#my left hands been hurting last few days and got pretty bad yesterday

[insufferablemod]

probably wont be posting much for the rest of the month or so o7

[imagine-lcorp]

Cure For Me (One Shot)

Request

Could you do an imagine where the reader is sick and Lena takes care of her? Like the reader feels bad about needing help but Lena reassures her that that’s what she’s there for? Just fluffy lol. Thank you!!!!

A/N: Hi, guys!! Here comes another request, as always thank you for your patience and for hanging (so long) here with me. This one was particularly fun, I tend to get sick a lot so this one was actually pretty nice too. Anyways, enjoooy and let me know what you think :)

Lena Luthor x Fem!R//Word Count: 2,105

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Loud knocks on your door woke you up from your fever dream.

You opened your eyes, grunting as you felt your body ache, and turned to look at the digital clock on the nightstand next to your bed. By squinting your eyes you managed to make it was a bit pass midday and wondered who was at your door at such unfortunate time. You had been feeling sick since last night. It was probably something you ate, although you couldn't remember eating anything bad or spoiled. Your stomach was hurting, accompanied with nausea and a fever that didn't go away despite the couple of pills you had downed before going to bed, hoping they would make you feel better the next day. You lifted your covers with heavy arms and tried to sit on your bed, doing it as slowly as possible as you realized you were feeling the same.

You heard the knocking again and sighed as you left the bed to answer the door. However, the face that greeted you at the door was one you didn't expect.

"Hi!" Lena smiled widely as you swung the door open but soon her expression changed to one of worry as she noticed you were paler than milk. "(Y/N)?"

"Hey." You managed to say with a short breath and a little smile as her hands raised to cup your face. "What are y-"

"Oh my god, you're burning." She put the palm of her hand on your forehead and looked at you with a frown. "Have you been like this the whole morning?"

"Uh…" You let her take your hand to drag you inside your own apartment and frowned a bit in confusion after the door closed behind you. "Lena, what are you doing here?"

"Well, after you texted us yesterday you were feeling a bit sick, I wanted to check upon you." She took you by the shoulders and sat you carefully on the couch.

She had been worried all morning, trying to text you. If Lena knew something about you was that you would rather be all though about it than ask for help until it got worse. So, when you didn't answer, she started to fear you would retreat to your apartment, as you usually did, until all your discomforts magically passed.

You sat with a little thud, letting your body fall on it with all your weight and groaned. You complained a bit as she put two fingers on your wrist to check your pulse and looked at you intently from eye to eye.

"Have you eaten?"

"No." You observed as she did her own check up. "I don't have the stomach right now."

"Since when haven't you eaten?"

"Lena, what are you doing?" You took her hands in yours and sighed. "I'm sure it's just a stomachache. You don't have to worry. It will pass."

The look Lena gave you next made you reconsider your whole life. You had never felt as scowled as you felt right there, with Lena looking you with severe eyes, her tilted head and a raised eyebrow.

"(Y/N), you're looking like the dead. You have a fever, haven't eating since God knows when, you look in pain. So, I'm calling you a doctor right now."

You shut your mouth after that. No amount of complaining was going to make Lena change her opinion and you knew her too well to even try it. However, you felt bad about it and tried it anyways. She didn't have to waste the day with you while feeling like that.

"Lena, you really don't have to." You said as she took her phone out of her purse. "I took a few pills yesterday, and I'll stay te rest of the day in bed. I'll be fine."

"Tell me that once you get some color back, darling." She smiled softly at you and talked to the phone once the call connected. "Alright, thank you, yes, I'll send you the address."

You shivered a bit, having spent so much time out of the cover of your bed was making you feel cold.

"The doctor will be here in twenty minutes." She said as she noticed the subtle tremble of your body. "C'mon, I'll take you to bed."

She put her phone on the back pocket of her jeans and took your hands in hers once again.

"Oh, to hear those words in another circumstances…" You sighed heavily with a little smile as she pulled you up and let you lean against her for support.

She chuckled. "Try to get better and then we'll talk about it."

You reached your bedroom and walked you to the edge of the bed, making sure you didn't fall. You looked weak and by the little grimaces your face was making she knew you felt more pain than you had initially let her see. She pushed you down slowly, arranging your pillows below your head and throwing the bed sheets above you. You shivered with the slight breeze fo them and closed your eyes.

"Stay here and don't move too much." Lena caressed your forehead with her fingertips and moved from the edge of your bed. In a movement that was quicker than you thought you were capable of, you grabbed her wrist. She was about to turn when she came to a halt as she felt your grip on her and turned to look at you.

"Thank you." You said in a low voice and a smile on your lips.

She returned the smile and placed a quick kiss on your forehead. You let go of her after that and shifted to a more comfortable position on your bed as you watched her leave your room.

The was a warm felling in your chest, despite the cold in your body. Against your first complaints about it, you were grateful Lena had decided to come see you. You couldn't imagine having to spend the whole day alone with the pain and although you had thought about seeing a doctor later in the evening, you didn't think you had the strength to get out of your house. In all honestly, you would have been glad to roll in to a ball and sleep, at least for the day. But Lena, sweet, caring Lena, wasn't going to have any of that.

Minutes later she came into your room once again, carrying a cup of tea in one hand and a bowl with ice and water on the other. You noticed the piece of cloth that hanged from her arm as she left the containers on your nightstand. She took the cloth from her arm, dipped it in the cold water and folded it to put it on your forehead. You shook your head a bit at the contact.

"Sorry, too cold?" She sat on the bed, on the empty space next to you.

"A bit." You hummed with your eyes closed.

"Hang on, it's just while the doctor comes." She pressed the palm of her hand on the cloth and then frowned with worry. "I think it might be an infection."

"Just because you have two PhD's doesn't mean you're an actual doctor, miss Luthor." You joked and smiled a little.

"Lucky for you, otherwise I'd have called an ambulance and sent you to the ICU already." You chuckled but regretted it immediately after feeling pain in your abdomen due to the spasms of your laughter. You could heard her smile when she replied. "You had it coming."

The doctor came and did a whole check up on you. She asked about your eating habits, what you had eating the day before, the pills you had taken to help with the fever and the pain, asked you to sit at the edge of the bed, to open your mouth wide and took your temperature. The doctor did the whole routine and at the end of it gave the reason to Lena.

"Well, it's definitely an infection." The doctor said as she scribbled on her prescription block. "I'm giving you something for the pain and the fever. Try to say hydrated as much as you can, stay away from anything too irritating for your stomach and try to eat food that's easy to digest. I'll write some of what you can and cannot eat."

The doctor smiled at you as she tore the sheet from her block moments later and gave it to Lena.

"Make sure she follows it to the letter and she will be as good as new."

Lena read the note and asked some follow up questions as she escorted the doctor to your door. You waited for Lena as you massaged your forehead with a hand. You hated being sick.

"I'll go buy these later." Lena entered your room moments later and waved your prescription in her hand. "Seems you will have to be on a diet in the meantime."

You grunted at the thought. "I've to see if there's still anything edible for me in the fridge."

"I'll take care of that too." She left the prescription on your nightstand and put her hands on your shoulders to help you lay back again on the bed. "Don't worry."

"Lena, I can't let you do all that." You raised your hands to her arms, stopping her from pushing you to the bed, and looked at her with sheepish eyes. "You have already done so much. Coming here, calling me a doctor… I'll figure out the rest once I feel better."

"(Y/N), I'm taking care of you." She raised her hands to cup your face and caressed your cheeks with her thumbs. There was so much love and care on her eyes that you almost melted. "Just let me do it, okay?"

"Okay." You nodded without further complaint.

"Good, now go back to bed." She ordered, and you leaned back on the bed with a little groan as she pulled the covers over you. "I'll go get your meds and some food. Don't move."

"Stay with me until I fall asleep?" You pleaded, feeling the sudden impulse of having her with you a little longer.

"I need to get your meds first." She placed the palm of her hand on your forehead. The fever had gone down a bit but not enough for her liking.

"Please?" You lifted your hand to take hers in yours and placed them over your chest. "Or I might just start jumping on the bed."

She rolled her eyes playfully at you and lifted one knee to join you in the bed. "Just until you fall asleep."

"Yes, ma'am." You smiled and moved slowly to the side, making space for her.

She laid then next to you, being careful not to push or crush you with her own body weight. It took you a couple of moments to settle into a comfortable position, where you had an arm below Lena and she rested her head on your shoulder, with a hand gently placed above your stomach. She moved the palm of her hand in circles, stroking with care your abdomen from above the covers.

The soothing movement, her embrace, the warmth of her body against you felt like a cure to all your aches and troubles. You couldn't imagine anyone else do what she was doing for you. Hell, you couldn't even imagine having to share those moments with anyone that wasn't her, and because of that you were grateful she was by your side.

"I know I already said it but, thank you." You moved your head a bit down to look at her. "I really don't know what I would do without you."

"Curl into a ball and sleep for a month?" Lena mused.

"Oh, I wish." You smiled at her. "But no, this is way better."

"How is this better?" She chuckled.

"'Cause I have you here." You sighed contented and fatigue seemed to finally settle in your bones as you snuggled down, shifting on the bed to rest your chin on her head. "You make everything better."

"You too make everything better, (Y/N)." She whispered as she knew you were asleep right away.

She smiled as a comfortable silence fell over the two of you, where Lena could hear the soft rhythm of your breathing and be comforted by the slow movement of your chest as it went up and down in the same cadence. She let herself drift into the same slumber.

She would have the rest of the day to buy you groceries and your meds, but for now she let herself too enjoy this moment by your side. After all, that's what she was there for.

[mtap-comics]

Welcome back to my Bad Things Happen Bingo!

Fandom: My time at Portia

Pairing: Arlo x Female Builder

Summary: Elenya never thought getting her nose broken by a door was the way to get a boyfriend.

Word count: 6464

Prompt: Bloody Nose

Author’s note: So, this one is a mess. The beginning of this has been in my WIP's since August last year and was originally going to be a short, sweet story and now we have this...

There's more angst in it than I planned (not too much, but I couldn't control my head on this one), but hopefully the ending makes up for it.

In between, I think my knowledge of English left me, so if something sounds weird, please let me know!

Now I hope you enjoy reading!

Warnings: Blood, Broken Nose, Getting Together, First Kiss

Read on AO3: Link

Impactful Meeting

Elenya walked across the Central Plaza in a good mood. It was a sunny, albeit cold, autumn day and the leaves of the Wishing Tree were shimmering in all sorts of colours. She loved the colours of autumn, especially here in Portia. In Barnarock, unfortunately, there weren't too many trees, so she was all the more happy about her first autumn in the small city.

She was on her way to the research center. Yesterday she had found an old toy ship in the abandoned ruin 2 and wanted to give it to Petra. The researcher was happy to receive all kinds of things from the old world, even the non-technological ones, and Elenya hoped that she would be excited about it.

But when she pushed open the door to the research center, no one was inside.

Strange, it was only 5 pm. Where is Petra?

"Petra, Merlin?!" She took a few more steps into the room and called out to the two researchers, but there was no answer. Shrugging her shoulders, she turned back to the door. Probably the two of them had once again pulled an all-nighter and had now gone home early, completely overtired.

She was about to reach for the doorknob when the door suddenly opened and swung inward. Startled, she took a step back, but unfortunately she was too slow. The door hit her in the middle of the face and with a pain-filled cry she fell backwards onto her butt.

Pain shot up from her nose into her head and frantically she held her hands protectively in front of it. Something warm ran from it and she tasted metal on her lips.

Ouch...

"Oh God, Elenya, I'm so sorry. Are you all right? Let me see, please." A horrified voice hit her ears and someone knelt in front of her. Calloused hands gently grabbed hers and gingerly pulled them away from her face. A shocked hiss came from the person in front of her and slowly she opened her eyes.

Her gaze immediately fell on the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. Eyes that belonged to a certain Civil Corps Captain (who she might have had a teeny tiny crush on) and were now looking at her worriedly and guiltily. “Fuck, I'm so sorry. I didn't expect you to be right behind the door. I hope I didn't break your nose."

"Ouch..." She said aloud this time and a soft whimper escaped her.

Damn, that hurt.

"Oh geez, that's bleeding pretty bad. Wait, I've got a tissue somewhere." Hectically, Arlo rummaged around in his waist pack until he triumphantly pulled one out. "Here, let me..." He held the handkerchief gently to her nose, yet pain shot up into her forehead at even the lightest touch and she flinched slightly. A single tear escaped from her eye and frustrated, she wiped it away.

Surely she couldn't just start crying in front of him just because a door had hit her! He must have thought she was a crybaby.

"Hey, it's all right. I'm sure it hurts like hell and I'm so sorry. Here, you should bend your head forward a bit so the blood doesn't go down your throat." Arlo's other hand came to rest soothingly on her back and gently pushed her forward so that her head hung slightly over.

The handkerchief was by now completely bled through and Arlo rummaged in his pocket for more. Immediately she missed his warm hand on her back, but as soon as he held the next tissue gently to her nose, he put it back and began rubbing it reassuringly. "I hope it stops bleeding on its own, or I'll have to have Dr. Xu brought here. We can't get you up the hill like this and the blood loss can get dangerous very quickly. Fuck, I’m so sorry Elenya." His warm voice was still drenched in concern and guilt and cautiously Elenya lifted her head slightly to look at him.

“Don’ wo’y A’lo.” She sounded terribly slurred, the Rs unrecognisable as such and the movement of her mouth hurt her nose, but Arlo had apologised four times by now and she felt sorry for him. Getting hit in the face with a door definitely hurt, but he hadn't done it on purpose. “You didn’ do it on pu’pose. I’m go’ing to be o’kay.”

"Still... I'm really sorry."

With a soft sigh, she ignored the fifth apology, concentrating instead on the warm hand that kept gently stroking her back, trying to distract her from the throbbing pain in her face.

~~~~~~

After 10 minutes, the bleeding finally stopped. By then she had bled through a whole pack of tissues and she could feel the loss of blood affecting her body. Her hands had begun to shake and she felt a little dizzy. Unconsciously, her upper body tilted towards Arlo, who had been rubbing her back all along. He immediately moved his hand to wrap it around her shoulder instead, pulling her sideways against his chest.

"Woah, hey, are you all right?" His worried gaze pierced through her and exhausted, Elenya let her head drop onto his shoulder.

"Jus’ a li’le dizzy..." Her eyes closed without prompting and the arm around her shoulder tightened.

"Damn, that must be the blood loss already. It's stopped by now, fortunately, but you've still lost a lot. We'll wait a moment to see if it gets better, otherwise I'll have to see if I can get something with sugar for you from somewhere." Arlo pulled her even closer to him until she was practically sitting on his lap, one leg behind her back and the other under hers and exhausted, she enjoyed his warm embrace. Everything felt a little fuzzy around her and his strong arms gave her some support.

For the next 5 minutes she let herself rest in Arlo's arms, but the woozy feeling in her head didn't get any better.

Maybe she shouldn't have stayed up all night either.

Arlo also seemed to notice that she wasn't feeling any better and worriedly his gaze bored into the back of her head.

"It's not getting better, is it?" His voice dripped with concern.

She shook her head slightly in the negative. Her whole head was throbbing with pain and when she opened her eyes, everything was spinning around her. She would have liked to just fall asleep in Arlo's arms.

"Crap, this is not good at all. What am I going to do with you? We really need to get you to Dr. Xu." His arms tightened around her. "Wait, maybe I still have..."

The hand around her waist disappeared and Arlo began to rummage in his pocket again. With a triumphant sound, he pulled out a bottle of rainbow lemonade.

At the last second she managed to stop herself from wrinkling her nose in disgust. That would have hurt a lot.

She hated this stuff. It was sour, minimally sweetened, and she couldn't understand how anyone could commit such a crime against lemonade. And Arlo probably wanted her to drink that.

"Here, I know you don't like it, but I'm worried you're going to pass out on me. You need to drink something." He tried to push the bottle into her hand, but her hands were shaking so badly that she could barely hold it.

"Sorry..." Exhausted, her eyes fell shut again and her hands fell back into her lap. Arlo was probably not at all wrong in his fear. The only thing keeping her awake just then was the fact that she wasn't going to let a little nosebleed get her down.

Surely her body would be able to handle that little bit of blood loss!

"Hey, nothing to apologise for. I'm the one who messed up. Come on, I'll help you drink." Gently his words swept over her head and with a bit of fumbling he managed to get the cork off the bottle without having to loosen the supporting arm around her back.

"Here, slowly..." Gently, he held the now open bottle to her lips and tilted it slightly. Reluctantly, she drank the lemonade, careful not to screw up her face.

This was really the most disgusting thing she had ever drunk.

But the sour drink actually helped to invigorate her body. As soon as the bottle was empty, Arlo set it aside and slung his left arm back around her waist and, supported by his strong arms, the world slowly stopped spinning.

Carefully, she lifted her head from his shoulder and was relieved to find that the trembling in her hands had subsided as well.

Hopefully, Arlo looked down at her.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes... Thank you." Gratefully, she looked up into his deep blue eyes, which gazed at her with relief.

"That's good. Do you think you can get up? The next DeeDee should be here soon, then we can take you to Dr. Xu."

"I think so. I'll just need your help." Her voice still sounded totally nasal and she wondered briefly if Arlo had even understood her, but she didn't need to worry about that.

"Of course. We'll take it real slow." Carefully, he disengaged from her and slid away a little so he could stand up undisturbed. Immediately she missed his warmth and just managed to stop herself from leaning in his direction.

Get a grip, Elenya. This is no time to be pining after Arlo.

Two large, calloused hands appeared in front of her face. Expectantly, Arlo looked down at her on the floor and carefully Elenya placed her still slightly trembling hands in his. In contrast to her ice-cold ones, they were wonderfully warm and enveloped her almost completely.

For a moment she just stared at her hands, how they melted perfectly into Arlo's, as if they were made for each other. She could feel the evidence of Arlo's hard work under her palms, all the calluses and long healed scars, but also how strong they were. Hands of a fighter and protector.

She had often found herself staring at his hands and wondering what her hands must feel like in his. And now she had the answer. Gently but firmly he held them and his warmth flowed from her hands to her heart. She never wanted to let go again.

"Ready?" Arlo's voice snapped her out of her dreamy thoughts and startled, she looked up at him, a slight blush on her cheeks.

Awkwardly, she brought her legs under her and then nodded. She had to get up at some point.

"Okay, here we go." He pulled lightly on her hands and she rose as slowly as she could, her legs shaking. Still, her circulation dropped for a moment, only to have all the blood rush to her head afterwards.

She became dizzy and her legs buckled under her.

Arlo caught her immediately and pulled her against his chest. Just before her nose collided with his shoulder, she was fortunately able to turn her head to the side and for a moment Arlo's arms under her armpits were the only thing keeping her upright.

"I've got you. You're all right."

Thank God he had such good reflexes. She could do without another acquaintance with the floor. But unfortunately, getting up had another consequence, and startled, she stepped away from Arlo as soon as her legs carried her again.

A new trickle of blood flowed from her nose and she didn't want to bleed all over his white jacket. It was enough that she was covered in blood.

"Oh no, not again." Concerned, Arlo held the next handkerchief gently to her nose. Where he had conjured it from, she could not say.

Fortunately, this time it was only a few drops and Arlo dropped his hand again in relief.

But guilt quickly filled his face as he worriedly examined her face and she wondered how bad she must look.

"Damn, I really did some damage. I'm so sorry, Elenya."

The upset look on his face tore at her heart and she tried to smile at him encouragingly, even though her whole face hurt as she did so.

"Do I look that bad?" She tried to say it as a joke, but her slurred pronunciation probably didn't bring it across well and his face contorted in even more anguish.

"God, I'm so sorry. At least let me try to wipe the blood away, okay? I'll be very careful." Before she could answer, Arlo disappeared in front of her and walked over to the sink that hung on the wall behind the Recovery Machine.

She heard the water running for a moment, then Arlo was back with a wet handkerchief.

"Hold still, please." His left hand came up to cradle her cheek and with his right hand he carefully wiped the blood from her face.

Hypnotised, Elenya stared at him. His face was very close to hers, she could feel his breath fanning her cheeks, his worried gaze firmly focused on her face. His touch was so gentle and tender that for a moment she could forget the throbbing pain in her face.

Engrossed, she studied his face. Slight laugh lines were visible at the corners of his eyes, his nose was slightly crooked, as if it too had taken a beating some time ago, and up close she was surprised to see that his deep blue eyes were streaked with bright flecks.

She had never noticed that before.

She couldn't take her eyes off him. Everything about this man was perfect to her, even the slightly protruding ears. It made him less perfect, and it was kind of cute.

She would have loved to trace his features with her fingers. Touch those soft-looking lips...

"There, that looks better. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for your jacket, though."

Arlo's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she quickly shifted her gaze from his lips back to his eyes. Warm and apologetic, they looked back, his hand regrettably leaving her cheek.

Once his words had registered in her brain, she looked down at her jacket in confusion. A heavy throbbing in her nose told her that this was not a welcome movement, but she had to see for herself what he meant.

And indeed, a considerable amount of blood had spread over her yellow jacket, creating a grotesque contrast. It looked as if she had been in a slaughterhouse.

"Oh..."

How was she supposed to go out like that? What would people think?

"I'd say you just take the jacket off, but the sun is already setting and it's going to get cold very quickly. But how about I give you mine? I don't want you to be cold."

Before she could even respond, he was already taking off his jacket. A thin sweater was visible underneath, and now it was her turn to look at him worriedly.

"But... you'll get cold." She made no move to take the jacket held out to her.

"Don't worry about that. I don't get cold that easily. And you need it more than I do." He smiled softly at her and hesitantly she accepted.

She took off her own jacket and handed it to Arlo to take his in return. Carefully, without moving her head too much, she slipped it on and was immediately enveloped in comforting warmth. The jacket was much too big for her, of course, but felt wonderful.

Unfortunately, she couldn't detect Arlo's scent through her swollen nose, but the heavy, warm fabric still felt like a hug from him. An unconscious tension fell from her shoulders. Only now did she realise how cold she had been, her jacket not warm enough for her weakened body.

"Thank you..." Shyly, she looked up at him.

"You're welcome. Come on, I can hear the DeeDee already. Time to get you some painkillers and a diagnosis." Softly, almost tenderly, Arlo looked at her and shakily she put her hand in his, which he held out to her in an encouraging manner.

She let him lead her out of the research centre.

~~~~~~

The ride in the DeeDee was cold. While the cold air was a relief to her throbbing face, the rest of her body didn't like it at all. Shivering, she sat next to Arlo on the back seat, who didn't seem to be touched by the cold at all. Although it was she who was wearing his warm jacket.

Worried, he looked at her.

"Are you cold? Come here." He lifted his arm invitingly and she was only too happy to slide back into his arms. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, and exhausted, she leaned her head against his shoulder. The energy boost the rainbow lemonade had given her didn't last much longer, and she spent the 20 minutes it took to get to the clinic nestled against Arlo's side with her eyes closed.

Every jolt of the vehicle sent a new wave of pain through her nose and she was glad when they finally reached the top of the hill.

Wordlessly, she let Arlo help her out of the DeeDee and with a quick thank you to the driver, he led her to the clinic, a hand wrapped around her upper arm for support.

Curious, Dr. Xu looked up from his desk as they stepped through the door into the clinic, but his gaze immediately turned to concern when he saw her face. He quickly stepped around his desk and toward her.

"Oh my, what happened, Elenya? Have you been attacked?" The doctor looked worriedly at her nose.

Elenya still didn't know what it looked like and somehow didn't want to know, judging by the doctor's expression.

Arlo cleared his throat embarrassedly next to her.

"It was my fault. I, um, hit her face with a door." A slight blush graced his cheeks, and a new wave of guilt etched its way across his face.

Reassuringly, Elenya gently patted the hand still wrapped around her upper arm and nodded affirmatively at Dr. Xu, who looked at Arlo in confusion.

She wanted to say that it was an accident, but she didn't get around to it.

Dr. Xu immediately instructed her to sit on the hospital bed to the left of the entrance. Arlo helped her up and she gratefully leaned against him. The contrast of the cold air outside and the warmth in the clinic made her whole face throb and left her dizzy.

Arlo’s worried gaze bore through her, but she didn't have time to say reassuring words to him because Dr. Xu was already stepping up to the bedside.

"Okay, let me take a look. This looks really bad." Carefully he probed her nose, but even the slightest touch sent a sharp pain high up into her forehead and she jerked back with a hiss.

"I'm sorry, I know it hurts, but you have to bear with it for a moment. Can you do that?" The doctor looked at her apologetically and lowered his hands again.

"Yes, I think so." She really didn't want to, and you could hear it in her voice, but it wasn't as if she had a choice.

