#just so you know why i opted out of small offerings until i'm back at the flat and why the lighting sucks so bad for the Tinys as well

[a-s-levynn]

.

This mess is the absolute abysmal of a setup i have right now so yeah, we gonna need to stick to Tiny Token during the holidays but even with that i need to ask you to be lenient.. I cannot even begin how much i had to overexpose this picture for stuff to be visible on it. Whyyyy is this room so dark ?! 😭

Yes that usb light is the only substitute i found here for a desklamp. It hardly gives off any light, but it's there as moral support i guess.

[qlossytbh]

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGeuQ8EA6/

I am obsessed with this edit!

Can you do a spencer reid x bau reader where she is very closed off emotionaly so he doesnt know if she likes him back or not until she does the little "tuck her hair behind her ears thing"?

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤 - 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐝 𝐱 𝐛𝐚𝐮!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 you were someone spencer found very hard to read. that is until the day of your birthday, where you accidentally do the infamous double tuck

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 PURE FLUFF, my beloved awkward spence <3

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 2.5k

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 this is so sickeningly sweet. my heart is literally about to implode, they’re so awkward and wholesome. this request was so fucking cute i just had to do something with it

𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 | 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

"Garcia!" You smiled sweetly, immediately infecting those around with a mirror of your very smile. You held one of your favorite candles between your hands, tracing the glass beneath your fingertips— You had just been meaning to buy a new one.

Garcia beamed proudly, knowing she had nailed your birthday gift, a task many deemed imposible. It’s not that you were hard to please, not at all. You had always been closed off with those around you, opting to talk very little about yourself and allowing people to talk a lot about themselves, which is what people nowadays loved doing. As a profiler, you knew exactly how to prevent prying eyes from seeing anything past the depths of yours.

However, to Spencer particularly, it was absolutely infuriating to not be able to read you properly. Any hypothesis he made up in his head based on any of your gazes, your gestures, your small quirks and antics— only turned out being proven wrong since you'd completely redirect him in an opposite direction to what he believed you were thinking.

He was constantly thrown off by you, and Spencer wasn't the type of person who particularly enjoyed being wrong or not being able to perfectly calculate and analyze a situation. His job was profiling after all.

There was a single reason and he tried to remain completely oblivious. But he knew that the only reason as to why he wanted so desperately to know about you was because he liked you— he really liked you.

As in 'became a blabbering mess around you' liked you, as in 'couldn't formulate a coherent sentence around you' liked you— It was so hard for him to act normal around you. Anytime you appeared out of no where, asking how his day had been, and offering another one of those teeth-rottening sweet smiles, he'd go blank and feel utterly stupid. Every aspect of being a genius vanished into thin air when it came to you.

Morgan teased him persistently, being able to see his fuming crush from a mile away. Spencer sat down quietly, watching you hug Garcia happily as you sat the candle down onto your desk. When you pulled away, you tucked a single strand of hair behind one ear, smiling brightly.

"So, has she done it yet?" Morgan inquired, appearing right behind Spencer as he watched you silently from his own desk. Spencer flinched, turning immediately in his chair, looking over at his fellow co-worker and friend like a deer caught in headlights. He used his hand to push Morgan's face away from his with a shove. Garcia, who accompanied Morgan, stood by the side, bemused entirely by the situation .

Morgan lowered his tone, lacing it with implicit teases that flew past his familiar smirk. He leaned against Spencer's desk. "So how's the stalking going Lover boy?"

Garcia laughed to herself unwittingly while she mixed her coffee around in her mug with a spoon. Spencer glowered at the two of them.

"I'm not stalking," He defended matter of factly. "And stop with the 'lover boy'"

"But that's what you'd call someone who's head over heels for our dear little—"  Morgan began saying in a sing-song voice as he poked at Spencer's cheek, desperate to get a reaction out of his constant teasing. With a firm slap, Spencer shooed him away, blushing profusely.

"I'm not.!" He fussed. Garcia let out a soft snort, to which Spencer was not amused by. In the slightest.

"Really?" Garcia asked, almost in amusement. The only one truthfully believing what Spencer was saying was himself.

"I'm just looking t-to—" Spencer pulled his lips into a flat line, unable to come up with a plausible excuse quick enough. "—to figure out what she may want for her birthday."

Garcia and Morgan exchanged a brief glance before simultaneously regarding Spencer. He sputtered, still glaring at them.

"What?!"

"Oh nothing.." Garcia took a sip of her coffee with a smirk. "Has she done it yet?"

"I asked the same thing!" Derek turned to Garcia. They laughed together as if one big secret was being tossed around in front of everyone and no one else knew. Spencer furrowed his brows, looking at them oodly.

"Done what?" Spencer couldn't help but ask, curiosity tickling him.

"The double tuck," Garcia stated, looking back over at Reid. The furrow in Spencer's brow deepened as he opened his mouth to speak.

"The—what?"

Derek then proceeded to give a very specific demonstration of whatever it was Garcia was talking about. Derek batted his lashes, putting on the most innocent face he could muster and giggled nervously as he pretended to tuck hair behind both ears. Spencer cringed at his antics while Garcia let out a laugh.

"When she really likes a guy and gets nervous she tucks her hair behind both ears at the same time,"

Spencer looked back over at you as you handed a fellow co-worker a few files, talking aimlessly. You threw your head back laughing at something the woman who chatted with you had said and Spencer couldn't stop a small smile from creeping it’s way onto his face.

"She hasn't," He said, still looking at you intently. Garcia and Derek shared a look and with one more sip of coffee, she added.

"She will.”

"Watch out lover boy, she'll catch you staring—" Morgan whispered in Spencer's ear, which only caused him to reach back in protest and slap Derek away. He turned to glare at him while Morgan laughed.

You thanked Garcia one final time and turned your attention over at Morgan who was now laughing in a way that you felt intrigued enough to want to be involved in whatever it was the two of them were laughing at. You tilted your head slightly to the side, furrowing your brows with a smile.

"What's so funny over there boys?" Penelope asked, lips curving into a sly smirk while she crossed her arms across her body. Spencer froze, looking over at you immediately.

"Uh— we, uhm—" He stammered, cheeks beginning to buzz with heat. Before he could dig his grave any deeper, JJ and Emily walked into the room singing happy birthday with a tray of cupcakes in their hands.

You turned to them, eyes blowing wide. A nervous laugh erupted out of you, causing you to lower your face and hide it in your hands, feeling profusely embarrassed. Getting this kind of public attention wasn’t something you preferred, and it made you wonder if there was anyone that truthfully enjoyed getting their chants of happy birthday’s in public.

Spencer’s could practically feel and hear the way his heart bursted in his chest as he watched you crinkle your face in embarrassment. It was evident on every single fraction of his face— the awe that pooled behind his irises and the way his cheeks were tainted a specific shade of pink.

"Someone's fallin'—" Derek started.

"Shut up."

The day had gone by swiftly. It had been a slow and uneventful day, so no crimes were up for reviewing. You had instead, been drowned in paperwork that had your back aching by the end of the day.

However, being surrounded by all of your friends and receiving so much appreciation and love on your special day had been a plus, urging you further to push throughout the rest of the day.

Hotch had given you an okay to leave early, and knowing that your parents were waiting for you to take you out for your birthday dinner, you hurriedly packed up your things into your purse.

On your way out, you shot a goodbye to everyone with a bright smile plastered across your features. As you walked past Spencer's desk, you offered him a brief glance accompanied with a small wave. “Bye Spence,"

He waved back woefully, blinking rapidly and pressing his lips into a tight smile that inched sideways. Not wanting to give himself the pleasure of gawking at you further, he turned to his files, swirling his pen in his hand nervously.

Someone cleared their throat, catching Spencer's attention. He turned seeing JJ, Emily and Morgan peering over at him from their respective desks.

"Really?" Emily pinched the skin between her eyebrows with frustration.

"What?" Suddenly he was feeling mortified that all his co-workers had been watching his entire inner-turmoil.

"Did you even give her the gift you spent weeks putting together?" JJ tested, resting her chin in her hand. Spencer looked away sheepishly, scribbling something onto his paper and not entirely sure how JJ knew about it.

"I— I forgot.." He said, voice small while he tripped over his own words.

"Reid, just get out there," Derek urged. He was beginning to get restless with watching the two of you ghost around eachother like two idiots.

Spencer stopped scribbling and glanced over at you briefly as you walked out the main door that lead towards the elevators. He looked back over to the others who all shot him a look of encouragement. He supposed that it wouldn't be a bad idea just to— you know, give you your present.

The impulse in him was screaming and yelling at him to just get up and chase after you. But another part of him was forcing him to stay glued to his desk, letting you leave yet again.

It really didn't help him not being sure where you stood when it came to your friendship. At times, he’d get the smallest intuition that maybe, just even possibly, you were on the same page as him, but the insecurity that lingered within him was loud enough to prevent him from ever doing anything about it.

He had to get over himself— it was just a present. Everyone had given you one except him, and he didn't want you thinking he didn't care. He knew he didn't give it to you not because he didn't care but because he cared too much and he felt really scared that maybe by giving you his gift you may not—

He clapped his eyes shut, realizing he really had to stop overthinking and just, in the ‘wise’ words of Morgan, 'shoot his shot'.

Spencer, peered down at his pocket, and back over at the door.

You pushed the glass door open, looking down at your phone and tugging your scarf up to cover your nose from the piercing cold.

"Y/n!" You turned, surprised to see Spencer running through the lobby and out the main door, catching up to you.

You watching him, wide-eyed and taken aback as he jogged up to you, opening his mouth to say something but having to lean over to catch his breath. He didn’t know if it had been the brief run or the unforeseen anxiety that caused him to run out of breathe— whichever it was, he needed to work on it.

You let out a soft laugh, finding his behavior amusing. “You okay?”

You followed him with your gaze while he finally straightened himself. No words were said as his chest heaved. He looked into your eyes, immediately regretting it as his rapid pulse hammered against his head. You too began to feel your heart begin to pick up its pace until you found yourself reaching up and tucking your hair behind both ears, looking at the floor sheepishly

And there it was.

Spencer's mind stopped running the second he registered your movements and Garcia's words flashed across his mind so quickly he almost didn’t remember.

"When she really likes a guy and gets nervous she tucks her hair behind both ears at the same time,"

"I, uhm—" He started, trying to prevent a grin from rising onto his face at his newfound information.

You watched him curiously, starting to wonder if his cheeks were turning pink due to how cold it was or if he was possibly blushing.

Spencer reached into his pocket and took out a small chained bracelet. It was small and dainty— nothing too flashy or flamboyant. He held his slightly trembling hand out to you, revealing the small, nearly minuscule butterfly charm that sat on center of it. You stared at it in awe, reaching over and grasping it.

As you stared at it, you recalled the first conversation you had with Spencer. It was nearly spring and you were on one of your first cases with the team. As you inspected one of the crime scenes, a butterfly had suddenly latched onto your wrist.

You looked at the small insect, briefly startled, but once realizing the absence of danger, you quickly allowed yourself to gaze upon the bug with curiosity and awe.

Spencer watched you intently. He knew close to nothing about you, but something inside him twisted with your tender gaze towards something so small and fragile. He couldn’t stop himself from opening his mouth and beginning one of his endless rants on that specific species of butterfly and how butterflies were a symbolism of good luck and, oh so on.

He couldn't stop talking and that was the first impression you had gotten from Spencer. He was profusely embarrassed afterwards, realizing he had probably overstepped a boundary you had yet to set given since— he really didn't know you all that much.

However, you smiled at him and asked him to tell you more. Since that day, butterflies had become your favorite.

And since that day, Spencer felt his heart double in size any time you were near him.

"Spence," You looked back up at him. "This is beautiful."

He smiled awkwardly, and shuffled on his heels, feeling his pulse quicken. How fast can one’s pulse beat? "I didn't want you thinking I had forgotten about a gift I just, didn't really know when to give it to you and I though—"

You watched his every movement intently, noticing the small pool of fog leave his mouth with each breath due to the cold, not even trying to avoid lingering your gaze on his lips.

"No! No—" You waved your hands in front of him frantically, panicking at the thought of him feeling in any way obligated to get you stuff, even if it was your birthday. It felt too indulgent from him— especially from him.

“It's okay..! You didn't have to get me anything, much less something so special,"

"I—" Spencer looked to the side. With the simple confirmation of your little hair tuck, he decided to push his luck, relying completely on Garcia’s analysis. "I wanted to."

You felt heat all over your face. You grabbed the small chain and easily slipped it onto your wrist, looking at it in awe. You once again, unconsciously tucked your hair behind both of your ears. Spencer noticed this but this time, he allowed himself to smile widely like kid on christmas morning.

You smiled down at it. Spencer watched you, eyes pooling with affection. You looked back up at him, realizing the way his gazed lingered on you. There was some form of affection that was quite evident, but you couldn’t allow yourself to think anything of it. Nothing was said, and that made you incredibly nervous.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something but not being able to. The mix of the piercing cold and the invasive anxiety wasn’t doing him any good as his shoulders shook lightly. You took notice, and it made sense since he had chased you down in nothing but a blue button up shirt. Without a single word, you reached for your scarf and unwrapped it from your neck. You’d do okay with the cold. You had enough layers— and you were blushing enough to heat your whole body up.

You pushed yourself onto the tip of your toes, wrapping it around Spencer's neck in order to give him some sort of warmth. Spencer immediately grew dizzy, failing to ignore how the scarf smelled just like you always did— a burnt vanilla mixed with the sweetest notes of sugared petals, warm and inviting. He also failed to ignore how close you suddenly were.

Something in you flipped and with a slap of encouragement, you once again pushed yourself onto your toes and planted a tender kiss onto his cheek, staining it ever so slightly with the soft red chapstick you were wearing.

"Blue looks good on you," You said, hands still playing with the blue scarf that sat comfortably around his neck. You wish you could’ve taken a picture of his face, starstruck and dizzy.

You caught the small red stain on his cheek. You smiled, reaching up and smudging your thumb across the stain. "So does red."

Spencer had nearly felt his knees buck. Your sudden bold moves were causing him to spin. It had always been so hard trying to decipher your intentions and antics, but with you standing so close to him, for the first time, he found everything so clear and evident. Like the last layer of secrecy had been ripped off in the matter of seconds and he was entranced.

That could be part of the reason as to why Spencer couldn’t stop himself from leaning down and placing a firm kiss onto your lips.

You froze momentarily, completely caught off guard, especially since you had always thought what you felt for Spencer was one-sided. But soon enough, you eased and smiled into the kiss. It was sweet and soft, innocent and pure, and it was perfect.

He pulled away harshly, suddenly realizing what he had done. "I’m—"

“No!—“ You were surprised at the lack of stability in your voice. “T-that was fine,”

Oh if one could kick themselves. Fine?!

He cleared his throat, words caught deep into his throat. You blushed profusely, wanting to slap yourself back into reality as you grew more and more fidgety and nervous.

"I—" You both said simultaneously. This was embarrassing.

You shot him a nervous smile as you both proceeded to stumble upon each-others words, neither being able to form a coherent sentance.

"Are— Are you doing anything tomorrow..?" Spencer asked, anxiety clawing at him relentlessly.

"No," You felt anticipation in your chest as you shuffled your grip on your purses strap.

"Would you want to?—” He asked, voice small, as if testing the waters and terrified to how you would reply. “You know, do something..?”

A giddy smile grew onto your face, as your hands reached up, and for a third time, tucked hair behind both ears.

"I’d love to," You said. Spencer felt like he was on cloud nine.

"Great! Uh—" He glanced down, pursing his lips. "Cool..”

You stifled a laugh, as he peered over at you with a smile. "I'll text you,"

"Cool.." You pointed over to your car, realizing that it was getting late. "I'm going to, uh—"

A grin that stretched from ear to ear was plastered across Spencer face as you began walking away, also smiling to yourself giddily. Once your back was turned to him, you squeezed your eyes shut, nearly jumping with joy.

"Happy birthday..!" He shot out. You turned, offering him a wave. Spencer watched until you climbed into your car and left the driveway, with the widest, most stupidly huge smile plastered all over his face.

Of course, when he reappeared at his desk, wrapped in your scarf, cheek stained slightly, and the most dazed look splattered all across his features, Morgan didn't skip the opportunity to tease the hell out of him— again.

[luveline]

how about spencer x badass reader and they are wearing couple or similar clothes intentionally or unintentionally?? I think that would be cutee

tysm for requesting ♡ fem!reader

"Are you kidding me?" Derek asks, sounding like a kid in a candy store, a crisp twenty in his back pocket. 

Emily follows his line of sight and feels her cheeks apple unbidden, a delighted smile on her painted lips. "Oh, my god." 

"Yeah, Garcia?" Derek asks, phone to his ear, Penelope first on his speed dial. "You need to come and see this. Like, right now. Don't worry, baby, just come and see it for yourself." 

"I don't even know what to say." Emily stares at you. 

You usually dress in line with the other women in this profession: pants that aren't too tight so you can run in if needed, a simple blouse, and a blazer if you're feeling formal. 

Today, you've opted for something softer. It was a slow change, one day you were wearing a cashmere sweater, thin and fitted to your form. Another day, you chose to layer your shirt with a cardigan of a similar colour. 

Right now? You're all Spencer. Your slacks remain unchanged but your blouse has been swapped for a shirt with a stiff starched collar and layered under what can only be described as a grandpa sweater. It's not quite ugly, but it's almost identical to Spencer's. 

What's more, you've swapped your boots for converse. 

Spencer holds the door for you. He's chosen to wear a tie at least, clinging to that last strand of professional business attire. He has two coffees, one in each hand, while you carry a box. He's all elbows as he talks to you, and you, ever his fan, follow every word with a fond smile. 

"Hey, are you guys sharing a wardrobe now?" Derek asks, absolutely unwilling to hold back.

Emily piles on, "It's cute! You're totally an old married couple, you look like my grandparents." 

"What happened to your boots, lovergirl?" Derek asks, nodding at your cons, arms crossed over the back of his chair casually. "Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the sneakers." 

"You guys totally match," Emily coos. "You could be on a Christmas card." 

You smile —you smile, Emily might just call the news— and walk past them to your desk. Hotch has moved you away from Spencer knowing you'll encourage his endless chattering, which places you on a different island of desks next to Anderson and Agent Camille. 

Spencer put his coffee down on his desk, taking off his messenger bag. "Nice going, guys. She brought you donuts. You know, to apologise for calling you both antagonistic losers yesterday," he says, smiling at the mutual horror that crops up on their faces. "The fancy kind, too. She knew your favourite flavours without asking." 

