#look her design is so cute its the only way i handle the second hand embarrassment

[allykatsart]

What you thought I wasn't going to draw her??????

[americahasasuperstar]

Netflix & Chill

Adonis was cool peoples.

Of course, Nyla didn’t really have any worries that he wasn’t, but it was nice to confirm what she already thought.

Baking him a cake seemed to be the easiest way to get him to like her. Which she was grateful for because honestly, she didn’t care to do anything more to make him like if the cake didn’t work. She watched with an amused look on her face as he practically devoured the entire cake before him. She never understood how men could just eat so much and not gain a single pound. It made her wonder why they got that little superpower and not her.

He would take moments to stop eating to ask if she wanted any more than what she got or to tell her that she was a master at baking, which she surely appreciated. She was good with her one slice though, that was already too much sugar for her. 5 minutes had passed and it seemed like he was done eating for now. He only had like two slices left but she figured that he had ate enough to last him for the entire week, so she took it upon herself to grab the rest of the cake and put it in the fridge for him to eat later on.

“So, why move to Philly?” Nyla asked him as she closed the fridge after she placed the cake pan in there.

“Let’s just say I got some business to handle.” He shrugged.

“Oh, so you’re a dealer?”

“Girl what?” Adonis scoffed, furrowing his eyebrows at how she even came to such a conclusion. “No. Why you even guess that?” He asked.

“So… you’re a nigga with nowhere to go?” Nyla asked.

“Ain’t I just say I got shit to do here?”

“That’s what everyone says.” Nyla argued. “Truth is, nobody moves to Philly for anything other than the schools. It’s not like y’all aren’t aware of how dangerous it is.” She explained, shrugging her shoulders as she pushed her plate to the side.

“You not repping your city?” Adonis asked her.

“What’s there to rep? I’m leaving the moment I can.” She told him.

“Where to?”

“New Orleans maybe. Or maybe somewhere on the west coast. L.A. comes to mind.” Nyla said.

“I’ll take you one day.”

Nyla’s eyes lit up as she let out a cute little snort. “I knew you were from there!” She exclaimed.

“How?”

“I don’t know, you just give California. And I’m never wrong when reading someone’s vibe.” Nyla explained.

“Didn’t you just call me a drug dealer with nowhere to go?” Adonis asked her, amusement written on his face as she blushed out of embarrassment.

“I was simply asking.” She shrugged.

She walked around the counter, looking down at him as she stood by his side now. “So, what did you do before you moved?” She wondered.

“Boring ass office job.” Adonis muttered, clearly uninterested in talking about that aspect of his life.

“Oh yeah, that totally doesn’t seem appealing. I can barely stand still for more than 30 seconds.” Nyla chuckled.

“ADHD?”

“Nope. The will to explore.” Nyla grinned, placing her hand on her hip as she stopped by his side.

“How about you? What do you do?” Adonis wondered.

“I’m just your average waitress.” She shrugged.

“Doesn’t sound like much of a career to me.” He said.

“It’s a job. Not a career.” Nyla corrected him. “I’ll get started in my career soon though.” She said.

“What you thinking of?”

“Interior design.”

“Oh, that’s why you been disgusted and judging my empty ass apartment this whole time.” Adonis pointed out.

Nyla snorted as she hit his shoulder. “I have not been judging your place.” She giggled.

“You lying.”

“Am not!”

“Name three things in here you like then.” Adonis told her.

Nyla took a look around the very crappy— yet still beautiful in its own way— apartment for a few seconds. “Well, the cabinets are very evenly lined—“

“Don’t play in my face.” Adonis grinned.

“I’m not!” Nyla exclaimed. “The floors are nice. Love a good swept floor.” She told him.

“You really playing with me right now.” Adonis chucked, shaking his head in amusement as she rolled her eyes playfully.

“And the man that’s renting this place happens to be fine. So, that’s a good sign.” Nyla finished, smiling innocently as she batted her eyelashes at the man.

“How fine we talking?” Adonis wondered, raising an eyebrow.

“Real fine.”

Adonis grinned in satisfaction, patting himself on the back while she just rolled her eyes. He already knew he was fine. He just wanted her to validate it. He was so corny and it made her wanna rip her eyes out. She liked it though. It made him different than most of the men she had encountered in the past that took themselves way too serious for her liking. She actually liked being around Adonis. He wasn’t boring. And while that wasn’t anything special if we’re being honest, it still made him stand out.

The man stared at Nyla as she tapped her nails on his counter top, wondering if she was bored or not. He was enjoying himself, but of course, it didn’t take much to make him enjoy himself when he was in the company of the most beautiful girl he ever saw. Nyla was just enjoying the silence. There weren’t many people that she could be comfortable enough with to just sit in silence with them and enjoy their presence. Adonis happened to make himself one of those people in less than 24 hours of knowing Nyla. She couldn’t pinpoint it. Why him? What made him someone that she liked being around? Out of all the men that desperately tried to get her attention, here came Adonis, not even trying yet still getting something most men in Philly would die for.

“You got plans for tonight?” Adonis wondered, interrupting Nyla’s train of thought.

“Just staying in.” Nyla shrugged.

“Stay in with me.”

Nyla blinked a few times at his very bold statement, shaking off the feeling in her stomach that she felt as she bit her lip. “To do what in this lavish apartment?”

“You like movies?”

“What type of question is that, Adonis? Of course I do.” Nyla scoffed.

“My bad, some people don’t.” Adonis shrugged as he walked away from the counter. “Let’s see what we can find on Netflix.”

“Netflix and chill is what they call this.” Nyla told him, eagerly following him over to his couch.

“We just Netflix-ing. No chilling involved.” Adonis reassured her.

“Unfortunate.” Nyla muttered.

Adonis smirked as he looked at her over his shoulder. “You say something?”

“No, not at all.” Nyla chuckled, waving her hand dismissively. He had clearly heard her though. Didn’t mean she would give him the satisfaction of seeing her blush.

“Wanna watch The Purge?”

“What’s that?” Nyla said, gently sitting down next to him.

Adonis eyes widened as he looked at her. “You’ve never seen The Purge? You living under a rock or something, shorty?” He asked her.

“One, you’re cute but not cute enough to call me that. Two, I prefer dramas.” Nyla told him.

“One, thank you. You cute too. Two, but you not cute enough to get out of watching this tonight.” Adonis told her, making her laugh as he put on the movie.

“Oh God, am I going to have nightmares?” Nyla asked him, already whining and the movie didn’t even start yet.

“If you do, just scream my name and I’ll come running.” Adonis told her.

Nyla chuckled as she held onto his very strong arm, surely aiming on using him as comfort whenever she got scared. “My Knight In Shining Armor.”

┊┊┊✧ ⁺ ⁺ 　°

Opening her eyes, she was shocked to be met with the view of something other than her own ceiling.

Nyla shot up with panic coursing through her veins as she looked around to see where she was at. She felt dumb when she realized where she was at. She didn’t realize that she had fallen asleep in Adonis’ apartment. How long had she been asleep for? The last thing she remember was the movie beginning and now she was waking up. And where was Adonis? She was shocked to see the answer to her question being right in front of her eyes. She looked over to her right to see Adonis knocked out just like she was a few seconds ago.

She had tried to get up, but she was weighed down by the man’s heavy ass legs in her lap. How did they even end up in such position? Nyla shook her head in disbelief as tried to push them off of her, only to fail. Turns out she was no match for his muscle. Even when he was asleep, he was still stronger than her and he wasn’t even trying. Jesus. She really needed to start working out more.

“Adonis.” Nyla whispered, shaking his legs a bit. “Adonis, hello? Wake up.” She said, starting to shake him harder and harder.

“Leave me alone.”

Nyla groaned in annoyance, but that’s when an idea popped into her head. Her sister always used this trick to wake her up when they were younger. She put her finger in her mouth to wet it, which made her cringe but she managed to fight that, and then reached over to Adonis’s ear. It was a bit gross to do on a stranger, but hey, Nyla was desperate to get up. When she put her finger in his ear, she couldn’t help but laugh. She was so childish cause what the hell was she even doing right now? However, her amusement was cut short when Adonis suddenly shot up and snatched her by her wrist.

“Jesus! Don’t break my damn arm!” Nyla hissed.

Adonis’s eyes widened when he realized that he wasn’t man handling an intruder, instead the pretty girl he let spend the day with him. He cringed at himself, letting go of her arm immediately. Nyla sighed in relief when she got her arm back, looking down at the slight bruise that his grip left behind. And when he realized that he had his legs laying on top of hers, he took those off. Much to her relief. Though, she kind of liked having him touching her.

“Shit, my bad. I ain’t mean to be all in your space like that. And I definitely ain’t mean to hurt you.” Adonis apologized.

“Don’t worry about it.” Nyla muttered, rubbing her sore arm with a pout on her face.

“What time is it?” Adonis asked her.

“Almost 10.”

“Damn, you been here the whole day. We must’ve been knocked out.” Adonis said, laughing a bit.

“That’s what happens when you eat a ton of cake.” Nyla told him as she stood up from the couch finally.

“Where you going?” Adonis asked. He sounded a bit worried that she was leaving. A part of her believed that he wanted her to stay, but then again, she made a lot of shit up in her mind so who knew?

“Can I use the bathroom?” Nyla wondered.

“Oh, yeah. Go head.”

Nyla hurried and did her business. She wanted to leave and go sleep in her own bed, but a part of her wanted to stay and spend more time with Adonis. She wasn’t sure if he was giving the signs that he wanted her to stay as well. Maybe he was just being a good host and making her comfortable. Nyla surely want some stranger staying too long in her own home, but that was the thing. Adonis wasn’t just some stranger. She sounded crazy saying that but it was true. She felt as if she knew him for years now, so she didn’t feel the need to treat him as what he was. Which technically was a stranger.

She walked out of the bathroom, tossing the paper towels she used to dry her hand in the trash as she passed it. “How did you feel so comfortable letting yourself fall asleep around a stranger?” She wondered, leaning against the back of the couch.

“You fell asleep first so ask yourself that.” Adonis told her, shrugging his shoulder.

“I don’t even remember being tired.” Nyla said.

“Even if you didn’t, I like your vibe. It’s trustworthy. I don’t think you’d do anything to harm anyone.” Adonis admitted.

“Awe, well that’s true. I’m glad you can tell that off the bat.” Nyla smiled, slipping her sandals back on quickly.

“You leaving?” Adonis asked.

“Yeah, Adonis. I’ve been here for almost 5 hours.” Nyla told him, scoffing.

“You right. I just thought you’d want to watch another movie or something.” Adonis shrugged.

Nyla smirked as she sat back down next to the man, “You really don’t want me to go, huh?”

“It’s not even like that.” Adonis said, waving his hand. It was totally like that. “We just fell asleep for the first movie so we gotta make up for it.”

“Mhm.” Nyla grinned. “If we’re watching another movie, it’s my turn to pick a movie now.” She said.

“What movie is it?” Adonis asked, leaning back into the sofa.

“Hmm… ooh! I got it.” Nyla chirped, her favorite movie of all time popping into her head. “Hold on, lemme go get it.”

Nyla ignored his questions as she got up and ran out of the apartment as fast as she could. She hissed as her bare feet collided with the cold wood of each of the steps she ran down but she ignored that as she arrived at her destination. She started banging on the door immediately, already knowing that the person she needed at the moment was well awake. It took a few seconds before she finally decided to stop, pressing her ear up against the door to see if she heard footsteps approaching the door. And indeed she did.

“If you’re not bleeding or dying, go back where you came from!”

“It’s an emergency, Bi.” Nyla lied, grinning proudly when it worked and Bianca opened the door immediately. “You still got my Titanic dvd?” She wondered.

“Bitch.” Bianca scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. “It’s on my dresser. That jawn was too long. I gave up on even finishing it.” She said.

“Your attention span for anything other than music is shorter than ever.” Nyla pointed out, brushing past her friend into the apartment.

“It was too boring!” Bianca argued. “How you gonna blame me for that?”

“Whatever.”

Bianca stood in the doorway of her room as Nyla searched for her movie, arms crossed as she noticed how late in the night it was. “How did giving Adonis the cake go?”

“Good. Real good. We’re actually about to watch this right now.” Nyla said, picking up the dvd under Bianca’s pile of records.

“Wait, hold up, you been there all day?” Bianca asked.

“Yes.” Nyla nodded curtly. “Is that a problem?” She asked, turning around to face her best friend.

Bianca shook her head before a grin slowly spread across her face. “Did you fuck him?”

“Bianca!”

“Don’t ‘Bianca’ me, Nyla. Did you sleep with him or not?” Bianca questioned.

“No! I didn’t!”

“Boring!” Bianca sang. “Get out of my apartment.”

“You’re sick in the head.” Nyla scoffed, rolling her eyes as she made her way back to the front door.

“Tell me everything after y’all done fucking. For the 6th time tonight probably.” Bianca told her, snorting at her own joke.

“I hate you so much.” Nyla muttered, walking out into the hallway.

“Love you too!” Bianca exclaimed, slamming her door shut after Nyla was far enough from it.

Nyla hurried back up the stairs, hoping that Adonis didn’t fall asleep on her. When she entered the apartment, she was beaming with excitement as she stared down at the dvd as she walked over to the couch. She could watch Titanic a million times and never get bored of it.

“I found it—“ Nyla raised an eyebrow as she approached Adonis, who was setting up pillows and blankets on the couch. “And what is all this?” She chuckled.

“I just got some pillows and shit incase you got uncomfortable. I don’t want you twisting and turning like I be on this hard ass couch.” Adonis explained, shrugging his shoulders as he tried desperately to hide his blushing cheeks.

“Thank you for the kindness.” Nyla giggled. “Now, you ready to watch the best movie ever made?” She questioned.

“Friday?”

“Close.” Nyla lied, revealing the disk she had behind her back with a wide grin on her face. “Titanic!”

Adonis sighed, but he already knew he wasn’t going to win the argument if started one. So sighed and laid back. “I’m going to die of boredom…”

“No you are not.” Nyla scoffed, sticking the disk inside the dvd player. She was surprised he even had one, but thankfully he did!

“What did you say? I’m already fading away.” Adonis said, making Nyla roll her eyes.

“You’re so dramatic.” Nyla chuckled.

“You like it.”

“Mhm.”

“Why you still over there?” Adonis asked her. “Come sit down.” He said, beckoning her over to the couch. To which she gladly obliged.

“Get comfy.” Nyla told him.

Adonis did that corny yawning move so he could put his arm around her, pulling her into his side as the movie started to play. “I’m comfortable enough being with you—

“Shh! It’s starting!” Nyla hushed, slapping his shoulder so he would shut the hell up.

“Man…”

[green-fifteen]

Day 8: Callous

Fandom: The Hobbit

Relationship: fem!Bilbo Baggins/fem!Thorin Oakenshield

Word Count: too long already i'm tired

written for @fluffyfebruary

This AU draws heavily from the EXTREMELY inspiring work of @rutobuka2 (specifically, lumberjack!Thorin and Thorin's design in the Barricade AU (link to NSFW comic))

*i am publishing this in its current and incomplete form because i'm not going to finish it!*

Dis had said, This one is a Kindergarten teacher because I'm running out of friends.

Thorin had said, I wish you would run out faster, but she'd gone on the date anyway. Her sister had gotten married two summers before, and was now bound and determined to find someone for Thorin. Usually, they were people Dis barely knew, from her jewelry work or Vili's gym. On one truly unspeakable occasion, Thorin had gone out with someone Dis described to her as "unfortunately tall," and who turned out to be a wood elf. But they were not all bad. The last time Dis set her up, Dori had become a trusted friend (if not anything more). At the end of the day, she was willing to give some Kindergarten teacher at least one date, if only so Dis would back off for a few more weeks.

But her sister was right: Kindergarten was not her type. As she readied herself for the evening, she was imagining her date as a paint-spattered, bubbly blonde. In her imagination, she could see her talk to the waiter like they were best friends and eventually tell Thorin her entire life story. She'd have no boundaries and no real difficulty in her life.

Thorin sighed. She was being unfair, but she already didn't think they'd have anything in common. Thorin's own job was grueling, demanding, and isolating. She wasn't the kind of person who could sit down with someone and get cozy over appetizers-- the idea made her frown in discomfort. She needed something steady and lasting, rooted in the earth like the trees in her woods.

She pulled on her flannel and snapped the buttons all the way to her neck. At least she wouldn't have to talk about herself, if the teacher did decide to share her life story.

When she arrived at the restaurant at 6:30, Thorin parked her truck and headed straight to her preferred booth. The spotty teenager at the host stand had been working the last couple times she'd been here and gave her a smile. She kept her face to the ground, scowling.

Her seat was in the back, close to the kitchen and a little noisy. She had a great view of the front windows, where she could see anybody pulling up. When Dis had made the mistake of setting her up with the elf, Thorin had been able to slip away when she saw the creature crawl out of her car in the parking lot. Even having narrowly escaped what would have been the worst date of her life, she'd spent the rest of the evening thinking up insults for her sister.

Now, Thorin watched the parking lot idly and turned the table knife over in her hands. It was sturdy quality, if not very sharp. The wood of the handle was a little rotten from being soaked, but the metal was good. She heard a woman's voice from a table in front of her.

"Sorry, but could I get a refill? I'm afraid I'm still waiting." The waitress scurried off and Thorin saw the Hobbit woman sigh and shift in her seat. She felt a stab of sympathy and sipped at her own water. It seemed they were both stuck in date-limbo.

The Hobbit was cute, with mops of auburn curls on the top of her head and just below her ankles. She wore a deep burgundy dress and looked to be doing a crossword puzzle at the table. Thorin watched her in profile, forgetting about the cars in the parking lot.

[Bilbo, Kindy teacher, goes on a first and second date with Thorin, park ranger. She's half in love already and Thorin is on the exact same page. Actually, Thorin is fully in love by the second date and wants to start looking for rings so she never has to give her up. But that's not really something she's about to say.

Thorin takes her home in the car she borrowed from Dis and before Bilbo gets out, Thorin grabs her hand and pulls her so they're facing each other. She slowly brings their faces together, a hand on either side of Bilbo's bare neck. After a perfect first kiss, Thorin dives in for another and another, stopping when she hears Bilbo suddenly gasp. She keeps stroking her thumbs under her jaw as she leans back a little.

Bilbo is near speechless at the feeling of Thorin's calloused fingers dragging over the soft skin of her neck and jaw. She takes Thorin's mouth again a little roughly and bites at her lip, before recalling herself and pulling away. It's almost 11 on a weeknight (WHY did she agree to go out on a Monday again???) so, it's time for sensible teachers to go to sleep. Thorin asks what time school gets out and if she can pick her up for dinner. Again. The next day. She teaches half days so she gets out at 1:30. Thorin says they can have lunch, too.]

[manawari]

~ Lifeguard!Byung-gyu × Lee Ju-hee ~

After months of endless work at the hospital, Lee Ju-hee finally broke free from the chains as she embarked on a trip to the beach with her friends. In the midst of joy and carefree moments, a certain lifeguard suddenly caught her eye.

"We're here!"

"Oh my God, I missed this place!"

"Hee-jin, quickly get the camera!"

"I can't wait to put on my new swimsuit!!"

"I wonder if there are any cute boys around. . . "

"Ye-rim! I thought this vacation was going to be about ourselves only?" Ju-hee playfully chastised her friend. "Think about boys for some other time."

"Wow, Dr. Lee Ju-hee has definitely signed off, huh?" Ye-rim snickered.

"Can you blame me? I have been waiting for this trip for a year!"

"Sweetheart, aren't we all?" Gina grinned from the driver's seat. "Mr. Choi was kind enough to let Bora and I take a few days off."

Lee Bora laughed. "I can't believe we left Ki-hoon alone!"

"He can handle anything, Bora. And he wants to be promoted, remember? Take it as us doing him a favor."

"Right."

Ju-hee chuckled along, resting her chin on her hand as she leaned closer to the open window, allowing the wind to brush against her like a mirthful embrace. It felt different than when she was in the city — the wind was fresh and no responsibilities chained around her mind. Well, Ju-hee had set them aside on purpose, choosing to spend her short vacation with moments she would cherish forever.

Gina maneuvered the van into one of the available parking spaces and the girls climbed out, bringing along their bags to make their way to the reception. Hee-jin conversed with the receptionist about the cabin she had reserved.

"Se-mi and Ji-woo would've loved to be here," said Bora. "Sadly, organizing schedules with your friends as an adult is tough."

"Then let's go here again next time," Gina suggested. "If they can't still be available, I'll drag them here myself."

Indeed, it was difficult. Ju-hee had missed several trips due to her med school, choosing to focus on her path toward her career above the desire to create new happy memories. She couldn't remember the last time she found herself in such a paradise called the beach.

Hee-jin returned to the group with the key in her hand. Ye-rim squealed in excitement and grabbed her friend's arm, urging her to take the lead to where their cabin was located. Palm trees swayed lazily amidst the warm, fragrant breeze that carried the scent of saltwater and flowers, pristine white sand stretched throughout the place, glowing beneath the inviting sunlight, and the waves rolled over the shore in rhythmic whispers, leaving the sand drenched in its wake and foams sparkling as it retreated to the sea.

Mingled laughter echoed and a symphony of birds chirped, weaving into the blissful atmosphere. Beach cabins and huts added a fine touch for those who wished to be closer to the sea. The girls arrived at their designated cabin — the place accommodated two beds, though mattresses were available in the closet for those who could not fit in the beds.

Once they settled their bags and luggage, the girls quickly brought out their swimwear, getting ready for the sea instead of a few moments to rest after hours of ceaseless driving. It was clear their excitement got the best of them. While Ju-hee had brought out her brown halterneck swimsuit, she still chose to wear her jean shorts, not quite fond of showing a complete expanse of her legs. The swimsuit only managed to cover her chest, leaving a portion of her stomach exposed, and it also embraced her figure like a second skin.

"Wow, you got some sweet figure there, Ju-hee!" Gina remarked, spraying perfume on her strawberry-blonde hair. She was already clad in her two-piece outfit, accentuating her curves.

Ju-hee blushed at the compliment. "Well, not as good as yours, Gina."

"Nonsense! Everyone looks so pretty right now!" Ye-rim chirped, clad in a floral bikini. "Oh my God, we should look for a nice flower to put on you, Hee-jin!"

"Maybe later. I don't want to soak the poor flower the second we jump into the water." Hee-jin chuckled.

"Let's go look for seashells too!" Bora exclaimed, tying a purple band around her hair, matching her outfit. "I saw some pictures on the resort's page, and I wanna see if they are true. And hopefully, we'll bring home for each of us, and Se-mi and Ji-woo too."

Her friends agreed ecstatically.

The group soon exited their cabin, giggling once their feet touched the scorching sand. Ju-hee's heart raced rapidly as she made her way to the sea as if hearing it call her name, and the happiness had never overflowed so hard.

Water splashed upon their weight and the waves collided with their skin. Ye-rim plunged into the saltwater and started splashing Gina, who immediately retaliated. Ju-hee laughed until she felt her arm being grabbed by Hee-jin, who was smirking as she dragged her across the waves. Ju-hee yelped and fought against her friend's grip, only then to have Bora rush in to push her into the water.

She resurfaced and coughed out the water. Hee-jin and Bora laughed, making her glare icily at them, so Ju-hee grabbed Bora's wrist to bring her down. She turned to Hee-jin this time, the raven-haired woman held her hands up and told her to not do it, but Ju-hee wouldn't allow Hee-jin to keep her hair dry when the rest already had been soaked.

"Nope!" She grabbed Hee-jin by the wrist, causing her friend to protest.

Eventually, Hee-jin crashed into the water, with Bora laughing at her as she floated. The group of friends played under the cloudless sky, the sun was at its peak, and not a tinge of worry lingered in their minds, breaking free from reality to appreciate the beauty of their paradise.

Suddenly, a splash collided with both of their bodies. Ju-hee instinctively pulled her niece close and looked up, spotting a man running across the water and eventually diving into the sea.

A few moments later, Ju-hee found herself on the shore, letting the waves lap over her feet. Gina, Ye-rim, Hee-jin, and Bora had begun to search for seashells, to which Ju-hee elected to sit out to take a break, yet she promised them to join once she restored her stamina. In the meantime, she drew her finger across the sand, forming shapes and doodles.

"My son!"

A wail from a mother caught her attention. Ju-hee raised her head and saw a small crowd gathering, surrounding the woman, who was crying her heart out for her child. Curiously, Ju-hee stood up and made her way to the crowd, just in time to spot a lifeguard emerging from the waves, striding to the shore with a kid in his arms.

"Don't worry, ma'am, your kid's going to be fine!" The man said to the woman, bringing the kid over to gently place him on the dry ground. The lifeguard parted the kid's mouth and lowered his ear, sensing if there were any signs of breathing, then he put his hands on top of each other, curling his fingers to the front, and pressed them onto the chest.

Ju-hee watched in bated breath whilst the lifeguard began to pound the unconscious child's chest. The mother sobbed, afraid of her son's fate. As much as the beach was fun, there could be risks underneath, especially with the sea that could drag a person to its depths.

Finally, the young boy let out a gasp and the lifeguard placed his hand on his back, helping him rise and allowing him to cough the air and bits of water clogged in his lungs. The mother cried out her son's name and rushed to pull him into her arms, cradling him gently.

Ju-hee sighed in relief, smiling at the sweet moment between the mother and her son. She was glad that the kid had survived. The lifeguard stood up and walked in her direction, only to have her heart skip a beat, seeing his athletic build and the droplets of water glistening under the sun. His fingers combed through his sleek black hair. It was as if she was seeing the Greek God Apollo himself. . . But before she could think of anything else, their bodies bumped in contact.

"Oh, sor—" her sentence fell short. Ju-hee realized the placement of her hand on the lifeguard's firm chest, causing her to flush in embarrassment. She turned away and intertwined her fingers on her front as she stared at the mother and son to distract herself until the lifeguard finally walked away.

What the heck just happened to you, Ju-hee?! She scolded herself.

Min Byung-gyu had a deep love for the sea. It brought him peace and warmth. The sound of the waves splashing the shore was music to his ears, as well as the distant chirps of the soaring birds in the sky. His profession as a lifeguard gifted him that opportunity, but also being there to help someone in need as the sea could be more than just its beauty — it could be someone's biggest fear.

To be a lifeguard meant dedicating one's life to the safety of others, ensuring that everyone was safe on the beach while they enjoyed the sun. It brought him joy to see people having the time of their lives on the beach, enjoying the place as much as he did.

The wind carried a cool breeze as the sun was beginning to set. Byung-gyu dismissed his position from the lifeguard tower and brought his clean shirt along as he dismounted from the ladder. Some people had begun to retreat to their respective accommodations for a rest, and he too deserved a rest after watching the beach since sunrise.

Hmm, a historical movie? Maybe a box of ice cream or ramyeon on the side? He wondered.

Then, his eyes caught something. A young woman sat alone in a tree trunk, draped in a white cardigan that hung above her shorts. It took a second for Byung-gyu to remember her as the one whom he had bumped into earlier, and needless to say, she was pretty too — long, sleek ginger hair with fair skin, and striking blue eyes that bore semblance to the sea and sky.

He had never seen such beautiful eyes.

His footsteps began to make a beeline toward her, greeting. "Hey there, miss."

She looked up and their eyes instantly met. "Er, hello." The woman said.

"You seem all by yourself. Did you come alone to this beach?"

"Oh, no, I didn't." She kindly shook her head with a small smile. "I actually came with my friends. They're back at the cabin we are staying in, but I decided to head out and see the sunset. I've never seen the sun like this before in Seoul."

"You came for a vacation?"

She nodded. "Yep! Work has been tough ever since I graduated from med school."

"Med school? Congrats!" Byung-gyu smiled. "I used to study medicine too, also first aid, but I decided to pursue being a lifeguard."

"Really?"

"Yeah—" He paused, gesturing his hand on the spot next to her. "May I?"

"Sure."

Byung-gyu sat down and flashed her a smile then continued. "I like being at the beach. It's peaceful. And being a lifeguard has both of the two things I want to do — help people in need and the place itself."

"I understand the feeling," she smiled. "As much as I would love to live in a place like this, I still prefer to stay in the hospital where I can save lives."

"Impressive," he grinned. "Oh, I'm Min Byung-gyu, by the way."

"Lee Ju-hee."

Lee Ju-hee. He took note of it in his mind. "Beautiful name, Ms. Lee."

Her cheeks reddened. Identical to how he had seen her when her hand accidentally went to his chest. However, given the growing darkness in the sky, the color wasn't as prominent, but it did not stop Byung-gyu from chuckling.

"Have you seen that lifeguard over there? He looks cute!"

"Why is he staring at us?"

"No, he's not!" Ye-rim told Gina, who had a blunt expression on her face. She giggled. "He's looking at Ju-hee!"

"Wait, what?"