Before Dr. Xu could mess with her nose again, however, a large, warm hand suddenly slid into hers and, surprised, she looked at Arlo, who sat down next to her and gave her an encouraging look. Gratefully, she smiled back and squeezed his hand gently.

With a nod, she motioned for the doctor to continue. Clenching her eyes shut and holding Arlo's hand tightly, she let the procedure pass.

Fortunately, it didn't take long and as soon as the hands had left her nose, she let her head fall exhaustedly against Arlo's shoulder. Her face was throbbing, she was tired and she wanted to go home to her bed, just forgetting about the whole accident.

Arlo's hand gently detached from hers and instead wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her close to his side. Gratefully, she curled up against him and let out a soft, happy sigh. Even though it was technically Arlo's fault that she was in this position in the first place, he was the best part of the whole thing.

She'd never been so close to him for so long, and she couldn't imagine anything better. He radiated such warmth and security that she wanted to stay in his arms forever.

Of course, that wasn't possible, so she tried to soak up as much of his warmth as she could and burn the feeling into her brain so she could never forget it.

Dr. Xu gave her a moment to collect herself, but then didn't hold back with his diagnosis.

"I'm afraid your nose is broken, Elenya. Fortunately, it hasn't deformed and should heal easily, but it will be painful for a while."

A curse sounded from above her left and she looked up at Arlo in surprise. She had never heard the Captain curse like that before.

"Fuck, I'm so sorry Elenya. How can I ever make this up to you?" Eyes brimming with guilt, Arlo looked down at her and the sight almost hurt more than her broken nose.

With a sigh, she slid away from him a little and took the hand that slipped from her shoulder in hers.

"Arlo. As I told you before, this isn't your fault. It was an accident and there's nothing you need to make up for." She squeezed his hand gently and looked at him seriously.

Would that ever get through his thick head?

Judging by his still guilty look, probably not. She sighed again.

"Okay. How about you get me something warm, not bloodstained, to wear while Dr. Xu fixes my nose. Then you can take me home and make sure I don't get into any more accidents, how does that sound?" Talking was still not particularly pleasant on her face and used up a lot more energy than she had right now, but Arlo's mood lifted noticeably at the prospect of being able to do something helpful for her, and that was definitely worth it.

Still, she fell back against his shoulder, exhausted, and he hurried to put his arm around her shoulders again so she wouldn't fall off the bed.

Her head throbbed.

"Elenya!" Startled, Arlo held her upright.

"Exactly how much blood has she lost? Do I need to prepare a transfusion?" Dr. Xu's voice also dripped with concern and she quickly tried to look more alive again.

She's not going to need a blood transfusion for a little nosebleed!

Arlo took over answering. "Her nose had been bleeding for a good 10 minutes, and not just a little, but I don't think a transfusion is necessary. She was very faint for a moment, but I was able to pep her up with a rainbow lemonade for the trip up here. I think plenty of rest and something for the pain should be enough." Arlo's hand stroked her upper arm soothingly during his explanation, and gratefully she leaned into the gentle touch.

"Are you sure? I don't like the colour of her face at all." Concerned, the doctor stepped closer, and with some effort Elenya raised her head enough to face him.

"It's all right, Dr. Xu. I'm just a bit tired..." Exhausted, her head fell right back against Arlo's shoulder.

Okay, maybe a little more than tired, but she didn't want them to have to worry about her anymore.

"Hm... I think I might have something that will help you. Be right back." The doctor scurried to the cabinet behind his desk and after a brief clinking of glass, he returned to the bedside.

"Here, this is for the pain and this should help you get some energy back. And by tomorrow morning, your body should be able to make up for the lost blood." He held two vials in front of her.

She tried to reach for the first one, but her hands were shaking so much again that Arlo quickly stepped in and gently held the medicine to her lips, just as he had done with the rainbow lemonade.

Slightly embarrassed, she drank the two liquids and the effects quickly unfolded in her body.

The intense burning in her face diminished to a light throbbing and the trembling in her hands stopped completely. She almost felt human again, if it weren't for the unpleasant sensation of her swollen nose.

Finally she could sit again without Arlo's help.

"Thank you, Dr. Xu."

"No problem. That's what I'm here for. Now let's see what we can do about your nose." The doctor disappeared behind his desk again and was now rummaging around in the drawer behind it.

Elenya used the time to turn to Arlo.

"Do you think you could get me something to wear now? I don't want to keep depriving you of your jacket."

Even if it felt wonderful to wear it. But she would never say that out loud.

"Are you sure? I don't want to leave you here alone if you still need my help." Still concerned, his blue eyes pierced her.

"Dr. Xu's medicine has worked wonders. I feel much better already. I can manage on my own for a moment, don't worry." She took off his jacket and held it out to him. Hesitantly, he accepted it with his free hand.

"I always worry about you, but okay. I'll be right back." With a quick squeeze of her upper arm, he stood up, leaving her speechless.

Had he really just said that? And then in such a tender tone, too?

Her heart skipped a beat.

Did he mean that he was always worried about all of Portia, or specifically about her? She knew that he did everything to ensure Portia's safety, admired him for it, but that just now sounded quite different, more personal.

God, this man was driving her crazy!

~~~~~~

Arlo came back through the door just as Dr. Xu was finished with her nose. Thoroughly cooled, two white strips of tape were now running over her nose to prevent it from becoming deformed after all, and thanks to an oil he had dripped into her nose, she was finally able to breathe a little more freely. According to the doctor, it should also prevent her nose from bleeding again.

"Hey, you look better." Arlo approached her with a gentle smile.

"I feel better too." Elenya smiled back. "Dr. Xu did a wonderful job. Thank you for that." Gratefully, she turned her smile towards the doctor, but he just waved it off.

"No need to thank me. I'm happy to help." Satisfied with his work, Dr. Xu took a step back from her. "For the next few days, it's best to cool your nose for about 15 minutes every two to three hours to help reduce the swelling. I'll give you some more painkillers to take with you for the next few days, as an injury like this can hurt for a few days, but your nose should heal without any problems." His look turned stern. "Avoid heavy physical work, though. A rapid pulse and high blood pressure can interfere with the healing process and make the swelling worse. Is that clear?"

With a sigh, Elenya nodded.

Looks like she'll have to make do with small commissions like necklaces, pouches and the like for the next few days.

"I..." Arlo started, a guilty look in his eyes again, but she interrupted him immediately.

"Nope. Not your fault, Arlo." She looked at him sternly, and with a surrendering sigh, the smile returned to his face.

"Okay... I brought you something, by the way. I was hoping Sam might have something for you to wear, but it looks like she decided to wash all her clothes today of all days. So I brought you a sweater from me. With your jacket underneath, you shouldn't be cold anymore." To underline his words, he held out a grey bundle to her.

Gratefully, she reached for it. The fabric was very soft under her fingers and she would have liked to bury her face in it and inhale Arlo's scent, but she just managed to stop herself.

That would have been a bit too embarrassing.

With his help, she first put on her blood-covered jacket, shortly wondering if the stains would ever come out, and then Arlo's warm sweater. Instantly she was comfortably warm and Arlo's smell rose lightly into her battered nose, warming her from the inside.

His scent alone made her feel safe and protected, comforted her. A testament to her feelings toward him.

"Warm enough?" Chuckling lightly, Arlo looked at her.

"Yes, thank you..." Suddenly shy, she hid her face slightly in the oversized sweater, realising she had been smiling stupidly to herself.

Damn it, get a grip.

Dr. Xu just shook his head at the sight of the two of them and instead decided to prepare a bag of painkillers for Elenya to take with her.

He gave it to her with a final reminder not to do anything strenuous and Elenya left the clinic together with Arlo.

~~~~~~

Arlo took her home on Spacer. Pressed close to his chest, his legs pressed against hers, she sat in the saddle in front of him, enjoying his closeness. His left arm was wrapped tightly around her waist, holding her securely, and with the other he led Spacer towards her workshop.

Thanks to his sweater and enveloped by his body heat, she was not cold at all and could have stayed like this forever. Unfortunately, they had to arrive at some point and she let Arlo help her off the horse as soon as they arrived at her garden gate.

She was already preparing to say goodbye when he caught her off guard with his question.

"Um... can I maybe come inside for a minute?" He sheepishly looked down at her, and surprised, she agreed.

She wouldn't dream of turning down more time with him.

Arlo accompanied her into her house, but stopped just behind the door. Embarrassed, he had his left hand on the back of his neck, the other in his jacket pocket, and looked at her insecurely with slightly flushed cheeks.

"I... um... wanted to ask you something... or, well..." His eyes darted nervously from side to side, and Elenya looked at him in surprise.

She had never seen the normally confident captain so nervous. What could he possibly want to ask her?

He set to speak once more, but his mouth fell shut again without having said anything, the blush on his face deepening.

Her heart swelled with tenderness for the new Arlo who was revealing himself before her. It was nice to see that the usually composed man could show weakness, and she felt honoured that he did so in front of her.

Encouragingly, she smiled at him.

"Damn, just come out with it, Arlo," he muttered to himself and her curiosity was piqued even more.

He took a deep breath and then pulled his hand out of his jacket pocket. He held his hand out to her and she looked curiously at his palm. And what she saw there took her breath away.

Her heart began to race.

In Arlo's hand was a beautiful heart knot.

"I know this is probably the most inopportune moment after I broke your nose, but this heart knot has been sitting on my bedside table for several weeks now and I've been avoiding approaching you with it. But I can't put it off any longer. Would you accept my heart knot?" Nervously and hopefully, he looked down at her, but she couldn't answer him.

Her brain was still overwhelmed with the fact that Arlo was offering her a heart knot. Her, the builder who stumbled into his little town three quarters of a year ago and had since been madly chasing through the streets, fighting talking rats and drastically reducing Portia's tree population.

And he wanted to date her?

Stunned, she still stared at his hand. She could hardly believe her luck. Over the past few weeks, they had spent time together outside of work, having dinner at Django's or him dropping by her workshop to engage her in light conversation. Her slight crush on him continued to grow and develop into deeper feelings, but she had not dared to hope that he would reciprocate them.

"Elenya?" Arlo's uncertain and sad voice finally snapped her out of her thoughts, and she was startled to realise that she hadn't answered him at all.

She inwardly slapped herself. Here he was, mustering up the courage to ask her such a difficult question, and she just stared at him for minutes.

Overjoyed, she finally turned her gaze to his face.

"Oh God, yes, Arlo! Yes, yes, yes! Nothing would make me happier!" Carefully, she took the soft heart knot from his hand, placed it behind her on her coffee table, and then fell around his neck, laughing happily, careful not to bump into him with her nose.

Startled, Arlo caught her, but then pressed her firmly against his chest.

"Really?" Hopeful and incredulous, he looked at her and she nodded.

"Yes, really." Now a deep blush settled on her cheeks. "You, um, have been the highlight of my day for a long time now when I've got to see you." Embarrassed, she averted her gaze and took a step back.

"Good to know it's not just me." Happy and satisfied, Arlo grinned at her and she couldn't help it, she grinned back.

For a moment they just looked into each other's eyes, happy with the outcome of the evening. Then came the question that would make the evening even more special.

"Can I kiss you?" Longingly, Arlo looked at her.

"Oh God, yes, please."

Far too often she had imagined what it would be like when he kissed her, and finally her dream was coming true!

Eyes shining, Arlo's left hand went gently to her waist to pull her closer, and his right hand rose to cup her cheek tenderly. Happily, she snuggled into the soft touch and let her eyes fall closed.

Carefully, he tilted her head up, and then his wonderful soft lips were finally on hers. A pleasant shiver ran down her spine and with a happy sigh she returned the tender kiss.

No matter how many times she had imagined this moment, nothing could compare to the real thing. The kiss wasn't perfect, but as far as first kisses went, it came close.

Arlo kissed her gently, carefully and so tenderly that she could no longer doubt his feelings. His right thumb caressed her cheek, and never before had anyone kissed her with such feeling.

She was in heaven.

Unfortunately, the kiss just didn't last as long as she would have liked. When she tried to deepen the kiss, she bumped her nose against his and with a startled hiss, she backed away from him.

"Ouch..." Pain shot up from her nose to her forehead and she reflexively reached for her nose to hold the aching spot. Which, of course, caused even more pain.

Fuck.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry. Are you alright? I hope it doesn't start bleeding again. Let me take a look, please." Startled and concerned, Arlo gently pulled her hand away and examined her nose.

"It's okay, Arlo. It wasn't your fault. The pain is already subsiding." Indeed, the pain quickly faded back to the dull throbbing from before, and this one she could well ignore. That didn't seem to appease him, though, and now it was up to her to gently cup his cheek and lift his head so he was looking into her eyes instead of worriedly at her nose.

"Really. It's all right. And it was all worth it. The kiss was wonderful." Gently, she smiled at him.

A brief, satisfied smile settled on his lips at her words, but was quickly replaced by a guilty frown.

"It really was. But still... You're in pain because of me, and I can't forgive myself for that. Why aren't you mad at me?" Frustrated, he looked at her.

"Because there's nothing to be mad at." Gently, she smoothed out the furrow between his eyes.

"And besides that, maybe this will teach you to open doors like a normal person in the future, instead of kicking them open." Teasingly, she grinned at him, finally managing to get a startled laugh out of him.

"Maybe you're right. But I'm afraid that's going to be very hard for me. It's just so much more fun this way." Still laughing, he wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her tightly against his chest, careful not to let her nose bump into him again.

Happily, she snuggled into his arms, a little sad that she couldn't bury her nose in his neck, and for a moment they just stood there, enjoying each other's closeness.

"You are just amazing, sweetheart. I don't deserve you," Arlo whispered into her ear, and her heart skipped a beat at the endearment.

She felt her cheeks grow warm and sheepishly she detached herself from him a bit to be able to look at him. His warm gaze was waiting for her and her blush deepened.

God, this man was going to kill her one day.

"What… did you just call me?" she asked. Disbelief in her voice.

"Sweetheart. Because that's what you are. My sweet, strong little builder with a big, kind heart." Affectionately, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and bright red, Elenya hid her face back in his chest.

Oh God, now he was also calling her "His." Where did these pet names suddenly come from? Would he always call her that from now on? She wouldn't survive that!

Elenya's heart was racing in her chest and she didn't know how to react. How was she supposed to respond to such sweet words?

"Arlo..." she choked out, but that was all her overwhelmed brain could come up with. She knew the eight letters she wanted to say to him, but this was definitely too soon. They had just shared their first kiss, so the L-word was definitely out of place. Even if it was true.

Because she did love this strong, selfless man with a need to help everyone. There was no doubt about that.

"Shhh, let me just hold you." Arlo pulled her a little closer and she let him without resistance. His strong arms and warm chest under her felt so good that she would have loved to melt into him. There was no place she felt safer, even if he broke her nose.

[winterswhite]

Personal rant, CW for talks of blood and medical stuff

The past 5 days have really been so much for me and it... seriously doesn't feel like only 5 days at all with how much has gone on

On Wednesday evening I got home from work feeling extremely weak after telling my QPP repeatedly that I don't feel good, and after I was no longer able to hold my head up or open my eyes without extreme effort my roommate took me to the emergency room where we waited 9ish hours for me to even be taken to a bed and then one or two more to be seen

When they did get there, they said they needed to take blood, give me an IV, do chest x-rays, and a few other tests (I think they tested me for a stroke too) because clearly a lot was wrong

The nurse tried to put the IV in my left arm and then my hand, failing both times because she couldn't find a vein. She then called over a second nurse, who said since I had already been poked twice, she wasn't going to poke me unless she was sure she had one

She left without poking me.

She called over a doctor to come with a whole ass ultrasound setup to use that to find a vein, and they only found a suitable one in my upper right arm, meaning I had to hold it up at an uncomfortable angle the entire time and because of where it was, it also hurt the entire time (only a little, but still)

They also interrupted it in the middle to take more blood ("well that can't be good")

Also, while they were putting the IV in, I remember them struggling to reach the vein, and the pain from them wiggling it around trying to reach my difficult ass vein, and then hearing "how attached are you to this sweatshirt?"

I had... bled all over it (fortunately they stopped the bleeding pretty fast, very different from my last experience with an IV where I nearly bled out on the hospital floor)

Anyway, after wanting to cry from how uncomfortable the whole experience was but eventually managing to sleep through the last half hour of it, they told me about my bloodwork, and a lot is wrong! Some of the things that have always been wrong with me, and some new things, like low thyroid and low potassium, low sodium etc

They scheduled me for a follow-up appointment in a week and I leave, it is now Thursday morning

I picked up the meds they prescribed me and got home around noon, exhausted from not having slept all night, and napped

Only to wake up to a terrible toothache out nowhere, that at its worst was so bad I couldn't lift a finger

I ran to the dentist but they were closing by the time I got there and told me to come back the next morning

I did, and they said I need an emergency root canal, but that it would be hard to find any endodontists who take my insurance, which... yeah, it proved to be impossible

So now, today, I'm scheduled for the root canal, and I have to pay for the whole $1500 out of pocket

Which I haven't reached, but... I'll have to see what I can manage now

Also, through all of this, my workplace is telling me it's "unacceptable" not to show up to work because they're short-staffed. As if I wasn't stuck in the fucking hospital. I worried about getting fired, because I need that money to pay for the fucking root canal and I hadn't even received my first paycheck, so I went in to work yesterday, but wasn't able to finish a full day of work because I felt like Shit

They still told me they need a doctor's note specifically stating that I can't work for x number of days (even though I gave them my emergency room discharge papers to prove I was unwell) before they could believe that I was actually not feeling well enough to work

So I guess I'm going to ask the fucking endodontist for one

And this cuts into my funds for my trip to take the JLPT and some other things in June, which I also really need so I can get a better job. It is absolutely necessary that I take this trip, but I'll no longer have the money for it yet, and travel costs only go up as you get closer to the date of, so lol.

Anyway. It has not even been 5 full days since I first went to the ER. I need a fucking break.

[theinfernalcalypso]

So I don't talk system stuff often nor do I talk things I'm into often (in this case Mouthwashing), but I got both on the agenda today (I'm going into spoilers for the game below so read more just in case)

(Also there's about to be a lot in terms of several different heavy topics approach with caution)

Mouthwashing is a great fucking game. It's not for the faint of heart, and definitely covers a lot of heavy subject matter. I've been hyperfixated on it for a bit over a week?

And on the flipside I've also been reflecting on some system stuff.

And yesterday I brought up with bunny how I sympathize with Curly a lot. Because I do. I didn't realize until part way through one of my long winded rambles exactly why though.

And, for context because of course. One member of our system is like my day one. Like. Quite literally for a lot of the time we were fused into one person. But we at one point couldn't do the fusion dance essentially anymore. Sad, but they're still here.

Our ex did not like that. He was very taken with me, and then very jealous of pixie (... not their actual name, but yall know I love my cute terms of designation and endearment). So, whenever pixie was in front essentially, the two would avoid one another. Otherwise he would just lash out at her out of jealousy (both for that pixie knew me in a way that he couldn't, and that they were bright and bubbly and happy. He made the comparison of pixie being one of those pretty girls who go fishing for attention by calling themselves ugly. Pixie literally has anxiety when it comes to being the center of attention. That is incredibly fucking counterwhumpus.)

After a point, and an incident including hiding in the kitchen, pixie was scared of him. And, as a gatekeeper and protector on top of at that point becoming the host, I became extremely controlling of who was in front and when. I didn't realize how bad it was until the last few weeks. The incident that precipitated pixie never being in front again was four years ago. Because I locked them away.

(btw, if your system changes hosts because of stress from a partner, don't be my dumbass. Please run)

I was (still somehow am) the captain of the ship and someone got hurt under my watch. And I didn't see the dead pixel in the corner when everyone else was telling me exactly where it was. It's not an exact comparison but it sure is enough to put a spotlight on the guilt and let me actually see the process of it.

I should've fucking killed him for treating them like that. I want to claw out his eyes and break every finger in his hands and rip out his vocal chords. That way he can't look at us in the ways he did, or ever touch me again, or ever speak to us the fucking way he did. And I want him to fucking suffer. And I hope he rots in that small town in Tennessee.

... as much as pixie has reassured me on the matter (they've actually been swapping front with me for a few days), I still can't help but feel like I should've done something more four years ago rather than just keeping the two of them away from each other.

Our ex may not have been a rapist on top of everything (... kinda not sure actually because there was plenty of times I only slept with him to get him to shut the fuck up about whining about it but I don't wanna think on that part too hard right now) but he certainly is on par with James Mouthwash and would believe in his own bullshit. And then would say our trauma responses in regards to him were us (specifically me, because after a point no one was in front without my explicitly being there to supervise) punishing him.

But it still feels like I'm responsible for a lot that happened because of not having properly done anything about it. Like Curly not having given Anya the gun, or just having shot Jimmy himself. I know, extreme, but still. I could have just left four years ago and not waited until back in February and then staying there physically until June.

... it makes me feel like I'm a joke of a captain protector in all honesty.

[casspurrjoybell-32]

All It Took Was One Look - Chapter 2

*Warning Adult Content*

Aiden

It had been a couple days since I got squished under two football players, my headaches were gone now but my wrist hurts still.

I had to write with my left hand and let me tell you I suck writing with my left hand, everything comes out in scribbles and it's not pretty.

I met Jay at the steps of school, she was tapping away on her cell-phone furiously.

She was intently staring at the screen and hadn't even realized that I was coming towards her.

So I did what any other best friend would do, I scared her.

Sneaking slowly behind her I reached out to grab her sides when she said...

"Don't even think about it," while still tapping away on her phone.

My arms fell down in defeat.

"How do you always know?"

Every time I try she always ruins it.

"Because I'm a ninja 'SON,'" she turned towards me and socking my shoulder harder than was necessary.

Flinching I backed away holding my shoulder and pouted.

"Ow," I complained.

"Whatever," she said walking through the schools front doors.

I was about to follow her but something caught my eye.

There was someone across the quad staring at me.

Frowning I squinted to see Liam of all people.

Quickly I chased after Jeanine into the school.

Weird.

Liam

Life for me has been awesome so far.

But yesterday was like a plane crashing to earth with me standing in its way.

It all started yesterday, my day was going splendid till Kyle decided to be the usual ass he is.

I was making my way to my class, doing last minute reading for my English test when someone bumped into me roughly.

My books fell from my hands and I was slammed into the wall.

"Watch where you're going 'Parker,'" he snarled.

That was all it took for me to snap.

A person could only take so much slamming into from one person that it would make you break.

This is all that Kyle did, bump into me every day just taunting me.

And I've had enough of telling him to back off, I know what you're thinking you should have done something a long time ago but I was really trying to get a handle on my self-control.

You could say I have anger issues or a short fuse.

And let me tell you being a werewolf and having anger issues is a very bad combination but I've been trying.

Kyle has been pushing me closer and closer to the edge but this time I was hurled over.

That's when I broke out in a growl and body slammed him into a classroom door breaking it down in the process.

I punched him in the face but he retaliated fast and jabbed me in the stomach collided with a desk, we grunted together as he rolled on top of me.

I felt something soft under me and sparks were exploding across my back which stunned the crap out of me.

Again Kyle got the upper hand and punched my face I was saved by the soft thing behind me from hitting my head on the floor but weirdly heard a grunt that wasn't mine.

"Mr. Parker. Mr. Jacobs, stop this now," someone said, I assume it was a teacher who was yelling at us but it was too late now, I was seeing red.

Taking him by the scruff of his neck, I started choking him out as I hopped to my feet and began pushing him into the wall.

Repeatedly punching every inch I could reach with my free hand while I choked the air out of him... I just couldn't stop.

It was all a blur, my wolf was more in control then me and I was on the verge of changing in front of everyone in the class.

I remember someone pulling me off of Kyle and pressed there forearm into my chest keeping me from attacking again.

"Calm down Liam," a voice whispered to me in my ear but I couldn't tell who.

All I could do was try to get control of my wolf.

"Kyle get out. Now," the voice said.

"Liam, breathe," they pushed harder against my chest.

"You need to get control."

With a few deep breaths I nodded.

Once I had a hold of myself I realized I was out in the hall with a hand on my shoulder.

Looking up I noticed it was Mr. Simons, my Uncle.

Well he was Elder to everyone who was a werewolf but to the humans he was just a teacher, plain old Mr. Simons.

"Are you okay?" he asked giving me a once over.

I nodded taking another calm breath.

"I'm fine, Uncle Jim," I told him taking a step back from him.

And this is how I ended up in principle Alderman's office watching him rant, but not listening.

"Do you know what you could have done? You could have exposed us all. And you Liam, you're the Alphas son you should have known better. And you Kyle, why are you picking fights with your superior? The Beta and Alpha's son fighting? Ridiculous."