From her desk, Emily can see you've opened the box and offered them to your desk mates, your expression unperturbed. "Just don't touch the chocolate sprinkle ones, they're for Spencer," you say.

No matter what they say, how sorry they sound, you give out the donuts to anyone who'll take one until they're all gone. When Garcia arrives, she finds you sitting in your desk chair with your head leaning against Spencer's stomach, taking alternate bites of the same sprinkle-covered donut like it isn't the most domestic, coupley thing you could be doing. 

Unlike Emily and Derek, Penelope genuinely thinks you look cute. "You guys are like Brangelina," she breathes, eyes wide, her smile infectious. 

Spencer fails to hide a grin, his hand on your shoulder. You're better at controlling your emotion, sliding a small parcelled package across the desk toward her.

"Thank you, Pen," you say. "I like the shoes. They're comfy. And the sweater was a gift." Spencer nods enthusiastically. 

That explains why you'd taken such an offence. Anything to do with Spencer raises your hackles. If you felt someone was making fun of his present to you, you'd defend him with your last dying breath, or, in this instance, punish your coworkers in his honour. 

"I'm sorry," Derek apologises again, "I was kidding! What do you want me to do, you want me to wear a sweater vest too? I can do that." 

You reach back to touch Spencer's side, levelling Derek with an impartial look. Not mad, not sad. Totally indifferent. "That could be a good start." 

Spencer hums. "I think so. You wanna borrow one of mine?"

The barest hint of a smile plays on your lips. "That's generous, Spence. You're a philanthropist."

"I am." He strokes the slope of your sweater-clad shoulder proudly. "You know me, I love sharing my wardrobe." 

[oceantornadoo]

his favorite patient (simon riley x f!reader)

part 5 of the two lieutenants series...toothrotting fluff

--

"where is she?"

ghost thundered into the base hospital, all teeth and claws. the hospital staff scattered in his wake, avoiding eye contact. finally, a doctor approached, looking down at her clipboard nervously. "who are you looking for, sir?" he tried not to antagonize medical staff, but someone needed to get it together. "the lieutenant." he spit out. "right this way, sir."

the doctor pushed through the door to your hospital room, the sterile breeze drifting through ghost's mask. the doctor moved out of the way so he finally could view you.

you, who had taken two bullets to your left arm and yet still managed to complete the mission. had dragged gaz out with you, who was recovering in the room next to you. you were asleep, brows furrowed even in your sleep. he drowned out the words of the doctor, opting instead to move closer to your bed. "she's alrigh'?" ghost mumured, almost to himself. "she'll need some PT to regain range of motion, but she'll be okay, sir. she's just taking some much needed rest." he nodded his thanks, and the doctor made her way out, smiling to herself as she closed the door.

ghost took off his balaclava, setting it on the table behind him. he took a seat on your bed, dwarfing the small bed with his frame. he smoothed out the furrow between your brows, his gloves long forgotten back on base, abandoned the moment he heard you were in the hospital. "s'pposed to be end game, yeah? can't get shot on me now." his thumb traced the slope of your nose, trailing to your lips, down to your jaw. "my brave dove." his thumb traveled to your collarbone, brushing back and forth. he lost sense of time, entranced in the feel of your skin, the softness against his battle worn skin. almost half an hour had passed until...

"simon?" you croaked out, throat parched. "yeah, baby? feel ok?" he was so enamored with you, all doe eyes staring back at him. ghost was gone, the bloody work done, and simon was here to stay. you nodded slowly, still recovering from the events of the past days. "thirsty." he was up immediately, looking for water. he found a water cup a nurse had dropped off earlier, so deep in his trance he hadn't seen her come in and out. "go'on." he offered you the straw and you sipped, trying to go slow. he watched your throat move up and down with every sip. "better?" you hummed your appreciation. "you don't have any recruits to bother?" he gave you a sideways grin, one of his rarities. "you're more important."

you're more important. simon was here, sitting vigil at your bedside. he shirked his duties just for you. "why are you here, si?" he clicked his teeth, breaking eye contact for the first time he'd been in the room. simon stared at the clock, stared out the window. "ya don't get it, do ya?" he turned back to stare at you. you shook your head, brows furrowing again. his thumb jumped out and smoothed it before even realizing. "i haven't taken you out on that date yet, but y'r it for me. i'm y'r lieutenant, yeah?" you reached your uninjured hand towards him and he leaned in, letting you cup his face. "its all or nothing for you, isn't it?" he nodded. "hav' to be in our line of work." you gave him a small smile. "what is this, a proposal, riley?" you brushed his thumb over his lips. "let me know when your left hand is healed for a ring, baby." you laughed and it was the sweetest sound in the world to him. "my answer is yes. and a maybe to the proposal. you're on a trial period." he nodded again, nuzzling into your hand. "jus' let me take care of you, yeah?" you nodded, falling back into your hospital bed. "now i can sleep." he kissed your forehead, and all was right in the world again.

--

ugh i want a boyfriend

[reneesghostinthelivingroom]

Pretty Girl || part 1

part 2 || part 3 || part 4

|| Regina George x female reader

|| Warnings: Regina being mean (not to reader), jocks being jerks bullying reader, mentions of throwing up

|| Summary: you were new to NorthShore and Regina George notices you. At first, it's just small run ins. Until it becomes more...

Requests open!

~~~

Ugh, math. Regina's least favourite subject. If it wasn't mandatory she would have dropped this class ages ago. Her nails drum gently against her desk as she glares at the clock, hoping to intimidate it enough to speed through the hour faster. She hadn't even been paying attention to what Ms Norbury was saying. That was until someone came running into the classroom, completely out of breath. Regina snapped her head towards the girl, raising an eyebrow. She didn't recognize you. Why?

"I'm so so sorry! I took a couple wrong turns and got lost on my way to class-" You apologized profusely to Ms Norbury, who had turned her focus to you now.

"Oh! Don't worry about it! You're the new student?" Ms Norbury asked, watching you with a curious gaze. You nodded quickly, hands on your knees as you tried catching your breath. You'd spent the last ten minutes running through the whole damn school. Trying to find your way through the unfamiliar maze of halls. Maybe you should have actually tried more in gym class at your old school, maybe then you wouldn't be so out of breath right now.

"Y/N L/N..." You introduce yourself, taking one last big breath before straightening up your back. Offering Ms Norbury a smile.

"Well, Y/N go find yourself a seat." She nodded her head towards the rows of desks and students, that's the moment you noticed everyone's eyes on you. It sent a chill through your spine, what did they all think of you? Probably thought you were a fool for getting lost. That's when you made eye contact with one girl in particular. You felt your heart leap into your throat at the sight of the gorgeous blonde. Intimidated by the gaze she had on you, you turned your head away and walked between a row of desks. Going towards one that was empty. A guy kicked his feet up on the chair and smirked at you, as if daring to sit there. Sighing, you opted to move further to the back. Taking a spare chair and sitting down without a desk in front of you. At least it was better than the floor (cough, Cady).

The pretty girl, that you would later come to know as Regina George, was seated in front of you. The rest of that class you spent watching the blonde, if anyone had tried talking to you you didn't notice. Hell, you didn't even care. Your full attention was on Regina George. Little did you know, you had captured her attention was well. Though she never made the move to look behind her at you.

~~~

Your day dreams were interrupted by the bell. Standing, you grabbed your things and glanced up to look at Regina again. The blonde's head had turned away the moment you looked at her... had she been staring at you? Shaking your head, you painted that as just another day dream; making your way out of the classroom and onto the next.

The rest of the morning was pretty boring. Though, overhearing some whispers you came to learn the pretty girl you had seen as Regina George. The most popular (and meanest) girl in school. You didn't see Regina again that morning. Part of you was glad for it. If she really was as mean as people were saying- you didn't want to think about what she would do to you if she ever learned of your crush on her.

~~~

The next few days were some of the most confusing days of Regina George's life. She'd find herself staring at you whenever you passed through the halls. She doesn't stare people. People stare at her. She's caught herself going out of her way to try and see you more. Leaving classes at specific times, hoping to run into you in the halls. Looking for you during lunch hour. Hanging out with Gretchen and Karen by where she found out your locker was, hoping to see you going to it between classes. Though she quickly learned you didn't use your locker all that often. Which did disappoint the blonde more than she would ever verbally admit.

It was getting so bad that Gretchen noticed it one day. She raised an eyebrow at Regina when she caught her staring off in the distance at something. Little did she know it was a someone. The four sat at their usual spot, Gretchen had been trying to get Regina's help with some new TikTok trend. When the blonde wasn't responding she looked up from her phone and at Regina. Confused when she seemed to be spacing out.

"Regina?" Gretchen spoke up, Regina simply ignored her. Her features quickly narrowing with frustration and anger as she looked at you.

You. Who was currently being bullied by a group of random jocks she didn't care enough about to name. Jocks that had taken your lunch tray and tossed it in the trash with malicious grins on their faces as they laughed. Regina felt herself snap and before she knew it, she was standing next to you. People had run to get away from her, fearing that they might get caught in Regina's crossfire.

"Hey!" Regina shouted, the jocks froze in place," Take the lunch out of the trash."

The jocks shared a look of confusion. Why was Regina George defending a nobody? What was so special about you? "What?" One asked.

"Take. it. out." Regina emphasized each word, her tone dangerous. You just stood there helplessly and watched as the blonde defended you. Even if it wasn't you she was mad at, you couldn't help feeling intimidated; and turned on?

The jock who had thrown the food in the trash grimaced as he reached in and pulled it out, turning his head at the sight of the trashed food. Gross. Regina smirked.

"Eat it." Regina said. Her tone sounding even sharper, laced with authority. You understood now exactly why everyone was so intimidated by her. The jocks tensed, looking between each other like 'is she for real'? "No, sorry? Did I stutter? I said eat it." The way she said sorry made it sound more like she was offended than apologetic. As if, did they seriously have the nerve to question her command?

Very hesitantly, the jock took a bite... then proceeded to throw up in the trashcan. Regina folded her arms, watching this happen with a smug expression.

"Go on, don't waste it." Regina couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

Oh. my. God? Regina George was easily the most intimidating and hottest person you've ever laid your eyes on. You stood there, jaw dropped to the floor as you swallowed. Just... Christ. Respectfully.

The jock's hands gripped the side of the trashcan until his knuckles were white; he silently shook his head, face paler than a ghost with green hints. Looking like he might just throw up again. The thrill Regina was getting from this was almost too much for her as a smirk tugged on her lips, eyes never leaving the jock. She took a picture to spread around social media later.

"No?" She questioned, taking a step forwards. His friend took a step back while the one Regina was focused on froze. A soft pink coloured his cheeks as embarrassment flooded through him, she was about to continue when you seemed to finally find your voice again.

Taking a step towards her. It was safe to speak up if you weren't the target? Right? "Regina, I think he gets it-"

She snapped her head towards you. You froze. Wrong. Maybe you weren't as safe as you thought. You couldn't read her expression at all. The silence felt loud, quickly interrupted by the sound of vomiting. Which made you grimace. Regina rolled her eyes but grabbed you by your wrist, her touch not as rough as you expected it to be. Her grip was... surprisingly soft? It sent shivers down your spine as she pulled you away and towards the plastics table. Gretchen, Karen and Cady had been watching the whole interaction. Sharing a look of confusion when Regina pulled you over.

"Regina. What are you doing? She can't sit with us-" Gretchen speaks up, Regina shoots her a glare that silenced the poor girl.

"Whatever I say goes. She sits with us." Regina stated, taking a seat and pulling you down next to her. Did you just join the plastics? According to Regina, yes. According to Gretchen, Karen and Cady... well, you weren't sure. Gretchen and Cady shared similar looks of shock and confusion, Karen had her usual stare.

"So like, what's your name?" Karen didn't know who you were. You weren't surprised, you didn't have any classes with her. you shared health/gym & French with Gretchen, Cady English, French & science, Regina math. So all three at least knew of you.

"Y/N," You offer Karen a shy smile. You weren't good with making friends, since coming to NorthShore you've been eating basically all your lunches in the bathroom to avoid people. That's where you'd been headed before the jocks noticed you.

Gretchen studied you before she sighed softly," Alright. Well, if you're going to be part of our group then you should know our rules."

"Rules?" You looked at Regina, who simply shrugged. You didn't know they had rules.

"Yes, but there isn't a lot." Gretchen informs you," Don't wear a tank top two days in a row- I see you've chosen today as one (you looked down at your tank top with a slight frown)- hair can only be worn as a ponytail one day a week, you can only wear sweats or tracks on Friday, you cannot buy a new shirt without asking us if it looks good on you, friends ex boyfriends are off limits (Cady suddenly blushed) and on Wednesdays we wear-"

"Pink!" Karen says suddenly, cutting off Gretchen who gives her a soft smile.

"Yes, pink." Gretchen nodded her head. i got the rules off a website.

"Right..." You weren't sure how to feel about the rules, you were damn sure you would forget one. Probably the sweats one. You had a lot of sweat pants. Though you didn't have enough time to think about them when Regina suddenly pushed her cheese fries towards you. Shocking Gretchen and Cady further. Gretchen more than Cady.

"Here. Your lunch was trashed. They're cold anyway, I was going to get more." Regina explained briefly, getting right to the point. You couldn't help but stare at her. Why was she being so nice to you? Well, nice might be laying it on too thickly. Her tone still had attitude to it. You were sure nice wasn't the right word to describe how the blonde was behaving, but you couldn't come up with a better one.

"Thank you.." You say, be it a little awkwardly. You didn't mind that they were cold. You were basically starving since your dumbass had missed breakfast that morning, being in such a rush to get to school. So, cold or not you were grateful for the fries as you began eating them. It was the best school food you've ever tasted. Your eyes immediately lit up and looked down at the food in front of you. You were sure that Regina George got special treatment when it came to cafeteria food. How she managed that, you didn't know. You could probably guess, though you didn't care enough to. Your mind just focused on the fries.

Regina gave you a soft smirk as she watched your reaction to the food, finding it adorable. Wait. No. Adorable? She stood from her spot," I'm getting more cheese fries."

With that, she left. Leaving you with the confused Gretchen and Cady... Karen you weren't sure about. She was just sort of vibing. Though she did strike a sudden conversation about Halloween with you, which was a week away (you joined the school year late).

The rest of the school day went rather normally. People stopped messing with you when news about you joining the plastics spread, your classes were uneventful. Though you sat with Cady during science. You two chatted, got to know each other a little better. You found out Cady was a new student from Kenya and Cady found out you used to live in Canada. She wondered what Regina would think of that, if she even knew what Canada was. You were even paired up as lab partners. Your project accidentally exploded, which was more your fault than Cady's. You laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of your neck.

"Sorry about that.. must've mixed it too much." You state, Cady smiles. She wasn't upset with you like you thought she might be; which led you to realize she was the nicest of the plastics. Someone you definitely wanted as your friend.

"You really are Canadian, aren't you?" There was only a bit of teasing in her tone, the rest of it was soft and kindhearted.

You couldn't help but laugh, genuinely this time.

~~~

Soon enough, it was the end of the day. You were about to head for the bus when you heard Regina shout your name. You turned your head behind you and looked at her with confusion, she beckoned you towards her. You swallowed and listened, the bus leaving as you moved away from it. When you glanced back you groaned in frustration. Great, now you didn't have a way home.

"Hurry up, loser!" Regina shouted at you, you turned your attention to her again and picked your pace up. Reaching the four rather quickly. "Come on." The blonde took your wrist in that same soft grasp that made you smile as you followed her.

"Where we going?" You asked, Regina scoffed as if it were obvious.

