#maybe one day the will understand each other

[smoshyourheadin]

Hi! Saw that your requests were open and wondered if you’d do something with Steve Harrington and reader where it’s based on season 4 and reader is catching the looks Steve and Nancy give each other so she confronts him and he reassures her there’s nothing going on?

only you

pairing: steve harrington x f! reader

a/n: I LOVE STEVE!! this was rlly fun to write :33 this request is so cute i love him eek!! also this is kind of inspired by the song ‘only you’ by yazoo bc i love that song heheh

it had been a rough few days. the kind of rough that made steve wish he could crawl under his bedcovers and stay there until the world decided to stop falling apart. but hiding wasn't an option when the upside down was causing havoc in hawkins again, and certainly not when nancy was back in his life, running headfirst into danger just like old times.

you had been a solid presence throughout the ordeal, offering reason when everyone else seemed ready to unravel. steve always appreciated you more than he could ever put into words. you were his rock, his anchor in the storm, and he knew he was the luckiest guy in the world to have you by his side.

tonight, the group had gathered in the wheeler basement, trying to piece together the story of the latest victim that vecna had left for them. nancy was flipping through her notebook, scribbling notes furiously, while steve tried to keep up with the conversation. he glanced over at her a few times, mostly out of habit. they had been through so much together that it was hard not to look back on those memories with a tinge of nostalgia.

but he didn’t realize how it must have looked to you.

you were sitting on the other side of the room, comforting el, whilst trying to focus on max’s recount of her latest vision, but your eyes kept drifting to steve and nancy. every stolen glance, every shared look between them, sent a pang of insecurity through your heart. you knew they had history - everyone did. but seeing them together again, working so closely, it made you wonder if maybe that history wasn't as buried as you hoped.

later, after the meeting had dispersed and everyone was heading home, you and steve walked to his car in silence. the quiet stretched uncomfortably between you, filled with words unsaid.

"hey," steve finally broke the silence as he unlocked the car. "y’okay?"

you nodded, but your expression betrayed you. steve could see the worry etched across your face. he gently touched your arm, stopping you before you could climb into the passenger seat.

"what's wrong?" he asked, his voice soft and full of concern.

you took a deep breath, looking up at him with eyes that threatened to spill over with tears. "i saw the way you were looking at nancy tonight," you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. "and... and the way she was looking at you."

steve's eyes widened in surprise, and then softened with understanding. he stepped closer, cupping your face in his hands. "hey, no," he said gently. "there’s nothing going on between me and nancy. we’re just trying to figure all this out, just like everyone else."

"but you have a history with her," you whispered, looking away. "and i can't help but feel like, like maybe you still have feelings for her."

steve's heart ached at the sight of your distress. he tilted your chin up so you would look at him, his gaze steady and sincere. "listen to me," he said firmly. "nancy and i... we had our time, but it’s over. i care about her as a friend, and that's it. you’re the one i’m with now. you’re the one i want to be with."

he pressed his forehead against yours, closing his eyes. "you’re my present and my future," he whispered. "i love you. only you."

you closed your eyes too, feeling the warmth of his words seep into your heart. "promise?" you asked, your voice small and vulnerable.

steve pulled back just enough to look into your eyes, his expression full of love and determination. "i promise," he said. "i’m all in, with you. and I’m not going anywhere."

you let out a shaky breath, a smile breaking through the lingering doubt. "okay," you whispered.

steve leaned in and kissed you, slow and sweet, pouring all his reassurance and love into that kiss. when he pulled back, he rested his forehead against yours again, a small smile playing on his lips. "no more doubts, okay?"

you nodded, feeling the weight of your worries lift. "okay."

with a final kiss on your forehead, steve opened the car door for you. as you both settled into your seats and drove away, the tension from earlier dissolved, replaced by a comforting sense of certainty. no matter what anything or anyone threw at you, you knew you had steve by your side. and that was enough.

[hwaslayer]

love you in slow motion (psh) | five.

♡ spotify playlist | series masterlist ♡

—summary: seonghwa will go through hell and back for you, as long as he can continue to see that smile on your face. because to him, that smile feels like a rainbow after the rain, thewarmth of the sun on a winter day. because to him, you’re more than just his bestfriend—you’re love. even though everyone seems to see that except you.

—pairing: park seonghwa x f!reader

—genre: (18+ - minors dni) bestfriends to lovers | fluff, angst, smut

—word count: 9k

—chapter warning: cussing/mature language, implied sexual content, lots of overthinking, crying, mentions of death and death anniversary, friends & family being like ?? 😭, flashbacks, mentions of alcohol consumption, unprotected sex — sorry if i missed anything & if it’s all over the place! i tried to edit as much as i can while im away!! but enjoy & ty for being patient with me 🫶🏼 if you need something different, here is part one of yeosang’s fic!

Seonghwa doesn't remember when exactly he fell in love with you.

It might've been when you watched all of his football games growing up.

It might've been when you beat up that one kid because he wouldn't stop bothering Hwa for the answers to the homework and called him out of his name unnecessarily.

It might've been when you'd come to his house and sneak through the back door just so you could lie down on his bedroom floor and listen to new music together until you fell asleep.

It might've been when you first got your license and drove him to the hospital and stayed by his side when his fever didn't go down.

It might've been the trip to Hanoi with his family.

Or, it might've been when you sat with him during his first day in 3rd grade at your school, even though he was a child and didn't really know what love meant. He was surrounded by it, and so he was familiar with it. You gave him the same vibes. It must've been, right?

Of course, he had been in relationships. Those relationships did make him feel like maybe, those feelings for you were a fleeting moment; something that would pass, especially since things hadn't changed between you two. He wasn't gonna force it. He might've believed at some point that it was probably all a lie, that he wasn't meant to be with you in the end.

An idea that was way too good to be true.

But, then those relationships would end and he'd be back to square one. And he'd sit there and reflect on everything, revisiting the idea if he was saved for someone else [you]. Truth be told, he did love his exes. They'll always have a special place in his heart. But along their journey, he always felt like this wasn't his end goal— that this instead was the fleeting moment, that particular something that would pass.

In the end, it was always gonna be you.

"So, what happened with Makayla?" Wooyoung asks as he cleans his table and starts unpacking some new supplies that had just been delivered.

"Nothing." Seonghwa shrugs. "Y/N came that morning, ran off, then Makayla kinda knew. I feel so fucked up about it cause she's so nice and understanding."

♡ FLASHBACK

Seonghwa smiles when Makayla steps into his car, her sweet perfume immediately filling the air. Earlier in the week, he had asked Makayla if she wanted to go to a casual dinner and she instantly replied saying she'd love to. It put a smile on Seonghwa's face, which felt nice after the gloomy and upsetting days he'd been having.

He takes her to a casual ramen restaurant in town; it's small, cozy and intimate. They sit at the bar next to each other, taking the time to get to know each other over some hot, comforting bowls of ramen. He finds that Makayla enjoys a lot of similar things; she's outgoing, likes to go on adventures and explore new places, try new foods, would always be down to try something thrilling like skydiving or zip-lining in a tropical place.

Shit like that.

Seonghwa isn't as adventurous but he'd be down, and he likes that about her. On top of that, she's really sweet and laid back. Seonghwa doesn't feel like he has to try and paint this certain image to impress her. He doesn't; he can be himself for the most part, despite the fact that he's still having to try and keep it cool since it's the first time they're hanging out. Even when they finish their ramen, they sit there for another 30 minutes or so just chatting it up— learning more about likes and dislikes, past relationships, you, even.

"Yeah, so there's me, San, Wooyoung, Hongjoong and Y/N. I met San, Wooyoung and Hongjoong in college, and Y/N—" He pauses a bit as he twirls the straw in his cup. "She's been my bestfriend since the third grade."

"That's sweet. So, you guys are all close and everything? Y/N probably knows you the best, hm?" Makayla chuckles.

"Yeah, she does. I guess. We've been through a lot together." Seonghwa looks at her and nods. Makayla isn't one to press more, but she can tell there's a little more to you and what you mean to Seonghwa. Of course, he's not gonna divulge now. Makayla doesn't expect him to. But there's a pause, a silence that falls between them that says there's more to it than he's letting up.

She'll let it be, though. She can tell you are special to Seonghwa.

"That's nice, though. To have someone by your side after all these years. You two are still going strong. I feel like a lot of friendships crumble, or people just get distant because we grow and become different people over time."

"Mmyeah. I think we are. We're just.." Seonghwa shakes her head. "Yeah, nevermind. We're just in our fighting phase but it's not anything we haven't experienced before." He lies to skip out on details. He's torn between telling Makayla the messy ass truth or keeping it on the low— cause honestly, this was a harmless dinner. Seonghwa didn't expect anything out of this.

Maybe he should've just been honest from the beginning but his head is fucking everywhere right now, and he doesn't wanna think about it.

"I see. I hope things get better."

"Yeah, same." Seonghwa lets out a pathetic chuckle before sipping the last bit of his water and standing. "Anyway, ready to get out of here?"

"Sure. Thanks for dinner." He smiles and takes her hand to lead her out of the restaurant.

"Course. Thanks for joining me." It's a bit of a chilly night tonight, Seonghwa and Makayla can see their breath in the air as they walk back to the car together. Seonghwa truthfully is having a good time with her and he doesn't necessarily wanna part ways so soon. He might take this as a distraction, he might use this as a way to get even closer and have something to build off of— he couldn't really tell you what exactly goes through his head at this next moment. He can't lie that it is a good distraction from the bullshit he's been dealing with, and although he doesn't mean to compare Makayla to you, he can't help but say she's been making him feel way better about himself than you lately.

He hates that it even has to come down to this because at the end of the day, life clearly still revolves around you.

Seonghwa tugs the passenger door open and lets her get settled before he hops into the driver's seat. He tugs on his jacket a bit before starting the car and turning up the heat, pulling out his phone to quickly see if there's any notifications he needs to tend to from the boys [you].

"Any plans for the rest of the night?" She shakes her head.

"Nope, none at all. What about you?"

"None. Should we find something else to do then?"

"I'm down!"

"Anything specific come to mind or.. we can hang out at my spot, if you want? No pressure. I can take you home, too. It's whatever you wanna do." Seonghwa looks at her from the driver's seat.

"No, we can go to your place. I'm fine with that."

"You sure?"

"Mhm." She smiles, giving Seonghwa the green light to start up the car and drive back to his apartment.

When they get back to his place, he grabs a bottle of wine and little snacks before popping on a thriller movie she suggests. He plans to keep it chill for the evening. He doesn't plan for anything specific to happen, he doesn't plan for the night to go a certain way. He lets it be; even when Makayla scoots next to him and cuddles up under his arm. Even when his fingers seem to be tracing circles on her arm, even when he suddenly feels the urge to kiss her.

To feel something.

And so one kiss eventually turns into another, and another deep kiss. Then, it eventually turns into Seonghwa tearing off her clothes and vice versa as they rush to his room and get in his sheets. He quickly rolls on a condom and gets her laid out underneath him. He enjoys this, yes— he's not gonna lie. He's a man and he's got needs, that's why he's indulging in every second of this. He fucks her good, deep into the mattress. Makayla's moaning his name and digging her nails deep into his shoulders, whining right into his ear and begging for more of him.

It's an ego boost, and it's making him feel ten times better about himself.

He makes her cum twice that night, from missionary and from behind. He hopes his neighbors don't complain about the noise— headboard lowkey banging into the wall with his name being called out like a mantra.

He has a good fucking time, though. He doesn't kick her out. He lets her stay the night, handing her a shirt to sleep in to feel more comfortable. He holds her and falls asleep quickly, the morning coming not too long after they had fallen asleep together.

Seonghwa planned to sleep in a 'lil bit that morning since he wasn't needed at work until 10am. In his head, he had planned to wake up at his own liking, prep a small breakfast for him and Makayla before offering to take her home on the way to work.

But, his plan is completely ruined when he hears a loud knock on the front door that also startles Makayla awake.

"Are you expecting someone?" Seonghwa's brow turns up as he ponders for a bit. He isn't expecting any packages and he doesn't remember putting in any maintenance requests. So.. no?

"No." He gets up, but Makayla does too and he feels a bit bad her sleep was ruined. "You don't have to get up, you can stay in bed if you'd like."

"No, it's okay. I should probably get up and get ready." He gives her a small smile before walking out, throwing on a white tank top to cover his indecency and tidying up a bit for whoever the hell is on the other side of the door. Who he expected, he wasn't sure. But he sure as hell wasn't expecting it to be you on the other side this early in the morning.

He swings the door open and he's not sure what to say or do, and it doesn't help that Makayla is brushing past behind him in his shirt to gather some of her things.

"Oh." Is all you say, and Seonghwa feels his heart break to a million pieces when he sees the look on your face. You're trying your hardest not to show how much it hurts you, but he knows you. He knows you well, that's for damn sure.

"Y/N—"

"It's good, I didn't meant to interrupt, I'm sorry— I'll catch you later."

♡ END

"I mean, it's not like you were expecting Y/N to come on that morning. Plus, you didn't necessarily lie or do anything behind anyone's back. You tried." Wooyoung feels a little silly knowing he knew about your plan, but he definitely didn't know Makayla spent the night until now. He took a 'harmless dinner' for what it really was; not Seonghwa taking her back home for good times and good vibes in the sheets. Or else, he probably would've prevented you from going on that morning and lied about Hwa's shift time to keep everything as smooth as possible. But, it doesn't make any sense when Wooyoung really thinks about it. Because even if he did tell you Hwa had an early shift and that it'd be better to see him later, would that help fix anything? Which exactly is the lesser evil?

For Wooyoung, he thinks it just had to unfold the way it did, unfortunately.

"Mm. Yeah." Is all Seonghwa says before finishing up wrapping some KT tape on his client. "Makayla was cool, though."

"Took her out and took her home, ey." His client chimes in, making Seonghwa shake his head.

"Thought I'd move on." Seonghwa shrugs.

"Clearly not." Wooyoung snorts, tossing in some fun to brighten the mood. "No, but, honestly. I think it had to happen this way? Instead of it getting too deep with Makayla and Y/N comes back around? Less mess."

"Less mess is always nice." His client chimes in again. "So, what are you gonna do? Does Tyson know about the whole thing with his cousin?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. He hasn't mentioned anything. If he asked, I'd be honest about it." Seonghwa shrugs. He wasn't entirely hiding anything and he likes to think he tried to go about this as normally as possible. It wasn't like he was out to intentionally hurt Makayla. He could never. He just didn't expect things to play out the way that it did, and he could never lie either.

"Well. What're you gonna do now?"

"Somehow talk to Y/N."

"You haven't heard from her since then, huh? Well, I guess since the club." Wooyoung corrects himself.

"Nope. I have not." Seonghwa's bottom lip pokes out into a pout before patting his client on the shoulder to signal that he was finished with the KT tape.

"Damn, Hwa." Is all his client says before walking out of the room, making both Seonghwa and Wooyoung chuckle.

"I really wanted her to take the lead on this one."

"Technically, she did. It just happened to be at the wrong time." Wooyoung shrugs. "Give her a little bit of time before you reach out again. She probably feels really defeated after that. And don't get me wrong, I love you both and the situation is unfair for both ends. But I think right now you two just need the space."

"Yeah. I'm not gonna force anything right now. I just hope she's able to talk to me before jumping to more conclusions."

"Mhm."

"Have you been able to talk to her recently?" Seonghwa fully turns to Wooyoung.

"Yeah, but she's not really saying anything about it. I think Sannie—"

"Sannie.. what?"

"She called Sannie after the whole thing and cried to him about it."

"Oh." His heart breaks hearing that you've cried over him yet again. Maybe Wooyoung was right— maybe you both needed this space after all.

♡ FLASHBACK

"San? Sannie?" You repeatedly call his name over the phone and San is confused. He has just woken up, but he's immediately alert when he hears you crying, your voice trembling on the other line.

"Hey Y/N?" He says in a questioning tone as he sits up in bed and rubs at his eyes. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"I'm so fucking stupid." You quickly start your car and reverse out of the spot to drive off.

"Don't say that, what's going on? Talk to me."

"I just tried to talk to Seonghwa about everything. I was gonna tell him everything, I was gonna be honest. Sannie, I was gonna be honest—"

"Slow down, where are you?"

"I'm going home." You cry and San starts to get up and get ready.

"I'll meet you there and we can talk more, okay? Just please get home safely and I'll be there." You nod even though San can't see you, trying as best as possible to race home in a safe manner. All you wanna do is crawl into bed and cry everything out so you can put on a brave face for work later.

When you get home, you immediately toss your pajamas back on and curl up on the couch. You put on a random movie for background noise, picking up your phone to see the missed calls and texts from Seonghwa.

[seonghwa]: y/n where are you?

[seonghwa]: can we talk, please?

[seonghwa]: just text me back or call me.

[seonghwa]: y/n please talk to me.

You let out a sigh and set the phone aside, not knowing how to respond to him right now. Your thoughts are all over the place, and you're regretting everything that's happened between you and Seonghwa recently. You were too late and this was the price of your actions, reactions, everything.

This is exactly what you were afraid of— losing Seonghwa, even as your bestfriend, for good. Because now, things seem irreparable. Your relationship won't feel the same and it's truly awful.

"It's me, San." You suddenly hear at the door before he lightly jiggles the doorknob. "I'm coming in, okay?" You don't say anything and he proceeds, eyes instantly landing on your form on the couch. "What happened?" San positions himself on the middle of the couch, looking down at you with sympathy. He really does hate seeing you cry— he's hated it since he's known you and grown close to you.

"It's too late. I'm too late. I'm so stupid." You cry, explaining to San about how you finally gained the courage to talk to Seonghwa. You tell San you woke up early and tried to put yourself in a good mindset in order to work through things properly. You tell him about how you got yourself there, ran up the steps and knocked on his door without turning back. You explain the look on Hwa's face, you explain how surprised he was to see you.

You explain how you ran off when you saw her in his shirt.

You explain how your heart dropped, you explain how awful the feeling was hearing him call after you, seeing his texts and missed calls.

"But, he was calling after you. He wants to talk to you Y/N."

"No. I ruined it. He's probably just gonna explain how he needed to move on and tell me shit that's gonna hurt like hell."

"Why don't you hear him out, hm? It could be entirely different, and he might wanna work this out with you."

"We kissed at the club. So after all of this— the kiss, the argument after the fight with Mingi, today—I don't think Seonghwa and I will ever be the same again. I fucked it up." You ramble on and San's slightly having a hard time keeping up cause he's stuck on the fact that you just told him you and Hwa kissed. It's not like he's entirely surprised, it just makes sense as to why things feel too fucking complicated.

He sees why now. But truthfully, as both your friend and Seonghwa's, it's not his place to say anything. The best advice he has is to just let it play out how it should. You'll get your time to talk to Seonghwa. Whatever unfolds from there is what will unfold.

"Hey, don't say that. Please don't." San says softly. "I know everything feels messed up and all over the place right now, but I know Seonghwa wants to fix things just as badly as you do. You're his bestfriend before anything, he'll never let that happen."

"I don't know what to do."

"Why don't you give yourself more time and space? Talk to Seonghwa when you've had a chance to clear your head and gather your thoughts properly." He gently rubs at your back. "This is the best thing you can do for yourself right now. For you and him, maybe." You dig your head into the pillow and release a sigh, almost finding the need to scream at how frustrating everything is.

