#it's being held even worse than i remember. that arm shouldn't be under the neck like that.

[arthallea]

i've ranted about this video before but i'm gonna finally reblog it so you all know the video i was referring to. this is not a happy dog!! please learn dog language i am BEGGING you holy shit

[yanderepuck]

Kinktober Day 27

AND WE'RE BACK FOR A FOURTH TIME. It's that lovely time of the year where I write mediocre smut with no plot for a whole month. So sit your ass down and take a few minutes to read some smut.

As always, kinktober is held by our local Napoleon simp, @xxsycamore

If you'd like to read the last three years, go here

Remember to reblog and tell me what you think

FWB | Switching Partners

You walk into the library to put some books away and overhear Arthur and Dazai. It seems like they are having a small argument. But that isn't abnormal for them.

"What are you arguing about now," you set the book down on the table before walking into the corner where they are.

They both immediately stop and look over at you.

"Toshiko-san, we were just talking about you," Dazai smiles at you.

"I don't think I want to know what you were saying then," you go to turn to leave but Arthur suddenly was at your side with his arm around you.

"Not so fast, luv. Don't you want to know what we have to say about you?"

Dazai appears on your other side, his arms over your shoulders. "We were making a bet."

"And your bet includes me?"

"It's only about you," Arthur tries pulling you closer to him, away from Dazai. "You should help us settle our bet. Because obviously I'm the winner here."

"Doesn't explain why you never get a second date," Dazai chuckles.

"Wait, what is this about?" you look between the two of them, starting to get concerned.

"Arthur-kun thinks he is better at pleasing you than I am."

Your face goes red.

"Of course I am! I can-"

"Having a large body count doesn't mean you are good. It seems like no one comes back."

Dazai chuckles while Arthur glares at him. He keeps a tight grip on you.

"Anyway, luv. It's me who is better, isn't it?"

"You don't need to lie, Toshiko-san."

"I-I never really thought about it," your face is flushed. You're trying to think back but you can't really compare them.

"No?" Arthur pouts. He thought for sure you would say it was him.

Dazai sees the look on his face and smirks. "Not as memorable as you thought, huh?" he steps closer. "But we still need an answer," Dazai slips a finger under your chin to make you look up at him.

Arthur grabs your hair and pulls your head back so that you are looking in his direction. "I guess that means we get to have some fun."

"In-in here?" you shouldn't be surprised. You can't see these two ever being in the same bed even if it's for sex purposes.

"Of course in here," Arthur lets your hair go and pushes Dazai away. He pulls you over to the couch with him. "And I'm going first."

"You must love being watched," Dazai teases.

You were getting the feeling that you didn't have a say, not that you were going to say no. Essentially they are passing you back and forth and why would you say no to that.

Arthur kisses you while getting his jacket and vest off. You moan and realize your skirt is being pulled down. He really isn't wasting any time.

In moments you're on your back on the couch, one foot on the floor, and Arthur on top of you. He slides into you easily, stretching you quickly. You moan and adjust to him as he gets deeper in you. He starts thrusting into you and leans down the kiss you.

You wrap your arms over his shoulders and moan into his mouth. Arthurs technique is definitely just having rough sex. Not that you don't find that pleasing. Some days that's all you want.

His lips go down to your neck kissing you. With a hand on your hip, he lifts you slightly to be able to get deeper.

Dazai leans over the back of the couch. His elbow propping his head up looking down at you two.

"Not even any foreplay? You are worse than I thought."

Your face gets red again now that Dazai is just watching you.

Arthur tries to ignore him. His hand goes between you and unbuttons your shirts getting it open to squeeze your boobs.

You arch your back and moan more. You wouldn't say you aren't enjoying it. It feels great. Your nails are clawing against him and rock your hips in rhythm to him.

His thrusts get harder and he kisses you down to your collarbone and to the top of your chest. It only takes moments for him to bite you.

"Ahh-hh!" your breathing hitches as a wave of pleasure goes through you

"Well that's cheating," Dazai pouts.

Arthur licks the blood coming from your bite. "Should have said that before."

Arthur sits up, holding your hips firmly. Dazai watches your face change.

"Hmm, my turn," Dazai starts getting his clothes off.

"No it's not," Arthur growls, still going.

Dazai leans over the couch to hit the back of his head. "Yes. Now get off of Toshiko-san so i can show you how it's done."

Arthur just groans and comes to a sudden halt, pulling out of you. You whine a little and then two of them switch places.

"I would have thought you were better than that," Dazai jokes. The first thing he does is rub your clit.

Your body jerks for a moment at the sudden stimulation. He only does it for a few moments before stopping.

He grabs your hips and you think he is going to pull you closer, but he actually flips you over onto your stomach.

"Much better."

You get up on your knees to have your ass in the air. With a firm grip on you, he slides in.

Finally being filled again you moan loudly. You can definitely feel the differences between them. You keep your face down as he starts thrusting into you.

Your fingers dig into the cushion under you while his hand reaches under you to start rubbing you again. You jerk forward like you are trying to get away from him, but he keeps you there. His thrusts get harder after that.

Arthur is watching with a sour look on his face. Dazai notices it out of the corner of his eye.

"I won't hold it against you if you want to jack off to me."

"Oh Shut up."

You shove your face into the couch to muffle your moans. Arthur reaches over the back of the couch to grab your hair, lifting your head up.

"You can be loud in the library this one time. You won't get in trouble."

Your moans get louder, almost like a scream. He keeps a grip on your hair so that you won't try to quiet yourself.

Dazai has to keep a hold on you, your body keeps jerking.

"Clearly I am the winner here," he rubs you harder.

"You wish. I'm better, aren't I luv?" Arthur tugs your hair a little harder to get your attention, but all you can do is moan. No words are coming out of your mouth.

"Hmm. We should just take turns until she passes out," Arthur suggests, finally looking at Dazai.

Dazai grabs one half of your ass, squeezing it. "Guess we're going to find how much cum you can hold too."

[daisiesandshakes]

Fanfic (William Shakespeare & reader)

Warning: light smut

Also warning: english is not my native language, but I hope you enjoy!

Words: about 2000 (wow... I am surprised by myself)

One step closer

It was a bad day.  In your opinion it couldn't have been worse. Since nearly three weeks now you're helping Shakespeare with his new play. Your task was to take care of the costumes, stopping by for cleaning or darning them. But after a few days an actress catched a bad flue and William asked you to take her place.

You happily agreed to his wish. First everything went smooth, it was challenging but also fun. You liked to work with the other actors right away, enjoying their open and caring personalities, but the most important thing: You are able to spend time with Shakespeare.

At first you were only curious about him, you wanted to know more about the great mysterious William Shakespeare, who has left the mansion, and for sure you wanted to find out more about his work. The more time passed by, the more you could see your feelings change.

By this time it is impossible for you to face his glare without trembling legs or hundreds of butterflies in your stomach. William Shakespeare- the perfect gentleman, always treating you with respect and a gentleness that borders on adoration. Plus he is an extremly hard worker, fully dedicated to his plays, he is considerate and charming, he's got a fine sense of humor always making you smile, and his voice... oh you could spend hours only listening to him. In one or two rare moments you were even able to notice a softer, almost shy side at him and at that rare moments you knew you were lost. Helpless to his force of attraction like a planet to the force of gravity from a black hole.

You're really trying hard to hide that you're in love with him.

Who are you at all? Only a normal young woman who fell in love with one of history's greatest men. He deserves better than you. William deserves a woman who is as much talented and captivate as him. So you decided to admire and love him in secrecy.

But unfortunately those secret feelings for him happened to be the reason for your desaster today.

First William adjusted your new costume over and over again. You could feel his hands moving over your body and as he corrected the ribbons of your corset you were at your limit. You sensed his breath in your neck and there was no way to hide the tremble that rushed through your form. "Are you okay? Do you need something?" His enticing voice next to your ear... You almost blurted out 'You!"

With shaky words you explained you only forgot to eat proper this morning. He hummed at your words, then promised to offer after rehearse everything to you what you desire. Ah... Your mind spun.

Later he took place for one of his actors to show how the scene should look like. That ment he held you in his arms and whispered lovingly lines while looking straight into your eyes. You weren't able to remember your part anymore, you barely managed to stutter an excuse and asked embarressed for a small break. Not waiting for the answer you broke from the embrace and hurried off the stage - when the next drama happened.

You lost balance as your long dress stuck to the rail und you fell down the last stair. One of the actors helped you up and you assured quickly to be okay while realising the beautiful costume is ruined. Tearing up you fled the scene without looking back.

And now you're sitting on the chaise in the changing area, desperate, full of shame and tired of yourself.

Hot tears of frustration are spurting out as Shakespeare opens the door slightly. " May I come in?" He asks with a soft voice. A sobb leaves your lips and you try to wipe your tears away as soon as possible."Sure, William". He sits down next to you, trying to meet your gaze. But you are feeling ashamed, looking down, avoiding his eyes. "I.. I am so sorry for ruining the rehearse and the beautiful dress..." another tear rolls down your cheek. With two fingers under your chin Will lifts your head.

"There is no need to apologize, my brave maiden", he whispers and let you drown in his enchanting, mismatched eyes. You can't help it - more tears are spilling out and his other hand reaches up to wipe them away affectionaly. Will's face is so close to yours, you can feel his breath on your skin. He cups your face. "Tis is all my fault and my heart is bleeding with sorrow, knowing I did this to you". You frown. "I don't understand William... Why should my clumpsiness be your fault?"

Staring in your eyes, he sighs. "I know what your heart desires, my fair maiden. Now I know it for sure." His thumbs caress softly  your cheeks. "The past days I could see a change in your glare when you looked at me.. and when you thought I wouldn't notice that your eyes are following me". In shock you're holding your breath and you could feel the heat rising in your face.

The playwright shows a small, almost shy smile "But.. I wasn't sure at first, you left me wondering what brought up tis change in your behavior. Mayhap I divined it and I only was afraid to let your very soul whisper to the solidified heart of mine, which didn't know how to respond anymore after so many lonely centuries."  Will swollows hard "Sometimes I felt a bit confused about you..." he confesses.

"When I made a move upon you, you made a move backwards. Sometimes you took two steps. Then again I thought to glimpse the truth demand of your heart in your eyes. And the thought that it could be me what your heart desires made me weak."

At this point you're questioning reality and your eyes grow wide in disbelieve. Are you fantasizing? Could it be...?

"Yes, I am weak for you my fair maiden..." He continues in a whisper as if he can read your mind. He leans a bit closer, his forehead touching yours. "Tis weakness frightened me" his lips graces your eyebrows, then your cheekbones, a shiver runs down your spine. His lips feel so warm and soft... A whimper leaves your lips and you close your eyes.

"But at sudden my soul obtained greater fears to me." William's lips travel down, brushing your jaw. You inhale the scent of his silken hair and his shaving water. Your mind goes blank and your heart is beating so fast and hard now, you're afraid he can hear it.

"Not to see tis very expression in your eyes because of me anymore. Not having you around me anymore. Never being able to touch you..." Now he whispers in your ear, his lips touching your earlobe ever so slightly and you can't supress a moan. "As I knew my true fears and my deepest longing, I decided to force you to a reaction... And though I feel ashamed for doing tis to you... " William murmurs between tender butterfly kisses he places along your jawline. Shouldn't you be angry now with Shakespeare?  But your mind wasn't able to create a reasonable thought and his alluring sing-song voice hypnotizes you. Forgetting everything else, you only want his touch and get lost in your love for him.

"Your oh so sweet, passionate reactions brought tis insecure heart of mine more joy I could ever  imagine. For now there is no turning back... Nor for me, nor for you fair maiden."

He stops moving his mouth over your face and with a seductive voice he pleads "Look at me."

With intermittently breath you open your eyes to meet his stare and your heart flutters over the desperate, wanting  glance.

"Would you forgive tis poor, troublesome sinner?" Barely able to speak you manage somehow to whisper:"How can I not forgive you, Will? I love you so much."

Moving his fingers through your hair he grabs the back of your head, his eyes now dark and full of pleasure. " To grace me with those words.. they make me dizzy with desire..."

Again Shakespeare leans in closer, his burning eyes glued to your mouth. "And would you allow tis poor sinner who loves you insanely, wildly and infinitely to taste your lips...?"

Your heart misses a beat. Maybe two. This time you skip the answer, pulling him at his collar into a kiss.

William lets out a moan of surprise, throwing his arms around you, pressing your body against his. The kiss grows fast deeper as you feel his tongue flickering against your lips, begging for entrance. Obeying his wish, you let his tongue slip inside and the world around you stops existing.There was nothing you could do but moan into his kiss helplessly. Feeling his demanding tongue pushing in deep, then teasingly intertwinning with yours, while his hands endlessly caress the curves of your body, ruins  every yet existing rest of reason. The uprising heat in your veins burns to a point of hurt and starts a raging fire from your belly down to your inner thighs.

Suddenly William breaks the kiss, pulling your head to his chest, where you can hear his speeding heartbeat. "We should stop here my fair temptress, or else I won't be able to hold myself back anymore."

What? No no no... now that you've got a hint of the taste of everything you were craving for the last days, you have no intention to stop so soon. Your body still humming with pleasure you cling to his shoulders and leave a trail of small kisses from his collarbone up to his neck. Rubbing his cheek against yours he whines "Ah my godess, my temptress... " burrying his face at your neck he inhales your scent "You can't imagine how much I crave for your blood... it's calling me, singing alluring to me like a Sirene..."

As his tongue laves over your neck your form trembles and a lewd moan escapes your lips. He found one of your most sensitive spots.  His grip at your body tightens. He brushes his soft lips over the spot again with a flickering of his tongue. You can feel your hips bucking at this sensation and you gasp.

"I can't... stand it, I can't resist.." Shakespeare's voice - so needy and trembling with passion.

"Bite me Will!" You blurt out.  "I beg you, please bite me!" Does this desperate voice really  belong to you?

William hesitates only a brief second, then he pushes your body down, then let his fangs sink into your delicate skin with a groan.

After a sharp but short prick waves of burning, unearthly passion roll through you over and over again.

This passion cannot be human, it sets your entire body immediatly on fire and your core clenches. You can hear Shakespeare crying out as loud as you, pressing his hips against yours. Crying and moaning you start to pass out, repeating his name like a mantra.

As you open your eyes again, William fondles with your hair, observing you with a glance so concerning and lovingly, it almost makes you cry.

"I am so, so sorry... I was too greedy.."

You smile at him. "Don't feel sorry Will, I am doing fine and... " You inhale sharp "and by all the gods,  it was.. intense..."

You can feel your desire rising up again only by the thought of what happened before.

Shakespeare watches you with an intense stare, swallowing every reaction your body shows. His fingertips brush lightly over your lips before kissing you fiercly and senseless.

Then he pulls himself away.

He pants, placing a tender kiss on top of your head "I wish to seduce my godess in an adequate ambiance. So I'll take you now home with me, making sure I fulfill every wish and dream you can imagine... " he whispers seductively as he nuzzles his face in your hair. You both hold still for a few minutes, trying to calm down again, just enjoying to embrace each other. Unable to stop smiling, tears sting in your eyes. You can't remember that you felt happier anytime in your life.

Thank you for reading! 💝

Part 2

[one-boring-person]

Requested by: @80s4life

I hope you like this!😊💛

What I Did To You.

Snake Plissken (Escape From New York/LA) x reader

Warnings: violence, injury, swearing, gun use

Masterlist

I have my gun levelled at his head before I've even closed the door properly, my face drawn into a fierce scowl, eyes blazing with anger. Every muscle in my body goes tense, my hand unwavering as I hold the weapon up, my leg throbbing in memory pain. Across from me, the intruder remains stood silently, his eye fixed on mine, his own hand still resting at his hip, ready to draw his pistol at any point.

"Hello to you, too." He greets me in the quiet way he always used to, his lips barely moving.

Frown deepening, I push the door behind me closed without looking at it, keeping my gun aimed at his head as I look him over. Not for the first time, he's covered in a light layer of grime, his brown leather jacket darkened in places by the dirt and lightened in others by the fraying, his boots caked in dust from the wasteland outside. His golden mane of hair is slightly dulled from exposure to the unforgiving sun outside and falls into his eyepatch, flicked out of the way every so often by a jerk of the head. A shadow of a stubble covers his chin, as it always has, disguising a few new scars I've not seen before...as well as one I know very well. Other than that, Snake Plissken has not changed at all.

My eyes narrow, grip on the gun tightening.

"Leave." Is all I say, shifting my weight onto my other foot.

"You used to have such nice manners." Snake's lip curls, the soldier taking a step towards me.

Instantly, I flick my thumb over the flintlock.

"Leave." I repeat, pulling the hammer down as the gun makes a dull clicking sound.

"No." He moves closer, standing so the gun is inches from his chest.

"You've got a lot of nerve coming here." I growl, oh so tempted to pull the trigger, "I don't know why you don't keep your distance."

A cruel smirk creeps onto his lips, eye narrowing as his head tilts to the side.

"Trust me, I didn't want to come here, either." He reassures me, "But I have no choice."

"I'm giving you a choice. Leave, or I'll introduce some lead into your diet." I retort, ignoring the burn in my arm from holding it outstretched. At this point, it's the only thing keeping us separated.

"I'll pass on both." Snake snorts, shooting a dismissive glance at the handgun pointed at his throat - now that he's standing closer, my aim only really comes up to his chest and neck, "Put the gun away."

I nearly laugh at him then, another surge of anger going through me.

"You're in no position to order me around. Not anymore." I practically snarl at him, keeping the gun where it is.

"Suit yourself. I came to ask for your help, the least you could do is be civil." He replies coldly, glaring at me now.

Again, the urge to laugh in his face goes through me.

"You came here to ask for my help?" I repeat, cocking my head in disbelief at the sheer balls of the man, "You really need to leave before I pull this trigger."

"(Y/n), we both know if you wanted me dead, I'd be bleeding out on the floor already." He points out, unimpressed.

"Maybe I'm waiting for an apology first."

This seems to catch him off guard.

"An apology?" He repeats, frowning in confusion, "For what?"

It takes all I have not to lunge at him and throttle the handsome bastard's neck in my hands, my leg flaring up in pain at the reminder.

"You know damn well what for." I growl at him, shifting off of my leg again, rubbing at it unconsciously.

Snake's eyes follow my movement, realisation dawning on him.

"I already apologised for that." He says quietly, clearly remembering back to the time I'm referring to.

It still plagues me, that one last operation we'd had to do together. Three years ago, back when we were still working together on jobs, good at what we did, the perfect partnership...except for Snake's tendency to protect his ego. It had been horrible that night, rain pelting the ground as we moved on the abandoned construction site, mud slicking our boots and trousers, foggy air making it impossible to see anywhere. I had told Snake we shouldn't go that day,  that it would be better to wait until another, clearer night, but he insisted on the raid. He'd told me that he'd "been in worse" and that this was nothing, so we took our guns, knives and other equipment, and headed out into the wastelands to deal with the threat.

At first, everything had been fine: we'd managed to get in with no problem, creeping around the perimeter, taking out guards as we went, bodies sodden and filthy now, freezing under our light jackets. It was only as we moved to go further into the site that disaster had struck. Suddenly, gunfire was tearing into the ground inches away from us, driving us back behind an old container box, flashes of light appearing in the milky fog around us, our vision obscured by the sheeting rain, the mud making it hard to retreat. We later found out we'd been ratted out to the terrorists occupying the site, and they'd set up a trap for us, hounding us from the place with rifles spewing bullets at us the entire way. We had been close to escaping.

Then I slipped on a landmine.