"My place, duh." She stated.

~~~

I'm realizing this will be a multi-part series because I'm too excited about it to not post it now. Super proud of how part one has ended up turning out. Part two will be found (here) and in masterlist once it's done! I haven't even started it though so it will take some time. Feel free to leave requests in the mean time and if you have something specific you'd like to see in part two lmk and i can probably fit it in!

[beomboomboom]

Carrying your Love

genre: fluff, fwb to lovers, drunken confession

pairing: Wonwoo x reader

summary: What's harder, carrying a drunk Wonwoo home, or carrying your love for him that you know he'll never reciprocate (or will he?).

warnings: mentions of drinking and alcohol, a little bit of swearing, mentions of sex, suggestive

note: Not me staying up until 2 am to finish this fic- 😭. This fic is part of an ask for drunken confession fics. Enjoy reading <33

Wonwoo has carried you more times than you can count.

From carrying you because you complained about your feet being tired, to carrying you to the bedroom after seeing you in a tight fitting dress that made his mind go into shambles.

But you never would've expected the roles to be switched.

"Wonwoo," You mutter, only to let out a groan in disappointment when you realize he's completely knocked out. "C'mon, wake up please. I don't want to have to drag you all the way to your house."

Wonwoo had asked you to go with him to Mingyu's birthday party. But you, knowing how most of his parties ended in everyone completely wasted, opted out because of your doctors appointment the next day.

Plus, you knew how getting drunk with Wonwoo at a party would often end in fucking in the bedroom, and to say your feelings about that have been complicated as of late would be an understatement. Yes, at first getting to release all your sexual desires while also having a friend seemed like a win-win situation. But you couldn't tell why you wanted to be more than that now, more than friends who fuck.

Ironically, you ended up going to Mingyu's party anyway. Not to party, but to bring Wonwoo's drunk ass home.

"Wonwoo," you repeat while shaking his shoulders, trying to wake him up so that he could walk on his own. "Wonwoo, wake up."

Sighing, you admit defeat and begin to hoist Wonwoo's legs around your waist so that you could piggyback him.

And no amount of weightlifting and going to the gym could have prepared you for the moment you started walking with a 139-pound man on your back. With each step you took, it felt like it would be your last.

But somehow, you miraculously made it to Wonwoo's house. Panting and breathless, but alive nonetheless.

"You better repay me for that," you mutter in between gasps of air as you drop Wonwoo onto his couch.

As you're grabbing a drink of water in the kitchen, you can hear Wonwoo as he slowly stirs awake. "ugh...," you hear him groan from the kitchen.

"Do you want me to take you to your room?" You ask, concerned when you see Wonwoo try to stand up, only to fall back on his butt.

Replying in a quiet nod, you go over to Wonwoo's side to help him. As you wrap his arms around your neck and piggyback Wonwoo once again, you can't help but notice how intimate the whole thing feels.

Wonwoo's chest pressed right against your back, his head resting on your shoulder, the small breaths he lets out as you enter his room. Suddenly, you feel Wonwoo lift his head from your shoulder to whisper in your ear. "I...I think I love you."

Shocked, you freeze in place. But something about stopping seems to cause your limbs to lose their strength, and before you know it Wonwoo is on the floor and groaning in pain.

"Ohmygosh, I'm so sorry Wonwoo. I was just so shocked-," You ramble, panicked as you try to make sure Wonwoo isn't hurt at all. "I really didn't mean-" You start to ramble again, before being interrupted by Wonwoo's soft lips on yours.

"It's okay, let's just go to bed. My head hurts so much," Wonwoo says as he tries to stand up, only to fall again on his butt.

"Here let me help you," you offer as you help Wonwoo stand up before leading him to his bed. Tucking him in, you let out a fond smile and give him a peck on the forehead. "Let's talk about your confession tomorrow when you're sober, okay?"

As you turn to leave you feel an arm shoot out to tug you back to the bed.

"Stay. Stay with me tonight."

[b33zlebubz]

RECKLESS ABANDON--------

CHAPTER FOUR - breaking and entering makes great therapy

TASK FORCE 141 X READER (PLATONIC)

PREV CHAPTER || MASTERLIST || AO3 LINK || NEXT CHAPTER

TAGS: gender neutral reader, angst, fluff, slow burn found family, PTSD, trauma bonding, reader is a foster kid in high school, family drama, blood, violence, guns

"After your life falls apart at the seams very early on, you work hard to keep the small amount of peace you still have. Foster care is rough, work is draining, school is a drag...but you eventually find yourself in a good place. All of that quickly goes to waste, however, when your family's unfinished business finally finds its way back to you."

You’re not bothered again until Thursday night. 

There’s a light knock on your door that stirs you out of your restless sleep and you blink, disoriented.  At first you think it might be morning, and that Price has come to collect you to bring you to wherever he deems safer for you to stay.  His voice, however, never comes.  Instead, there’s a second knock—this one with a little more urgency than the last.  The window to your right is still dark, and a glance at the clock on the wall next to you tells you it's nearly two A.M.

“Fuck, I’m coming,” You mutter, nearly tripping when the thin sheets tangle around your ankles.  You straighten yourself, adjusting the sweater on your shoulders and pulling the sweatpants back over your legs. Only then do you turn on the light and open the door.

You expect to see Price staring at you in your doorway—or maybe Laswell, with a clipboard under her arm and an impatient look on her face.  You expect to find out you forgot when you were told to wake up or that you overslept and missed the quota to leave.  Instead, Gaz’s eyes meet yours from under a baseball cap and he chucks an empty backpack at your chest.

“Get your shoes on,” he says, whispering.  “We’re getting your stuff.”

You blink, disoriented.  “It’s—”

“Two in the morning, yeah, I know,” he says, checking his watch before turning on his heel and continuing down the dimly-lit hallway.  He waves his hand, gesturing to follow.  "Follow me.”

Disoriented, you quickly slip your feet into untied shoes, shut your door, and slip the backpack on your shoulders—stumbling after Gaz as he strides down the hallway.  The back of your shoe digs painfully into your ankle and you pull on it clumsily as you walk.

“Is Price with you?”  You ask.  Gaz walks past the elevator, instead opting for the stairs as he pushes the door open for you.

“Nope.”

A knot tightens in your stomach as you follow him, “I don’t think I’m allowed to—”

“Trust me, it’s alright.  I got clearance,”  is all he says, whispering still.  "Just keep your voice down."

You curse, but follow him down the steps anyway—tugging the backpack closer over your shoulders.

"If you got clearance why is it so important I stay quiet?"

"Just…"  he pauses on the landing with a sigh as he turns to meet your gaze, holding a dark hand up.  "Trust me, yeah?"

Your brow lowers in thinly-veiled annoyance.  Partially because you’ve been woken up, and partially because you're getting tired of being shoved around without explanation.

"Last time I followed a stranger like this I got a gun pressed to my side,"  you shift on your feet.  "So, no.  I don't think I will."

He sighs, giving up.

"Okay, well,"  he offers his hand to shake.  "I'm Gaz."

You stare at him for a second, as if waiting for him to admit that he might be messing with you.  Still, he doesn't let up, waiting expectantly for you to shake his hand.   A quick sweep of his figure tells you he's unarmed—at least, as far as you can tell.  He’s not in uniform.  Instead, he’s in dark clothes with a hood pulled up over his hat, a bag shrugged over his shoulders and a phone in the pocket of his hoodie.  He's younger than Price—late twenties, maybe—and he holds your gaze with a calm resolve.

With great reluctance, you shake his hand.

“There.  Now we know each other,” he says.  He swipes some sort of I.D. card through a card reader to his left and the door opens with a click.  “Now follow me.”

You sigh, but you don't resist.

The rain that has been falling over Texas the past few days has finally stopped.  In the early hours of the morning, even the crickets have ceased their incessant chirping.  Only the sound of your shoes and the running engine of a car disturb the quiet.  It’s chilly; and the crisp spring air causes your skin to prickle under your sweater as you follow Gaz towards a running car at the end of the lot.  It’s too dark to see much else.

When you get to the truck, he opens the back seat for you and you climb in.  Immediately, the familiar voice of the man in the driver’s seat makes you freeze.

“Bloody fuckin’ Jesus.”

“You!”  Your eyes widen whenever Soap’s eyes meet yours, “you nearly killed me!”

“I was saving your life, twat!”

“By what?  Pointing a gun at my face?”

“Yeah, no, fuck all this—”  Soap goes to step out of the driver’s seat when Gaz grabs his sleeve, preventing him from fully stepping out of the truck.

“Hey,” he says, lowly, as he slides into the passenger's seat.  “We had a deal.”

Soap laughs bitterly and pulls his arm away, “your deal did not include driving Price’s rabid fuckin’ nepo case around.”

“Rabid?!" You echo, appalled.

“Okay, both of you, relax,” Gaz says.  “Before Price has our heads, yeah?” Your heart drops a little in your chest as your accusing gaze immediately switches to Gaz.

“Wait,”  you realize.  “You said you had clearance.”

“If we get this done quietly—we won't need clearance,”  Gaz explains to you.  Meanwhile, Soap grumbles something you don’t understand before switching gears on the truck and pulling out of the lot.  “It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission, anyway.”

You scoff.  “That’s great and all, but I still have no idea what the hell is happening."

“We’re driving you home,"  Gaz meets your gaze through the rear view mirror,  "you'll get twenty minutes to grab what you need.  Sentimental stuff, clothes, medication…that sorta thing.  Nothing that can be used to track your location.”

Your expression softens just a little as he talks and Soap drives.  It's considerate.  Really considerate, actually.  Price had barely let you ask about everything you’ve left at your house before reminding you that you couldn’t go back.  To have your own stuff, your own clothes, a pair of shoes without blood on them…

You sit back in your seat and cross your arms, dropping the argument and looking out the window as Soap drives in stubborn silence.  You watch the rest of the base pass in a blur and duck down whenever they drive through the gate—leaving no more concrete buildings for you to look at.  Instead, trees and fields line the pitch-black landscape, and a band you vaguely recognize plays on the radio.

Gaz and Soap talk.  Mostly about trivial military jargon with names you hardly recognize and places you don't know.  You learn a little as they talk, though, like how they are both sargeants.  You also finally get the name of the group that Price leads: Task Force 141.

You make yourself comfortable in the back seat, bringing your legs up to your chest.  When their conversation lulls to an end and the car is quiet, you decide to continue on your quest for answers.

"Where are we going?"  You ask, "tomorrow…I mean."

Gaz answers through a heavy yawn, "you ever leave the country, kid?"

"Not that I know of."  If you ever did, it was with your father before he disappeared.  "And I'm not a kid."

"Well…congratulations.  You've got a free flight to Russia tomorrow."

Your brow furrows.  You should have expected that they would take you somewhere far.  But considering everything you’ve skimmed past on the American news as of late—it was the last place you expected for Price to deem safe.

"Russia?"  You repeat, making sure you heard him correctly.  "Why Russia?"

"'Cap wants you far away, out of danger, and we need intel from guys who worked with your dad," Gaz answers.  "The longer you stay in this country the more likely it is Graves finds you again.”

You sigh and lean your head against the window, grateful that at least one person cares about how much you've been left in the dark—even if his words made your throat tight and your head spin.

"Graves," you repeat, furrowing your brow at the name.  Something you've heard before; shouted in the chaos of the firefight that led you here and whispered under Price’s breath whenever he would talk with Laswell.  "Who's he?"

Gaz huffs something of a laugh, a smirk on his face as he elbows the other Sargeant.  "Soap's best friend."

"Commander of the Shadow Company,"  Soap speaks for the first time in ten minutes, his voice dripping with deep-rooted contempt.  "Traitorous little shits, the lot of 'em."

The memory of cold metal digging into your side and the drawl of a thick Texan accent blare in your mind.

"They were the soldiers dressed in black,"  you speculate, and Gaz nods—confirming your suspicion.

“They’re not a group you want to mess with,” Gaz says, his brow lowering as if he’s recalling a bad memory.  “The only person they answer to is Graves, and the only thing Graves answers to is money.”

“So someone’s paying him to find me,”  you say, puzzle pieces sliding together.  “For the missile code I don’t have.”

“Exactly.  But don’t worry.  We’ve got your back from here on out.  Whatever you need, you come to us—as Price said.”

Your gaze softens a little before your eyes flicker to Soap, who only grunts in begrudging agreement.  You feel the tension in your shoulders slacken a little, the hammering of your heart sooth, and you nod.  

“Right,”  you say, nodding.  “So what you're saying is I can kick Soap out of the window seat tomorrow?"

"I'd sooner let you shoot me in the fuckin' head."

"Too bad the target was missed the first time," Gaz mutters, which earns him an immediate smack to the shoulder from the other Sargeant.  You don't know what he means, but you're pretty sure the small scar that juts into the side of Soap's hairline has something to do with it.  

Eventually, the truck rolls to a stop down the block from your house.  

"Twenty minutes,"  Gaz reminds you as you step out of the truck, tossing you some kind of an earpiece.  "Stay in touch.  If you run into any trouble, we're not far behind."

"Right," you say, with a nod, tucking the earpiece around your ear.  "Will do."

It's weird seeing your house again.

It's not a flashy thing; tucked into the corner of some middle-class neighborhood.  Before, it had been one of the more inviting houses you've stayed in—but now it looked foreboding in the dark, white paint crisscrossed with yellow tape.  Tactfully, you avoid the front entrance, instead opting for the fire escape of the apartment building next to it—dented and bent from all your prior endeavors of sneaking out over the course of the past six months.  For a moment, you miss it: your friends, stolen beer, school, your shitty job at the gas station…but you don't let yourself dread on it.

You grab the rusty metal and hoist yourself up and onto it.  It creaks as you climb the unsteady steps to your window and, for once, you're grateful it doesn't shut the whole way.

"Kid, don't you have a back door or a—"

Gaz's voice in your earpiece causes you to yelp with surprise, and you slip.  Your body tumbles with the painful clang of metal as your hands quickly reach, and you catch your windowsill in your fingers.  You bite your lip as pain blossoms through your upper back, making stars ignite in your vision for a few moments.

"Fuck," you breathe, before pulling yourself up so that your arms are situated in the rusted box planter.  Feet dangling, you kick at the wall as you claw up the window before somersaulting inside with a grunt.

Your heart in your throat, you hold your breath as you listen for any sign of someone else in the house—waiting for someone to notice.  When nothing comes, you slowly get to your feet and stretch out your sore back.

"Don't question my methods,"  you grunt, holding a finger to the earpiece like the people do in movies.  To your surprise, it works.

"So, you slipped on purpose, then?"

Your room looks just as it had when you left.  You're not sure why you expected otherwise. 

"I never slip,"  you retort sarcastically.  "That was tactical parkour."

"Duly noted," he chuckles.  "Sixteen minutes left."

Quickly, you rip the backpack off your shoulders and start shoving things into it.  Headphones, clothes, all the cash in your nightstand, medication, toiletries…your mind reels with what else you might need as you dart around the space.  You find a pair of boots and slip those on in favor of your blood-stained shoes, which you keep on you to discard back at the base.  It's when you're in the middle of ripping your blanket off your bed when your foot hits something cardboard. A shoebox.

You let out a breath and sink to your knees, pulling the beaten, scribbled-on box out from where it lays partially underneath your bed.  Your thumb smoothes over the masking tape that sticks to the top of the box and your own childhood chicken-scratch handwriting stares back at you.

DAD

You purse your lips. 

You open the box to be met with a heaping pile of letters and cards.  Some in other languages, some not.  At the bottom, there's a wide variety of small objects from his travels, most of which are a combination of yen, afghani, euros and other coins. There's also a rusted, metal lighter and a pen. 

Most of the pictures you had were lost in all the moving about; leaving you with only one wrinkled, dingy polaroid of a younger version of him in his fatigues.  He wasn't smiling.

Hands slow, you reach for the first card on the pile.  The last card you ever received from him.  The date is written clear at the top, underlined and circled and smudged with age.  Below it is a cheesy quote from the card, and below that is his scrawl, happy birthday!

You didn't remember much of your father.  You recalled his face, sort-of.  The echo of his laugh and the sight of his smile whenever he'd come to visit twice a year—once in the summer and then again in winter.  Though you're not sure if those were real memories, dreams…or just the image you thought up of him in your head. You don't remember who he was, any of his hobbies or traits…and a dull grief strikes you, then.  

You didn't know him—hardly ever thought of him, in all the chaos.  

And while you were sneaking out, skipping school, and cursing him for dying and leaving you with nothing but an emptiness that could never be filled…he was spending all of his final moments writing about you.  

You take out all the cards and shove them into the backpack.  Upon realizing the lighter still worked, you took it as well.  Then, you zipped up the rucksack and climbed back out the window.

If Soap and Gaz noticed tears on your face whenever you stepped back into the truck, they never commented on it.

@brokenpieces-72 @warenai @karurururu @pertinentpostmortem @kaoyamamegami @hayleybarnesx @nostalgialeech @scuftryo @0alk0msan

[sageryuri]

BANDAID, NISHIMURA RIKI.

pairing nishimura riki + afab!reader.

genre fluff, minor angst.

summary when it reaches the warmth of summer in australia, you and your friends go through the effort of making it as fun as possible before going back to your normal lives. it doesn’t feel so enjoyable when your friendship with riki becomes more confusing than before he left.

word count 10.4k (unedited).

warnings cursing, reader may seem a little irritating on her judgements of riki but i think her feelings are valid, alcohol, slightly intense kiss scene. no idols represented in this writing are not based on their real self.

an finally here!! my favourite fanfic genre tbh…

Australia's strong heat beats down onto your skin, but it's been so long that you're simply used to the feeling. You had always hated the cold, the feeling of having heaps on clothing on your body to keep you warm only leaving you angered and overstimulated.

Sunghoon complains behind you to Jay, he rummages around his bag and pulls out a pair of sunglasses. Since he had only moved to Australia recently after only visiting every few months for a week or so, he wasn't as used to the beating sun as the rest of his friends were.

You smile at Sunoo as he comes jogging to the rest of you, the last person to arrive onto the beach. Heeseung lets out a loud 'woop!' knowing he promised he wouldn't go into the ocean until everyone had arrived, he greets Sunoo before he along with Jake run across the hot sand to the water.

"They're so dramatic. It's only one PM, they have all day to go in there. I don't see why they enjoy it so much, I feel like I end up drinking most of the water." Sunoo states, taking a seat next to you on your lilac blanket — you always opted for a blanket rather than a towel, it was comfortable and you would use your towel if you decided to swim.

"That's kind of disgusting, Sun. I don't know, I guess it's relaxing when the waves aren't hitting. Look at Hoon, that man is dying, he probably needs to go in the water." You and Sunoo turn to look at Sunghoon, who has spread himself to take over his shared towel with Jungwon, who has already fallen asleep and has 10% of the surface area.

"Can we stop bullying me! It's not my fault I've only lived here for two weeks, give me time and soon enough I'll be as tanned as Jay and I'll handle the heat better than any of you." Sunghoon lifts himself, almost hitting Jungwon in the face but narrowly missing him. He goes to lay back down afterwards, but gets angry for a second time,  "You know what, at least I'm not like Riki! He was- oh, oh- I'm sorry. Forgot I wasn't supposed to bring him up."

Oh, Riki.

"You're allowed to bring him up, he's still our friend. I just- I guess I'm just more sensitive about him than the rest of you were." Unconsciously, your arm goes to grab onto your necklace in discomfort at the mention of his name.

As a child, the size of the nursery could be compared to a sky-scraper in your eyes. Your tiny hands grabbed harshly onto your mother's blouse as her and your father take you towards the gate, "You'll be okay, baby. They're going to take care of you while daddy and I are working, they'll teach you lots of new things and you'll make lots of new friends!"

You let out a small whine as you are pulled forward slightly by your mother, and she takes you to a younger woman with chocolate brown eyes and dark curly hair.

"Hello! You must be YN, it's really nice to meet you. My name is Grace and I'll be taking care of you while you're here. Now, I know you're new here, and I have a friend for you who is new here too!" Behind the woman you noticed the boy that was trying his best to hide away from you, but after being mentioned he stepped out slightly, “This is Riki, he just started today too.”

