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babesonly · 4 years ago

Text

fic recs 2.0!

hello kings (gn) ive got significantly more fic than last time which means this is gonna be a little more organized than the last post bc it is much longer <3 categories in order are non casefic canonverse, casefic/roadtrip fic, finale fixits, endverse, non supernatural aus, and then non destiel ones. titles will be in bold for my favs! also within each category they’re in order from shortest to longest

Canonverse

I’m a tulip in a cup by godtiering (1.2k)

I worry that I never really came back from hell. I wonder why, if I got remade by heaven, I’m still the same screwed up kid that I always was.

Sometimes I worry I’m not into women at all.

"Guess not,” he looks at his shoes.

a REALLY good fic that’s basically just a look inside dean’s head during my bloody valentine do not read this looking for a fun time but please do read it

on vessels by flightsofangels (1.9k)

“You know,” Cas mutters into Dean’s bare skin. “When I was still… an angel, I used to dream that I would take you as my vessel.”

hello consumehimnatural fans!!!!! read newt’s fic right now its incredible

dean winchester is not a nicholas sparks protagonist by microcomets (1.9k)

Dean fell in love with Cas the way you fall asleep--slowly, and then all at once. Or some other hackneyed and trite bullshit. God, this is embarrassing.

dean is in LOVE. he’s also a disaster who keeps staring at cas’ hands. sigh

Stay by aeli_kindara (2.5k)

Coda to 13.06 (Tombstone). In which Castiel reckons with the aftermath of Dean's grief.

hello fellow widow arc fans <3 click here to see cas find out abt the events of advanced thanatology !

walking on a string by swordfishtrombones (2.7k)

Between the doomed offensive at the Firmament and the impending retreat from the ravaged northeast border, Castiel left camp long enough to answer one of Dean Winchester's prayers.

S6 DEAN IS A WAR WIFE. been really into early seasons deancas lately and this one is very good. god

the flesh of the mighty by Mudprophet (2.7k)

Ezekiel 39:17 "you shall eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth."

MY GOD. anyone who saw the @autisticandroids purgatory cannibalism talk and was interested read this right now. also anyone who enjoyed nbc hannibal OR raw (2016). if romantic cannibalism is remotely aligned with your interests read this right now. god

Sam Winchester, Ally At Law by alittleduck (3.3k)

Sam was pretty sure he could read every single gay friendly guide to coming out or supporting queer family members ever written and literally none of them would even imply that arguing with gay people that they were actually just homophobic constituted as "ally behavior". However, Sam was equally sure that none of those book authors had found themselves accidentally watching their brother get pounded by an Angel of the Lord at 9 am on Tuesday, so Sam was pretty sure he might actually still have the higher ground. Now, if only Jack would stop trying to bond with Dean using gay slurs long enough for Sam to convince everyone of that, he might just be able to cobble together some remnant of sanity or, failing that, dignity.

Or, the one where Sam desperately wants to invent PFLAG but Dean won't stop teaching Jack gay slurs

JACK VOICE HEY COCKSUCKERS.

hummed low by microcomets (3.3k)

Dean pulls the Impala over at a cider barn about thirty miles out; doesn't really think about it, just sees the hokey orange lettering off the roadside and lets his hands guide the Impala off the interstate with gravel spitting under the wheels.

they get a nice day out together and dean has a gay crisis and it’s written beautifully mwah

Vena Amoris and Other Old-Fashioned Bullshit by pyrebi (3.9k)

In which angelic marriage bonds are apparently stupidly easy to trigger, Cas wages multidimensional war in Heaven, Dean can't catch a break like ever, Sam rather enjoys being a dick, love saves the day, and nobody consummates anything.

sometimes i think about this fic and it hits that at this point dean and cas would have been married for more than a year. cas my beloved...

an exploration of gender; angelic by sometimeswelose (4k)

Castiel's true form is made of electromagnetic radiation. He has spent the majority of his life, if you really want to add it all up and average the whole thing out, as a wavelength of celestial intent.