All of a sudden, I was flying forwards through the air, agony erupting in my left leg as the flash of light and flames exploded behind me, my body crashing to the floor seconds later. Winded and incapable of moving thanks to the pain lancing through me from my leg, I had screamed out to Snake, hoping for him to return to me, the smell of burning flesh soon flooding my nostrils as my foot caught in the blaze. Howling in agony, I had tried to pull myself out, my fingers scrabbling at the slick mud in desperation, only for the pain to become too overbearing. I had looked for Snake, only to see the back of his head disappearing towards our getaway vehicle, paying no mind to me. It was then that I blacked out, my heart drowning in betrayal and hurt.

For a week or so, I'd been held captive by the terrorists, tortured sometimes, my wounds left to fester, bones shattered and out of place, burns turning ugly over the time. Eventually, another team had been sent in to rescue me, the group getting me out before it got too far. Taken to a hospital, it took me weeks to recover, every muscle and bone in my left leg needing to be reformed almost completely, surgeries being done near-daily to realign them all, the skin basically unsalvageable. I'd had four different skin grafts from various parts of my body, only to leave the limb looking twisted and mangled, basically useless to me until I was encouraged to learn how to use it again. That entailed another half a year of time spent working on getting it to full use again, and even now I can't go nearly as far as I used to. Every so often, the leg throbs, memory pain still hounding me since the day I got the wounds themselves, but I suppose I got off lucky: the surgeons hadn't expected me to make it through.

All of that because of Snake's ego.

His apology? A note sent to me whilst I was unconscious in the hospital.

"You and I have a very idea of what an apology is. Especially for something that kept me bedridden for months." I bite out, heart aching now at the memory, "Especially for someone who left me to die."

Snake purses his lips, swallowing tightly.

"I thought you did die." He says, much quieter now, eye roaming my body guiltily.

"You heard my screams. There's no way you didn't." I reply harshly, reminded again of the raw-throated shrieks for help.

He winces, looking down at his feet now, his fists clenched at his sides.

"I didn't think you'd make it. If I went back, I wouldn't have gotten out." He murmurs, sounding somewhat saddened by what he's saying.

"You wanna know how long it took those fuckers to get to me? Fifteen minutes. Fifteen! There was more than enough time!" I spit at him, face twisted in anger.

Once again, he winces at my words, only now realising the extent of what he did.

"And even when you knew I was alive, when I was in hospital, you couldn't even be asked to come and apologise in person. You sent a damn note." I shake my head, looking at him in disgust, "You're a coward. A spineless coward. Why didn't you at least show your face? Why? Why did you leave me to face the pain on my own?"

"Because I couldn't face it! I couldn't face seeing you there, lying in a hospital bed, all doped up, cut-up and bruised because of me! I couldn't face seeing you nearly crippled because of my stupid fucking pride!" Snake finally snaps, voice strained as his eye returns to my face, pain clouding the blue depth, "I thought I got you killed, (Y/n)! I could barely live with myself because of it!"

"Then why wait until now to find me? Why not come sooner?" I question, voice tense.

"I didn't think I'd be able to face you so angry and upset. I cared - care - so much about you, (Y/n), you have no idea how hard this is for me. I've lived with this guilt for so long." He fumbles for words, unable to voice his feelings as he always has been.

"How hard this is for you? Do you have any- argh!" I cut off in pain. As I was speaking, I'd stepped forwards, my leg sending a shock of agony through me as I'd done so, making me stumble forwards.

Snake moves closer, catching me before I can connect with the floor, his arms secure around me as my hands come to rest on his muscular chest. Blushing at the proximity, I try to ignore the butterflies in my stomach, pushing off of him to sit on a nearby chair, dropping the gun to the floor. Stretching out the affected leg, I sigh in frustration, the anger residing into the same loneliness I've always felt since I got the wounds that have left me like this.

Snake watches me silently, expression pained as he finally speaks.

"Can I...can I see? Please, I want to know what I did to you."

Surprised, I give him a sceptical look, before I hesitantly start to pull my trousers down over my legs. His eye widens at the sight of the limb, lips parting slightly.

Gnarled scar tissue crawls up my leg, discoloured and tight, appearing somewhat ghostly in the light of the room. Snake stares at it in horror, grief swiftly clouding his eye now as he falls to his knees in front of me, hands lifting to hover over it. He flicks his eye up to me, asking for permission, to which I nod, gasping as he removes his gloves and gently places his hands on the sensitive skin, a shiver going up my spine. Ever so carefully, Snake runs his palms over the scars, feeling them over with hesitant fingers, his expression becoming more and more open.

After a while, he looks up, pained eye meeting mine.

"God, (Y/n), I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry..." He grasps my hips, pushing his head into my abdomen as he wraps me into an awkward embrace, murmuring apologies over and over. Shocked, I hesitantly place my hands on his head, threading my fingers through his soft hair. An old tenderness springs into life within me, reminding me of why I used to stay with him, and what his riendship used to mean to me. Over the years, I had tried to forget it, but it's impossible - as he holds me close now, I realise I've missed him more than I'd ever let myself admit.

Snake pulls away after a few more minutes, caressing my hip as he looks up at me, thoughtful now.

"What job was it you needed help with?" I ask him quietly, twisting a strand of his hair between my fingers, "I'll work with you, if you drop the ego act."

He looks surprised and glad, a smallsile pulling at his lips.

"Of course." He promises, looking away again bashfully, "I only kept it up to impress you."

I blink in surprise.

"To impress me?" I repeat dumbly.

"Yeah, I, err, I've always felt the need to. Wanted to impress you so you'd consider going out with me." He admits, blushing furiously.

I blink again, head tilting in curiosity.

"Wait, what?"

"I always wanted to go out with you. Always." He chuckles, swallowing, "I've always loved you."

"You...you love me?!"

"Yeah, I do." Snake nods, biting his lip.

"Wow..." My voice trails off in surprise, unable to compute what he's saying, "I wish you'd told me sooner."

He frowns.

"What do you mean?"

I smile sheepishly at him.

"I've always had a thing for you, too. I just never thought you even liked me full stop."

"Really?!" He looks astonished.

"Yeah, really."

He's quiet for a moment, until a cunning smirk crosses his lips.

"In that case..." Snake leans up and connects our lips, kissing me softly but passionately.

A quiet moan escapes me, my lips moving instinctively against his, kissing him back in relief. His lips are chapped, but I can't find it in me to care as I pull his head closer to me, smiling as he pulls my body into him, his chest pressed firmly against my abdomen. In his arms, I can feel the pain of the last few years starting to slip away, still hooked deeply into me but starting to lessen, my eyes falling closed with the movement of his lips.

He finally pulls away, a content smile on his face, eye taking my expression in.

"So what's this job?" I breathe out, stroking his hair.

He grins lazily.

"Ever thought about going to LA?"

[kylosgenesis]

Teardrops on Fire

Synopsis:

Steve Rogers is the last Alpha of the an almost extinct Lycan pack. With only less than 100 members left. Steve must produce an heir to ensure the species survival and reduce the chance of attacks from others. Omegas are rare, and betas have a hard time producing children. Steves reality is finally setting in as his obligation of producing an heir faces a major set back.

Reader is the last suitable omega to mate with Steve, due to the fear of her daughters fate in the pack, her mother kept her hidden from the pack after her own exile. Only her mother, and Bucky's family know of her existence. Bucky is Steve's right hand man, and the packs best warrior! He and the reader developed a friendship and bond over the years, but age forced them to become distant.

What happens when she presents and her first heat cycle comes? Her body is in excruciating pain and a strong fever quickly overcomes her body. Facing the fear of her daughters possible death, her mom calls on the only person who can save her at this point, Alpha Steve! Bucky and the alphas friendship will be tested. The reader will be faced with her love for Bucky or her duty to the pack.

Warnings: Mentions of death , A/B/O dynamics

Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/gennyzoe/playlist/7xFIhRFa8o2Ae4QJpD1Hp9?si=gWsZ__YOQdKCS81X21jZqw

Chapter 4: I found

Hours had gone by! Bucky was caught of guard with the smell of fire. Faint...but distinct enough he knew it wasn’t his imagination. The chilled air dragged a whiff of the combined scents of fog, smoke, and very faintly in the background... HER!

She was close! He could feel it! This wasn’t new territory to him, but he wondered how she’d ended up hours from her home. He followed the wind, blowing ashes by his face. Leaving a trail, that called to him as if nature was guiding him to her. All the odds were against her tonight, but the forest smelled safe! It was like it protect her from the evil of the elements.

After a couple of minutes on the trail, it hit him! The smell blew the air out of his lungs, he approached the small faded fire with caution. Not wanting to scare her off. As he got closer he noticed her small frame. She was attempting to stand up, but doing so knocked her directly into the fading red embers of where a fire used to be.

The world disappeared for him at that moment! It was her! Just him and her!

And she smelled delicious! Everything is his being screaming to make her his in this very spot, and vanish with her. Nobody to find them! As long as she was there, there was nothing he’d want in this life or another! She was the trophy and the torture, that cursed through him. To love, but never poses. How could he even be thinking of love right now? He hadn’t even looked into her eyes yet.

What if she hated him?

What if she didn’t recognize him?

How was he gonna explain what’s going on to her? She has to know what her body wants right now, what it’s craving for her to do! And how much he wishes to not crave her in the same way.

He bolted to her with all his might, and caught her calling frame. As her eyes slowly faded into unconsciousness, peace resonated in her eyes. He’d dreamed of those eyes for years! And as her body went limp on his arms all he could do was hold her close and pray for the strength to keep her alive and safe... from himself!

She opened her eyes as they adjusted to the moonlight above her. Her body was covered in a warm flannel, she didn’t recognize the source of it.She remembered the eyes she saw before losing consciousness.

Had it all been a dream?

She felt like her limbs were on fire! They responded to every bit of stimulation the flannel was rubbing upon her body. She realized it wasn’t the flannel that was causing her body to jolt up at the feeling of touch; It was that it smelled like an alpha. Her body was trying to absorb as much of him as it could! She was unconsciously reacting to him and granting him access to her.

Hearing a branch break from behind the forest bush, she sprung up as quickly as her body allowed her to react and grabbed a beach from her side.

“Who’s there?” She was in full alarm, she also noticed the fire she had started had been reignited, and was fully blazing and strong!

“What do you want from me? And for the love of... “

She noticed that the reason she had the flannel on was for her own modesty, because underneath the flannel she was as naked as she was brought into the world.

“ Why am I naked? ”

Bucky noticed her panic as he approached the camp again. He’d gone out to get some more firewood and clay to dress her wounds. He wasn't expecting for her to be so recovered.

“I’m sorry ... I didn’t mean to startle you! I'm here to help.”

He put his arms up, to show her he wasn’t a threat, dropping the contest of his arms to the ground! “I was just getting us some more fire, and you need something for your wound... it doesn’t look good!” he fixed his hair back with one of his free hands, a nervous habit he had kept since childhood.

She furrowed her brow, and took a swing of the branch startling him and forcing him to step back. ” I bet you would you know what wound need tending to?” She replied with a cocky attitude! She imagined he would’ve had to look at her body while he took her clothes off, but the realization that her body was not in display contrition made her blush for a moment.

Ignoring the heat rising to her cheeks, and the small pit of embarrassment in the pit of her stomach. She put on a brave face! As he got closer her body reacted to his presence.

He was tall! Always had been, but despite the fact she’s grown since he last saw her, he still sported a good foot above her. She lowered her stance and let go of her makeshift weapon.

Taking a step back, she tripped, and stumbled back. Bucky tried catching her, but before he could he lost his own footing and tackled her body to the ground.

There she was!

Looking like a goddess underneath him, in a flannel, with her little confused doe eyes! She didn’t even try to fight him off. They just stared at each other's eyes, for a small eternity that what theirs to have.

They could both see their changing features, the fire’s light shone on Bucky to reveal his dark black hair. There were messy strays surrounding his face, but the rest was neatly tucked behind his ears. Stubble framed his face, and his jaw was the jaw of a man. It was also an awkward time to notice how much muscle he’d gained in the last 10 years. His body was solid on top of her, even through his shirt, his body told his story! He was a man of work! His body was that of a man who did hard labor, a man who was outside for long periods of time. Which was something she could tell as she noticed the tan in his upper neck had begun fading as the weather grew colder.

His muscles responded to her stare in ways she couldn’t pinpoint!

He on the other hand noticed her delicate face, the way she had grown into her childhood innocence and beauty. Her frame was so small and breakable compared to him. He for a moment thought he could easily crush her, and tried to ease his weight to make it lighter on her.

Her hair was gorgeously long! It surrounded her like a halo, fit for her like an angel. And her eyes where large and expressive. He could’ve read those eyes a million ways years ago, but now! He couldn’t help but wonder what they were trying to say.

He couldn’t stop himself as the word slipped from his lips.

“Doll!”

He placed his knee between her legs and pushed on the palm of his hands in an effort to lift his body weight off of her.

“Don’t call me that! Haven’t heard that in a long time”... she wiggled under his body and pushed him off her “ that name used to be special to me”

She tried to stand up, but a dizzy spell forced her to remain seated on the ground. Looking at his hurt expression a few more seconds that she wanted to.

“ I really missed you!” Her eyes filled with tears that threatened to roll down her cheek as she tried to stare forward, but he would still read her pained face. “ When you caught me. I thought I was dying! ..and you weren't real”

“ Im sorry! Im so sorry! I shouldn’t have left you just like that!”

He sat down next to her frame, he noticed how her body was shivering, even close to the fire. Her smell was spiking up. He knew that once morning came he’d have to rush her to Steve as soon as possible! But for now, he just wanted to enjoy her! Just enjoy her own smell one last time.

“I never stopped thinking about you!” He lowered his face to the palms of his hands. It was there when she noticed. One of his hands wasn't quite his. It was a lusterly metal, but it still radiated his energy, and warmth.

“I'm sorry too! I shouldn't have interrupted whatever it is you guys do in the village...” she was guarded! Her body tensed up as she talked, a knife in her words ” a lowlife like me getting lost... that’s what it took for you to care again” the tears began to fall, a combination of her hormones, and now shock!

Her body was changing and she couldn’t do anything about it, and now the ghost of her former best friend was back. She didn’t know how to process. She was stronger than this! Why was her body dissolving her to her nature?

Bucky wanted to embrace her! To say so many things, but nothing felt like enough to him.

“Listen now it’s not the time for... ” as he stood up he heard her let out a pain filled grunt. Her hand reached out to grab his thigh, as she doubled over to the ground in pain.

He quickly reacted to her pain, and kneeled down next to where she now laid doubled over on the cold moist ground.

“No, no ,no , no listen to me doll... you have to pull through!” He positioned his body as comfortably as he could for her “ I can’t help you... I’m not supposed to...”

He’d made a mistake! He’d coated her in his smell from the moment he held her in his arms. Her body was screaming for an alpha and it was only going to get worse till an alpha helps her body respond to it’s needs.

From the little life she had a few minutes ago, this little omega at his feet was shaking, and frail!

“I’m sorry, doll…” he looked around in distress “please just stay with me! We have to make it till morning! Please just look at me...tell me you’re alright! “ he cradled her small body and held her close to him.

As a strong wave of her scent hit his nostrils, and a small seizure overcame her body.

Bucky knew what he had to do!

But he wanted to make sure he had well enough exhausted all of his options. It would be selfish of him not to admit he wanted to help her.

“ Bucky... am I gonna die? ” she looked up at him with pained eyes, she was suffering! He used his shirt to wipe down the trails of blood exiting her nose. He wanted to help her so badly! She was nuzzled up against his body, shivering and looking more lifeless by the moment.

Her body was rejecting her omega change!

Bucky knew the fever wasn’t a good sign! But with the seizures that were now overtaking her body every few minutes, it was confirmed to him that she was moments away from collapsing upon herself. An alpha made an omega stronger! It was in their nature!

She needed an alpha !

As he held her in the heart of the forest, illuminated by the light of the moonlight, he could see the teardrops of red leave her eyes. Tears the color of fire!

And when the moon was above then at its brightest, Bucky looked up at the sky, and then down at her “Im sorry doll! I'm about to let you down one more time... I hope you can forgive me one day” as he exposed her neck to him, her untouched mating gland on full display to him.He carefully extracted his canines, and like a soft kiss, he bit her!

He knew Steve wasn’t going to be happy, and quite frankly he was even more scared of her finding out he’d taken away her choice!

Tag list: @austynparksandpizza @nerdgirljen @exposition-belongs-somewhere @connie326 @patzammit @blessedwedgie

[julyarchives]

Tendae (텐데) || (M) Teach Me pt.4

You realized that Wooseok is the one person that can bring you comfort whenever you two are together, and the holiday spent alone with him only intensified the tingly feeling inside that scares you so much.

→ Pairing: Wooseok x Reader

→ Genre: Smut

→ Words:  4.5K

→ Contains: Smut; Friends To Lovers; Virgin!Wooseok; fingering; there is a small anxiety attack at the beginning; lots of touches; conflicted feelings

→ A/n: So, this chapter incorporates 2 requests that have been recently sent to us, thank you so much to the people who've done it, it was really nice to imagine Wooseok in these situations and turns out we are a sucker for him (can you blame us tho?). Anyway, we hope you guys like it! (Also, yes, the title is inspired by Bobby's song, because that has GOT to be their theme song, it's perfect)

→ Index: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

You tried to sleep, really. You put on some calming music and the tv was on to keep the room dim light but it was no use. Tossing and turning in bed was something that became a habit after you had to deal with your life choices. You got yourself in a really tiring situation, between babysitting your best friends and dealing with two simultaneous educational courses, you barely had time alone to just relax. To make it worse, the rain started to pour heavily outside and you sighed, it was only a matter of time for the nightmare to begin. Sometimes even you forgot how scared you were of thunder and storms, they didn't occur often and when it rained, it was light but you just knew that an anxiety attack was on the way when the first loud thunder resonated. Covering your head with the blanket, you sank into the mattress and wished for it to go away. There was only so much you could deal with by sighing and wishing for the best. The noises got louder and the light music was no longer catching your ears, tears now threatening to fall and your fear only growing bigger. It seemed like a couple of minutes went by you figured, even though it felt like hours to you and there was no sign of the storm stopping. A somehow even louder bang caught your attention and you jumped, how the hell did it thunder inside your room?

"Y/N?", a desperate whisper was heard by the door and you cautiously peeked from under the covers. Wooseok was standing by the door with a pillow under his arm and his hand holding his chest as if to catch his breath. "I was asleep, the thunder woke me up. Sorry it took me so long to come", he said, still whispering, maybe to not scare you even more.

You nodded without being able to speak, you just knew the tears would fall if you tried. Wooseok closed the door behind him and even jumped lightly when another thunder filled the room. That spurred him on, quickly moving to gently pry the blanket from your head and you scooted over, making room for him, only to have him settle quickly with his own pillow and pull the covers back up, covering both of your heads. He smiled sweetly at you and opened his arms in invitation, one which you gladly accepted. The moment your head was against his chest you cried, feeling protected like this after the overwhelmed fear you felt so strongly was too much and you felt Wooseok hugging you stronger. Your small sobs were barely audible because of the thunder but you knew he felt how your body moved as you cried and you were thankful he just hugged you in silence. You heard him hum to some tune and you wondered if he could hear the music you had put to sleep.

"Y/N?", Wooseok called you and you moved your head back to look at his face, "are you still crying?", as he asked it, you let out a sniff, making you both chuckle.

"Does that answer you?", your voice wasn't sounding normal and even then you knew it was okay because he understood it.

"I remember when I didn't get much screen time at a tv show and you found me crying in my room…".