But, he's right.

Time.

♡ END

"Heard you two kissed at the club." Wooyoung teases Seonghwa, causing him to toss a roll of gauze at his head.

"Shut up."

"Ow, what? It's cute!" Seonghwa glares at him before letting out a sigh.

"It just seems like everything's against us right now." Seonghwa laughs a bit, but deep down, he isn't sure how he feels. He's sad. He's heartbroken. He's not sure if he wanted the kiss to happen purely because of what you two are now. Because even though he knows it's not the only problem, it is probably the biggest.

"Give it time, yeah? You two will talk it out when things settle and it'll get better no matter what that looks like. I know you mean a lot to Y/N, and she wouldn't just drop 16 years of friendship over a silly little squabble."

"Mm." Seonghwa hums.

"Have you talked to Makayla since then?"

"Yeah, and she still wants to be friends. There weren't any expectations so.." Seonghwa shrugs. "At least she doesn't fucking hate me even though I deserve it"

"Dude, again. You weren't intentionally trying to hurt her. It's just a complicated situation."

"Yeah. Anyway. You're coming to my dad's thing right?"

"Of course, the fuck?" Wooyoung laughs. "This weekend, right?"

"Yup."

"Yeah, I'll be there."

"I wonder if Y/N is still coming."

"She will." Wooyoung gives him a small smile. "I know she will."

The weekend comes quick and Seonghwa is hauling ass from the wee early morning hours to get ready for his dad's retirement party. He's helping fix up the house and the backyard before running to the store to grab more things his mom needs. Though he's not trippin' about being tasked with errands alone, he'd usually have you tag along for company and extra hands. He feels it a lot today, and it's killing him how he can't even do this with you.

He doesn't even know if you're coming, or if you remembered, even if Wooyoung reassured him.

"You're done?" Seonghwa's mom asks, peering over his shoulders as he hauls in grocery bags and a cake.

"Yeup. Why? Don't tell me you need more, ma. I told you—" She playfully pinches him on the arm and furrows his brows while he lets out a low 'ow.'

"Told me what, hm? That's all! I'm not adding to the list! Where's Y/N?"

"What do you even mean?" She crosses her arms.

"You normally do these things with her. Where is she? Is she okay?" He shrugs.

"Sorry, she's busy." She eyes him, taking note of the way he shrinks and avoids eye contact. "Where do you want me to put the groceries and cake? Fridge for now?"

"Mhm. Thank you."

"Where's dad?"

"Showering and getting ready for his special day."

"I probably should do that, too.”

"Y/N is coming, right?"

"Mom, yes." He says in a slightly exasperated tone because he doesn't know the real truth. He honestly just wants to stop talking about you for a second. Just one second. "I'm gonna get ready." He walks off to get ready, sorting through his duffle bag of clothes that he brought over.

His mom likes to tease him, even though deep down, she gets sad when you two fight. It's not even just the fact that you welcomed him so warmly when he was the new kid in town, it was the fact that she has never seen Seonghwa connect with someone so well. You've always pulled the best out of him, and you were always there to make him laugh, to make him happy. Despite all the troubles you've endured, you've always treated them with respect and you've always shown love even if your own life felt like it was lacking of such. This didn't feel like any other fight she's witnessed between you two— call it mother's instinct, but she knew there was way more to it than Seonghwa wants to let on. She just hopes that whatever it is, you two can pull through. She knows you both are stronger than that.

When Seonghwa gets showered and throws on some better clothes fit for the occasion, he helps his mom and dad get the house clean and tidy for the party. His dad had officially retired, and Seonghwa was happy he could finally rest. Enjoy the things he loved doing. Spend more time with his mom. He helps put up the decorations around the house, fixing up the backyard and getting the grill ready for the food. Wooyoung, Hongjoong and San are one of the first to arrive, along with his relatives. They immediately start drinking and enjoying themselves, playing music and grilling meat to start kicking things off as more people trickle in.

Wooyoung briefly offers to take over the grill while Seonghwa heads into the kitchen to pull out more of the fruits and non-alcoholic drinks for his cousins and relatives that don't drink. He's busy setting things aside when his mom's loud scream startles him, his eyes immediately diverting to the source near the front door.

"Y/N's here with Yaya, Soyeon and Charli!" Seonghwa's mom lets out an excited yell when she sees her favorites walk through the door, throwing her arms around you for a big hug. Seonghwa turns from the kitchen, watching as you greet his family members that immediately swarm you at the entry. You happily greet his dad near the living room, giving him a big hug and congratulations for his retirement. It's the first time he'd be speaking to you after everything, let alone seeing you. He tenses up a bit, but he doesn't ignore the excitement he feels seeing your face, your smile. You're in a white denim maxi skirt and a black off-the-shoulder top, and Seonghwa can't help but stare.

"Hey!" Soyeon playfully punches him on the bicep and pulls him out of his thoughts, with Chacha screaming at the top of her lungs right next to her mom. "Chacha, jeez." Yaya laughs when she hugs him first.

"She sure loves her Uncle Hwa."

"Uncle Hwa!" She continues to scream, making Seonghwa laugh and swoop her into his arms. He gives Soyeon a one-armed hug before placing a kiss on Charli's temple.

"Chacha!" He matches her excitement. "Missed you, pea." He turns to Soyeon. "Junseo's at the restaurant?" She nods.

"Yep! Holding it down like always." She laughs. "He wanted to be here, though." She turns to Charli. "Baby, let's go eat first? You can play with Uncle Hwa after." Charli whines but doesn't fight it, making Hwa promise time after time that he'll play with her after she finishes her food. He does, anyway. He'll do anything to keep that smile on her face.

At this time, you finally make your way to the kitchen and Seonghwa isn't sure how to act. You give him a tiny, toothless smile before throwing one arm around him, clearly avoiding eye contact as much as possible.

"Hey." Seonghwa says, hugging you back. "You drove with Soyeon and Yaya?"

"Mhm."

"Should've told me so I could've picked you guys up."

"It's okay, Hwa." You give him another reassuring smile before grabbing a cup to fill up with some of the fruit juice his mom made. "Is everyone else here?"

"Yeah. Outside in the backyard. Food is out there, too."

"Thanks." You say, sipping your cup before walking out to the backyard. Seonghwa lowly groans to himself when he realizes he's being dumb, maybe slightly afraid, to talk about everything that's been happening.

Maybe it isn't the right time, either. But, he hates being this way with you. It feels terrible, and he wants nothing more than to just be okay with you.

"Are you and Y/N okay?"

"Ma, we're fine. I promise."

"Park Seonghwa if I find out that you've done something to her—"

"I didn't do anything!" He almost squeaks when he responds. "What about me, mom? How about 'are you okay, Seonghwa?'"

"I ask you all the time and you always give me the same answer!" She responds in a higher tone, but Seonghwa knows she's teasing just to push his buttons. "You never want me in your business anyway!"

"Whatever." He sighs and shakes his head, walking out to the backyard to hang out with everyone. Everyone old enough to drink [and isn't driving] raises their cups high for a big toast before knocking some soju back. Seonghwa catches up by taking the shot Wooyoung hands him to the neck, making a face at the bitter brand of soju they've decided on.

You've parked yourself in between Hongjoong and San, with Yaya, Soyeon and Charli sitting nearby as they eat their food. You have a plate in hand while you laugh along with San, Hongjoong and Wooyoung poking fun and making faces at Charli nearby. Seonghwa plops onto the empty bench space next to San, sipping on his drink while watching his cousins play in front of everyone. San sees you shift in your position a bit, now paying more attention to Charli, Wooyoung and Hongjoong, while Seonghwa continues to quietly sip on his drink. San isn't gonna lie— he feels a bit awkward since the tension is coming from both ways. But, he brushes it off anyway; trying to keep everything as normal as possible to keep the party running on a smooth note.

"Uncle Hwa." Charli comes in front of him with a huge smile on her face.

"Yes?" He gives her the same smirk, setting his cup down onto the table. "Finished eating?"

"Ya. But, mommy says I can't play yet."

"30 minutes!" Soyeon yells from her seat.

"She's right. You need to let your food settle." He pokes at her tummy and pulls her onto his lap. "Here." He hands her his phone to play on.

"Uncle Hwa." She calls for him again as she watches him pull up her favorite game.

"Mhm?" She puts up her tiny hands near his ear to whisper something so incredibly confidential:

"Are you and Titi Y/N fighting?" He chuckles.

"A bit, but we'll be okay."

"Why?" She pouts at him.

"Just grown up things, Chacha. We'll be okay." He repeats.

"You promise?" She's still whispering and Seonghwa's heart melts when she puts up her pinky for a pinky-promise. "Titi Y/N loves you. Don't be mad."

"I'm not mad." He wraps his pinky around hers. "Promise, okay? Here." He passes her his phone once the game loads.

"Uncle Hwa, I wanna play with your legos." She plays Mario Kart Tour furiously on his phone.

"Which one do you wanna play with?"

"Any." Seonghwa laughs and nods, carrying her as he stands to grab his legos from his stash in his old room.

"Let's go find one, hm?" You watch as Seonghwa carries Charli with ease into the house, remembering the night you two spent with Charli a few weeks ago. Feels pretty distant, and it hits you how sad your situation with Seonghwa is right now. You quickly shake off your thoughts and stand from your seat to throw your trash away and grab another drink, grabbing more trash from the group when they see you making your way inside. You toss the paper plates away, engaging in small talk with Seonghwa's cousins as they pass in and out of the house. You pour yourself another cup, getting slightly startled by Charli zooming out of the house screaming in pure happiness while holding one of Hwa's small lego sets.

"That girl talks in screams." You mutter to yourself. "Oh shit." You look at the small spill to the side of your cup, letting out a sigh when you reach over for a napkin—

"Here." Seonghwa cocks a brow up when he hands you a napkin. "Can always count on you to make a mess, I guess." You roll your eyes at his sarcasm and snatch the napkin out of his hand to wipe up the spill.

"Thanks." Seonghwa continues to stand there, awkwardly watching you clean up the spill. You turn to him once more, furrowing your brows in confusion. "What?"

"We're just not gonna talk about it?"

"We're not doing this right now." You look at him. "Not at your dad's retirement party."

"Then when, Y/N? You're just gonna leave everything like this?"

"I don't know, Seonghwa! I guess so, cause I'm definitely not doing this now." He lets out a hefty sigh before slowly nodding his head.

"Wow, so you're fine with—"

"Stop." Seonghwa licks his lips and purses them together before breaking eye contact first. It's the easiest comeback he has, and he's not sure why he feels so angry, so triggered, right now. It's probably because he wishes you had just talked to him before the party. It's probably because it's been too long and he's not even sure where this leaves you two anymore. It's probably because he misses you and wishes he could just hug you. Call you. Text you. Do everything that he used to. Regardless of the kiss.

"Alright." Seonghwa says, surrendering and waving the white flag. You catch the way his jaw slightly clenches when he tears his eyes away from you and breaks eye contact. It does break your heart, and you hate that this is what you two have become. But, you weren't gonna do this on his dad's special day. Not at his dad's party.

"Excuse me." You grab your cup and Seonghwa steps aside to let you walk out first. He follows suit, shutting the sliding door behind him. Your friends and Soyeon don't fail to catch how bothered you two look even though you try to keep it under wraps, continuing to keep distance even as the afternoon goes on.

While Charli continues to play with the lego set in between playing with Seonghwa's baby cousins, you, your friends, and Seonghwa's relatives engage in more drinking and karaoke. Seonghwa and his mom take a moment to say little speeches over the cake, congratulating his dad for his retirement and for reaching a milestone in his life. You go about the party as normal as possible, keeping the energy and the good vibes alive even though it truly feels the worst not being able to genuinely be happy around the people you love the most.

You knew it was time to talk to Seonghwa soon, and that he was waiting for you to do it. He had been waiting for you, and god knows how disappointed he must have been in you.

Everything just feels so fucked up, and you feel so torn about everything. You wish you could just run away and hide from it all, even though you equally wanted to fix this and figure out where you two lie in all of this.

What about Makayla?

Was he still seeing her like that?

That's probably the one thing you were most afraid of. Seonghwa was your bestfriend. Despite all of this, you should be happy with whatever he chooses. He deserves it. He didn't deserve what you gave him at the club or how you failed to be honest about your feelings. This was all because of you.

As the evening arrives, you and Soyeon plan to leave in the next half hour due to Charli getting restless. As you pack some food to go for the both of you, Seonghwa's mom rushes over to you and puts her hand on your back. She looks at you lovingly like she always has, a soft smile on her face.

"Come here really quickly.” Her hand laces with yours as she shows you to their room. "I was cleaning up the garage the other day and found these photos and videos." She hands you some old photos of you, your dad, and Seonghwa and his dad while out. You flip through them, feeling the tears welling up in your bottom lids.

You missed your dad so, so much.

There were even photos of you and Seonghwa on the playground, photos of you and Seonghwa laughing while on a family trip, photos of you and Seonghwa hanging out in each other's backyards. Photos of you, your dad, Seonghwa and Seonghwa's dad together.

"This, too." His mom slips an old VHS tape into the VCR and you giggle a bit at how long it's been since you've watched something on tape. A huge wave of nostalgia immediately rushes over you as you gently place the photos down and watch the video of you and your dad during the fourth grade trip to the local zoo.

"He truly adored you more than anything. You will always be his little girl." She says and you start crying. Seonghwa's mom leans her head on your shoulder, and you lean onto her; silently enjoying the footage together. All of this was perfect timing, and you knew Seonghwa's mom did it for a reason. Your dad's death anniversary would be coming later in the week and it was everything you needed to find some comfort.

"I miss him."

"I know he misses you, too."

"Thank you." You look at her and give her a toothless smile. "Can I take these pictures?"

"Of course! Want the tapes, too?"

"Is it okay if I keep it here? I don't have a VCR." She laughs a bit and nods.

"Yes, absolutely." She rubs your arm before pulling you into another hug. "I'm glad you came out today."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"You and Seonghwa seem to be fighting." She makes a face that makes you laugh. "What happened? What did he do?"

"Nothing. It was me. We just got.. into a disagreement, I guess. It's my fault though, and I just haven't been able to talk to him to apologize."

"You two will be fine."

"I know." You give her another tiny, toothless smile. "I hope." The two of you sit together for a little longer, taking in the rest of the photos before you wrap it up and head back out to the party.

At this point, your friends are taking their leave, with Charli laying on Soyeon as her mom holds her. She hands you the bags of all the food you packed for yourself, Yaya and Soyeon, saying your goodbyes to everyone still around. You save Seonghwa for last, giving him a tiny smile as he pulls you into a full-armed hug. You embrace the hug, pressing your cheek against his chest before he pulls away and looks at you.

"Wait." He says, holding you by the shoulders. "Have you been crying?" He looks deeply into your eyes and takes note of your wet eyelashes. You brush it off and look away, shaking your head as a response.

"No, I haven't." You brush past him to finish saying bye to his parents before rushing out the door to your own family. Seonghwa furrows his brows and looks at his mom, realizing she also has wet lashes and just looked like she finished crying.

"Were you and Y/N crying together?"

"I showed her some photos and videos with her dad that I found in the garage." She shows him the date on her phone and it’s enough for Seonghwa to understand what it means.

"Oh. I see." Is all he says. "Was she okay?"

"I think so. She can always say she's okay even though deep down, she's not." She puts her hand on Seonghwa's arm. "I don't know if it'll ever get easier for her."

"Goodmorning Hwa! Have you heard from Y/N yet? I wanted to ask her something but she hadn't texted me back and her phone is off. I think I might know why, though." Seonghwa lets out a breath and licks his lips before responding.

"I see. I'll check." He says. "I got you."

"Thanks. If you do see her, tell her to call me later when she's up for it."

"I will." And with that, Seonghwa cuts the call. He looks at his watch before devouring the rest of his breakfast, grabbing his bag and heading out the door much earlier than expected. It's a crisp, cold day. Somewhat of a drastic change compared to the days they've been having. Seonghwa can see his breath in the air, and he's regretting the light windbreaker jacket he grabbed as he rushed out the door— hoping it'd get warmer.

But, it doesn't.

He has to be at work in a bit, and he's probably even gonna be late. He's just concerned about you, and even though things still feel weird, awkward— he knows he needs to be here for you. Especially during this time.

And Seonghwa's timing couldn't be any more perfect. Because although today isn't the exact day of your dad's death anniversary, it's in two days and you never know how to prepare. Lately, you've found yourself avoiding the exact day, visiting your dad’s grave a few days earlier to say some words, say your peace. Cry and reminisce. When the day comes, you try to keep yourself busy. You work and you work, and you spend time with Yaya, or Soyeon, or even Seonghwa's family because it's the love you need to surround yourself with. As much as you love them all dearly, they aren't your dad and it never gets easier. It's an unbearable pain you can't even describe. It doesn't go away. It just sits there, leaning onto your already-broken heart and weighing heavily on the surface.

You've been quietly sitting at your dad'd grave, fingers tracing over his picture. You smile whenever you see his bright smile, his eyes holding all the irreplaceable love in the world. You're not even sure how long it's been since you got here, maybe an hour or two. It's cold, but you don't want to leave. You want to spend as much time as you can being here even though it is hard.

You continue to cry and slowly fix the flowers around his grave and other offerings. You set one of the framed pictures of you, Seonghwa, and your dads onto his grave before crying, and crying some more. Suddenly, you feel someone drape a jacket over your shoulders, and with the circumstances, you would've been spooked if it were any other day. But, you feel at ease. You feel comforted. You feel completely fine because everything feels familiar. Your feelings are confirmed when Seonghwa wraps his arm around you and pulls you close.

"It's cold, how long have you been out here for?"

"Awhile."

"You should've called me." Is all he says before there's a brief silence that falls between you two.

"I always think it'll get easier." You mumble as you wipe away at your tears. "When a new year comes, I always feel like it'll be the year I'll finally be able to process this and say my peace to it." You start breaking down again and Seonghwa sits still, silently listening to you cry. "But, it never turns out that way. It just gets harder."

"It's an unbearable pain that doesn't go away. I'm sorry it had to be you, and I wish it didn't turn out this way. I wish it wasn't like this for you." Seonghwa says lowly as he continues to hug you and keep you close. "Your dad is always here, watching over you. And I know he'd be so proud of you for being so strong and overcoming all the adversity that came your way."

"I just miss him, Hwa. I really wish I could hug him again. I'll never forgive myself for taking advantage of all those chances and for being too comfortable."

"Y/N, this is the sort of tragedy that you can't control. It's awful, but you would have never known. There was nothing you could have done to prevent it. You did your best as his daughter, and I know he appreciated every moment until the end. I know he felt your love through everything." You cry onto his shoulder, letting everything that you still have left in you out. Seonghwa continues to hold you close, hand rubbing up and down your arm as his cheek rests on the top of your head.

"You really didn't have to come, pichu."

"And let you do this alone? I don't think so." You shift in your position to look at him. He gently takes a thumb underneath your eyes, wiping away at your tears.

"Can we talk? At my place?"

"Yeah. I'll come as soon as I'm done with work, okay?" You nod and Seonghwa gives you a tiny smile. The two of you sit in silence for a little longer before you're saying your goodbyes and heading your separate ways.