The thing about being made of light: it's light in the physics sense of the word. Castiel's waves are gamma, x-ray, micro, and radio. He's visible light too, of course, a visible light so intense that it is blinding to most humans.

hello trans cas community <3 he’s literally trans he was assigned genderless and then went hm actually i will be a man! love of my life

Some Boys are Sleeping Alone by prosopopeya (4.2k)

This isn't something that's okay, not for him, but it chases him through the years until it turns into something he can't -- doesn't want to deny.

ohhh deans tenuous relationship with his sexuality my beloved...

love. worship. consummation. consumption. by redeyedwrath (4.3k)

ConsumehimNatural (copyright marcusantonius) the Series!

These are all snapshots centered around the idea of you know. Hunger in Supernatural. Both carnal hunger and other kinds. Fics are shown in semi-chronological order but this series is generally nebulously early seasons.

for ANYONE who is a consumehimnaturual this is required reading it is INCREDIBLE and gorgeous and very visceral and i am so very obsessed with it. thank you redeyedwrath for enabling my brainrot

the reach of human sense by perilously (4.5k)

“You know what Jimmy Novak looked like. You think he was beautiful—gorgeous, hot, all of it. It’s him. Not me. This isn’t my face.”

“But,” Dean says. He doesn’t know where he’s going with it. Just that Cas’ face is right there, brows drawn together and cheekbones gleaming in the lamplight. It’s a face that’s made his heart skip probably a couple hundred beats collectively since they met.

And it used to belong to someone else.

this one is just very nice <3 cas gets uncomfortable w dean calling him attractive since dean has never seen his trueform and they work it out

Down in the River by Ias (4.7k)

Alone in Purgatory and hunted by Leviathans, Castiel finds himself praying to the one person who can't hear him.

cas i love you <3 cas alone in purgatory praying to dean bc dean is the only thing he still worships i love you so much

Creature of Habit by trinityofone (5.1k)

The more you love someone, the more you want to kill them. Or: How Cas developed some bad habits, and Dean coped surprisingly well.

written in s5 when cas was depowered and completely nails the later seasons bitchy husbands dynamic it’s very good and fun <3

sink by crackers4jenn (5.4k)

"Where to?" A 9.06 coda.

very bittersweet very well written and also canon compliant so do not go into this one looking for a happy ending but i DO recommend it it’s very good

Sensational by castiowl (6.1k)

“When I first came to earth, it was advised that we temper the senses bound to our vessels. They were a distraction, we were told. An antiquated form of experiencing existence that would hinder our ability to complete our missions, whatever that may be. My true form can better facilitate these experiences. What you would recognize as heightened senses of sight and sound, among other things.”

Or, how Dean helps Cas experience all five human senses for the first time in one night.

early seasons deancas man. i love the sound part i love dean being so worried about doing a good job with this. god. read this please

Something to Protect by Sass_Master (6.2k)

Dean’s violent reaction to being unexpectedly woken has become something of a running joke among them, but Castiel can’t help but look past it to the underlying cause. It makes him ache to think that Dean feels so unsafe, so persecuted, before he’s even fully conscious.

Secretly, Castiel has been determined to work on that, to ease Dean into awareness in a less jarring way, smooth away one of the many stresses that follow him even in sleep. Now’s as good a time as any to try.

oh to sleep more soundly in the presence of someone you love...this fic is very nice i enjoyed it a lot

all this and heaven too by ftmsteverogers (7k)

“Hey,” Dean said. “I’m not ashamed of you, okay?”

Cas raised skeptical eyes to meet his.

“I mean it,” Dean insisted.

“I understand you mean it,” Cas said. “But I don’t think it’s any better if you’re only ashamed of yourself.”

hello trans dean community here is 7k of trans dean having to deal with his internalized homophobia now that he’s sleeping with cas <3 it is SO good

The wilderness. by orange_crushed (8k)

He takes a shower and the pressure is not especially good, but it doesn’t matter. It’s warm and he stands under the spray a long time. Human skin, he knows, constantly renews itself, shedding the dead cells of the epidermis. He wonders how long it will take until he is an entirely new person, until every cell on his surface is a new one. He looks at his hands under the water. It might take less than a month.

this might be the only post 9x03 fic on here with a happy ending actually? plenty of good melancholy leading up to it though <3 canon divergent after 9x03 though which means no 9x06 fanfiction gap but it is absolutely worth reading

till the juice runs by deathbanjo (8.4k)

Apparently whoever drew up the venn diagram of Dean’s sex life decided the circle labelled ‘good sex’ and the one labelled ‘sex with men’ should be kept far apart.

hello this one is SO funny dean finally gets comfortable enough with his bisexuality to start having sex with men and it goes so very bad every time so sorry about your shitty choices beloved </3

First Date by aeli_kindara (8.9k)

“We should go on a date. You and me.”