"Come again??" Both Bora and Hee-jin looked at Ye-rim in question.

Ju-hee, on the other hand, chose to ignore her friends and pretended she wasn't hearing anything. She proceeded to pad her hands across the water as she sat on the stone. The girls chattered amongst themselves, giggling even, and it made her roll her eyes in chagrin; who cares if Byung-gyu was staring at her? It could be that he was merely doing his job, watching over people at the sea.

"Watch this— Ju-hee! Wave your hand!" Ye-rim told her.

Ju-hee glared at her friend. "No."

"Come on. . . " Ye-rim pouted.

"Come on, Ju-hee! It's only a test." Hee-jin chimed in.

She sighed. No result would come out if she kept protesting and her friends nagging her. Ju-hee shifted on the stone and looked in the distance, noticing Byung-gyu from his seat at the tower. Her lips curled into a small smile and raised her hand to wave.

He reciprocated the gesture.

Her friends burst into squeals. Lee Bora began to splash her and Ju-hee used her hands to shield herself from the attacks, yet fully aware that her defenses were futile.

Ju-hee eventually left her friends and swam back to the shore. The waves rolled over her ankles as her feet left marks on the sand, she made her way to the deckchair where her and her friends' belongings had been kept. Grabbing her sheer cardigan, Ju-hee pulled it across her arms and tied the hem on the front of her stomach; her black halter bra could still be seen through the thin fabric, but she paid no mind and went for the long white sarong to knot around her waist.

"Hey!"

She turned around and smiled. "Byung-gyu."

"What's up? Your friends didn't tease you much, hm?" He snickered, lifting his sunglasses to his forehead. This time, he was shown in a grey compress shirt with the resort's logo.

Ju-hee scoffed. "Don't mind them. I just left because I am thirsty and craving coconut juice."

"Want me to accompany you?"

She flashed him a funny look. "Aren't you supposed to be on duty, Mr. Lifeguard?"

"I'm not the only lifeguard here," Byung-gyu rolled his eyes.

"Still. I can handle myself." Ju-hee winked at him. "Now, if you excuse me—"

"How about later?" Byung-gyu stepped in to block her path. "Sundown? After my shift?"

"Uh. . . What for?"

"A swim, perhaps? It's been a while since I swam without the intention of rescue." He shrugged. "C'mon! Unless you have other plans with your friends. . . "

She had. There was a band arriving at the beach for a small concert, Lee Bora urged everyone to go watch the live performance, and obviously, they all agreed to go. Ju-hee was also thrilled when she heard the news, she had been listening to the band for so long and knowing they would soon have a concert in the same place as her for free, it was like a chance of a lifetime.

But here she was. . . Min Byung-gyu just invited her to hang out with him.

This trip is about you and your friends only, Ju-hee. A voice spoke in her mind. You cannot simply break it just because a cute guy asked you out! Fight the urge—

"I'll see you then." Words inevitably came out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

Byung-gyu smiled widely. "Alright. Meet me at the shore?"

"O— okay." Ju-hee almost stammered. She quickly walked past him and her hands curled against her skirt, grasping for self-control, but her heartbeat pounded against her ribcage so fast to the point it could break through.

She couldn't believe she had chosen to ditch her friends and one of her favorite bands for a lifeguard.

Lee Ju-hee came up with a plan.

First, she would come along with her friends to the stadium where the band would be performing. Second, she would stick around for a few moments or songs until she came up with an excuse to leave the concert. Third, and lastly, she would meet up with Byung-gyu at the shore.

God knows what would happen if she told her friends that the guy they had been teasing her about was the reason. . .

People gathered at the stadium and several of them were already cheering for the band members even though the show hadn't officially started yet. Ju-hee squeezed through the crowd behind her friends as they searched for a good spot to view the stage.

The show finally began. The audience sang along as the group raised the lively atmosphere, encouraging everyone to dance to the music and feel the rhythm with them. But all Ju-hee could think of was Byung-gyu, wondering if he had already been waiting for her at the shore, she glanced at her friends, guilt nibbling in her chest as she was about to move on to her next step.

"Uh, Hee-jin?" She tapped her friend's shoulder. Hee-jin gave her a confused look, and judging the atmosphere around them, Ju-hee leaned up to whisper in her ear. "I don't feel good. Do you mind if I head back to the cabin and rest?"

Hee-jin frowned. "Aw, Ju-hee. . . "

"Sorry!"

"No, it's okay! It must be from what you ate earlier. Go, I'll record some videos for you, so you can see what you missed." Hee-jin encouraged her. "Just don't forget to take meds, alright?"

Ju-hee smiled. "Thank you."

Squeezing Hee-jin's hand in gratitude, Ju-hee left and snuck through the crowd of people to get to the exit. The noise faded from her eardrums as she walked farther, bringing relief to surge through her veins, followed by excitement.

She saw his silhouette where the waves touched the shore. Ju-hee took a deep breath and tucked a strand of her hair behind her hair as she approached him. The sky was painted in hues of purple, pink, and gold, as the sun was dipping from the horizon, casting a soft glow across the sea, and the waves whispered gently upon the shore.

The wind had grown colder, hinting at the arrival of the beautiful night. Ju-hee couldn't help but stare at the ethereal sight of the sea, shimmering under the last rays of sunlight, a magical and delicate mix between the farewell of day and the greetings of the evening.

"Byung-gyu." She finally spoke.

He whirled his head over his shoulder. "Ju-hee. Wow, you looked quite dressed."

"I was at the concert with my friends," she shrugged. She had a white blouse and a pretty black skirt, which swayed against her hips in the soft breeze. "But I planned to stay there for a while since I made a promise. You don't have to feel bad or anything, Byung-gyu, as it's completely my decision. It doesn't matter if I missed anything or not."

"Well, I won't be held responsible if you regretted anything from the concert," he flashed her a grin.

Ju-hee rolled her eyes. "I doubt I'd do."

Byung-gyu chuckled. He twitched his head as if in signal. "Come with me."

And so, she followed him. Ju-hee increased her pace to walk closely alongside Byung-gyu. Silence wrapped them like a blanket, comfortable and not a tinge of tension between them. . . Only a few inches separating their hands — Ju-hee noticed, but she suppressed the urge to link their fingers together. She wondered if his hands were warm, contrasting against the cold atmosphere, or soft enough when held.

She flinched upon realizing what she was thinking. Control your thoughts, Ju-hee.

Byung-gyu brought her to an area behind the large stone on the shore, revealing a stone path toward the sea. Waves crashed against the rocks with a harmonic, soothing cadence, yet harder than in the sand. As Ju-hee observed it, she suddenly caught Byung-gyu in the middle of taking his shirt off. . . But it was too late for her to look away now. The fading sunlight traced the fine contours of shoulders, subtly glowing down to the evident muscles in his arms and his torso.

Tossing his shirt aside, Byung-gyu sprinted forward and lunged for a dive into the sea, staying underneath for a few seconds before submerging. He released a quick gasp and ran his hands to his hair, sweeping it to the back of his neck.

"You can sit over here since I forgot to tell you to bring spare clothes." He pointed at the rock near them. Byung-gyu moved his hand to the back of his neck bashfully. "My bad."

"Don't worry, I— uh, I am actually wearing a swimsuit underneath." She blushed. "Just in case!"

Byung-gyu smiled. "Alright then."

To her surprise, he turned around to let her take off her clothes. Ju-hee's heart fluttered, knowing she'd be completely uncomfortable if someone watched her strip clothes, and since he had given her space, it made her feel some things.

Ju-hee slipped out from her sandals and discarded her blouse and skirt together on the ground, leaving her in a halterneck swimsuit she had worn on her first swim at the beach. She held onto the rock as she carefully stepped down on the stone beneath her feet, the water increased to her chest-length when she padded toward Byung-gyu, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Hey," he told her softly. "So, wanna let me show you something?"

"What is it?"

"It's one of the things I learned when I was training to be a lifeguard. Do you know how to float?"

"Uh. . . No, I do not."

"Good. In situations when a person is found drowning, we usually tow them to safety and make sure their throat is protected. Here, let me—" he waded closer to her and extended his arms. "Don't worry, I'll be holding you the entire time."

In a bated breath, Ju-hee grasped onto his forearms, her nails digging into his skin as he began to wade through the water, away from the shore.

"S— shit—" she cursed, no longer feeling the stones under her feet.

"Hey, hey, it's alright! I got you." Byung-gyu's soothing voice exuded through her senses. His thumbs rubbed her soft skin in reassurance. Ju-hee jutted her chin forward to keep the water's surface from rising higher, somehow struggling as she had nothing to stand upon, only relying on the man in front of her for dear life. "Now, let the water carry you. Float."

"H— how?"

Byung-gyu shook his head and changed his position, shifting to the other side. Ju-hee instantly clung her arms to his neck, watching him move gently until she felt his hand under her legs, lifting her weight to the surface. She didn't fight against it anymore and allowed herself to be light.

"Just relax," he whispered. "It will be easier for the water to carry you if you're calm. Simply put, the sea will treat you the way you treat it — if you panic, it'll bring you down. But if you're calm and trust the waves, the sea will take care of you."

Ju-hee nodded. His hand glided away and her legs remained afloat. His touch returned to her forearm, finding herself relaxing for once. She exhaled softly through her nostrils.

"See? With conscious victims, we try to calm them down first, earning their trust and reassuring them that they'll be saved." Byung-gyu explained. "The only time we take desperate measures is if the victim keeps panicking. But in your case, you have done well."

"Have you—" she swallowed to keep her voice steady. "Have you done this with someone else? Just curious."

"Nope."

"Really? Are you not joking? As in, not at all, Byung-gyu?"

"Uh, why should I lie?" Byung-gyu raised an eyebrow. Then, he let out a smirk. "What would you do if I said yes?"

Ju-hee glared at him deadly. "I don't hang out with guys who like to entertain multiple girls, Byung-gyu."

"It's the truth! Don't tell me you strike me that way, Ju-hee. I'm anything but that — my mom raised me to be a gentleman."

"Fine," she grumbled. "The way you act seems like you easily capture attention from ladies. Charming them effortlessly and all that."

"Lee Ju-hee, do you find me attractive?" Byung-gyu jested. "If that's the case, then I have successfully captured your attention, yes?"

Ju-hee turned away, choosing not to respond. She didn't know if she could give him the obvious answer — yes, right the second you showed up! Her heart screamed. She came for a vacation, to build new happy memories, not to find herself infatuated with someone. . . But heavens, all it had to take was a mere lifeguard to sway her off her feet.

"You intrigue me, you know?" He murmured. The way his breath was close to her ear brought shivers down her spine, causing her to tremble "It's like in historical dramas, you're a princess who hailed from a wealthy kingdom who wished to break free from responsibilities and choose her happiness for once."

"How accurate."

"It really is," he chuckled. "So it's no wonder why I found myself drawn to you."

Same here. Butterflies swarmed her stomach. She sighed. "I won't stay long here. After this night, I'll be leaving with my friends to go back to the city."

"I see no problem with that." Ju-hee opened her mouth to protest and Byung-gyu cut her off. "I'll leave my number in a sticky note next to your cabin's door for you to see once you leave."

"Byung-gyu. . . "

"Hm?"

Ju-hee ended up shaking her head. "Nothing. Let's swim instead of lingering here."

She brought down her legs and languidly turned around, trailing her hands across his shoulders. A rosemary scent wafted to her nose, mixed with a salty undertone and coconut. Her heart almost skipped a beat when he held her waist, though Ju-hee masked it with a confident look, letting out a giggle, and plunged down past him, dragging his hand along with her. Byung-gyu easily joined her under the currents, entering a world of their own where nobody could see them, hands linked and hearts intertwined.

It was a moment Ju-hee would never forget. There had been a lot of memories formed at the beach, but the ones with Byung-gyu were her favorite.

"Boy, are we really leaving already?" Ye-rim sighed, zipping her bag closed. "I don't want to go back to work just yet. . . "

Hee-jin laughed. "Relax, Ye-rim. We'll go back soon."

"Unless you want to lose your job," Gina joked. "Just think that these past two days have been a blast!"

"Next time, we'll take a leave for a week. Oh! Should we look for a new resort?" Lee Bora piped up. "This one looks so beautiful, but I want to travel more!"

"Sounds like a great idea! What do you— where are you going, Ju-hee?"

"I'll just be heading out for a bit," said Ju-hee, making her way to the door. She pulled the knob open and looked around until her eyes fell on a small box on the floor.

Smiling, she made her way over and peeled the paper from the top; it had the written contact number of Byung-gyu and a small note that read 'don't forget me! ;) hope you'll like the present I got for you inside the box.'. Ju-hee glanced at the box and took the lid open, causing her eyes to widen at the sight of its content.

A big, beautiful seashell nestled upon a clustered chiffon fabric. Shades of nacreous white blended perfectly with pinks and soft streaks of lavender. It gleamed under the sunlight, highlighting its polished texture created by the ocean; a natural masterpiece. The ridges extended across the surface and the curves inwardly rolled inside of the shell, adding depth to its magnificent form, as well as seashell's spiraled edge — sprinkled with brown specks — to complete the overall essence.

Ju-hee parted her lips in surprise, holding a beautiful seashell as big as this felt as if a gemstone was in her hands. She stood up and glanced at the distance, catching none other than Min Byung-gyu himself. He wore that crooked grin on his face whilst his sunglasses sat on the bridge of his nose, shielding his eyes from the stark sunlight, and his hand held a life buoy by his hip.

Another lifeguard approached him, nudging him to the sea as if ushering him to get to work. Ju-hee chuckled, tucking the seashell closer to her, giving it a light squeeze. She could only hope for fate to bring her and Byung-gyu together soon, if not, one day.

And if that day ever came, Ju-hee wouldn't mind having another swim with him.

[i-cant-sing]

How's the First lady and her Teletubbies doin?

Well, she dressed them up in cute animal onesies for a little photoshoot: Tomura is wearing a bear onesie,, Dabi is wearing a lion onesie, and unsurprisingly, Himiko is wearing a shark onesie. You had just done powdering Dabi's bottom (which was a whole feat in itself, since the little powder brush tickled his tush and he tried to zoom away) and had placed all your babies in front of the camera, turning around for 1 SECOND to call the maid when chaos erupted.

You look back only to find Himiko letting out war cries in her baby language as she chased after one of the maids, who had every right to be scared because Himiko had recently developed a very sharp tooth and it really hurts when she bites, even during breast feeding😭

On the other corner of the room, Dabi had somehow managed to get out of the onesie, pulled off his diaper, and was now running around naked with nothing but the lion's mane around his head, mischeavously giggling.

And Tomura- oh god, WHERE IS TOMURA?!

You had to search the whole room and finally found him crying behind the huge curtains that were super heavy and long, so poor baby couldn't spot you or get out of their on his own.

Obviously, Kai had been watching you and the triplets from the cams, and he sighed before standing up and making his way towards you guys.

He called the secret service on his way, and by the time they reached you, you looked like you were on the verge of tears because goddamit, you spent the whole week shopping and preparing for this photoshoot, only for all of it to go down the drain because you looked away for 1 second!

Kai nodded at the Secret Service, who rushed and caught the triplets swiftly, while your husband walked towards you.

"Shh, its okay. I'm here." Kai said soothingly, as his soft hands gently held your face, before leaning in to place a soft kiss on your lips. "Why don't you go and get ready, hm? I already had Miruko lay out your black dress- the backless one. Wear the pearls, will you?" He smiled as his hand on your back lightly pushed you, his eyes telling you that he'll handle everything.

By the time you returned, Kai had not only gotten a photographer to take solo pictures of the triplets (who looked super adorable in their outfits), he had also managed to dress up- wearing his fine designer suits and his hair combed back neatly.

Kai smiled when he looked at you, coming up to peck your lips. "You look beautiful." You blushed a little snd rolled your eyes. He held his hand out for you. "Come on, time for the family portrait."

And so you sat together, you were holding your sons while Kai was given the tough task of holding a hyper Himiko, who was trying to jump out of his lap. You honestly don't know how he does it, but all Kai had to do was whisper something in Himiko's ear and she immeadiately sat up straight and gave her cutest smile. Tomura was already smiling at the camera because he was honestly just happy being in your prescence, while Dabi had a hard time making a happy face, but all you had to do was kiss his plump cheeks and nuzzle your nose with his to get him to grin like the handsome prince he was.

Sometimes Kai cant believe how breathtakingly beautiful you look, even when you're sleeping. He would sleep in the bed next to you too, but Himiko and Dabi were pretty insistent on kicking their chubby legs to his face whenever he got close to you. So he just decided to stay awake for a while and look at the pictures the photographer had sent in.

Now that Kai looks at the pictures, he sighs contently at his perfect family of five, soon turning to six.

[shadamyheadcanons]

Headcanon #277

This is an extended version of Headcanon #227.

Cross-posted on AO3.

Remember when Sonic got locked up on Prison Island in SA2? This is the explanation for it in the English dub...

...but in Japanese, it’s this:

No idea why they got rid of that in English. It’s so Sonic.

--

Amy bit her nails and shifted in her seat aboard the space shuttle, feeling her heart pound as a robotic voice counted down over the intercom.

TEN...NINE...EIGHT...SEVEN....

That golem was awfully big, but if there’s anyone who can handle it, it’s Sonic! He’ll make it in time...

SIX...FIVE...FOUR...

...right?

Tails pressed a few more buttons on the control panel and hopped into the seat across from Amy, and Knuckles clambered into the seat next to her. All three of them watched the open door on the side of the shuttle.

THREE...TWO...ONE...SHUTTLE LIFTOFF!

Amy heaved a huge sigh of relief when she heard the unmistakable sound of Sonic’s rapid footsteps on the metal platform leading into the shuttle, barely audible over the roar of the rockets. Within a second, he’d swung the door shut, skidded to a stop in the cabin, and leapt into the seat next to Tails. He buckled his harness in the nick of time and met their relieved expressions with a brilliant grin as the shuttle started its ascent.

“You guys weren’t actually worried about me, were you?”

“Of course we were! I was worried sick!” Amy scolded, shouting to make herself heard over the rockets. Tails fidgeted and nodded in agreement.

Knuckles crossed his arms and smiled wryly, clearly not as concerned. “Had to wait until the last second, didn’t you? I thought I’d have to go back out and save you.”

Sonic shrugged off their concerns. “Nah, I could take him. Just got off to a rocky start.” He snickered. Knuckles rolled his eyes good-naturedly, and Amy couldn’t help but giggle.

It wasn’t long before the rocket boosters detached, dropping the volume level considerably. Amy sighed in relief. Finally able to hear herself think, she started up a proper conversation. “When are we supposed to get there, Tails?”

“It’ll only be about an hour! We’ll be leaving the atmosphere soon!” Tails piped up, clearly excited.

Amy perked up, happy she wouldn’t be stuck in the shuttle for hours on end. She counted the time on her fingers. “So that’ll give us a little over two hours to stop Eggman before the cannon can fire again.”

“No problem! We can deal with him in half that time,” Sonic bragged. Amy’s heart warmed at his confidence.

Tails jumped back to the previous topic, apparently unwilling to abandon the shuttle discussion so soon. “At first I thought it was just a normal rocket. I saw a documentary on the Discovery shuttle not too long ago, and this looks just like it!” His tails waved excitedly. “You can tell it apart by the materials used on the fuselage!”

Amy grinned. She’d always found Tails’ enthusiasm for technology to be contagious and kind of cute. Sonic was used to Tails’ fixation and didn’t mind humoring him, so he lounged back in his seat to let Tails excitedly explain the unexpectedly comfortable interior that allowed them to sit normally instead of lying back like in most shuttle cockpits.

Knuckles, on the other hand, had no patience for such things. He held a hand to his forehead, closed his eyes, and sighed.

Sonic caught the look. A mischievous smirk spread across his face, and he turned to Tails when his rant started to wind down. “Hey, Tails, how are we supposed to walk on that station, anyway?”

Amy caught on. “Yeah! Won’t the lack of gravity be a problem?”

Tails’ eyes brightened further. “That’s a great question, Amy! I did some research on the ARK’s design a few years back, and the science behind it is fascinating!”

Knuckles hid a quiet groan behind his gloves. He lowered his hands to level Sonic with a heated glare. Sonic just shrugged innocently. Amy held in her giggles as best as she could while Tails happily infodumped about space and artificial gravity. Knuckles turned his grumpy scowl her way, but his frown turned milder as he squinted at her quills. He reached over and plucked something out of them. “What’s this?” he asked, interrupting Tails without hesitation.

Tails pouted. After a moment, Amy’s eyes widened. “Oh! That must be a quill from that black hedgehog I met!”

“‘Black hedgehog’?” Knuckles and Tails chorused.

“Yeah,” Amy said, nodding. “I ran into him on Prison Island. He must have left just before you got there, Tails.”

“Be glad you missed him,” Sonic cut in, crossing his arms. “What a piece of work.”

Amy tilted her head, confused. “What are you talking about?”

Sonic side-eyed her. “Uh, my impostor? The fake hedgehog? He’s a jerk!”

“What? No way! He seemed nice to me,” Amy insisted, side-eyeing him right back.

“Oh, come on. He attacked me!”

“Why? What’d you do?”

Tails and Knuckles exchanged looks of confusion. Sonic gawked.

“Well...the first time, I guess I just ran at him because he had that Chaos Emerald, but--”

“Why did he need a Chaos Emerald?” Amy interrupted.

“How should I know?” Sonic grumbled, irritated.

“So you just assumed he was up to no good?” Amy asked, clearly unimpressed.

Sonic choked. “He stole it! Of course he was up to no good. And I’m the one who got blamed for it!”

“If we needed a Chaos Emerald to save the world and it was being held at the federal reserve bank, would you just give up on it?”

Sonic opened his mouth, then stopped and narrowed his eyes at her. She smirked. Not to be deterred, Sonic moved on.

“That’s not all. After I got out of prison, I ran into him on the island, and he attacked me!”

“Why’d he do that?” Tails asked.

“I called him out for the faker he was, and then he had the nerve to call me the faker, and then he attacked me!”

The other three were silent for a moment. Tails opened his mouth to reply, but Knuckles shook his head, silently warning him not to get involved.

Amy had no such reservations. “Are you sure that’s exactly what happened?”

Sonic opened his mouth, then paused. He averted his eyes. “Well...I guess we kind of argued and attacked at the same time...but it was still definitely his fault!” he tacked on hastily.

Amy crossed her arms. “Sooo...let me get this straight. You just met this guy. All you know is that he needed a Chaos Emerald--maybe for something important! Then, other people happened to mistake him for you, so you called him a faker and picked a fight with him?”

She was tapping her foot rapidly. Sonic pouted. Knuckles and Tails glanced between the two of them with wide eyes, wisely staying out of it.

Instead of acknowledging her statement, Sonic narrowed his eyes. “Why are you defending him so much, anyway? He’s been nothing but rude so far.”

“He was nice to me!”

“Pfft! Shadow, being nice?! No way!”

Amy’s eyes lit up. “’Shadow’...so that’s his name!” She thought back. “It suits him. He seemed so mysterious...”

“Hang on.” Amy focused back on Sonic just in time to see a smug smirk spread across his face. “Now I know what’s going on! You like him, don’t you~?” he sang teasingly.

Amy gasped, indignant, while the others laughed. “I--of course I don’t! I barely know him!”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Sonic replied, still grinning smugly. “You think I don’t know an Amy crush when I see one?”

“He is kind of the expert,” Tails pointed out. Amy choked on her words, unable to argue with that.

“Hmm...” Everyone turned to Knuckles at his inquisitive noise. He was examining the black quill in his hand. “How’d this end up in your quills anyway? What were you two doing?”

Amy balked and snatched the black quill out of Knuckles’ hand. Sonic snickered. “Yeah, Amy, what were you two doing? Were you cuddling~?” he asked, his voice turning sickeningly sweet.

“N-NO!” The other three flinched at her sudden shout. Sonic smirked, and she puffed out her cheeks. “It was an accident! I thought he was you, so I ran up and hugged him.”

Sonic’s smirk faded into something disgruntled and disbelieving. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Even you?! He doesn’t look that much like me. We’re different colors!”

“Y-you weren’t there!” Amy stuttered out. “The sun was in my eyes, and his back was turned!” She pouted. “I was just so excited to see you. I was really worried about you, Sonic!”

Sonic crossed his arms and grumbled something incoherent.

Tails shrugged one shoulder. “She’s not exactly the only one, Sonic. The entire military confused you two,” he pointed out. “The footage on satellite TV was pretty grainy, and it was nighttime. I wasn’t sure myself. I only came to Prison Island because I couldn’t picture you doing those things.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sonic allowed. He stayed quiet, seemingly mulling it over, but then his eyes widened. “Hang on! Amy, are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

Amy gasped and held a hand over her heart. “Aww, Sonic, you do care!” He rolled his eyes. She brushed off his lukewarm response. “You don’t need to worry, though. He didn’t hurt me. I pulled away on my own.”

He uncrossed his arms and squinted at her. “Really? Nothing? He didn’t shove you away or anything?”

“Nope! He even smiled at me a little when he turned around.” She gazed down at the quill cradled in her hands. “I basically sneak-attacked him and clung onto him, but all he did was wait around and then smile at me once I let go.” She looked up with a determined expression. “That’s how I know he’s a good person. He was so gentle! He can’t be a bad person if he was that kind to me!”

Tails and Knuckles made skeptical noises, and Sonic snorted. “Amy, you’re too kind for your own good.”

She clasped her hands under her chin. “You mean it?!”

“Ugh.” He dropped his head in exasperation.

Knuckles laughed briefly. “If he was that nice to you and you thought he was Sonic, I’m surprised you let go of him at all.”

Amy crossed her arms and looked away. “I did figure out it wasn’t Sonic eventually. After all, he didn’t try to push me off or run away from me.” Sonic averted his eyes, almost looking guilty, and Knuckles and Tails sucked in air through their teeth awkwardly. Amy moved on. “He didn’t feel like Sonic, either. His chest was nice and soft, and he smelled really nice!” She sighed at the memory.

Sonic cocked his head. “Do I smell bad?”

She froze and started to fidget. “N-no! Of course not! You just...smell like you run a lot...?” She grinned sheepishly, and Knuckles tried to hide a laugh. Curious, Tails leaned toward Sonic and sniffed. He immediately leaned back and tried to hide his grimace. Sonic sniffed his own armpit, then shrugged obliviously.

To Amy’s relief, Tails shook off his distaste and changed the subject. “I still want to know how in the world you got to Prison Island in the first place.”

“Wait, didn’t you give her a ride?” Sonic asked.

Tails shook his head. “She actually beat me there.”

Amy nodded proudly. “I did my daily tarot reading this morning, and the cards told me I had a destined encounter with someone who needed my help!” She sighed dreamily. “With that description, I knew it had to be you, Sonic! I found out you were on Prison Island. It wasn’t too far, so Big brought me part of the way on his fishing boat, and when the waves got bad near the shore, Cream flew me the rest of the way. I told them to go back home afterward because I knew it wasn’t safe, and I was right!” She nodded with authority, then winked at Sonic. “You should be thanking me, you know. You really needed me today!”

Sonic wagged a finger. “Not quite.”

“What?! You were on an island that exploded!” Amy protested, clenching her hands into fists. Knuckles and Tails recoiled, but Sonic was unfazed.

“Not exactly. Didn’t I tell you I got caught on purpose?”

“You were still locked in a jail cell, Sonic. You definitely needed me!”

“Tails was there, too,” Sonic pointed out. “He was on his way to save me.”

Amy turned her glare on Tails. He winced and shook his head furiously. “Oh, no! Don’t drag me into this!”

Amy glared right back at Sonic. “My tarot cards are never wrong! Who would’ve needed my help more than you?”

Sonic thought for a moment, then chuckled. “What about your new boyfriend?” Amy cocked her head, then choked when she realized who Sonic meant. Sonic smirked once more. “He’s sweet on you, isn’t he? Maybe you’ll save him with the power of love!~”

“That’s...that’s not how it works! I don’t even know him!”

“Hmm...this sounds kind of familiar,” Knuckles said, sounding suspicious. “Hey Sonic, didn’t she act like this around you on the day you met?”

Sonic’s eyes lit up. “Oh, snap, you’re right!” Before Amy could argue, he started counting off the similarities on his fingers. “Let’s see...we’d never met, she said we were soulmates because her cards described a ‘destined encounter,’ she hugged me right off the bat and trusted me immediately...and then I had to fight a rampaging lookalike, Eggman was trying to destroy a whole planet--”

Amy suddenly gasped in realization, surprising the other three. “Oh, no! Shadow was on that island, and it blew up...” Her face paled in horror.

“Good riddance if you ask me,” Sonic mumbled. At Amy’s withering look, he shrugged. “I wouldn’t worry about it. He knew about the explosion, and he can teleport. He definitely got out of there.”

