#like if an exploding bag of chips but instead of chips a small and confused void cat

[owmyeyeballs]

Wow, Millie is so good at hiding, where could she possibly be?

[gojology]

Strawberry Flavored Pocky.

pairing : teen! gojo x gender neutral reader warnings : the big three: unedited, most likely badly written, and some cursing. also there’s like.. graphic imagery that gojo and reader exchange to eachother. it’s just banter though! wordcount : 2273 a/n : for that one anon that wanted teen gojo. my stroke of genius always occurs when im eating strawberry flavored pocky i swear.. anyways yeah this is unfiltered writing n it’s probably like not the best tbh and maybe i didn’t nail teen gojo’s personality but u know what this was so fun to write

     The sound of the tear of the wrapper containing the Pocky you had just bought was music to your ears, crinkling with every touch. Your fingers are itching to grab for the deliciously coated sticks, but you’re stopped by someone none other than Gojo Satoru himself.       “What’d you get?” he inquired, seemingly unbothered by the face you were making, he hadn’t even greeted you with a simple, “Hello.” he sat down on the bench seat right next to you, uninvited.       In his hand were many bags of various sweet treats, you could only make out some familiar ones- ramune flavored gummies, a bag of chips, vibrantly colored candy. Your lips quirk downwards, exhaling, turning to face the setting sun.       “Just some Pocky.” you flatly respond, beginning to pick the biscuit up. Contrary to Gojo’s wide choice of snacks, you only really had one favorite- Pocky. Specifically, Strawberry flavored Pocky. The sweet, yet somewhat tart aftertaste treat dominated your mind almost day and night. It wasn’t everyday that Yaga would be lenient enough to take the four of you to the local convenience store. You were waiting for Shoko and Geto to finish shopping to finally head home for a night of yummy snacking.       Gojo sighs, lazily dropping the treats right next to his side, they sat idly, limply resting on his thigh as he crossed his right leg over his left knee. His hands warmly nestled into his snowy white hair, his elbows jutting into your personal bubble.        “Not one to chat, are you? What’s the problem? You scared?” his tone is teasing, and you jerk your head to face his. Your head is tilted, like your confused, but in reality you’re just astounded how obnoxious he was.       “Why in the world would I be scared of you? You wouldn’t lay a finger on me. Yaga-Senpai would rip your limbs off one by one and fling you into the horizon! And he’s not even that far away, I could report you to him if you even get on my nerves in the slightest.” you shot back, huffing and taking your first bite on the biscuit. You instantly melt.       He flashes you a toothy smile, and you stiffen, did he ever take anything seriously? “Oh my, so riled up. Only scaredy-cats would talk about how not scared they were. Look, you’re even shaking-” he gestures to your just slightly shaking, tightened grip on your Pocky. “-I win, Y/N! Boo hoo, case closed, gimme your Pocky~”        “No, fuck you and your fat ass trying to take my Pocky, I’m not shaking from fear anyways.” you sternly retort, warmth rushing to your cheeks for whatever reason. “I’m shaking because I’m resisting the urge to duct tape your mouth shut and gouge your eyeballs out.”       He chuckles warmly as if your gruesome detailing was humorous, he probably didn’t know you meant it. He too, ripped open one of his snacks. “Calm down, Y/N. I was joking, I could buy Pocky’s whole stock and probably also buy my position up as CEO if I wanted to. I wouldn’t leech off of you, sugar.” readjusting his crooked, circular shades, he looked down at your now slack grip on the wrapper.      Unanswering, you’re grumbling instead. Under your breath, you’re curious as to how Gojo hasn’t realized how obnoxious he was, and how much longer could he survive without his head exploding from how big it was from his inflated ego?      Gojo grinned. He was all too aware of those things, but who really cared?      “Not unless you let your guard down!-” unable to finish the rest of his sentence, he yanked up the wrapper from your hands, using the extent of his long arm to dangle it high above your head. Your reflexes are far too slow to react, causing you to glare at him in a mixture of shock, hatred, and disbelief.      “Give-” you jump, arm reaching towards your snack, but he backs off, snickering and still dangling it above your head. “It-” now you’ve leapt up on the bench, grabbing at the wrapper to no avail. “Back!-” whimpering and flailing your arms out, every time you came close to retrieving your rightfully owned pack of Pocky, he’d simply throw it to his other hand so carelessly it pissed you off. All the while giggling, juggling it like a clown.      A breath of laughter escapes his lips as he looks at you, prancing around like a circus act on the bench, yelling curses and many death-wishes to his clan. Your eyebrows are knitted together, and he can’t just help but realize how adorable you were when concentrated in getting something- so stubborn.    “Okay, okay!” and as if Gojo had flipped a switch, you simmer down, looking at him with an impatient side-eye. “You want it, doggie?”     “Refer to me as doggie, and I’ll send a pack of strays to ravage you.”       Gojo exhaled out of his nose. “You’re a funny one, doggie.” did he just dismiss the conversation you two were having literally 2 seconds prior? “I’ll ask this again, do you want to get your treats back?” his eyes are glinting with amusement and child-like glee. You were almost sure that he had started calling your beloved Pocky as treats because of just how well it suited the nickname Doggie. It looked like you would be getting no where unless you paid no mind to him calling you such a.. Derogatory name.       Grumbling and studying the concrete you were currently trampling on, you exasperatedly sigh.       “Yes. I do want my Pocky back.” you grunt, averting your gaze to anywhere but Gojo’s shoes.       He perks up in approval, drawing out a long, “Hmmm?” as if he hadn’t expected you to give up so easily. “What are the magic words, Y/N?”       This was so humiliating.       “Please?” you politely say through gritted teeth. If it weren’t for the general public bustling about, you would’ve lunged for his unruly hair and tear it out of his scalp.       “Hah! You think I’m gonna do that sorta bullshit?” he crosses his arms, Pocky tucked safely under his arm. You wince, thinking about how the biscuits may potentially be snapped in half. Did you really want your snack still? It probably smelled like Gojo’s armpit sweat, death, and all the bad things in the world combined. “You’re gonna have to earn it, Y/N, in a game.”       Now convinced that Gojo was the manifestation of all the bad karma that you had avoided, you stare at him with wide eyes and fear, the irritation long gone. Games, no, scratch that, literally anything with Gojo only resulted in a small, or maybe large piece of your sanity torn away from you, lost to the infinite dark abyss. Maybe that’s why Geto seemed to slowly go insane everyday.       “On second thought, I’ll just go-”      He cuts you off, alarm now displayed on full view, his face contorting back to neutral. “Wait, no! It won’t be hard. Pinkie promise.” extending a pinkie towards you, you gently slap it away. The mood change was so instant, you were still shocked, that, and he was almost a legal adult and still believed in pinkie promises.      Still hesitant, you quirk an eyebrow, crossing your arms over your chest. “I’d rather spend another two dollars than play whatever game your planning, unless you tell me about it.”      “That’s a given, besides, it won’t take too long, Y/N. I think you’ll like it.” he replies cheerfully, leaning and whisper-yelling into your ear, fruitfully jolting you up. Seriously, did he have any idea what personal space was?      After just a few seconds of thinking, you roll your eyes in defeat. “Okay, what’s this game?”      His incredibly long fingers inserted themselves inside the crinkling wrapper, pulling out a slender stick. You’re almost sure your salivating, and subconsciously swallow the lump at the back of your throat. “Okay, rules of this game are... Hm, we both place our mouths at both ends of the stick. You get the pretzel part because that part sucks.” mischief flickers in his eyes briefly. “Whoever can get down the Pocky longest without being afraid of kissing and pulling back, loses and doesn’t get the Pocky. Whoever stays in their place wins. I’ll throw in some money, deal or no deal?”       “This doesn’t sound.. Fun.” you were still skeptical, but curiosity was blossoming rapidly inside of you. Could you really resist such an intriguing request? The guy was rich, and he did say he’d throw in some money. Gojo probably hated the thought of you, too. You could probably get up and close, get him to cower away from the thought of locking lips with you, and you’d be on your merry way.       “Um, actually, never mind. Let’s do this.” you chirp, the weariness had depleted completely. Besides, Gojo would pester you into doing it anyways, this would effectively save time. The expression on his face was indecipherable, silently wishing to yourself to see his eyes. You wonder if they’re wide open, in shock of your acceptance.       He gently placed the biscuit between your lips, his thumb brushing against it. Your breath hitches, now he’s up close. The shades adorning his handsome features, concealing those vivid blue eyes of his made your heart pace quicken in just seconds, maybe it was because he could see you- and you couldn’t. Your gaze shifts to the tufts of white hair hanging above his forehead. His bangs look lusciously soft, so soft you wonder what it’d be like to ruffle his unruly hair, what did it smell like? What conditioner did he use?     Your cheeks darken, but you hope he doesn’t notice it. This was what people thought of when they saw pretty people up close, it wasn’t like you had a thing for him, he was just attractive, that’s all.      “You look real stupid holding that stick between your teeth and looking at me.” he comments, charmingly smirking as you give him another death glare, unable to speak in fear of dropping the Pocky stick. You could count each individual hair strand he had on top of his head with the amount of time he was taking.      Chomp.     You take the first bite, and you can’t help but realize how much your heart is fluttering about in your chest. Eyelashes fluttering, nerves getting jittery, the exchange was strangely intimate. No kidding, of course it was- if the two of you were adamant and continued to chomp on the stick, it would only end in a kiss. There was no way around it.      He takes a bite too, his lips look curved in a dopey smile, but there’s not a single word traded between the two of you, just tiny, slight nibbles. It would be eons until someone finished, and you were growing impatient by the minute. Quicken the pace. Quicken the fucking pace.     So you did the unthinkable, you quickened the pace.     Taking a large bite, he pauses for a minute- as if to think, before taking an even larger bite. Now, 2/3′s of the original stick is gone. One more large bite, and a kiss would follow suit. Now, you’re sweating bullets, eyes bouncing from him, back down to the microscopic sized Pocky. His lips are so, so close. Soft, plush pink, so glossy you’re inclined to ask what brand of lip gloss he uses. You can hear his breathing grow heavier, why wasn’t he giving up?      The two of you don’t take a single bite, plainly avoiding the objective, the world around you had evaporated into thin air. It’s you, and Gojo Satoru.      You nibbled a little bit more, and then you make up your mind. You’re going to kiss-       Growing chatter grew closer to closer, and you realize Shoko’s monotone and Geto’s lively voice, alongside a very disgruntled Yaga.       “Yeah, she’s pretty hot. I actually liked the movie- Uh...?” the steady rhythm stopped against the concrete. Immediately, you straighten and clear your throat, spitting out the Pocky stick into the nearby grass. Gojo follows suit, shoving his hands deep into his pockets and twirling around. “Oh hey, Geto!-”       “Are we interrupting something? Something.. Important?” Shoko quizzes, struggling to stifle her giggling. A sheepish smile was displayed widely on your face for the world to see, hands behind your back like you were hiding something. Gojo, on the other hand, is facing the other direction, whistling and staring at the now setting sky.       You stutter, cheeks growing even darker. Yaga looks as disgruntled as ever, facepalming and murmuring to himself. Geto looks ecstatic.        “MY MAN!” he beams. “WERE YOU GOING TO-”       “SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!” Shoko shushes him in response, turning her head back to the two of you. You looked like you had just seen a ghost. “We thought you hated Gojo, we’re just...” her head is cocked slightly, an understanding expression on her features. “Just surprised, is all.”       Spluttering, you try to explain yourself- but no sound comes out. Your mouth is opening and closing, struggling to find the words.       “I do hate him... I just... He.. Pocky.. He uh...”       “Sheeeeeeeesh! Poor Y/N over here is going through some shock right now!” Gojo muses aloud, he places an arm around your shoulders, pulling you in under his arm. There’s a small, coy grin on his lips. As if he didn’t try kissing you 1 minute ago. “Just ignore them, anyways, what are we having for dinner tonight? I heard there’s a really good KBBQ place down the street that just opened..”      As much as you hate Gojo, his ability to escape anything did come in handy.    Well, maybe you didn’t hate him as much as you were leading on.     You’d go as far as to say.. Maybe you enjoyed some parts of him.      

[mypoisonedvine]

It’s Always The Quiet Ones... | college AU dark!Peter Parker x (slightly)naive!reader

for @nsfwsebbie​​‘s dream fic challenge, I was assigned to write something for @harryspet​​ which was vv exciting bc I love her stuff ;-; no pressure right? lol (also thank you to @evnscvll​​ for being my proofreader, sounding board, and partner for some very strange texting for the purpose of screenshots!)

Here is the prompt I got: peter is a dork and is weird and quiet, and the readers friends dared her to sleep with him. turns out he was really kinky and is really good at sex. can be dark.  And hoo boy, did I run with that.  I hope you like it!!

Word Count: 4.4k

Warnings: smut (it’s consensual but with dubcon undertones, manipulation, and implied coercion/dubcon at the end), stalking, blackmail, voyeurism, and general creepiness.  Oh yeah and there’s some degradation and dacryphilia in there for good measure.

You and your friends were in the middle of your daily cafeteria lunch, chatting about the same sorts of small talk you always did.  

“Oh god, it’s that weird guy from class!” Jackie blurted out suddenly around a mouthful of fries, pulling you out of the conversation you’d been having.  Everyone at the table whipped around and your eyes went wide. 

“Come on, don’t look all at once,” you hissed.  

“Who is this guy?” Cody asked, looking around with confusion.

“The guy in the blue hoodie over there,” Jackie answered, motioning toward him with her head.  It was Peter, setting down his tray of food and opening up his laptop, putting earbuds in.  He was pretty much always on his laptop, it seemed like.  He took a bite of his pizza before getting back to whatever he was working on.

“He looks normal, or normal-ish,” Mia shrugged.  

“No, no, you don’t get it,” you shook your head.  “We have him in Computational Physics on Tuesdays and Thursdays--”

“Plus Friday lab,” Jackie interjected.

“--and he’s… kinda…”

“Creepy,” Jackie concluded.

“No,” you denied, “not creepy.  He’s just… a bit awkward, I guess.”

“And he stares at you, like, the entire time we’re in class.  But won’t even talk to you.”

“Oh, that’s weird,” Mia agreed with a shudder.

“I don’t know,” you shrugged, “it’s kinda… sweet, maybe?  I mean, he’s just shy, right?”

“Oh my god you are such a slag!” Jackie teased, shoving you on the shoulder.  “You’re into him, aren’t you?”

“No!” you denied with wide eyes.  

“You’re just into the attention,” Cody rolled his eyes.

“I mean, it’s kind of flattering, isn’t it?” you admitted.  Jackie laughed.

“You should go over there and talk to him,” she decided.

“Nooooooooo, no way,” you shake your head.

“I kinda wanna see this,” Cody smirks.

“Literally just go over there and flirt with him, his head would explode,” Jackie suggested excitedly.

“I don’t even know how to flirt,” you chuckled.

“So you’re considering it!” Mia accused.

“I didn’t say that!” you squeaked.

“Pleeeeeease,” Jackie whined playfully.  “It’ll be funny.”

“I don’t usually sleep with people for comedic effect.”

“I’ll chip in $20 if you do it,” she offered immediately.  She turned to the rest of the table, “come on guys, we need to pool together and make her do it.”

“I’ve only got a ten,” Cody mumbled, pulling it out slowly before Jackie snatched it away.

“Okay, $30, who can make it $50?”

“Jackie, calm down,” you hissed.

“You’re telling me you wouldn’t sleep with him for $50?  He’s cute!”

“I have $35 and 67 cents,” Mia counted, shuffling through her wallet.

“Oh my god,” you groaned, your head falling into your hands.

“Just do it, for me,” Jackie said, suddenly sounding oddly serious.  You didn’t understand why it mattered so much, but you decided it couldn’t be that bad if you just did it.

“Fine, fine, just shut up and don’t stare at us,” you instructed, getting up to a ruckus of cheers.  You didn’t even take the money.

You walked across the cafeteria, messenger bag slung over your shoulder, and hoped you wouldn’t totally make an idiot of yourself.  If you hadn’t already just by talking to a guy over a dare.

He didn’t seem to notice you when you stood by his table, still focusing on his computer.

“Um, hey,” you waved, and Peter looked up at you as he took out his earbuds.

“Hi,” he replied quickly.

“What… what are you working on?” you asked, motioning to the laptop.  He didn’t stop looking at you, and he didn’t say anything.  “I… we have comp together?  You know who I am, right?”

“O-of course I do!” he suddenly perked up.  “Yeah, I just…” he trailed off and turned to his laptop.  “I was just working on this model.”

“Can I take a look?” 

He smiled a little, and moved his backpack out of the seat next to him.  “Go ahead!”

You sat down and leaned in to look at his screen.  

“It’s-- it’s not finished but, basically I just put the kinetic energy of an object on the x-axis, the potential energy on the y-axis--” 

You used the laptop’s touch screen to move the model around, impressed with his work.  “And the z-axis is the conservation of energy for work done on an object,” you finished.  

“Uh, yeah, exactly,” he nodded.

“It’s beautiful!” you realized, appreciating the variety of colors as each data point was suspended in the graph.  

“Do you do any modeling?” he asked you, and for a hot second it felt like a line.

“Um,” you laughed, “no, not much at least.  Nothing extracurricular.”

“Oh.”

“I’m more into abstract math, if I’m being honest.”

He smiled.  “Oh, you’re one of those.”

You laughed, shoving him on the shoulder playfully, but regretting it as you saw his smile drop a bit.  “People are so judgmental about abstract math, as if it isn’t the study of the founding principles of mathematics.”

“So you think adding a pineapple and a banana is the foundation of mathematics?” he quirked an eyebrow.

“Okay, there’s so much more to abstract mathematics than weird variables,” you frowned.  “Like basic functions on matrices!  Don’t act like it isn’t dope as fuck to add, subtract, multiply and divide matrices.  If you saw my whiteboard in my dorm you would understand.”

“If I had a whiteboard now I could prove to you that abstract math is overrated,” he countered.

“I’d love to see you try,” you scoffed.  You hadn’t really meant it literally.  

“I don’t have anything for the rest of the day,” he shrugged.  It took you a moment to realize he was suggesting to actually come to your room and talk about math.  You weren’t sure if that was even what would happen if you went back to your dorm…

You opened your mouth to say that you were busy, that you couldn’t, that you shouldn’t, so you were a little surprised when you heard yourself say “sure” instead.

And that was how you ended up sitting on your kitchen counter with Peter Parker between your legs, kissing you like you’d never been kissed before.

It sort of happened all at once.  He just grabbed you and you were confused but went with it, because life is short and he was cute and his hands felt unexpectedly wonderful as they gripped your back.

You gasped a bit when he started to pull your shirt over your head but he didn’t slow down, quickly removing his own-- oh, hello there six-pack, nice to meet you-- kissing you again as he wrapped his hands around your waist and slid you off the counter, guiding your legs to wrap around his hips.  He carried you to the bedroom with unexpected grace; he was so much stronger than he looked.  And he looked different than he ever had before as he tossed you down onto your bed and started to kiss his way down your abdomen while his fingers slipped under the waistband of your shorts.

“Oh god, Peter!” you yelped as he kissed along your thighs, pulling down your shorts and underwear and tossing them to the side.

“Say my name again,” he demanded before instantly latching onto your clit, sucking and licking directly onto the bundle of nerves.

And you really had no choice in the matter, his name pouring from your lips over and over, accentuated with a yelp as he shoved two fingers into you, finding and massaging your g-spot before you could even process everything you were feeling.

“Oh my god, fuck, Peter!” you hissed, your head falling back onto the mattress so hard it bounced a little.

You were barreling towards an orgasm faster than you probably ever had before.  This was nothing like the few other hook-ups you’d had since starting college-- it wasn’t even like the times you’d been alone with your hand or a vibrator.  This was like an assault on the senses, so powerful that you couldn’t even really keep track of the sounds you were making or anything that wasn’t his mouth on you and his fingers in you.

“I’m gonna come, oh my god, I’m gonna come don’t stop please--” you moaned as your words turned into mostly incoherent nonsense.  How could you be expected to form a sentence in these conditions?

Thankfully, he didn’t stop.  He kept lapping at your clit as if he hadn’t even noticed your pleading, his fingers twisting inside you even as your walls clenched so tightly around them that it became difficult to keep up the pace.  Your hips involuntarily bucked against his face, your legs quivered as he refused to give you any reprieve from the sensation, but he kept going.

“Oh fuck, fuckfuckfuck Peter I can’t-- it’s too much-- oh god,” you babbled, but it fell on deaf ears.  A small part of your brain was confused why he wouldn’t stop-- you hadn’t told him outright to stop but it was kind of implied, right?  Wasn’t it some amount of not okay that he was still going?  It made your gut sink in a way that was equal parts disturbing and erotic.  

You were trying to pull away but his arms wrapped around your thighs and held you down.  God, he was strong.  He looked kind of skinny in those hoodies he was usually wearing, but now that he was actually exerting some force he was clearly muscular.  You felt helpless and it, oddly enough, turned you on.

“Peter, please, oh my god, slow down I-- I can’t take any more,” you whimpered; your voice came out all high-pitched and squeaky and it would’ve been embarrassing if you had enough brainpower left to care.  

He groaned against your skin but said nothing, using his teeth to lightly graze your clit.  Your whole body jerked at that, a sob tearing from your lips suddenly.  It felt like you were past the point of orgasm now and just lost in some sort of aggressively intense world of pleasure-- it neared pain, really.  You had never been pushed to your limits like this; you hadn’t even realized that there were limits which one could be pushed to this way!  It was exhilarating and exhausting and overwhelming.  You fought tears from forming because it would be so embarrassing to cry right now, and he would probably freak out and think you were hurt or something… maybe you were hurt, you couldn’t even tell at this point.  But at this point, it was unstoppable.  You were fucking crying from the overstimulation and he hadn’t even put his cock in you yet.  Your face was so hot that your own tears felt cool as they poured down your cheeks.

Finally, he stopped when he heard your sobs.  But instead of concern or fear or confusion, his expression was simply joy.

“Oh, you look so cute when you cry,” he cooed, sliding back up your body to kiss your tears away as they fell.  Then he kissed your mouth, open and sloppy and aggressive, and the taste of yourself on his tongue made your head spin.

Before you could collect your thoughts, he pulled back and made quick work of his jeans and boxers-- fuck, he was big.  

“You’re too kind,” he grinned, discarding the clothes and stroking his cock a few times.

You hadn’t realized you had said it out loud, and you felt a little nervous but then he was on you again, kissing you roughly and forcing his tongue into your mouth.  You felt him reaching down, gripping his cock and rubbing it through your folds.  You were soaked, and swollen, and nearly sore.  Every time the tip slid over your clit, you jumped a little.

He pushed into you ever so slightly, moving the head of his cock inside you and nothing more.  You whined with confusion and anticipation, but he continued on teasing you.

“Please,” you whimpered into his kiss.

He pulled back and looked down at you, his eyes blown so wide that they looked like they’d gone black.  “What was that?” he asked, and you sighed because you knew he could hear you the first time.

“Please, Peter,” you repeated, louder, “I need more.”

“More…?”

You sobbed with frustration, and desire.  “Fuck me, please.”

He thrusted forward and you groaned as his cock stretched you open.  It was like night and day, how he went from slowly teasing you to slamming into your eager walls.  You cried out and gripped at his arms, just trying to steady yourself and maybe stop your skull from whacking the headboard if possible.

“You love it, don’t you?  You love my cock,” he growled.  His voice was lower, gravelly.  He sounded like an entirely different person.

“Yes,” you replied weakly.

“Say it,” he demanded.

No one had ever talked to you like this before and it made your cheeks burn.  “I-- I love your cock,” you stammered.  

He smiled and you hoped you’d done it right, and that he wasn’t smiling at your obvious nervousness or lack of experience.  You didn’t understand how this was normally supposed to go, because you didn’t normally hook up with people so casually-- you had just never really been interested in it.  But now that he was fucking you so hard you could barely breathe, you were starting to get the appeal.  God, your last boyfriend hadn’t even made you come in five months of dating, meanwhile five minutes with Peter had made you a sobbing mess.  Even now you were biting your lip to hold back your tears from the sheer intensity of the sensations you were experiencing.

“Oh, you poor thing,” he pouted condescendingly.  “You don’t wanna cry but you can’t help it, huh?  You’re my dumb little crybaby aren’t you?”

You tried not to react to that but you knew he felt your walls clench suddenly.

“You like that?  You like being my stupid whore?”

“S-stop,” you begged weakly, feeling beyond humiliated.

“But you like it, angel, I can tell.  Don’t lie to me.”

He reached down to swirl his thumb over your clit, laughing at the way you tensed up and tried to squirm away.

“Is it too much princess?” he asked, but the nickname read less sweet and more mocking.  “Isn’t this what you wanted?  You asked me to fuck you.  Begged me.  Now you act like you can’t take it, like you’re this delicate little flower and not the dirty fucking whore I know you are.”

“I-- I’m not a whore,” you denied even as you struggled to suppress your obvious arousal from the derogatory nature of his words.  You felt a little guilty for being into it, and slightly insulted, but fuck if it didn’t make your back arch and your throat dry and your pussy so excessively wet.

“Oh, don’t play dumb,” he scoffed.  “But, maybe you’re not playing.  You really are dumb, aren’t you?”

You logically knew that it was too late to deny anything he said, but you still clung onto your dignity as best you could.  “N-no!”

“Not all the time, just when you’re wet.  Isn’t that right?  You get so desperate for cock and you don’t wanna be smart, you just wanna be somebody’s brainless fuckdoll.”

That sounded so appealing in some forbidden, filthy way and all of a sudden you were going to come again, any second now.

“Yes!” you nearly screamed, falling into your pleasure.

“Come on my cock, baby,” he encouraged, “come for me.”

You didn’t even sound like yourself with the noises you made, or maybe it was just that you’d never had the chance to make noises like that before.  Either way, your orgasm crashed through you and nearly punched the air out of your lungs.  Your toes went numb.  You didn’t even know that could happen.  And most important of all, your walls tensed and fluttered so hard that he began moaning into your ear.

“Fuck, ‘m gonna come inside you.”  You couldn’t tell if it was a warning, like he was asking permission, or if he was just informing you of his intentions which you would be powerless to stop even if you told him not to.  You didn’t have to find out because you were on the pill, but it made you realize all too suddenly that you should’ve had him put on a condom-- how could you have forgotten?

His moans turned hoarse and with a growl and a tightened grip on your hips, he spilled deep in you, coating your walls as his length flexed and twitched inside you.  For a moment you were just stuck like that, his weight holding you down as he caught his breath, and finally he rolled to the side and you could breathe cool air again.

“That was…” he began but trailed off, pulling you closer and kissing your shoulder.  “You’re amazing.”

It was quite the shift from how he had been talking before.  It was comforting, but you were still a little confused.  “Really?”

He laughed softly.  “Did you not notice?  God, I’ve wanted you for so long…”

You were curious about where he was going with that, but then he suddenly sat up.

“Do you want some water?” he offered.

“Uh, yeah,” you smiled.  “The cups are in the cabinet just to the left of the microwave.”

He nodded and gave you a quick peck on the cheek before sliding out of the bed, slipping his boxers on over his still-hard cock which was now coated in your come and his, and dashing out of the room.

You were mostly content to just lay there, although you felt uncharacteristically sore between your legs, and quite… sticky.  You glanced over to your whiteboard and realized he never had any intentions of talking with you about abstract math.  Was this just a one-time thing, or was he going to come back and ask you out?  Were you boyfriend and girlfriend now?  Or were you just a clueless romantic who thought that sleeping together meant more than it really did?

You rolled over and saw Peter’s phone resting on the bedside table.  He must have set it there when he was stripping quickly while you two had been making out-- or that’s what you were pretty sure the order of events had been, it had all happened so fast…

At that exact moment, the screen lit up with a notification.  You were about to roll back and not look at all, until you got a glimpse of the words.

PHYS 507, row 3, seat 14

You furrowed your brow.  It looked like an alert for an upcoming class, except that this was your class, the one you had with him, and it wasn’t until tomorrow.  No assignments due today, either.  And what was with the row/seat thing?  Peter didn’t sit in the third row… you did.

You picked up the phone just enough to angle it to see the rest of the notification.  It wasn’t a calendar alert; it was a text message.  “PHYS 507, row 3, seat 14” was the contact name.  You could only get a preview of the message…

okay, it’s done isn’t it?  can you please delete those pic….

You were curious, or maybe just concerned.  Was the seat number supposed to be the person texting him?  How were you supposed to keep track of who sat where to know who it was?

