#like this is a sassy little dig he kind of just narrows his eyes at but. yes. he absolutely needs help with his spelling

[columboscreens]

[kitkatkitzune]

FLAVORS

Pairing: Kol Mikaelson x Fem!reader

Summary: Kol learns about modern day beauty products, his favorite being flavored lip balm.

Warnings: Kol being Kol, Kol being a softie, Klaus being sassy, Best friend Rebekah, Brief mention of blood, Mention of Rebekah previously trying to eat reader (we all make mistakes), Kol being very very curious about modern stuff, inconsistencies in the tense it’s written in (my bad.)

Notes: This was originally a very short fluffy idea that I had… and then it kind of just turned into way more? whoops? I feel like we never really talk about the little things that would be way different to all the originals, we always focus on the big things like technology and laws but never something as simple as flavored lip balm…

I’d like to take this opportunity to shout out my red crab makeup headband.

Word Count: 2.4k

———————

“And what do we have here?” Kol’s teasing voice cuts into the conversation you and Rebekah were currently having in her room.

The blonde girl rolls her eyes, “Go away, Kol.”

You turn and look at the boy, you hadn’t officially met him yet as you spend most of your time with Rebekah but you had heard stories about him. Kol smirks at you and then looks at all of the items laid out on Rebekah’s bed.

He walks over and tilts his head, obviously curious, he picks up an eyeshadow palette, “Is this makeup?” he looks at you when he asks, addressing the question to you.

You hum and he nods, continuing, “See, right before I was put into a little box, makeup was still a bit of a taboo for common women…” he opens the palette and stares at all the vibrant shades, “now you all wear these bright colors.”

You watch in horror as he digs his finger into the pot of a glittery purple shade causing the pressed pigment to crack and break. You’re on your feet immediately and grab the palette from him, letting out a sigh when you see the damage.

Kol doesn’t seem to notice your expression, “What do you do with this?” he holds up his pointer finger that is coated in sparkly purple.

Rebekah takes the palette from you and glares at her brother, “You do realize you’ve ruined the purple right?”

Kol ignores Rebekah and looks at you, expectantly, you sigh, “It goes on your eyelids, it’s eyeshadow.”

Kol hums and in a quick move, puts his finger on your eyelid, spreading the pigment onto your face, effectively ruining your makeup look you and Rebekah had just finished. He smirks, proud of his work.

“Kol!” Rebekah gasps, standing up to forcibly shove her brother out of her room. She slams the door shut and locks it even though he could get back in if he really wanted to.

With her back still to the door Rebekah looks at you with an exasperated look, “I am so sorry! My brother is a bloody fool.”

You shrug, grabbing the makeup remover to clean your face, “It’s fine, Bekah. It’s not your fault he hasn’t seen an eyeshadow palette yet…” you pause a moment, tilting your head in thought, “though, I guess it’s not really his fault either?” a small smile appears on your face, one Rebekah recognizes as your ‘he’s cute’ smile.

“Don’t tell me you think he’s—” Rebekah starts and you cut her off, very aware of the fact that you’re in a house full of vampires with super hearing.

“Besides, I hardly used the purple anyway.”

Rebekah narrows her eyes at you and crosses her arms, walking closer to you. You roll your eyes and bring your fingers up in a pinching motion, mouthing, ‘Only a bit.’

You giggle as Rebekah’s nose scrunches up in disgust at your admission of finding her brother a bit cute.

-★-

You were currently lounging on the Mikaelson family’s couch, reading to pass the time while you waited for your face mask to finish. You didn’t care about anyone seeing you in such a thing, the Mikaelsons always came home covered in blood or worse. Seeing you in a little bit of clay wouldn’t kill any of them.

It would certainly confuse Kol, though. He was a bit alarmed when he entered the living room to find you with a green face.

“What on earth is that?” he asks, he seems mildly concerned but also intrigued.

You look up at him, closing your book, “It’s a face mask. It helps your skin become clearer and healthier.”

He nods, still a bit weirded out by it and an idea pops into your head.

“Would you like to try?”

“What?”

“The face mask! Oh come on, it'll be fun!” you say, jumping off of the couch to grab his hand and drag him up to your honorary room you had in their house.

Kol attempted to glance around the room but didn’t really get a chance as you drug him straight into the bathroom, you held up two fluffy headbands in front of him. One was red and had eyes on it, accompanied by little claws to look like a crab and the other was brown with little bear ears.

The one you were currently wearing was red with little devil horns, he would have preferred that one. Still, he chooses the crab one so you two would have matching colors.

You let out a little squeal and stretch the headband over his head while he sits there like a doll, doing nothing to help you. You grab the face mask tube and set it on the counter and that’s when you notice you left your drink downstairs and grumble, you needed your caffeine.

“I’ll be right back!” you chirp and practically skip out of the room to get your drink.

Kol bounces his leg, a bit nervous before he picks up the tube and begins to read the ingredients. He decides to open it up and squeeze a bit into his hand, just to get a feel for the texture. However, even as a thousand year old vampire he sometimes underestimates his strength which results in him squeezing over half of the tube out and onto the floor.

Kol’s eyes widen in panic just as you come back into the bathroom and see the mess on the ground.

“I didn’t mean to!” Kol quickly tries to defend himself.

You sigh, setting your drink down and reaching for a towel to wipe the mask off the ground, “How much is left in the tube?”

“A third…” Kol waits for you to rip the crab headband off his head and shove him out of the room just as Rebekah had done the other day but you don’t.

You look up at him and smile, “That’s still enough to do yours!”

Standing up, you toss the towel near the hamper and grab the tube from Kol. You squeeze a generous amount onto the scoop, gently grabbing Kol’s chin to tilt his head up.

“It’s going to be a bit cold since it’s a refrigerated mask, just a warning.”

Kol nods but still flinches when it first touches his skin. He sits quietly, just watching you as you focus on spreading the clay evenly on his face.

After a moment you finally speak up, “Klaus bought me this mask when he was dragging me and Stefan all around that summer trying to find werewolves… I practically begged him.”

“My brother kidnapped you as well?”

You shake your head, “No, no, I essentially forced him to take me when he took Stefan.”

“I do believe your exact words were ‘I’m not letting Stefan run around with a filthy mutt all summer by himself.’” Klaus announces while walking past your room, stopping for only a brief moment.

You roll your eyes and shout back, “But now we’re the best of friends!”

“You just like my credit card!”

You laugh a bit and set down the scoop you used to spread the mask around with into the sink.

“And now we wait.”

Kol nods, then asks, “So you were there when Rebekah was undaggered the first time?”

You nod, “Mhm! I was the one who taught her about todays makeup and some fashion trends! She actually tried to eat me when we first met but Klaus stopped her and now we’re thick as thieves!”

You smile fondly at the memory of helping Rebekah understand modern makeup and fashion, you explained everything to her and even did her makeup for her.

“Is it supposed to feel like my face is being frozen in place?” Kol asks, interrupting your trip down memory lane.

“Yup!”

-★-

Kol tilts his head to the side as he watches you apply something to your lips, it wasn’t the action that was confusing him, it was that there was no color.

“What is that?”

“This?” you hold up the small cylinder and he nods, “It’s called lip balm… it’s kind of like lipstick.”

“Why is there no color if it’s like lipstick?”

You shake your head, “No, no, it’s for healing your lips, it’s meant to be clear. It’s more like a medicine. It makes your lips all soft and prevents cracking and bleeding.”

Kol nods, “So it’s like… moisturizer?”

“You can think of it like that!”

After a moment you gesture for Kol to take the lip balm, “Wanna try? These ones are even flavored! This one tastes like cherry!”

Kol’s brows shoot up, “flavored?”

“Mhm! They have all different kinds! Coconut, strawberry, cotton candy—“ you cut yourself off, “oh my gosh! You’ve never had cotton candy before, have you? Oh you’ve got to try it! That’s the next thing on the list! Right after lip balm!”

Kol chuckles at your eagerness and takes the lip balm from you, cranking the bottom of it til over half of the actual lip balm was sticking out of the container. He sniffs it, as though he thinks you’re playing a trick on him when you say it's flavored.

Then very carefully he brings it up to his lips and… takes a bite out of it?

“Kol—“ you try but it’s too late.

The Mikaelson boy grimaces at the artificial waxy taste, he swallows it and glares at you, he isn’t actually mad at you and you can tell.

He gets a drink of water to wash away the taste, “You said it was flavored! That tastes God awful!”

You laugh, “Because you’re not meant to actually eat it!”

“But you said—“

You shake your head, taking back the lip balm to try and smooth out the bite marks, “C’mere.” you becken him over to invade your space.

You tilt his head down, holding his cheek as you apply the lip balm onto him. Kol stands a bit awkwardly with his hands out for about five seconds before resting them on your hips. He’s relieved when you don’t jump away from his touch. To his surprise, when you’re finished applying the lip balm, you don’t pull completely out of his hold.

“Lick your lips.” you say, smiling up at him.

Kol’s brow furrows but he follows the order nonetheless, his eyes light up when he tastes the faint cherry flavor.

“Better?” you ask.

“Much.”

“And now your lips will be super soft! Perfect for kissing!”

There’s silence for a moment and reluctantly you step out of his hold, “I’m sorry I just made that super awkward…”

“No, no, you didn’t.”

You clear your throat and hand him the lip balm, “You keep this… after all, you did take a bite out of it.”

“That I did, darling.”

-★-

It had been awhile since you had seen Kol and you hoped you had not ruined whatever little friendship you had going on with your kissing comment. It may have also been a while since you had seen him since you were avoiding the Mikaelson house to, well, avoid him. It was weird for everyone since you were always there. Rebekah had heard about what happened from both you and Kol and she was about to go crazy with the two of you dancing around each other. She demanded that Kol go talk to you since she knew you’d never get the courage to do so.

You were washing dishes in the kitchen when there was a knock on the door. You dry off your hands and go to look through the peephole, there’s Kol Mikaelson, standing on your doorstep holding a large shopping bag.

You open the door and raise a brow, “What are you doing here?”

He holds up the bag to emphasize its presence, “May I come in?”

You nibble your lip, you knew if you invited him in there would be no take backs on it. You shook the thought from your head, all of the other originals (besides Finn) had access to your home. The Mikaelsons were practically family to you and Kol had been good to you.

You step aside, “Come on in.”

Kol looks around as he enters, taking in your home.

“I know it’s not nearly as fancy as your mansion but not all of us can come from billion dollar original vampire families.”

He chuckles at your comment, “It’s a nice home.”

The two of you stand in silence for a moment, just staring at each other before you cough awkwardly, unable to handle his intense gaze any longer, “What do you need Kol?”

“Oh, right, I almost forgot.” he gestures the bag towards you, urging you to take it.

You raise a brow but comply, opening the bag you find a new eyeshadow palette, the same one that he had ruined the purple in, a bottle of the fancy clay mask you use, and a number of different flavored chapsticks (including the cherry flavored one he’d taken a bite out of).

“Kol… you didn’t have to…”

“I figured I should since I practically trashed your old stuff.” he walks farther into your home, until he reaches the living room where you have reruns of your favorite television show playing.

He turns around, facing you as you rummage through all the different chapstick flavors.

A small smile appears on his face, “Maybe we could try them all?”

Your eyes widen, “You want to open all of them?”

“Well, maybe not all but a few… I have an idea, what if you put them on and I’ll guess the flavor…”

Your brows furrow as you open one of the lip balms and begin applying it, “That doesn’t even make sense, they’d be on my lips not yours!”

Kol lets out a chuckle at your statement and you just become even more confused.

“Bloody hell, you’re oblivious.”

“Wha—“

Kol cuts you off by connecting your lips in a short but very sweet kiss. He pulls away, looking at your expression to make sure Rebekah hadn’t been lying to him about you having a crush on him. His worries disappear when you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him in again. His hands find your hips, pulling you flush to him as he begins to nibble on your lip. He pulls away again, resting his forehead against yours, allowing you both to catch your breath.

“Coconut.” he says suddenly.

“What?”

“The flavor,” he clarifies, “It’s coconut.”

You remove your arms from his neck and look at the lip balm in your hands, “Oh you so totally cheated!”

“I did no such thing!”

“The coconut one doesn’t even taste like coconut!”

“Okay… maybe I peeked just a little.”

“Kol Mikaelson!”

You both begin to laugh before Kol smirks cheekily at you, pulling you impossibly close, “Next lip balm? I promise I won't peek this time.”

[cacophony-eg]

Moon Knight and Sun King (Part 4) (Possessed Sun Wukong x (F) Reader)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Summary: Your protective and devoted Knight meets your sassy and moody Rouge. You stuck between their arguing. Luckily during all this you're the only one that gets hurt... Wait...  Warning chapter Contains Light Blood

"How dare you harm our Lady" Moon growled out, turning his tail so the blade was pointing at Macaque.

"WAIT, MOON, STOP!" You cried out. 

The knight's tail paused, the monkey in blue turning to look down at you, his head tilting to the side curiously. 

"Is something the matter My Lady?" Moon asked calmly while Macaque helplessly struggled against the Knight's foot that still pinned him in place.

"You're forbidden from harming Macaque directly or indirectly!" You shouted in a slight panic, worried the shadow monkey might start suffocating. 

Just like what had happened with Macaque in the alleyway. The Knight was like a puppet under the order, both his foot and knife-wielding tail were suddenly pulled away from the Rouge by an invisible force. 

The command freed Macaque as the white and black furred demon fell onto his hands and knees, coughing and gasping for air.

"Down, Please, Down!" You ordered, wiggling in Moon's hold. 

The Knight placed both his feet on the ground as he carefully put you onto your feet. You missing the way Moon frowned as you rushed to the other monkey's side.

"Macaque, are you okay?" You asked, bending down next to the shadow demon, rubbing his back as he took in air.

"I'm fine My Lady" Macaque replied, your hand freezing against his back, momentarily stunned that the rude rouge had suddenly started calling you by the same title Moon called you.  

The shadow demon's gold and blue eyes looked up at you, seeming confused as you just stared down at him. Then what he had said suddenly hit him.

"...Did...Did I just call you, My Lady?" the rouge questioned as if trying to confirm those words really came out of his mouth.

"Yes... Yes, you did" You answered just as surprised as the demon.  You wonder if whatever power that made the rouge's fur change colour also changed his demeanour?

Macaque suddenly recoiled away from your touch, his eyes mixed with fear and hate as he glared at you.

"Get Away From Me!" the rouge snapped, pressing his back firmly against your kitchen cabinets, the furthest he could possibly get from you at the moment. 

You pulled yourself a little further away from Macaque, sliding yourself backwards till you bumped into something firm. 

You jump slightly feeling a pair of arms protectively wrap around your shoulders. You gazed back at what you had pumped into, finding Moon had squatted behind you. His fur bristling, as he carefully held you against his armoured chest, the knight's glowing blue eyes narrowed in on the Rouge.

"Do not speak to our Lady in such an aggressive manner, Rouge" Moon told the other monkey, sounding cold and displeased. 

It was kind of strange how Macaque was able to bring out the most emotions you had seen from Moon so far. Though all of them, are negative ones thus far.

"She's not Our- She's not My-" Each time Macaque tried to deny that you were his lady, his mouth seem to just stop working, causing the Rouge to growl in frustration. 

"DAMN IT!" The mixed-furred monkey cried out, digging his claws into his head. Wondered what the hell was happening to him. You hadn't even given him an order for him to call you my Lady. So whatever was compelling him to say so, was something outside of your command ability.

Macaque hated how that calling inside; the one telling him to be by his lady's side, was ten times stronger now than it was during the day. The Rouge's eyes look over at you, before glancing at the ground. The demon was thankful you were at least smart enough to give him space. 

Moon frowned at the Rouge "Apologize to Our Lady for your-"

"Moon, stop..." You softly asked, putting one of your hands over the knight's, the monkey in blue calming down at your touch, fur falling back down into pace. 

Macaque hated how something inside of him felt envious that Wukong was gifted with your touch. Hated how something inside of him was beckoning him to please you, to protect you, to fulfill your every desire.

"Just give him some time" you softly requested the Knight.

Macaque hated how he could literally feel how worried and concerned you were for him. During the day he could only feel your emotions when they were spiking. Now it felt like he could feel your every emotion inside of him as if they were a part of his own.

"DAMN IT!" the Rouge cursed again, slamming his tail against the cupboard door causing it to crack from the force. Almost wishing it hurt, so at least he would know the pain was his alone and had nothing to do with you.

Moon swiftly got onto his feet, about to approach the destructive Rouge that was destroying their Lady's home. 

Your hand gripped the Knight tighter, stopping him from leaving your imminent side.

"Please give him space Moon" You pleaded, knowing your words were the only power you really had over the knight.

Moon gave a simple nod as he stood by your side, keeping a close eye on the Rouge. 

Macaque sneered at the way Wukong's hand gently held your hand in return, and the demon didn't even understand why he cared!

"Macaque you're free to call me whatever you like." You told the shadow demon.

The Rouge let out a bitter laugh "Oh gee thanks girly" the feeling that forced him to call you his lady was suddenly gone and... It did feel oddly calming not to be compelled to call you my lady. The Shadow demon desperately grasped onto those small strands of control, no matter how thin they were.

"Sorry, I thought it might help," you said bowing your head, and inside of himself, he could feel how apologetic you felt. The demon senses a mix of guilt and self-hate twisting inside of you as well.

"Forget about it" Macaque gruffly replied, running his fingers through his mane trying to rein back some of his more panicked emotions. The Demon reminds himself that you were just as trapped in this strange situation as they were "... Are you able to feel my emotions?"

You shook your head "No... Are you able to feel-"

"Yours?" Macaque cut in, 'Moon' making an annoyed noise as he interrupted 'their lady'. "Yeah I can" he grumbly sighed.

"So you both can," you said glancing up at Moon.

"Of course, it is so we can act out, our Lady's desires without delay." The Knight stated.

Macaque didn't like the sounds of that... The demon rubbing his forehead with the base of his palm wishing he could somehow stop 'Moon' from calling you 'their Lady'... Wait.

"Hey big blue, how did you know I was Missy's Rouge?" Macaque asked looking up at the monkey knight.

Moon remained stoically silent to Macaque's question as if the shadow demon hadn't talked at all.

You gently tugged on the Knight's hand that still held your own, "Moon please answer Macaque, I would like to know that as well" you requested.

"I heard M'Lady's wish shortly before Sun took over" Moon answered his lady's inquiry without hesitation. 

Macaque not sure if 'Moon' was talking about the literal Sun or Sun Wukong... The shadow demon would need to investigate that tomorrow. 

"As for how I knew the Rouge was one of M'Lady's servants." Moon began, as Macaque twitched at being called a servant. "I could see that the same blue string that connected me to My Lady, also connected from The Lady to the Rouge."

"Blue String?" You asked, glancing over at Macaque, hoping he knew what Moon was talking about, but the shadow demon shrugged and shook his head.

"Yes, the blue strings of destiny" Moon stated, you catching the way Macaque cringed at the mention of 'destiny'. "If you wish, I could help you see these strings M'Lady" Moon calmly offered.

"Yes" you nodded "please help me see these blue strings" you requested, wanting to see exactly what the knight was talking about.

"Very well M'Lady" Moon said with a slight bow, before bending down on one knee to be more at your level. His emotionless eyes gazing at yours "Please close your eyes, My Lady."

You close your eyes feeling one of the knight's cool fingers press against your forehead, a strange sensation of cold and hot rushing over your forehead and around your eyes.

"It is done My Lady, Open your eyes" Moon instructed.

You slowly opened your eyes only to quickly close them, crying in pain as your senses were slammed with seeing WAY too much all at once. To the point you couldn't register anything you saw, just felt the pain of overstimulation. 

"M'Lady... You're in pain..." Moon stated sounding somewhat shocked and confused. But you couldn't answer him as the area around your eyes and over your forehead felt like they were burning.

"You idiot!" Macaque snapped and hissed, feeling the pain you were going through. The Rouge out of habit fell through his shadow and appeared next to you through your own. The demon accidentally discovered that he could still use shadow transportation as long as he didn't 'leave' you. 

"Learn to tone down your powers!" Macaque hissed, pushing that discovery to the side as the pain continued. The shadow demon watched as red magical marks started appearing around your eyes and over parts of your forehead.

Suddenly you felt a much warmer monkey hand press over your eyes. You whimpered, leaning into the touch over your eyes, as it seem to ease away the burning pain. 

"Breath" Macaque ordered, using some of his magic to absorb and take away part of Wukong's power from you. Usually, this wouldn't work so easily but there was a strange connection between you two, the demon hoping that connection extended to power sharing.

 "Breath" Macaque ordered again as you felt his tail poke your side. 

You gasp in air, having not even noticed you were holding your breath. Feeling something rub your back, up and down, as you shakingly took in air. It takes a moment for your mind to register it was Macaque's tail. 

You try to focus on the tail moving up and down your back, doing your best to breathe in time with the movement. The pain slowly eased away to a dull ache.

"Alright... feels like I took enough away, try opening your eyes again" Macaque instructed, the warm hand over your eyes pulling away. 

You shook your head, not wanting that kind of pain again.

"Come on sugarplum, just try, this time just focus on wanting to see the blue strings nothing else." Macaque encourages using a shockingly soft tone for the Rouge.

You take another deep breath before opening your eyes. Blinking tears away as you slowly saw the world around you bathed in gold. You glance over at Macaque who sat by your side, noticing the six sets of ears he now had and a scar over his right eye.

"Focus Lotus" Macaque advised, both his eyes now glowing a golden colour as well. He glanced down at himself, both of you seeing the tangle of blue strings around his body.

You followed the bundle of glowing blue strings that lead from the rouge to your right hand. Threads twist around your fingers before disappearing into the palm of your hand. Upon closer inspection of the blue string, there were small flickers of gold light pulsing through the string heading toward the shadow monkey.

"That's concerning," Macaque said, lightly tapping one of his claws against your neck.

You couldn't see what he was pointing at as you looked down at yourself, but got a good guess. There was blue string pooling out of your chest reaching up towards your head, you assuming the string wrapped around your neck. 

"Not a good sign..." you more stated than questioned.

"Not a good sign," the rouge confirmed but didn't elaborate. His eyes drifted to the side smirking almost gleefully "but that is a funny sight~"

You follow Macaque's gaze to see Moon kneeling directly on the ground and bowing to the point his head was touching the floor.

"Moon, what are you doing?" You questioned, glancing between your left hand and Moon. 

Similar to your right hand there was a bunch of blue string that came out of your left hand that tangled around your finger and then twisted and wrapped around Moon's body. The difference was that there was also a gold string that came out of Moon's body that tangled around your fingers and disappeared into your palm. 

"I have harmed my Lady. For such a heinous crime I deserve the harshest of punishments" Moon cooly declared. "To reprimand myself for such actions, I will throw myself into the nearest active volcano."  

"WHAT, NO! MOON, DON'T DO THAT!" you commanded, having a feeling the knight was being dead serious.

"I wouldn't worry, it'll just hurt him not kill him" Macaque casually stated, you wanted to question the shadow demon about that! When Moon spoke again.

"Pardon me for being presumptuous My Lady, you should be the one to choose my punishment." The Knight calmly stated with his head still pressed against your apartment floor.

"Wait, no, I am not choosing a punishment for you" You expressed, yeah moon hurt you, but it was just an accident.

"What me to choose a Punishment? I have a list," Macaque offered, you giving him a dubious look, that he replied with a devious smirk.

 "...Why would you have a list-Nevermind, don't want to know" you quickly declared, as the demon's smirk grew, some things you were better off not knowing.

"Moon, can you please lift your head?" You requested.

"I can not, My Lady, I do not deserve to look you in the eyes after bringing you harm." Moon stated.

"This is hilarious," Macaque snickered, making you shoot him another annoyed look.

"Sush it" you huffed, lightly smacking his arm.

"He's the one asking for a punishment, not me" The Rouge pointed out with a laugh, unfazed by the light smack.

You aggressively sighed at the shadow demon before scooting yourself closer to the bowing monkey. Feeling the Rouge's tail move off your back to wrap around your ankle.

You reach your hand out to gently pet the furry knight's mane "Moon, I'm not going to punish you." 

"But you must M'Lady" Moon replied still keeping his head to the floor.

"Did you purposely try to hurt me?" you asked.

"Of course not My Lady, I would never desire to bring you harm" The Knight replied.

"Then I forgive you," you told him.

Moon hesitantly lifted his head to gaze up at you. With the gold vision still active, you could see a pair of golden irises within the sea of blue that were Moon's eyes.

"I do not deserve your forgiveness M'Lady" The knight stated his eyes casting downwards.

You gently cupped Moon's cheeks with both of your hands causing the monkey in blue to gaze up at you once more.

"You made a mistake and that's okay... Moon, do you know why mistakes are important?" you asked gently lifting his head up with your hands to guild him out of his bowing position.

The knight followed your hold as he slowly sat up, his blank stare focused on only you. "No, I do not My Lady"

 "They're important cause as long as you learn from them, every mistake helps to improve yourself." You explained, for a moment you swore you saw the blue of Moon's eyes flicker to gold.

"Also it's my choice to forgive you, just as it's your choice to forgive yourself" you added giving the knight an encouraging smile.

Moon stared blankly down at you, slowly lifting one hand up to gently grasp one of your hands over his cheek. Softly leaning into your touch as he closed his eyes.

"You are far too kind, My Lady" The Knight softly stated.

"No, just decent" you replied with a smile. 

Moon looking pretty cute right now, his eyes closed as he nuzzled into your hands looking like a kitten seeking affection. 

The gold vision finally flickered away, and the world returned to one that you were much more familiar with.

"And you're a Party Pooper" Macaque added, "we could have at least tried one punishment," he huffed out.

Speaking of Monkeys with cat like personalities.

"Macaque..." You sigh giving the shadow monkey an exasperated look, as you started to pull your hands away from Moon. 

Only for the knight to swiftly grab a hold of both of your wrists preventing your hands from leaving his cheeks.

You felt Macaque's tail tighten around your ankle, as both you and the shadow monkey turned to look at Moon.

"Umm Moon?" You called out, not sure what was going on with the knight, or why Macaque was getting so tense.

The Rouge's eyes locked on the bloody knife still held in Wukong's tail, tucked behind him in a way to keep it out of your view.

The Monkey in blue half opened his eyes. The Knight's blank stare felt like it was somewhere else and not looking at you this time.

"Moon?" you tried again lightly brushing your thumbs over his cheeks, tracing along the bottom of the blue heart-shape-like mark over his eyes.

Moon's eyes opened fully, more feeling than seeing his gaze focus back upon you.

One blink... Two blinks.

"I am sorry, My Lady," The Knight said gently releasing your hands. "I do not know what came over me."

"It's alright" you assured, still puzzled over the strange reaction. "And as for you," you said turning to face the rouge.

"What?" the shadow demon flatly questioned his gaze still more on Moon than you.

"Thank you, Macaque," you said with a smile.

The demon's ears twitch as he turned to fully face you, looking both surprised and suspicious at your words. "What are you thanking me for?" he questioned.

"I'm thanking you for helping with the eye stuff" You clarified. "I'm not sure what I would have done or what would have happened if you didn't help me, so thank you."