He shook his head at us.

I just stood there and stared at him.

"And..." he continued.

'Oh Sweet Goddess...' I sighed.

"You hurt one of my students in the process. I can't believe our two star football players are acting like pups."

Pinching the bridge of his nose with is forefinger and thumb I watched him slump down in his chair.

There was a shiver that quickly ran down my spine as we waited for him to speak once more.

When I suddenly felt eyes on my back.

Slowly I turned to find the most stunning sky blue eyes I had ever seen in my life.

But what shocked me the most was they belonged to a guy.

My heart had stopped all together and my breathing hitched just from the beauty of him.

Wait beauty. Did I just call him beautiful?

No, that can't be right can it? What's wrong with me?

'Mate,' my inner wolf said.

What? That can't be right. My wolf must be confused or something.

'Mine,' he said.

I knew that your wolf would inform you when his mate was close.

But this person was well... a guy. He was the same sex as me.

This couldn't be right.

I was racking my brain trying to make sense of this.

Have I been dropped off in some parallel universe?

I was brought back by the scared look that crossed his face before he ran off.

"Liam, Liam..."

I turned back towards Mr. Alderman.

"What?" I asked, looking back at Mr. Alderman.

"Are you even listening to me?" he hissed.

I shook my head trying to clear it which he took as an answer, I watched his face turn beat bright red.

"I'm calling your dad, let's see what he has to say about this," he yelled picking up the phone angrily.

After that I was suspended for two weeks and my dad forced me to join the band or whatever when I came back to school.

He said I needed something less violent in my life so I had to join music class.

I mean I know nothing about music.

It was four in the morning on Wednesday and I was laying on my bed looking up at the ceiling, staring at nothing in particular.

Just thinking about how my life had turned into a giant piece of crap.

It's been a few days since the incident and all I could think of was.

"How could this happen? I'm not even gay."

I have a girlfriend for Goddess sakes.

I could feel my wolf stirring, growling at me.

'I know, I know,' I said to him.

Now that I have a mate, I guess that she wasn't my girl anymore.

But I mean geez my mate was a GUY.

Not a nerdy girl that no one ever notices, not the bitchiest bitch on the planet that no one could stand, not even an ugly girl that only a mother would love.

No, no I'm mated to a male, a dude and 'human dude' with a dick.

Okay, okay. I took a deep breath.

I need to talk to someone about this.

I thought about asking my dad but I was worried about what he would think of me.

Then I thought about asking my mom because she's understanding but I just don't have the courage to come around to ask her.

I just don't want their opinions of me to change.

UGH. Grabbing the pillow and smashing it into my face.

'I'm not gay,' I whined to myself.

I stayed there for hours under my pillow, I need to do it.

Quickly I hoped out of bed, changing my clothes real fast and running out the door.

My dad was just leaving for work and saw me.

"LIAM," he called before I was even around the corner.

I closed my eyes out of frustration before slowly turning towards him.

"Yeah?" I asked innocently.

"'Yeah.' Where are you going?" he said mockingly.

I rolled my eyes.

"Nowhere important," I muttered.

"Uhh huh and you're going off to nowhere in a hurry? And why?"

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"No reason. I can't be locked away in that room forever I need air."

Crossing his arms, he leaned against his car and stared at me giving me one of his 'I'm the Alpha and you'll tell me what I need to know' looks.

Sighing I said.

"I need a run."

He just looked at me with narrowed eyes before nodding.

"Alright, but be here before dark your mom needs your help for dinner, Jim's coming over with Darla and little Zoey," he told me getting in his car.

I nodded and waited till he was out of sight.

Once he was gone I went back to what I was doing.

I pulled my cell-phone out of my pocket and saw I only had eight minutes.

I booked it down the street, when I arrived I was looking franticly trying to find him.

I skidded to a stop, searching furiously.

'Maybe it was a mistake.' I thought hopefully.

After a few minutes I finally found him and my heart stopped.

My body was frozen as I gazed into his blue eyes from the sidewalk.

I could feel my wolf jumping around and I sighed closing my eyes.

There was no mistaking it, he was my mate,but who was he?

I was home from my 'ridiculously long run' just before it got dark, my mom was in the kitchen rushing around the room.

"Hey mom," I said walking into the kitchen.

"Hi baby."

She didn't even look up from chopping some carrots.

"You need help?"

"Oh yes, I need you to chop these onions and carrots please."

I nodded taking her spot.

"Thank you honey."

"Yeah."

It was quiet for a while, the only sound was rhythmic beat of the knife hitting the chopping board and my mom making clanking sounds with her beating the spoon against the pot.

After a few minutes she interrupted the silence.

"Honey, is everything okay?" she asked turning to me with a concerned frown on her face.

Raising a brow at her I shook my head.

"I'm fine, what makes you ask that?" I lied.

Am I that obvious?

Shrugging she went back to her pot of whatever it was, I sniffed the air... hmm chicken.

"Well you've been distracted a lot lately and I know you just got suspended, so, I've been thinking it was that but I'm not sure. Are you sure you're alright?"

I smiled, mom always knew me so well.

"No mom, I've just been thinking about football and how I'm missing a lot of practice, our first game is in a couple of weeks."

She nodded before going to do something else.

With the vegetables chopped I went to set the table and just as I was setting down the last utensil I heard the door open, voices carried into the kitchen.

My dad was home, along with Aunt Darla and Uncle Jim.

I moved towards the living room where they were and was tackled into a huge hug.

"Liam."

Chuckling I lifted Zoey up in my arms and gave her a big smacking kiss on her cheek.

"Zo-zo," I said.

"Look at you you're getting so big, I can hardly lift you up."

I pretended that she was heavy and started to sink to the ground.

"My goodness Zoey I... can't.... do...it..."

She let out a scream when I dropped her for a second before catching her and throwing her in the air.

Her screams changed to giggles.

"Stop it," she laughed.

Chuckling I set her down as I turned to Aunt Darla.

"Hey Aunt Darla," I said giving her a hug.

"What you're not going to try and throw me in that air too?" she said pouting.

"I doubt anyone can lift you above their head much less two inches off the ground with your belly the size of Jupiter, Darla. What are you twelve months?" my mom joked coming in to the room and giving her a hug.

"Eight, thank you very much and he could have at least tried to prove I'm not that heavy," she said wiping a pretend tear away.

"Uh- uh, I don't want you breaking my son," my mom said blocking the playful slap heading her way.

"You're evil Nancy."

I moved over to Uncle Jim who was conversing with dad.

"Liam, how you been?" he asked me.

"Good... I guess," I said taking a stand besides my father.

"Oh yeah, I have your homework... it's in the car."

I nodded.

"Cool, thanks."

Jim and dad went back to whatever they were talking about while I played with Zoey until mom and Darla called everyone to the table for dinner.

I was getting up to follow when I felt someone grab my arm pulling me back.

I turned to see Uncle Jim there watching and waiting for everyone to leave before speaking.

I frowned at him.

"What is it," I whispered to him confused.

He shook his head and put a finger to his lips as he dragged me in the hallway.

"Something is different with you, what's happened?"

My eyes widened, how the hell did he do that?

I haven't even seen him since the fight.

"I don''t know..."

"Don't lie to me Liam," he hissed quietly to me.

I bit my bottom lip and stared at him.

"You may be able to lie to your parents but it won't swing with me."

I opened my mouth to say something but it wouldn't come out.

I mean how do you tell your Uncle and Elder that you're mated to a guy when you are 'also' a guy?

What if they decided I was a disgrace and banished me from the pack?

I was next in line for Alpha and my mate was a guy, I don't think the pack would accept that.

I growled at the thought of the pack shunning him away.

Jim was patiently waiting for an answer and I couldn't just lie to an Elder.

"I'll tell you after dinner," I said ready to leave until he grabbed my arm preventing me from moving.

"No you will tell me now," he demanded.

I shook my head... I wasn't ready to say it out loud yet.

"Yes Liam," he pushed.

I stared into his brown eyes seeing the concern but stern look.

Sighing in defeat I answered.

"I found my mate," I muttered.

He looked shocked at first then confused.

"Well, if you found your mate then why are you ashamed to tell us about her?" he asked me.

"This is a good thing. This means that all you have to do is tell your dad and we can have your Alpha Ceremony soon, you know he's been waiting to give you the position for a while now."

I shook my head.

"He won't want to that now," I told him not making eye contact with him.

"What do you mean? Do you think he won't approve of her?"

"I know he won't accept 'my mate'," I said purposely using 'my mate' instead of her.

Uncle Jim caught it.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Liam?" I heard my mom call.

"Can we just drop it?" I begged him, pleading with my eyes.

"Liam you're going nowhere until you tell me what the problem is."

"Come on Uncle, please."

I couldn't do it.

"Now Liam," he exclaimed.

"My mates a guy," I blurted out.

"Ugh... Happy now?"

With that I left him standing there in disbelief as I took my seat at the dinner table.

[pbandjesse]

Today was the last farmers market of the season! I still have at least two more winter/holiday markets but it was the last one at the museum. And I had such a good time. It was good day.

I slept alright last night. My voice is still strained but a lot more normal. I can actually talk so that's nice. Though my throat does hurt a little bit. But I was able to sleep until 730 and things were good.

Everything kind of fell apart when we left though. James drove us the normal way and then our exit was closed?? And we were forced to go through the tunnel. But the exit going the other direction was also closed! So a less then 15 minute drive took more then a half hour and was terrible. I was not having fun and was trying not to fall apart but I was very close.

We got to the museum right before 830.

James helped me get everything over. And I would calm down. They went to get me breakfast because they are the best husband. And I got my table set up. I struggled only because it was really windy!

I always find the windy days exhausting. Just fighting to keep all my stuff from blowing away. I still was having fun but it was tough.

After I ate something I felt a little better.

And I had fun! I made a lot of sales and felt good. I also finished sewing a few frogs. I sold one of the new horses to an adorable little girl. One of the kids from my class yesterday came through and his mom and me had a nice conversation and she got a few stickers and two frogs! Amazing. I was having a great time.

Ginny gave me a ton of extra treats since she didn't want to bring anything home. And I enjoyed my brownie I had bought.

It was a good last day. I enjoyed texting with my dad. And with James. And Jess. Celia sent me a picture of a shark tooth she found at Calvert cliff snd I was very jealous!

I was very cold but I was just having a good time. My hands would start to hurt while I was knitting and went inside to warm up and say hi to James. And would just enjoy my morning.

Steve, the man who asked me to fix his bear, came to collect. And he was so excited. It was so sweet! He paid me more then I asked him and he told me he's had this bear for 20 years!! I thought he just found this bear recently but he's been holding onto it for so long! I'm really glad he was happy.

The end of the market came really fast. The distillery gave everyone drinks (which I said thank you but no) and everyone was being silly and it was very fun just getting hugs and saying goodbye. Auni came through to give thank you cards and she wrote the nicest note and made me feel very appreciated. I was feeling very happy.

I had a nice conversation at the end with the security guard. Apparently none of the market vendors knew that we had security on the weekends. And that was always have. This one was just wearing a vest with security on it so he was more visible. But I went to chat with him and he started saying how great James was and I was like. That's my husband!! And he freaked and was like that's my guy!!!! Just praising James for being so smart and kind and fun and welcoming and I'm like. This is all true!! I'm so glad you see that!!

I went to say goodbye to James. I would watch the desk for a few minutes and even checked someone into the musuem. Befoee I said goodbye to them and headed home.

When I got back here I brought all the baked goods in. And got changed. And almost immediately got in bed. I was still really cold so I put my heating bad on my middle and went to sleep.

I would lay there and watch videos for a while but eventually I did fall asleep. And woke up at 430 pretty tired still. But I wanted to accomplish some stuff tonight. We rescheduled seeing houses to Monday. And that was for the best.

When James got home they were exhausted. They wanted to do laundry and run the dishwasher but they were just really tired.

I was too. And cold. They warned me up some soup for dinner and it helped. And at 6 I got up to work in the studio.

James helped out my fabric and materials from yesterday tomorrow. They also brought my market stuff up so I could put everything away. I set up the picnic table in here to use for cutting fabric. And then did some work making a Tshirt pattern for my private lesson tomorrow. This was tough but I figured it out eventually!

I would do a lot of fabric cutting next. I want to have more horses for the winter markets. I got 12 cut out and 3 sewn. Need all their hair and eyes but still got a lot done. I also got 4 bears all sewn up.

I was actually super productive tonight. I did some snail catching in the tanks. We put all the Christmas stuff in the bedroom so it'll be ready to hang after Thanksgiving. And I felt really good. Having a 4 hour video just going helped me stay focused. I never had to stop to pick something new. It was excellent.

It was a really nice evening and a good day. Tomorrow I have my private lesson with Naomi and I'm looking forward to it. I will probably clean in the morning and just get ready for the week. I hope you all have a great day and sleep well tonight!! Until next time!

[aethes-bookshelf]

a bouquet of wilting roses || cloud strife/reader

I’ve returned! A lot of you have been asking for a part 2 to ‘a bouquet just for you’, so I’ve come to deliver :) I hope you���ll enjoy!

part 1

Pairing: Cloud Strife/Reader

Warnings: angst, hurt/no comfort, character death, hanahaki

Word count: 1.7k

ao3 link

In Cloud’s hand was a small, black journal. There was nothing on its cover; no stickers, no notes, no drawings. Nothing. A blank, black space.

He found it under his late friend's pillow. Or, well, Tifa did while going through their things after their funeral. Heavens above, the funeral. Cloud had never seen any of his friends cry so much; truth be told, he, too, left the grave puffy-eyed and red in the face. But how could he not? They’ve all been through so much together and now one of them was gone. Like they were never there in the first place. None of them would say it out loud, but each time they hung out these days, there was this deep, dark hole next to them, in a spot that was once occupied but now sat vacant.

If you don’t talk about it, it’ll be like it’s not there, right?

Cloud’s been building up to actually reading the journal for weeks now. Tifa didn’t even want to touch it; she said that if she read about their late friend’s thoughts and feelings it’d just open up the wound again. ‘Maybe in the future’, she said, ‘but now I wouldn’t be able to take it.’ Cloud understood, he really did. But some part of him must’ve thought that reading the journal would be the right thing to do. A way of honoring his friend’s memory one last time.

So he finally opened it.

1 Hey, journal! Is this a stupid thing to say? I don’t really know, to be honest.

I’m starting this journal to document my illness. Kind of like a dumping ground for my emotions. It’s not like I can share them anywhere else anyway.

I got my diagnosis yesterday. I mean, I knew what it was since the very beginning, but it’s always good to have a professional’s opinion, I suppose. I don’t really know how much time I have left, but I know I’m dying, so there’s that. I’ll have to burn that journal before I go, though. Don’t want anybody reading it.

That might’ve been the moment when Cloud should’ve stopped reading, put the journal away or burned it, just like they wanted to. He should’ve. But he didn’t.

* * *

2 I saw them together today. Tifa and Cloud, I mean. It’s a given, really, the entire gang was hanging out together, so of course they’d be there too. It gave me a really bad cough attack though. Had to spend a good ten minutes in the bathroom to cough up all the petals. I hope none of them swam back up the toilet. That’d be bad.

3 Why me, though? People fall in unrequited love all the time and most of them don’t get sick! So why me? Is it genetic? Or maybe just some bitch-ass god looked down upon all of creation and said, ‘Fuck you in particular��?

Honestly, this would be funny if I wasn’t actively dying. But oh well.

5 I saw the doctor today. He kept talking about the different surgeries the entire time I was in his office. I thought I’ve told him already that I don’t want the surgery. I don’t want to forget him. No matter what.

Must be the love in me talking. If I was in a sane state of mind, I’d probably take the offer in a heartbeat. Life for a bunch of memories? Sounds like a fair deal, sign me up! But I’m not in a sane state of mind, so it’s a no, I’m afraid.

8 I’m pretty sure I felt the flowers move inside my lungs today. It feels really fucking weird; and it hurts like hell! That’s to be expected though. My fault for not taking the chance on the surgery.

Did I mention that the longer you wait to get the treatment, the higher the chance of complications and death? I wonder if I’ve passed that mark already.

11 My chest really hurts today. And I haven’t even seen Cloud at all. Is it the roots or the thorns? I mean, the flowers are roses, so who knows, really.

I seem awfully calm about all this when I’m writing. I suppose I should be more emotional about this whole ordeal, but I’ve nearly died quite a few times already, so no wonder something has come to finally do me in. Flowers, though? I still think that’s a lame way to go. I’d prefer an explosion or a crazy duel with some jacked up dude with a big sword. But no, I get flowers. Ridiculous, really.

15 I couldn’t really get out of bed today. I’ve been hacking up petal after petal; I’m pretty sure that my entire bedroom is filled with them at this point.

It’s getting harder to breathe. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night ‘cause of the flowers. And I can’t really get comfortable at all, because no matter how or where I lay down, I’m either pressing down on a thorn or squeezing a rooted-up part of my chest. (I can tell them apart now — the thorns are more like getting stabbed with a thick needle and the roots are kind of like pinching.)

19 I can’t really move anymore. Aerith visited today and said I looked like death. Probably an accurate description. I wouldn’t know though; I make sure not to look in the mirror anymore. I’m scared of what I’ll see. If I really do look that bad, it’ll be hard to deny the truth anymore. That I really am dying.

21 I caught my reflection in a spoon today. Aerith brought me some soup (bless her, really).

The whole reflection thing was an accident, but it still scared me half to death. I’ve never seen my face so hollow. It’s a good thing my parents are gone now; I wouldn’t want them to see me like this.

25 I’ve been wondering lately — do the roots break through your lungs and grow into other parts of your body, too? ‘Cause I’ve been having a hard time stomaching food lately. No matter what I eat, I can’t keep it down. Even water is a challenge.

27 Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen Cloud in a while. Probably since one of the first entries, really. I wonder why he won’t come see me. Does he find me disgusting now that I’m this sick? Or is he scared to see me waste away? I’d prefer the latter, to be honest. The thought that he finds me repulsive hurts — maybe even literally.

Should I stop thinking about him altogether? Would that make me at least a little bit healthier? I’m not sure I want to stop. Not really, anyway.

I wish I could see him again before I go. Or meet up with the whole gang one last time. That’d be fun.

Ah, I’m crying. I should probably stop, I don't want to smear the ink.

31 I’ll probably burn this journal soon. Tomorrow, or the day after. I don’t think I have long.

I wonder what happens after death. Do we go somewhere or do we just disappear? I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

32 I always wanted to get a pet. A puppy or a cute cat. I could take them on walks and cuddle them when I’m sad. It’s nice to dream, isn’t it?

* * *

Cloud closed the journal. He wished he could say he finished it all in one sitting, but some parts were harder to go through then others. Still, the sight of blank pages following the last entry made something inside him twist and squeeze in that particularly painful way.

So it was all his fault, huh? He should’ve realized, should’ve done something to help. If they told him, he’d have made them get the surgery done. Even if they forgot him, they could just start all over. Become friends again.

But they didn’t tell them, did they?

The entries made him realize that he really had been avoiding them — always making excuses. A job there, an errand here and before he knew it, he stopped seeing them at all. But the fact that they started to think he found them disgusting hurt. He wished he could tell them they were so very wrong. He’d always been the avoidant type, an expert at running away when things started to hurt. And seeing one of your best friends slowly waste away and die hurt more than anything. He’d already lost one friend a long time ago. Now, another left too soon.

It always was too soon, no matter when they went.

As he moved to put away the journal, a small piece of paper fell out from between the empty pages.

‘If any of you find this — which means I probably didn’t have enough time to burn it properly — don’t read it. And if you don’t listen, or don’t know better before you do read it — don’t blame yourselves. It was my decision and my consequences. I didn’t want to forget any of the wonderful memories we shared together.

But if you do find this, I have just one last request to make of you. Burn it. Don’t let anyone else read what I’ve written. I know it’s probably a lot to ask, because you’ll have to carry the secret on your own, but I trust you.

And to whoever finds this — thank you, my friend.’

Cloud stared at the piece of paper. One by one, tears started falling, dripping all over the writing, smearing the ink. He was glad Tifa was at the bar on this particular evening. She’d ask questions and he’d have to answer them all. He couldn’t lie to her, not really.

Besides — right now, he had a promise to fulfill.

He’d really honor his late friend for the last time.

He took the journal and a box of matches and got on his bike. He drove for quite some time, looking for the perfect spot. When he finally found it, he set the journal on the ground and covered it in dry branches.

The flames burned bright, taking the truth with them. But the truth that remained inside Cloud would burn him with the flames of guilt for a long, long time.

[stranger-marauders]

fractured

twenty: the return of billy hargrove

chapter summary: After Eleven reunites with everyone at the Byers' house, the group comes up with a new game plan to close the gate for good.

chapter warnings: language

word count: 3.7k

series masterlist | masterlist

AFTER KATE AND her father had explained that their cabin would be the safest place to take Will to fix him, Steve and Nancy had gone outside to dig through the mountain of objects that sat in front of the Byers' shed. The goal was to find anything that could possibly produce heat to give to Jonathan and Joyce to take with them.

At first, the two had done their jobs in silence again. They didn't know what to say to each other, really—it had been extremely obvious that they were both completely distracted by other people, not interested in one another in the slightest. Besides, after Nancy had seemingly broken up with him at the Halloween party, after Steve had walked away from her the next morning during basketball practice, after she'd run away for a few days with Jonathan, after he'd physically gone to break up with her (the only thing stopping him was the fact that she hadn't even been home)—after everything, it was extremely obvious that they didn't belong together anymore, and they never had in the first place.

"You should go with him," Steve said, finally breaking the silence between them.

"What?"

"With Jonathan."

"No, I'm…" Nancy scoffed. "I'm not just gonna leave Mike."

"No one's leaving anyone." He walked over to her, eyeing something that looked like another space heater. "Kate and I've got it, okay? I may be a pretty shitty boyfriend, but… turns out I'm actually a pretty damn good babysitter."

He handed the heater to her, but she only stared at him. "Steve…"

"It's okay, Nance. It's okay."

"I…"

Before Nancy could say anything else, like she could say anything else that would change his mind, Steve walked away.

Kate walked out the front door and onto the front porch to find Mike and El inches away from a kiss.

"El… Come on, let's go. It's time," Hopper said, making the two pull away from each other.

Kate walked toward them as fast as she could, pain shooting through her body with every step she took. "I'm coming, too."

"The hell you aren't," her father replied before she could even start walking down the steps.

"I'm going with you!"

"Kathy," Steve said, putting his hand on her arm, making her stop in her tracks. He nodded toward Hopper as he threw his arm over her good shoulder.

Her father nodded back once. "We're coming back, Kate. Just stay here and rest, okay?"

"But—" Before Kate could even begin to protest, Hopper and El had both already gotten inside of the SUV. She sighed, leaning into Steve once they, as well as the Byers and Nancy, drove away. "It's not even that bad."

"What?" he said, pulling her closer into him. "Not that bad?"

She sighed again, not wanting to move. She'd been completely sidelined. Even if she was still hurt, she could've helped somehow. That was the only way she could make it up to Joyce, to Bob. She had to do something.

"Nancy and I broke up. Officially, anyway."

Kaet turned her head to him sharply. "Did she—?"

"I did." Steve stifled a laugh. "I mean, I was actually going to do it after you left my house yesterday, but that obviously didn't work out."

"Shit, Steve, I'm so sorry," she said, looping her arm around him and leaning her head closer into him. It was her best attempt at a hug, and for now, it would do the job.

At that moment, even though they wouldn't have admitted it, everything seemed to have started to fall into place.

Kate had stolen a shirt of Jonathan's to change into for the time being. She knew he wouldn't mind, and wearing the sweatshirt with the rips in it had been driving her insane, even if it was Steve's.

She and Steve had changed the bandages on her wounds once again. As they tried to wipe the additional blood she'd lost since the last time they'd changed them, they realized how much blood she'd lost, how much she was still losing. Neither of them brought any attention to it, neither that nor to how she'd almost turned green she was so pale.

After she'd cleaned herself up as much as she could, at least for the time being, she lay on the couch, trying to rest her eyes.

Steve and Kate had assigned the other kids to start cleaning up the house as they waited for the others to return. Kate thought it would be nice for Joyce to come back to a somewhat clean house, even if the paper vines still remained. While Mike, Lucas, and Max cleaned, Dustin and Steve cleared out the refrigerator, and very loudly at that.

Eventually, Kate gave up on trying to rest. She sighed, sitting up on the couch and adjusting herself upright. "Could you please keep it down in there?"

"Sorry, Kathy."

"Sorry," Dustin called. He turned to Steve, who carried the dead Demodog that El had launched through the window earlier in a towel. "It should fit now."

"Is this really necessary?"