Amy sighed deeply. “Thank Chaos!” After a moment, her expression turned from concerned to impressed. “Shadow can teleport?! Wow...not even you can do that, Sonic! Maybe you could learn a thing or two from him,” she teased.

Irritation crossed Sonic’s face, but then he turned thoughtful, as if he were considering something.

Before anyone could ask, Knuckles chimed in again, much to Amy’s chagrin. “So Shadow can teleport himself while you can teleport objects by summoning them, you’re both hedgehogs, he actually likes it when you cling to him...maybe you two are soulmates!” He snickered, and Sonic and Tails joined in.

“Knuckles! Oh, you guys--!”

The teasing continued until Amy was red and flustered from embarrassment. It only abated in the last five minutes of the journey when Sonic and Knuckles started bickering about who should land the ship, even though Tails was clearly the best option for that. Amy sighed and examined the black quill in her hands.

I know there’s good in you. I just know it.

--

Aboard the space station they were approaching stood a conflicted black hedgehog. He frowned down at the pink quill in his hands.

I hope she made it out alright.

He shook his head.

No. It doesn’t matter. That planet needs to die, and she’s still going to be on it. This is no time for second-guessing.

His face turned pained.

But she seemed...so sweet...

Before he could dwell on it any longer, he heard a pair of high-heeled shoes echoing down the hall. He raised his hand, fully intending to toss the quill aside...but he hesitated. He gazed at it for a moment longer before tucking it back into his own quills where he’d found it, trying not to think about his conflicted feelings.

[let-them-read-fics]

Flames

Requested By Anon "King" -- Cooking au, enemies to lovers, inspiration from Hell's Kitchen

Pairing: Lisa x Fem!Reader

AU: Chef (Lisa & Reader are chefs)

Word Count: ~ 5,904

Warnings / Misc. -- Bickering / Rivalry, Fluff, Suggestive Scene

Disclaimer: This writing is a work of fiction, and no disrespect is meant for those mentioned herein.

A/N: Helllloooo, peeps! I hope all of you are taking care of yourselves and having great days / nights, wherever you are :) Special thanks to this anon for being so sweet in their request -- I love cooking shows, too, so this was a fun one to write. Thank you for requesting! You're welcome in my inbox anytime ❤ Hope you guys enjoy this one :)

♡ Happy Reading ♡

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

"Three sirloins, dying on the pass!" You shout out to your fellow chefs, shaking your head in disapproval. Service has been running fairly smoothly tonight, but a recent influx of celebrities coming from a nearby award show is slowing things to a halt. 

You give attention to the pans in front of you, stirring each of them in the pattern you've set and keeping a steady rhythm. Consistency is key, and you're one of the only chefs who hasn't lost focus yet. 

The other? Lisa Manoban. 

"Side dishes heading to the pass," she announces, setting the pans down for your head chef to plate and approve of. He does so without a second thought, and you have to stop yourself from rolling your eyes. 

The cocky smirk on Lisa's lips soon falters, though, when he gives her a warning. "You were almost too late, Manoban. Speed things up. Y/N is keeping the pace set, and you need to follow suit." 

Checkmate.

"Yes, chef," she nods, though you can tell she's annoyed. You snicker quietly, and thankfully the sounds of the kitchen conceal your little noise. If your manager were to hear you you'd surely get reprimanded, and Lisa doesn't deserve the satisfaction of seeing that. 

She returns to her station across from you, briefly meeting your gaze as a competitive fire flashes in her eyes, ignited by the comment from your higher-up.  

This is the routine that the two of you have settled into ever since you were hired five months ago. Both of you had applied for the same position, and you quickly worked your way up to where you are now. Every time you were promoted, she was never far behind. The tense nature of your relationship (if you'd even call it that) is rooted in who can put out the best tasting dishes and receive the most recognition and praise for their work. It's childish, but you'd be lying to say that part of you doesn't enjoy it. 

Especially when you win. 

Tonight is shaping up to be one of those nights, and your confidence builds with every compliment you receive. You don't let it go to your head, though; if anything, you use it as a reason to push yourself harder. 

Lisa isn't discouraged in the slightest, and she produces some of her best work right alongside yours.

"Chef, table 15 has requested for the cooks who prepared their dishes to come out to their table. They want to thank them properly," the server informs your manager, cocking his head to the side to motion towards them. 

After recognizing them as a pair of world-renowned fashion designers, he decides to sacrifice some of his best cooks' time on the line and grant their wishes. 

"What dishes did they have?" 

"Both ordered the sirloin and asparagus with potato purée, sir." 

Your head shoots up at that, excited by the confirmation of what you had been hoping for. Your senior nods to the server, turning around at the pass to look at you. 

"Y/N, Lisa; head out to greet our guests, please." 

"Right away, sir."

"On it, chef."

Both of you inform your assistants of the time left on your respective components before following after the waiter. Lisa not-so-subtly elbows you in an attempt to walk in front of you, but you step on her foot to prevent her from doing so. 

Pushing and shoving each other like schoolgirls until you're in line of sight of the customers, you follow the waiter up to their table. He leaves shortly after dropping you off.

"Good evening, ladies," you greet with a smile, watching as their faces light up. 

Lisa steps forward and extends a hand to one of them, making a crimson blush rush to her cheeks. A new feeling blossoms in your chest at their interaction, and you don't know how to take it. Deciding to just move on, you ask about their meals. 

"I hope dinner was everything you wanted it to be."

"Oh, absolutely. The sirloin was cooked perfectly. Which one of you is responsible for it?"

A proud smile forms on your lips at that, and you bow your head lightly. "Me, miss. I'm glad you enjoyed." 

"I'll have to come back more often, then. Cute and skilled? Count me in." She smirks at you, eyes taking in the sight of you in your uniform as she shamelessly flirts. You blush under her gaze, but hide it with a smug smile of your own.

"We'd be lucky to have you back anytime." 

You shoot a glance at the other girl as well, making sure to keep her feeling included. Lisa's eye roll goes unnoticed by you, as does the dejected look that threatens to show on her beautiful face. 

"My favorite part was the side dishes. The sirloin was great, but that purée was delicious. And don't even get me started on the risotto from earlier," the other woman gushes, praising Lisa's work for the night. The Thai girl perks up at that, her confidence on its way to being fully restored. 

"Ah, you're too kind." She attempts to sound humble, but you know the truth; she lives for this sort of thing. The rush of cooking and serving up dish after tasty dish is thrilling, but nothing compares to getting compliments from the customers. 

"I'm just stating facts..." she leans forward in her chair, obviously eyeing Lisa's chest as she reads her name off of her chef coat, "...Lisa." 

"Oh, yeah? How about I whip you up another batch, then? Any side you want." Your rival offers, a bruisingly sexy smile on her face as she gazes down at the woman. It isn't new for either of you to flirt with the customers and schmooze your way into their hearts (and wallets), but something in the way Lisa admires the diner makes you jealous. 

Her eyes scan over the menu as if she's looking through the options again, but she turns back to bite her lip and toy with Lisa some more. "Are you on the menu?"

She chuckles at the line, clearly not expecting that; she should've, though; it's one of the most overused pick-ups that you've ever heard. 

"I can be--"

Just as Lisa goes to lean closer to her, the waiter comes back. For some reason unknown to you, you release a breath of relief, thankful for the interruption. 

"I hate to break this up, but our chefs are needed back in the kitchen." He informs, linking his arms behind his back respectfully. 

"Ah, that's too bad. Maybe we'll stick around until service is over." Lisa's fan says, looking to her friend with a shrug of her shoulders in a silent request for her opinion. 

"Maybe, if that's alright with you."

Your customer looks up at you with hopeful eyes, though she attempts to hide it to some degree; she's not as brazen as her counterpart. 

"Of course, darling," you decide to play into it. "You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like. I do recommend getting some dessert, though; pass the time a little faster. I'll be making the sweetened soufflé, if you're interested." 

"Sounds delicious; I'm sold." She smiles at you, looking you up and down one last time. 

"Enjoy the rest of your evening, ladies." You nod, bidding both of them farewell as you turn to follow after the waiter. Lisa does the same, and you can feel her hot on your trail shortly after. 

"Back to your stations, both of you," your executive chef says upon your arrival, as if you had other intentions. 

"Yes, chef," both of you respond, heading back without a second thought. 

After pushing out a few more main dishes, you're instructed to rotate positions as the desert course kicks off. Other chefs will handle the remaining entrées now and allow you the opportunity to take over with the sweets. 

Once you've buttered and coated the soufflé dish with granulated sugar, you combine the appropriate ingredients in the bowl that rests on the countertop in front of you, making sure to keep an eye on the milk as it heats up on the stovetop. Once both tasks are completed, you stir some of the milk into the batter you made, tempering the mixture. After you're satisfied with the consistency of it, you add the rest of it back to the pot on the stove and carefully whisk the ingredients together. 

As that mellows out, you beat the egg whites required for the dish and add in the different extracts that the recipe calls for. Before long, you've folded both components in with one another and the dessert is ready to be baked. 

"Nice work, Y/N. Keep it up." Your head chef encourages, making pride swell in your chest again.

You continue on with that steady pace, and all of your soufflés come out as tasty as ever, receiving plenty of praise from your happy customers. Lisa works just as hard, though, and her toffee puddings are a major hit with the diners. 

Two hours later, dinner service is finally over. 

Lisa finishes cleaning up her station as she sneaks a glance over to you, feeling her heart beat a little faster at the way you push your hair out of your face. A few drops of condensation tumble their way down the bottle of water that you're drinking from, clearly exhausted and hot after working so hard for so long, and she bites her lip. You're too attractive for your own good, and Lisa reprimands herself for admiring you in such a way. 

You're practically enemies, after all; constantly striving for better positions and more attention, it's a never-ending battle of who can come out on top. She loves the game, if she's honest; keeping you on your toes is one of her favorite pastimes, and the banter is always a plus. 

Especially when it gets heated. 

She loves the way your brow twitches and your lips press together when you're forced to bite your tongue and keep the bickering to a minimum. You're too mature to play into her games most of the time -- not wanting to piss your head chef off -- but sometimes she gets you to break and fire off another reply, not caring what he'll say. 

She loves it. Nothing will ever compare to getting you riled up like that. 

"How's my girlfriend doing out there?" Lisa asks the server with a smile, tilting her head forward to motion to the dining room. 

"They're the only ones still here. I have to hand it to them; they're dedicated." He chuckles, clapping Lisa on the back as he passes her. "They've been talking about both of you all night." He concludes, looking between the two of you before retreating to the break room to change. 

Lisa laughs at that, and you curse yourself under your breath for enjoying the sound. 

"Come on, let's go see them before they storm the kitchen," she plays, winking at you as she pushes the swinging door open. 

At The Table, A Few Minutes Later

"I saved you a bite," your customer says, smiling at you as she reaches for a spoon that hasn't been used yet. Her friend catches the uncertain look in your eye, and she decides to ease your fears. 

"Don't worry, she didn't slobber all over it. She cut that piece out before she started eating earlier." 

You nod, thankful for the clarification. The woman turns back to Lisa, satisfied with her good deed for the day, and the two begin flirting again. 

After the woman in front of you scoops the tasty dessert up, she holds the spoon out in front of your lips. A knowing smile spreads across your cheeks, and you open your mouth for her to feed you. 

She's cute, you must say. Her auburn hair falls across her shoulders in perfect waves, complementing the velvety color of her leather jacket wonderfully. A pattern of freckles runs across the bridge of her nose, and a single, deep-set dimple presses into the soft skin of her right cheek. 

The sound of her laughter carries out across the room as you attempt to take the whole piece in one bite -- she offered way too much at once for a single bite, but you never back down from a challenge. 

Lisa subconsciously grips the tablecloth a little tighter when she sees her put a finger to your lips, preventing the food from spilling out and making a mess everywhere. You giggle and chew it up, eventually managing to swallow it without getting choked. Your fingers wrap around the customer's wrist, gently pulling her hand away from your lips as you rub her tender skin. 

The woman in front of Lisa sighs, clearly wanting attention. 

"Sorry, what were you saying?" She shakes her head, willing her envy to go away so she can flirt some more. 

"I was asking if you have plans tonight. You're probably tired from working, so I figured I could treat you to some R&R." Her tone drops lower than normal, and a suggestive look shines in her eyes as she gives Lisa another once-over. 

"Hmm, sounds like just what the doctor ordered," she leans in a bit closer, egging the girl on. They don't call Lisa a playgirl for nothing. 

"Your place or mine?" She whispers into her ear, sounding desperate to get the chef alone. 

"M-"

Lisa's response is abruptly cut off by the sound of a muffled noise of surprise from you, and she looks across the table again to find the other customer's lips pressed against yours. Your shoulders relax after a second as you return the gesture, but you eventually pull away to put some distance between the two of you. 

Fuming, now too jealous to think straight, Lisa unceremoniously stands from her seat and steps around the table to you. The fact that she was just a few minutes away from taking her customer home and doing much more than kissing is lost on her -- seeing you in such a position with the other woman sparked something in her. 

"If you'll excuse us, my colleague and I have to get going." She announces to the women, gripping your arm to pull you up from your chair. Her hold is firm, and the way her fingertips dig into your forearm sends a chill down your spine. 

"Don't wait up." She adds, dragging you behind herself as she slams the kitchen door open. She's much more bold now that the head chef has left for the night -- clearly she pays little mind to being loud or rough. 

"What the hell, Lisa?" You bite back, attempting to shake free of her grip. 

She only tightens it, saying, "Quiet, L/N."

After stepping out into the deserted hallway and ensuring that the coast is clear, Lisa opens the door to one of the utility closets and pushes you inside. You stumble a bit, feeling the unforgiving edge of one of the metal racks dig into your back as you collide with it. 

"What is your problem?" You hiss, spurred on by the stinging sensation radiating across your back. 

"You," she says, turning around to lock the door behind herself. Your brows furrow, but she's quick to explain.

"Out there kissing that customer, letting her put her hands all over you… it's pathetic." 

You scoff, shaking your head in disbelief. "Pathetic? Look at yourself, for Christ's sake; two minutes later and you would've been screwing that girl in the back of an Uber." 

She tuts at you, stalking closer. "Don't go telling lies now, Y/N/N. You know I would've taken her home on my motorcycle and then got her in bed."

You groan at her cockiness; it exudes from her in waves, irking you to no end. Sometimes you wonder if she was made to annoy you. 

"Whatever, Lisa. I'm leaving," you shoulder check her on the way to the door, but she's quick to react. Before you can move to unlock it, she has your back up against the door and her hands on your hips, keeping you pinned there. Her lips are on yours in a flash, urgently working against them in a show of how eager she is for you. 

You worked her up out there more than you realized, and she couldn't take it anymore. 

You mumble against her mouth in shock, taking a second to decide what to do with your hands. Should you push her away, or pull her impossibly closer? The choice is made for you when she parts your legs with her thigh, sliding it between them and pulling your hips forward so that you brush against it. 

A groan slips out of your mouth at the new sensation, though it's muffled against her lips. She smirks, letting go of your hips to reach around behind you and untie the apron that's secured around your waist. She praises you as you rut against her leg again, sliding her tongue across your bottom lip to ask for entrance as the material falls to the floor with a quiet noise of impact. 

Her fingertips undo the buttons of your top with haste, and she helps you slide it off your arms. It remains pooled at your waist, still tucked into your pants. 

"Tell me if you want me to stop," she whispers against your lips before pecking them one more time, leaving a trail of kisses down your jawline and towards your collarbone. 

Asking for consent is sexy as hell; especially coming from the goddess in front of you. 

You curtly nod, bringing your hands up to her back. Your nails drag along the material of her uniform, encouraging her. 

"Not so vocal now, are we?" Lisa teases, tilting your head back to grant herself more access to the sensitive skin of your neck. 

"I can walk out this door right now, you know?" You say more than ask, the syllables mixing with moans as she leaves yet another darkening love bite on you. 

"We both know that isn't true," she chuckles lowly, making you weak in the knees. You'll be damned to let go of your pride, though. 

Gathering up all of the self control you possess, you shove her away and pull your shirt back over your arms, beginning to redo the buttons. You suppress the smirk begging to make itself visible when you notice the smug expression on her face fall. Smoothing the material out, you run a hand through your hair and readjust it before unlocking and opening the door. 

The second your left foot makes it through the threshold, she's wrapping her arms around you and tugging you back in. A wave of relief washes over you at that -- you were praying she'd do exactly what she did. You hadn't imagined yourself making it down the hall, and you're not sure if you would've had the self restraint to do so.

"How the hell are you so stubborn?" She asks, letting you take over now. You drag over one of the folding chairs you spotted earlier, commanding her to sit in it with a mere glance. 

"Letting you win isn't an option, Lis. Somebody has to wipe that stupid grin off your face and put you in your place; it might as well be me." 

"How selfless," she holds her hand over her heart, face shining with mock proudness. "I'm touched." 

"Shut up already," you laugh, straddling her waist as you sit on her lap. Her hands instinctively go to your thighs, running up and down them to get you going. She can feel your warmth through the material of your pants, and the feeling is intoxicating. 

You cup her jaw and pull her closer, kissing her at a slower pace now. This one isn't as rough; it holds a whole different type of sensuality, and the occasional roll of her hips lets you know it's doing something to her, too. 

"I've wanted this for so long," she says in between kisses, gently undoing the fasteners on your jeans. 

"Really?" 

"Really." She confirms, untucking your shirt now and running her hands up your back. The cold air of the room slides under the material, ghosting over your newly exposed skin to make goosebumps appear.

"I'm surprised I held out this long," she admits, remembering all of the times she's had to stop herself from making her feelings known. 

You kiss her again before leaning back on her thighs and taking your coat and shirt off, left only in your bra. The lacey material begs to be touched, and Lisa traces the intricate patterns with her fingertips after receiving a nod from you. 

"Jesus," you moan, feeling her other hand palm your ass as she keeps you steady on her lap. 

"So beautiful," she sighs, admiring the way your cheeks have gotten flushed and how your chest rises and falls at a quicker pace now. Her hand guides the movements of your hips, and she can feel her own arousal spread to her thighs at the sight of you. 

"Who's capable of doing this to you? Making you such a needy mess?" She asks, clearly wanting an ego boost, and she squeezes your breast a little harder when you take longer than she likes to answer. 

"Y-you, Lisa." 

"That's right, baby." She kisses you again, a silent action of approval. Your movements stutter as she moves her hand to the inside of your thigh, slipping past the material of your open jeans. 

"Stop teasing already," you huff, resting your forehead against hers as you reach down to lead her hand closer to where you need her most. 

"Fine, but under one condition," she quickly caves in, sliding the thin material of your panties to the side in order to appease you. 

"Shit," you both say at the same time. In any other circumstance, you probably would've laughed at something like that, but now the atmosphere is entirely different. 

Your slick coats her fingers, and she moans at the feeling of what she's done to you.

"What's your condition?" You husk out, pressing your hand to the door behind her to give yourself better leverage to rock against her. 

"Come home with me after. I don't want to stop anytime soon." She kisses your jaw as she waits on your answer, feeling her warm breath fan out across your already heated skin. 

"Deal. Now come here."

She meets you halfway, angling her head up to capture your lips in a searing kiss as she increases the intensity of her ministrations. The sound of the chair's legs squeaking against the floor with every combined roll of your bodies makes you smile, and soon the room is filled with filthy noises of pleasure from the both of you.

The Next Morning

The sound of your phone ringing abruptly pulls you from your dream, making you blindly reach for it. Not daring to expose your eyes to the harsh morning sunlight that's pushing its way past the curtains, you stretch your arm out until your fingers brush against the smooth surface of your screen. 

You shield your eyes as you check the caller ID, only to nearly have a heart attack when you read it. 

"Good morning, sir. I'm sorry for making you wait so long." You apologize, cringing at the fact that you almost missed a call from your manager. It was probably only one or two rings away from going unanswered. 

"That's alright, Y/N," he says, sounding generous. He must be having a good day. "I'm calling to ask if you can come in. I have something I'd like to discuss with you." 

Your heart drops at that, irrationally thinking he must've somehow caught you and Lisa at the restaurant last night without you knowing, but you try to remain calm. 

"O-of course, sir. I'll be there in 30 minutes." You respond, already throwing the cover off yourself and moving to stand. 

"Thank you, Y/N. See you soon." 

He ends the call, and you try to decipher his tone. It was level and calm, holding no quality to tell you if he was angry or happy. You sigh, hoping it's nothing bad. 

You stand up and stretch the remaining tension from your body, attempting to work out the kinks Lisa made in your muscles during your tiring night together. It was everything you'd ever hoped for, and your inability to walk properly is a testament to that. 

You find a note waiting for you on the countertop in her bathroom, complete with a lipstick stain kissed onto it. You smile, picking it up. 

Morning, beautiful 

I had to leave early to take care of some business, but there's some toast waiting for you in the kitchen. It's all I had time to make. 

Help yourself to anything else you want in there.

Xoxo, Lis

In an attempt to rid yourself of the annoyingly giddy feeling warming your heart, you take your clothes -- more specifically, the pajamas that Lisa gifted you -- off and step into the shower. The steam doesn't take long to fill the room, fogging up every surface in sight. 

You look down at yourself, watching as suds trek their random paths down to your legs, and you see just how many marks Lisa really left. Your inner thighs are covered, as are your hips, neck, and abdomen, all painted in beautiful shades and designs. She was an animal, and you lived for every second of it. 

Now that you think of it, though, you'll have to dedicate a good chunk of time to covering them up with makeup before you go to the restaurant. You vow to kill her if she makes you late. 

At The Restaurant 

Releasing one last, steadying breath, you knock on the door to your boss's office.

"Come in," he says, sounding pleasant. 

When you walk in and find Lisa sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk, you do a double take at her. She sports the same confused expression, but you hide your surprise and shut the door behind yourself before sitting in the seat beside her. 

"Right," he starts, linking his fingers together authoritatively as he nods. "Now that you're both here, I'd like to discuss the latest promotion available." 

Is he really going to make one of you watch while he hands the position to the other? That'll be torture -- especially if you lose. Having Lisa win like that would surely only make her teasing worse. 

"You know we need strong leadership here, and I see those qualities in both of you. I'm willing to offer you both the position of sous chef, if you can agree to work together and continue keeping your standards high. If you get too busy bickering with one another, I'll be forced to choose. You're both talented, so don't make me do that."

Lisa looks over at you, and you smile, completely taken aback. To say you're surprised is an understatement. 

"Thank you, sir." You say, snapping back to reality as you extend a hand for him to shake. 

He smiles back, looking proudly between the two of you. 

"You're welcome." 

He shakes your hand before giving the same treatment to Lisa, making her look like an excited teenager with the way her cheeks pull back in a wide grin. After talking a bit longer and working out a few specifics, the two of you leave, allowing him to attend a phone conference in peace. 

"Eee!" Lisa squeals the second you're out the door, picking you up in her arms to spin you around. You laugh at her sudden outburst, happy to have another sweet moment like this and break the tension that always seems to be swirling around the two of you. 

"I'm gonna kick your ass during service tonight," she says, smirking evilly as she sets you back down. 

"You wish. I'll wipe the floor with you." 

"Oo, kinky. I think that's the only thing we didn't try last night," she teases, tapping her chin as if she's actually thinking about it, causing you to roll your eyes and blush. 

"Shut up, Manoban. I'm sore as hell today, and I still haven't forgiven you yet." 

"Aww, does my girl need some TLC? I can help you with that, you know." 

You try not to think too far into the titles she's been giving you, but that one stands out for some reason. She likely doesn't mean anything deeper by it, but it doesn't stop you from pretending. 

You're tired of the knowing look she's sending you, so you decide to do something about it.

Sneaking a glance around the two of you, you push her against the hallway wall and kiss her. You thread your fingers through her hair, pulling on the strands to give yourself more access to her mouth, just as you did last night. She enjoyed it then, and you're hoping she likes it just as much right now. Clearly, your plan works; as you pull away from her, you're rewarded with a view of her dilated pupils, blown wide as her arousal comes back without warning. 

"That's cruel," she pouts, knowing full well you have no intention of finishing what you started. 

"Think of it as retribution." You cheerily nod, ignoring the heat pooling in your stomach at the way she's eyeing you. 

"See you tonight!" You blow her a kiss before walking away, hearing her frustrated sigh bounce off the walls.

Dinner Service

"Risotto to the pass, please!" You shout, practically begging for the line cook that you're now overseeing to do his job properly. 

"I'm a minute out, chef." 

You shake your head, but choose to ignore his incompetence for the time being. You're keeping things running smoothly, but they can easily be stalled by people like him. 

You focus on plating the entrées of another table while you wait for him to finish, and Lisa slides over the side dish that you need to add. "Thank you," you say, totally in the zone. 

"Welcome," she responds, equally as focused as you. It's definitely a quality that you admire about her; she's playful and fun, but she's serious in the kitchen. You'd clash and this whole arrangement would fail if she were any other way.

"Risotto approaching, chef." 

"Finally," you clap, ready to approve of it and send it out. Thankfully it's cooked well, and the line chef is saved from your wrath -- at least for now. 

"Service!" 

Two waiters step forward following your call, and they load the large trays into their arms before heading to the dining room. 

You get back to work on the next set of orders, reading the new tickets off to your cooks and listening for their confirmation of hearing you. 

"Try this, Y/N. I think it's missing something." Lisa says, grabbing a plastic spoon to allow you to taste test the soup waiting to be sent out. She brings the utensil up to your lips and throws it away once you gather up the liquid. 

"Basil. Tell Amanda it needs basil." 

Lisa nods, listening to you for once without question. She barks the orders out to the young chef, and the girl fires off a couple apologies as she brings the missing ingredient over. 

"Thank you, Amanda. Get back to work, I know you can do it," you encourage her, not wanting to crush her spirits too badly in the first week of her job. She's a newbie, and you remember being in her shoes once. 

Pierre, your host and main waiter, approaches the side of the pass that borders the dining room. You raise an eyebrow at his sudden presence, wordlessly asking what he needs as you stir some pasta in the pot in front of you, twisting it around your tongs to plate it. 

"We have a guest requesting to see Lisa." 

Confusion flashes across your face for a moment, but then it sinks in. Your eyes land on the woman from last night, finding her standing near the front door with her arms crossed and a smirk on her lips. She waves to Lisa in greeting, and you bite your tongue to stop yourself from saying something out of line. 

You can feel Lisa's gaze trail over to you, but you don't look up. 

"Tell her I'll be there in a minute." She orders Pierre, quickly thanking him as he heads off to do as she asked. 

She wants to say something to you, but she doesn't know exactly what. Her feelings are still jumbled from last night, and she's not too entirely certain on where you stand with one another. 

--

You subconsciously hold your breath as she approaches the girl, getting pulled in for a tight hug as if she's known her for years. Was that the "business" she had to take care of this morning? Who knows. 

They continue their conversation for a few minutes, and you distract yourself by focusing on pumping more food out. 

"Good job, team. Keep it up," you praise them, happy to see everyone working well together. They thank you for the encouragement, and promise to keep their momentum going. 

A few minutes later, as things begin to get a little hectic, you sneak a glance up at Lisa. She locks eyes with you, as if on cue. 

You can see her trying to politely leave, but the woman puts a hand on her forearm, stepping forward to flirtily whisper something in her ear. She eventually manages to get her to back away, and she points at the door. The customer glares at you over Lisa's shoulder, leaving you confused but delighted. Seeing her unhappy is a treat in and of itself. 

As Lisa turns around and starts to walk back to the kitchen, you quickly jump back into action, narrowly avoiding getting caught staring. Lisa has a sneaking suspicion that that's exactly what you were doing, but she doesn't speak on it as she rounds the corner of the pass. 

"Well?" You nonchalantly ask, glancing at her in your peripheral. Your hands arrange a new set of plates on the tray between you, and her fingers brush against yours as she adds a side salad to it. 

"She wanted to finish what she started last night." She informs, pausing before she finishes telling you what happened in order to build suspense and torture you some more. 

"I said no, of course," she assures you, smiling when she notices you sigh in relief. "I've got my eye on someone else now." 

"Yeah?" You ask, turning to look at her with a soft smile. Her change in demeanor makes your heart flutter. 

"Yeah. Amanda's looking pretty good, isn't she?"

"Hey!" You shout, a little too loud for your own good, making Lisa laugh. You apologize to the guests and staff before punching Lisa in the arm, ready to get revenge later. 

"Kidding, babe. You think I'd let you go after last night?" She cocks her head to the side, sounding genuinely confused that you could think such a thing. "Not a chance," she smiles, leaning to the side to kiss your cheek and bump your hip with her own. 

Who would've thought you could end up here with her?