Macaque let out a dry laugh, looking off to the side to mask the light pink on his cheeks, "I only did that because your pain became my pain." 

You smiled finding it funny how the shadow's monkey's actions and words were in such contrast to each other. 

"That may have been part of it" you agreed, but it didn't explain why he rubbed your back or used a softer tone while you were in pain. "But deep down your a good monkey~," you said using a cuties-teasing tone.

"Hah in your dreams" he barked out a laughed.

You smirked as you glanced behind you at the black and white tail that was still wrapped around your ankle. 

Macaque's tail practically pushed your ankle away as it unwrapped itself. The shadow monkey let out a growl that had no real bite to it as he swiftly fell through his shadow, and appeared through a shadow against a nearby wall. Moodily leaning against it as he looked away from you. 

You held back a laugh as you moved to get back on your feet as well when Moon quickly offered his hands to you. You took the knight's hands without much thought, feeling like a small child as he lifted you onto your feet with seemingly no effort.

"By the way could you feel my emotions during the day?" You asked Macaque, making a mental note of how Moon's hold on your hands lingered longer than it needed to before releasing them.

"Not really, only time I felt your emotions during the day was when you got really angry at your brother," Macaque answered with a shrug, looking over the white fur along his right arm.

The Rouge felt your disdain and anger spike at the mere mention of your brother. Turning to face you, watching as you took a deep breath trying to calm those feelings.

"What transpired between my lady and her brother that upset her?" The Knight questioned.

"Nothing important," you falsely assured "But thanks to Macaque, I doubt he will be coming near me again any time soon." 

The shadow demon was a little surprised to feel a spark of genuine gratitude towards him.

"Just a heads up buttercup, we can feel it when you lie" Macaque teasingly warned. The Demon smirked as he felt your momentary mix of surprise, panic and embarrassment. The Rouge starting to think he could use this 'being able to feel your emotions thing' to his advantage.

"Sorry" you apologize, "but it is something I shouldn't bother either of you with so let's just move on" you requested, your gaze going from the Rouge to the Knight.

Macaque nodded getting the message, probably best your overprotective knight didn't know about your stocker ex. 

The Shadow demon doubting a normal human would have survived even Wukong's pin-kick as well as he had.

The Rouge noticed the way the knight gave his lady a disappointed frown, though the rest of his features remained relatively neutral. Clearly wanting to ask more, but didn't simply because his 'Lady' requested it.

It was still surreal for Macaque to see Wukong not only be so obedient but to see his possessed form be so... Different. 

The demon was still healing from his last battle with the monkey dressed in blue. Though this 'Moon' form was strange... Able to talk; express options, and show some range of emotions. 

All things Possessed Wukong could not do under Lady Bone Demon's powers.

"Well if nothing else at least we can confirm your powers are way stronger at night" Macaque concluded trying to turn the whites of his fur back to its usual ebony shade but every time he tried to activate his glamour over it, it was quickly dispelled.

"Is that why part of your fur suddenly turned white?" You asked.

"Yes, and No" the Shadow demon replied, "my fur and right eye have looked like this since sometime yesterday morning. I just glamoured it during the day, but it seems at night the glamour doesn't work."

You felt a pang of guilt recognizing the timeline, "Sorry, you probably changed colour around the same time I made that wish for-" Macaque suddenly fell through his shadow and popped up in front of you, covering your mouth with his white furred hand.

Moon moved to snatch the Rouge's hand away from his Lady but every time the knight reached for Macaque, an invisible force pulled his hands away.

"How about we don't say the W word till we know how your powers work," Macaque stated, smirking in amusement as he watched Wukong repetitively try to grab him only for his arms to be magically pulled away.

You nodded, having to admit your quota for overpowered Monkeys was at its max.

Macaque pulled his hand away from your mouth. The demon smirked as your Knight glared daggers at him. The shadow monkey is pretty sure if it wasn't for your command, he would be shot with lighting from Wukong's eyes.

"You shouldn't allow your Rouge, to touch you, My Lady." Moon suggested, his tone calm and cool but his eyes promised pain upon the shadow monkey. "The ingrate has not even attempted to apologize for harming you before." 

"Harming me?" you questioned.

"The knife thing" Macaque clarified.

"OH," You had almost forgotten about that, with everything else. Your eyes glancing down at the blood now dry against your arm. "Ohhhh....." how were you supposed to explain this!? 

"By all means, tell the knight what happened" The rogue encouraged with a grin, curious to see how the narrow-minded Moon would process the truth.

"The thing is Moon" you began, the demon gesturing for you to keep going. "Macaque didn't hurt me, he was trying to stop me from... Hurting myself..." you confessed.

The Knight's eyes widened, staying stone still as he stared down at you. 

Moon's mind struggled to process his lady harming herself... he wanted to hurt all who brought harm to his Lady but how could he ever do that when his Lady was the one that harm his Lady?

"I think you broke him" Macaque snickered.

You shot the rouge monkey a 'not helping' look. 

"Why M'Lady?" The Knight questioned snapping your attention back to him.

"Why what?" 

"Why did you harm yourself?" Moon asked his eyes lingering downwards towards the dry blood on your arm, his tail twisting and curling around the knife it held.

"Oh... It was to test my self-healing powers, and Macaque made an interesting question as to what kind of effects my blood would have on demons." You explain, both being half-truths. 

"Did you allow the Rouge to taste your blood?" Moon asked his tail curling around the bloody blade of the knife.

"No, not yet, Macaque got upset about me hurting myself and was stopping me when you showed up." You answered, rubbing the back of your neck with your good hand in hindsight it was a pretty dumb move on your part.

"I see" Moon replied, his hands softly gripping your bloody forearm, lifting it up towards him. You assuming so he could take a better look at the injury, or at least the injury that was there but long gone now. "Did it hurt?" he asked.

"A little at first.." You confess looking away from Moon, missing the way his tail crushed the bloody knife to dust, but Macaque didn't. 

The shadow demon takes a cautious step away from the two of you. 

"But it didn't last long, it healed very quickly" you assured. Looking back just in time to catch the Knight leaning his head down, you jumped slightly as his warm wet tongue ran over the dried blood along your arm. Causing a warm shiver to shoot through your whole body, Moon's eyes glowing brighter.

"Please do not ever harm yourself again, My Lady" Moon softly pleaded, and all you could get out was an undistinguishable squeak in reply. 

Your knight leaned in to lick more blood off your arm, but his sash was suddenly pulled on causing the monkey in blue to pause for a moment.

"Damn Peaches, are you nuts!?" Macaque snapped standing behind Moon pulling on the knight's sash as hard as he could. The demon's face was as red as yours felt. "We have no idea what her blood does!"

You do a double take swearing the shadow monkey had been behind you just a moment ago. 

One of Moon's brows raised, as he looked back at the Rouge. That strange nickname of 'peaches' bringing up a bazaar mix of emotions that the Knight didn't know how to name.

"Girl, go wash your arm, Now!" Macaque ordered.

You could only nod, body and mind still in a confused scrabbled state, as you rapidly went to the kitchen sink and wash your arm.

The Rouge let out a yelp as Moon used the sash to pull the shadow demon closer to him. "You have no right to order our Lady" the knight lowly warned.

"Kind of like you have no right to lick her!?" Macaque sneered back. The demon now knew for sure that deep down, this was still Wukong. The pompous hero still pretending he had the moral high ground when in reality he was no better than 'his shadow'.

"I was cleaning the remains of My Lady's wound." The Knight calmly replied.

"Oh sure, and you had no ulterior motives" Macaque rolled his eyes. If he was feeling a desire for 'their Lady's' touch, the demon could only imagine what kind of desires 'Moon' had, the monkey in blue under your power way more than he was. 

The demon was surprised when instead of getting a resort from Wukong, the Knight looked at him perplexed at his comeback... Okay, maybe there were some differences between Sun and Moon.

"This isn't an order, but do you two always have to argue?" You questioned, as you used a dish cloth to dry your arm. 

"This is actually pretty civil for us" the shadow demon replied, flicking the blue sash into Wukong's face. 

"Oh that reminds me, Macaque, you're forbidden from harming Moon directly or indirectly" you ordered, getting an annoyed groan from the shadow monkey.

"Though I'm flattered you think I can seriously harm him. Is that order really necessary?" The demon questioned.

"I'm just covering all my bases" you replied, your phone's alarm going off. "And I should be heading to work soon." You said moving to pack up the peaches the rouge had refused to eat. 

"And what are you going to do about big blue?" Macaque questioned, pointing at Moon.

"Oh I was just going to take Moon with me" you stated, putting the container of packed peaches into your work bag.

"Seriously!?" The shadow demon laughed in disbelief. 

"You think Moon will just stay here without me?" you questioned.

"I must stay by My Lady's side" Moon calmly corrected.

"No..." Macaque admitted "But don't you think your co-workers are going to have some questions!?" the demon asked dramatically gesturing to the Monkey Knight.

"I work alone. During a graveyard stocking shift. I don't see co-workers or customers." You stated "There are only cameras on certain outside doors, none on the inside. I know the roof door has employ access, cause too many smokers got locked out up there... so I can let Moon in through that door without anyone or any cameras spotting him." You explained, "the only worry I have is the delivery driver that comes twice a week but none are scheduled for tonight so I don't even have to worry about that."

Macaque had to admit (at least mentally) that you had thought this through. 

Since Moon was sticking to your side Macaque at least didn't have to worry about one of MK's crew spotting Wukong in his current state. The shadow demon doubted any of them would even believe him if he tried explaining this strange situation... and not somehow blamed him for all of it.

"Speaking of the delivery driver" Macaque began "what company did that mysterious driver come from?" 

"DCAOP, but I have no idea what the driver's name was" You answered.

"Don't worry, from the description you gave, I have a pretty good idea who the guy might be. Just need a location to look for clues," Macaque replied.

"Alright..." You hummed suspiciously, the shadow demon having a gift for being vague, but you doubted he would answer your question honestly unless you 'command' him, and you rather reserved your commands for more important things "By the way, Macaque, you're not allowed to kill anyone during your investigation" 

"I can work with that" The shadow demon replied with a shrug, making you sigh as you turn away from your bag to face him. 

"and try not to seriously hurt anyone" you requested "...unless someone attacks you first, then your free to do what you need to" you clarify, not sure what you were dealing with and didn't want Macaque to be at a disadvantage if he came across a serious threat.

"Excuse me, Princess, I think you're still missing an order" Macaque replied. 

Your body squirms and tenses in annoyance at the lasted nickname. That one has history for you, but you didn't want to take away Macaque's ability to call you whatever he liked... Maybe he'll just move on to another nickname soon like the last one.

"What order?" you asked.

"The Order that I wasn't allowed to leave, Miss Princess~" The demon answered, smirking as he dragged out the nickname having felt your irritation at the name.

"Your free to leave" you flatly order, trying your best not to react to the nickname again, hoping he will get bored with it soon.

"Thank you, Princess" Macaque snickered with a dramatic bow, before disappearing into his shadow.

You suppress a groan as you turn around to grab your work bag only to see it was gone from the spot you left it. You looked over at your Knight finding that he was already carrying your work bag.

"At least that Rouge is starting to address you by a proper title" Moon stated, making you wonder if your knight couldn't pick up on sarcasm.

 "Hey Moon, just so we're clear, please don't ever call me Princess" you requested.

"I will not My Lady" Moon replied, looking down at you, his head curiously tilting to the side again. The Knight confused as to why you would allow the rouge to call you by that title but not him.  ============== A/N:

There was suppose to be an intense event happening in this chapter but this chapter is already over 5K words so I'm moving it to the next chapter. 

On the bright side it allowed me to Post this chapter on Thumblr unlike the last one. (but the next one will have to be A03 and Wattpad only again, I will put links to my profiles in the comments)

Also if anyone has suggestions for other nicknames for Macaque to call the reader, please share them, and I might use them in future chapters ^-^

[twinstarsies]

no quirks au, fluff

Izuku is out to lunch with a coworker at the park when a hand ruffles his hair and he looks up to Katsuki standing beside him, food in hand from one of the stalls.

He smiles. "Kacchan, hi!"

"Hey, nerd. Did you get my text?"

Izuku digs out his phone and sees that he does in fact have an unread text from Katsuki. "Sorry, we've been kind of busy today."

"Figured. But let me know what you think about—"

"Excuse me," his coworker interrupts them, garnering their attention. He's glaring at Katsuki for some reason that has Izuku puzzled. "Do you mind? You're kind of interrupting our date here."

Wait—what? Date?

Izuku's brows shoot up while Katsuki's furrow as his eyes narrow. He regards Izuku's coworker for a beat before turning to Izuku.

"This is the extra you're leaving me at the altar for?" he asks mildly, jabbing a thumb in the coworker's direction. "Thought you were cheatin' on me with the Peppermint Princess."

"Shouto is in a committed relationship, and very happy with it, last I heard from him," Izuku corrects him. He pats his arm consolingly. "I'm leaving you for Hitoshi."

Katsuki makes an exaggerated pouty face. "I knew it. It's 'cause he's into bondage, isn't it?"

His coworker looks between them with confusion. "What the hell are you talking about? Who the hell is this guy, Midoriya?"

Izuku can't help a small giggle escaping at the weird turn his day has taken.

"It is absolutely about the bondage," he answers Katsuki, then, "Anyway, there has obviously been a misunderstanding here. I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that this was a date, but it wasn't my intention. I thought it was just lunch between peers."

"That's because you don't think people could possibly be interested in you." Katsuki flicks him. "And I'm the nerd's fiancé."

"Fiancé?" His coworker blinks in shock. "You're getting married?"

Izuku thinks the incredulity in his tone is a little uncalled for. Why is it so surprising that he's getting married? "Um. Yes?"

"But you aren't wearing a ring!"

He blinks and then snorts. Pulling the chain around his neck from his shirt, he holds it up. The ring glints in the afternoon sunlight.

"I do wear a ring, actually." He smiles tightly. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Damn, baby," Katsuki says, and Izuku looks up at him to see him grinning like a shark. He leans down to steal a kiss. "Love it when you get sassy. Turns me right on."

Izuku hums against him. "Maybe I'll just come do something about that then. We were just finishing up, anyway!"

He gathers his half-eaten lunch and stands, linking hands with his fiancé and giving his coworker a brilliant grin, who only blinks back at him, mouth gaping.

"See you back at the office!" he says, and then lets Katsuki drag him away.

"You know," Katsuki says, letting Izuku swing their hands, "this is, like, the fourth coworker that's taken you on a date that you didn't know was a date."

"He said 'let's grab lunch!'" Izuku whines. "Ochako says that! Tenya says that! Yagi-san says that! How am I supposed to know it's meant to be a date?!"

Katsuki just gives him the side eye. "Babe. I love you, but you're hopeless."

Izuku pouts at him and gently nudges him in the shoulder. "This is why I'm leaving you for Hitoshi. Kacchan is mean to me."

"Yeah, but you love it." Katsuki squeezes his hand.

Izuku leans his head on Katsuki's shoulder, smiling. "Yeah, I do."

[darkfairy-tales]

Insanity - Chapter 2

Description: She was an angel who came across the devil himself and her existence drove him insane.

Pairing: Sangyeon x Reader

Genre: Mafia au

Warning: Mentions of blood. Swearing.

"Finally!" You cheered as your shift ended. "Minsu I am going! I have some studies to do when I get home." You called. "Okay. Stay safe. Bye bye. See you tomorrow. Don't study too much. It's summer break. You are supposed to relax and enjoy." Minsu says laughing. "Yeah? I have like what 5-6 assignments to complete." You grumbled. "Anyway I will go now. Bye." You said as you waved at Minsu who waved back at you. You got out of the cafe and walked towards your house. 'I wonder if he is okay.' you thought when you come across the alley once again reminding you of Sangyeon. 'Ahh! Why am I even thinking about him?' You thought to yourself as you shook your head. As you reached your house you saw the door already open. Had you left the door open earlier? Or..... was someone in there? Your eyes widened at the thought. You carefully walked inside your house peeking inside. You went to the living room first and saw someone sitting there. "Who are you?" You squeaked out. The man turned around and your breath hitched. Recognizing him. "What the hell Sangyeon?" You almost screamed. "Well hello there Y/N. You have a nice and cozy house. I quite like it." He says as he makes himself comfortable as if he is the one who owns the house.

"How the hell did you even find out where I lived?" You asked as you walked towards him and sitting on the opposite side, facing him. "I have my ways~ After all I have yet to thank you and your phone. I came to give it back." He says waving your phone which was on his hand. Not knowing what to say you just nodded. He hands you your phone with a smirk. "Cute selfies by the way." He says making you blush. Your cheeks tainted red. "Why did you go through my phone!" You almost whined as you narrowed your eyes at him. He laughs. "What can I say? I couldn't help it." He says as he leans back relaxing himself. "Aren't you leaving?" You asked. "Why babygirl? So eager to chase me away?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "No! I mean... no.. that's not what I mean." You said, your face burning more in embrassment. "You are so cute. But yes I will be going." He says standing up. You also stand up ready to send him off. "Ah I almost forgot I wanted to ask you for a favor." He says. His words making you freeze. "H-Huh? what favor?" You asked. "Don't look so scared. I am not going to ask you to kill someone." He says laughing. "I wanted to ask you to come with me. There is a huge party. I want you to go there with me." He added. You almost wanted to ask him if he was crazy. You didn't know him for fuck's sake. "But I don't-" You tried to say but was cut off. "It wasn't a question honey. 7pm. Tomorrow. Be ready." He says winking as he walks out leaving your mouth gaping.

"AHH THIS IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!" You screamed after he was out. Your neighbours were probably thinking you had gone mad by now. You went to close your door and went to your room. You opened your phone and called Minsu. "Hello Y/N! Is everything okay? Are you okay?" She asks. "Yes yes don't worry I am fine. But I really really need to talk to you about something." You said. "Okay. I am closing up the cafe early! I am coming to your house." Minsu said. You hummed. "Okay then see you later. Gotta go!" Minsu said. "Okay bye. Be careful on your way here." You said and both of you ended the call. You shook you head and headed to the bathroom as yoi freshened up. You changed your clothes into a comfortable one and left your phone charging and went to the study table as you started working on one of the essay.

[Time Skip]

When Minsu came it was at around 6:30 pm. "Y/N!" She literally screamed out as she ran up to your room. "Oh my god Minsu calm down. My neighbours will make a noise complain against me if you are so loud." You said laughing as Minsu pouted. "I am not that loud." she argued making you laugh more. "So what did you wanted to talk about?" She asked. Both of you sat on the bed. "So what would you say if I said I met a guy who had a gunshot wound?" You asked her. She looks at your frowning. "Well... I hope you ran." She said trailing off. "Don't tell me you help the said person." She asked widening her eyes. You sighed nodding. "I did. I couldn't just leave him to die." You said looking down on your lap. "OH my fucking GOD Y/N. Do you ever listen to news and all? There are gangs Y/N! GANGS! What if that man was a bad one. Not all gangs are good like in fanfics?" Minsu said freaking out. "But he didn't do anything. I mean yeah he only took my phone. But that's that. But he gave me back my phone." You said pouting feeling like a child who got reprimanded. "He came here?" Minsu asked confused but also curious. "Yes and that is what I wanted to tell you about." You said sighing.

"He asked me for a favor. He asked me to go on some party with him. And I couldn't even say no. And he keeps calling me 'honey' or 'babygirl'. Ugh he is frustrating." You groaned smacking your face, then wincing. "Oooh~ So a man who might be a gangster seems to be in love with you." Minsu said in a teasing tone making you glare at her. "No. I am sure he is planning to kill me." You grumbled. "Listen here you little shit. If he wanted to harm you he would have done that already. I think he is attracted to you for all I know. I mean he is literally asking you to be his partner in a party!! Like are you dumb!" Minsu squeals. "You read too much fanfics Minsu! This is real life." You huffed. "Fanfics or not Gansters love once. And my dear Y/N one seems to like you. You should make the most out of it." She said in a sassy tone. "You really should be telling me to stay away from him. Not telling me to stick with him and fall in love." You said narrowing your eyes at her. "Aish you dob't understand. Just trust me okay! I think he is a decent gangster if he is one." Minsu argued pouting. "Okay fine. But for God's sake! I don't even know what to wear. Just then a call came to you phone. You looked at the screen and realized it was saved as "Sangyeon". 'of course he went through my phone and saved his number.' you internally grumbled. You picked up the call. "What is it?" You asked in a cold tone. "Awww why so cold babygirl? Speak to me a little softly will you." He says in a teasing tone making you grumble. "What ever mister! Why did you called anyway?" You asked huffing.

A chuckle escaped his mouth. "Check your closet if you haven't babygirl. I left something for you. A red box. You will like it trust me." He said. Your eyes widened at his words. "You went through my closet?!!!" You asked raising your voice. "Oh don't worry baby I like your little cute panties." He said and you almost wanted to dig a hole in the ground and crawl inside it. "GOOD BYE!" You literally screamed as you ended the call. You could almost see him laugh at your reaction. "So did loverboy called?" Minsu asked with her brows raised, a teasing smile present. "Don't even ask. HE SAW MY PANTIES!" You whisper yelled making me choking sound. Minsu burst out laughing. "Oh my god this is peak comedy." She states as she doubled over laughing. "I hate you! Don't laugh at my misery." You whined. You pout as you walked towards your closet opening it. And just like Sangyeon had said there was a red box. "Did he left that for you? My lord the guys seems to be courting you or something." Minsu squeals. You put it down on the bed and lofted off the lid of the box. You froze in awe as you saw the things inside the box. A beautiful dress was placed in it. A beautiful set of necklace and earring. A ring. And was that a tiara. "Y/N WHAT THE FUCK?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM THAT HE GOT SO WIPPED ENOUGH TO SEND YOU THIS!" Minsu squealed excitedly as you tried to tell her to not be too loud.

"He didn't even gave me a choice! I am not even sure what kind of party is this. And just what I am supposed to expect from it. I am so frustrated." You said whimpering. "You will be fine! I am sure your gangster boyfriend will protect you." Minsu says giggling. "He is not my boyfriend. I don't even know if he is actually a gangster or some secret agent." You mumbled. "Don't think too much and get on with this plan okay. You will be safe." Minsu says. In your opinion she sounds too trusting. As if she is related to gangs and knows some are not actually that bad. "Are you dating a gangster or what?" you blurted out not being able to hold back the questions. Minsu flushes. "Aye Younghoon is.. well I am not even gonna try lying anymore. He is actually in a gang." She says. You gasp. "And you hid all this from me? Your best friend. Damn I feel so betrayed." You said dramatically putting your hand over your chest. She smacks your arm. "I didn't wanted to freak you out. And honestly. I know Sangyeon. Well not exactly. Last night Younghoon told me that their leader, Sangyeon, got shot and some mysterious girl helped him. And when you told me about how you saved a guy with a gunshot wound I just connected the dots. I am disappointed in you that you are not careful at all. I am thankful that it was Sangyeon and not someone else." Minsu says. You nods. Of course you yourself knew that you tended to be a bit careless.

"So you know about their gang?" You asked. "Yeah. I haven't met all of them. After all I am not a part of their gang. At least not officially. So far I have met four of them. Haknyeon, Hyunjae, Juyeon and Sangyeon. I met sangyeon only briefly but he seemed like a nice guy." Minsu says. "What will happen if you end up marrying Younghoon?" You asked curious. "Well I will officially become a part of the gang. To be honest I wouldn't mind that." Minsu says shrugging. You gulped. "I am nervous." You admitted. "Don't worry Y/N. As far as I know Sangyeon won't harm you. Or do anything that will make you uncomfortable. He is a respectable man. He has a sister and a nephew too if you ever wondered." Minsu says. "Do you perhaps know what kind of party he is taking me to?" You asked. "I don't know for sure Y/N. He handles a company which is legal. He hides his gang works behind that company. And you are not someone who knows much about gang life and shit. So what I can say is that the party might be something related to his company." Minsu says.

"There will be so many rich people then? God I hate rich people." You groaned which was kinda the truth. Most of the rich people show off a lot and you hated it. "Well you will survive after all you will have Sangyeon with you." Minsu says wriggling her eyebrows making you blush. "Oh shut up." You grumbled holding your face. "Anyway. I will get going now. Good luck with the party tomorrow. You don't need to come to the cafe. Enjoy your cinderella like moments honey." She says in a teasing tone. After seeing her off you went back to your room. Your eyes falling on the red box which had the jewelery and the dress. 'They looks so expensive.' You internally whined. You went to put them back inside the closet and went to the kitchen so that you can make something to eat. After you were done eating you went to continue writing your assignments after all you can't just leave them be. You will worry about Sangyeon and the party later for now you had an assignment to focus on.

Previous Chapter || Next Chapter

Hi ^^ sorry for taking so long to update this chapter. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for all the support you guys have shown! Love you all ❤

Please don't forget to write and reblog! And stay tuned for the next chapter! I love you all. Buiii 💙

[liliesoftherain]

My Hero Academia Main 3 Boys x Reader Ch.2 Battle of Heroes vs Villains

Pt. 1

Here’s part 2! Sorry for any mistakes, I hope you enjoy!

-*-*-*-*-*-

The next day at school you felt better than ever. Even though you had to sit through regular core classes like any other high school, it was still amazing to you. You were learning from Pro Heroes. How could that get any better? 

When lunch rolls around you're shocked to find Lunch Rush, the Cook Hero making the food. You sit next to the friends you made yesterday, and get to know them a lot better while digging into the amazing food that has been served. Then came your favorite part of the day. 

During your afternoon classes is when things finally were turned up a notch. You were sitting in your desk for your Hero Basic Training to start, when a loud and booming voice came through the door.

"I AM HERE!" Everyone turned their heads to the door, eyes wide. You were amazed, you've heard that the one and only Number One Pro Hero was teaching at the school, but you never would've thought he'd be teaching you first years!

"Coming through the door like a hero!" AllMight yelled, his grin from ear to ear as always. 

"So he is a teacher!" Kirishima stuck a fist in the air, he turned to you with a wide smile.

"This year is going to be awesome!" All you could do was nod back, too excited to speak. 

You noticed he was wearing an old classic costume of his, and only smiled larger when Tsu- is what she wanted everyone to call her, pointed it out as well. 

"Consider this class as Hero 101! This is your most important class, and you'll be learning the basics of becoming a pro! As well as what it truly means to fight in the name of good."

He turns around, looking like he was grabbing something from behind the desk, before turning back around and presented what he had. A card with giant block letters spelling out  'BATTLE' was shown. 

"Fight training!" You heard Bakugou shout out, his voice sounding less nasty and more like he was having a good time? Well, he did seem like the guy to have a great time bashing heads together. You shake your head and focused back to AllMight. 

"One of the keys to being a hero issss.. LOOKING GOOD!" He pointed over towards the wall, where a bunch of suitcases lined up with a number representing each student. These had to be your hero costumes!

"These were made with the designs you guys had turned in with all that enrollment paperwork!" You tried not to let it show but you were really curious on how they made your costume look. 