You remembered that. It was at the beginning of the friendship, he was reserved and shy but when they guys showed up looking awkward and Wooseok just walked past everyone, you had to follow him. He was under the covers and you heard the small whimpers of crying and you didn't think twice, your instinct told you to slip into the mattress with him, you laid down to watch a wide-eyed Wooseok who was sniffing and trying to control his crying. You understood how he must have felt, not good enough because the editing and the hosts ignored him almost completely. You needed to show him he was so much more than that but he was too reserved for you to know what to do, so you just held him and he quickly hid his face in your neck and cried until he fell asleep. Since that you always shared a bed and got so much closer.

"I remember that too", you said, your crying slowing down. "I'm glad you let me stay that day". He sighed, holding you closer.

"I'm glad too". He shyly kissed the top of your head and went back to humming a song. Paying attention to the vibration of his chest and his warmth, you soon fell asleep even as it still poured outside.

Waking up was the hardest part since it was a while that you slept so well. Moving a bit you noticed that the blanket was no longer covering your head but Wooseok was still next to you, hand-holding close by the waist. He was soundly asleep and you sighed, torn between wanting to stay with him and needing to start your day. The struggle didn't last long as you needed to go to the bathroom, so you wiggled a bit so he could let go of you but you ended up being pulled closer against him, his hand possessive around you. He groaned in his sleep, displeased that you were moving and you chuckled silently, now taking his hand in yours to move it away from you. For a second you let your fingers intertwine and you smiled, a warmth you knew all too well invading your chest but as always, you decided to ignore it and move away.

The house was abnormally quiet and you did your morning hygiene quickly and surprisingly in peace. After choosing a comfortable slip-on dress, you got into the kitchen which was also weirdly empty. Usually, at least one person was rummaging around for snacks and you made sure to look around to search for any of the boys. As you made your favorite breakfast food and drink, you noticed the fridge covered in small notes in all different colors and shapes, each of them from one of the boys letting you and Wooseok know that they'd be out. Some would be traveling since it was a holiday, others would be visiting their families and you frowned, you didn't even know it was a holiday, studies were taking up most of your time and all you knew was your deadlines. Opening the group chat for the house, that featured all the boys, you typed a quick text wishing them a good holiday break and resumed eating.

After finishing, you slightly debated if you should go to your own home to study but with a sigh and a shy amused smile, you got up and went to the empty room they reserved for you so you grab your notebook. The boys going to the army was something not very pleasant but at least you got a bed and a room to yourself, lucky two of them went almost together.

You got inside quietly and tiptoed around the bed so as to not wake up the giant asleep on the bed, his feet almost completely out of it. Your backpack was at reach and you took it with you as silent as you could. With your back turned to the bed, you made sure to look twice to see if you forgot anything.

"Tell me you made breakfast", a raspy sleepy voice resonated behind you. You jumped and your backpack almost flew away from your hands.

"Don't do that, Wooseok! Warn me before talking!", he laughed at that, arm resting on his face.

"Sure, I'll squeak before talking so you don't get scared", he was fully laughing and you watched him fondly.

"Shut up", you slightly pouted and he sat upon the bed, moving so you could almost stand between his knees. "There is breakfast but I should eat it myself for that".

"I just woke up, Y/N. Give me a break", he smiled and gosh, wasn't he charming, hair all messy, voice deep from sleep, made you remember all the times you two shared touches, your cheeks feeling warm.

As if sensing where your mind was going, Wooseok slowly moved his arms and placed his hands on your waist, barely touching it. Your first answer was to drop the backpack and place your hands on his shoulders, moving closer. When he stretched his upper body, your body knew what to do before you even registered the action. You moved lower and your foreheads touched, such an intimate touch and yet so innocent. Both of you whispered good morning shyly and like waking up from a dream you almost flinched away, grabbing your things from the floor and clearing your throat.

"There's food ready. I'm gonna study, alright?", he nodded a bit stunned by your sudden change. "Everyone is away and it's just the two of us today", and with that, you walked away.

The morning went by without a single problem, you focused on your studies while Wooseok watched something with headphones or just played on his phone. Your only breaks were bathroom breaks and you were almost certain that you wouldn't even drink water if Wooseok didn't leave a bottle there every half hour.

Lunchtime came and you got up your chair to stretch and rummage through your phone, sitting next to Wooseok. Part of you noticed how there was a full empty large couch and two chairs available but you still sat on the two-seat couch thigh to thigh with him. You shook your head physically to get rid of these thoughts and quickly opened the food delivery app, nudging Wooseok to check it with you.

It wasn't a hard task to decide on lunch since you two knew what you liked and soon enough the food arrived. The small chit-chat was alien even to you and part of you knew that it was because you fled his embrace earlier. That scared you because even though you started whatever you two have it shouldn't be affecting you this much. Of course, he was your best friend and you knew everything about each other, and yeah, knowing a girl at work was coming onto Wooseok was bothering you and staying alone with him like this made you nervous like never before but hey, if you ran away it'd go away sometime, right?

After eating, Wooseok took care of the dishes and you laid on the big couch, closing your eyes for a moment to at least pretend everything was normal. After a few minutes of you being completely still, you felt a presence in the room and then the external lights went missing and the dark of your closed eyes got even darker. You opened one eye and fought back a smile to see Wooseok standing and looming over you curiously.

"What", you breathed out.

"Checking if you didn't die", he seemed serious and that made you crack, sitting up while laughing hard after he stepped back and he sat next to you, his arm going to your shoulder like it was natural. Did you two always do stuff like that? You weren't even sure but you let yourself enjoy the moment for a bit before going back to reality. "Seriously, you looked dead".

"That was my soul you were seeing", you smiled at his horrified face and you held it with both hands. "I'm joking, silly. I'm just too tired". Without thinking straight, the impulse to feel the moment was too strong and you left a peck on his mouth, quick and yet it made a small sound. "Gonna go study", you rushed over your words, getting up like a lightning bolt and running to the table. If you looked back, you could see a blush spreading on his face, him watching you, face torn between amusement and shock.

It wasn't before three hours went by that Wooseok showed up at the table you were studying on and threw a bag of chips on it.

"Not hungry", you mumbled, a very important part of the analysis you were writing was being refined and you were so close to finishing it that you barely looked up.

The sound of the chair next to you being pulled didn't bother you, neither did the sound of a bag being open. Somehow not even Wooseok sloppily placing a chip on your mouth didn't bother you either. What did bother you was his face showing up between you and the computer screen.

"Move!", you said rather loudly. He didn't answer and moved, thankfully. Some minutes went by and the chips kept coming for which you were thankful.

As you finished writing and started proofreading what you wrote, you felt the ghost of a hand touching your thigh. You frowned and looked at him, who was casually scrolling on his phone with the hand that was away from you, even though you noticed his cheeks being red. You took a deep breath and resumed reading, only to have your thigh gently squeezed by him.

"What are you doing?", you said through your teeth. Since when does he have the nerve to touch you like that?

"I'm checking my phone", he showed you his phone, looking at you as if you were crazy and his actions were obvious.

"Wooseok, I'm busy right now".

"Oh, I know, Y/N". The hand squeezed harder and you shuddered. Shit.

You decided to see how far he could take this and honestly how far could you rest it, so you just ignored it once again. Your mind was on the verge of shutting down but you were almost finishing so you pushed forward. All the time you read, his hand went further on your thigh, reaching your pelvis but not really touching you. It was driving you mad and the way he pretended he did nothing was somehow attractive.

When you finished reading and started closing the software, his hand got braver and touched you through your panties, rubbing lightly, long fingers teasing the extension of it. The tension of his hand on you this whole time was taking all your attention and you bit your lip to not smile as you closed everything. Truth is, there was no way you could focus on anything other than Wooseok with his hand on you like that and you knew how shy he was, so you read your work as sloppy as you could, not paying attention at all, just to make him stay a bit longer.

Your back fell on the chair and you groaned, his finger insistently massaging your clit through the panties. You looked at him then, his phone forgotten on the table, his other hand gripping his pants' leg enough to turn the knuckles white. His eyes were trained on you, his mouth slightly parted and breathing irregular. He looked as affected as you were and you were the one being touched, you reached to his nape and caressed the hair gently, hoping to get to him how grateful you were for him.

The action spurred him on, his hand moving to touch you inside the panties and that got you surprised. You'd be lying if you didn't think he never looked hotter than now, the hand caressing his locks now gripping it. He groaned when he felt how wet you already were for him and moved his hand harder on your clit, getting small whimpers from you. Your hips moved on their own accord, his other hand now touching himself above the pants and you noticed.

You snapped when he flicked your clit perfectly as he gripped his member and hissed, the stimulation being too much for you. Moving fast, you got his hand away from you and straddled Wooseok fast enough to surprise him. Luckily he caught on quickly and held you, hands firm on your ass. You kissed him with fervor, hands making a mess of his hair and it almost seemed like no matter how close you were it wasn't close enough.

You moved your hips almost too desperately and he matched your rhythm, giving as good as he got and you moaned, the whole thing too hot. All the times you two had together flashed through your mind and it only spurred you further, lust overpowering anything else.

"Y/N", he whimpered as you moved just right on top of him, his hips stuttering. "We can't do this here", he panted out.

You stopped and looked at him. His eyes were dark and he was out of breath, his hands never once relenting his grip on you, his hair was a mess and his lips were red and plump from kissing. The pang on your heart almost made you back out, get up and leave but his face was watching adoringly, also lust-driven, and he started leaving small kisses on your neck. You knew you lost the fight.

"Since when you know how to be so bold?", you chuckled and he followed, the humming feeling good on your skin.

"You taught me", was his simple answer, kissing your mouth gently. "We can go to my room if you want or we can go where you're sleeping".

"Your room. It'd be too weird to do this in Jinho's and Hui's room, right?", you smiled and he answered in kind, helping you get up at once and holding your hand during the walk upstairs.

You were very nervous out of a sudden and you didn't even know why. It wasn't your first time with anyone and you knew what you were doing. You taught him after all. But when you felt his hand slightly shake when you reached the room it finally dawned on you. If things went where you felt they would, it would be the first time with him. It would be his first time when it came to actual sex.

Wooseok opened the door and waited for you to enter so he could close and lock it behind you. Even though you were alone in the house, you knew it was better to be safe than sorry here. As you expected, he was nervous and stood there looking at you with his hands on his sides. You smiled fondly, your heart taking leaps on your chest and you touched his face gently.

"It's okay. It's just me". He smiled, kissing you slowly, savoring the moment just like you were. "We don't need to do anything else, reall-"

"I want it", he cut you off eagerly. Then he laughed shyly and gave you a peck. "If you want to, that is".

"Of course I do", you felt a sudden calm wash over you, and that made sense. Not knowing where stood and now having sure he wanted this as much as you made you feel better.

You took a step back and took your dress off, leaving you in your undergarments. He did the same seconds later, standing there in his underwear. Holding his hand, you took you both to his bed and since it was a tight fit, you laid him down and sat on top of him, gently laying down to kiss him and moved with it. That seemed to ease him into it again, this was something you did before and he excitedly followed, rubbing his hard member on your clothed core.

The moans coming out of your mouth were needier than you intended but your body needed him badly and you knew he was the same. You didn't waste time getting up and losing the rest of your clothes, staying naked in front of him. You fought your own shyness back as he stood again and took off his underwear. Wooseok stared at you for a second and then smiled, kissing you tenderly and laying back on the bed. You followed and laid next to him, touching him just like the first time, him nervously watching you only this time was during broad daylight and he was more confident, his own hands traveling across your body, feeling your breasts, your stomach, your arms, everywhere he could reach.

"Do you have any condom?", you whispered.

"Yeah, top drawer". Honestly, you didn't know what answer you expected but you raised your eyebrow at him as you got up to get it.

"Can I ask?", you said coming back.

"One of the guys gave it to me when a girl at work invited me out", Wooseok answered shyly, barely looking at you.

You scoffed and straddled him, letting his cock fit on your slick slit and you moved lightly.

"Too bad you'll be using it with me, isn't it?", you said with more intensity than you expected. "I heard about this girl before", you kissed his neck teasingly, he could stare at you and hold onto your waist. "What was she thinking? That she could take you away from me?", jealousy waking over, and even you were surprised. The first time you heard about the girl you got mad but apparently it was bottled up so nicely inside you that you only noticed now.

"N-no", he stuttered as you bit his neck, hips never stopping its movement. "I kept it because I wanted to use it with you". You stopped. Did he want to do this with you? Wooseok was hoping to get you alone and go all the way with you. It was different hearing it directly from him and you were stunned. He saw it and smiled, it was his turn to kiss you, his upper body more sat up than laying down. His hand caressed your cheek and he looked deeply into your eyes. "I want you".

You could have sworn time froze and your heart stopped. He was staring so intently at you that you felt frozen, only remembering to answer when he changed from intense to doubtful and you were quick to kiss him and hoped that the kiss would tell him everything you couldn't. After you came up for air, you quickly sat next to him and put the condom on for him, which he watched attentively.

"I want you on top of me", you said in a small voice. After all you said, somehow you felt pliant, needing his proximity to deal with it.

Wooseok obliged and you quickly adjusted on his bed, his frame towering over you. Your hands were on his face, thumbs caressing it gently while he supported himself in one hand and aligned himself with the other. You nodded when he faltered, waiting for your approval. As he entered you, two things were registered by your lust hazed brain. The first one was how deliciously he stretched you, you enjoyed his dick before but now you just knew you were doomed. The second one was how lost in pleasure he already looked when he got inside inch by inch. He was dragging the movement to get inside, going slowly and you didn't think it was for you. His mouth was open and a long groan escaped him.

He looked at you a bit desperate, needing to move as quickly as you'd let him and you almost chuckled. You settled for a smile and moved your hips up, indicating he could move. He started slow, going almost completely out before thrusting inside hard. His pace was driving you mad, hands now roaming on his back while his face was buried on your chest, kissing and licking his way all over it.

You endured it as much as you could because it was so good and he seemed so lost in pleasure but it got unbearable and with a hushed "please go faster" you pleaded. Usually, you were vocal during sex but somehow you were so lost in pleasure and in feeling his body all over yours, his cock moving so perfectly inside that you seemed lost for words. Wooseok quickly changed his pace with a grunt and his noises started to come out. Your mouth was open while you tried to keep your eyes open as well but failed many times. You could see he was trying the same but more often than not he got lost in your chest or closed his eyes in pleasure.

You knew neither of you would be able to last longer and it felt like heaven to feel him getting closer to his orgasm with you, his body moving fast and him gripping the sheets while he supported himself on his upper arms. You were sure his back had a few scratches because it was just too good to know you were marking him, his noises while you did that didn't help at all. Wooseok didn't need to say anything to you. Neither you did to him, you were in sync even then and he gave you space to touch your clit, which you gladly did. He tried to warn you but he couldn't, he came with a shout mid-sentence, body trembling as much as yours. Your orgasm followed his, watching him being too much to handle and the overstimulation was perfect.

You two kept moving even after, riding off both of your highs, and all the while you stared at each other's eyes. His stare was so full of feeling that you felt breathless a bit, you closed your eyes, relying on your orgasm to blame if he asked, even if you knew he wouldn't. He awkwardly laid next to you because he could barely fit and you laughed, moving to the side so he could fit. Wordlessly he took the condom out and tied it, placing it next to the bed and you made a mental note to not forget that there.

Laying facing each other you didn't know what to say so you giggled, amused, nervous, and happy at the same time and so did he, possibly for the same reasons. Wooseok moved so you could lay on his chest and so you did, even though you wiggle up in the bed to lay your head on top of the pillow, body seeking support on his. You kept staring at each other until he moved to give you a peck and a small nudge nose to nose. Butterflies invaded your stomach and you felt yourself holding on for dear life inside.

"Do you feel as fucked as I am?", Wooseok said.

"What sense of the word are we talking here, Wooseokie?", you laughed with him.

"You know what I'm talking about. You know, the stares and stuff", his way with words made you smile. You were thankful you didn't feel it alone.

"Yeah, then I feel as fucked as you are…", you kissed him and caressed his hair again, earning a noise almost like a purr.

"Hm. What do we do?", he asked while caressing your hair as well.

"I don't know. Decide what's for dinner?".

"Easy. Pizza", he answered naturally and you snuggled closer.

"Then what we do is call the pizza place". You said quickly and he agreed with a hum. "But now we nap".

"Nap first, pizza later", he said almost asleep and honestly you were the same, the atmosphere too cozy and nice to not succumb to sleep. Maybe you were fucked but at least you were with your adorable dork.

[eryiss]

Summary: Freed and Gajeel were total opposites in every way, only connected by the guild. When they were forced to train together under Makarov's orders, they expected antagonism and mistrust. Instead, they were given a lesson in how quickly opposition can turn to attraction. The issue: let the budding relationship simmer away, or let it explode. [Freed x Gajeel Multi-chapter]

Notes: Hi everyone. Get ready for things to hot up, and for them to take a pretty big step. Just a warning, the first part of this chapter has a sex dream. It’s not overly graphic, but it’s there.

Links: FFN, Ao3, Chapter List

Chapter Six - Dream, Reality

Day Five: Friday

Freed had been reading, he thought, but he didn't care to remember. The situation was much more interesting.

He was lounging on one of the sofas in his study, a glass of port to his right, and his fireplace flickering before him. It was night, he thought, and there was the heavy pattering of a rainstorm on the roof. This would all be par for the course, if it weren't for the fact Gajeel Redfox was curled up on the sofa, his head resting in Freed's lap as if a cat curling up for warmth. Even more peculiar was how Freed found his hand carding through Gajeel's hair, and felt an odd sense of utter contentment in the entire situation.

Gajeel looked softer, now. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't asleep. Just relaxing. Freed had never thought of Gajeel as a man who could relax, as ridiculous as that sounded. Gajeel always seemed like he had some kind of a facade up - one where he was slightly exaggerating the toughness while downplaying the emotional side - and as such never could fully shut his mind off.

It warmed Freed to know Gajeel trusted him enough to be like this around him.

Why did he trust Freed enough to be like this around him?

Why was he lying with his head in Freed's lap?

When had they even gotten into his study?

Before the questions could really hit him, Freed realised Gajeel was talking. The words weren't exactly words, but more a deep grumbling, tired and hoarse, that sent a pleasant chill down Freed's spine. Though he couldn't decipher the words, Freed instinctively knew the meaning behind them. He was talking more about Draconic culture, retelling the stories and folklore that his father had gifted to him in his childhood. It was a private thing, something Gajeel would only let himself talk about with someone he truly cared for.

Freed's hand was still stroking through Gajeel's shockingly silky hair, scratching his scalp every once in a while to get Gajeel to grin. The other man was a darling when he was like this, and in an odd way it made Freed find his more manic, rough-edged side more enticing. Gajeel was a man who could use his fists to get out of most situations, but he was a hell of a lot more than that.

"What 'cha thinkin' about, pretty-boy?" Gajeel's words were clear now, and Freed smiled about the term of endearment.

He knew that nicknames were something important to Gajeel, Freed was beginning to understand that. While they could just seem like terms of endearments, or insults depending on the recipient, they were perhaps more than that. They were an encapsulation of who Gajeel thought you were, and while Freed suspected Gajeel thought more of him than his looks, the nickname still made him smile. The initial nickname of City-Boy had been meant to demean him, whereas the slip up of Pretty-Boy was more of a compliment.

The tides of their relationship were changing now, and Freed couldn't help but feel flattered and excited by that. Gajeel, now that he could think objectively about him, was a man who could hold a lot of potential for Freed. Every time he thought of Gajeel's history lesson about his culture, something inside Freed burned with anticipation.

Gajeel and him could be something interesting. Something new.

It didn't answer how they'd gotten into this situation.

Pushing himself up, Gajeel was now eye level with Freed. His intoxicatingly red eyes ensnared Freed, and the grin of delightfully sharp teeth held a promise of excitement. Gajeel leant forward, twisting so he was on all fours and trapping Freed in place on the sofa. He leant in so close that Freed could feel his breath on his lips.