"Yes, it is, okay? This is a groundbreaking scientific discovery. We can't just bury it like some common mammal, okay? It's not a dog."

"How many times have you said the word Demodog tonight?" Kate asked, standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

Steve's face grew with worry. "Kathy, please go lay back down—"

"I'm fine."

While she sounded much better than she had before, she still certainly didn't look fine. She'd gotten better at standing on her own two feet, but her walking was still poor. She was able to move around on her own, but not as well as she could've been. Steve was absolutely sure that she was purely running on adrenaline and nervous energy. With that being said, she certainly wasn't well enough to constantly be on her feet, especially when there wasn't any reason for her to be.

Steve sighed, turning to Dustin. "You're explaining this to Mrs. Byers, all right?" Whenever he started to cram the carcass into the refrigerator, he already struggled making the Demodog fit into such a small space. "Christ, help me out."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Get the door, man. The door."

"All right, I got the door."

"Ew, Jesus—"

"God—"

Kate couldn't help but laugh at the two of them as they struggled to cram it inside of the refrigerator. Whenever they finally got the Demodog inside, slamming the door shut, Steve ruffled the hair on Dustin's head, the hat on top of his hair, of course, before he tried to move next to Kate. He had almost gotten his arm around her again before she took a step back. "For the love of God, please wash your hands after that."

Steve pressed his lips together whenever she laughed again, walking over to the kitchen sink to wash his hands.

"How much convincing did that take?" she asked, moving next to him and leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Oh, not much," Steve said, turning the water on. "Just threatened my happiness and wellbeing, so…"

Kate stifled a laugh. "He's literally thirteen years old. What's he gonna do?"

"Okay, in my defense, you were horrifying when we were thirteen."

"I mean, yeah, but that's because I had special cause," she explained. She counted out the reasons on her fingers as he washed his hands. "Cop kid, violent streak, bitch. It adds up."

"I didn't mean it like that," he said, turning the water back off before he grabbed a kitchen towel to dry his hands. "I mean, you're not wrong, I just meant you were scary in general."

She scoffed, trying to act offended. "Are you seriously calling me a bitch, Steven?"

"No, no, no! I didn't… It's not like that—!"

Her giggling had been the thing to cut him off. "Oh my God, I'm kidding. I'm self-aware."

Before he could reply, however, both Steve and Kate picked up on the argument that erupted between the four kids in the living room. They both quickly exchanged glances before joining in on the conversation.

"Mike, would you just stop already?"

"You weren't in there, okay, Lucas?" Mike said. "That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs."

"Demodogs!" Dustin shouted.

"Listen, the Chief will take care of her," Lucas said.

"Like she needs protection," Max muttered aloud.

Steve finally decided to step in. "Listen, dude, a coach calls a play in a game, bottom line, you execute it. All right?" He still held the kitchen towel in his hands, drying them off still.

"Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game. And second, we're not even in the game. We're on the bench," Mike retorted.

"Yeah, right, s–so my point is…" Steve cut himself off, hesitating to go on. Everyone was staring at him, waiting for him to finish. Even Kate was watching him closely—she knew how he could give the absolute worst advice. "Right, yeah, we're on the bench, so, uh, there's nothing we can do."

As Steve threw the towel he used to dry his hands over his shoulder, Dustin said, "That's not entirely true." Everyone turned to look at him before he continued on. "I mean, these Demodogs, they have a hive mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away."

"So if we get their attention…," Lucas started.

"Maybe we can draw them from the lab," Max said.

"Clear a path to the gate," Mike added.

"Yeah, and then we all die!" Steve interjected.

"Well, that's one point of view," Kate retorted.

Steve turned to her, staring at her in concern. "Seriously? How are you agreeing with them?" He shook his head as she put her hands up in surrender. "No, that's not a point of view, Kathy. That's a fact."

"I'm sorry, I'd rather not have both members of my immediate family die at the same damn time."

Before Steve and Kate could continue bickering, Mike walked behind them, moving into the kitchen. When the kids had followed him, Steve and Kate followed, too. "This is where the Chief dug his hole. This is our way into the tunnel. So…" He ran off to another spot in the house. "Here. Right here. This is like a hub." He moved to where they'd found Hopper, standing on top of the cluster of papers. "So you got all the tunnels feeding in here. Maybe if we set this on fire…"

"Oh yeah? That's a no," Steve interjected.

"The Mind Flayer would call away his army," Dustin said, ignoring him.

"They'd all come to stop us," Lucas said.

"We circle back to the exit," Mike continued.

"Guys," Steve said, but the kids and Kate continued on like he wasn't even there.

"By the time they realize we're gone…"

"El and my dad would be at the Gate," Kate finished.

"Hey, hey, hey! This is not happening," Steve said, clapping his hands with every "hey."

"But—"

"No, no, no, no, no! No buts. I promised I'd keep you shitheads safe, and that's exactly what I plan on doing. We're staying here, on the bench, and we're waiting for the starting team to do their job. Does everybody understand?"

"This isn't a stupid sports game," Mike said, giving him a disgusted look.

"I said does everybody understand that?" Steve replied. "I need a yes."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Okay, Mom."

As the kids tried to stifle their little laughs, Steve's face grew red. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, an engine revved from outside.

Max ran to the window first, but all the kids looked out the glass to see who it was. Without having to move, Kate sighed, exchanging glances with Steve. She could tell who had arrived outside just by the sound of the engine.

"It's my brother," Max said, almost fearful. "He… He can't know I'm here. He'll kill me. He'll kill us."

"I'd like to see him try," Kate replied.

Steve only looked out the window as he watched Billy pull into the driveway. "I have an idea."

Steve had told Kate and the kids to stay inside while he dealt with Billy Hargrove. While the kids watched from the living room window, Kate had placed herself behind the door, leaning against the wall just in case something Steve's plan went to shit. From where she stood, she could hear almost everything going on outside. Almost everything.

From the porch, Steve watched as Billy stepped out of his car, taking a drag on his cigarette. "Am I dreaming, or is that you, Harrington?"

"Yeah, it's me, don't cream your pants."

Billy took off his jacket as he slammed his car door shut. "What're you doing here, amigo?"

Steve and Billy met between the car and the house. "I could ask you the same thing. Amigo."

"Lookin' for my stepsister. A little birdie told me she was here."

"Huh, that's weird. I don't know her."

"Small? Redhead? Bit of a bitch, just like your little Blondie."

Steve held his tongue before he could punch him just for the comment about Kate. He knew he couldn't hit him. Not if he wanted his plan to work. "Doesn't ring a bell. Sorry, buddy."

Billy took the cigarette out of his mouth and sighed. "You know, I don't know, this… this whole situation, Harrington, I don't know. It's giving me the heebie-jeebies."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

He took another drag of his cigarette. "My thirteen-year-old sister goes missing all day, and then I find her with you in a stranger's house, and you lie to me about it."

Steve chuckled. "Man, were you dropped too much as a child, or what?" Billy laughed, blowing smoke in his face as he continued. "I don't know what you don't understand about what I just said. She's not here."

"Then who is that?" Billy asked, pointing to something in front of him with his cigarette.

Steve turned around to find all four kids peeking out the front window. Whenever the kids realized they had been seen, they all four jumped back down behind the couch.

"Shit! Did he see us?" Dustin asked.

Kate looked over to the kids, seeing their newly adapted location. "If you guys were looking over the couch, then yeah, definitely." She quickly turned her head against the door again, trying to listen to what was going on outside. When that wasn't much help, she looked through the peephole of the door, hoping she could possibly see them a bit better or something.

Steve felt a pit in his stomach whenever he looked back at Billy. "Oh shit. Listen—"

Before Steve could say anything else, Billy pushed him to the ground with a slight shove. "I told you to plant your feet." Without another word from him, he kicked Steve hard in the chest, trying to ensure that he wouldn't come after him. 

"Shit," Kate whispered, backing up from the door as it swung open. She stood in front of the kids, trying her best to look as defensive as possible. She had no idea what he'd done to Steve to get through the door, but it had obviously been enough to where he hadn't come back yet.

"Well, well, well," Billy said, his eyes landing on Max. He slammed the door, moving closer toward Kate and the kids. "Lucas Sinclair, what a surprise."

"Leave them alone, Billy," Kate warned, but it was no use. She even sounded weak when she spoke. 

"You're here, too? What're the odds of that?" Billy said, moving closer to her. Kate shivered—Steve needed to come back now. For every step Billy took closer to her, she took a step backward toward the wall until eventually, he had her where he wanted her: close and cornered by him. He moved closer to her, and Kate tried to move away from him. She could smell the cigarettes he'd recently smoked on his breath. "Damn, you look like hell. He hurt you or something?"

"Get out of here," Kate said coolly.

"He do this to you?" 

"Billy, I said get out."

He got closer to her face. "Not unless you and Maxine come with me."

She scoffed. "You serious?" Whenever he didn't back down, she spit directly in his face. "That answer your question?"

Kate almost immediately regretted her decision as he threw her to the ground, moving on to his next target after he'd wiped his face off as the kids called her name. When her head hit back against the wall, then the floor, she lost consciousness for only a second, her ears ringing whenever she made impact with the ground. When she opened her eyes again, her vision was fuzzy, and her wounds started to burn in pain again.

"I thought I told you to stay away from him, Max," Billy said, moving toward the kids again.

As things started to escalate inside the Byers' home, Kate's ears rang, and she still couldn't quite comprehend what was happening around her. Even if she couldn't truly comprehend what was going on, she tried peeling herself off the floor. The kids, the kids, the kids—

"Billy, go away," Max replied. She almost seemed as if she was trying not to cry.

"You disobeyed me," he said, ignoring her. "And you know what happens when you disobey me."

"Billy…"

"I break things." Before anyone could react, he took Lucas by the jacket and shoved him against the wall of Joyce's chain cabinet. As the kids called for Billy to let him go, Kate still fought to get off the floor, watching as Lucas struggled. It almost seemed to be of no use—the little strength she'd gotten back had just as quickly been taken away from her.

"Since Maxine won't listen to me, maybe you will," Billy said. "You stay away from her. Stay away from her! You hear me?"

"I said get off me!" Lucas shouted, kneeing him in the crotch. Billy let him down, an instinctual release because of the pain.

Before Kate could pick herself up off the floor, someone, seemingly coming from nowhere, lifted her up, trying to get her back to her feet. At first, she wasn't able to process who it was or what they were saying to her, but whenever she heard the name "Kathy" (of course, after being followed by many apologies and such), she knew exactly who it had been.

As she got to her feet again, she only watched as Billy gained his balance again, but now seemed even angrier than he had been before. "You're so dead, Sinclair! You're dead."

Steve had moved toward him since helping Kate up off the floor, pushing Billy to face him. "No." A pause. "You are!" Before Billy could reply, he punched him square in the face, knocking him back.

Kate leaned up against the wall, just beginning to process the situation. "Steve!" She knew he couldn't win a fight to save his life.

Billy laughed as he came back from the punch, his nose bleeding. "Looks like you got some fire in you after all, huh? I've been waiting to hear about this King Steve everybody's been telling me so much about!"

Steve put two fingers to his chest, pushing Billy away from him. "Get out."

Billy stared at him for only a moment before throwing a punch of his own.

As the two began to punch each other, Dustin shouted, "Yes! Kick his ass, Steve!"

Kate only stared like a deer in headlights. She only hoped he'd make it—if Steve couldn't even win a fight with Jonathan, there was no way he would be able to win a fight against Billy Hargrove.

Billy only laughed maniacally as he smashed a plate against Steve's head, making him lose his balance for enough time to let Billy pin him to the ground and to start beating the absolute shit out of him.

"Stop! You're going to kill him!" Kate shouted, running to try to tear Billy off of Steve. However, it was no use—Billy wasn't even fazed by her in the slightest.

That was when Max came over to them with a syringe, one that Mike had grabbed from Hawkins Laboratory, and plunged it into Billy's neck. He stood up and stared at Max, who now stood next to Kate, pulling the needle out of his neck.

"The hell is this?" he said, moving closer to the two girls.

"The paralytic," she said, turning to Max. She had never been so thankful for someone to steal something before.

"You little shit, what did you do?" Billy asked, stepping toward them. With every step forward he took, the girls took another step back. Before he could get to them, however, he passed out on the floor. He wasn't unconscious, however—he was laughing.

Kate moved to the floor next to Steve, trying to get him to do something, anything. She looked at his face, her breath hitching in her throat. He looked even worse than she did now with his face completely coated in blood, his nose crooked, both of his eyes black, his lip busted—she had never seen him so beat up before. He was almost unrecognizable. "Steve. Hey, Steve, talk to me. Can you hear me? Steve—"

As she went on, trying her best to bring him back to consciousness, Max picked up his bat, holding it defensively in front of Billy. "From here on out, you leave me and my friends alone. Do you understand?"

"Screw you," Billy muttered weakly.

Max slammed the bat down right in between his legs, landing on the floor, but inches away from his crotch. "Say you understand! Say it! SAY IT!"

"I understand," Billy muttered.

"What?" Max asked again, raising the bat again. His almost inaudible muttering had obviously not been enough of a response from him for her. 

"I understand," he repeated, pushing himself to be louder.

Max threw the bat to the floor as Billy finally fell unconscious. The girl belt down and reached for his keys, holding them up and shaking them once she'd gotten them off his belt. "Let's get out of here."

next chapter

taglist:

@thatsonezesty13 @cece5298 @thepowerstoner @alovelytardis @coolchick333 @stand-tall-pineapple @littlet-holmes @guichu @cinderellacauseshebroke @blackbirddaredevil23 @mads-weasley @ilovemarauders @pearlstiare @liableperfections @khaylin27 @girlwiththerubyslippers

[mywritingonlyfans]

Angst fic with Damiano David

prompt: a angsty about reader being sad (dami bff) 'cause damiano doesn't feel the same way romantically. ps. there's a lot of victoria de angelis being a angel in this fic, and it's basically about reader going through it.

warnings: none? it's just a bit sad and longer than usual.

 All the soft touches still tingled all over your body. His scent was until now stuck to you, you never thought you’d feel happy to have woody essence along with cigarette smoke on you. 

 Folding the sleeve of his sweater, you put your tea in one of the cups you always use when you were there. His cotton piece was comfortable, making you didn't regret wearing it in the morning; it was cold and wearing your tank top from the night before didn't feel right. The shorts from yesterday, that were making your legs freeze were enough trouble for you to handle. The remnants of your clothes and belongings were collected from the floor of his room and placed carefully on his headboard, you made sure you were being quiet. Damiano has always been a heavy sleeper, but your counscious prevented you from risking disturbing him when he looks so peaceful. You had already spent much time at his place so you memorized where every thing in his kitchen - and others rooms - was; baking eggs and making tea wasn’t a mystery for you. You had even separated a Tylenol tablet for Damiano, so he could have it with his tea when he woke up with a wicked hangover. He wasn't the type to get drunk and forget what he did, nor were you. Since when you were teenagers, you have gone out and been drunk together a lot of times, and although your feelings were already present, nothing never happened. This time, however, alcohol helped injecting a dose of courage on him. Being honest with yourself, you didn't remember who started it; but the kiss in the midst of the loud music, his hand on the back of your neck, the exchanging glances while dancing and the moment he took you home, they were pretty vividly in your mind. You still felt relaxed, as if his sweaty body was still over yours. Minutes with your eyes closed was enough to feel his eyes roaming your body all over again.

“Hi,” he said in a slurred voice, cutting off your line of thoughts. You jumped, briefly scared but soon turned your attention to reality; a tired Damiano scratching his eyes in front of you.

He was dressed, wearing sweatpants and sweatshirt, duly comfortable according to the weather. 

 “Headache?” You knew he was. He was always a good drinker, he put up with it a lot, but he was never one to get rid of the effects of alcohol on the next day. You, on the other hand, got on better with this issue; fortunately from the night before, only the good moments remained with you.

“Yeah, a bit,” he giggled. “What a night, I’d say.” He added, in a lower tone. What was acceptable, you also felt a bit weird to be in front of him.

“I got you some pills,” you pointed it out to him on the counter, trying to maintain a normal behavior; with no shacking voice or sweaty hands. Quite impossible. “I made tea too.”

“Dear God, you’re a life saver!” He smiled at you, eyes crinkled and all of his perfect teeth on display. Contagious.

You grinned, feeling your body getting lighter. “No worries. I’m glad to help.”

“Y’know, when I woke up and saw that you weren't there I thought you were gone. You know? Friendship destroyed and that whole thing. I’m happy to see you; relieved.” He took a sip of his tea, and maybe a bit of your heart with it. You were an explosion of feeling when it comes to him, you always have been. “That sweater looks good on you, you can keep it if you want. You know that’s my fave one.” And, yeah, you knew.

The tension on you was no longer intense, comforting you to let out the breath you were holding. “It’s good to hear that,” Your genuine smile managed to say many things, you wished Damiano had noticed you earlier on other occasions. “Do you remember that one time, when we were younger, that you were a bit crazy about a girl; Alice was his name.” You stopped; in need of air - nervous - and watched Dami's attentive face. “She was the first person to whom you dedicated a song, you played it to her at school break. The cutest thing I had ever seen. I think it was there that I realized, a little jealous—“

“Y/N,” his voice had been almost inaudible, causing no effect. Had he really tried?

“How in love I was with you.”

His face was paler than usual, he was paralyzed; speechless. You had never seen Damiano like this, the men was always all over the place in a sweet talkative mess.

It took a few minutes for you to be able to read his expressions and realize how fucked up you were. The dose of happiness in your blood had been able to manipulate you to believe in what you most wanted to happen.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” your blood had gone up to your ears, all you could pay attention to was the pressure in your head. How had you thought that after one specific night he would suddenly decide that he was in love with you? After all of this time that you were just a good friend for him? “I’m truly sorry but I’m don’t—“

“Feel the same way?” You finished. He nodded, apprehensively. You have never felt so stupid. It was a mixture of shame, fear and insecurity. You were unable to look directly at him, you knew that there was no change in following a friendship after what you just said, much less after the night before. You had never been so screwed.

“I’m the one who should be apologizing, I shouldn’t have said a thing.” You whispered, realizing that the lump in your throat had turned into tears that you didn't even know were running down your face.

“Come here,” he opened his arms, walking towards your emotionless frame. You allowed yourself to melt in his grip. 

 Your tears fell freely; you could even try to hold it back but there was no strength left for you to think about it. Your crying was silent, as was the kitchen room. Your head was full of questions and cursing at yourself. Suddenly you wished Damiano had yelled at you, asked you to get out of there or said he wouldn't never speak to you again. It seemed easier to deal with it in this alternative way than to have him comforting you for loving him. “Shh, it’ll alright. I could never be mad at you.”

He talked about your friendship, but you knew that nothing would end up well. Maybe for him. But for you? It’d not be that easy. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I should have known better, you were so loving with me last night that I thought— Fuck, we slept together. Which I know isn’t your fault because I don’t even remember who—“

“Stop, Y/N. Look at me,” He was being careful. You were making a person like Damiano calculate his words, that made you feel like pure shit. You stopped talking, looking at him was still difficult. He understood that you wouldn’t be doing so. “That’s fine. I don’t feel bad about you liking me in that way, you’re wonderful. I don't regret anything, last night was great, but I just... don't feel the same. I’d never do anything to hurt you. I can't even imagine how hard it’s being for you right now.” His words sounded sweet and sincere. He had tears in his eyes as well. His ability to be so empathetic to everyone was something you loved the most about him. He was probably killing himself on the inside for breaking you.

You nodded, leaning on the counter. You wanted to ask him if he remembered that he was your first kiss at the age of seven or all the times he sent you vinyl records with some message - that he had written himself - inside the cover. How did he not feel the same, shouldn't you be everything he wanted?

“Dami?” You sighed. Your eyes were red, your face probably swollen. You then looked straight at him; that surprisingly wasn’t much better than you. “Have you ever looked at me and seen me in another way? Something more than just your best friend?”

He didn’t say a thing, just look at you standing there. You get it.

“I think I should go,” You broke the silence that had been formed. You thought about taking his sweater off, but since you weren't wearing anything underneath, you thought it was better not; you’d have to go to his room to change, and then pick up your things only to delay your leaving.

“I can drive you home,” he said in a hush, looking for his car keys.

“It’s okay, a walk will be fine.”

“It’s fucking freezing outside, I can't let you walk over there like that.”

You ignored what he said, walking around the house to the front exit. He tried to grab your arm just for you to step back.

“I know you're just trying to help, but I need to be alone right now, without you near me.” You tried to say it in the most normal way possible, you didn't want to be mean, you only wanted to be fair to yourself.

“Sure.” It was the last thing you heard him say before you left, feeling the cold wind on your body. You didn't know if he had entered his house again or if he was watching you hug yourself as walking slowly to somewhere. You wouldn't dare to look back.

--------------------------------------------------------

“C’mon girl, get up here,” Upon hearing the husky, strong voice, you were relieved. 

 Victoria wasn’t wearing her usual jewelry and looked like she had just been woken up by force. You weren’t as close to her as you were with the other boys, however, you had never been so happy to see her.

You got in her car. “Thank you,”

“God, you look terrible. You’re fine?” You looked at your reflection in the rearview mirror and well, fine was definitely something you didn't look like.

“Dami asked you to come and get me?” Your throat was scratching, it was difficult to speak.

“Yeah,” she looked at you quickly, but due to your discomfort she backed off. More tears would come. “He didn't say why though, he just said he needed someone to come to you before you froze to death.” She said it in a way that made you laugh, even with your eyes filled with tears. “Did the two of you have a disagreement? You don't have to answer me if you don't want to.”

“Something similar.” You said shakily; due to your crying and chilly. Inside the car was heated, but your body was so cold that it didn't seem to be enough. You tried to snuggle in the passenger seat, letting your head rest against the window like in a sad film. Maybe that’d help.

“Here,” she handed you a coat, without hesitation you took it. “I brought it to you in case you needed it.”

You nodded slowly. “Thank you, Victoria,”

“You can call me Vic, just like everyone else,” she laughed.

You gave her a half smile. “Okay then, thank you very much, Vic,”

The rest of the day would be crying while you curled up in your bed, you’d let yourself feel at your worst; promising that you would try and change that the next day.

———----------------------------------------------

You expected the first few days to be the hardest, but it seemed to get worse with each passing day. Damiano had tried to call you a few times and in all of them you responded dryly, using short words, pretending it’d be okay. You truly tried, but you needed time to process what happened. You told him that, and then time he gave you.

After completing a month of the incident, you noticed how 'dependent' you had become on him. He was always around since you were kids, any problem you had you would look for him to talk to, now you felt like you had nothing. Your friends were friends of his, too, more of his friends than yours. You missed having Thomas failing on teaching you how to play guitar on your couch and besides you thought about calling him - just to distract yourself - you remembered that he was more a friend of Damiano than yours. It’d be weird. None of them contacted you at that time, not even Thomas. You couldn't figure it out if Dami had told them what happened and they decided to give you space or if they just didn't care about you when you wasn’t around Damiano.

Basically, where Dami was you would be and vice versa. It had always been like that.

When you saw that just time wasn’t solving anything, you programmed yourself to live in a way that you were busy all the time. Your routine became work, home and most of the time taking the work to be done also in your home. You didn't feel energized to make new friends, and going out on dates could help momentarily but it wouldn't be fair to go out with someone in the ‘mood’ you were in; then these ideas were soon discarded. Sleeping was impossible, you spent hours rolling over in bed; both for the flashbacks that plagued your mind, but also for the fact that you missed him. The nights were worse when you visit your mother or when she called and said, "Dami never came to see me again." or something like. “Are you still talking to each other? We don't let someone like Damiano leave our lives.”

Deep down, you knew there was no way you could be in love with him forever and that no matter how much it hurt at that moment it would pass. You started to repeat it to yourself as much as you could, so when the boys got in touch with you again you didn't hesitate to answer. Nothing bad would happen, you just need to pretend to be fine. The first to send you a message was Thomas, with simple questions, he acted like nothing had happened, you liked it. Even though it was obvious that Thomas, as one of his boys, would know this in more detail than you did (which was a lie, but at least he knew how Damiano was feeling about it, which you wouldn't know). He updated you about Dami, who was great as always, and you said you were doing well when he asked. You answering him made Ethan talk to you too, although they were all polite and delicate, they seemed more to be sorry than to miss you. Pity wasn’t something you were expecting.

After five months, you still felt like crap. You had tried to stop counting the days that had passed since you last saw Damiano, but it was almost impossible. You could still remember that night vividly, but you were still trying your best to move on; leave it behind. Mysteriously, you wanted to see him, see how he was doing and find out if he had anything else to say but you were afraid to see him, go back to your place as his best friend just to realize that your feelings for him had not abated at all.