You suited up with AllMights  directions, ready to see what will be happening at training ground Beta. You walked outside the locker rooms to see Bakugou walking out as well. His costume was, pretty extreme. But, you had to admit it really suited his personality. You had to stifle a laugh at the gauntlets, but you didn't do a good job when he turned his head in your direction.

"You got something to say you fucking glow worm."

 Your eyebrow raised at the name, trying to figure out why he was calling you a glow worm of all things. Then you realized, you tend to glow when you try to make your body into Photons to act as light. So you smirked light while crossing your arms, giving him a sassy retort back.

"Uh glow worm? C'mon Bakugou I'm sure you can do better than that."  He huffed at you, eyes narrowing. He seemed to actually be thinking of another name, and although you didn't like the fact he had to call you a nickname, it was still nice to not be called a shitty extra, as he so liked to call everyone.

"Tsk, stop wasting my time glitter bomb." With that he walked away to the training ground.

"Glitter bomb?" You muttered to yourself, following him. That was really any better, you almost preferred glow worm. 

. At least glitter bomb was much cuter, and even if he said it with a nasty frown, hopefully he didn't think too badly of you. You walked out with everyone else following behind you, hearing AllMight yelling about how now you have to think of yourselves as heroes in training. Ah, you liked the sound of that. 

"You all look so cool! You bunch of newbies!" AllMight laughed as soon as you all were standing in front of him. You took the time to look around and you had to agree, you all looked really amazing. However you noticed Deku's costume and you actually had to let out a laugh. It was kind of cute of him in his fanboy costume. It looked not as nicely made as the others costumes, so maybe it was a gift. Still, it was a nice sight to see. You saw AllMights face when he realized the same thing, causing you to laugh again.

"What's so funny huh (y/n)?" You looked to Kirishima and shrugged, slyly looking towards where Deku was talking to Ochaco. 

"Tsk, a second rate suit for a second rate nobody." You hear Bakugou grumble under his breath, and you meet his eyes. 

"You know it's kinda cute how simple it is, and the fact it's supposed to resemble AllMight." You swear you saw a vein pop out of his head.

"Shut up stupid glow worm!" Kirishima looked between the both of you, confusion painted on his face.

"Glow worm..?" You ignored him for the moment, still looking at Bakugou.

"What happened to glitter bomb?" 

"I SAID SHUT UP!" He briskly walked towards the front of the class, leaving you and Kirishima towards the back. 

"UH? Glow worm? Glitter bomb? I'm so confused." You pat his arm with a smile, choosing to say nothing once more before looking back at your instructor. 

"Now that your ready, it's time for combat training!" 

"SIR!" Iida called out, he was decked out in a full body suit of armor. "This is the fake city from the entrance exam, does that mean we'll be conducting urban battles again?"

Give it to Iida about going above and beyond with asking questions. You admired his high sense of authority, and couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Your father acted like this every day, having to deal with sidekicks and his own crew, making the most tactful choices and asking all the right questions. You hands clenched at your side. You had to step it up if you were one day going to be as great of a Pro Hero as he was.

"Not exactly!" Replied AllMight, holding up a peace sign with his fingers. 

"I'm going to get you two steps ahead!" AllMight begins to talk about hero vs villain fights happen outside, but things can always take place indoors. He went on giving examples of backroom deals and home invasions. You mentally agreed that the most shadiest stuff was always going on inside, somewhere that was more private to the public eye. 

"This training exercise will be split between the heroes and the villains., and pin you up against each other."

"Isn't this pretty advanced for us?" Tsu asked, her brows furrowing as she thought.

"Think of it this way, the best way to learn is through experience! Plus you won't be dealing with robots, you'll be dealing with actual people now. 

"Sir will you be deciding who wins?" Momo asks.

"How much can we hurt the other team?" Of course the one to ask that was no one other than Bakugou.

"Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled?" Ochaco was nervous when she asked, you saw her almost shaking in worry.

"Will you be splitting us up on chance or skill?" The ever so thoughtful Iida asked.

"How exactly will we be able to win?" You asked, "What's the goal of the exercise?"

"Is the cape amazing?"

With all the questions being asked, AllMight looked far too overwhelmed. This guy dealt with villains all the time, you'd think he can handle a few kids.

"I wasn't finished. LISTEN UP," He pulls out a script.

"The situation is the villains have hidden a nuclear weapon somewhere in the 5 story building. The heroes must stop them and their plans! You have two ways to complete the job, either catch the villains, or recover the weapon! Likewise the villains have a chance to win if they protect their weapon or capture the heroes. There's a time limit so here, we will choose teams by drawing lots!"

"Why lots? Can't we decide teams based off of quirks? Wouldn't that be more practical?" Iida asked. You looked up at him from where you stood and spoke up.

"It's easy to believe that when fighting villains you'll be able to team up with people you know. But that really isn't the case." 

Deku smiled at you, nodding quickly to agree.

"Yea Iida think about it, most heroes don't have a choice for who they are partnered up with for cases. That's probably why we're learning it like this!"

"Yea you guys are right, life is not a straight line. Excuse my rudeness." Iida bowed at AllMight, who just turned and waved him off.

"Don't worry about it, let's draw!"

You all walked up and picked papers out of the box, you were team A. You looked at Kirishima who only shrugged.

"Sorry man, guess we aren't together on this." 

"U-uh hey (y/n)! I think we're partners!" You saw Deku smile at you, and you grinned back.

"Hey there Midoriya, sounds like a plan!" He nodded shyly and rubbed the back of his head.

"You can call me Izuku if you want. Not that you have to, I just know that everyone has been calling by your first name so I figured since I'm calling you by your first name you'll want to call me by my first name, or even just to have it even so we can call each other by our names. But maybe you don't feel comfortable and are only going to do it out of obligation-" Deku was talking a mile per minute and you had to get your thoughts together before you could shut him up.

"Izuku chill out, I don't mind. I prefer calling everyone by their first names. To me it makes us all closer don't you think?" You smiled, to show him you were serious. He was blushing, probably because all that talking made him out of breath. Before nodding again eagerly.

"Y-yeah of course!" 

"I declare the first team to fight will beeeee..." AllMight trails off, digging his hands into both boxes labeled 'Hero' and 'Villain'.

"These guys!" 

He held up an A ball and D ball.

"Hey looks like we're up first Izuku, isn't this going to be fun-Izuku?" You looked at him with a grin before it faded at his shocked expression. You saw why once you felt a glare towards your team. Bakugou was frowning, murderous intent in his red eyes. 

"Everyone else, head to the monitoring room! A team you're our heroes, D team, the Villains!" You watched the class walk on, still looking at the glaring Bakugou and shy Midoriya. You gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, and he glanced over to you. 

"We got this." He smiled stiffly, his eyes hardening in determination and his fists squeezed together. He stared straight back at Bakugou, which caused the other to jolt back in surprise. He must've never seen him like this before you thought. 

Bakugou practically growled at the two of you with an intense look. Which was only cut off by AllMight telling the bad guys to get settled inside the building. So Iida and Bakugou headed inside, while you and Midoriya stayed out. You were given a layout of the building, and you stared at it trying to formulate a plan. 

"It's a lot to take in, but it's better than going in blind. Most Pro Heroes don't get the luxury of knowledge." You say while looking over the paper, trying to drink in all the details you could.

"So we can relax just a little-ah geez Izuku you're practically sweating through your costume." You snicker while glancing at the boy next to you. He looked terrible nervous, none of that determination from earlier when looking at Bakugou had stuck apparently. 

"Uh well, it's um," He bit his lip looking away, you felt your stomach churn, This kid was like a chihuahua, he was going to come right out of his red sneakers. "We're just going up against Kachan, and there's Iida too. We just really need to stay on our guard." You hummed in agreement.

"Bakugou, you have a funny nickname for him too, huh? Yea seems like he likes those." You chuckle, remembering the stupid ones he called you, and that he calls Izuku, Deku. 

"What's up with you two anyway? He's always glaring at you. Well, even harsher than he glares at everything else."

"Uh, it's a long story.. But, I just know we have to be careful because he's really amazing. He can be a real pain sure, but he has strength, ambition, and confidence. Plus his quirk is so much better than mine. But that just means I have to try harder than ever. I refuse to lose today." He glares up at the building, popping his mask on. His shaking has stopped, and you felt yourself smile.

"So I see, it's a battle we can't afford to lose." He looked at you, blush back and shakes returning. Oh man, this kid has some mixed emotions.

"You don't need to try so hard for me! I can't get you mixed in my fight!"

You take a hold of one of his outstretched hands. Giving him a bright smile. His cheeks went darker as he stared at your hand in his.

"It's not just for you. I want to win too. Plus, we are a team. No way in hell am I letting us lose today, you can count on me Izuku."

"Yeah!" 

"Alright! Let's begin, team A enter the building! The clock starts now!" AllMights voice sounds from the intercom, you give Deku a nod as you both race inside. You both crept in through a window, carefully walking around corners. You both fixed your ear pieces, making sure your contact stayed on. You felt energy swirling in you, an adrenaline rush coursing through your veins. You let Deku lead the way, guarding his back, and he looked around corners. You two were silent and stealthily. 

You wondered if both of the boys would both be waiting for you in the room where the weapon was, sure Bakugou may have been a hothead but surely he was smart and tactful. Along with Iida, you were sure he had a plan at the very least. You both paused before coming up to your next corner, moving onward. You heard a slight movement and you held Izuku back, signalling him to be quiet. But it was too late, Bakugou was jumping from a hallway that you both hadn't seen before hand, aiming a punch directly at Deku. You held onto him as you jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding a full on punch. Smoke went everywhere, and you fell straight on top of Izuku. 

"You good Izuku?" You questioned, jumping off of him and getting back on your feet. You missed the blush he had when you were pressed against him, but he shook it off. Going back to the battle in front of him.

"Yea I'm good." You looked down and saw no blood on his face even though his mask had been torn off along the left side.

"Good, it was just your mask." The smoked cleared as Bakugou smirked towards Izuku.

"What's wrong Deku, afraid to fight me yourself?" 

"I knew you'd come for me first." Izuku gritted out, standing beside you. You looked between both boys, your hands starting to glow with your light. You willed the light to change it's formula as you let it harden over your wrists. The light burned you, but over many years of trying to perfect  your quirk made you numb to the pain, as well as the gloves you wore really helped with it. 

"Sneak attack, very villain like Bakugou. " You said while you jumped up and swung, missing him by a thread as he tried to counter with a kick to your torso. You dodged it last second, landing behind him. Using your quirk like how you did during the long jump, you shot out a few light rays, solidifying them to give you a boost. You went to give a roundhouse kick but ended up missing again. Bakugou was able to grab your wrist and toss you to the side, close to the ground by Izuku. You spun yourself last second landing on your feet crouching to stop your momentum with your hand. You were able to lessen the damage of what would've happened if your back had taken the fall.

"Stay out of my way shitty glitter bomb. I'm not here for you." He glared at Deku, charging forward.

"I want to hurt you so bad, they're going to have to stop the fight!" Before you could run towards him, Izuku sprinted past you, and grabbed his right arm last second as if he knew that'd be his first move. You were as shocked as Bakugou looked when Izuku managed to flip him over and land him on his backside with a painfully loud thud. You saw spit fly out of Bakugou's mouth and you wondered how much force Deku actually put into that throw. 

Izuku was breathing deeply as he spilled his secret.

"Kaachan, you always use a big right hook when you start a fight." You looked over at Deku, was he seriously that in tune with his surroundings and the people in it? How observant was this guy?

"I know because I've watched you for years! I've analyzed every amazing hero, that includes you. Everything was in the notebook you burned and tossed out the window." He stood up tall, fear in his eyes but body held up with something much stronger than that.

"You can call me Deku, but I'm not the same hopeless kid anymore! You understand? I've changed, for now on, Deku is the name of a hero!" You grinned, a part of you felt happy that Izuku was overcoming any obstacles. It seems these two had a rough past, one you didn't want to get into or get in the middle of, but that didn't mean you couldn't feel proud for someone standing up for themselves.

You quickly realized that if you left now to go obtain the bomb more than likely Bakugou would not follow you. His fight was 100% with Izuku and you were just someone in the way of that. But if you left him here with Bakugou, with Izuku's quirk the way it was he had no chance of really doing anything to him. Bakugou may have been surprised and taken down by that sneak attack, but there was no way he'd be able to keep that up. Bakugou would overcome that in an instant.

"Deku.." Bakugou huffed, his anger rising faster than you've ever seen it. "You're shaking in your boots you're so scared. Why do you always insist on fighting me.. THAT’S WHY I HATE YOU!" 

You saw the blue light from Bakugou’s earpiece go off, before he yelled back in it for Iida to shut up and defend the weapon. You realized if you were going to go, you would have to go now. You made eye contact with Midoriya who nodded in your direction. Seems that great minds think alike.

"(y/n) hurry go!" You cast a beam of light, aiming for Bakugou's  eyes as he used his quirk to push himself forward towards Deku, before running off. Bakugou snarled as that caused him to miss kicking out Izuku's legs and hitting his arm instead, giving him a slight advantage.

" FUCK!That was fucking too bright, that shitty girl. Ballsy move Deku. You think you're so tough trying to take me on without that STUPID GLOW WORMS HELP!" 

That was the last you heard of their battle before you dashed away. You were trying to locate the bomb and Iida who was with it. You knew at least he was taking this seriously, and you really needed a plan before you found him. You knew you were safe from Bakugou, the guy must've been working alone, which you're sure put Iida in a sour mood. He's going to try to make up for his missing partner and be an even bigger pain in your ass.

You heard shuffling from one of the rooms, and you knew this must have been it. You hid behind a pillar, taking a quick glance and saw Iida talking to himself. Hearing him mutter about villainy things. You tried not to make any noise as you snuck around, pillar after pillar. Hoping to make this a quick and easy mission, to make sure Bakugou didn't hurt Izuku more than he had to.

You unfortunately misinterpreted a move and Iida spotted you from the corner of his eye.

"Ah (y/n)! There you are, I knew you would be here alone Bakugou ran off to engage in a battle with Midoriya. Your quirk has to deal with sunlight right? Well I made sure you wouldn't get any of it, seeing as I blocked off the windows allowing no light to shine through! Muawhahah! What are you going to do now you hero scum!" You glanced around saw all the impressive ways he blocked the sunlight from entering. 

"Sorry to burst your bubble, villain! I don't need direct sunlight all the time!" You sent off a ray of light, blinding him just like you did with Bakugou, before running off behind another pillar. 

You couldn't make a run for the weapon, Iida was faster than you when you weren't using your quirk, and since there was no water nearby you couldn't afford overheating yourself too early in the game, you'd be defenseless for a while until you were able to cool yourself down. You held your earpiece and contacted your partner.

"Izuku, are you alright?"  The piece crackled as he responded.

"I'm here, what's wrong."

"Right now nothing bad, Iida spotted me before I could reach the weapon, and he blocked off any light. I may be able to outrun him but if it doesn't work I'm down for the count. Even with my suit built for me I doubt it'll cool me down in time to continue the fight before I get caught."

"I understand, where are you at?"

"Near the middle of the top floor."

"You're right above me, hang tight. We probably don't have much time. We can't give up yet. Keep him distracted, I'll tell you when."

"Roger. I'm counting on you Izuku." 

You didn't hear anything back, so you got to work, You kept making small bursts of light come off your hands, dodging from one pillar to the next. Even without his sight, he was able to find you and take swings. You dodged them all, rolling and ducking away. Till a giant explosion had the whole building rattling, you looked at Iida, shock on your face, and while he was wearing a mask, you assumed he had the same expression when he asked you what the hell was that.

You bit your lip, praying Izuku was alright, things weren't going well based on the current position. Iida got side tracked, trying to contact Bakugou through his own earpiece.

"Bakugou! Come in, did you cause that blast!" You were going to take advantage of his distraction. You willed your light to travel to your feet and you took off, simultaneously making your light from regular beams to solids, back to rays again. Giving you an added boost. It was terribly difficult, and you were focusing on making sure you didn't mess up. Your feet burned but you kept going, the sweat never reaching your eyes as your mask caught it all. Your body was overheating itself but you couldn't afford to stop now!

However, Iida was too fast, and used his engines to burst his speed and move the bomb towards the other side of the room. You were able to stop yourself right before you ran into the wall, turning around and shooting a glare.

"Nice try, but you're no match for my speed the way you are now. I'm sure the fact that there is no light is causing you to use whatever kind of storage you have, meaning if you keep this up you'll be drained. So I can easily keep this weapon out of your grasp until you run out, or the time does! Muahahah." You huff, teeth grinding as he actually got that part of your quirk right.

You never remember telling him how the ins and outs of your quirk was, and you briefly explained it to Kirishima and the others when you ran the race, so all he knew was from that conversation. Even then, that was very brief and you didn't go into details. All you could do was bluff.

"You're smart, I'll give you that. But you're completely wrong about my quirk. I can keep going, can you?" You threw another beam dashing around trying to get to the other side of the room, but Iida knew how to keep you at bay, moving it back to another position across the room. You clench your hands into fists, willing the light around them. You threw punches, anything to try to get him away from the weapon, even if you couldn't reach it, he wasn't able to move it. You heard your earpiece crackle, and Izuku's voice come through.

"(y/n) what's the situation, you okay?"

"Not looking too good, I can't get close to him or past him. He's too fast for me right now."

You didn't hear his reply, but AllMights voice rang throughout the area.

"Bakugou, use that stored up power again and not only I will stop this fight, but your team will lose. " You glanced at Iida, taking this time to give yourself a break. You were heavily overheating, and you could feel your suit work to try to cool you down, but it wasn't enough. At least not for what you have planned. You needed the rest of your strength if this was going to work. 

"To employ such a strong attack indoors is inviting the destruction of the stronghold you should be protecting! That's a poor strategy, whether you're a hero or a villain. The penalty is a massive loss of points resulting in your loss." 

"Get to the pillar by the window, get there now and stay out of the middle."

You smiled. This will finally be over, you both were going to win. You dashed there, ignoring the strange look from Iida.

"Running away are we? No matter, time is up soon anyways! Attack from long range all you'd like!" He shouted after you, and you used smaller light blasts to try to let him think you were still trying to do long range. 

You felt the ground rumble and you knew this must of been it, you heard him shout your name.

"(Y/N) GO NOW!"

"Roger!" You shouted back, charging up your energy, feeling yourself break down and start to glow. You grew hotter by the second and felt the building shake even worse than it did for Bakugou. The windows shattered and you felt light poor in, which help you out even more now that you can replenish your energy. The ground in the middle split off and a beam fell which allowed you to use it as a pathway.

You charged up and sprinted, reaching the weapon before Iida could even get his bearings in order. He was so focused on not getting blown away by Izuku's blast. You ended up hugging the base of the weapon, almost knocking it over with how fast you were going. You let out a sigh of relief, but also a groan of pain when you felt how hot your body was an the air surrounding you. Your suit was going into overdrive, and you're lucky you didn't have to continue fighting, you were drained.

"NO! THE WEAPON!" Iida yelled, upset he had lost. 

"The hero team, WIIIINS!" You heard AllMight's shout. "Your indoor combat training is over."

You fell from the bomb and landed on your behind, steam coming off of you and mixing with the clouds from the destroyed building. Iida rushed to your side, trying to stroke your back but you were too hot, even with his gloves. He immediately pulled away. He was surprised you weren't melting through the floor at this very moment.

"Are you alright?" You nodded weakly, trying to breathe in large amounts of air in hopes you'll cool down faster. Iida began to fan you, hoping something would help. 

When you were able to stand after cooling down a bit, Iida helped you to the bottom. You both walked back to the examination room to see how well you did. You looked around for Deku but you couldn't find him. 

"Do not worry miss Hakamata, young Midoriya is with Recovery Girl, getting his wounds healed. 

You only nodded in response, still slightly out of it but getting better. While there wasn't any more steam, you were hot to the touch, like accidentally touching a cooling stove. Not terrible but still painful.

"Despite the winners here today, I can say that both sides have done amazingly. Miss Hakamata and young Iida have proven themselves to be co-winners in the battle!"

You both looked at AllMight in shock, not understanding how you both could have won.

"Shouldn't there be only one winner? Like just (y/n), since she was one of the winners?" Tsu asked, her tongue flopping out of her mouth as her head tilted. 

"Valid question! Who can take a guess as to why it was the both of them?"

Momo raises her hand.

"Sir, I can tell you exactly why. Iida embraced this challenge wholeheartedly, and thought logically as the villain. Taking steps to ensure his enemy's defeat, like by blocking all the sunlight in the room to weaken his opponent. He adapted to his assigned role perfectly. While Hakamata was very quick thinking, knowing that she couldn't use her trump card so early on, and sticking to dodging and smaller attacks to watch out for not only the missile, but even the villain. As heroes, we should always aim to immobilize not kill. To look for the perfect opportunity in any situation and that's exactly what she did." You felt proud that someone saw what you were trying to do, and even a bit bashful getting this praise.

"While Bakugou had his judgement clouded due to a personal grudge, he had no care for what was around him, causing him to let off a large scale attack that would have been bad if the missile were real. Villain or not he should always put the plan first. While the same thing goes for Midoriya, while his plan gave his team the edge it needed to complete the mission, it was poorly thought out and could've- did, render himself helpless, which helped no one considering Bakugou was still on the loose."

You could see the praise getting to Iida from where you stood, he was on the left side of Bakugou while you sandwiched him in on the right. You flushed lightly, looking away from the eyes of your peers. AllMight looked to be shaking as Momo finished her rant, coughing before continuing.

"well uh yes, you missed a few things such as young Iida could have relaxed a bit, and Miss Hakamata should have been more open to using her move if it would've meant less damage in the future. However, good job! You nailed it! Let's move on to the next battle."

You looked at Bakugou and saw the look on his face. It worried you to see him look so devoid of emotion. You looked away, not wanting to start any more problems and focused on the next students beginning their match.

You couldn't help but let out a gasp, you were amazed at the brute strength this Shoto Todoroki had. He made the entire place freeze over, making sure his partner was safe outside. The sheer amount of power had you taken a back. You could feel the cold all the way from the room you were all in, and it caused your body temp to drop instantly, the temp regulating it out.

"Wow.." You whisper out, still somehow standing next to Bakugou even though the  class moved closer to the screen. 

"This guy is insane." You finished, noticing the others, even AllMight shivering in front of you. This guy was one of four to get in on recommendation alone.

‘Incredible.’ You thought. 

The rest of the matches seems to go by just as fast, you realized a lot of classmates had powerful and useful quirks, but your mind was still on the 3 boys who, in your opinion, out shined them all. 

You cheered on Kirishima and Sero as they fought bravely. Even Mina as she burned holes into the flashy kids cape. You couldn't remember his name.

It was finally all over, and AllMight congratulated you all.

"We had no major injuries, accept for young Midoriya. You should be proud, that was excellent training from you all."

He took his exit as said he was going to check on Izuku, rushing away and leaving the students buzzing with excitement. You all returned to change out of your hero outfits, and went back to class to collect your stuff for the next class. 

"(y/n) you were badass! I wish my quirk was flashy like yours!"

"Thanks Eijirio!" You slapped his arm playfully, "You're quirk is pretty good too. I wish I had it! I could fall and not get hurt? Yes please!" 

You all settled down as the next part of your afternoon classes began, your thoughts circling back to how Izuku was fairing. To be honest you weren't sure if you'd be allowed to go see him if he still wasn't back by the end of the day, but you decided it's fine. You were partners after all. 

Before you could go once classes had ended. Eijiro, along with Sero, Kaminari, and Mina kept you behind to chat. You figured a few minutes wouldn't hurt so you let yourself go in the laughter and happiness that swirled around you. Your head snapped towards the door once you heard it open, Kirishima beating you to the punch of saying hi.

"Hey it's Midoriya! Good to see you! I don't know what you were saying during that match but you were all fired up huh!"

"I can't believe you held your own against Bakugou!" Sero pitched in, "He's super strong!"

"Glad to see you still in one piece partner!" You grinned at his overwhelmed expression as he started rubbing the back of his head with his uninjured hand. The other being in a cast and sling.

"You really went all out didn't you." You hummed while poking the sling, grinning up at him. "We made a badass team yanno, you were pretty good too I guess." He laughed, nodding in agreement,

"We sure did, we won thanks to you." 

You saw his cheeks heat up in embarrassment as others, including yourself, told him he played a big part in that win. Everyone introduced themselves to him and you could see his eyes swirl with so much going on. You ll stopped to watch Iida go berserk over another student putting his feet on his desk, and failing to get him to listen. 

Denki also walked in at that moment, along with Ochaco, holding books for the class. She blushed slightly, before excusing herself and running over to join the group. Izuku brushed her off in a nice way, letting her know he's fine and there's no need for any worrying. he glanced behind you, then looked at you in the eyes, 

"Hery uh (y/n)? Where's Kaachan?" 

"Oh Bakugou? He just left. We tried to make him stay but he really wanted to go." You saw Izuku run out at that very moment, and knew something was going to happen. You wanted to go and be there in support but you knew better than to get involved.

You went to glance out the windows with other students, seeing Bakugou shouting at Izuku. You couldn't tell what was being said, but you saw that Bakugou was in a lot of pain. Maybe he's realizing that he can't win every battle? Who knows, so you ignored it, and shrugged along with everyone else. Packing the books that were brought in and making sure you had all of your other materials before leaving with your newly made group of friends. You saw that AllMight had dragged Midoriya away, you wondered why they always seemed so close. That was really suspicious and you felt uneasy. Was he somehow related to AllMight? They have similar enough quirks, and AllMight, while he tries to hide it, obviously cares about Izuku. 

With that on your mind you waved your friends off once you parted ways at the station, you began to head home. Once there, you did whatever homework you had, mind still reeling on the secret around those two. You made dinner, and left it in the fridge for your father, it seems he was going to be late tonight. You readied yourself for bed. Staring at the ceiling, now thinking about just more than the Number One Hero and his fanboy. You thought back to Bakugou and his face after he lost, and that Todoroki kid with his half-and-half quirk. It was amazing to be surrounded by so many talented people, you really weren't expecting it.

Honestly, you didn't even know what to expect when you first started. It was only the second day and you felt exhausted by all the people, by all the work. But that wasn't going to stop you from reaching your goals. You aim to be as great of a hero as your father, maybe even better. Your goal is to show him you can one day care for him and others, just like he does for everyone around him.

Damn anyone to hell if they were going to get in your way.

[is0gild]

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 16

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 6,227

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

"No joke, you can for real get us the stuff?"

Rayne grinned over at Anna as the three of us walked side by side. "For real. I got a girl on the inside who can hook us up."

Her gaze narrowed dubiously, "Don't play me. I've been friggin' jonesing for a fix since March."

"You know I'm good for it, sweetpea," she slung an arm around her shoulders. "Trust me. My word is my bond, ya dig?"

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I puffed out a heavy sigh and grumbled, "You two are ridiculous."

A scoff from Rayne, "You'll be singing a different tune once that sweet, sweet ambrosia is warming your belly."

Rolling my eyes, I took another quick glance around the food court as we crossed it.

Still no Lea.

Boy couldn't get here fast enough.

Also, boy better hurry, seeing as how there was less than an hour left before my shift started.