"Let's take yer mind off things," Gajeel promised.

Gajeel all but pounced onto Freed, knocking him back. The world seemed to swirl and distort around them, and in the blink of an eye Freed had left his study and they were both in the forest clearing again. Freed was splayed out on his back, Gajeel pinning his hands above his head. Gajeel's clothes were gone now, as were Freed's, and the cold damp stone below him made him shiver with anticipation.

This was a dream, Freed realised. Hardly an innocent dream, though.

Leaning further down, Gajeel's teeth were biting and nibbling at Freed's neck, sucking and marking him without restraint. Freed groaned quietly, and Gajeel laughed a little in his ear. He began to pepper light kisses over Freed's jaw, landing the final kiss to the left of his lips.

"Yer mine, pretty-boy," Gajeel murmured, voice like seductive honey. "And you ain't getting away."

"I didn't intend on leaving," Freed heard himself saying, and he could see Gajeel's eyes sparkling. "But, let me correct you Gajeel. I am not yours. But you are mine."

Freed wrapped his legs tight around Gajeel's - the rubbing of their cocks together made them both moan - but then flipped them over. Gajeel was pushed onto his own back with Freed straddling his hips. It was a reflection of how they'd been when wrestling in the forest, but this felt different. Whereas their fight had been charged with anger and resentment, this was fuelled by lust. They were two men in the depths of passion, with the world extending only to one another.

Gajeel looked up at Freed with an expression he could only describe as horny, and Freed relished the sight. He leant down and began peppering light kisses on the man's muscular body, smirking with a little cruelty as he bit Gajeel's nipple and made him groan.

"Sensitive, aren't you?" He teased, and Gajeel glared.

"Fuckin bit me," Gajeel grunted. "I'll get ya back for that."

Freed grinned, and smirked at Gajeel when his kisses went lower and lower, down the centre of his rippling stomach muscles. Gajeel groaned again, running his hands over Freed's body. The rough calluses seemed to glide over Freed's near-unblemished stomach and chest, teasing and kneading at his muscles.

He suddenly pulled Freed down, and their strong bodies ran against one another. Freed smirked at Gajeel and began to bite at the man's skin again, loving the slight taste of metal that the man held.

"Fuck," Gajeel panted, and Freed smirked. "Yer right, I'm yours."

"As if it were in doubt," Freed chuckled, running his hand from Gajeel's chest to his abs to his dick.

He grabbed both of their members and started to stroke them, thrusting his body to rub against Gajeel's abs. Gajeel groaned and moaned, and Freed felt fire coursing through him as the sudden fury of an orgasm rocked him. Gajeel seemed to notice, and smirked up at him with a beautifully cocky look. He knew what was going to happen, and he knew he was to blame.

Fuck, it was going to happen. So close. So damn close-

Then he woke up.

He was in his bed, panting and sweating under the sheets. His head swam in confusion for a moment, and he blinked himself open. It was earlier in the morning than he normally would be awake in, and the sensation was confusing for a moment. That quickly gave way to a horrid flush of embarrassment at what his dream had been. There was something twisted about dreaming about a man he barely knew, and had spent the better part of a week quarreling, in such a depraved way. It was worse still given how Freed's subconscious had wanted to fuck in the same place they had hated one another.

Should he do something about it, though? Gajeel was undoubtedly a gorgeous man in every sense of the word. Freed could admit a broad chested man with piercings was a turn on, albeit a turn on that was new to Freed. But they were barely getting along as colleagues, let alone even friends.

No, he would just have to ignore this. A cold shower and a morning run would settle his mind and put his head on straight.

——

"Gods dammit," Gajeel grunted, and Freed winced a little as the other man pushed himself off from the ground. "You sure you ain't S-Class with shit like this?"

The two men were in Freed's expansive backyard, surrounded by a ring of fire. Their training exercise of the day had been to have them fight side-by-side against a common enemy. Rather than having another mage come and fight against them, Freed had decided to use another aspect of his simulation runes to create what he called a Mimic. It was a being made up of runes, meant to simulate an opponent. Freed had fueled it with the magic and techniques of their guildmates, and had instructed it to try and beat them in a fight.

More than anything, it was a distraction. After the dream - and Gajeel's slip of the tongue the night before, which had sent a wave of delighted warmth through Freed's heart - Freed needed to refocus his attention. They were here to train, that's all.

"How the hell d'ya have enough magic to have that thing so powerful while yer fighting like normal?" Gajeel asked, panting as he faced the mimic.

"I have an excess of magical energy this time of year," Freed explained, flicking away the few droplets of blood that were dripping down his arms onto his hands. "It's best to use it rather than allow it to linger."

Gajeel nodded, seemingly understanding why Freed had magic and why he shouldn't have any excess magic around him.

The mimic was walking towards them both slowly: a wireframe made of runes. It made a gesture with its hand and suddenly a torrent of Max's sand shot up, a whirlwind of a sandstorm. Freed quick-casted two walls of runes to protect them both, gritting his teeth slightly as his magic took a hammering of relentless sand. It was difficult to see through the miasma of sand, and Freed squinted slightly to see where the mimic was standing.

Suddenly, Gajeel was standing in front of him, body made of metal again. His arms crossed before him, Freed heard a sickly sounding clash of metal on metal. When Gajeel jumped back, Freed saw that a runic replica of one of Erza's swords had been flung towards him, cutting through the runes that had only been meant to protect them from the sand.

"Thanks," Freed panted. "How did you see it?"

"Heard it," Gajeel explained, closing his eyes and clearly focusing on his other senses. "He's to the left of us, I think. Using Juvia's magic."

The torrent of water slammed into them both before either man had time to react, and Freed grunted as he was pushed to the back of the circle of fire. Gajeel washed up beside him, as soaked to the bone as Freed was, coughing up magically made water. Freed was on his feet first, as Gajeel had taken the brunt of the attack. When he saw the mimic getting closer while Gajeel was recovering, Freed pulled out his sword and brandished it before him.

Borrowing transformation from either Elman or perhaps Pantherlilly, the runic man grew into an imposing figure of unnatural muscles. It lurched towards Freed with a monstrously large fist, aiming for Freed's head in a cruel punch.

For a moment, Freed could do nothing but parry the onslaught of blows. His sword swung quickly through the air, blocking every punch, kick and attempted bite from the runic creature. The speed of the blows were so fast and relentless that Freed didn't have the chance to land a counter attack, and he grit his teeth as he glanced over his shoulder and towards where Gajeel had been. He was no longer there, and Freed had to hope he was readying for an attack.

The next second, a metal fist slammed into the mimic's stomach, knocking it back a few feet.

"You okay?" Freed asked when Gajeel stood beside him again.

"Just winded," Gajeel explained, iron creeping over his body entirely now. "You?"

"Fine," Freed stated, though his arms were aching slightly now.

They both looked at the mimic, which was standing still. The wireframe of runes was inhumanely looking at them, and Freed knew that it was calculating their next steps. A moment later, lightning seemed to be gathering over the mimic's hands, crawling up its body in the same way Laxus' lightning would moments before he would use his dragon's roar. Freed's eyes widened a little - he had given the mimic too much of his magical energy if it could use dragon slayer magic - and he quickly realised that he didn't have time to write the lighting repellent runes on them both.

"Shit," Gajeel murmured, looking at the ground. "The water."

Freed looked down at the puddle of water below them, and then realised the plan the mimic had. Before he could think, he cast his wings and began to fly, hooking his arms around Gajeel's waist and forcing them both off the ground. The lighting magic shot from the mimic, sparks covering the pools of water on the ground.

Undeterred, the mimic began a new onslaught. Using Laki's magic now, wooden projectiles shot out towards them both, attempting to loosen Freed's grip on Gajeel to make him fall. Gajeel began to punch the projectiles, destroying them on contact.

"You've gotten rid of it before, right?" Gajeel asked between punches. "How?"

"I've not actually beaten it yet," Freed confessed, and Gajeel shifted to look towards him incredulously. Freed quickly shunted them both down when a wooden beam flew towards them. He landed them both on a dry patch of ground, before speaking again. "I treat it more like a punching bag than an opponent. Hit it as much as my body allows before dispelling it."

"Fuck that," Gajeel said firmly, rolling his shoulders back and straightening his back. Freed swallowed a little at the sight, his mind flickering back to the dream for just a moment. "It's a spell. Spells can be beaten, and I'm not giving up against that fucking thing."

"Quite right," Freed agreed. His runes were not going to defeat him.

"I say we fucking plaster it with magic," Gajeel suggested, rolling his sleeve up in a show of determination. It was an attractive look. "We both use our most powerful spells on it at the same time, we'll kill the fucking thing."

"Sounds good," Freed nodded, raising his sword. "Ready when you are."

"Iron Dragon's Roar!" Gajeel bellowed at the same time as Freed allowed his most pain filled runes to flow out of him.

Suddenly, Freed was on a high.

Everything about the spell felt different. Like his body was alight with a level of power that he hadn't ever felt before. His blood was burning, his magical energy exploding, his soul flipping and roaring in delight. The magic seemed to be fighting to leave him as if bending to his will more than it ever had before. The power felt lighter than normal, but so much more powerful. Every aspect of the spell felt like it belonged to him and him alone.

He seemed to almost leave his own body as he watched his runes flow forward. They spiralled into Gajeel's roar, merging and coagulating with the Dragon slayer magic. Freed's body felt cold as if pressed against metal, and it was a euphoric feeling.

Gods, what was happening. It was amazing.

Tendrils of runes shot forward and wrapped around the mimic, trapping his limbs as if in bondage. The pain spells seemed to ignite, and the mimic thrashed like any person would under the intense agony Freed's runes would cause. It was then that the dragon's roar hit the bound mimic, and the flurry of iron and magic slammed into it like a relentless torrent of power.

The mimic was ripped apart, disintegrating in the overwhelming magical power. The remaining fire, water and wood dissipated as the mimic died away, leaving Freed and Gajeel alone.

Had they just… Had that been a…

"Holy shit," Gajeel sounded giddy. "Holy fucking shit! We did a fuckin' Unison Raid!"

"Yes," Freed gasped. "I think we did."

"Damn," Gajeel was looking at him with an elated smile, still covered in iron. "I ain't ever done anything like that. Holy shit, that felt so fuckin' good right. Fuck, I feel like I could take down anything right now, y'know what I mean?"

"I do," Freed agreed, and couldn't help but smile at Gajeel.

But this didn't make sense. Unison raids were meant to be a combination of magic between people who had a deep, innately personal connection. So far, all Freed had felt about Gajeel was a mess of confusion. Sometimes he hated the man, and sometimes he had an odd lust for him. So either his magic seemed to know something he did not, or he simply misunderstood how unison raids worked.

"We're gonna kick ass in the tournament," Gajeel smirked, looking to Freed again. His smile faltered a little, and his gaze went slightly to the side. Freed frowned when Gajeel let out a small, "Huh."

"What's wrong?" Freed asked.

"Well, don't get pissy," Gajeel said, voice fighting back amusement and a smile trying to break out again. "But, looks like I kinda left you a reminder of what's happened."

Freed frowned further, and Gajeel slowly brought a metallic hand. It looked as though he was going to cup Freed's cheek for a moment, but then his hand turned into a solid slab of metal. It took Freed a moment to realise he was meant to use the metal as a mirror, and looked at the reflection that Gajeel was offering him. He immediately saw what Gajeel had meant.

During their unison raid, Gajeel had somehow pierced Freed.

On his right ear, five small metal rings, all bullet-grey, had been infused into his ear. Small barbels had been placed on the inside of both of his eyebrows, sharp and unobtrusive. He couldn't feel them at all, and Freed gently ran a finger over them all, a tingling shiver going down him at the feeling. There was a complete and undeniable sensation of rightness to Gajeel's metal being part of him. It was like he belonged as a part of him.

The dream came to mind again, with Gajeel pinning him down and claiming Freed as his own. It was a coincidence, of course, but Freed couldn't help but flush. It felt like he had been claimed.

He should have protested, but instead whispered, "Wow."

"You ain't mad, right?" Gajeel asked.

"No," Freed said immediately. "A little shocked, perhaps. But, well, they look rather good, I think."

"They look fucking hot," Gajeel whispered, and Freed didn't know if he was meant to hear it, so said nothing. The sound of Gajeel's iron turning back to skin filled the silence, and when Freed looked towards him, he paused. Gajeel noticed. "What's wrong, City-Boy?"

"Well," Freed spoke before he could feel disappointed about the return of the nickname. "It appears my magic reciprocated your iron's ideas."

Gajeel's exposed arm was covered in black runes that looked indistinguishable from a tattoo. It covered his right arm entirely, and Gajeel was looking down at the foreign lettering with an overly wide and overly excited smile. He seemed enamoured with the change to his body, and Freed wondered how he might react if he knew what the writing said.

'Ownership.'

Dammit, Freed's magic had essentially laid claim to Gajeel. Of course, 'ownership' was a rough translation, and the actual meaning was a term of endearment. But that was worse! Freed had not only claimed the man, but essentially written something akin to 'My one and only.' Nobody would know, of course, but it didn't change the fact he had done it.

"Yer panicking," Gajeel chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Wanted some ink for a while, you just saved me some jewels."

"You should be angry about this," Freed frowned. "Why aren't you?"

"You should be angry about the piercings, because they're not the type you can remove," Gajeel shrugged. "Why aren't you pissed?"

"Because," Freed began, and sighed. He should be honest about this. "Because having them feels right."

"So does this," Gajeel looked to his arm, grinning slightly. "Feels like I've been missing somethin', kinda. Like I've finally found my style and this completes it."

Freed felt the same, but couldn't say it. Instead, he said, "Why were we able to perform a unison raid? People with connections much deeper than our's have tried and failed. It doesn't make sense."

"Does it matter?" Gajeel shrugged, and Freed stared incredulously because of course it did. When Gajeel looked back to Freed, he seemed to have reached an epiphany that Freed would love to know. "Look, I get why you're feelin' fucked up about it, but there's no point. This week, we were both pretty determined to hate each other and piss each other off, right?"

"Yes, I suppose we were."

"That didn't fuckin' last, right?" Gajeel shrugged. "We were compelled to hate each other by a demon, and we got over it. When we were solvin' puzzles and stopped thinkin' about what we thought of each other, we were a pretty good team. When we had a common enemy, we did a fuckin' unison raid."

"What's your point?" Freed asked, frowning.

"When we get out of our heads, we work out. So why don't we stop fucking thinking about this shit," Gajeel shrugged. "Maybe we take things as they come. We work well together even after we pissed each other off, so why not just accept that? Our magics work together, let's use that to our advantage," Then he looked away, a little bashful. "Seems to me, we're a good team by nature. So why not just let it happen?"

"And the markings?"

"We don't think," Gajeel blushed. "And we see what happens."

When Gajeel looked back at Freed, he had a small, shy smile. It was honest, and Freed felt breathless.

See what happens? He could do that.

[sillyrabbit81]

Her Heavy Cross

Summary: Three years after tragedy hits, Lana she decides to start dating again. She meets Will through a dating app and they begin an online romance. After months of constant requests, Lana relents and agrees to meet and go on an irl date with Will. But is Will who he says he is? Lana is quickly pulled into an intense relationship forcing her to confront her tragic past. Will Lana face it or will she close her heart forever?

Pairing: OMC x OFC

Word Count: approx 3.7k

Warnings: Smut, swearing,

Authors Note: The story started as a Henry Cavill fanfiction but I changed it to be an original character, but shades of Henry are still there. Hope you enjoy the story and thanks for reading.

Part 4 Part 6

Part 5

I lived about 40 minutes away from Liam in the suburbs. I still lived in the house Andy and I had bought together, planning to have a family.

I kept thinking about the house on the way there. I remembered being so excited when we found out our offer was accepted. When we moved in a few months later, we did what I assume most young couples do, and we had sex in every room, including the laundry. I had joked that if I got pregnant from the laundry sex, we should call the kid Westinghouse.

After Andy died, I had used his life insurance from his superannuation to pay off the mortgage. I had decided against selling it and moving somewhere smaller. I couldn't do it as it felt like I was abandoning our dream.

When we got home, Liam said, "you live here? I expected you lived in an apartment or something, not a whole house by yourself."

I wasn't meant to be here by myself. I didn't say it, though. I just shrugged, opened the door and said, "You live in a huge place by yourself."

"Yeah, but I didn't pick it. A place to live close to the studio was part of the contract.".

We went in. Perrin came lumbering to the door to greet me and gave Liam a short bark. I scolded Perrin and patted him, telling him Liam was a guest. Liam was unfazed and knelt to pat him and had a chat. "You're just protecting your lady, aren't you, buddy? Well, don't worry, I'll take good care of her." Be still my beating heart.

I took Liam past the bedrooms, pointed out the main bathroom, and went to the open plan kitchen, lounge and dining room. I got out food for Perrin and fed him and found Liam hadn't followed me into the room.

He was in the hallway looking at the pictures on the wall. Well, one in particular. The one of me in my wedding dress, kissing Andy. Oh shit... this was awkward.

I didn't say anything, what could I say?

"I'm sorry." He eventually said. He finally looked at me.

"Why?"

"It must have been awful."

Don't cry! I just nodded.

He pulled me to his chest and held me. "I know you told me what happened when we first started chatting. It didn't really register until I saw this." He pulled back a bit to look at me but still had his arms around me. "Is that why you were so upset last night?" I didn't have to say anything. It must have been written all over my face. Shit.

"Shit," Liam said, echoing my thoughts. He let me go and ran his hand through his curls. They seemed to have dried now. "I'm sorry, I should have realised..."

"No," I interrupted him. "Look, I'd be lying if I said I was over it. I don't think you can ever get over it, but I'm ready to move on. I've been trying to date for a while now. It's just taking that last step and sleeping with someone..." I trailed off. I didn't know how to say what I was thinking without him believing I didn't want him. "I want to be sure it's the right person. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, Sweetheart." Liam pulled me close again. "I'll try to control myself."

"Don't try too hard," I said. "I want you too."

Liam grinned, "You shouldn't have said that." He buried his face into my neck, kissing me and nipping at me until I started to giggle.

He let me go smiling. I said I had better go shower. His eyes widened a moment. "You ok to wait while I do?"

"Don't worry, Sweetheart. I'll have plenty of thoughts to keep me occupied while you're in the shower."

I pretended to be offended, "You're filthy."

"Yes." He said. I ran.

I showered as quickly as possible and got dressed in some leggings and a t-shirt. I went out to find Liam playing on his phone, patting Perrin. He looked up when I came in, and the smile he gave me was so dazzling I stopped for a moment. Gathering myself, I walked over to him and sat on the lounge, not quite close enough to touch him but not out of reach either.

"What should we do today? Do you feel like being lazy, or do you want to go out?" I asked.

Liam hummed a moment. "I think a lazy day would be nice. I won't get many of them soon."

"We could watch a movie?"

Liam agreed. "What do you want to watch?"

"Anything really. Except for romance or a tear-jerker."

"What? Why?"

"I hate crying, and I cry at the drop of a hat. I can't even watch Disney movies without crying. Once I watched Seven Pounds and cried for three days straight." Yeah, I really did. "Plus, I'm an ugly crier." Why, oh, why can't I keep my big mouth shut.

Liam laughed, "I find it hard to believe that you could ever be ugly." And I can't breathe. I think I need an oxygen tank. "Alright, we won't watch a romance."

"Ok, come with me and let's choose. I have a heap of Blu-rays and DVDs. I like director cuts, extended cuts, that kind of thing." I took Liam's hand and tried to pull him off the lounge. He didn't let me. Instead, he pulled me closer until I was standing in front of him.

"Not yet." Liam wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me onto his lap, so I was straddling his glorious thighs. "If we can't watch a romance, maybe we could..." He didn't finish the sentence, which I'm thankful for because I don't think even he could have said anything after that, which wouldn't have been cringe.