“...I haven't seen you in a while. I wonder if you're alright,” you heard when answering your phone. Your head hurt, your eyes stung. You had slept on spreadsheets that you brought home from your work.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Shit,” she murmured.

You looked at the phone screen. “Sorry Vic, I just woke up I'm still trying to copy.” You laughed to calm her down.

“I thought I didn't have my number,” her voice became softer, as if she was relieved that you had saved it. “I didn't want to wake you up, I'm sorry about that. I just wanted to know how you‘re doing, since I used to see you almost every day, y’know?”

You thought about saying that you saved her number the day Dami called to pick him up at a bar since his phone battery was dead and he was in no condition to drive, but Victoria clearly knew that. “Is Dami with you?”

“No,” her tone matched yours; Dami had told her, now she was being careful with her words. “I saved your number the day Dami needed to call you, in case I needed to call you again.”

“That’s alright, thanks for checking on me then.”

“But he would love to talk to you. He always asks the boys about you or comments on you so that someone can bring you up to the convo. He seems a bit lost when you not ‘round to be honest.”

Somehow hearing that made you happy. Still, the image of discomfort whenever you thought of talking to him scared you. The phone line was filled with silence, until Victoria's husky voice filled the line.

“Anyway, I didn't call you to talk about Damiano. We finally finished the album and decided to have a small celebration at my house,” you giggle at the formality. “We thought you should go, since you were present in more than half of the process. I‘d like you to come. We’d all like you to come.”

———

Your heart accelerated with each step you took as you entered Victoria's house. The rooms had a glow of being calm and the music that was playing helped to make the place cozy. The instrumental of the band reminded you of Fleetwood Mac, and for the little that you knew Vic you would say that the type of sound reminded you of her. 

 Her house wasn’t crowded, there were only a few people around; some you’ve seen before, some you haven’t. You thundered your fingers over some vinyl that were arranged in a corner, pretending to read them. You were looking for familiar faces, honestly even for Damiano, but for some unknown reason you didn't want to make that obvious. Your eyes captured Thomas talking to some girls, and soon you felt relieved to be dressed according to the occasion; or at least according to the girls who were close to Thomas. It didn't take long until he noticed you standing there, you waved and he came to you. He looked surprised, still he didn't wait for you to say anything else, just wrapped you in his arms so tight you had to ask him to let go in between muffled laughter.

“Vic working miracles! Come, I'll take you to the others.” He said in his cute form, holding your hand as guiding you through the house. “So, how's our best girl?”

Your lips parted in a smile. “I’m alright, pretty much the same to be honest,” there was no time for him to ask another question because you soon spotted Ethan and Victoria with their beers in hands. They seemed to be shocked to see you as well; and it was starting to irritate you for reasons you couldn't explain. Thomas put you behind him, hiding you from the two of them as if they hadn't seen you already. He was being such a sweetheart that he had even managed to soften the anxious butterflies in your stomach; but not enough to keep your mind free of worries and Damiano David. Thomas made a funny noise with his hands as Ethan ignored his attempt to be amusing, pulling you into a hug. Who would have thought you would have missed them so much.

“How long without seeing you, I force you not to do that again. Without you we are just another disorganized mess.” You laughed at his nonsense. Your smile was sincere, like it hadn't been for months, still you were forcing yourself a bit more to appear to be actually 'fine'. You’d like to know if they noticed, even though you were appreciating that they didn’t.

“No worries, I‘m not planning on leaving you guys alone.”

 Ethan and Thomas started to discuss about something, Ethan was already under the effect of alcohol, and from time to time they asked for your opinion on how Victoria had been strangely quiet. Atypical of her, but she didn't seem to be out of place or uncomfortable, just quiet.

“Did a cat eat the tongue of my newest attractive friend?”

“Not this time,” she showed you her tongue, and then smirked. Her eyes shone in differently way under your gaze and her make up was making her look more mature. “Are you feelin’ good? Thank you for coming.” Victoria was happy to see you, you could feel that. She might be curious, but pity wasn’t something possible to see in her; different from the other boys. “You must be tired of hearing that question, I'm sorry. It‘ll no longer be asked.”

Her voice was soft, comfortable to hear. “I appreciate that. I really have heard a lot of that, but despite everything, I feel good ‘bout bein’ here.”

“I feel even happier that you came then,” she put her hand gently on your waist. The other two didn't even remember you and Vic were there. “Let's get you something to drink, we bought that red drink Damiano always says you love.”

“No way, it’s bishop cocktail?” You looked at her, a big grin on your face, even though you remembered that this was the drink you were drinking when the universe decided it would be a good idea for you and Dami to have a one-night stand. Just a lovely reminder. “Have you mixed everything up? like the rum with the red wine? or with red drink you just want to say you bought wine?” You asked, ignoring your internal conflicts. Everything would be fine, you ket repeating to yourself.

“In fact, I remember once hearing you comment you didn't mind it being mixed up in a random bottle.”

She pulled a glass bottle out of a bucket full of ice and you couldn't believe she remembered that; given that you could count on your fingers the times that you had actually spoken to her. You didn’t avoid each other, just didn’t have much of the opportunities.

“Oh my god, that’s so fuckin’ lovely.” You whispered. She was quick to pick up a glass and hand it to you, filling it with the so well remembered liquid. You took a sip, and the taste - or alcohol - made your butterflies calmer. “Thanks for that, tastes like heaven.” She took a glass for herself, by her expression she thought it was a waste of rum. “C’mon, it’s not that bad.”

“If you think so, who am I to deny.”

“Don’t be a bummer,” you bumped your shoulder with hers, eliciting a cute sound from her that made you laugh as well.

You wish that sensation had lasted longer, even so when a random girl approached you to ask something, you felt heavy; like a sign. Her hair was golden in perfect waves and her face was angelic in an almost divine way. You might have been overreacting, but she was the type to catch all the attention to herself.

“You’re Y/N, right? I was startin’ to think that I’d never get to know you.” She hugged you tight and you wondered if she really didn't know you. When she released you, you felt your heart breaking right there in front of her. She was wearing Dami's sweater; the same one from that night, the same one that you wore. You wanted to be wrong, but you’d know that sweater from a distance even after years. “He talks so much about you. Can you believe we never met?” She asked, alternating her gaze between you and Victoria. She had been silent, you had forgotten that she was still there. Your head was miles away in thoughts, making you dizzy.

“Hi, Bella,” Victoria said. You remembered that name. Damiano talked about her on a few occasions, anyways he didn't seem to be in love - or you just didn’t want to see that. Maybe you haven’t been able to read him due to your stupid passion. “How’s everything?”

She started talking to Victoria and you couldn't concentrate on listening; all the alcohol in the world would not ease what you were feeling. How long have they been together? What was so special about her that Damiano gives her his favorite sweater? Were they together when you slept together? How did she end up with the same sweater you slept in that day?

She held the cup that was in your hands and handed it to Victoria. “Are you okay, hon’? You look a lil’ unwell. Do you want me to get you some water?”

“No need, I’m alright,” she patted your arm, and then checked your temperature. She was being nice, yet you couldn't pretend to be interested in being there anymore.

Thankfully, Victoria put an arm around your shoulders, asking if you want to join her to have a smoke. “It’ll be good, fresh air will do good to you.”

You agreed. Bella was worried and you felt bad about having to run away from her. She looked like an incredible person, sure Damiano was lucky to have her, that was just too much for you.

“Do this, you will feel better. We can talk later and so you can tell me everything about you and Dami, I’d love to hear you, since you’ve known each other for so long.” You looked for some irony in her voice, but you didn't found it. She was interested in you; after all, you were her boyfriend's best friend. It made sense.

Victoria guided you to the balcony, or at least halfway to it. Midway, someone stopped to talk to her, she tried to dismiss the person, however, as it was a thing related to the album, she would have no way out. “Victoria, it’s fine, I need some time alone.” You whispered to her, patting on her arm. She looked at you reluctantly, but understand. There wouldn't be much she could do for you.

Entering the balcony you felt an absurd urge to cry, your eyes itched and your legs were trembling. Was being in love meant to hurt this much, or was it just a game of chance?

You tried to take a deep breath, ease your heartbeats, telling yourself it was okay. You just needed to calm down. You leaned your body against the wall and watched the place. The plants near the fence - which you didn't know how Victoria had time to take care of them - the streets, and then the sky. Starry and moist, made for good memories that wouldn't come to you. When you felt ready enough to go out and face the party again, you ran into the one you were trying to avoid, Dami. Minutes ago you were anxious with the possibility to see him to know how he was, now you just wanted to run away and wipe these last months out of your mind.

“Y/N,” his body collided with yours while his arms wrapped around you, it was supposed to be a good thing, that you‘d feel safe as the same way you used to feel, except that was uncomfortable now. You couldn't even respond to his hug, for a second you thought you would escape without having to see him. He noticed and gave you space. “I swore that you wouldn't come. My god, it's so good to see you.” He ran his hands through his hair and you remained paralyzed in front of him.

You tried to focus on your breathing so that your voice came out without too many complications. “Yeah... It's good to see you, you look great.” It didn't work, your voice was shaky making your lie sound even worse. He looks great, you didn't lie, he seemed even happier and well rested. You wondered if it was because the album was ready or because now he had Bella.

You forced a smile, but unlike the others, Damiano knew you were acting. He didn’t judge or question, his face became tense, apprehensive. He knew that nothing was right.

“I thought about callin’ you more, goin’ to see you or something. The boys convinced me that it‘d be better not, that it could be even hard for you. I wonder if I shouldn't have done something different to help you because I know I fucked up too.” His hands were undecided between running through his hair and staying inside his pockets. He was nervous, at the same relieved to have spoken to you.

“It wasn't your fault, I’d never blame you for that,” you sighed, smiling slightly. It felt terrible to make him feel that way about it, but there wasn't much you could do. “I'm glad you gave me space when I asked, it's still hard to see you or think about talkin’ to you. It is as if everything that is tormenting me comes all at once.” It was good to say that to him. He nodded and you looked at each other for a while. It wasn't as uncomfortable as you thought it would be.

He was a few feet away from you while you were admiring the night, with your back against the wall. You wanted to leave, maybe go cry in your bed until you fell asleep, still you wanted things to work out with Dami, you wanted that tension and fear of seeing him to get out of your head. Despite that, if it was necessary to suffer in that process, it would not be worth it.

“She’s amazing,” it hurt to say that, but it was the truth. “Bella’s amazing, lucky girl.” You smiled sadly. Saying her name and seeing Dami smiling at that made you thank God for not seeing the two of them together, hugging or kissing. He‘d probably put his hand on her waist while she was talking to one of his friends or giving lightly kisses to her temple, just because he felt like it. Damiano was the cute type, you've seen it before.

“She is, an amazing person. She was all happy to have spoken to you. I told her all about our teenage years and how you always supported the band,” He had told her about you, would he have told her about you being in love with him? You thought to ask, soon giving up. It’d be shameful if so. “If I knew you would be here I’d not have come with her.” It made you think that he had told her.

“What would you do? Would you hide me from her for the rest of your life?” You sighed. it was supposed to sound like a joke, regrettably your voice sounded too cruel for that.

“It’s not like that,” he mumbled. “I was just tryin’ to think of you and—“

“I think I need to go Dami, it’s being too much. I’m sorry.” You needed to get out of there, you couldn't stop the tears anymore and you knew it was a bad idea to talk about her with him.

You took a few steps back just for Damiano to grab at your arm, without putting strength, just like a few months ago, to stop you in front of him. You turned your face away from looking at his eyes, feeling as the tears run down your cheek. You'd never be able to face him, this situation was only proving that to you even more.

“Please, Y/N. Just tell me what I need to do. I will do anything for you to talk to me again. I need you, you know that. The past few weeks have been a mess without you around. Even little my mom misses you. I’d do anything to have you back like before.” He was about to cry, his eyes shone with tears and it was painful to watch. He could do anything for you to stay; except what would make you stay. Unfortunately, it didn't depend only on his good will.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do this,” you said in a lack of air, signaling the space around you with your finger. “But this, this is too much. It kills me to have to be close to you or to be close to things or people that remind me of you, seeing someone else with you doesn't help at all. I still think about the fact that we slept together... I can’t just forget it ‘cause it meant so much to me and to you, to you? it was nothing.” You were out of breath, you just wanted to cry in peace, put everything out until there was nothing left. 

 He released his hands of you, his face red and damp. It wasn't going to be easy for either of you. Time wouldn't matter; it wouldn’t change a thing because whenever you looked at him you’d wonder about how things could have been like if he had chosen you.

He whispered one more time that he was sorry, then let you go. He could have stopped you, but it's not like he knew what to do anymore. 

He watched as you walk out without even looking back.

——-

You went through the party walking fast, avoiding acquaintances and questions about why you were like that. Your body was heavy as well as your conscience. Outside the house the street was empty, the streetlights illuminated the sidewalk and along with the silence of the street you felt invited to sit there. You brought your knees close to your body, trying to breathe calmly. Pulling the air in, and then releasing it in a normal way. Your heart was beating so fast that your whole body was agitated. You tried to stay still. You squeezed your eyes shut, feeling a little dizzy when you saw someone walk out the front door of the house. You dropped your knees, trying to look decent, but gave up as soon as the person came closer to you and you saw that it was Victoria. She sat next to you, pulling you into a hug. You were happy that she went to you.

“I’m fine,” you murmured, hugging her waist and hiding your face in the fabric of her shirt.

“Stop saying that you’re fine when you’re far from being fine, I won’t judge you sweetheart,” she comforted you, giving you a extra squeezing. You were far from being alright, but it helped, having someone there helped.

She placed her chin on top of your head, soothing you until your crying softened. She rubbed your back and whispered that it’d be okay.

“Did Damiano send you here?”

“No, darlin’. He said that you had talked, and then you had to leave, he didn't look well, I thought you wouldn't be either.”

“And then you decided to look out for me?” You laughed, still tucked in her warm arms.

“Yep, sounds like you need me, don’t you think?” She laughed too, causing the vibration of her chest next to yours make you feel taken in.

“Why’s love so painful?”

Victoria didn't answer, she was thoughtful for a few minutes, and then she stood up, holding out her hand for you.

“What?”

“I won’t be taking no as an answer, you’ll get in the car with me and we will do something, anything, drink milk shakes, fill up our bellies with pizza ‘til we can't take it anymore, or even rob a bank.” She held you by the waist, lifting you up for her. “Please,”

You didn't see why not to accept. There was nothing worse that could get even worse at the moment, maybe going somewhere would do you good. “Even rob a bank?” She nodded, pointing to where her car was.

A smile spreading across her lovely face as you realized you’d go anywhere she wanted with her. “Yes, even robbing a bank.”

[helliontherapscallion]

Hello! Um hopefully this is ok but can you do a platonic poly relationship with tech reader and philza? And one day the reader comes over to there abode with a basket full of sweets and pastries (muffins bread ect-) also cottagecore quiet reader please she/they pronouns

Thank you! :D

(A/N): I’m back yall! Sorry I’ve been gone (in terms of writing/request doing) for so long, I just kinda lost motivation to write for a bit

Ok so you’re childhood best friends with Technoblade

You two met when you accidentally bumped into each other in the village by the sbi fam’s house

You were calmly along the cobblestone path when a cute dress in a store window caught your eye. You kept walking, but you were eyeing the dress as you walked by it. It was just your aesthetic: a vintage ruby red dress with laces tying the two sides together, a floused opening to the bottom of the dress, and puffy white sleeves. It looked like it was in your size too. It was absolutely perfect.

Just as you were about to walk into the store to check out the price, you bumped into someone and fell to the ground behind you. Looking up, you saw that the person that you bumped into was also on the ground looking at you. You saw that the boy was about your age with fair skin and long pastel pink hair tied into a messy ponytail. Peculiarly, he had small tusks poking out from his bottom lip, floppy pig ears on the top of his head, and crimson eyes. A piglin hybrid perhaps?

Feeling a small blush work it’s way onto your face, you quickly got up and held out a hand to the boy. “I am so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going! Are you okay? Here, let me help you up.” 

He looked at your hand for a bit before he grabbed it with his own and allowed you to haul him up to his feet. You looked him up and down scanning him for any injuries he might’ve gotten from the fall. Luckily, it didn’t look like he got hurt. The boy looked down at his feet and bent over to pick up the picnic basket and the few muffins that dropped out of it. Putting the muffins back in, he handed the basket back to you with a small smile and a blush of his own.

“It’s really no problem, I’m fine so it’s no harm done. Actually,” he chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck, “I wasn’t looking where I was going either. I got distracted by that sword in the window.” He pointed with a thumb over his shoulder at the armory shop next to the dress shop. In the window was a shining golden sword glimmering in the bright sunlight. If you squinted, you could see a sign that said that it had a high level fire aspect and looting enchantments. 

“Well, it looks really pretty. I don’t know much about swords, so maybe you could tell me about them? I’m (y/n),” you gave him a small smile and stuck out your hand once more. He shook it with a grin, “Technoblade.”

That was the start of a beautiful friendship with him and his family

You met Philza, his father

The avian was extremely excited and happy that his quietest son finally made a new friend

He treated you like you were his own daughter

You might as well be a part of the family with how much you came over to babysit Tommy or to just relax with Techno

You always bring over a basket of baked treats/pastries whenever you came over

Lemme just say, the family feasted and always fought over the last one

When you started to come over at least once a day for a bit with a basket full of sweets, Philza had to pull you aside and ask you to slow down a bit with the treats

“Hey (y/n) could I actually talk to you for a second?”

“Sure! Tech, I’ll be out in a sec.” The piglin hybrid curtly nodded and walked out the back door to the backyard. You smiled at Philza before you set the basket down onto the table and started to put the rolls onto a plate.

“I know it’s not much today, I didn’t have much time yesterday to bake.”

“That’s fine, but it’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh?” Internally, you began to panic slightly. Oh Ender, you didn’t do anything bad did you? You couldn’t think of anything you did wrong. In fact, you actively avoided any wrongdoing or talking to strangers. Oh no, were you accidentally rude to someone?

“You aren’t in trouble,” he smiled lightly when he saw you slump in relief, “I was just wondering why you always bring over baked things. Don’t get me wrong, they’re delicious and we really appreciate that you take the time to make us things, but we kinda have a little too much. Maybe slow down a bit with bringing them over?”

You felt an embarrassed blush spread across your face as you nodded and put all your focus into transferring the bread rolls over to the plate. “Sorry Phil, I just bake whenever I’m stressed or bored and I just have a lot left over after I give some to my family.”

“And that’s completely valid! Just maybe don’t bring over so much, breaking up the fights with Tommy, Wil, and Tech just gets a bit much at times,” he grinned and clapped a hand over your shoulder.

As the years passed, you and Techno only grew closer

You taught Techno how to do meticulous neat braids in his hair while in turn he taught you some self defense

Mans makes sure you can properly and efficiently wield a sword and shoot a bow and arrow 

Poor guy can’t lose another friend

When he moves to the tundra, he invites you to live with him but you reluctantly refuse

You had Tommy and Wilbur to look after in L’manberg

Being pissed at Schlatt when he exiles them

Following them into exile leaving behind shocked Manbergians 

They didn’t think you were capable of the screaming, let alone such profanity

Practically launching yourself at Techno when he agrees to helping Pogtopia

Him making sure that the withers don’t harm you, even going as far as hitting them and luring them away from you

Staying with Techno after L’manberg is reinstated under Tubbo’s rule

Starting to dislike leadership and governments in general after Tommy gets exiled (again)

Convincing Technoblade to let Tommy stay with you two

Absolutely hating governments when the Butcher Army places Philza under house arrest and rolls up to your guys’ house and takes Techno and Carl

They lock you in the house, but you pick the lock with the bobby pin you kept the bandana pinned to your hair with 

You follow them to L’manberg and break down when you see the anvils crashing down onto Techno

Screaming profanities at the Butcher Army and taking out your sword to attack them not noticing when Techno runs away safely

Philza watching everything from the balcony and cheering you on

You almost take away one of Fundy’s (whom you considered to be your nephew until the whole Butcher Army incident) lives before you feel a sword slice your arm and an arrow shooting its way through your thigh

Turning, you gave Tubbo and Ranboo the fiercest glare you could as you were standing over a half-dead Fundy with a sword dripping blood hanging at your side

You, the soft spoken and sweet one that gave everybody baked goods wherever you went, screaming profanities at the festival and the execution was scary enough, but this?

Absolute nightmare fuel, gonna stick in their minds for a long time

You attempt to fight them but you lose and end up with injuries too severe for you to continue fighting

Philza being the one to yell at you to go home to the tundra telling you that Techno’s alive bc of a totem of undying 

You felt kinda stupid after that, Technoblade never dies (you often half joked that he was immortal like Philza)

You limp home and get met with a bone crushing uncharacteristic hug from Techno

He patches you up after reassuring you that the blood on him wasn’t his (he tells you about the duel in great detail)

In turn you tell him about your 3 v 1 duel, feeling a bit dejected bc you ended up losing

Him being literally so proud of you for facing 3 people at once, but also scolding you slightly for going into it blindly

When Philza moves in, everything feels complete and fulfilled (at least to you)

You help Philza clean and dress his damaged wing

Also helping him do some physical therapy so that he could at least move it

Comforting him whenever he felt down about not being able to fly again

You invite him and Techno to cook with you and it surprisingly ends up better than you expected it to be

When Tommy betrays Techno, you and Philza end up being the only ones he could fully trust (later slowly adding Niki and Ranboo to the mix when The Syndicate is formed)

You are Harpocrates when The Syndicate is formed due to your quiet nature

Philza and Techno fully 100% supporting your decision of not wanting to reveal your identity

At the second meeting you show up with a full mask covering your face and the opposite of what you normally wore (more of a grunge type beat)

Only communicating in nods and writing at meetings, living up to your nickname

You never reveal your identity to Niki or Ranboo

Pleasant late night conversations around the fire with hot chocolate and your baked goods

Techno still lets you braid his hair (sometimes you even put flowers in it) from time to time

You braid Philza’s hair when it gets too long

Braid chains when yall get too bored? Hell yeah 

Ultimately, you three become a strong family unit (goals)

General taglist (comment if you want to be added):

@crybabyjabby  @izzybobizzy13  @goldenstarofthunderclan  @bunnyz-pxstel  @averytiredfanfictionwriter  @dcml04  @sparkling-gayyyy  @bbigbbrainn  @thaticecreambish  @kiinokochii  @satansphatass  @bxkubitch  @bxmentchildxx  @roxy3457  @montygator17  @feverish-dove  @the-fictionwriters-hairdo  @jichuuchaeng  @404rynnotfound  @luluwinchester  @laura--444  @the-cult-classic-bitch  @youngstarfishdinosaur

[andysbubba]

Loving you

Andy Barber x Gender neutral (?) reader

-> the one where you’re tired of andy’s igorance towards himself

Note: Angst diffusing into fluff, the typical andy-kitchen scene i used in my candlelight loving fic— except there’s no smut, ++ feedbacks welcomed as always! and reblogs and likes are more than appreciated <33

𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲'𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

~h

-

“Andy, baby. Will you please take a break?” You exasperatedly sigh when you see Andy still hovering over his desk in his study after the fifth time you told him to take some time to rest.

“I know, I know. Just a little more, honey. I’ll join you in bed in a bit, okay?” He only looked up at you for barely a second to reply before his eyes were back on the stacks of case studies and folders on his desk.

Truth be told, you were completely done with his bullshit.

You huff in frustration, rolling your eyes the slightest bit and muttering to yourself as you distanced yourself from Andy’s home office with full annoyance. “Fucking lawyers.”

Andy’s been fully hung up on work ever since one of his co-workers took a vacation off work just last week. Meaning that his already-extensive workload just got an upgrade. Also meaning that he’d drag his workload home and continue working his ass off in his study. Which really- there’s nothing wrong with your boyfriend being all diligent and assiduous.

But it really doesn’t seem all that glorifying when you’re the one having to deal with all his crap. You could’ve probably list down all the times he put fucking paperwork above you, and the list would probably have been as long as Article 1.

Unbeknownst to you, Andy caught onto what you said right before you left his study. He felt guilty, alright. All he’s done is to be a complete work-addict while you’re out there being the best lover one can ever ask for. And all he wants to do is to chase after you and apologize and stay in bed and order in pizza with you. But the never ending workload on his desk was the one thing keeping him away from having you all snug in his chest.

He shakes his head, eyes glancing back down at his work. He was beyond exhausted, the pot of coffee you made him and the hope that the earlier he wraps his work up, the earlier he can shower you with all the love you deserved, was his only motivation to keep reading though the files and trying to get as much work done.