My thumb absently rubbed the spot where his phone number still branded my palm as we finished crossing the sea of plastic tables and chairs, coming to a stop in front of the Lucky Cat. Working behind the register today was someone I hadn't seen before. A boy with a bandaid on one cheek and short, choppy brown hair sticking out from beneath the baseball cap he was wearing backwards.

Wait…

I squinted.

…or maybe he was actually a she. Hard to say. They were really quite androgynous, whoever they were.

Rayne smiled at us and held up a finger, indicating for us to just watch and wait. Then she stepped forward, approaching the counter. "Sup, Miharu! We're here to see…" she paused, looking around to make sure there were no eyes on her that shouldn't be, then she hunched forward and lowered her voice to a whisper, "...Spellweaver."

The coffee purveyor of indeterminate gender said nothing for several seconds, just fixed her with a dull stare. "...she's in the back, just a sec," they at last huffed before turning and disappearing through the door behind them.

"Spellweaver…?" Anna arched an eyebrow at Rayne.

She nodded solemnly, "The street name she goes by for all of her shady backdoor dealings."

"Oh good grief," I massaged one temple with my fingertips.

Deciding to steer this conversation towards something a little less silly while we waited for… ugh, Spellweaver to show up, I asked Anna, "So you really have no clue what Mother and Father are planning for this whole weekend family outing thing they're inviting us to?"

"Zip," she popped the P as she shrugged. But then she was crinkling her nose with a frown, "Weaseltown's gonna be there though."

I hugged myself, shuddering. "Thanks, that does not reassure me."

"Relax! Dad's probably just gonna be all, " she gave a lofty sniff, raised her pinkie and deepened her tone in what I had to admit was a pretty good impression of our father, "let's just put this nasty bit of business behind us, bygones and whatnot, chip chip cheerio."

"You are aware he's not British, right?" my eyelids drooped at her. I couldn't resist a tiny grin though and exhaled slowly, "...you really think he'll be that forgiving?"

"Of course! Well... that or he'll be all," up that pinkie went again as she scowled, "how dare you throw your life away like this, young lady, disgracing the family name thusly! I will not stand for it, pish posh!"

"...not helping."

Rayne shushed us as the back door behind the counter swung open again and that Miharu person returned. "Your weirdo friends are here to feed their disgusting habit," they deadpanned, speaking to their coworker that'd also come striding out behind them, presumably none other than the infamous Spellweaver.

Aka Aqua.

I should have guessed.

Gaze darting about again to ensure the coast was still clear, Rayne rapped her knuckles against the countertop, tapping out the beginning of "shave and a haircut." Aqua gave a good natured snort before responding with two knocks herself, delivering the punchline to the tune.

Seriously? What was that supposed to be, some sort of code? This was just getting more absurd by the second.

"What're you ladies in the market for today?" Aqua asked, propping an elbow onto the counter.

"We're here for… the Spice," Rayne put heavy emphasis on the word, giving her a wink that was the very antithesis of subtle. "You still got your super special secret stash?"

"Maybe," she inspected her fingernails, casually bouncing one shoulder. "You know I only stock the primo kind too. But stuff's not easy to come by this time of year. If I did have it, supplies would be getting pretty low. It'll cost ya. You got the munny?"

Anna suddenly pushed forward, grabbing Aqua by the front of her apron and yanking her down to her eye level, "Yeah yeah, you got the goods or what, bitch?!"

"Anna!" I snapped, horrified.

"What?! I was just playing along with the bit!" she defended, immediately releasing her grip.

Aqua gingerly smoothed the wrinkles out of her apron and fixed her crooked visor, "Normally just the munny and a please would suffice."

"Was your sister seriously just about to straight up shank Aqua over some coffee?" a low, amused voice said right next to my ear, making me jump. I spun around, discovering Lea snerking behind me as he straightened back up. Xion and Roxas were with him too, looking dressed to be on the clock shortly.

There was a tiny harrumph from Anna, "Everyone knows you don't get between a white girl and her pumpkin spice latte!"

That's right.

That's what this whole foolishness had been over.

Pumpkin frigging spice.

"Three please," Rayne asked sheepishly, handing Aqua the munny and shoving a hefty tip into the jar for good measure. Then she sighed at Anna, "We can't take you anywhere."

"It was a friggin' bit!"

"Hey, so," Roxas piped up, drawing my attention to him as he smirked. Xion bounced on the balls of her feet beside him, looking positively ready to burst with giddiness as Roxas leaned forward, "...are you like our new mommy?"

I blinked, "Wha-?" Then yelped as Xion, apparently no longer able to contain her excitement, threw herself at me with a squeal and squeezed me in a bone crushing hug.

"I'm so happy for you two!" Her death grip tightened and I wheezed, looking to Lea for help. He just grinned wider at me and shrugged. The useless punk. Thankfully, Xion pulled back, seizing me by the shoulders instead. "Tell me everything! How did it happen? When did it happen? Was it love at first sight? Gah, I still can't believe you two kept it a secret for so long and even guilt tripped me over that harmless lil car prank, you jerk!" she punched Lea in the arm, forcing him to hiss out a pained "ow."

Served him right.

The abrupt sound of someone noisily clearing their throat cut through the air. We turned to find a lanky guy with wavy, ash blonde hair down to his shoulders standing nearby, his lavender eyes giving us a pointed look. "Pardon me, if you would…?"

Apparently we were blocking his path to the Lucky Cat register where Miharu was currently stationed at.

"Oh!" realization struck Xion and she hurried out of the way, dragging me with her.

"Thank you," he bowed his head to us before sauntering up to the cash register with a sly grin, "Well well, don't you look absolutely ravishing today, my fiesty little barista of love."

"Bite me, Joshua," Miharu ground out flatly.

"Only if you insist," he purred.

I was distracted from that exchange by a steaming to-go cup suddenly popping up barely an inch in front of my nose, making me stagger back a step. "Here ya go, sweetie!" Rayne chirped from behind the latte she was offering me.

"Thanks," I mumbled as I took it, giving her a tiny and somewhat dazed smile as I struggled to keep up with the whirlwind of activity going on around me. Too many different things were going on at once and it was all just a lot, okay?

"Ah!" Anna sighed loudly and happily after taking a long, deep swig from her pumpkin spiced beverage. "Pure heaven!"

"Amen, sister!" Rayne cried, chugging some of her own. Then she gasped, snagging Anna's arm and gesturing towards the Ice Palace. "Look! Kristoff's on shift! Think you can work your feminine wiles and score us some free sundaes?"

"Ray-Ray, please. You worked your magic, now watch me work mine. Hold my drink." She handed her cup to my roomie, cracked her knuckles and skipped off, singsonging, "Yoohoo, Kristoff!"

That poor boy was about to get played like a fiddle.

Rayne spared a look my way, grinned and elbowed my arm before casting a significant glance towards Lea. "Have fun," she half whispered, half giggled to me before running off after Anna.

"We should probably get going too, Xion. Gotta punch in," Roxas said as he eyed the massive overhead clock on the other end of the food court.

"Aw man," she whined, looking from him to me. "Fine. But you and me? We're gonna talk more later, got it?" she brightened, giving my arm a squeeze before joining Roxas who waved goodbye to us as the two of them walked off towards Pizza Planet.

Lea shook his head with a soft chuckle as he watched them go, saying to me, "Ignore them. The kiddos are just super happy for us lovebirds."

"Oh." I looked down at my to-go cup, fingers fidgeting with the lid. "So you got a chance to talk to them about it."

"Didn't really have to. I think that bit of theatrics between Anna and your crazy uncle the other day spoke for itself. Whole food court's been abuzz." He flashed me a big smile, shrugging, "Face it, El. We're the new hot topic."

"R-really?" I stammered, doing my best to stop the blush I felt creeping up my neck dead in its tracks. I'd nearly forgotten about that whole embarrassing scene. I think I'd been subconsciously trying to block it out, pretend it'd all been a bad dream.

"Don't worry. It'll become old news pretty quick and chatter'll die down."

"I hope so," I frowned, taking a careful sip of my warm latte. I hated being the center of attention and having people talk about me.

"So…" his eyes crinkled as he took a step closer to me now, plucking the cup from my grasp and depositing it onto a nearby table so he could take both my hands in his. Tracing his thumbs in light circles along my knuckles, he murmured, "Hi."

That blush I'd been keeping at bay? Just called in reinforcements and broke through the bloody barricades. "...hi."

His eyes briefly flicked to our right, discreetly calling attention to the fact that Aqua was grinning at us as she prepared a mocha order. Ah, message received. We had an audience. And an audience demanded a show, one which Lea seemed only too glad to put on as he now brought my hands to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on the back of each one. "Didja miss me?"

My stomach flip-flopped. No, scratch that, it was doing goddamn somersaults like a gold medal gymnast on a set of uneven bars at the Olympics. Panicking a little, I hastily looked away and blurted out, "Miss you? Please, I just saw you yesterday. It hasn't even been twenty-four hours yet, I haven't had time to miss you."

What? I didn't know how to do the whole lovey-dovey thing, real, pretend or otherwise! Honestly, I was beginning to think it just wasn't genetically coded into my DNA.

He tsked. "That's not what you were supposed to say."

I gave him some side-eye. "What was I supposed to say?"

"Hm, I dunno… something like," he transferred his grip to my wrists, pulling my hands up to cup his cheeks, "how much you longed to see this gorgeous face again and how you cried yourself to sleep just counting the seconds until you could look upon its beauty once more."

"...I am not saying that."

"Huh," he smirked down at me. "Funny how ya didn't deny it though. Don't worry, we can work our way up to it."

I snorted. "Don't count on it."

A tiny laugh came from the Lucky Cat. With him still holding my hands to his face, we both looked over to see Aqua hiding a smile behind her fingers. She shook her head, "Sorry, pretend I'm not here. You two are just very cute."

I jerked my wrists free of his grasp and opened my mouth to say we most certainly were not. However, Lea was faster with a chipper, "We know!" With that, he picked up my drink once more, slipping his free hand into mine and cooed, "Let's go, shnookums," before walking off with me in tow.

Stumbling a few steps before matching his stride, I glanced back to make sure we were out of earshot. Then I looked at him. "No."

He cocked an eyebrow. "No what?"

My nose scrunched up. "Shnookums."

"Yes, sugarplum?"

I blanched. "No, that's not- I wasn't calling you-" I sighed, recomposing myself. "I was saying no to that pet name. Sugarplum's out too."

Lea pouted, "Aw, but they're classics. You sure you want to keep vetoing all of these? Pretty soon I'll have to start thinking outside the box."

"I'll take my chances."

"Suit yourself, don't say I didn't warn ya though." He then nodded to my cup, lifting it up slightly, "May I?"

"Uh…" I blinked. "...sure, go for it."

He took a sip then abruptly stopped us in the middle of the food court tables. "Shit, that's actually pumpkin spice. I thought your sister was only joking. October is still months away, how'd you guys manage to get your hands on this?"

My mouth pursed to one side. I can't believe I was about to say this. "...I know a gal who knows a gal."

A snerk huffed out through his nostrils. "Aren't you legally required to be wearing a trench coat and in a dark alley to say something like that?"

One corner of my lips twitched up despite myself as I took the latte back from him, "Was fresh out of trench coats."

"Well then, guess we'll just have to settle for this instead," he gripped the bill of my Ice Palace cap, twisting it sideways.

"Hey!" I swatted his hand away and spun my hat forward again. "I've got connections, I'm not a rapper. There's a difference."

"I know. I just really wanted to do that." His hand snaked up again, tweaking my cap to the left now. "Boyfriend privileges. Sorry, I don't make the rules."

Sighing, I straightened it again. "I've given you too much power. You're having way too much fun with this."

"No such thing." He went for the hat yet again but I caught his hand this time, narrowing my eyes at him. He grinned, shifting the hold so our fingers interlocked together instead, causing my heart to give a little flitter.

Then he used his other hand to turn the cap to sit sideways once more.

I drooped my eyelids at him. "I'm going to throw this drink in your face."

"And waste perfectly good pumpkin spice? For shame!" he chided playfully, thankfully having the common decency now to correct my hat back to the way it was supposed to be.

Ugh, this guy. Of all the people Anna could have shoved me into the arms of in front of the Duke on that fateful day, why'd it have to be him? I'm sure she'd only picked the nearest testosterone toting individual who just so happened to be strolling by in that exact moment but jeez, why couldn't it have been, oh I don't even know… Kristoff perhaps? Kristoff would have taken this more seriously. Kristoff I didn't have a maybe sorta crush on. Kristoff wouldn't have had my face toasting every ten stupid seconds. Seriously, I swear Lea had made me blush more in the past several weeks that I'd known him than I'd ever done in the rest of my entire life combined. I'm not sure who that said more about - Lea or my ex.

Shaking my head at him, I prompted, "So you said something yesterday about coming here to do some couple-watching?"

"Oh, right. Almost forgot." Lea glanced about at the shoppers enjoying their meals all around us. "Lessee here, who do we got…?"

"Why not Riku and Rayne? I mean, I live with them and they're in on the secret, I'm sure they'd be happy to coach us or whatever." I began to lift my drink towards my mouth but stopped it a few inches short, staring down at it with a tiny frown.

"Nah, they're not just a couple, they're married. Married is a whole different animal from dating. Trust me, what we're looking for is a cutesy-wootsy boyfriend-girlfriend dynamic duo." He took a break from scanning the area to focus on me once more, noticing the look I was now giving my cup. He quirked an eyebrow, "Problem?"

My eyes flicked to his lips, then returned to my latte. Then back and forth once, twice more.

...oh grow up! It's not like the boy had cooties!

"Not at all," I muttered, hiding my small scowl behind the cup as I finally took a sip, telling myself that the slight warmth I felt in my cheeks was only due to the heat of the beverage, nothing more. "What about them?" I asked hastily, gesturing back towards the Lucky Cat where... Joshua, was it? Was still talking to Miharu. "They're a couple." He was leaning across the countertop with a devilish little smirk, bringing their faces really close. Miharu, on the other hand, looked about ready to grab the nearest banana walnut muffin from their display case and shove it up his nose. I furrowed my brow, "...aren't they?"

He followed my gaze. "Who, them? Those two are… complicated. What they got going on seems to work for them, but it's not exactly the type of Hallmark romance we want to be emulating in front of your folks. No, we want too adorable and precious for this world. We want pure, unadulterated wholesome on a stick. We want cavity-inducing sweetness. We want…" once more, his eyes were darting from one table of mall-goers to the next until at last his face lit up and he pointed, "...them! Perfect!" And off he went again, dragging me with him.

We wove our way past several tables before coming to a halt at one in particular, seated at which was-

"Kairi? Sora?" I blinked at them and they both looked up at the sound of their names.

"Oh, hey guys!" Sora hit us with the full force of that blinding smile of his.

"Hiya!" Lea chirped, pulling out a chair for me. "Mind if we join you two?"

"Please," Kairi nodded enthusiastically, twisting her chopsticks into her chow mein that looked to be from Mushu's Kingdom. "Be our guest!"

I'm sorry, but couple-watching and couple-interacting were two completely different things. This is not what I'd signed up for. Still, I took the seat with only the barest hint of hesitation, feeling Lea push it in behind me before he grabbed the one next to me, spinning it one-eighty on one leg so he could plop down into it backwards.

Eyes dancing, Kairi spoke up again, "So, to what do we owe the pleasure of being joined by the Dusk Town Center's newest It Couple?"

"...It Couple?" I echoed, arching an eyebrow as I put my drink down in front of me, fingers fidgeting with the coffee sleeve.

"Told ya, El!" Lea chuckled, folding his arms atop the table, his elbow coming to rest against mine. "Everyone's talking about us. Can you blame them though? We did have a rather dramatic debut."

"Oh gosh," I smothered my face in my hands.

"Nothing to be embarrassed over, you're fine!" Kairi giggled, then glanced smugly over at Sora. "Plus, I got to tell this loser here that I'd told him so!"

He rolled his eyes, grin never wavering. "Lucky guess. You had no way of knowing they were already dating."

"Woman's intuition," she razzed her tongue at him, tapping her chopsticks to her temple. "It's never wrong."

Welp. It was wrong this time. Lucky for her, Lea and I had a cover to maintain. Good thing too, I don't know if I'd have had the heart to tell her otherwise and burst her bubble.

"Besides," she tacked on, slurping up a noodle, "it's always been plain as day for anyone to see on Lea's face. He has that whole lost puppy look going on whenever she's around."

"I don't have a lost puppy look," Lea scratched the back of his head with a sheepish laugh before glancing my way and insisting, "I don't."

Sora sniggered, "Yeah, Kai, I think that's just the way his dopey face always loo- ow!" That last part was in response to Lea reaching across the table to flick him in the forehead.

Ignoring the boys, Kairi sighed dreamily, "It's all just so sweet! Like some sort of modern day, food court, Shakespearian romance! One from House Pizza, the other from House Ice Cream, two star-crossed lovers defying all odds to be together!"

...okay, why were we here again?

"It's not like we're from two warring families locked in a blood feud." Lea snorted and muttered, "House Ice Cream and House Pizza… what even?"

"Shush, I was being poetic!" Kairi harrumphed before lightly slapping Sora's hand away as he tried to steal some of her chow mein.

Rubbing his sore knuckles, he whined, "Aw c'mon, Kai, all this food talk is making me hungry!"

"You've already eaten twice your weight in orange chicken, you big goob!" she shot back. But when he gave her the saddest pout in the history of all mankind - nay, the history of all existence - her shoulders slumped and she relented, stabbing her chopsticks into the noodles and twirling them, "Fine, open up, doofus."

He immediately perked up and parted his lips wide. Having wrapped a sizable portion around her sticks now, she gently eased it into his awaiting mouth. For all the care she took though, some sauce still managed to get on the corner of his lips as he started to chew. Kairi gave a soft tch and told him, "Hold still." Then she took his chin between her fingers, bent forward and kissed the smudged side of his mouth, leaving it clean by the time she'd pulled back, licking her lips with a tiny smirk.

Sora swallowed his food. "Thanks, bae!" he beamed, bowing his head towards hers and nuzzling the tips of their noses together, eliciting a titter from her.

Oh. Right. That's why we were here.

These two were cavity-inducing alright. I think I was already feeling my teeth begin to rot just by being within a five foot radius of them. Dear lord, I don't think I could ever be like that, especially not where people could see us.

...was Lea suggesting I act this way?

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, watching as he stretched a hand across the table towards Kairi's tray and dipped a finger into some of the excess chow mein sauce on one side of her plate. Lea then proceeded to dab the goo onto his nose, plant his elbow on the table, prop his chin in his palm and lean towards me with a cheshire grin, eyes hooded and eyebrows bouncing.

Apparently, yes. That's exactly what he was suggesting.

I stared blankly at him.

Yeah, no. Not happening, pal.

"Worth a shot," Lea snerked as he reached for a napkin to scrub the smear off with.

Kairi bit back a smile, "D'aww, she's shy! That's adorable!"

"That's my baby! Wouldn't have her any other way!" he tweaked my nose with a wink.

"Oh! I just had a great idea!" Kairi clapped her hands together. "Tomorrow night, Sora and I were gonna go out with Riku and Ray. Nothing fancy, just dinner and a movie. But what if you two joined us as well and turned our double date into a triple? How fun would that be?"

I don't know… dinner and a movie? She was asking a lot of little ol' hermit me. Maybe too much.

Lea looked to me, pressing his shoulder into mine. "How 'bout it, El?"

...well… I guess… for the sake of practice…

I gave the couple across from us a shy smile. "What time were you thinking?"

Taking that as a yes, Kairi cried out in delight. "Awesome! We're all meeting up at six. You can get the deets from your roomies!" She then picked up her phone to check the time. "Crap," she hissed, jumping up to her feet, "gotta run! Selphie's gonna murder me for taking too long on my lunch break!"

"Wait up, I'll walk you back," Sora called, taking the opportunity to snatch up the chopsticks she'd dropped and shovel what was left of the chow mein down his throat faster than should have been humanly possible. Then he grabbed the tray and hopped up as well, cheeks bulging with food as he muffled out, "See ya guys tomorrow!" before taking off after his girlfriend.

"So…?" Lea asked, one side of his mouth turning up as he stole another sip from my pumpkin spice latte.

I gave a small, incredulous laugh, "No. Also? No. No, no, no. No. Did I mention no? Because just in case I didn't… no. And just for good measure: no. So in conclusion? No."

"Pfft," he rubbed a hand over his lips. "Well I understand if they may seem a bit… advanced to you…"

"Advanced?" I scoffed. "Try critical mode. I had no idea such couples existed outside of children's storybooks starring princesses and prince charmings. Do they even know they're in the real world and not some fairytale?"

Lea's head tipped to one side. "...you do realize that was some pretty basic boyfriend-girlfriend stuff… right?"

A crease formed between my eyebrows. "You mean that was normal?"

"Well," he averted his gaze, scratching his cheek, "...all couples vary and do things differently. But I wouldn't say Kairi and Sora are abnormal. There's a lotta couples out there that are just as disgustingly cute as they are, if not more so."

I bit down on my lower lip and hunched forward onto my elbows, clasping my hands in front of my face just beneath my nose. How was it I'd been in a relationship for five years and was just now figuring out that I didn't have the first clue when it came to dating? "...my ex and I were never anything like that. Not even close."

"And that," he struck up a finger, "works out in our favor. After all, you dumped his sorry ass, one, cuz you weren't in love with him and two, to be with yours truly," his fingers splayed across his chest as he grinned, "a hunky dreamboat you are in love with, or so the story goes. Now it shouldn't be too hard to sell that to your folks, given your former beau has set the bar so pathetically low for us."

"But I don't know if I have it in me to…" I trailed off, my hands clenching to each other more tightly. "...if I'm even wired to be such an absolute… googly-eyed, twitterpated… mess like those two were." My insides squirmed at the very idea.

"No problemo!" Lea jabbed a thumb into his collarbone, "I can be enough of a googly-eyed, twitterpated mess for the both of us!" He stiffened, then coughed into his fist, "That is, I mean… ya know, for the sake of appearances. If that'd be okay with you, of course."

He was talking about him being, erm… how had he put it the other day? Ah yes… touchy-feely. My eyes darted to the right. "I suppose… for appearances… as long as I have time to get used to it all and there are no more surprises."

"Speaking of, we never really did get around to going over those PDA guidelines for what gets a green light and what's a big fat no-no."

I stared down at the cup, my finger idly circling the rim of the lid. "...what did you have in mind?"

"Maybe we should start by knocking out the most obvious one." I glanced up at him now, waiting for him to elaborate. His grin faltered almost imperceptibly, "You know, the big K?" I merely quirked an eyebrow at him. Eyes shifting about, Lea cleared his throat, "...kissing?"

"Not on the lips." The words sprung from my mouth faster than I could think them, causing me to clamp a hand over it in embarrassment.

But come on now, my brain had had a full system hard crash when the guy had planted an innocent little peck on just my forehead yesterday! I couldn't even begin to fathom what a real, honest-to-god kiss on the lips might do to me. Let's not forget how poorly I'd handled the Kissident and I hadn't even known the guy yet, much less potentially had feelings for him!

He blinked, then snorted and shook his head at me. "Nah, I'd already figured that would be a total no-go. Which is no biggie, lotsa couples out there aren't comfortable sucking face in front of prying eyes. But uh…" he rubbed at the nape of his neck, "What I have been doing… back of the hand, forehead… pretty much any other exposed bit of skin, that all fair game?"

Gosh, this was a weird conversation to be part of. Not to mention awkward. I could already feel my blush from earlier waiting backstage, eager to make an encore performance. Looking away, I said, "That, uh… y-yeah, okay."

It should be fine.

If I allowed myself to get used to it, of course.

Though that was kind of a big if.

"Okay…" A slow smile was breaking out across his face and he repeated, "Okay, good. Onto the next item of business then: hugs. Yea or nay?"

Jeez, this suddenly felt so official. And yet, slightly silly at the same time somehow. I ventured, "...y-yea?"

"You sure?" his finger tapped the tip of my nose. "You don't sound too confident there."

"No, it'll be fine," I said quickly. With proper mental and emotional fortifying, I hopefully could and would survive this. Hopefully.

"Alright," his eyes crinkled as he studied me for a beat. Then, "What about this?" He reached a hand for where mine lay palm down against the table, his touch grazing along my knuckles before softly tracing down the lengths of my fingers. "...kinda like hand holding, but a lil fancier," he murmured, lifting my hand up so he could brush his fingertips to mine for a few seconds before gently flattening our palms together, lazily weaving and unweaving our fingers. "Something for idle hands to be doing when we're just hanging out. That okay?" he asked, still lightly toying with my fingers.

This had no right to be spiking my heart rate the way it was. Not trusting myself to talk as it would probably come out more of a squeak right now, I settled on a tiny nod.

He smirked as he eased my hand back down to rest atop the table once more. "...and this?" Lea gripped one of my chair legs, pulling me closer to him. Then his arm stretched out past my cheek, reaching behind my head so he could sweep my ponytail forward over my shoulder. There, he wasted no time twisting the end of a lock around one finger, playing with the pale strands of hair. "...yea or nay?" he prompted again somewhat distractedly, green eyes locked on his hand as it slowly ensnared itself further.

Was there less oxygen in the room? I swear there had to be less oxygen. Why else was it getting so hard to breathe all of a sudden? Must be all that damn deforestation going on out in the world. Curse all those big evil corporations and their blatant disregard for the environment!

Licking my dry lips, I nodded again, hesitantly at first, then putting more force behind it. "Mm… mm-hm! T-that should be… sh-shouldn't be a problem." I withdrew my hands into my lap, folding and unfolding them only to fold them again. "After all, we ah… must maintain appearances, of course."

"Of course," his grin twitched wider. "So then, what about this?" Carefully disentangling his fingers, he lifted his hand to tuck my bangs behind my ear as he started to lean forward, his face closing in towards mine.

Conceal, don't feel!

Remember, this? This was just… just an act. We were in the middle of a very busy food court. He was merely putting on a show for the masses. Just playing the role that had been given to him.

...but honestly, did he have to be playing it so goddamn friggin' well?!

I swear I could feel every last drop of blood in my body dogpiling up into my face as he closed the distance. The tip of his nose brushed mine and he shifted over to the right at the last second, positioning his mouth next to my ear. My heart hammered wildly, threatening to punch a hole through my ribcage as he inhaled, preparing to whisper something, his lips grazing against my earlobe and-

"Fwunkle-munkle."

My eyebrows twitched and I blinked.

"Splubbet. Squippo."

...were my eardrums broken?

"Flerple. Mubble-whoomp."

I spluttered and snorted. "What are you even doing?"

Lea pulled back just enough to look me in the eye with a cheeky grin. "What's it look like I'm doing? Whispering sweet nothings into your ear, duh!"

My fingers went to my mouth and I choked back a laugh, "More like sweet nonsense."

"Eh, same diff. Now if you'll excuse me, I wasn't quite finished." He bent towards my ear once more, his voice low and breathy as he continued, "Yuppet. Smoorple."

"Stop, that tickles," I was cracking up now, putting a hand to his chest so I could push him away.