Liam's hands slid behind my hips to my bottom, and he gripped me, pulling me closer. Once again, I giggled at his strength. Sometimes I swear I want to slap myself. His hips moved upwards, and I slid further down until I could feel his hardness between my legs. Oh fuck, I don't know how long I can hold out. He put a hand on my neck and pulled my face towards his. His lips met mine. I tried, unsuccessfully, to suppress the moan that came from my throat.

"Fuck," he breathed into my mouth. "When you make noises like that, I just can't stop thinking about what other noises you can make."

I didn't respond, and I just kissed him back. I let my hands trail down his chest, savouring every curvature of his muscles. My hands reached under his shirt, and I felt my way back up his chest.

Although I was travelling blind, my fingers found the spot they were looking for. Liam hissed as my fingers trailed over his nipples. A self-satisfied smile came across my lips. As if in retaliation, he pulled his hands away and held the bottom of my shirt.

"I don't like this shirt. It covers too much." He grinned roguishly. I wasn't going to give in easily.

"But it's a Ramones t-shirt," I complained. "Don't get between Joey and me."

"Joey, huh?"

I nodded, "didn't you know I was a punk rocker?" I stuck my tongue out and did some devils horns.

"Do that again." Liam was grinning at me, so, like an idiot, I did. He whipped the shirt off over my head so quickly I couldn't stop him. I stared down at my chest. My bra was still keeping my modesty in check. I must have had a crazy look of surprise on my face because he laughed at me. "That's better." He said and started kissing the top of my breasts.

I put my hands into his hair, letting him have a small victory while I took mine. His hair was as soft as I thought it would be. Then I curled my hands into fists and pulled, so he had no choice but to pull back and look up at me.

"That was very rude," I said, trying not to smile.

"You loved it." He wasn't wrong.

"Maybe, but it's only fair if..." I trailed off and tugged at his shirt. He leaned forward instantly, and I pulled his shirt off. He was so broad in the chest I felt positively small next to him. I pushed him back against the lounge, well, he let me push him, and I leaned down to kiss his chest. His hair tickled my nose as I travelled my kisses across his chest to his nipple. I kissed it gently before flicking it with my tongue.

"Fuck me," I heard him say. That encouraged me, and I took his nipple in my mouth and gave it a little bite. His whole body jerked in response.

Liam growled, "Fuck it". Suddenly his arm was around my waist and the other under my bum, and he stood up, taking me with him. I squealed and wrapped my legs around his waist. He was stronger than I thought.

"Which one is your bedroom?" Liam asked as he started towards the hall. His eyes held mine, and his blue eyes seemed dark and hungry.

"Second on the left." I should have given my room a clean! Maybe he won't notice if I keep him occupied.

He took me to the door, and I reached behind my back and opened it. He took me in and put me down. He closed the door behind us, and I turned around, looking at my room. Embarrassment crept in.

I had a massive pile of dirty clothes hanging out of my laundry basket and a pile of clean clothes on a chair. My bed was unmade, pillows everywhere. My bedside table was piled with books and had an empty Ben and Jerry's tub on top. Ok, it's bad, but it could have been worse. Then I remembered something, and my eyes flew to the bedside's open draw.

I felt the blood leave my face. It was worse. The last thing I wanted Liam to see was my god damned vibrator. Fuck!

"So, what should we do now?" Liam stood behind me and wrapped his arms around my bare waist. He ran his hands up my side and kissed my neck, nuzzling into me. Although it felt amazing, all I could do was look at the pink silicone sticking out of the draw. I was as still as a statue.

"You're not into this." He stated, his hands dropped, "That's ok, I told you I wouldn't do anything you didn't want to do." I mumbled something, not sure what, and kept thinking about getting to the draw and hiding the vibrator without drawing attention to it.

Liam's voice came out strangled and about an octave higher. "Hide the vibrator?" His voice calmed, and he said, "Damn, Sweetheart. I would have been happy just to feel you up a bit. But if you insist."

I want to die. Liam saw it. I jumped to the draw and slammed it shut. "Umm, I didn't mean for you to see that." I still couldn't look at him.

"I didn't see anything until you said it." Oh. Well, I'm a fucking idiot.

I slowly turned and looked at him. I could see Liam's bloody lip twitching as he tried to hide a shit-eating grin. I wanted to hit him.

"Don't be embarrassed." His voice was deep again, his accent making each word soothing, "I'm not." He came closer to me, his head. He spoke softly in my ear, "I think it's hot as fuck."

I moaned, partly turned on, partly wanting to die. I could feel the heat between my legs grow, and a pleasant tingle radiated through me as I shivered. "No, it's not," I said. Why was I such a prude sometimes? I hid my face in my hands.

Liam didn't attempt to hide his grin. He took my chin in his hand and lifted my face to his. "My rock hard cock disagrees." Oh, Lord, help me.

"Really?" I asked. I hadn't always been like this. Ten years ago, I would have pulled the vibrator out of the draw and put on a show. I knew lots of guys liked to watch a girl orgasm. Just picturing myself doing it now was cringe-inducing.

"Fuck, yes." Liam took my hand. He was gentle and moved slowly as if I were his prey, and any sudden movement would make me bolt. Liam placed my hand on his jeans between his legs. He groaned, and his forehead leaned against mine. "That's what you do to me."

A thrill flowed through me. I wanted to touch him so much. I cupped my fingers around Liam's balls and pressed my palm against him. I moved my palm slowly up, trying to find the end, fuck it was big.

Liam put his hands in my hair and kissed me roughly. I kept moving my palm up and down slowly and firmly against him, my own excitement growing. I was getting so turned on, I lost control for a moment and bit on Liam's lip. Liam growled.

I couldn't stand it anymore; the desire to feel him was too much. I undid his belt. Not wanting to take the time to undo each button, I pulled his jeans apart, each button popping as they came undone. Liam looked down and watched as I slid his jeans down his thighs. I gripped him through his underwear and explored his length. Liam stood there still, watching as my hand moved over the fabric.

It felt so good, but I wanted more. I wanted to hold in my hand what I had glimpsed the night before. I put a hand into his trunks, but before I could touch anything, Liam grabbed my wrist and removed it from his underwear.

"As much as I want this and believe me, I fucking want this. I need to make sure this is what you want." Liam's voice was strained. I looked at his face and could see the effort it took for him to have stopped me. His desire was plain.

"I want it." Liam closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened his eyes, they seemed on fire.

"Tell me exactly what you want."

Please don't make me say it. The shyness was back, or shame, I can't tell. I tried to swallow, but my throat was dry. "I want to touch you," I whispered.

"Tell me where." His voice was hoarse. It was such a fucking turn on.

"I want to touch your cock." I felt his pants move at my words. I looked down and saw the tip almost peeking out of his underwear. I put my hand in and held his shaft gently, and his skin felt soft and velvety. Liam shuddered against me. At that moment, I felt powerful watching this huge man tremble at my touch. I moved my hand.

Liam bucked his hips against my hand, moving slowly at first, but his rhythm increased as did mine. I couldn't stop watching his body move, the muscles in his abs contracting with each thrust, his chest heaving with each ragged breath. It was so fucking erotic.

I felt Liam's hand move over my face, and I looked up and realised he had been watching my face. His thumb moved over my lips. I parted them, and he put his thumb in my mouth. I let my tongue rub over the pad of his thumb and sucked. His eyes went wide, and his hips stuttered. I kept sucking and jerking him, syncing them into the same rhythm.

"Fuck, Lana, stop." I released him slowly and took my hand out of his pants. I let him withdraw his thumb, but I still sucked. It made a slight pop as it left. He leaned into me, catching his breath a moment. I think I nearly made him orgasm. I tried to keep the triumphant smile from my face. I didn't try very hard.

"You're..." Liam was shaking his head. He didn't finish the sentence.

"Terrible Muriel?" I suggested. Way to kill the fucking moment, Lana.

Liam laughed, thank god! "Not what I was going to say." He flopped onto the bed and laid on his back. "Fucking good at that is what I was thinking." He pulled his jeans and shoes off and closed his eyes, his breath slowly returning to normal. I wanted to jump his bones.

Instead, I laid down next to him on my tummy, leaning on my elbows.

Part 6

[meenah-chan]

Quintessence

A Lucifer x MC's Over-protective! Sister fanfic

3.17k words

Genre: Angst

Trigger warnings: mentions violence, self-inflictions; read at your own discretion.

Chapter 1: click here

Chapter 2: click here

"If there's anyone who will understand her, it's you. So I'll leave her to you..."

"Don't touch me, you monster!"

Chapter 3

*scribbles scribbles*

" ...I could never forgive myself for what happened."

*scribbles scribbles*

"Let's just say that a drive to protect MC and a drive to live are two different things. And I've been searching for the latter to no avail." Lucifer sighs from the lack of focus on his work. Her words replays on his thoughts countless of times already. He couldn't seem to take her off his mind this past few days.

Since that morning, she acts like her usual self. It is a good thing. It is a good thing that his forceful interrogation didn't cause trouble.

He shouldn't bother dwelling on it anymore. He shouldn't be, but... Acting like nothing happened is far more disturbing... He combs his fingers through his locks, deep in thought.

"...fer... Lucifer!" A sensation on his shoulder brought him back to reality. "Are you okay?" His orbs, traces the hand atop his shoulder to the aquamarine eyes, observing him.

"...No, it's nothing. I was just thinking about something." He massaged between his brows.

"You should rest if your tired." Her worry shows between her brows.

"I'll finish this. We're almost done anyways... More importantly, do you have any concerns?"

"Ahh, I already finished my part. Please do check it." He picked up the papers she gave. Despite what happened, she actually continued helping him with his works, which made everything easier.

"Hmm, you did well. You may leave now. I'll take a break once I'm done."

"Then, how about having a tea? I prepared some cookies a while ago." She placed her palms atop his desk, as if persuading him.

"Cookies?"

"Yeah, as an apology and thank you gift." A light shade of pink tinted her cheek for a second didn't went unnoticed by the demon.

"Huh? Did you do something I'll get angry for once?"

"I just felt bad I doubt you when we first met. I even tied you with me in a pact. And I'm glad you and your brothers are there to keep my sister safe. Thank you." She smiled at him sincerely. The one he could only see her flash for her sibling.

"That's fine by me."

"Then, I'll be waiting by the garden." Once a thud of the door was heard in the room, another sigh escaped his lips.

It's reasonable she's always on my mind, I've been spending more time with her after all. And I have less work to worry about that she took over its spot... Propping his forehead on his clasped knuckles, he tried to make sense of his current sentiments.

"... Let's get this all done or the tea might get cold." He moves his hands to work faster. Spending a bit more time alone with her is not so bad anyways...

-----

Spending time alone with her is not the right term. As soon as he arrives at the garden, the rowdy bunch was already in there, surrounding a sizable table.

"Alexandria, I see you didn't inform me that everyone will be here." With twitching eyebrow, he held the teacup to his lips, trying to ignore the crunching and chattering noise.

"But I did say I want to thank you and your brothers so it's only natural that they are here." She casually sip on hers, sitting adjacent to the eldest.

"Alexa *crunch crunch* your cookies is *crunch crunch* so good." Beel grins beside her as he stuff his face with his share of cookies.

She shook her head. "I wouldn't say it's my cookies. MC and Luke also made that."

"But most of it is made by you. And we just followed your recipe." MC contradicts before stuffing a whole cookie in her mouth.

"Well, that's true... Oh, Beel, try this one. This is my favorite." She extended out a cookie cream tart towards him. Having both of his hands full of cookies, Beel ate directly off her finger.

"Hmm~!" Alexandria giggled from the blissful face the orange demon is making. "Your face is full of crumbs." She proceed wiping his cheeks with her handkerchief.

"..." Feeling as if two ominous orbs bore behind her skull she glanced back, confirming her suspicion. He's angry...

"Uhh, Lucifer. Here, have some more." She filled his empty plate with cookie cream tarts. He gaze at the plate before looking back at her.

"I'm good." Yeah... He's angry... I guess thanking him with everyone is a wrong move. I have graver offense to him than others after all.

"Ahh! How about some eclairs? I can make you one right now." She learned his preference a few days ago when he made a big fuss of Mammon eating his eclairs, and tried coaxing him to a good mood.

He stared at him for moment before replying, "Make it some other time." Coaxing failed... "It'll be made for me alone." ...or maybe not. She smiled.

"Hmph... Selfish demon." The seventh-born huffs.

"Are you saying something, Belphegor?" The eldest and the youngest brother glared daggers.

"Now, now... The tea will turn sour." Alexandria tried settling the tense atmosphere she just mended before it get worse.

"By the way Alexa, MC, they released the anime adaptation of 'The Great Detective from the Pits of the Underworld' today! Let's watch it after this." Amidst sitting beside the growling Belphegor, sparkles filled Leviathan's background as he enthusiastically spoke.

"No, Alexa is coming with me. She still hasn't finished briefing me of the best books she read on the human realm." Satan interrupted.

"Alexa~ I bought a new salamander hydrating mask. It's a must-try product! Let's use it right now!" Sitting across her, Asmodeus reached for her hand, completely ignoring the already-fighting otaku and bookworm.

I guess a peaceful afternoon tea is impossible with everyone. Bickers and commotion fills the big table, only to be interrupted by a buzz of a phone.

"...Yes! Oi Alexa! 'Ya see this?" Mammon waves the screen of his D.D.D. "I hit a jackpot! It says it'll increase my investment by tenfold in just 3 days if I register right away! I'll pay MC, just 'ya wait." He return his attention back on it and moves his fingers across the screen.

"Name... Bank account... Passco... Hey!" Just before he completed filling up the form, his device elevates off his grasp. Glancing behind, he saw the older female, his D.D.D on hand.

"What'cha doin'!?" He struggled snatching his D.D.D back only to fail.

"Fixing your mistake. You're one click away from being scammed, you idiot."

"Gimme back–"

"My bad guys. I can't tend to your requests right now. This idiot needs an Investment Crash Course."

"What?" "That's unfair!" "But... TSL..." Bickers and squabbles start flying everywhere yet again. But this time, it's all directed at her and the second-born.

"What a mess..." Lucifer sighed.

"Mess you say, Lucifer? You're the one to talk. You've been keeping her all to yourself." Satan glared at him. The eldest of the brothers just facepalmed as he watch the already rowdy garden went even livelier than before.

"Isn't she bizarre?" The little sister suddenly spoke beside him. "She's a charismatic, thoughtful and a wonderful person. Yet she still have no boyfriend... If only she became more open with anyone after me."

"Really?"

"Will you believe she pushes me away during our first meetings?" She laughed. "I was so young I have no much recollection but... I do remember I bugged her alot, and she suddenly go all mushy after some time."

"... She is caring and everything but sometimes I feel she's suppressing herself, like she's protecting me from something. Like, it's something I shouldn't know. She's similar to you, don't you agree?"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Hmmp, tsundere."

"What did you just say?"

"I guess she won't reveal it to me, I'm her pure, beloved sister she'll protect to the end of the world after all. If there's anyone who will understand her, it's you. So I'll leave her to you, her demon and soulmate."

"Just so you know, having pact doesn't make her my soulmate."

"No, she is. She is alike to you in so many ways, you have natural affinity and you got along despite such repulsive first meeting. To top it of, you have that indestructible bond with each other. You are soulmates."

"..." With no rebuttal he stared at the young female. He then glance at Alexandria who is busy with the noisy bunch to hear what they are talking about.

An enigma she is. With more things MC mentioned him, he knew she won't leave his mind anytime soon.

-------

Basked under the crimson dusk atop a hill, two young girls sat a few feet apart another.

"Stop bothering me. I don't have plans of befriending anyone." radiating with annoyance, one of the girls interjects.

"But I want to. And I don't see any problems in doing so." The second girl shakes the spark off as if it's nothing.

"You wouldn't dare to, if you ever knew."

"Know... What... You mean, that..." The younger girl, point a finger not far from her direction.

As soon as the older girl whisked her head towards the direction, the sky, the hill... Everything melted into night.

The pavement blanketed with snow. The murky, ebony sky. The familiar, gaping door. A grip on her arm returned her attention to the girl with her. "Alexa, I'm scared."

And then a creak reverberated. "Wha... No! Don't look!" She pulled her, covering her eyes with her hand.

And as she suspected, it's the same scene as that night.

"Look, what do we have here." Taking the man's grip off the neck of his brother's lifeless body, he march towards her. "My beautiful, genius Alexandria. My protege."

"..."

"Oh my, look at that blazing blue eyes you got from me." Touching her face, caressing her cheeks with his thumb.

"Don't touch me, you monster!" She brushed his bloody hands from her and tried pulling the girl behind her, only to hold onto air. When she look back, the child was nowhere to be found. "Where...Ump–!" The man grabbed her face and forced her eyes on his.

"Monster you said? Don't forget you and I are the same. You inherited everything from me, that's why I kept you alive."

His eyes. His dead, cold eyes took her own, as if gobbling her whole. She felt like running away. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. She want to, but she couldn't. She just stand in there horrifiedly, in front of the monster that hunts her almost every single night. Her monster.

"Me, your monster? Don't make me laugh! Aren't you a monster yourself? After all you..." Alexandria's eyes snapped open. Breathless. Drenched. Beads of cold sweat trickles down from her skin as she sit up.

No matter how many times she was visited with the same nightmare, she will never get used to it.

Knowing she won't get another blink of sleep, she rise from the beddings. She left the room for the balcony of the planetarium, bringing with her a small container from her purse.

Opening the small case, she took out one of the white sticks and pressed it's tip between her lips. After lighting it, she took a deep breath and puff a cloud of smoke.

The smoke swirls in the bleakness of the night, together with her dreary thoughts.

"Can't sleep?" She flinched from the unexpected deep voice. She's too caught up inside her head that she failed to feel the man enter the balcony.

"Well, kind of."

"I admit, your surprised face is quite entertaining." Lucifer smirked as he moves beside her.

"Yeah, yeah. As long as you're happy." Alexandria scoffs.

"I never knew you're fond of things like that. That brand isn't even available here." He glanced on the ember on her hand.

"Not really. It's more of a ritual." Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "They say that a stick of a cigarette can shorten the human lifespan by 11 minutes, if you know what I mean." Lucifer's forehead scrunches in comprehension of her so-called 'ritual'. She only laughed bitterly at his reaction.

"Don't be so irked. Or would you rather see me full of cuts and holes?" She took another puff off the smoke.

"It's really a surprise you're still... alive." A lump he couldn't really explain blocked his throat for a second.

"It sure is. I've tried throwing it away countless of times already when I was young. Until MC came to my life."

"But MC said you really hated her that time. I don't see any consistency with your stories."

"Really?" She look faraway before glancing back to the demon.

"And I see you're more open with me than with MC, are you not?" He smirked playfully.

"What a chatterbox..." She glance away for a second. "Let me tell you a tale instead."

"Dunno. I just felt you'll understand and won't judge me. Maybe you're my soulmate?" Hearing the word from the person herself taken Lucifer aback, which then earned a chuckle from Alexandria. "... or maybe not."

"I'm scared I might taint her if she learn my past. I want her to grow without any fear and guilt, to mature the way she is." She paused as if hesitating if she'll continue with the story, but she carry on after a few moments.

"Long time ago, there is an annoying idiot in a form of a young philanthropist, much like her family. One day, she and her family plans a month-long stay in an orphanage for fund-raising and to help in any way. There she met a crazy psycho, who have failed attempts of suicide and plans to hung herself in the forest without any interference. Of course she never knew about her plan, she's a big idiot after all." Cool breeze blew on the balcony, taking the ash of the cigarette between her fingers.