When he offers you a small smile and wave, your friendship began to bloom.

The memory of your first meeting slowly dissipated, and your mind was back to the present, on the beach with all of your friends. Sunoo and Sunghoon appear to have been unaware of you spacing out as they argued with one another. Jungwon is still fast asleep and the other three boys have found themselves pushing each other around in the ocean.

Riki always felt like a missing piece of a puzzle.

You find yourself nestling into your blanket to sunbathe a little before the rowdier boys would come back and irritate you. When you close your eyes, Sunoo always begins to speak so that you don't fall asleep since it was so difficult to wake you up afterwards.

"Don't you have a shift later at Emma's Diner? You want me to pick you up so you aren't walking home by yourself?" You peel your eyes open to look at him, sunglasses now perched on his nose. You groan at the mention of the shift you would have to go to later.

You loved your job, being favoured amongst customers and having a lenient boss. It doesn't change that you would rather be on the beach with your friends rather than have them be irritating in a booth while you busied yourself making their meals and milkshakes.

"Yeah, I'm working the closing shift. So, please do come and pick me up. I know it's only a ten minute walk but it's so scary walking at twelve PM. Especially since they haven't fixed the broken street lights yet." Living in a small town meant that everyone knew each other, so it was unlikely anything would ever truly happen while you were out late. It didn't make you feel entirely safe though.

"Of course, I'll come a little earlier so you can make me one of those amazing mint chocolate milkshakes. Ugh, it feels like it's been so long since I've had one of those." Sunoo lets out a satisfied sound as he thinks about the diner milkshakes. At some point, you wondered if he was only friends with you for your milkshake-making skills (a joke, you had hoped).

"You had one two days ago!" You let out a loud laugh which causes Jungwon to stir in his sleep, not waking up but turning on his side — you put a spare towel over his so that he doesn't burn. You turn back to Sunoo who has diverted his attention to the boys in the ocean, who are carrying Jake by his arms and legs to throw him in.

"Yeah, but you weren't working two days ago. Don't tell anyone, but you make the best milkshakes out of everyone." Funnily enough, everyone already knew that you made the best milkshakes in town. You suppose that's why you still have the same job from when you were fourteen years old.

"I guess we're all lucky that I got that job."  You continue to smile, thinking of all the fond memories you had made just in the small space of the diner.

"Well, you had more of a chance than anyone."

The longer you waited for the call back from the diner, the longer Riki would groan as he watched you take big strides around your bedroom — a place not made to take big strides in.

There weren't many career opportunities going around for people your age, but ever since your father fell ill and was unable to work, you wanted to provide some help for your family. The act of attempting to actually get a job had turned out to be harder than you anticipated, already being rejected from other places due to a late application and lack of spaces.

"Can you stand still? Or you know, take a breather? I think you're taking this a lot more seriously than it actually is. You don't even have to get a job, I mean, you're still in school. I haven't even thought about getting a job yet." There was not a moment in Riki's life where he seemed to feel an ounce of worry. Even now while you trampled over heaps of clothing on the floor of your room, he scrolls through Twitter on his phone.

"You, my friend, don't have a sick father who can barely move from the bedroom- and I know you're going to try and bring up the fact he's getting sick pay, but it's basically nothing. I just want to help out and- oh my god my phone is ringing." You're interrupted by the sound of you phone, the caller ID being displayed as 'Emma (my maybe future boss)' and you end up prancing around your room even more intensely.

Riki wants to pick up the phone for you as he's so sure you got the job and he doesn't want you to risk losing it.

"Pick it up! What are you waiting for stupid?" Riki is very quick to grab your phone and force it into your shaking hands, so you take in a deep breath and answer the phone before the call would disconnect.

"Hello! Yes, that's me. Of course, yes. Oh- oh! Thank you so much! Yeah, yeah I can absolutely make it tomorrow. Bye!" Your voice becomes higher pitched when you answer, Riki smiles as he acknowledges the habit that he had picked up on a few years ago whenever you were on a phone call; and he couldn't miss the smile which had appeared on your face when you ended the call, "I got the fucking job!"

"-Is she dead? I'm starting to think she might be dead. Jay, will you please begin preparing for her funeral? I would like for it to be dramatic and elegant and everyone must wear suits and gowns." You feel yourself coming back into your consciousness from the sound of Heeseung's obnoxious voice, so you open your eyes and look through your sunglasses to see him with his left hand on his chest.

"Oh my god, shut the fuck up. She's probably just ignoring you because of how annoying you are!" Sunoo hits Heeseung's shoulder, grimacing at him before giving you a loving smile.

"Sorry... I got a little caught up in my daydreams." You rub your eyes lightly and allow yourself to adjust to the sun again through your sunglasses. It had become a little dimmer outside, but still too bright to walk around sunglasses-free.

"Daydreams? You've been lay there without a word for over half an hour. I'm fairly sure you fell asleep, thank you for covering me with the towel by the way." Jungwon is up and awake now, and your eyebrows shape to show shock on your face as you wonder what on earth you had dreamt about.

Surely you wouldn't have dreamt of just Riki for that long? You were sure you had been awake this whole time.

"Fuck, really? I should probably head home before I have to go to my shift. I'll see you all tomorrow I imagine?" You reply, pulling out your phone to check the time. It had now reached 3PM (somehow), which meant you had about two hours to prepare yourself to work.

It was always busiest when you began working, so the first two hours always drove you insane.

"Of course, see you around!" They all say goodbye, some giving hugs and some opting for waves, though Jake had almost popped a lung when he cuddled you so tightly against his chest.

You arrive home, still living with your mother and father in their little apartment which gives you a perfect view of the ocean. When the streetlights came on, you liked to look from yout window and watch the waves move with elegance.

It had been a few years since your father recovered from his illness and had gotten back into working, he had stated that it was fine if you had wanted to leave the diner and relax for a little while. The diner had become a large aspect of your life and leaving it would leave something missing — you had already lost something when Riki left for Japan, the diner being somewhat of a reminder of him.

"Oh, good afternoon! Are you going to work soon?" Your mother is pondering around the living room with cleaning products while your father is sat staring at the television. You find it strange that's she's cleaning since it's Saturday, and that was usually her resting day.

"Why are you cleaning? You never clean on a Saturday, the living room wasn't even a mess this morning." You respond, ignoring her question, since she did know the answer to it. Jumping on the sofa next to your father, he lets out an 'oof' as you practically land on his leg that had been perched up onto the sofa.

He generally spoke to you when you got home, yet he was being strangely quiet. You were sure they were both hiding something.

"I wish you weren't so observant sometimes, you should be like your father." She rolls her eyes with a smile, but her eyes reveal that she's nervous about something. It makes your stomach churn with anxiety as you wonder if you had done anything wrong recently.

You go through every moment in the last week in your mind.

"I'm actually quite observant, I just don't say anything about what I notice. It's all stored up here." He doesn't take his eyes from the screen when he knocks at his own head, watching a show he's likely watched on repeat since the 90s, you were sure he'd seen this episode over five times now.

"Okay... Do you have something to tell me? You're both being weird which means you're trying to hide something from me, and it's causing heavy worry to run through my body." You reply, your mother sighs and sits across from you on the smaller chair, "Has someone died? This feels... serious."

"No, no. No one's dead. We do have something to tell you, and we only found out after you left. I was just a little worried to tell you about who came knocking on our door this morning." She sounds almost excited, a soft smile replaces the one she had previously held, "Riki's mother came this morning. He's back- for good that is. She said he wants to see you and everyone else."

Half of you feels morbid, you're angry. The other half fills with excitement and wonder as to why he had come back after so many years.

After deciding not to question them on the situation so much considering you were hardly processing it yourself, you nodded your head in shock before walking into your room and closing the door slowly. You leave an ominous message to Sunoo, asking him to bring Sunghoon along with him later and to come a little earlier.

"What? You're joking! How long has he been back for? And why didn't he say anything to any of us?" Sunoo drops the fry back onto his plate, his jaw dropped as you reveal that Riki is back in town.

The three of you were in one of the booths in the diner, you had locked up and moved the 'open' side onto the 'closed' side, even though it was unlikely there would be any other customers at this time. As you had thought, the two of them also had no idea that Riki was back.

"Well, it's not like we really stayed in contact with after a couple of months. It's been three years." Sunghoon retorts, he continues to eat the food you had made him. He had always been so sure that Riki wouldn't stay in Japan forever, therefore having a weaker reaction compared to Sunoo.

"I still don't get it, I mean- he moved away for a reason and now he's back, and his mum is knocking on my front door and he isn't." You're now irritated, but under that irritation you're counting down the minutes until your old best friend would be standing in front of you — and he would be different from all those years ago.

"He'll be nervous. The town hasn't changed but I'm sure we have and so has he. Give him some time." Sunghoon continues to eat and you allow yourself to take in his words.

You didn't want to be mad at Riki, you didn't want to see him for the first time again in years and not know what to do with yourself. Sunghoon was right, you were sure of it, but you also couldn’t help the way that you felt.

As your mother always stated, you had been as observant as she had been with the body language and habits of others, knowing if someone was acting out of the ordinary compared to their usual act.

On this day, Riki had left you feeling confused when he hadn't complained about you stumbling around his room.

To other people, this may not have been unusual; but Riki had always told you to sit down and stop walking around his room because it made him feel anxious. He always felt like you were nervous about something and that you were about to drop a bomb on him, thought it was just because you found it difficult to stay still.

"Are you okay? You haven't really said anything in awhile- and you haven't told me to sit down either." You jump onto the bed next to him, the bed creaking as you landed and bounced up and down.

"Sorry, I'm just feeling a little sick I think." You pout at his words, knowing that he's lying to you. He looks just as he does usually and he hasn't done anything that would insinuate that he had been ill.

"You look perfectly fine to me, plus you wouldn't invite me over if you felt sick. You can talk to me, we tell each other everything don't we?" You comfort him, he furrows his eyebrows and throws his face into his hands with a rough groan, and you can feel your heart beat faster at his clear distress.

Finally, Riki turns to look at you and his bottom lip is pulled between his teeth as his eyes begin to brim with tears. You reach forward to brush them away, he finds solace in your warmth and leans into the touch as your hands hold his face softly.

"I'm moving to Japan next week- my parents bought some land there and are planning on building up their business. They found a really good school for me to attend to finish my studies, and they want me to go to college and university there." Riki sighs, he looks at you with sad eyes, "I don't know if I'll ever be coming back. At least not for a long while."

"Oh... Riki why didn't you tell me earlier? When did you find this out?" You finally pull your hand away, though you feel a mix of negative emotions building up inside of your body as you listen to your best friend, "You should have told me."

"It's been a few months. I'm sorry, I just didn't want to worry you or anything." Riki seems to become quieter and quieter as he speaks, and his fingers wrap around yours while they tremble.

"Well, you can visit can't you?" You had made an attempt to make light of the situation, "You can tell everyone all about Japan- we don't leave Australia very often. It would be nice to know."

"I'm not sure." In his response, his voice becomes even more timid somehow. You know that you're upset at him for not telling you, you know you're angry that your best friend may be leaving you forever — but hearing his voice sound so broken left you wanting to hold him for the next week you had left with him.

The atmosphere of the room weakens and you barely share anymore words with each other.

When you had gone to visit him a few days later, he was already gone.

"I know he'll be nervous. I'm just angry that he never gave me a real goodbye. Then he talked to you guys a lot more than he talked to me. I just thought that he was my best friend, but it really felt like he didn't see me that way." You start to

stab at your meal with a pout, thinking about all of those years spent together just to be thrown like grains of sand.

Sunghoon and Sunoo look at each other, but you're too busy poking your food to notice.

"You ever thought he might have had a crush on you?" Sunoo mutters and you look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I never got that impression from him- but he never really talked about relationships or anything to me so I wouldn't know how he acts around someone he has feelings for." You lean onto your hand, looking up as you think, "Even then, why would he ignore me if he liked me? Surely he would be doing the opposite."

"You were his best friend and I intend to believe that you still are. If anything, he was probably scared because of it. Going to Japan would have helped him get over you. That's if he did have feelings for you." Sunghoon is nonchalant, as he usually would be in situations such as this.

In times like this, Sunoo and Sunghoon would always be your go-to for advice and comfort because they would always help to reassure you that it isn't the end of the world — and if it felt like it really was, they were always your biggest supporters no matter the situation.

"As interesting as your theory is, I'm not sure." You stare at one of the old, blinking lights of the diner, as if it were an idea attempting to spring to the front of your mind, "I just want to see him again. I need to understand why he never explained why he wouldn't talk to me."

"He'll come around, he has to. Don't worry." Sunghoon reaches over and rubs your head soothingly with a soft smile, Sunoo giving a much larger one which comforts you just as much. You finish up your meals, after heading home you lay in your bed for another hour thinking about Riki.

You feel relieved when you wake up in the morning knowing that you have the whole day to yourself; no work, no chores, nothing at all. Waking up at ten AM instead of six feels great, just as great as it feels knowing the night is free for you too.

The group chat between you and your friends is blowing up, you blink your eyes to get used to the bright light of your phone screen. Everyone appears to be active, thought you're too tired to take in every single message, just getting the gist everyone wanted to go to the arcade today.

After a few minutes of being awake, your mother wanders into your room holding a hamper basket of clean clothing, beginning to fold it in the corner of your room, "Rise and shine, honey. You got any plans today?"

"Arcade I think. I'm not sure when, but probably around the same time I usually leave. I want to lounge around a bit first though, I love my spare days when I'm not working." You roll over to lie onto your stomach and she lets out a scoff, though you know she's only joking with you.

She knows you work hard.

"You'll have fun. Try not to let Jake spend all of his money this time please, his mother sounded absolutely gob-smacked when he told her how much he'd spent in that place." She chuckles under her breath and you smile at the thought. Mrs. Sim loathed spending money, but Jake seemed to find it to be his favourite hobby.

"I'm not in control how how Jake likes to spend his money, he's addicted to the arcade. I don't think he'd listen to me of all people." Your eyes are still closed as you bask in your last few moments of peace before you would have to go through your simple routine, you can feel the heat radiating through your window onto your back when your mother opens the curtains.

"Who knows. I know it might seem a little too soon for you, maybe you should see if Riki would like to come along." Even just by saying his name, your heart beats faster and you feel as if you had broken out into a sweat. He shouldn't be making you feel so anxious.

"He hasn't spoken to me yet." You know this doesn't surprise her.

"I know. I know he hasn't. And I know it isn't fair that he came back out of nowhere and you're finding it difficult to adjust to it." She sits down next to you, stroking your hair lightly on the back of your head, "He is too. It'll all be fine once you finally see each other again, just like when you were younger."

"Thank you." Finally, you turn around to sit up and give her hug before she would leave the room to carry on her endeavours — you would go ahead and make a ham and cheese toastie and get ready for the day ahead of you.

The arcade is just as packed as it tends to be, children racing each other around and occasionally apologising to teenagers and adults they bumped into and continuing their adventure with their friends.

It's sweet knowing that this was what you used to do when you were a child.

"You're such a fucking cheat! You can't throw shit at me to block my view, then start hitting the puck! Heeseung, I'm never playing this game with you ever again. In fact, don't talk to me ever again." Jungwon throws the jacket harshly back towards Heeseung, who is laughing loudly with Sunghoon after he wins the game for the third time.

"I don't see any rules that tell me that I'm not allowed to throw jackets at people whenever I desire. Hate the game not the player." Heeseung and Sunghoon high five each other and Jungwon rolls his eyes, Jay comes over and gives him a soft slap on the shoulder for reassurance that at least one person in the room has his back.

"No- no- I'm hating the player very hard at this moment in time. Sunghoon stop laughing, he'll do the exact same thing to you." Jungwon's voice raises louder, two children are giggling at him from behind the claw machine and it's unclear if that had calmed him down or frustrated him even more.

You begin to ignore the argument, looking around for Jake who should have been here twenty minutes ago. If anyone was ever late, it wouldn't bother you so much, though you had a strange feeling in the pit of your stomach that was starting to make you feel nauseous.

"I don't mean to interrupt your squabbling but where's Jake? He'd be here by now, you think he's okay?" The rest of them shrug at your worry, knowing that it was unlikely Jake was doing nothing but being fashionable late — something was beginning to really bother you, but you couldn't work out what it was.

"Jake has arrived! And, I'm showing up with a big surprise." Jake's voice booms through the arcade and everyone greets him before they notice the larger figure standing behind him.

He's gotten taller- taller than Heeseung now. His body is more toned and defined and he's grown into his features. His hair is styled rather than flopping over his forehead like you had remembered.

Riki coming back would be a lot harder to accept than you had truly anticipated, and you knew it would be difficult.

The boys crowd around him, picking him and throwing him around in happiness, ecstatic laughs ringing through out the building. You're stuck in place, watching his face contort through emotions.

You smile.

When the others are done parading around Riki, almost all of their eyes turn to look at you, apart from Jake and Sunghoon who were ready to put all of his cash into the punching machine. When Riki finally makes eye contact with you, both of your worlds appear to stop.

It's as if you had both been dropped into an empty box. His face changes expression, practically monotone, but you can tell that he isn't disappointed to see you. Slowly, he examines you from head to toe; you've grown up too.

"Hi." It appears to be the only words that can slip past his lips, and as you had expected, his voice had deepened to. This was still the same Riki you had known ever since you were a child, all the resentment you had held towards him faded away from your memory immediately.

You aren't particularly thinking in the moment, before you realise it your hands are around Riki's back and tears are streaming down your face, you feel the vaguely familiar hands of your best friend enveloping your body.

"Fuck, I really really missed you Riki." Your voice is undeniably shaky, the grasp you had on the back of his shirt tightens as you let out tiny sobs. Tenderly, Riki brings his hand to land on-top of your head and moves back and forth, "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too... I'm sorry for ever leaving you behind." He murmurs into your ear so that you're the only one who hears his words, knowing that the only person he truly wants to know this is you.