He didn't budge, just moved his own hand to cover mine. "Fleegget-smeegget. Kronkle. Pixie Petal."

That last one caught my notice. "As in the ice cream flavor?"

"Mm-hm!" he straightened up now, exiting my personal bubble and crossing his arms atop the back of his reversed chair. His eyes squinted at me and he pursed his lips in thought. "...but no, that's not your fave either. It's all sparkle, no substance. You need quality. Nothing but the best for you."

Fighting a grin, I shook my head at him, "You think you know me so well."

His face softened a little as he looked at me. "...I think I'm starting to."

My breath hitched.

Oh dear. Remember that maybe sorta crush I had? I think we could now safely drop the "maybe sorta" part of it.

It was official. I'd gone and caught feelings.

For a man who was totally unavailable at the moment. A man who'd made it clear he was only doing this favor for me as a friend.

This was a dangerous game I was playing. And with someone who was much better at the game than I was, especially when you considered that he didn't even know he was playing it.

My eyes shifted about, alighting on everything and anything that wasn't him before finally landing on the food court clock. "Oh!" I took note of the time and shot up to my feet, the chair scraping along the tiled floor as it pushed out. "My shift's starting soon, I need to get going. Tomorrow then? Yeah, I'll text you once I get the specifics from Rayne. Right. So… until then."

I turned to book it but hadn't gotten more than a step before I felt his hand close around my wrist. I glanced back at him to see him standing now as well, a crooked curve to his lips. "Leaving without a proper goodbye? I don't think so."

He then pulled me back towards him, taking hold of my other wrist as well and bringing both my hands up to cup behind his neck. There he left them, moving his arms down to snake around my waist, hugging me tightly against him as he once more bowed his head down next to my ear. His breath was warm, making me shiver slightly as he whispered, "Wear my jacket for our big date tomorrow. For appearances."

Then he tipped my hat up and smooched my forehead before releasing me, shooting me a wink and walking away with a whistle.

Leaving me a blushing mess leaning against a chair for support, feeling just about ready to go supernova and obliterate all buildings within a ten block radius of me.

Oh yeah. I'd caught feelings all right.

And I didn't like it.

How the hell do I get rid of them?!

Author's Note: The whispering sweet nothings bit I wrote is one of my most favorite things ever. And at the same time, I hate it. It's so stupid. And yet, I love it so much xD Also, here, have some silliness with Aqua aka Spellweaver aka Command Style or Best Street Name For Shady Backdoor Deals Ever? You decide! And if you didn't recognize where the name came from that I used for the ice cream flavor this chapter, it's the name of a keyblade - the one you get from clearing Neverland in BBS, to be exact! That's right, I've resorted to keyblade names. I think I picked a few good ones too in the chapters ahead! That's all I use for the ice cream flavors from here on out in the story except for ONE of them, and there's a reason behind that one… which I'll only be too happy to explain when we get to it xD Anyhoo, if you were looking at the ice cream menu board, the description for Pixie Petal would probably go something like: "This lime soft serve in a green cone, garnished with white chocolate wings and gold edible glitter is sure to get you thinking happy thoughts!" Annnnnd side note: in case you're wondering, no, Miharu is not a character that appears in any of the KH games that you may have forgotten about - she's another OC belonging to my beloved bestie who I'm borrowing Rayne from xD She ships Miharu hard with Joshua from KH:DDD (or more specifically, TWEWY) so I just wanted to throw in a brief nod this chapter to that endearingly oddball lil ship!

Next chapter, how will this lil date night go? Will Elsa learn a thing or two about how to act like a sickeningly sweet couple? Now that she for sure knows she is in fact crushing on our dear fire boi, will she be able to keep her cool in front of him? Will Anna be checked into rehab for her unhealthy addiction to white girl pumpkin spice lattes? Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve liked, reblogged, and followed so far, seeing those lil notifications always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

[mathieuberinut]

Discord thread || Mat & Roman

Discord thread featuring: Mat & @romanbeckett

When: 21st December

Where: The Grind

Mentions: @skyking91 @samuelburton

Description: Mat and Roman talk (hint: they don’t get along)

Trigger Warnings: None

Mathieu

If anyone asked him, he did feel a little bad for using Roman to get to Sky. He didn’t particularly care about Sam, never having gotten along with the guy but Roman never really did anything to him. He was just collateral damage in his plan to finally get to Sky. So when they bumped into each other after the mess that was the holiday party, Mat wasn’t sure what to say. Did Roman even know he was the reason why Sky even found out about it all? He was hoping to avoid any interaction with the barista but he should have known that would never work. Especially if he kept getting his coffee from The Grind. “Oh, hey. Um...a chai latte please?”

Roman.

Roman was already exhausted from being up all night, insomnia was a bitch, and he was even more of an anxious mess when it came to calling into work. He lived right above it, so his excuses were kind of out the window unless he was deathly ill. Unfortunately lack of sleep wasn’t a great excuse to use a sick day. Needless to say, the barista was in a sour mood anyway when he looked up to see Mat standing in front of him, making Roman clench his jaw, and write down the man’s order before he turned around to start making it. “Any good gossip lately?” He then asked dryly, a lot more sassy than he normally was to people he didn’t care for. It seemed like a good enough dig anyway, since Mat apparently liked to talk.

Mathieu

Mat’s hopes that the incident wouldn’t be brought up went out the window after Roman’s question and he found himself narrowing his eyes at the other. He should just ignore him and move on with his life after getting his coffee but his inability to let things go was one of his weaknesses. There was no way he could let Roman get the last word. “It depends, have you hooked up with any of your friends’ exes recently?” he asked, raising an eyebrow in challenge. After all, it was true that Mat was the one who talked about it but he didn’t lie.

Roman.

Roman wasn’t a vindictive person. He didn’t hold grudges, and he certainly didn’t talk about them in the middle of public like this. He especially didn’t like showing how things could really effect him, but Mat was being an asshole, and he couldn’t help the way it was making him react. “Excuse me??” He asked in challenge, his face twisted in shock that the man would even say something like that to him here. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, I hope you know that. What I do, or who I hook up with, is none of your bloody business.” He really shouldn’t be doing this at work, but he could feel his blood boiling.

Mathieu

“I really couldn’t care less about who you hook up with.” And he really didn’t. The only reason he even paid attention when he saw the other with Sam was because he knew of the relationship they had with Sky. His ‘girlfriend’ was getting on his nerves so much that he was willing to make use of anything to get her off his back. If he’d seen Roman with anyone else he wouldn’t have even looked twice. “Just a little advice though, if you really don’t want who you hook up with to be anyone else’s business then maybe you shouldn’t do it in the middle of Throuple where everyone can see.” He did feel for Roman in a way. If Sky threw a glass at him for telling her what he saw, Mat couldn’t even begin to imagine what she did to Roman for actually being part of it.

Roman.

Roman wasn’t a violent person at all, but he really did find himself in the mood to punch Mat in the face. He was stepping on all of the actor’s nerves. “You’re an asshole. You know that?” He asked while finishing up the man’s latte, which of course he still made flawlessly, and sat it in front of Mat. “Five eighty nine please.” What an awkward time to ask for money.

Mathieu

Mat had been called an asshole so many times at this point by Sky that having it said by someone different didn’t make much of a difference to him. It did make him see Roman in a new light. Gone was the reluctant attraction to him and instead what Mat was seeing was someone who thought with his dick first than cried over the consequences. “I’ve been told that multiple times by my girlfriend but I feel like she might consider you an ever bigger asshole than me. Which is quite a feat, congratulations”, he snorted. He didn’t even think that the other might find it weird for Sky to think that, considering they were supposed to be in love. Getting out a twenty dollar note, he handed it over and picked up his drink. “Keep the change”, he winked, hoping to irritate the barista further.

Roman.

Roman knew that Sky wasn’t happy with Mat. It didn’t take a genius to see that it was mostly for clout. But still, to hear the way Mathieu was talking, they pretty much hated each other. Why even bother? Clearly sky was in love with someone else. If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t be so kissed about Roman sleeping with her ex. “Things not okay in paradise?” The barista decided to then prod, taking the twenty without protest, because he really could use the tip.

Mathieu

This wasn’t someone he could trust with his ‘secret’, especially since Roman was clearly upset about him telling Sky. “I’d love for you to show me a couple who doesn’t argue occasionally”, he shrugged, going for the cover up story his management had pretty much forced him to learn by heart. “We’re still very much in love though, don’t worry about it.” Until January at least.

Roman.

“Right. I’m sure your only issues are arguments.” Roman replied pointedly, looking at the other male like he was able to read between the lines. Of course, the barista was a lot smarter than he looked anyway. He was able to break down human behavior easily, a gift that helped him develop his own characters while acting. There was so much more to this situation than was being shared, however, it was technically none of his business, though...Mat seemed to be an expert on jumping into situations that weren’t any of his business as well. So. Do with that what you will. “Very much in love, yet vindictive? You had to have a reason for telling the love of your life about what you saw, I would assume, and her reaction doesn’t concern you? Interesting.” Ro muttered allowed, and then looked over towards the front door as it opened. “Anythin’ else I can get for you?”

Mathieu

Mat knew what the barista was hinting at but pretended not to. He was a good actor but not a miracle worker. While he could more or less pretend that he and Sky were together, even he couldn’t make it believable that they were very much in love. At least not after that holiday party. Better to fake obliviousness than to make things worse. “Trust me, her reaction concerns me very much.” Her throwing the glass at him got them both a good talking to the next day so he could have done without. “Let’s put it this way...Sky considered you one of her good friends and yet I saw said good friend getting it on with her ex. I was just helping the girl I have feelings for know her true friends. I would never hook up with a friend’s ex but I guess you don’t feel the same way.” Mat looked behind him, grateful for the distraction. “That’s all, thanks for the drink.”

Roman.

Roman could feel himself getting more, and more upset with every word out of Mat’s mouth. He already felt guilty enough, but having someone who genuinely didn’t know him well enough to be judging him, trying to tell him how bad of a friend he was, it was just a lot. Of course the actor was going to save face, and act like it didn’t phase him, so he simply nodded, and stared the smaller male down until he ultimately left. Transparently though, he was going to cry about this again later. Maybe Mat was right. He was just a shitty friend, and there was nothing he could do to fix it at this point.

[itsme-autumn]

Inner Darkness  |  Part 1

Author: @itsme-autumn Pairing: Jax Teller x OC Warnings: swearing, violence

Jolene, or Ruby now that she was about to be on the clock, tried to give herself her regular pep talk on her drive to work. It was something she had to do since she’s started down this particular career path more than seven years ago. 

Jo? Jo was sassy. She was a woman who could take care of herself. Get shit done. She had always been on her own and she’d always made it work. Jo was smart. Colorful. Fun.

But on her drive to work, she had to let Jolene go. She had to let go of Jo and take on Ruby.

Ruby was much more docile. Ruby loved to please. Ruby would sweet talk a man and become his biggest fantasy. Ruby was bubbly and polite. Maybe she was a bit cheeky or even wild if that’s what he–whoever he was–wanted.

And whenever he was inside her, she was–well, she was no one. She turned herself off completely. She’d gotten so good at it over the years that she didn’t even remember most of her encounters. Only the especially memorable ones. The ones she wished she could erase from her memory permanently.

Walking into the doors of Diosa, Ruby starts to head to the back first to drop off her stuff. Before she gets there, Nero catches sight of her and waves her over.

“Hey, Ruby, how you doin’ mama?” His kind eyes searching hers. 

She smiles through her exhaustion, she can’t help it with Nero. Jo hated this work, hated this life. But in the short time she’d been at Diosa he had been nothing but kind to her, seeming to sincerely care about her well being. That wasn’t a given in this industry, not by a long shot. “I’m okay, Nero, what’s up?” 

“I’ve actually got a special job for you and a few of the girls tonight. A party for a potential business partner. Think you’re up for that?”

She’s had ‘bosses’ in the past that didn’t ask–just pointed to where her ass was supposed to go. And she wouldn’t dare argue. She knew if she really had issue with it, that Nero wouldn’t force her into anything, his sister on the other hand... 

Unfortunately, Jo was in no position to turn down any jobs.

“Yeah, of course. I just need the address and the dress code.” She tries to infuse as much enthusiasm into her voice as possible. 

This was going to be a long ass night.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

“Why the hell are we here so early?” Bri whined. “There are like...kids here.” Her tone disgusted.

Carla rounded on her, Jo was surprised her heels didn’t stick on the floors, the MC clearly didn’t have room in their outlaw budget for a mop. Or air freshener. 

“We are showcasing what Diosa girls have to offer. The difference between us and them.” Carla’s voice was low but venomous as she nodded her head to a couple of girls that were setting up behind the bar.

“Those girls are called croweaters. They’re desperate, classless, and the patches treat them as such. We set a new standard.” Carla took another step towards Bri, eyes boring into hers. “Diosa specializes in women that men can actually bring around town before enjoying them behind closed doors. It’s about presentation. We can be here early with the families and friends of the MC–and not be obvious hookers that the old ladies will immediately throw out. Understand?”

Jo just rolled her eyes. Like anyone would ever take any of them for anything other than whores. It’s like putting lipstick on a pig. 

She tugged on her dress. Horny Biker Chick was the look she was going for per Nero’s classification. Her her dress was simple, but effective: black, strappy, and tight. Paired with black heels smoky makeup, Jo knew she would get the intended attention. That, plus what she already had going for her.

She realized why she was asked to be a part of this exclusive offer tonight. Being chubbier than most of the girls, having tattoos (more than just a butterfly above her ass), and a mop of dark curly hair made her a bit of a required taste.

For some it was a fetish of sorts. Others, usually high caliber business men wanted the antithesis of what they got at home–thin, prim, proper to her thick, blunt, and alternative. 

But badass bikers were right up her alley. Suddenly her desired presence despite Carla leading the group tonight made sense. Any other job and Carla would have made any excuse to exclude Jo–Ruby–like she always tried to do.

Ruby made her way over to the other side of the room, the party was still pretty subdued, most people quietly mingling amongst themselves. The large wall full of framed mugshots caught her eye. She couldn’t help but smirk and roll her eyes as she looked them over. Boys. 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were intimidated.”

You turn to see one of the mugshot models in the flesh. He could totally pass for a model, you think before you can stop yourself. Between the slicked back blonde hair, well kept goatee, and piercing blue eyes, you don’t think you’ve ever seen a biker this pretty. And that smirk he’s giving you is really giving something to you.

“Intimidated? You should see the wall of mugshots in my living room.” Your snarky reply only makes his smirk grow. Sass was always your love language.

That’s when you notice the President patch. Oh shit. 

President of SAMCRO. Jesus Christ. No pressure or anything.

Jax is looking at Ruby expectantly and she now realizes that she’s completely missed what he’s asked her.

“I’m sorry, what?”

His eyes light up at her distracted state. “What’s your name, darlin’?”

“Um, J–Ruby, it’s Ruby.”

“Ruby, I’m-”

“Jax! Why are you wasting your time with her?” Bri is suddenly at Jax’s side, slipping her arm into his. “Trust me, baby, you want someone who knows what they’re doing to take care of you.” She then turns her attention to Ruby. “Ruby, why don’t you go get us some drinks? Better make yours a diet, though, honey.”

Ruby was never one to let a bitch get the last word in, and that was being a bit of a bitch herself. She narrows her eyes and quirks her head. 

“Wow, Bri, I didn’t know you were a nutritionist! Thats so great. And people say your only talent is sucking cock.” Bri’s eyes widen, but Ruby’s not done. “Now you can keep track of how much cum you can swallow before your bony ass gets a shape.”

Ruby hears Jax attempt to stifle a laugh as she walks away. It’s then that she hears a member shout from the door of the clubhouse.

“Jackie! We need ya outside brutha!” the scottman’s tone indicating that it’s urgent.

Jax immediately runs outside, along with a couple of members. Bri shoots daggers at Ruby with her eyes but doesn’t make a move towards her, instead heading to the bar. Smart bony ass bitch.

Wanting some water but not caring to go round two with Bri, Ruby heads to the small kitchen off the main room. Searching the cabinets, she finally grabs a glass and fills it up with the tap water from the sink. Turning around, she leans against the counter and takes a sip. 

How did I get here? 

She shakes her head. No. You can’t do this here. You need to keep your head in the game, Jolene. Get your shit together.

Jo takes a deep breath and sets her glass in the sink. 

All right, let’s do this.

She takes a step out of the kitchen when she hears a scream and tires screeching. She looks around and notices a little blonde boy all alone, no older than two. 

Then she hears gunshots. 

Glass shattering.

More screams.

Absolute chaos.

And the boy is in the middle of all of it. 

No.

Jo makes a run for the boy, dodging other Diosa girls and croweaters in her path. Once she makes it to him, she picks him up and drops to the ground, crouching behind a table. Shots are firing from the outside in, bullets and shattered glass flying everywhere. 

The boy is crying, but remains still underneath Jo, her body caging him in protection. She squeezes her eyes shut and murmurs encouragement to him. She doesn’t even know what she’s saying but she hope it helps. Glass is on the floor, digging into Jo’s arms, but she doesn’t dare move.

After what seems like an eternity, the gunshots stop. The chaos seems to settle down. Distraught cries replace the screams in the disheveled clubhouse.

The main doors burst open, members pouring through, with Jax leading.

“ABEL!”

“ABEL!”

The little boy squirms from Jo’s grasp and moves his little legs as fast they can carry him. “Daddy!” 

Jax spots him and bends down to scoop his son up, holding him close to his chest. Jo makes the connection as she sees the reunion from her position still crouched on the floor.

The last thing Jo sees is Jax peering at her from over the boy’s shoulder before her vision goes black.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

A/N: So this is my first OC story that I’m trying! Hopefully it’s clear that when she’s more herself she’s Jo and when she’s in ‘work’ mode she’s Ruby. Please let me know what you think!

Jax Tag List: (let me know if you’d like to be added/removed!) jenny885, melissataggart87, misssara1981, lokilvrr, innerpaperexpertcloud, alievans007, calirindo, leapingoveroblivion, curly-minnie, coffeebooksandfandom, mrsjaxtellerfan, mrspeacem1nusone

[anciientboosh]

If you're still accepting drabbles, love to see what you can do with #83!

83. "Enough with the sass!" (So this ended up taking a slightly cheekier route than I originally intended, but what can I say, these boys sometimes run a bit rampant in my brain! I also want to severely apologise if the standard is a bit terrible, I'm writing drabbles at 2am because my insomnia holds me hostage. Thank you so much @kateyboosh for the prompt - I had a lot of fun playing with this one!)

It’s a deliciously warm spring morning, birds tittering gleefully outside of the window, and for once Vince is actually awake to see it. Howard has left him spread amongst their sheets; splayed like a marionette with his strings cut. His skin is touched softly by the light of the sun peeking through their bedroom curtains, seeping into his bones and heating him from the inside out. 

He could get up. Could even make himself useful while his partner is gone, off to the shop down the road to get his morning paper and some fresh milk for their tea. Were Vince a different kind of person he may just have dragged himself from his nest and laid out their mugs ready for his return. 

Thankfully for him and his penchant for a lie in, Vince is in fact just Vince. Who chooses to use this time sunning himself like a cat in the small patch of direct sunlight he could find. It's not like Howard would even mind, he certainly won't expect Vince to do anything but lay prone until well after noon. 

The sound of their door swinging open downstairs breaks him from his light doze; Vince has never been good at telling time but he's almost certain that Howard could not have made it all the way to the shop and back already. 

That much is confirmed when the man himself pushes into their bedroom, face flushed with exertion and hurriedly slams the door shut behind him. 

For a frantic moment Vince fears something terrible has happened, it wouldn't be the first time an incredibly innocent task turned misadventure on them. He starts gathering the sheet about himself, scrambling for his abandoned clothes. He freezes with his pyjama bottoms halfway up his legs, though, Howard having turned on him with his face painted crimson and an accusing finger outstretched. 

“You!” He snaps. “You little tart.” 

Vince is about to object, about to demand who exactly Howard thinks he is. That is until he catches on to the problem a lot faster than some would give him credit for. 

“Oh my god.” He breathes around a giggle. One hand slapping to his mouth to stop the snickering lest it annoy his partner further. 

Too late for that though. “Laugh it up now, giggly stevens.” He rumbles. “It won’t be so funny in a minute.” 

“I highly doubt that.” Vince says, muffled by his own palm. Howard crosses to the full length mirror mounted on the door to their wardrobe. Tilts his head to examine the damage. Vince can’t believe it. “The one day you don’t wear a rollneck, Howard.” 

He can’t stop it any longer, he bursts into full blown cackles as Howard pokes hesitantly at the darkened lovebite on his throat like it might just bite him back. 

“Look at this, Vince!” The prodding of the offending mark continues. “What are you fifteen?”

“C’mon,” Vince goads when he can finally pull enough air into his lungs to reply. “You’re asking for it with all them clothes that come up to your chin. Perfect coverup that is.” 

Howard spins on his heel to face him. “Evidently not!” He starts, voice raised in aggravation, but as he goes on he seems to lose momentum. Lands somewhere closer to embarrassment. “Got halfway to the shop before I even noticed. People were staring, you know, looking at me like I was some sort of northern pervert. Women covering their kid's eyes and one bloke- One bloke must have thought it was an invitation cause he winked at me Vince. Winked at me in a way nobody should ever wink at a stranger."

Fighting it only goes so far; another bout of laughter tears from Vince's throat. 

“You better stop that giggling, little man, or I’ll come at you.” 

This has the opposite of the desired effect. “It’s not that bad, Howard.” 

“Not that bad?” Howard frowns. “I’m a respectable and distinguished man, Vince, I don’t get hickeys.” 

“You’re really making a big deal out of nothing.” He insists. 

“Easy for you to say.” 

Affronted, Vince crosses his arms over his chest. “What does that mean!”

“Well look at you,” Howard waves a hand in his direction, barely managing to conceal his own smirk. Vince decides this is probably a good point to finish pulling his pyjamas on. “No one would bat an eye if you were the dishevelled one.” 

Vince scoffs, high pitched with disbelief. “Well that’s rude.” 

“Not as rude as walking around with the evidence of our-…" Adorably, Howard cuts himself off. He looks around the room as if expecting someone other than the two of them to be there to hear all about his indiscretions. "Our lovemaking on my neck.” 

Honestly, Vince wholly believes he could combust from how much he loves this man sometimes, his awkward tendencies and all. “You can call it sex, Howard.” 

“I’m going to start calling it banned in a minute.” 

"Enough of the sass!" He declares, amazed at his own ability to mix up a cocktail of mild irritation and heavy entertainment in his tone. "I'm tryin' to help you out here."

"Funny way of helping," Howard grumbles. "Standing there looking pretty while I suffer the consequences of your mouth."

And with that any trace of Vince's annoyance is wiped away. He's a sucker for a compliment even if it is arguably a backhanded one. "Well I have to suffer the consequences of yours anytime you start talking so it seems only fair." 

He doesn't give him time to argue back. Grabbing gently for his elbow and leading him to sit on the bed. He knows how easily they can get lost in this; the back and forth of their banter. Howard once likened it to verbal sparring. Said it kept his mind fresh and active, like chatting with Vince was some kind of mental exercise. 

Right now, though, he needs to fix Howard's neck. Partly for his sake and mostly so he can alleviate some of his own guilt for putting the other man in an awkward position. If there's anything Howard hates more than being thrust into the centre of attention unexpectedly, it's when that attention is inherently negative. Even if he hadn't meant it - that's exactly where Vince had put him. 

"I can cover it no problem.” He promises, digging around in his vanity table for his makeup bag. 

It's the work of five minutes really, what with the kind of professional standard makeup Vince keeps lying around for his everyday use. A spot of concealer and some blending and it's good as new.

Stepping back to admire his work, he directs Howard to the mirror. “See, nothing a little makeup can’t fix.” 

“Thank god for Vince Noir and his makeup collection.” Howard deadpans. 

“Do you mind?” Vince huffs playfully. “I just fixed your problem for you.”

“A problem you created.” Howard reminds him, but the edges of his annoyance seem to be softening. 

Vince grins at him in the reflection. 

“Don’t think I’m going to let you get away with doing that all the time just because you know how to cover it up.” Howard warns. “I’ve got a reputation to protect.” 

“What, the untouched virgin?” 

Howard narrows his eyes. “Now who’s being sassy.” 

Vince catches his tongue between his canines. Smirks a little sinful at him. “You gonna come at me now?” 

Howard's lupine smile seems to say it all. He steps closer, tender finger reaching out to brush strands of uncombed hair away from his forehead. Vince holds his breath, tilts his head back to stare up at Howard expectantly. The other man starts to dip his head, Vince let's his lids droop half closed - and then there's a gust of air as Howard takes one large step back with his lanky giraffe legs. 

He snorts inelegantly and heads straight for the bedroom door. “I’ve got to go and get the milk.”

Then he's gone.

[nicole-lynne]

All The Love Songs - Chapter One

Pairings: Jake Kiszka (eventually) x OFC Thea, OFC Thea x OMC Mason (past) Warnings: Cuss words, implications and mild descriptions of sex

Thea sat up from the bed, pulling the duvet cover with her to cover her naked body. Her black hair was matted to her neck with sweat and she peeled it off in a minor attempt to cool herself down. The feeling of his eyes on her back was sending tingles across her skin but she ignored it. She didn’t want him to know how much he affected her, not yet. 

Bending down to grab her discarded ZZ Top shirt off the ground, she peeked up at him lounging sideways in her bed amongst the many pillows, his eyes closed peacefully. The milky glow of his skin blended in so well with her ivory sheets that he could almost be a fixture of her bedroom.

“Hey, Jake,” He hummed to acknowledge her, “do you want to maybe stay for a bit? I was about to order some chinese before you came over.” She asked, casually reorganizing a pile on her desk so she didn’t seem too interested. 

He was quiet for a long time before there was a deep sigh. She knew what that meant, she began to internally prepare herself for the letdown. 

“T, I think we need to talk...” 

Jake swung his legs off the side of the bed and placed his elbows on his knees, rubbing his eyes a few times, something he usually did when there was a headache coming. His long hair draped around his face like a curtain, shielding him from her eyes.  

Thea tossed his boxers in his direction, watching him reach out and catch them before they hit the floor. Her eyes lingered for a fraction of a second on his profile before she started to search the floor for the rest of her clothes. 

“It’s not a big deal, Kiszka. I was just trying not to make you feel like I’m using you for your body.” She was trying to sound sassy but there was a sharp edge to the teasing. 

He tilted his head to watch her as she paced around the room, standing the chair up that they had knocked over, straightening a picture frame on the wall, picking up the books that had tumbled to the floor. Methodically, she cleaned up any evidence that he had ever been there.

The vinyl record was crackling quietly, waiting for one of them to turn the record to the other side. Neither of them made the move to do it.

Jake cradled his head in his hand. “I know we haven’t really talked about this before, T. I’m just not looking for anything more serious right now.” 

“No, I get that, I do. You’re just wanting a hook-up,” She plastered a fake smile on, “and I am totally fine with that.” 

“Thea...” 