[urlkssknt]

loving can be easy

warnings!! nsfw!! mature content

dad!johnny x wife!reader

the sun shone brightly, casting a warmth that was almost unbearable with its rays. johnny sat at the table that was accompanied with a large umbrella, trying to stay hidden from the blazing sun, much to his dismay, from spending the past week in the sun, a golden glow had accompanied his skin. to compliment his new tan, his wife dressed him up in a white silk button up and black trousers. the sleeves of the shirt were short, just long enough to tease the muscle he was hiding underneath. mentally, johnny thanked jaehyun for forcing him to attend a gym, the time spent there feeling all gross and sweaty paid off when johnny caught his wife ogling him whenever she thought he wasn’t looking. sat by the older man's side, with a book also in his hands, was his son jacob. he had grown tired from playing with his baby sister with the sun blaring down on them and went to seek peace and refuge, in the form of his dad. they had both sat in silence, enjoying the quiet and calm atmosphere.

as the two boys were reading, a little further from them, out of earshot but still in eyesight, was y/n and chunhwa. intentionally, y/n had matched the colour of her dress to her husband's shirt. her soft white dress stopped at her knees and gave a perfect view of her collar bones and slender neck, free of any markings. y/n held her daughter's hand as they both tried to find the prettiest flowers to make a bouquet from. so far they had been successful.

"i'm tired," the four year old groaned as her skin felt sticky with sweat. y/n chuckled before lifting her daughter into her arms.

"let's go back to daddy and jake, hmm?" y/n watched as chunhwa rested her small head against her shoulder. the hot weather had taken a toll on both of the kids. sweetly, y/n caressed her daughter's back.

within a few minutes they had reached the cobblestone path that lead them to the table that johnny and jake were occupying. the sight of her older brother caused chunhwa to stir, wanting to be put down so she could run to him. in her childish eyes, there was no one more perfect than her older brother. chunhwa ran to him as fast as her small little legs could.

"don't run!" jacob said with a scowl, the action didn't go unnoticed by his dad, before scooting in his chair to make room for his sister. jacob began to speak softer at the feeling of johnny’s intense stares, "you could have fell." chunhwa didn't mind getting told off by her brother because it meant he was paying attention to her, just like her dad would pay attention to her mum.

although, there were four chairs spread around the circular table, johnny found himself gesturing for his wife to sit with him. he tucked his chair out slightly, scraping against the gravel on the floor, and held his hands out for her to join him on his lap. johnny always had to have his wife within his arms whenever she was near, she was like an enigma.

"did you find any nice flowers?" johnny asked as he rested his arms around y/n's waist, bringing her close to him as he possibly could. y/n nodded as she chose a single pink flower, from the bunch that were collected, and rested it on johnny’s ear. as sweet as sickeningly possible, johnny smiled at his wife before pressing a chaste kiss to the side of her head.

as soon as the sun began to set, the family of four moved indoors, where the air conditioning was blasting and they were collecting all the items of the second home. johnny had originally planned to buy the cottage they were residing in as a birthday gift for y/n but somehow his father beat him to it and offered it as a wedding gift, claiming that it was all his mother's idea.

despite the heat, the two children were able to fall asleep peacefully in their individual bedrooms, even though it took everything out of y/n to get chunhwa used to sleeping in her own bed. having zero energy left, y/n sighed as she collapsed onto the bed, johnny snorting from beside her. "get your cute ass up, we have bags to pack." he said from his seat on the floor, surrounded by clothes.

"john, i'm so tired," y/n rolled over on the bed to get closer to her husband's side, "can we not just do this tomorrow morning?" with one glance at her exhausted expression, johnny sighed as he left the clothing articles on the floor and joined y/n on the bed. he slipped an arm under her head as the other rested against her waist, rubbing small circles on her hip. y/n let out a content hum as she began to close her eyes.

johnny couldn't suppress the desire to hold her face, his warm hand leaving her hip and caressing her cheeks with his thumb. it had been so long since they had a moment where it was solely just the two of them; no work, no kids, nothing.

“you better not complain in the morning,” johnny began to pepper his wife’s face with kisses, showering her with attention. y/n's eyes fluttered open as she was about to say something to defend herself. however, her husband saw it was an opportunity to kiss her senseless. his hand moved down to cup her jaw as he slowly but deeply kissed her, making her loose all senses. y/n's fingers crushed the silk material of his shirt as she grasped onto his chest.

"the kid's are asleep," she breathed as johnny had pulled back for a moment. only for him to shift their positions, y/n was no longer on her side but lead on her back, staring up at him with full blown eyes. she fought to let out a groan as he unbuttoned his shirt off of him, only to expose his bare torso to her. within the next few seconds, johnny clambered over her again, lips attached with hers, hands trailing down her body leaving a hot burning trail in it's midst. he had nestled himself sweetly between her thighs, a position that they hadn't been in a long time. his lips began to trail down south, teeth grazing against her neck, biting at her skin every so often, before softly kissing her clothed stomach. "how about we make baby number three, hmm?" the idea of her stomach swelling with his child, had increasingly become too much for him to handle. johnny looked up at his wife, the dark look of lust dancing in his eyes. "i'll fuck you on this bed till you become pregnant with my baby," the whispers of his lewd words in y/n's ears left her biting her lip to conceal her moans, it didn't help that johnny’s wandering hands were dipped under her dress, so close to where she needed him most. he could see from her heaving chest and the desire burning in her eyes, that she needed this as badly as he did.

“come on mommy, don’t you want me to fill you up?” johnny’s fingers slipped past her soaked underwear, pressing just the tips of his fingers against her clit. the other hand squeezed the flesh of her soft breast, perfectly accommodating to the size of his palm. y/n whimpered at the sensations, red heat flushing her cheeks. “of course you do,” johnny scoffed at his wife’s face, so desperate for him, “you’re such a slut for me that you already gave me two kids.”

"i swear to god johnny seo, if you don't touch me you won't be having anymore kids," the demanding tone of y/n's voice didn't sit well with johnny’s fat ego and she knew it wouldn't, it would only rile him up. johnny aggressively smashed his lips against hers as a way to shut his wife up. there was no longer any sense of sweetness, just pure desire. he let out a small groan at the feeling of fingers brushing against his bulge, as y/n hurriedly began to unbuckle his designer belt and push his slacks down. a harsh curse was muttered under johnny’s breath as y/n groped his length.

the pair rid themselves of all articles of clothing, leaving them bare in each other’s presence and wandering hands. johnny’s lips found his partner’s once again, kissing with such intensity that he stole all her oxygen. y/n moans were swallowed by johnny as he quickly eased himself into her warm cunt. no matter how often they indulged in each other, the tightness of y/n’s cunt never differed, even after birthing his children.

slowly, johnny began to rock his hips into y/n’s, not being able to stay still in her warmth for long. “you won’t leave this bed till your pregnant, do you understand?” his demand was met with the sound of his wife moaning in agreement under him. johnny smirked, his face full of pride. he had barely touched y/n yet she was already drunk off his ministrations.

johnny knew his wife’s body like the back of his hand. he knew where to tickle to make y/n a giggling mess. he knew where the scar, from when she fell over trying to chase after him, was on her knee. he also knew where to touch to give his wife the most pleasurable orgasm, that would leave her senseless.

one hand fisted into the bedsheets to hold himself whilst johnny’s other hand rubbed small circles against y/n’s sensitive and swollen clit, her walls clenched in response to the overbearing pleasure.

“right there john,” y/n managed to mewl out, she was too afraid that if she said anything more her children might wake up. the last thing either of them wanted was for one of their kids to walk in on them.

johnny lowered himself till he was near y/n’s ear, “ah, did mommy forget what to call me?” despite her disgust at the title, johnny knew that his wife loved it, he could practically feel the effect it had on her and her throbbing walls.

“d-daddy...” y/n threw her head back at the feeling of her husband kissing along her chest, eager to leave marks in the form of multiple blooming bruises. y/n gasped at the feeling of johnny’s lips around her breast, he lightly tugged at her nipple, eliciting a cry from his wife.

the bedroom was quiet, y/n and johnny trying their best to keep their volume at a minimal level. johnny let out a guttural groan when he felt his wife’s cunt spasming around his dick. he was so close. his thrusts became sloppier before completely stilling as his cum filled the walls of flesh. exhaustion slowly began to overcome the man, soft hot breath falling between his wife’s neck.

“i hope we have another boy,” johnny’s voice was low. having no more strength, his body draped over y/n’s, crushing her under him so the poor woman couldn’t leave him, not that she ever would. y/n raked the dark locks of her husband’s soft hair between her fingers. a soft smile falling on her face when she noticed johnny leaning into her touch ever so slightly.

“what do you think about twins?”

[leetotters]

could you do a peter parker x reader where she can control her hair? and it can be any length she wants but prefers the length mid thigh and its and its unbreakable? so like fury asks if anyone in the team knows anyone they could recruit and he suggests her and all the avengers go meet her at a tailors shop she owns while she's cleaning and she shows her powers? please and if you do it, thank you

note: i hope you meant the powers to be reader's hair bc that's what i used it as lmao. also i used the gif because this is kinda how rocket got smacked with your hair. thank you for requesting<3

warnings: kissing, curse words

peter parker x reader

summary: something like request^

The swooshing of the broom and the melody of a random song played through the speakers of your tailor shop while you swept the floor. The small lengths of wool and silk thread tangling on the broom bristles as you scooped it up. The racks and unwanted pieces of cloth laid on the marble floor making you let out a sigh of exhaustion.

A knock on your glass showcase window made you jump. The movement making your hair disentangle from the neat twist plait. You lowly cursed as your hair touched the floor, the belly laugh behind the window noted you that your bestfriend was the person responsible for your little mishap.

"Couldn't you ring the bell like a normal person!" You annoyingly exclaimed, closing your eyes and controlling your hair to stop at mid-thigh length. Your preferred length. You picked your broom up and teasingly shook your head when Peter told you open the door. "I think I'm gonna leave you outside tonight, just for scarring the life out of me and my hair."

You resumed your previous activity, counting the numbers in your head until you heard the lock on your ceiling window open. The sound of Peter's displeased voice and childish complains filling your storage room.

"Can't keep me outside Y/L/N, I'll always find a way." He proudly dusted his shirt, taking the scoop from your hand while you grabbed the racks and placed them in your extra closet.

"Thanks to your super spidey powers." You teased, thanking him when he returned the dustpan. "Anyway, why are you here?" You inquired, curious why your best friend decided to stop by your little, tailor shop.

"Well I- wait," Peter scrunched his brows. "Can I not drop by to visit my bestfriend?" He sassed, hand on his hip giving you a quizzing look.

"Oh please Peter, you only stop by when you need something." You remarked, returning a pointed stare before you began to reorganize the formal wear you were currently adapting. "And that something is usually to stitch those huge ass holes in your spidey suit."

Peter didn't respond immediately, because you were right. He did stop by your shop for you to mend his suit. Because one, he loved your company. And two, you were the only person who knew his secret other than the avengers, Ned and MJ.

"Fine! fine!," He huffed. Not so discreetly looking over his shoulder as if he was giving someone a signal. "You're right-"

"I always am Parker." You boasted, using the ends of your hair to move the sewing machine and pins to there rightful place.

"Yeah- okay, but I really came to tell you life changing news!" Peter amazed, a gasp leaving his lips when he saw the movement of your hair. It never ceased to amaze him how your hair was basically magical. Being able to move stuff with your command, grow at whatever length you wanted, heal others and even be unbreakable. Epic, really.

"And what is this so great news-"

The words didn't leave your lips properly as your tailor shop entry door was suddenly yanked open. Your door handle and lock was surely broken, at the loud eerie sound of a metal crunching noise.

"Get out of my way Tony!" Stephen scowled.

"Shut it wizard dude, I'm the leader here not you." Tony rolled his eyes, removing the pair of expensive shades from his face.

"Since when? Fury sent all of us Tony." Rhodey said, dusting his shoulder.

"I wonder how much she makes in this shop, not much I bet." Steve scrunched his face, eyeing your little shop.

"Did we really have to bring Groot?" Clint groaned, flicking baby Groot off of his shoulder when he tried to grab one of his arrows.

"He's a baby, Clint. We can't leave him at the compound alone." Gamora remarked, tickling Groot's tree stomach as she picked him up.

"Okay if she does joins us, we will have to ask her to design new clothing! Look at this!." Wanda marveled, showing off the mid thigh silk dress.

"I should get this for the recruiting party Tony is planning for her." Natasha thought out loud.

"What the fuck!" You yelled, glaring at the talkative avengers standing before you. Looking mighty and high as always. "I just fixed that lock dude!" You whined, sighing gallingly when you saw the chunk of metal by Thor's feet. "You're repairing my lock, hammer man."

"Ah yes, I will have the Man of Iron restore your brittle lock Lady.."

"Y/N."

"Lady Y/N." Thor smiled.

Peter let out a small chuckle, rubbing the back of his ear and looking at you sheepishly. "Surprise?"

"Surprise my ass Parker! Why are the avengers in my tailor shop and why is this raccoon trying to cut my hair?!" You moved your hair with your mind, smacking the animal avenger with your y/h/c locks.

"Woah, did she just-" Bucky froze, mouth agape.

"Control her hair to hit Rocket, yeah." Peter Quill laughed at his co guardian misfortune.

"Okay her hair is very much un- unbreakable," Rocket coughed out, holding his stomach. "And strong."

"I am Groot." ˢʰᵉ'ˢ ᵃ ᵇᵃᵈᵃˢˢ

"You can not say that word Groot, but I do agree with you." Gamora smirked, finger bumping the cute tree.

You were mad, really fuming. You spent two hours cleaning and by the looks of it you'll have to do it a second time. So yeah, you wanted an explanation.

"Okay don't get upset." Peter spoke calmly. Holding his hand out and gesturing towards the superheroes infront of you, who had the same impressed expression on their fanciable faces.

"This is the life changing thing I was talking about," He paused with a smile. "You're joining the Avengers!"

"What?" You were officially bamboozled, with everything. One minute you were simply tidying your shop and next, half of the avengers are occupying your shop. Quarreling and interfering with your stuff.

And not to ignore the fact that your best friend just blurted out four questionable words to you.

"You're going to be an Avenger, Rapunzel." Tony repeated, strutting to you with short steps. "If you want to of course, sidey here told us your hair power thingy and though I was a little iffy about it at the beginning, it looks like your power is truly powerful." Tony patted your shoulder. Looking over at Rocket, who was being assisted by Drax.

"As much as I would like to say it's an honor to be in your presence," You said. Controlling your hair to grow back at mid-thigh. "Why?" You faced Peter, inquiring him with the plain word.

Peter shrugged, giving you a bashful look. "Fury asked if we knew anyone who could be recruited, and without thought I suggested you." He sighed, feeling completely awful for the situation he put you in.

"And I know, I should've asked you first but I know how much you adore helping others and the money here isn't enough for your college tuition Y/N." Peter ignored the awkward silence in the room that was loud seconds ago before continuing. "I thought this would be a way to assist you."

You physically softened at his words. He was too kind and caring for his own good. You could never be upset with this idiot boy.

"I'm sorry-"

Peter didn't finish. His apology was muffled by your lips pressed deeply to his frowny pink ones. He was slighty awestruck, the feeling of your lips were breathtaking. He swore he could kiss you forever. His hands found your waist pulling you in closer, even including a little tongue movement inside your mouth.

As if reality kicked in, a teasing 'ohhh' sound came from a few avengers. Causing you to shyly pull away from Peter, who loudly groaned at the lost contact of your plump lips.

"Looks like Spidey is getting a little too handsy." Sam quipped, chuckling when Peter told him to shut it and hid his face in the crook of your neck.

"So is this a yes?" Peter hopefully asked.

You feigned ponder. "Yes."

Peter pecked your lips, mumbling a short 'yay' attempting to deepen the kiss.

"That's enough smooching spiderling." Steve uttered, obviously not enjoying the PDA.

A beeping sound came from Tony's watch altering the team about an upcoming mission.

"Looks like we gotta go," Tony spoke with a serious voice before turning to you. "Glad to have you on the team Rapunzel."

"It's Y/N." You corrected.

"Okay, I'll send some people by tomorrow to pick up your stuff. See ya soon, Rapunzel." Tony winked, exiting your tailor shop.

"He's not gonna give that up." Peter laughed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

"I oddly don't mind." You responded, waving bye to the others. "Thank you Pete."

Peter grinned. "I didn't quite hear that, say it a little louder baby."

"Thank you mister Parker." You kissed his lips, playfully rolling your eyes. But you weren't that distracted to miss Thor stealthily trying to leave your shop.

"Hey hammer God! Don't forget to fix my lock."

"I will have Stark right on it Lady Rapunzel!"

[itsmeevie01]

A Moment in Time

ok, so. a little disclaimer before we get into the good stuff. Cannon is in no way whatsoever being followed in this. honestly? im not even sure that i REMEBER cannon at this point. that said, cannon is non applicable. at. all. 

moving on. YES, i WILL finish B!DBWM stuff eventually. but uh...not today. i just mentally cant. it. will. come. when. my. brain. can. handle. the. world. that. i. had. tailored. for. it. 

ALSO this is going to be kinda sporatic, but the goal (not end all be all but) is to have this wrapped in a pretty little package and finished (at least on my end) by the end of february.

and now....onto the stuff you came here for!

---

Marinette was running late to school when she met him. She ran into the boy and stumbled back, flailing to catch herself before she fell. He looked down at her owlishly, before looking around. By the time he had returned his gaze to her, the teen had pulled herself back together. He smiled and nodded at her, before moving to go around. When Marinette had pulled herself together enough to call a short “sorry!”, He was already gone.

That was three weeks ago. Now, she was looking at a picture of their interaction, where it blared on the front page of the newspaper that Jagged had sent her. When Marinette had received the package, she had been confused. Jagged wasn’t supposed to send her another demo for a few weeks. They were still working on singles. When she had opened the box and found five different American publications with her on their front page, the teen designer had shrieked. With shaking hands, she picked up the top one and studied the headline.

HAS BRUCE WAYNE’S WARD FOUND PARISIAN LOVE?

The bold text was catching, sure, but Marinette was caught on WHO it was placing her with. Someone she had never met. The second one had a picture of her next to Jagged at an event, and a picture of the boy next to a blonde girl. The headline wasn’t much better than the first.

TIMELINE OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MDC AND THE HEIR TO WAYNE INERPRISES.

The teen snorted. She was starting to see the pattern. Putting the tabloid down the girl moved onto the next one. This one had, once again, a zoomed in picture of the five second interaction between her and a stranger. The title, however, was different than the first two.

ALL OF BRUCE WAYNE’S CHILDREN, AND THE INSIDE SCOOP ON HIS NEWEST DAUGHTER

She squinted, laughter bubbling up a little as she observed the piece of fiction. Whoever the Bruce Wayne was, Marinette hopped that he was able to combat this, because she had no intention of letting this fly.

Tim and Bruce were staring at the pile of papers in mild shock. When Jared had reached out to them in mild panic, they had been confused. His panic had been explained when the rocker had arrived carrying a stack of tabloid literature a foot thick. When he had thunk’d the stack down on Bruce’s desk, the businessman’s shock had been more than notable. When Tim had picked up the first few publications the initial look on his face was mirth, but it quickly morphed into shock, then panic. When he handed the top item to Bruce, the older man frowned. When the second pamphlet made its way to his hands, Bruce paused. His next move was to call the Wayne family lawyers. when he turned back to his old friend, all the faces in the room told the same grim tale of what was to come.

When Tim found out that it was Jared’s niece that he had accidentally run into in the brief moment in Paris, he wasn’t sure whether he should be more stressed by it, or if it was by pure luck. When Bruce’s friend went on to explain that the girl would probably already suing the reports and papers that had published the rumor, the young CEO was impressed. To have a lawyer on hand like that was…surprising, considering that she couldn’t be older than 18.

When he asked the rocker if he thought the girl would let anyone go after her, he laughed. Then, Jared Stone explained that the girl was known in Paris for squishing rumors with surprising efficiency.

That evening, Bruce invited his childhood friend home for dinner, and the star spent the evening telling stories of their capers as children, with Alfred grimacing in agreement with the stories. Partway through dinner, Jared’s phone went off. While the rest of the family tensed, glancing to Alfred, their guest frowned at his phone before rushing to answering. “Hey Little Rocker! How’s Pari- oh. So, Penny was more efficient then I thought she’d be. I- yes I figured that you may want to hear. Do- No! Marinette, what!” here, the man paused, his head cocked to the side, his eyes screwed up in thought. “No luv! Sue them within an inch of their lives! You more then have that right.” Here, the rocker paused before he laughed. “Tell that buzzing bee of yours that she’s a good friend. Alright, Miss Mari. I’ll ring you when I’m back on that side of the Atlantic.” He laughed again, “See you soon, Marinette.” The table stayed quiet, waiting for the man to give an indication on the status of the conversation. “Well, Brucie, expect to hear from my niece in the next few day, or at least, her team of lawyers.” the Wayne patriarch blinked before nodding in hidden surprise.

When the family was talking during patrol that evening, Tim grumbled. The 18-year-old was still taken aback that the press had even seen the momentary interaction almost a month ago. As his brothers listened in, many of them started to make fun of the teen. When Jason tuned in, he dropped in the middle of tale. At his confusion, Tim sighed and started over, again. While the family was laughing over his run-in with the press, the former Robin shook his head and silenced his family. He had a feeling he wouldn’t live this one down for a while.

Originally, Jason had found Tim’s predicament hilarious. Of course, the kid had to have the worst run-ins with the press. Then, he had picked up one of the many tabloids with the story. When he had seen the pictures, all mirth left the resurrected vigilante. The noirette that was looking up at him from the page? Yeah. He knew her. Better than anyone else, actually. With shaking hands, the young man paged to the story. What he found was…illuminating. So. She had been adopted. In France. In Paris. After forcing his lungs to draw breath, Jason pulled out his phone. He had arrangements to make.

The day after Jagged had sent her the gossip rags that were considered journalism, Marinette strode into school with a scowl so ingrained in in her features that anyone who didn’t know her would think the expression was permanent. When she stalked into the Lycée classroom, Chloé grinned at her from where she had settled in the front row. Marinette nodded at her friend as she slid in next to her. Lila came skipping in moments later, a cruel smile playing on her lips, before falling when she saw the bone quaking scowl resting on her nemesis’ face. “oh Marinette! Did something happen? Did…did you anger your parents? Did they find out about all those men?” the other girl huffed before turning to her. Lila froze as she was met with the iciest glare that she had seen in years.

“oh Lila. That’s so cute. It almost sounds like you still think that your little stories affect me at all. That’s…adorable.” The Italian girl shrunk under the younger girl’s stare. Suddenly, she understood why people had been warning her to leave the teen alone. this girl, she was brutal. “lucky for you, you’re not the one I’m after, this time. My lawyers have bigger fish to fry.” The newer addition to the classroom gulped, her throat suddenly very dry. It occurred to her that maybe Marinette had let her take control of the class. After all, if they turn that easily, why would she want them for friends. The smaller girl nodded as she watched the realization run over Lila’s face. Raising her eyebrows, the Eurasian girl motioned her classmate along, sending a cruel smile after her.

Chloé waited until the little liar was gone before giggling at her friend’s reaction to the girl who had become their daily annoyance. “I’m guessing you saw what’s been running in the American news? I thought it wouldn’t take long for you to respond. Are a plethora of lawsuits on the way?” Marinette giggled slightly as her severe demander giving way to the internal glee that was consuming the teen over the sheer chaos that was to come.

When Jason touched down in Paris, he tensed. The atmosphere in the city was less carefree than he remembered. There was an air that actually reminded him of Gotham. Tense. Waiting or the other shoe to drop. The expectation that your day was going to go wrong set from the moment one woke up. Pulling out his phone, the Gotamite looked up the address to the bakery that he had found when digging online. If today went the way he was hoping it would, the bakery would be his only stop for the day. Of course, he didn’t count on Gina.

When she called him over from where she was standing by her bike, Jason had to smile. The woman was part of the reason that he wasn’t still camping out in Gotham, waiting to kill a certain billionaire. Once the spry biker had latched onto his arm, the young man knew that his mission would have to wait just a bit. After all, he owed Gina almost everything he had.

[firefly-in-darkness]

Honey

Pairing →  Steve Rogers x Reader

Characters →  Marvel Characters.

Summary → Y/N has her mind set on hooking up with Steve Rogers, the only problem is that they’re in the middle of an Awards Ceremony.

Word Count → 1.6k

Prompt → Don’t Marry Her by Beautiful South for @cockslut-padalecki‘s Not My Ninth Challenge. 

SSB2021 Square Fill → More than Meets the Eye - @star-spangled-bingo

Warnings → 18+. Implied Cheating, Angst, Smut. Swearing.

Betas → @daydream3r-xo & @kalesrebellion // all mistakes are my own.

Firefly’s Masterlist // Star Spangled Bingo 2021

Y/N’s plan was fool proof. Tonight was the night she’d bag Steve Rogers, Captain America, America’s Ass and Golden Boy. Throughout the awards ceremony, she gave him a subtle smile or a seductive drag of her necklace to focus his attention to her exposed decolletage. On occasion, she’d catch the lust-filled glances when she bit down her bottom lip, fingers skimming the plunging neckline of the designer gown.

The intermission between the awards gave her the perfect opportunity to pounce; Steve was standing alone at the bar, his hands in the black slacks as he spoke jovially with the bartender. Gosh, he’s so sweet, Y/N pondered as she circled the beautifully decorated tables full of beaming smiles and chattering guests.

Y/N was ready to strike, only a couple of tables away, when Natasha also joined them at the bar, a wave of guilt seeped into her bones as she watched the redhead fix Steve’s bowtie. It would have been cute if Y/N hadn’t already known about their shared history and battles. 

The fully stocked bar was now calling her name, like a bumblebee seeking out its nectar. Y/N threw all caution to the wind to get something to dull the ache and nerves that crept up her skin. As she ordered her drink, Y/N kept a close eye on the pair, through the mirror at the bar, they were only a few feet away and she didn’t want to bring too much attention to herself.

After a kiss to Steve’s cheek, Natasha left his side to join Clint and Tony at their table. That’s right, Y/N didn’t get to sit with the Avengers, she was just a SHIELD agent after all. She gulped back the fiery bourbon, an attempt to wash away the bitterness from the table arrangements and how the press only wanted to see the team. Not the background lackeys.

“Something on your mind Y/N?” Steve’s voice brought her out of the glare she was boring into the mirror.

“Oh, Captain, I’m sorry. I was a million miles away.” Y/N waved her hand and a coquettishly smile formed on her rouged lips.

“I’ve told you before, please call me Steve.” He gestured to the barstool and Y/N obliged, knees knocking together with his as she took the seat, “I’m not as much of the fuddy-duddy that the team makes me out to be.”

Y/N giggled behind her hand at his choice of words before she straightened up, she couldn’t embarrass herself, this was the perfect moment, “and why are you hiding out over here instead of with your teammates?”

Steve glanced over to the Avengers; hundreds of eyes trained on them, photographers flashing away at each moment and the fans asking for autographs, “Well, I’ll let you into a little secret.”

She bit her lip and leaned closer, her hand resting on his knee. The excitement of being this close and touching Steve almost bubbled over in another giggle.

“I’m not a big fan of all that, and I’m probably going to head out of here soon.” Steve winked at her.

Y/N’s cheeks tingled at his gaze and she couldn’t help the way hers became entranced at the way his tongue poked out and swiped across his bottom lip. Snapping out of the haze, Y/N took to the floor, grabbing her skirt in one hand and Steve’s in the other.

He didn’t stop her but followed her blindly through the doors that the catering staff had entered into the ballroom. Zig zagging through the back rooms before finding a secluded spot. Y/N’s heart hammered in her chest as she tried to regain her breath.

To her surprise, and a small yelp later, Steve pulled open a supply closet door and tugged her in after him, “god, I’ve wanted to do this all night. All week.”

Y/N’s mind raced while Steve pulled her body flush to his in the dark. His cologne took over all her senses and the soft strokes of his fingers against her neck made her preen into the touch. Steve’s mouth crashed down to hers, a heated fray of lips, tongue and teeth as the passion ignited in them both. A few moments later, he pulled away, the pair of them panting in the confined space.

“I think about you all the time,” Steve whispered and nibbled at Y/N’s earlobe.

“Even though you have a fiancé?” Y/N gripped onto his biceps while he ravished her neck, humming in response to her question.

“Especially when she’s just lying there in bed, watching television without any thought for my needs.” Steve peppered kisses against the swell of her breasts. “There’s always an ‘I told you so’ after I do something rash.”

 Y/N quivered under his touch, all excitement pooling at her core, “He never listens.”

“Don’t go back to him.” Steve demanded.

“Don’t marry her.” She countered.

In a swift motion, Steve had pulled up her skirt, and lifted Y/N, hooking her legs around his hips. Steve’s hardened length underneath the soft material of his slacks pressed to her core, moans dripped from the lips that had attached to his neck.

Y/N’s kisses led to a confession, “I can’t forget that night when we had that mission in San Francisco Bay. It was perfect.”