It had to be somebody from your row, but it was just you, Jackie, and a bunch of random dudes that Peter had never seemed to have any interaction with.

You assumed you wouldn’t be able to unlock the phone to even try to snoop, which you didn’t want to do anyways, but when you slid your thumb over the screen, you gasped when it opened straight to the conversation.  Who didn’t put a password on their phone?

okay, it’s done isn’t it?  can you please delete those pictures now?  I did what you asked.  I won’t tell anyone.  just send me proof that the photos are gone, please.

You felt a little sick.  You had no idea what this meant but it scared you.  You saw the conversation from before but it didn’t make any sense.  You scrolled back up to try to figure out what they were talking about and gasped when you saw a picture Peter had sent to the contact.

It was Jackie.  But she wasn’t alone.  She was on her knees in the lab room, and you gagged when you realized what she was doing-- or really, who she was doing it to.  

She’d told you she had a casual thing with a new guy but refused to say who it was.  You realized why now.  She was fucking your professor, and you just knew she was doing it to get a better grade.  You had been trying to figure out how she was earning higher marks than you but never seemed to be able to discuss the class material.  It all made sense now, but it wasn’t a comforting feeling.

You scrolled down a bit to see the conversation after the photo, and your blood went cold as you read it.

You saw several more messages but you couldn’t bring yourself to read any of it.  You knew everything you needed to know.

You weren’t sure what inspired you to open his camera roll… of course you wouldn’t find anything comforting there.  But you had to see for yourself.

It was just a list of folders, so many you could keep scrolling for ages.  Each had a label and a thumbnail image.

The thumbnail of Jackie on her knees jumped out first.  PHYS 507, row 3, seat 14.  45 images.

A girl in a lacy bra posing for the camera.  PHYS 509, row 1, seat 8.  12 images.

Two girls making out in a crowded room, holding red solo cups.  ENGL 104, row 12, seat 5.  6 images.

A nude selfie in front of a mirror.  PHIL 108, row 2, seat 2.  14 images.

And then the one that made your heart stop.  It was a picture of you in a bikini, taken by a friend on spring break.  PHYS 507, row 3, seat 13.  1 image.

The second you jumped up, dropping the phone, he was there with your promised glass of water in hand.  

“What’s wrong?” he asked innocently.  Just a second of silence was enough for him to pick up his phone from the floor and realize what had happened with a grin.  “Oh, that,” he sighed, slipping it into his pocket after looking down at it with a sort of loving look, like he was proud of his work.  “I suppose it’s my fault for leaving my phone right there, without a password, knowing I would get a text from Jackie any minute.”

“You wanted me to see it,” you grimaced, “you wanted me to see what you did to my friend.  What you did to all those girls.”

“I didn’t do anything.  They do all the heavy lifting, I just hack them and get pictures of it.  Or, in your friend’s case, I hack them, find out they’re fucking the professor, and follow them to their next rendezvous.”

“You’re fucking sick,” you spat, and he just shrugged.  “You’d better delete those photos of Jackie.”

“I will, don’t worry,” he soothed.  “It’s a shame though, she was pretty prolific.  You, on the other hand, you’re a good girl.  You even had pretty good security, I respect that.  Here’s a tip: your ISP creates the intranet that your wireless webcam uses to connect to your laptop.  It’s password protected, but it defaults to your phone number, and most people never change it.  Including yourself.”

You shivered.  “You watched me with it, didn’t you?”

“Well, I had to since you didn’t have any good photos of yourself.  And you do a decent job of erasing your porn history… but not a perfect job.  You watch some interesting stuff.  And you look so hot with your hand stuffed in your panties, rubbing yourself to whatever nasty shit you’re watching...”

“Shut up,” you demanded, covering your ears, “stop, please.  This is so fucked up.”

He laughed a little.  “You look better in person though.  A webcam could never capture how perfect you look when you come.”

“Please just stop,” you sobbed.

“Stop what?  I’m just telling you the truth.”

“I should’ve listened to my friends.  You’re a freak.”

“Hmm, you seemed to like it before.”

“Just delete those pictures of Jackie… and let me go…” you seethed.

“I will,” he promised.  “But, I need something to make up for the loss of some great spank bank material.”

You felt sick.  But what else was new?

“I need to finally get some good pictures of you.  Come on, isn’t it sad that your folder is so empty?” he pouted, pulling the phone back out from his pocket. “I could ruin a lot of lives with these folders.  Just let me take a few photos and you can spare them all the humiliation.  Nothing I haven’t seen you do before.”

You really really wanted to just deck him, but you knew he could probably release those photos with just one push of a button.  He was prepared.

“Don’t post them,” you pleaded.

“You’ll be good?”

You clenched your jaw.  “I’ll be good,” you answered through your teeth.

“Oh, look at you,” he cooed, “such a sweet girl you are.  Helping out your friend even after she threw you into the lion’s den to protect her secret.”

You hadn’t thought about it that way.  A pit formed in your stomach.

“Now come over here and get on your knees,” he grinned, turning on the camera.    

[fanficimagery]

Hell Takes Riverdale pt. I

Imagine moving to Riverdale while your father has some business to attend to. While there, you meet some people you find yourself growing attached to.

Words: 8.8K Author’s Note: Riverdale AU where FP didn’t go to prison for his crimes and Jughead joined the Serpents because he wanted to. This isn’t exactly Northsider friendly and I’ll be focusing more so on the Serpents, so I won’t go into detail about all the drama the Northside gang constantly puts themselves into the middle of, nor will Jughead be a part of it. I will mention a certain family who lives nearby from another show, but I will NOT be bringing those characters in here. The most you’ll get is what I explain about them in the imagine.

Jughead Jones was notorious for laying low and staying out of the spotlight. At least he was until a murder rocked his small town, Veronica Lodge- along with her criminal family- moved in, and his best friends Betty Cooper and Archie Andrews put together their very own crime solving Scooby Gang. He liked a good mystery every now and then, but the murder of Jason Blossom pointed towards his father's gang and he didn't know how to cope with that.

When FP Jones- Jughead's dad- eventually confessed to the murder, Jughead didn't know what to think. All he knew for sure was that his dad was innocent. So he and his friends did their best to prove Mr. Jones of his innocence, which they eventually did, but given FP's past the police decided to keep him a bit longer.

Jughead Jones was a powder keg waiting to explode, so in a move no one expected, he channeled his anger from the crookedness of their small town Sheriff to the local high school jocks when they decided to target the new girl for laughs. Y/N Y/L/N was a meek little thing, small smiles and small voice whenever called upon. She didn't dress like someone who had money, but then again she didn't dress like she didn't have any either. She presented herself as someone from the middle class which is probably why Jughead felt at ease coming to her defense one day out of the blue.

You're at your locker, putting away your books before you head over to the cafeteria for lunch, when someone shoves their shoulder into your back. You grunt as you collide with the metal in front of you, a few notebooks falling to the floor, and you turn to frown at the culprits. Reggie Mantle and his merry band of jocks laugh at you. "Seriously?" You mumble.

Reggie smirks, shrugging. "I gotta find my entertainment somewhere and what better entertainment is there than the new girl with no voice?" You roll your eyes and bend over to pick up your belongings, only for a sneaker clad foot to kick one of your notebooks away.

"Hey!"

The sound of someone being shoved into the lockers next to you has you looking up, a beanie-wearing, plaid shirt tied around the waist, boy coming to your aide. "What the hell is your problem, Mantle?" Hands fist into the material of Reggie's letterman jacket, slamming him twice against the lockers. "Haven't you ever heard the phrase pick on someone your own size?"

Reggie shoves him back. "Cool it, Jones, less you wanna end up in a cell next to your pops."

He scoffs. "You look real tough picking on a girl. Keep walking, jackass."

Your gaze darts between the two boys, chest to chest with one another, and you practically hold your breath. You can see the other jocks just itching for a fight, but the longer Reggie and your savior stare at one another, the less Reggie seems to be amped up for a fight. He eventually scoffs, smiling. "Whatever. The little mouse isn't much fun anyway."

Reggie goes to walk away, but not before kicking another one of your notebooks further down the hall. You sigh and start collecting your things closest to you once more.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about him. Reggie's a total dick."

You glance at the boy collecting one of your notebooks for you and flash him a small smile. "It's fine. Every school has a bully. I didn't expect this place to be any different."

"Yeah, well.." He trails off, placing the stuff he collected in your locker. "I'm Jughead."

"That's an unusual name," you say. "I'm Y/N."

"Well, Y/N, would you care to join me outside for lunch? I'm kind of alone today and I noticed you don't really sit with anyone either. I'll help keep Reggie off your back," he muses as if his protection would somewhat sweeten the deal.

"Sure. Why not?" You shrug.

Once everything is situated in your locker, you grab the lunch bag that had been hanging from a hook on the inside. Side by side, you walk with Jughead outside and towards one of the concrete picnic tables. He sits down and only then do you realize he had a brown sack clutched in his hand. Immediately he pulls out two smashed sandwiches wrapped in plastic wrap, and unwraps them to start eating.

"So as a token of my thanks," you say while taking a seat across from him and unzipping your lunch bag, "have a fruit cup." You toss him a cool cup of mixed fruit and he happily catches it.

"Thanks." From the corner of your eye, you watch as he stares at you until you start eating your own sandwich and chips. "So Riverdale," he says. "Why here of all places?"

You huff a quiet laugh. Of course you'd heard the whispers about you, curious about your move, but you never spoke to anyone and no one dared to ask you before now. "My half sister lives in Greendale, and she and her aunts were having some personal issues. My dad moved us here so he could help them out, but he wasn't fond of the housing situations Greendale had to offer so we ended up here."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense." He takes a bite of his food. "So are you and your sister close?"

"Not really." Your nose wrinkles. You eat a bit of your own food before explaining. "She kind of hates our dad because he slept with her mom when she was married, but instead of villainizing them both for their mutual decision, she puts all the blame on him."

Jughead shakes his head. "Well that sucks."

"Yep. But she obviously doesn't have a problem calling on him when she's in trouble." You roll your eyes, opening your water and taking a sip. "It's whatever. Riverdale is.. interesting."

"Yeah. It is," he huffs a brief laugh.

Over the next month or so, you and Jughead become actual friends. He attempts to introduce you to his group of friends, but the only one you can actually stomach being around is Archie. Veronica is too nosy, Betty too suspicious, and Kevin rarely hangs out with everyone less it involves a good gossip session. So more often than not, after realizing his group of friends wasn't just your cup of tea, you and Jughead hung out at Pop's Chock'lit-Shoppe.

The retro diner quickly became one of your favorite places in all of Riverdale, but upon entering one Sunday evening and seeing Jughead's expression you know you're not going to enjoy your dinner.

"Uh oh. What's going on with your face?" You ask as you slide in across from Jughead. "You look like you have some bad news."

He grins, shaking his head. "It's not bad. I'm just not sure how well you're going to take what I have to tell you."

"Mhm. Tell me after I've gotten my food." Almost as soon as the words leave your mouth, Pop Tate himself is dropping off your and Jughead's usual order. "Thanks, Pop."

The old man chuckles. "Don't mention it, Y/N. Enjoy your meal."

"Always do." Before any other words can be spoken, you and Jughead squirt ketchup on your respective plates. He steals the cherry from your milkshake and you plop a straw into his Coke to take a sip. The both of you take a bite out of your burgers, chuckling at each other and how at ease the two of you have become with one another. "So what's up?"

"I'm leaving Riverdale High." You pause in chewing and Jughead refuses to meet your gaze. "I'll be starting at Southside High tomorrow morning."

"Oh."

"It's just- my dad's getting out." When he looks up, the excitement in his eyes at the prospect of his dad coming home makes your exterior soften and you start to feel happy for your friend. "He, uh, he's been doing good. Jail forced him to get sober and he's talking about starting over. I'm going to move back in with him."

"That's good news, Jug. I'm really happy for you."

"Are you?" He grabs a fry and quickly dips it into your vanilla milkshake. You chuckle at him.

"Yeah. I mean we mostly hang out here anyway. That won't change, I hope." He's quick to shake his head, letting you know your weekly hang outs at Pop's would still be on. "I'll just have to toughen up and learn how to throw a punch. Reggie and his goons need a nice swift punch to the throat every now and then, I think."

Jughead exhales with relief. "Please let Kevin know beforehand so he can catch it on video for me."

"No promises."

The two of you go on to finish your food, making small talk and promises to keep in touch. Eventually you have to leave, so before you go your separate ways you decide to give Jughead a ride home. And since he's no longer embarrassed to have you over after the first time you'd been over, he accepts the ride with a shrug.

FP Jones has been out of jail for three days and in those three days Jughead has noticed his dad has been a little paranoid. So one day after school, he's had enough and decides to sit down and talk with him.

"What's going on?"

FP glances away from the paper in his hand. "Nothing. Why?"

"Because you're acting weird! Ever since you got out of jail it's like you're constantly looking over your shoulder."

Jughead and FP stare at one another before FP sets the paper down, running a hand through his hair. "Someone's coming to town," he says. "Someone you don't ever want to cross."

"Okay. And?"

"It's worrisome," FP says. "Mr. Morningstar, he's the real deal, Jughead. Expensive suits, expensive cars, posh accent.. this man can be very dangerous."

"Well then round up the Serpents. I'm sure they'll enjoy running this guy out of town."

"Nah." Jughead scoffs, confused as to what his dad's deal is. "Mr. Morningstar is the one who sent one of his lawyers to get me released."

"..oh."

"But Mr. Morningstar doesn't hand out favors without wanting something in return. I don't like being in debt, Jug. Especially to someone like him."

"We'll figure it out, dad. He reached out to you, not the other way around. He can't want something too bad if he came to you first. Right?"

"I don't know, son." FP falls silent, tapping his fingers along the tabletop. "And there's something else you should know."

"What?"

"Mr. Morningstar isn't exactly.. human." Jughead scoffs, but FP shoots him a warning look. "I'm serious. This man is capable of things you wouldn't believe unless you see it in person, but I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. If he comes around, you do as I say. I'll settle my debt with him as quickly as possible and hopefully Riverdale will be in his rearview mirror sooner rather than later."

Jughead doesn't know how to feel at seeing his dad- the Serpent King himself- looking so on edge. He's never seen him so rattled, so it leaves Jughead himself feeling the dread start to seep in.

Every single Serpent inside the Whyte Wyrm was well aware of who Mr. Morningstar was and to be on the lookout for anyone fitting his description. For a week there was no sight or word about him, the same week which Jughead finally decided to throw in with the Serpents and officially become one of the gang. He had texted his friends, some more supportive than others, but he only found comfort in his decision after hearing back from Y/N who held no ill will towards him for wanting to be a Southside Serpent officially.

Jughead is still healing, everyone at the Whyte Wyrm celebrating him completing his initiation.

"Toni," FP calls out, "serve us up some shots!" The petite, pink haired girl behind the bar laughs, she readily grabbing up shot glasses and lining them up along the bar. She fills every shot glass, smiling as her fellow Serpents grab one to await the impending toast. As FP grabs one, he raises it up while staring at his son across the room who's hanging out with a few younger Serpents. "Jughead, while this wasn't the life I wanted for you, it is your decision and you don't know how proud it makes me to have you ride by side. To Jughead!"

"To Jughead!"

The Serpents all whoop and holler, downing their shots in one go.

"Hear, hear," an out of place accent muses. Those closest to the man who seemingly appeared out of nowhere all tense and FP's smile slowly vanishes as he stares at the man who hasn't aged a single year since he last saw him over fifteen years ago. "Well, well. Freedom seems to suit you well, FP."

FP schools his expression. "Mr. Morningstar."

"Call me Lucifer. No need to be so formal."

The Serpents seem to fall silent as FP and Lucifer Morningstar stare at one another. Jughead, seeing the way everyone is holding themselves as the tension amps up, pushes his way through the crowd until he's just behind his dad. "Lucifer," FP says, "why don't you follow me. We'll go somewhere a bit more private."

Lucifer gestures for FP to lead the way. "After you."

FP glances at Jughead over his shoulder, but he doesn't give him any sort of cue to follow. Instead, Jughead follows after them to a table that's not surrounded by any others over by the stage. Once seated, FP stares Mr. Morningstar in the face. "So what brings you to Riverdale? It's been a while since you were last here."

"Ah, yes," he says. Lucifer leans back in seat, smiling. "I originally came to watch a client of mine wreak havoc on your precious little town," at this, FP and Jughead tense, "but someone very important to me made attachments here and I've had to rethink my plans of letting your town burn to the ground."

"A client of yours?" FP's eyes narrow. "Who?"

"I think you know who," Lucifer says. "Annoying little bugger. But as I said before, attachments were made and I had to keep watch over said attachment to see whether or not I approved. And let me tell you, Mr. Jones, I quite liked what I saw."

"Okay?" He drawls. "So what does that have to do with why you're here? Or are you calling in a favor for getting me out?"

Lucifer laughs. "Oh no, FP. You getting out was not my doing." FP freezes. "You see, this someone important to me is my daughter. She's the one who requested you be freed."

"You have a daughter?" FP shifts in his seat. "Why would she want me out?"

"I do. And because one of your little snakelings made quite the impression on her after showing her kindness when he didn't have to." Lucifer raises an eyebrow at FP's completely flabbergasted expression. "This person was and continues to be genuine with my daughter, so I figured I'd step in and help clean up your beloved little town instead of letting it be turned inside out by Hiram Lodge. After all, it seems we're going to be in Riverdale for quite some time now."

FP glances around, but he can't see any of the Serpents being this person in question. Eventually, he asks, "Who?"

Lucifer's gaze darts up over FP's shoulder and lands on Jughead. Jughead's eyes widen. "Me? Who have I-"

"Me, of course." You choose that exact moment to walk out from the back room, ignoring everyone's stare save for Jughead's. You're a bit self-conscious of the black crystallized crown on your head and the skin tight, all black outfit your dad's minions had chosen for you, but you don't show it. The way you're dressed now, Jughead's never seen you this way. "What's wrong, Juggie? Cat got your tongue?"

Your friend gulps as he eyes you up and down. "Y/N?"

"Surprise!" You muse. At his slack expression, your smile diminishes. "It's still me, JJ. No need to be weird now."

FP glances between you and his son as Jughead asks, "Was our friendship even real?"

Your eyes widen. "Of course it was! I was never meant to make friends here," you quickly explain, "but you just couldn't leave me be when Reggie set his sights on me and you- you befriended me for me." Jughead loses some of the tension in his frame. "You didn't talk to me because of who my dad was and what he could do for you. You talked to me because you felt bad for me and then you continued to talk to me because we actually got along."

A beat passes and Jughead eventually sighs. "Don't kid yourself. I only talk to you because you let me steal the cherry from your milkshake." It takes a moment for his words to sink in and when they do you snort. Lucifer chuckles and poor FP has no idea what's going on.

"This is quite fitting, is it not?" Lucifer grins.

FP frowns. "What do you mean?"

"The Serpent Prince and the Queen of Hell. Royalty always seeks out royalty."

You freeze, Jughead's brow furrows, and FP seems to blanch as he comes to a sudden realization. Quick as a snake's strike, you slap the back of your dad's shoulder. "Not here." Then you glance at FP. "Can we continue this talk in a back room?"

He slowly blinks before he snaps out of his thoughts. "Yeah. Let's go."

FP stands and leads the way, and you grin over at Jughead. "Come on. We have some more stuff to talk about."

In a back office, FP and Lucifer have already taken their seats as you and Jughead join them. Instead of sitting, the two of you stand side by side after the door is shut behind you.

"So what exactly is going on here?" FP wonders.

Lucifer glances at you, smirking, and you sigh. You had a feeling he was going to make you explain yourself. "So I noticed instead of scoffing at the queen of hell comment, you blanched." FP hesitantly nods. "So that means you understand my dad is quite.. different."

Lucifer huffs. "I'm the devil, darling. No need to tiptoe around it."

You cringe as he so bluntly puts it out there and nervously gauge the Jones' reactions. Both seem more than a little intimidated and your heart starts to sink. "I'm still me, Jughead. Just a little.. more."

Jughead glances at you. "You're really the daughter of Satan?" You nod. "And this isn't some joke?"

"No. My sister, the one who lives in Greendale, was meant to take the throne," you admit. "But she really does hate my dad and refused it, so it passed on to the next heir. Hell got a little bit stuffy and some of my dad's more important minions were trying to marry me off, so I left with my dad as he dealt with business here. I was supposed to keep my head down until we moved on, but well.." you trail off, smiling softly. "I found that having a friend was quite nice." When Jughead has nothing else to say, you look towards FP. "You've raised a kind son, Mr. Jones. And for that, I'm going to offer you a favor." He seems to straighten up then, glancing worriedly at your dad. "And don't worry, this is a favor from me. I don't do contracts or cut deals like dad does. My favor is a no strings attached type of situation. This is a favor for a friend."

FP and Jughead glance at each other, and you notice FP subtly shake his head. Jughead sighs and looks at you. "Do you promise that me or my dad won't owe you?"

"Jughead," FP warns.

But you only have eyes for your friend as you step towards him and take up his hands within your own. "I swear. You're my friend, JJ. You got Reggie off my back and offered genuine companionship, so let me do something for you."

"You mean like getting my dad out of jail?"

You grin, releasing his hands and shoving at his shoulder. "Oh whatever. I was bored and you seemed like you missed him. Bite me, Jones." Lucifer chuckles and FP looks like he has no idea what's going on. "So come on. Whose life needs ruining?"

Jughead stares at you before shaking his head in amusement. "You're a little too excited to be ruining someone."

"I am my father's daughter."

Jughead stares at you, as if trying to conclude whether you're being genuine or not, and then has a silent conversation with his dad. Eventually FP sighs, cradling his head in his hands as Jughead looks back to you. "I messed up bad, Y/N. When my dad first got put into jail, someone suggested I visit this lawyer- who is also a Serpent- so that she'll guide me on how to get my dad released."

"And the snake double crossed you. Shocking," your dad chuckles.

"Shut up." Lucifer continues to chuckle, mime zipping his lips shut. You look back to your friend. "Go on."

"She gave me advice as a favor and said I'd owe her one someday in the future. I didn't think it through."

"The snake charmer is notorious for collecting favors and blackmailing you into continuing owing her favors," FP says. "She's turning the Serpents into drug runners and using video of my son delivering a crate of drugs as leverage so we don't tell her no."

Lucifer tuts. "That just won't do. Last I recalled, the Serpents were against drug dealing."

"We are," FP says, "but we can't deny her since she has that damn video. It'll be his word against hers."

Expression tightening, you glance between the two Serpents. "Give me a name."

"Penny Peabody."

Immediately you and your dad glance at one another, and you're the first to shout, "Dibs!" At his pout, you grin victoriously. "It's been awhile since I've seen any action. I'll call auntie Maze to collect the guest of honor."

You and Jughead are sitting at Pop's, waiting for your order to be brought out. It's your usual weekend hangout session, as well as a mini celebration for getting the Snake Charmer out of Serpent territory. FP had been a little hesitant around you and your father, but the more he watched you and his son, and you and your dad, he came to the realization that neither he or Jughead would be in harm's way. No one would be less they actually crossed the devil himself, so you were a bit surprised when FP had actually hugged you when you told him Penny would no longer be an issue. Afterwards, he was eager to talk to your dad and figure out a way to get the Southside cleaned up and fix the Serpents' reputation.

Seeing Jug's beanie laying on the table, you grin as you swipe it and quickly put it atop your head. "What do you say, Jones, wanna switch crowns for a day?"

He chuckles as he shakes his head. "I don't think I can pull off your crown." Your nose wrinkles at him as you laugh. "And speaking of crowns, are you going to tell anyone else anytime soon?"

You shrug. "I only talk to you and your dad, and at that your dad already knew about my dad."

"I didn't know anything about you or your dad and you told me."

"You were my friend before you found out about me being Hell royalty. I don't want to just tell anyone and then have them kissing up because of things I could possibly do for them."

Jughead nods in understanding. "I take it, it's happened before."

You touch the tip of your nose. "Bingo, JJ. Demons of Hell are shady assholes. But don't worry, if I befriend more Serpents they'll find out when the time is right."

"Well I think you're going to get your chance now because here come some friends of mine."

"What?"

"Whoa, Jughead, is that you? You've certainly changed from the last time I saw you earlier."

You smile sheepishly as three Serpents come up to your table, the one who spoke sitting next to Jughead while the tall one climbs in between you and the window, and the female sits on your free side. You pull off Jug's beanie and hand it back to him just in time for your food to be delivered. Immediately, Jughead steals the cherry from your milkshake and you take a sip of his soda. Once that's done, you squirt ketchup on your plates before you take a bite of your burgers.

"Well that was freakishly adorable." You glance at the pink haired cutie next to you and she grins. "Toni Topaz."

"Y/N Y/L/N. Well Y/N Morningstar now. I don't have to hide who I am anymore."

"Nice." She then points to the guy beside Jughead. "That's Fangs and the one on your other side is Sweet Pea." You nod at each boy in greeting, bite down on a few fries and steal from Jughead's plate every time he dips a fry into your milkshake. "So how did you and our snake prince become so close?"

Toni steals a fry from your plate and you grin at her. "First of all, I really hope you're not insinuating anything there. Don't get me wrong, Jughead's a cutie but I'd totally seduce Papa Jones before I went after baby Jones."

Jughead groans in disgust, Fangs and Sweet Pea snort, and Toni laughs out loud. "I like you."

"Maybe the sentiment will be returned soon," you say. "And to honestly answer your question, Jug came to my rescue when a few jerks decided I was an easy target at Riverdale High."

Sweet Pea scoffs. "Ugh. How do you put up with those mangy mutts?" It's his turn to steal from your plate, but you merely raise an eyebrow at his audacity before you glance at Jughead as he smothers a laugh.

"By avoiding them at all cost," you say. "Is food stealing a thing with you guys or..?"

"If you're really hungry, I'd hold onto that burger of yours. Fangs is notorious for stealing any and all food left unattended." Toni chuckles as you pull your plate towards you, but that only makes it easier for her and Sweet Pea to continue eating off your plate.

"You're all heathens," you deadpan. "At least Jughead waited a few days before he started eating off my plate."

The Serpents chuckle all around you and you find yourself relaxing in your seat. You knew the Southside Serpents had a bad reputation, but the more time you spent with them the more you realize just how wrong everyone is. The Serpents are some of the most loyal, drama free individuals you'd met and they're only riled up when someone attacks one of their own. And that- that you can respect.

During your lunch break, you're sitting alone and texting back and forth with Toni. Apparently word has gotten out that the Mayor is looking to shut down Southside High because it's unsafe for children, and the plan is to divide every Southside High student between several other high schools. Needless to say, every Southsider is pissed.

You send a text to your dad, asking if he knew what was going on, and he assures you he and Mr. Jones are looking into it.

Your can of Cola gets snatched up and you snap to attention, ready to argue back for your drink. But the sight of a grinning Jughead sitting across from you makes you relax and Sweet Pea straddling the bench right next to you makes you shake your head at them. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Southside High is in chaos," Jughead says. He takes a sip of your soda before setting it back next to your books. "We were at the Wyrm when your dad asked us to collect you."

"Toni's been filling me in," you admit. "Does anyone know if the Mayor is for sure going through with this plan of hers?"

"It's such bullshit," Sweet Pea grumbles. "Yeah the school is shit ever since the Ghoulies started pushing Jingle Jangle on everyone, but it's ours."

"Don't worry, Sweets. Dad's on it. He'll figure something out."

He huffs. "Against Mayor McCoy? Doubt it."

You and Jughead share a knowing glance, and you bite back a grin. "My dad can be very.. persuasive."

"And scary," Jughead mumbles.

"Yes, let's not forget scary," you muse.

"What the hell is this?" The stern question is barked from somewhere behind you and you turn towards the voice. "Cooper dropped your sorry ass and now you're trying to lure in Y/N, Jones? I don't think so, you goddamn snake."

You roll your eyes at Reggie and his friends, and at the fact that the others sitting outside are now staring.

"Watch your mouth, you mangy mutt." Sweet Pea moves to stand, but you place a hand on his knee in order to silently tell him to stay put. He doesn't glance at you, but he does remain sitting.

Instead, you stand and step away from the bench in Reggie's direction. "What's your problem, Mantle? I know for a fact you don't care about me, so what is it about the Southsiders that has you so insecure?"

Reggie seems surprised that you've spoken back and it takes him a moment to school his expression back into one of anger. "Who the hell says I'm insecure?"