"By the way, Soyeon wanted to ask you something." He dips his head. "Call her when you get home." You nod again. "Drive safely for me." He taps your door frame before shutting it close and heading to his own car. You watch in your mirror, waiting for Seonghwa to step into his car before you drive off and head home.

Getting home, you immediately wash up, get into comfier clothes and call Soyeon to check in with her when you see her texts. You agree to picking up a few extra shifts throughout the week to cover for Jini finally taking some time off for personal reasons. You hang out on the couch, putting on a reality TV show you had already finished— you figured it'd be good for background noise. Filling up the emptiness of your space. You end up taking a long nap, waking up close to dinner by Yaya calling you into the house to share some food with her. It felt nice catching up on sleep, since you weren’t able to get much the night before. You spend most of your early evening with Yaya, helping her clean up around the kitchen before you retreat back to your place and pick up your phone when a text goes off.

[seonghwa]: need anything for dinner?

[you]: no i ate already, ty. just get yourself something!

[seonghwa]: okay. i'll be over in a few mins

You tidy up even more as if it's the first time Seonghwa is coming over. But, you feel nervous all over again. You feel like every inch of your apartment has to be clean in order to prep; overall, it feels like nothing can really prep you for whatever will go down tonight between you and Seonghwa and this is only helping distract you from that thought. You just hope it ends on a good note.

"Sorry it took me a little longer, had hella shit to do for the trainees today." You shrug as you look at him from the couch, wrapped up in your blanket.

"It's okay."

"What'd you do when you got home?"

"Hm, clean. Nap. Eat dinner with Yaya. How was work?" He shrugs.

"Tiring." He plops next to you on the couch. You notice he's drinking a protein shake, with nothing else in hand.

"You didn't get anything to eat?" He shakes his head.

"I'm not really hungry."

"Hm, okay." You hum. "Thanks for still coming over even though you had a long day." He looks at you and gives you a toothless smile.

"Course." You scoot a little closer and he continues to watch you. He watches the cute little frown on your face build— staring at him all doe-eyed and it makes his heart flutter.

"I'm sorry for everything, pichu. I didn't mean to get mad at you that night the fight broke out. I just didn't wanna see you hurt and I'm stupid for not pushing Mingi away. For finding excuses. You shouldn't have to save me every single time and I'm sorry it has been that way over the years." You tilt your head. "I really am sorry, and I didn't mean to make things more complicated especially with the kiss. I probably ruined things with Makayla—"

"We're just friends." He chimes in. "We're just friends and you didn't ruin anything."

"She was at your place? In your clothes?" He nods and chuckles a bit.

"Yeah, cause things escalated for one night. I'm not gonna lie. But, that's really it. She knew.." Seonghwa looks at you and shakes his head. "Nevermind."

"No, tell me. She knew, what?" You place your hand on his and gentle shake it.

"She knew the way I felt about you, especially after that morning."

"Oh."

"I guess she could just tell."

"I'm sorry, Hwa." He clicks his teeth and caresses your cheek.

"Stop saying sorry. Nothing was ruined. Everything's good between us and we're still friends."

"Where does that leave us?"

"You know what I want. What do you want?" You look at him for a moment, really look at him, and he's patiently waiting for your response. His big, brown eyes are holding hope, holding love, holding every bit of affection he has for you— even though he's trying his best to keep it at bay. At this moment, you couldn't even question how Seonghwa felt for you because it's overflowing from his look alone. He really wanted you. He really wanted to give you the world, if you'd let him.

"I'm just scared, Hwa." You say, close to a whisper— bottom lip trembling. He lifts your chin as he scoots closer, keeping you close and warm while his big, brown eyes peer into yours with pure adoration. There's a mix of worry, concern, but he knows better than this. He knows you two are better than this.

"I am too, I have been for a long time. But, please trust me when I tell you that I'm here and that I'll never leave your side no matter what. I'm here, Y/N. I want this, I want you. I have always wanted this."

"Don't lie."

"You know I hate liars." He chuckles a bit.

"I feel the same, Hwa. I do.”

"Yeah? You're with me? Genuinely?" You nod. "I need you to be sure of us, Y/N."

"I'm sure. I'm sorry I ever doubted you or questioned it, but I'm sure." You shed a few more tears while Seonghwa chuckles a bit. "Hey." You whine. "I'm serious!"

"I am, too." He smiles. "Stop crying, you look ugly when you cry." He teases and you smack his arm. "Just come here." He says, pulling you closer and lifting your chin up. "I got you, okay? I got us.”

"Okay."

"Is it okay if I kiss you?" Seonghwa asks, close to a whisper. You quietly nod, watching as he dips forward and closes in for a kiss. It's soft, it's sweet, it's light. It makes your lips tingle, it makes you feel all sorts of butterflies. Before Seonghwa can pull back, you immediately chase after his lips— asking for another, just deeper, more intense. It quickly builds without having to do or say much; Seonghwa's large hand cupping your cheeks right before you straddle his lap, careful not to break the kiss. Your tongues are fighting for dominance, background noise now also being filled with the sound of wet kisses. Small whines and whimpers. Seonghwa's hands fall to your ass, giving it a good squeeze when he feels you slowly rock against his already-hard cock.

"Fuck." He hisses just as you suck onto his bottom lip and tug back on it. "Hold onto me." He demands as he swiftly carries you, letting you wrap your arms around his neck, legs around his waist. He drops you onto the bed and continues to kiss you, making his way down to your jaw. Neck.

"Gonna ask again.” He places a kiss on your jaw. “Sure about this? Us? If you want me to stop, I'll stop." You shake your head as Seonghwa continues to plant kisses wherever he can, thumb fiddling with the hem of your shorts.

"Keep going." You reassure him through a quick cheek caress when he stops and stares. "Please. I’m sure."

"Okay." He whispers before dipping in for a final kiss on the lips. The both of you continue to shed off your clothes, tossing them at different points in your studio. "You're still on birth control, right? I'm clean."

"Mhm." You barely respond before you let out a small gasp when Seonghwa's thumb run down your folds, feeling for how wet you are already. He presses at your sensitive nub, biting onto his bottom lip when he sees how you easily respond.

"So wet already." Your mouth waters when Seonghwa finally sheds off his boxers and pumps himself a few times. When Seonghwa tugs the covers up and slightly hovers over your body, he teases you for a few minutes by running his tip up and down your folds. He lets out a small moan before slowly breaching your entrance, sliding in with ease because of how wet you are.

This whole thing feels so raw, feels so new, feels so.. meant to be.

So perfect.

Like fitting in the last piece of a 1000-piece puzzle.

Seonghwa slowly works himself into you to adjust to the feeling, his mouth slacked open against yours at how good, how perfect, you feel. He finds a steady rhythm, your legs cocked open for him as he dives deeper, and deeper— hitting you in all the right spots. Seonghwa thinks the feeling is indescribable. It's the fact that the person he genuinely loves is underneath him, the person he genuinely loves has admitted in feeling the same about him, about this. It's the fact that everything feels so, so right.

It makes everything about this exciting, more pleasurable.

"God, you feel so good—" He groans. "Baby, fuck." The pet name sends shivers down your spine, eliciting a loud moan to slip from your lips. He picks up the pace, fucking into you rougher, faster.

"Seonghwa—" You whine. He sits up, hands splayed out on your thighs to keep them spread open while thrusting into you. He watches as you shut your eyes, back arching in pleasure, teeth biting onto your bottom lip to prevent yourself from moaning too loud. "Mm'close." You mewl as Seonghwa's hips become a little sloppier, his movements rough and hard. You start to move your hips to match his movements, tipping closer and closer over the edge with every move, every moan, every kiss. Suddenly, you still as you let out a loud moan of Seonghwa's name— a huge wave of pleasure, ecstasy, washing over your body. Seonghwa takes the opportunity to chase his high, hips stuttering just as he releases his seed into you shortly afterwards. A strangled, deep moan leaves his lips as he presses wet kisses against your neck, jaw, lips.

"Y/N." He looks at you, brushing the hair away from your face.

"Hm?"

"I love you."

♡ taglist: @hwasbabygirl @fairyofhueningkai @chngbnwf @tinyteezer @everyonewooeverywhere @pearbunny @mxnsxngie @starhwahwa @woosmaid @yeosangsbbg @jycas @lyracarvahall @huachengsbestie01 @laurenwidjaja @taz-97 @asjkdk @woojirang @svintsandghosts @cheolliehugs

[felinecyan]

Turned Tables

[Toshinori Yagi x Female!Reader]

Synopsis: Although being with All Might meant you’d have to be saved twice as much as a regular civilian, it didn’t mean he was completely invincible. Sometimes, he also needed saving, and sometimes, you were the only one able to do it.

WC: 1859

Category: Mega Fluff

My beloved 🥹🥹

『••✎••』

If your future self told you that your life would be filled with the most bizarre, unpredictable situations and involved with the number one hero in all of Japan, would you believe it? Absolutely not.

If you had asked your younger self what she imagined her future to be, you could never have come up with something so ridiculous. The mere thought of All Might being your soulmate would have sent you into hysterics.

But that was then.

And this is now.

You weren't sure how it had happened, and you called it cliche, but you swore it had been a twist of fate that had brought the two of you together. I mean, he saved thousands of people on a daily basis. There was no reason he should have paid attention to you.

He was just doing his job.

It was only chance that the villain that had been terrorizing your neighborhood had targeted you. It was luck that All Might had just happened to be passing through when you found yourself staring down the barrel of a gun.

In the end, you were unharmed.

All Might had arrived just in time, disarming the villain and delivering him to the proper authorities.

You had thanked him, of course. Maybe it was your calm nature or perhaps the fact that you had remained surprisingly unshaken during the encounter. But somehow, fate decided that the two of you were perfect for each other.

The second All Might had turned his back to you and begun to walk away, he froze. It was as if the air had suddenly gone stale. All Might felt an overwhelming presence behind him and a voice that seemed to be calling out to him. He hadn't even known that you had followed after him.

He spun around quickly, and the next thing he knew, his vision went white.

When the world came back into focus, he saw you standing there. You were looking up at him with an expression he couldn't quite understand. Then you smiled.

It was like he had been blinded.

And don’t worry, you were the same way.

Your life was a whirlwind of activity after that.

You had learned his true form, not that it mattered much. Toshinori Yagi, or All Might, was still the same man you had fallen for. He was sweet, funny, kind, and everything you could ever ask for in a soulmate.

He did tend to be loud at times, accidentally yelling when he was nervous, and sometimes the volume of his laughter was a little too much, but those were the small things.

You were sure the press would have had a field day with your story. After all, not many people got the chance to date All Might.

It had taken you a while to get used to the sudden increase in popularity. It had gotten so bad at one point that the two of you had resorted to disguises when going out on dates.

Of course, his disguise choices were less than ideal.

You had laughed when you saw the first wig and mustache; it was such a poor attempt at blending in. But you had to admit, his smile had never looked so good.

There was one thing, though. Something you both dreaded and knew was inevitable.

The villains.

All the popularity and attention was a two-way street. You had gained fans, but you had also drawn the attention of his enemies. Most of the time, you could brush it off as if you were some overzealous fan trying to get close to All Might. But every now and again, a villain would come looking for trouble.

Those were the days you worried.

It was a constant concern that plagued both of you.

What if he couldn’t make it in time? What if something happened to him? What would happen to you?

These thoughts always manage to find their way into your mind. Nightmares mostly. The thought of him not making it in time to save you was what you feared the most.

It was a terrifying thought, but that’s what it was. Just a thought. Because he was always there.

Every. Single. Time.

It really made you realize why he was picked to be the symbol of peace. He was the number-one hero for a reason.

Him saving himself, though? Yeah… that was a little harder.

He could handle civilian savings. He could handle villains, and he could handle the regular fans. But the fangirls? That was something else entirely.

One of the things he had never quite gotten used to was their obsessive behavior. They could be rather scary at times. And they were always a bit too… forward with their advances.

Most of the time, it was fine. He was polite and would smile and wave at them, as a hero does. Occasionally, though, he would get cornered.

And today was one of those days.

It had been a busy morning, as usual. There had been a bank robbery, followed by a mugging and an attempted kidnapping.

All in all, just another typical day.

Now, he was making his way back home through the streets of Musutafu. He was looking forward to relaxing, maybe having a nice bath and a nap.

He could use a break.

But just as he was beginning to think he might make it back home without incident, a group of girls spotted him.

"It's All Might!"

He knew what was coming next. He didn't have time for this.

"Please excuse me, ladies," he called out to them. "Duty calls."

But his attempts were in vain.

They weren't having it. He thought he was super speedy, but apparently, he had met his match.

The next thing he knew, a mob had formed, and he found himself surrounded by a bunch of overly excited teenage girls.

"Oh my god! It's really him!"

"He's so handsome in person."

"Can we have your autograph?"

"Hey! Hey, All Might!"

He had barely gotten the chance to say anything.

"Yes, well-" he was cut off before he could continue.

"Can I feel your muscles, please, All Might? Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"I'm sorry, but-"

"My sister would be so jealous if she saw me hanging out with you. She loves you, y'know. Can I have a hug?"

He was overwhelmed.

He felt his patience waning. The more they pressed, the further his smile became.

"If you would just-"

He tried again. Useless.

"Hey, hey, All Might! Can I touch your hair? It's so big. It must be soft."

He was completely and utterly stuck. Every second that goes by was a second too long. More girls kept showing up.

It was a nightmare.

"I'm very sorry, but I have somewhere to be."

He could barely get a word out, and he was too exhausted even to move.

"Oh my god, are you blushing, All Might?"

He wasn't. But his smile was becoming increasingly strained. God, they were persistent.

Then, like a light shining from above, he heard it. His savior's voice.

"There you are," you said as you made your way through the crowd.

You pushed your way to the front and placed your hands on your hips. You looked absolutely annoyed.

"What did I tell you about wandering off? We're supposed to meet my parents in half an hour. Do you want to be late? You know how my mom gets."

His eyes went wide, and he let out a nervous laugh. That was a complete lie on your part; your parents weren't exactly expecting you anytime soon, but they didn’t need to know that.

"Right. Right, of course, my love," he said.

He wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you closer. It was amazing how you could find him in a crowd so easily.

He was a good head and shoulders taller than everyone around. His hair made him stand out. And, of course, his booming laughter was always a dead giveaway. But, still, he was amazed at your speed. Sometimes, it feels as though you have a secret radar that lets you know when he's having lady trouble.

You leaned into his embrace, and his strained smile relaxed.

"You’re so good to me," he whispered.

He planted a kiss on your temple. Then, a mischievous grin formed.

"Sorry, ladies, but I have a prior engagement," he said. "Maybe next time."

Since your glare was fixed on every girl that was surrounding you, they finally took in his words and backed away.

"Oh, okay. Yeah, of course," one of them said.

"I can't believe I just met him. I can't wait to tell my sister," another said.

"That was so awesome."

"See you later, All Might."

"Goodbye."

They scattered like a bunch of cockroaches, leaving the two of you alone.

The moment they were gone, All Might's demeanor changed. He let out a sigh of relief and pulled you into a proper hug.

"How do you do it? It’s been decades, and I still can't escape the fangirls."

You chuckled and wrapped your arms around him.

"They're persistent; I'll give them that," you said.

He was tired, so you were careful when pulling away. You were sure his exhaustion was due to his hidden condition.

"We should probably get home," you suggested. "You could use a break… and a nap."

"Sounds perfect," he said.

You were just about to start heading home when you stopped. Something about the look on his face made you think.

"Is everything okay, my love?" he asked.

He tilted his head slightly, his brows furrowed in confusion. You could only smile.

"Y'know, you never did answer her question," you said.

"Huh?"

"You know, about the hair. Is it as soft as it looks? Because I've always wondered that myself. I’m always too short to reach."

Laughter flooded the air as he rolled his eyes and shook his head. The smile returned, full force.

"You’ve felt my hair before, darling; it’s all you ever do."

"Yeah, well, I was distracted."

"Distracted, huh?"

"Extremely."

"Well, here," he said. "Feel to your heart's content."

He leaned down so that you could run your fingers through his golden locks. And just as that one girl had guessed, it was incredibly soft.

“I could never grow hair this nice, no matter how hard I try," you mumbled.

"It's a burden, but someone's gotta bear it."

He stood upright and looked down at you, a smile gracing his features.

"Alright," he said. "Shall we go now?"

"Just one second."

"Huh?"

He raised a brow in confusion. But you didn't answer him. Instead, you grabbed the collar of his suit and pulled him down to your level. Close enough, at least.

"Wha-"

You stopped him, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. It caught him off guard, but it didn't take long for him to reciprocate.

He wrapped his arms around your waist and lifted you slightly. This allowed you to reach his cheek. He was still smiling when you pulled away.

"Now," your voice was on the verge of a whisper.

"Now, we can go."

[theodorenmyth]

T.R. With a childhood sweetheart who’s kinda like him but different in many ways.

-💕

Shadows of Eternity

Pairings : Tom Riddle x M! Reader

Summary : In the orphanage, you found a kindred spirit in Tom Riddle, both possessing mysterious abilities that set you apart. As your friendship deepened at Hogwarts, so did Tom's obsession with power. Amidst your love for each other, tragedy struck when Tom's pursuit of the Chamber of Secrets led to your untimely demise. His grief and guilt transformed him into Lord Voldemort, leaving behind a legacy of love and loss that haunted him forever. This is the story of a bond that transcended darkness, a tale etched in the annals of Hogwarts, where love proved to be the greatest magic of all.

A/n : ok let's be real, this is some angsty stuff, but I suggest you all listen to "slipping through my fingers" by ABBA and "angeleyes". Enjoy! (⁠｡⁠•́⁠︿⁠•̀⁠｡⁠) (Also lets be fr Voldemort would never step into hogwarts again but whatever)

Warnings) : ANGST. literal angst, death, reader dying, tom releasing the basilisk, crying, grief, tom feeling guilty for not listening to the love of his life

Word count : 3k+

The orphanage was your world. It had been for as long as you could remember. Days bled into one another with little to distinguish them—an endless cycle of chores, lessons, and the muted hum of children's voices. But it wasn't always bleak. Occasionally, something extraordinary happened. And one of those extraordinary things was meeting Tom Riddle.

You had noticed him for a while before you finally approached him. He was always alone, always distant. There was a quiet intensity about him that intrigued you. You couldn't understand why the other children avoided him. They whispered about him, said he was strange, that he did things. But you didn't care. You were curious.

One grey afternoon, you found him in the corner of the yard, sitting on a low wall, staring at nothing in particular. Summoning your courage, you walked up to him.

"Why are you always alone?" you asked, your voice breaking the heavy silence.

Tom looked up sharply, his dark eyes piercing into yours. For a moment, you thought he might tell you to go away, like he did with the others. But instead, he tilted his head slightly, studying you.

"The rest don't want to interact with me," he said finally. "I'm different than the other kids."

You nodded, feeling a strange connection with him. "Me too."

He raised an eyebrow, seemingly intrigued by your response. "How are you different?" he asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

You hesitated for a moment, wondering how much you should reveal. "Strange things happen around me," you said cautiously. "Things I can't explain. And when I get angry or scared... it's like I can make things happen."

Tom's eyes lit up with interest. "What kind of things?"

You glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "I can move things without touching them," you whispered. "And sometimes, I can feel what other people are thinking."

A slow smile spread across Tom's face. "We're more alike than you know," he said. "I can do things too. Things that scare the other kids."