Castiel wishes he could see Dean’s face. He wishes he had any idea what to say.

“I’m asking you out, Cas.”

this one is very sweet i liked it a lot <3 good refreshing little fic where they just get to have a nice evening together

Entertaining Strangers by cadignan (9k)

Dean settles on to his side, lying in the bed facing Castiel. “So you had sex without me and you bit all my moves. I think I deserve to hear about it, at least. What was her name?”

op im in love with you. premise is established relationship deancas and cas mentions he did have sex before dean and not only that it was a threesome. good for him <3 this fic is cas describing the story of what led up to the threesome and what happened during it while dean interrupts regularly. incredible

the shape you take by noviembre (10k)

“What?” Dean says, fake-offended. “I’d be hot as a girl, you know I would.”

And this is when he really, really should have stopped talking. When he shouldn't have whipped back around and asked, “Cas, if I was a woman, you’d fuck me, right?”

Because if he hadn’t said that, then he wouldn’t have had to deal with this:

Cas, meeting his eyes, forehead wrinkles all smoothed out like there’s nothing to be confused about anymore. Cas with something at the corner of his mouth that might barely be called a smile.

Cas saying, calmly and without hesitation, “Yes, Dean.”

Dean Winchester fucks around and, with the inadvertent help of some witches, Finds Out.

dean winchester your gender is diabolical. this fic is insane and its the only thing that matters actually. dean fully convinced its normal and straight to think about being a woman so you can fuck your male friend. incredible. op im proposing to you

Sinnerman by a_good_soldier (10k)

Dean listens to Nina Simone, reads Anne Carson, and makes out with a dude (sort of).

yall want to read about dean realizing he’s in love with a man as a direct result of learning to better respect women right?

you’re fooling yourself by cowboydeanwinchester (13k)

Dean Winchester and Castiel retire from hunting to raise baby Jack. Dean struggles to allow himself the things he truly wants.

Jack is two, Castiel and Dean are idiots, and Sam's gotta solve everyone's problems.

love a married couple who doesn’t know they’re married <3 everyone say thank you sam for bullying dean

The Girlfriend Experience by rageprufrock (15k)

While it's not like Dean hasn't had a couple of truly regrettable hit-and-runs in his sexual history, this is probably the saddest fucking thing that has ever happened to him.

a classic for good fucking reason. we’ve all talked about dean thinking holding hands is too gay after having just had gay sex but my personal favorite was sam accusing dean of cheating on cas because dean bought condoms. incredible

No Kingdom To Come by domesticadventures (16k)

“We should fuck,” Dean says.

Cas looks up from where he sits on his bed, hair still damp from the shower, frowning as he places a finger on the page of his book to mark where he left off.

There are a million things Cas could say here; Dean has rehearsed them. After lunch, his restlessness had given way to a vague panic, a dread that matched his every step and crept along with him from room to room. Eventually, he had returned to his bedroom and spent the rest of the afternoon pacing back and forth, playing out all the possible scenarios. When Cas asks him Why? or Are you being serious? or when he sighs and says, in that way he has, Dean, he knows exactly what he’s going to do. He’s going to shrug casually, like he isn’t invested in the answer, like he isn’t desperate for an outlet, and say, Why not? He’s going to raise an eyebrow and say, What, are you not interested? He’s going to crowd into Cas’ personal space, he’s going to shove himself right up in there and whisper Cas against his ear.