"Come on, Reggie," you grin. "You obviously have a hate boner going on for them." Jughead and Sweet Pea snort, and Reggie glares at them over your head. "So what is it? Is it because they're cooler than you? That they're so much more hotter than you and you know for a fact us Northside girls would willingly get on the back of their bikes than in the car mommy and daddy bought for you?"

Reggie sneers down at you. "Of course you'd be a Southside slut."

Jughead and Sweet Pea shout in your defense, rushing to their feet as you blink in surprise at the venom in his tone. But then anger quickly takes over and no one sees as your hand forms a fist at your side. When Reggie smirks at your silence, quick as lightning you change your stance so you can send your fist flying into his throat.

As Reggie stumbles back and gasps for air, Sweet Pea grabs you by the arm and then you're running. Sweet Pea and Jughead are laughing as they run for their bikes and you readily climb on behind Sweet Pea since he still had a hold of you. Two engines rumble to life simultaneously and you wrap your arms around Sweet Pea's waist, ducking your face behind his back so the wind doesn't sting your eyes.

When the three of you finally come to a stop, you're not in the Southside yet but you are well away from Riverdale High. The engines cut off and you finally pick up your head, and it's quiet for a few moments before Jughead starts to laugh once more.

"You actually punched Reggie in the throat." He shakes his head in amusement at you. "I did not think you were capable of ever hitting someone."

Sweet Pea chuckles. "You do know you left behind all your belongings. It's gonna be trashed by the time you go back for it."

You shrug. "The only thing worth saving was my phone and it's in my back pocket. A backpack can be replaced, and besides I think it's time Riverdale High and I take a break from one another."

Jughead and Sweet Pea's amusement slowly fades. "Wait. What?" Jughead asks. "You're dropping out?"

"No." You huff a laugh. "Transferring."

"Transferring to where?"

"Southside, you dimwits." You squeeze Sweet Pea when he scoffs at you calling him a name, letting him know you didn't actually think he was a dimwit. "I'm so over the drama of Riverdale High. I need a change. And if I want to go to Southside to be with my favorite people, do you really think my dad will let the school be closed down?"

"You really have that much faith in your old man, huh?" Sweet Pea asks.

"I do. And you should too." Jughead glances at you when you say that and you subtly shake your head at him. Soon, you mouth at him. "Now come on. Let's go see what my dad wants. I feel like going out tonight so I need to finish whatever task he has for me and make sure Toni is free."

The small gang of friends find themselves at Pop's diner once again, you being squished between Sweet Pea and Toni while Jughead and Fangs sit across from you. You and Toni share a plate of cheese fries, half of your burger having been stolen by Fangs and you steal sips of Cola from both Jughead and Sweet Pea since Sweets had finished your milkshake. When eating with them, you quickly learned extra food had to be ordered because once a plate was set down it was basically a free for all.

You're laughing at Fangs' affronted expression, from when he tried stealing cheese fries from you and Toni and you both had slapped his hand, when the bell above the door jingles. Your gaze is drawn to the group that enters, your mood souring just a tad when Archie, Betty, and Veronica enter. They glance around the diner for a booth and upon setting sights on your group, Archie chooses a booth not far from yours.

Toni nudges you to show you a message on her phone, lightening up the mood right away. But every now and then your attention is brought back to the Riverdale High group, and you can't help but notice the longing looks Betty keeps throwing at Jughead. And the fact that Jughead keeps glancing over his shoulder until he finally gets up, Betty following him seconds later to join him at a different booth.

"Did I miss something?" You ask when your friend is out of earshot.

Toni huffs. "They're doing that whole on again, off again thing. It's tiring," she says.

You frown as Jughead and Betty start talking, heads ducked close to one another, but then quickly avert your attention back to those sitting with you. You don't really have anything against Betty, but that girl attracts drama like crazy and you would rather not see her drag Jughead into it again.

The four of you left in the booth amuse yourselves while finishing off the remainder of your food, and you make sure that all your plates are stacked with the trash compiled on top so the busboy has little to no cleanup after you leave. But while you're still sitting there and waiting to see what Jughead is going to do, you can't help but overhear Veronica's obnoxious voice filling in her boyfriend Archie about all the great changes supposedly coming to Riverdale soon.

"I mean it's no longer a secret mommy and daddy are buying up property, Archiekins, but can you blame them?" Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs all tense, Fangs trying his hardest not to look in their direction. "The Northside is flourishing under their management and soon the Southside will too. We just have a few more hoops to jump through before we can start tearing down and rebuilding."

Having heard enough, you tap Sweet Pea's arm. "Move." Fangs widens his eyes at you and Toni giggles, she loving your more aggressive behavior. Sweet Pea stares at you for a moment before he grins, sliding out of his seat so you can follow right after him. Then taking a few steps towards Veronica and Archie's both, you stop and address the entitled teen. "Consider those hoops everlasting," you say. "Lodge Industries will no longer be buying up any property in Riverdale."

Veronica scoffs, smirking a second later. "And who the hell do you think you are to have any say so in my family's dealings?"

This time you smirk and you mentally cheer when you see her own falter. "Tell daddy dearest the Morningstars say hello. Lucifer will be in touch soon." You reach forward as Veronica's expression completely falls, stealing the cherry from her milkshake and catching the red, plump flesh behind your teeth and plucking the stem free. Letting the stem drop onto the table, you glance over your shoulder and gesture for your friends to follow. They do, chuckling all the while you walk towards the door. But before you walk out, you look over at Jughead and catch his attention. "Hey, JJ, we're heading out. Call me if you need a ride."

"Oh, uh, I'll come with." Betty quickly glances at him and for a split second you feel bad for her. "We're done here anyway." He slides out of the booth, ignoring Betty's frown as he makes his way towards you and his fellow Serpents.

Sweet Pea jostles Jughead, the two boys shoving each other lightly and laughing as the five of your exit. Everyone piles into your small SUV and it's not until Toni is comfortably seated in the passenger seat does she ask, "How serious were you with that threat back there? Can your dad really stop Lodge Industries?"

You slowly start to grin as you back out of your parking space. "Hiram Lodge is one of my dad's clients," you admit. "They have a.. contract of sorts, and Mr. Lodge is rich because of that. But my dad is starting to cut ties with some old clients of his and I'm pretty sure the Lodge's time up on that little pedestal of theirs is coming to an end."

"Sweet," Sweet Pea says from the back seat. "Hey, if your dad buys the school do you think you can ask him to put doors back on the bathroom stalls?"

You and Toni both snort, and you nod your head. "Sure, Sweets. I'll see what I can do."

          - - - - - - - - - - 

At the Whyte Wyrm, Sweet Pea and Fangs make a beeline for the pool table. Toni heads for the bar, her shift about twenty minutes from starting, and Jughead gets pulled into a conversation by some elder Serpents. Glancing around the bar, you don't see either man you want to speak with so you head for the hallway near the back wall where you know it leads to an office. A couple Serpents guarding the hall nod at you and let you pass without a word.

When you come upon the shut door to FP's office, you knock a couple of times and wait for confirmation to enter. A moment passes before his gruff voice is calling out that exact confirmation.

Opening the door, you walk right in and aren't surprised to see your dad in there as well. You smirk, happy to know he found a mortal he felt comfortable enough to share his identity with and that said mortal didn't go running for the hills. "FP. Dad," you greet. "Just the men I was looking for."

FP leans back in his chair as you take a seat across from him. "What can I do for you, Y/N?"

"Well first, I need to know your opinion about Sweet Pea, Toni, and Fangs." You then turn to look at your dad. "And depending on FP's answer, I need to know-"

"Your first orgy," your dad coos. "I approve. Especially the tall one. He'd make an excellent consort."

"I'm sorry, what?" FP glances between you and your dad, disbelief in his features.

You sigh, closing your eyes and pinching the bridge of your nose. "Dad, no. Just no," you say. When your eyes flutter back open, you say, "What did I tell you about speaking of orgies so freely in front of mortals? It's weird. Especially since you're my dad. You're not supposed to approve of these things."

"Well fine. Have it your way." Lucifer leans back in his seat, resting his right ankle atop his left knee and taking a sip of his drink. "Probably for the best anyway. Naamah will be upset if you deny her the chance to plan your first orgy."

"Oh my god."

FP finally laughs, shaking his head as if he can't believe what he's hearing. Your dad pouts and you give your attention to FP once more. "The baby snakes are a loyal bunch," he says. "I've had some older Serpents question you and your father's presence here within the Wyrm, but Jug and the others were quick to defend you. Why do you ask?"

Here you look back to your dad. "I want to come clean to them. Jughead knows about me and it's getting tough to censor what I say in front of the others when we all hang out."

Lucifer salutes you with his glass tumbler. "You're the Queen of Hell, darling. You can tell whoever you want."

"Good to know." You push up from your chair, smiling at both men. "Oh and I want Southside High. Veronica Lodge and her family are trying to tear the Southside down and rebuild, but I feel like throwing a wrench into their plans."

Lucifer raises an eyebrow at you. "And how do you suggest going about that?"

"By befriending Mayor McCoy, of course." FP snorts, but you continue on as if you didn't hear him. "She seems like a decent lady when the Lodge's aren't blackmailing her into doing their bidding. Give her a little taste of power, no strings attached and without letting her know your true identity, and show her you're an ally. I have a feeling she'll drop the Lodge's in a heartbeat."

FP grins, shaking his head. "You really are your father's daughter."

You glance at him and smirk. "Duh. Now carry on. I'm going to be with Toni behind the bar."

          - - - - - - - - - - 

The Whyte Wyrm is as busy as always and you happily find your place behind the bar with Toni. She serves up the drinks as you walk around, cleaning glasses and/or wiping down the bar top. Every now and then you catch your dad or FP's eye, and they signal for a round of drinks that Toni readily makes before walking a tray over to them. You then watch your boys from afar, laughing when Jughead catches your eye and purposefully makes Sweet Pea miss his shot while playing pool. Sweet Pea is apparently a very sore loser, but you can't help to think that he makes a really cute sore loser.

When Toni returns and sees where you're looking, she sidles up to your side while cleaning a glass in her hand. "So, uh, I think I should apologize."

You look at her. "For what?"

"Earlier at Pop's, when I told you Jughead and the Cooper girl were on again/off again, you looked like someone kicked your puppy for a moment there."

"Did I?" You chuckle, shrugging her words off. "It's fine. Jughead has become a really good friend to me and I'm not exactly Betty's biggest fan. They say southsiders are nothing but trouble, but those northsiders have caused a lot more trouble than any of you have. I don't want to see him be dragged into their messes again."

"Oh," she drawls. "Okay. I just thought that you were upset because she and Jughead were together again and you had missed your shot or something."

"No." You laugh. "And besides, I kind of have my eye on another Serpent, but I don't think he likes me that way."

Toni rolls her eyes. "I don't think FP is into jailbait. Sorry."

You snort, shaking your head in amusement. "A girl can dream."

Over the next couple of weeks, you get well acquainted with the power struggle between the Ghoulies and the Southside Serpents within the high school. The school is practically run down, there's no privacy within the graffitied walls of the bathrooms, and a little less than half the student population have no issue taking drugs out in the open while standing in the hallways. Not a single one of your favorite Serpents lets you out of their sight, and though you don't need their protection you welcome it. And their loyalty towards you is what leads you to take that final step in finally telling your other three friends the truth.

Walking up to the Jones' trailer, you stomp up the steps and pound on the door. A few seconds later the door opens and FP raises his eyebrows at you as he's pulling on a leather jacket.

"Y/N?"

"Hey, FP. Is JJ home?"

"Yeah. Come in." He opens the door wider and you step in, heading for the couch. "Is everything okay?"

"Peachy." You grin. You plop down in the corner of a couch, crossing one knee over the other. "I just finally decided to tell the others the truth and I wanted to see if Jughead would be there for me in case things go south."

A look of understanding passes over FP's features and he smiles kindly at you when he notices your bit of nerves. "It'll go fine. If Jug and I didn't run, neither will these three little shits." You grin at him. "Now I should get going. Will your dad and I be seeing you later?"

"Depends on how well my little bombshell is taken."

"Alright." FP heads towards the kitchen, calling down the only hallway in his trailer. "Hey Jug, Y/N is here so put some clothes on before you come out."

FP smiles at you one last time before he exits his trailer and it's not until his bike's engine outside roars to life does Jughead exit his bedroom from the back. "What's going on?"

"It's time to tell the other baby snakes about my heritage."

He blinks. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." You nod, momentarily second guessing yourself. "Yeah," you then say more confidently. "I think the longer I wait now, the higher the chance of them being pissed at the fact that I kept something like this from them."

"Okay. Where are we doing this?"

"Quarry?" You wonder. "We need privacy, but not too private that they feel trapped should they not take the news well."

Jughead exhales quietly. "Quarry it is. My bike or your car?"

"Your bike. Text Toni and the guys. I just need to grab my bag from my car."

Jughead is pulling on his jacket as he gestures for you to join him by the door, then pulling on his infamous crown beanie before pulling out his phone to text the others. He heads to his bike while you head for your car, opening the passenger door and pulling out your messenger bag. Draping the bag strap over your head and across your chest, you close the door and lock up before pocketing the keys.

When you sidle up to Jughead, he hands you his only helmet and you readily pull it on before climbing on behind him. He's not normally a crazy driver, so you loosely wrap your arms around his waist and enjoy the short ride to the quarry.

You and Jughead are the first to arrive, walking towards a spot that seems to have frequent visitors. Seats torn out from vehicles and a few crates form a half circle around an unlit barrel just off to the side of the water, and Jughead wastes no time in lighting up the barrel since it's a little chilly out.

Placing your bag on one of the seats, you walk towards the fire and hold your hands over it to warm up. Then about five minutes later, the rest of your friends show up.

"What's going on?" Sweet Pea asks as his gaze darts between you and Jug. As he sees you warming up, he stops by your side and wraps an arm around your shoulders to offer some of his warmth. Toni and Fangs stand on the other side of the barrel, warming themselves up briefly before taking a seat.

"I, uh, I have something I need to tell you guys. It's going to sound incredibly insane, but I need you to trust me when I say I am no threat to you." Sweet Pea frowns down at you and he only takes a seat when you nudge him towards the others. Jughead grabs your bag and hands it to you, and you smile faintly in thanks. Then opening the flap, you remove your crown and let your bag fall before hesitantly putting the crown on. Clearing your throat, you say, "When you guys first saw me, I was wearing this."

Fangs grins. "We thought you were just another spoiled little daddy's girl."

You grin back. "I mean I am," you shrug, "but the crown actually means something."

"Are you trying to tell us you're royalty or something?" Toni chuckles. At your neutral expression, her smile falters. "Y/N?"

You inhale shakily, glancing at Jughead who gives you an encouraging nod. "Whenever people meet my dad, I'm well aware that they think his given name is rather unfortunate." Sweet Pea snorts, grinning. A couple older Serpents at the Wyrm made it no secret when making fun of your dad's name. "But what if I told you that my dad really is the Lucifer Morningstar?" Your serious, yet nervous, expression makes the other three go still. "That I'm literally the daughter of the devil?"

The only sounds you can hear are the chirping crickets and crackling fire until, "You really buying this, man?" Sweet Pea scoffs. You briefly glance at him to see he's staring at Jughead who's still by your side.

Jughead nods, his arms crossed over his chest. "I am. My dad knew something was up with Lucifer before they outright told us the truth. He's known for years, but Lucifer wasn't a threat to him then or now so he didn't make a fuss about it."

Sweet Pea frowns. He doesn't look scared or pissed, but he doesn't look impressed either. "Why are you telling us this now?"

"That first night, my dad let FP and Jughead in on our secret because he saw how I trusted Jug and wasn't planning to leave Riverdale anytime soon. We trusted the Jones' and they now trust us. The circle of people in the know was meant to stay as small as possible, but then you three," you pause, huffing and smiling sadly as you meet each of their gazes, "wormed your way under my skin and I knew I couldn't keep a secret this big from you anymore."

"So your dad really is the devil?" Fangs asks. His gaze is set on the flames just barely dancing over the rim of the barrel, an expression on his face you can't quite decipher.

Sighing, you let your left hand wave back and forth over the flames. "My dad really is Lucifer Morningstar." You hold your hand still then, the flames engulfing your hand. Someone gasps, but you don't look up until you say, "And I'm the Queen of Hell."

"Oh fuck."

Fangs immediately shoots up, stumbling behind his seat. Sweet Pea's expression has completely shut down and Toni stares with wide eyes. Without having to look in a mirror, you already know your eyes have gone pure white and the picture you paint with the crown atop your head can look quite daunting.

"I'm still me- the same girl you've been hanging out with for a while now." You swallow down the hurt you feel at their speechlessness. "But.. I will understand if this is too much. All I ask is that this little revelation doesn't leave the circle." Still your friends say nothing and fight against the burn behind your eyes. "I'm sorry."

As quickly as you can, you bend over to pick up your bag. Shouldering the strap, you turn to walk away when Jughead calls out. "Y/N.."

"It's fine," you say and cast him a small smile. "I'll pick up my car later. I'm going home."

"Let me give you a ride home at least."

You shake your head. "I'll manage." And with that, you turn and walk away, letting a swirl of flames whisk you away.

Maybe you should have waited, dropping hints here and there to ease them in. But as you appear in your room, you drop onto your bed and let the sadness swallow you whole. What's done is done. All you can do is hope for the best now.

[cuquitalocita]

the hot girl from physics class- rowaelin

AN: okay this has been sitting in my drafts for MONTHS and i just found it again. this is literally just self indulgent bickering with absolutely not plot in mind. also my first time writing rowaelin because i had no desire to butcher them so... anyway here’s to first tries and i hope you all enjoy!

main masterlist

~~

Rowan’s mouth tasted of metal.  Or maybe it was blood.  

The second thing that hit him was the inability to breathe through his mouth as he attempted to swallow a mouthful of nonexistent air.  The motion sent his eyes shooting open, immediately registering that while his mouth was covered, his nose was not, and he managed a large inhale of hot air before exploding into a rage of rough coughs that left him breathless and once again on the verge of blacking out.  Rowan thrashed in what seemed to be a chair, quickly realizing that both his arms and legs were bound tighter than he thought possible, and no amount of lacrosse training could prepare him for the fatigue he felt at that moment.  The dark spots in his vision didn’t seem to help either and his sweat shone skin seemed to melt in on itself as he took a few more breaths through his nose, slower this time until he was somewhat steady.  

It was only then he felt stable enough to figure out what the hell had happened.  The last thing he remembered was excusing himself to go to the bathroom before the bus was supposed to take off.  He had been walking down the empty hallway one moment and the last thing he could recall was the strange sensation of being as light as a feather before darkness overtook him.  And now he was here.  And… where was here exactly?

A sort of warehouse it seemed, with tall metal walls and a lofted ceiling, freezing regardless of the fact that it was barely fall meaning it was most likely abandoned.  Night shone through the glass windows he identified to his right and left and across from him sat-

“CELEANA?” Rowan attempted to scream out, his cloth-filled mouth muffling the sound to almost nothing.  But he was right, and his vision refused to fail him as his eyes widened at the hot girl from physics class who now sat across from him in a much more comfortable looking chair than his hard wooden one, sporting casual leggings, a stained t-shirt, an insanely messy bun, and the smuggest expression he had ever seen. Strands of golden hair sprang out every which way and Rowan was hit with the inherent desire to smooth it out himself. His heart did terrified somersaults as he took in her (clearly) laid back posture and bored eyes and he stiffened as Celeana pulled up one of her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around it, one of her hands clutching a small book.  It was only then he noticed the highlighter sticking out from between her teeth.  If he wasn’t gagged, he would’ve been gaping.  She was studying.  

“Well look who’s awake,” she mused, her voice somehow sounding deeper than it had before.  Rowan couldn’t deny how smooth it sounded and how naturally it suited her.  “Hey, sleeping beauty.”  There was no mistaking the smirk that curled onto her lips and the sparkle in her unique turquoise eyes as she gazed at him, her look solely calculating as she took him in from head to toe, zeroing in on something close to his head.  

The tip of the gun was colder than he imagined it would be, the hard metal sending a shock through his entire body and forcing a scream out of his mouth, damning the gag.  The sound was just as muffled as he thought it would be, barely loud enough to alert anyone within a four-foot radius to his whereabouts.  Still, he didn’t relent.  He screamed with everything.  He screamed with his anger, he screamed with his disgust, he screamed with his confusion, and he even screamed with his sadness, the emotion he hadn’t felt since his mother had died.

When the blonde had waltzed into his physics class for the first time two weeks ago sporting a bright grin and gleaming eyes, Rown hadn’t known what to expect. It certainly wasn’t the charming and positively addictive person he ended up meeting. Elegant and beautiful Rowan had been unable to tear his eyes away from her, even as she deliberately placed herself in the seat next to him, shooting him a brilliant smile. Celeana had been wholly consuming, something Rowan was now kicking himself for, and the two had fallen into an easy conversation, him unable to hold up his usually angry exterior when it came to her. They had flirted- quite a lot, if he remembered correctly and despite his constant lacrosse practices, Rowan had even found himself agreeing to help her with her physics homework. It had only taken one word from her cursing Einstein and Rowan knew he was done for. He hadn’t gotten the chance to ask her out yet- he had meant to do it after his game today. So what in hellas was he doing here?

Rowan screamed until his throat gave out, his wide eyes never faltering as he stared in what was pure shock at Celeana across from him, who seemed to be doing nothing but gazing at him, her eyes cold and calculating, a contrast to the small quirk at the corner of her lips.  By the time his throat gave out and his eyes yearned to drop shut in exhaustion, Celeana had closed her book and tucked the highlighter on top of her ear.  She wasn’t watching him anymore; instead, her gaze was fixed next to him, to the person who most certainly held the gun to his head.  A gun which Celeana seemed entirely unfazed by.  If anything, her eyes seemed to sparkle more and the other side of her mouth pulled up before she said,

“I win, pay up.”  A shift in sound and the gun behind him before a much deeper and older voice spoke now.

“Actually Miss, you said less than thirty minutes.  I said less than ten.  And it seems it was…” the gun was momentarily lifted from his head as the older man checked something on his arm, allowing him a sharp exhale.  “Seven minutes.  Which means, I won.”  The corner of Celeana’s mouth pulled down in a frown and she glared at the person behind him.

“Oh, you’re no fun Brullo,” she sighed.  “Fine.  I-” she was cut off as he commenced screaming again, louder this time after he had taken a lungful of air.  Her eyes widened for a smidge of a second in surprised shock which quickly faded into her smirk again.  When he finished screaming this time, it was because Celeana was looking him straight in the eyes, her gaze more powerful than should be possible for a girl her age.  And it told him everything he needed to know: he wasn’t going anywhere.  The sound fell from his voice and he glared fire at the girl across from him who only rolled her eyes when he attempted to open his mouth again. Her own fire blazed back at him. 

“Oh my god, are you done?” she asked in exasperation, the smirk no longer on her face, just pure teenage annoyance as she looked back at him.  He was at a loss for words as she put her book down on the ground next to her boots and looked back at him.  “Okay,” she said as if he was a wounded puppy she didn’t know how to approach.  She wasn’t afraid, just wary.  “I’m gonna take the gag off now and please, for the love of the gods, please Ro, don’t even try to scream.  With as much as I love your mouth, and believe me, I really do,” she gave him a wink and he let out a growl laced with disgust and ignoring the electricity in his blood at the look she gave him.  “I have no interest in hearing you any more than I have to today.  Got it?”

He said nothing, his glare unwavering as Celeana stood from her chair and approached him, the gun to his head tensing as if the bearer was more alert than he had been a moment ago.  Rowan wondered exactly how he was supposed to even move when his arms and legs were bound and just to prove it he went still as Celeana leaned forward, her blue eyes suddenly level with his as she reached towards the back of his head and untied the intricate knot in a quick movement of her hands. He attempted not to inhale her intoxicating scent- jasmine and lemon verbatim. She was back in her seat before Rowan could register the air on his mouth and he gulped down a few breaths as he looked at her again, unsurprised to find she was looking at him as well.  His heart did a relay in his chest as his green eyes met her blue ones and she arched a brow, smirking again.

“Like what you see?”  His answering glare said enough until the silence was too much.

“Who are you?” he growled and Celeana laughed coldly, either at him or something else, he didn’t know.  She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and Rowan tried not to focus on it.

“You know who I am,” was all she said.  

“I thought you were Celeana but apparently I don’t know shit considering you kidnapped me and tied me to a chair.”  His voice was ice as he snapped at her and Rowan enforced his point by shaking his arms and legs and wincing at the pain.  Celeana’s gaze showed no sympathy or remorse for him and his heart sunk at the realization that he wasn’t surprised.  He had no idea who this girl was, he realized.  Celeana leaned back in her chair, her posture lazy once more, and began to mess with her nails.  It was only then that Rowan realized they were dark red underneath and he swallowed, his gaze snapping up to Celeana’s.  She followed his eyes with her own in a bemused way until realization struck her and her eyes widened.

“I- oh god, chill out, it’s just Taki dust,” she assured him, holding up a purple bag of spicy chips she pulled out from under the chair as evidence.  She let out a huff of a laugh and shoved the open bag at him in a questioning gesture.  She shoved one in her mouth before asking, “Want one?”  Her voice was almost as muffled as his had been and he glared at her, his eyebrows shooting up to remind her of his arms and legs.  “Fine,” she muttered.  “Have it your way.”  Celeana’s eyes shot up to the person behind Rowan as she dusted her fingers off and something flashed in her eyes before the light weight of the gun was removed from his temple.  He exhaled.

“What do you want from me?  My aunt will-”

“Spare me the family connections pretty boy, we’re not interested.  I will say this, it isn’t personal.”

“Why the hell should I believe anything you said when everything you’ve said so far has been a lie?” he snapped, attempting to find some sort of ground. 

“Well, that just isn’t true.  I really do suck at physics, Ro,” she said smiling, pointing to the book at her feet.  “Hawking is kicking my ass this year,” she grumbled and if she was anyone else he would have laughed.

“Don’t bullshit me, who the hell are you?”  Her eyes sparkled at his defiance and he stiffened as the man who had been holding the gun to his head padded up next to Celeana.  He was easily a foot and a half taller than her, making her look like nothing more than a tiny ant in comparison to him, and he had to be at least his aunt’s age.  But the muscle that quivered beneath his leather jacket was enough of a difference for Rowan.  Celeana’s grin grew.

“Are you gonna drop the ‘woe is me hero act’ any time soon?  I’m just curious as to whether I should get some popcorn or not,” was all she replied.

“Pretty gutsy coming from a girl holding an innocent person against his will,” he snapped back. Faster than he could have thought possible Celeana’s playful expression had shriveled into cold hard menace, the look sending a spineful of shivers down his back and forcing his heart into his throat.  Gone was the girl who enjoyed witty bantering.  In her place was the monster he had painted her as from the moment he had opened his eyes.  Rowan realized he should have taken laid-back Celeana when he had the chance because there was no doubt in his mind that the girl in front of him could and would end his life when given the chance.

Celeana’s posture stiffened and the hand that had been playing with her hair stilled as the man beside her placed a hand on her shoulder.  Whether it was meant to be a warning or a comfort, Rowan didn’t know.  Celeana’s face turned cold, her playful pretense officially vanishing.

She sneered and leaned forward on her elbows until they were almost nose to nose.  Rowan refused to shrink back as much as he wanted to.  The feeling coursing through his veins was unfamiliar to him: fear.  “You know something, prince?” she asked.  Her smirk was purely feral.  “I don’t like you very much.  And I’m not beyond beating your ass to prove it.  So shut up, and do what you’re told and you might live.”  With that, Celeana pushed her hands off of her knees and leaned back in her chair as if nothing had happened.

Rowan swallowed, knowing there was no point in hiding his fear of her.  It was so strong she could probably smell it on him.

“Why am I here?” he snarled.

“That isn’t your concern, and frankly I don’t feel like explaining it to you.”  

“Are you ever going to give me a straight answer?”

“Why would I, when you seem so hell-bent on hating me?” How could he explain to her that he wanted to, gods did he want to. And yet he could still feel his emotions attempting to fight him.  

“Who are you?”

“You tell me.  I think you know.  I think that pretty face is for more than just looks.”  He gulped at the realization that this wasn’t a dream.  He was really sitting in a warehouse, bound to a chair, while full-fledged members of the mafia stared at him. He really hated his aunt sometimes. 

“You don’t look like the rest of them.  You’re-”

“Prettier?  Smarter?  Wittier?  Tell me something I don’t know.” Celeana was picking at her nails again. 

“So what are you supposed to be?  Good cop?”  Her answering smile chilled his bones.