You felt a thrill of excitement. For the first time, you had found someone who understood what it was like to be different. "Maybe we can figure it out together," you suggested.

Tom nodded, his expression serious. "Yes, I think we can."

From that day on, you and Tom were inseparable. You shared your secrets, your dreams, and your fears. You discovered that you were both different in ways that set you apart from the others. Strange things happened when you were angry or scared, things that couldn't be explained. Tom could move objects without touching them, make lights flicker and shadows dance. And you had your own abilities, equally mysterious and powerful.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

A year passed in a blur of shared adventures and whispered conversations. Then, one day, a man came to the orphanage. He was tall and thin, with half-moon spectacles and a long beard. There was something about him that commanded attention, an air of authority and wisdom.

Tom eyed him suspiciously as he entered the common room where you were both sitting. "You're the doctor, aren't you?" he said, his voice edged with distrust.

The man smiled kindly. "No, Tom, I am not a doctor. My name is Albus Dumbledore. I am here to talk to you both about a very special place."

You and Tom exchanged a glance, curiosity piqued. Dumbledore explained that you both had been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a place where you could learn to control and develop your abilities.

"I have seen what you can do," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling with a hint of amusement and pride. "You are both very gifted. I believe you will achieve great things."

You felt a thrill of excitement at the prospect of leaving the orphanage and discovering a new world. Tom, however, seemed more cautious, his eyes narrowing as he studied Dumbledore.

"What if we don't want to go?" Tom asked, his voice defiant.

Dumbledore's expression softened. "The choice is yours, of course. But I think you will find Hogwarts to be a place where you belong, a place where you can be yourselves without fear."

In the end, it was Tom who made the decision. "We'll go," he said, his tone firm. "But we'll do it our way."

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

The castle was a labyrinth of wonders, filled with hidden rooms, moving staircases, and magical creatures. For the first time, you felt like you were part of something extraordinary, a world where you truly belonged.

Hogwarts was everything Dumbledore had promised and more. The castle's towering spires and sprawling grounds were a far cry from the bleak orphanage. As you and Tom stepped into the Great Hall for the first time, you couldn't help but feel a mix of awe and anticipation.

The Sorting Hat, a tattered old relic, sat on a stool at the front of the hall. One by one, the new students were called up, the hat deciding their fates with a single proclamation. When it was Tom's turn, he strode forward with an air of confidence. The hat barely touched his head before shouting, "Slytherin!"

Tom smirked and made his way to the Slytherin table, his eyes glinting with satisfaction. Then it was your turn. As the hat was placed on your head, you felt a strange sensation, as if it were probing your thoughts.

"Interesting," the hat mused. "You have qualities that would suit both Gryffindor and Slytherin. A thirst for knowledge, a drive for power, and yet, a sense of loyalty and bravery. Where shall I place you?"

You glanced over at Tom, already seated among the Slytherins, his eyes locked on you. There was no question in your mind. "Slytherin," you whispered.

"Very well," the hat declared. "Slytherin!"

You joined Tom at the Slytherin table, feeling a sense of triumph and belonging. Together, you would navigate this new world, your bond growing stronger with each passing day.

You thrived in the challenging environment, excelling in your studies and discovering new depths to your abilities. Tom, however, seemed to possess a natural talent for magic that left even the teachers in awe. His ambition was relentless, and he quickly became a figure of admiration and fear among the students.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

As the years passed, your bond with Tom grew stronger. You were his confidant, his partner in all things. Together, you explored the darkest corners of the castle, uncovering secrets and testing the limits of your powers. Tom's fascination with the darker aspects of magic worried you at times, but you trusted him implicitly.

As you advanced through the years at Hogwarts, the darkness within Tom grew more pronounced. You began to notice subtle changes in his behavior—an increasing fascination with the forbidden, a relentless pursuit of knowledge and power.

One night, you found him in the Restricted Section of the library, a forbidden book open before him. "Tom, what are you doing?" you whispered urgently.

Tom looked up, his expression defiant. "Learning," he replied simply.

You glanced around nervously. "If we get caught—"

"We won't," Tom interrupted, his tone firm. "Besides, this is important. I need to understand this."

You hesitated, then sighed. "Just be careful," you said, your voice filled with concern. "I don't want to lose you."

Tom's expression softened, and he reached out to touch your cheek. "You won't," he promised. "I swear it."

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

In your third year, everything changed. One crisp autumn evening, as you sat by the lake, Tom turned to you, his expression unusually serious.

"There's something I need to tell you," he said, his voice low. "I... I think I'm in love with you."

You stared at him, your heart pounding. You had always felt a deep connection with Tom, but you had never dared to hope that he might feel the same way.

"I love you too, Tom," you whispered, a smile spreading across your face.

From that moment on, your relationship took on a new dimension. You were no longer just friends; you were partners in every sense of the word. To symbolize your bond, you gave Tom a matching bracelet, a simple piece of braided leather imbued with a protection charm. He wore it every day, a constant reminder of your connection.

You and Tom navigated the maze of new experiences together, from your first flying lesson to your initial encounters with magical creatures in Care of Magical Creatures class.

One evening in the Great Hall, you sat across from Tom, a mischievous glint in your eyes. "Do you remember the first time you levitated something?" you asked, a smile playing on your lips.

Tom smirked, his eyes meeting yours. "How could I forget? It was the orphanage's piano. Mrs. Cole nearly had a heart attack."

You laughed, the sound echoing through the hall. "And she blamed it on poor Billy Stubbs. He was grounded for a week."

Tom's expression softened, a rare sight for anyone other than you. "Those days seem so far away now," he said quietly. "We've come a long way since then."

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

As your time at Hogwarts continued, Tom's ambition grew more intense. He delved deeper into the study of the Dark Arts, seeking power and knowledge that many considered dangerous. You stood by him, though you couldn't shake the feeling that he was heading down a perilous path.

"Tom, are you sure about this?" you asked one evening, as he pored over a particularly dark tome in the library.

He looked up, his eyes blazing with determination. "Power is the only thing that matters," he said. "With it, we can change the world."

You wanted to believe him, but there was a coldness in his eyes that frightened you. Still, you stayed by his side, hoping that your love could keep him grounded.

But Tom's obsession with power continued to grow. He sought out forbidden knowledge, experimented with dangerous spells, and became increasingly secretive. You could see the darkness creeping into his soul, but you didn't know how to reach him.

One evening, as you sat together in the Slytherin common room, you tried to talk to him about your concerns. "Tom, I'm worried about you," you said, your voice soft. "You're changing. This path you're on... it's dangerous."

Tom looked at you, his expression unreadable. "I'm doing this for us," he said quietly. "For our future. Don't you see? With power, we can have anything we want. We can be unstoppable."

You shook your head, a lump forming in your throat. "But at what cost, Tom? What if we lose ourselves in the process?"

Tom's eyes softened for a moment, and he reached out to take your hand. "I won't lose you," he said firmly. "I promise."

Despite his words, the fear in your heart remained. You loved Tom deeply, but you couldn't ignore the growing darkness within him. You resolved to stand by him, hoping that your love could be a light in his darkness.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

In your sixth year, Tom's obsession with power reached a new level. He had discovered the existence of the Chamber of Secrets, a hidden room within Hogwarts said to be home to a fearsome creature. He became determined to find it, convinced that it held the key to unimaginable power.

"Tom, this is madness," you said, your voice filled with worry. "The Chamber of Secrets is just a legend."

Tom shook his head, his eyes alight with a dangerous fervor. "It's real, I know it. And I'm going to find it."

You tried to dissuade him, but his determination was unshakable. He spent countless hours researching the chamber, pouring over ancient texts and consulting with dark wizards. His obsession consumed him, and you could see the toll it was taking on him.

One night, as you lay in bed together, you tried to reason with him one last time. "Tom, please. Let's forget about the chamber. We can leave Hogwarts, start a new life together."

Tom turned to you, his expression conflicted. "I can't," he said quietly. "This is my destiny. Our destiny."

You felt tears welling up in your eyes. "But what about us? What about our future?"

Tom reached out to wipe away your tears, his touch gentle. "I love you," he said softly. "And I promise, once I find the chamber, everything will be different. We'll have everything we've ever wanted."

Despite your misgivings, you couldn't help but hope that he was right. You clung to the belief that your love could save him, even as you felt him slipping further and further away.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

The night Tom found the Chamber of Secrets was one you would never forget. He had been distant and secretive for days, barely speaking to you. You knew he was close to a breakthrough, and the tension between you was palpable.

"Stay here," he said abruptly as he prepared to leave the common room late one evening.

You frowned, sensing the danger in his voice. "Where are you going?"

Tom hesitated, then sighed. "I've found it," he said quietly. "The entrance to the chamber. I need to see it for myself."

Your heart sank. "Tom, please. Let me come with you."

He shook his head. "It's too dangerous. I need to do this alone."

Despite his words, you couldn't let him go without you. You waited until he had left, then followed him through the dark corridors of the castle. Your heart pounded with a mix of fear and determination.

You watched from the shadows as Tom approached the entrance to the chamber, a large stone wall with an intricate carving of a snake. He spoke a series of hissing words in Parseltongue, the language of snakes, and the wall began to move, revealing a hidden passage.

Tom stepped inside, and you hurried to follow him, keeping your distance. The passage led deep underground, into the heart of the castle. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and ancient stone.

Finally, you reached a large, dimly lit chamber. At the far end stood a massive stone statue of Salazar Slytherin, his eyes cold and menacing. Tom stood before it, his expression filled with awe and determination.

"Tom, be careful," you whispered, your voice barely audible in the cavernous space.

Tom glanced back at you, a mixture of surprise and anger in his eyes. "I told you to stay behind," he said sharply.

"I couldn't let you do this alone," you replied, stepping closer. "Please, Tom. Let's go back."

But Tom's attention was already on the statue. He spoke the words of Parseltongue again, and the statue's mouth began to open. From the darkness emerged a massive serpent—the Basilisk.

You tried to shield your eyes, but it was too late. The Basilisk's deadly gaze struck you, and you felt your body freeze, your vision darkening.

The last thing you saw was Tom's horrified face as he realized what had happened.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

Tom stood frozen, his eyes wide with shock and horror as he stared at your lifeless body. The Basilisk slithered back into the darkness, its task complete. Tom's heart pounded in his chest, a mix of fear and disbelief coursing through him.

"No," he whispered, his voice trembling. "No, no, no!"

He rushed to your side, dropping to his knees and cradling your head in his hands. Your eyes were open but unseeing, your body cold and still. The reality of what had happened crashed down on him like a tidal wave.

"Please," he begged, his voice breaking. "Please come back. I didn't mean for this to happen."

But there was no response. You were gone.

Tom's friends found him hours later in the restrooms, still kneeling beside your body, his face streaked with tears. They tried to pull him away, but he resisted, his grief and guilt turning into a fierce determination.

"Tom we need to go, now." One of them said.

"Are you bloody mad?!" Tom screamed at them, his eyebrows creased. "I can't just leave him here.."

Another one then said "The professors are on their way here. Tom we need to go!"

"I don't care!" Tom shrieked, shaking his head.

But they wouldn't let him. They dragged him away, his screams echoing through the restroom as they took him back to the castle.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

The days that followed were a blur of pain and anger for Tom. He withdrew from everyone, consumed by his grief and guilt. He blamed himself for your death, for his reckless pursuit of power that had led to the tragedy.

He kept the bracelet you had given him, wearing it as a reminder of what he had lost. It became a symbol of his love for you, and of the darkness that had taken you from him.

Tom's descent into darkness accelerated after your death. He became more ruthless, more determined to achieve his goals at any cost. The boy who had once been your friend was gone, replaced by a man driven by a relentless need for power and control.

He took on a new name, one that would become feared throughout the wizarding world: Lord Voldemort.

But no matter how much power he gained, no matter how many followers he amassed, a part of him remained broken. He could never forget you, or the love you had shared. Your death haunted him, a constant reminder of the price he had paid for his ambition.

Years later, Voldemort stood in the Chamber of Secrets once more, his eyes scanning the dark, empty room. He had achieved everything he had set out to do, but it brought him no peace.

He approached the spot where you had fallen, his heart heavy with regret. He knelt down, placing a hand on the cold stone floor.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "I never wanted this to happen. I never wanted to lose you. I'll come see you soon, I promise."

But there was no answer, only the echo of his words in the empty chamber. He stayed there for a long time, mourning the loss of the one person who had ever truly understood him, the one person he had loved more than anything.

In the end, Voldemort rose to his feet, a look of steely determination in his eyes. He would continue his quest for power, but he would never forget the boy he had once been, or the love he had lost. The memory of you would remain with him always, a beacon of light in the darkness of his soul.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

Years passed, and the wizarding world changed. Voldemort's reign of terror came to an end, but the scars he left behind remained. Your story, however, lived on in the hearts of those who remembered you.

At Hogwarts, a small plaque was placed in the Chamber of Secrets, commemorating your bravery and the love you had shared with Tom. It read:

"In memory of a love that transcended darkness, and a light that will never fade."

Your legacy was one of love and sacrifice, a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope. And though Tom Riddle had become a symbol of fear and hatred, the memory of your love remained a testament to the boy he had once been, and the man he could have become.

In the end, it was your love that endured, a shining light in the darkness, guiding others towards a brighter future. And in that, you found a kind of immortality, your story etched into the very fabric of the wizarding world, a reminder that love, in all its forms, is the greatest magic of all.

[liketwoswansinbalance]

On the Subject of "All-Kinds-of-Fur:"

Link to the original Brothers Grimm fairy tale for reference. It's basically a variant of "Cinderella."

Also, if I have the inspiration for it, this could become part of a series, set during the peaceful days before the prequel events. Thus, if anyone would like to send in a request for the School Master brothers' reactions to a classic fairy tale or an SGE one, however obscure it may be, I might write it!

⸻

[Rhian enters the tower chamber looking distressed while Rafal is grading fourth-year students' theses on treachery, taboos, and the natural lines of family, that, when wrongly crossed, drive people insane and disrupt the fragile human psyche.

For an example of this so-called phenomenon (stolen from the plot of Hamlet), imagine a scenario as follows: a wife marries her husband's brother after her husband dies. While they may not be blood relations, this scenario is still off and rather strange, even if modern times could make more allowances for such a thing to occur and be socially-acceptable.]

Rhian: My fourth-year Class Captain had to run away whilst on her questing assignment!

Rafal: [absently, without looking up from the papers, slashing through lines in bloodred ink] Mm, shame. [He sips his tea.]

Rhian: [tries to smile but it looks uneasy and he begins to pace with anxiety.] No! It's... good... I suppose. [He cringes.] If she hadn't run into the Woods last night, she would've had to marry her father!

Rafal: [spits out his tea.] Who's her father? Not one of my graduates, surely. Even my curriculum standards rise above that, that rot.

Rhian: No, it's not one of yours. Simply some brazen king. I just... I wish I could do something. She was one of my best students. [He sighs dejectedly.] But I doubt the Pen will tolerate an intervention. We just have to let her tale play out.

Rafal: Well, is it worth working yourself up over? She got away. Maybe it's you who's too invested in your students’ lives. They can fend for themselves, you know... well, probably. Actually, some Evergirls can be dimwitted. [He pauses.] How about this?: you always have the option of throwing her a lovely funeral.

Rhian: Oh, forget it. I don’t expect you to understand. [He throws up his arms, flustered, and exits the room.]

[Rafal observes that his brother still looks rather sad. In fact, Rhian grows more worried with each passing day as the Storian writes of the poor girl's travails as a forlorn scullery maid in hiding.]

⸻

[Several months later, three days and three nights after each night of the ball and banquet in the Evergirl's fairy tale:]

Rhian: [elatedly, swelling with hope] Rafal! Rafal! Have you heard? My Class Captain might live to see her Happily Ever After! The young king is going to save her! She’s danced with him three nights in a row and he would take no other partner. Though, each night, she slips away and conceals herself in that hideous, asymmetrical coat. You've seen the Pen's illustrations, haven't you? And last night, she wore a dress that glistened like the stars! I just knew the Beautification Practice While Impoverished classroom simulations would pay off! I knew it! It's the sheer magic of what a little soap and water can achieve!

Rafal: [not listening to Rhian's enthusiastic raving] Uh-huh.

Rhian: [finally looks at Rafal more closely after his lackluster response.] Say, Rafal? Where did that patchwork blanket come from? Is it new? I feel like I’ve seen it before. Somewhere... [he muses.]

Rafal: [shrugs without looking up from his book.] Nowhere. You’re not still… sad about that tale, are you? It’s old news. And the Storian's been still about that tale for a good few hours. Maybe it'll be scrapped, storybook and all.

Rhian: [grits his teeth in frustration] Yes. I know. You weren't listening.

Rafal: [expressionlessly] Wasn't I? Regardless, Happily Ever Afters don't concern me.

Rhian: [tongue-tied, attempting to come up with a fitting retort] An-and, you need a good douse of soap and water too. You've got... soot and—is that walnut oil all over your hands?

Rafal: [rolls his eyes.]

⸻

[The next day:]

[Rhian devours the completed tale in one sitting and notices a discrepancy he assumes is a continuity error by the Storian: the vagabond princess disguised in the role of a scullery maid returned to her little cubbyhole below stairs to find that her coat, which she’d left in the shadows, had disappeared, seemingly stolen.

Perhaps, a creature of the night had made off with it, desperate to reclaim its skin.

Or perhaps, there had been an intervention.

Thus, the princess was forced to show her true, shining self to the king’s men hunting her down. In her gown, that gleamed like the stars, much like a bride's.

And Rhian has a feeling he knows why this Ending came to be.]

⸻

[A week later:]

Rhian: [enters, humming about wedding bells to himself.]

Rafal: You look well. Did something go right?

Rhian: Yes! Something nice came in the post today, brother. My former student and the young, foreign king have invited us to their wedding. And look! Even you got an invitation, too. [He laughs to himself and makes a face of mock fright, lowering his voice and gnarling his hands into claws.] Whooo, they probably didn't want the Evil brother to curse them during a christening someday, so you'll probably get a golden plate and sweetmeats to spare at the wedding feast in order to "appease" you.

Rafal: [glares at him.]

Rhian: [drops the act.] Ahem. Anyway, we’ve got to pack for spring in Altazarra. Bring some non-black, festive clothes, if you have any. Oh, and bring a less ugly coat than that scruffy old blanket, will you?

Rafal: I’m not attending. I don’t like inane balls or sentimental Ever Afters, but have fun.

Rhian: Are you sure about that?

Rafal: Positively.

Rhian: [holds up an illustration of the princess' cubbyhole from the tale he’s been scrutinizing for the last few days.] Then what’s this shadow the Storian’s inked in darker than the rest? It looks quite a lot like a human form.

Rafal: Trick of the light. Just be glad Evil didn’t prevail this time, and call it a day. My side will win next time to be sure.

Rhian: [smirks knowingly] I guess I owe my peace of mind and sanity to a thief then.

Rafal: [deadpans] Run along, Ever. Pip-pip. You've got a wedding to attend, have you not?