“Oh, honey, I’d never forget,” Steve growled against Y/N’s sternum. 

“That’s a new pet name, honey.” She whimpered.

Before Steve could unzip his pants, they heard a knock. Y/N and Steve instantly pulled away and looked at one another in the near darkness. Then a third knock followed by a continuous wrap of knuckles.

The door was yanked open wide to an exasperated Tony Stark and Sam Wilson glaring at them both before the door was slammed shut in shock by Tony. It didn’t close, only opened up again, showing their widened eyes at the compromising position they had caught Y/N and Steve in. 

The door finally pulled to a close, a line of light from the way it hadn’t clicked shut. The pair gave each other sheepish smiles but didn’t move. How were they going to explain what was going on? That they were making out, on the verge of having sex in a cupboard.

A light knock on the door was followed by Sam’s muffled voice, “I think you’d better come out now.”

A blush had formed on Steve’s cheeks, a red tinge crept its way down his neck and the space Y/N had created from yanking apart his tie and collar. Fear was evident in Steve’s eyes, but there was still a mischievous glint in the dilated blues.

Y/N’s eyes widened in panic, knowing that she would look as equally dishevelled, if not more. Lipstick was smeared around her mouth and her hair no longer neatly tucked into the intricately pinned updo. Teeth dug into her bottom lip as she straightened Steve’s tie and smoothed down the evening gown, luckily unwrinkled.

Tentatively, she pushed down the handle and opened the door to the cleaning supply cupboard and met the disappointed brown eyes and folded arms of Sam Wilson. Steve followed behind, his hands on her waist before dropping at the sight of Sam’s glare now directed at him. Both felt like naughty school children, and they should really because what they were doing was wrong and they’d been caught out. 

“You better start explaining what the hell is going on right now.” Sam scolded, his stare unwavering from the pair. “Steve, you’re engaged for Christ's sake.”

Y/N went to speak but clammed up, opening, and closing her mouth. Guilt at being caught gnawed away at her stomach, while she focused on the floor and not looking at Steve or her superiors.

“Well, are you going to explain yourselves?” Tony looked between them, disappointment evident in his tone. “Now that your scandal is out in the open, care to share with the class?” 

Y/N sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, knowing there was no way out of this, “So here’s the thing, we both realised that we find these events boring so we came up with a list of things to spice it up a bit.”

“Are you serious, kid?” Tony shook his head, turned to Steve, “And I expected better of your righteous ass.”

Y/N nodded meekly at Tony, no longer able to speak from the disappointment and guilt she felt for what they had done. This wasn’t Steve, or her, for that matter. They’d just gone with the moment, caught up in it all.

Tony looked at his watch, “You both have an award to present in, oh, two minutes. Get yourselves cleaned up. Move it.”

Both walked away from the scolding looks, feeling like a pair of kids caught eating ice cream before dinner. Except this was much worse. Y/N snuck a glance to Steve, who swaggered away from Tony and Sam, a smug grin plastered on his face. She pulled her lips in, trying to hide the smile that was creeping up.

Sam called, “Y/N, you’re forgetting something.”

Y/N turned around, her brow pulled together in confusion until Sam lifted his left hand and pointed at his ring finger. Realisation dawned on her and she scrambled into her purse to find the sparkling diamond.

“Let me,” Steve took the ring from her and held out her hand, gently putting it into its rightful place. “Now that we’ve crossed off roleplay. What’s next on our List of Rebellious Deeds?”

Y/N rolled her eyes, and looped her arm through his, “come on honey, we can get back to what we were about to do in the closet the second we are home. No rebellion required.”

Everything Tag List: @kitkatd7 / @fandomfic-galore / @writerwrites / @thefridgeismybestie / @wedonttalkaboutitenough / @courtneychicken

Marvel Tag List: @natasha-danvers / @little-baby-vixen / @stuckonjbbarnes / @starlightcrystalline / @nekoannie-chan / @hailhydra920 / @vollzeitliebe / @fitzsimmons-is-forever / @ladyacrasia / @emmabarnes

[joontier]

Subliminal in Scrubs | V2; report xii 

pairings: dr. jeon jungkook x female reader

chapter rating: PG-15 | genre: humor, workplace relationships

warnings: none to note

word count: 2.6k

g/n: jungkook is a brat wbk; also,,, hoseok here is supposedly as old as seokjin heh i had an internal debate whether or not i should include two other scenes but aslkdfjkasljfas but i ended up with this instead skjff hope yall enjoy!! 

[taglist]:  @nottodayjjk @ditttiii @zeharilisharaban @btsbunny07 @turquoiseandplaidinautumn @aamxxrii @codeinebelle @btsmakesmehappy @stargukkie @moonchild1

Subliminal in Scrubs (the records) |  navi. | m.list

The orientation went by like a breeze with Ms. Narae’s quick run throughs of Woocheon’s clinical processes and systems, training programs, hospital expectations, and the explanation of the rest of the map of the hospital you weren’t able to cover during your tour earlier. Before she wraps up, she retrieves your IDs from underneath the table and places them on top of the desk for everyone to get later.  She dismisses the orientation exactly ten minutes before twelve, requesting everyone to head straight to their department’s on-call room after the break.

Soomin, who you’ve recently discovered to have her own Youtube channel, takes out her phone and records a video. You watch from the side as Soomin does her thing, until she tries to call you all over and officially introduce you as good friends turned work colleagues to all her subscribers. 

You hadn’t really expected this whole vlogger thing from her, especially when Soomin was a bit reserved when you were first acquainted with each other, but then again, as your friendship grew, you realized that she had a bit of Chohee in her as well and you thought that’s what caused you to gravitate towards her naturally. 

“Anybody up for lunch?” Soomin asks, rubbing her hands together after she finishes her short recording and tucks her phone back in her pocket. “Yeah, I’m starving...” you murmur, placing a hand on your belly as you hear your stomach grumble its complaint. 

“I heard Woocheon is known to have the best hospital food in Korea. Ever.” Jungkook says, looking around. You’re starting to get skeptical about how Jungkook is lingering around Jimin...Or was it the other way around now? “Shall we?” With Jungkook’s undeniable proposition, Soomin briefly glances at your reluctant face, her own lips pursing with your reaction. “Fine,” you sigh. 

There’s no getting rid of Jungkook now. 

Woocheon’s cafeteria...does not look like a cafeteria at all. 

You weren’t expecting an...urban haven of some sort, a portion of the hospital that you had least envisioned to what seems to be the warmest part of Woocheon. The laminated flooring, faux wooden grain wall panels, along with the suspended lights from this wave-like uneven wooden ceiling - it was as picturesque as a spread on an interior design magazine. 

The interior could easily outrival any other kitchen in the city. “Are you sure this is not some hotel we just walked into?” Jimin questions as he marvels over the sleek urban design of the cafeteria. There’s even a café - which you recognize holds the same logo as Good Day café. You ought to confirm this with Jimin later. 

As you near the serving area, the unmistakable aroma of roast beef fills your senses, making you hungrier than you were just seconds before. “Please don’t tell me Woocheon is actually serving roast beef...” 

You practically salivate at the sight of the food in the counters, a lot of which you realized were influenced by western food culture. There were three different kinds of salad to choose from, baked potatoes, burgers, seafood stew, stir-fried meat, as well as the Korean classic side dishes that you’d never miss in a meal.  And, true to your trusty sense of smell, roast beef was at the end of the line up in all its roasted glory.  

“Yeap,” Soomin says as she turns to face you, “You have three options for the sauce too: mushroom gravy, pepper sauce, or truffle sauce,” Soomin replies matter-of-factly, pointing at the farther end of the food counter. 

“Oh I love this place already!” Exclaims Jimin who’s undecided between eating to his heart’s content and risking a stomachache on the first day of work, or sacrifice half of the dishes for a later time in your stay at Woocheon. Thankfully, Jimin decides on the former. 

“Make sure you have your IDs ready,” Jungkook announces as he joins the line after you. “You’ll have to tap it against this tiny device then they will automatically deduct the total amount of the food you got from your account.”  

Jimin’s face falls instantly at the realization. Jungkook claps the other man’s back, face crumpled as he keeps his laughter in. “Still love this place, Jimin-ssi? Don’t worry now, the three of us can pretend we didn’t hear anything at all.” 

With features forlorn, Soomin makes a hilarious attempt to appease Jimin’s disappointment by stating facts - “Jimin-ah. Hospital food isn’t free.” 

“Yeah. I realize that now,” Jimin replies, an ingenuine smile playing on his lips. 

“Cheer up though! Ms. Narae did mention faculty and staff get a five percent discount on all hospital services...just so happened that they included the cafeteria there as well.” 

Albeit reluctant about the price, Soomin manages to convince your entire group to try out the roast beef for once (and probably your last too. Figures.) “Oh, and by the way, there is one thing that’s free actually. It’s the drink of the day - free for all staff. One each, and available during lunch only.” 

Your eyes travel to the end of the counter straight away at Soomin’s reminder. Calculating the number of cartons left and the people left in the queue, you’re beyond pleased at the fact that you’ll be able to get a free 250ML carton of banana milk today, and also the last person to do so. 

Unfortunately for you, a staff member returns to the counter and retrieves a tetra pack, claiming it was for a senior doctor who forgot to claim the drink. Much to your dismay, a middle-aged man in a white coat was waving to the counter, with his other hand pointing to his tray to prove that he really wasn’t able to take any milk with him. You can’t hide the scowl that creeps on your face. 

Through your peripheral vision, you notice Jungkook closely monitoring the milk as well, the same look of disappointment evident on his face. Maybe losing the milk wasn’t that bad. After all, if you couldn’t one, Jungkook wouldn’t be able to score one either. 

While Jimin checks out his food, one of the kitchen staff suddenly retrieves another carton from the other side of the counter, mumbling about how it must’ve fallen over earlier. You were just about to grab it when the lady at the till calls you next, and you’re forced to move your tray sideward so she can calculate the total amount of your order.  

When you look up to grab your free drink, Jungkook reaches out at the same time and manages to snatch the milk quicker than you. “Hey!” Jungkook simply shrugs his shoulders at your indignant tone. “Sorry darling, finders keepers.” 

You stare at him in disbelief, until the lady calls for Jungkook next, a little too loud for your liking. Your eyeroll comes almost involuntarily, and you shake your head as you follow where Jimin and Soomin were headed to as they look for a seat. 

Jungkook arrives shortly after you do, so you immediately lose the chance to rant about your annoyance towards the latter. He decides to sit across you and you don’t have the chance to complain about it either when he sticks the straw in his milk while he smirks at you. 

What an actual kid. 

You promised yourself you won’t let him get to you, choosing inner peace over fighting with a brat. Besides, two can play at this game, and it’s going to take more than a small carton of milk for him to truly vex you, so you simply smile at him back, returning the favor (of course, while secretly wishing he might choke on his banana milk too).  

“Would you guys mind if I recorded a little bit?” Murmurs of agreement are heard across the table. “Alrightey then,” says Soomin, “This time, none of you boys will be able to escape the camera this time around.” Just as you’d expected, Jimin and Jungkook whine in chorus, vocally expressing their petulance towards Soomin’s ‘vloggering’. 

“Hey! For all you know, you two might even bring more subscribers when I put you two as my thumbnail!” 

“I’m shy…” Jimin argues as he poorly covers his face with his small ID, yet continues to peek through the small gap between the card and the lanyard. 

Soomin rolls her eyes at their childishness and records her food first, praising how surprisingly appetizing the hospital food is. She proceeds to pan the camera towards you as you say hi for the second time today. As Soomin moves onto Jimin, he instantly puts his ID down and waves at the camera sporting a cute smile. “Everyone, this is what ‘camera shy’ looks like nowadays.” 

On the other hand, Jungkook, shameless as ever, pretends to not pay any regard to the camera but he decides to chew on his food with much suave, jaw tightening with every bite of the beef. Soomin calls on Jungkook to say hi, to which he responds by introducing himself and punctuating his statement with a flirty wink. 

For some reason, you feel your stomach drop at the action, causing you to look away momentarily while Soomin instantaneously switches back to her front camera, “Okay, everyone, let’s just pretend these two weren’t flirting with the camera just now.” Soomin shakes her head at the two, deciding that was enough content about lunch at the hospital cafeteria. 

“Shame the camera couldn’t handle it,” Jimin says, pouting as he places a hand over his chest. 

“Maybe it was the lady behind the camera that couldn’t,” adds Jungkook who continues to wink, alternating both his eyes before making a weird face. 

“Okay Jeon. I think that’s enough winking for today.” 

Jungkook wouldn’t stop though and Soomin finally looks at you for help, “Diagnosis: winkitis, ophthalmologist recommends immediate enucleation.”

“Of course! How could I forget? A wink for this young lady over here too.” Jungkook turns to you now but you simply squint your eyes at him as you fake choking on thin air, “I think I might have lost my appetite altogether.” 

As the three of you head back to the locker rooms to retrieve your stuff before going to the surgery department, another hospital staff stops briefly on their way to greet Soomin. It’s the third time in ten minutes and you’re starting to think Soomin knows not just ‘someone’ from the hospital. Strangely enough, they all seemed like they came from different departments too. This particular person must be of high authority or someone really famous to have people greet her as often as this. 

When you round the corner, at the end of the corridor is a lady in formal attire, sporting the same ID as yours  and it’s Soomin who approaches this person this time. As she pulls the person aside, she urges the three of you to go ahead, telling you she’ll catch up in a moment, leaving you sandwiched between Jimin and Jungkook who tower over you easily. 

“Jimin, do you happen to know who it is exactly she knows here?” 

The blond shakes his head no. “She’s never mentioned anybody in particular...all I know too is that she knows somebody here.” 

“Some relatives perhaps? Maybe she’s a family member of a renowned doctor here?” 

“How about her Youtube channel? Maybe she’s famous then? How many followers does she have?” 

You quickly tap on Youtube on your phone with Jungkook’s prodding, looking up her channel on the app. “It says here she’s got quite the following actually... “ you tilt the screen for them to see, “six thousand followers…” 

“That can’t be it. The second one who greeted her was at least in his mid-fifties...Boomers couldn’t have possibly been following...what does she vlog about again? Um… a day in the life of a med student…” 

From behind you, you faintly hear a ‘goodbye’ and you clear your throat, alerting the two of Soomin’s return. “What were you guys going on about here?” 

Jungkook chuckles, smoothly making up an alibi as he takes your phone in his hands, “Hope you don’t mind us checking out your channel…” Surely enough, your screen was showing a video of Soomin studying for her finals. 

“As long as you subscribe, it’s fine with me.” She gives you all a thumbs up. “It’s been a while since I posted anything though...Maybe if we get to the on-call room early, maybe I could film a few shots too! Come on!”  Soomin hooks your arm in hers and drags you to the locker rooms, leaving the two boys standing there in the middle of the hallway.

You figure the four of you were the first interns to arrive, as most of the doctors lounging around were either in their scrubs or heading out for lunch. “Soomin,” Jungkook seemingly deep in thought, taps the girl’s shoulder. 

“Hmm?” 

“Remember when you bumped into me on the day of our graduation...you were with someone right? Um...Jung...Ho...I can’t quite remember his name…” 

“Oh you mean Jung Hoseok? He’s my cousin.” 

As Jungkook opens his mouth to reply, someone calls Soomin from the other side of the room. “Soomin! You’re here!” You spot the surgeons you’ve met during the hospital tour earlier this morning - Dr. Min Yoongi, Dr. Kim Seokjin, and Dr. Kim Namjoon. You all bow promptly as soon as they stand up. 

“I didn’t really have that much of a choice,” Soomin grumbles as she gets squished with each of the doctors’ hugs. “Come on! You’re saying that as if Woocheon isn’t any good at all!” 

The three of you stand awkwardly in the corner while Soomin and the other doctors mingle with each other. You nudge Jungkook’s elbow, “Hey what’s with Soomin’s cous--?” 

“Oh right! These are my friends - ________, Park Jimin, and Jeon Jungkook.  We’re all under your care now.” The three doctors call you over, extending their arms out for a handshake, “Ready to lose your social life?” Dr. Min asks, his bright tone contrasting his drift. 

“It’s an honor to meet you Dr. Min, Dr. Kim, and Dr. Kim.” You bow curtly. “Oh doctor? It's too much! Call us sunbae instead. Oppa is cool too when we’re not working.” Dr. Seokjin’s handshake lingers a little longer than usual and you feel your cheeks start to heat up. “Besides, I don’t know what I’m doing most of the time.” 

Yoongi visibly grimaces at Seokjin’s words, while Namjoon covers his face with his hands, mumbling, “Hyung.... For the love of god, please make sure the patients never ever hear that…” 

Namjoon’s reaction elicits laughter from the whole group, but someone’s laugh stands out above all and it’s coming from the other side of the door. Soomin seems to recognize the voice instantly. “He’s here!” 

“Soooommmiiiiiinnn!!!” A loud voice echoes throughout the room. He hugs Soomin briefly, and addresses the rest of you. “Wassup bros?” The newcomer gives each of the surgeons a dap in greeting then turns to greet you three. 

“The whole gang's here!” He says, rubbing his chin, “Let me guess...Jeon Jungkook, _________, and Park Jimin, right?” 

Eyes wide in surprise, you nod slowly. “Soomin here has told me all about you!” Soomin is behind the man, drawing a hand across her throat. “My name’s Jung Hoseok, by the way. Nice to finally meet you all.” 

“He’s the next chairman of the Woocheon Medical City,” Seokjin whispers as he winks in your direction. Hoseok elbows him in the ribs. “No I’m not.” 

“Ah yes. Correction. Not yet.” Seokjin mumbles, massaging his sides. You, Jimin, and Jungkook look at each other with knowing gazes. So that’s the ‘someone’ Soomin knows. 

Woocheon ought to be...interesting.

© joontier 2021

[iamdeku]

Little Patch of Heaven: Bakugou Katsuki x Reader

A convenience store au in which a certain explosive blonde is your boss, and you have a little crush.

Warnings: age gap! There is a slight age gap here between Bakugou and the reader. Reader is meant to be about 20, while Bakugou is 26-27-ish. This isn’t a huge gap, but if it makes you uncomfortable please don’t read on. Also sexual innuendo and a sleazy guy hitting on you.

You weren’t sure when you had started crushing on your boss, of all people. It had all started off very innocent, a friendship with the ornery man you had wanted to like you. That was all you had wanted. For him to not actively hate you like he did everybody else.

Somehow you had ended up here, throwing furtive glances his way, afraid he would catch you but unable to stop. While he worked the register you stocked the shelves, taking the time to admire him. The muscles in his arms flexed beautifully when he turned items to scan them, and you swear the red light of the scanner highlighted the veins in his arms like that was its designated purpose. Light filtered through the window, the beams hitting his white blonde undercut and fluttering through your heart. You couldn’t be doing this.

There were, as far as you could figure, three main problems with your crush on Bakugou Katsuki. The first was that he was your boss, and you had a strict policy against dating coworkers after watching your best friend in high school date a coworker and have a disastrous breakup resulting in her refusing to step foot in the local mall. Yeah. It was that kind of bad.

Second, Bakugou Katsuki hated everyone, and you weren’t an exception. Sure, you were pretty sure he didn’t hate you the way he hated everybody else, but that didn’t mean he would ever feel the same about you as you did about him. The biggest problem of all, however, was his age.

He wasn’t that much older than you, but what with you working this job while attending college and him being a fully functional adult man who had long passed his college days, you knew he would only ever see you as a kid. It was one of those unfortunate facts of life you’d prefer to ignore.

That being said, you weren’t short of suitors, oh no. Working at a convenience store like this, there were plenty of sleazy guys who liked to come by and pick on you when your boss was nowhere to be seen. You usually just ignored them, trying to make the best of it and laughing it off. Sometimes though, they got bold.

Bakugou had gone into the back room to check something out, and you were covering for him on register when things took a turn for the worse.

A gruff looking man who was probably in his mid-40’s came in, and the moment he walked through the door you could smell the alcohol coming off him in waves. He reeked of drunkenness, a fact that filled you with dread. You hoped he was harmless.

He headed straight towards you, and you felt every muscle in your body tense up. The store was basically empty right now, which did nothing to comfort you.

“Hey sweetheart. A pack of cigarettes, if you please.” He leered, leaning against the counter.

You shrank back, trying not to be too close to him.

“Sure, what kind?” You asked, customer service voice still firmly in place despite your disgust.

He specified what he wanted, and you grabbed them for him, intent on checking him out quickly so he would get out of here and leave you alone with no further incident. He had other plans, though.

“Do you smoke?” he asked.

“No. Not my style.” You shrugged.

“You should. Your lips would look real pretty wrapped around a cigarette. I can think of some other things they would look pretty wrapped around, too.”

You pretended not to understand him, ringing up his total and reminding yourself he would be out the door mere moments from now without any further complications, and you would never have to think of him again. You took his cash for the cigarettes, returning his change hastily and wishing him a good day.

“Now hold on there just a minute,” he said. “You forgot something. You still haven’t given me your phone number.”

You laughed nervously, pretending and hoping that he was joking. He was not, and he stayed put, staring you down.

“I’m afraid it’s against store policy for me to provide my number to customers while on the clock,” you lied diplomatically.

“That’s bull,” he said. “If I was one of those cute little boys that come in here I bet you’d be tripping over yourself to give me your number. I think somebody needs to teach you a lesson. A little girly like you probably has a thing or two to learn that she can only be taught by a real man.”

“Do tell,” you hear a voice behind you start. “What qualifies as a real man? Because I’m pretty sure you’re slime somebody pulled out of the gutter and rolled into a ball.”

Bakugou’s voice behind you comes out as more of a growl than anything else, but the man is too drunk to register the very present threat.

“Oh, is this your little girl then? You should teach her to obey better.”

The word makes you bristle. He’s talking about you as though you’re a dog to be trained, and with Bakugou at your back like this you aren’t afraid of this man hurting you. He couldn’t even get close, especially not with your boss’s powerful quirk.

“I’m not an animal. The only person I obey is myself. I do what I want when I want, so you should leave before I decide I want to castrate you.” You spit the words with all the venom in your body.

“You’d better watch your mouth,” the man growled.

He raised a hand, and for a moment you felt the tension build in your body before another much larger hand wrapped around his wrist in a vice grip.

“You lay a single finger on her and I will blow up this hand. The other one I’ll do just for fun.”

Katsuki runs some sparks through his fingers to make his point, and you watch as the man’s face pales.

“You- I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Get out of my store. Before she makes you.”

Bakugou doesn’t need to say any more before the man is skuttling off, feet barely moving fast enough to stay underneath him. You take a shaky breath, a bad taste left in your mouth from the encounter. You hated when things like this happened, and though you could have easily taken care of it on your own you were grateful for a little backup.

“Thanks Bakugou,” you said. “I was afraid that one was going to get messy, but you never know. Sometimes they just like to play with their food.”

You shrugged, turning back to the register and going back to work.

“What do you mean?” Bakugou asked.

“Oh, you know guys like that. They’re usually pretty much harmless, but sometimes they don’t take no for an answer, and then I have to get a little strict.”

“That…happens a lot?”

The surprise in his tone confuses you. Surely a man who runs a convenience store had to know that the customers here were not always the friendliest. Or rather, they could be altogether too friendly.

“Yeah. At least once or twice in a shift. It kind of comes with the territory of working here.”

You turn around only to be confronted with Bakugou’s horrified face, and you know the sparks crackling along his arms this time are no controlled display.

“If one of those bastards ever tries anything like that again or so much as makes you uncomfortable, you come get me right away. You got that?”

You frowned, crossing your arms. “I can take care of myself. Besides, it’s no good driving away customers.”

His fists clench, the silver rings on his long fingers clicking against each other. “I don’t care what you think you can do. If that happens again, you come to me.”

That pissed you off. Who did he think he was? You knew he didn’t think much of you, but you could handle yourself.

“Listen, I get it, okay? I really do. I’m just the kid who stocks your shelves. You think you need to take care of me or whatever because you’re in charge of me. Well, you don’t. You don’t owe me anything, and you might just see me as a dumb kid but I’m not. I have it handled, thanks.”

Bakugou’s mouth fell open at your little speech, eyebrows coming together in something that looked suspiciously like anger.

“You think that’s how I see you? As just a kid?” He took a step closer, very nearly invading your space.

“Yeah. I mean, that’s why you hired me, isn’t it? You felt bad for me, trying to pay my way through college.”

“I hired you because I liked you better than all of the other idiots that applied for this job. I kept you around because you’re good at it, but not only that, you’re…” he blushed. “You’re funny. You always tell really good stories about the customers. You see them in ways that I don’t, that I can’t. I probably shouldn’t say this, and you can quit if you want because of it, but I think you’re beautiful. I spend half my time working just staring at you and hoping you won’t notice. I wouldn’t help you out with those guys because I think you can’t take care of yourself. I would help you because…it’s my job, okay? I’m supposed to protect you.”

There was something vulnerable about his last words that caught in your throat as he took a step even closer, close enough to reach out and touch you. He didn’t though, wouldn’t make another move. You weren’t scared to move though.

You took one of his rough hands in yours, stomach turning in knots and face growing warm.

“I didn’t think you saw me that way. I always figured you were looking because you didn’t like me, not because you liked me back,” you admitted.

“You…like me too?”

“Yeah. Why do you think I’m always staring at you? It’s because I think you’re beautiful too. I always wanted you to like me, and at some point it just turned into a different kind of like. I didn’t think I had a chance though. You barely like anybody at all. You don’t even like your best friend. Every time Izuku comes in you yell at him.” You giggle a little.

Bakugou frowns. “I yell at stupid Deku because you give him more attention than you give me. He’s banned, actually, but good luck getting that through his thick skull.”

“I thought you wanted us to get along! I figured it would be a good way to get you to like me if your friends liked me.”

“Yeah, well, Deku likes you a little too much.” Bakugou pouted.

You roll your eyes.

“You’re a little possessive, aren’t you?”

Bakugou grinned. Confident now in the knowledge that you liked him, he caged you in, body trapped between his arms and the counter you were pressing your back up against, the afternoon sunlight streaming down and highlighting your lips, which were suddenly very close to his. He leaned forward, tilting his head just so.

“Only possessive of the things that are mine.”

He closed the gap between you, giving you a honey sweet kiss right there in the empty convenience store, your personal safe haven. If somebody had asked you before starting this job whether you thought you would have a job you loved or a boss you kissed, your answer would have been an easy no. Things had changed a little since then.

You let yourself melt into the sensation of his kiss, fingers trailing up and down the muscle hiding beneath his black tank. You didn’t hold back, having waited too long to do this. By the time he pulled away, you were both a little breathless.

“Tonight, after we lock up, I’m taking you to dinner.”

“That didn’t sound like a request,” you tease.

He looked back at you, shooting you a feral grin. “It wasn’t.”

“And if I don’t go?” You raised a brow, unable to fight off the smile playing on your lips.

“Then you’ll have to pay for your own dinner.”

“Then I guess it’s a date.”

Needless to say, the date went well and you did a lot more making out in the stockroom than you would have predicted, but it was all worth it to have your little patch of heaven.

[amiechuchu]

Magic, Mayhem, and All Things in Between.

There's something about magic and mayhem that just goes together so perfectly. Maybe it was because it bent the rules of science, the rules of logic.

So unreal.

So unnatural.

So chaotic.

But... Wasn't that the same as love?

[AN: It’s been awhile since I’ve written and, well, throws this at you. I hope you enjoy! I’m not a very experienced writer when it comes to things that are creative. This was also not reviewed due to time constraints of medschool HAHAH pain :’)]

Warnings: none 

Chapter 1: Problem and Hypothesis

Everything in this world was meant to have rules bound to logic – bound to science: from the concept of life till death and everything in between.

Systematic. Methodical. Logical.

Or so you thought.

It was until you were recruited by a certain Mr. Tony Stark, a very close friend of your uncle, Bruce. Confused, you asked your uncle why they needed a medical doctor. You were far from being good at grasping anything about physics, more so astrophysics. To your dismay, even your uncle was just as clueless; however, because Mr. Stark promised him that you would not be doing anything dangerous, he left him to his endeavors.

The anxiety of embarrassing yourself tugging at your throat. Your mind rambled on as you walked under the hot New York summer sun. Wiping the droplets of sweat from your forehead, you made a mental note to yourself to wear scrubs instead of slacks and a turtleneck along with your pristine white coat when in New York. Finally, you see the silhouette of the ever-popular Stark Towers. A troubled sigh came out from your mouth upon entering the building. You enjoyed the surge of sudden coolness though.

You whipped out your cellphone to text your dear Uncle that you had arrived at the lobby, asking if he could pick you up from there. Knowing your anxious tendencies, it was no surprise that he agreed, and, so, you stood there waiting, enjoying the last few moments of not being crushed by expectations.

A familiar voice called out your name as you fiddled with your phone.