“Something like that.  It would help to tolerate me.”

“You try being friendly with the people holding you prisoner.” Celeana’s smile vanished. 

“You’d be surprised.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Like I’d tell you.”  Rowan was really wishing he had witty Celeana back because this one seemed to hate him just as much as he hated her.  “Now I really suggest shutting the hell up with the questions before that bullet ends up between those pretty little eyes of yours.”

“Miss, your uncle called.  He’ll be home at eight.”  A chill went down his spine as Celeana’s face went white.  He almost thought he was seeing things when something like fear flashed in her eyes for a moment before it was gone and replaced with her smirk again, this one which didn’t quite reach her eyes.  

“Well,” Celeana said, grunting as she stood up and hauled her backpack and book over her shoulder.  “This has been fun, but I’m gonna have to leave you boys to it.”  Rowan knew something was wrong when she blew him a kiss, barely looking over her shoulder as she opened the door to the warehouse, pausing with one foot out.

Celeana turned back to him, the side of her face even more beautiful in the reflecting moonlight. As her eyes met his, Rowan felt pinned in place by the intensity in her own. 

“Aelin,” she said quietly.  “My name is Aelin. My mom used to call me Celeana when we would sneak out of the house together,” she paused before adding, “It wasn’t all a lie.”  With that, she silently slipped out the door, shutting it solidly behind her and leaving Celeana staring at the empty place where she had just been.

It wasn’t all a lie.

~~

drink your water :) 

[dirtykpopsnaps]

My Soulmate, the Composer - Min Yoongi (soulmate au)

Warnings: None

Contains: Cute soulmates!Yoongi and Y/N meeting

Requested: no.

Words: 6, 894

———————————————————————

Sighing softly to myself, I sit down at one of the tables within our break room and set my lunch down in front of me. My eyes are drooping slightly from exhaustion, so I simply stand up and start another pot of coffee. While the coffee brews, I sit down again and start unpacking my lunch. It’s nothing crazy, just a sandwich, a bag or chips, an apple, and a water bottle. I rub at my eyes, trying desperately to wake myself up a little before I need start doing checkups on more animals.

As I start eating my sandwich, the break room door opens again and my co-worker, Quinn, steps inside. She sits down at the table with me and chuckles at my tiredness. “Did you stay up late again?” She asks. I narrow my eyes at her in annoyance.

“No, I didn’t. He was playing music in his head all last night,” I groan, rubbing at my temples. For now, the music in my head is silent, but I know that it’ll start back up soon enough. Usually, when there isn’t music playing in my head, he’s asleep. Quinn gives me a sympathetic look, sucking some air in through her teeth.

“Oh, yikes,” she hisses. I nod my head sleepily.

“I just can’t wait to meet this guy so the music can finally stop and maybe I’ll get some peace and quiet sometimes,” I sigh.

You see, my soulmate attachment is a little different than some. Most people have a distinguishable trait that they can compare with their soulmate’s. My soulmate and I, however, are connected through our heads. I can’t hear him talking or what he thinks about normally, but any music that plays...it plays in my head, too. I’m fairly sure it also works the other way around. Although the attachment is a little different, it has helped me realize that my soulmate...probably isn’t English. When I was younger, sometimes the music would be in English. My soulmate liked a lot of rap music, so I heard a lot of that. As I got older, however, a lot of the music wasn’t in English. I couldn’t quite detect the language, but it definitely wasn’t English.

Calmly, I continue eating my lunch. Every once in a while, Quinn will pull me back into the conversation, but we stay quiet for the most part. I finish my food and take the last few sips of coffee before I say ‘goodbye’ to Quinn and walk back into the exam room. The exam room is a big, white room. There are instruments scattered all around and a table in the middle of the room. Posters of the anatomy of different animals like the walls. There’s also a few posters advising pet parents about conditions and symptoms. I’ve never really liked working in a big white room, always thought it needed some color, but I’ve gotten used to it.

For the rest of the day, I continue my checkups with the patients that come and go. I end up seeing a few cats and dogs, a rabbit, and even a chinchilla. Thankfully, none of the news today is particularly horrible, so my day doesn’t take a complete nosedive by the time I’m done. The last animal I see is a cute little Golden Retriever puppy named Lucy. The whole time while I’m examining her, she keeps trying to play with me and nip at my hands. I laugh lightly and take the notes that I need to before handing her back to her owner. “Well, she looks to be in good health to me. You’re taking very good care of her and she seems happy. So, I say keep up the good work,” I smile, setting my clipboard down on the table. Her owner smiles kindly and links Lucy’s leash back to her collar before leaving.

Once they’re out of the room, I sigh in relief and grab all my supplies before heading back to my office. I place everything where it should go and check to make sure that I have everything before grabbing my jacket and bag. My car is parked out back, so I climb into it easily and make my way back to my house. The traffic on the way back is horrible, but it’s not any different than normal, so I just sigh deeply and deal. The time slowly creeps by until, finally, the blockage clears up a little bit and I’m able to continue my ride home.

When I finally get home, I park in the driveway and grab my things before heading inside. The front door is already open, so I know that my younger sister, Rylie, is already home. I hang my keys on the hook by the door and hang up my bag right next to it. “I’m home, Ryles! You better have your schoolwork done!” I shout up the stairs, walking into the kitchen to try and find something small to chomp on before thinking about dinner. I search through the cabinets for a second and pull out a cheese stick, taking chunks out of it. From the stairs, I hear pounding footsteps as Rylie comes running downstairs. She appears at the bottom of the stairs and looks around quickly before spotting me and running into the kitchen.

“Y/N!” She says excitedly, skidding to a halt before me. I narrow my eyes at her, trying to read what she’s so excited about.

For a few seconds, she just bounces on the balls of her feet, then she almost explodes with excitement. “I got the tickets!” She says excitedly, squealing and dancing around in a circle. I giggle lightly, watching as she lets out her excitement. “I never thought I’d actually get them, but I did!! Now, they’re not *amazing* seats, but it’s what I could get. Will you *pleeeease* go with me?” She asks, putting on her biggest puppy dog eyes and displaying her hands in a pleading gesture.

“Go with you....where?” I ask in confusion. Rylie groans, rolling her eyes.

“To the concert!” She exclaims, waving two pieces of paper in my face. Looking at the papers, I can just see the outline of tickets on them and I nod my head lightly.

“Sure thing. What’s the concert for?” I ask. Instantly, Rylie’s face lights up again and she starts talking a mile a minute.

“It’s for that group I really like, remember? The k-pop one? They’re called BTS, but they’re really good and I think you’ll really like them and I really wanna show them to you!” She says quickly. All of this comes out in one breath and I stare at her in shock.

“Jeez, girl, breathe!” I laugh. Rylie joins in with my laughter and finally takes some deep breathes.

“Sorry. Just...really excited,” she giggles.

I walk into the living room and Rylie trails behind me, sitting down at my feet when I plop down on the couch. “So, have you ever heard any of their music?” She asks, referring to the group she had just mentioned. I think back to what she had called them, (BTS??), and shake my head lightly. “No, I don’t think I have, Ryles. Do you wanna play something for me?” I suggest. She gasps loudly and launches off the floor, running back upstairs to grab her phone, I guess. Only seconds later, she comes running back downstairs and plops herself at my feet again.

“What do you wanna hear?” She asks excitedly, scrolling through her phone. I shrug my shoulders lightly.

“Just play something that you think I’ll like,” I say calmly.

For a minute or two, Rylie scrolls through her phone until she finally stops. “Ohh, this is a good one,” she squeals excitedly. She turns the volume all the way up on my phone and clicks on a video. The video starts with the sound of little bubbles, but I decide to just focus on the music instead. The music finally starts playing and I nod my head lightly, listening to it.

“It’s a pretty good song, sweetie. What’s it called?” I ask.

“It’s called Waste It on Me. Technically, it’s not BTS’s song, but it’s them singing and they worked with this guy named Steve Aoki. It’s his song,” she explains, using her hands to talk.

For a while, Rylie and I just sit in the living room listening to music and talking. She tells me all about this group, getting more and more excited as I ask more questions. When I say that the music she’s shown me is pretty good, she jumps up again and starts dancing in a circle. “Yes! Now I can listen to it and you won’t complain,” she says happily, still dancing around. I laugh at her, shaking my head lightly. My sister is adorable, but also...she’s a bit crazy. Rylie keeps showing me more of their music, wanting to give me a good idea of what I should expect from the concert.

To be honest, I really do like their music. The music has a pretty good hook to it and, although I can’t understand the lyrics, it still catches my attention. However, there’s something about the music that keeps nagging at me. I can’t quite figure out why, but it sounds familiar. Almost like I’ve heard it before, but I know I haven’t because I’ve never even heard of this group. No matter what I do, though, there’s just something about the music that keeps nagging at me. Finally, I just shake my head and decide to enjoy the music rather than try and figure out why it sounds familiar.

Suddenly, Rylie speaks up again. “Oh, Y/N, by the way, can we head to the music store tomorrow? I need some more picks and I wanna try and find some books of music,” she explains. I nod my head lightly and pull my legs up on the couch.

“I think we can do that. Tomorrow is Saturday, so I should have some time to be able to take you out,” I say. Rylie smiles widely and pulls me into a big hug.

“You’re the best sister ever,” she giggles. I laugh lightly, ruffling her hair.

“And don’t you forget it,” I laugh.

Rylie plays a few more songs for me before I get up and start thinking about dinner. I look through the cabinets for something to make, but don’t find anything that could remotely make a decent dinner. “Hey, Ry, how does pizza sound?” I ask, looking over my shoulder and back into the living room.

“Sounds good to me. I could never turn down pizza,” she responds. I can still hear the music playing from the living room, so I ask her to turn it off while I call the pizza place on Main Street. The music stops a few seconds later and I pick up my cell off the counter.

The call to the pizza place is fairly short. I just order a medium cheese pizza and some bread sticks. They tell me that I should expect the order in about half an hour and I thank them before hanging up again. As soon as the call ends, the music starts back up again and I laugh at Rylie. It’s obvious that she really likes this group, though, so I just let her enjoy the music. Every time I look into the living room, she’s dancing around and mouthing the lyrics to whatever song is playing. I chuckle lightly, walking upstairs and deciding to take a quick shower. At the top of the stairs, I decide to call down to her. “Hey, Ry! If the pizza shows up early, my wallet is on the counter!” I tell her. I get a small ‘okay’ in response and just continue on the way to the bathroom.

Before heading inside, I grab my towels off the rack and pull them into the bathroom with me. I quickly strip off all my clothes before stepping into the shower and turning on the hot water. The water feels nice on my skin and I hum lightly as I shower. One of BTS’s song is playing through my head, so I just hum it lightly. For a bit, I can only hear the music in my head since I don’t know the whole song. However, about halfway through my shower, the song begins playing again from the beginning. This time, the lyrics are there, but they sound a little hesitant, almost as if the person singing them doesn’t fully know if this is the right song. At that moment, it hits me why the songs sounded familiar. Those are some of the songs that my soulmate has played in their head! I laugh lightly, happy to have finally put it together. ‘Well,’ I think, ‘at least they’ll have something in common with Rylie.’

Quickly, I finish up my shower and towel myself off before pulling on a large t-shirt and some fluffy pajama pants. When I head downstairs, the smell of hot pizza wafts up the stairs to me. Rylie is sitting at the kitchen island, chomping away at a piece. “It came while you were in the shower,” she says softly, gesturing towards the two boxes. I nod my head and thank her before grabbing a plate and putting a couple pieces on the plate. Rylie and I eat silently through dinner, talking every once in a while. I ask her how school’s going and she says it’s alright. “The classes aren’t too bad and I’m not failing any, so I think that’s alright,” she shrugs.

“Not failing any classes is more than alright, that’s great, Ry,” I tell her. She giggles lightly at me, but continues eating her pizza.

For the rest of the night, Rylie and I hang out together. After dinner, I put the left overs in the fridge and then we settle down with some blankets for a movie. Rylie falls asleep about halfway through, but I make it through the whole movie without much problem. When the movie finally ends, I shake her shoulder and tell her to go sleep upstairs. She nods her head sleepily and trudges up to her room. I follow soon after, going into my own room and brushing my teeth before climbing into bed. Soon enough, I’m fast asleep.

————————

When I wake up again, sunlight is creeping across the floor of my room from the window. Little chinks of shadow are displayed where the blinds are on the window. Sighing softly, I climb out of bed and head downstairs. I might as well start on breakfast a little early so that Rylie and I can eat together when she finally gets up.

In the kitchen, I search through the cabinets again. Finally, I just decide to make some scrambled eggs and toast. I get out the toaster and start toasting some bread before I grab a few eggs out of the fridge and crack them into a pan. The eggs sizzle softly as they hit the hot pan and I use a spatula to move them around as they cook. When the first bit of toast comes out, I set it on a plate and put in more toast. I let the eggs cook for a second and look around in the fridge for the butter. When I finally find it, I take it out and set it by the toast.

Just as I’m finishing the eggs, I hear soft footsteps coming downstairs. Rylie enters the kitchen and yawns widely, covering her mouth with her hand. “Good morning,” she says, smiling groggily.

“Good morning, sleepy head,” I chuckle, tipping some of the eggs onto a plate and putting them with the toast. Then, I hand Rylie the plate. She gets some utensils out of the drawer and hands me a fork to use for my own food. I tip the last bit of eggs into my own plate and add the toast. Before I eat, I set the plate aside and turn off the stove, putting the hot pan in the sink and filling it with water to cool it down.

Breakfast is another quiet meal. We’re both a little too tired to hold up conversation just yet, so I allow my mind to think about what I need to get done today. Christmas is coming up, so I decide to go to the mall to look for some gifts after a few chores around the house. After shopping for a little, I’ll take Rylie to the music store like I said I would. I figure that the shopping will take most of the day, so I’ll think about things like dinner later on. When I think about food, I look towards the cabinet and scrunch up my nose. Add grocery shopping to the list for either today or tomorrow.

Suddenly, music fills my head again. As usual, the music doesn’t have lyrics. It’s solely the base of a song. It plays over and over in my head, notes being added every time it repeats. Sometimes subtle things change, like the rhythm or note value, but there’s always little changes. Over time, I’ve gotten used to this kind of music in my head. I get to hear as parts are slowly added to the song and, finally, I hear the final product. I’ve come to think that it means my soulmate must do something with music. I’m not quite sure what he does, but it’s obvious that he at least somewhat composes. I think that’s what I’m hearing as the song slowly comes together over time.

Across the table, Rylie waves her hand in my face. Blinking rapidly, I look at her and focus. “I’m sorry, what?” I ask. Rylie chuckles lightly.

“I asked what you were humming. You were humming something and swaying back and forth,” she tells me.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t even realize, Ry. My soulmate must be composing again,” I respond. She makes a silent ‘ah’ and nods head head.

“That must be cool, hearing as your soulmate puts stuff together,” she says, running her thumb over the ticking timer on her wrist. I nod my head lightly, looking up at her again.

“It can be interesting. The music is really good, so it’s very interesting getting to hear as it slowly comes together. Though, it can get annoying when I have a headache,” I laugh. Rylie winces in sympathy.

“Oh, I can only imagine,” she hisses.

When both of us finish, we put our plates in the sink. “Okay, Ry, can you go change your bedsheets? I’ll come by and get them in a moment,” I tell her. She groans in annoyance, but sighs and nods her head. I wash off the plates and put them in the dishwasher, making sure to get everything off. When I’m done, I head up to my room and start taking off my bedsheets, as well. The dirty bedsheets are placed in a basket and, once I take off my sheets, I walk into Rylie’s room and gather her’s. Then, I take the basket downstairs and start a load of laundry.

I set the basket on the floor and throw the sheets into the washer, putting in the right amount of detergent. When the sheets start spinning in the washer, I place the basket in front of the washer and head back upstairs. I pull new sheets out of the linen closet in the hallway and make my bed. When I’m done, I check into Rylie’s room to make sure that she’s done the same. Thankfully, my sister is pretty good, so I don’t have to ask her to do everything.

For a while, I walk around the house doing small chores. The house is mostly clean, but I’m able to gather up some more clothes for another load of laundry once the bedsheets are done. After that, we just wait for the loads of laundry to finish. When they’re done, the laundry is put in different baskets and I place them in my room for later. I poke my head into Rylie’s room afterward. “Okay, Ry, get dressed. We’re gonna do some Christmas shopping at the mall and then we’ll head to the music store,” I tell her. She shoots me a soft smile and immediately starts looking through her dresser for clothes to change into.

Heading into my room, I go to the closet and start looking for clothes. The weather is very cold, so I decide to go with a plain t-shirt, an oversized fuzzy cardigan, some plain blue jeans, and cute black boots. I throw everything on, then grab my wallet and phone off the top of the dresser. When I head downstairs, Rylie is already downstairs, sitting on the couch and waiting for me. When she hears me, she hops up and grabs both of our coats out of the closet. I grab my car keys off the hook by the door.

On the drive over to the mall, Rylie tells me all about what she’s been thinking of buying her friends for Christmas. “We’re all going to get gifts and then exchange them on the last day of school before break,” she tells me, her eyes flirting over the stores that pass outside.

“I still need to think about what to you, aunt Maddie, and Uncle Tanner,” I say. To be honest, I already have a few gifts for Rylie, but nothing major. Nothing that’ll make her very excited, I don’t think. I’m hoping to find something here, or maybe at the music store.

When we get to the mall, Rylie immediately drags me towards the Bath & Bodyworks. “Come oooon,” she whines, pulling at my hand. I laugh lightly and follow her into the store, instantly being assaulted by the mix of smells from all the perfumes and lotions. Rylie starts looking through the scents, smelling one every once in a while. I’m sure that she’s probably looking for something that her friends will like. I find some of the winter scents and decide to get Rylie the peppermint bark scented lotion. Rylie absolutely adores peppermint bark, so I hope that she’ll like this just as much.

We spend maybe another 15 minutes in the Bath & Bodyworks, then we start looking into other stores. We find a couple of the clothing stores and look in there for a little before moving on. We walk into the toy store and get a stuffed animal for our little cousin who we’ll see on Christmas. Rylie also picks out her new yearly calendar from the toy store. After the toy store, we look around some more and find a few stores here and there to go into. However, I’m not able to find anything for my aunt or uncle. I sigh softly and tell myself that I’ll just need to search online when I get home.

Shaking my head at the amount of presents I was able to get, I get Rylie’s attention again. “Okay, I’m done here, Ry. Let’s go to the music store,” I say. Her face lights up and she squeals excitedly.

“Yay!” She squeals, hurrying off on the direction of the store. I roll my eyes, but laugh and hurry after her. The music store is located just at the edge of the mall. It’s one of the biggest stores in the mall and does pretty well, honestly. There’s all sorts of instruments inside, as well as things like guitar picks, shoulder straps, and music books.

As soon as Rylie opens the door, she hurries over to the guitar picks and starts looking at the different assortments that they’re selling. I don’t have much to do here, so I look around at the other customers inside the store. There aren’t many other people here, only a few. One young man is looking at the selections of ukuleles hung upon the wall. Another young man is looking at the drum kits stacked off in the corner. A third young man is sitting on the bench of the grand piano. It’s obvious that he’s playing something, but I don’t recognize the song. Although I can’t hear him, I can see his lips moving and figure that he’s probably mumbling the lyrics too himself.

Sighing softly, I pay closer attention to what he’s playing and then my heart starts beating quickly. I realize that, not only am I hearing the song in the store, but that same song...is also playing in my head! Slowly, I walk over to piano and look down at the man playing the piano. He’s slender with large, beautiful eyes. At the moment, he’s not paying attention to me and I don’t even think he’s realized I’m there. “Uh, hi,” I say softly, waving at him. In surprise, he looks up at me and jumps, resulting in a lovely smash of keys as his hand lands on the piano again. I wince as the magnified keyboard smash sounds in my head. “Ow,” I mutter softly, rubbing at my temples. The man immediately starts apologizing.

“I’m so sorry, you just surprised me,” he apologized, picking his hands up off the piano and starting to leave.

“No, no, please don’t go, that was really pretty,” I say, trying desperately to keep him here.

For several seconds, I scramble around for what to say. Just outright saying ‘hey, you’re my soulmate!’ seems way too straightforward and scary. Yet, I have no *idea* how else to say it! While I scramble around, the man just stares at me with a look that almost screams ‘well, get on with it!’. I swallow thickly, my hands shaking horribly as I try and fail to come up with anything else. “Oh, goddamn it...ugh! I think you’re my soulmate!” I spit out, hiding my face in my hands immediately afterward. That could not have gone much worse.

As soon as the words come out, the man’s expression changes to one of skepticism. He raises an eyebrow at me like I just told him that my best friend is Bigfoot. I swallow again, trying to think of anything that could possibly show that I just met my soulmate. “I-I know it sounds crazy, believe me, I know. But, I heard your playing and I also...I...I heard it...in my...head...” I say, trailing off awkwardly. He gives me an even more skeptical look and my face burns bright red. I sift through my thoughts, trying to come up with anything that might show him what I mean. “I just...I have a thought attachment with my soulmate. I-I guess he’s a musician, but I hear his music in my head all the time. He was...he was just making something this morning! There weren’t any lyrics or anything, but he was composing,” I tell him. He stares at me with a completely deadpan look.

“I’m always composing,” he says plainly, obviously not believing me at all.

Groaning in frustration, I gesture to the piano again. “Please, sit down with me. Give me a second and I think I might be able to try and figure out what he was composing this morning,” I say, my hands still shaking horribly. The man sighs in an almost defeated kind of way and he sits down on the piano bench again.

“Alright. Show me what your soulmate was composing this morning,” he says, gesturing to the keys. Taking a deep breath, I think back to breakfast and try to pull forward the song that I heard. The melody of the song comes after a few moments and I slowly start to reach my hand towards the keyboard, but he stops my hand. I look over at him in surprise and see his jaw hanging open as he looks at the keys and then me again. “Wait...was that you? That...That melody. This melody.” He leans forward and starts playing the same melody on the piano, then stops and looks at me again. I nod my head frantically, my heart pounding in my chest again. I did it. I did something to show. He’s...He’s my soulmate!

Next to me, the man pulls his fingers through his hair. “I just came up with that this morning. Wait, you hear my composing?” He asks, looking at me again. I nod my head slowly at him.

“Yeah. I...I think it has to do with how you hear the music in your head so, uh, I hear it, too,” I laugh nervously. He thinks for a few seconds then his eyes go wide.

“You hear...all of my composing?”

“Every bit of it, start to finish,” I say, smiling widely at him.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” he says, finally letting out some laughter and smiling. I laugh with him, hiding my face in my hands.

“Yeah, you’ve got some weird hours, but it’s okay, I guess?” I laugh, tilting my head.

Suddenly, I hear Rylie calling my name and, when I turn, I can see her walking over. “Hey, Y/N! These picks are really cute, can we—,” she starts, then looks up and her jaw drops. For a few seconds, I think she’s just shocked that I’m talking to a guy, but then she lets out a loud scream. Her hands fly to her face and I stare at her in shock.

“Rylie!” I chide, starting to scold her, but she shakes her head.

“Oh, my God, I’m so sorry. I just...I’m...I can’t...I’m...you’re Suga!” She says, her voice and hands shaking almost as badly as mine. Her eyes are fixed on my soulmate and she looks like she’s about to burst into tears. Immediately, he breaks into a wide smile and chuckles.

“Um, yeah...interesting introduction. Nice to meet you,” he laughs.

For a few seconds, I look between the two of them. Again, that name sounds familiar. Why does that name sound familiar? Then, everything from last night comes rushing back to me. My jaw hits the ground as everything processes. “Wait a second...my soulmate...is a member of BTS?” I ask in confusion. Suga flashes me a gummy smile and shrugs his shoulders lightly.

“Yeah, I am. But, wow, okay...didn’t expect this to happen today,” he laughs again. Rylie has tears already stream down her face and she wiping frantically at them.

“Wait...your soulmate?!” She asks in shock, her eyes going wide and she stops wiping the tears. “Your soulmate is Suga. Oh, my God, your *soulmate* is *Suga*!” She exclaims loudly.

“Yes, Rylie, we’ve realized that,” I say, shaking my head at her.

Out of nowhere, the two other men in the store come running over. “Hey, hey! Don’t crowd him,” one of them says, trying to push us away.

“No, no, Jungkook, stop! She’s my soulmate!” Suga exclaims, grabbing my hand to stop me from being pushed away. Immediately, he stops trying to push Rylie and I away.

“Oh..oh! Oh, okay,” he says, standing back with the other man. Rylie’s head whips in their direction and she claps her hand over her mouth again, stifling the scream that erupts out seconds later. Suga laughs loudly, throwing his head back at Rylie’s reaction.

For a while, everything within that music store is chaos. Rylie can’t make a sensible sentence to save her life, my heart is still pounding in my chest, and we’re all trying to figure out what’s going on. There’s lots of conversations and explanations while we figure things out and, by the end of it, everything seems to be clear. Rylie has finally calmed down enough that she’s not completely hyperventilating and I’m not worried that I might need to take my baby sister to the hospital. Through everything that’s happening, Suga doesn’t let go of my hand. He’s holding my hand tightly in his and talking to the other two members of BTS (he introduces them to me as Jungkook and Jin).

Once everything’s figured out, Jungkook and Jin have decided to head back to find the rest of the group. Looking over at Suga and then Rylie, I try to break the slight tension. “So, uh...how about some lunch?” I ask, smiling nervously. Suga chuckles lightly and nods his head.

“That sounds good to me,” he comments.

“I, um...I could go for some lunch,” Rylie stutters, her voice still shaking slightly. I look over at Suga again.

“So, it’s...Suga?” I ask, a little confused at the interesting name. He laughs, shaking his head.

“No, no, Suga is my stage name. Call me Yoongi,” he says. I nod my head once in affirmation.

“Okay...Yoongi...gotta remind myself of that,” I laugh lightly.

Slowly, we make our way out of the music store. Before we leave, I stop and pay for Rylie’s guitar picks, but she seems too interested in my soulmate to even be thinking about the guitar picks anymore. Walking back into the mall, we start walking towards the food court. “Ooh, can we go to that good pizza place?” Rylie requests. I turn to Yoongi, squeezing his hand lightly.

“Is that alright?” I ask, tilting my head. He nods lightly, looking into my eyes.

“Yeah, sure! I’ve never been here before so, I’m trusting you guys to take me to the best place,” he jokes. Rylie smiles happily and nods her head.

“It’s absolutely the best food they have here. It’s the best pizza around,” she comments.

“Alright, pizza it is,” Yoongi chuckles.

Quickly, we make our way to the pizza place in the food court and find a booth to sit in. Once we have our table, we walk up to order. I start to talk out my wallet when the cashier tells us the total, but Yoongi shakes his head. “Let me buy,” he says plainly, pulling out his wallet and some money. When we’ve paid, we sit down in the booth together. Conversation flows pretty easily, especially with Rylie asking every question under the sun. I have honestly never heard her talk this much and I’m completely amazed.

“Rylie Jane, don’t hound him,” I laugh, hitting her lightly on the hand. She pouts at me in protest, but Yoongi waves off my statement completely.

“No, let her ask questions. I wanna get to know you guys, too,” he smiles, showing off that adorable gummy smile again.

Our conversation over lunch springs *all* over the place. We talk about the sorts of things we like and what we do. “Well, obviously, you know I’m a musician. So, what do you do?” Yoongi asks, taking a bite of his pizza.

“I’m a veterinarian at the local pet clinic,” I say, taking a sip from my bottle of water. He nods his head lightly in interest.

“You must love animals, huh?” He says. I nod my head quickly.

“Oh, absolutely. Animals are the absolute best,” I smile. He flashes back another sweet smile.

“I can’t wait to show you my dog, Holly. He’s the best,” he says happily.

Just at the mention of his dog, Rylie squeaks and covers her mouth quickly. Yoongi laughs lightly, gesturing toward my sister enthusiastically. “That should tell you all you need to know about my dog,” he laughs. I giggle lightly and watch as Rylie’s face turns a bright, cherry red. She hides her face in her hands, but her body is shaking with stifled laughter.

“Well, could I see a picture of this dog? I’m a vet. I can say for myself if this dog is adorable,” I giggle. Yoongi immediately whips out his phone and starts watching through it, obviously looking for the picture I requested.

After a few moments, he turns the phone towards me. “This was taken a couple days ago. Since I’m away a lot, Holly lives with my brother. Lots of pictures are sent,” he chuckles lightly. I take his phone and look at the picture of the little, brown toy poodle with the orange squeaky bone in it’s mouth. My heart immediately melts and I look back up at him, pouting slightly. “I cannot wait to meet this baby,” I say. He laughs again and takes his phone back, nodding.