[iifoundjoy]

BEAR WITH ME.

i was just scrolling through tiktok and then the thought occurred to me that everyone grew up together (minus ben and aiden) and basically never interacted until the group project. yeah, duh, that's the whole premise of their strange group at first, but it just strikes a cord to think that these kids who have become so inseparable were so close to each other this whole time without even knowing it, without even knowing that they needed each other.

because why now, after all these years, would they? after all, they were just strangers who occasionally saw each other in the hall or during class, strangers that they could never understand, right? they were just too different.

i mean, just think about how taylor says she's always noticed ashlyn since they were kids and how she was always on her own. she didnt understand how ash could be content with that, isn't it lonely?

tyler is most likely, lets face it, pretty popular. when we're introduced to him and taylor they're in this huge group of typical jocks due to tyler being on the baseball team. ashlyn and logan must've known him before due to that, seen them parading through the halls. and seeing as how neither logan nor ash like loud noises or crowds very much they probably wrote him off as a loud jock and went about their day. maybe saw how cold and angry he was with everyone but his sister and thought he must be unpleasant to be around.

as for logan, he, like ash, is pretty obviously very much a background character in everyone else's lives. most likely a loner just like ashlyn, very shy. if the rest of the gang ever noticed him it was probably nothing more than a glance. because logan at the time was nothing more than barrons stereotypical nerd that does his homework because he's scared of what will happen if he doesn't.

it just makes me ILL that these people who would grow to care so much about each other were all so close without knowing it, hell, they probably passed each other in their towns grocery store multiple times before. maybe seen tyler play in one of his games with taylor yelling above everyone else because that's her brother, saw ashlyn perform and dance, saw logan reading in the astronomy section in the library.

and yet they didn't know they'd ever learn to trust these strangers with their lives every night. that they would learn that tyler is more than just a loud, angry jock. he loves and cares about his sister, took up being basically a parent from a very young age, and doesn't truly have any friends because they are just a distraction.

that taylor is every bit as friendly as she let's others believe, but if you mess with her brother or her friends that sun can cloud over so quick.

that ashlyn likes to be alone but given the time and patience, she would love to be alone with you. that she doesn't want to, but if she's needed, she will step up and be the leader you need. sure, she isn't good at "friends" and she'll make mistakes, but she owns up to them because she tries and she cares.

and finally, logan, who at first is so shy and unsure, yet is quick-witted and brave enough to make hard choices and learn where he fits in with a group. to stand up against someone who bullied him and threatened him daily and help someone else from going down the same path he did.

AND PLEASE don't even get me started on ben and aiden.

those two have been practically alone their whole lives until they met each other. all aiden had was the dark room that reeked of molding food and people he hung around just to pass the time because he knew they weren't permanent, nothing ever was with his parents.

and ben's only friend before aiden being the music he could create before it was taken away from him, and all he had left was the broken melodies that he tried to find in every punch he threw.

they were both so, so alone and seeking something that would stay, something that would last because everything else that made them happy seemed to fall just out of reach now.

but just one move away, one final move to a small town in georgia held everything that could hurt and heal them all in one. they were all what everyone needed, even if they didn't know it and it drives me insane that if these kids hadn't been put through hell, they never would have found each other.

and they're more than willing to claw their way out together, not because they have to to survive, but because they want to so that they can live.

red what have you dooone 😭/pos

[subfootboii]

[Part 1]

You started a new job where you met Tyler, a hot tall guy with at least size 13 feet. He was so charismatic and confident you had a big crush on him. Since you both worked in the team you always saw him and had conversations with him.

One day you told him that you think he is good looking and if he would be interested to go oit on a date with you. He smirked and rolled his eyes without giving any answer. You thought he might be straight or not looking for a relationship.

The next day he kept staring at you and smiling for most of the day. At some point you were both alone in your office.

"So about that date you invited me on yesterday, would you be interested if you came back with me home tomorrow. It's Friday and you can come spend the weekend if you want."

"Ohh. I thought you weren't interested in me or something. I would love to spend some time with you so yeah sure."

Again he smirked and gaved you a pat on the back without saying anything else. You were so excited by hus invite, after work you rushed home to prepare yourself. You shaved and moisturized your body so that you are ready for this hot weekend.

On Friday Tyler didn't speak much to you. After work you followed to his car. The drive was silent and he was smiling the whole time. You thought he was nervous and didn't want to make uncomfortable.

You arrived at his place and get out of the car. You were carrying your luggage and he opened the door.

"Honey, I'm home."

You were completely shocked by what you just heard. Seconds later a man was hugging and kissing Tyler while you stood there watching not understanding what was happening in front of you. After that Tyler looked at you smiling.

"Babe, that's my coworker... the one that asked me out. He will join us for the weekend as we agreed."

"Ohh let me introduce myself to our guest, didn't even see him there. Hey I'm Axle, Tyler's husband. Nice to meet you... I forgot your name... doesn't matter keep your luggage here, you won't need them."

You couldn't respond. Tyler is married to a gorgeous man. All you could see in front of you was an alpha couple, two powerful sexy men together. What you didn't understand was how you fit in this situation, what was your role, why where you here.

"Hey. Nice to meet Axle. Didn't know Tyler was married, but you too seem perfect together."

"We sure do, and that's why you are here. We are missing something... or should I say someone."

Axel and Tyler went back to kissing passionately. Your dick was starting to get hard from seeing them clearly in love. But you didn't understand what do they mean and what are you here for.

They started walking to the living room and Tyler signaled for you to follow them. You followed them as they mad their way inside and sat on the couch. You approached them when Axel gave you a sharp look.

"Floor. You sit on the floor."

"What do you mean? Why would I sit on the floor?"

"Because I said so. What do you think you are here for boy? Tyler told me you are a bit slow so I guess I'll spell it out. You are a loser beta. Tyler amd I are a successful alpha couple. You are here to worship and serve us. You are here to be owned by us. So you have less than a minute to sit on the floor or see your way out."

Listening to that made you rock hard. You didn't think about what he said as you were so horny and since you needs to hide your boner you sat on yhe ground trying your best to hide it.

"I told it would be easy to have them at our feet babe. We should have done that sooner."

"I agree. Look at him trying to hide that dicklet from us. How should we deal with that?"

"If he want to have the present I bought him today he needs to get rid of it. Maybe he'll jerk it off while he watch us make out."

"Hear that boy? Don't make my man wait."

You mindlessly took your dick out and started to stroke it watching them making out. They were completely ignoring you while they confess their love to each other and kiss. They were perfect. They were everything you never had. You jerked while you fantasized about being used by them.

Then you came all over the floor as they continued to make out and cuddle. You stayed there without moving or making a sound. At some point they finally acknowledged your existence again.

"That was fast boy. Didn't expect you to last any longer though. Now lick your cum off our floor and get naked."

You followed through without any second thoughts. Both of them together where so powerful for you to even think about resisting. After you got naked Axle pulled something from the drawer next to him and throw it your way. You held it amd discovered ot was a chastity cage. Again without thinking much you put it on.

"Pathetic. I've never seen anyone with such eagerness to be nothing. A cuck. A loser cuck. That's what you are."

"Cuck pet? Fits better."

"Yeah babe. You are our cuck pet boy. Bow. Bow and submit to us."

Before Axle finished his sentence you were bowing before them. You heard them laughing followed by some whispers amd kisses. You didn't dare to got up and you stayed like bowing for a long time.

"Up cuck pet."

You got up to see them both shirtless. Their ripped alpha bodies were perfect. But it wasn't just that as they were both resting their bare feet on the coffee table.

You already knew that Alex had big feet but they were even bigger than you thought. His toes were long and sexy and his sole was meaty. Axle on the other hand had a smaller foot. His toes were symmetric and his sole looked soft and meaty.

You were in heaven. Your dick was straining against your new cage and leaking already. You were before two alpha men and you couldn't wait to start worshipping them.

(Story suggestion by: @tidodore2)

[carleycore]

Please more “when they try to insult you” with Suga maybe?

When they insult you (Sugawara and Iwaizumi)

a/n yippeee a requesttt!!! I hope it's to your liking.

genre: hurt/comfort angst

part one part two part three part four part five

(not having a job)

The sun is setting outside, casting a warm glow over the living room. You sit on the couch, flipping through job listings on your laptop. The atmosphere is tense, a silence hanging heavily between you and Sugawara. He's been quiet since he got home, and you can feel the weight of unspoken words pressing down on both of you.

"Koushi, how was your day?" you ask, trying to break the silence.

"It was fine," he replies shortly, not looking up from the paperwork he's going through.

You bite your lip, feeling the strain in his voice. "I was thinking about applying to some jobs I found today. What do you think?" You ask, showing him a couple of job listings on your phone.

He finally looks up, his eyes tired and frustrated. "That's great, (Y/N). But honestly, it feels like you've been saying that for a while now."

The words hit you hard. "I'm trying, Koushi. You know how hard it is to find something right now."

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I know you're trying, but it's just... It's hard doing everything on my own. I feel like all the financial burden is on me, and it's exhausting."

Your heart sinks, tears welling up in your eyes. "I'm doing my best. It's not like I want to be unemployed. I'm constantly looking for opportunities."

"Sometimes it feels like you're not trying hard enough," he says, his voice rising. "I come home tired every day, and it feels like nothing's changing. I can't do this by myself forever, (Y/N)."

You stand up, your hands shaking. "I'm sorry I'm not finding a job as quickly as you'd like, Koushi. But I'm trying, and it hurts that you think I'm not doing enough."

He opens his mouth to respond but then stops, his expression softening as he sees the pain in your eyes. "I didn't mean it like that, (Y/N). I just... I'm so stressed. It's hard to see a way out sometimes."

You nod, tears spilling down your cheeks. "I understand you're stressed, but taking it out on me isn't fair. We're supposed to support each other."

He steps closer, his face filled with regret. "You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm just scared and tired, and I took it out on you. Can you forgive me?"

You wipe your tears away, taking a deep breath. "I can forgive you, Koushi, but we need to communicate better. We're a team, remember?"

He pulls you into a tight embrace, his voice breaking. "I know. I'm so sorry, (Y/N). I love you, and I don't want to hurt you. We'll get through this together."

You hold onto him, feeling the warmth and sincerity in his embrace. "I love you too. We'll find a way. Just promise me you'll talk to me about how you're feeling instead of bottling it up."

He nods, pressing a kiss to your forehead. "I promise. We'll face everything together."

As you stand there, wrapped in each other's arms, the tension begins to melt away, replaced by a renewed sense of closeness and understanding. You know there will be challenges ahead, but as long as you face them together, you'll be okay.

(not being as active????)

The house is quiet, your toddler finally asleep after a long day. You’re in the kitchen, cleaning up the remnants of dinner. Iwaizumi walks in, his face lined with exhaustion. He’s been distant lately, the weight of his responsibilities at work and home pressing heavily on him.

“Hey,” you greet him softly, hoping to ease the tension. “How was your day?”

“Tiring,” he mutters, dropping his gym bag on the floor. “Every day feels the same.”

You nod, understanding his fatigue all too well. “I know it’s hard, Hajime. But we’re getting through it.”

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Are we? It doesn’t feel like it. It feels like I’m stuck in a rut, and nothing’s changing.”

You swallow, trying to keep your voice steady. “We’re doing the best we can. It’s tough with a toddler, but we’re managing.”

He suddenly turns to you, frustration flashing in his eyes. “You know, I was talking to Oikawa today. His wife still manage to go out, have fun, keep things exciting. But you… you never go out. It’s like you’ve given up.”

The words hit you like a punch to the gut. “What?” you whisper, tears springing to your eyes. “I’m taking care of our child, Hajime. It’s not like I have a lot of free time.”

He rubs his temples, clearly regretting his words but too tired to take them back. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… I miss how things used to be. Before we had all these responsibilities.”

You take a shaky breath, trying to hold back your tears. “I miss it too. But this is our life now, and we need to support each other. Comparing me to Oikawa’s wife isn’t fair.”

He steps closer, his expression softening. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just so tired and stressed, and I took it out on you. That was wrong.”

You look at him, your heart aching. “I’m tired too, Hajime. But I’m doing my best. We both are.”

He reaches out, pulling you into his arms. “I know. I’m sorry for making you feel like you’re not enough. You’re more than enough, (Y/N). I love you, and I appreciate everything you do for our family.”

You cling to him, tears slipping down your cheeks. “I love you too. Just… please, don’t compare me to others. We’re doing what we can, and that’s enough.”

He nods, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “I promise. We’ll get through this together.”

You rest your head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “Maybe we can find a way to make things more exciting, even with our responsibilities,” you suggest softly. “We can plan a date night at home after our little one is asleep, or take turns giving each other a break.”

He smiles, the tension in his shoulders easing. “That sounds like a good idea. I miss spending time with you, just the two of us.”

“Me too,” you agree, feeling a flicker of hope. “We’ll find a balance, Hajime. It won’t always be easy, but we’re in this together.”

He tightens his embrace, his voice filled with determination. “Together. I promise to be more understanding and to communicate better. We’ll make this work.”

As you hold each other, the hurt begins to fade, replaced by a renewed sense of closeness and understanding. You know there will be challenges ahead, but as long as you face them together, you’ll be okay. The future might be uncertain, but with Hajime by your side, you feel ready to take on whatever comes your way.

[kinkandkreep]

Celebratory Blue Lock Boi Yandere Interpretations: Ryusei Shidou, Yoichi Isagi, Meguru Bachira, Reo Mikage, Rin Itoshi

A/N:...Hey hey y'all...🙂 Ok, so I fuckin' lied I am so sorry. 😭 These was sposed to be for my birthday yestaday but the day got so busy and I was tied den a mug, so posting these did not happen. 🙃 But! Alas, I am here now, and I have for you all my introductory yandere interpretations for 5 of the blue lock boyos!

Keep in mind, I am still getting caught up on the anime so if anything reads off, I apologize. I'll very likely either come back and adjust these as I become more familiar with their personalities or just post a whole new set for each boy.

Anyway, enjoy!

Ryusei Shidou: 

Let me just say right off the bat that I get the strong notion that Ryusei is gonna swiftly become my favorite character the more exposed I am to him (like I already love his design and that weird sexual edge his character possesses 😏)

That aside, as a Yandere, I envision that he maintains that same intense energy he has about football, it just manifests a little differently

You make his heart “explode,” in a similar fashion to his precious football- either that, or you possess an “explosive” quality within yourself that draws him in

I saw someone say that outside of a few specific circumstances, Ryu is a pretty chill dude, which I think is 100% true

And I believe this can even apply to you, in the Yandere sense as well

Ryusei can be intense, and a little monopolizing 

He's also somewhat possessive 

But for the most part, as long as he knows you're his and you continue to make him “explode,” Ryusei isn't the worst Yan to have

Now, in my research, I have seen some interpretations of him where he’s much more sadistic than I personally envision him to be, which of course is fine, but just know that my Ryusei can’t really be bothered to act sadistically unless you try to fight him

Exactly why you’d try to do that is beyond me, but if you did happen to want to start a physical altercation with Ryu, he may be inclined to be a little rough with you, just to show a bit of what he’s capable of and also keep you in check

Yoichi Isagi:

I just look at Yoichi and a single phrase comes to mind- “he’s a sweetheart unless provoked”

You, provoke him

You make this nagging little voice in the back of his head make the Spongebob “wee-woo” sound at like max volume every time you’re in each other’s vicinity

Yandere Yoichi adores you

He’s like a little pup around you, always wanting attention and affirmation and reassurance that he’s the best, and the he’s going to be the best, and that throughout it all you’ll never leave him

But! He can also be kind of intense and maybe a bit of an asshole

Like just look at him and tell me you don’t get that vibe

I’m new to the game as it relates to Blue Lock but from what I’ve gleaned, Yoichi has a sort of metaphorical switch that turns on and off depending on the circumstance

Things get heavy when he’s on the field, and that’s when his “Ego” comes out

It makes him more cocky and confident, from what I understand, and I’d say the same thing applies where it concerns you

For the most part, Yandere Yoichi is just your average puppy with a thigh fetish

But let the “Ego” come out, and now he’s more domineering, controlling and patronizing

Try not to trigger that part of him though, and Yoichi is actually a pretty ok Yandere to have

Meguru Bachira:

Meg’s a weirdo but one of the lovable variety

He’s a very eccentric character, as I’m sure anyone who’s familiar with Blue Lock will know

He talks about the “monster” that inhabits his psyche and manifests itself when he plays soccer

I don’t particularly subscribe to the idea that this “monster” influences his actions on a normal, day to day basis (though that could be the case and I just missed it in my research) but I can definitely see how one would think it does

I will say that years of simple…cohabitation (?) with the monster has definitely left an indelible mark on Meguru’s mind

Yandere Meguru especially 

To Yandere Meguru Bachira, you are perhaps the most important thing in his life

Being bullied for so long and so relentlessly probably wasn’t the best for his mental and emotional wellbeing, as you can imagine, so Meguru has been in desperate need of someone to come along and show him genuine love and support

He’s found that in you, and that’s part of the reason his Yandere personality/tendencies make an appearance when he’s with you

He’s definitely clingy and wants all your attention all the time, and he’s also not very knowledgeable on what it means to give someone their personal space

He doesn’t give you much autonomy either, really preferring to do things for you when given the chance

He can get a little intense, but he’d never hurt you 

Physically, at least

And if by some off chance he were to hurt you otherwise, it would never be on purpose

All that said, I do kind of think that Bachira would be one of the slightly more uncomfortable Yans to have, simply on account of his neediness 

Reo Mikage: 

FIrst off, let me just say, eat the rich 😤

Chile when I was doin’ my research and saw dis dude’s frankly ridiculous net worth I was appalled 

But if he smart enough to know what to do with the money and assets then I guess it’s whateva 🤷🏾‍♀️

Anyway, that aside, let’s focus back up 😂

I could potentially see Reo being one of the more strict Yan’s to have 

He just has so much to protect, and that includes you

He’s also probably very used to getting the things he wants and having things go his way that he can’t imagine you not reciprocating his feelings, or at the very least seeing the benefit in choosing him over everyone else

And as we’ve seen (me only partially really, I’m still makin’ my way through the show 🙃) he already has some form of an attachment issue as it relates to Nagi, or alternatively, the things he’s invested time and energy in and on

Which, as you can imagine, would include you, should he decide to pursue you

As a Yandere, Reo is admittedly controlling and a bit smothering

But he’s just like that ‘cus he wants to ensure that nothing will separate you two!

It’s innocent really, honest!

And given Reo’s reputation, it would be rather difficult to convince others that he’s, well, kinda crazy if you were so inclined

But other than that, as long as you remain loyal, Reo’s a pretty fair Yandere

Rin Itoshi:

Whoo boy, this one’s a tough nut to crack

I honestly think Rin is more tsun than yan but I could definitely see where the Yandere aspect of him could potentially rear its head

I’m not 100% up on my knowledge of what the hell his deal is with his brother, but from what I’ve gathered, there’s this mostly one-sided rivalry (on Rin’s part) towards Sae (his brother, for the uninformed) because he (Sae) refuses to acknowledge Rin in soccer and he abandoned their shared soccer dream from when they were little

That all being the case, I really like the concept that Rin is a Yandere for you because A.) something about you warms something cold and dead inside him and B.) you recognize him as talented and capable outside of his brother’s influence, and he (Rin) desperately clings to that affirmation 

Rin is undoubtedly possessive, wanting nothing more than to hide you away where only he can access you or, alternatively, make it known to everyone, in whatever way, that you belong to him

Rin is also somewhat domineering and controlling, as he still doesn’t want anything to tarnish his reputation

I think as a Yandere he’s a little more open to PDA (not by much at all, but just a little) 

I also think that, as a Yandere, Rin can be fairly intense without realizing it

Like during games and whatnot, he ups the ante ‘cus he knows you’re watching and he wants to impress you, keep your attention, and have earned your praise when he’s done

That could also apply to him normally sorta, but I think the behavior is more prominent in Yandere mode

All-in-all, Yandere Rin isn’t the most terrible, he’s mostly just…needy, in his own special way

[merbear25]

How one piece characters handle an argument? Like which character will stay calm, get mad, ignore you, etc.