The two of you remember where you both are, standing in an arcade surrounded by your friends and heaps of children. It felt embarrassing, but anyone else would react the same way after so long. You feel him pull away from you, shivering at the loss of warmth that had been radiating from his body against yours.

"Welcome back, dude! We've got so much to show you- we have a fair and everything now! I can't believe you're back now..." Jay's arms hold onto the younger boys once again as he gives you one last look, being pulled away to watch Jake and Sunghoon argue after their punching machine adventures.

When the day comes to an end, you notice that talking to Riki doesn't feel the same anymore. At least you had felt so, the others were chatting with him as if he had never left. There were longing stares and banter, but something felt uncomfortable between the two of you, which you couldn't explain.

Heeseung offers to drive you home when he sees you rubbing your arm in the corner.

"You gonna tell me what's wrong with you?"  The car ride had been practically silent up until this point, apart from the quiet music coming from Heeseung's radio, "You were moping in the corner for the last half an hour, that's not like you."

"I think I'm just a little lost right now, confused I guess." You answer, leaning your head against the window while you watch the houses passing by. Heeseung lets out a low chuckle, though not to make fun of you, just to show he understands how you're feeling from his own experiences.

"Is it because of Riki?" Heeseung had always been direct, you think it helps when trying to get people to talk about their feelings and give them advice. You sigh for maybe the twentieth time in the last two hours and let out how you feel to your close friend.

"I knew he was back, before today. His mum came to our house and talked to my family. I've been feeling nervous the last few days. Seeing him today made me feel better, but even after he hugged me it didn't feel like he missed me all that much." Your lips quiver slightly as you speak, just as your voice wavers, but you don't want to cry in front of Heeseung.

"He's probably just as scared as you are." It almost feels like people have been talking about your problems, everyone giving you the same answer you already had.

"Yeah, that's what everyone's been telling me, Hee. I know it won't go back to how it was straight away, but I would have liked if he'd talked to me more after our big, loving reunion." Hearing the same thing on repeat — Sunghoon, Sunoo, your mother and now Heeseung— only bothered you more.

"Do you want me to talk to him for you? I don't mind giving him a slap around the back of his head." He snickers, you turn your head away from the window to smile at him to show you appreciate his help.

Despite your feelings, you don't think Riki deserves a slap around the back of his head.

"It's okay, thank you. It'll be better if I talk to him myself." Though you value the help your friends and family try to provide for you in unfortunate times like this, it would be more effective to deal with it yourself. No one was better at explaining your feelings and morals than yourself.

Heeseung parks up in front of your house, the sun slowly beginning to hide behind the walls of your coral-coloured home. You bite your lip and give him one last meaningful smile, which he always returns.

"No worries- you know I'm always here when you need me." He responds, you leave his car and say goodbye before he drives off down the road back to his own apartment.

The diner is slow today. It's the same customers (as expected, it's a small town), except everyone seems unrealistically grumpy and a woman said you had put too much coffee in her coffee which was completely baffling.

You leaned on your palm on the counter, happy Emma wasn't in today so she wouldn't tell you to sit up because it drove away customers — it didn't, you doubted they cared that you were bored on the job as long as you actually did your job.

However, the universe would never allow you to have a boring, uneventful day; because the man who had been on your mind for years wanders through the doors of your safe place.

"Hey, sorry I don't mean to intrude. Sunghoon said this is where you worked." His deep voice rings through your ears and racks your brain, he looks almost too perfect to be real and you wouldn't be surprised if you were making this all up in your head.

"Yeah, it is." You try to quickly think of something to say before it manages to get awkward, "What brings you here? I make a pretty mean milkshake."

"Yeah, I remember pretty well." He grins at you, all too familiar to when he was younger and you had been practicing making the milkshakes for your new job.

Using a blender was not something that you had the pleasure of taking part in often. In fact, you were petrified that you were about to break your mother's very precious blender to practice making milkshakes.

"Did you press it in right? I'm not sure you pressed it in fully. It's gonna spew everywhere." Niki is sat on your kitchen counter and has given zero effort to try and help you use the blender — 'i'm not the one working' he says.

"You're annoying me! Yes, it's in right!" You angrily whisper-shout to Riki, trying your best not to wake up your sleeping father in his bedroom. Confused, you examine the blender, "Or at least I think it is..."

"I'm scared. I don't want to be covered is strawberry juice, milk and ice cream." Riki groans, a vibrant habit of his, though still not making any efforts to move if this were to go terribly wrong.

"Have some faith in me please." You whine, pouring the rest of the milk into the blender cup. After reassuring yourself you had done it successfully, you shut your eyes and clicked the button.

There is no feeling of cold liquid splatting onto your body, which feels like a positive sign. Cautiously, you opened your eyes at the sound of silence when it had finished, which Riki appears to have done too.

"Oh. You did it." The shocked sound residing in Riki's voice almost bothers you, he has no belief in your skills (he's your biggest supporter, he's just avoidant with his affection).

The milkshake looks perfect. It's a deep pink colour due to the grenadine you had decided to pour into it, in courtesy of the milkshakes your mother would provide for you that you were sure you had become addicted to since the day you took your first sip.

"Of course I did it." After pulling off the lid from the blender, you pour the liquid into the milkshake glass, passing it off to Riki to get another person's opinion, "Try it."

Riki is hesitant to take the glass from your hands, pulling his hand back and forth dramatically. You pout sadly at him with furrowed eyebrows, then he only laughs loudly before holding the glass in his hands and smelling the contents of it.

"This better not be disgusting..." You clasp your hands together in anticipation when Riki finally takes a sip through the straw, taking your bottom lip between your teeth when he pulls away and smacks his lips, "Oh- Oh wow."

That day, you found out that your hidden talent was making the most delicious milkshakes in town.

"You Okay? You're spacing out a little." Riki waves his hands in front of your face to get your attention back on his current self and away from his old self. Your face heats up in embarrassment and you focus your eyes back onto his face.

"Oh, sorry, I've been doing that a lot lately... So, want a milkshake?" You repeat your question, due to both being unsure as to what you could say and the need to relive apart of your past with Riki. Unsurprisingly, Riki had always been your favourite person to make milkshakes for, even after he had left.

"When do you get off work?" Riki asks, leaning himself onto the counter. You feel your heart drop, wondering if it was finally time for the both of you to spend time alone together as two grown adults.

"Uh... In about twenty minutes. What's up?" You're trying your best to keep eye contact with him, but his intense gaze makes it difficult, he has very pretty eyes and they're making you strangely anxious.

"I was wondering if you wanted to catch up, it's been a long while. Plus, I think I owe you an explanation." You both swallow a lump in your throat at the same time and Riki's hand gets closer to yours on the desk, "And I would love a milkshake by the way."

"Yeah, I think I could do with a catch up. You can wait in one of the booth's if you want." A small smile appears on your face which makes him grin at you also. He nods his head, taking a seat at the booth closest to where you were working.

With the feeling of his eyes on your for almost the whole twenty minutes, time moved slowly and you became much more cautious about your movements.

He takes you to the park that is a ten minute walk from the diner, the walk filled with small talk conversation and reminiscing of your past relationship as children and teenagers. Finally being able to speak with Riki is nice.

"How have you been?" You watch two children on the park push each other on the swing instead of sharing eye contact with Riki, though finally getting used to having him back in your presence again, "God, it still feels weird having you back. I'm glad you're staying."

"I've been pretty good, surviving. It was fun in Japan, but I always wanted to come back." He smiles but you don't notice, considering you have been avoiding looking at him ever since he had sat in that booth in the diner, "I wanted to apologise for how I was with you when we were at the arcade. I didn't mean to ignore you like that, but you know, you're different to the boys. You were- still are, my best friend. I'll admit that I felt a little awkward after so long, but I shouldn't have avoided you like that."

"I understand, I'll admit I knew you were back before we saw you at the arcade. I was kind of freaked out because it's been so long and I was really nervous, so I could have reached out to you beforehand but I just really couldn't bring myself to. So, I'm sorry for that too." Your palms become a little clammy and you begin to unconsciously twiddle your thumbs while spilling your feelings out,"Did Heeseung speak to you or anything?"

"You don't have to apologise for anything, I really think this is all on me. I really missed you." You decide that this was time to look at him. The light of the sun shines on him so perfectly, you feel as if you could get lost looking at him.

You finally had your best friend back.

"I really missed you too, I wish we could go back to how it was before you moved to Japan." Somehow, you still feel like you can be completely honest with the boy, the one you had dissipated away from so long ago. In your minds, you both knew that something between you was different and would never go back.

"How about we start over?" Riki suggests and you furrow your eyebrows in confusion.

"What do you mean?" The wind gets a little harsher with your words, forcing your hair to flow into your face — Riki reaches forward to move it away, then pushing his out in front of you chest as if he was waiting for a handshake.

"I'm Nishimura Riki, it's nice to meet you." He smiles brightly, like the way the sun had been shining into his deep brown eyes. Laughing, you take his hand into yours and shake it, introducing yourself to him as if this was your first meeting.

Riki feels a shiver down his spine as your smaller, warmer hands slip into his.

A smile had been plastered on your face ever since the previous day. Your mother had been adamant on you telling her what had got you so jumpy and ecstatic, but you would just say it was nothing and go skipping back to your room.

It has been repeating in your mind every moment, you could barely stay on your phone or read a book without closing your eyes and replaying the whole moment in your head that had your grin growing larger.

"Honey, Sunoo is here!" Your mother shouts from downstairs, her voice drags you out of your daydreams and you sit up from your bed. Sunoo comes bursting into your room, jumping onto your bed with a smile almost as huge as yours had been.

He looks at you expectingly, to which you give him a strange look.

"Well, go on then!" He pushed your shoulder and you only continue to look at him with the same baffled facial expression, nudging him back with your hand in return.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Sunoo's jaw drops at your response and you can only let out a loud laugh at this shocked expression — how could you have any idea what he was talking about when he gave you no information to stem from?

"You were with Riki yesterday! Tell me about it." He grabs your television remote and turns the TV off, interrupting your show that had been playing on and off since you had woken up. You scoff, taking the remote from him and placing it onto your rocky sidetable.

"How did you even know about that?" You laugh, turning your body to face him, crossing your legs on your bed. Looking up at the ceiling, you wonder what to tell Sunoo. All day, you've been daydreaming about it, but speaking it aloud didn't feel as exciting as your brain had been making if out to be.

"Because you're my best friend... I was with Sunghoon when Riki asked where you worked. I just assumed he was wanting to hang out with you. So, quick, tell me everything that happened." Sunoo's eyes are set on your face, he doesn't take a second to look away.

In your mind, you think about the conversation that you and Riki had. Sure, you told Sunoo everything. Other people's business was also your business when it came to gossiping with him; but the redevelopment of your relationship seemed a whole lot more personal, and you were going to be a hypocrite.

"We just apologised to each other, then he asked if we wanted to start over. It was quite nice actually." You shrug, wanting to keep the peaceful moment you had between you and Riki. Unsurprisingly, the boy sitting in front of you pulls a face of disgust at your response.

"Wow, you aren't even going to tell me all the details." His eyes roll, which you had expected from him — you know he understands thought, since he smirks at you when he thinks you aren't paying attention to him.

"I'm tired! I'll tell you another time. It isn't as exciting as you're anticipating it to be." You lie back onto your bed and Sunoo joins you on the left side closest to the window which brought in a cold breeze; he doesn't believe you'll ever tell him what happened that day, "Is that all you came here for?"

"Actually, I have something to tell you. Since Riki is finally back and Jay's parents are out of town, we're going to host a surprise welcoming party for Riki. Do not mention it to him! I've already had to calm Jake down about five times." Your pink-haired friends claps his hands in excitement.

It would be nice to have everyone around to join and have a good time to welcome Riki back. Half the town likely had no idea Riki was home and they would have missed him too, so a house party would be the perfect opportunity for the community to come back together.

"Well, I'm not Jake! I'm very good at keep secret. My lips are sealed." You pull your fingers across your lips to imitate a zip, turning your head when an idea pops into your head, "Do you want to watch Gone Girl?"

"Of course I want to watch Gone girl."

This would be the first time you and Riki were hanging out after deciding to 'start over'. When you were younger, you all would go to the summer fair in January to welcome the New Year.

"Get- get the fuck off! What is it with you and fucking jumping people? There's kids here! What if you knocked one over?" Jay tries his best to push Riki from his back, his angry furrowed brows making you giggle.

"I think that would be kind of funny." Sunghoon says under his breath, though it's loud enough for you and Jungwon to hear, which results in you both pulling a strange face in his direction.

"You're awful, man." Jungwon shakes his had at Sunghoon, but the way he's trying to hide his laugh contradicts his disappointment. Jay joins the three of you walking after he finally gets Riki off his back, now going over to bother Jake who lets out upset whines.

"I'm joking. Sorry for admitting kids falling over is a funny concept." Sunghoon's honest never fails to prevail in conversation, you've seen him laugh at children falling over with tears dripping down his face.

"You do realise admitting it's funny insinuates you aren't joking?" Jungwon raises his left eyebrow at Sunghoon, who shrugs and moves on to go and talk to Heeseung instead, who was more inclined to agree with his take.

Riki moves on next to you and drags you over to the punching machine which was enveloped by prizes of different prizes, all won through punch strength.

"Want me to win you a prize?" He asks and you miss the fact he was being completely serious, so you chuckle at him. You turn to look at the others who have taken to the water gun game and are loudly screaming as they shove each other away from their stations.

"What, on the punching machine? You can try but I'm not sure your muscles are big enough to even get that pack of candy." Feeling bold, your hand goes to wrap around his bicep through his jacket. A light blush litters over your face when he disproves your point without uttering a single syllable.

"Oh yeah? Maybe you should have more faith in me, I've been a gym rat for the last few years." He takes hold of one of his jacket sleeves and removes the jacket from his shoulders to reveal the vest he had been wearing underneath.

Yeah, he'd absolutely proved you wrong.

Riki pays the guy the price for the machine, then punches it as hard as he possible can. Unexpectedly, Riki pretty much matches the high score which directs his eyes to the ginormous teddy bear that he could afford free of charge.

Just for you.

For the first time in years, you remember that feeling you had been pushing back all those years ago.

This was the first time you had ever experienced a fake friendship with someone, a few weeks before Riki would be telling you that he was leaving.

Yuna was always a good friend of yours, she was slightly older than you, but she never treated you like you weren't as mature as she had been. She wasn't necessarily excluded from your friend group, but she had her own friends and really only hung out with you rather than your friends.

"It's honestly so weird. All of her friends are boys, don't you all think that's a little strange?" Yuna's voice is heard by you from around the corner and you decide to hide behind the brick wall and listen in before you say hello.

"I mean- not really? She's friends with you and I think she's really lovely. I don't think it's all that weird, Yu. You shouldn't talk about her like that." Her friend Chaeryeong replies, seemingly concerned with her friend's comment.

Weirdly, you have a strong feeling you know exactly who she is talking about.

"I think she's just a little, I don't want to sound mean but, desperate? I mean come on, there's seven of them. She must think at least one of them is going to have a crush on her. Easy." Her voice is filled with venom and you hear a few giggles come out of others that were around her.

Not wanting to hear what anyone else had to say, you find yourself hiding away in one of the isolated blocks in the school. Tears stream down your face and you shake as you question what you could have possibly done wrong for her to judge you so awfully.

If you had known she was simply jealous, maybe you would have felt less insecure. A squeak comes from the rusty door and you rapidly try to wipe away your tears before whoever walks in would see you in such a weak state.

"What are you doing in here? Why are your eyes so red?" Riki's face drops when he sees you, his dark hair falls in front of his eyes and bounces as he jogs over to lean down next to you.

Your first fall-out is Riki's first time seeing you so distraught, it tugs at his heart and he isn't sure how to deal with it. Sure, he's seen you mad and upset, but he's never seen you cry. If he realises anything while looking at you, it's that he never wants to see you cry again.

"It's- it's nothing. I don't want you to worry yourself." More tears fall down your soft cheeks and Riki moves his hand forward to wipe them off your face. He doesn't think someone like you should be crying like this and selfishly he doesn't think he deserves to see his best friend crying either.

"Of course I'm worrying. Are you okay?" He watches as you pull your knees up to your chest and you lean into your own touch.

"Do you think it's weird that I'm only friends with boys?" The way your eyes had become so wide when you looked at him broke him, you were taking all of him in, waiting for an honest answer. Riki couldn't believe that you were questioning your friendships over something so small.

"What? No. What kind of question is that? Did someone say something?" A crease appears between his eyebrows as they furrow, so lost in why this had become an issue for you. He can't help but to pick at the pout of your lips with the tips of his fingers to make you put it away.

When you don't reply, Riki doesn't speak either. He holds you in his arms like his life depended on it. That was the first moment you knew you felt differently to Riki than your other friends, that you wouldn't mind spending your life in his arms.

When you come back to the present, Riki is holding out this teddy bear to you with the most beautiful smile you have ever seen. You’re taking him again, you’re thinking about what it’s like go be in his arms forever.

It truly is your fault this time. You're the one taking everything back to square one and you've never seen Park Sunghoon so irritated with you before. He forgets ever having a soft spot for you when he looks at you with the angriest expression.

You hated to admit it, but after coming to the conclusion that you had romantic feelings for Riki, you had been avoiding him for the last three days. It wasn't your best decision in life though you had no idea what to do.

So, you turned to your straight-forward friend Sunghoon.

"You're an idiot, genuinely. What the hell is wrong with you? You're going to put him through hell, didn't you want to become friends with him again? What happened to starting over?" His feet take him around your living room aggressively and you sit staring at the ceiling, feeling too nervous to look him in the eyes.

"Instead of calling me names, can you help me out here? I don't know what to do, what if he doesn't feel the same and I mess it all up again?" Your hands fall onto your face with a loud slapping noise.

Finally, you look up at Sunghoon and his face tells you everything you needed to know. If you carried on ignoring Riki's existence, he wouldn't be your friend or a romantic interest. Either one is better than none.

"Look, I love you, you're amazing- but this is the stupidest thing you've ever done. The party is tonight and he's probably too busy wondering why you're suddenly paying more attention to Jungwon's ice cream rather than him." Once again, the man is correct.

After Riki had got you the teddy bear (which you were cuddling in your arms in that exact moment) you had become a blushing mess and could barely bring yourself to look him in the eyes. It wasn't hard for Sunghoon and Sunoo to catch onto, Sunghoon nudging your arm when you had started questioning Jungwon about unnecessary things while Riki was right next to you.