“Told you, he’s adorable!” He says happily.

“He is very, very cute. Right up there with Yeontan,” Rylie joins. I give her a confused look, but Yoongi brushes off the comment lazily.

“Holly is much more adorable than Yeontan,” he says plainly, taking another bite of his pizza.

“Unless proof is given, I cannot accept that,” Rylie jokes, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You’ve seen pictures of Holly. You’ve seen how cute he is. Yeontan doesn’t compare,” Yoongi shrugs. I look back and forth between them in confusion.

“Okay, sorry, who’s Yeontan?” I ask, looking between them again. Yoongi smiles softly.

“He’s my group mate, Tae’s, Pomeranian,” Yoongi explains lightly. I bite my lip and share a look with Rylie.

“I dunno,” I joke, “Poms and toy poodles are pretty close on the cuteness scale.” Yoongi groans, rolling his eyes.

“Ugh, not you, too!” He complains. I giggle lightly, smiling at the two of them. He rolls his eyes, but flashes me another smile, as well.

The questions over lunch range from questions like what made us choose our career to things as simple as ‘what’s your favorite color?’. Rylie adds in little questions here and there, but she seems to be running out of questions. As their fan, I expect that she knows most of the answers to these questions already. I, on the other hand, am learning so much about my soulmate. I want to know everything about him and he seems to think the same. At one point, he even asks me who is the cutest pet that I see at my work. I gasp loudly, staring at him with wide eyes. “There’s no way that I can even answer that question. I...I can’t. They’re all so cute and I just can’t choose. I refuse to answer that,” I say, holding my hands up in defense. Yoongi laughs lightly, throwing his head back.

“Fair answer. That question was a little hard,” he laughs.

Before I know it, we’ve all finished our food. We stand up and throw out the leftover trash. Without even hesitating, Yoongi takes my hand in his and intertwined our fingers. I smile happily at him, but Rylie just shakes her head. “They call you grumpy, but all I’ve seen today is a big softie,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest again. Yoongi flashes her a sweet smile.

“You caught me. Can’t hide anything from you,” he jokes. The three of us make our way through the mall, walking back towards the music store.

When we get back to the music store, Yoongi squeezes my hand lightly and pouts. “I don’t wanna leave you,” he says, pushing out his bottom lip.

“I don’t wanna leave, either, but...we’ve gotta go at some point,” I sigh. Calmly, I pull my phone out of my back pocket and present it to him. Yoongi seems to know what I’m thinking, because he grabs out his phone, as well, and we exchange numbers. When we’re done, we each other’s phones back and I put my phone back in my pocket. I sigh softly and pull him into a big hug. “Okay, Yoongi, we’ll have to get together as soon as possible, okay?” I ask. He nods his head lightly, hugging me back.

“Oh, absolutely. I already want to introduce you to my group mates,” he smiles.

Pulling back, he looks to Rylie again, too. “And you are welcome to come with her. We always love meeting fans,” he smiles. Rylie beams happily, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“This is even better than the concert!” She squeals happily. Yoongi gives her a surprised look, then looks at me.

“You have tickets to the concert coming up?” He asks. Rylie quickly nods her head.

“Yeah! I was just able to secure the tickets yesterday,” she says. He breaks into a smile again.

“Great! Then I guess I’ll see you in a few days! I can probably pull some strings and get you backstage,” he says calmly.

“That would be great!” I say, sharing an excited glance with Rylie. She looks like she’s about to explode from excitement.

Calmly, I pull Yoongi into one more hug. After we separate, Rylie bounces forward and pulls him into a hug, as well. “Thank you so much for today, Yoongi. It was great,” she thanks him. I give her a scandalized look. It wouldn’t have been great had it just been her and I! Yoongi laughs at my face, but smiles at my sister anyway.

“Well, I’m glad! I had a nice time, too,” he smiles. Saying goodbye one last time, Rylie and I grab our bags off the floor and head out the doors of the mall, going towards our car.

As soon as we’re out of earshot, Rylie turns to me again with a huge smile on her face. “I hope you know how *lucky* you are. You’re soulmate is Min Yoongi!” She exclaims. I giggle lightly and nod my head, adjusting the bags on my arms. I look back toward the mall and I’m just able to see Yoongi waving at us from the glass doors.

“Yeah, I guess I am lucky,” I smile.

[littleoddwriter]

Don’t You Die on Me | Roman Sionis x Male!Reader

"I was wondering if I could get 18 & 19 with Roman Sionis? Male reader comes across a deal going bad (could be a roman deal or some random person, guns get pulled) they try to diffuse the situation, chaos ensues, someone who works with Rom finds them and rushes them to a personal doctor or hospital, and Roman and reader have an angsty moment, make up, soft ending?" anon

A/N: I really hope this is to your liking, anon! Thanks for the request!

summary; You witness one of Roman’s meetings go badly and try to de-escalate, which had the opposite effect and got you a bullet wound in your abdomen. 

notes; TW // Hospital; Violence; Bullet/Gunshot Wound; Injury; Flesh Wound; Implied Murder; No graphic depictions of anything, though. Male!Reader; Hurt/Comfort; Angst; Love Confessions; Anxiety.

Despite knowing that Roman didn't want you downstairs at the club when he was having a meeting, you went anyway. Not because you wanted to disobey him necessarily, but because you needed to ask him something that couldn't wait until he was done. You tried texting Zsasz about it, but since he took watching over Roman so seriously, he didn't see it. So you decided to come down.

When you've reached the club's backstage, you could already hear raised, strained voices and Roman's signature tone of 'If you say one more thing that I don't like, I will blow your brains out'.

Even though your instincts told you to turn on your heels and wait till it was all over, you continued on, until you've almost reached the booth they sat in.

You came closer, and that's where it slowly but surely started to escalate.

Not really thinking about it, you wanted to diffuse the situation. In retrospect, you couldn't possibly say what has driven you to do that. Perhaps it was your worry for Roman, even though you knew he was in good and capable hands with Zsasz, and himself.

Yet, you thought it smart to stir away the man's, who he was conversing with, attention from Roman as you saw a gun glint in his hand under the table.

Chuckling nervously, you touched the man's shoulder, his back was turned to you. "Excuse me? I really don't think you should do that, y'know?" Your voice was gentle, you sounded like you were asking him for directions, rather than putting down the weapon.

"What the fuck?" The man looked at you, his faced twisted in confusion; then he jerked your hand away, turning back to Roman. "What the fuck's this supposed to mean, huh? You fucker! Don't try to-"

"Oh, shut the fuck up, you stupid fake fucking fuck! Zsasz!" Roman snarled, twirling his finger for Zsasz to escort the man out.

Promptly, the other businessman stood up and pointed his gun right between Roman's eyes, who barely even flinched at the sight.

Your heart rate had picked up even more than before. You were so anxious that something was going to happen to Roman, you really didn't think about your poor decision making anymore.

So, you grabbed onto the man's arm and pulled it down and towards yourself, the gun pointing to your abdomen.

Then a deafening loud BANG rang through the club.

Suddenly, it was quiet. No one moved. No one seemed to even breathe, even though you could feel your chest rise and fall quickly.

You slid to the floor, your body not supporting you anymore. As you let go of the culprit, he made a run for it. You could hear it, and as quick as he started, he was stopped. Several gun shots rang through the club in quick succession and then a dull thud, though it sounded crushingly loud in your ears.

"Fuck! Don't just stand around, for fuck's sake! You! Call the fucking doctor, tell him we're coming in with a bullet wound. And you! Clean up this fucking mess." Roman was barking out orders, you barely registered any of it.

Faintly, you could feel yourself being shifted around, lying on your back on the floor, instead of slumping weirdly against the booth. Then there was pressure on your stomach. You knew it hurt, but you didn't flinch or really feel it, as you brain was struggling to keep up.

Suddenly, Roman's face was in yours. He looked mad, concerned, and anxious all at once. Only he could display so many different emotions in only one face.

He was patting your cheek quite hard, as you lost focus. "Stay with me, baby," he murmured.

It was hard to, but you tried.

"You better not fucking die on me. Especially not when you've done something so stupid. You hear me?" You made a gurgling sound in the back of your throat. "Fuck! C'mon, sweet boy. Now's not the time. 'Kay? Not now. I promise you, I will hunt your fucking ass down and kill you myself if you decide to fucking die."

Then you were lifted up by someone, not Roman, but one of his men. He carried you bridal style outside, Roman close by, holding onto your hand. You were laid down on the backseat of a car, your legs draped over Roman's thighs, who sat there with you, keeping one hand linked with yours, loosely, and the other continued to put pressure on your injury, where someone must have wrapped it up already to put constant pressure on it.

You couldn't remember much past being in the car. It was all a rush and a blur. All you knew was that you were in a hospital bed now, hooked to monitors and an IV bag of what was probably morphine. The other thing you knew was that Roman was lying beside you, his arms loosely wrapped around your middle, above your injury, and his head on your chest. Usually that was your position, but nothing was usual about your current situation.

Lying there and remembering what has gotten you there, you winced in embarrassment. You were so fucking stupid for trying to do something about the situation at hand in the club. Fuck, Roman must have been enraged. He probably still was.

Briefly, Roman's arms around you tightened and then loosened again, as he stirred. He had been asleep then, apparently.

You desperately wanted to make a noise or move to let him know that you were awake, but you couldn't do anything. It was like you were frozen in place. Part of you was scared it wasn't real, that it would all vanish the moment you tried to make it real. Another part of you also just didn't want to face Roman after such a stupid fucking action.

Promptly though, he lifted his head and looked at you. You looked right back at him.

Palpable relief washed over Roman, lifting his features from a frown into surprise and fondness.

"You're awake," he croaked, his voice still thick and broken from sleep.

Stiffly, you gave him a small, barely there, nod.

Roman leaned up and pressed a kiss to your lips. It spoke volumes of how worried he must have actually been. He kissed you again and again, barely able to stop at all. It felt strange to you, to know that you were the reason he felt anxious about something.

Soon enough, though, he stopped kissing you over and over again, and leaned back, propping himself up on his arm that was placed on the mattress. Then he frowned at you.

"Are you fucking insane? You could have been fucking killed! Don't do that again! Fuck!" His voice broke on every other word, rising in octaves as he went on and you felt a stab in your chest.

You wanted to reply something, but as you were clearing your throat, you noticed how utterly dry it was and how it hurt.

Roman looked at you, breathing heavily with agitation. Then he realised that you wanted something and what it was. He leaned over to the bedside table on his side and grabbed an ice chip, putting it between your lips.

"Don't worry about fucking replying, 'kay? I'm sure you know how fucking stupid this was of you. And I already know that you're sorry. I can see it in your eyes," he rasped, kissing your forehead.

Then he stretched his arm to push a button, calling the doctor, as he explained by your questioning look. After that he lied down beside you again, his head back on your chest. You sighed quietly.

"Don't ever do that again. Please." That was a first. Roman never said 'please' or 'thank you'. "The next time you won't be this lucky. I don't want to have to fucking bury you, 'kay?” A pause. “When the doctor's checked you over, you'll need to rest again, I'm sure. I'll stay here, waiting for you."

A tear found its way out of your eye, running down the side of your face and into your hair. The ice chip has dissolved by then and while your throat didn't feel much better, you were sure to explode if you didn't say anything.

"I love you, Roman. I'm sorry, thank you," you croaked, a sob tearing from your raw throat.

He kissed your chest softly. "I adore you, too, my sweet boy."

[fbfh]

vegas lights - piper x mpdg!bff!reader

2.3k words

wlw, friends to lovers

piper x manic pixie dream girl! best friend! reader

inspired by this concept playlist from this post (i think it’s the fourth one on the post)

You and piper met at one of those fancy boarding schools

You’ve been told you have trouble respecting authority, can’t follow instructions, and have little regard to your attitude

So more specifically, you met in detention

You had shown up to school with blue and orange hair

As you expected, that didn’t go over well

Piper hadn’t done her homework again

The teacher had left to make some copies of papers, and you were sitting one seat back and to the right of piper

“Hey, since people always talk about going back in time and making one small change that affects everything, do you think the most minute decisions we make have the capacity to change everything now?”

She turned her head and saw you leaning across your desk

Your eyebrows matched your hair, your blazer was too big and the sleeves were cuffed, and pen ink was scribbled on your arms and hands

You had a wild energy, like a strong breeze that smelled like summer you find some other time of year

“Uh…” 

She wasn’t really sure what you meant, and was still a little thrown by you

“Or like, is it the kind of thing where nothing we do matters and we’re gonna end up where we end up, so that takes off the pressure of moralizing your decisions and you end up making ‘better’ choices?”

Was this real?

The late afternoon sun cast an unsettling blue green light throughout the building, and made Piper feel even more like she was dreaming

“Maybe neither,” she mused, grabbing the first thing that came to mind

A new smile crept at your eyes, and she could almost see your perspective shift

“Yeah, like… the presence of someone who wasn’t there before was the thing to set everything off. Maybe it’s not your decisions as much as being there…” you trailed off lost in thought, “huh.” 

You pushed yourself up, and sat on the edge of your desk

“So what are you in for?”

Piper hadn’t realized she was staring until your eyes locked with hers

“D- uh, didn’t do my homework,” she sputtered

You sighed, and rolled your eyes

“God, they’re only gonna realize humans aren’t designed for constant work when we’re all dead.” 

You turn back to her

“You seem intelligent. Being smart doesn’t mean anything, intelligence is what actually matters.” 

Wow

How do you respond to that?

“... I’m Piper,” 

“Piper…” you repeated slowly

“I like that.”

Silence 

“What’s your name?”

“What do I seem like?” 

She looked confused

“What do I strike you as?”

She thought for a minute, then blurted out the first thing she thought of

“Vegas.” 

You smiled

“I love that… we’re gonna go to Vegas some time. It’ll be an adventure.”

“If I had to guess for you…” you trailed off, examining every detail of her in a way that didn’t make her self conscious

“I’d say diamond. I really like Piper too, though.” 

Her stomach fell

There it is, nothing more than a pretty face once again

“Oh, cause I’m-”

“Strong.”

Her eyes snapped up to yours

“You don’t seem like anyone can break you.”

She liked that a lot better

You asked her something about lunch tomorrow, she didn’t remember quite what, and that was the beginning of the two of you

You spent every minute you could together, which often resulted in coordinating your stunts with hers to end up in detention together

After a while the bmw story came up

You believed her without hesitation

“God, guys can be the fucking worst sometimes. I bet that piece of wet toast gave you the car to get on your good side then pulled a Nice Guy as soon as he realized it wasn’t happening.” 

Not totally accurate, but she appreciated your enthusiasm so she agreed wholeheartedly

For some reason it felt really nice to hear you say boys suck

As the semester went on, she started to get worried

You had started talking to a guy, and she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach

She found herself having to try harder and harder to fake happy for you

She was almost surprised at how relieved she was a week later when you plop down at your usual lunch spot and denounce cynically

“Y’know that guy I was talking to? Turns out he’s not actually into philosophy, he’s a fake academic with a superiority complex.”

A weight flew off her chest

“You’re way better off without him,” 

“I know! He thinks watching rick and morty is a personality trait,” 

“Oh god…” she laughed

She had to fight a smile for most of lunch

To her despair, the cycle repeated again, less than a week later

Then again and again, you were seeing a new boy every week for a little over a month

As it progressed, she began to notice feeling worse, then better with every guy you picked up and dumped

She started to worry she was being a bad friend, possessive and jealous

You could tell something was off, and had mentioned here and there if she needs to talk to you she can

Every act of closeness from you made her feel worse and better at the same time

You had asked her to help you re dye your hair, this time a bright lime green, and she had no idea how she’d made it through the long night of just the two of you without saying something really stupid

It was almost graduation by now and she felt like she was going to break in half

“That’s it, I’m done with men. Never touching another one. Ever.”

She looked up at you shocked

“You can hold me to that.” you finish, a laugh frosting the seriousness of your statement

A flood gate opened somewhere deep inside her

Before she could stop it, the thought crept up on her from the back of her mind

‘Least now I have a chance with her,’

The organicness shocked her so much she almost choked on her food

“You okay Di?” you asked

Her pulse was racing and she felt panic and adrenaline coursing through her in a way she’d never experienced

“Yeah, I just have go to the bathroom,” she said, standing up quickly and avoiding your eyes

“I’ll come with,” 

“No! It’s fine. I’ll be right back, stay here.” 

You agreed

She rushed into the bathroom to google “does having a crush on a girl mean i’m gay” 

She tried rephrasing the question a hundred times, glad she remembered to turn on private browsing before she started

She tries to calm her breathing as she gets the same answer five times in a row

“If you keep asking if you’re gay, you probably are”

One article on realizing you have a crush on your girl best friend was actually slightly helpful

It was validating, gave advice on how to act normal, and emphasized there’s time to sort out these feelings and what they might mean later

She read it three times before the bell rang

Shit

She had half her classes with you, what was she gonna do now?

She came out of the bathroom and there you were, waiting for her

“Hey, you okay?”

“Ye- uh… yeah, I’m… sick I think. That’s why I left suddenly, and couldn’t… finish lunch,” she was a terrible liar to you, and just hoped that whatever forces had gotten her in trouble so many times could convince you this was all cause of a stomach bug

“Oh, that sucks. I have an extra bag of chips if you get hungry later, and if you wanna sleep after class instead of hang out I totally get it.” 

Her heart was palpitating

At least you seemed to believe it

“Yeah,  I probably should… and I probably shouldn’t get too close to you- like, I should stay away from you. Cause I don’t want you to get sick too.” she knew she was rambling and had no idea how to fix it.

“Okay, text me later. I’m here to talk if you wanna.” you smiled, and squeezed her shoulder, her heart squeezing at the same time

She left in a hurry to get to her next class, for once grateful you weren’t in it

Over the next week or so, the idea of having a huge uncontrollable crush on you started to be less scary

She just didn’t want to lose you

She knew everything about you

Your favorite color, violet

Your favorite singer, someone named king princess

Your favorite food, broccoli

Even your favorite lip balm flavor, cherry

She had to set all these feelings aside and be there for you as a friend, because that’s what you needed her to be

Just for another week, then you’d part ways for the summer and she could get over this before next year

She couldn’t stop the way her heart skipped a beat when you rested your head on her shoulder

Or when you were studying last night

You couldn’t figure out a problem, and put your head in her lap declaring,

“That’s it. We’re moving to a countryside cottage and becoming an old married farming couple.”

She didn’t breathe right for a second

She somehow managed to choke out

“God, please. That can be our plan b if we fail.”

Which, unfortunately, you didn’t 

You both passed, and unhappily went your separate ways for the summer

She tried to keep plans to meet up abstract, savoring that last hug on friday more than she should have

This plan will work, she’ll avoid you all summer, and come back next semester and be totally normal

It will all be fine

Or it would have if you hadn’t pressed a kiss on her cheek before she got pulled into a rented car, speeding off for the airport

Every minute between that second and seeing her dad at the airport was filled with thoughts of you

Five days had passed, and she couldn’t sleep

She had tried to keep texting you to a minimum, which only worked because of how much she was overthinking everything

Friends can kiss sometimes, right?

And yeah, you looked at her with those big sparkly eyes, but you’ve looked at her like that since she first met you

She was laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and couldn’t get your stupid amazing smile out of her head

She was… overwhelmed

Her phone buzzed

Of course, it was you

She threw her phone on her bed without reading it

Her whole body was buzzy, her feelings had never been this strong

It was too much

She actually felt like she was going to explode in 10 seconds

She could feel a stupid impulse of some kind or another creeping up

A gentle tapping on her window snapped her out of it

‘It’s her’

No it’s not, she chastised herself, you’re practically on the other side of the country

She looked over at her window

It was you

It was you

Oh god

She scrambled out of bed, and threw the window open

You had already popped the screen off, propping it next to her window

“Hi,” you said,

“H-” she had no words

Time and time again you left her speechless

“Y-... your hair’s pink,” she choked out

You laughed and smiled that crooked little smile of yours, and she could feel her heart clench

“Yeah, d’you like it?”

“Yeah,” she said without a second thought

Something she’d read online came back to her in a rush

‘If you like your crush after they change their hair, you know it’s real’

Shit

You placed your hand on top of hers

“So… do you wanna go on an adventure?”

“Yes.” she answered, never wanting anything more

You laugh and lean forward, closer to her

You brush a strand of hair out of her face and watch as her eyes flutter closed

A surge of nerves pulse through you simultaneously, your hand still on her face

“Piper,” you whisper, sounding closer than before

“Hm?”

“... do you want to kiss?”

Relief floods her like nothing she’s ever experienced before

She nods twice, vigorously

Your lips connect in a moment of pure euphoria

You’re soft

You taste like cherry, and that gum you’re always chewing, grapefruit and pear and a little cayenne

Her lips are warm and soft and so inviting

When you finally pull away, you’re both breathless, already wanting more

Her mind is reeling

What if this is just a fling or something, what if this isn’t like, romantic kissing and it’s the kind of kissing best friends probably do sometimes?

Best friends can kiss sometimes, right???

She has to do it now, there’s no way she could possibly come back from this

She has to tell you how she feels

But how can she say it?

She can’t just blurt it out

It has to be perfect

But she also has to be able to take it back in case you say no

“Piper,” you start again

“Yeah?” she breathes

Once again you take the words right out of her, spinning them into something beautiful and easy to understand

“Do you want to be girlfriends? Like, date each other?”

She’s frozen for a second

This has to be a dream

It feels fake

She’s been dying to hear you say those exact words for months

And how much more in character could it have been than after asking her to go on an adventure

She looks into your eyes, searching for a hint of a lie

She finds nothing

And for a moment, for the first time, she sees your composure begin to crack

You look… scared

She realizes she hasn’t answered yet

“Yes!” she blurts, pulling you in to kiss you again and again

“Yes, yes, yes…” she mutters between kisses

Your giggles hit her ears, sounding different than ever before

After what feels like forever and not nearly long enough, you finally part again

“So…” you play with her hair, braiding a loose strand

“How ‘bout that adventure?”

[riceccakes]

for @savethewaffle (we won’t talk about the prompt you sent me in my inbox😅)

-

She planned everything, down to the pencil she would use to write notes during the orientation. It was the only way Adora could maintain her stress, the only way to ease her anxiety, and while it helped, the pit in her stomach only grew heavier as she neared the university.

No amount of mechanical pencils could calm her down now.

She studied the orientation agenda, prepared her answers for all the “Get To Know You” questions, Adora even knew what she would order in the university cafeteria. So, how could she have forgotten to look at the school map?

After stepping foot on the campus center, Adora looked left and right, noting the millions of signs saying all the same things: “This way.” This way to what? How could there be so many arrows? Which signs was she supposed to follow? How was everyone else not as stressed as she was?

Adora checked the time, orientation check in would start soon. Coming early was out of habit, needing to maintain her schedule and follow her checklist bullet point for bullet point. Now, it was a blessing because the extra time would be used understanding where the hell she was going.

Her heart rate was increasing, if she didn’t move, Adora knew she would explode. She let her feet guide her, walking down the concrete path until it rounded a corner. Ahead of her were a group of girls. Their relaxed expressions and comfortable laughter let Adora know these girls were older than her. She looked at the time again, she wanted to be one of the first people on the check in line; she needed to know where to go.

Mustering up all the courage in her system, Adora walked up to the girls just as they finished laughing again. Each one of them turned their heads towards her, a silence fell over them.

“Um, hi, I’m Adora,” she began, losing focus as she eyed one of the girl’s biceps, “do any of you know where to go for orientation?”

They exchanged looks, a particularly mischievous smile grew on the girl in the center. She was much shorter than her friends. Adora’s breath caught in her throat, did all girls have smiles that pretty? She saw the girl’s tail waving behind her.

“Yeah, Huntara, she needs her Orientation ID number, right?”

“You’re absolutely right, Catra, that’s all she’ll need.”

Orientation ID number? Did Adora miss an email? How could Adora have forgotten so much? She didn’t know her Orientation ID number, she didn’t even know she had one.

“Oh, I, uh,” Adora felt her tongue dry up. Catra draped a piece of her hair behind her shoulder, how could something so simple be so beautiful? “I don’t, um, I don’t think I know my Orientation ID number? I must have missed something or It....”

Huntara and Catra bursted into another fit of laughter while their other friend rolled her eyes.

“I’m sorry about them, they always mess with the freshmen on Orientation day.”

“Oh, you’re no fun, Scorpia,” Catra stepped forward, putting a hand on Adora’s wrist. She whispered, “I would’ve kept this up if that weren’t the cutest reaction from a freshman we’ve seen.”

Catra’s hand left her skin but her tail wrapped around her fingers for just a second before she stood again with her friends, “If you go through these doors, follow the hallway all the way down and take a right, you’ll see a table with a big Orientation sign, check in there.”

Adora stood there for a second, staring at this group of girls, at their smiles (warm, strong, alluring), at their eyes (friendly, powerful, mysterious), at their demeanors (welcoming, dashing, confident, self-assured, Catra, Catra, Catra). Suddenly, Adora realized her mouth was hanging open.

Catra laughed again, her head falling back. Adora didn’t even know she walked closer to them until she felt Catra’s touch again, blessing her shoulder, “Go on, dummy. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.” Adora felt her squeeze her shoulder lightly, why did her arm feel like jelly now?

Had Adora completely lost her mind? Before she could even say goodbye, the outside campus turned into concrete walls covered by posters and sign up sheets and Adora desperately wanted to get one final look at Catra. She looked down at her feet, they were clumsily moving, one in front of the other, following the directions Catra gave her. 

Catra; The velvet sound of her voice echoed in Adora’s mind, the way Catra’s head fell back when she was laughing played over and over. The universe must’ve loved Catra, as it had sent a perfect gust of wind to blow through her cascading hair. The tingling sensation in her arm hadn’t gone away, but what even was this tingling sensation? 

“Your name?”

“Huh?” Adora looked down at the table in front of her, Adora looked at the woman sitting with a clipboard and glasses resting on her nose. “Oh, sorry, uh, I’m Adora,” the woman continued to stare at her and Adora’s felt her tongue dry up, “Grayskull. Adora Grayskul?”

The woman checked her in, gave her a name tag, and a university tote bag before sending her through the double doors on the left. Adora found an empty table and started looking through the tote bag. Some pens, a pair of university sunglasses, and the upcoming semester’s directory. Adora had to do a double take, wholeheartedly believing Catra was on the cover in a cheerleader’s uniform. Upon second glance, the girl looked nothing like Catra.

What was going on? Why couldn’t she think straight, why could Adora only think of Catra?

And why did Adora keep breaking her pencil lead? All during the orientation, Adora would be ready to write down whatever the speaker said but slowly found her mind wandering back to the little fang that hung outside Catra’s mouth when she wasn’t smiling or laughing or doing anything for the matter. She thought about her jelly arm, how even after Catra’s been gone, the lingering sense of her touch etched itself into her skin. How could one encounter, especially as short as theirs, short circuit Adora’s brain? 

The pit in her stomach was no longer from anxiety but rather, the pit in her stomach grew out of aching to be near Catra again. Just thinking of Catra’s tail lingering on her fingertips, of her soft hands on Adora’s skin, of the way her eyes captivated Adora beyond compare; it made the pit heavier and heavier and Adora couldn’t bear to carry the weight, so why couldn’t she stop thinking? She imagined getting to be the one whose hand touched Catra, watch her fingers gently flow through her hair and twirl a piece in hopeless spirals until it fell out of her hand. Could she hug Catra? Just a quick embrace? Could she bury her head in the crook of Catra’s neck and take a deep breath of her scent she wished she knew? (All three girls smelled wonderful, as much as Adora didn’t want to admit she had been taking deeper breaths the closer she was to them.) Could she hold Catra’s hand, let their fingers intertwine, have Catra show her around campus and bring them to the back corner of the library where no one could see them and push her up against the books and-- 

What was Adora doing? Half the orientation had gone by and all she had written down was the date and a few scattered lines from when her pencil point broke. This needed to stop, but how? Perhaps, seeing Catra again would help. Maybe it would stop her brain from grinding its gears and she could get her final taste and then get a grip. Even if just to see her for a moment, in passing, in a glance; her daydreams were too much for her to handle. 

Paranoia wasn’t the right word, was Adora having delusions? Some sort of foolish fantasy that made her think Catra was around every corner, behind every open book, sitting in every chair of the classrooms they visited on the campus tour? Her heart rushed everytime she thought she saw Catra, any time she thought she heard that angelic laugh, and everytime she learned it wasn’t that godforsaken girl, her heart twitched and panged and fingers desperately wanted to find the girl for just one touch; couldn’t they make it even?