"Day after day she bugged her, hindering her plans again and again and again until the crazy psycho got tired and postpone her plans until the night the annoying idiot leave the orphanage." Lucifer looked at her through his peripheral vision, earning a huff from the lady.

"Finally the day comes. Minutes after the annoying idiot left the crazy psycho on the hill, she was called by a stranger. Since she is a big idiot of an unsuspecting naive, she ate a candy from the man and lost consciousness. The crazy psycho witnessed this and convinced the man of bringing her too. She followed the idiot without thinking. Miraculously, she saved the idiot unscathed. The idiot left the orphanage safely. The crazy psycho was adopted not long after. And the two never cut ties with each other again. The end... Or not."

That's weird... "So you're telling me you chose to live because you save her? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"Not really. More like her naivety and recklessness girl made me want to protect her. I... just can't leave that angel alone on her own. Without any assurance that she'll be fine." A conflicted face reflects on Lucifer's eyes. He could saw nothing but a suffering person... a damsel in distress.

Does he empathize with her since they're in similar situation? Or is her sorrow contagious? Either way, he couldn't help but feel her sufferings. His eyes couldn't leave her form at all, watching every gestures she make.

"Is it really hard to forgive yourself of the things you didn't even do?" Extinguishing what's left of her smoke, she looked at him.

"It's easy, if I'm truly innocent, that is." She gave him a bitter smile. "I am not."

She faced him. "My father commit suicide after killing my mother and siblings... The stranger kidnapped MC and I, who is in the right age to identify him. How come we are able to leave unscathed?" A pair of jaded blue orbs met his.

"My father didn't commit suicide... That stranger also didn't let us leave like it's nothing... I took their lives with my own hands. I killed them."

"... You?"

"I stabbed my father with the knife he used to my family and the stranger, I strangled him to the head rest with the rope I'm supposed to be using to myself. And I dumped him with his car on a nearby cliff."

The moonlight shines on them, reflected by a single teardrop forming on the corner of her eyes. The wind brushed her hair gently as the single tear rolled down her rosy cheeks, never to be followed with another one. Bitter smile never left her face. Her skin is like a porcelain, pristine and unblemished. It was as if she was an angel... A fallen angel, with tattered wings like he is.

"I am... a monster." She took his breath away. He witnessed it. He is captivated by an unbearably beautiful creature.

Before he knew it, he already reached out, replacing the wind from caressing her hair.

She flinch from his touch, as if a bashful mimosa folding and drooping from a light stimulus. She is too vulnerable at the moment. Should he continue with such gesture, she might indulge with it. She shouldn't. A monster like her doesn't deserve such kindness. And thus, Alexandria chose to step away from him.

"I-I told you everything. Then, I'll be taking my leave." A hasty bow is followed by her brisk walking. She grabbed the knob. I need to leave.

He didn't know why but he felt it. Her flame is waning.

If he let her be by herself again, he never knew what she will do with herself next. What if the next time he saw her, she'll be full of cuts? What if she'll be so injured she won't be able to leave her room? What if... What if the next time he saw her, she's not breathing anymore?

But that's not possible. She won't leave her sister alone.

And then her words awhile ago flashed his mind."I'm glad I can trust you and your brothers are to keep my sister safe. Thank you I could be at ease."

That's not only as an apology or gratitude. She's... entrusting her sister with us and planning to die soon?

A loud thud echoes off the balcony as the door return to its frame. She didn't close it. He did, as he wrap his free arm around her.

A bloody Alexandria. Pale. Cold. Lifeless.

That's not gonna happen. I won't permit it. I need something to suppress her from her self-destructive tendencies... Something concrete. Anything...

"...you have that indestructible bond with each other."

... I see...

"Let it be me..." The words left his lips. That's his answer, their indestructible bond— the pact that bind their souls together.

"W—What do you mean?" The confusion and and perplexity in her eyes didn't stop him. If he stop right there, tomorrow she might be there no more. It's now or never.

" Alexandria, I'll be your reason for living."

-------

It took so long ( like, reaaaally long (๑°౪≦)ゞ) but I posted it at last heehee. I revised it like tons of times until I'm satisfied. (I also did two short reads along with this cuz inspiration and it'll be a waste not to write it (~￣³￣)~

I learned my lesson. If I don't wanna rewrite the story, I should fix it until I'm satisfied or it'll pile up and It won't leave the back of my mind as ling as I haven't fix it.

And I never thought it'll be this long (maybe there's 2 chapters more)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

MASTERLIST

[forevermybubblegum]

♡SHORT STORY♡

THE forest hummed with life all around you. Your eyes squinted open slowly, mind still trapped in a foggy haze, as you gazed up at the orange painted sky, searching for the birds that flew about. The sun broke through the cracks, lighting up the dark bushy greenwood decorated with outgrown roots, wildflowers and fallen leaves that crunched as you tried to sit upwards. You shielded your eyes, taking in the fragrance of minty grass and damp earth. Each breath feeling like water, fresh and cleansing, flowing freely into your lungs.

You feel little bit of shock spark through you as you feel a heavy body on your lap, it's Tanjiro's head resting gently on your lap as he breathes slowly through his mouth, face dusted black with dirt and debris.

"What....?"You mumbled as your eyes widened when you spotted your other teammates Inosuke and Zenitsu sprawled on the floor unconscious and beaten.

You gasped, "Nezuko!"You exclaimed as you spotted Nezuko out of her box in the same state as others, you pondered through your thoughts trying to remember the events of the nightfall. Oh yes,You all were fighting a duo from the twelve kizuki, they were the most powerful foes you had ever faced and from the looks of it your team had succeded because they would have either kidnapped or killed you all if they had won.

Just then while you were recalling back your memory, A flash from the past whiffed through your mind in a blur,

"Tanjiro!"You had yelled, as Tanjiro whipped an arm to tell you to stand back, "Stay back Y/n!, your gonna get hur--Ack!" The female opponent landed him a powerful flying spin kick to the head, causing him to collide into the ground as figments shattered about.

"How dare you!"You had screeched as you sheated out your black katana from its scabbard. You held it firmly in both hands, the gradient glimmering in the blood moon light.You weren't the strongest and your hands were shaking more than it ever had, but you couldn't afford to let fear falter your determination to protect your comrades. Zenitsu and Inosuke were busy with the Male Demon, you could at least stall her for a while.

"You're mine pest!"She taunted as her long tongue fell out her mouth and she sped towards you, you screamed as you charged towards her but she slid under you and wrapped her long lizard-like tail around you neck, you dropped your sword in the rush of things and tried to loosen your neck as you were being chocked.

"Y/n!Y/n!"Inosuke and Zenitsu immediately charged towards you but were immediately blocked further by the male demon,"Oh no you don't!" He sang, cackling melancholicly.

She unwrapped her tail from your neck and dropped you to the floor as you gasped for breath heavily then feeling her tail tug unto your right leg and pull you up to hang you upside down, "Hmmmm, such nice soft legs..I wonder what will happen if I break them"She whispered,red eyes gleaming as she ran her tongue down from your knee to your ankle and you bit your lip in disgust,eyes shut tight.

"Heheeheee..."You heard a crack, not believing it was yours till the strong wave of pain ran through your veins. You screeched in pain as surprised birds flew out the trees they had being hiding in.

"Y/n!!"Your teammates yelled as the other crack was heard, the pain was unbearable, tears streamed down your eyes as you screamed and could do nothing more than tha--.

You snapped out of the nostalgic recap and looked to see yourself still staring at Tanjiro as you gently ran your hand through his red hair with a smile on your face.You then removed his head from your lap and placed it gently on a folded piece of your robe next to you as you stared at your right leg, the bruise was more than noticeable and you gently tried to massage it to see if it would help but- "Ow!" You winced in pain as you shut an eye.

You then began to hear footsteps inching nearer and nearer to you, you stiffed yourself, scared to death that it was another demon when Hashiras and medical care came in the sight of your E/c pupils rushing to you all. You let out a loud sigh in relief as Shinobu rushed to you and you rested your head on her lap when did.

"Shinobu...san..."You breathed out with a smile on your lips as she gently shushed you with a worried frown on her face, you slowly began to lose consciousness once more as you fell into a deep sleep.

*Few Weeks Later*

"Y/n...I miss you, I'm so sorry for not protecting you..Y/n.."You felt a pair of warm hands cupping your right one as you slowly squinted your eyes open, sun kissing your skin lightly through the scraped space of the half opened window.

"T...tanjiro?"You asked softly as you turned your face to look at him, his worried eyes widened in joy as he jumped up from his chair.

"Y/n!!"

"T-tanjirooo!"You tried to match up his enthusiasm as he hugged you while you were on the bed, your right foot wrapped in a cast filled with colorful signatures. You giggled in joy and you hugged him back with one arm patting his back.

"Y/n forgive me..."Tanjiro said in a serious tone gently and calmly,falling back onto his chair. "Tanjiro I--"

"I let you down, its my fault that your leg...and you were so badly injured I--"

"Tanjiro its not your fault, I charged in when I shouldn't hav--"

"BECAUSE YOU WERE PROTECTING ME!"He yelled furiously as you were taken aback by his outburst.

"I-I'm sorry Y/n.."He mumbled in a downhearted tone as you reached in and placed your hand on top of his.

"Yoshi yoshi Tanjiro-kun"You sang gently as he laughed and sniffed, giving you his usual kind smile.

"Okay I know what im going to do!!"He exclaimed with his hands resting on his hips like a superhero.

"Hm?What?"You asked gently with a smile on your face.

"Im gonna be the one to take care of you while you recover!!"He annouced as your brows shot up.

"Ehhhh! Tanjiro you dont have to do tha--!!"

"I will and I will!!"He exclaimed as you smiled to yourself, knowing you couldn't stop him anymore after he had made his choice.

"Y/nnnnnnnnn!!!"You heard Zenitsu burst into your hospital room with tears streaming down his face.

"I knew I heard your voice! I missed you!!"He cried and went up to hug you which you reciprocated, "Zenitsuu! Y/n needs her rest!"Tanjiro warned as Zenitsu stuck his tongue out at him and skipped out of the room,wiggling his eyebrows at both you and Tanjiro as you noticed Tanjiro's cheeks dust in a light shade of pink.

"How is Nezuko and Inosuke?"You asked as Tanjiro gave you a reassuring smile.

"Ah they are well and hearty,Nezuko really wanted to see you after she woke up"He informed as you giggled, Nezuko was your closest and only girl-friend in the group, both of you were inseperable.

"Ahaha, I want to see her too"

"Y/n! You better get well so we can fight each other again!"You heard Inosuke's voice as he walked past your room,You chuckled and yelled "Will do!"in response, just happy to hear from everyone again.

A few days passed and....,"Chu chuuu!"Tanjiro mimicked a moving train as you opened your mouth and he placed the spoon filled with steaming rice and curry inside your mouth and you chewed it slowly.

"Tanjiro, you know you don't have to say chu chuu everytime you feed me"You pouted as he laughed and ruffled you hair in a caring manner and you ate more of the curry.

* * * * * *

Another day passed by and the morning had reached quicker than expected, Tanjiro as you've guessed had never left your side, he even read you a book every night as you doozed off.

"Good morning Y/n, It's time for your bandage change, Tanjiro would you like to stay?"The nurse asked as he nodded in response, both of you had been chatting before the nurse had come in. The syringe needle then came in sight taunting you as your eyes widened in horror,

"Not again"You whined, squirming in your bed as she smiled in pity,knowing this was your worse part of the day.

"It will be okay Y/n,I'm here"Tanjiro said as you took a deep breath and as much as you wanted to jump out of the bed you took his hand in yours and squeezed it tight instead.

"Ow.."You yelped startled as she injected you and few seconds later she was done, then changing your bandage and leaving.

"See that wasn't so bad"He smiled causing the tips of your lips to quirk up as well,"Yes, it really wasn't"You replied gently as you then realized both of you were still holding hands.

"Um...I-"You face increased steadily in its temperature as your cheeks reddened in a noticeable manner.

"Y/n?What's wrong?Are you coming down with a fever?"He asked, worry dipping from his wrods as he raised up your straightened h/c bangs and placed his strong forehead on yours causing you heartbeat to quicken.

"I-I-I need to rest! Yeah, thats what I need!"You blabbered in a flustered manner as you fell onto your bed and faced the opposite side of him so that he could see your back instead.

"Okay, I actually do have to go train now, Sleep well Y/n"Tanjiro's gentle voice rang through your ear and you bit the inside of your cheek.

"Why does he make me feel this way?.." You thought calming yourself down as you began to doze off into a serene state of rest.

* * * * *

"Y/nnnn cmon just take it!"Tanjiro whined, pleading you as you shook your head even more.

"You wont get better if you don't"He said giving you another reason to take your disgusting medications from the tray they laid on.

"Ugh fine..I hate this"You mubled as he beamed, happy yhat you armgreed and placed them on your palm accompanied by a glass of refreshing water. You shut your eyes close and quickly downed the drugs,grimacing in distate.

"Bitter..."You mumbled, smacking your tongue against your upper mouth as Tanjiro patted your head as his usual form of comfort.

* * * * *

"The Traveler then strolled into the forest and was never seen or heard from, 'again'"Tanjiro narrated the book in a scary way as he shut it close, laughing at how scared you were quivering under your bed sheet.

"Y/n dont be scared, Im here to protect you and this time without fail"He smiled as you removed the blanket from you and looked up at him.

"Thank you Tanjiro, I lo--"You stopped yourself, were you just about to say you loved him?, Do you love him?, Does he love you the same way you do? Do--

"Y/n!"Tanjiro yelled worriedly as you snapped out of your thoughts and back to reality.

"Are you alright!?"He asked as he placed both hands on your shoulder and you laughed in response, "I'm fine Tanjiro-kun, thank you for taking care of me"

"Don't thank me for doing my duty Y/n"He replied as he took your right hand into his warm ones,beaming once more as your heart thumped like it usually did when you were around him.

* * * * * *

"Slowly, one more step, yes you're doing it"Tanjiro smiled and instructed you as he helped you to walk down the hallway , your leg had actually recovered to the point where you were allowed to leave your hospital room and see your friends.

"I can't do it Tanjiro-san!"You whined with an arm slung on Tanjiro's shoulder for support.

"Yes you can Y/n, try try!"He supported you with encouraging words as you smiled and continued to walk with him. Ignoring the pain and limping to the field where Inosuke, Zenitsu and Nezuko were according to Tanjiro.

"Mina!!Guys!"You exclaimed as Nezuko who had been running away from Zenitsu paused to stare at you, you could see the edge of her brows perk up in worry as she hurried towards you and engulfed you in a hug.

"Yoshi yoshi Nezuko-chan, I missed you too"You giggled as Nezuko cuddled her head on your chest.

"I see you're ready to spar me again idiot"Inosuke smirked as the same expression found its way to your face.

"Come at me stupid"You responded as he began to run up to you but was blocked by Tanjiro.

"Leave Y/n Alone Inosuke, Fight me instead"Tanjiro said as Inosuke thought about it for a second and accepted his offer.

"Wait..."You thought as you stared at the space Tanjiro was supposed to be in next to you, only see blank lines of his body causing you to fall to the ground.

"Owie...my butt.."You mumbled, rubbing your backside as everyone gasped and ran up to you. You stared at their distraught faces and couldnt help stifling and then bursting out laughing. Everyone except nezuko joined in while she just blinked and looked around like usual.

* * * * * * *

"Can I open my eyes now?"You asked pouting as you waved your arms around to make sure you didn't hit anything since all you could see was black because Tanjiro was covering your eyes.

"Almost there"He told you as you pouted even more and continued walking,you then noticed you were in the field because of how normal the grass had felt tickling your feet.

Your eyes were uncovered and you stared at the beautiful arrangement of hung flowers,decorations and tables filled with food and snacks, it was nighttime as well and in the background of the midnight sky you could hear the whistle of fireworks as they bursted in a pure bliss of colorful sparks all around.

"HAPPY RECOVERY Y/N!!!!"Everyone including you team, friends, nurses and even the hashira's came out of their hiding spots and yelled out to you as the fireworks continued in the background.

Gentle and silent tears streamed down your cheeks as your heart ached,"Thank you guys,thank you so mu--"You were surprised to feel yourself held by the shoulders and twisted right to face someone.

"Tanjiro, w-what are you--"You were cut off by his lips pressing gently on yours as he placed his hands firmly onto your waist, with eyes wide and a thumping heart his kiss stole all thoughts that had enveloped your mind.

The crowd began to cheer loudly as your eyes fluttered close and with hot cheeks you willingly kissed him back, wrapping your eyes around his neck gently and humming in gentle pleasure.

"Yeah Tanjiro go get some!!"The Fire Hashira yelled as he was smacked in the head by Giyuu.

"Young love...so b-beautiful"The Love Hashira mumbled as she wiped the tears forming at the corner of her lids.

He then pulled away causing you to whimper at the lost of his lips as he placed his forehead on yours, "Y/n, I love you"He said, breathing heavily but still gentle enough to not be heard.

"Tanjiro, I...I love you too"You smiled genuinely, heart skipping in the background.

"Will you be mine?"He asked as he knelt on one knee, holding a rose that came out of nowhere with a hopeful smile on his face.

"I--"You then nodded, being too nervous to answer his question properly, "Oh my God guys she said Yes!!!"Tanjiro yelled to everyone as they all began to cheer and clap excitedly. He then embraced you in a warm and loving hug which you accepted. Standing on your tip toes to peck him on the lips, its a good thing your leg was fully healed.

"You and I forever Y/n"He whispered in your ear as you smiled and nodded.

"Mhm, You and I forever, Tanjiro-kun."

[featherypromises]

Seokjin wasn't going to come out of this unscathed. Featuring sickie Namjoon, a smidgen of Jungkook, and Seokjin. Caretaking with Hoseok, Yoongi, and Seokjin. Minor mess warning!

For the prequel, click the link below.

Do as I say, not as I do (2):

A good hyung

Seokjin woke up. Not in his bed; laying down, but sitting in a rolling desk chair with his upper body stretched out face-down on top of Namjoon's comforter. He must have fallen asleep after putting Joonah to bed. 

The leader of BTS was still fast asleep. His mouth hung open, allowing quiet, congested snores to escape. He was also blissfully unaware of his audience of one. 

Remembering why he had been in the room in the first place, the older man reached over to gently place the back of his hand against Namjoon's forehead. The sleeping boy was still a bit warm, but definitely not as bad as he had been last night. The oldest member sighed tiredly and stretched. His back ached from the awkward way he had slept, but as long as Joon was okay, it was worth it. 

Getting up quietly to avoid waking his dongsaeng, the taller man left the room, closing the door behind him. He could hear voices and commotion downstairs, so the others were probably up. He tried in vain to flatten and smooth his flyaway hair as he headed towards the kitchen. 

Hobi was in the kitchen, preparing vegetables and chattering away at Yoongi, who, in his hyung's absence had started breakfast… Or lunch? Was it really 11:30 already? 

The maknae line was in a row on the sofa, looking like living representations of "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" and they were oblivious to how cute it looked. Tae was holding the sides of his head, being aegyo. He had just trounced Jimin thoroughly in a video game and the defeated Jimin was covering his eyes in utter disbelief at the upset of his victory. Poor Kookie, looking only half-awake, held a tissue over his nose and mouth with both hands, blowing his much abused nose softly. Seokjin watched them, entertained, as the younger members teased each other and squabbled amongst themselves.

The oldest rapper turned to place the cooking pot into the sink and saw his hyung and what he was looking at. Immediately, Yoongi poked Hoseok and jerked his thumb towards the young vocalists. They shared a smile before turning to Seokjin. 

"Morning Hyung!" Said Hobi brightly.

"Barely…" Yoongi added, "Where's Joonah?"