-

You groggily rubbed your eyes as you tried to feel around the sheets for Andy. And honestly? You weren’t even surprised that he wasn’t there. It was 7 in the morning, and it was too early for Andy to be up if he actually went to sleep last night. You could only assume that he never even went to bed, no matter how much you wished otherwise.

You head out to his study, the door’s still opened as it was yesterday and the faint noise of keyboard clicking tells you that Andy’s still working inside.

“Babe?” You knocked on the wooden door, trying to get his attention.

Andy’s hunched in his seat, eyes switching between his laptop and the files from time to time as he typed. He glances up at you, just a little surprised.

“Did you get some sleep, honey?” You asked, even though you knew you’d only receive the answer you dreaded so much.

He glances at the digital clock on the wall, only realising that it’s been 6 hours since you last came in to check on him. He scratches the back of his neck as he shook his head and mentally cursed himself. “I—”

He considered lying, but he already felt as bad for leaving you to sleep alone the whole night and breaking his promise on joining you in bed. And knowing you, you’d probably see right through his lies anyway.

You sigh, shaking your head and disappointedly rubbing your face. “I swear to god, Andrew—” You turned away before you could allow yourself to get even more pissed at him. Which most probably would’ve been impossible.

Caffeine. God— caffeine sounds fucking amazing right now.

-

Andy’s beyond guilty. So much more than what he felt yesterday. And his heart burns when he sees you so disappointed and pissed at him. The kind of pain where it feels like it’s being crushed and squashed.

He didn’t even realise that he went a whole night of work without sleep. Nor did he realise the time. Or that he forgot to keep his promise to join you in bed. Or the fact that he never paid attention to you for more than 5 minutes in the last 10 hours. Or that he didn’t join you for dinner. Or— okay, the list is long alright. And Andy knows he’s hurt you- the one person who’s patient enough to deal with him and the one person he loves above anything else in the goddamn world.

He ditched his laptop and stood up. Stretching his legs and working out the kinks in his muscles.

Andy trailed behind your footsteps, leaving his study for the first time in almost a day. It really took you to be angry at him just to get him out of the study. Andy knows his sorry isn’t enough. And you truly deserved every right to be pissed at him.

You were sorting your morning tea out when he came into the kitchen. Andy couldn’t help but smile fondly at you- or rather, your back really. For goodness sake, Andy’s head over heels in love with you. With every inch of you from head to toe. It is truly indescribable.

He steps up behind you, arms wrapping around your shoulders, and his chin resting on the tiny area joining your shoulder and your neck.

“Hi, baby,” He pressed a soft kiss on where his chin was before.

He wasn’t surprised that you stayed silent and continued doing your own thing. He knows damn well he deserves the silent treatment, alright.

“Honey,” He trails off as his thumbs rubbed circles on both sides of your shoulder. “Talk to me please, baby.”

You let out a heavy sigh, unwilling to turn and look at him, but you knew stirring tea wasn’t enough to occupy the next 3 minutes of your life, let alone the next few hours.

Andy turns you around by your shoulders, one hand shifting your mug to the side so he doesn’t accidentally mess up more and end up spilling hot tea all over you. He picks you up by your sides and sets you down softly on the counter.

His head was around your chest level now. As much as Andy wanted to bury his head in your chest and stay there forever, he knows he has to say something because you definitely won’t say it first. He takes your hands in his, bringing it up to his lips and kissing your knuckles, his pretty blue eyes staring up at you the whole time.

One look and you know he’s sorry. His watery eyes bring you to that conclusion.

“I’m sorry, honey.” He sighs, guiltily holding your palm up to the side of his face. “I know I hurt you. I was just so focused on the case that I didn’t even realise I hurt you, baby. You deserve all the right to be mad at me and ignore me and- fuck. I really messed up, Y/n.”

Andy shakes his head, “I just thought that if I wrapped up all my work, I’d have more time with you.” He chuckles humourlessly. “I know what I did was wrong, baby. You gave me more than enough chances yesterday but I messed up every one and I left you.”

He glances into your eyes desperately, his hand gripping onto your palm on his cheek tightly. You know it’s a silent plea for you to respond and do that thing he loves about your touch.

You find yourself surrendering to his silent plea, and your thumb brushed the side of his face. Soft and repeatedly. The comfort it brought Andy was beyond words. He leaned into your palm, seeking more of your touch.

“You’ve been nothing but understanding and caring and I just kept on taking advantage of that.” Andy was grateful he had someone as amazing as you. “ I’m so sorry I hurt you, honey. I know I j- just completely left you alone— and shit, you don’t deserve that, my love.” The crack in his voice broke your resolve.

You breathed deeply, bringing your other palm up to the other side of his face. “Baby, you really don’t get it, do you?” You paused, searching his eyes before realising that Andy didn’t truly understand why you were upset in the first place. “Andy, everytime I came up to check on you— that was for you. I wanted you to get some rest, honey. You looked exhausted every single time I came in, and I hated that you just ignored your own health.”

“You skipped dinner, bub.” Your hands shifts down to the back of his neck, pulling him in closer. “All this overworking and sleepless nights— I just wish you’d take care of yourself more, Andy.”

Andy sighs, hands shifting down to your hips and he leans in, burying his head in the middle of your chest.

You felt his lips moving against your his shirt as he murmured. “I know, ‘m sorry.” Andy inhaled deeply, your natural, comforting scent piercing through his nose. “I missed you, bubba,”

You run a hand through his hair. “I missed you too, love.” You lean down and kissed the top of his head. “You wanna go wash up or get some rest while I heat up yesterday’s dinner?”

“Wanna stay just like this.” He mumbled into the fabric of your his shirt.

You laughed heartily, “Go nap on the couch, Barbie.” He pulls away from your chest. “Or at least, please go brush your teeth. I’ll fix up somethin’ for you.”

“And sleep with me after?” He arched a brow, and you took the time to scan over Andy’s face. He looks so fucking exhausted. The dark circles under his eyes and the barely noticeable strands of gray hair among the luscious black is a simple message that he was stressed. And god, you wanted nothing more than to take care of him and make sure he’s all healthy and— lord.

“Anything you want, baby. As long as you don’t step foot in the study till tomorrow afternoon.” You pressed your forehead against his, lips touching into an easy kiss.

You were both exhausted— Andy with his lack of sleep and you having to worry over him almost every 45 minutes. You both needed the rest. And some time together where it’s just the two of you and no one else exists.

[tarosin]

the great adventures of y/n tommy tubbo wilbur and phil - i’ve got a (paintball) gun

this is part 12 to the great adventures series

an: ranboo was possibly in the Uk at this point however I don’t know when this vlog was actually recorded so I’ve decided that he’s still in the us at this moment in time i also didn’t proof read

tubbo stood near you occasionally shooting you with a nerf gun whilst you were filming a cooking video making it rather hard to focus

“you alright there Tubb-ow that fucking hurt”

“let me be in the video”

you rolled your eyes before moving to the side so tubbo could be in frame, earlier on you both went to a butterfly house and since the pair of you would have to get a train tomorrow to go record a vlog with Tommy it made more sense for him to stay at yours for the night. it took a lot longer than expected to film the cooking video as tubbo absolutely destroyed the plan you had for the video after he found out what you were making

“Surely not. you have pizza in the fridge let’s cook that instead”

“tubbo no fans voted on what is make and they chose something from the great depression cookbook it’s not my fault…heh how do you know about the pizza I got it yesterday”

“I made myself feel at home”

eventually, the pair of you finished the recipe unsurprising food from the great depression didn’t taste great so you put it in the bin whilst tubbo put the pizza in the oven. the rest of the night was surprisingly chill compared to earlier on when filming (probably because after you both had eaten you were exhausted and had a long day ahead of you) the pair of you created a song together which would never see the light of day as it was a mess but nonetheless it was a memory you would never forget, you asked your parents to take some pictures of you both so you could add them to your scrapbook you ended the night by teaching tubbo how to create a scrapbook.

at 8 am your alarm went off at 8:30 you made it to the train station a few hours later you finally arrived at your destination

“what are we doing today tubs”

“I have no idea but tommys over there with Phil and will”

tubbo dragged you over to the three of them where you were met with Tommy holding a paintball gun whilst yelling that he has a gun and that it’s ‘gun time’ tubbo went to go get the pair of you a paintball gun with the others whilst you offered to help Tommy continue the introduction

“y/n you’re going to be with tubbo and Phil sorry you can’t be on the winners team with me and will”

“oh no how will I ever survive, you seem rather confident that you’re going to win so let’s make I deal if I win I get to pick the next vlog if you win you can pick the next vlog for my channel”

“have fun facing your fears in your next vlog y/n as I’m going to win”

“sure thing tom however I never lose so have fun at the trampoline park”

tubbo ran up to you as you finished your sentence and handed you the gun that’s when you split off into two teams and made your way to start the game

“you both ready”

“I'm going to be shot several times the answer is no”

“I’ll protect you y/n”

you laughed shaking your head as much as you adored tubbo there’s no way he’d be the one protecting you in paintball you stood picking up rocks putting them in your pocket not realising the game had started until tubbo hit you with a paintball

“OI DICKHEAD THE GAMES STARTED”

“WERE ON THE SAME TEAM HAVE YOU CONSIDERED SHOUTING THAT THE GAME STARTED”

you ran straight to the bunker leaving tubbo and Phil behind simply because you had already been shot and it hurt like hell, you managed to hit Tommy a few times and occasionally was able to hit will. it didn’t take long for tubbo to catch up to you

“oh hello tubso”

“hi y/n. OW WHY DID YOU SHOOT ME”

“giving you a taste of your own medicine”

“I'm telling Phil”

tubbo found one of the grenades on the floor throwing it towards the hiding spot Tommy and will were in dragging you through the now colourful smoke which resulted in Tommy shooting you both with paintballs several times as will encouraged him to shoot wildly into the smoke

“phillllll tubbo used me as a human shield my body hurts where are they I’m getting revenge”

“tubbo…maybe don’t use y/n as a shield “

you stood with tubbo as Phil shot a paintball towards Tommy you assumed he hit him as you heard Tommy shout in pain and tubbo laughing next to you, you noticed as you continued walking to hide, tubbo was picking up the grenades putting them in his pocket

“I have rocks in my pocket tubs if I ever run out of paintballs I’m just going to throw the rocks it’ll probably hurt less too”

“y/n don’t encourage tubbo to throw rocks at people”

“quick over there we can team up against Tommy”

and that’s exactly what you and Phil did god knows where tubbo went however it did allow you to secure a win.

not long later the second round began however this time it was just you and Phil

“where the fuck is tubbo”

“I can’t believe they took tubbo he’s the best of us and they knew it”

“they took my tubbo I’m getting revenge also rude I’m pretty damn good with a gun”

you both ran to the next hiding spot creating a plan to get your best friend back and hopefully win the game, you ended up hearing tubbo shouting in the distance, you and Phil agreed you'd run first probably getting their attention and Phil would follow about a minute later

“hang tight tubso I’m coming for you”

the plan worked you successfully made your way to where tubbo was guaranteed you got hit with paintballs a lot but you also managed to get some good hits back as did Phil. as soon as Phil made the grenade go off you quickly climbed up the steps and made your way to tubbo whilst hitting the others with paintballs whilst Phil made his way up after you

“I ran out of paintballs tubbo can I borrow your gun”

“we surrender we surrender”

“Phil…y/n you saved me”

“I am in pain”

it was now time for the third round

“I've played capture the wool in hypixel don’t worry guys I’ve got this”

“y/n you lost every game”

“tubbo didn’t you get captured for the entirety of the last game…hmm”

“will you two stop and just run to the tower”

tubbo ran straight to the tower but you decided to ‘accidentally shoot tubbo’

“Y/N”

“SORRY I WAS UM JUST TESTING IF MY PAINTBALL GUN WORKED YOU JUST HAPPENED TO BE IN THE WAY”

once in the tower you and tubbo aimlessly shot at the others while Phil left to go capture Tommy and wills flag

“so tubbo how’s your day”

“not too great bossman I got captured, shot, betrayed by my so-called best friend”

“betrayed…you’re so dramatic”

“I'm leaving”

“I’m not defending the flag then”

you laughed as tubbo left the tower standing next to Phil coming up with a new plan

“tell me you didn’t leave y/n to defend the flag”

“I CAN STILL HEAR YOU BOTH”

tubbo and Phil ran to attempt to capture their flag whilst you stood defending the flag, you put up a decent fight getting strong hits on Tommy however he was able to capture the flag before Phil or tubbo could capture their flag, you continued to hit Tommy several times as he ran back to his team’s tower, however, in the end, he was able to make it back scoring a win for his team

“don’t even think about blaming me you two”

it was now time for the final, you had one aim and one aim only…defend the briefcase

“oh these little shits”

you and tubbo looked at each other before nervously laughing you all had been shot enough and honestly you were all in pain you just wanted to win and get this over with.

“We have 10 minutes guys we’re fine”

“y/n I admire your optimism”

“I could be brutally honest and tell you both that we’re probably going to lose if we don’t come up with a plan”

and with that the three of you started creating a plan which wouldn’t be used as you were going to end up staying close to tubbo, you all started pretty strong you and tubbo stayed together the entire game giving the pair of you extra strength compared to the others as you worked together. you and tubbo left Phil to do his own thing mainly because you had forgotten the plan you created earlier.

“y/n here’s the new plan wherever I go you go and we have to defend each other”

“hey tubbo look I found a shield…you stay behind me and tell me where to go as I can cover us both”

you ended up losing that round but it doesn’t matter you had faith you would win the next round

“so all we have to do is defend the briefcase”

“y/n stay with me”

you and tubbo proved to be a great threat as tubbo would point to where either will or Tommy was and the pair of you would shoot at them whilst Phil would aim for the other person

“good shot Phil”

“thanks y/n”

you were all doing a pretty good job of defending the briefcase you would often whisper to tubbo that you were convinced they were about to surrender

“surely not”

“tubbo look at them they’re in pain they’re going to surrender I bet £10 and being the first to hug ranboo at the airport that they’ll surrender deal?”

“deal”

you all aimed at will scoring many hits practically encouraging them to surrender, Tommy eventually got wills gun and started aiming at you all mostly hitting you and Phil making tubbo laugh

“I hate you right now tubbo”

“sure thing bossman”

you noticed Tommy was in serious pain and started feeling bad for him however you pushed that feeling aside as you really wanted to win every bet you had made earlier so you continued to aim for your best friends

“YOU WIN”

you looked at Phil who was clearly proud of his team before looking at tubbo before tackling him into a hug

“we fucking won I told you they’d surrender you now owe me £10”

“I'll give it to you when we go to pick up ranboo”

after putting everything away you made your way to Tommy to check that he was okay

“you okay Tommy? you did great, that was a pretty smart tactic during capture the flag”

Tommy pulled you into a side hug as he thanked you before congratulating you on your win

“you and tubbo best make your way to the train station before you miss the train, call me when you're at tubbos”

“will do see you soon!!”

“see you after you’ve finished isolating”

“…heh”

tubbo walked over to you both laughing as he noticed everyone but you knew what was happening from tomorrow

“your parents dropped off a bag of clothes etc at mine so we can just get the train straight to my house we should probably sleep earlier as we have to get up ridiculously early tomorrow to pick ranboo up from the airport”

time flew by rather quickly as before you knew it you were sat on a bench with tubbo waiting to meet ranboo

“tubbo ranboo just sent me a text he's here”

taglist:

@fuzzycloudsz @wtfwriter @bearytime @milkydisaster @dumb-chaotic-bi-energy @uselesssapphickitten @l0ver0fj0y @etheriaaly @xx-smiley-xx @hawarun @kylobensgirl @cawcaw-pretty-thing @reverse-iak @renleicrashed @augustine-is-joy @c1loudee

[sukirichi]

earned it [06]

Gojo Satoru is a firm believer that if you work hard for it then you shall earn it. But on the other side, he’s not unfamiliar with his own sins. He also believes that there is punishment due for his sins as he’s earned it.

cw. attempted murder and suicide, angst ig i feel nothing at this point because NAOYA 😭

notes. i’m rolling with the earned it jokes that reader is shippable with everyone so HAH enjoy this chapter because I didn’t enjoy the last LMAO (IM SO EXCITED FOR TOJI TO APPEAR!)

series masterlist

Your muscles throbbed, the pounding of your heart felt even through your skin. You’ve spent hours in the training room, taking punch by punch, landing blow by blow – yet no matter how hard you tried, you kept falling on your ass. At this point, your backside was beyond sore, skin drenched with sweat and clothes sticking uncomfortably to the surface. Meanwhile, your ‘savior’ barely felt the need to catch his breath, instead gazing down at you with disappointment written all over his face.

“Why do you expect so much from me?” you panted, fists clenched on the mat. “Didn’t you tell me you just needed me to get your money back and that’s it? I didn’t ask for you to do anything so stop telling me I’m indebted to you all the time.”

Naoya clicked his tongue, clearly disappointed by your lack of resolve. Above you, he swept up his cane and finally balanced himself. You previously thought he didn’t struggle because he looked so calm and composed, easily overpowering you even with his injury, but his lips were strained, jaw clenched tight that perhaps he was just good at concealing his pain. It made you shut up and watch his every move; his back faced you – probably to hide whatever fleeting moment of vulnerability he had.

“I won’t always be there to save your sorry life,” he said calmly, “You need to learn how to be strong on your own no matter how tough it gets. Now if you’ll keep complaining instead of finishing your training, I could happily lock you up and force you to do my dirty work for me.”

“Then why don’t you go ahead?!”

“I don’t want to,” Naoya responded without missing a beat. He easily closed the distance with a few staggered steps, his head tilted to the side as he surveyed you.

You wondered what went through his mind. Did he see a weak woman? A woman who must be so helpless, so useless that you stayed there, legs too tired and muscles aching too much you couldn’t move? There was no telling with Naoya, and his guarded gaze didn’t help either. Satoru had always been difficult to read at most, but with Naoya – it was practically impossible.

Even as he cupped your chin and twisted it sideways, his eyes narrowed over all your features like he saw something you didn’t, he was too guarded.

“I need you in taking down Gojo Satoru. In order to accomplish that, I have to use his weakness against him. You showing up won’t be enough. No, I want to hurt him…and what better way than to take what was once his, right? Dangle right in front of his eyes what he let go of, make him regret his actions?” his smile turned dark, and for the first time since you’ve met him, you got a glance of what his heart really looked like.

It wasn’t true that Naoya was heartless – no, he just had a dark, sinister heart that didn’t beat the same tune as others. He played his own music with the bones of his enemies, drinking their lifeline from a gold cup and drowning in them, his ominous laughter the perfect antithetical melody of what could’ve been angelic hums.

“Don’t you want that?”

His question made your heart skipped a beat. This whole time, you’ve been so hell bent on achieving something, but what you wanted to reach had never been clear. You were too driven by emotions, by the pain Satoru’s absence had caused, and now that the opportunity was presented before you, you faltered.

“I don’t know what I want.”

“Well, if you ask me what I want…” he tilts your chin up with his finger “It would be to see you strong enough that even you would be capable of taking me down. So be strong, keep fighting – I’ll be there with you every step of the way. You only have one job, and that is to live. I am not allowing you to give up at the slightest of minor inconveniences.”

“And if I get weak?” you questioned with an oscillating tremor, the bite of his cold skin against your heated ones spiking. “If I want to give up? Would I fail you then?”

“I don’t think you’re someone who cares about failing others, so don’t fret whether you’d please me or not,” Just like that, Naoya’s scornful tone had risen again. He let go of you until you dropped down to your palms, blinking back at the sudden change of atmosphere. “Like I said, just do what you need to do, keep going. Don’t look back or be afraid to take the next big step because I’ll always be there right beside you.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“I’m not asking you to, princess,” he snickered, already half way to the door that only he was allowed to go in. Even though you’ve been staying in his manor for quite some time, there were still some things Naoya didn’t trust you with, leaving you only more curious to find out the secrets within.

“Only time will tell. But once you’ve made your decision, know that my ring is always waiting beside your table,” his voice echoed through the large room, stopping in his tracks to look at you once more. This time, he had no haunting features, only the cold emptiness likened to staring back to an infinite void of nothingness.

“I expect an answer when I get home.”

You still remembered the day you decided to wear his ring. Naoya had come then, tired and aggravated from matters he didn’t bother explaining. You stood on his doorway, lips shut tight as you nervously fiddled with your ring, unsure if whether you should tell him or allow him to piece the puzzle himself.

Thankfully, Naoya was a lot more observant than you gave him credit for.

His eyes slid over your face before he followed the motion of your fingers, smirking as the jewel glinted under the bright lights of his home. Wise choice, he’d once told you, and you believed it.

Your life hadn’t been the same ever since. Your spontaneous marriage equated to hellish training of perfecting your image as his trophy wife, spending hours in his secret laboratory and discussing business plans through a glass of wine. Naoya wasn’t around much to teach you everything and it pained him to be your own trainer too so you had to ask help from his guards, refusing to give up and fall down even as your muscles screamed at you to take a break. For Naoya, with Naoya, giving up and running away felt like a myth; a buried solution in the past that should never be brought up again. But now that he was gone, you did exactly that.

You’d given up. Satoru had made you run away.

“Miss,” a deep voice cut you from your thoughts. You tore your gaze away from the  glowing night city of Milan to turn to Satoru’s right hand man, the tall figure looming rather shyly instead of imposingly. “You haven’t eaten since we got here. Would you like anything? Mr. Gojo will cover your expenses.”

“I want to go home.”

He froze at your deadpan statement. Finally meeting your gaze under his lashes, Geto pursed his lips. “You know we can’t do that, Miss. It’s unsafe back in Japan.”

“And who’s to say Toji won’t follow us here?” you snapped, pushing your weight off the Cleopatra set and uncrossing your legs. “Why can’t your stupid boss just activate the account and give it back to us? I think we’ve made it clear we’re more than capable of handling our finances, and I’m pretty sure Satoru doesn’t need any more money when he can afford all this.”

“Mr. Gojo…has his reasons for everything he does.”

You laughed bitterly. Maybe it was the fact that Satoru had left this morning for whatever business he had that you didn’t have anyone else to let your anger out to that you’d swiped your gun under your thigh holster and dashed his way.

Geto’s back slammed against the wall, the cool barrel of your gun pressed to his jaw. He swallowed nervously, eyes darting to your weapon, and you laughed heartlessly. “Oh, please, do tell because nothing makes sense,” you crooned, flipping the safety off and letting your heated gaze meet his rather docile ones. You almost felt bad for him. Almost.

“I could easily put a bullet through your head and hijack his plane. I’ll be gone before you know it and who’s to stop me from doing that? Why should I stay here any longer with you?”

“Because your husband asked you to,” Geto responded softly. You stepped back with wide eyes, yesterday’s event crashing all over you once again. He must’ve sensed you no longer held any hostility because he used his pointer finger to move the barrel away from him, gently peeling your hands off his suit. “Because you know, if you go back to Japan, there will be nothing waiting for you there.”

You balled your fists. “I will kill Fushiguro Toji myself. Then I’ll kill Satoru.”

“Even if he used to be your lover?”

“Especially because he used to be my lover.”

Okay…maybe your plan of escaping and returning to Japan hadn’t worked out that well. Exhaustion finally crept up to your senses that you passed out not long after attacking Geto – who reassured you to no end he wasn’t mad you tried to kill him – and days have passed ever since. You hated to admit it, but being stuck in an overseas hotel wasn’t so bad. Geto’s presence was a lot more comforting than his master’s that you didn’t mind having him watch your every move. Plus, he was really nice to immediately follow your every whim. You wanted hot chocolate? Extra pillows? A really expensive wine that you refused to pay for because you were petty and dramatic? He provided it all without question.

Except he probably should have, because you’d stripped off to your underwear, head tipped back to take one final swig of the nearly empty bottle as you slid deeper into the tub.

Your fiery nature of rolling your eyes at Satoru every time he came around (which was rare, for some reason) couldn’t fool anyone – not even yourself. The moment Geto retired to the living room, you would bite the pillows to muffle your cries, thinking back to when Naoya was still alive. It was an endless torment of what if you had stayed, what if you had pushed the rubble off him, what if you just saved him?

Would he still be alive? Would he have survived? Would you be back with him in the Zen’in Estate instead of holding your breath under the tub in a desperate attempt to conceal your tears?

It hurt so bad. It hurt everywhere.

Your lungs begged you to rise up and breathe, but you stayed still under the water, eyes shut tight and hands clenched around the tub’s edges so hard your knuckles turned white. Soon, you grew dizzy and your grip slipped away. Finally, fucking finally, you were falling, falling way too deep that your legs bent inside the tub. Bubbles erupted from your lips in one last breath. At the back of your mind, you let out a sincere laugh for you’d meet your husband soon. He’d be disappointed, probably scold you all the way to the afterlife – until strong arms pulled you out of the tub and into someone’s chest instead.