She wasn’t even sure how she answered the small group questions, she couldn’t even remember the other students’ names. She wished she could, it felt incredibly rude not to, but Adora was far too occupied with how Catra would look next to her in pictures. Too much, Adora thought, too fast, let’s scratch that. Instead, she thought of Catra in front of a camera, that smize being the perfect picture to capture, how that one look could say the million words Adora needed to clear in her head. None of her thoughts formed sentences, everything was hazy, she was too entranced with Catra’s whole entire being to even try and sort out what was going on.

It had been a few hours since she ate breakfast, maybe all she needed was food. She was thankful for the lunch time, grabbing every boxed lunch that looked good to her and found a seat in the corner. It faced away from the general crowd, her mind needed to rest, it needed to refuel; eating the Italian sandwich, chicken nuggets, burger, slice of pizza, cookies, chips, salad, grapes, and four juice boxes would help, right? It would be enough food to last her the rest of the day, through the night, hopefully through the rest of her existence because if this didn’t stop her from thinking about how beautiful Catra was, nothing would.

“Hey, Adora.”

Mid bite on her burger, Adora stopped and looked up. She blinked and blinked and blinked until Catra’s eyebrows furrowed and her face frowned. Was it really her, was she not dreaming? 

“How do you....”

Catra’s head twitched in confusion, “You told me earlier? And,” she pointed to the nametag on her shirt and Adora thought she would pass out right there. “Okay, dummy, why don’t we put this down,” Catra said, taking Adora’s arms and helped place the burger back down on its tin foil and taking a seat next to her. “Do you always eat this much?”

“I,” Adora just finished the third juice box, how was her throat dry? “I’m just hungry.”

Catra snorted, crossing her arms, “Clearly.”

Adora stared at her, her memories hadn’t done justice. Did she even actually look at Catra the first time they met or did Catra just get more beautiful in the few hours they were apart? Adora couldn’t breathe, her face felt hot, her hands were clammy, hell, even in her tee shirt and leggings, Adora felt like she was in a sauna with no way out. Catra stayed with her arms crossed, surveying the cafeteria around her, effortlessly looking like she had walked out of a fashion magazine. Was she even real? No one else in the cafe joined them, and Catra and her friends looked like Greek goddesses, could she be dreaming? What if she was still in bed, curled up in a little ball, drooling on her pillow while her mind decided to be a big asshole and make her think her cause of death would be heart failure from meeting the prettiest girl on Etheria.

What a jerk her brain would be.

But, another student passed the table, saying hi to Catra before walking out the door. Catra only waved, bringing her eyes back to Adora and smiling, “You gonna keep staring? Maybe I should charge you if you’re gonna stare at me like that.”

“What? I,” Adora tried to break the eye contact but she was drawn in, far too deep to return to reality. 

Catra exuded confidence, like she didn’t give a single fuck about what anyone would think of her. In that moment, Adora decided this was why she was fawning over the girl. Adora had never been the confident type, she never walked into a room like she owned it. It was something she’d wanted since she was a little girl, to be looked at and think, “She knows what she’s doing.” It was why she planned for hours, days, weeks for this Orientation that would only last a couple more hours and still, she failed at following through with her hopes. Catra wouldn’t have, Adora thought, Catra couldn’t.

Catra laughed, leaning forward and pulling her phone from her back pocket. She cleared her throat, placing her hand out. Adora stared at it and almost gave Catra her own hand but was thankfully stopped when Catra passed her phone over. Adora found hers and put it in Catra’s hand, watched as she typed and snickered and took a picture of herself before giving it back. She looked at her own phone and gestured to use it, Adora shook her head and wiped her hands, putting in her contact info. 

She passed the phone across the table, Catra frowned and Adora thought she was about to die and that wasn’t what Catra had wanted.

“No picture?”

“Oh! I, well,” Adora tried to push a piece of hair behind her ear but there was no such piece to do so; her ponytail was perfectly kept and there were no loose strands. What was she doing? She looked like a complete fool in front of Etheria’s most beautiful person, what kind of first impression was that? Adora gulped, wishing she could start this day over and prepare herself to be an idiot. “I’m not the best with photos.”

Catra waved her off, pointing her phone towards Adora. She scooted some of the food further up the table and leaned back, smiling as she brought her phone back down. She showed Adora the picture, it was awful and embarrassing and Adora wished she could erase it but Catra’s smile was bigger than she’d seen it earlier and it was everything Adora had wanted to see for hours.

“Gosh, you’re such a dork,” Catra laughed, locking her phone. “Good for pictures, though.” She got up, pushed in her chair, leaned over and placed her hand on the side of Adora’s chair, “Text me, okay? I’ll give you the real tour of campus, I’ll even pay for lunch.”

As Catra turned around to leave, her tail lingered on Adora’s hands in her lap before she disappeared through the doors and out of the building. Adora stared at the doorway, suddenly understanding why honeydew and mint would be her new favorite scent.

Catra was beautiful, Catra was breathtaking, Catra was everything Adora wanted and fuck, did she want to kiss her.

[adaodinson]

Would she?

Here´s the second part of Would she? I´ve had some free time and got the inspiration to write it. And one thing, I mention a movie called “Wolfwalkers” during the story, I highly recommend it, it´s a beautiful and artistic but deep animated movie.

Again, I´ll leave the translations to the Spanish words and phrases at the end of each phrase.

Relationship: Marcus Moreno x Fem Mexican reader (it is in English and most of the dialogues are too, her being Mexican is more about the story)

Summary: You are having dinner with the Morenos for the first time and a feeling of both nervousness and excitement covers both yours and Marcus´ body.

Warnings: Age gap, reader is Mexican, some swearing.

Part 2

Part 3

You woke up at the feeling of a small certain creature jumping to your stomach and purring softly. You blinked many times trying to get used to the light of the day and spotted your cat Wolfie staring at you. You turned around to see the time and as you saw your clock, you basically jumped out of bed scaring the living crap out of your cat. You weren´t used to the way your furniture was arranged in your new apartment, so it took a few more seconds than usual for you to find the bathroom.

-Shit, shit, shit- you said acknowledging it was 2 in the afternoon and realizing you wouldn´t have time to do everything you had planned to do. You had bumped into Missy for the second time yesterday and she had quickly told you dinner would be at 7 the next day, since earlier she hadn´t told you at what time you would be expected.

You had offered to bring dessert and you had planned making your famous chocolate chip cookies (famous between your family and friends, obviously) but you were waking up insanely late and still had to go out and buy all the ingredients. You hurried to the store and the second you got back home you started with the dough. While the cookies were in the oven, you went to your room to decide what you would wear. It was a simple dinner, you had no reason to be this nervous but you were. You cursed at the feeling that strange man caused on you and wondered how you would be able to make it through the whole dinner without imploding in your seat in front of the nice girl and handsome guy.

A pair of jeans, black boots, a white blouse with long sleeves and no shoulders and your favorite leather jacket. Simple but perfect. You looked in the mirror with satisfaction. Sure you had some insecurities about your body and face, but you were working very hard on loving yourself as you were, and with all honesty, you liked how you looked on that outfit. You got the cookies out of the oven and took a shower. Once you finished, you put on a light makeup and got dressed. It was 6o´clock and you only had to put the cookies in a plate and wait till it was time to go.

Marcus had woken up pretty early, he was a nerve rack not only because he would get to talk to you that same day, but because he had to make dinner himself and had no idea how he would pull that off without setting his house on fire or ending up ordering food and plating it to make it seem he had made it.

He decided he would try to make something simple so that he could put more effort into it: a pasta and some salad. How hard could it be? He had been stuck in his mind for so long he didn´t realize it was almost 3 and he still had to buy what he needed, so he asked Missy if she was decent enough to go to the supermarket and got ready to go.

She joked around reminding him all the things he had done in the kitchen that deserved their own TV show for how unique and disastrous they were.

-That time when you broke the whole carton of eggs in the sink instead of the bowl, or when you were making pasta but forgot the water so it got caught on fire. Oh or when instead of vinegar for the dressing you used vanilla- She said not being able to hold back the tears from how hard she was laughing-

-Ha ha ha ha you´re very funny. But really, I need your help, I don´t want to mess this up- He said as he pushed the car through the fruit aisle.

-I will help you, remember I like her too, I don´t want her to have to move again because her crazy neighbor made some pasta sauce explode on her- They both laughed all the way back to the car after buying everything. Rushing back to the house they started preparing everything.

They took turns so that one could be cooking and the other getting changed and ready. Things looked pretty good, nothing smelled weird, the kitchen was still standing, no vanilla and vinegar had been mixed up. Everything seemed perfect, almost too good to be true.

It was time, finally. You hugged your cat and asked him to wish you luck. He just lovingly stared at you and you took that as a good thing.

You were carrying the cookie plate and your bag while you locked the door behind you. You looked at both sides of the street before crossing and in a matter of seconds you were in front of the Moreno´s house. You took a deep breath and knocked on the door before your fear could stop you.

A shorter head peeked through the door as the owner of it opened it. Missy received you with a bright smile.

-Hi! Welcome- she said as she moved from the door to let you in.

-Hi Missy, how are you?- you said as you walked inside. It was a beautiful house, not too big but with enough room for two to three people. It was simply decorated but with a clear style and it smelled amazing.

-I´m good, thanks. This is my dad- She said as she pointed at the tall man standing next to you that for some reason you hadn´t seen. You looked at him and you swear you had to swallow a freaking moan from how gorgeous he was.

-Hello, I´m Marcus- he said as he extended his hand for you to shake.

-Hi Marcus- you said and then told him your name as you reached out for his hand.

-Welcome to the neighborhood and to our house- he said with a small chuckle. God, he swore you were glowing. You seemed so perfect, with your bright eyes and precious smile. He though your name suited you perfectly and he just couldn’t take his eyes off of you.

-Thank you so much for everything, it has been pretty hard for me to settle with the small amount of time I´ve lived here, but it´s amazing to know already I have such nice neighbors- you had no idea where that came form but you thanked your brain for coming up with it and your mouth for being able to say it so well.

Both looked at you with the same smile shining in their lips. They were so alike in certain ways.

They showed you around the first floor and then guided you to the dining room where the food was resting ready to be eaten. It all looked amazing.

-This smells amazing- you said happily.

-I hope you like it- Marcus said with a hint of fear in his tone.

-Be glad if you do- Missy said with a smirk and Marcus hit her playfully in the shoulder.

The three of you sat down and Marcus served all of you a generous portion of red pasta and salad. You stared down at your plate and smiled for yourself. You all started talking about your day as you tried the salad. Missy shared some stories of how Marcus had failed in the kitchen before and you shared crazy stories about your family. Like that one time when you got stuck at a parking place because your uncle that happened to be about ten blocks away had kept the car keys and the place was about to close; or that time when your parents were still dating (you weren´t born) and your mom drove you dad´s car into a pool by accident. As you told that last story Marcus laughed so hard some of his drink came out from his nose just like Violet in the Incredibles 2. Missy and you laughed so hard your stomaches ached.

It was time to try the pasta. Carefully, you used your fork to grab some of it and put it in your mouth. You had expected it to be an only tomato pasta, apparently it had peppers too, but since you were Mexican you were used to spicy and you loved it. You thought for a second you hadn´t told Missy where you came from, so you guessed they liked spicy too.

-JESUS NOOOOO WHAAAT- you jumped so high you almost saw the lamp that hanged from the celling in front of you. You looked at Missy who stood up from her seat and basically ran screaming through the kitchen looking for water.

Marcus´ face was covered in red and he looked at you with a strange look.

-You want milk for spicy sweetie! I´m so so so sorry, how are you not dying?- he asked looking at you. Okay now you were quite confused.

-What?- you said.

-Well the pasta, I mixed up some of the tomatoes with peppers and it´s spicy as hell. I´m used to spicy because of my mom but Missy isn´t- he stared down at you with a disappointed look in his face, but also a puzzled one. Why didn´t you react like Missy? Why didn’t you spit out the disgusting thing he had made?

-Marcus- you said with a soft chuckle- I´m Mexican, I adore spicy food and I´m used to eating it too, I loved the flavor of your pasta, it´s amazing. I didn’t tell Missy where I come from, so I assumed you guys liked spicy too and that had been why you made it like this. I honestly love this pasta.

Marcus looked at you and he swore he would never let you go, even if it was just as a friend, he wanted you around.

Without thinking and letting his arms move on their own, Marcus reached out for you and trapped you in a hug. He was as shocked as you were, but even more when you locked your arms on his shoulders hugging him back.

-¿Hablas en serio?- (Are you serious?) He asked softly wanting to know if what you were saying was true.

-Claro que hablo en serio- (Of course I´m serious) You answered quietly with a perfect Spanish pronunciation and a hint of laughter in your voice. You both stayed like that for what seemed forever until Missy came back and coughed softly.

-Are you done you fools? Or do you have another plan for almost killing me and then celebrating with a hug?- She asked with a serious look at first, but breaking into laughter at the middle of the sentence. The two of you split not daring to look at the other one because of the embarrassment.

-I´m gonna go get changed because I spilled half of the water I used before SOMEONE decided to tell me milk was better for spicy- she said as she walked upstairs.

You took another bite of your pasta and smiled at the memory it gave you about Mexico.

-So- you said swallowing what you were eating- Missy told me your job keeps you away from her a lot, what do you do?- you asked.

Marcus hadn’t thought about whether or not he would tell you about his job. He now knew you didn´t know anything about the Heroics because you weren´t from around, but he also knew you would eventually find out and, honestly, he preferred to be the one to answer all the questions you could have rather that you looking it up.

-I´m what we call a Heroic, I basically fight to defend people when needed- You did not see that one coming. Some people had mentioned the Heroics and you had seen things about them in the TV, but Marcus being one of them… it was AMAZING.

-WHAAAT YOU´RE A HEROIC?- that came out way louder than what you had planned. He smiled and nodded.

-So you´ve heard about us?-

-Well of course, but you´re one of them?!- that was too much for you, this man was perfect- So you have like a superpower or what?- You said expecting him to laugh and saying you were ridiculous.

-Yep, I can control metal, basically- he said amused at your reaction.

-WHAAAAT you mean like Magneto?!-

He laughed out loud at your comparison and with a gaze he invited you to lift your unused spoon for a demonstration. You did as he asked and with all the surprise of the world, you saw the utensil leave your hand and land on Marcus´.

-NOOOOOO THAT´S SO COOL- you said, and without thinking you stood from your seat, ran towards him and grabbed his hand to examine it. You both felt an electric current run through your fingers as you touched, but trying to ignore that, you carefully looked at each one of his fingers and traced them in a gentle way that made him melt.

He sat quietly and let you examine his hands. He was dying on the inside though. He was so amazed by your reaction and he even let himself run his eyes through you now that you were busy. He saw your hair falling at your side, it looked so soft he felt the need to touch it but held back. He ran his eyes through your back and landed his gaze on your ass for a few seconds but he scolded himself and looked away. He turned his gaze back at your head and to your face. You were looking at him as if he was the most amazing piece of art you had ever seen, and his heart sunk at the sight. He traced your nose and your rosy cheeks, then your lips and subconsciously he licked his.

Missy had been observing you two for about five minutes and was between amused and consumed by a tender feeling. You were going to have an amazing long-lasting friendship, or if life smiled at the three of you, a beautiful and romantic relationship that she had already decided she completely supported.

She decided it was time to interrupt though, she would offer you to watch a movie as you ate the cookies you had brought, and she did.

-Okay I´m sure there is a perfect explanation for why you guys are like that, but instead of giving me nervous unfinished sentences, let´s choose a movie to watch while we eat dessert- Marcus and you both stared into each other´s eyes for a few seconds with clear embarrassment and slowly walked away from each other. You were already missing the other´s touch.

You all finished eating dinner, and after washing the dishes you decided to watch a new movie that came out called “Wolfwalkers”.

-Oh my God, these are amazing- Marcus said with a pretty surprised look in his face as he tried one of your cookies.

-They really are, wow- Missy responded with the same surprise as her father.

-Thank you guys, I´m glad you liked them. I love making them so anytime you want some just call me-

-We don´t have your number- Missy said quickly before any of you changed the subject.

-Oh that´s right- you said as you took the piece of paper Missy was handing you and you wrote down your number. Missy gave a discreet wink to her father while you were focused on your task and he just smiled at his daughter.

The three of you sitting on the couch, eating cookies and crying over the beautiful movie after an afternoon of laughing and hugging. It was perfect. You were dying to know what your future with the Morenos would be like.

[i-needa-nap-please]

Friends and Food

Summary:  

Usagi invites Seiya, Yaten, and Taiki over to celebrate New Year's.

Notes: 

This takes place before Usagi knows the Three Lights are the Starlights.

This was written for @docholligay’s same prompt party. 

The prompt was Usagi Tsukino and "New Year's Fireworks".

It’s also on ao3, if you’re interested. 

“Why did you drag me here?” Yaten, who was currently wrapped under five layers of blankets, bitterly muttered under her breath. “I could be home and sleeping right now, but instead, I’m freezing my damn ass off.” 

“Maybe, if you stopped being a bitch for five seconds, you could actually have a good time.” Seiya snapped back.  Currently, Seiya was sitting on one of those cheap folding chairs that were usually only used by parents at rec-league sporting games. A warm, big fire smoked in front of her - which was the only thing preventing Seiya from leaping out of her chair and tackling Yaten to the ground. Taking a deep breath, Seiya tried to remember she was here to relax. Even if Yaten kept acting like a huge ass, she should just brush it off and enjoy herself. She had to. For Usagi. “Bunhead’s really excited to do this with us - so please, try to be less of a bitch. I know that’s hard for you, but try.”

“Whatever.” Yaten grumbled, curling into her own shitty canvas folding chair. 

A silence overtook the two as they patiently waited for Usagi and Taiki’s return. Bits of ember crackled in front of them, illuminating the otherwise dark night. Noises drifted in from outside the Tsukino’s backyard. The Tsukino’s neighbors were also outside, eagerly awaiting the - firewalks? Firewongs? Fire-somethings. Neither Seiya or Yaten could remember what word Usagi had been bambling to them about earlier. But whatever it was, it was certainly a big event. It seemed everyone in Tokyo was outside with their families, just waiting for them to start. 

“It’s snack time!” Usagi’s loud voice broke the lull between the two, making them both look over their shoulder towards the girl. Usagi, outfitted in some cozy-looking bunny pajamas, bounced over to Seiya and Yaten. In her hands was a single, already-half-eaten chocolate bar. Behind her, Taiki had her arms full of various different treats: chocolates, chips, sodas, and more goodies than four people could possibly hope to eat in one night. “Help yourself! But don’t touch the peanut butter cups! Those are mine!” Usagi plopped into her own chair before taking another bite out of her chocolate bar. “Oh!” She perked up in her chair, speaking while loudly chewing. “And don’t touch the barbeque chips either! Those are also mine!” 

Taiki unburdened herself by carefully setting the large haul of junk food on the ground, out of the fire’s reach. With a sigh, she plopped into another chair, while simultaneously grabbing a bag of cookies for herself.

“Thank you again for having us over tonight, Miss Tsukino.” As always, Taiki spoke like she was giving some lecture. So methodically and evenly. Like a teacher. 

Usagi hummed and nodded absentmindedly. “Yeah, sure! It’s no problem! Fireworks are better with friends! And food!”

“Ah, yes. Fireworks.” Taiki nodded while opening the bag of cookies. “I was hoping-.” 

“Wait!” Usagi lunged forward, interrupting Taiki and ripping the cookies out of her hands. “Those are mine too! Sorry!” She certainly didn’t sound sorry, though. The Starlights watched as Usagi then shoveled a few cookies into her mouth - which was already full of chocolate - without a care in the world. As if she hadn’t just rudely yanked them out of Taiki’s hands. 

“Jeez, can we eat anything you brought out?” Yaten spat, giving Usagi one of her more menacing glances. It was wholly ineffective on Usagi, who just continued to stuff sweets down her throat. 

“Yeah,” Usagi simply responded. “You can eat the stuff that’s not mine.” 

“Well it seems like everything you brought out is for you.” Yaten retorted.

“That’s not true…” Her sentence trailed off as she stared at the pile of snacks. Slowly, Usagi got off her chair and kneeled besides the pile. She stared at the pile with a level of concentration that looked downright disturbing on Usagi. Eventually, she set aside about five different bags of chips and candy - and a few sodas as well, because Usagi was a kind and generous host (according to herself, at least). “That’s all for you.” Usagi gestured to the small pile before gesturing to the big pile. “And that’s for me!”

Yaten looked ready to burst, so Seiya quickly cut in. She let out a hardy laugh as she reached out and stole a piece of candy from “Usagi’s” pile. Usagi tried to stop Seiya’s theft, but Seiya was far too quick for her. In mere moments, Seiya had half a candy bar down her throat. 

“Y’know,” Seiya started conversationally between bites. “Being stingy isn’t good for you.” 

“Being a thief isn’t good for you either!” Usagi retorted, but didn’t attempt to steal the candy back. Instead, she plopped back into her seat and angrily nibbled on the cookie’s she stole from Taiki. “Imagine what the headlines will say when I tell the press about this! Popular Idol Steals From A Defenseless, Pretty, Cute, Amazing, and Beautiful Girl!”

Yaten snorted. “I doubt the headlines will look like that. More like, Little Brat Gets What She Deserves.” The shade of red in Usagi’s cheeks matched the fiery red of the flames in front of them. Yaten truly did have a talent for making people angry.

“Anyways.” Taiki pointedly interrupted before things got out of hand. “As I was saying earlier, I was hoping you could tell us a bit more about these… fireworks, Miss Tsukino.”

“Wait.” Any anger from before was completely gone as Usagi looked between the Starlights with wide eyes. “You guys don’t know what fireworks are?” 

“Er, no?” Seiya hesitantly replied. Nervous glances were exchanged between the Starlights, but Usagi didn’t seem to notice them. “We used to live in the....countryside, so - um, we don’t know much about...fireworks. Or New Year’s celebrations in general. So, um, yeah.” That had to be the worst lie Yaten or Taiki had ever heard, but Usagi seemed to buy it. 

“I guess that makes sense.” Usagi hummed, tapping her finger against her chin. All of the Starlights let out a relieved sigh. “Fireworks are kinda hard to explain. Like, they’re really loud and can be scary - but at the same time, they’re so pretty! It’s like, like, seeing glowing flowers in the sky! They come in all different shapes and sizes! You’ll never see the same firework twice! Kinda like snowflakes.” Gesturing to the sky, Usagi finished her mini-speech. “That was a bit confusing. But trust me, once you see them, you’ll know what I mean!” 

“Huh, they sound really cool.” Seiya commented, leaning back in her chair and staring out at the sky. “Can’t wait to see ‘em.” A silence - which really wasn’t a silence, because they all were eating so loudly - overtook the fire as all four of them looked towards the sky. “So where are the others, Bunhead? I’m surprised your little posse isn’t here.” “Rei’s busy at the shrine. Shrine’s get really busy on New Year’s.” Usagi licked some chocolate off of her fingers. “Ami is spending New Year’s with her mom. And Mako likes to do a deep cleaning for New Year’s - so she’s at home doing that.” Pausing for a moment to think, Usagi licked the excess chocolate off her lips. “As for Minako, I think she mentioned something about a party? I asked her about it and she told me it wasn’t a party for kids, so I couldn’t come. I bugged her about it all day at school but she still didn’t tell me. Oh! And then Haruka and Michiru are doing something special - I think.” Usagi’s brows furrowed in concentration. “They didn’t actually tell me their plans, but when I asked them about it, Haruka just got all red! And all Michiru said was ‘we have big plans’, so it must be something fun!”

Seiya almost spit out the drink she had opened while Usagi was talking. “Oh yeah, I’m sure those two have some big-” Seiya emphasized this word with an obscene gesture “-plans, alright.” She doubled over, snickering to herself, shoulders shaking with laughter. Taiki and Usagi, who had missed the gesture, stared at her in confusion; while Yaten, who had seen the gesture, dramatically rolled her eyes. 

“Oh, grow up.” Yaten scoffed. “You act like a damn twelve year old.”

“Shut up! Nobody asked for your opinion, dumbass!” 

“Will you two both be quiet? That’s no way to speak in front of Miss Tsukino!” 

A loud noise - a bang - followed by an ear piercing whistle cut off the budding argument between the Starlights. All three of them jumped up from their chairs and quickly turned towards the noise, ready to fight. Still in her chair, Usagi let out an excited squeal and pointed to the sky, where a single, green flare soared. 

“They’re starting!” 

Another loud bang occured when the green flare reached its peak and then burst. It lit up the sky, like a great, huge, verdant flower. Rooftops were illuminated, people from other yards oohed and ahhed, and the bright lush light slowly faded back into the black of night. The Starlights stood, frozen to the spot. They stared with wide eyes, expressions changing from one of panic to one of wonder. Soon, more flares were shooting up to the sky. Each of them banging loudly as they exploded in brilliant, dazzling colors. 

It was absolutely memorizing. 

Slowly, each Starlight sat back down, eyes still glued to the display in front of them. Usagi, oblivious to the Starlight’s absolute awe-struck astonishment, continued to grin and giggle in her seat, all while shoveling in more cookies. The fireworks show began in earnest after that. Firework after firework was fired, repeatedly lighting the sky in beautiful hues. The night sky went from a warm red to a deep blue and everything in between. It wasn’t until the fireworks show finally stopped for the night, that the Starlights were able to break free from their trance. 

“That was…” Taiki, who was usually so good with words, sat there speechless. She stared at the now empty sky, her brain desperately trying to find some way to describe what she felt. “...amazing.” It was a wholly inadequate description. To Taiki, that firework show was beyond amazing, it was one of the best things she had ever seen before. But it was the only word that came to mind. “They do this every year?” 

“Yep! Every year!” Usagi cheerfully replied. “And they do a bunch throughout the year too! At festivals and stuff!” Reaching down into the pile, Usagi pulled out another candy bar for herself. “We can go, if you want! There’s a festival with fireworks next month! You have to promise to buy me cotton candy, though.” 

“No problem…” If Seiya and Taiki weren’t still so awe-struck, they would’ve gotten shocked at what Yaten just said. “I’ll buy you all the cotton candy you want if we can see these again.”

“Really? Great! We’ll definitely go together then!” Usagi seemed more than happy with the deal, grinning to herself in her chair. 

Seiya was eventually able to pull her gaze away from the sky and to Usagi. “Thanks for inviting us, Bunhead. I mean it. That was one of the best things I’ve ever seen.” Her voice was full of an honest, raw sincerity. A tone she usually only had when it came to senshi business, but the fireworks had cut right into Seiya’s very soul. Each burst of light seemed to implant itself into her heart. 

“I’m really glad you all liked it so much!” Usagi reassured Seiya, nodding her head along with her words. “This was really fun. Seeing you guys get all excited about the fireworks made me love them even more. Hopefully the festival’s fireworks will be just as good.”

“Hopefully.” Seiya agreed.

“Well, now that the fireworks are done.” Standing up and clapping her hands together, Usagi drew the attention of the rest of the girls. “It’s time for the super, extra fun time to start!” All three of the Starlights were snapped out of their post-fireworks bliss as they realized the peaceful tranquility the fireworks had brought them was about to be ruined. The smile Usagi had on her face looked innocent, but there was some unlying current about it that made all their stomachs turn. It could only mean trouble.

“Super extra fun time?” Seiya asked. 

“Yep! Now that the fireworks have happened, the next New Year’s event is to watch the first sunrise together! So, in order to stay awake until then, we’ll have to play lots of fun games!”

Taiki seemed taken aback, sputtering in her chair. “The sun won’t rise for nearly six more hours!”

“That’s why we play games!” Usagi chipperly reminded her. 

“No way! No way in hell!” Yaten did a complete one eighty. The serene calm she had been feeling after the fireworks was completely gone. “I’m not staying up for another six hours. I’d rather die!”

“Oh! Good idea, Yaten!” Usagi sat down, completely ignoring Yaten’s rage as she grabbed a bag of chips. Her barbeque chips. “The first game we’ll play will be Would You Rather!” From her seat, Yaten let out a distressed scream and buried her head under her multitudes of blankets. “Taiki, you’ll go first!” A bewildered looking Taiki turned her head to Usgai. “Would you rather date Ami or Mako?”