“Jake, it’s fine, really. I was offering you chinese food, not my dowry.” Jake frowned, he hated when she tried to make light of a serious conversation. But Thea ignored the frown and began to dig around her drawer for a new pair of underwear. 

He stood up and crossed the room in a few strides. His hand fell on her shoulder and he turned her around to face him. Tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her cheek. Heat radiated from his body and she dropped her gaze to the small space in between them. Jake’s other hand landed on her waist and her body shivered involuntarily. 

The minimal light was hitting the angle of his face and all she could think of was good and bad. The tiniest hint that he could protect her always, but the underlying pain that was just around the corner.

“I’m not trying to be a dick here, T. I’m just trying to be honest with you. I like you and I like what we’ve got going on, we’ve been friends for a while now. I just don’t have anything more to give right now.” Lightly, Jake tilted her chin up, compelling her gaze to meet his. There was little furrow in his brow as if he were begging her to understand. “Besides, you and I both know there are other factors in this...” 

Thea knew exactly what he meant. Her best friend and roommate, Sam, who just happened to also be Jake’s younger brother. They’d met on the first day she’d arrived in the city and had been inseparable ever since. If Sam had any inkling that she had hooked up with Jake, on numerous occasions, he would be devastated. 

But inside this room, within these four walls, the rest of the world faded away and it was just her and Jake. But at the end of the day, if it ever left the bedroom, she would lose one of her best friends, and Jake...well, he didn’t want it to leave the bedroom. 

Stifling a sigh, Thea mustered up a tiny smile. “It’s all good, Jake. We’re friends...and the bedroom stuff will stay exactly that, bedroom stuff.” 

Jake inched forward and pecked a simple kiss on her cheek, his hair tickling her skin. “Thanks for understanding, you’re the best. And hey, you and Gina are still coming to our show tomorrow night, right?” In an instant, he was distracted, plucking his shirt off the lamp where it had landed. “We’ve been working on some really great stuff and I think an agent is supposed to be coming.” 

“You know we never miss any of your shows. We’re, like, you’re biggest fans.” Thea said with a fake valley girl accent. Jake snorted and chucked her jeans straight at her head which she caught at the last second. 

“Show starts at nine, groupies usually get there early to smoke up and show us their tits. I’ll be waiting for ya.” 

“Shut up, you dick.” She shoved his shoulder in jest while he tugged his boot on and giggled at the mutter of obscenities coming from him when he tipped into the dresser. 

Jake turned to dig around for his flannel and Thea took the chance to admire the muscles in his back. He yanked it out from behind the beanbag chair and whipped around, and she cleared her throat, pretending like she hadn’t just been staring at him.

Slapping her hands against her thighs, she awkwardly inched toward the door. “Well, we better get you out of here before anyone gets home...” 

“Right, that’s probably a good idea. I think Sam’s shift gets done in like ten minutes.” Jake ran his fingers through his hair a few times for good measure and moved to the door. He looked gorgeous for someone who’d just had crazy sex. “I was serious, T. I like you and I like this thing we have going.”

Pausing for a moment, he looked down at Thea and gave her a weak smile. She wanted to be angry or hurt, but deep down, she knew that anything he was willing to give, she’d take happily..

No reassuring thoughts came to her so instead, Thea smiled and gave him a curt nod. She twisted the doorknob and let him slip out, following close behind him. 

Her heart jumped to a stop as she rounded the corner and spotted Gina, her other roommate, standing in the kitchen. She must have gotten home from her dance class earlier than expected because her usual springy curls were still pulled up into a bun and she was wearing her sweats and a crop top. From across the room, Thea could feel her annihlating glare. 

“Sup, Gi. See you at the gig tomorrow.” Jake said nonchalantly and bee-lined for the front door. 

“Bye Jake, see ya later.” Gina replied tersely, her harsh stare never leaving your face. 

The door slammed shut and it was deadly silent between the two friends. Thea fiddled with her thumbs, just waiting for the storm. She knew Gina better than anyone else in the world and she wasn’t going to be too happy that she hadn’t been the first one privy to the knowledge that Thea was sleeping with their friend. 

“So?” 

“So...” 

“When the hell did this happen?” Gina tossed her water bottle in the trash and jumped onto the counter, crossing her arms. Her tawny skin was lit with the simmering fire of her anger. 

Thea leaned against the counter next to her and buried her face into her arms, her voice muffled into the shirt sleeve. “Just a little while ago. You remember that day we were all supposed to meet at Mo’s but all of you guys ditched?” Gina nodded once. “Well, Jake ended up showing up and we just got to talking. For like a few hours. And one thing led to another and we were back here, tearing each other’s clothes off.” 

“So are you two dating now or something?” 

“No, we’re not dating.” The words tasted like bile. 

Gina fell back onto the heels of her hands. “Shit. So you’re just fuck buddies then?”

“You really don’t have to say it like that. We’re just friends...who have sex occasionally.” 

“So fuck buddies?” 

Thea’s face pinched up. “Do you have to be so crass about it? It’s not a big deal so stop making it out to be one.” 

Gina’s eyes narrowed at her, “T, you haven’t really been interested in sex with many people since-” Thea threw her hand up to stop her from uttering the next word. “Since you-know-who. This is a big deal and we both know it.” Thea just groaned and resumed her position of hiding in her arms. “Are you, like, into Jake? As more than a friend?” 

“I don’t want to answer that.” Thea paused. “I guess I don’t know the answer to that. I mean, yes? When he’s around, we just connect in a way I haven’t felt in a long time.  And when he’s not around...well, I wish he was.”

“It sounds like you like him.” 

“Yeah, but he doesn’t want anything serious. So it’s kind of a moot point at the moment.” 

Those words quieted Gina instantly which made Thea uneasy. It had never been said that Gina knew how to keep her opinion to herself. Once in middle school, she had told a teacher that she had the face of a man and the nose of a dog. It had landed her a week in detention. Nowadays, she had a little more tact but was more or less the same girl.

“Are you gonna say anything?” Thea stomped her foot inpatiently. 

Gina threw up one finger. “Give me one second to process the fact that my best friend and one of my good friends are bumping uglies.” Thea grimaced. “So...how was the sex?” 

“Gina! Seriously?” 

“It’s for research purposes!” Gina declared. “Besides, I’ve always wondered how Jake was in bed. I bet he’s an animal, am I right?” 

Thea pinched her lips together bitterly but Gina gave her a knowing smirk. “It’s mind-blowing, okay? Geez. He does this thing with his tongue and he’ll move me around in ways I never knew I could move and...oh god, he’s amazing. 

“I knew it. Jake’s a tough guy to pinpoint but, I’m telling you, the man is dripping with pure sex appeal.” 

Thea couldn’t even disagree because everything about Jake screamed sexy. Girls were always hitting on him, no matter where they went. At first she’d found it annoying because, geez, couldn’t they go anywhere without girls giggling hysterically when he looked at them. Now she was used to it, and a little part of her knew that she was the one he was hooking up with. She hoped she was the only one. 

“G, I need coffee, now.” 

“You mean a distraction?”

“Look, I can’t be talking about this when Sam gets home and I’m starting to get a headache. Can you please just lay off for five minutes and get coffee with me?” 

Gina cringed. “Oh shit, Sam, I forgot all about him. You know he’s going to be crushed when he finds out about this.”

“I know, I know. That’s why he can’t know.” Gina frowned. “Please, G? I can’t lose Sammy because of this.” 