“Shit, what are you doing?! You could’ve drowned!”

You coughed out water and fisted Satoru’s button-up shirt that had now clung to his skin from the water. Looking around you, you were still very much alive, the uncomfortable twisting of your heart a painful reminder of that. Above you, Satoru sat you in his lap while he remained cross-legged on the floor, muttering curses under his breath as he wrapped a towel around you.

Scoffing, you pushed his hands away, though you kept the towel anyway to lessen your shivering. Why the fuck was the AC so damn strong here?

“Dying seems like a better option, don’t you think?” you snarled at him, teeth chattering from the chill that had begin to seep in.

Momentarily, you worried on how much of a hot mess you probably looked like. Smudged eyeliner, wine-stained lips, unbrushed hair and remnants of the wine mixing with the once clear bath water – you shook your head at the thought and glared at Satoru.

“Where the fuck have you been?”

“I was out contacting friends to ask for help. We’re going to need a hundred pairs of eyes watching anywhere that Toji could possibly come through.”

“Is this your pathetic idea of ‘keeping me safe’? Locking me up in this stupid hotel and having your man watch me all the time?” you pushed yourself off him, the sudden motion of standing up giving you wobbly legs. Satoru reached over to steady you but you slapped his hand away, your glare warning him to not take another step.

Seeing his face, seeing him worried as if he didn’t just cause your life to turn into absolute hell, you wanted to grab the wine bottle and smash it right at his pretty face. He had no right to look at you with pity.

You hated him, utterly and terribly despised this man with your entire being.

“What are you really planning, Satoru? Why can’t we just come back home and attack Toji with all we’ve got? Why don’t you just give back our fucking money so we can end all this for once and for all and I can leave?!”

“Because I don’t have the money!”

“What?”

“The money…” Satoru’s back slid off the wall, his palm coming up to thread through his hair. He sounded weak, defeated. “I don’t have it.”

“Gojo,” you snatched him by the collar, teeth bared as you demanded, “What do you mean you don’t have it?”

Satoru paled. “When I stole the money from the Zen’ins, the figures were all fake. They’re not real, there’s no actual money hidden behind their accounts and it was too late before I realized that,” his lips trembled as he continued, “Whatever Toji placed in there, it’s not his actual account where he hides everything and it would make sense too because I stole it too easily – almost as if they wanted me to take it. A few hacks here and there and it was immediately wired to me but after meeting you…” Satoru shook his head, chin dropped down low. “I checked again and the account never existed. It’s a fake one. The digits are just there for show.”

“So then why would Toji want it? Why did my husband have to die for nothing?!”

“I don’t know, okay, I don’t know anything!” he argued back until your faces grew closer, his nose brushing with yours.

Somehow, you couldn’t pull away. His knees had drawn up, forcing you to rest on his thighs as you both breathed heavily, your grip on his collar almost havered.

“Whatever the Zen’ins are hiding, that’s beyond me. I may be in the business for far longer than they have, but they have always been notorious with their possessions that I’m not surprised even I can’t find where it really leads back to. Whatever Toji is hiding there, your husband must’ve known something about it. Why else would they fight tooth and bone over it?”

“If there was, Naoya would’ve told me about it.”

“He would if he trusted you,” Satoru suddenly grabbed your wrist and shook it until you stared at your ring. “How are you even so sure he could trust you with that information? Have you forgotten you’re just a pawn to his game and you’re nothing but a bed warmer?”

“Don’t you ever speak about us that way. You don’t know how much he cared for me.”

“If he really did, then why didn’t he tell you why his cousin is after you? He’s using you as bait, Y/N. I’m not the bad guy here. That man you’re so deeply in love with? I can’t guarantee he’s better than me. We’re all men in the mafia, love is the last thing we would care about.”

You pushed yourself off him.

His words stung too much, not because it was a lie, but because you know there was some sort of truth ringing behind it. You trudged out of the bathroom and sat on the bed, unstirred by the fact you dripped all over the carpeted floor. From behind you, Satoru’s rushed footsteps echoed, but you didn’t care. You simply threw on a robe with your back turned to him.

“And you’d know that better than everyone right? Considering how easy it was for you to leave me?” When Satoru didn’t respond, you chuckled humorlessly and sat on the bed. “What Naoya and I had…it was a friendship that healed my soul. I don’t…I don’t know what to do without him.”

“Friendship?”

You smiled sadly. “I wasn’t actually in love with him, idiot. Men like Naoya don’t know what love is, but he sure does know how to protect family.”

The notion of talking about him, of accepting that maybe he really was gone…somewhat reliving.

Satoru was the last person you wanted to talk to your late husband about, but Geto – which is the much better company – wasn’t around, and you hugged your knees to yourself, refusing to let Satoru see through your vulnerability.

“You know, I trusted him more than I did myself. He was always there for me, no matter what. His soul was dark, angry, corrupted – he’s not the man I would fall for, but despite all that, he was the friend I needed,” you buried your face in your knees, voice muffled as you cried, your heart shattering again and again and again.

The ring on your finger had never felt so heavy ever since you wore it.

“I loved him as much as I hated you.”

Satoru was silent, so much so that you wondered if he was even in the same room at all. You sat there crying, too hopeless to even try to conceal it anymore. Shivering, you close your eyes and forced the image of Naoya’s last moments away from your memories, desperately praying to whoever had mercy that you could just forget all about it.

“Geto told me you tried to kill him,” Satoru murmured after a beat, “You could’ve easily escaped and went back to Japan if you wanted to, so why didn’t you? Was it because of me?”

You remembered what you tried to do today.

Just like that, Naoya was alive once more. You were brought back to the day of your wedding when he’d clasped your sweaty, clammy hands in his, rubbing some warmth in them before pressing a kiss at the top of your knuckles. He’d asked you to promise him something then – an entire contrast from his constants orders over your well-being – and it was a promise you’d momentarily forgotten; a promise you’d broken out of mourning.

“Naoya once told me,” you reminisced through dry, cracked lips and even more shattered heart, the picture of his disappointment as clear as day. “Death was the only place he can go where he would never allow me to follow.”

It took a lot, but it somehow got better. After allowing yourself a faint moment of weakness where Naoya resurfaced in your mind to remind you of our promise and your purpose, you felt stronger, somewhat steadier with each step you took. You were still wary around Satoru, although that was a given.

His friend, Geto, was really nice, on the other hand, and you couldn’t explain why you always lowered your guard around the formal dark-haired assistant.

You and Geto were playing chess when Satoru barged in out of nowhere, a plate and a syrup condenser on his hand. “So I got you breakfast,” was his greeting, nodding at Geto once as a silent order to give you two privacy. You pouted as the latter left, but soon your attention had been diverted to the heavenly aroma filling in your senses. Seeing your approval, Satoru hid a smile behind his dark sunglasses. “Still like pancakes?”

“Trying to get into my good graces now?”

“I’m just trying to cheer you up.”

You rolled your eyes but snatched the plate from him anyway. “So I talked to my lawyer,” you begun, pouring syrup all over the fluffy bread until it was almost spilling to the sides. Beside you, Satoru’s snickers were barely muffled, to which you ignored wholeheartedly. “They’ve already processed my inheritance over Naoya’s possessions and assets. Once we return to Japan, I’ll be the next leader of the Zen’in Clan, much to the disappointment of his elders, of course, but they can’t do anything about it,” you informed him with your fork hanging in mid-air, the words falling thickly. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

“That we’re back to being enemies?”

You offered him a sarcastic smile. “Naoya lied about strengthening his alliance with your family. He doesn’t actually give a fuck about you.”

“I figured that much,” he snickered to himself, shifting his weight until his elbows rested on his thighs. “Listen…a friend of mine is flying to Milan tonight to meet us. They have strong connections with banks all over the world and they brought in some information about that hidden Zen’in account. I think we’re finally getting off to somewhere and finding out what really is in there,” Satoru gauged for your reaction, but you kept eating – more like stuffing the pancakes inside your mouth for you were finally free of having to act perfect without your husband.

Satoru’s hand landed on top of yours. “I promise…I’ll give it back to right where it belongs. As soon as it’s wired back to you, I’m setting you free.”

You stared at the unwanted figure over you, and you snatched your hand back, waving a bread knife below his lashes. “You can’t set me free when I was never yours,” you sang breathily, the tip of the blade hovered right at his lips. Satoru raised a brow at you, but you quickly retrieved the knife back with widened eyes. “Now that you mention it…I think Naoya told me something about his family stashing secret weapons and even heirlooms through offshore accounts and buried under islands. He was a little sleepy during that time but I remember it,” pushing the plate away from you as you lost your appetite, you clutched your palms under your chin in thought. “He said he was looking for something he lost as a child, possibly an heirloom.”

“He’s doing all this for heirlooms?” Satoru immediately coughed his words back when you glared at him, raising his hands in surrender. “I mean, I was just saying. I didn’t think he was a sentimental type of guy.”

“The question here is what both Toji and Naoya could’ve both wanted from that account. It’s not just an heirloom, obviously there’s something there worth more than money,” You argued and slapped your knees, heading straight to your (unfortunately) shared room. “Whatever. I’ll get this over with as soon as I get the money back.”

Satoru, as always, was hot on your heels. It annoyed you how he trailed over you like some sort of puppy or shadow – Naoya had always been too classy to not give you space.

The difference between them just kept getting more and more uncannily obvious.

“Whoa there, stop. Did you really think I’d give back the money to you and that’s it? Are you forgetting the fact Toji is out there to kill you just so he can have his hands on it?”

“He can have the money for all I fucking care,” you shrugged and sat on your bed, scrolling through numerous piles of emails and records that Naoya entrusted you to keep. Surely you could find something. “I just need to find whatever Naoya’s spent his whole life killing for.”

“Why don’t you care about the money? Didn’t Naoya expect you to take over his business?”

Your thumb froze over a file. Suddenly, your throat grew dry, and you quickly flashed Satoru a stinky eye. “I-it’s not my main concern.”

“It’s not safe for you. If Toji finds out—”

Got it. You bookmarked an email Naoya had forwarded you around three years ago and resent it to an old friend, pocketing the phone back to your pyjamas before Satoru could see. “I’ll handle it. I’ve been doing well so far before you came into our lives again,” you finalized, stopping for a bit as you waited for that all-too familiar footfall matching with yours, only for the room to be coated in silence.

Satoru stood there on the other side of the room, eyes deep in thought before he sighed. “I’ll meet you at the hotel restaurant tonight. We have a lot to discuss on what our next move should be,” nodding once, Satoru left the room.

The hotel room was eerily silent.

Dinner came around faster than you expected. With Geto out to run some errands for Satoru, something about ‘establishing bases’ or whatever, you were locked in your room, using Naoya’s black card to get enough amount of clothing to last you for your stay here. Even though Satoru had promised he’d take care of everything, you didn’t want to be in his debt for any longer. You weren’t his, you were Naoya’s, and you shot down his curious looks when heaps of shopping bags had been delivered to your door.

An hour later, you left the room, struggling to zipper the back of your dress. Satoru was already in the living room buttoning up his suit jacket, just as handsome as ever (though you’d never tell him that.)

His hands froze in the last button once his eyes landed on you, and you huffed at him, too distressed to even act cute or bothered while pointing to your dress. Satoru strode to you in three long steps, his cold fingers brushing against the dip of your spine when he clutched on the zipper.

You had to bite your lip down to prevent the shivers from spilling through, his lips dangerously close to your ear as he whispered, “You look great.”

“You’re not so bad yourself.”

If Satoru was bothered by the lack of sincerity in your voice, he didn’t comment on it. He removed his hands from you and watched as you slipped black velvet gloves through your arms – just in case you had to end up killing someone; leaving fingerprints was a risk you couldn’t take.

“Did you really get dressed to kill?”

“I came here to negotiate,” you corrected, “I’ll do everything I can to find out whatever’s behind that offshore account. And you, sir,” Frowning at him, you pulled Satoru closer by the tie, perhaps a little too harshly since he nearly knocked his head with yours. He was quick to steady himself as you fixed his tie, flattening it down with your fingers. “You need to know where you should stick your nose in. This is more my business than yours so don’t get in my way acting all hero and shit. I assure you I can handle myself.”

“You’re really going to berate me for worrying about you?”

“You can no longer worry about me,” you disclosed, snatching your black purse from the counter before doing the come hither motion at his shock-still figure. “Now let’s go. We have a case to crack.”

“Case to crack? You sure sound like a detective.”

You snickered, but made no further comment. The elevators dinged and you arrived at the restaurant, which you really regretted not visiting soon enough because the place was grand. Red carpeted floors, golden chandeliers, soft jazz music playing in the background as the lights dimmed down low, the faint clinking of utensils against plates and light chatter of the guests so heartbreakingly nostalgic.

It seemed that even after his death, Naoya had every intention to never leave your side. The setting reminded you too much of your never-ending late night fancy dinners.

Naoya being Naoya, he didn’t blink twice in flaunting his money and renting out entire restaurants all for himself, claiming that he just ‘wanted to have an intimate moment with his wife.’ Sure, it mostly consisted of you discussing what move you should make next, but it was the most affectionate gesture you’ve received after spending years in the quiet and cold environment of the Zen’in Estate.

The outside world wasn’t any better when you and Naoya were marked as targets by the entire government, so it made sense, that only with him that you’d find comfort in.

You must be so out of it you never even noticed Satoru leading you to your seat, a warm meal that should’ve been comforting right under your nose. It was too much – too similar that you headed straight for the wine, ignoring Satoru’s questioning gaze. You noticed from the corner of his eye that he opened his mouth too many times in an attempt to make light conversation, but this dinner wasn’t for you to rekindle your old flame.

No, you were here to wait for his ‘friend’ and review important matters. You were determined to fulfill that purpose alone and only that alone that you never once made eye contact with him, even standing up to reach the salt shaker near him instead of asking him to pass it.

Just as you leaned back to your seat, the music grew louder. A foreign man walked to the stage where he was basked in the spotlight, all heads turning to him when he tapped the microphone, sending little echoes all over the hall. “Ladies and gentlemen, let’s loosen up tonight with a drink and bring our lovers out here on the dance floor,” he sang while swaying side to side, snapping his fingers to the beat that had turned into calming to sensual. “It is a fine evening, isn’t it? Come on, don’t be shy, the night is still so young!”

You dropped your fork beside the plate. “Did you know about this?”

“I swear, I had no idea.”

“Those two attractive lovers in table 42, the dance floor is still much too spacious!”

“Pretty vulgar for a five star hotel,” you commented under your breath and dabbed the pasta sauce off your lips with a napkin, slapping it down the table as you stood up – much to Satoru’s surprise who’d tried to make himself invisible from the host’s eyes. Stupid him; did he really think he could blend in with his sunglasses and snow white hair?

If you were to be honest, you’d rather choke on shrimp than dance with him, but you had an image to upkeep. If you couldn’t gather with the crowd and pretend to be one with others, both your true natures would be fished out even with innocent eyes. You were left with no choice but to be comfortable in the dance floor, sighing deeply as you placed your hands down on Satoru’s wide shoulders. He furrowed his brows at you but said nothing else; strong, cautious hands sliding down from your back before they settled at the curve of your hips.

“Keep your hands to yourself, Mister. I won’t hesitate to stab a fork through your jugular right here.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I know you’re not my little angel anymore.”

Angel. It was what he used to call you back then – when you were still but an innocent, naïve being who never believed in monsters until you fell for one.

He was right; you were no longer his angel. The woman he loved had been left abandoned in the street, the purity of her soul tainted with anger and heartbreak that soon bathed in blood and the need for revenge. His angel was no more – the woman he danced with was nothing but a replica of the face and body he adored the most. Now, you danced with him, not as his angel and neither as his rival’s wife, but simply as a woman whose kindness had long vanished into thin air.

Satoru danced with the devil.

And he should be disgusted just as you should be repulsed with how sickeningly smooth and graceful he was in everything he did, but the wine – yes, it was the fucking wine – messed with you that you actually enjoyed it. Your bodies moved in rhythm and syncopated with the beat, the romantic high notes of the violin and the tender embrace of deep trebles like a classical painting coming to life and you were its subjects to be expressed.

Perhaps…you were just sad. You grieved and mourned too much you’d momentarily forgot what love was, in turn making you forget what it felt like to be constantly unsafe and peeking over your shoulder in case someone tried to kill you.

Satoru just felt so warm, so safe and alive that you found your head dipping lower, your muscles relaxing around his soothing and undeniably tender touch, the space between your bodies diminishing until you surrendered to the power of your desire. You were so close, your ear about to press on his chest to listen to the blissful sound of someone’s reassuring heartbeat along with the music, and then you saw him.

A tuft of blonde hair, a chiseled face, a nude cream suit and a deep blue shirt beneath – what the fuck was he doing here?

The spell was broken in an instant.

Satoru must’ve been under the same trance for his hand trailed lower to pull you closer, your chests grazing with one another before you placed your palm flat on his body, lips thinned into a grim look that resonated with the sick, twisting feeling in your guts.

“I,” you croaked out, clearing your throat when it went dry. “I need to go to the ladies.”

You left Satoru without another word, bunching your dress up to run to where he had disappeared. He was still walking coolly and inspecting the paintings hung in the empty lobby with faux interest – although knowing him, the bastard probably did enjoy classical pieces and studied about them in his free time; which he didn’t have much to begin with.

As if sensing your presence, he stopped right in front of a replica of The Sleeping Venus, his hands dug deep in his pockets. “The shape of being is the visual demonstration of a state of being in which idealized existence is suspended in immutable slow-breathing harmony. All the sensuality has been distilled off from this sensuous presence, and all incitement; Venus denotes not the act of love but the recollection of it. The perfect embodiment of Giorgione’s dream, she dreams his dream herself,” he narrates in his baritone voice, “A little cordial, is it not?”

You took your gun out from your thigh holster and lowered it right at the back of his skull. “Don’t move another inch.”

“No need to be so hostile in a public setting, Y/N. I’m only here to look out for you and making sure you’re not forgetting who you are. Killing me isn’t part of the plan.”

“Neither was murdering my husband,” you growled, pushing the barrel harder against him, though the man didn’t budge before you. “I know that it wasn’t Toji who set off the bomb, Kento, you did.”

“We simply saw an opportunity that couldn’t be wasted. Two notorious mafia leaders in an unsuspecting supposed safe environment?” The fact he didn’t even deny it left you speechless. Kento spun around until your gun rested between his eyes, and he languidly pushed his glasses up his high nose as he looked down on you. “We could’ve killed two birds with one stone had you not been in the way.”

“You guys are out to kill me too now?”

“Don’t act too surprised. The Organization isn’t patient enough to wait for both leaders to die.”

“So you killed my husband?!” you argued, “He was my friend, I told you not to touch him!”

“Only in the exchange that you hand him to us,” Kento echoed, jogging your memory until you were kept up to date. “But it’s been five years and what has happened so far? You’re fraternizing with the enemy and even manufacturing drugs for your so-called husband. Now that he’s dead, you’re here in Italy, looking as stunning as ever as you wine and dine with a former lover,” Kento tilted his head to the side to study your appearance – smiling at how you seemed too bright and fashionable for a woman in supposed mourning.

“I hardly believe you’re actually affected by this at all.”

“How dare you! I’ve proven to no end my loyalty of the higher-ups!”

Kento didn’t bat an eye at your outburst. If anything, he stepped closer to your weapon. “Kill me if you wish, Y/N, but know the moment you put a bullet in my head, the Organization will place you on the same pedestal as Naoya’s and Gojo’s. I wouldn’t recommend such methods considering we’re already at unease on whose side you’re really on. If you do this, you will be our enemy.”

“I did everything for the Organization. What else would you want from me?”

“The contract was easy. We want both leaders – whether dead or alive – in our custody. If you don’t hold your side of the deal, it’s not only your life that we’ll take from you,” Kento pulled out a red coin that made your heart sink deep into your stomach for it served as a threat over the consequences of your actions.

He lowered your gun with the coin and smirked at you, his lips right beside the shell of your ear as he purred, “I suggest you be careful with what step of action you take next.”

“Oi, Nanami, you’re here!” Satoru’s voice suddenly boomed in the hallway. Nanami was as unbothered as ever from taking a step away from you, nodding to your gun which you quickly concealed right before Satoru arrived. You were frozen – rendered immobile with the flashing red metal from his palm – that you couldn’t even protest against Satoru wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “I see you’ve met Mrs. Zen’in already.”

“Hmm, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Madam,” taking your hand in his, Kento’s eyes were nothing but eerie as he kissed your knuckles. “Shall we start our discussion?”

SUKI RANTS! Nanami quoted Sydney Joseph Friedberg (an art critic) in one of his dialogues. A little backstory on the painting was that the portrait was originally made by Giorgone, who had a student and also his lover (if I’m not mistaken) called Titian. Giorgone never finished the portrait because he died from the plague but Titiane finished it for him, symbolizing that Y/N still has a mission that connected her from Naoya even after his death and she has to finish something he started. The portrait is of a nude woman that symbolized oneness of nature and that the woman isn’t posed for the gaze of men, but rather they are dreaming, hence the quote: “Venus denotes not the act of love but the recollection of it. The perfect embodiment of Giorgione’s dream, she dreams his dream herself.” Nanami said the painting’s meaning resonated with Y/N’s situation too much since she wasn’t in love with Naoya, but she had a recollection of their moments that still represented their relationship, and that Naoya’s dream (goals) are also shared by Reader. I was gonna ask you guys what your theories are on that scene but I think this makes me sound cooler if I explain it so *lip bite emoji because I’m still broken over Naoya’s death*

taglist open (lmk if you want to be added/removed):

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[twistedmusings]

Arabesque and Plie

A/N: I don't know why, as I crying trying to write my paper, I thought of my old ballet classes. There is such an intimacy in dancing a pas de deux with someone, especially with lifts, and such a tenderness when you see them communicate with just their faces...so I immediately put a twst spin on it. Warnings: Malleus and Leona trying to one up each other but failing because they are too focused on moving with you as one.

Malleus Draconia and Leona Kingscholar meet outside the gates of Ramshackle, only one of them being called out to meet you...how would they react when you ask them for some help?

----

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Malleus blinks as he looks at the dorm leader of Savannaclaw, the other glaring at him as they both met near the entrance of Ramshackle. Leona huffed and looked down at the package in Malleus’s hand.

“You brought a gift?”

“...I would think it is rather impolite to arrive at a dear friend’s house without a gift.”

Leona clicks his tongue as he pushes the gate open, forcing his way inside and refusing to look back at the dorm leader following him.

You really had gone and invited the lizard and not him? Where the hell did you get off? Here he was being decent enough to hand you the homework you had missed, after Vil forced him to do it, and you had gone and invited this cold blooded iguana to your place?

“Were you invited as well, Kingscholar?”

Wouldn’t he like to know.

“Mind your damn business, lizard, I’m just here on business.”

Malleus nods as he knocks on the door, both dorm leaders looking around as they heard music coming from...somewhere. Leona’s ears twitched as the door opened, the music getting somewhat louder as Grimm opened the door with an exhausted look and shaky paws.

“UGH! FINALLY.”

He floats over to Malleus as he points back at the entrance of Ramshackle.

“Please do something about them! My paws are hurting so much and I don’t think I can keep it up for much more!”

Blue eyes turn to Leona, Grimm tilting his head and looking at Leona up and down.

“...did you get los--”

“Just show me where the herbivore is.”

Leona spits out and makes his way into Ramshackle first, not looking back at the two as he looks around. He had never been in Ramshackle dorm but from what Jack told him it was simple and compact. His eyes had already spotted three great napping spots, which he would make use of the moment he handed you these damn papers, before he stepped into the foyer.

“Letting your pet open up the door for you now? Is the title of dorm leader getting to y--”

His teeth click as Leona shuts his mouth while his ears perked up at the growing intensity of the music in the room. Although, maybe that wasn’t the only reason they were up.

Eyes immediately went to your legs. .

The leg that was standing straight like an arrow seemed to not waver as the other extended itself out, one of your arms reaching outwards while you moved the other arm back so that your hand would press against your extended leg, the position imitating a sort of hunting bow as you held the position for as long as you could--

Leona jumped when you let out a breath, immediately dropping your position and spitting out a small ‘dammit’ into the air.

His surprise lasted only a moment as the mood was amazingly ruined by the two people he forgot were there, Malleus walking up behind him as Grimm took the snack filled box into the kitchen.

“Child of man.”

You turn around.

“Oh! Malleus! There you are! I need--”

Your eyes fall on the Savannaclaw dorm leader, tilting your head as he waits for his greeting.