Taiki’s face became a deep shade of red as her mouth became a thin white line. Seiya was barely holding it together in her chair, trying so hard not to burst out laughing in that very moment. Yaten was curled under her blankets, cursing Seiya for making her come tonight. Usagi - pointedly ignoring all of their reactions - eagerly awaited an answer, all while continuing to munch on her chips with a wide grin. 

New Year’s was always better with friends. 

And food. 

New Year’s was always better with friends and food. 

[really-sleep-deprived-nerd]

Behind The Scenes

Summary: What were Virgil and Remus doing during Putting Others First? (Featuring: Remus being surprisingly soft, Logan worrying about his friends and Virgil being an anxious idiot!)

Word Count: 4109

Warnings: Cursing, mentions of gore/violence, just quite a lot of Remus being Remus, Virgil might be a bit ooc (I made him more reasonable than he probably will ever be in canon)

Pairings: Analogical (If you squint) with Remus pining after both of them

Remus usually didn't like to venture out of his room and into the commons, since doing that usually ended with a lot of screaming from Virgil or Patton and with Roman trying to gouge his eyes out with his katana. (And that, while fun at the beginning, grew tiresome after a while)

His room was much more interesting anyways.

But filming days were always the exception to the rule, since the other sides were all in their rooms waiting to either be summoned or butt in (Ha. Butt) when they deemed it necessary, the commons were left empty, and that meant he had free reign to go into the common’s kitchen and stuff his face with Patton’s homemade chocolate chip cookies to his heart’s content without anyone to screech in fright the moment they caught sight of him. 

He left his room happily, quietly humming a song from Beetlejuice, but stopping dead in his tracks the moment he reached the commons and was greeted with the sight of the anxious side curled up on the floor beside the couch. 

Under normal circumstances, this is the moment where he would leave. Turn around before he was spotted and try again later, but a closer inspection told him that Virgil was shaking and, if his irregular breathing was anything to go by, probably crying.

Now, while he didnt care about Virgil anymore on account of the anxious side abandoning them and the fact that apparently whatever friendship they once may have had had been a lie on the anxious side part, in all the years of knowing him, Remus had never seen Virgil look quite so…

Pitiful? Broken?

Small. He settled for small. He had never seen Virgil look so small before.

But he should leave. Surely his presence would only make whatever this was worse and-

Virgil’s breath hitched and now Remus could clearly make out the sound of him sobbing and god fucking damn it.

He wanted to help Virgil.

“Virgil? Are you uh, okay there?” Remus asked nervously and ,upon hearing his voice, Virgil startled and proceeded to cry louder. 

Fuck, Remus wasn't equipped for this. 

“Should I, erg, go fetch Patton or something?” Remus asked, making a vague gesture with his hand that he was sure Virgil couldn't see. Now, that question did get a reaction out of him.

“NO!” Virgil yelled in that particularly demonic voice of his while snapping his head up to look at him. Huh. Interesting, the mere mention of Patton had Virgil’s eyes widening in panic and fear, his breath quickening and his shaking worsening.

Now, Remus didn’t have the time to unpack all of that so he decided to just throw away the whole suitcase and try a different approach.

“Okay. No Patton. Got it.” He said, nodding to himself and he saw Virgil relax just the tiniest bit, still looking at him warily with tears still falling freely, his cheeks stained black from his ruined eyeshadow.

“What do you want, Remus?” Virgil asked, now in his normal voice, if a quite a lot more shakier than it should be.

“Well, originally, I wanted to steal some of Patton’s cookies. Now, however, I want to know what the fuck happened that left you-”He made a vague gesture that encompassed Virgil as a whole-“Like this.”

Virgil smiled ruefully and then simply said:

“Thomas knows.”

Oh fuck. Oh god fucking shit. He really, really wasn't equipped for this.

“What the fuck. You told him? Like, now?” He asked, trying very hard not to panic himself.

Virgil looked at him curiously while he tried to wipe his tears away.

“I thought you-Nevermind. No, I told him after you decided to introduce yourself to him.”

“That was a month ago.” He stated dumbly, the Why are you panicking now then? left unasked.

“Yeah. I think Thomas took it well enough. He didn’t seem to hate me. I think it's just taking a while to process.”

“Congratulations! What's the fucking issue then?” He asked, still not getting what the problem was

“Did you notice that he avoided me like the plague since I told him? And that today is the first time he summons any of us for any sort of serious discussion since then?”

“Yeah, and?”

“I think he wants to tell the others about me, to see what he should do.” 

Oh shit. Fuck. Okay, no, he definitely wasn't equipped to deal with any of this bullshit. He was, quite literally, the least tactful side out of all of them and this conversation felt too much like trying to disable a ticking bomb that was about to explode at the minimal error. He didn't have enough brain cells to deal with this shit alone and-

Wait. Brain cells. Logan

Logan could help. He was the literal voice of reason and was smart enough to already know, or at the very least suspect, that Virgil had been once one of them, so telling him about this entire not-fun mess so he could help calm Virgil the fuck down wouldn't make things worse. Yeah, that seemed reasonable. He’d go get Logan.

Remus made a gesture and summoned a box of tissues (It was a little damaged on the exterior but the tissues were usable, thank fuck) and he threw it at Virgil’s lap, who looked at him like he had grown a second head, although that would probably have been less surprising.

“Okay. Stay here. I’ll be right back.” Remus informed Virgil as calmly as he could and then immediately broke into a dead sprint towards Logan’s room.

Upon arriving, he knocked on the door rather loudly and after the door opened he was greeted by a surprised, if mildly annoyed, logical side.

“Remus? May I inquire what you are doing here? Deceit has just severed my connection to the others and while I doubt he means harm I must get back to them before-”

“Virgil is having a mental breakdown in the commons.” Remus interrupted and Logan immediately shut up.

“I beg your pardon?”

“He thinks that Thomas is going to discuss with you three what to do about him now that Thomas knows he was one of us before.” He summarized. Logan blinked.

“Oh dear, Thomas knows? Nevermind that, you can inform him that that is not why we were summoned, Thomas was upset and confused after the wedding disaster and he wanted to talk to Roman and Patton about it. He has no reason to fear. Speaking of which, I should really get back to-”

“Absolutely not. You tell him that” Remus ordered while he grabbed Logan by the wrist and started walking to the commons.

“Let go of me! If he becomes aware that I knew he will- Remus! I am busy at the moment!” Logan argued while he fruitlessly tried to wiggle free out of Remus’ iron grip

“Nope. You are his friend. You are coming with me to deal with this and that is final.” 

“Remus!”

The duke continued to drag Logan to the commons and once there, he shoved him into Virgil’s lap, who froze like a deer caught in headlights the moment he saw Logan.

“You two talk while I go make some tea.” He decided, remembering how Janus had nothing short of chugged an entire kettle of Chamomile after the whole courtroom fiasco to calm himself down, and deciding a cup of it might help Virgil now.

He went to the kitchen and decided to put some water to boil instead of summoning the cups, since A) He always had trouble summoning things that weren’t dirty, broken and/or cursed and B) He thought it might be better to give the other two some time and space so they could talk in peace. He watched them talk from beside the stove and while he couldn't hear what they were saying, he could see Virgil slumping in relief and then give Logan the tiniest of smiles.

As he watched quietly from afar how Logan tenderly helped wipe the ruined eyeshadow out of Virgil’s face while he seemed to say something that made the anxious side laugh softly, Remus couldn’t help the weird feeling that settled into his chest, a dull ache that left him feeling more alone than he had felt in a long while and left him yearning for something he couldn't quite name.

He shook his head, trying to physically get rid of those weird mushy sad feelings, and went to look for some cups and the teabag. He found them just as the kettle started to whistle, so he dropped the tea bag into the boiling water and while he waited for the tea to be ready he went to look for spoons and some sugar. Once he had them in hand he realized he didn't actually know how sweet did either of the other two like their tea so he decided to just take it to the living room and let the others decide for themselves.

He checked to see if the other two were still talking and ,upon seeing that they had moved from the floor to the couch and that Virgil was quietly curled up beside Logan, he had to squash that feeling again. He turned and balanced the cups and spoons into one hand while he held the sugar in the other while mindlessly grabbing the kettle with one of his tentacles. Just before stepping out of the kitchen he saw the cookie jar and on a whim decided to grab that too. 

Logan looked up from the couch and blinked, looking at Remus a bit surprised and it was then that he realized that it was the first time any of the others saw him use his tentacles. Ah, well, it was Logan. He had seen him do weirder stuff. 

“I made Chamomile, Deceit says it has calming properties or some shit.” He informed them while he placed the three cups and sugar jar into the coffee table.

“That was very thoughtful and kind of you, Remus.” Logan acknowledged.

Remus visibly brightened at the praise, one of his tentacles carefully pouring the tea into the cups while the other popped the cookie jar open and left it in the table without him needed to look at them. 

“Gross. Why can’t you just use extra hands like a normal side?” Virgil asked looking disgusted by the entire thing.

“Simple: Aesthetic” Remus replied with a smile.

“I still hate them with a passion” Virgil said while gesturing to the tentacles with his spoon “But I can respect that.” He conceded.

“Ah, excuse me, but before I can settle down to uh, chill?” Logan paused while looking at Virgil ,who just nodded, before he continued “I must go back to check on the others and make sure they dont require my assistance anymore.”

Logan got up from the sofa and sank out, leaving Remus and Virgil alone.

Remus sat as far away from Virgil as the couch would allow while silently taking sips of his tea and eating cookies, trying to force himself to shut up as to not break the frail and unspoken truce that hung in the air between him and the emo. Oddly enough, in the end, it was Virgil who broke the silence.

“Why did you do it?” Virgil asked Remus without lifting his gaze from his teacup.

“I already told you, Janus says it has some sort of-”

“No! Not the tea, you idiot!” Virgil interrupted Remus, trying his best to suppress a smile. “Why did you...help me?” He asked, now looking at the duke, his expression and his voice guarded. 

“You know there is no rime or reason to what I do, I just do.”

“Remus. Please.”

“I-Listen.” Remus took a deep sigh. “I know you hate my guts and that our relationship was never quite the best, but-”

“Understatement of the century.”

“But!” He continued, “Before you left I…”

Remus paused and then, hesitantly, he said “Even if I have never been able to express it as effusively or clearly like, say, Patton might, I thought of you as a friend.” A pause. Then, more quietly, as he took another sip of tea. “A dear one at that.”

Virgil’s glare immediately softened.

“Remus, I-” Virgil started but was interrupted by Logan popping back up.

The logical side took one deep breath and then proceeded to grab his cup from the table and take a big gulp with the expression of a man who probably wished it’s contents were something a lot more stronger than tea. Remus could relate. 

They watched in silent bewilderment as the usually very composed side carelessly left his cup in the table before letting himself fall onto the couch between Remus and Virgil. Logan sighed again and rubbed at his eyes behind his glasses in a blatant act of frustration.

“It is the furthest thing from my intention to come off as dramatic, but I swear if Roman and Patton do not calm down soon and start to actually listen to others then I will be forced to commit arson.” 

“Neat! I’ll gladly help you set things on fire, Logan”

“No one its setting anything on fire, Remus.” Virgil interjected “What happened?”

“Deceit and I made some, I would say, valid arguments and gave a reasonably good advice on how to handle Thomas’ new emotional crisis and they proceeded to ignore it until the problem blew up in their faces it, but what else is new?”He said, his hands still covering his eyes behind his glasses. He paused for a second “Well, at least Patton seemed to have had seen sense when I left so I’d say its progress.”

“Uh, hold up, go back a little bit: You sided with Deceit on an argument?” Virgil asked looking at Logan like he had gone insane.

“We merely suggested that Thomas should actually put himself first for once in his life and stop neglecting his mental health so much, even if that means to be selfish from time to time” Logan explained as calmly as he could.

“How could you think that-” Virgil began before the other cut him off.

“I am not going to start arguing about this with you too, Virgil. If you wanted to give your opinions on this matter so desperately, you should have done your job and showed up.”Logan snapped.

Silence. Logan’s face looked like he regretted those words the moment they left his mouth and Virgil looked like he had been punched.

“Yikes.”Remus said eloquently. “Does anyone want a cookie?” He offered while shaking the cookie jar and that seemed to break the tension that hung in the air. Virgil bit back a laugh at the stupidity of the situation and Logan’s lip quirked upwards in the barest hint of a smile.

“You know what? Yeah, I want one, pass the jar, Duke” Virgil said.

“That is very kind of you, Remus, but I believe I will pass for the time being, thank you.” Logan politely declined.

“Suit yourself.” Remus replied while he threw Virgil the cookie jar, who catched it with minimal fumbling. “I don’t like to insert myself in conversations that clearly are none of my business but-”

“Since when?”

“Shut the fuck up. As I was saying, but before coming here I saw Deceit before he left to join the discussion and he said he was, and I am quoting, going to get this bitch some self-care if it is the last thing he does, so I personally think that the chances of this being a super evil secret plot to ruin Thomas’ life are rather low, emo” He explained.

“Ah, while that is a crude way to put it, it still summarizes our intentions: We just wanted to, uh, get this bitch some self-care.” Logan said awkwardly.

“I-” Virgil sighed. “I don’t trust Deceit and I don’t think that he is honestly doing this out of the goodness of his heart, but I do trust you, Logan, so if you think that Thomas should take more care of himself, then I will not argue.” He said, resigned.

“That's…”Logan paused, looking a bit touched. “Very mature of you, Virgil. Thank you” He finished lamely.

“Besides, you were right, if I wanted to give my opinion on this I should have shown up.” Virgil shrugged. 

Logan looked like he wanted to argue and probably apologize about saying that when Roman  popped up, looking incredibly distressed. And, upon seeing Remus sitting on the couch with the others, his expression soured even more.

“How many times do I have to chase you out of the commons before you get it? Your kind is not allowed here.” Roman said while he summoned his sword. Virgil visibly cringed at Roman’s phrasing. 

Remus was about to put his cup down, summon his morning star and knock a bitch out so he could finish his tea in peace, when Logan got up and put himself between them.

“It’s okay Roman, he is not up to any nefarious acts, we were merely having tea together.” Logan explained, moving his hands in a placating manner as if to gently coarse Roman into lowering his sword. The Prince’s grip around his katana tightened.

“Why would you even want to have tea with this-this evil and deranged-”Roman started but Virgil cut him off.

“Roman, that's enough. He saw me being very, uh, lets say, distressed about something and wanted to help, that's why he is here”

Something in Roman's eyes changed after he heard what his brother did. 

He helped Virgil. Of course he did. Roman was laughing at someone’s name while his brother helped his friend calm down.

 The prince’s expression quickly morphed from rage to an empty and defeated look that had no place in Roman’s face. He looked completely exhausted. 

“I-Of course, of course you’d defend him. Of course I am the evil twin.” He sighed, visibly deflating. Remus looked at Roman confused. What the fuck was that about? Why was everyone so emotional today?

“Uh-what do you mean you are the evil twin? Roman?” Virgil asked, looking at the prince with clear worry written across his face.

Roman decided to ignore that question and just made his  katana disappear before dragging his hands across his face and giving a long and tired sigh. He stared numbly at them for a minute before turning and walking towards the hallway. “I’m going to my room, please do not disturb me unless it is an emergency.” He stated, his voice shaking slightly.

“Wait, Roman!” Virgil stood up with the intention of following him to find out what happened but a tentacle grabbed his hoodie and pulled him back down.

“Leave him be, emo, I think he needs to be alone for a minute.” Remus stated, his tone laced with something dangerously close to concern. His own words made him pause for a second and then, more quietly: “I cannot believe I just said that. I am worried about my brother. What the fuck.”

“But-” Virgil started, struggling to get the tentacle off of him.

“I do have to agree with Remus, Virgil.” Logan interrupted, “Roman seemed way too upset, so going to try and talk to him now might be counterproductive. Being seen in such a vulnerable state when he doesn't want to could cause him to lash out without meaning to, which, if he does for some reason actually believe he has become “The evil twin”-no offence, Remus-”

“None taken.”

“-will only make him feel worse” Logan concluded.

Virgil looked like he wanted to argue but after a couple of seconds he just threw his hands up in surrender and frustration, “FINE! You win, I will wait. Now let go of my hoodie before your disgusting tentacles ruin it.”

Remus briefly considered to hold on tighter and maybe rub more tentacles on the emo’s hoodie just to piss Virgil off, but he ended up deciding against it: If he tried that the emo would probably go feral and try to tear his tentacles off of him on by one in bloody revenge and ,while that certainly could be fun, he was ,surprisingly, enjoying talking with these two and didn't want to end their little get together in such a gorey way (Not yet, anyways). 

He let go.

Virgil glumpily swiped imaginary slime off his hoodie and grabbed a cookie, stuffing it in his mouth angrily. Remus looked at him amused, and he was about to start mocking the emo for throwing a fit like a little baby when Patton popped up.

The moral side looked tired, his entire being radiating an aura of bone-deep exhaustion, the type that was both physical and mental and left one completely drained, and yet, his face still had the ghost of a smile on it. His state might have been nothing compared to the wreck Roman had been when he popped up, but he clearly wasn't fine either.

When Patton’s eyes landed on Remus, still comfortably sitting on the sofa with Logan and Virgil, he stiffened up and blinked slowly, like he was unsure of what he was seeing.

“Um, hi everyone.” He greeted awkwardly. He paused for a second, still looking at Remus with clear confusion, “Uh, Remus, kiddo, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way but, um, what are you doing, um, here?”

“Oh, don't worry! Nothing you could say to me would ever be able to offend me!” Remus waved Patton’s concern away gleefully, “I was just having a relaxing tea with these two dorks after Virgil’s mental breakdown!” Remus explained and the emo choked on his cookie.

“Virgil’s what now?” Patton asked as the remains off his smile fell and he grew serious.

“Nothing Pat, don’t worry, I’m fine, I promise” Virgil said, trying to stop the moral side’s fretting before it began. “I was a bit anxious about something and Logan and Remus helped me calm down.” He explained calmly.

“Oh, that's just a load of bullshit: He was this close to having a panic attack because he thought-” Remus started, and he wasn't ACTUALLY going to tell Patton the real reason Virgil freaked out, even if he thought that the moral side would do nothing but love and support the emo for “Growing” and “Changing his ways” and other disgusting stuff if he found out the truth, but Virgil interrupted him anyways.

“Remus, I swear to God, I will gouge your eyes out with a teaspoon if you don't shut up. Do not test me” Virgil hissed.

“Ooh, kinky~” He replied without missing a beat and beaming.

“Oh, you mother-”

“Patton, I promise Virgil is fine now and there is no need to worry about it anymore.” Logan interjected before the fight could escalate.

“Are you sure?” Patton asked, still looking troubled.

“Positive.” Logan said in a tone that screamed stop asking. Patton seemed to get the hint.

“Okay then…”Patton said, still unsure but deciding to back off for now. “Well, you kiddos have fun with your tea party, I have to go check on Roman, we had a little scuffle out there and he was very upset before sinking out.”

“Pardon me, Patton, but do you think that going to check on him right now is a good idea?” Logan asked, a tad concerned.

“What do you mean if I think it is a good idea? I will not leave him alone when he is upset!” Patton said, looking slightly offended at the suggestion.

“He means you look like shit.”

“Remus!” Virgil hissed.

“What?! He does! Even I can tell he is not fine! He can’t help anyone if he is about to have a breakdown himself!” Remus argued.

“I actually meant-” Logan started, but Patton’s sigh interrupted him.

“Yeah, I know, but after what happened in the video, I can’t help but worry about him.” Patton explained, tired. 

The three sides that sat in the sofa looked at Patton surprised at his confession for a second and then at each other, seeming to come to a silent agreement. 

“I did not meant that you shouldn’t check on Roman, Patton.” Logan started, his voice oddly soft. “I meant that I think it would benefit both of you to take a moment to breathe and calm down separately before starting what, I can only assume, will be an emotionally taxing discussion.”

Patton nodded, seemingly resigned. Remus summoned a mug, it’s green exterior was chipped in some areas and it’s handle was broken, but it was clean and could keep what you poured inside warm.

“Would you want some tea?” He offered cheerfully. 

“Yeah, a warm drink would be nice right now, thank you” Patton said, the ghost of a smile back in his face and his eyes soft.

[plutoismydaddy]

A devils smile

Taehyung x reader (Enemies to lovers)

He was the one that was supposed to get pranked, so why did you feel like the clown? (Idk im tired)

I got a request for this by a very nice person but… I can’t find the request. I’m so sorry!!  (I made the picture, please dont steal it)

CH 1 CH 2

The golden rays of the setting danced through your windows and coated your room with its crimson hues, remind you of how little you had done today. The pandemic that was sweeping over the world was devastating but brought small doses of happiness as you no longer had to go to school. So, of course, the first option was to start colonizing on your couch. You took a bite of your sandwich as picked up your phone that had started to buzz beside you. In the middle of your lock screen floated the message notification with Sun-hi’s name written on it. Taking the last bite of your meal, you unlocked your phone, a video popped up on the chat room. You‘r eyebrows rose in surprise, “She actually filmed it” you thought before clicking on it. The screen was black for a second before a voice was heard “Hey, Taehyung there is something for you” you watched as Taehyung with an excited and surprised smile walks into the frame. Clueless as to what was going to unfold. Taehyung Stood in front of the small gift basket a smile stretched across his lips as he examined it, “Is this for me?” you let out a laugh “It’s all for you baby” you thought as he picked up a small can of pringles. You moved closer to the screen to as he opened the top and watched as he jumped back with a little screech when three black snakes and a cloud of confetti exploded in his face. Your back collided with the grey cushions as fell back, laughter echoing through the room. Looking back at the screen, you watched as Taehyung with a now sour face opened the bag of chewy candy only to find it filled with orbeez. He threw the bag back into the basket before turning around and stomping away, you were slightly disappointed he hadn’t opened the other things. Still, it didn’t stop the cackling that was shaking your body. Exiting the video, you saw a new message, “You’re running out of ideas, huh?”, with a small chuckle you responded, “Nothing can beat a classic”. No respond “Come on, you have to admit it was funny. A little at least” a second past before she replied “He hasn’t said anything in 15 minutes” followed by a laughing sticker which you mirrored as your laughter resumed again.

“I really thought life was going to be nice to me, huh?” you thought as you put the cardboard box down with a huff. You loved your uncle and was always ready to help him but was he thinking when he asked you, the weakest person in the family, to help him with his renovation company. Now that you thought about it wasn’t he the same person to say your arms looked like a grasshopper, you shook your head. “The man must be desperate”, you looked around the warehouse it was huge and filled with old furniture and clothes that would be eventually sold. Outside one of the windows, you saw the colours of the sunset blend with each other to create an art piece, you should head home before it got too dark.

 Your uncle had been nice enough to give you a locker to put all your belongings, standing in front of the small grey locker you picked up the little sticky note that sat on the door. “Thank you for helping me out, sweetheart.” Warmth filled your chest he was so sweet, a smile stretched across your lips as you opened the locker and reached in for your bag, something small and light fell on your hand when you bumped your jacket. You looked up and saw a cockroach sitting proudly on the back of your hand, a scream flew from your lips and you stumbled backwards and cringed in pain as your butt collided with the floor. “What’s wrong?” your uncle burst through the door panic clear on his face you pointed towards your locker fear taking away your ability to speak. He walked up to the locker but didn’t seem scared by the monster inside at all; instead, he let out a laugh. “Oh sweety this made out of plastic” he turned around with a hand full of cockroaches, plastic cockroaches. You stood up fear now replaced with anger “Why would you do that?” you said clutching your heart making sure it was still beating and pointing at him with the post-it note. He held up his hands “I didn’t do this” you looked at him unimpressed “Really it wasn’t me” you crossed your arms. “Then who could it be” you rolled your eyes “Maybe it was your friend” eyes now squinted you looked back at your uncle “Friend?”, “Yeah a guy came in today saying you forgot your shirt or something and I told him To just put it in your locker”. Your eyes squinted more as a suspect popped up in your head “What was his name?”. “Taehyung, I think” your uncle muttered while scratching his neck, you looked back at your locker “Not bad, not bad indeed Kim Taehyung”, but how did he know you were here?  

“So what you’re saying is that you betrayed me” Sun-hi chuckled “All I did was say that you were helping your uncle out, how would I know he was going find the address and do something like that?”. You blinked at her “.....betrayal, traitor” “You literally befriended me because I work with him” she argued as she took a sip of her coffee. “It’s called getting info about the enemy sweety, strategy. I thought you were smarter than this” you finished the sentence with a dramatic sigh. Sun-hi looked back at you “What is even going on, you know with all the pranks, you're acting like kindergarten kids”. Ignoring the last part as you leaned back in your chair and stared into the air with dreamy eyes “Just get to it” Sun-hi sighed. “So like a year ago I walked into the convenience store to buy some snacks, and all my favourite chips were gone and the same with my favourite drinks. As I walked out, I saw a guy who was buying all of them.” You leaned forward resting your elbows on the table and furrowing your eyebrows “I thought “it’s fine I’ll just buy them next time” you raised your finger making Sun-hi flinch “BUT! It was the same every day. Every time I walked in he was buying them or sitting by the door eating them”. “Oh and that stupid smirk” You stared into the air, eyes burning holes into the wall across the street. “He would always have that stupid. cocky smirk” Sun-hi let out an unimpressed chuckle “So all of this is because of some chips” your eyes returned to her “No it’s about…” your brain seemed to go blank, and sun-hi raised her eyebrows “The disrespect?”, “Yes, exactly”. She shook her head “and who started this whole prank war” you smirked leaning back in our chair “I did”, “I don’t think it’s something to be proud of” Ignoring her you pulled your phone out “So how do you think I should prank him this time?”.

Your eyes were fixated on the pictures displayed on your screen, the familiar page of Taehyungs Instagram open as you looked through the newest pictures he posted. “What’s with the serious face?” Haneul asked as he walked into the living room, you stopped your scrolling. “I’m plotting my revenge” you answered monotony as your eyes scanned the picture on your screen. Taehyung was leaning against a brick wall, his wine red dress shirt unbuttoned to expose the top of his chest the sun coating his skin in a honey hue. “You’re still doing the whole prank war thing?” you nodded your head, “Why don’t you just end it” looking up you gave him a confused look “You know, prank him so hard you basically “win” “. “Don’t encourage her” Sun-hi sighed from beside you “No, but if you do that then he will finally leave you alone, and the two of you don’t have to talk again”. Not talk to him again, your lips pressed together in a slight pout as you though. “Or maybe you don’t want that” your thought came to a halt “What?”, “Do you not want this pranking to stop?” Sun-hi’s smirk mirrored Haneul, “Why would I not want that?” you leaned back, resting your chin against your palm. Sun-hi let out a laugh “Because you...like Taehyung” you sat upright as if poked in your side “Are you crazy?” you tried to sound bored, but the sudden tight feeling in your chest was making it hard to think straight. “People that hate each other can still fall in love” you raised your eyebrows at Haneul. “You two were literally like two love deprived teens when you first meet”, “Still why would I date someone like him” you continued, sticking your tongue out in disgust. Sun-hi tried to suppress her laughter as she leaned towards you and pointing towards your lap “Then why are always scrolling through his Instagram and staring at his pictures”. You looked down onto your phone where Taehyung was still leaning against the wall, smirking as always. Heat pooled in your cheeks and you feel almost dizzy as you stood up from your seat “I’m leaving”. You could hear the couple burst out laughing as you stomped towards the front door.

--------------------------------------

I'll post the next chapter tomorrow, it’s really late and I’ve been working on this for the past week maybe. 

//MiniPluto

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 22

Guys this is getting so interesting. I sort of had an idea of where I wanted to take this fic but it’s evolved and i’ve been sitting at my computer laughing to myself for hours. 

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Master List Here or check out Ikesen AFK tag

Happy Reading! <3

Level 22

“I knew it!” Rose yelled as she shook you by the shoulders. “I knew it was a date with Yoshimoto. Oh my god, (YN), does that mean Dr. Tokugawa crashed your first date?!”

“No! How many times do I have to tell you, the gallery wasn’t a date.” You sighed, flopping back into your couch. 

“Oh, so the gallery wasn’t, but this pizza thing was?” Rose wiggled her eyebrows at you suggestively. 

“Stop it. You’re going to get whacked.” You threatened, brow furrowing as your cheeks burned. “I called you over here to help me, not tease me.”

“Sorry, sorry. I’ll chill out. Maybe. I don’t see what the problem is? So you went on a date with Yoshi? The only person that’s gonna be mad is Shingen, and that’s just because he’s creepy like that sometimes.” Rose shoved your shoulder gently, trying to reassure you. 

“Yea, except I totally got the tingles yesterday when Ieyasu smiled.” You groaned, dropping your head in your hands.