You were so, so scared. What better way to avoid your feelings by avoiding the one that had caused them to blossom?

"You are getting this sorted tonight. I don't care how it ends, you're both getting closure on whatever this is because I can't stand this weird tension going on between you both and I don't know how long it will be until you both crack." Sunghoon’s words simultaneously break your heart and make it beat 10x faster.

You had no idea Riki was sat in his room staring at his phone wondering what he had done wrong this time.

Jay's house is filled to the brim with party decorations, alcohol and people. You wonder how his parents would even allow this, then you question wether they even know about it. Honestly, you're sure you don't know some of the people here and you have no idea where they've spawned from.

You haven't seen Riki yet.

Sunghoon's words had been playing in your mind since he had spoke. In fact, you had been looking for Riki the whole time so you could sort it as soon as possible, tell him the truth, allowing him to enjoy the rest of the night even if his possible rejection could ruin yours.

You've downed a few drinks to release your nerves, soon finding the boys and a few others playing beer pong. They all don't seem too drunk,

on their feet successfully, until your eyes land on Riki who is stumbling all over the place.

Deep breath. You walk over to him.

"Riks, I'm sorry- talk to me." You pull him into a more isolated corner to avoid people listening into your conversation, though Riki pushes you away lightly and glares at you.

"Fuck off." He slurs and you step back in shock which causes you to bump into the wall. It's not like you had ever seen the boy drunk, for all you know something else could have bothered him, "I said- I think I'm gonna throw up.”

He turns around and makes his way upstairs and you follow closely behind him both to finish the conversation and take care of him. He leaves the door unlocked, so you walk in and see him leaned up against a porcelain bathtub.

Jay's parents liked their cute, but strange, antiques.

"Riki, please stand up. I need to get you home, you're too drunk." You're trying your hardest to pull the boy up out of the bathroom, but he only falls back down onto the side of the tub. You resort to giving up, sitting on the floor in front of him.

"You know I came back for you right? I- fuck I'm actually gonna be sick." He stands up, mostly stumbling, then sits down in front of the toilet instead with his back pressed against the wall. Turning around to face him, you've barely processed what he had said.

His eyes are beginning to fill with tears, he brings his arms up to rub them away.

"What do you mean you came back for me?" When you lean forward to rub the tears from his eyes, which he surprisingly allows you to do, you almost get deja vu.

"I could have stayed in Japan, I had everything I needed there." Like he had sobered up, he no longer needs to throw up anymore and theres no slurring in his tone, "But I didn't have what I wanted- you. I don't think you understand how much I think about you, every single day you were there in my head. It was torture knowing I couldn't have you and that's why I stopped talking to you. I put myself through so fucking much just because I fell in love with you and couldn't do anything about it."

"You can't do this to me."

"What? You've been ignoring me for the last three days and I can't tell you that I love you? I had to get it off my chest." He scoffs, going to stand when you try to drag him back down, "You know what-"

"I'm in love with you too. I was scared. That's why I was ignoring you. I thought pushing you away would stop it, but it just made me feel worse."

You let it all out.

Riki hesitates, but soon moves forward so that his face is only inches from yours. He looks at you in the eyes, both filled with love, desire and fear. The amount of alcohol you had both consumed only reduced the anxiety slightly, but it doesn't stop him from leaning forward to close the gap.

it's merely a small peck for a second and you both pull away from each other. The separation doesn't last long when Riki pulls you to stand up with him, his hand reaching for the back of your neck to connect your lips again.

Your back is pressed against the bathroom door, hands wrapping around the back of his neck and his falling to grip onto your hips. When you close your eyes, the mixture of alcohol and Riki makes you dizzy and your legs shake, though his hold manages to keep you standing up-right.

"I'm sorry for telling you to fuck off. I didn't mean it." He mumbles against your lips, pecking them one last time before pulling away from you. Though it doesn't make the warmth he gave you part from your body.

"It's okay. I think I deserved it."

The next morning, you wake up in his arms — where you had always wanted to be. This turned out to be one of your favourite things to wake up to.

"I can't believe I moved all the way to Japan when I could have just been in your arms the whole time." Riki's hand rakes through your hair softly, stopping every so often to move the hairs out of your face.

"You're so cheesy. Why were you never this cheesy usually?" You both laugh, you’ve been messing with the necklace he had been wearing for a few minutes, trying to fixate on something other than the nerves that had been building.

"I wasn't dating you back then. I'm not going to show the world that I have a weakness." He says, manoeuvring his body to face you, he was blushing just as much as you were.

"And suddenly you want to?" You smile, he smiles back happily.

He doesn’t respond, continuing to soothe his hand through your hair. For once, the two of you don’t need to communicate with words, something you both seemed to struggled with your whole life.

Like a scraped knee, you had always placed a bandaid over it instead of tending to it properly like you should — when you finally decide to, it heals a lot faster.

[that-fic-girl]

"i didn't catch your name"

PRO!!Shoto Todoroki x FIGURE SKATER!!reader NB!

sypnosis: reader is japan's applauded figure skater champion makes come back after recovering from a serious injury by practicing for nationals and comes across Pro Hero Shoto Todoroki. He is amazed by her talent's and was determined to get to know her more.

TW: mentions of injuries.

Everything was going fine that day. Your coach was happy and your body ached a little less than usual. Your jumps where being executed smoothly and you loved the program you were skating.

You've been taking a break from skating due to an injury you acquired practicing a poorly executed quad lutz, so coming back felt like a relief compared to sitting at home, rotting in your room and judging your abilities compared to other skaters. But it gave you more time to catch up on daily news and some events your friends invited you too, you didn't know it at the time, but you needed that break.

You took a deep breath, breathing in the icy air. You stood on the entrance to the rink, your hands on either side of the corner bars. The jumps you where going over today where simple, a triple lutz and a quad twist. Putting your foot forward, you skated onto the rink letting your body relax and move in the direction gravity was pushing you in. It felt good to be back again.

It had been about 45 minutes on the rink, your heart was racing and your back had a small wet patch from where the sweat built up. You didn't think you'd be opting out for a break this quickly but its whatever. You where about to turn around and skate to the direction of the exit of the rink until you felt a pair of eyes staring into you from behind. You tensed up, you didn't know for certain if someone was actually staring at you but you just became nervous, as if you where performing for judges for the first time.

As casual as possible, you decided to make a quick turn, but slow enough for you to have a good view of who was staring so intently. Surely you can make this look smooth without making it obvious you knew someone was there.

That's until you saw WHO exactly was there.

The one and THE only, fire and ice hero, Shouto todoroki.

Your mind went blank, what do you do in a situation like this? Instead of casually turning and making a swift exit, you just stood there for what felt like forever which in reality was about 7 seconds.

"sorry, you can carry on. I didn't mean to disturb you."

With that you're broken out of your trance. Letting the muscles in your face to relax and throw him a soft smile as your shoulders ceased at the tension they created.

"it's alright, i was finishing up anyways.."

A million thoughts was going through your head; did he see all of that? how long was he there for? WHY IS HE HERE?

"that's a shame, i was looking forward to seeing more."

You've lost all control at this point, your breath was heavy and your posture presented a small child seeing a spider 7 feet away. You skated closer to him, to get a better view of the long split coloured haired man.

"my name is Todoroki, Shouto."

"i know.." you said in response, to which he threw back a chuckle.

He stood there for what felt like years, staring at you with a small smile. He was captivated by you. Your talent was not like any other, he could see the passion you had for skating. He fell in love with the way you held yourself together and how gracefully you moved your body, and god how he adored that face.

"i'm here to pick up my sister, she likes to skate sometimes and i thought i'd drop by"

'so thats why' you thought, still slowly making your way towards him, having only a small wall from dividing the both of you.

He started to fumble with something in his pocket, looking down to navigate what he was trying to find before his mouth opened.

"i've got to leave though, could you give me your number?"

he said, pulling out a pen and offering you his hand to write on.

"i'd love to see one of your performances one day."

you let out a smile and grabbed the pen out of his hand, softly grazing over the back of his palm as your wrote your number down. His hand was warm but slightly rough, probably due to all the hero work he has to do.

He smiled down at you, with a soft expression.

"i'm sorry but i dont think i caught your name."

you giggles and moved your face closer to his, leaning on the edge of the semi-wall.

"that's because i didn't throw it"

.

.

.

do ya'll want a part 2 to this because icl i wanna make this longer but im only going to do it if you want me too. I've been so obsessed with the idea that todoroki would date a figure skater, it just makes sense in my brain for some reason but this was really rushed as i don't actually know how they would meet so this is the best i could come up with, sorry :/.

love you all though! dont forget to follow my socails;

INSTAGRAM

SNAPCHAT <3: @pimpnamedholly

TIKTOK

[dr-trafalgar-law]

Trafalgar Law X CisFem Reader

15

“I didn't know I'd feel relieved after ordering a dress.” you sat across from your fiance at a cozy little bistro you'd picked for lunch.

“I didn't really understand why it was such a big deal until today.” He replied picking up the menu in front of him.

“That hit me at dress number four.” You chuckled, “I feel like you saved the day.”

Law lifted the tri-fold laminate to hide the odd surge of pride he was feeling.

“That's a bit much.” He managed evenly, “All I did was pick something I thought you might like.”

“Well, it is perfect.” You smiled glancing down at the menu.

All of your reactions today had him feeling a bit cocky. He'd been the source of that happiness and Goddamn if that wasn't an addicting high. It was more than that though, part of your elation was the unexpected show of affection in the dressing room. Whatever rare occasion Law touched you was warm and comforting. This small kiss on the forehead was electric. Shivers wiggled down your spine just reflecting on it.

“Do you come here often?” He asked, still perusing the restaurant's offerings.

“I used to when I wasn't burying myself in work. A friend of mine from culinary school owns it.”

He glanced up, interested in this newly offered information, “You went to school with Sanji-ya?”

“Small world it seems. How do you know him?” You asked.

“Through an infuriating acquaintance.” He grimaced.

“Oh, now that sounds interesting.” Your chuckle faded as realization washed over you, “Luffy.”

Law's brows raised, he shouldn't have been surprised. Your cousin hung out with Sanji and Luffy too.

“Smaller world than I thought.” He murmured, “You used to hang out with them?”

You shifted and cleared your throat.

“Something wrong?” He asked, watching your disposition change.

“I mean… to answer your question, kind of? Luffy is Zoro's best friend.”

Law sat forward as it clicked, “The little brother?”

You nodded.

The raven sighed, “Will everything always come back to that guy?”

“I really wish it didn't.” You slouched forward a bit.

“Sorry,” Law reached across the table and hesitated briefly before touching your wrist, “I didn't mean to ruin the mood.”

His hand was so soft and warm, you fought the urge to hold it, opting instead to stay still.

“No, you didn't ruin anything. It's actually something we should talk about.” Your gaze rose from his tattooed fingers just before he pulled away.

“Maybe not in public.” He glanced around, “Let's get back to the issue at hand. What would you recommend ordering?”

He’d found that getting you to talk about something you had passion for usually brightened you right up.

You sat up and flipped the menu between the two of you to show him all of your favorite items. He leaned in resting his chin in his palm, pleased with the mood change.

Soon your orders arrived as the conversation continued comfortably.

“So did you decide on going back to Olympia to look for your suit?”

He nodded, finishing his last bite, “I forgot to tell you, Cora-ya will be coming next weekend to help me.”

“Is he going to stay with us?” Your eyes lit up.

“Well, I assumed he'd stay at a hotel. Our place is small.” He answered appreciating your excitement.

Our place.

The phrase sent a flutter through your chest.

“It's a two bedroom apartment.” You deadpanned moving your napkin from your lap to the table.

“I guess I can take the couch so he can have my room.” He suggested thoughtfully.

You cocked a brow at him, “Is sleeping with me that bad?”

Law’s eyes widened as his face heated up, “I'm sorry?”

“Wai-I -” You covered your face and let out an embarrassed chuckle, “I meant like, if I snored or something.”

A soft laugh rumbled through your fiance's chest as he reached forward to gently move your hands from your face. The amused look on his face had you frozen for a moment.

That smile could end wars.

“You don't snore,” he assured, “I just didn't want to invite myself into your room.”

Your gaze trailed down to your hands resting in his, “I appreciate that. You can stay in mine.”

“Thank you.” He murmured.

“Look at the two of you, charming everyone around you.” A familiar voice chimed as a plate softly clacked against the table.

“Sanji.” You straightened yourself out now that you'd been reminded you were in public.

“I couldn't let my beautiful former study partner leave without her favorite dessert.” He'd placed a small plate of strawberry shortcake between you.

“Awe thank you.” You smiled up at him, “I'll hook you up next time you stop by the bakery.”

“Sanji-ya,” Law nodded toward your friend.

“Tra-guy, it's been a while. I see you're doing well.” Sanji shook his hand.

“Tra-guy?” You echoed.

“You know how Luffy is with names.” The blonde winked at you.

“How's Pudding? I heard about the bed-rest.” You changed the subject, deciding to circle back to Law's nickname when you had him alone.

Sanji's blue eyes sparkled at the mention of his wife. He immediately launched into an update on her pregnancy and gushed so much you almost wished you hadn't asked. You were glad she was well and the bed-rest was just a precaution due to high blood pressure. After the catch up and a few pictures your former classmate excused himself to get back to work.

“I definitely ate too much.” You sighed entering your apartment.

“What should we do with the afternoon?” Law asked removing his shoes and placing them with yours by the door.

“First, stretchy pants.” You suggested.

“And then?” He prompted removing the dark knit sweater he'd had covering the worn black t-shirt he had on underneath.

“I'm fine with whatever you choose Tra-guy~”

His sweater flopped over your head and shoulders as you tried to make a dash for your room.

“Not you too.” He grumbled blithely.

You gasped dramatically and pulled the garment off your head, “That’s abuse.”

“You're ridiculous.” His lips upturned enjoying this playful side of you.

“I could have fallen.” You pushed the sweater against his chest.

“I'm a doctor,” he leaned over you and dropped his voice, “I'd take care of you.”

Fuck.

That silver gaze flitted from your lips to your eyes so quickly you had to have imagined it. His expression was relaxed but there was something there he was holding back. Torn between learning what the consequences would be and being afraid to let you into his world completely - he held his breath.

It was a subtle but bold move. Wanting to match his energy and ride out the high of this tension without taking a move your brain might not be ready for - you gently nuzzled his cheek.

“I know you would.” Your fingertips brushed the sharp line of his jaw.

The rush of cool air that hit him as you stepped back was sobering. He cursed under his breath as you made your way to your room to change. Kissing your forehead earlier in the day suddenly didn't feel as intimate.

Confirming you wanted the affection was like opening the door to a locked room.

[catreginae]

Hello!

Hope your day gets a little better, in the meantime I've written something small for you.

(Its a quick one so i hope its all spelt right haha. Hopefully, its coherent?)

The captain enjoyed the sound of the rain.

The way it pattered against the treetops, water cascading through the leaves like mini waterfalls. The sound of thunder rumbled low through the canopy, as he sat looking over the entrance to the forest.

The group had found an abandoned cabin to shelter from the rain. As its initial barrage had hit. They'd stayed for most of the afternoon before Time had taken the decision to stop travel until the storm let up. Most of their number didn't enjoy stormy weather.

He was the exception.

Storms to him had always signalled a stop in the fighting for the most part. Often camps couldn't be moved when the equipment was wet. The downtime was a welcome change, in the worst of it he, Tune and Mask had been sheltered in their command tent. The three of them would huddle together, wrapped around the large scarf while one of them would share stories from their homes.

The soft sound of footsteps from behind him stopped his thoughts.

The sailor.

Twisting his body slightly he spoke softly so as to not disturb to quiet utopia he had built for himself that night. "Hey."

"Hi." The sailor's voice was laced with sleep but had a hint of something else to it.

"Everything okay?" He turned his body to the boy fully. His eyes traced him up and down. He was Dressed in his underclothes, he certainly looked like he'd just woken up.

"Can't sleep. Wanted to get away from the bed." He looked down, and a hint of shame crossed his eyes.

Ahh…

He thought for a moment before tapping the floor beside him. "Thats okay. Watch is as uneventful as ever." Offering the space beside himself he continued. "You are welcome to join me if you like."

The sailor nodded, approaching "Yes. Please." He sat down, pulling his legs to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. Resting his chin on his knees.

The pair sat in a comfortable silence, the sounds of the rain the only thing being heard.

"What's on your mind Wind?" He found himself asking, fiddling with a pouch on his waist he pulled out a small chainmail link and a honey candy. Offering the candy to the sailor he placed the chainlink into his mouth and began to move it around.

Taking the candy the sailor sat relatively still. Opting not to put it in his mouth for the moment. "I… dont like storms." the sailor finally responded, his voice muffled as he buried his head into his knees.

"Thats okay. You dont have to like them." The gentle rumble of thunder echoed across the pair of them once again. Forcing the sailor to curl in on himself a little more.

"But, it's just water, right? Water can't hurt you." His voice sounded practised. As if it was something he'd been told a thousand times.

"The sun can't hurt you either, but here I am." Raising a hand which he had wrapped in bandages. "Just the other day I burnt this hand, We had bearly spent any time out in the sun."

"But thats different." The sailor didn't look at him. His eyes fixed on the treeline. "You stand out in it too long you'll catch fire."

He chuckled. "Not quite catch fire." Sometimes he wishes that was the case. At least with catching fire, there are steps to put it out. He couldn't exactly roll around the ground all day to stop him from getting burnt. The whole, regenerating thing definitely helped of course. Being a vampire had to have its advantages. "But I know what you mean."

"You get really hurt. I just…" the sailor sighed. "I'm sorry I'll go back to bed."

"Now hold on." He reached out a hand to the sailor. Placing it on the boy's shoulder. "Your experiences are just as valid. They may be different experiences. But they are experiences nonetheless."

"But I sail on miles of water back home! Why is it when it falls from the sky it's so bad?!"

"Because of your experiences." He gently turned the sailor around. "What is a storm to you?"

"It's dangerous." The sailor refused to look at him. "Storms can take down even the biggest of ships if you sail right through them. They are deadly and..." he stopped. slouching further. Looking at the clouds. "How do you deal with it? It must be pretty hard to deal with not being able to go outside most of the time."

"Athena gave me this lotion, and I stay covered when possible." His eyes looked to his scarf, carding it through his fingers. "It's why I wear those gloves that cover my whole hand, underneath my armour."

"I suppose that makes sense." The sailor looked down at his hands. Deciding not to continue he leaned into the captain as they looked out into the rain. After some time the sailor broke free of the captain's embrace. "Is there a weather pattern you really like?"

"If I said dark and stormy would you be willing to go back to bed?" He nudged him slightly. "You need your rest."

"If you said dark and story I'd tell the others." His mood lightened significantly as he smiled. A sparkle of mischief in his eyes.

"They wouldn't believe you." He returned the sparkle as he stood up. lowering a hand to offer the sailor an easy way to stand up.

"Time would!"