“...do you need something from me, Leona-senpai?”

You little--

“Hah? Am I not allowed in your dorm? Only lizard boy over here can come over?”

“What? No! I’m just...surprised. You never really leave Savannaclaw that often, at least that is what Jack says.”

Leona tosses the papers on a nearby coffee table and lays himself out on your couch.

“He doesn’t know me as well as he thinks he does...tell him next time to mind his business.”

You roll your eyes before holding out your hand for Malleus to take, the other quickly taking it and following you to the middle of the room.

“Grim mentioned you performing some sort of physical task that left him exhausted.” He looks down at the way your hands fit together before smiling.

“Are you in need of magical assistance?”

“As much as I would like to take a raincheck on that, the only thing I need right is you, Tsunotarou.”

You jump as you hear Leona drop one of his shoes on the floor loudly, taking the other one off slowly and refusing to look your way.

“...me?”

The Diasmonia dorm leader squeezes your hand lightly as he feels an unlikely warmth in his chest at your words. He briefly wondered if he should speak about the sleepless night he had, his mind far too giddy about you inviting him over that he held himself back on the sun waiting to rise in favor of sleeping as much as he could so he could enjoy his day with you.

“Yes! I just need you to…”

You hum and put a finger to your chin, tapping it twice as you figured out the best way to explain what you wanted from him.

“You know, I think it would just be quicker to show you.”

You rush over to the phone Crowley had given you, tapping the screen as music started to play from the small speakers. Malleus remains rooted to his spot as you get on your tiptoes, the shoes you got from Sam yesterday greatly aiding you in keeping comfortable as you move your arms up and down while concentrating on the routine you had memorized over and over.

Lime green eyes widen as you extend yourself back, dropping down to touch the floor as your other leg goes up with your movements before reaching back as if being held by someone. He watches you hold the position for a few seconds before both of your feet drop gently as you move closer to him.

Your eyes open to reveal a sad look, both feet now on pointed toes as you reach out to him only to pull back gently and lean forward only a slight bit before moving back and going into a simple arabesque.

The music grew in intensity as two sets of eyes are on you now, watching you spin twice before you raised your arms along with the crescendo and your leg going up to try to match their height--

You hiss in pain as you drop the position immediately, Leona sitting up quickly as Malleus is at your side in an instant.

“Child of man--”

“Are you trying to stretch yourself out, herbivore?”

You sigh and stop the music, shaking one of your legs out to get rid of the cramps.

“Before coming here I used to do ballet in my free time. I thought that maybe they would have a ballet club on campus but Vargas said he has never heard of ballet before--so here I am trying to kill my boredom by dancing to one of my old routines and putting a new story to it.”

Both dorm leaders want to say something but find themselves rather lost.

Malleus recognizes this type of dance despite it being called a different name in the Valley of Thorns and Leona has only been around traditional Afterglow dances so what you just did impressed him more than he’d care to admit.

You pout.

“And I thought that I could maybe do a pas de deux by myself but--I’m not strong enough.”

Leona nods.

“So you needed someone to help you...is that it?”

“Exactly!” you grin and turn to look at Malleus,“You don’t mind right? It’s not like you have to do anything too complicated just...spin me when I tell you to and when the time comes for me to do that pose--”

You try to imitate it as best as possible.

“Just hold my leg up! All you need to do.”

Malleus had pretty much already made up his mind, nodding to your every word as you instruct him on where he should hold and for how long--

Only for him to frown as Leona grabs your wrist and pulls you away from him.

“If you needed someone to just hold you still, you could have used that raccoon over there.”

“THEY DID!”

Grim comes out of the kitchen with a plate full of snacks as he makes his way upstairs.

“My paws are shaking from trying to keep their entire leg up...I never asked for this type of exercise!”

You sigh.

“It wasn’t that bad, Grim!”

“YOU WEREN’T THE ONE ALMOST GETTING SQUASHED WHEN YOUR LEG CAME

DOWN!”

Grim goes upstairs.

“AND DON'T EXPECT TO GET ANY SNACKS.”

Leona tries to speak up but stops when Malleus puts a hand on your shoulder.

“You were only here to deliver some homework, correct?”

He tugs you back lightly.

“You should be getting back to your dorm, Kingscholar.”

The lion prince growls only to grab your wrist and pull you back.

“You don’t tell me what to do, Malleus. If I wanted to live here I would do so instantly.”

“Uh...no?”

They both turn to you, Malleus looking down with a kind smile as Leona glares at what you were going to say next.

“Shall we get started, child of man?”

“I can help you just as well as he can!”

“Sit down for now, Leona-senpai?”

Malleus can’t help the smile on his face as you lead him back to the center of the room. You had called for him after all, Kingscholar was just here because...well he didn’t know.

You start up the music again and begin the routine, Malleus smiling all the while you seem to glide effortlessly through movements that seemed far too complicated for him to put together. One moment you were crossing your legs and the other you were stretching out your leg while balancing yourself in one foot.

He readies his arm as you move on tip toes towards him, giving him a gentle smile before turning your back to him and going into an arabesque.

“Grab my waist Mal and...gently spin me around.”

The dorm leader does as he is told, meeting your eyes and chuckling when you make a face at him.

“You said there was a story to this, child of man?”

You start moving backward, one leg stretching out and remaining steady as his hand now moved to your lower back so he could support some of your weight.

“The original story is somewhat cliched...so I was thinking of making it a story about an adventurer who meets a lonely king. They don’t know they are a king because he purposefully keeps it from them--I’m going to learn forward, okay?”

His hands are on your waist as you glide down, touching the floor with your foot as your other foot goes straight up, coming back up elegantly as you explain the plot further.

“The adventurer and the king spend a lot of time together...yet the king feels like if he reveals his secret now the adventurer would run. So he keeps it hidden until an unfortunate incident--”

You hold out your hand for him as you stand on your tiptoes, Malleus taking it and giving it a gentle squeeze before watching you raise one of your legs up so that it is at the same height as his stomach.

“Yet when it is revealed he finds that the adventurer doesn’t care who he is. All they care about is the person who they care for the most...and that is the king.”

Were you trying to tease him? This story sounded far too familiar. If he were to pick a character to relate to it would certainly be the monarch. While Malleus certainly wasn’t scared to show you who he was, he just wanted the mystery to last a bit longer so you would stay at his side. If you had known he was the Malleus Draconia, would you act as light hearted as you are now? Or would you pull away and cower in fear?

The very thought made him anxious as you turned your back towards him again, your hands raising up as you got ready to go into your big arabesque position. You give Malleus a quick cue as you stretch yourself out, your leg rising up as far as it could--only to lay gently against Malleus’s hand as you let out a sigh of relief.

“...do you think the adventurer would stay with the King?”

“Huh?”

Malleus can see he caught you by surprise as he lets your leg go down slowly, setting you back into first position before you once again stand on your tiptoes and put your hand up so Malleus could spin you around twice. At this point, he was entirely focused on where your hands were going and how you were moving, picking up on each cue as he dared to look into your eyes.

“I know this is your story but if the adventurer were to leave...the King would be rather heartbroken. I am certain that he would prefer if the adventurer were to stay.”

He knows he would prefer it if you stayed. And if he ever dared to be so bold, he would prefer that you stayed by his side.

The music fades out after the last note, Malleus still holding your hand as you try to catch your breath.

Had he said too much? Did he perhaps make you uncomfortable? The story was from your imagination and he was just reading far too into it--

His eyes widen as your other hand rests on top of his, looking at you with surprise as you giggle and pull them close to your heart.

“If the King would have them...I’m sure the adventurer could find a new home with him.”

“If you want to help then...fine.”

Leona smirks as he watches you apologize to Malleus, the other visibly disappointed which already made him feel pretty great. He hadn’t even meant to stay here for too long and yet you had picked him for this little dance of yours. Suck it, lizard.

He turns to look at you, watching your eyes staring at him intently as he leads you to the center of the room.

“What is it?”

“...do you think you can lift me up?”

Oh you were being really funny, weren’t you? Of course he could lift you up. Out of all of the Magishift members and out of all the people in Savannaclaw, he was the strongest one. At this point you were just asking stupid questions.

“Try me.”

You nod as you pick a different song, starting it up as you start out in first position with your back turned to him. He watched as you bend your leg and bring it up to your thigh, slowly unbending it and lifting it up as it goes past your head. Eyebrows raised, he goes to support it but you stop him with a sound.

What? Wasn’t that what he was here for? He watches you glide into every move with great precision, turning towards him with one foot as the other is raised halfway. In his opinion, it made you look like a living doll.

He wasn’t sure why he liked that so much.

You walk back towards him slowly, your hands at your side with your palms facing outwards before you do a single turn and speak up.

“Grab me by the waist and just hold me. I’ll tell you when to spin.”

With great effort, you lift up your leg once again and stretch out while giving him the command to gently spin you. Leona nods as his hold on you changes, turning you around slowly and watching you bend down sideways.

His hold changes from one hand to one, wrapping his arm around your waist as his other hand starts to outstretch to support him better. You come back up and smile as he gives you a shit eating grin.

“Did you expect that?”

“I almost don’t want to give you the satisfaction of an answer.”

Leona takes great care to make sure that his hold on you is as light as it can be. If he was holding onto you for dear life, he was sure that your bones would immediately break. And with the way this dance was going, it seemed that you needed him to be as gentle as possible.

Already a tall order for him.

“So what’s the story of this dance?”

He takes a hold of your waist as you stretch yourself out, both hands going outwards as he brings you back in slowly.

“The original is a bit cliche but...maybe I should make it about an adventurer trying to find a lost prince--I’m going to need you to lift me up over your head.”

You glide to the right before jumping up, Leona giving you the extra boost you needed as you put one leg up and your arms stretching themselves out as they briefly rubbed against his ears.

“Maybe the adventurer hears a story of a missing prince who was never seen again after a quarrel with his country, yet the country needed the prince’s plans in order to succeed in battle. So they asked an adventurer to please seek him out.”

A prince, huh?

He gently guides you down but his hands never leave your waist as you instruct him to keep his hold a bit tight as you stretch yourself out towards the other dorm leader sitting on the couch but being greedily pulled back to Leona.

“Unbeknownst to them, the adventurer had already met the prince. They had stopped the prince’s rather tedious plans to take over some foreign land. The adventurer understood why they would want him back...but they didn’t know if he would accept.”

You tell him that you are going to move forward and that when you do he should immediately lift you up. It is surprising that he follows your every move so effortlessly, but maybe he was just that in tune with what you were doing. It’s the first time he has held someone so closely without trying to cause them physical harm. Besides, it was amazing to see you remain composed and relaxed as he lifted you up into the air only to watch you hold your pose.

“So? Did the adventurer get to the prince?”

He turns your waist clockwise fast, making you spin around in four circles before stopping you as you lean forward and raise your leg up, the movements getting a bit faster as his hands went from looking at the back of your head to your waist.

“They did...but the prince told them that he just wanted to stay where he was now. How it wouldn’t be worth it to go back home after all the shameful things he has done.”

Leona can almost feel your determination as you pull away from him. Why would you pick a prince out of all people? And one of an outcast nonetheless. Were you still trying to call him out for his past mistakes? Was that all he was to you? The dorm leader who had tried to cheat his way to victory?”

You smile and hold out your hand, Leona raising his slowly and taking your as you raise your leg up.

“But the adventurer wouldn’t leave it there. They know what the prince is capable of...all they need to do is make sure that he sees it as well.”

A quick glide downwards as he picks you right up, setting you down on two feet before you resume your position on your tiptoes.

“The adventurer tells the prince that there are plenty of things that only he can do that nobody else can. Even if the crown wasn’t his, he would still hold great power over the decisions of his kingdom. One didn’t need to wear a crown to have great power.”

You turn your back towards him and start getting ready to go into your great arabesque position--!

Only to stop when Leona stands in front of you and goes down on one knee, staring at you in the eyes while you raise your leg up and instead of fully stretching yourself back...you merely lean down and rest your hands on his shoulders.

He may be lazy but he knows symbolism when he sees one. If you were to be the adventurer and he was the prince, he imagined himself staring up at you as you spoke words of comfort to him and him alone. The bastard in the story must be pretty lucky to have someone like the adventurer believe in them…

The music fades out slowly as you go back into first position, Leona scratching the back of his head with a bored look while you pick up your phone and stop the music altogether.

“First Vil and now you, everyone is making me work today.”

Leona can’t look at you in the face, not after he pulled that cliche sort of move. One moment of weakness and he was putting himself in the shoes and feeling jealous of a character that didn't even exist! When did he get so pathetic?

He mumbles a quick goodbye and heads out, deciding that he needed to nap for the rest of the day after that embarrassing moment--

“Leona-senpai!”

The dorm leader stops in his tracks, turning around with an annoyed look only for it to melt away as you trot over to him and smile.

“Mind if I call you in case I need your help again?”

Damn you. Damn you, damn you, damn you you made him so weak--

He leans close and grins before flicking your forehead.

“If you reward me properly then...maybe.”

[griffintail]

The True One

A/N THERE ARE SPOILERS FROM RECENT LORE STREAM! DO NOT READ THIS FIC IF YOU DON’T KNOW!

Summary: Reader learns the truth.

Pairings: Parental! Tommy x Teenage! F! Reader

Warnings: Mother Fluffing Angst. Death. Mentions of Exile. Swearing. 

Part 2

A/N: This is not canonical to Lost Ones! It has elements from the storyline but it’s not canon. And yes, I’m dying on the inside because of the stream. That’s why I wrote this.

Ps: (F/L) means first letter of your first name. I forgot to put this original.

---------------------

        (Y/N) was thirteen when she first thought her father died.

        Dream wouldn’t let her stay with him. Tommy had to serve his punishment.

        But being told no was never in an Innit’s vocabulary. She snuck into his exile every day she could, avoiding the likes of Dream and going behind her Uncle Tubbo’s back, who had taken over her care.

        At first, everything was fine and Tommy always enjoyed her visits. Then something changed…

        She had begged anyone that would listen to go with her to her father’s exile. He had begun to worry her. All of her life, Tommy had told her to never trust Dream. He often cursed Dream’s name to the wind and his face and she often cursed his name in the wind with him. Now, he called Dream friend.

        No one came though, not even Tubbo, always claiming they were busy.

        She never relented though and tried to make her visits more frequent; unfortunately, being so desperate made her sloppy. Tubbo caught her sneaking into the Nether and followed her.

        This time though, he listened! He went with her, saying only because he was free and they were already here.

        She had rejoiced as she practically skipped down the path to Tommy’s. Stepping out of the portal, her heart dropped though. Logstedshire was smoking and in ruins.

        “Daddy!” (Y/N) screamed as she ran towards the dying embers of the fire.

        Tubbo was frozen by the edge of the path over, looking at the hastily built pole.

        “You wouldn’t Tommy,” Tubbo whispered. “Not with (Y/N) …”

        “Daddy!” She screamed again, tears in her eyes, snapping Tubbo out of his shock.

        Tears were in his own eyes. He had lost his best friend…

        “(Y/N),” Tubbo muttered to her, going over to her carefully.

        (Y/N)’s mind was racing. What had Dream done? Tommy couldn’t have done this. He wouldn’t leave her here…

        Dream did this, but it could have been stopped. He…

        Tubbo put a hand on her shoulder but she whipped away from him, glaring daggers at the older male. Tubbo was surprised, having never seen (Y/N) give anyone such a look.

        “You didn’t care.” She spat out venomously. “I TOLD ALL OF YOU! HE NEEDS YOU! I TOLD YOU!”

        “(Y/N), I—”

        “IT’S YOUR FAULT!” She shouted before running off into the woods.

        Tubbo had stood frozen, unable to process what happened before it was too late. He shouted (Y/N)’s name for hours in the woods but she had, had a good teacher. Tommy taught her everything he knew and while he wasn’t the stealthiest man, it was enough to hide from Tubbo.

        She stayed at the ruins of Logstedshire, unable to leave or accept her father was gone. He wouldn’t just leave her, he’d come back.

        That’s where Technoblade found her and she most certainly could hide as easily from him. But luckily, he didn’t take her back to L’Manberg, she brought her to the one thing that mattered.

        (Y/N) followed behind Techno quietly, intimidated by the man that told her to just be quiet and follow. They got to his base and he opened the door to the lower level before going down the ladder.

        “Tommy!” He called, making (Y/N) freeze from where she was watching him go down.

        “What do you want?” Tommy groaned, coming out from his base in the floor.

        (Y/N) grabbed the sides of the ladder and slid down. She hurt her feet at the bottom but didn’t care. Tommy was startled by the other person present before grinning widely.

        “Little (F/L)!” He threw open his arms. “Sorry I haven’t gone to see—Ooof!”

        He became winded as she slammed into him with a hug.

        He was back.

        Life went on again as (Y/N) went back to the belief; nothing could bring her father down on his last life.

        She was sixteen when the final battle occurred. She lived with Tommy once again in their old home.

        She woke up and stretched only for a note to fall off her chest. Frowning, she picked up and read her father’s handwriting before sprinting up.

        It was a possible final goodbye from Tommy and Tubbo.

        She had her sword and axe clipped on her belt as she was hastily putting her armor as she went out the door. She was at the Nether portal when said pair came out, Tommy’s arm around Tubbo’s shoulder grinning.

        “WHAT THE FUCK?!” (Y/N) screamed at her father and he winced.

        It took a lot to calm (Y/N) down that day…and the next.

        She had really become a lot like him in her sixteen years of life. She often spoke her mind and was not afraid to hold back. Her swordsmanship wasn’t half bad, having been taught by both Tubbo and Tommy. She, of course, also had a passion for rare discs as well. (Y/N) was her own person, but people often called her small Innit as she resembled her father so much.

        She was so much so like him, when she calmed down after the final battle for the discs, Tommy gave her a gift.

        “Here.” He smirked, holding out a (F/C) piece of fabric.

        “What’s this?” She questioned, taking it.

        “Your own bandana, I was going to get you a red one but, thought you should try to be your own woman.” He shrugged.

        She stared at it before hugging her father tightly, making the man laugh as he hugged her back.

        “Thanks, dad.”

        “Eh, you’re my kid, I kind of have to be nice to you.”

        She punched his shoulder before putting it on as Tommy laughed.

        She wore it every day with pride.

        …

        She was visiting Tubbo when it happened.

        She didn’t need her father to survive, but he had “important business” and said he’d come to get her from Tubbo’s after to celebrate. At the time, she thought he was just improving the hotel.

        The day ended though and there was no sign of Tommy. She was worried but Tubbo assured her that Tommy could have lost track of time or his business took longer than he meant. She stayed the night in Snowchester and went home in the morning. When she got home…there was no Tommy.

        “Hey dad, you there?” She called on their channel.

        No answer.

        She shifted nervously, before going to the construction site. Sam Nook might have kept him busy.

        When she got there, Jack was putting up a large, cloth sign with hastily written words painted on it over the main sign.

        “Jack, what are you doing?” She frowned.

        Jack whipped around, before grinning. “I’m putting up my sign for my new hotel!”

        (Y/N) blinked once. Then twice.

        “What did you say bitch!” She shouted.

        Jack rolled his eyes as he came over, his hand twitching towards his axe. “I’m the last worker here. Tommy’s not going to be needing any more, so now it’s mine. So, get off my property.”

        (Y/N) had noticed his hand and watched him carefully as she put a hand on her sword handle.

        “What do you mean he’s not going to be needing it?”

        Jack grinned wickedly. “Tommy’s been thrown in jail.”

        What? No, he didn’t do anything!

        “You’re lying.”

        “No, he’s in there…”

        “Stop lying.”

        “And he’s not getting out…”

        “Stop lying!”

        “He’s done some pretty horrible things.”

        (Y/N)’s sword hit his as he reacted quickly in shock at the teen’s rage.

        “I said stop lying you fuck!”

        Jack’s eyes had darkened and he went to strike the girl when a new body went in front of (Y/N) and a shield blocked the attack.

        “Get off the property or I will have to dispose of you.” Sam Nook told him.

        “This is my—!” Jack started shouting.

        “This is my property!” (Y/N) shouted, sword at her side. “It’s the Big INNIT Hotel. As an Innit, I demand you leave.”

        Jack growled and left the property. Tommy was taken care of; it’d be her turn next.

        “Sam, where’s dad?” (Y/N) asked Sam Nook quietly.

        “I’m not sure. I’m sure he’ll be back soon though!” He tried to encourage her.

        “Yeah.” She muttered. “Keep Jack away ok? I’m going to…go see if anyone knows where he went.”

        “Ok. Be careful Miss (Y/N).”

        She nodded as she went home, taking deep breaths before going on the public channel.

        “Hey, does anyone know what Tommy was doing last?” (Y/N) asked, pacing the room.

        “He was visiting Dream last I heard,” Foolish answered her call.

        She stood frozen in the middle of the base. Tommy had gone and…

        “Did something happen when he came back?” Her voice was more frantic.

        “Not that I know of, yesterday was the last I heard from him.”

        Yesterday?!

        (Y/N) felt her chest tighten as she remembered her fear when she was thirteen. The fear she felt when she read Tommy’s note. All the pain the two of them endured to try and finally now live happily. She needed to see Sam now.

        Just like she had a few months ago she scrambled to put on her gear and ran out the door towards the prison. The effects of the area tired her, made her feel weaker, but she didn’t care as she stood at the entrance.

        “Sam!” She called, knowing the man could hear her. “Sam! Answer me please! Sa—”

        “I figured you come.” Sam said stepping through the portal, hands behind his back. “(Y/N), I need you to leave.”

        “Where’s my dad?” She demanded.

        “There was a security breach when he was in the main cell. I can’t open it until I have it figured out.”

        “He’s…He’s in there with Dream?!” She shouted.

        “Yes, but Tommy’s tough he can…”

        “Daddy!” She screamed, going for the entrance but Sam took her arm to stop her.

        “(Y/N), I need you to leave until I have this figured out.”

        “No, while my dad is in there you stupid bastard! Let him out!”

        “I can’t open the cell—!”

        “I don’t give a flying fuck!” She roughly pushed him away and sprinted in before Sam could stop her. “Dad!”

        “(Y/N)!” Sam shouted as he followed after her.

        She went to run but Sam easily caught her, more used to the effects of the prison.

        “Let me go! I have to save him! Daddy! I’m going to save you this time!” She screamed into the building. “I won’t leave!”

        “You’re only prolonging how long he’s in here!” Sam told her. “I need you to leave so I can work (Y/N).”

        “I can’t leave him. I can’t lose him again. Please, Sam. He—That box and—Dream—and…” The teenager was in tears as she pleaded with the creeper hybrid.

        Sam sighed sadly. “I know. I know. I will fix this as soon as I can. Please, go home. I’ll fix this and get him out, I promise.”

        She couldn’t do anything, but she had to do one thing even in hopes he’d hear.

        “I LOVE YOU, DADDY!” She heard her voice echo. “I’LL MAKE SURE YOU GET OUT OK!”

        She couldn’t do anything more. Sam wouldn’t let her. Instead, she went to the hotel and stayed there as it was even just a few miles closer to where her father was trapped.

        For days, she didn’t leave the room, just staring out the window at the building looming in the distance. Sam Nook tried to get her to eat but she couldn’t. Tubbo had come to try and help her once but that didn’t help at all, only reminding her of before. Her mind couldn’t even think about doing something like that.

        All she could think about was her father.

        Sometimes, as she stared at the building, she sat on their channel on the walkie and just talked like he’d hear her. He had to hear her…

        She was sitting by the window when her door opened, Sam Nook looking at the ground as Sam stood tall behind him.

        “What are you doing? You need to be—” (Y/N) started, her voice strained as she stood up.

        “I’m sorry,” Sam muttered.

        “What? What do you mean? Why aren’t you looking into your security breach?” She asked.

        “I’m so sorry, I was too late,” Sam whispered.

        (Y/N) stood there, taking in his words. “What the hell are you talking about?”

        “I tried (Y/N) and I wish I could have…” He came in but she shook her head.

        “You’re fucking with me. You lying piece of shit, this isn’t funny.” She pointed at him, as she stepped back.

        “I’m not…”

        “You’re lying!” She shouted her throat hurting, but she took off her walkie.

        She needed to prove them wrong! But…

        Tommy Innit was slain by Dream

        “No. No. No. NO! IT’S WRONG!” She screamed to the wind. “IT’S WRONG! HE’S NOT GONE!”

        She collapsed crying, hugging the walkie close to her as Sam came over, hugging her tightly to him. Across the ocean, Tubbo was running for the nearest boat to get to the girl he considered a niece, but nothing would comfort her now.

        “DADDY!” She cried out, her bandana around her neck fluttering lightly as she cried at the true death of her father…