“Wait. What?” You didn’t have to look up to know what Rose’s face looked like right now. 

“The real cherry on top of the cake, though, is that as fun as it would be to have crushes on both of those real-life men, I think I’ve got a bigger crush on someone else.” You looked over at her and glared. “Drop the grin, yeah? It’s only sort of funny.”

“I don’t know what the problem is. If you know which one you like the most, ask the lucky dude out.” Rose posed.

“See, but that’s complicated.” You mumbled, a pout forming on your face.

“How? How is it complicated?” Hands-on her hips, Rose leaned towards you. 

“He’s prickly, like Ieyasu levels of prickly, and I think he might explode if I asked who he was or if we could meet up in person.” You let your head fall back against your couch. “Beyond that, I enjoy playing with him and don’t wanna make that awkward.”

“Sounds to me like you’re just chicken.” Rose teased.

“Correct. Bawk-bawk” You mime flapping your wings as you looked up at Rose indignantly. 

“At least you’re honest with yourself.” She rolled her eyes and waved a hand dismissively in your direction. “Let me know if you change your mind or grow a pair.” 

“I don’t know why I ask you for advice.” You bemoaned.

“Because my advice is great. It’s not my problem; you’re too chicken to execute.”

Rose was right, and you hated that you knew she was right. Instead of doing anything about it, though, you turned into the world’s most awkward human. Could you go out Friday night with Yoshimoto? After a hard stutter and a weak excuse, you declined, Dr. Tokugawa needed something in the OR? Que the confused blinking and aggressive blush, that he thought was a rash at one point last week. Even suggested a cortisone cream for it. Edo wanted you to help in a partner event? You played like absolute garbage. 

This was a nightmare; why were you such a mess? Flopping onto your couch, you buried your face in the cushion and wondered if all of this lamenting would get you anywhere. At least laying like this was comfortable, maybe your couch would be merciful and swallow you whole. Eyes closed, you started to drift, you were nearly asleep when your phone rang. You were so scared you almost threw it across your living room. 

“Hello?” You answered, startled. You really should have checked the caller ID; you didn’t have time to deal with blood donation people today. 

“(YN)?” It was Yoshimoto. “Is everything alright? You’ve been a little off lately.”

“I’m always off.” You tried, knowing he probably wouldn’t let it go. 

“True, but not this off. Mind if we meet up?” Oh boy, leaving your house was the last thing you wanted to do today, if ever again. 

“I don’t want to leave my house. I’ve found the world’s most comfortable spot on my couch, and I planned on becoming a potato.” You giggled a little bit, knowing he knew that wasn’t a lie.

“You’re ridiculous. Might I come over then?” Yoshimoto asked without hesitation. 

“I- I don’t know.” You sighed, turning your head to get fresh air to your now rapidly heating face. 

“Please, I’ve got something for you.” he was baiting you, and you hated that it was working. 

“Fine. Gimme a second, yeah?” You asked, pushing yourself up off the couch. 

“Of course.”

True to his word Yoshimoto had given you a few minutes to send off your address to him. Figuring you had some time, you headed towards the kitchen to grab some snacks. You hadn’t so much as opened your bag of chips and snuggled back onto the couch when the front doorbell wrang. There was no way that was him. Your phone plinking told you otherwise. 

“Hi.” You blinked up at your guest, mouth full of chips. 

“Hi,” His lips curved up into a smile, “may I?”

“Sure. C’mon in.” You opened the door wide and stepped off towards the right to make room for Yoshi to take his shoes off. 

“What?” He asked, shrugging his coat off his shoulders. 

“Present?” You held your empty hand out, trying hard not to crush the chip bag now secured under your arm. 

“I’m not even three steps in the door; you’re incorrigible.” Yoshimoto sighed, but it quickly turned into a smile. “Here, I thought something might be wrong with you. It turns out you’re just turning into a hermit.”

“Told you.” Your response was indignant as the two of you turned towards your kitchen. “Water?”

“Please,” leaning over your counter, Yoshimoto placed a small plastic box beside you. “Here.”

“Oh my gods, you didn’t!” You exclaimed, clapping your hands together before shelving your earlier snack and searching for a fork. 

“I did, but you have to tell me what’s been bothering you,” Yoshi said, pulling the tiny box of your favorite cheesecake out of your reach. 

“First, you have to tell me how you knew this was my favorite.” You accused, waving your fork in his direction. 

“I’d say a wild guess, but you and I both know that’s a lie. Yukimura stated this was a sure-fire thing.” Yoshi laughed. “Though I’m not sure I want to know how he knows that.”

“He’s got a big mouth, and he doesn’t know how to keep it shut.” You shrug, “Which is okay with me as long as he keeps bringing cheesecake.”

“That’s all well and good, but I believe you’re procrastinating.” Yoshimoto picked up the box and gestured towards your couch. “Shall we?”

“Fine.”

He let you eat in silence; you tried to keep your eyes on the beautiful slice of lemon raspberry cheesecake he’d brought, but that was harder said than done. Yoshimoto sat in the armchair across the coffee table, eyes wandering around your living room as he waited for you to speak. 

Finally, finished with your dessert, you took a deep breath and let it all out. 

“I have a crush.”

You weren’t exactly sure what had prompted you to blurt that out, but there it was, in the open. Why were you so good at making things so awkward? This was a horrible idea. Just as regret started to set in and a blush started to rise up from your cheeks to your ears, Yoshimoto cleared his throat and spoke. 

“A crush?” He repeated.

“Well, a few actually. That’s sorta the problem.” Your voice was small as you sank into the cushions of your couch. Why exactly were you telling him this? You could have just said you had the flu. 

“Ah, having trouble keeping the eggs in the basket are we?” Yoshimoto’s smile was warm and it put an unnecessary amount of butterflies in your stomach. 

“Yes.” You huffed, trying not to sound as flustered as you felt. 

“Is there a reason you’re having trouble deciding?” Yoshimoto leaned in. “Why not just ask one of them out and see how it goes?”

“See, I’ve got confidence but not that much confidence.” You wiped your hands on your pants trying to keep them dry. 

“You? Not having confidence? I find that absurd. You must really like these fellows.” Yoshimoto tilted his head in amusement as he lifted an eyebrow.

“Now you’re just being mean. Rose told you didn’t she.” You sighed. 

“Told me what?” His voice was serious but the expression on his face was one of amusement. 

“That-ThatImayhaveateenytinycrushonyou.” You didn’t dare breathe, your entire confession coming out as one big word vomit. 

“Is her life in danger if I tell you the truth.” Your face grew hot as he smiled brightly at you.

“Your reaction is evidence enough.” You rolled your eyes and flopped back onto your couch, maybe if you were lucky the cushions would swallow you whole. 

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m quite excited. Though I did want to hear you say it yourself.” Yoshimoto’s expression softened as he relaxed against the back of his chair.

“Ass.” You mumbled, trying not to smile as he laughed out loud. “If you already knew, why all the cheesecake? You could have just pulled a Rose and pestered me until I came out with it.”

“I hear I’ve got some competition.” Yoshimoto’s face grew grim, but only for a moment. “I wanted to get a head start.”

“A head start? With cake?” You puzzled.

“Yes, and a question.” When you didn’t respond he leaned forward. “Will you go out on a date with me?”

[the-fickle-muse]

The future has fangs

Colleseum AU timeline. Set post SUF 3k words.

Chapter 1 : You missed a spot.

It's quiet. Too, perfectly, quiet. There is not a bird in sight nor a single pitter of rain on the windowsill. The night is clear and crisp, sky sporting speckled stars like jewels, and the moon shone brightly.

Connie awakens with a flinch as bright pink light assaults her sleepy eyes. Lion, barging into her room via warping. Dropping his heavy head onto her lap as she sits up.

"Again?" Connie asks, exasperated on noticing the time. "Lion it's not even 3am, I have to study tomorrow." She sighs, roaming a hand over his silken fur. "You can't keep waking me like this or I'll be sending you home to sleep with Greg." 

He mowls softly, licking at her open palm with hardly any effort, forcing a creeping smile onto her face despite her eyes rolling. "Alright, fine, come on." 

A 'poff poff' of her hand hitting the airy duvet spurs him up and onto the bed. The mattress sounding its strain with a heavy groan. His padded paws kneading eagerly at the foot of her sleeping space before settling down with a wide but silent yawn…

The morning comes swiftly. Lion's heavy body scrambling down off of Connie's bed would have been enough to wake her, but to top it off he kept pacing the room and pawing at her covers. This had been going on for a little under a week now and the break in schedule was really getting to her system. She almost fell asleep during dinner yesterday. It was a disaster.

He glowered and grumbled while she got changed, clearly riled up about something and scratching impatiently at the clean carpet. 

"Hold on, let me grab my bag. Steven won't start without us, Lion, you know that." Her soothing did little to quell his enthusiasm, however, tail flicking back and forth until she was finally ready to leave. They were so behind schedule...

Warp-riding with Lion was always exhilarating, regardless of how many times she had done it before. It could be nauseating to some people, but luckily Connie was one of those special few. Not many humans could tolerate gem nonsense like she could- even Greg suffered from time to time and he had been exposed to it much longer than she had.

On straightening her bag strap and climbing up, the loud space-bending roar wobbled a few innocent stuffed animals sitting on her nightstand. In a matter of moments the whole room had dissolved from view, her hands gripping the thick fur of Lion's mane. A brief, indescribable second of weightlessness… and then the heavy 'THUD' of their landing. Gravity was suddenly back, almost twice as heavy as before, as his paws thundered across dirt ground. Slowing to a trot, walk, an eventual halt.

As she reached down to pat his shoulder, the realisation that they weren't outside of Steven's current bed and breakfast set in. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she sat upright and twisted to look in all directions. It was densely packed forest on all sides. "Um. Lion?" Connie's tone held a bit of bewilderment but no accusatory notes. "Where are we?"

Lion rarely warped to the wrong place… and even more scarcely did it without having a reason. Her hands retreated to the strap of the large bag that weighed heavily on her shoulder. She slid off of the big pink cat's back to stand on her own and look around.

Lion breathed in short, rapid, breaths. Searching for something in the frosty morning air. The taste of damp foliage and a slight breeze lingered in the woods. Ears picking as they filtered out the white noise of the rustling leaves and Connie's boots grinding up the grit beneath them.

She opens her mouth, ready to ask Lion if they could leave, but was cut short as his loud bellowing howl interrupted her train of thought. Lion repeatedly called out, pausing to listen for something after each one, before marching onward. Connie hadn't heard any replies to Lion's shouting, but clearly he did, trotting through the undergrowth with heavy steps.

Thinking quickly, Connie rummaged through her bag to find her phone. She Jogged to keep up with Lion as the cellular device latched onto a signal. Thank goodness Peridot had made adjustments, or she might have been out of luck.

Several texts pinged onto the screen, one after another, clearly having been delayed from delivery by her phone being off in her bag all morning.

[Good morning!]

[Food is going to get cold, haha.]

[Connie?]

[Connie is everything ok?]

It's Steven. Of course it was. She was late, and not responding, who knows how worried he might be by now. Stumbling awkwardly over a fern, she taps at the on-screen keyboard.

[Steven! Lion warped me into the middle of nowhere, I'm so sorry we're late.]

[You're worried about being late in the middle of nowhere?]

[Instead of worrying about being lost?]

[It’s just a bad warp, I think.]

[Where are you, can you describe it?]

[Forest. Lots of trees, lots of bushes.] [hold on.]

[???]

[Hey, a landmark! There's a big rock here, really tall, with smooth straight sides. Looks like a broken obelisk. There's a few deep scratches in the corner.]

[Wait, that's not far from here]-  

Connie's gaze snaps up from her phone to the pillar as an overwhelming sense of danger grabs at her shoulders much too late. Something large barrels into her side, knocking her to the ground. The phone clatters off of pebbled dirt. 

Sucking air through her teeth at the grazed skin along her palms, she scrambles to flip onto her back and face the threat head on.

Something tall and wide looms over her with a heavy growl. The sound was grating, like stone being dragged across a marble floor, every hair on the back of her neck standing on end. Its head eclipses the radiating daylight, fur glowing gold from behind. A stretched shadow blotted out the warm rays of sun. It raised a heavyset paw, ready to bring it down atop Connie's chest. But at the last possible moment she snaps back to attention, rolling out of the way as it slams into the ground with enough force to shake the earth.

A roar interrupts the scuffle, Lion springing out of a wall of foliage to tackle Connie's assailant while she gets back on her feet. There's a violent blur of fur and claws before the both of them roll in locked combat through the densely packed ferns and out of sight. Her heart thunders, adrenaline finally reaching into her bones to provide a sudden buzz of energy, the scrapes and scratches along her knees and arms deadened and numb.

She can still hear Lion and the giant creature crashing through the trees. Her mouth runs dry as she scrambles to pick up her shattered phone and desperately try to turn it on. To no avail. The screen, voided beneath a webbed shattering of glass, was far beyond use. 

The forest hisses with the beasts' battle as Connie drags her foot across the forest floor, gouging a deep arrow into the pebbly soil in the direction of the uproar; sprinting off through the undergrowth soon after. The fresh air of the low hanging trees would have been nice if it wasn't clouded by an ever so subtle metallic stain in her bruised nose. Ears trained in on the yowls and growls of Lion’s struggles against the creature whose rampant swipes had left large, splintered trenches in a path of heavily leaning trees…

The hurried crunching of Steven's flip flops almost drowned out his huffing and puffing as he sprinted through the trees, an arm raised up in front of him to keep swatting branches and nosey brambles out of his way. 

Connie had stopped responding to his texts, something that normally he would chalk up to her being busy… But the past few nights he had been haunted by unearthly howls and distant thunder. The stone column Connie described set off a varied array of red flags. It was nearby, not visible from his bed and breakfast window, but close enough that the grinding crunches of breaking stone had been keeping him awake all night.

An eerie silence closed in around him as finally the treeline gave way to a small opening where the midday sunlight came beaming down bright and fierce. The towering shadow of the stone pillar, exactly as he had imagined it. Stretched up to the canopy above with just a slight lean to one side. A lower corner, around at his head height, had large chips missing. Carved out with reckless dismissal. This must be where Connie was before she stopped texting back…

His heart hammered, imagining the worst. But, after taking a second to catch his breath, he knew she would be alright. She was strong, smart, brave… and something aching at the centre of his chest understood she would be ok.

The spinning thoughts took an abrupt back seat as something on the floor caught his eye - Little flecks of glass, but more importantly, a neatly scrawled mark in the dirt. Big and easily visible in the darker soil under the deadened leaves, a clear arrow pointing out toward the opposing treeline. “Of course! Arrows, Connie, you're a genius!” 

One led to another, and another, each getting smaller and more hastily scribbled. Though he focused on trailing the breadcrumb line a few sights and sounds didn't go unnoticed. It felt as though the woods themselves were trying to smother him, keep him from moving forward. But his desire to confirm Connie's safety was keeping it at bay.

A piercing roar undermined his growing unease, replacing it with dense, unbridled determination as he closed the remaining gap at full throttle. He practically explodes from the tree line and out into an open clearing, not putting time nor thought into what he was doing.

Connie stood battered and bruised on one side of the clearing, firmly holding Rose's greatsword out in front of herself in a threatening manner. Her hair had been ruffled up at the sides, adding more volume at the cost of looking a mess.

"Steven, look out!"

WHAM

His shield clanged as something hard and blunt rammed into it. Sandals skidded and dug into the loose dirt as, finally, he put a face to the threat he'd been waiting to see.

A beast, its form wild and unruly, stood snarling and poised ready for another hit. The burnt orange fur covering its body donned a thick mane of dark browns like a ragged cape draped over its face, shoulders, and back. The front pair of legs held large muscular paws while the back held less impressive but still dangerous two-toed hooks.

In its mouth was the real prize. Hanging down beside its chin on either side sat two long, curved fangs, glittering and gleaming under the blinding sunlight. A gemstone. Striped like the rest of its body but richer in colour.

Steven heaved the creature off of him, struggling from the weight for only a few seconds before it retreated. It gives Connie just enough time to start running over.

Her movement clearly caught the beast’s unseen eyes as it reacted with a volatile pounce. Only to yelp when another of Steven's constructs, a hexagonal patterned wall, crashed into its side - throwing it off course to tumble into the dirt. 

"A corrupted gem?! I thought you'd dealt with all of these!" Connie gasped, finally getting to Steven's flank to brandish her weapon once more in the gem’s direction.

"I guess there's still some we haven't found yet…" He panted, an air of uncertainty to the reply. Had they really missed one? Were there more? If it's this aggressive, why hadn't they heard of it before now?

His theorizing was cut short when the gem, finally back on its feet, began to pace menacingly ahead of them. Steven's hands, usually steady, began to tremble. Every muscle in his chest seizes up on spotting the large, limp shape the gemstone beast was guarding.

Lion. Tired and ragged with visible scratches along his short velvety fur, one of the most prominent of which had been partially hidden by his thick, petal pink mane. He shifted occasionally, dragging his chin along the floor to try and see Steven, one eye squeezed shut to avoid a headache.

The sight had distracted Steven, flung his mind out of the present and into a stagnant void. Enough so that as the beastly gemstone approached Connie was the first to make a move in retaliation.

A wide sweeping arc from Rose's sword clashed with the gem' s muzzle in a harsh slash, forcing it up onto its hind legs. A startling screech, close to painful, jogged Steven from his stupor in time to see the creatures razor claws headed for Connie's face.

"STOP!"

The floor cracked under the force of his yell. Shattering stones and sending spiralling cracks racing through the clearing. A fluffy or birds erupting from the canopy to flee the sudden blast. Connie flinches, covering her ears, the absence of ambience afterwards was almost nauseating. Her shoulders had tensed, head turned away and ready to bear a cut...

But… she wasn't hit. 

No. Instead the gemstone simply stands. It glares down at her with it's outstretched paw still raised for a moment until finally lowering. The beast staggers a weighty step backwards before thumping back onto all fours with no signs of hostility. It was… whining. Soft and quiet, almost unbearable in the deafening silence.

Steven shuddered from head to toe, staring wide-eyed at the space between Connie and the monster as if seeing something else in their place. His skin, radiating a vibrant pink, shuddered. Eyes clouded with a build up of tears that threatened to fall.

"Steven?"

Connie's soft, concerned, voice brought his shattered shaking breaths back from the brink of choking. As if realising he'd begun to glow he closed his hanging mouth and swallowed hard. Clearing the sweat from his palms by repeatedly gripping and letting go of his jacket.

His arms tore themselves from their rigid positions, a hand coming up to ruffle at his curly hair to ease some tension. "Are… Are you-" 

"Yes. I'm okay Steven, it…. listened to you?" Connie interrupted, both trying to stay defensive to the skulking gem and sound supportive toward Steven. It’s not an easy act to juggle as she skirts towards him with an outstretched hand. She waits patiently as he hesitantly took it and squeezed softly, as if checking it was really there. "We need to get to Lion..."

"Lion,” he parroted back at her. A heavy weight had settled on his shoulders, staring at the now-pacing gem whose whines had become loud enough to consistently hear. Lion had managed to drag himself from the floor and prop himself up behind the pacing beast, still looking a little worse for wear.

"Hey! Back away. Go on, get away from him!" The authoritative drive to his tone caught Connie a little off guard after what had seemingly been a lot of worry a moment ago. But, looking as though it understood the orders, the gem began to move aside. Staying as far away from them as possible, muzzle trained on Steven as if transfixed… or terrified.

The interlocked pair make a beeline for their pink friend, Connie not once taking her eyes off of the gem as Steven lets go of her hand and throws himself at Lion's mane. He hugs him thoroughly before trying to heal some of his more serious scratches first.

Most of them close just fine, and only a fraction of those had been bleeding at all. Lions after all do have very thick and loose skin for this exact reason. But the deeper, slightly staining, mark tracing down his jawline and into his neck ruff quickly became harder to care for when Lion suddenly jerks away from Steven's hands. He stands up fully and shakes all of his messy, misplaced fur. 

"Lion, wait, I've still got to do this one-" Steven huffed, again licking his hand and reaching for Lion's chin only to have him growl and pull back a second time.

Immediately after the deep rumble escapes his throat, the big cat winces horribly. He brings his head down into his own mane in an obvious show of pain and chuffs out quiet murmurs of affection into Steven's chest as he presses his nose up against the boy's shirt. He exhales loudly with a pitiful look. 

"Connie, I don't know if Lion can take you home. He won't let me heal his neck and I think making loud noises is hurting him."

Her brows shot up in surprise. She breaks off her staring competition with the restless beast to run a hand over Lion's soft, cushioned muzzle. "Oh, Lion. You did your best, I'm sorry I couldn't join the fight sooner, you were just trying to help." She muses regretfully, scratching behind his ear as he purred a wheezy off-tune purr.

The tender moment was ruined shortly thereafter as rustling in the trees caused every hair along the saber-like gem's spine to prickle. For the first time since Steven had spoken to, it its hidden gaze snapped away from him and towards the leaves. Scanning over the tree line behind them in rushed glances before turning tail to flee and thunders off into the woodland.

Steven tenses, ready to give chase, but Connie's scraped up hand lightly rested down on his shoulder. Against all better judgement, perhaps they should let it go for now...

They'll meet again. He was sure of it.

[eagesoldartblog]

Hello, i am a day late for Whumptober but please enjoy another Au a friend and I made together once

Bleeding out

Lewis had no idea how long they been trapped there. Trapped in a single building lacking power and dwindling on the food it had stored away. 

Two dozen people were present with him the day they were locked in- forced to stay in by an unbreakable barrier. 

Who knows how many were left. Lewis sighs, rubbing his eye stiffly and glancing down to the two forms beside him. 

Vivi, a woman seeking out knowledge on the paranormal happenings around tempo, an investigator. She had a sharp eye… the second weapons were introduced, she quickly took the reigns in teaching Lewis how to properly wield one.

Arthur… a young mechanic he probably wouldn’t have seen before if not for this situation. One of the firsts to be changed by the disease spread through the walls. Whatever it was, going feral as they dubbed it, it seemed to be infectious. That… didn’t matter too much to them. 

Lewis hears a distant noise, and he looks to the door. Honing his ears to listen for the possibility of someone coming close. All the while he reaches for both Vivi and Arthur to wake them up. 

The sound fades, and the race in Lewis’s heart finally slows. 

Gunshots blast out, in a rapid stream that may have meant anything. Nothing safe, that was for sure. 

Arthur jolts awake, sitting up urgently and rapidly taking in the room, seeing nothing but the three of them. Slowly, Vivi blinks awake.

“What happened? Is someone after us-“ His breath hitches, Lewis’s hand resting on his shoulder and massaging it gently. 

“I’m not sure, but they sound close.” 

“God dammit.” Vivi grumbles, pushing against the floor and standing, stretching a small bit before she glances over at him, “I’ll barricade the door. Lewis, can you look into the closet to see if there’s a ... broom-? Or something.” 

He nods, pushing himself up quickly and making his way through the darkness to the closet. 

His hand barely grazed the handle, before the sound of intense knocking raptures his ears. He spins around. 

Vivi glares at the door in suspicion, refusing to get near it, not with the heavy torrent of fists banging against it. 

Not saying anything, she shoots a look over her shoulder to the two, a quick warning to get up. 

Without thinking, Lewis scoops Arthur up, remaining silent the entire time, mind for the smallest whisper; “Sorry, we can rest more soon.” 

Arthur nods, the bags under his eyes proving that he didn’t believe Lewis for a second, and he stretches himself. Reaching into his pocket, Arthur brings out his pistol. No bullets ready. 

“LET US IN!” A voice screams, a heavy blow done to the door- near the doorknob, “WE WONT BE FREE! NOT UNLESS WE-“ they cut themselves off, or- someone else does. 

Several bullets are shot.

Vivi can’t help but cringe. 

Then something else happens. 

The door knob twists, someone is playing with it. 

And then- 

“They’re unscrewing the door knob..!” Arthur reports, able to recognize the sound, ”They’re gonna get in. We need to hide.”

Vivi backs cautiously from the door, ”I know. I know we just-“

The door explodes, wood chips flying everywhere. The blast ringing in their ears. The barrel of a gun- a shot gun- pokes through the enormous hole. The man holding it, with disheveled hair and noticeable scratches to his face spots Arthur, and his grimace intensifies. 

“Oh there you are, you little bitch.” Arthur flinches, unsure and confused.

 ”Did I attack hi-“

“You sure did!” The man hollers, gun raised and in one fast flash of intense light, Arthur is sent back. A spray of blood painting the wall, chunks of his flesh hitting the floor. 

Lewis’s heart drops, diving for him, and quickly figuring where he was shot. 

His left shoulder. His arm now barely dangling from the remains of tearing muscle. 

Face blank, Arthur’s legs shake and tremble, eyes barely floating from the empty space in the door - Where Vivi had thrown it open, grabbing at the man and wrestling him to the floor - to his own arm. 

Lewis’s chest tightens, and he twists Arthurs head to face him instead, “Look at me, look at me, Arthur. This is going to hurt very much but I need you to hold on for me.” 

Arthur is barely paying attention. The shock completely set in. 

Lewis swivels his head back, eyes settling on the door frame and seeing nothing. 

Where did Vivi go?!

Swallowing back his anxiety, Lewis forces himself back to Arthur, figuring Vivi is rushing to find where the guy went.

Sucking in his breath, Lewis gingerly - and urgently - squeezes his hands under Arthur and heaves him into his arms. Arthurs arm dangles loosely, and Lewis quickly attempts to grab it and place it over Arthurs chest- but when he grabs it, Arthur shrieks. Thrashing in his arms, struggling against him and nearly making Lewis drop him.

Arthur barely stifles a yell, and another rain of noise pierces their ears. Something so distinct yet foreign it made Lewis want to cower and collapse. Like glass shattering but in the form of a train racing past him, and it echos all over. Arthur whines, a stream of blood seeping into his clothes and dripping onto the floor. 

Its not safe here right now.. we have to go! 

Lewis races down the hall, holding Arthur close to his chest, tightly holding his shoulder toward them and praying the pressure would help in anyway. 

Except, crumbles of concrete fell, the walls starting to splinter and crack, and in horror, Lewis watches it cave in on one side, threatening to continue until they were crushed. Unless, they turn back.

Lewis grits his teeth anxiously, looking from the caving walls to Arthur. And he spins on his heel, rushing back to the room they were in before, where he could hide Arthur from anyone else, and properly wrap his shoulder. 

Lewis kicks the door open and slides in. Resting Arthur ok his back, Lewis locks the door (as futile as that was) and switches his attention to his shirt, ripping a long chunk of his shirt and falling to his knees. 

“L-Lewis..! Lewis it hurts-“

“I know.. I know sweetheart.” Lewis whispers, trying to keep himself from looking directly at the pulsating wound. 

“Here, I’m going to wrap it and..” 

Arthur passed out, eyes wide and mouth hung open. And Lewis doesn’t know if he should be relieved or not. Pressing his palm against Arthur’s chest, he sighs in relief and got to work wrapped his arm to his side. 

“We’ll get out of here soon, sweetheart. I promise..!” Lewis whispers, eyes blurring and stinging, Arthur doesn’t respond and sudden thoughts strikes him. 

Arthur could die. He could die and Vivi is gone! 

“Arthur- Arthur please stay with me.” He says softly, unsure of what he's saying. Feeling for his heartbeat, feeling it steadily fade. 

“No..!” He gasps, the ache in his chest getting out of control, spiraling into despair, “please! Please don’t die.. I need y-“ 

Bright, piercing lights flood the room, blinding Lewis. He squints through his tears, the sudden intensity far too much for him to see through. 

What is that- 

“Hands up!” An unfamiliar voice shouts, and Lewis’s shoulders tense. He doesn’t respond immediately, but he slowly turns his head, making out a man in blue, surprisingly clean cut. Someone who hasn’t been here as long as they have. 

“Hands, up.” The man- officer repeats, and Lewis swallows, rising to his feet and doing as he said, but keeping his eyes on Arthur. 

“H-he…. sir- my friend is hurt.” Lewis starts, babbling, “He needs help- sir-!”

“That’s enough, sir.” The police officer says, lowering the gun a tad bit, eyes drifting to the floor where Arthur was, “What happened to him?”

“He got shot. I was trying to stop the bleeding but the walls started to fall-“

The police officer nods. 

It happens too quickly. Someone comes in with a stretcher, Arthur is lifted up and pushed out on it. 

Someone else comes in to talk to him, but Lewis doesn’t hear them. He’s escorted out. 

What…. happened..