"Sick…" admitted the older man with a sigh, "I think he caught it from Kookie, but… well, you know Namjoonah never does anything halfway."

Yoongi muttered a curse, 

"Aiisssh, that kid! Seriously…If he would just slow down for a minute…" Hoseok quieted his friend by placing a kindly hand on his arm and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Is he doing okay? How can we help? 

Seokjin smiled at the dance leader and shook his head, 

"I gotta handle this one, Hobiyah. It's not bad enough for him to go to the hospital, but he had a fever last night and this morning. I stayed with him overnight to make sure he would be alright." The oldest member rubbed his sore neck and looked at the counter in front of him rather than meet the eyes of either of the younger men. 

Hobi sucked in a breath through his teeth, making a disapproving cluck,

"Hyung! I could have stayed with him, or Yoongi,... You realize you are probably going to get it too now right?" 

Min Yoongi put two and two together in his head and swore again,

"Damnit Hyung! You are just as bad as Joonie! You catch everything these punks bring in here!" He pointed at the three youngest on the couch, drawing their attention. He continued,

"How long did you lecture Namjoon on his health yesterday, or today? I know you did! Don't shake your head at me hyung. You should apply some of your "wisdom" to your own life! Any of us, except maybe Jimin, (the exception to this statement objected with a loud "Yaaah!" and was ignored) would have had a better chance of not catching this than you. It's a miracle that you didn't catch it from Jungkookie!" Yoongi glared at the taller man, who glanced up when the rapper paused for breath.

"I know. It was dumb, but I couldn't just stand by and watch. He hid how sick he was until I found him out and demanded that he take today off. I know I'm going to get it, if I don't have it already, Yoongiyah. But Joon wasn't going to rest or tell anyone, because he felt that would be wrong for a leader to do that when we were all working so hard." Seokjin could feel the youngest three members' eyes on him and he turned towards them,

" You three need to stay away from Namjoon's room for at least a few days. This bug is a lot worse than what Kookie had..." Jungkook blew his nose again, and Seokjin corrected himself, "well, has… This isn't personal, it's being sure that we all don't end up getting sick. Okay?" The young trio nodded, and Seokjin continued, "I'll be with Joon until his fever's gone, but after that, if I start feeling even a little bit sick, I will be in my room, so steer clear until I let you know it's okay to go in again." 

He got more nods, and "Yes, Hyung"s from the maknaes. The eldest member turned back to Hoseok and Yoongi, who was still glowering at him.

"I'm going to need a few things: tissues, cough sweets, cold medicine that fix congestion and coughing, and some of the juices from the refrigerator. Food will be harder to figure out… Yoongiyah, Can you take the soup I froze last week out? Joon can eat that for a while. If I only come to the kitchen to heat up the food and we sanitize well, we should be able to reduce the chances that anyone else gets this."

Hobi began collecting the requested items as he spoke, leaving his hyungs to sort out the rest. Min Yoongi put his pointer finger up in a warning gesture,

"Hyung, you are going to tell me when you start to feel even a little off… I will bring food to you and to Joon. We really can't afford to have another member get sick or the recording next week is going to be delayed." Seokjin nodded reluctantly. He hated being fussed over, but the rapper was right. 

"I will." The oldest hyung gathered up the supplies and returned to Namjoon's bedroom. The door creaked a bit as he opened it, announcing his reentry. Namjoon groaned as he turned over and opened his eyes slowly. Putting the care items down on the desk, the older boy went over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Hey Jooniyah, how are you feeling?" 

The younger man looked up at his hyung blearily,

"Dot good, Hyug. I'b so stuffed ub, I cadt breathe." Seokjin cringed as the younger man coughed harshly into his hands. His body shook with the effort and the struggle to stop the coughs seemed to drain the little energy the rapper had. 

"Let's get some medicine in you, Joonah." The older man helped him sit up against the pillows and measured out the red, gloppy medicine. Handing the tiny cup to Namjoon, Seokjin opened a berry-flavored juice and set it beside the sick man on his nightstand. The leader swallowed the stuff with a grimace and immediately chased it with a big gulp of juice. He licked his lips reflexively and winced. They were so badly chapped that the bottom lip was bleeding slightly. 

"Are the others okay?" asked the not-so-off-duty leader,  as he pulled a tube of lip balm out from under the pile of books on his nightstand and applied it generously.

"Worried about you, but fine otherwise." The older man replied honestly. Namjoon dropped his gaze to his lap and his fingers began toying with the bottle lid. Seokjin sighed,

" They would have found out sooner or later… besides they have to let the managers know that you are not well enough for the photoshoot tomorrow."

That made the leader look up sharply. When he started to protest, Seokjin held up his hand,

"Even if you feel 100% better tomorrow, you might still pass this on to the others. Nobody wants that, Jooniyah." 

The rapline's maknae looked like he still had objections for a moment, but his body had other ideas.

"Hh...Hiih-Hxxgt! Hhxxntch! Hiiphissh! Hektshuh!! Hhh...huhhh…ugh."

As the sneezes ripped their way out of the younger man's nose and throat, he struggled to squash them into his elbow as Seokjin watched helplessly. The oldest member grabbed the tissue box, pulled out a few and handed them to his Dongsaeng. Namjoon hitched for a moment more before groaning in frustration, as the last sneeze eluded him. He took the tissues and blew his nose cautiously, not wanting to trigger another fit. The sound made Seokjin's hair stand on end and he shuddered. It sounded similar to someone popping small bubbles on bubble wrap as the viscous liquid was forced out little by little.

"Poor Joonie… I'm sorry you are feeling so bad." The older man smoothed Namjoon's hair away from his forehead, checking for a fever. The findings gave Seokjin a little comfort. Joon might still be under the weather, but the fever was gone. The vocalist cleared his throat, as he quickly removed his hand, trying to regain his composure and hide his relief. This small action had an unexpected consequence, however. The ailing rapper looked at his hyung with confusion, which quickly evolved into anxious concern, then a guilt-induced panic:

"Hyug, you're dnot… Oh no, did I ged you sig?!? Shit! I'b so stupid! How could I have let you do all those things for be yesterday?!? I shouldn't have let you dnear be! And you were here all last dnight too? I'b so sorry, hyug!" 

Seokjin's utter shock at this sudden reaction, shaped his mouth into a small dumbfounded "o". Recovering himself, he tried to calm the unwell man, who was still berating himself with a thoroughness that showed that this was not the first time that he had thought these insults at himself. 

"Joonah! JOON! STOP! Just stop it now! You are not stupid at all! Never say anything like that again! If I get this cold, so what? I've had colds before. It's my job to look after myself, and if I don't, then the consequences are my fault. Mine. Not yours." Seokjin drew the anxiously trembling man to him, embracing him tightly, " I took my vitamins and got plenty of sleep, so that should give me a fighting chance. Yoongi said it was weird that I hadn't already caught this from Jungkook, maybe I'm building up some resistance." 

The older man felt the other man's congested breathing calm as he held him. Seokjin released the slightly smaller man slowly, guiding him back to lean against the pillows again. 

"You don't have to worry about anything except feeling better, okay?" The vocalist ruffled Namjoon's hair gently. The younger man nodded slowly, then blushed as his stomach grumbled its impatience for food loudly. Seokjin laughed,

"Sounds like you're hungry! I'll check with Yoongi and see if lunch is ready." A few text messages and minutes later, Min Yoongi entered carrying two bowls of chicken and vegetable soup.

"Seokjin-hyung said you weren't feeling well, so your hyungs thought soup would help you get better faster. Hoseokie will come check on you later." Yoongi held out one bowl to the younger rapper and gave the other to Seokjin. The normally taciturn man seemed to struggle for a moment before saying, 

"You worried us, Joonah… Next time you aren't 100%, just tell us. We won't think badly of you for something you can't control." 

Namjoon responded with a sheepish smile,

"I will, Yoongi-hyung… sorry."

Min Yoongi brushed the apology away with a flap of his hand,

"Quit with your sorries and eat before it gets cold." Namjoon obeyed and ate with obvious enjoyment. Seokjin would have been content just to watch the younger man eat. He was happiest when he could cook good food for the other members, but at the moment he had more pressing issues. An alarm bell was going off in his head, signaling him to do something about a tickle that was growing in the back of his nose. He fought for control as his nose twitched and scrunched with irritation. He had only a few seconds to act. He stood abruptly,

 "HH- I'm going to use the-hhh bathroom. I-I'll be back." He left quickly, his breath already hitching. He dashed down the hall, out of earshot and sneezed desperately,

"Heh-hephBrrrsshuh! Ahh-Brreshooo!" The sneezes bent him at the waist, forcing him to try to catch them in his cupped hands. His eyes stung as his sinuses burned and his nose wasn't through with him yet, "Hhh-H'Ressshuh! Ah-GRSShooo! BRESSHUH!" 

Seokjin's hands were covered in a mess of liquid and his face twisted in disgust. He sniffled fruitlessly and turned into the bathroom, leaning his back against the door until it closed behind him. He used his elbows to turn on the faucet and scrubbed his hands until they were bright pink. He sniffled again, trying to prevent the fluid from running over his upper lip. 

The cold had finally caught up with him as Hoseok and Yoongi had said it would. He wasn't congested like Joonie was yet, but Seokjin knew it was only a matter of hours. He was just glad he had been able to leave before Yoongi, or worse, Namjoon had seen or heard that fit. The normally quiet Yoongi would have dragged his hyung by his ear back to the vocalist's bedroom and superglued the taller man to his bed. A small smile played across Seokjin's face at the mental image that accompanied that thought. But that picture was quickly warped until he could only see Joonah's panic-stricken face and hear the younger man verbally beating himself to a pulp over Seokjin getting sick. With a herculean effort, the oldest member pushed the gut-wrenching nightmare image away and splashed water onto his face to help clear his head. He would have to keep this development from Joon. If he didn't, the younger man would just make himself sicker worrying about things that he couldn't fix or change.

The vocalist dried his face and hands before grabbing some tissues and blowing his nose. The man knew how pointless blowing his nose was at this point. It was like kicking at a wave rolling onto the shore: you couldn't stop it, but trying made him feel like he wasn't giving in to the illness yet. He shoved extra tissues into his pocket, just in case.

Steeling himself, he returned to the youngest rapper's bedroom. Yoongi gave him a suspicious look as he entered, but said nothing. Instead the younger man put his pointer finger close to his lips in a pantomime of "Shush". Seokjin relaxed as he saw that their leader was asleep again, his bedspread lovingly tucked in around him and a box of tissues within easy reach. 

Silently the older men collected the bowls, flatware, and empty bottle of juice and left the room like shadows, closing the door behind them. They moved down the hall towards the stairs, when Seokjin felt a tap on his shoulder from behind. When he turned to see what the rapper needed, the older man was instantly subjected to a long, deft finger poking him in the nose. Seokjin stumbled back and gasped as his now sensitized nose objected, and launched him into an itchy flurry of sneezes.

"Wh-what the Hehhhl! H-Heh-Hahrresshoo! HehGrresshhoo!! Hat'shuuh! Ghessshoo! Heh-HAH-HEKT'SHOOO!!! ASH-CHOO!!!"

Unable to cover with full hands, Seokjin sneezed openly, twisting away from the younger man. At the end of the fit, the older man was a sniffling, drippy wreck. He wiped his runny nose on the forearm of his sleeve. Through teary eyes, he saw Yoongi glaring at him, arms crossed; the dishes he'd been carrying on the floor, forgotten.

Defeated, the older man made a face at the younger man before continuing down the stairs with the dishes. He put them into the sink and used a paper towel to clean himself up, as Yoongi caught up with him. The rapper deposited the remaining dishes into the sink and said,

"I could hear you from down the hall."

Seokjin went white as a sheet. Had Namjoon heard too? The shorter man shook his head, in response to the unasked question.

"Joon was too busy to hear… his nose was causing him problems too. He was so tired after that much sneezing that he almost fell asleep sitting up." 

The singer sighed in relief. He nodded and turned to head upstairs to get some rest himself. It would be a long couple of days. Passing Yoongi, he rested one large hand on the smaller man's shoulder.

"Don't tell him… Joonie would just be upset."

"Fine, but you have to promise me, Hyung, that you will text either me or Hobi if you need anything or if you start feeling really bad. Any sign of fever or…anything…" Yoongi didn't meet his hyung's eyes, but Seokjin knew that was just the rapper trying to hide his concern. Six years of friendship had given the oldest member at least that much insight into Min Yoongi's mind. He smiled at the younger man, 

"I promise, Yoongiyah." His tender moment with the younger member was interrupted by another sneeze. This time he was able to fish a tissue from his pocket to catch it. 

"Huh-HUH-HEH-GHSSSHH!" The younger man rolled his eyes at his hyung,

"Yeah-yeah, let's get you back upstairs. I'll check on Joonie once you are settled and I'll have Hoseokie check on you later."

The oldest member snuffled into the tissue and nodded, following the smaller man up the stairs and into his bedroom. Seokjin wasn't really surprised when the rapper turned down the bed coverlet and sheets or when he pulled the shades on the windows to darken the room for sleep. What surprised him was that once he had laid down, Yoongi with practiced hands began to tuck him in, in the same way he had obviously done for Namjoon, not long ago. Seokjin hadn't experienced this in years, it felt strangely comforting. 

"Sleep well, Hyung. I will bring you some medicine in a few minutes." The older man smiled at the rapper, showing a mixture of pride and gratitude, and said just loud enough for Yoongi to hear as he turned to leave,

"You are a good hyung, Yoongiyah."

"You too."

[shall-we-imagine]

Through thick and thin. (ShiroyaxReader *AU*)

Requested: 46. "Dance with me." + 48. "Why are you crying?" From this prompt list. Also it's perfectly fine don't worry about sending another it's good you clarified cuz I almost wrote for the wrong prompt list 😅

Genre: Fluff/Angst

(Third person point of view)

Fingers curled in a delicate fist, the princess knocks on the glass window. She secretly sent a wish to the god above that her boyfriend wouldn't ignore her for some sleep or worse- knock her off the ladder while overenthusiastically opening the window.

After a few seconds of no response, she brings her soft knuckles to the cold, glass barrier once more. "Come on, Shiroya." She mutters under her breath.

The sound of shuffling, followed by a loud thud brings a grin to her face. Due to it being dark in his room, she couldn't see what was going on inside, but the scene including her goofy lover falling off the bed wasn't foreign to her at all. She could see it all in her head.

A few moments of silence follow, making the brunette fear he merely decided to finish his beauty sleep on the floor, but just as she considered knocking again, the window flings open.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing her boyfriend flung.

In a rush to avoid the baseball bat, (Y/N) ducks, immediately losing her footing on the ladder. A squeal escapes her lips before she regains composure along with the help of the reason she almost fell in the first place. Shiroya had managed to catch her arm, adding more balance for her to stand straight.

"Thanks a lot for that, ninja-san." She mockingly tilts her head forward; she would've given a full 90 degree bow if she weren't trying not to fall and break her neck.

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Shiroya laughs, helping her inside his dark room through the window.

"Yes, I'm the one that almost knocked myself off the ladder with a baseball bat." She nods. Amusement and disbelief glimmer in his eyes; not wanting to give in to her tactics, he looks away, hiding his grin.

"I meant I wasn't expecting you today; shouldn't you be preparing for the ball or something?" Tension spreads like fire; she'd almost forgotten the reason of her surprise visit.

The princess laughs nervously, "Yeah, about that.."

"Yeah?" Shiroya may be the biggest dork you could meet, but he wasn't stupid. He immediately caught on to the fact that something is wrong.

She blinks away the tears beginning to well in her eyes, "You know, it's actually not that important; I'll tell you later. There are other things we need to do now." She gives him a mischievous smirk.

It's clear the boy remained sceptical, but he didn't find it necessary to press the matter if she doesn't want to talk about it now, so he gives in with a matching smirk. "What things?" He wiggles an eyebrow at her.

"Nothing dirty, you pervert." (Y/N) pokes a finger at his chest. "Come on; change into something presentable and follow me." She begins exiting the window the same way she came in.

"But there's a perfectly good bed here- and you're already out, okay." He stops protesting with a sigh and follows his girlfriend down the ladder after changing out of his pyjamas.

"Where to, m'lady?" Shiroya bows down, a teasing grin plastered across his face.

"You're such an idiot." The princess shakes her head in content disbelief. "To an adventure of a lifetime!" She dramatically throws her fist into the air, earning laughter from her companion.

"Off we go then!" He links his arm with hers.

▪︎▪︎▪︎

"You sure this is a good idea?" He takes his eyes off of the convenience store to stare at his girlfriend in uncertainty.

"It'll be fine, Shiroya; don't be a pussy." She smirks and marches past him and into the store.

The main reason she'd picked this specific store was because of how old it is- same goes for its owner. In fact the owner is so old, she doubts he even knows how to use a cellphone. The only step he'd taken towards keeping his store safe was the giant security mirror hanging at one corner of the store.

She struts towards the owner confidently, pretending to browse items along the way. She doesn't react when she hears her boyfriend enter the store and walk to a different, more hidden aisle of the store, but a few seconds after it, she proceeds to walk to the cashier and smile at the grumpy man behind it.

"Could you help me out with something?" She begins directing the man's attention to herself and not the giant mirror, for example. She just hoped her boyfriend wouldn't do something dumb and get them both arrested; it wouldn't do her any good if her face was all over the news for stealing. Her father would never let her hear the end of it.

After multiple hopefully subtle glances behind her, she could finally see Shiroya was done. "Hey, I'm sorry, but where did you say the m&m's were again? Could you show me?"

Frustrated by the amount of unnecessary conversation the girl whose real identity he'd never guess was making, the owner sighs but complies anyway, probably in hopes to get rid of her as soon as he could.

She follows the old man to a different aisle, queuing Shiroya's exit. The sneakiest of all, Shiroya, had stuffed some items into his shirt and took off running outside the store. The princess silently prayed for the street to be as empty as it was before they went inside, because if not, they'd be in huge trouble to say the least.

"Just who takes off running after sneakily stealing something from a store?" The princess laughs before placing a gummy bear into her mouth.

"I panicked, okay?" Her boyfriend blushes.

"It's good no one saw you, and we made it here safely." She sprawls onto the grass, taking in the beautifully dotted sky.

"Yeah." Shiroya follows.

A few moments of silence pursue; it was normal to Shiroya by now, since he and the princess had gained a habit of lying down to gaze at the sky, but he knew something wasn't right the second he heard her take in a sharp breath.

His head jerks to the side, panic taking control of him quicker than he'd like. "What's wrong?! Why are you crying?"

She sits up; giving no answers, she continues to sob into her palms. Shiroya could do nothing but hold her close to him, rubbing his hand up and down her back soothingly in hopes she'd calm down.

"It's okay. We can fix it; whatever it is, we can fix it together, remember?" He assures gently.

The princess's sobs merely get more violent, but her shaky hands find their way to the front of her boyfriend's shirt. She clutches onto the fabric tightly, sincerely scared of letting him go.

She takes a few deep breaths to steady herself, but it all fails her when she tries to speak, "They want-"

Her sobs fill the air. Shiroya's panic could only increase by now; he didn't know what could possibly do this to his girlfriend, who's always glimmering with joy and mischief, but he knew if it would break her like that, it wasn't gonna do any less to him.

The princess began to mumble; most of her speech sounded like gibberish to Shiroya, but a few comprehensible words already gave away the reasond of her misery. Marriage. I don't want to. I love you.

Shiroya visibly trembled at the thought of having to give up the princess for a royal wedding, but he couldn't let her down; he couldn't be discouraged so easily. He fights the urge to break down in tears and curse the universe out for his own misfortune. Instead, he puts his every bit of energy left in him to keep a positive and comforting attitude. His voice audibly shaky, Shiroya hugs the princess tighter and speaks up, trying to keep the quivering of his lips to a minimum. "We'll figure it out. We'll figure it out like we always do. It's okay." To him, it felt like he was assuring himself more than anyone, and perhaps he was, but he couldn't afford to break down- not now, not here.