Like the “sending them nudes” fic if that actually makes sense 😭

Hello, hello! This was pretty fun to think about and I wanted to add on to each scenario. I hope you like what I’ve written for you! 💜💜

CW: gn!reader, headcanons/scenarios

How they handle an argument x OP

Stays calm: Rosinante, Robin, Mihawk, Sanji, Luffy, Ace, Shanks

With tensions rising, they’re able to take a step back and see the bigger picture. Maybe something snowballed into something else, leading to this argument or perhaps they did something to set you off. Either way, there are other factors at play, so they’d like to stay calm to better work through them together. Bonus if you aren’t the type to immediately start getting mad either. That will help strengthen your relationship. If you are the type to immediately get mad, then things will be bumpy when ironing out the issues.

Gets mad: Law, Usopp, Luffy, Nami, Kid, Caesar

Their buttons kept getting pushed in all the right ways to detonate their anger. They enter this (possible) screaming match with you, matching whatever energy you’re dishing out. Letting all of the emotions out can either leave both of you feeling like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders or nuke your relationship. If you aren’t the type to immediately get angry, it may be better for you. After all, it’s not as easy to yell at someone who’s non-responsive to it, meaning that you have a better chance at talking things out once they’ve calmed down. If you are the type to immediately get mad, tread lightly. It’s tempting to spiral into more personal issues which can easily leave lasting wounds.

Leaves to cool down: Ace, Zoro, Usopp

They can feel themselves getting heated and would prefer not to unleash it on you. It’s easier for them to collect themselves away from the situation to gather their thoughts. While they’re mulling it over, they’re considering how best to solve the issue. When they come back, they’ll approach you with a level head. Bonus if you’re similar to them. It’ll be nice for them to be able to have someone who understands them in this way and can give them that space. If you’re the type who feels as if you need to solve the problem at that very moment, listen to them when they communicate that they need space to cool off. Otherwise, it could cause more issues.

Leaves and goes mia for a while: Buggy, Doflamingo, Kid

It’s probably for the best that they left before blowing up at you, but it’s hard not to worry when they don’t come back after a few hours or until the next day. They know this may very well lead to another argument, yet they do it anyway because they felt it was necessary. If you start an argument when they return, you’ll practically be yelling at a wall. They’re far too tired and over it at that point. If you show concern and express that you were worried about them, they might roll their eyes at you. However, they may be more open to discussing the underlying issue from the previous night. If you’re the type to do this to them, they would be far from calm about it. There are a lot of emotions whirling around: rage, hurt, concern, spite, and regret.

Ignores you: Law, Crocodile

They definitely heard you. How could they not when you’re standing right there and laying into them about this, that and the other thing? They just don’t care. You’re not going to get much of a response out of them, and you probably don’t want any kind of reaction. Even though they’re quiet, they still have their own thoughts and feelings building on each push you’re giving them. If you are the type to give them their space, they may appreciate this but it won’t be the most productive when it comes to solving the problem. If you’d rather continue pushing them to talk to you and open up, you’ll get just that and surely regret it. If you do this to them, every issue will go unresolved. They’ll be annoyed at you for giving them the cold shoulder.

Uses it as foreplay: Doflamingo, Kid

Each shout, each insult, and each step towards the other fuels these hotheads of theirs. The way the passion danced in your eyes was alluring. The way the blood rushed to your cheeks was enticing. You looked delectable like this and they wanted a taste of that fervor raging within you. Bonus if you’re the same way. But however thrilling and exciting this may be, the argument is sidetracked and is left unresolved. If you shut them down to focus on the issue at hand, they’ll huff and puff at you, and just give you whatever answer they think you want to hear to speed up to the fun part.

[suzukiblu]

For your ask game, what’s your favorite thing you’ve ever written?

. . . god I don't even know, man, that's a LOT of things, hahaha. And like, that answer definitely changes depending on the day/year/phase of the moon. So you're getting a couple answers here! Also I'm gonna keep this mostly to DC and only include finished fics, because me picking between WIPs would take a thousand years and also probably kill us all, lol (ignore the fact that a couple of these fics have sequels in-progress right now, STILL COUNTS OKAY??).

everything happens for a reason. sometimes that reason is that you are stupid and make bad decisions. is one of the funniest fucking things I've ever written, full stop. Lex is SO fun to write, seriously, I could write him all fucking DAY.

I'm really proud of blondes really do have more fun, both because of how much it seems to have affected/touched people who read it and because I think it was my first experience with writing gender euphoria as a major thing and writing, like, an actual explicit trans narrative? Like, I definitely wrote genderfuckery and implications and metaphors before that and probably even some trans characters, arguably, but that's the first story I really remember deliberately just making about being TRANS. And also holy shit, man, did I ever love writing gender euphoria for the first time, especially because I'd mostly only seen gender DYSphoria as a focal point in other stories and it just didn't/doesn't resonate with me the same way. I'm not trans because everything else makes me miserable, I'm trans because that's what makes me HAPPY. I don't remember if I was intentionally thinking that at the time, but that's the story I wanted to write for that one.

one day this will all be yours and you found me when no one else was looking are both concepts I love and found really cathartic to write and was very pleased to finish. I love that they're sort of "families of choice" fics about, like, actual BIOLOGICAL families (like, in the context of the fics, anyway), which probably sounds weird but is a concept I'm sort of painfully fascinated by--like, about the fact that you CAN choose your family, obviously, but sometimes you're lucky enough to find out that you had someone worth choosing already and just didn't necessarily know it, or to both grow into people who CAN choose each other even if you had problems or lashed out due to outside traumas or didn't always understand each other. That's, like, very personally relevant and meaningful to me, the idea that maybe the thing that got all fucked-up and the choices you made when you didn't fully understand the consequences of them can still be worked through and repaired and made into something new and better.

Also, special mention because this one is back a few fandoms but zero humble on it: best friends means you get what you deserve is just really, really good, and I did GOOD on it, hah. I took a three-word prompt/concept and turned it into 17k of "hey, doesn't this make more sense for why this character is the way he is, and isn't this what the main character actually wanted??" in genre-savvy explanation of why the sidekick character might stick around for the antisocial asshole hero and seem perfectly happy to base their life largely around them no matter how said hero treats them, and then I made the Consequences(tm) happen to Jaskier and Geralt, both bad AND good. I am just SO dang proud of that one, UGH I love it. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ FRIENDSHIP, AND THE CONSEQUENCES THEREOF.

[redroomreflections]

Gentle Hands Chapter 3

Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader

Summary: Natasha suspects Reader is in an abusive relationship and tries to convince her to leave

3/10

W/c: 5.1k

Warning: Domestic violence

Masterlist | General Masterlist

Note: Yes, I have a lot of WIPS sue me!

Natasha grew up in a facility with twenty-three other girls. She worked tirelessly to be the best in her generation. Not because she wanted to but because she had to. She woke up every single day with the same goals in mind. To train, to learn, to fight. She ate with the girls, attended Red Room’s version of schooling with them, and even befriended a few. This didn’t work out in much of the way she wanted. She experienced loss at a young age. To progress, she had to kill the other girls in her class. She had to become numb or she would fall. She went through hell and back just to come out on top. She understands how it feels to be an asset to someone that doesn’t see a person as anything more than that. She understands. She’s lived her version of hell.

As she grew and her life took on different paths so did her mindset. She was taken under Clint’s wing. She became close with him and his wife. Rarely did she ever allow herself to love. With Clint it was easy. He didn’t berate her. He didn’t hurt her. He only pushed her to be the best version of herself that she could be. Which sounds cheesy but it’s helped her immensely. She was always evolving and she could see that now. Each moment in her life changed her for the better or the worse.

This time for Natasha, it was the very moment she picked you up. She didn’t mind the late-night pickup. She didn’t care that you called. She’s used to being able to jump up in a flash. All she wanted was for you to be safe. She wanted Kaia to be safe. The anger coursing through her seeing your face scared her. To see you so exhausted. Bloody and bruised. It was an unimaginable sadness. How could someone do that to a person they claim to love? How could they live with themselves?

It’s a recurring thought that Natasha tries to put to rest. She knows why. She’s seen monsters. She’s watched them with her own eyes commit atrocities you wouldn’t believe. This particular situation put her at a disadvantage. She’s not sure how to help you. She’s not sure if you’ll even want to stay. What she does know is that she needs to make your time here comfortable. The recovery won’t be easy but she has to do something.

Natasha woke up with a purpose. She started her morning routine feeding Liho. She moved around the kitchen with swift steps as she prepared his meal. Next was brushing her teeth and skincare. She doesn’t have some twelve-step routine but she likes giving herself that care. She uses the half bathroom to not disturb you and Kaia. Once she’s done she goes back into the kitchen to go over her next steps.

She opened the refrigerator cursing to herself at finding the shelves bare. It’s only ever been her to step inside of this apartment. She doesn’t have visitors. She doesn’t let people over. She certainly doesn’t tell anyone where she stays. The only one to know the existence of this place is Ricky Mason and maybe Nick Fury. That man had a way of knowing everything. He was almost as good as her. She took a mental note to ask what you liked to eat.

She prepared herself a cup of tea while searching through her drawers for a pen and pad. Once she found a working Inkpen and a blank sheet on the pad she walked over to her couch to sit. She didn’t flinch when Liho jumped to sit on the headrest beside her head. She presses the pen to her lip and thinks about what to get first. She’s never had to shop for anyone else. She’s never had to think about anyone else but herself.

Natasha reaches for her phone only having one person to call.

She presses the phone, bringing it to her ear to listen. It’s 9 am. Laura and Clint will be up. Laura answers the phone on the second ring.

“Natasha?” Laura questions.

“Hey, do you have a second?” Natasha asks.

“Yes, Clint is out with the kids right now. Did you want to speak with him ?”

“No, actually, I wanted your advice.” Natasha stares down at the pad. She scribbles the title “Shopping” at the top of the page. “I have a friend here and I need to do a bit of shopping.”

“Oh, okay.” Laura doesn’t even try to hide her surprise. She’s never known Natasha to have friends outside of her small circle.

“She’s just leaving a tough situation and she has a baby. She’s - Kaia is one I think.” Natasha guesses based on memory. “They don’t have much right now and I wanted to get them started. I guess I just want to know where to start.”

Laura is more than happy to help. She sees her as a younger sister even though they’re only a few years apart. If Natasha is coming to her for advice then it’s something serious. It’s something she cares about.

“Well, first I would check the little one’s diaper size. I doubt she’s potty trained yet,” Laura lists off. Natasha writes it on the pad. She listens to the items as if it’s the most important information. “Then I would go for clothes. I would start with the basics. Onesies, t-shirts, pants. Does she have a jacket or coat? I know it’s getting chilly in New York.”

“No, neither of them did. I don’t think she was able to grab it when I picked them up.” Natasha bites her lip nervously.

“Well they’re both going to need one,” Laura wants to ask questions. She’s curious but she doesn’t want Natasha to shut down. “I would ask her mom but usually I get the kids’ jackets a size bigger for them to grow into. They grow quickly.” Natasha writes this down too. She knows nothing about babies outside of helping with Lila, Cooper, and now Nathaniel.

“What about the food? Can she eat what we eat or does she need special food? She has a few teeth I think.” Natasha sets the pen down. She does remember feeding Kaia the muffin but further than that she’s clueless. “Do you think I’m overdoing it?”

“She’s well over the age to start eating solids so I bet she does,” Laura guesses. “I think you’re a good friend and whomever this person maybe, she is lucky to have you, Natasha. Sounds like she means a lot to you.”

Natasha breathes a sigh of relief. She holds the phone allowing herself to feel whatever it is she’s feeling. She can’t quite describe it.

“They mean a lot to me, Laur,” Natasha admits. “I’ve never.” She doesn’t want to voice her insecurity. She feels she may be way in over her head. What if she can’t give you the full support that you need? What if you decide that this isn’t what you want? She’s not expecting you to jump into a relationship with her. She made that clear last night. Her support isn’t based on contingencies. She’s not that kind of person. She will respect your wishes if you decided to live on your own somewhere. She only wants you safe. Your safety is number one.

“I know, Nat.” Laura empathizes.

“She’s going through something with her boyfriend,” Natasha looks up at the ceiling. She blinks away the tears in her eyes and clears her throat. “I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing. I’m just so mad. He hurt her.”

“Oh, Natasha,” Laura says. She listens as Natasha repositions the phone against her ear. “If she came to you then she was confident that you would know what to do. I don’t think she will expect much from you. She just needs support and safety right now.”

Natasha nods before realizing Laura can’t see her.

“It won’t be easy for her. Don’t lose faith.”

“I won’t,” Natasha is sure of it. She’s not going to give up on you. She couldn’t. Not when her heart is in it. It terrifies her. She feels so strongly for you in such a short amount of time. It’s a feeling that sends her flying while also wanting to make her run. She’s not going to run. She won’t do that. “Is there more that I should get? Toys and things like that?”

“Toys, books, blankets. How long do you plan on them staying?”

“For as long as they need,” Natasha replies. She means it.

“Well then, go ahead and grab a pen and paper because you’re going to need a list.”

Natasha picks up the pen again to begin writing down everything Laura relays to her. She didn’t realize taking care of a baby required so much. She’s not clueless. She’s just never had to think about any of this. When she's done talking to Laura she hangs up feeling so much lighter. She makes quick work of opening her laptop and finding the best grocery delivery websites. Then she goes to a baby website. There’s a place that could deliver things today. It takes her over an hour to shop for everything. She gets the basics in hopes to talk with you later about other necessities.

**********

She closes her laptop feeling accomplished. After throwing an extra hefty tip the groceries would be delivered in the next hour. The baby’s clothes and other items would be here around the same time. Now that that’s done she has to find something to occupy herself with. She drinks the rest of her now cool tea before standing to dump it in the kitchen sink. She looks around the room. It’s a bachelorette pad. It’s bare. She doesn’t decorate. It’s not her thing. There are not even pictures on the wall.

Natasha finds herself bored. She doesn’t want to leave you both in the apartment just yet. She would usually be at the tower by now finishing up a workout. Deciding to come to check on you, she walks down the hallway to peek inside. You’re still asleep. You must be pretty exhausted. After the night you’ve had it’s only right for you to rest as much as you can. Natasha is just about to walk back to the living room when a small head lifts from the bed. Kaia pushes herself up onto her knees. She whimpers, unaware of her new surroundings before she finds you a few feet away from her. She taps at your shoulder to no avail.

Natasha debates on whether or not she should take her. Would she cry? Technically she doesn’t even know Natasha. She steps inside of the bedroom, Kaia’s eyes quickly finding hers.

“Hi,” Natasha says softly. Kaia watches as she approaches the bed. She raises her arms to be picked up by Natasha. Another grown-up was good enough. “Your mama is still sleeping. You must be hungry.” Natasha helps the toddler into her arms. She practically melts when Kaia lies her head on her shoulder. Weighting a baby and feeling how real she is. It’s weird, to say the least. There are remnants of sleep as she breathes against Natasha’s neck. “Let’s go find something for you to eat.” Natasha finds it a bit silly to be talking to herself but Kaia seems to be a great listener. She pads out of the bedroom to go to the kitchen. Liho is drinking from his bowl when Kaia spots him. She raises her head, watching him in interest, but making no move to leave Natasha’s arms.

“That’s Liho,” Natasha crouches down to introduce them. “He’s a cat.”

“Cat?” Kaia mimics. She reaches a hand out to pet Liho. Her touch is rough and she grabs at his fur. Natasha raises her hand to free Liho from Kaia’s hold. The cat quickly makes his exit.

“Gentle, baby,” Natasha instructs her.

Kaia wiggles from Natasha’s arms to slide onto the ground. She crawls over to Liho’s water bowl. She immediately smashes her hand into the bowl in an attempt to pour the water into her mouth. Natasha gasps, pulling the bowl away from her and picking Kaia up. Okay, so she had a few things to learn.

“Are you thirsty sweet girl?” Natasha laughs. She sure hopes you won’t be angry at this little mishap. She stands with Kaia to turn to grab a bottle of water in the fridge. She opens it and holds it out to Kaia. Kaia’s arms leave Natasha’s shoulders to take the bottle with both hands. She immediately guzzles down the water, swallowing harshly. Suddenly, she lets go of the bottle prematurely, spilling much of the water on her shirt. She gasps and coughs. Natasha takes the bottle to set it on the counter while patting her back to help her through. Kaia coughs harshly one more time before giving Natasha a surprised look. “Okay, I am so glad I added baby cups to that list.” Natasha shakes her head. Kaia rubs her hand against her belly. She’s not very happy with her messy shirt. Liho makes a reappearance this time to purr against Natasha’s legs.

“Cat!” Kaia calls out to Liho.

“No, no cat, let’s find something to eat.” Natasha finds a small box of cheerios in the cabinets that she can share. She eats them from time to time. Without a proper chair for the girl, she sits at the table with Kaia on her lap. She foregoes milk and places the cheerios in a bowl. She allows Kaia to eat with her hands while she sends a text to Steve and the rest of the team. She’s positive Steve and Sam told everyone else the situation with you. Everyone sends well wishes and hopes to see you soon. Natasha is pulled from her messaging when Kaia holds up a cheerio in the palm of her hand. She places it against Natasha’s lips and the redhead opens her mouth with a smile.

Were kids always this cute?

“That’s for you,” Natasha tells her but Kaia has other plans. In between feeding herself, she will give Natasha a cheerio. Natasha would take it gratefully. She scrolls through her emails while making sure Kaia eats all of her food. Finally, after the better part of an hour, Kaia pushes the plate away. She’s ready to play. There’s a knock at the front door and Natasha knows it’s the delivery. She asked for no contact and as she peeks through the peephole she knows they followed orders. Kaia waits patiently on the kitchen floor as Natasha brings in the bags. She might have gone overboard with the amount of food. Kaia peeks through the bags with new curiosity. She finds a can of food that she tosses on the ground. She enjoys the loud noises.

Natasha takes the can away and replaces it with a wooden spoon for her to smash against the floor. Kaia happily takes it and taps it haphazardly against the cabinets. There’s another knock at the door. Natasha quickly takes the packages and tosses them to the side. She doesn’t want to leave Kaia for too long. Deciding the toddler is occupied for long enough, she sets out on putting the groceries away.

************

When you finally awaken it’s with a stiffness in your back that you find all too familiar. Your lip still feels a bit sore and you could feel nausea at the forefront of your mind. You wait a few seconds to gather yourself before standing from the bed. The only thing on your mind is to pee. You rush to the bathroom to do your business. You can hear a slight banging coming from the front of the apartment. That’s where Kaia must be. Briefly, your mind wonders if this is all a dream. Did you leave? Did you get away? You find the extra toothbrush left for you. You brush your teeth bent over the sink. You don’t want to look. You don’t want to see how bad it is. Looking would only serve as a reminder. Only this serves to be hard when you need to wash your face. You stand straighter to look at yourself. It’s not as bad as you thought. Certainly not something that should have happened. The apple of your cheek is a purplish color but isn’t scary. Your lip is split and you’re hoping with time it heals. You don’t think you need stitches so hopefully, there’s no scar. You don’t know how long you stand there. You just look at yourself wondering how you ever became this person.

