that had happened to you in the past week. You decided to humour them by over exaggerating absolutely everything you had done and they loved it. 

Unbeknownst to you, Matthew was sitting across the garden from you and was taking in every single move you were making. Even if he was meant to be playing basketball, he couldn’t take his eyes off you. You were beautiful, as always, but seeing you interact with his younger cousins just made his heart swell with love. He thought it was just a crush before, but now he knew, it was more than that.

Brady, being the annoying younger brother he is, had noticed that Matthew was slightly out of it and threw the basketball straight at his chest, trying to get his attention. It did hit him, but it was a bit harder than expected. Matthew stepped back, to try and absorb some of the shock but ended up tripping over someone’s foot and grazing his knee.

“Brady,” Matthew said with some anger but before he could continue, you had already made your way across to him assessing how bad the injury to his knee was.

“Matt,” you sighed, with a small amount of disappointment. “Come with me, hopefully my first aid skills are up to scratch to deal with this small graze.” You offered him your hand in case he decided to be a drama queen and pretend like he couldn’t walk properly just to annoy Brady. 

Once the two of you were inside, you went around to the bathroom and made him sit on the bathroom counter so you could get a better look at his knee. You thought that it was just a light scrape so there wouldn’t be any blood. Matthew knew exactly how to get you on his good side and he was about to tell you exactly how he felt as it was the first time in what felt like forever that the two of you were alone but then, “is that blood?” you asked, unsure how you had missed it the first two times you had looked over his knee.

“Yes, but that doesn’t matter right now, what matters is-”

“Matthew Tkachuk, you are literally bleeding,” you cut in, completely ignoring what he was trying to say.

“Y/N. I don’t care about the blood. I want to tell you something I’ve been trying to tell you for weeks,” he admitted. You looked up at him from where you were to see him looking directly at you, with love in his eyes. “I like you, more than I should as a friend. And I want you to be my girlfriend?” It was a question because he had no idea what your response was going to be. 

“I like you more than a friend should too Matt,” you said, not breaking eye contact with him. “So, in answer to your question, yes.” He smiled as soon as he heard that. “Yes, I will be your girlfriend and my first duty as your girlfriend is to bandage up your bleeding knee.”