And for a while, they silently held each other, wishing the world would go away along with their problems, leaving nothing but their happiness and love to prosper.

"We'll figure it out." She finally looks her lover in the eye. "We always do." She nods.

"Yeah." He gives a weak smile.

The princess tears herself away from Shiroya's embrace. She gets up and smiles at him, extending her arm towards him. "Dance with me."

It takes him a few moments to recover and react; he was used to his girlfriend's spontaneous behaviour, but he hadn't expected anything at this very moment.

But, surely, he takes her hand and gets up. "No music?" He teases.

"I am the music, Shiroya." She beams, placing a hand on his shoulder while the other tangles itself with one of his hands.

Shiroya's free hand reaches her waist, gently pulling her closer to him. And soon enough, her soft voice pleasantly captures his heart for the billionth time. Their bodies sway gently to the melody she effortlessly brought upon them, hypnotizing him into only focusing on her in that moment and nothing else. No problems, no pain, just the beautiful woman he'd somehow won over.

He eventually joined her singing, and even though his voice couldn't compare to hers, he could see the happiness she felt in his actions, and that was enough to keep him satisfied. It was the only thing he could hope for, to always see that happiness dancing in her eyes.

[estrxlar]

The Ghost Of You

19 - Clean Canvas

This chapters songs:

Here She Comes; Slowdive

Dog Cuddles; Dad Sports

Dream Girl; Crisaunt

- Y. L. Perspective

I tapped my chin with the pen, frustrated that you weren't able to come up with anything. "Ah! Koshi, that hurt!" I yell at him as he softens his hands upon my shoulders. He was giving me a gentle back massage while I tried writing my first lyrics, but I was struggling to find the right words to say.

"Sorry!" He then stops squeezing my shoulders, letting his hands slide down my torso, and pull me into a hug from behind. His head nuzzled into my neck as he spoke. "What is the song about?"

I shrug. "I don't even know yet. Maybe I should just write about how much of an untalented and wasteful girl I am!" I scoff, rolling my eyes back. Now, out of all moments, my feelings decide to disappear.

Both Koshi and I say criss-cross on his bed with one single lamp on in his room. His room was not at all what I was expecting. I'd perceived it to be much messier in my head, the way an average teenage boys' room would be. But no! It was spotless and quite basic. Still, I felt very comfortable in his arms as I attempted to write down some ideas. Feeling his heartbeat on my back was enough to make me feel at home.

"Why don't you write about us, Y/n?" He asks me as he pulls me back and forth in a sway motion. The suggestion had already popped into my mind before. But if I could write about it, what would I say? How I'm in love with someone who won't tie the knot between us?

'What am I doing at his house if he's not even my boyfriend? I've got to gain some self-respect.'

Perhaps bringing it up wouldn't be as bad as I thought. So, I pull myself away from his arms and sit in front of him, fully staring at his confused face.

"What is it?" His fair voice questions, one of his fingers attempting to fiddle with my oversized t-shirt.

There was so much to say. Why arent you my boyfriend yet? Why won't you tell me what's on your mind for once? Aren't you excited about the training camp? But I decide to pick the first question. "Koshi, what's there to write about? I...I know that we both like each other very much, but what does it matter if you won't call me your girlfriend?" I look down at the grey shorts I wore, afraid that he would be disappointed in me for wanting more from him.

"I didn't know you felt that way. I guess...I guess I just wanted you to feel comfortable around me, not forced to be with me," Koshi mutters under his breath, ashamed he underestimated my love for him.

"Well of course I want to be with you!" I exclaim, leaning my head onto his chest. It worries me that he felt insecure about his love. It wasn't as if he could be giving me too much affection. So why didn't he trust that I loved him?

I sigh while he rubs my back in a circular motion, wishing he would tell me things that bothered him like this. "So you wouldn't mind being my girlfriend, Y/n?" The man's words are clear to me when he said them, not lagged like all the other times.

I nod my head. "Of course not."

"Hm, okay. Then for our first memory of being a couple, I wanna hold you," Koshi says, laying us both down onto his mattress. He leans over me, stretching to grab one of the blankets on his shelf, and unfolding it over us.

"But it's so cold. Why don't we just go under your comforter?" I ask him, pulling slightly at the corner of the thick bed sheet. But he denies my request and pulls my wrist back.

He says, "Uh-Uh-Uh! I prefer it to be cold. When we go to your house, we can use the comforter. If you're that cold then you're gonna have to hug me tighter."

I'm surprised at how stubborn Koshi was being with me but glad he was becoming more comfortable with sharing his opinion. He treated me like a princess most of the time instead of asking for what he really wants. Even if it was just the matter of a blanket.

"Do you wanna help me try and think of something to write about?" I ask him in the most delicate voice.

"What's something that saddens you, Y/n? Something that you're worried will cause you despair towards the future?" Koshi asks me. I genuinely hadn't thought about it yet. "Love is more than just feelings. I think it comes with a lot of pain. Has there ever been any pain that you've encountered during being in love?"

"Not really." My words couldn't be more honest. With Toruku, I felt sick that I had a crush on my best friend's boyfriend. And when she passed, those feelings for him weren't nearly as strong as the ones I felt about her death. As for Koshi, I've only been scared of the pain. But I hadn't endured it yet. At least that was what I thought. Truth is that every lasting second I spent with him could only cause me more and more pain in the future. "Maybe when I find what to write about, I shouldn't tell you. I should let you figure it out when I'm done with it."

"Planning something behind my back?! How evil of you." Koshi jokes, leaning on one of his elbows to hold himself up as he looked at me. With the pale moonlight shining down on him and the lamp lighting the room up slightly, he looked more beautiful than ever. I was glad that I was the one to be able I witness such an ethereal moment with him. Especially since he held me in a special place. I was his first love, after all. That's more important than any relationship he could have had with previous girls.

Attempting to obtain reassurance, I grow curious and begin to play with my new boyfriend, asking small questions. "So...what does it feel like to have sex with a girl, Kou? I've never done that before... do they smell nice? Are they soft?" It was obvious that I'd caught him off guard, for he stuttered and looked at me strangely. "I promise I won't get jealous if you tell me. I only want to know what it's like. It may help me with writing if you tell me about passionate moments like that."

Given that I'd never done anything that was borderline sexual with anyone else, I was curious about how it felt. Both physically and mentally.

"Uhm—stressful. And I haven't done it as much as you might think, so I haven't ever enjoyed it." It comes to me as a shock that he didn't have a slightly good experience that he could tell me about.

"Wh-really?! But...I thought all guys liked it! You're saying it didn't even feel good?" I waft my hand into the cold air, confused.

"No, silly. Of course it felt good, but it wasn't as passionate as you think. I wasn't ever in love with any of those girls, so it only made me feel worse. Sex isn't good for those who aren't ready for it," he explains to me.

I nod, understanding a bit more of what he meant. "Does that mean you weren't ready?"

"Mhm. I wasn't," he says. Deciding to switch up the question, he asks me, "So, what is it like to have sex with a guy? I bet they aren't very good-smelling, are they?"

I blink a few times. "Uhm, I dunno," I say, growing shy at the question. "I haven't ever...you know...had sex."

Too scared to look at Koshi, I stuff my head into a pillow and sigh obnoxiously. Though I knew he wouldn't make that much of a big deal out of it, I didn't want him thinking I was a prude. A lot of people that knew I was a virgin made fun of me for it. Truth was, I'd never found someone worthy of taking my virginity. Many told me that it was horrible for your mental health, especially for younger people like me. Not to mention how scared I was that whoever took my virginity would be rough with me and it would hurt like hell.

"Hey, hey...don't get all embarrassed on me. A lot of people haven't. That's nothing to be ashamed about. Being a virgin doesn't make you any less of a woman. If it were up to me, I'd go back and stay a virgin until the right time," Koshi states. His attempts to cheer me up were sweet, but not working all that much.

"What do you think, Kou? Do you like me better that way? You know, as a virgin?" I ask him, slightly peeking up at his lost expression.

Yes, it was something very awkward to ask. But I did want to know what he preferred. Not that I would be able to change last second if he didn't like me as I was.

"Th—that isn't something I have power over, so I don't think about it. But...you could say I prefer it."

I'm happy with his answer. Still, I was curious about the reason, so I ask, "and why is that?"

"Well...um...I'm not too sure. Not to jump to any conclusions, but think it's because...if you weren't a virgin, then our first time together wouldn't be as memorable. It's sure is selfish of me to say, but I would rather you remember me as someone who shared that moment with you. That's why I wish I would have waited until I met you," Koshi began to grow flustered towards the end of his explanation.

"And if you wanna put it into a metaphor then you could say that being a virgin is like being a blank canvas. You can only hope that someone will make something lovely of you by the time they're finished."

I haven't ever heard someone describe being a virgin in such a beautiful way. And he was right— the first time is always something you remember. That is if it's enjoyable for you. I could only hope that I would lose my virginity to someone as gentle as him.

"Then when the time comes, could you please be that person, Koshi?" I spoke, laying a hand on his chest. My nervous nature was far too obvious for me to hide. But thankfully, Koshi didn't mind it. He knew asking something like that took courage. Such profound questions weren't something to joke about.

My heart race died down when I hear him tell me, "Of course, love."

Koshi quickly gets up to turn off the lamp and I make myself more comfortable under the thin blankets and many pillows he had on his bed. When he comes back, he wraps his arms around my waist and holds me close near him.

It was no wonder that he didn't like to talk about his previous experiences with girls. He hadn't enjoyed them. But I was sure of it: and day, I'll make it up to Koshi.

"Goodnight, love. Maybe tomorrow you'll come up with something to write about, hm?"

"Yeah, goodnight." With one last kiss on the cheek, Koshi and I doze off to sleep.

-

Hey everyone!! Just so you know, I have a special playlist on my Spotify that I made just for this fanfiction. I always add the songs that I include in the chapters, so please go check that out in case you'd like to listen while reading!!

I love you always!! Thank you for reading I do appreciate it <3 make sure to take care of yourself

AND PLS VOTE >:(

- estrxlar

[ladyoftheshrimp]

[birthday fic anon] Sure, it was really just a suggestion :) Though one thing I'm thinking is, no one actually forgot or ignored his birthday, did they? Newt left early, but he didn't seem to forget? And the aurors sort of thought they were respecting Graves's wishes, though I see your point there about how that's a tough one. You'd think they shouldn't forget when Graves was missing. But yes, I'm just rambling, so if writing more doesn't work for you, that's a pity, but of course your choice.

Sorry it’s taken this long but…here you go anon!

Find it on AO3 as Chapter 2 of A Birthday Is Just Another Day

Part 2 (the fix-it)

So Newt hadn’t forgotten his birthday. Percival felt bitterrelief at that and he couldn’t find it in himself to see his selfishness as repugnant.He took in the candles, the cake and the little box Newt had run his fingersover. After everything that day Percival had thought he had no more tears yetthey once again welled up. Newt wrapped him in a warm embrace, burying his nosein his hair and held him.

“I heard you had a horrid day.” Newt rumbled. It only madethe sobs come harder, now that there was another human to share his misery withthe feelings all came back in a fresh wash of pain. “I’m sorry I was out thismorning. I did pop back at lunch of the hopes you were home but you were stillat the office. So I left you the note and sandwiches in case we didn’t crosspaths when I went to MACUSA to get you.”

Percival’s fingers gripped tightly at the back of his shirt.He didn’t want to think of today, he didn’t need the painful reminders. In thatmoment all he wanted was to be held and loved. A reassurance that he stillmattered outside of his job, outside of his capabilities. That he was stillwanted even when he wasn’t useful or had something someone else desired. Hefelt Newt move them, slowly bringing them round then he was being gently pulleddown. Percival lost a bit of time in the warm dark comfort of Newt’s shoulders,the man warm and steady against him, a firm constant against the turmoil thatthreatened to pull him apart. Not once did Newt shift uneasily though Percivalmust have been a heavy weight in his lap and his legs must have been goingnumb. Instead he was wrapped in arms, a hand rested on the back of his neck ina grounding pressure. It felt safe and for the first time that day it didn’tfeel like Percival was struggling to hold himself together all alone.

Eventually he raised his head, the candles were burninglower in their holders and the candles on the cake had been frozen mid flickerunder a stasis charm. His eye found Newt’s who smiled at him warmly. Almost onautopilot Graves gravitated towards him, lips seeking further comfort from softkisses. They pulled apart when Newt chuckled, having to break the kiss. Hescratched at his forehead where the flower crown still sat askew Percival’shead had tickled him. Gently, Newt reached around him and grabbed the smallvelvet box on the plate. They stared at each other before Newt broke thesilence.

“I’m not sure if now is appropriate to ask all of a sudden.But the surprise has been ruined either way.” He glanced down at the box he wasfiddling with. Percival lay a hand on his, stilling them.

“I’m not sure if I want to remember today in all the yearsto come.” He sounded sad and weary but Newt nodded and slipped the box out ofsight into a pocket.

“Perhaps you’d like to have dinner with me still? I cookedyour favourite while you were down in the case.” It was a hopeful question andPercival could only kiss him once more before getting to his feet and takingthe other chair by the table. Newt flicked his wand, inconspicuously rubbingfeeling back into his legs where he sat. The food started to float towards themwhen something twigged for Percival.

“Wait. You said you went to MACUSA?”

Newt hummed in response but made no attempt to elaborate.

“What-. What did you do there?” Percival asked cautiously.

“I went to find you. See, I knew about having the afternoonoff and got a bit worried when you didn’t come home for lunch. Except when Igot there you’d already left.”

“Oh.” Percival didn’t know what to say to that. He lookedback down at his half empty plate and felt his appetite waver.

“Tina explained everything though.” Newt’s voice turned coolat the memory, he could almost feel Percival’s pain.

“So you know.” He was almost ashamed of it. Percival feltexposed all of a sudden, the shame of his subordinates not forgetting hisbirthday but rather forgetting that last year it wasn’t him they tried tocelebrate with. He still couldn’t decide which was worse. Quietly he placed hisknife and fork down and reached for his glass to disguise freshly wobbling lipswith a sip.

“I do.” Came the soft reply. “So I gave them a crash coursein common human decency.”

Percival almost choked on his drink.

“You what?”

“I gave them a crash course in common human decency.” Newtrepeated more slowly as though speaking to a child.

“How? What even is that? How did they take it?”

“You don’t want to know.” Newt grinned slyly at him. “Noweat up, we still have your cake after this.”

The cake was indeed wonderful and when they slid into bedthat evening Percival held protectively by Newt, he thought that perhaps theevening of his birthday wasn’t quite as awful as the day had started out to be.

Next day he walked into work and tried to ignore the glanceshe was getting. His aurors flashed him remorseful looks but said nothing. Alltheir files and reports were on time, precise and he didn’t have to send any ofthem back to be rewritten. It was a miracle in itself. He cut off Goldstein’smumbled apologies with a curt interruption and told her to get back to work. Itseemed to do the trick. Over the course of the week things slowly settled down,reports became their usual sloppy quality and the sad glances and whispersstopped. Things returned to relative normal after that and Percival was quietlygrateful for it.

Months slipped by, Newt came and went on his travels butspent most of his time with Percival when he had a few weeks at a time to be inone place. It was their usual rhythm of unpredictability which was a softcomfort to the both. Newt was off on another wild adventure chasing rumours ofa new breed of dragon. In the morning Percival got up, made himself a cup ofcoffee and lamented the fact that the past week had been so quiet and peacefulat home. There were no occamies to unwind from around the lights, no nifflerpawing at the door of the trinkets cupboard. He even missed the roar of thenundu he could hear every morning when Newt went down for his morning rounds.It was quiet, it was calm and he’d never realised how bored he could be withoutthe chaos of Newt and his creatures.

There was no incentive for Percival to linger in his homethose mornings. So as soon as he was ready he left for work. Most days he wasthe first one to arrive and sometimes last to leave. At least it didn’t leaveroom for anyone to question his dedication to his job. That morning he strolledinto the building. He enjoyed work but not to the point he’d rush in to getstarted on his paperwork. The memo-mice would wait patiently for him no matter whenhe got there.

The elevator ride up with Red was quiet and uneventful evenif the elf gave him a more sour look than usual. The halls were quiet as hewalked towards his department. He paused outside the door as he hears lowmutterings. It was unusual and for a second he thought he’d heard Newt’s voicefrom within. Percival dismissed it as wishful thinking and his imaginationrunning wild and pushed the door open.

Confetti fell around him in a blustery storm of soft paper. Abanner hung from the ceiling – it read “Happy 10th Anniversary” andeveryone from the department was crowded under it with wide, hopeful smiles.Percival’s eyes darted to the calendar but nobody’s birthday was written in andhe couldn’t think of who in the department had been married for 10 years.

“Oh dear.” He said. “I think I ruined the surprise forsomeone else. Shall we get the confetti back in?” His wand was already in hispalm, spell on the top of his tongue when Goldstein stepped up to him.

“Happy anniversary, boss.” She smiled at him and pressed asmall, carefully wrapped present into his hands. Slowly, one by one, all theother aurors came up to him, some bearing a gift while others just patted himon the back and handed him an envelope. Percival was bewildered. By the timeSeraphina approached him with a bottle of the finest firewhiskey he knew moneycould buy he was floundering, speechless and so so lost.

“10 years as director, that’s quite a record Percival. Wasbeing the youngest DMLE not enough?” she teased him gently.

“It’s been that long?” he muttered in surprise.

“And longer with you as not only my right hand man but oneof my most trusted friends. Happy anniversary.” The bottle was placed on thedesk next to him and he was given a quick peck on the cheek. “I have to get towork now, but pop by one evening when you’ve got the time. Your company is alwayswelcome.”

She left and behind her stood a widely smiling Newt. He wasmore tanned than before he’d left and looked a little more wild than usual. Notcaring who was watching Percival strode towards him and swept him up in a hug.Newt laughed delightedly and enveloped Percival in his arms.

“I didn’t realise you’d be back so soon.” Percival laughedbreathlessly as he held Newt by his shoulders an arm’s length away to get agood look at him.

“Surprise.” Newt grinned back. The aurors had quietlygathered around them. For trained professionals they were suddenly doing anawful job of disguising their loitering interest. Before Percival could grumbleat them to get back to work Newt stepped away and flicked his wand. A cakedrifted in from the kitchen area, 10 candles alight on it. It took a lot ofwill power for Percival to keep his emotions in check but he was left with nodoubt that despite his best efforts his face flickered through a series ofemotions. The cake came to a gentle floating stop in front of him.

“Make a wish.” Newt encouraged him. Percival only took amoment to think before he closed his eyes and blew. There was a slight pop anda flash of green light which had him blinking in surprise. Where the candleshad been, the cake now had a small velvet box floating just over the middle ofit. As he watched it slowly swung open to reveal a simple golden band. Helooked up at Newt whose smile was filled with hope.

“Marry me?” he asked. Percival grinned.

“Always.” He said and Newt was launching himself at thedirector. The cake forgotten almost fell to the ground, the spell Newt had caston it to float forgotten in his haste to get close to Percival. It was onlyGoldstein’s quick thinking which prevented such a disaster. The aurors aroundthem cheered and once they surfaced from their kiss, rings fresh on fingersthey were congratulated. After a breakfast of cake and absolutely no work heand Newt were ushered back out the door with well wishes and wolf whistles.

While it didn’t erase the memories of his disastrousbirthday out, it certainly helped ease the old hurt which he’d managed to allbut forget about. However, for the first time since then he was genuinely happyto that particular group of people working for and with him.