Why did you allow him to do that to you? Why weren’t you strong enough? A squeal from the kitchen pulls you from your thoughts. Kaia is depending on you. She’s depending on you to do better and be better. Even if all you want to do is climb back into the bed and hide under the covers you don’t. She needs you.

You leave the bathroom to follow the sounds of the banging. You are a bit surprised to find the endearing scene in front of you.

Natasha is sitting with her back against the cabinets as Kaia plays with pots and pans in front of her. Occasionally she will give a tap much to Kaia’s delight. You watch them with a smile. You glance over to the time on the stove. 11 A.M. You slept for so long. For some reason, you feel like most of your day is wasted. Natasha laughs at something Kaia does.

“What’s all this?” You ask startling them both. You point over to the packages waiting by the front door. Natasha lifts her head, her eyes following your finger, and then back to you.

“They’re supplies,” She says simply.

“Supplies?” You repeat back. You round the counter to Kaia putting the wooden spoon into her mouth again. Natasha quickly takes it from her much to her disappointment.

“For you and Kaia,” Natasha says. Your eyes widen.

“Natasha, no, I can’t pay you back,” You frown.

“You don’t need to,” She shakes her head. “You need things. Besides, I used Tony’s credit card.” She shrugs with a hint of amusement. You find yourself smiling back. It was always fun to use Tony Starks money. You crouch down to sit on your bottom next to Kaia. She looks over to you before continuing to play with the pots.

“Thank you, Nat.” You say. “I take it they know?”

“I had to tell them,” Natasha gauges your reaction. You nod. Of course, she did. “If they’re going to be your support system they had to know a little bit. Only the important details. That you and Kaia got out and now you’re staying with me.”

You think about that. “Thank you.” Natasha doesn’t respond. She would do it all again if you asked.

“Nat,” You run a hand over Kaia’s head smoothing down her hair. “About last night when... I kissed you.” She tilts her head. “I’m sorry if I made you feel like you had to do that. I wasn’t in the right headspace and we’ve never even talked about anything past us. I mean technically I’m still with Keith. Not really. I don’t know. I left and I was here and I was just feeling so many emotions and it wasn’t the right time. I wasn’t trying to repay you with sex. At least, not intentionally. So, in short, I’m sorry for putting you in that situation.”

Natasha listens to your rambling so patiently, She lets you get out your thoughts without any judgment. You’re realizing you don’t like that she has such a good poker face. If she was thinking something she doesn’t say it. She simply waits until you’re done.

“First, you didn’t put me in any situation I didn’t want to be in,” Natasha begins. She sits up straighter against the counters. “ I kissed you back. I would think the blame would be more on me for letting it happen when you’re so upset.”

“Nat,” You begin and this time she interrupts.

“I know it’s going to take a while for you to be okay. Let yourself feel everything. It may be confusing. You might even still have feelings for him. Let it happen. I’m right here every step of the way.” She promises.

“Is that fair to you?” You move to bite your lip until you remember the injury. “I’m sitting here crying, bruised, and pregnant with another man’s baby. You’re showing me all of this grace and I don’t deserve it. Why are you being so patient with me?” Your eyes drop to the floor to avoid crying. You’d rather not cry anymore.

“Because you deserve it,” Natasha says firmly. “You deserve patience and kindness. It doesn’t matter what’s fair to me. I’m not going to take advantage of you. Not now and not ever.” You nod.

“Thank you,” You whisper.

“Besides, I am not helping you with the expectation of a relationship.” Natasha asserted. She twirls the spoon around in her hand. “I’m helping you because I care about you. And Kaia.” The silence between the two of you speaks volumes. You’re allowing her words to settle inside of you while she hangs on to her last bit of sanity. She won’t admit it but she’s scared too. She’s terrified of her feelings.

“Your shirt’s all wet,” You notice Kaia’s drenched outfit.

“Yeah we may have had a couple of incidents earlier,” Natasha manages to look guilty.

“It happens, kids are messy.” You say nonchalantly.

“I bought clothes and diapers for her. I hope that’s okay.” Natasha gestures towards the packages.

“It’s fine.”

“Let’s open them,” Natasha stands to grab the first packages for you. She steps over the many pots and pans. Kaia’s eyes follow her with deep interest.

“Do you like Natasha baby bird?” You whisper into her ear. She taps against the pans again and you cringe. Natasha’s neighbors probably wouldn’t be too happy with the noise. Natasha comes back with the first two packages while kicking a box of diapers along the floor. She stops in front of you to open the drawer next to your head. There she finds a box cutter.

“How were you able to get all of this stuff on short notice?”

“I know a guy,” Natasha smirks. She opens the boxes and sets them down between you. “I hope everything fits her. I called in a friend to ask about babies since she has three.” Natasha confesses.

“Well your friend is very good at baby knowledge,” You search through the box. The diaper size is right. “I’m going to go change her quick,” You say while grabbing Kaia. Her shirt is soaked.

“I’m going to put these things away,” Natasha says. “I only have one bedroom so the hall closet will have to do for now.” She begins to put the extras away while leaving out the toys and other necessities she bought. You set Kaia onto a towel on the bed and pull her pants off first. Then you tug the buttons of her onesie. She isn’t much help as you maneuver her around to put on a fresh diaper. The sizing is perfect. Then you grab one of the new t-shirts and a pair of baby sweatpants that are simply adorable. Natasha’s style of choice was cute and it clearly shows that she hand-picked these items.

“Kaia, Mama’s new friend is nice,” You whisper to the toddler. She looks up at you as if she understands. “I know right now I like her. She’s been so helpful. When you meet the team you’ll get to see that they’re all pretty cool people.” Once Kaia is fully dressed you walk back into the living room where Natasha is looking at a giant box. A playpen.

Her hands are on her hips as she sports a look of concentration. How was she going to build this?

“I wouldn’t even bother until later,” You tell her. She drops her hands. She would get it done.

You sit with Kaia on the couch and she follows.

“I made a list of things you needed,” She hands the pen and pad to you. “I don’t know if there’s anything else you need but I figured we could look together.” You look down at the pad. Everything seemed pretty straightforward. “I was wondering about a few important things. Y/n, do you plan on reporting what happened ?” You stop breathing for a second. Kaia wriggles in your arms to be put down. She wants to touch the new toys that are on the floor. You let her go as you’re too busy trying to understand the question.

“Report him?” It feels thick on your tongue. You hadn’t thought that far ahead. “I can’t… I won’t.” Reporting Keith would open up an entirely new can of worms. He’d be in trouble. He’d be so pissed. You don’t want to involve the police in your problems. It’s not worth it.

“Have you thought about that at all?” Natasha dips her head to get you to look at her. You shake your head no. “Y/n, I’m not trying to preach to you but I think it’s something we have to do.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s still out there. He hurt you.”

“He can’t find me,” You say sullenly.

“I know that,” Natasha says. “Sam says it’s important to have a paper trail. For evidence. If he were to try and get custody of Kaia there may be a fight. He could win.”

“Because he’s Keith,” You say. “He has money and good resources and a job. I have none of that. If I report it he’s going to hate me, Natasha. You don’t understand.”

“I do,” Natasha helps to open the toy Kaia brings her. “I understand very well that we could have lost you. I understand that he hurt you and he hurt Kaia. I understand that you are pregnant, Y/n. If you were to go back to him it could be deadly for you and the baby.” Your hand flies to your abdomen.

“I know, I know,” You shake your head. “I know. I just… I don’t want to do that. I don’t want people to know. It’s not. He didn't put me in the hospital. It’s not…”

“How long until he does though?” Natasha isn’t trying to be a bitch. She’s not trying to force you to do something you don’t want. She only wants you to see how serious this situation is.

“Can I think about it?” You look down at your hands. “The rational part of my brain knows what you’re saying. The other part just doesn’t know up from down right now. I didn’t even think I would leave. I never thought I would leave. Can I just have time?”

“Of course, dorogaya.” Natasha says softly.

“You must think I’m stupid.”

“I don’t. I could never.” She moves to close the distance between you. She shows you her hands first before bringing them to your face to wipe your tears away. “None of this is your fault. None of it.” She presses a kiss against your forehead.

“Thank you,” You sigh. Kaia chooses that moment to come to stand between you. She presses her palms against each of your legs to step up on the tip of her toes. She looks at you curiously, noticing the sad look on your face. That’s when you’re reminded why you left. Keith puts his hands on her. Making her cry like that? It’s something you can never forget. “Mama’s okay, baby bird.” Kaia pats your arm and you pick her up. She sits on your lap before turning to Natasha.

“Nat, I don’t think I can have another baby,” You say suddenly. “I never really thought I would get pregnant. I... I don’t know if that’s what I want. We never used protection. He didn’t like it. I just… I never thought I would become this person.”

“What are you thinking?” Natasha asks. She’s still so close that you can smell her soap. It smells fresh and clean.

“I don’t know,” You answer truthfully. “I’m not big on abortion. It’s not. I’m not against it but I just. I don’t know if I could do that. Doesn’t he deserve to know?”

“It’s what you choose,” Natasha presses. “No one else’s opinion matters. Not mine. Not Steve’s. Certainly not Keith’s. It’s your body.”

“When I found out I was devastated,” You rub Kaia’s leg as she takes your left hand into hers. “I couldn't help but think now I was going to be stuck forever. Now I was subjecting another kid to his treatments. Now I’m here and I don’t know. I just… I don’t know how I could ever take care of two babies.”

Natasha doesn’t give her opinion. She doesn’t have one worth sharing. She doesn’t think it’s valuable. She can’t have children. The Red Room made sure that wasn’t a problem for her a long time ago. She’s not going to influence you into doing something you’re unsure of. All she can do is support your decision and be there for you..

“Y/n, I think you should do whatever you feel is best for you and your situation,” She starts.

“It’s crazy,” You wipe a tear away before it can leave your eyes. “For years I’ve only had his opinion. I’ve only done what he wants me to. Now I’m here with this big decision and I don’t know what to do.”

“You will learn again,” Natasha rests her hand on your knee. “You will learn.” Her words feel encouraging and soothing. You would learn how to be human again. You would learn how to think for yourself and do the things in life you wanted. These things took time and probably a lot of therapy. Natasha receives a notification from her phone and she reaches across the coffee table to check it. When she unlocks the phone to view the message she’s frowning.

“Dear God,” She mutters.

“What?” You ask curiously.

She presses play on the video sent to her phone. She doesn’t think she should show this to you.

“Natasha, what?” You ask again.

Finally, she turns the phone towards you. It’s a screen recording of a surveillance camera.

“It’s Keith, he’s outside of the tower.” Natasha turns up the audio on her phone.

“The Avengers are aiding in the kidnapping of my baby,” He yells into the street.

Dear God indeed. What was he doing?

----- > next part

[mtchee]

Silence is Silver, Your Voice is Gold - [Tenya Iida] SOULMATE SERIES | GN

blurb:

Your spitfire attitude is a stark contrast to your sister Ochaco, but that doesn't stop you two from having each other's backs. Through your gruff exterior, Ochaco knows you're well meaning and understanding--even when you tend to snap back. That's why it baffles her when you become dead silent after you're scolded by class 1A's class president, Iida, for an outburst in class. When usually you'd scoff at him, you'd reeled back and sat in your seat. But now... you won't talk at all.

cw: not edited, second-person-pov, Ochaco is your twin, fighter not a lover to lover AND a fighter, i love writing character/reader siblings its so fun, [name] is actually rather anxious, tsundere but not the annoying kind, Iida is an understanding sweetheart, protective Ochaco!, onesided (but not really) admiration

| masterlist | boku no hero academia collection |

[2.8k]

Ochaco was worried about you.

Between the two of you, you've always been more of the fighter. Her sweet nature contrasts starkly to your own spitfire attitude. Although you were rough, you always took care of her, and in turn, she's always had your back.

Through thick and thin since your very birth, you stuck to each other like glue. Eventually, her more outgoing nature prompted you to give her a nudge, to let her bloom on her own.

While she nervously went out of her way to chat with a few others on your first day at U.A, you stuck to the back and kept quiet.

You made quick friends with Kirishima and Jirou, sometimes rough housing with the former and taking the time to chill with the latter. You never went out of your way to really talk to anyone else, though you had decent enough manners to reply if someone did want to talk.

You weren't a jerk without reason.

You didn't really talk to Ochaco's friend group, but you would nod a curt greeting to them in passing.

The class learnt you were a bit snappy, though not quite to Bakugo's extent. Ochaco sweatdropped when you first got into a verbal battle with him, and it just went on and on and on...

Aizawa had to separate you in the end.

Lately though, you've been more quiet.

Scarily so.

Sure, she knew you weren't the talkative type, but you were never one to hold your tongue either. So when Bakugo barked at you one day during training and you shrugged him off, she panicked.

Then you guys moved into the dorms, and the only time she seemed to hear you speak was when you two were alone.

The last time she witnessed your fire was three weeks ago, when Bakugo had provoked in the middle of Japanese Literature, where you'd unintentionally interrupted the class to bite back at him before Iida scolded you in front of everyone.

Ochaco doesn't really remember what he said, but Iida had never been the harsh type. Stern, yes, but never mean. And you weren't someone who would take it to heart anyway, usually dismissing anyone who'd tell you off.

But, maybe he did strike a nerve...?

"Move it, hardass," Bakugo shoulders past you purposefully, throwing you a challenging sneer meant to rile you up. He narrows his eyes and huffs boredly when you only scoff and glare at him in return.

Ochaco shares a worried look with Kirishima at your lack of reaction and, unbeknownst to you, even the agressor himself glances back wearily at your odd demeanour.

While you take your usual lunch seat next to Jirou, your sister also decides to sit with you this time. While Bakugo and Sero where still filling out their trays, Kirishima and Denki sat across from you.

They seemed nervous while you poked at your food.

You deadpan at them, "What?"

"N-Nothing!" Denki gives you a not at all convincing smile, immediately stuffing his face with his pork tonkatsu.

"Mm, well... It's just," Jirou sweatdrops, "you've been kinda quiet lately."

"Yeah," Kiri gives you a reassuring smile, "we were just wondering if everything's okay!"

You look at your sister who shrugs sheepishly, and you roll your eyes.

"Yeah, 'm fine."

"I mean, you say that but..." You spy Bakugo growling at a panicked Sero for his meal choice while Ochaco thinks about how to continue, "how do I say this... you're not, uh, you're not as fiery anymore."

Jirou nods along.

"Yeah, I never hear you talk in class anymore."

"And you've like, stopped fighting with Bakugo," Denki looks at you worriedly, "and you always fight with Bakugo!"

"Oh."

Ochaco furrows her brows at that, you seem oddly taken aback.

"You noticed?" You don't give them a chance to respond, continuing while scratching the back of your neck laxly, "'m kinda stressed, I guess."

"Why? Exams aren't for ages." Denki shoves a bunch of noodles in his mouth.

Jirou squints at him, "Exams are in two weeks."

"See? Aaaages!"

"Stressed?" Kirishima tilts his head, and you glance off at another table to the side.

"I met my soulmate."

"YOU WHAT!?"

You scowl and slam your fist down on your tray to at their obnoxious chorus.

"KEEP IT DOWN," You close your eyes with a sharp intake of air, counting slowly before releasing your breath, "... you're too noisy."

"Are you kidding!?" Denki ignores you completely, leering over the table at you excitedly, "Mx. Stronghold over here found their soulmate! That's amazing!"

He laughs giddily.

"Dude, for real?" Kirishima beams, "that's totally awesome! Where'd you meet?"

"Yeah, and you're only telling us this now?" Jirou nudges you good naturedly.

"S..Soulmate?" Ochaco echoes, eyes wide, "So, you're soul words--"

"He doesn't know it's me."

A cold silence instantly sets them all on edge, you're admittance piercing them in their chests.

Denki blinks, "W-What?"

A silver lunch tray slams onto the table between you and your sister, and she shrieks, flinching away from the harsh impact as Bakugo scowls at her.

"Beat it, floaty. Go back to your own table."

"Oi," Your warning tone makes him huff, and he taps his foot impatiently, waiting for her to move.

"A-Ah.. it's okay, [name]," Ochaco smiles nervously, quickly picking back up her own tray and waving to the others, "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"'Kay." You wave her bye, and Sero takes a seat beside Kiri.

Elbow boy quirks up a brow at the stiffness of the others.

"So... what was that about?"

"Nothin'," You shrug, getting back to your meal.

"Like hell it was." Bakugo narrows his eyes, but ultimately decides he doesn't care enough to push for more and starts shoveling in his rice and curry.

You glare at the others threateningly, and the dutifully keep their mouths shut and eat, though the tension from your prior topic lingers.

As Ochaco makes her way back to her normal table, she can't help but dwell on your words.

She thinks back on your unusual change in behaviour, where now you sit still in class as though trying to slink by unnoticed, when before your presence was proud and fiery.

Very rarely are you two apart for long, so everyone you've met, she's met. She ponders on all your interactions in the last three weeks. She doesn't remember you outwardly reacting to anyone strangely.

You'd gossiped about soulmates before, and how you'd probably feel once you meet them. She's known how nervous yet excited you've been--to meet someone that the universe deems to be your other half. To have someone meant for you.

But, you didn't seem all that happy.

Actually, now that she thinks about it, you looked rather... sad. Not disappointed, but more so disheartened.

And you haven't really had any outbursts since--

As she sets her tray down beside Tsu, she gasps when looking at Iida, a lightbulb going off in her head.

"It's you!"

Iida responds with a polite hum, and Shouto blinks with Midoriya and Tsu looking back at her in confusion.

"So, you know how you and Bakugo got into a bit of a spit a couple weeks ago?"

You growl irratedly, failing to throw your nosy sister off your trail on the way back to the dormitory.

"And how Iida kinda stood in to settle you down?" She keeps going, ignorant of your flaring temper, "well, I know you've been kinda quiet since then which I thought was really odd. To be honest, I started to miss how snippy you get--"

"Ochaco, drop it." You huff.

"--but I thought, 'there's no way that actually upset you,' so I started thinking some more; and then you told us about your soulmate! Well, not really, but you said that you met your soulmate, and you know, you've never really talked to Iida before without me or Deku or someone there, so you never needed to anyway--"

"Ochaco."

"--and I remember! You didn't snap back at him!"

Your shoulders tense and your stomach churns uncomfortably.

She's getting way too close.

"And ever since then you've been so silent! We never hear you talk in class anymore, and you haven't been bothered to sit with us for lunch. So that's when it all clicked!"

She turns to you with a beaming smile, bouncing in front of you with her arms held out wide.

"Iida is your soulmate!"

"I said drop it." Your gaze is sharp and defensive, tone gruff and dripping with danger.

Ochaco falters, "But... [name], isn't that great?"

You scoff, "Yeah, whatever."

"Hey..." She frowns when you shove past her, "why're you... [name], you've been so excited to find your soulmate. And you're not too shy to talk to him. What's the problem?"