“Okay, now I need coffee.” Gina grabbed her violet mesh jacket off the back of the chair and slipped it on. Thea bobbed her head in agreeance and shoved her converse on her feet. Remembering at the last second, she ran over and scrawled a messy note on the dry erase board telling Sam they’d be home in a little while. 

~~~

“So tell me more about this tongue thing that Jake does.” 

“Gina-” Thea glanced around at the packed coffee shop. No one was paying any attention to the two girls but she still felt like Gina’s voice was amplified. 

“Don’t Gina me, this is important information. I am now living vicariously through you and must know all the dirty little details of you and Jake doing the four-legged foxtrot.” 

Thea balked and turned back to the menu board. “You are seriously disturbed, you know that?”

“I do, and that’s why you love me.” She replied proudly, noticing that Thea was studying the menu diligently. “Why are you even looking at the menu, you get the same thing every day.” Gina asked, Thea just rolled her eyes. Maybe she would branch out this time. “At least tell me if he’s as big as I’m imagining, because I’ve seen him in those skinny jeans and...damn.” 

Her eyes darted to Gina for a fraction of a second, the tiniest of smiles on her lips. 

“I freakin knew it.” Gina gripped her arm and squealed loudly, actively disregarding Thea’s attempts to shush her. A few of the customers looked up at the commotion and Thea waved at them. “If you hadn’t opened up the biggest can of worms in our friend group, I would thoroughly applaud you for snatching that beast of a man.” 

Thea laughed ridiculously and started to say something when a voice interrupted her. 

“Sunshine?”

No, it couldn’t be. Only one person ever called her that. 

Thea’s eyes widened comically and she shifted on her feet slightly, turning around coming face-to-face with her ex-boyfriend, Mason. He gave her a crooked grin - the one that used to always make her heart skip a beat. 

“Mason? What the heck!” Gina pronounced from behind her. 

“Hey, Gina! Oh man, it’s great to see you guys.”  He leaned forward and embraced Gina in a tight hug, his dark brown eyes never leaving Thea’s face over Gina’s head. “How are you, sunshine?” 

“Uh, I-I’m good.” She stuttered. “Wait, what are you doing here?” 

Mason angled his head slightly, a teasing sparkle in his eye. “Um, getting coffee?” 

Thea looked at him unamused. “I figured that one out, captain obvious. I mean here, in New York.” 

“I knew that, babe.” He winked and her stomach flipped nervously. “I’m here with Declan-”

“Declan’s here?” Gina piped up. “That punk didn’t tell me he was gonna be in town.” 

“He was with me here a minute ago...” 

Declan had been Mason’s best friend since diapers and it wasn’t very often that you found Mason without Declan a few steps behind. Mason glanced around just as a guy popped up at his side. 

When Thea had first met Declan in middle school, he had been a short, scrawny kid with bright red hair that was usually sticking up in all different directions. He could barely walk three steps without tripping or knocking something down. Mason had been the complete opposite. He was tall and his reflexes were always quick. He was comfortable in his skin and could make anyone else feel comfortable with themselves too. 

Thea and Gina had been partnered with Mason and Declan on a research project for english and after that, the group went everywhere together. Many nights and weekends spent at someone’s house or hanging out at the mall.

“Hey, Thea! Ah, Gina, how are you?” Declan jumped forward and gave both girls hugs. He had gone through a total growth spurt in sophmore year and now he towered over them both. 

“Dec, I’ve missed you. I meant to call you last week but I took a couple extra dance classes.” Thea’s eyes wrinkled, confused. “You didn’t mention that you were coming to New York. And you didn’t mention that you were bringing this troublemaker.” Gina patted Mason’s arm lightly and a dorky grin spread on his face. 

“I didn’t realize that you guys all still kept in touch so much.” Thea’s voice cracked slightly. 

“Well, it’s mostly just Gina and I lately. I know you’ve been so busy with your job lately.” Declan looked down bashfully. “Anyways, I meant to get in touch to let you know we were coming.” 

“Excuse me?” A voice snapped loudly. 

All four heads snapped up to see a disgruntled cashier and a few customers behind them were shooting them nasty looks. They’d completely forgotten that they were standing in line. 

Mason stepped forward and ordered his and Declan’s drinks, “and she’ll have an iced mocha latte, two extra pumps of mocha.” He still remembered her order. “Gina, you want your usual?” Gina nodded happily and went back to chatting animatedly with Declan. 

“Mas, you don’t have to get our drinks.” Thea tugged on his jacket sleeve.

“Hush, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you, just let me get your coffee.” He waved her away and handed his card to the lady with a genuine smile.

Thea’s mind was reeling. She hadn’t seen Mason in years and now he was standing right in front of her, remembering her coffee order and demanding that he be allowed to pay for it. He’d always been the kind of guy to put others before himself and remember the small details. In a flash, she was back in high school, completely head over heels for the kid. 

Mason moved to the end of the counter next to where Thea was standing and shoved his hands in his pockets. She took the chance to study him. He was still wearing his classic jean jacket and hoodie combo, only to be complimented with his wide array of colorful vans. Today’s color was orange. His curly brown hair was still a mop on his head but, somehow, it looked as cute as ever, just a little longer. Overall, he was still her Mason. 

“So you guys in town for very long?” 

“Um,” He shifted, “we’re actually here looking for apartments...” 

Thea’s jaw dropped. “Wait, you two are moving here? Like permanently?” 

“Yes, permanently. It’s always been the plan, and it’s just kind of working out for me now. Declan landed this great job and I figured, I might as well tag along. Best friends take on New York and all that jazz. It’s not like I had much going on back at home.” He let out a breathy chuckle, “Besides, I knew you and G were here so I figured we could get the band back together, so to speak.” 

“That’s so amazing!” She cringed internally. That was way too peppy of a reaction. This entire situation was anything but normal and she certainly wasn’t able to act normal around Mason. Not now that she knew he was going to be in the same city as her. Distantly, she could tell she kept playing with her hair too much but it was her nervous habit, and if there was a time for it, this was it.

The barista interrupted her string of panicked thoughts by calling out their name and set the cups on the counter. Gina and Declan scooped them up quickly and moved to where they were standing to pass them out. Gina shot her a reassuring look and Thea gave her a half smile in response.

“Well, I hate to break up the reunion, but we have a walkthrough scheduled in like twenty minutes. It probably won’t look very good if we show up late.” Declan said, pointing to his watch anxiously the way she’d seen him do a million times over the years. 

“Some things never change, huh?” Mason whispered to her and she hid a laugh behind her hand.

Gina and Declan walked towards the door, Mason and Thea trailing after them. Occasionally they would make eye contact and she’d instantly look away, a stupid smile on her face. 

They stopped outside and all huddled together. It was as if no time had passed them and they would be meeting up after Mr. Taylor’s history class to go to lunch. 

“Okay, so you’re going to text me and we’re going to get lunch or dinner soon, right? All of us.” Gina demanded, giving Mason and Thea a pointed look. “And don’t even try to give me a crap excuse because I know every one of your tells so I’ll know if you lie, Mason James Bowen.” 

Mason looked bewildered. “Okay, geez, I’m fine for dinner. I think Dec has a few more showings scheduled today but what about tomorrow night? ” 

“U-uh, umm.” Thea stuttered

“We actually have plans tomorrow with some friends-” Gina recovered smoothly.

“But you guys can come if you want!” Thea manically interjected. “Their band is playing at this bar around the corner, Owl Music Parlor. It’s gonna be a lot of fun.” 

Shocked, Gina’s jaw dropped. The last thing she’d expected was for Thea to so willingly invite her old group of friends to mingle with her new group of friends. 

“Uh yeah, you guys should come out. Cover is usually really cheap and the band will blow your minds. It starts at 10 but we usually get there a little early.”

Mason and Declan shared a look and shrugged, “Sure, that sounds great. We’ll meet you guys there. Hopefully, we’ll be celebrating our acquisition of a new apartment.” Thea and Mason locked eyes across the huddle and smiled at each other. 

Declan cleared his throat, “So, Mas, the showing? I don’t want to miss out on the place, it’s supposed to have two bathrooms.” 

Mason switched his attention back to Declan, “yeah, let’s hit it dude. Alright, ladies, we will see your beautiful faces tomorrow.” He gave them a small wave and ran to catch up with Declan, who was already speed walking halfway down the street.

Linking arms, the girls walked down the sidewalk. Silence fell over them as both of them considered the possibilities of tomorrow night. 

“Hey G?” Gina glanced at Thea. “Please tell me that I didn’t just invite Mason to hang out with the guys?” 

“Oh, baby, you sure did.” 

Thea slapped her forehead with an ugly growl. “Why didn’t you stop me?” 

“Girl, you got sucked into the Mason vortex and there was no getting you out.” She laughed. “It was like a car wreck, I couldn’t look away.” 

It was quiet again, the only sound being their footsteps on the concrete. Then Gina spoke up again, “ya know, it’s kind of strange that we were just talking about you getting over Mason. Now he’s back and you tripped right back into being mayor of Mason town.” 

Thea grimaced at the implication that she suddenly might not be over the man who had crushed her heart. Talk about comedic timing.

Tomorrow night her two worlds were going to collide. Two worlds that she never, in a million years, believed would be coming together. And she should be freaked out. But instead, her mind was stuck on how cute Mason looked in his orange hoodie and how hard her heart was pounding when his gorgeous smile was directed at her.

[jamkookies]

Stay

Description :  A trip to Malta for the shooting of Bon Voyage seems peaceful enough until the moment things take an unexpected turn...

Word count : 2k

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“No you don’t.”

“What?”

“You felt the need to say that because I’ve been taking care of you, that’s all.”

He gives you an incredulous look, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you feel bad for me and you said that so I could feel better,” you say.

He grips you by the the straps of your tank top and pulls you to him.

“Do you really think I would do that? Take pity on you? Is that what you’re saying?!” he growls into your face.

You’re taken aback by his sudden outburst. He looks angry, but his fingers are gentle and the proximity of his face to yours is anything but hostile.

His eyes keep staring at your lips.

“I’ve felt like this for five god damn years, but you’re just too stupid to notice anything.”

Jungkook’s breath tickles your face as he struggles to get the words out of him.

“I love everything about you - the way you look, the way you act, the way you you scrunch your nose when you’re reading, the way you tend to put other people’s needs before your own..”

His expression softens a little and his hands abandon your shirt to cradle your face.

“I love you, Y/N and nothing can change that.”

Your vision turns blurry because of the tears threatening to spill.

Your lips quiver and you’re just about to say something back, when a rustle of leaves makes you both freeze.

At the edge of the hollow, a man’s feet appear.

You and Jungkook flatten against the wall, him protectively shoving you against his back, even with his injury.

The man’s feet are illuminated by the moonlight, roaming around the entrance of the hollow, but making no attempt to get in.

He hadn’t seen you.

You hold your breath, terrified to let out even the slightest sound.

The wet leaves under his feet crunch every time he makes a step and it feels like a clock ticking closer and closer to your doom.

Another pair of feet join him.

“Did you find anything?”

“No. But they can’t have gone far. Not with that injured leg of his.”

“If Jungkookie dies, I will kill you.”

The man chuckles.

“You’re in no condition to threaten anyone. I could shoot you in the head right here and no one would ever know.”

“But you won’t,” the girl says.“ You need me to get your money.”

“For now.”

“For now,” she echoes.

They both pivot and walk away in opposite directions.

You can hear the steps getting further and further, till the sound gets lost in the breeze.

The rain had stopped for some time, you notice.

“That was close,” Jungkook whispers.

You wanna say something.

Anything.

You wanna scream to the world that you love him so much to the point where it hurts.

But you don’t.

The words get clogged up in your throat.

So you just put your arms around his torso and give him a back-hug.

Leaning your head onto his back, you can feel the vibrations reverberating through his whole body when he speaks in a low voice.

“Aren’t you gonna say anything?”

You just squeeze him tighter.

“That’s more than enough, then.” he says.

He puts his hands on top of yours and starts making circles with his thumbs.

You just stay like that, in silence, enjoying the company of each other’s arms.

* * *

He’d fallen asleep.

The exhaustion must have finally gotten to him, you think to yourself, as you feel his weight on your front body.

He hadn’t removed your hands from his torso, hadn’t even moved an inch, but just let himself relax till the tiredness had eventually knocked him out.

You scoot back and let his head drop onto your lap.

His longish hair falls into his eyes and you move them out of the way.

You trace his face with your fingers, lingering on every edge.

Beautiful.

He was beautiful.

His eyes shoot open.

“Like what you see?” he says.

You huff a laugh and your shoulders shake with the action.

“I do, actually.” you answer.

He grins immediately.

“What exactly do you like the most about me?”

You are about to give him a sassy comeback, but you give up halfway.

“Everything.”

He looks a little taken aback, but continues nonetheless.

“What about physical features?”

“I like your scar.” you say and your fingers immediately find the flaw on his left cheekbone.

That small imperfection was what made him perfect.

“Wait, you actually like that?”

You nod vigorously.

“What else do you like?”

He was really enjoying this.

“You have a nice… umm..physique.”

His eyes narrow at your words.

“Be more specific.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake, you have nice thighs, god damn it! There, I said it!” You shout in a whisper.

His smile goes on full-bloom.

“No funny comments, no snarky comebacks… Wow, there really is something going on here.”

“You look pleased as hell.”

“I like to be appreciated.”

“You literally have millions of fans doing that every single day.”

“But I wanted to hear it from you, though.”

You look at him pointedly for a while, then release a deep sigh.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll stop.” he says quickly and lowers your hands to his lips to kiss them.

Oh goodness.

He was just making it worse.

Goosebumps flare all over your body and it’s the best you can do not to shiver.

“I should check your wound.” you say with a forced air of nonchalance.

“Jumping right into the good stuff, aren’t we?”

You tug at a string of his jet-black hair.

“Ow, ow.. sorry, sorry.” he whines.

Your hands reach for his thigh, untying the strip of cloth with delicate hands.

This is not good.

It had started to get swollen, its corners red and puffy. If you didn’t clean it fast, the infection would spread even more.

“I’m gonna go get some water.” you say, already rising to your feet.

“With those guys wandering around the forest? Absolutely not.”

“Your wound is infected. I have to clean it.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“You’re gonna lose your leg.”

“Better than losing you.”

Your words falter in between your lips.

He grips your calf and looks at you behind his see-through bangs, doe eyes begging.

“Stay.”

You had to go. You couldn’t just leave him in this condition.

“Please.” he adds.

You release a long sigh and get down to your knees, his eyes never leaving yours.

“We should get some sleep.” you whisper. “ We’re leaving at dawn.”

He offers you a bunny smile and envelopes you into his arms. You put your hair on his chest and just lay down together, savoring the warmth of each other’s presence.

* * *

Eight minutes.

You had been counting non-stop, waiting for the sound of his steady breathing, the signal for you to do what you had to do.

You had to make sure he was really asleep before you left.

He was never gonna forgive you for it.

You knew that very well and you still proceeded to detach his hands from your arms, being extremely careful not to wake him up.

Thank God for his habit of sleeping like a log.

Soundlessly rising to your feet, you tip-toe your way out of the hollow. The ground is wet, the constant dripping of the water from the branches soaking it thoroughly.

First, you had to find something to fill up the water.

You scan the trees and bushes, looking for any decent-looking leaves.

There.

A few feet from you a shrub is in full bloom, its green, wide leaves hanging around it like a crown.

You pluck off a couple, careful not to rip them apart.

Wrapping them into a half sphere, you put them under a dripping branch and wait for it to fill up.

This was gonna take a while.

And the constant thoughts about having to let Jungkook on his own, unprotected, didn’t make it any easier for you.

You prayed for him to be safe, prayed they wouldn’t find him.

Drip drip drip.

The anxiety threatened to swallow you whole, all kinds of thoughts jumbled into your head in a disarray.

You look at your improvised bowl and notice that it’s filled to the brim.You bend down to pick it up but the eyes staring at you in the reflection of the water make your breath hitch in your throat.

Then, something hard smashes into your skull, rendering you unconscious.

* * *

You open your eyes to semi darkness, dawn ready to spill its light on the top of the trees.

Your head pounds harder than the last time you got drunk with the boys.

The things you would give to go back in time…

There’s none of that now.

Nothing except for the feeling of exhaustion weighing down your lids, your body an utter wreck.

There’s a wetness at the back of your head. The feeling of something trickling down.

You know it’s blood.

The terrible ache on your head was proof enough.

You look down at your body and almost scream at the sight.

They’ve tied you up against a tree, the rope digging into your wrists.

“Finally up, I see.” you hear a voice nearby.

You turn your head from side to side, trying to locate its source.

The man is sitting on the ground, grinning at you like a psychopath.

“You know, she told me to kill you.” he continues. “Get rid of you as fast as possible. But I didn’t. I figured out I could easily sell you to the highest bidder with just a phone call. That Jungkook guy isn’t the only famous one here.”

You give him a look of disgust.

He keeps talking, unbothered by your indifferent behavior and gets in front of your face.

“So what I’m gonna do now is go get the car by the side of the road and then we’ll go on a little trip, right sunshine?”

You spit into his face.

He flinches, hands reaching to wipe it off.

Then he slaps you so hard across the cheek, you see stars.

It stings like hell but you refuse to let out a sound, letting the anger build up inside of you instead.

He stands on his feet then storms off.

Bastard.

You’d never wanted to kill someone so badly. However the feeling of enragement gets replaced by raw panic.

What had happened to Jungkook?

Was he alright?

You hoped he was still asleep, safe from the clutches of these maniacs.

“Jungkook…”

“You called?” a voice is heard behind your back.

Two hands reach for the knot, trying to undo it.

Then Jungkook appears in front of you, sweat clinging to his forehead and a limp on his leg.

But he was okay.

He was safe.

You jump into his arms, squeezing him as hard as you can.

He does the same, pain and exhaustion all but forgotten.

“I’m so sorry.” you say, voice muffled by his chest. " I didn’t want to leave you alone but I had to.“

"It’s alright.” he whispers. “I’m fine.”

You breathe him in, letting his scent calm your nerves for just a second.

“We still have to go. He will be back soon.”

You nod and grab his hand.

Ignoring the throbbing pain on your head, you sling his arm across your shoulder, letting yourself bear his weight.

“I’m alright, don’t worry.” he says and retreats his arm back.

You both sprint into a run and you know the pain on his thigh is killing him, but there’s nothing you can do.

There’s no plan.

You just run for your lives.

“Faster!” he gasps when he hears steps behind you.

It’s the girl.

She has a gun in her hands.

You speed off, dragging Jungkook with you.

This was not gonna end well.

You had been caught up in between two fires. It was just a matter of time before you both got captured again.

The trees start to get rarer and rarer until a flowing creek appears in front of you.

It does not have a smooth flow.

The stream rushes fast and the rocks create whorls at every corner.

You don’t stop.

It is now or never.

“Jungkook, I -

A shot rings in your ears and a terrible pain blooms on your shoulder.

The words don’t make it out of your lips.

He doesn’t let go of your hand and you fall into the water, dragging him with you

[hannahindie]

Something Good

Character: Dean x Cas, random girl Word Count: 1,798 Warnings: There’s some smut for like a second. Angry Dean. Sassy Cas. Alcohol use. Dean throwing stuff. Language. Angst? Not really? I dunno, man. Some pissed off kissing. Ya know, for science. It is not for those under the age of 18. If you are on my tag list and I know you are under 18, I did not tag you. That means you do not read this. If you aren’t on my tag list and you are under 18, you don’t read this. Stare longingly at that gif if you want, which is also weird, but don’t you dare read this. Do you get it? Understand? Good. A/N: @pinknerdpanda asked for something kinda angsty but also fluffy, and a little...-fans self-. So here we are! She also beta’d it for me, because she’s an angel that’s too precious for this world.

I’m going to go ahead and tag my forevers just in case anyone is interested. If you aren’t, please let me know. If you are, and would like to be added to a specific Destiel list, let me know. If you know a friend who would enjoy reading more things like this, let them know, so they can let me know. Ya dig? Yea? Cool. I don’t know how often this will happen, but I’d like to show it to someone when the muse strikes. lol

Dean has been angry. He's been scared. But he is pretty sure he's never been so much of both, ever. Of course, whenever Sammy is involved, one or both are off the charts, but this? No, this is new.

It burns deep in his gut, like an ember that just won't go out. Somehow it sinks, deeper and deeper, the warmth creeping into the cracks and crevices that have been carved out during the years, and the longer he lets it settle, the more that fire rages.

He stares at the bloody man in front of him, head down, hands hanging between his knees, and the strange feeling is magnified tenfold. His hands practically itch, and he can’t tell if he wants to beat the shit out of something or find someone at the bar to screw it out of his system.

After several long, awkward moments of him standing there, clenching and unclenching his fists and being ignored, he picks up a chair and throws it. The already flimsy wood hits the wall with a crash and the chair flies into pieces. The man on the bed doesn’t flinch; he has seen worse anger, experienced more violence, and though he is not usually well versed in human behavior, knows this will pass.

“What the hell was that, Cas? Huh? What the actual fuck did you think you were doing?”

“I was hunting.” He doesn’t look up, though he does link his fingers together and begins rubbing one thumb against the other.

“Hunting? Is that what that was called? Because it looked more like you were getting your ass kicked. You’re lucky I showed up when I did!”

This time, Cas does look up, his blue eyes narrowed. Dean almost forgets why he’s angry, but then Cas speaks. “I did not need your help. I had it under control. I am not sure why you felt the need to rescue me, but you could have saved your time. I have been alive for several millennia without you, I can continue to do the same.”

“You are an absolute ass!” Dean grabs the bottle of whiskey off the table and takes a large gulp, relishing the burn as it slides down his throat. “You’ve lived for several millennia, sure, but you aren’t the same angel. You’ve barely got any mojo left, you can’t just run into a fucking vamp nest by yourself.”

“And whose fault is that, Dean? Why do I not have any ‘mojo’ left?” he spits out angrily, his voice gravel as he air quotes sarcastically. “Could it be because I have given nearly everything to help you and your brother? Or maybe because I have betrayed most of my brothers and sisters, chosen you over them, time and time again? Which one is it?”

This time, Dean throws the bottle. It hits the mirror in the bathroom and it explodes, glass and whiskey covering the bathroom floor, glinting dangerously in the yellowed light.

“I didn't fucking ask for that! You're the one that said there were plans for me, I didn't want it. So don't you fucking dare blame me.”

“So you would have rather been left in hell, to torture and be tortured, for all eternity?”

“How did this turn back around me?! You are the one that ran off on some half cocked mission, without telling anyone. You could have died! You would have if we hadn't shown up!”

“I would have been fine. I do not understand why you are so upset with me. You wanted me to act less like an angel, correct? More emotion, less taking orders from Heaven. So that is what I am doing. You and Sam risk your lives all the time without asking my permission, I am not sure why I am not afforded the same options.”

Dean opens his mouth to respond, but snaps it shut before he says anything.

“What? No scathing Winchester come back? I am disappointed, your snark usually knows no bounds.”

Dean grabs his jacket off the back of the chair, “Fuck off, Cas. I don't give a shit what you do, get yourself killed for all I care. I'm done.” He storms out and slams the door shut, leaving Cas staring at the closed door.

“Another.” Dean slams his shot glass down and the bartender gives him a look before cautiously pouring another drink.

“Someone's having a bad night.” Dean looks over to see a brunette, hair so brown it's almost black, staring at him, bright blue eyes almost glowing in the darkened bar.

“That obvious, huh?”

She shrugs, “It's not as if you're being very inconspicuous.” She nods at the bartender and he sits down another glass, filling it with the same whiskey Dean is having. “I'm not having a great evening either, so maybe I'll join you.”

Dean raises his glass, “To shitty nights.”

“To better companions,” she clinks her glass against his as she says it, then turns and drops a hand on his thigh. Dean looks down at her hand, then back up at her. Neither of them say anything; they don't have to.

Dean grabs her hand and drags her to the back and into the bathroom. Her hands are in his hair before he even has a chance to spin around with her, pinning her against the bathroom door as he locks it. He wraps his fingers in her long tresses, pulling her head to the side so that he can get to her neck. She groans and he can feel her hand as it travels down and palms him through his jeans.

“Holy shit,” he whispers into her jaw, letting his guard slip just long enough for her to push him across the small room and against the sink. She smiles at him, then makes quick work of his belt. He bites his lip when the buckle opens with a jingle and she drops to her knees, unzipping his pants as she moves.

“Maybe this will help,” she says as she pulls him free of his jeans and his boxers and begins to stroke him.

“Fuck...yea...maybe it...will…” he stammers between ragged breaths as he watches himself disappear into her mouth over and over again. She looks up at him through thick lashes, and his heart aches at how beautiful her eyes are. They're blue, but they seem to change colors depending on how she's looking at him, her dark hair making them stand out even more. He can barely stand it, and he squeezes his eyes shut as she continues her ministrations.

“Oh...fuck,” he reaches down and once again takes hold of her hair, “Don't stop...Cas…”

She does stop, and looks up at him in confusion. She pulls away with a slight pop, “Who’s Cas?”

His eyes fly open and he looks down at her, “What are you talking about?”

She frowns, “You just called me Cas.”

“No...no, I didn't.”

“Yes, you did.”

Dean pushes her away as gently as he can muster, then pulls up his pants, “I have to go.”

“What? What the hell?”

“I just...this is a mistake. I have to go. I'm sorry.” He fumbles with the lock on the door, then stumbles outside into the back alley and leans against the wall, his head back and eyes closed.

What the fuck was that?

“Dean?”

“Jesus Christ!” Cas is standing just mere feet from him, his wounds already starting to heal, although slower than normal. His hair is tousled and his head is tilted as he stares at Dean, who is breathing heavily from both the incident in the bathroom and Cas surprising him. “Why are you here? I told you I didn't care, I'm done.”

“I heard your prayer-”

“I wasn't praying! Fuck!” Dean closes his eyes, hoping that the world will quit spinning for a minute, just long enough so that he can think.

“Are you okay?” Cas takes a step forward and Dean’s hands get that itch again, like they don't know what to do.

“I'm fine, Cas. I just…” he trails off, thinking about the girl with the messy brunette hair and blue eyes, and suddenly there's anger. Anger that he feels this way, anger that it took him this long to realize just why he was so angry. “Why can't you just get it, huh? We care about you! We want you to stay safe. We've lost enough people, and then you - you just go running off after things, and it's fucking stupid! You're so fucking stupid!”

“I do not think calling someone stupid is a good way to show how you feel. I have heard it is offensive.” His eyes narrow and a fresh wave of anger floods Dean.

“Oh, it's not a good way, huh?” He takes a step forward, his fists clenching at his sides, “Did I offend you?” He grabs Cas by the collar and shoves him into the wall, “I am so sorry that it didn't seem very sincere.” Cas says nothing, just lets his hands hang by his sides as he glares back at Dean, which infuriates him even more. He wants to punch him, hit him in that perfect mouth, bruise his perfectly chiseled jaw.

Then his lips betray him, and he's kissing Cas hard, so hard he can feel his lips bruising as he crashes into him, desperately seeking some kind of relief from this unbearable feeling. His tongue dances along his bottom lip, and Cas groans into him when Dean bites at him.

“I...care...about...you…” Dean grinds out as he moves from Cas’ lips along his jawline, and to the sensitive spot just behind his ear. “I want you to be safe.” One hand cups his neck while the other gets buried in brunette hair that is so dark it may as well be black. One of Cas’ hands slips along Dean’s back, right along the top of his jeans, then dips down below the band. His breath catches and he pulls back so that he can look at the angel. “I get angry because if I lose you...I just can't lose you, okay? It's just not an option.”

“I understand.” Cas kisses Dean again, softly this time, lingering for just a moment before he pushes away from the wall. “Love can sometimes be camouflaged as anger. I appreciate the sentiment.”

“So we’re good?” Dean’s face is unsure, as if he thinks Cas is going to reject him now that he knew what was going on.

Cas smiles, “Very much so. I am sorry I scared you.”

“It's okay. At least something good came out of it.”

“And what would that-” Dean interrupts him with another kiss, and Cas nods, breathless.

“I see. Something very good.”

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[is0gild]

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 5

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 5,219

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

I had perfected a system.

A system for avoiding eye contact with him.

You know… him.

He whose lips that my lips were last seen canoodling with.

That is to say, Lea.

It’d been a few days now since the little kiss incident - or Kissident, as I had taken to calling it in my head. I had not listened to Rayne’s advice, so had yet to talk to him. I’d tried, believe me, I really had tried. But just one look at him and the Kissident would flash through my brain once again in high-def and stereo surround sound, causing my heart to leap up into my throat and strangle me, making getting any words out impossible. I just couldn’t… I couldn’t do it. No way.

But that’s where my system came in! So flawless, yet so simple.

All I had to do was… not look at him.

As one might guess, that presented a bit of a challenge, given that Pizza Planet was straight across from us and given that, due to some cruel, sadistic twist of fate, his shifts seemed to almost always line up with mine. But to someone with my determination and ingenuity, not to mention years upon years of experience of avoiding human interaction like the plague? No sweat.

He looks my way? Oh hey, that ice cream cone I was getting for this customer is just right for blocking his line of sight to me. A glance from him? Man, the lights in here sure seem extra bright today, I’ll just pull the bill of my Ice Palace cap way down to shield my eyes. So much as a glimpse out of the corner of his eye? Gee, Kristoff, you make the perfect boulder for me to hide behind while I focus really hard on not existing. Or, oopsie, looks like I dropped something, time to kneel down and spend, say, I don’t know, the next five minutes picking it up.

But always, always look carefully before standing again. I’d learned my lesson there. No need for a repeat of the Kissident, thank you very much.

And if all else failed and I caught even the slightest hint that he might be out from behind his counter and heading my way? Whew, look at the time, I need to go on my break! Let me just slip into the back room and chill there until the coast’s all clear once more.

What’d I tell you? Foolproof.

Not to mention totally and one hundred percent mature. Look at me adult like a pro.

Hey, don’t knock it. It was the only way I’d managed to survive the past several days.

In any case, it was currently late afternoon. The heavy chimes of the mall’s iconic clock tower echoed throughout the all but deserted food court. By now, I was almost getting used to the rushes that came with lunchtime. Did nervous energy still course through my veins the whole time we were slammed with customers? Yes, but it wasn’t too bad. Turns out people are pretty friendly when you’re the one handing out the ice cream and feeding their sugar addiction. Plus, ever since the Kissident, I almost preferred the busy times. The throng of people was just one more thing for me to hide behind.

But now that it was dead and I had no such cover, I had to resort to one of my more drastic measures…

...a scoop.

One eye shut, I held the little metal contraption up, examining it closely.  For stains, mind you. Having sparkling, clean, spotless tools of the trade at my disposal was very important to me. Your health and safety are my top priority, dear customers.

And the fact that I was lining the scoop up perfectly so as to blot out a certain redhead from my view? Well now, that was just a bonus. Purely coincidence.

...wait… was he even still there? ...it had been several minutes since I had begun, ahem, “inspecting” the ice cream scoop. Had he really not moved from that spot? Maybe he was sneakier than I’d realized and had managed to somehow slip out from behind his counter without me noticing. Even now, as I stood here completely oblivious, he could be stalking, prowling, creeping up on me, about to catch me unawares.

I gulped, suddenly nervous. Maybe a quick look would be good… just to be sure the green eyed devil hadn’t escaped his pizza-scented, space-age themed domain. 

Licking my dry lips, I carefully squeezed the scoop’s handles together, making it split down the jagged middle just enough for me to peek through. Immediately, my muscles relaxed and I sighed in relief. Yup, still there, assisting a customer at the register.

I loosened my grip so the utensil snapped shut again, blocking him from my sight once more. Now the only person I could see at the little pizzeria was his coworker, a short, blonde guy currently pulling a pizza out of the massive oven and-

Wait a minute…

My eyebrows knit together.

Hadn’t Blondie there been working over at the Lucky Cat Café before? My gaze darted over to the little coffee place a few spaces over.  There the blue haired chick was again, but today she was accompanied by a big guy with slicked back, choppy brown hair.

Huh. Perhaps Pizza Planet offered better benefits and he’d jumped the java ship to sling dough instead? Or maybe-

“Hey! Are you even listening to me?”

I squeaked, fumbling the scoop for a few seconds before managing to get a firm grasp on it once more, hiding it behind my back as I whipped around to face the voice.

Riku stood on the other side of the countertop, arms crossed and eyelids drooping. 

I managed a weak smile for him. “Yes?”

One silver eyebrow quirked. “Then what was I saying?”

“You, er… wanted ice cream?”

“Okay, what kind of ice cream?” he rolled his eyes.

Oof, this one would be a little trickier.

Fingers fidgeting with scoop, I pursed my lips to one side. “...the cold kind?”

There was a snort from Frozone beside me as he counted the register. “She’s not wrong.”

Riku, on the other hand, merely narrowed his eyes. Somehow, I got the feeling he was not nearly as amused. Just a hunch.

Taking a step forward, I said, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! Please, tell me what I can get for you, I promise I’m listening now.”

He fixed me with that dull stare for a few more seconds before sighing and shaking his head. “Three scoops of the Spark Lemon on a cone and a bar of the Royalberry.”

“Coming right up!” I immediately set to work, grabbing a cone off the stack, sliding open the frosted glass, and plunging the (now thoroughly vetted by me to be completely hygienic and immaculate) scoop into the giant bowl of the lemony yellow ice cream.  It was just after I had plopped down the first orb onto the cone and was going to dig up the next one when I spotted it at my peripheral. A flash of that familiar blazing crimson. Aka You-Know-Who’s hair. Thankfully, he hadn’t budged from where he was last spotted, but still… a chilling reminder.

I hesitated for a heartbeat before stabbing down into the ice cream once more. Then my gaze shifted up to Riku briefly before flicking back down with a frown. “Um… do you think maybe you could… scooch a few inches over to your left? If you don’t mind?”

His brow furrowed, then he glanced over his shoulder towards the Pizza Planet.  Putting two and two together and releasing another sigh, he sidled over, obstructing Lea from my vision. 

“Thanks,” I smiled, carving out a nice big scoop for him.

“...you haven’t talked to him yet, have you?”

I winced, but said nothing as I plonked down the second ball on top of the first.

His face softened, “Well I did talk to him and-”

“Wait, you did what?!” I snapped, forcing Riku to jerk back in surprise.  My blood ran cold. Oh, not good, this was so not good! I groaned, “No! No, no, no! You talked to him?! How could you talk to him? Gah, now he’s going to know I’ve been avoiding him!”

A snort escaped him. “You think he didn’t know that already?”

“Of course not!”

“Says the girl who was doing this not two minutes ago.” He snatched the steel scoop out of my hand, twisting around to hold it out in Lea’s direction. 

“Stop that!” I lunged forward, stretching across the counter in a desperate attempt to get the utensil back, all while miraculously keeping the small stack of ice cream balanced atop its cone.  However, he simply hopped back out of my reach. Shoulders slumping, I looked to Frozone. “Little help?”

“Oh-ho no,” he chuckled, not looking up from tallying the munny. “I’m staying outta this.”

Gee, thanks.

Riku was still holding out the scoop as I looked to him again and hissed, “He’s going to see you!”

He bit back a grin. “And when you were doing it, you were, what, invisible?”

“No, but… but…” I released an agitated huff, “two people doing it is just weird!”

“Trust me, one person doing it was weird.”

With a tiny growl, I abandoned trying to get the stupid scoop back and instead straightened up to start pacing.  “I still can’t believe you talked to him,” I thrust the cone at him accusingly as I passed him on my little patrol back and forth. “I had a plan, it was a good plan, the perfect plan, a plan that was working, and now you’ve ruined everything and it’s all-”

“What was this oh so great plan of yours?” he asked, finally dropping his hand so he could fold his arms under his chest.

I froze mid-step, shooting him a flat look. “To not talk to him!”

He snerked. “And then?”

“And then to… to... continue not talking to him! Forever!” I stamped my foot down. “And we’d live happily ever after. Not talking. Ever. The end!”

So what if I was being a bit petulant? So sue me.

He’d frigging talked to him!

Riku could kiss my employee discount goodbye, that’s for sure!

His eyes crinkled as he shook his head, “Or you could try Plan B and do this crazy little thing called using your words to put this whole mess behind you two.”

I stared hard down at the cone in my hand, pursing my lips to one side. “But we never gave Plan A a real shot. I think it has potential, so maybe I should just keep working with that one.”

Riku puffed out a breath, handing me back the scoop. “Look, like I said, I’ve spoken to him, and he totally understands. Accidents happen. But you both have to work here, so you really should clear the air. Don’t you want to feel comfortable at your job and not have things be all awkward?”

“You do realize it’s me you’re talking to, right?” I scoffed as I took it from him and dug into the tub of Spark Lemon once more. “I’m the walking, talking human form of the blush emoji. Awkward is my middle name. At this point, I don’t think I know how to be anything but.”

“Well… you do you, I guess,” he shrugged. “Just know that he’s ready to talk whenever you are, okay?”

I paused, then slowly nodded as I topped off the cone with the third and final scoop. Then pulling a bar of the Royalberry from the compact fridges below, I handed both to Riku and rang him up at the register. As he quirked an eyebrow at me charging him full price, I shot him a blank look. “You know what you did.” 

He sighed through his nose, but a grin tugged at one corner of his lips as he paid. “Fine, whatever. See you later tonight,” he waved as he walked off, licking away at his ice cream.

“Is this gonna be a problem?” I heard Frozone ask and I glanced over at him.  He didn’t look up as he closed the register with his hip, instead just gesturing with his chin towards the Pizza Planet as he jotted something down on his clipboard.

Squaring my shoulders, I shook my head. “No, no problem, I promise.”