"Shh, you'll wake the old man. If he found you up he'd go at me."

The sailor giggled as he leaned into the captain a little more. The sailor paused before shooting up, turning to him and grabbing at his tunic. "I have an idea!" He giggled to himself. "We can build sandcastles in the dark of night. Where they'll just appear first thing in the morning and confuse everyone."

And the captain smiled at that.

Hope you feel better soon :)

And I hope I've done your boy justice!

He would love dark and stormy AKA because the sun can't reach him I think there's a line about Warriors liking the rain in the fic. The detail about him wrapping up bad sunburns is also pretty spot on. I feel like you know my work very well. 🥺

And I love his interaction with Wind. Wind's experiences are still valid even if he doesn't have anything physical to show for it like Warriors does with his burns.

This is amazing and thanks for writing it!

My wrist is still a pain.

[nomstellations]

A bunch of fairies healing a sick pred from within?

The Enigmawood was a sprawling forest filled with magic, mystery, and all manner of strange and unknown creatures. People rarely ventured to it, as those who wandered too deep never returned, and most settlements didn't put themselves too close to it out of superstition and fear.

Arice was currently regretting her decision to live right at its borders, with the closest town a few hours away. Much to her dismay, even the most cautious of witches get sick every once in a while!

She could easily whip up medicine for herself, but her illness sapped the strength from her body and left her unwilling to move. She laid in bed feeling feverish, drained, and too uncomfortable to sleep...maybe her pride had gotten the better of her in choosing to live here, but the benefits usually outweighed the drawbacks. Unable to continue her research in this state, she opted to stay put and conserve her energy until she could get up and mix medicine for herself. If only a breeze would blow through her window, it'd offer some relief from the heat she felt...

"Arice~!"

"Miss Silverwood?"

"Lady Ariceeee! We're here to play!"

What blew through was not a breeze, but a dusting of fairies. She knew them all- they were the first beings she befriended after moving here, and it turned out that the fairy population of the Enigmawood was largely friendly. They enjoyed hearing tales of the world outside, and they helped her find useful herbs in return for the time she spent with them. But today the witch was in no condition to entertain them as they fluttered in, all crowding around her face. She groaned quietly, not even opening her eyes to look at them.

"Miss...? You're all red like a ripe berry!" A fairy chirped, moving to touch her face and quickly drawing away from how warm it was. "Farro..." She mumbled, gently brushing the fairy away. "I can't play today, I'm sorry...I've gotten sick. I don't have the strength to..." Their normally bright glow dimmed, and they turned to the others for help.

"Sick...that's bad, right?" "Duh, Bellflower! This happens to humans a lot! They can die if they don't get better!" Tiny gasps fill the air. "H-how can we help! Do the Grandfae know anything about humans...?" The fairies tittered among themselves. Arice found the gesture sweet, but it was just a nasty cold. She wouldn't die, but it's not like she could bother to explain...the fairy dust that drifted from their wings felt nice and cool on her skin, so she wasn't about to complain.

"Hey, why don't we use magic? We can make it go away, I'm sure!" Farrow exclaimed, their glow brightening up. "We're so small, though...how's that going to change anything?" There was a few moments of silence before Arice could faintly pick out some tiny whispers. They were too small to really make out, but one of them finally spoke up and got her attention. "Lady Arice! We're going to use some magic on you, okay? Don't panic, it'll be safe!"

"Freak out...?"

Her questioning provided Farro with the perfect opportunity to leap into her mouth! Arice's eyes snapped open all of a sudden, shocked by the fairy's quick movement. Too stunned to spit them out, they wriggled to the back of her throat, triggering her body's response to swallow. Farro easily slid down her gullet, with a cooling sensation making their descent felt. "Wh- what are you all doing...?" It was enough to shock her hazy mind, but it was too late for her to try and spit them out now. "My turn~ Think of this as a favor, miss!"

Bellflower was next, wriggling in with a bit of effort. She had a more sweet flavor compared to Farro, but...was she really considering the flavor of her fairy friends? She was too weak to really resist being fed like this, so it didn't take long for the next one to be sent down with a thick gulp. That left Thistle, the largest of the group, almost shyly rubbing their arm. "I think Farro's idea was kind of dumb...but we do want to help you. We'll be alright, so don't worry."

They waited patiently, waiting for Arice to open her mouth, and after a few moments she did. The fairies in her stomach seemed to be doing something, as a cool and almost tingly sensation spread through her body. Maybe this was the magic they planned on using? Whatever it was, it was chasing away her fever...so she felt she could trust this plan of theirs. Allowing Thistle to crawl inside, they were a lot more careful than the others with feeding themselves to her. They waited until she was ready, letting her take a few swallows to work them down her throat.

Arice felt full. Looking down, she could see a faint glow coming from her stomach. The magic only grew stronger as the last fairy filled her stomach, making her finally feel relaxed and comfortable. She didn't need to worry about eating for now, either...she swore she could hear one of their voices asking for her, but now with a full belly her fatigue was hitting her full force. She'll have to thank them properly...after this long-awaited nap.

[pluttskutt]

When someone says, "Don't ask questions you don't want answers to", Eddie has agreed. People are naive to think the answer won't be what they fear it is. They know, yet they ask because they are dumb. They don't use their brain to think, they're too almighty to think beyond their little bubble, so they ask. And one question leads to another, that leads to a discussion, and now they're the idiot. Oh, how the turns do table.

Steve watches him with eyes barely narrowed to the untrained eye to not reveal that he's judging. Unlike Eddie, he isn't waiting for an answer to a question because's about three steps ahead in the process and already planning how to break the news to Robin.

"Of course I like more things about you than you being attractive," Eddie stammers, realising just a moment too late what messy terrain he got himself into with his question. He brushed a hand through his hair, fingers tangling in the curls.

"Your question suggests otherwise."

Eddie isn't a fan of Steve going all "Bones" on him. Not a bit. "I don't see how..." He's frustrated, he knows it, because he doesn't understand the leaps Steve goes through to his conclusions whilst simultaneously complaining about how everyone makes conclusions about what he's saying.

Steve casts his eyes on the floor and runs his thumb over his lower lip. "Why did you ask?"

"Well, I..." The truth is difficult to admit out loud, especially to Steve. He's complained to Robin about it more than once but not to Steve. Never him.

He reaches out, hand hovering in the air. His fingers touch Eddie's knee, visibly shaking at the strained effort, but he plans his palm there like he's seen others offer comfort. Words are the next part though, and he doesn't even know where to start with those because he doesn't know what's hurting.

"We have nothing binding us," Eddie blurts out. "We don't share the same hobbies, our taste in movies is fighting each other with laser swords and pop culture reference from a pink lawyer, and if you don't even find me attractive I... I don't see how... why you like me."

Steve pouts. Repeating the same argument will have them go around in circles until the discussion becomes a fight, so he opts to answer. "You smell nice, better without that smoke stench, you have mesmerising eyes, a kind smile, and you're beautiful."

"Beautiful?" Eddie repeats in a low tone.

"Yeah, you know, like art." Steve raises his hand but his fingers tremble in the air next to Eddie's face. "Sorry, I get nervous."

Before he can pull his hand back, Eddie catches it. "Can I...?" he asks and gently guides the hand to rest on his cheek. He feels the fingers sprawl out slowly, a thumb caressing his cheek.

"And this," Steve confesses. "You're... You don't get upset with me for being the way I am."

"I like you the way you are," Eddie replies, big brown eyes watching Steve's face and catching the small smile on his lips.

"I guess, maybe, I understand your question then, 'cause I can't fathom why or how you'd like me, but I'm glad you do."

"Yeah..." he whispers his reply. "Could you touch me more? Not now, in a sexual way, just like—" he hurries to add, scrambling to explain his point, but Steve's soft smile and nod assure him his point got across.

[kachikirby]

GranEssex Chronicles: Chapter 21 - A Tale of Trust and Distrust

A few days had passed since Meta went out to become more sociable and Kurabe had still not returned. According to Mercury, the job she took became more serious, something to do with a large horde of S rank monsters that came seemingly out of nowhere. While he trusted his sensei to come back safely, he knew it would be a little while longer until she came back. However, that didn't stop him from being worried about her.

"Calm down, Meta. She's the Unkillable, isn't she? She'll come back alive. She has to." He uttered under his breath as he was eating breakfast that morning.

He opted to eat in his room instead of the cafeteria, not out of a desire to stay away from people, but to prevent people from worrying. Even though he didn't think he deserved it, he knew his fellow soldiers looked up to him and if they saw that he was a slightly nervous wreck, the morale of the crew would eventually go down and he couldn't allow that.

"...what should I do?" He uttered.

He considered going to assist Kurabe, but Mercury put the brakes on that plan.

"Trust me, I'd like to send her help too and while you're strong, you aren't capable of handling that many S ranks at once. You barely handled just one, remember? I'm sorry Meta, but I can't let you go." Was what she told him and truthfully, he couldn't argue against her.

"Then I guess I'll have to train so I get stronger!" He exclaimed.

Though there was only so much his normal training could get him in terms of results and with Kurabe gone, he couldn't do her specialized training. And he couldn't leave to do his own missions due to essentially needing to stay for the crew's morale.

"...No point in complaining. I'll just do as much training as I can here."

He could probably also use that time to help train his allies.

"Well, let's get moving. Hopefully no one tries stopping me for something."

He picked up his tray and walked out of his room with the intention of returning it to the cafeteria. Admittedly, he had to resist the urge to look in his mentor's room.

"Looking there won't make her come back faster..." he thought, shaking his head.

---------

As he walked through the ship, he noticed something odd in the corner of the cafeteria. It was small and barely noticeable, but his keen eyesight noticed it. He walked up to it, noticing that his friend Crate was looking at it.

"Oh, Meta, do you know what that is?" She asked.

"...Yeah." He replied, feeling his blood go cold.

He knew exactly what it was, it was one of Tam's custom-made bombs.

"What's this doing here?" He uttered, clearly sounding shocked about this discovery.

"What is it?" Crate asked, tilting her head in questioning.

He gulped. "...A micro bomb."

His dog friend stepped back in shock. "Why would Tam leave this here?" She asked.

"Maybe she accidently dropped it when she rushed out for a mission?"

"...Or maybe she left it here on purpose to destroy the cafeteria." Crate offered, but Meta quickly shook his head.

"No. The bomb isn't armed. Tam set her bombs up in a way that only she knows how to operate them. She showed me what they look like when armed and disarmed. This one is disarmed; it can't go off without someone deliberately hitting it really hard."

"But maybe that's part of her plan. What if someone kicks it without knowing what it is?" Crate uttered nervously.

"By really hard, I mean hard enough to break a boulder. She made her bombs resilient so that they don't go off accidentally. A simple kick wouldn't be enough to set it off." To prove his point, he kicked it, only for nothing to happen. "See?"

"But isn't there people who can kick hard enough to break a boulder?"

"Were you not paying attention? A simple accidental kick can't set it off. My kick was me trying, and nothing happened."

There was a moment of silence before Crate spoke up again. "But... but it's still possible, right?"

"Possible, yes. Likely? Not at all."

"But that's not important. What is important was the fact that it was left here."

"Yes, but it's unlikely she left it here on purpose. She's far too observant for that."

"Then what's your explanation?"

Meta stared at her. "It's too soon to make assumptions. I'll hold onto this and fine Tam. I'll get her side of the story first."

"Oh, ok."

"Besides, jumping to conclusions will just make things complicated."

"So, then what will you do?"

"As I said, I'll talk with her."

"Ok then. But be careful."

"I'll be fine."

"Still be careful. She might react violently if she's doing something suspicious."

"Crate, stop that. I already said freaking out like that will only make things worse. You do know that you'll only make yourself look suspicious if you end up being wrong, right?"

"Oh... ok."

Meta glared at her, trying to control his anger. He was angry for two reasons. One was that he was right that freaking over potentially nothing would just cause problems. Claiming that another soldier was a spy was a serious offense. He chalked it up to Crate's overly paranoid personality so he would cut her some slack, for now. The other reason he was angry was at the mere idea of Tam being a traitor was unbelievable to him. Tam has been a loyal soldier for at least a few decades and sure she was mysterious at times, but she was also incredibly trustworthy.

"Don't say anything else about a spy to anyone. We don't need to cause a panic around here." He warned the dog, a noticeable edge to his voice.

"I understand." She quickly replied with a frightened nod as she shuddered.

"You better. The last thing we need is a riot while sensei is away." Meta said, walking away to find to Tam. After he was gone, Crate looked nervously at the bomb. He then quickly came back and grabbed it, so that he could show it to Tam.

---------

Meta walked around for several hours, but he didn't find a sign of Tam.

"It's times like this that I hate when she does this." He grumbled.

Honestly, the longer he searched the more he began to worry about if maybe she really was up to something. He didn't want to believe what Crate said. He really did not want to imagine his friend doing something so heinous. He needed to find her and fast. Due to this, he picked up his walking to the point where he was now running. He continued to run until he heard something.

"Meta? What's got looking so stressed out? And why are you running?" A familiar voice said from behind him.

After taking a moment to pant, he turned around to face them. "Tam! There you are, I've been looking for you."

"Oh, sorry, I had to go out on a short mission. So, what's up?" She asked.

Meta smiled, noting how calm she looked, which was a good sign. Her emotions seemed stable based on what he could read.

"Tam, I found one of your bombs in the cafeteria." He said, cutting straight to the point and showing her said micro bomb.

For a moment, the fox girl looked surprised. Then, she looked puzzled with a slightly worried expression on her face. "But...why? I usually have them secure whenever I walk around."

The young soldier sighed in relief, especially since he could tell she wasn't lying. But that presented another issue that bothered him. "I know you too well for this to be a simple accident. Someone must have gotten access to your bombs. I know you would never let one simply fall out of your bag. Thankfully, the bomb was disarmed, so there was no risk of it going off."

Tam put her hand on her chin and thought. "It's strange... only me and sensei should be able to access them in my room." She uttered.

"How so? Is there some kind of special lock?"

"Yeah. It's a fingerprint scanner."

"And that means the only prints in its database are yours and sensei's. Well, sensei has been gone for the whole week and we know you didn't do it."

"Then the question is... who did it?" The fox girl said in slight concern.

"Tam, when did you leave for your mission?"

"It was... yesterday and I was gone the whole day."

"And I know it wasn't in the cafeteria yesterday, I would have seen it."

"Of course. But I don't understand how anyone could have gotten past the lock. It's not like they could've cut off my hand and used it."

"...Let's go to your room. Maybe someone tampered with it somehow."

"I was going to do that anyway, but ok." Tam replied as she began to walk away quickly in the direction of her room.

---------

When the duo arrived at Tam's room, they noticed that seemingly nothing was touched... except for the fact that the safe in question was out in the open.

"Yeah... someone snuck in here. I don't leave the safe out like this, I keep it... well... somewhere safe and hidden." Tam uttered with a sigh.

"...we should tell this to Mercury, but no one else. Last thing we need is panic among the entire crew of the ship."

Tam nodded in agreement. "Right. Let's go find her."

The two left, with Meta having a really bad feeling about this situation that appears like it will just become more complicated as time went on.

---------

Mercury was on the bridge in the captain's chair when they found her drinking some tea peacefully while gazing outside.

"Hey, you two, is something wrong? You better not be here to ask about going to assist Kurabe again." She said, crossing her arms while looking at Meta.

"It's not about that, but something is wrong."

The vice captain looked concerned. "Well, what is it then?"

"We found one of Tam's bombs in the cafeteria and we don't know how it got there."

"How is that possible? Was it armed?"

"Thankfully, it wasn't armed. We're not sure how it got there. I have the safe I keep them in locked by a fingerprint lock that only has mine and Kurabe's in its database."

"Well, that's a relief. But Tam, you only just recently returned. How did someone sneak into your room without anyone noticing?"

"That's what I want to know."

"Well, let's check the security cameras. They might show us something useful." Mercury hit a button a nearby monitor, pulling up video footage. "Well, nothing strange happened yesterday, let's check today."

After a couple minutes of watching the footage, a strange incident occurred. Around four in the morning, a figure that looked exactly like Tam walked into her room and exited a couple minutes later holding a bomb, likely the one that was found in the cafeteria.

"Tam? But you came back today, I greeted you just a few minutes ago." Mercury said, confused by this. She wasn't the only one as both Meta and especially Tam herself were incredibly confused.

"I don't understand! Who could've done this?!" The fox girl shouted, now clearly freaking out about this sudden reveal.

"Calm yourself, soldier. We don't want to cause a scene. Right now, only the three of us know about this footage and we need to keep it that way." Mercury calmy ordered, causing Tam to take a deep breath to calm herself down.

"Y-yeah. But who could've done this? I don't want to say it, but... the only one that could possibly get by the safe access is a Limet." She then looked up at Mercury. "I'm not accusing you at all. I'm just stating facts."

Mercury adjusted her hat before talking. "No offense taken. It's the easiest conclusion to make. However, there's only two Limets aboard the ship, myself and Erhard. I know it's not me and I really doubt it's him. Considering he was in prison for most of his life, it's incredibly unlikely he's a spy or is someone that would sabotage the people that saved him." Her lips curled into a frown. "Plus, with how weak he is from being in a fridge for so long, he doesn't have the ability to fully copy the colors of something he transforms into. If it was him, we'd be looking at a silver fox right now instead of the normal fox we know and love."

"But... is there any other kind of species that can shapeshift?" Meta asked.

"Hold on. It's too soon to call it shape-shifting. It could be an appearance changing magic. While not common, it's not impossible."

"...still, do we know anyone who knows it?" The youth then asked.

"Kurabe is the only person I know with that kind of magic. Tam has illusion magic, but we know it's not her. So, the only logical conclusion is that someone on board is hiding their abilities."

The puff then looked concerned. "Then what should we do?"

"Well, for starters, none of what we discussed leaves this room. I'll tell Kurabe when she gets back."

"Understood." Both soldiers said.

"Secondly, it's safe to say whoever is trying to frame Tam clearly doesn't know how to operate those bombs of yours."

"I know, but why me?"

"Well, think about it. You have incredible illusion magic that barely anyone can see through. You also are fairly mysterious and are known for using explosives. You're an easy scapegoat in that sense. But don't worry, we'll find the true culprit, I promise nothing, and no one will sully your good name."

"Thank you very much, Mercury." The fox replied with a smile.

"Not a problem, just make sure to be careful." The acting captain turned back to the security footage. "I'll study the footage from beginning to end, hopefully I'll find something useful. You two, I can't officially order to search for clues, due to wanting to keep this under wraps. But if you were to say, oh I don't know, have a secret investigation that doesn't attract much attention, well I couldn't stop you from doing so." She told them with a knowing smirk.

"Ok then. Thank you for your help, Mercury." The puff said.

"You can thank me once we figure stuff out. Since we have no leads, you two will be on your own until I learn something. So good luck."

"Good luck with your own work." With that they walked off.

---------

Outside of the bridge, Meta was stopped by his friend.

"Hey, Meta, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?" He replied, turning around.

"Besides the logical fallacies, why are you so confident it's not actually me?"

The youth blinked in confusion. "Because I've known you for so long that I just know you would never do something like that."