She has to double her steps to keep up with your hurried pace.

She winces, "Do... you not like Iida?"

"Ochaco.."

Her heart tugs at the exhaustion in your voice. You stop in your wake, features carefully slated except for the singular shine of hurt in your eyes. You don't look her way.

"Just drop it."

"[name]," Ochaco plants herself in front of you sternly, "you can't be like this. It's hurting you, and it's not fair on your soulmate. Iida is my friend! He's a great guy, and our class president! Trust me, you've got nothing to worry--"

"Damnit, I know!" You hiss as her probing reignites the spark of your temper.

"I know, Ochaco! It's why I can't let him know I'm his soulmate!"

Your words stunt her, and she reels back.

Her frustrated frown creases into one of worry, puppy eyes glistening as she stares at you in disbelief.

"...What..?"

"I-I can't--" You scunch your nose, closing your eyes and breathing in sharply, "--Ochaco, you know why. It's obvious."

Your shoulders sag from their defensive position and you roll you head to ease the stress caused crook in your neck.

Of course it's obvious. He's nice Iida. Handsome Iida. Intelligent Iida. Way out of your league Iida, who wouldn't spare a rascal like you a single look because all you do is spit fire and scowl.

"We're not a good match, sis. He... He wouldn't want me. It's obvious from my soul words."

You tentively inch up the blazer sleeve on your right arm, small golden words inked neatly onto the skin of your outer forearm: 'Cease this behaviour! You are much too astute to be acting in such an irresponsible and disruptive manner!'

"Oh, [name]..." Ochaco's eyes flutter, and when she looks back up at you, her heart breaks at the sight of your ever so subtly trembling lips and glossy eyes.

You crunch your nose at her distastefully when she coos at your reluctant sniffle.

"Hmph," You glare at the ground to keep your fruitless tears at bay, "we're just too different. S-So he won't know that it's me, and he'll find someone better."

She frowns at that, "You can't decide that."

"Well, I did."

You frown daringly right back at her.

But your sister's always had your back, for better and for worse. Even when you don't want her to.

Especially when you don't want her to.

You growl angrily at the incessant knocking on your door.

For the past two weeks since you stupidly confided in your sister she's been hounding you about your soulmate business. Your soulmate business.

Meaning, not her business.

So each morning you'd avoid her and every afternoon, if you didn't plan on training, you'd lock yourself in your dorm where she's been following to bug you.

Sometimes you'd throw yourself into your homework and studies and blast music obnoxiously to drown her out, but the sound of her knocking is just so annoying.

"Goddamnit," You've just about had enough of her, eyes ablaze, you almost snap your pen and ruin your paper.

"For the last damn time, Ochac-- oh, shit." After violently flinging your door open, you pale at the sight of not your sister.

Iida, from where he stands in your doorway, looks about just as shocked as you--though not with the same horrored expression that you harbour.

With a quiet gasp, the spectacle eyed male feels the skin on his chest tingle pleasantly, and you spy a subtle golden glow through the material of his blue collared cotton shirt.

Oh, shit.

Although your features are hardened, you swallow anxiously as you await his further reaction.

Iida's eyes daren't stray from your form, lips parted ever so slightly in shock from the truth of Ochaco's earlier information. He lets out a controlled, gentle breath.

"It is you."

You step back abrasively when his face brightens with an awed smile and a light pink blush across his cheeks.

All in a sudden moment you feel giddy and flushed and nervous before you quickly crush that hope with skeptical eyes and a defensive stance. Your heart thrums in your chest, and you can't help but berate yourself for the mere notion of him getting you afluster.

"Oh my," Iida sounds breathless and dazed, and his glimmering eyes have you frozen in place as he steps toward you, "you are my soulmate, indeed."

"Ochaco told you," You're quick to deduce, and you notice him swallow thickly at your evident displeasure.

His focus narrows in on your body language: how you shuffle back ever so slightly, chest stuttering with each deep breath, your thumb pressing into your closed knuckles by your side--you're on the defense.

"...You're not happy?"

"I'm not hopeful."

Your dismissing muttering peaks his interest, and he raises a pointy brow.

"Pardon?" He decides to keep pushing when you avert your gaze to the side, "what do you mean by that, exactly?"

"I'm-- we're not.." A flash of insecurity passes your features, but he's quick to catch it, "--this just isn't a good... match."

Something in his gaze hardens, and his chest expands with a sharp intake of air before he speaks, "I beg to differ."

When you glance up, you see a red blush tinting his ears and underlining where his glasses sit.

"I'd be quite dismayed if my soulmate were someone other than you."

"Eh?" Comes your eloquent response. You deadpan with disbelief.

"Ochaco put you up to this," You growl at him threateningly, "I don't need your pity!"

"I bare no form of pity," He frowns, "I'm telling the truth."

At his insistence you huff, crossing your arms over your chest with a 'whatever'.

"Shove off, I'm too irresponsible and brash for you."

He looks taken aback (and almost hurt) before his frustration becomes palpable, and he steps past the threshold of your doorway after a moment of hesitance.

"Pardon the intrusion; but that is utter nonsense and what I'm saying is true," He speaks with a firmness that demands your attention, and you send him a disgruntled look which he ignores, "from what I recall, while my words may have first been, unpleasant, by no means does that dictate how I perceive you."

"Oh yeah?"

He feels the urge to reprimand you at your challenging sneer. You grin victoriously when you pick up on his irritance with your behaviour, as though proving your point.

Instead though, he rolls back his broad shoulders with a quiet sigh.

"While occasionally explosive, and impossibly headstrong--you have a good heart."

"Hell are you on about?" He hushes you quickly, as one would a noisy child, and you frown.

"Let me finish. I mean it, [name]. I know how you are, we've consistently been around each other. I've seen how you treat Uraraka, how you look out for her while letting her pull her own weight. I've watched you converse with Kirishima and Jirou, and pull Bakugo down a few pegs."

You bite back a smug smile when he puffs out a bemused chuckle at that.

"We may not have spoken directly until as of recent, but even though, we already know one another very well," He clears his throat gently and holds out a hand, "now, it's just a matter of knowing each other on a deeper level. I-If you accept, that is.."

You scoff at his stumble, after having the gall to shush you and barge in like that. Still, you eye his hand--his implicit invitation--temptingly. You've always adored the prospect of soulmates, and it seems that despite your aggresive reservations, yours is more than accepting of you as you are.

Looking him up and down, you snort quietly at his obvious nerves. Iida's posture is staight, wide shoulders held high and stiff with one hand outstretched robotically while the other sweats, tucked behind his back.

Your eyes soften, and you plaster on a downturned smile.

You clap his tense hand with your own, only able to look at him briefly before sickeningly sweet fluttering in your chest becomes way too apparent.

"Sure. Yeah, soulmates or whatever," You bite the inside of your cheek as you turn your back to him, feeling a humiliating heat crawl up your cheeks, "just so you know, you're stuck with me now. No take backs--and you can't regret it!"

Unbeknownst to you, a wide smile crosses Iida's squared features, and he heaves out a massive sigh of relief. He positively beams while gazing at your turned back, chuckling softly with a sheepish blush as he observes your stewing bashfulness.

"Believe me, I would never."

[httpkaulitz]

can u write a angst, just purely angst with absolutely no emotion except for anxiety and sadness its abt bill and how he’s been distant along 2x with reader and some random girl. and one day reader finds out and confronts him while him not gaf and just leaving her with no worries while the reader is in her lowest point ever.

sorry if it’s to long 😔

Somebody that I used to know

PAIRINGS: Bill x Female reader

CONTENT: Angst

SYNOPSIS: You discover that Bill has been lying to you

WARNINGS: cheating, fight and a bit of panic attack

You and Bill never had the perfect relationship, it was just normal like the all couple. You would fight and disagree about some things, you would make up and fight again.

You had your differences, but you always respected each other, at least that's what you thought.

When you started to feel Bill acting distant you thought it was all in your head. Maybe he really was just tired, after all that was what he said. There was no point in doubting him after so long you have being together.

But it was hard to ignore the feeling that something was wrong when it happened every time he was away for work.

You didn't want to play the annoying, jealous girlfriend. Damn, you were never like this. You even found some of the fans' comments funny.

All of this just made you wonder more and more if you were wrong. You felt deep in your gut that something was wrong and you felt so bad about it. The disconnected mix of feelings. Because you think Bill doesn't love you like he used to and is slowly moving away. Fear of being ungrateful when he doesn't deserve you to doubt him.

All this agony and doubt ended accidentally. Tom and Bill were finishing a song in the studio and you had just prepared a snack for both of them. You entered the room silently with the intention of not disturbing them, but instead of working, the two were arguing and didn't even notice your presence.

“It’s not fair to do that to her, you fucking know that.” Tom shouted angrily pointing his finger in Bill's face who looked more bored than anything else.

“You don’t have to get involved in this, it has nothing to do with you.” Bill responded with a shrug.

You looked from one to the other trying to understand what was going on. They fought sometimes, of course, like any siblings, but it was so rare especially at the level of yelling.

“And what are you going to do when she sees the photos? You know at some point it’s going to get to her.” Tom said and all your doubts, the repressed and confused feelings, everything you had been feeling for the last few weeks made sense.

You weren't crazy, a voice whispered inside your head.

And for a moment you wished you were, you wished all your paranoia was just that, paranoia. Because it would be easier to overcome and much less painful. But no, it was clear that Bill had cheated on you and as if that wasn't enough, you were finding out about it because of his brother. It was so humiliating.

"Shit." You heard someone say and when you looked at them again they were both standing there staring at you.

You didn't know how to react and the only thing you could do was turn around and leave the room as silently as when you had entered. You were so embarrassed. Mainly because of the way Tom looked at you, with so much pity.

You wondered how long he had known. Did the other boys know too? Damn, he talked about a photo. If this is on the Internet then everyone knows. You laughed when the phrase 'the betrayed is always the last to know' came to mind.

You dropped the tray with the snack on the kitchen counter and ran to the bedroom. Your movements were so automatic that you felt like you were teleporting. You took out your cell phone to look for anything, any evidence. You needed to see it. It sounds masochistic, but it's hard to believe that someone you've known for so long would do this to you.

It wasn't very difficult to find. It was everywhere. Bill and another woman together, so close it would be questionable and then in the next photo he is whispering something in her ear while holding her waist and in the next they were kissing.

You held your breath trying to swallow the lump that formed in your throat. You could feel the tears streaming down your face, your hands shaking as you stared at your phone until the screen went blank and you could see your pathetic reflection in it.

Bill entered the room and stared at you for a few seconds. No guilt or anger at being caught. There was nothing. He didn't even seem worried about you. He didn't even say anything.

You felt your heart burn even more. Because, what did you do to deserve so much indifference? What did you do to be treated like this?

You watched as Bill grabbed one of the suitcases and began to put some of his clothes inside.

“Are you just going to leave?” You asked with a choked voice. Bill paused for a moment but then started arranging his clothes again.

You left your cell phone on the bed and walked over to him.

"Answer me." You almost begged as you grabbed him by the shirt forcing him to turn towards you.

You looked at him and he looked back at you. Nothing! You wished he would at least have the decency to look away. Of seeming to feel something. Could it be that you were really so blind and never realized how cold he could be?

Your head was a mess. Why was this all happening out of nowhere?

You continued to feel the warm tears running down your face and you hated that you were crying so much when Bill didn't even show any reaction.

"No." You took a breath and squeezed his shirt tighter. “You can’t just walk away like that.”

Bill grunted. “For God’s sake, sunshine, why do you have to be like this? Can’t you just leave me alone?!”

The nickname made you cringe because you knew he said it out of pure habit and there wasn't any meaning behind it.

You looked at him for looking for anything, any indication of contradiction. Because sometimes your expressions are more real than the words that come out of your mouth. But again there was nothing. Nothing deep in those eyes that enchanted you so much.

“What the fuck do you want to hear instead, huh?” He moved away your hand that was holding his shirt and went back to packing his suitcase.

The feeling of hurt was slowly turning into anger inside you.

"Anything." You spoke louder, moving to his side so you could look at him. “Say it was a mistake, say it wasn’t, say you were drunk, say it was my fault… anything.”

When he didn't react, you took the suitcase from his hands and threw it away, the clothes scattered around the room.

“You can’t just walk away without saying anything.” He tried to free himself from your grip, but the grip on your fingers was rock solid.

Your mind was so messed up, you just wanted him to react somehow. You wanted him to hug you and tell you everything is going to be okay. You wanted him to scream at you. Anything would be better than this total indifference that made your heart hurt.

When Bill tried to push you away again you screamed. Pain, anger, frustration and disappointment burned inside you.

"Say something!" You kept yelling at him.

“I don’t know what you want me to say, I don’t have an explanation.” It was the only cold answer he gave you.

You approached him and started hitting his chest, which didn't seem to have any effect on him. “I want you to react! Say something, fight with me, just…” You screamed as you cried more.

“Stop that sunsh-” You slapped him in the face before he could finish the nickname. Bill grabbed your arm.

"Don't hit me." He whispered to you, tightening his grip on your wrist.

Refusing to listen, your other hand snaked and you tried to hit him again. ''No.'' He warned again, this time holding both of your wrists tightly against the wall above your head.

The two of you stared at each other for a few seconds without saying anything. And it was then that you realized that nothing you said was going to change his mind.

It hurt to realize he had no regard for you. Not even to think you deserve an explanation. No, all he gave you were lies and a quick way out so he wouldn't even have to interact with you.

Bill let go of your wrists and slowly pulled away from you. He gathered his things that were on the floor and simply left without even looking back.

You felt your body slide down the wall until you were sitting on the cold floor. Your body collapsed as you cried uncontrollably.

You imagined that your relationship would end one day, everything always ends, but you never thought it would be this way.

[darcytaylor]

I have been following few blogs on the Luke - Nic situation, and yours is the only one with the take there was nothing between them. So Im very curious about your take. The issue that personally affects me here is that after living 30+ years in this world, we pick certain actions and behaviours as related to romance and attraction right, but now I feel gaslighted (not by you, but by Nic & Luke) as if my understanding about romantic attracti9j language has always been wrong (this also triggers my trauma because I was never sure about romantic attraction towards me and had spent hours and hours dissecting behaviours by those I thought were attracted to me).

However, I am unable to fit their behaviour and body language in this special bond framework. There were many genuine, natural which went PR. This is where Im confused and feel gaslighted. What are your thoughts on this?

So coming back to your theory about, its a special kind of co-worker relationship, I totally agree this is possible. When you do something you are passionate about thats life changing and meaningful with someone else you can develop a special bond. Probably something similar to the bond soldiers or medical profession share being in a traumatic environment with utmost trust in each other. In Nic & Luke's case unlike other leads they had 5 years to develop the friendship, understand the material and brainstorm between them. I can see how that would create a special bond especially when you have to be vulnerable and comfortable with each other in those intimate scenes.

However, I couldn't fit their behaviour and body language during the promo tour under this special bond framework. There were many moments of genuine connection between them which seemed to go beyond PR or platonic friendship. This is where I feel gaslighted. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think those moments were just friendship and nothing more?

I have never said that there was nothing between them (because at the end of the day I don't know what their relationship is). But I ultimately think that the actions shown don't necessarily scream "we are in a relationship". I say this from experience, I know the bond that co-works can have, and just because they smile at each other, touch each other, and are comfortable saying certain things, it doesn't make me conclude that they are together.

I also think that when I see their interviews, I am not looking for proof of a relationship between them. I think if you go into it with that mindset, that there has to be something more, you make yourself see it and then you will start to believe it. Maybe this is ultimately why you feel gaslit, and I am sorry that the whole situation had made you feel that way. It's an awful feeling to have for sure!

I do think that when actors do promo tours there will always be PR behind it. But just because it is PR doesn't make their interactions not genuine. It can be both all at the same time.

Also, even when people have co-worker relationships doesn't make loving interactions not genuine. I have stated a couple times in my responses to asks what I truly think of these types of relationships/friendships. And they have the ability to be intense! They have the ability to be more than a 'regular' relationship/friendship.

Here are things I have said in the past. It may help you better understand what I think a co-worker relationship can be like and why I think that their actions don't necessarily mean they are something more:

"I do think they mainly have a co-worker type relationship/friendship. But that's NOT saying they aren't close. It's me saying that it is a different type of relationship/friendship, because co-worker friendships do have the potential to be way more than a 'regular' friendship. (I'm also saying this from experience)"

"When you are at work, your co-works tend to see you more than your family and friends. They see you at your worst and at your best, and they have the potential to see the real you."

"I do believe that they are friends with a very close bond. After filming something like Bridgerton and going on the months long promo tour, there will be a bond between them for life, even if they don't hangout regularly after this. I think it is that bond that people are seeing that makes people believe otherwise."

"I have been working for many years, and I have insanely close relationships with coworkers. Coworkers understand a part of you that nobody ever will! And then to top that off with them having to do intimacy scenes, I can understand why they share a bond (that nobody will probably understand)."

[midnightsxblue]

MATCH UP #3

@metanoiahh , your match is daryl dixon!

✦ you were definitely with the group from the start and had somewhat of a rocky relationship with daryl due to your guys’ mutual stubbornness. however as time went on, it got a lot lighter and he started to gravitate towards you more in bigger situations such as the farm burning down. his goal was to find you and leave.

✦ at the prison, daryl does a lot for you, over time he learnt what makes you most happy. sometimes he fixes shit that makes your life a lil easier or whenever you’re having one on one talks he’ll sort of touch you in some way, he’ll slightly touch your arm a bit or maybe your fingers just so he isn’t being too much. in dangerous situations he doesn’t hesitate to like fully grab you and move you around or push you gently or anything however.

✦he enjoys being reserved with you, you can be in each others presence and not really have to say anything, he also knows not to push you for things and when he has his stubborn moments he appreciates it when you take a step back and understand that he needs space. he can do the same for you as well, you guys just really work the same mentally which makes your relationship more stable.

✦another thing is, you’re good for him socially. he’s very closed off when it comes to others and he believes he doesn’t really need friends as long as he has you. although you’re closed off as well, you’re willing to meet new people and that benefits him too in a way because he’s able to build more relationships than he would’ve if he wasn’t with you.

─── ⋆⋅ 𐚁 ⋅⋆ ───

At the prison you’d walk into your room after a long day out on a supply run to a new shelf just sitting by your bed. You’d been putting all your stuff on the top bunk. You would get back to your cell and take your shoes off, kicking them under your bunk but then take off your holster and remove your knife from your belt to put it on the higher bed.

Anyway when you got back this one night you noticed it and you look at it a bit skeptical as to where it came from, you hadn’t really complained about it with anyone. Not to mention no one really comes into your cell…except daryl. “thought you could stop storin your shit up there.” You turn around to be met with Daryl, he pushed aside the curtain of your cell and entered just a step.

You ask him if he found it, and if so where he did. “nah..I built it while you were out.” he explains. you would tell him that he didn’t have to go through all the trouble of making you an entire shelf within the span of a couple of hours. “wasn’t hard. just thought…it’d be better than havin to reach up while you’re half asleep. can barely reach anyway.” he says, sort of teasing.

You sort of giggle at that and he can sense that you want a hug, and although he isn’t the biggest fan, he knows you are. So, he’ll open one of his arms for you to embrace him.

msg from rina: i hope this was good and i hope u like it!!!