“You sure? Do you need me to bust any heads? Rough him up? Rearrange his face?”

I fought a tiny smile. “I’m sure. No face rearranging necessary, thanks.”

Now he looked up at me, eyes deadpan. “Am I going to have to drag you over there by the ear so you two can make up and play nice?”

All color draining from my face, I was rapidly shaking my head again. “N-no, that’s okay! You have nothing to worry about, I got it all under control!”

After all, I had my super great and totally amazing system that could not, would not fail me in any conceivable way!

His face broke out into a grin. “Good, that’s what I like to hear! Now you,” he pointed at me. “Tonight. Closing. First time all by yourself. You ready?”

“Absolutely!” I nodded. “I’ve closed with Kristoff the past couple nights now and I’ve got it all down. Seems straight forward enough, I should be fine.”

Frozone cocked his head, “Should be?”

“Definitely,” I hastily corrected myself. “I will definitely be fine. Better than fine. I will be perfection! You can count on me!”

“Fantastic,” he tapped a fist to the side of my arm before turning his attention to the second register.

Surprisingly, I actually wasn’t too concerned about it.  Like I’d said, it was pretty simple stuff.  Restock napkins and spoons, refill any empty ice cream tubs, wipe down surfaces, and so on. Sure, I was being given some responsibility, but I had zero problems with that. Responsibility was easy. Responsibility I could handle. It was people that I couldn’t deal with and that was the beauty of closing: there wouldn’t be a customer in sight. I’d be all alone, just the way I liked it.

Yup, I would be totally fine.

Not a single worry here. Nope.

Alright, one worry.

One big, whopping, massive worry that I really should have seen coming from a mile away.

Guess who also happened to be closing a certain pizzeria tonight?

That’s right! A certain redhead whose name rhymes with ‘flee.’

Which, coincidentally, is exactly what I wanted to do in that very moment.

But instead I took in a deep, calming breath and steeled myself as I continued to return our freshly rinsed and sanitized scoops to their homes on the Ice Palace counter so they’d be ready to go for the morning crew tomorrow. I concentrated very hard on not looking up, always trying to remain singularly focused on each task at hand. But as if my eyeballs had minds of their own, I couldn’t deny them a brief, furtive glance through my lashes in his direction every now and again.

Like right now.

Stupid mutinous eyeballs.

He was currently just in his work polo and khakis, having discarded his apron and visor. He seemed just as determined as I was to pour all of his attention into getting his closing chores done, never once looking my way… at least, not that I was ever able to catch anyway. Since Riku’d talked to him, he probably was fully aware of how uncomfortable this whole situation was for me and was now just doing his best to give me my space. 

Having just tied off a full garbage bag, he picked it up and I stiffened as he turned in my direction. But his gaze was everywhere and anywhere but on me, face impassive as he just kept pivoting into a one-eighty, slinging the trash over his shoulder and walking out the rear door of the Pizza Planet, probably heading for the dumpster. My whole body sagged as I released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

Ugh, why did I have to be making this all so weird? We were just two separate employees working our two separate jobs at two separate corners of the food court! On the surface, you wouldn’t even be able to tell there was anything wrong. So why did I feel the need to spazz in utter terror every two goddamn seconds?

Grumbling softly to myself, I quickly deposited the last of the utensils into their spots. Maybe if I hustled, I could finish everything and split before he returned. Then this could be Future Elsa’s problem to deal with, because let me tell you, Present Elsa was feeling so done with it all.  Having already topped off the ice cream bowls in the display, I moved on to snapping their lids down before double checking that the freezers below were fully stocked. Then I began shutting everything down, starting with the registers.

It was just as I had moved over to the soft serve/milkshake machine and was reaching for its power button that it happened. That Pizza Planet door opened once more. He came back. I looked. Our eyes met.

Instant.

Panic.

My chest tightened and my finger slipped, pressing down on a button.

It wasn’t the power button.

A fact that I became immediately and woefully aware of as the machine let out a decidedly unhappy sound that could most accurately be described as a banshee screech, making me jump and stumble backwards. I watched wide eyed as it began to rattle and shake, its lights and digital display screens flickering in random patterns all over with no rhyme or reason.

I’d pushed that button. The one Kristoff had warned me about. The Anger Button.

Why’d they even put the dumb Anger Button right smack dab next to the Power Button?!

What was even the point of the Anger Button?!

Suddenly, the machine was spewing lime green ice cream at me. With a tiny yelp, I ducked, narrowly avoiding getting globbed in the face as it instead splattered against the wall behind me. Straightening up, I snapped at the machine, “Hey, stop that!”

Its only answer was to fling more ice cream at me, this chunk in a cotton candy pink. I managed to dodge that attack too if only just barely before making a dive for the power button, palm slamming down on it. And that… got me zilch. If anything, the giant tin can only seemed to rumble harder as it now shot out a neon orange gush that I had to sharply crane my neck to evade.

“I said stop that! Right now!” I scolded it. As if making demands of the thing would actually do any good. I mashed the power button several more times, to zero effect. Now in full on freak out mode, I desperately started pressing all the other buttons, flipping all the switches, and yanking all the levers as I continued to dodge the now rapid fire spray of chocolate-vanilla mixed bullets flying at me while its quaking grew more violent and its high-pitched shrieking just kept getting louder and louder.

I only seemed to be pissing it off more.

Like the legendary apple of biblical fame that never should have been eaten, I’d pressed the button that never should have been pressed. I’d enraged the ice cream gods and now they were punishing me. Smiting me for my foolishness, making me suffer their divine, sugary-sweet wrath.

“What do you want from me?!” I shouted at it in frustration, snatching my cap off my head and using it to smother the nozzle in a pathetic attempt to stem the never-ending flood of ice cream. “What will make you happy?! A ritualistic dance? An offering of my blood? The sacrifice of a small child? What?!”

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it. A blur of movement. A streak of crimson. None other than a very familiar redhead vaulting himself over the Ice Palace countertop and landing right next to me.

I only had time to gawk at Lea before he was grabbing my shoulders and yanking me out of the way. The second my hat was off the spout, he was blasted with what was now a vibrant rainbow torrent of ice cream, drenching him from head to toe. Using one arm as a shield, he groped around the machine with his other hand until he found the power cord, seized it in his fist and ripped the plug out of the wall.

Almost instantly the machine stilled and the metallic screaming died down. The hush that followed was almost eerie by comparison. Wringing my cap between my hands, all I could do was gape as Lea turned to me, cold iridescent slush dripping from every inch of him as he wordlessly held the cord out to me. I blinked down at it.

...well fudge, why didn’t I think of that?

I mean seriously, I’d tried to negotiate with the damn bucket of bolts and even suggested presenting an infant up in offering to appease the almighty dessert deities before the mere thought of pulling the plug had crossed my mind.

I really needed to get my priorities straight.

I slowly took the cord from his hand before hesitantly looking back up at him. Still he was silent. Maybe he was trying to let me take the lead on this, waiting for me to make the first move. My lips parted, but nothing came out.

...well? Go on already, say something! Anything! Stop just staring at him like a total goob!

“You…”

You helped me when you had absolutely no reason to.

You were amazing.

You’re a total hero.

“...are covered in ice cream.”

...ah, me. Master conversationalist. Queen of Wit.

Stating the super obvious was a dirty job, but someone had to do it.

His head rocked back slightly at that. “Huh? Oh,” he looked down at himself with a soft chuckle. “Yeah, guess I am.”

Alright, Elsa, let’s try that again. Take two.

I cleared my throat and averted my gaze. “...th-thanks.”

Alright, so I’m not going to be winning any sort of originality awards there, but hey, I liked to think it was at least a step up from my last comment.

He gave a dismissive wave, sending a few multi-colored droplets spattering with the gesture. “Don’t mention it.” He rubbed the nape of his neck. There was a long, painfully awkward pause where neither of us spoke or looked at each other. Then he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, “Well… guess I’ll be going... then...”

He turned, planting his hands on the counter, preparing to catapult himself back over to the food court side. But then he stopped, just standing there for a couple seconds before puffing out a low breath and glancing back at me. “Look, about the, ah… the-”

“Kissident?” I blurted out.

...what the hell, mouth? I’d told you that codename in confidence! I thought we were friends!

“...sure? Okay, yeah, I guess that’d be a word for it,” he rubbed a curled knuckle along his lips, hiding a tiny smile. Or maybe he was just wiping some of the frozen muck away. It was anyone’s guess, really. “Whatever you want to call it, do you think maybe we could just... forget it ever happened? Hit the rewind button and do this whole first impression thing over again?”

Could… could we even do that?

Was that, like… allowed?

Realizing I was twisting my work cap to the point now where it was going to be filing charges against me for domestic abuse, I loosened my grip on it slightly as I gave a slow nod. “I would… really like that, actually.”

Would you look at that? I’d not only managed to string more than two words together, but in a way that suggested some form of minor human intellect no less. Progress!

Wiping his hand off on one of the few dry spots still left on his pants, he stretched it out to me. “Hi there, name’s Lea. Got it memorized?”

I stared at it for a second, worrying my bottom lip between my teeth. Then shifting the cord and hat to one hand, I reached out my other one to tentatively shake his. “Elsa. It’s... a pleasure to meet you.”

He grinned, “Likewise.”

And just like that, a weight had been lifted. All that stress and anxiety shrank down to next to nothing. Not completely gone, mind you. It’s not like you could totally erase something like the Kissident, not with a simple handshake anyway. But still, it was suddenly a lot better than it had been over the past few days. At least I could once again breathe in the presence of this man.

He also seemed to sense the tension banishing. My hand tingled a bit as Lea released it and he beamed at me, bouncing on his toes slightly. But then he frowned as he seemed to abruptly remember that he was still caked in sugary goop as he glanced down at himself again. “Shit, it really got me good, huh?” Hooking a finger in his collar, he tugged it out wide so he could look down inside and grimaced. “Ick, even managed to get all in my shirt. I love ice cream more than the next guy, but even I have my limits.”

And then, I kid you not, right then and there, still standing beside me behind the little Ice Palace counter, with all the scoops and cones around to bear witness, he reached over his shoulder, grabbed the back of his polo and pulled it up over his head and off.

A tiny noise escaped me that may or may not have resembled a “meep” as I dropped the cord and hid my face in my hat.

...had he really just done that? Surely not! I had to have imagined it! Although if it was just my imagination, why my brain felt the need to supply the picture at this exact moment was a whole other can of worms that I wasn’t particularly prepared to deal with at this time. But putting the Why aside, an overactive imagination would be the only thing that would make sense! I mean, it made more sense than some presumably half-way sane person just starting to strip in the middle of a public mall literally three seconds after being formally introduced to an all but total stranger!

Get a grip. It was all in my head. I had to be seeing things.

With a firm nod and a fortifying huff through my nose, I lowered my cap just a smidge to take a peek.

Then right back up the hat went.

Yeah, no, it was real. There was totally just some topless dude standing two feet away from me using his balled-up shirt to wipe ice cream off his abs.

...his well-sculpted, leanly muscled abs.

...not that I particularly paid attention to such things.

“Sorry,” I heard him say, my spine snapping rigid at the sound of his voice. “But this stuff’s gonna get super gross super fast unless I take care of it now. Hope ya don’t mind.”

Heart spasming and face sizzling, I shook my head quickly and opened my mouth to respond but-

“Hey! What are you doing back there?!”

I jerked my head up at the new gruff voice and looked out into the food court where two men now stood, one with his arms crossed, both scowling. The guy on the left was a big, stocky fellow with a square jaw and chiseled features, his ginger hair kept short and slicked back. His partner, who was almost just as big, had thick sideburns that hooked around his cheeks and wore his black hair in long dreadlocks tied back into a ponytail. They were dressed as mall security, the names on their uniforms reading Aeleus and Dilan.

As they both slowly stalked towards the counter, eyes narrowed on Lea, the one with dreads, Dilan, asked me sternly, “Is this degenerate bothering you, miss?”

My gaze just darted back and forth between the two of them as Lea threw his hands up, “Hey, woah now, you got it all wrong! I was just helping her out!”

Aeleus gave him a dull look, eyeing Lea’s current state of partial undress then curling his lip slightly. “Sure you were, buddy.”

“Oh come on! I don’t recognize you guys so you must be new, but I work here! See?” Lea unfurled his polo as evidence, only to discover the Pizza Planet logo on it had been hidden by a thick coat of ice cream. With a groan, he tried to swipe it clean, but the stuff had already hardened into place. Facepalming with a growl, Lea then looked to me. “Go on, tell them!”

...me?! He wanted my help?

Hadn’t he learned by now what a complete and total disaster I was in social situations?

No, don’t think like that. The guy had just rushed to my aid a few minutes ago and now it was time to repay the favor. I had this.

...I hoped.

“I-it’s alright,” I stammered out to the security guards, “everything is fine! This is all just a… a big misunderstanding! It’s actually just so silly, really. It all started earlier this week when he caught me off guard and all of sudden we were kissing and-”

“Excuse me?” Dilan asked coldly, turning his glare full blast on Lea. “Are you telling me this lowlife assaulted you?”

Paling, I rushed to reply, “No, no! It’s okay! It’s all good now because, see, just a bit ago, he charged at me, threw himself over the counter, slathered himself up in ice cream, took off his shirt and-”

Wait.

This was all coming out so wrong.

“That’s it, I’ve heard enough,” Aeleus ground out through his teeth, pulling a pair of handcuffs off his belt. “You’re coming with us.”

With a snort and a smirk, Lea pulled down his left lower eyelid with his middle finger and stuck his tongue out at them. “Fine then, be that way! But you meatheads’ll have to catch me first. Here!” He chucked his ruined shirt at Aeleus’s face. Then shooting a wink my way, he turned and bolted out the Ice Palace’s rear door.

“He’s trying to escape out the back!” Dilan catapulted over the counter as Aeleus snatched the polo off his face with a snarl. As he barreled through the same door, Dilan called back over his shoulder, “I’ll chase after him, you go around and try to cut him off!”

Aeleus gave a stiff nod before running off to the left and out of my sight.

So there I was. Soggy cap a crumpled wad in my tight, white-knuckled grip as I now just stood there, frozen and blinking in the middle of the Ice Palace, ice cream splashed across the walls and dripping from the machinery and ceiling.  And all I could do was wonder…

...how on earth I was going to explain all of this to my boss.

Author’s note: Oh em gee, at long last, HE SPEAKS! Not only that, he has absolutely ZERO shame! But that's okay, Elsa's got more than enough shame for the both of them xD And of course, I had to insert his obligatory catch phrase along the way xP But what’s this? The small, tentative makings of a possible friendship has started to form? Madness! And wouldja look at that… a certain pair of castle guards are now mall security, but Lea’s still giving them the ol’ runaround… guess some things never change xD Side note, looks like in this AU, Elsa is just as bad at controlling her ice cream powers as ever (buh dum tss!). And for those who don’t remember from BBS because it’s been too long or whatever, minor fun fact: Spark Lemon and Royalberry are ice cream flavors from that game! Worry not, I’ll exhaust the whole BBS ice cream list before long in this story, mark my word!

Next chapter, will this delicate new friendship blossom even further? Will Lea safely escape the clutches of mall security? And just how WILL Elsa explain the Ice Palace ice cream mess to her boss? Stay tuned to find out! Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve started following me, seeing that always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

[smashbuddies]

Do it for Them: Pt. 8

“Are you sure you should be here? It might be dangerous-”

“I’ll be fine, My... Snail. Black’s troops aren’t set to arrive for another few hours. I’ll go back home here soon, I promise.”

His Diamond frowned, but didn’t push it, thankfully. They knew if they told him to go home, he would have no choice but to obey. But he just wanted to enjoy their company. Especially before this particular battle. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad would happen. It was even worse than usual.

But His Diamond’s words echoed in the back of his head. I’ll always come back to you, My Pearl. That promise kept him from relaying his fears. They wouldn’t break that promise. They were too strong.

A glint from the sword in their hand caught his eye and his train of thought. It had been crafted for them not too long after they started fighting. The blade was almost as big as Daniel himself- just a bit shorter, though definitely a little wider than his willowy frame. Purple, with little vines of green swirling around the hilt and guard. And thin vine-like engravings on the blade, a representation of what they fought for, what gave them the strength to lead and fight. Life itself. And the planet they called home.

It was a work of art. Just like His Diamond.

“Like what you see?”

His face grew hot and his eyes snapped up to meet theirs. What was that grin for? “Excuse me?”

Their face softened, but the little crinkles by their eyes never went away. They ran a hand through his hair and said casually, “I dunno, you were just staring at me pretty hard.”

“I wasn’t staring at you,” he vehemently denied and tried his best to hide his embarrassment behind a cool facade. With his arms crossed and his nose raised up, to really drive it home. “I was looking at your sword, My Diamond.”

“Really?” That grin only grew wider as they hefted their sword up over their shoulder and winked. “I didn’t know it was on my face.”

He blanched. “Well…!”

“Sorry, I just wanted to tease you a little,” they said, crouching down to meet his eyes. “It’s nice to see you come out of your shell.”

“What do you mean?” he asked with his nose crinkled up and eyebrows furrowed together in distaste.

“Like that.” A single finger touched against his nose and he had to gently bat it away to keep the humiliation from eating him alive. “It’s the little things you do. You’re getting sassier. And it comes out more when you’re embarrassed.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he muttered, voice playfully low to keep the energy up, but mind reeling at what they said. Him, sassy? Pearls were supposed to be meek, was he a bad Pearl? Was this a warning?

They laughed, and like always it made something inside him flutter and grow pleasantly warm. “See, that’s exactly what I mean! You just get cuter everyday!”

Cuter?

Daniel could only stare, every racing thought in his head crashing together into a cacophony of white noise and static. But oh, that smile. Everything else in the world faded but their face. If only they could look at him like this all the time. No war, no fighting, no worries. Just the two of them at home, enjoying each other’s company, intertwined, dancing, laughing, loving each other. Like he knew it was meant to be.

The desire bubbled up into words he so desperately needed to say. Gingerly, he cupped his hands against their face and smiled. “Snail… I lo-”

In a flurry of motion, he was pulled behind them. The sound of their sword clashing against something rang in his ears and his gem thrummed wildly against his back, like an alarm.

Everything slowed down as he turned his head. Just on the other end of their blade, snarling and growling and spitting, was the most horrific thing he’d ever seen. A mass of black, clawed limbs all over swiping at the earth, stark white teeth surrounding their sword, horns jutting out from the top, the reddest eyes he’d ever seen. And swimming in the mass were shards. So many minuscule slivers of color appearing for the briefest moment before sinking back down into darkness. The only one that stayed in place was a red gem, mostly intact except for the small white patch melted into the center.

“Go!” His Diamond ordered, teeth clenched as they moved their other hand to their sword and braced themself.

He couldn’t move. Inch by inch, the beast seemed to get closer, forcing His Diamond back. He had to do something. Anything.

Before he even realized what he was doing, he had his hands held out, and willed a star to form in the open maw of the creature. Bigger, it had to be bigger. The shape grew and grew into it was forced to release its hold on their sword with a terrible, almost gem-shattering screech.

His Diamond took a large swing at the creature, effectively slicing it in half. But the two pieces only came back together, stitching into place like nothing even happened.

Daniel expected the creature to go after His Diamond. That would only make sense- they were an active threat. But no. It side-stepped around them, even dodging the second swing taken at it, the black mass bubbling and rolling almost like a cloud, and came right for him with open jaws. He barely managed to summon up a star to protect himself, and even then he’d been pushed to the ground, the Earth being the only thing protecting his gem from the claws trying to reach around his shield.

He was going to die. The Shard Eater would make him his next victim, he knew it. And he never got to have his happy ending. The star he summoned shrank. Why put off the inevitable…?

No. Not here, not now. A surge of power welled up in him, the most confidence he’d felt in all his existence. It was like a familiar voice whispering in his ear. You can do this, My Pearl. You’re so strong, so perfect, you won’t die here, this war is ours.

A slice swept cleanly through the creature, and His Diamond’s sword clashed against his shield. Then they leapt through the split and grabbed him, tucking him close to their chest while they rolled and landed in a crouched position. Their arm was tight around his waist, and they raised their sword to fend off another attack from the Shard Eater. Their reflection in their blade was determined, ferocious even, eyes narrowed, teeth bared.

“I told you to go,” they hissed as they pushed the beast back and leapt out of the way of a massive hand swinging down. “Now’s not the time to be stubborn!”

“Let me fight with you!” he demanded, squirming in their hold. Their tightened their arm. “I can’t let you face the Shard Eater alone!”

They opened their mouth to argue, but only let out a grunt as they held back a claw from swiping at them. Two more shot out and tried to get around their sword, but Daniel summoned up stars to keep them at bay, even though it took more out of him then he had to spare. His arms trembled as he willed the stars to stay in place. But as those claws tightened their grip, it only grew harder.

Don’t shatter, don’t shatter, keep His Diamond safe!

“I’m not going to lose you!” His Diamond finally growled out, and their sword glowed with energy. It shot through the Shard Eater, dissipating most of its form, and they took the chance to throw him as far as they could.

Daniel hit the ground with a hard thud. Shaken, he just barely managed to prop himself up on his arm, and tried to figure out which of His Diamond was the real one and which was a dizzy illusion.

“Get out of here!” they yelled, pinning him with the most firm glare he’d ever had the displeasure of receiving. From behind them, the mass of black grew and towered overhead. “That’s an order, Pearl! Don’t even think about disobeying Your Diamond again!”

Something in him sunk. And their face fell for a quick moment, before they turned their attention back to the Shard Eater. 

Well, he couldn’t disobey His Diamond. So he summoned up a star underneath his trembling form, and willed it up above the battlefield, far out of harm’s reach. His Diamond looked so small from here. 

And so did every other gem fighting.

From up here, he could see it all. Poofings. Shatterings. A storm of color clashing against a wave of black. But the last thing he saw before shooting the star back home was His Diamond holding their own against the Shard Eater. They would win. He knew they would. If anyone could defeat it, they could.

But the two of them would have to have a serious talk when they got back.

Like usual, he waited for them in the middle of the snail garden. The generations of snails that he and His Diamond raised were good company in these trying times. They had such short lives, but His Diamond loved each and every one with all their heart.

And he did too.

His finger lightly traced across the spiral on Lily’s shell. His Diamond had taken to naming the snails after the different kinds of life found on Earth. The names the humans had given the plants and animals. Except the first of each generation was always named after him. Whenever he asked why, they would just shrug. But he knew they were keeping the answer a secret. Still, he was going to find out eventually.

The doors behind him slid open, and he jumped up to his feet, eager to greet His Diamond. But he froze in place and his face fell when he saw that it wasn’t them. Two mournful looking gems approached him, each supporting one end of His Diamond’s sword. They stopped in front of him, and knelt down on one knee.

“My Pearl,” the one on the left announced, eyes off to the side. “Purple Diamond has been lost.”

No.

“What do you mean lost?” he asked as he held back the knot forming in his throat. His fists clenched at his sides, nails digging into his palms. “Were they… Were they shattered?”

“We don’t know,” the gem on the right answered, about just as eager to make eye contact with him. “But they were poofed by the Shard Eater, so… We can only assume…”

Daniel felt cold. Stiffly, he took the sword from the gems and held it close to himself. It was awkward and almost too big for him, but he didn’t care. This was the only thing he had left of His Diamond. He couldn’t let it go.

“Please ready the communicator for me,” he asked softly, voice quivering despite himself. “Tune it in to every channel. Even to Red, Gray, and Black Diamond’s. They need to hear my message too.”

“Yes, My Pearl!”

As the two gems raced out of the garden, he let out a broken sob. Not yet. He couldn’t crack yet. So he took a deep breath and willed his form to change. Bigger, he had to be bigger. Not a small Pearl in this moment, but a grand Diamond. Someone that could follow Purple’s legacy. Someone that could be the greatest threat the other Diamonds had ever faced.

The sword was easier to carry now. So he strolled out the the throne room and took a seat, eyes trained firmly on the communicator while the sword rested in his lap. On his cue, the two gems powered it on.

“This is a message to every gem,” he started, voice firm as he held his chin high. “Both Earth and Homeworld. Purple Diamond has been lost.”

It hurt even more to say.

“But the war hasn’t,” he bit out. “We aren’t without a leader. I know Purple Diamond hasn’t been shattered. They’re out there somewhere. And I swear to you, as their Pearl, I will stop at nothing to find them and get them back. I know I can’t be the leader they were, but I will try my best.”

All the anger building up inside him had to be swallowed back for a moment. Encouragement first. That’s a priority. “To all the gems fighting for Earth, to everyone disheartened by this: don’t give up. We will win. All we have to do is remember what we’re fighting for. Life, the home we all share, and our beloved Purple Diamond.”

He took a deep breath and traced his fingers along the engravings in His Diamond’s sword.

“And to the Great Diamond Authority,” he muttered, voice low and head hung. “You will regret this war. One day, you will be on the end of Purple Diamond’s sword, and you will beg for the measly, pathetic, insignificant little Pearl to spare you. Because I know you can be poofed.”

He slowly lifted his head up, lips pulled back into a snarl as his hands pressed flat against the blade on his lap and stared right into the communicator.

“But I’d love to find out if you can be shattered.”

With a nod, he signaled the transmission to be cut off, then hastily got up and scrambled back into the sanctuary of the snail garden. He fell to his knees and shrank back down to his normal size, every ounce of the will he had shattering into unsalvageable pieces as the realization that His Diamond was gone hit him once more.

Heavy tears rolled down his face and another sob escaped him. But this time, he let it. This feeling was worse than anything he’d ever experienced. So, so much worse. He didn’t feel like he would shatter, but he wished with all his being that he would.

“You lied,” he whispered down to the sword as it collected his sorrow. But with each word, his voice grew louder, more broken, more powerful than it had ever been before. “You lied to me. You said you’d be safe! What happened to ‘I’ll always come back, My Pearl’!? What do you expect me to do without you!?”

His gem ached terribly. He brought his hands up to his eyes to try and still the tears pouring down, but it didn’t work. Soft whimpers and hiccups filled the air, and he curled in on himself and the sword.

“I can’t do this… I can’t lead without you, Snail… I’m nothing without you...”

But the memory of a whisper lingered in his mind. His Diamond’s voice, so gentle, so confidant. A lifeline he needed terribly, the one thing he could hold onto.

I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.

He’d get through this. He’d be a leader. He’d be the gem that they saw him as. Strong. Confidant. A leader. A fighter. And one day he’d find His Diamond and proudly declare that the war had been won. One day he’d be safe in their arms again.

No matter how long it took, he would make it happen.

[swfanficbyjz]

SW Rey Theory - Legacy of Light - Chapter 3

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(8 months after tcw S5:E20, right before unfinished Utapau arc)

             Ahsoka grimaced in pain as the contractions hit with more intensity and more frequency. The pain was unbelievable, and that was saying something since she'd survived broken bones, blaster wounds and lightsaber cuts. The baby was ready, she could feel it in the force. She needed to go get Nyx, but she'd been dragging her feet. Not only was every movement painful, there was someone else she'd rather have with her right now. 

            She cried out as the next one hit with double the intensity. "I know you want to come out kid, but could you take it easy?" she grumbled aloud. She laid back, wiping the sweat off her brow and tried to take a deep breath. Even that was painful. It felt like she would burst like a balloon. She gritted her teeth trying to power through the pain, but she felt the bed suddenly get damp. She looked down at her pants, stained as though she'd peed herself. Oh great. 

            With great effort, she peeled them off and hobbled into the refresher. "Nyx!" Her call became a scream as the contraction hit so hard she had to grab the sink so she didn't fall over.

            He bounded through the door eyes huge, looking her up and down. "Wha.....?" He didn't even have a chance to finish as he slid on the leaking fluid racing to catch her as she fell backwards. She landed hard on his lap as they tumbled to the ground. She let her head fall back into his shoulder, closing her eyes as tears streamed down her face. "You're in labor!" he stuttered in shock.

            "You think?" she said tightly, trying not to lash out at him just because everything hurt. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't anybody's fault. She couldn't even blame the baby's father. But she wished he was here right now. Though, now that she thought about it, maybe not. She'd seen Anakin power through countless crazy scenarios without so much as a flinch, but she suspected this would be an entirely new and terrifying ordeal for him. What would he offer that Nyx couldn't? Well for one thing, she trusted him a lot more.

            "I should get a doctor!" He tried to stand up, but she gripped his thighs so he couldn't move. 

            "Too late!" she cried, digging into his legs unnaturally hard as she felt the pressure of the baby's skull on her pelvis. To Nyx's credit, he barely yelped as blood stained his pants where she'd clawed him. She didn't have time to feel guilty as the next contraction pushed the baby further down. She took several rapid breaths, releasing him so he could come around and catch it. He grabbed a towel from the shower and placed it on the floor between her legs. She fell back onto her elbows panting. 

            Another contraction, another push. Pain crashed through her in waves. Sweat poured from her forehead and mixed with her tears, making her blanche at the sickly salty taste that dribbled into her mouth. "Almost there." He sounded more awestruck than terrified. This was more of herself than she wanted to show him, but it was what it was. She took a deep breath and pushed as hard as she could, and then collapsed backwards onto the cold hard floor as she heard the distinctive cry of a newborn baby.

            It was the strangest moment of bright, headache inducing lighting, exhaustion, relief and... joy... She closed her eyes to relax after such a feat, that way she could greet her child more composed. 

            "It's a girl!" Nyx exclaimed. "I think..." he trailed off sounding doubtful.

            "You think?" She laughed hoarsely as she looked down her body and could just make out the confusion in his eyes. "Haven't you ever seen a girl?"

            "Well, yeah…" he said defensively, "I mean I'm looking at one right now. Maybe two. It's just hard to tell when they're this little. Like she doesn't have boobs." He said.

            Ahsoka rolled her eyes, smiling to herself. How did she keep ending up around adorable idiots? She took a deep breath and sat up. "Remind me not to let you babysit." He was attractive sitting there, despite being covered in blood, fluid and sweat. His jet-black hair fell loosely in his face as he looked down at the child cradled in his arms. A smile played across his lips, there was admiration in his eyes. A pang hit her. She wished it was Anakin that was meeting their newborn for the first time. She shook it off. "Can you stop hogging her now? After what I've been through, I want to see if it was worth it." she teased.

            "Oh right," he looked up like he'd completely forgotten she was in the room. He carefully handed her over, and Ahsoka looked down at the face of her baby for the first time. It was love at first sight. She rubbed her finger across her tiny hands and the girl gripped it tightly. 

            "Hello, Ashla," she whispered. She'd debated on the name for months, but the child's beautiful blue eyes looked back at her; her face as perfect and bright as a sunbeam and she just knew it was meant to be. Ashla meant ‘light.’ And that's exactly what she was. A light that came out of darkness, pain and goodbyes. Her features were Togrutan; her face narrow, high cheekbones, larger forehead, though not dramatic. But her skin was fair, and she had hints of hair. She had little white markings on her forehead and cheeks and a few stripes on her arms and legs but because her skin was light, they didn't stand out. 

            Ahsoka was relieved that she looked human. It would make her life easier. She'd be able to blend in and not attract attention. Ashla looked up at her gurgling and she watched her in wonder. She was the most precious thing she'd ever seen; the light at the end of the tunnel. As much as she wanted to show Anakin, it was better he didn’t know. She hoped that he'd not sensed her pain from the birth through the force. He was probably lightyears away with plenty of other things to occupy his mind. 

 ---

             “Anakin? Anakin!” Obi wan’s voice broke into his thoughts. 

            “Hmm?” Anakin blinked and refocused on the council around him, surprised to find them all looking at him. 

            “See something, did you?” Master Yoda asked him. 

            He shook his head. Even if he had, he wouldn’t tell them. It had just been a feeling. Pain… strong pain, but not the kind he felt around him on battlefields. It confused him because it had been mixed with… joy? It didn’t make any sense. Who feels happy when they’re in pain?

            “Well can we get back to the meeting then?” Windu asked from across the room. 

            “Yes, sorry,” Anakin mumbled bowing his head. His mind wandered to Ahsoka. Did it have something to do with her? He couldn’t be sure anymore.

            “Very good. Obi wan and Anakin will go to Utapau to investigate the death and report in…” Windu’s voice sounded far away. 

 ---

             “Not to ruin the moment, but I’m not sure a baby around my business is a good idea. It’s too dangerous.” Nyx brushed his dark hair out of his eyes and twiddled his thumbs, looking everywhere than at her.

            Ahsoka had to bite her tongue so she didn’t tell him that she’d fought in countless dangerous situations with kids strapped to her. And that what he considered dangerous wasn’t even close to the things she’d seen in the last eighteen years. “Well you kind of did.” She tried to sound sassy like she used to with Anakin all the time, in order to hide the knot in her chest. “Are you seriously going to kick me out?”

            “No, of course not!” he sighed. “It’s just…” he absentmindedly started wiping up the floor so he didn’t have to make eye contact with her. She watched him curiously.

            “What?”

            “I’m not real good around kids,” he said finally. “They don’t like me and I don’t like them and it’s just a bad combo.”

            “Well just think of it as your roommate has a kid and you don’t have to worry about it. I’m not asking you to care for her or anything.” It must be all the hormones that was making her uptight. She suddenly wanted to be alone. 

            Nyx wasn’t a Jedi, but he seemed to notice the change in the room. He made a lame excuse about needing to fix a sprocket and disappeared, leaving her still sitting in the puddle on the bathroom floor. 

            She blew air through her nose out of frustration, willing herself not to cry. Jedi weren’t allowed to have kids or families. She wasn’t a Jedi anymore, but she had been one when her and Anakin had gone too far. She didn’t regret it. She loved him, even with an uncertain future, even having to raise the child alone… she still loved him. She’d always love him. Though being alone with a stranger and a new kid she had to raise by herself, wasn’t how she’d imagined the future when they’d slept together.

            She ran her fingers down her daughter’s cheek, noticing how rough her fingers were compared to the baby’s skin. She pushed herself to her feet, exhaustion threatening to consume her. Her whole body ached. She turned the water on in the bathtub and let it fill while she cradled the baby in her lap trying to wrestle the tunic over her head one handed. Ashla fussed at the rocking motion and she spoke softly to soothe her. She gathered a few supplies from the cabinet and climbed into the tub. 

            She pulled her knees up so she could rest Ashla’s head on them above the waterline. She rubbed her gently, washing off the dried blood and bodily fluids. Cleaning her skin in little circular motions. Smiling to herself at the intimacy of the moment. Loving the beauty of this new light in front of her. She felt lost in her sound. She’d always had a fondness for children. She’d loved taking care of the younglings at the temple. 

            Her and Anakin’s first real mission together had been rescuing Jabba’s son. It was ironic that their relationship had started with a baby and ended with one. If she’d known that at the time, would she have changed anything? What a stupid question; of course not. The baby in front of her was something she could never regret. Even if it meant a daily reminder of the person she missed most. She silently thanked the force for the chance to experience motherhood. She’d never known how badly she’d wanted it until she had it. 

            She pulled the sterile knife out of the alcohol and carefully severed the umbilical cord between them. Tying the stub in a knot against her daughter’s skin and cleaning it off. She’d spent the last month researching baby care to make sure when it came, she could take care of it without needing to go to the hospital. Of course, half naked and crying on the bathroom floor with Nyx hadn’t been exactly how she’d imagined the moment. 

            Now that he was gone, she force pulled the little basket with a cushion into the room so she could put Ashla into it after drying her off and putting special lotion on her. Then she quickly cleaned herself up feeling like a real person again. She went about cleaning the bathroom up since the child had fallen asleep as soon as she’d put her down. She used the force to float it into the bedroom so it was a gentler motion and got dressed. She cleaned up her bedroom too. 

            Tired but feeling better, she sat on the edge of the bed watching her daughter breathe, occasionally twitching in her sleep. Her heart felt full. It came with a kind of peace and satisfaction that she’d never known before. She felt like she had a purpose again and she was going to hold onto it. She saw Ashla’s face screw up in a frown and then she started crying. 

            She picked her up. “Are you hungry?” she asked her as though she could answer. She sat on the bed with her back against the wall, opening her tunic. She marveled at every line and inch of her daughter’s skin as she suckled happily. “I’ll never let you go,” she whispered softly, rocking her gently in her arms while she nursed. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this happy. 

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