Looking forward, you saw your uncle, Bruce. Your eyes lit up, and you smiled.

“It’s been a while,” Bruce said, pulling you into a hug, “how’s our little doctor?”

“Clueless and absolutely terrified,” you answered.

The both of you pulled away from the hug and began to walk towards the elevator. Your steps, out of tempo, as Bruce’s strides were difficult to catch up with. Walking beside tall people should be a sport, you thought.

Bruce let out a chuckle as he noticed your struggle. Slowing down, he reassured you, “Well, I’m certain you’ll do fine. You have an amazing brain, so full of potential – new ideas.”

“That’s the problem, uncle,” you sighed, “I absolutely have no idea what I’m doing here. I’m not an astrophysicist. I’m a physician! I’m a doctor, but they’re two different things!”

Both doctors made their way up to Stark Labs, chit-chatting along the elevator ride. Trying to catch up with your uncle.

The elevator doors opened, revealing a full-blown laboratory.

Your eyes twinkled in awe as it surveyed the area.

There was a main table right at the middle of the room decorated with a variety of beautiful glass apparatuses. Looking at the far end, you noticed that there was sophisticated machinery lined up. To its right, there was an isolated room, a little bit dimmer than the rest of the room. Squinting, you noticed a biosafety cabinet and smiled. A small hallway can be seen to the side of the said room. You ignored your uncle as you were entranced by the beauty of scientific experimentation and walked to check what that small hallway had to offer. It was just the reagent room.

That was a bit anticlimactic, you thought to yourself. Shrugging that thought away, you continue admiring the pristine white machines against the steel walls, the little laboratory trinkets that littered the table, and the faded laboratory precaution signs. This. This felt like home.

It did not take much more for you to realize that this entire floor was an experimental laboratory and a top-notch one at that. Giving a sigh of relief, at least it was something you were sure you could handle. You finally looked at your uncle, “So… You needed a doctor for actual doctor things?”

“Yes, precisely!” someone had answered. 

Looking back at the elevator, you see the one and only Mr. Tony Stark. He crossed his arms, “We need a medical doctor to do medical doctor-y things.”

You had mumbled a confused okay, hoping to get more context of what you are actually here in this lab for. Tony extended his arm to the duo that accompanied him. Two tall men exuding absolute polar opposite auras.

Your brow raised, still visibly confused. Your uncle giving a deadpanned look at Tony, begging him to just tell his niece the details.

“Okay…” Tony clapped, the sound bouncing off the steel walls, “Uh, Thor, Prince of Asgard, here will be your personal test subject. Reindeer games, Prince of Asgard’s brother is just here, so your uncle dearest can babysit him.” Thor, the blond, waved and gave a light hello. Reindeer games, on the other hand – you assumed he was talking about the tall, raven-haired, brooding man – furrowed his brows at Tony, visibly insulted.

Why Reindeer games, though? And Asgard what place is that? The longer I’m here the more questions I ask I swear to God.

“You see, these two are gods. Literal gods,” Tony continued.

You blinked in disbelief.

“Gods?” you asked, eyes wide-open, voice filled with skepticism, “you’re joking. I can believe mutations and possibly aliens, but gods? If you’re playing a prank on me, you have to try better than that, Mr. Stark.” You gave off a light laugh and looked at your uncle. Bruce, giving you a nervous smile, and nodded.

Oh, he’s serious.

Tony Stark smirked at you, enjoying your visible confusion. The man of iron knew you were an unbeliever when it comes to things that bend the concept of reality. Your uncle wanted it to stay that way to keep you safe from this line of work, but there were more pressing matters to attend to, or so he assumed. Again, he was kept in the dark by Tony. However, you were accepting of it so long as the data matched.

He glanced at Tony, curious at what this plan of his was. You, on the other hand, were staring intensely at the duo, mentally asking how in the world were they gods?

Your eyes met the raven-haired God's, entranced by his emerald, green ones. There was a glint in his eyes that spelled trouble, or so you’d think.

It would be a terrible lie that Loki didn’t enjoy your naivety towards the existence of Gods like him. Something in him felt like

“Mortals,” he thought, “so weak, so pitiful, so naïve.”

Tony broke the tension, “So… The reason why you’re here, little doc, is Thor here will be your personal Bugs Bunny. The goal is to identify whatever he has in his system that us, non-gods, can be able to utilize.”

Thor raised an eyebrow and muttered, "So... I'm going to be turned into a rabbit? How? Is my brother going to conjure something for that?" He looked at the other with bright eyes, excited for his rabbit-faith.

You smiled at this interaction but gave out an exasperated sigh as you tried to wrap your head around everything, “What you’re saying here, Mr. Stark, is that I come up with, say, a serum that could help turn cute little, tiny mortals like me into a god?”

Loki rolled his eyes at her statement.

How could cute little, tiny mortals like you ever turn into a god? Midgardians were meant to be used, ruled, subjugated.

Then, something clicked in him. The God of Mischief smirked. 

You looked over to him, confused. Was there anything wrong with what you just said?

“Hmmm, yeah that’s about right. Or anything really. You have free reign over your very own Bugs Bunny here, little doc. You’ve done a fair share of research regarding whatever makes the body tick. What’s so different about doing it on a god?”

You paused. He was right. Good point.

You were horribly curious regarding what makes a god, a god.

“Alright, so for the benefit of humanity, I’m here performing experiments on Thor-“

“Bugs Bunny, yes."

You could've sworn there was a twinkle in Thor's eyes.

“Alright. I’m in.”

This is going to be a fun scheme, Loki thought.

The room was filled with the sound of  your heels pacing to-and-fro. Because Tony had not given you any context regarding his request, you had no method to begin with - no plan. You held your arms close to you, with a hand resting under your chin making a stern thinker-like expression. All eyes were on you, and you absolutely hated the feeling. You now had more expectations to live up to, and, oh dear did that anxiety pool to your chest, scratching at your throat. 

A plan. I needed a plan.

Loki, observing from afar, entertained by your meltdown. It was interesting to Loki that you, a mortal who was just dragged out of the blue to participate in that Man of Iron’s scheme, was already devoted to the betterment of mankind. He scoffed at this saying. Mortals would never be on the level of gods like him. They were meant to be ruled, subjugated, and used. The raven-haired god’s eyes followed your pacing, attempting to understand how the little mortal’s brain worked, how he would be able to use her to scheme his way out of this hell hole.

He peered over to Bruce, and Bruce did the same. Except, there was anger written all over his face. His brows furrowed and lips pulled to a frown. As if, telepathically, he was telling Loki not to try anything funny to his niece or he was going to snap him in two. The god could’ve sworn that Bruce began turning green for a split second. However, this did not faze him, knowing that the uncle’s beloved niece was nearby. Loki raised a brow to him, feigning innocence, and shifted his gaze back to the pacing doctor.

You were pulled to your own world. A world filled with research designs, methods, and principles. So deep in thought, you had blocked everything and everyone in your periphery. Unbeknownst to you, the God of Thunder had put his hand on your shoulder and laughed, pulling you out of your science-inhabited mind, and laughed. Your ears rang. The sound of tinnitus followed thereafter.

“Perhaps the little doctor’s thoughts have travelled past Asgard! So, have you devised a plan that turns me into a rabbit as what the Man of Iron said?” Thor boomed, his laughter reverberating through the laboratory. You flinched, not used to sounds so boisterous.

Loud. But, a sign of reassurance. You murmured an apology to Thor for having to intervene with your internal thoughts. 

You closed your eyes and exhaled, trying to pull yourself together. Until, you felt a light tug on your shoulder. 

Curious and confused, you opened your eyes to the direction and found Loki’s gaze set on you. He gave you an apologetic smile, seeing that you flinched slightly to the loudness of his brother. You smiled back at him, warmly. 

“You don’t have to worry, little doctor,” the God of Mischief began. His voice, silvery - like ear candy - filling up the gaps of awkwardness that you had oh-so naturally set up. Shooting a glance at his babysitter, he carefully made his way towards you, as if he was trekking through landmines. “Knowing that you were just dragged into this nonsense, it’s understandable that you don’t know where to start.” 

You watched as Loki made his way to your periphery. The room filled, once more, with the slow pitter-patter of boots. 

Up close, he was tall and imposing. Raven curls slicked back and so chaotically organized, draping the sides of his face and accentuating his jawline. sharp, it could cut a man. Eyes so alluring, yet so full of mystery. Then it hit you, the god was attractive - very attractive. 

“You know, it’s rude to stare,” Loki gave a low chuckle, snapping you back to reality, “but I suppose I do have that effect on everyone.”

Flustered, you immediately put your hands in the pockets of your pristine white coat, looked away, and choked on an apology. You were having word vomit. You, a professional, was caught admiring a person - a deity - that you had just met. A shame.

“I am terribly, terribly sorry. I didn’t know what-” and so began the second wave of your word vomit.

The sound of joyful, boisterous laughter rang in your ears again, and, once more, pulled you out of your trance.

“Now, brother, you’ve just met her! No need to start bullying the maiden,” Thor echoed. Playfully, he slapped Loki’s back as a sign of brotherly affection. 

Loki stiffened at this action. “A little softer next time brother,” he mumbled and got his bearings together, “I apologize for that. I didn’t mean to. I just have the habit of playing tricks on people.” He stole a glance towards Bruce, who still had his guard up. 

The God of Mischief extended out his hand, “I am Loki of Asgard, Son of Odin, God of Mischief.”

taglist: @gaycatlord-stuff <3

[akitokihojo]

Monster - Chapter 6

chapter index

Inuyasha walked carefully, the sun beginning its descent through the sky. He’d taken off from the spot of the attack quickly, but after so long, he couldn’t bring himself to keep the same pace. Not only was he physically drained, but the poor girl draped over his back wasn’t fairing too well. They’d had to stop three times so she could vomit. Kagome would apologize profusely afterward, crying, and Inuyasha felt absolutely awful.

Just in case, he’d asked if she’d eaten anything that had upset her stomach in the time since she left his side. She said no. He asked if she was sick before issuing her attack. She said no. He figured as much, but he had to be sure.

She trembled the majority of the way, doing her best to hang on as tightly as she could in the beginning, but now that he merely strolled, mindful of each step, Kagome sort of just slumped against him. She seemed to have calmed considerably, her burning cheek resting on his shoulder, fingers gently grasping him, and legs swaying with each stride. She wasn’t asleep; he could tell. She was still aware, she just didn’t have the energy left to keep her head up. And, who could blame her?

Thankfully, as of right now, he didn’t sense a single demon from before. They hadn’t followed. Yet, at least. That didn’t mean there wasn’t a chance it would happen, but the two of them would be hidden when and if they caught up to them.

He could finally see the little town he’d been heading toward up ahead. It wasn’t very lively. Never had been. It was quaint and sort of homey, but every person that lived there was wise to understand how not to attract attention their way. More importantly, they knew how to handle the attention that did stir up. It was why he frequented the place when he needed to lay low. The inn, the inn keeper, provided a safe space.

“Hey,” Inuyasha spoke softly, shifting his head to watch Kagome slowly raise her own to look at him. “Can you walk?”

“Mhm.” She hummed, voice raspier than ever thanks to the stomach acid that had charred her throat.

Inuyasha kneeled down, allowing her to dismount him. He was quick to stand and face her, holding her arm in case she got dizzy and lost her balance. She was still so pale, the sclera of her eyes pink, and the flesh of her lips muted in shade.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.” Her tone held no conviction. Again, he couldn’t blame her. She obviously wasn’t fine, but he took her statement to mean she wasn’t currently feeling too nauseous to handle.

“My friend is in the town up ahead, alright? She’s gonna help us, and you’re gonna be safe there. We have to bring as little attention our way while we walk through, though. Think you can handle pulling it together for ten minutes?”

Kagome nodded, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She appreciated his firm hold on her. The wooziness was kicking her ass, and each time she’d thrown up, she gradually felt weaker and weaker. Standing was hard enough, and walking was going to be a feat, but she could surely do it. Inuyasha saved her, kept her safe, so if he was asking her for a little help to insure things stayed mellow, she would pull through without a second thought.

“Need to get anything out of your system before we go.”

“Please don’t make me think about it.” Kagome groaned, cringing as her stomach churned.

“Sorry.” Inuyasha grimaced, holding his arm out for her. “Hang onto me, okay? I’ll get us there as quickly as possible.”

Kagome slid her hand around the underside of the hanyou’s forearm, taking the support he offered. There was a huge part of her that wished she could say she could walk on her own, but who would she be kidding? He knew as well as she did that she needed all the help she could get.

His muscles were firm, embracing the meager weight she leaned onto him. Still, Kagome made sure to stand up as straight as possible, swallowing any nausea remaining while she used her other hand to lightly smack her cheeks to bring a little life back into her face.

The walk through wasn’t difficult, and Inuyasha was proud of Kagome for appearing well and alight. Her head swiveled from side-to-side as she took in the sights of the town, the “cute” architecture as she put it, and even the cobblestone that she mentioned her village only had in certain areas; not all over like it was here. He could tell she wanted to move slowly, more out of how her legs wobbled than out of desire, but he found it particularly important that they get to the inn quickly, so he intentionally kept up a decent pace that he knew she could handle. Kagome didn’t complain. She didn’t grumble or whine. Though her body was protesting, she pushed herself to keep going.

“No talking.” He ordered just outside the door. He could hear the life from down the road, and though he knew it had to be coming from the tavern in the entrance, he still hoped it wasn’t. Not always was it rambunctious, but more often than not, the first level of the inn was spirited and loud. Kagome nodded, agreeing without question, and Inuyasha opened the door, guiding her inside.

The hanyou flexed his arm closer to his body, keeping Kagome near as he sauntered over to the edge of the bar counter. Most of the business was on the far side, not crowding the entryway, and the inn keeper seemed her usual level of unamused as she poured another drink. Catching the scent of a familiar demon, Inuyasha’s golden gaze landed on glowing, blue eyes, peeking over at him from his glass of ale. His long, brown hair was held in its usual, high ponytail, and as he set his cup down, watching him from the very corner of the angled counter, and arching a thick brow, Inuyasha spoke with just the steady shake of his head. Please, for the love of fucking god, not right now.

He felt a squeeze on his forearm, fingertips pressing into his skin, and Inuyasha glanced down at the woman by his side. He could see a thin sheen of sweat on her cheeks, her eyes cast downward, and her chest was rising as she took deep, controlled breaths. Fuck. She was feeling sick again, and this was her way of politely letting him know without speaking.

“Kaede.” He called. The young lady at the far end glanced over her left shoulder, and it was as if the moment she realized it was him her brows pinched together in conjecture. Her long, straight, dark brown hair was tied loosely in a low ponytail, strays falling free and framing her jawline, and as she turned away from the loud, drinking men to walk over, she revealed the patch that had sat over her right eye since well before he’d ever met her.

Kagome tried not to appear intrigued. This woman Inuyasha called to, Kaede, bore an incredible resemblance to Kikyo. It was astonishing how similar they looked, and if it weren’t for some obvious discrepancies, Kagome was concerned she wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. Kaede had a little more color to her skin, and wore her hair in a different style. It was a bit shorter, lighter in shade, and she was either missing her right eye or no longer had the use of it. A mere coincidence was all it was; it had just caught her off guard. Given that, her focus wavered incredibly, the dizziness fogging her head making it difficult for her to put any more thought into the inconsequential matter.

“Well, well,” She began as soon as she was close enough, her attention bouncing carefully between Inuyasha and the girl on his arm. “Long time no see.”

“Yeah, yeah. No lip, Kaede.” Inuyasha groaned. He’d expected this. It was Kaede’s personal hobby to give him shit.

“Usually, you space out your visits better, Inuyasha. It’s been, what, two weeks this time around?”

“Look,” He leaned in closer, hearing Kagome’s thick swallow. “We need a room. With room service.”

Kaede understood the code he spoke, not reacting to keep suspicion at bay. She took one more glance at the girl on his arm, noticing her pasty skin that shined with dew. She kept a level gaze, one with a calm expression to accompany it, and Kaede could only tell something was definitely wrong with close studying. It was the way her fingers bit into the half demon’s arm, and the way her irises lacked glimmer. It was the way the hanyou allowed her to touch him, allowed her to be so close, and even so much as stroked the tops of her fingers soothingly. Nothing needed to be said more to express the urgency of the situation, and the code was taken to heart quickly.

She bent down, grabbing her guest book as per usual, moving as quickly as nonchalance would allow. This was customary, and Inuyasha was well aware. Still, he cleared his throat to push her faster and Kaede looked up at him to notice the steadfast stare he was giving. This was much more serious than she thought. She knew exactly which room she was going to put them in; it was one of the few designated for this specific scenario, so she pretended to look at the book for one more moment, scribbling down a quick, illegible note before shutting it, putting it in its rightful spot, and heading to the back for the key.

“Totosai, you’re up!” She shouted as she walked back out to the front, hearing the old man give a grunt of acknowledgement.

“What!? Kaede, baby, where you going?” One of the drunken men whined, pouting from the opposite side of the counter.

“Oh, hush. Totosai will be keeping you company for a while. I’ve got guests to tend to.”

“But, he doesn’t have tits!”

“Neither do I!” She laughed, gesturing to the small chest beneath her bodice. Her long skirt twirled slightly as she spun around to walk in Inuyasha’s direction, hastening her pace.

Kaede lifted the counter door to come out to the front of the bar, notching her head to the side for Inuyasha and his female companion to follow. They all kept quiet as they walked through the back doorway, down the hall, and up two flights of stairs, but from behind, she could hear Inuyasha whispering. Taking a little peek, Kaede saw the girl covering her mouth, seeming unsteady, nodding as Inuyasha spoke softly to her.

Inuyasha had grabbed Kagome’s hand as soon as he noticed she was struggling to keep her composure, allowing her to squeeze, the arm she once held onto reaching behind her back to support her around her waist. “Just a little further, okay? You’re almost there.”

“What the hell did you do this time?” Kaede ridiculed as she reached their designated room, sliding her key into the bolt.

“Open the door!” Inuyasha demanded, and Kaede threw it open, allowing them to rush inside.

Kagome was only able to make it to the small trashcan in the bathroom entry, crumbling to her hands and knees as her stomach twisted painfully to rid itself of the nothing it contained. Her throat burned horribly from the bile, and her chest and abdominal muscles ached from the heaving. Inuyasha never left her side, quick to scoop her hair out of the way.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” She whimpered through her bodies unmanageable retching.

“It’s fine, you know it’s fine. You can’t control this.” He replied, taking the small break in her vomiting to pull her bow, arrows, and bag off of her shoulders, freeing the space of her back to rub as she coughed, shuddered, and wheezed. He muttered the rest of his reply. “Fuck, it’s gotta hurt by now.”

After shutting the door behind her, Kaede followed the two into the bathroom, her heart aching for the discomfort the girl on the floor was currently in. She was careful in her approach, grabbing a washcloth off the shelf and kneeling on the opposite side of her as Inuyasha.

“Sweetie, what happened to you?” She asked, but the girl heaved and couldn’t answer. Kaede’s hand flew to her low back instinctually, matching Inuyasha’s rhythm and rubbing gently. She redirected her question to Inuyasha. “What’s going on? What happened?”

“I’ll be one-hundred percent honest with you: I don’t exactly know, myself.” He admitted. It seemed Kagome was finally done puking, so he pulled the trash bin from beneath her so she wouldn’t have to look at it and released her hair, allowing it to sit along her back, shorter strands falling over the fronts of her shoulders with gravity. Kaede handed Kagome the washcloth, and she took it gratefully, wiping her mouth but remaining folded forward. She was so weak, her quaking muscles felt throughout her entire body, and Inuyasha couldn’t quite bring himself to take his hand off her upper back just yet. She’d thrown up five times, and the violent convulsing her body had been doing was ostensibly painful.

“Give me something to work with.”

“Alright,” Inuyasha sighed. Kagome wasn’t going to like this. In preparation, he applied some firm pressure on her back where his hand now braced against her, his other hand grasping her wrist to keep her glued to the floor. “She’s a conjurer.”

Kagome gasped, her attention snapping his way, and he was glad he’d pinned her the way she sat because he felt her arm jerk like she was about to hit him out of reflex. He was quick to speak, to calm her down, saying, “Kagome, I had to! Nothing’s going to happen! I swear!”

“Sweetie, it’s okay! It’s okay!” Kaede jumped in, now wary of how she touched the jittery girl before her. “You’re safe here.”

Kagome’s brown eyes landed on her, her plush, bottom lip quivering as her bloodshot eyes watered. The world was ugly, and Kaede could tell, much like everyone else nowadays, that this girl wasn’t spared from a damn thing. She felt the fear that she wasn’t born with, but was forced to learn in order to survive. It was crippling. It was debilitating. How could Kagome expect to trust a living soul when they didn’t understand the life she lived or the spirit she harbored? Kaede knew all of this from personal experience.

“Listen to me, I’m an ally. No one outside of this room will find out who or what you are, I can guarantee that. I know the importance. I used to have a conjurer in my family.” Kaede said, making sure her message was coming across clearly. She may not know what it was to be a conjurer, but she knew the details involved. She grew up with it all.

Kagome studied her, still trembling but gradually calming. “You did?” She finally asked, barely above a whisper.

“Yeah.”

She said used to. Kagome’s heart twinged thinking of who could have been taken from her. Not even she was pardoned from the harsh reality that they faced. She couldn’t bring herself to say something aloud, though. She couldn’t imagine it was an easy topic to talk about, and as much as she wanted to express her sorrow that Kaede had lost someone she may have been close to, she just couldn’t right now.

Inuyasha’s grip eased off of her, his hand releasing her wrist. As soon as she was free, Kagome turned and swatted his stomach with the back of her hand, making him wince.

“A warning next time!”

“You would have just said no!” Inuyasha argued.

“I would have had every right to!”

“I’m trying to help, you idiot!”

“With proper warning, at least I wouldn’t have been caught off guard! I might have agreed if you had just taken a moment to explain things to me!”

“Go back to throwing up! You were surprisingly less annoying!”

“Oh, look at that! Your maturity level is showing again!”

“Shut up, dumbass!”

“Great comeback, genius!”

“Uh - hello?” Kaede chimed, interrupting their yelling match. As soon as Kagome’s head whipped her way to take notice, it seemed some dizziness caught her, her eyes shutting as she swayed slightly, and a small groan coming from her throat. Both she and Inuyasha reached to stabilize her, and it was easy to tell Kagome’s nausea was biting. Whatever energy she had remaining should not be spent arguing with this half demon nitwit.

“Hah! You can’t even fight back without getting sick.” Inuyasha teased, his arrogant expression falling as soon as Kagome shot a glare his way. He reached for the trashcan just in case, but Kagome shook her head, saying that she wasn’t going to throw up.

“Look, Inuyasha did the right thing by bringing you here.” Kaede spoke, taking away any opportunity from Inuyasha to instigate anything more with Kagome. “I’ve saved his ass many, many times.”

“Excuse you. You make it easy for me to lay low. I wouldn’t necessarily call that saving my ass.” He objected.

“The only reason you ever need to lay low is because you’ve pissed someone off and given them cause to hunt you down. The justifications don’t matter; the facts stand. For every action, there’s a reaction. And, that’s where I come in. You stay here so they won’t detect you while you’re vulnerable. Therefore, I’ve saved your ass.”

“You’re looking too deep, but whatever makes you feel better.” He huffed.

“You know what would make me feel better right now?”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes dramatically, grinding his jaw to the side and releasing a slow, grumbly exhale. He knew damn well Kaede was only going to tell him to stop talking, so he threw in the towel. She was good at winning arguments, and he wasn’t in the fucking mood for it. He leaned his back against the wall, letting Kaede’s attention fall back on Kagome.

“As I was saying, I know a thing or two about enchantments. I’m no expert, and if I’m being honest, my speciality lies in plants and their potentially-magical properties, but I get by enough for this inn, specifically, to be known as a resting point for those who need to take it easy. Not well known, of course. Couldn’t have that. But, known enough for some of the damned to wander through. Outside, there’s a deterrent. It sort of pushes all scents away and throughout town where it’ll dwindle, so if anyone is tracing you that way, they’ll lose it. I’ve also got a few, exclusive rooms, this one included, that have specially created flower bundles in the closets that mask the smell of the occupants. They’re not potent, so they neither harm the sensitive noses of dog demons, nor attract attention by standing out. They simply mask. Took forever to figure out the proper assortment, but I eventually got it.” Kaede shrugged humbly, hoping all these tidbits would help Kagome feel more secure.

“How did you learn all that?” Kagome inquired softly, pushing herself back to lean against the wall of the bathtub. Inuyasha bent forward as she did so, pulling her things out of her way to clear the spot for her.

“Well, I admired my sister for being a conjurer.” Kaede began to explain, smiling fondly. “She found out who she was in a time when it wasn’t kill or be killed, and she took every opportunity to learn what she could do from whomever could teach her. I followed her everywhere; it didn’t matter how much it annoyed her. I wished so badly to be like her, but of course that wasn’t possible. So, we found something else for me. Something I could teach myself along the way so long as I was disciplined and dedicated, and to be anything near resemblance of my sister you had to be. It’s not new age or modern practices either; I reached for the ancient texts that taught me things that seem to have been lost in translation over the centuries. That’s what helps me get away with it. It’s old magic, so it’s harder to figure out when you’re in the presence of it.”

Kagome gifted a faint smile toward Kaede. Truthfully, it was all extremely enthralling, and Kagome wanted to know more. She just couldn’t concentrate all too well at the moment. Asking for more details required a level of energy she didn’t currently obtain, and if she ever heard the expansion of Kaede’s background, she wanted to be perfectly cognizant. More importantly, she didn’t want to invalidate the message the woman was putting across. She was describing why Kagome was secure to let her guard down, she was being straight forward in letting her know that Inuyasha didn’t let her secret slip to the wrong party. He had reason, and he didn’t betray her. He’d brought Kagome to the safest place he knew of, and Kagome wasn’t unaware of how far he’d gone and traveled to bring them here. Shifting her head to the side, she transferred her grin to Inuyasha in a silent thank you. His head rested against the wall, his eyes hardly open and unfocused on her.

“So, you’re a conjurer.” Kaede mentioned, bringing the issue back to the forefront. “That doesn’t really tell me what happened.”

She waited patiently for either of her guests to speak, and Inuyasha’s eyes blinked fully opened, an arm perched on his raised knee.

“Again, it’s kind of hard to say. Everything happened so fucking fast. One minute I was being ambushed, the next I wasn’t. Kagome showed up and cleared the field.”

“Cleared the field?” Kaede asked, reaching for clarification.

“Yeah. She cleared the field. Not a single bandit left in sight.”

“What do you mean? How?”

“With an arrow.” He said.

“A-as in, one?” She switched her attention to Kagome. “Sweetie, you only used one arrow?”

“Mhm.” She hummed unenthusiastically. Kagome was so exhausted, so drained, that reactions were far from her reach. She could barely manage a nod at that point, her eyes half-lidded as she looked at the woman across from her. Within, she felt slightly bashful and still a little uneasy about talking about everything. She reassured herself that it was okay, though. She was safe. Kaede and Inuyasha were allies.

“I’m sorry, I’m having a little trouble wrapping my head around this. How many men were there?” Kaede asked, the look of shock written all over her face.

“Fuck if I know.” Inuyasha answered with a shrug of his brows. “A shit ton, and that wasn’t even all of them. A second wave was hiding within the trees.”

“Against one person!? What the hell did you do!?”

“Killed their leaders. They were rapists.” He stated simply.

“Oh. Fuck them then.” Kaede waved off, unsurprised and heading right back toward their main topic. “With one arrow, though? How did you do it?”

“I just did it.” Kagome replied.

“That’s - that’s incredible.” Kaede nearly laughed out of astonishment. “That’s so strong - you’re so strong. I’ve never seen that done. How long have you been able to do something like this, if you don’t mind my asking? This is just so fascinating to me.”

“Um -“ Kagome wasn’t quite sure how to answer that. She didn’t really know what she’d done to conjure that much power in the first place, so it felt weird merely taking credit for it even though it came from no one else but herself. The truth was all she could give, and as anticlimactic as it was, there was nothing more to it. “Since this afternoon.”

“Oh.” Kaede blinked, a little confused. “You’ve never done that before?”

Kagome hummed a no, adding a minor shake to her head.

“I’m sorry if this seems like an interrogation now, but um…” Kaede’s amazement waned as she digested what Kagome had just admitted. An entire series of new questions were coursing through her head now, empowering her need to gain a better understanding of Kagome’s power, what had taken place, and the reason for her current state. Truthfully, she was pretty sure she’d figured out the mystery already. She just wanted to be absolutely certain before saying it out loud. “You knew you were a conjurer before this, right?”

“Yeah. I’ve known since I was a little girl.”

“Okay, and I’m assuming you’re a practicing conjurer?”

“Yeah.” Kagome confirmed.