Instead, Cas says, carefully, “Okay.”

literally the only quarantine fic i’ve ever bothered to read in any fandom and completely worth it it’s SO good. they become fwb and dean has an existential crisis and he keeps bringing up meaninglessness and death during sex

Bodies by Speary (18k)

It was a secret they never acknowledged even with each other. It would change everything, end everything if either of them ever dropped the act. So they became very good at acting, at keeping up the lie that gave them what they wanted. Even if that lie involved constantly seeking out temporary, consenting female vessels, Cas would do it. He told himself it was worth it for Dean. He just hoped that he could stop wanting more, or maybe one day Dean might stop pretending that he wasn't really sleeping with Cas every time.

i don’t even have anything to add tbh if that summary did not immediately make you click we are very different this fic is incredible. god. fellas do you ever make yourself a woman so you can fuck the man you love without him having to talk about it or confront his sexuality

it’s such a mystery (the way you know me) by fleeceframe (20k)

So the man crouching in front of Castiel is named Dean. He wonders if that’s supposed to mean something to him.

“Cas must’ve got hit with something earlier. He just dropped like a sack of fucking potatoes a minute ago. By the time I was checking on him, he had already woken up again, but now he doesn’t fucking know who we are.”

“I’m right here you know,” Castiel says testily.

Sam’s eyes are wide even as his eyebrows are furrowed, and he looks between Dean and Castiel again.

“What do you remember, Cas?”

“Firstly, that I’m not Cas. I don’t know who Cas is, but it’s not me. I don’t know who either of you are, either."

or the one where castiel is hit with a memory curse that makes him forget the winchester brothers and is stunned to find out he has a family... also why can't he stop thinking about dean?

BEST amnesia fic oh my god. cas my beloved you deserve the world. everyone read this that is not a request.

More Than Ever by Sass_Master (20k)

Dean’s getting some pancakes together for breakfast when Cas saunters in after a run.

He’s trying to focus on whisking batter, unfairly distracted by Cas a few feet away, breathing heavily and shining with perspiration. Dean’s been painfully aware for a long time that Cas is pretty easy on the eyes, but he’s used to seeing Cas buttoned-up and unflappable, looking straight-laced in a stiff oxford and an unflattering trenchcoat.

Now Cas is sweating, Dean’s borrowed t-shirt clinging to his skin, flushed from exertion and Dean really can’t deal with that in his kitchen right now.

this entire series is really good i enjoyed it a lot, i’m just putting this one specifically on the list bc the rest of the series is very explicit and this is really good as a standalone for anyone who wouldn’t be into the rest of the series!!

Being Dean Winchester by Anonymous (20k)

"You should show me some respect. I dragged you out of hell. I can throw you back in."

Who the fuck was this bitchy "warrior of God" doing talking to him like that? Fuck Cas-tee-el and his dumbass trench coat and abrasive motherfucking attitude.

Dean was done with this shit.

***

Wherein a monster of the week steals the essence of Castiel's vessel, so he must use Dean, recently raised from hell, as a vessel instead.

it is at this point i realize that there are more fics than i expected there to be on this list that involves a threesome with only two people/using the presence of a female body to act like what’s happening is heterosexual. deangirlism is a disease

I Shall Not Want by domesticadventures (20k)

His grace is burning out, and the wasteland it leaves inside him becomes an echo chamber for all the memories, all the fear and doubt and self-loathing he's collected over the years. Things said and done hound him on endless repeat until he's convinced they’ll break through his skin and fill the silence of the bunker.

His head is killing him, and he sits hunched over an open book, not really reading, just digging his fingers into his skull and praying nothing slips through the cracks.

this one is GORGEOUS i love it so so much. dean and cas are both struggling so much to get by and they’re trying to support each other but fucking it up and they have to grow together and learn to cope with the fact that this is where their lives are and they fall in love i need everyone to read this

To Boldly Go by 8daysuntiltheapocalypseiguess (24k)

Title: Just One of Those Things Author: Impala67 Series: TOS Rating: M Summary: Four years into their five-year mission, and all the planets start to look the same.