Tam blinked in surprise at that blunt response, but then gave a smile. "Thanks, Meta. You know, you've grown a lot since I first met you."

"Really?" He asked.

"Of course, you're easily way more mature than you used to be."

The puff blushed slightly. "I see... thank you." Meta then stopped walking and paused with speaking. "Tam, do you think I could have done it?"

"Of course not! You would be worried that sensei would kill you if you did!"

"Well...that isn't...incorrect, I guess."

The fox girl gave a giggle.

"Tam, you know more about illusions then I do. Do you think what we saw on video was an illusion?"

"It looks too solid to be an illusion. Illusions also can't exactly mimic fingerprints either."

"And we know it's not a Limet. Mercury would never and Erhard, well he actually can't transform. He told me that due to his confinement in the fridge, his body had temporarily lost the ability to morph."

"Exactly. So that means the only other option is that someone is hiding their abilities from us."

"I would ask why, but I think the why is obvious."

"Yeah. Because they would be found out."

"Well, how do we go about this? It's not as if we can just walk up to everyone and ask if they can secretly shapeshift. We can, but it would be incredibly irresponsible."

"That's a good question. We'll have to go about this subtly..." Tam hummed.

"Another thing that's confusing me is that sensei always makes new recruits show off what abilities they have. So, it has to be someone that not even sensei could crack."

"Well... that's even harder, since I've yet to see someone she couldn't crack." The fox girl sighed.

Meta himself couldn't deny that, because he was the same way. But there was still one other possibility. "...Well, it's possible it might not be someone from this division, right?"

Tam shrugged. "Depends. We'll have to see if anyone from any other division was on this ship."

"Well, yes, but I don't just mean people from other divisions. I mean what if someone completely unaffiliated with us snuck in and took your form? I know that's incredibly unlikely, but unlikely doesn't translate into impossible."

"That... would be..." Tam trailed off with a worried tone, not even bothering to finish the sentence.

Meta then remembered something. "That Chaogean, Shinkiro. He could have brainwashed you and... no, that wouldn't work, you weren't here when he was."

"Oh, you met him? Yeah, that would be possible if I was here at the time. Besides, he seems a bit too airheaded to think up an idea like that."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Then who would it be?"

"Well, it has to be someone that knows of you and knows what weapons you use. That's easy to find knowledge. But what isn't easy to find knowledge is what room is yours. That isn't something any average outsider can find out."

"Then that can be pretty much everyone in the combat division."

"As much as I hate to admit it, yes. That's the most likely conclusion."

Tam then sighed. "Even worse, we're the largest division."

"Hmm, can you think of anyone that could have done it?"

"Nope. What about you?"

Meta closed his eyes, focusing all of his thoughts into that one question. That's when something hit him. "...Hey, Tam, have you shown Crate what your bombs look like?"

"Crate...? Hm... maybe? She only seemed to watch me at a distance I think."

"So, she hasn't gotten a good look at them." He said gravely.

"Yeah."

"...When I found the bomb, Crate was with me. She asked why would Tam leave a bomb there. I never said it belonged to you out loud. At the time I didn't think much of it, because I was more focused on finding you. But now..."

"Suspicious, don't you think?"

"I don't want to think it's her. She's a bit odd...alright, more than a bit, but I don't want to believe she's the culprit. But if she does have something to do with it, we have to find her."

"Ok, then let's find her."

"That's going to be a problem. The last place I saw her was the cafeteria, which was hours ago."

"Oh, we can ask people if she's still on the ship."

"Then let's get going. We have a dog to find."

"Ok."

The duo walked off to search the ship.

---------

Several hours passed and there seemed to be no sign.

"Maybe she's on a mission?" Meta offered.

"Probably. If that's the case, we'll have to wait until she gets back."

"Great, now what?"

Tam took a moment to think. "...maybe you should read the emotions of everyone you come across."

"I suppose I can try that."

"It might be tiring for you, but it's an idea."

"It's the only idea we have. So, let's do it."

His friend nodded and picked him up to carry him. "Focus on reading emotions. I'll do the walking."

"That really isn't necessary Tam, but fine. Let's get this over with." She giggled as she began to walk around.

Unfortunately for them, Meta was unable to find any suspicious emotions. There was one Bukiset that seemed particularly nervous, but he chalked that up to the Bukiset being the cafeteria's janitor and he knew how messy it got in there.

Tam gave an annoyed sigh. "Ok, now what?"

"...I need to lay down for one." He replied, tired from the whole ordeal.

"I'll take you to your room then!" She said happily.

"Again, not necessary. But fine."

"Ok, then where do you want to sleep?" She pouted.

"...my room. I said I was fine with you taking me there."

"Then why did you say it wasn't necessary?"

"I said you carrying me was not necessary."

"Even though you look tired? Fine, you can walk there on your own." She huffed while dropping him without warning.

"I literally said fine that you can carry me. What is your problem?"

"I'm going to be completely honest, Meta. One thing you need to work on is your phrasing. If you say, "it's not necessary" or "you don't need to", it will sometimes upset people who offer to do something for you."

"Ok, I'm sorry. But did you really have to drop me like that? The floor is too hard to bounce off of. That really hurt."

"Take your bruising as a painful reminder of what I said."

"Tam, that's incredibly rude. I was fine with you carrying me even if it was embarrassing. I'm trying my best to help you clear your name, do you even care about that? Or are my actions meaningless just because I'm bad at talking?" He said sadly.

"I do care! Don't you understand I'm stressed about this whole thing?"

Meta stared at her and after a while, hugged her much to her own surprise. "I'm sorry, Tam."

She didn't respond, but gave a slight look of confusion. "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

After a moment, Meta seemed to fall asleep.

"Meta?" Tam called out.

She then looked down at him and saw his sleeping face.

"...you were a lot more tired than you seemed..." She giggled. "I'm sorry too. Let's get you to bed then."

The youth smiled, as if hearing what she had said.

---------

Hours later, Meta woke up, still a bit drowsy. "...What happened?"

He saw Tam sitting next to him.

"We were trying to find the person who tried to frame me, and you overdid it by trying to sense everyone's emotions on the ship."

"...Right, that did happen, didn't it? Sorry, my head is a bit fuzzy."

"It's fine. Did you have a good rest?"

"I don't feel nearly as tired at least."

"Good. Back to our investigation."

"Did anything else happen while I was out?"

"Not that I know of."

"Well, that's I good, I hope. Well, what should do now? Have you checked if Crate returned?"

"I did, but it doesn't look like it."

"Well, so much for that. Are you feeling alright Tam?"

"Yeah, I am, thanks. What about you?"

"My head hurts, I don't know why though."

"Did you overwork yourself trying to sense everyone's emotions?"

"Well, I probably did see sense I needed to sleep, but I don't think that's why."

"Or you fainted."

"...Well, I guess it doesn't really matter then."

The fox girl nodded. "We should get back to looking."

"Sure. We should also see if Mercury has found anything."

"Let's do that first then."

They left, Meta noticing that Tam seemed nervous about something, but he just shrugged and figured it had to deal with the situation.

---------

Soon, the duo reached the bridge to talk to Mercury. The acting captain had a grim expression, already showing that she didn't have good news to tell.

"Mercury, what's wrong?" Meta quickly asked.

"I think the security footage can speak for itself. " She said, summoning a TV screen and turning it on.

Both Tam and Meta looked confused and looked closely at it. On it was footage of Tam placing the bomb in the cafeteria, as well as the fox woman sneaking around the ship in a way that made her look suspicious.

"Th-that's not me!" Tam shouted.

"I know. These were all during the time you were gone. I know it's not you but if we don't find any evidence in your favor soon, it won't be good for you."

"I assume you can't find any evidence of who could've actually done this?"

"We wouldn't be having this conversation if I could."

"Then what should we do?"

"Unfortunately, all you can do is keep searching for clues."

Both of them nodded.

"Oh, there is one good piece of news."

"What's that?" Meta asked.

"Kurabe contacted me. She'll be returning tomorrow if nothing else pops up."

The youth's eyes shined in excitement. "Really? She's coming back tomorrow?!"

"If nothing goes wrong, yes, she will be."

"That's great! Then she can help us!"

"And it's also because you're just happy to see her again, aren't you?" Mercury asked with a grin.

"Of course, aren't you? It'll be good knowing that she's no longer in danger."

"Yup. That's why I'm happy."

Meta was excited, with Kurabe's help figuring out the truth of this mystery should become much easier, especially with her mind reading.

"It's the best news we could've heard!" He thought.

"But that's for tomorrow. Anyway, I'm guessing you two haven't found anything?" Mercury asked.

"Sadly, no."

After a moment of silence, Tam suddenly spoke up.

"Hey Mercury, did Crate leave on a mission?"

"She did. I received a report from her that she'll be back late at night."

"I see..." The fox uttered, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Don't worry. I'll make it so no one leaves the ship tomorrow. So, you two will get your chance to speak with her."

"Thank you, Mercury." Meta smiled.

"It's fine. For now, I'm ordering you two to take a break from your investigation."

"Ok." The duo nodded in understanding.

"Good, now get going. And try not to strain yourselves while thinking about this mystery."

"We'll try." Tam replied.

Mercury nodded. "Then you are dismissed. Tam, if you want some advice, stay in your room to make sure no one else gets access to your bombs."

"Yeah, I planned on doing that anyway, but thanks."

"You too, Meta, it's slight, but there's a chance someone might try framing you as well so you should keep your possessions safe."

"Ok." He nodded in reply.

"Let us know if you find anything, ok?" Tam asked.

"Will do. Now get going and take it easy. We'll need you two at full power." They both nodded and returned to their rooms.

---------

Upon reaching a fork in the hallway, they turned to each other.

"Well, Tam I guess I'll see you later."

"Yeah. Hope you get some rest in."

"You as well. You need it more than me, I'm sure."

"Oh, definitely. This whole thing is really wearing me down."

"Then yes, you need your sleep. We'll figure out what's going on, I promise."

Tam smiled. "Thank you, Meta. That cheers me up a lot."

"I'm glad about that. Hopefully tomorrow we'll finally get some real answers and not more mysteries."

"Yeah. Until then, let's get some rest."

Meta nodded and teleported to his room, wanting to make sure his room was untouched. Thankfully, it looked like it was. He was relieved by this, but he was still nervous with this whole situation, but he knew he could relax once his sensei returned.

"I should lock the door just in case..."

Upon doing so, he sat down on his bed, unable to shake the uneasy feeling he had.

"I guess I should get some more sleep. I need to be at the top of my game." He laid down in his bed and sighed. "Please come home soon, sensei."

---------

In another part of the galaxy was a lone star jet, slowly making its way home. This was the star jet of Kurabe and inside was the woman herself, visible slash marks and bruises all over her body and a pool of blood forming under her by the minute. The Lady of Shadows was in horrible shape, the only thing keeping her awake was her unbreakable spirit and determination.

"I have to...get home...no matter... what."

[ghost-t-cryptids]

I feel like Ganondorf cutting his hair would actually be this big thing for him.

Its not in the epilogue fic, as that takes place after the chopping but...I feel like I should write it

So here it is!

Ganondorf dunked his head under the small waterfall they had made camp near.

Him and Estrin were on they're way back to Castle Town, with messages from other settlements offering support to the town and Princess Zelda.

Ganondorf had found it...strange. How readily the princess had accepted him into the new Knights of Hyrule, even going as far to make him a Captain.

'It's an honorary title' She had told him. 'Though your voice and experience will always be valued alongside Estrin's'.

His boyfriend had been offered the same position, though it would have been an actual job (something about experience that Ganondorf didn't quite understand), but declined. Estrin had opted to be an honorary one too.

That didn't mean neither of them wanted to help, Estrin had told the princess that he'd be better suited out in the field, helping people directly.

Ganondorf sighed and dunked his head under again, trying to get out the remaining soap.

An image flashed through his mind, one of Estrin recoiling in pain as he broke his hand.

He quickly pulled his head out of the water, gasping.

"You okay?" Estrin's voice called from the shore of the shallow stream.

"I..." Ganondorf didn't want to bring it up, for Estrin's sake. "Yeah, I'm fine, just got water up my nose."

Ganondorf caught his reflection in the water as he made his way to the shore.

Ganondorf hated this. Hated how similar he looked to the beast that hurt his lover. How his hair seemed to grab at him, how his mother's always loved that it was long.

"Somethings up, come on." Estrin said, grabbing Ganondorf's towel and passing it to him. "You can tell me anything, you know that, my love?"

Ganondorf couldn't, he couldn't risk put Estrin through the memories again...but he couldn't stay like this, he needed to change, become someone he was proud of again.

"Can we...cut my hair?" Ganondorf asked, half expecting Estrin to pull the same excuses his mother's pulled when he asked them as a child.

"Yeah, sure!" Estrin smiled. "Can I ask why though? You've been pretty happy with it for as long as I've known you."

"Just need a change." Ganondorf sighed with a smile.

"I understand, let me grab my daggers!" Estrin picked up his daggers, turning them over to make sure they were clean and sharp.

Ganondorf sat in front of Estrin, back turned to his boyfriend.

'No going back now.' He thought, as his lover bunched up Ganondorf's hair in his hand, placed the dagger behind it, and pulled it towards him.

Ganondorf shut his eyes tight until he heard the sound of a hefty amount of hair dropping to the floor.

"Done!" Estrin leaned over Ganondorf's shoulder to place a kiss on his cheek. "Take a look!" He passed his mirror to Ganondorf.

"I...I love it." Ganondorf breathed, as the person in the mirror looked less like a beast, and more like him. "Thank you."

[broke-art]

Red Son x Healing reader

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." You chanted as you tried to clean up the glass shards littering the floor.

You had been doing the dishes for your grandmother when a wet plate slipped out of your hands and smashed on the floor.

"It's alright y/n." Your grandmother soothed keeping her distance. "It was an accident. Just don't cut yourself." Your grandmother had always been patient with you and kind. The exact opposite of your parents.

Since you were little they beat you, viciously. They were emotionally manipulative and frayed every heartstring you ever had.

You blamed yourself for just about everything, always apologized, remained silent most of the time, and flinched anytime anyone attempted to touch you.

Your grandmother had got custody over you a year or two ago and insisted that you stay with her while going to college and trying to get a job. You guessed she was trying to rehabilitate you for the real world.

You did your best to improve and make her proud. But you still couldn't handle anyone attempting to touch you. Much to your grandmother's heartbreak.

"You just work on those dishes and I'll start on di-Ah!"

You jumped to your feet at her yelp ready to run.

Your grandmother pressed a hand over her heart and grimaced in pain.

Your fight or flight response eased as you came back to reality and fear was replaced with worry.

"Grandma?"

She shook her head and gave you a dismissive wave when her pain seemed to leave slowly.

"I'm fine, dear. Just an old heart." She turned her back to you preparing the stove for cooking.

You frowned in worry and reached out to stop her, but halted your hand only inches from her back. You retracted your hand and opted to speak instead.

"Grandma, let me buy some take out. I saw a barbeque place down the road. I heard they have the hottest food in the country." You bribed with a kind tone.

Your grandmother was a sucker for spicy food and you swore she had a gut of titanium.

"I don't want to spend your money, dear." Your grandmother said turning to you.

"I do though. And besides, I think it might help." You were no doctor, but maybe the spice would help her heart. You weren't sure why but that seemed right.

"Well alright. But please be careful and don't spend too much."

You nodded at the instructions and rushed out the door.

Once outside, you avoided looking up as much as possible keeping to yourself.

That was until you came to the barbeque stand and forced yourself to smile although it was shyly.

"Excuse me?"

A man in a red trench coat with fiery red hair turned to you with a clearly forced smile.

"Well hello valued cu-" his eyes locked on you and he froze mid-sentence. He stared for a moment then shook his head. "Valued customer. What can I get you?"

You ordered trying not to let your smile slip. So, you studied the man while he worked. He looked handsome and confident. You caught yourself staring and blushing so you quickly looked away.

Unfortunately, he noticed the red on your cheeks and smirked.

"May I ask your name for the order?" He quirked a brow at you. His smirk turning flirtatious.

"Y/n." You said sweetly.

"That's a lovely name." The man said as he started to pack your order.

"What's your name?" You asked curiously tilting your head.

The man chuckled.

"Don't you know?"

A small gasp escaped you.

"Are you a celebrity? I'm sorry I'm terrible with celebrities."

The man laughed lightly.

"You could say that. I am Red Son. Son of the Demon Bull King and Lady Iron Fan!" He declared proudly.

You stared dumbfounded.

"Oh you're the guy who tried to take over the weather station."

Red son cringed at the mention and you bit your bottom lip.

"Well technically, you did succeed for a while." You pointed out kindly.

Red Son paused in shock then smiled at you.

"I did, didn't I?" He stood a little straighter.

You nodded with a giggle. He was so easy to please.

Red Son offered you your order and you waved goodbye walking home.

Your grandmother adored the food and you ate yours with a quiet smile and light blush. Then as you finished you found a small piece of paper at the bottom of the bag. It held Red Son's name followed by a series of numbers.

He had given you his phone number. Your heart stuttered at the realization.

You pulled out your phone and dialed the number, then sent a text.

Soon you received a return text and without much time at all you two were texting everyday. You would go on walks with him to the grocery store and he would sometimes stay and help you make dinner for your grandmother and you.

He enjoyed cooking with you and your grandmother was in love with his spicy food so it seemed like a good situation until one time in particular.

You chopped the vegetables while the stove simmered next to you and Red Son worked on filling dumplings to your left.

"Are your parents ok with you being here?" You whispered glancing at him.

Red Son chuckled.

"Oh please, mother is ecstatic that I'm talking to someone as lovely as you and father adores your food. Of course they are overjoyed that I am here."

Your cheeks burned red at the compliments and you smiled lightly.

"I'm glad you're here too."

Red Son turned suddenly as you finished the vegetables. In doing so he knocked down a few dishes off the counter. The collective crashes sent you back to when you lived with your parents. 

You screamed and covered your ears falling to your knees.

Your grandmother came around the corner with a worried frown just as Red Son reached for you.

"Don't, don't touch her." She informed him carefully. "She's reliving very painful memories."

You attempted to breathe as tears streaked down your cheeks your mind slamming you with all the most painful of your memories.

Red Son knelt next to Y/n carefully. Her sobs and gasps for air tore at his  heart. He had no clue what 'painful' memories your grandmother meant, but he intended to stay with you until they passed.

"What memories do you mean?" He asked as he snapped his fingers igniting a small flame in his hand.

You stared at the flame and slowly started to breathe evenly again.

Y/n's grandmother informed him of the past abuse and the years Y/n suffered. It became difficult to keep the flame in his palm small as he heard the stories, but he urged himself to have patience.

Caring for y/n was his first priority. So, he waited until her grandmother finished her tales and Y/n had calmed down some before speaking.

"Y/n, can you hear me?" He addressed you quietly.

You nodded.

"May I touch you?"

You paused but after a moment you nodded.

Red son pulled you against his chest and lifted you bridal style and walked towards the living room.

"Where are we going?" You whispered.

"You are going to rest on the couch. I am going to finish the food. We will eat, then you and I are going to talk." His tone sounded tense but simple.

He finished the food, you all ate, then Red Son leaned over as your grandmother left.

"You have been hiding your pain from me. Care to explain that?" He frowned almost angrily. But you could see worry behind the frustration.

"I didn't want you to worry. And I'm getting better at dealing with it....just not with loud noises."

Red Son sighed and pulled you against him.

"Well we are working together on it from now on."

You smiled and cuddled into him and after a while you slipped off to sleep.

Red Son grinned at you lovingly.

The next day it was reported that your parents' house had caught fire in the night with no survivors. Red Son claimed he had no hand in it. But then he always did smirk when you asked.