“What was your biggest move? By that I mean, how much power have you ever exerted at one time?”

Kagome was a little perplexed by that one, unsure how to answer. Was she looking for a percentage? Because, Kagome had no clue. She glanced over at Inuyasha, hopeful that he would be able to simplify the question, but he seemed to be waiting for her response just as much as the woman opposite her. “Like, how many demons have I exterminated at one time?”

“Sure.” Kaede complied, bobbing her head. “What’s the most you’ve taken out with one strike?”

“Three or four.” Kagome said. “Though, it wasn’t in the same manner as today. I didn’t just sweep my power through; I sort of skewered them.”

“Were they big?”

“I mean, in size, sure. They were long. They weren’t very strong, though. Most demons I’ve encountered and practiced on were incompetent. Not humanoid by any means. They were the mindless killing machines that flocked in pairs and liked to eat whatever they could encounter. Really gross-looking. Not too hard to take out. My cousin could kill some with just his hands and staff, if that helps paint a picture at all.”

“Not really giving yourself much credit, kid. Those fuckers are easy game.” Inuyasha said.

“I’m being honest. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’ve taken down larger demons, but they were alone. One at a time. I mean, even before I got back to you today, I took out three guys, but again, it was one at a time. That’s easy for me. I figured, the more I kill at one time, the more power I’m using, right? So, that’s my answer.”

“Wait, wait. You faced three demons before clearing the field!? Who?”

“No,” Kaede interrupted, holding her hand up toward Inuyasha so he’d stop talking. “That’s not important right now. Sweetie, did you just say killing larger demons was easy for you?”

“Oh god, no. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it was easy, per se. I didn’t mean to sound so insensitive. Taking a life is never -“

“That’s not what she meant, dumbass.” Inuyasha interjected, rolling his amber eyes. “She was asking if it was an easy task. Like, does it make you break a sweat?”

“Oh. Well, no not really.” She said, her worry of offense fading away. She’d realized how what she’d said could be twisted to sound as if she were a heartless, killing machine of a conjurer, which would be painted dark, so she’d panicked that that was what Kaede had thought. The moment her concern was dispersed, she breathed out a sigh. “Not anymore, at least. I really utilized all of my time training on the lower-grade demons to figure out how much power is too much, how much is too little, so on and so forth. So, by the time I ended up incidentally facing my first - er - competent demon in a sense, I had an approximation of how much spiritual power I should need to eliminate them. I was wrong, of course. But, from that point on, I had a general idea of what to do and how to do it, so it got substantially easier. Why? Where are we going with this?”

“And, how much power was in that punch?” Inuyasha pressed.

“I don’t know what you’re looking for with that question.” Kagome huffed. “I can’t give you a percentage, because I apparently don’t know where one-hundred sits for me. I thought I was giving my all, but then today happened and Kaede’s been giving me that look for five minutes now.”

“It’s just - Kagome, has there ever been a time where you’ve been in a charged match and gotten exhausted or sick afterward?” Kaede inquired.

“Tired, yes. That’s kind of normal, though. It’s physical exertion. Sick, no. Never. Wait, are you linking the occurrences together?”

“Doesn’t it make sense?”

“I mean, I figured it was because I freaked out?” Kagome asked more than stated, completely uncertain of everything now.

“What?” Inuyasha’s expression twisted incredulously.

“Haven’t you ever been so nervous it made you feel nauseous?”

“No.”

“Well, lucky you. I have. I honestly thought it was the combination of the stress of being found out on top of all the horrible demonic energy in the air, and it made me sick.”

“Okay, that is a possibility. I won’t dismiss that.” Kaede said. “Or, it was because you pushed yourself way passed your normal limits and this is the backlash.”

Kagome looked at Kaede, waiting for further explanation. What did she mean by backlash?

“Think of it this way: Let’s say what you did to save Inuyasha was your one-hundred and what you’ve been doing averages between twenty and forty percent. You’ve never gone passed forty, but today, somehow, you jumped all the way to one-hundred. That’s more than just your typical, physical exertion. You completely depleted your body and took from backup sources you may have, as well. Keeping up?”

“I - I think so…”

“Any sort of power you have has to be maintained through exercise. Just like muscle and strength; it’s all in the same realm. You just need to practice what fits your needs best. You can’t just decide to get toned and go straight to lifting fifty-pounds. You have to work your way up. Start small and build stamina. If someone regularly lifts thirty pounds but then jumps for something significantly heavier, let’s say twice that, they run the risk of hurting themselves. Well, it’s unfortunately the same for those with supernatural abilities.”

“But, if someone tries to lift something out of their scale, they usually can’t. Like, those huge sacks of rice, for instance. It’s too heavy for me to carry. I can drag it, but lifting it onto my shoulders like my cousin is damn near impossible because I don’t have the muscle for it. So, how would someone go from thirty to sixty? In that same regard, how would I go from forty to one hundred?”

“If you’ve got enough endorphins running through you, you sometimes lose the ability to mind the boundaries your body sets. You don’t feel the limitations of pain and strain.” Inuyasha added.

“So, what happened, Kagome? What happened before you did it?” Kaede asked.

“I - I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.” She answered, her brown eyes drifting to the bathroom floor beneath her legs.

“How the hell do you not know?” Inuyasha ridiculed. “It’s your body, your power, so where’s the miscommunication?”

“I mean, I don’t know. I’m doing my best, Inuyasha.” Kagome snapped back, glaring at the hanyou, nearly matching his tone and scorning demeanor. “I didn’t have anyone to help me while growing up. I had zero resources to learn from. When we found out that I was a conjurer, my family chose to shelter me. I was too young to understand, and I wasn’t the type to rebel, so I minded my father’s requests to keep it a secret. He was the only link to knowledge about my powers that I had because he traveled, and personally, I thought I was thriving. It wasn’t until I was around ten or so that I realized he was merely teaching me how to control, conceal, and channel it into my arrows. Basic-level techniques. After he died, and especially after Naraku rose to power, I took it upon myself to figure out what I could do, but that meant my one and only resource was trial and error. I will openly admit that I don’t know everything I should know, but I am also trying. I don’t know what I did because I had never done it before. I heard you were being attacked and ran to make sure you were okay. I saw you were swarmed and didn’t have your big, fancy sword, and I can tell you the only thing going through my mind then was that I didn’t want them to kill you. I felt something unrecognizable inside of me, but there was no time to understand it. If I had stopped to figure out where the sensation was coming from, you could have died So, I just went with it.”

Inuyasha stared at her, a look of disbelief on his face. He’d wondered how she’d known about his predicament in the first place, but he hadn’t found the opportunity to ask. Still, it wasn’t the right time to get all the details he currently lacked and desperately wanted to understand. Kagome had really ran to him to help? She didn’t want him to die? He could tell her passion was from her irritation with him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dumbfounded by her admittance. That didn’t mean he wasn’t awestruck by the way she heatedly expressed herself in the moment, despite her paled skin, dark under eye circles, and noticeable enervation. Despite the way she held onto her stomach and frowned at him, the way her bangs clung to her forehead from the sweat soaking her flesh, there was still a fire behind her vibrant irises while she waited for him to reply with an argument. He had none, though. His lips sealed and his cheeks flushed, feeling the newfound heat of his own face as blood rushed through, and he brought his hand before his mouth, looking away from her ardent gaze.

“So,” Inuyasha spoke, his attention now on Kaede. “What happens if she does more?”

“What do you mean?”

“Saying her attack today was her one-hundred was merely hypothetical. Truthfully, I think she’s got more potential than that.”

“Oh, I agree. For all we know, that could have been her seventy percent.”

“Right. So, what happens if she does exhibit one-hundred percent before she’s fully capable of handling it? What sort of repercussions would she be looking at?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. My knowledge is limited, and I never saw my sister do anything as strong as what you said Kagome had done. She’ll probably get incredibly sick; much worse than she is now. And, it’ll take a while to come back from it. Might even physically hurt her. Again, these are all guesses, so none of my answers are definitive. Hopefully, we’ll never have to find out.” Kaede answered. She watched Kagome nod in acknowledgment, her eyes closing as she sighed out and slowly dropped her head back to lay against the rim of the bathtub. The way her eyebrows pinched together slightly spoke of her concentration to subdue the nausea she was battling, probably inwardly pleading with her body not to puke anymore.

She took that moment to crawl a little closer to the girl. Very gently, Kaede placed her hand against Kagome’s cheek, feeling the scorching heat of her skin. Her palm traveled to her forehead to confirm her fever, then the side of her bruised neck. The poor girl was burning up, gaze half-lidded as she blinked her eyes open.

“Alright, first things first, we need to get you cleaned up. I’ll run a bath, and -“

“No, I’m fine. It’s okay, I’ll be fine. Thank you.” Kagome didn’t want to trouble anyone anymore than she already had. She just needed to sleep this off. If her body needed recuperation, then a bath could wait.

“You’re slick with sweat and dirt, Kagome. You’ve been physically ill. Please, just trust me. I want to help.”

“You’re doing what she says.” Inuyasha instructed, pushing himself to a stand as he grabbed her things to remove them from the bathroom. “You look about ready to keel over, kid. Let her help you.”

How did she get here? How did all of this happen? Since the day she’d left home, Kagome felt like everything had gone so wrong. It was all so close together, one thing after the next. Was this really what was meant to happen, or had she taken a wrong turn somewhere down Murphy’s Law Lane? Kagome swallowed thickly, but this time it wasn’t bile she suppressed. It was the unmitigated density of failure. It was the urge to cry, to damn herself, to give into the pressure of everything that had occurred since Naraku’s henchmen visited her village. She wouldn’t be in this position if she were stronger, if she were remotely as experienced as Kikyo was.

How could she have avoided this? What could she have done differently to prevent this outcome? How could she improve? Was this nature’s course, or was Kagome a basket case? All of this applied weight to her shoulders, her stomach, and she again swallowed, pushing the thoughts as far away from the forefront of her mind as she possible could for the time being. There was nothing she could do about it at the moment, and the last thing she wanted, on top of everything else, was for the two people who tried to help her see her breakdown.

“Alright, Inuyasha. I’ve got it from here.” Kaede assured him, smiling gently as she got the water flowing.

“I’ll be right out here if you need anything.” He said, closing the bathroom door behind him.

Once the tub was full and ready to go, Kaede assisted Kagome in getting undressed, unwrapping her bandaged hand, and getting her in the bath. The silence was a little uncomfortable, but nothing else could be expected. There was no need to force conversation or make Kagome talk. As long as her eyes were open and she was expressing awareness as she washed up, it wasn’t necessary to press her further for more. So, Kaede gently washed her hair, wanting to do anything she could to help provide a small sense of comfort for her.

“Do you have a change of clothes, dear?”

“Yeah. In my bag.” Kagome nodded.

“Inuyasha took it with him. I’ll go grab something for you.” Kaede smiled, heading toward the door. “You stay in the bath. I’ll be right back.”

“What’s up? Need something?” Inuyasha asked as Kaede came out and headed straight for Kagome’s belongings.

She sort of hummed a reply, not much of an actual answer though as she shifted through, pulling out some clothes. “None of these look very comfortable. Does she not have pajamas?”

“Given her circumstances, I don’t think she planned for comfort. I’m thinking she was leaning more towards practicality.”

“Her circumstances?”

“She left home. Long story. Not mine to tell.”

“Gotcha. Well, she’s bedridden until further notice, so practicality is out the window. I’ll go grab her something of mine real fast. Can you listen out for her in case she needs anything. The door’s cracked, so you can hear better.”

“Mhm.” He grunted, pointing to the ears atop his head. Opened, closed, didn’t matter. He’d hear her. As Kaede left the room, Inuyasha propped his temple up with his fist, his elbow resting on the arm of the cushioned seat he took residence in in the corner of the bedroom.

If he was exhausted, he could only imagine the deteriorated stamina of the human in the other room. A conjurer. She was a fucking conjurer. Guess she really wasn’t joking when she said she could take him. If she could empty a large area full of enemies, he wondered what she could truly do. If Kagome was fully trained, confident, and as powerful as she was meant to become, what were her limitations - if any? He was colored impressed, intrigued, and also a little terrified. Not because of what she was. It was because of her strength, the head on her shoulders, and very clear level of determination.

He knew there was something more to her, he knew his gut hadn’t led him astray. It was never wrong, she was just good at keeping secrets. According to her, she’d had plenty of practice with this particular one. And, she’d only let it slip in order to save his life. She’d made that sacrifice despite her own potentially being on the line. Kagome was undeniably brave, and when he thought deeper into it, Inuyasha could see just how mentally strong the girl had to be. He wondered what made her head out on her own. Was she actually looking for somebody? If so, who? What sort of business was this conjurer up to? What had she been through?

Truthfully, that’s what scared him. The answers to those questions. From her, he expected nothing but some impactful response in the fewest words imaginable. He didn’t know a damn thing about her character other than her attitude, and yet he was still capable of saying that he’d never met anyone like her. It unsettled him. It made him uncomfortable to think highly of another. Especially in such a short amount of time. He wanted to continue on thinking she was just another weak human. He wanted to go forward believing she couldn’t take care of herself, that she was a magnet for trouble, that she was nothing short of sloppy, and stupid, and reckless, and while some of that may actually be true, an uncontrollable part of him attempted to dissuade those thoughts.

From his spot, the smallest sniffle reached his ears. It was trembling and hushed. It was broken, the shuddering inhale proceeding it grasping at his heart. And again, the question presented itself to Inuyasha. What had Kagome been through? What broke her right now? Was she hurting? Scared? For the first time in ages, Inuyasha felt sympathy for another. He wished whatever pressed her in this moment lifted. He didn’t want her to feel fear, he wanted her to believe them when they swore she was safe and protected. He didn’t want her to feel pain, because that’s all he’s seen sketched on her flesh since he’d met her. Inuyasha sincerely wanted Kagome to rest, to trust him, to feel comfortable, and to heal.

Kaede returned promptly, and Kagome cleared her tears, rinsing her face with the warm water she soaked in.

“What’s that?” She asked, noticing the garment that Kaede unfolded and set out.

“It didn’t look like you had anything comfortable to sleep in, so I went and got you a night gown of my own. Hopefully it fits you.” She smiled. “Come on, let’s get you dry.”

Grabbing a towel, she helped Kagome out of the tub, allowing her to dry herself off as she stabilized her. The gown draped down to her shins, the sleeves ending at her forearms, and the white complimenting her sweetly. She’d definitely sleep better in this than she would in a tight pair of pants. Kaede took to drying Kagome’s hair, really ringing it with the towel until she got the majority of the moisture out. The last thing they needed was for her wet hair to get cold and potentially worsen her fever.

“Thank you so much for this. All of this.” Kagome softly spoke, her lowered gaze communicating her bashfulness.

Kaede brushed the girl’s hair behind her ears, replying with a gentle grin before grabbing her hand to slowly guide her out of the bathroom and to the bed.

Inuyasha stood in case they needed help, having personally witnessed firsthand Kagome’s unsteadiness, but Kaede got the blankets pulled back and helped Kagome move on her own just fine.

“Alright, I’ll be back in a bit with some food and medicine. Inuyasha, you wash up next. You stink.” Kaede said.

“Dick.”

“Yeah, that’s it. That’s what you smell like. The musty kind that hasn’t been washed in -“

The hanyou groaned loudly to cut her off, shoving her head aside as he stomped past her and into the bathroom. Kaede laughed, turning back to make sure Kagome was comfortable before heading out of the room.

For the moment, it was quiet. Kagome could feel her body sinking into the bedding, but she was blisteringly hot beneath the layered blankets. As much as she wanted to let go of her grievances and close her eyes, ignore the burden of her fever and just go to sleep, her stomach twisted and bunched painfully, making it impossible to relax. As if she wasn’t uneasy enough as it was, her body seemed to have a goal to worsen the experience for her. Why was it that when she overextended herself, she got physically sick? What an abnormal reaction to have. Sure, if someone pushed themselves to run a faster mile, they could potentially throw up. But, have flu-like symptoms? Unheard of. Being a conjurer was weird. Supernatural powers were weird. Everything that was happening to her, all weird.

Taking her mind off of the sleep she so woefully wanted, Kagome raised her left palm to take note of the progress of her healing cut. It really wasn’t all that bad anymore. She was glad there were no signs of infection. It wasn’t very pretty, the edges of her nicked flesh harboring a bit of pink coloration, but it wasn’t bleeding or oozing anything, so that was definitely a good sign. She’d give it another two days before she didn’t need to bandage it up any longer. For the meantime, she should take the proper precautions to keep it improving.

She moved slowly, minding the weakness of her muscles as she sat up and uncovered herself, moving her legs to sit on the edge of the bed. Kagome stood to cross the room to get to her things, pretending the dizziness wasn’t there, pretending the room wasn’t wobbling from side-to-side in the slightest, taking one firm step at a time.

“Hey!” Came Inuyasha’s loud voice at the halfway mark, and Kagome froze, jolting slightly from how direct his shout was. She’d almost thought he was behind her for a moment, but after glancing around, she realized he was yelling from the bathroom.

“Inuyasha?” Kagome asked timidly.

“The fuck are you doing?”

“Huh?”

“What - the fuck - are you doing?”

“What do you mean?” She wasn’t even raising her voice to make sure he heard her through the walls. That sort of energy was out of her reach. She was indisputably confused, though. Why was he yelling at her? What was wrong?

“You’re out of bed. For what?”

How the hell did he know? Could he actually hear her with those ears of his? Were they that sharp? Or, was he just paying such close attention to any sounds of movement that he caught the pads of her feet hitting the wooden flooring? Or, both?

“I wanted my medical kit. I need to wrap my hand.” She responded with a little more tenacity in her tone.

“Is it bleeding?”

“No.”

“Then get your ass back in bed. It can wait.”

“But -“

“Lay down.”

“Inuyasha -“

“Lay down!”

Kagome groaned and she did it loudly, stomping her feet as she went back to the mattress and plopped her butt down. Was it childish? Absolutely. But, she hoped each noise she’d intentionally made hurt his stupid, dog-like ears. Woozy repercussions be damned.

She adjusted the pillows against the headboard so that she could comfortably prop herself up, sitting back against them and pulling the horribly hot blankets over her legs again. She was old enough to know that it was best to stay covered while you had a fever, but that never once stopped her from wanting to kick them off. With everything irritating her right now, her head beginning to throb, Kagome felt the aggravated pout form on her face. She’d never been the type to like to stay in bed and wait out an illness. Her brother could sleep for days and be perfectly comfortable, but she hated not being able to do basic things to take care of herself.

“God, you’re such a baby.” Inuyasha murmured, coming out of the bathroom moments later. He wore the same pants as before, but was shirtless, water dripping down the ends of his long, silver hair and over the skin of his chest. He used his towel to rub through his tresses, and thankfully his amber eyes were aimed at her things while he crossed the room so he wouldn’t notice the way Kagome glanced at him only to quickly redirect her gaze at the surprise of his half-naked appearance.

The fever was going to her head. Had to be. Her eyes seemed to have a mind of their own as they drifted over to his back as he passed her, taking notice of the swell of his defined muscles while he walked, crouched down at her bag and dug out the box she’d wanted. She appreciated the way little movements made him flex, the way his physique contoured when he stood, even the definition of the arm he used to dry his cleaned hair. It wasn’t until he turned back to her that she noticed the cut on his shoulder, deep and angry and swollen. Little bruises littered his flesh, small scrapes adorning his sides and the right half of his chest. He hadn’t left the battle unscathed - of course, he hadn’t - and she felt horrible for just now noticing.

“Your arm.”

“It’s fine. Give me a sec and I’ll bandage your hand.” He said absentmindedly, dropping the kit on the far edge of the bed as he sauntered back to the bathroom.

“But, doesn’t it hurt?”

“Not really.” He replied from the other room.

“Rotten liar.”

“I’m not lying. I can barely feel it.”

“Then let me look at it.”

“You just saw it.”

“No, I mean let me look at it.”

“Hang on.” He said, ringing his hair as dry as he could before pulling it back into an untidy ponytail. Inuyasha came back out and presented the cut to Kagome, sarcasm written all over his face as he gestured to it carelessly so she could see, and then reached over to grab the medical supplies to completely disregard his wound.

“Inuyasha, you know what I meant. Let me see it. Please.” Kagome tried, biting back the annoyance in her tone. With a huff from the half demon, he sat down beside her, allowing her to get a good look at the wound on his shoulder. While she had the chance, she jabbed her finger just above it, receiving the full reaction she’d expected as he jerked away with a pained groaned, snatching her hand with a vice grip. “Looks like that hurt.”

“Fucking duh!” He snapped.

“I knew you were lying.” Kagome giggled lethargically.

“You’re not supposed to touch it!”

“You should let me bandage it up.”

“That’s not necessary.” Inuyasha said with clenched teeth, tossing her hand away. “It’ll be gone by morning.”

“I know you have the ability to heal faster than humans do, but I still think this will last a solid couple of days. Everything else will be gone by morning, sure. But, this? Probably not.”

“That doesn’t mean it requires bandaging. It’s not even bleeding anymore.”

“It’s still prone to infection.”

Inuyasha scoffed.

“Want me to poke it again?”

“Do it and I’ll poke your stomach and talk about vomit.”

“You fight dirty.” Kagome grimaced, protecting her core. “Just let me -“

“No.”

“Please?”

“Why?”

“I want to help.”

“I don’t need any.”

“Looks like you do.”

“I don’t.”

“Please?”

“Oh my god, Kagome.”

“Please?” She knew she was aggravating him, and as good as she didn’t feel, it was hard to hide her grin. Every huff of irritation he gave, every scrunch of the skin between his brows from the way they furrowed together, and every roll of his eyes was amusing to her right now. He was reaching his limits, but he wasn’t going to snap. He was going to fold.

“Will it make you shut up?”

“Yes.”

“I really don’t need it.”

“Please?”

“Stop it.”

“Ple-“

“Jesus fuck, just shut up and do it already.”

Kagome beamed with a prideful smile, taking the kit from him and reaching for the cleaning solution and cotton balls. “Jeez, if you wanted me to bandage you up so bad, you should have just asked, Inuyasha.”

The hanyou slowly turned his head to look at her, an infuriated expression written into his straight-set lips and glazed, amber eyes.

“I’m kidding, I’m sorry. I’m shutting up.” She promised, laughing but also taking his warning to heart.

He didn’t say a thing while she cleaned his wound. She knew the solution stung only from the minor flinch in his muscles, but other than that, he stared at the ground, allowing her to work. Kagome didn’t expect nor need any form of gratitude from Inuyasha for dressing his wound; she’ll admit it was more for herself than him. It made her feel more comfortable knowing his chances of infection were slimmed down, and it also made her feel better contributing to anything she could in her debilitated state. Maybe he knew that was what she wanted which is how she could tell he was going to eventually let her bandage him up. Or, maybe she just genuinely annoyed him and he truly did want nothing more than to silence her. Either way, when he addressed her with a mere shrug of his brows as she finished, Kagome wasn’t offended.

She didn’t wait for him to take anything from her to wrap her hand. She could do it on her own, and she took to cleaning it out. Inuyasha remained beside her, watching her struggle a little with the bandages and anticipating a reason he’d need to interfere and take over. When she gave him none, the hanyou reached up, pushing her bangs aside to place his palm to her forehead.

“Fuck, you’re burning up.” He commented. “How’s your stomach?”

“Hurts. I’m queasy, but I don’t feel like I’m about to throw up.” She responded, putting everything back into her kit and shutting it.

“You should lay down.”

Kagome shook her head, slightly disgruntled. “Not comfortable. Don’t want to.”

“Alright, whatever. But, after Kaede comes back with medicine, I don’t want to hear it. You’re going to sleep.”

“Mhm.” Kagome agreed. It was fair, and she really did want that much. She was so unbelievably tired, her body just ached. The sooner she laid down, the sooner she was going to be completely covered by blankets, too. With only half of her body covered, it was sweltering enough. The last thing she wanted was to be buried within the heat right now. On the other hand, she was grateful she wasn’t battling chills on top of it all.

A knock on their door was the only warning that Kaede was entering before she opened it up, carrying a tray with two bowls and a couple containers on the side. The girl set the tray with all of its contents on the little table beside Kagome, handing a bowl to Inuyasha and waving him off.

“Rice and chicken for you.”

That had to be the happiest Kagome had ever seen the half demon, even as he was pushed aside and dismissed to eat his food across the room. He even gifted a “thanks,” before digging in to eat on the cushioned seat in the corner.

“Where’s your shirt?” Kaede asked speculatively.

“It’s torn and has blood all over it, so it’s soaking in water. As much as I trust your witchcraft bouquets, I don’t want to take chances of my blood attracting the wrong noses.”

“Fair enough. I’ll go buy you another from the shop in town tomorrow morning and add it to your tab. Pink would look nice on you.” She teased.

“Yeah, so would that dress you lent Kagome but I would only end up showing up all the women in town with my gorgeous looks, so make it black.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kaede rolled her eyes and smiled, her attention falling back to her task. “Alright, sweetie. You’re totally gonna hate this, but please just trust me, okay?”

“Uh oh. What are you about to make me take?” She grimaced, eyeing the little containers.

“One of these is for nausea. Tastes awful. The other is to break your fever. Tastes worse and will make you super drowsy pretty quickly. After the medicine, you’ve gotta eat, which I know is probably the last thing you want to do. It’s the only way to keep your strength up though, so you’ve gotta stomach as much as you can. It’s soup and it’s light, so hopefully it won’t upset your nausea too bad before the dose kicks in.”

“Great.” Kagome remarked sardonically, her lack of enthusiasm painfully obvious. Just the smell of food was causing a lump in her throat to swell, an unsettling feeling blooming, but she swallowed it to the best of her abilities.

Kaede opened the first container, a little bottle, pouring a thick liquid out onto a spoon. “Don’t spit it out, okay?”

“That bad?”

“Horrible.”

“I appreciate the warning.” Kagome cringed, mentally preparing as she welcomed the spoon into her mouth. The taste slid onto her tongue and it was a disgusting mixture of spice, what you would imagine manure to taste like, something metallic, and a hint of grape. It took so much, almost too much, willpower to swallow, a burning sensation gliding over her tongue and down her throat, and Kagome brought her knees to her chest as she fought back a whine, burying her face in the blankets that draped over her legs.

Inuyasha chuckled at what he’d seen of the girl’s ghastly expression before she’d dramatically hid it, but prior to anything funny or sarcastic he could say, Kagome shot her middle finger up in the air at him. It only made him laugh harder, snorting slightly, but he shut his mouth and refrained from teasing her. Lord knows it would only send her over the edge.

“Here. Water.” Kaede offered. “Just take a sip.”

And, Kagome did just that, hoping the liquid would wash her tongue of the horrid taste. It did not.

“Ready for the next?”

“You said this one is worse?”

“Sure did.” Kaede grinned apprehensively. She shut the nausea medicine and opened up the small container at its side. It was a fine, tan powder, and Kaede took a sheet of paper she’d folded in half, distributing a healthy amount within the crease. “You have to hold this one under your tongue until it completely dissolves. After, you’ll get the soup and forget all about this torture.”

“Until you have to do it again in the morning.” Inuyasha teased a little too happily.

“Shut up or I’ll make you take some.” Kaede reprimanded.

“Not on your life.”

“Try me.” There was something about the calm way she threatened him that actually made Inuyasha uncomfortable, and he heeded it, once again silencing himself as he shoved a spoonful of rice and chicken in his mouth. Kaede was completely human, petite in stature, and looked sweet as can be, but she had the attitude that helped her keep up with your average man. She’d grown up alone for the most part, never let her handicap of one eye slow her down or hold her back, built her business from the ground up, and Inuyasha respected that enough to know that she could put him in his place. She’d done it before. The girl was tough as nails and had to be in order to run the inn that she did, giving a place of refuge for those in need and defying Naraku and his henchmen. He may be physically stronger than she, but still, he’d prefer not to test her.

“Alright, Kagome. Open up.”

Kagome did as she was told, lifting her tongue and allowing Kaede to slide the powder beneath it with the thin, creased paper. At first, it wasn’t so bad. It sat beneath her taste buds, so the worst part was the bubbling of the powder as it mixed with her saliva. But then the saliva rose around the sides of her tongue to pool on top, and the taste hit her. Immediately, it tested her gag reflex, but she resisted, swallowing profusely as she, yet again, buried her face in the blankets on her knees. Kaede soothingly rubbed her back, coaxing her with hushes and apologies. It tasted worse than the bile she’d vomited. It tasted indescribable, and gingery, and pungent, and she wished, as each second passed, that it would just finish dissolving already. It brought tears to her eyes, her nose sniffling from the spiciness, but she waited, and waited, and fought back her nausea, and swallowed over and over and over until the powder was completely gone.

“Here you go, sweetie. Take a bite; it’ll help.” Kaede offered Kagome her food, pushing it closer to her on the tray so she could lean over and take a spoonful in her mouth.

Inuyasha wouldn’t deny that he felt sort of bad for Kagome after that one. As she sat up straight to come out of hiding, taking deep, concentrated breaths to calm herself down before slurping a little bit of soup, he saw some pink on her cheeks. He knew it was an inadvertent reaction to the medicine, but it was still nice to see color on her face again. He knew it would wash away momentarily, her pale features would return until the remedy kicked in, but it was still nice to catch a glimpse of the woman he’d seen just that morning.

“Better?” Kaede softly inquired after Kagome swallowed some soup. Her shoulders had sunken back down, her muscles unclenching, and she hoped the bowl of broth and vegetables was enough to quell the awful taste Kagome had had to endure.

She nodded, swallowing thickly. She was grateful, so grateful, for the flavorful and hot liquid that rinsed away the medicine, but that didn’t mean her stomach was very accommodating to it. With just the few things she’d swallowed, the organ churned and clenched painfully, threatening her to push it all back up her esophagus, so Kagome knew the last thing she could do if she was going to keep the medicine down was eat too quickly. She decidedly set the spoon down to give her body time to steady.

It wasn’t the first Kaede had noticed the markings around Kagome’s neck. She wasn’t blind or daft; she’d seen it the moment she saw the girl standing beside Inuyasha at the counter. Gently, she hooked her finger beneath Kagome’s chin, tilting her head back so she could get a better look at the handprint that encircled the front of her throat.

“Is this from today?”

Kagome’s brown eyes didn’t hold against her own, shying away though she didn’t pull her chin out of her meager grip. In answer, she shook her head.

She didn’t want to talk about it. Not again. Please, not again. Not right now. In no way, shape, or form was she in any mental condition to think about the little conjurer who’d died so violently. She didn’t have the capacity to handle hearing the mother’s screams echoing through her head, to revisit the day she’d watched the light fade from those innocent, blue eyes. Kagome was already battling with herself and how she felt like an absolute failure, and the last thing she wanted was to have each letter tattoo’d into her skin as she recalled how she failed to protect the young girl.

Kaede reached down, holding and examining Kagome’s bandaged hand, remembering the small wound she’d gotten a brief look at along her palm.

“What happened to you, Kagome?”

“Kaede.” Inuyasha’s voice was low but firm. It was both an instruction and warning. He was protecting Kagome, and Kaede swallowed the remaining curiosity she had. He’d mentioned Kagome had left home, mentioned it was a long story that wasn’t his to tell, and considering he seemed to know it well enough to remind Kaede to respect the invisible boundary was all she needed. She wasn’t one to intrude, and the last thing she wanted was to make things worse for Kagome.

“Never mind, sweetheart. Forget I asked.” She smiled compassionately, releasing her as she walked over to the closet. She slid the door open, pulling out a futon and setting it out along the floor. She grabbed a blanket from the top shelf, unfolding it and laying it on the futon, and then grabbed an extra pillow from the shelf, as well, to drop on top. “Inuyasha, your bed.”

He grunted as a response, and Kaede understood the weak excuse of a thank you. “Do you need anything else?”

“Nah,” He shook his head. “Go tend to the pigs downstairs. Let me know if any of them want to get handsy.”

“I can handle it.”

“I don’t care.”

“Go to sleep, you look like a mess.”

“You’re mouthy tonight. Fuck off.”

She giggled, rolling her eyes, taking his empty bowl, and ambling back over to the sick girl. “Kagome, sweetie, please eat as much as you can. Don’t worry about the dish, I’ll come back in the morning and grab it when I check in. Can I get you anything else?”

“No, thank you.” She smiled appreciatively. “You’ve done more than enough.”

Kaede left the room, quietly shutting the door behind her, and Inuyasha was quick to follow over, locking it. He picked up the trashcan on the far side of the bedside table, dropping it closer to Kagome. “Just in case.”

He turned before she could thank him with a grin, walking away and heading straight for the curtain-clad window. The moonlight hit his face as soon as he pulled the edge of the curtain back, eyes studying the outside world, and she wondered if he was checking to see if they were followed. Inuyasha stood there for several minutes, analyzing the streets, his good shoulder leaning against the wall.

Thankfully, her stomach had settled a bit, and Kagome found it a good opportunity to try another bite of her soup. Her muscles still trembled unsteadily, the bowl proving to be heavy, but she clutched it carefully and used her legs as a table for stability. The food was good, but her body really wanted to reject it. The smell of it, as homie as it was, was enough to cause her abdomen to tense rigidly, and even the broth hitting her tongue was sufficient in making her throat warn her that if she pushed herself too much, she was going to end up losing everything she’d just consumed. Just to say she tried, Kagome took one more spoonful in her mouth, avoiding the actual bits of vegetables and just swallowing the broth. That was it; that was all she could handle. So, she put the bowl back on the nightstand and rested her head against the headboard.

Inuyasha watched the streets below cautiously. There wasn’t life out; they were empty, hazed in a blue provided by the night sky and the full moon. The unfortunate reality of being safeguarded by Kaede’s deterrents was it worked both ways. Demons hunting them down would lose their scents, and he couldn’t smell them coming from within the barrier either. It was hard for him at first to really let down his guard, to be completely vulnerable, but just because he didn’t have one of his senses didn’t mean he couldn’t rely on his others. He could hear plenty, and he trusted that if anyone got inside, he’d catch them coming before it was too late.

A soft sigh caught his attention, and Inuyasha glanced back over to Kagome on the bed. Her eyes were glazed over, almost closed, and she seemed to be slumping down in her spot. Kaede wasn’t kidding when she said it was quick.

“Lay down, kid.”

She looked over at him wonderingly, blinking sleepily before sluggishly scooting her butt forward so she could lay down properly. She was struggling to readjust her pillows, and Inuyasha couldn’t help but chuckle before heading over to assist her.

“Jesus, this shit’s really kicking your ass.”

“She said - she said it would be fast.” Kagome mumbled.

“Mhm.” He agreed, slipping his arm around her side to help support her weight as he fixed her pillows. Kagome’s feverish head rested against his shoulder, and he slipped his hand behind it as he slowly laid her down. “She didn’t mention how strong it was though, did she?”

Kagome hummed a no, sinking into the bedding.

“You’re so pathetic.” Inuyasha joked lightly, pulling the blankets over her upper body.

“Am not.” She muttered, eyes closing. “Saved your life.”

“I saved yours right back.”

“Not.”

“Alright, alright. Go to sleep, you dummy.”

He left her alone, sauntering back over to the window to watch out for a while before he’d give in to his own fatigue. It was silent. Comfortable. Kagome’s rhythmic breathing was considerably soothing to him compared to the discomfort she’d been in for hours.

“Inuyasha,” The conjurer breathed, and his ambers eyes darted over to her resting form. Her eyes were still closed, blankets raising with each inhale from her chest, and even though she was shadowed, he could still make out her pale skin.

“Hm?”

“Thank you.” She murmured, bringing a slight flurry to awaken in his chest.

| previous chapter | <- -> | next chapter |

[mrslilyrogers]

Fall into Love

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader 

Warnings: Awkward and cute reader ahead! Nothing but sweet and soft fluff :)

Summary: What’s an awkward scientist like you gotta do when you develop a crush on America’s national treasure, Captain America? Recruited by Bruce and Tony themselves to work at the Avengers Compound, you try your best to keep your cool. But how could you when Steve is always popping up to help you?

Author’s notes: It’s my birthday today!! Yay!! And to celebrate, I want to share this super fluffy piece I wrote for @hopingforbarnes​​ 250 writing challenge. Thanks for letting me participate!  I got the prompt, “This is why I fell in love with you” which will be in bold below. I absolutely loved writing this and being a fan of chick flicks, I went with that vibe. I hope you guys enjoy and please, let me know what you think! Reblogs are very much appreciated :D

There he was sipping his cup of coffee, one hand holding today’s newspaper as he read. You thought it was beyond adorable that he insisted on getting actual newspapers delivered to the compound when he could literally read it from a tablet. You even offered to install the apps for him but he declined, saying he was too old for it. And in that moment you just knew, with his winsome smile and his deep blue eyes, you were utterly done for. So there you were, surreptitiously stealing doe-eyed glances at him from your perch by the kitchen counter, your laptop propped up on the island. His eyebrows were knitted as he brought the newspaper down, jotting his answers for the crossword puzzle. When he beamed at himself, you knew he got it right. Cute, so damn cute. 

“Ugh,” you groaned at your own patheticness. When his head shot up to look at you, you immediately cleared your throat and looked to your laptop, ignoring the heat creeping up your cheeks. 

“Y/N, you okay there?” Steve asked, pencil in mid-air.

“Yep, just working on something!” You replied a little too cheerfully, your gaze not quite able to hold his. You were always this way with him, tongue-tied, flustered and all fidgety. It was embarrassing.

Come on, Y/N, pull yourself together! You have two PhDs under the age of 30. Unfortunately, that was also probably one of the reasons why you were so freakin’ awkward but you really didn’t have to dwell on that now. Shaking off that snide little comment from the back of your mind, you continued your pep talk. You’re a badass scientist, graduated at the top of your class, and working with the Tony Stark and the Bruce Banner, your freakin’ childhood heroes! He’s just a 100 year old man! You’ve got this. 

You looked at him with a bright smile on your face, straightening your back to make yourself seem taller. More Confident. Mature. Womanly. Typing into your laptop, you pretended you were in the midst of a scientific research that would change the world. Except, it came up empty, the screen completely and irrevocably black. Oh, shit. 

“Ugh, Y/N. I think your laptop is turned off,” Steve awkwardly told you, pointing at it with the pencil in his hand. 

“Oh, yeah. Well, uhm, yeah it is… so, ugh, gotta go and charge this,” You flashed him a quick smile before you scrambled to your feet, your chair creaking as you pushed it back, grabbed your laptop and ran out of there as fast as you could. Stupid, stupid, stupid. 

Steve watched you, a perplexed look on his face. When you nearly stumbled out the door, he almost got up to help except you shot up faster than a speeding bullet. An adoring smile crept up his lips. Cute.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It wasn’t always like that. It all started when the science geniuses offered an advanced intensive program at the university where you were finishing your second doctorate degree. It meant extra work and more late nights but you didn’t even think of that, you had jumped at the chance from the second you heard of it and the rest was history. You aced their classes with flying colors and by the time you graduated, they had already offered you a full-time position at the Avengers compound, to assist them with whatever scientific endeavor they needed. You would become their resident biochemist/engineering physicist, equipped with your very own office and given free reign to create, tinker or even upgrade their weapons and computer systems. 

What you didn’t expect was how cozy living in the Avengers Compound would be. You thought they were a bunch of stuffy soldiers and spies with no time to deal with regular people like you. But as soon as you were introduced to the team, that all changed. 

They had all been in the common area when you first arrived. The men along with Nat were huddled at the TV, concentrating on some sports game as they drank their beers while Wanda and Vision were laughing and cooking in the kitchen. It was all so surreal, your jaw had dropped to the floor. Who knew the Avengers could be so domestic?

“You’re starting to drool, kid,” Tony commented at your side, immediately stopping you from staring. You mumble out a sheepish apology, your cheeks starting to flush. He flashed a smile at you before turning his attention to the team, “Everyone, listen up,” he shouted at them, clapping his hands twice before continuing, “This is our newest scientist, Y/N! She’ll be working with me and Bruce mostly, helping us with weapons and equipment so be nice! Piss her off and you’re toast,” he teased, winking at you. You didn’t think you could get any redder than you were at that moment. You let out a nervous chuckle, giving a little wave to everyone,

“Hi! Don’t worry, I won’t do that. I don’t think I can even if I wanted to, look at all of you!” you joked and looking at their smirks and empty faces, you realized just how inappropriate that was. 

“Not that I would want to of course! I mean, who would wanna kill the Avengers?” you continued to your own mortification, your mouth running on its own. You could feel prickly sweat down your back and you suddenly wished there was a hole that would just swallow you right that instant. Letting out a huge exhale, you tried again. 

“Uhm, what I mean to say is that I’m very happy to be meeting all of you and I’m glad that I’m given a chance to work here and help in any way that I can.” you finished sincerely albeit sheepishly, shifting your weight between your feet and hoping you didn’t totally muck up their first impression of you. 

Black Widow’s narrowed eyes eased up, arms still crossed at her chest, she gave you a little tilt to her chin as she smirked, “You’re adorable,” 

You let out a huge sigh, beaming at everyone. Captain America nodded at you as if to say ‘well done’, and you felt your heart drop to your stomach. Damn, if that man didn’t spell out dreamy. 

Tony finished the introductions and once you’ve shaken everyone’s hand, he was already moving, directing you to your designated room to drop off your bags so you guys could finish off your tour early and get to work. You were just about to carry your duffle bags, ready to drag your suitcase across their pristine marble floor when Captain America appeared by your side, “Hey, you need some help with those?” he asked, looking at your luggages. You had almost completely blanked when he stood so close to you. You could hear Tony’s voice getting softer and softer as he walked ahead, talking as he went. You nodded, not able to find the voice to speak. When he draped both duffel bags over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing, and pulled the handle of your suitcase higher, you objected,  “Let me at least get that,” you tried to grab your suitcase from him but he swiveled it out of your reach, already moving to follow Tony. “It’s fine. This is nothing,” he said, smiling down at you. 

“Thanks Captain. I don’t know how I’ll be able to keep up with him,” you replied, shyly smiling back at him and pointing at the man walking in front of you. He chuckled before letting out an exasperated sigh, “Oh, you’ll get used to it. And just call me Steve,” 

Tony suddenly turned around as if just realizing you weren’t following at his heels. “Would you look at that?” He teased when he saw both you and Steve lagging behind him. “Chivalry’s not dead,” shrugging, he continued on, prompting Steve to shake his head at his friend. 

When you both arrived at your room, You tried not to gawk but Tony Stark was definitely not cheap. They let you take it all in, practically feeling your excitement off your skin. Steve dropped your bags off on the floor before turning to take his leave, 

“Alright, I’m off. I’ll see you guys for dinner,” his voice cut you out of your wonder. 

“Thank you, Steve,” you beamed at him before he left the door. 

“You’re welcome, Y/N,” he replied, flashing you a genuine smile. You watched his retreating figure out the hallway, your heart hammering in your chest. 

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You had been working for the Avengers for two months now and you must admit you had easily become friends with all of them, jokes and easy conversation flowing with everyone except for one. Steve freakin’ Rogers. Oh, you were friends with him, you talked but the easiness was only one-sided. Every time you had a conversation with him, you felt your heart leaping out of your chest. Every single smile from him sent butterflies to your stomach. It was becoming a problem, your school girl crush making you look less professional and on top of that, you just knew the spies figured it out. Why else would Nat and Clint suddenly make up excuses and leave you and Steve alone again for breakfast? 

You tried to ignore the fluttering of your heart as Steve made his coffee. Acting as normal as possible, you reached for the flour on the highest shelf of the cupboard, your hand coming up short. Uh-oh. Maybe, if you could just go on your tiptoes, you could get it, right? Wrong. You had been dead wrong. You wiggled your fingers, hoping you didn’t look like an absolute idiot. Oh God, have I been reaching for this too long already; past the point of asking Steve for help? If you turned around now and asked him, wouldn’t it be too awkward?  But if you suddenly changed what you were going to make just because you couldn't reach the flour, wouldn’t that be too petty? Oh god, why do you have to overthink everything when he’s around?

Steve suppressed his laugh as he leaned on the counter, watching you struggle. How long was it going to take for you to give up? You were so different from any woman he’s met since waking up in the future, always so happy and cheerful with no guise whatsoever. You were a breath of fresh air, real, and so unlike all the other spies and agents he’s worked with, with their cold manner and calculating eyes. It didn’t take long for him to trust you. He considered you his friend and now, you were just beyond adorable. A crooked smile formed on his lips as he waited some more, enjoying the show far too much, his eyes involuntarily moving down to check your ass out in your sleep shorts. When he realized what he was doing, he blushed, and immediately straightened up to help you. 

A huff fell from your lips as you decided, enough was enough. You turned around, ready to call for him, when you came face to face with his solid chest. His familiar masculine scent warmed your senses as blood crept up your cheeks. “Got it,” he said, holding the jar between you, a playful smile splayed on his perfectly luscious lips. 

You cleared your throat, your eyes on his lips as you tried to find your voice. “Thanks Steve,” you replied just a little too breathily.

“Anytime, Y/N,” he smiled softly down at you, bringing his hand up to ruffle your hair. And just like that the romantic atmosphere was ruined. It was just on your part. Again. 

______________________________________________________________________

Months later 

You were dancing carefree to the beat of the music blasting from your headphones as you cooked your dinner. It was late, you were sure everyone had gone to sleep so you were safe to boogie and shake your hips while you celebrated. You had finally figured out how to calibrate Black Widow’s newest weapon. It took you the whole night for the finishing touches, making you forget to eat but it was all worth it. You were on a high as you piled the pasta on to your plate, grabbing the still-too-hot garlic bread from the oven too early, making you wince as you put your thumb between your lips to lessen the burn. You didn’t hear the tired chuckle from the doorway when you shook your hips to turn around, refusing to let the scalding garlic bread shake your mood. You let out a tiny squeal when you saw Steve leaning against the doorway, decked in all his Captain America glory minus the mask. 

“You’re back?” you shrieked, a hand flying to your chest as you tried to calm your racing heart, thanking god you didn’t drop your plate. “You scared the shit out of me,” 

Steve had the audacity to look ashamed as he straightened. “Yeah, sorry about that, couldn’t help it. Please don’t stop on my account,” he teased, laughing, before a wince escaped his lips. 

“You okay?” you immediately dropped your plate on the table and walked over to him, losing your nerve to even get embarrassed when he clutched his rib. 

“It’s nothing, doll,” he replied, shaking his head, a faint flush casting over his cheeks as the endearment slipped. 

You couldn’t help but be taken aback too. His voice had been soft and unconvincing unlike his usual steely, determined self. You laid your hand over the one still clutching his waist.

“What happened here? Are you hurt?” Concern seeped into your voice as you looked at him worriedly.

“It’s fine, really. It’ll heal fast,” he stepped away from you, making light of his injury. He didn’t know how to deal with anyone fussing over him. 

“Let me see it,” you said, your voice firm for once in his presence, putting your hands on your hips. 

“What?” he chuckled again, poorly hiding his hiss.

“Come on, Rogers, I’m a doctor. Let me see it,” you nodded to his injury, determination steeling your stance. 

Letting out an exasperated sigh, he said, “Yes ma’am,” and gave you a mock salute.

 “But didn’t you say you weren’t this type of doctor?” he continued, teasing, as he unbuckled his utility belt.

“Don’t get sassy on me now, Rogers,” You rolled your eyes until he started to peel off his uniform, then you lost your breath. You felt your cheeks flush at the forced intimacy of the situation, your resolve withering as you shifted your weight between your feet, crossing your arms at your chest. Should you even watch him take his top off? You didn’t want to look like a creep so you focused on the wall behind him.

When you heard him wince, your eyes shot back to him as he struggled to lift it over his head. Your hands moved of its own volition, gently helping him. Once that was over and done with, you looked up at him, his chest panting. 

“May I?” you asked, your slightly shaking hand gesturing to his undershirt. He nodded and you let your hands lift his shirt off gently, but what greeted you made your jaw drop open. The skin on his right rib was marred with a big dark patch of purple and blue, almost appearing black. Around it, littered lighter and smaller versions of it, a few cuts here and there. On his arms, his pecs, on the side of his jaw that you didn’t even notice awhile ago.

“Steve, what the hell! This isn’t nothing! Can you even breathe properly?” You asked worriedly, running your hands over the cuts and bruises. 

“Yes, Y/N. I told you this is normal. This happened just a few hours ago, it’s already healing. I’ll be fine,” He once again explained to you stubbornly, a soft smile playing on his lips. 

“Sit down, you need to put ice on that and I need to clean your wounds,” You rushed off to get the things you needed before pulling up a chair beside him. He watched you as your hands worked practically over his injuries, pride swelling in his eyes. There was a strange fluttering in his chest that he didn’t dare acknowledge. He wouldn’t admit it to himself but he only objected more to your ministrations because it made you double your fussing. 

“All done,” You cheered to yourself as you started tidying up. 

“Congratulations to you,” he replied jokingly, moving to help you before you swatted his hand away. “Stop, just keep that ice on your rib,” you told him seriously, getting up to bring back the first-aid kit to the cupboard and throw all the used up cotton. He was the worst patient there ever was, complaining and whining all the way through. 

“Yes, boss,” he deadpanned, loving the blush that tinted your cheeks. 

“Hey, have you eaten dinner already? You hungry?” you asked him, washing your hands.

“Dinner? Y/N, it’s 2 am, how have you not eaten dinner yet?” This time it was his turn to be indignant.

“Well, I was working,” you replied matter-of-factly as if it was the most normal thing in the world to forget to eat.

“Jesus Christ, I ended up taking down a terrorist base camp and I still had time for dinner,” he huffed, furrowing his eyebrows.

You scooped up a plate for him anyway, making sure to double the serving. When you dropped it in front of him, you noticed he had put his shirt back on again much to your displeasure. What can you say? The guy was chiseled like a greek god. It didn’t hurt to look at him.

You both started to eat in peace, the awkwardness settling in. You had no idea why he wasn’t talking. He was usually cool as a cucumber while you were a blubbering mess. 

“So how was--”

“I didn’t know--” 

You both started at the same time causing you both to pause then laugh heartily. When he winced and clutched his rib again, you quickly apologized before he shushed you. “You go first,” he said, drinking water as he tried to hide his pain. 

“Do you want to get an x-ray? Make sure there’s no broken bones?” You asked, worry seeping into your voice again.

“Doll, I told you. This is normal for me, part of my job.”

“But I thought you said this was a simple covert mission, no fighting involved. They should’ve added more guys to go with you,” you frowned at him which made him chuckle lightly, his heart flipping in his chest at your concern. 

“That rarely happens. Really, you should see the other guys,” he made a joke of it to calm you down. Unconvinced, you smiled tentatively at him, thinking if you should still push the subject when he steered you to a different topic, asking about your work. You had explained to him animatedly about the progress you’ve made so far that you didn’t even notice how easily you guys had flit to different topics, talking about any random thing that popped into your minds, smiling and joking like it wasn’t almost four in the morning. 

When you went back to your room that night, you snuggled into your blankets, giggling. You had finally been able to talk with Steve without acting like a love-sick teenager. And it was everything you thought it would be. 

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After that night, you guys formed an unspoken ritual. Every time you were working late and forgot to check the clock, Steve would bring you food to your lab, reminding you of your much needed dinner break. The first time it had happened, he walked in on you snacking on some m&m’s while you continued to work. He had groaned and lectured you on about how m&m’s and any form of chocolate was not considered dinner food. So after that, he took it upon himself to make sure you had something substantial to eat, often bringing his own cooking. You had talked about everything and nothing, some deep conversations that could only be shared through trusted friends while others had you both laughing deep from your belly with tears brimming your eyes. There were times when he had been relentless with his training too, even the rest of the team had left him alone to it, and you had to drag him away. Those days you had to remind him there was no war anymore and a little break was fine. You dragged him to watch movies, listen to music he had missed and, tried out those hole-in-the-wall types of restaurants where people wouldn’t recognize him.  

Steve had just gotten back from a mission with Sam and Bucky. Both boys grunted as they sat at the kitchen table, clutching their drinks.

“Man, I could really use a shower right now but I’m too tired to move,” Sam quipped, massaging his neck muscles. 

“I’m gonna order us a pizza,” Bucky said and eagerly whipped his phone out. Ever since he got off the ice in Wakanda, he’d been obsessed with all the “new” technology he’d been catching up on. He sure didn’t look it but he was a science geek at heart. Often going to you for help with everything he’s missed. The guys both looked to Steve questioningly, expecting him to butt in. He usually had a lot of input after a long mission. They were greeted by silence as he had his back to them, retrieving the first-aid kit from the cupboard. When he continued to ignore them as if he hadn’t heard anything they had just said and walked to the direction of your lab, both Sam and Bucky looked at each other, knowing smirks on their faces as they nodded their heads. America’s golden boy was whipped. 

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Tony and Steve had been arguing in their usual banter at the lab. The super soldier looked like the worn out parent between the two while the genius billionaire gloated at his misery. Steve was wearing a black long-sleeved sweater that did nothing to hide his muscles despite its regular fit. You couldn’t help but steal glances at him from your station with Bruce, the two of you working quietly with an occasional chuckle or two thrown at the bickering men in front of you. 

Bruce cleared his throat when he caught you staring far too long at the golden-haired adonis, not paying attention to the question he was asking. You quickly averted your gaze and asked, 

“I’m so sorry, what was that?” you felt your cheeks warm as he looked at you with an endearing smile.

“I said, could you please pass me that sample?” He pointed at your hand clutching the petri dish. 

“Of course!” You replied, handing it to him before hiding behind your laptop to record the results of your experiment. 

“Will you quit acting like a grandpa for just a second and ask Sharon out? You guys clearly hit it off at the last mission. I don’t know what the hell is taking you so long,” Tony muttered as he tinkered on. 

You and Steve’s eyes snapped to each other, almost as if on instinct, before you quickly lowered yours and hid your hurt behind your laptop screen. Bruce didn’t miss the subtle exchange and tried to distract Tony off from the subject but still, the man was oblivious. 

“Tony, would you just quit it?” Steve complained exasperatedly, a sigh escaping his lips.

“I’m just saying, Cap. You’re a hundred years old, you aren’t getting any younger, pal,” he continued on. 

Before Steve could say anything else, you made a show of stretching out of your chair. 

“Oh boy, I need some coffee, do you guys want any?” you asked as cheerfully as you could, looking for an escape. 

“Oh you just read my mind! Didn’t I say she was the best?” Tony asked rhetorically, his hand gesturing to you as he looked at the men in the room. You missed the way Steve’s eyes had softened when they landed on you. The only reason he was even here. 

“I could use one right now, angel. Thank you!” Tony continued, using the nickname he had given you since you started working here, giving you a quick smile before going back to work.

“I could use one too, thanks.” Bruce nodded at you.

“Alright. How about you, Steve?”  you turned to him, your heart beating rapidly in your chest as he looked at you, an endearing smirk playing on the corner of his lips while he shook his head no.

“I’ll go with you, help you carry it.” He said, already standing up.

“What? Pssh. No. It’s fine, I got it.” You dismissed him playfully, leaving the lab as fast as you could, a weight in your chest as Tony continued to berate him into asking Sharon out on a date.

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You decided to get Steve coffee anyway. You knew he was only being a gentleman because he didn’t want you having a hard time carrying all of it back to the lab. Grabbing some snacks too, you made your way back, a tray balancing on your hands when you heard Tony scream your name. Uh-oh. 

You opened the door to see Bruce and Steve laughing their asses off while Tony looked at you with murder in his eyes. “Did you just hack my playlist and change it all to spice girls?” he bellowed over the music, hands on his hips. You couldn’t help the laugh that escaped your lips. It was supposed to be a prank between the two of you. He said you couldn’t hack into the system he created and you just had to prove him wrong. You thought you had put a timer on F.R.I.D.A.Y to just change it when he was alone. Guess you weren’t as good a hacker as you thought you were.  

“Sorry,” you shrugged sheepishly. 

“You don’t even look sorry. You could at least tell me you saved my old playlist,”

 Uh-oh. “I think so?” 

“Oh, come on!” he whined. 

“Sorry, but you questioned my hacking skills!” You replied indignantly.

“Because you’re not a hacker!” he emphasized each word, making you giggle. 

“I really am sorry! Look, I’m sure if there’s anyone here who could get it back, it’s you.” your sickly sweet voice belied the trick you still held up your sleeve. 

“Damn right, I could,” he replied arrogantly, typing into his hologrammed board as he gave instructions to F.R.I.D.A.Y.

You sipped the coffee in your hands, hiding the smirk on your lips. Bruce thanked you for the wonderful prank and you gave him a little curtsy in return as he grabbed an extra cinnamon roll, still smiling. All the while Steve looked down at the tray, his insides warming at your thoughtfulness, you had brought him his favorite yogurt and fruits knowing he’d prefer those over the sugary treats. He was suddenly pulled out of his reverie when Celine Dion’s haunting voice rang out, almost making him spit his coffee out of his mouth as he burst out laughing, watching Tony’s face get flushed. He turned to you as you carelessly threw your head back, laughing. Anyone who could take Tony down a peg, he admired, and knowing that it was your brilliant mind that had the genius sputtering in annoyance made him love you even more. 

“Oh doll…” he exhaled. “This is why I fell in love with you.” 

Everyone in the room suddenly stilled. Tony’s audible, “Oh” popped in the background making Steve screw his face up in confusion. What the heck? He saw your eyes widen, your cheeks turning beet red.  Oh crap. 

He said that out loud, didn’t he?