In which Dean is not Gene Roddenberry, but he does write Star Trek fanfiction.

mx winchester writing star trek fanfiction to process his own trauma <3 this is a wip but it’s SO good and i also have not consumed a single piece of star trek media so it IS definitely readable to anyone who isn’t a star trek fan. please read this

where the weeds take root by deathbanjo (30k)

“Are you happy? Y’know. Just—being here,” Dean says, gesturing to the yard with his beer bottle. “Being with—I mean, you used to fight in celestial wars and—and save the world. Now you’re growing vegetables and talking about chickens.”

this is on here just for the 1.5 people who were putting off this one like i did for no reason. it’s extremely good and it is just gentle. i enjoyed it a lot

Heroes for Ghosts by pantheon_of_discord (42k)

After Sam and Dean are arrested, Castiel is left alone and scrambling to find them. He knows they’re locked away in a government facility, and he’s still able to hear their prayers, but no matter how he tries Castiel can’t seem to track them. He chases leads and even attempts to hunt on his own, but Mary is AWOL, Crowley refuses to help, and Castiel’s options are running out.

Weeks pass, Castiel’s hope dwindles, and through it all Dean prays, keeping them connected. His voice is comforting, frustrating, and occasionally annoying, but in his solitude Castiel comes to cherish it. But then one day, without warning, Dean stops praying, and Castiel is forced to confront some uncomfortable truths about his feelings.

yall ever wonder what it would’ve been like if the sam and dean arrest storyline in s12 was interesting? yeah <3

Teaching Poetry to Fish by aeli_kindara (52k)

In which Castiel teaches poetry to fish. Also, himself. Also, eventually, Dean.

(A series-long story, diverging slightly from canon after S14.)

cas learning about humanity through poetry before dean and thats what led to him developing enough emotion to be lobotomized....cas i love you so much

Emergence by ellispark (58k)

Something’s been missing from Dean’s life for the past three years, a void left after a hunt gone terribly wrong. He often feels a sense of longing with no discernible cause, a need to talk to someone who isn’t there.

A call from an acquaintance leads Dean to James Novak, a man who disappeared more than a decade ago, and suddenly Dean gets the feeling he’s found what he’s been missing. But James isn’t really James — he’s the angel Castiel, who’s wanted by angels, demons and hunters alike. And he may be at the center of the storm that wrecked Dean’s life all those years ago.

another cool amnesia fic!! for unknown reasons everyone forgot cas three years ago but cas didn’t forget anything. cas deserves so much love and support. god

a turn of the earth by microcomets (95k)

Dean’s your typical half-orphaned, monster-killing 22-year-old until a trenchcoated stranger crashes into his back windshield one September night, claiming he’s an angel that knows him from the future and that he’s on the run.

Frigging fantastic.

(Or, in which Castiel gets stuck in Dean’s timeline preseries and Dean kind of hates it—until he doesn’t.)

cas getting to meet and fall in love with pre hell dean just as much as he loves the dean he already knows oh my GOD. i love this fic so much. turn of the earth my beloved

Crossing Lines by sometimeswelose (122k)

Two Deans, one Cas - it's not as sexy as it sounds

An ethics lesson from Hell

The one where Dean from the past meets Dean in the present. They're not sure they like each other very much.

deans intense self hatred vs cas’ unwavering love for every version of dean oh my GOD also this is a wip fair warning but it’s so worth waiting for updates i’m having such a great time with this one i cannot wait to see how it gets ended

Plot Holes by saltyfeathers (160k)

Of course it wasn’t over after the apocalypse.

There was season six. Then there was season seven. Against all expectations, there was season eight. There were the alphas and purgatory, and then the Leviathans, and then the angels fell. Enter season nine. Loose threads Metatron, Abaddon, and Crowley have to be tied up. Sam, Dean, and Cas have to try to tie them while at the same time dealing with their evolving relationships and newfound graceless states.

Amidst all the chaos, someone has started publishing the Supernatural novels again. Convinced there’s something amiss in the pages, Charlie starts her own quest to suss out the truth behind the Winchester Gospels.

With the help of various faces, old and new, they must now not only deal with the typical runs of demons and recently fallen angels, but also reconcile the battles raging inside themselves, as the fate of the world, once again, quite literally lays in the palm of their hands.

saltyfeathers said i WILL make the plot holes in this show mean something because the showrunners are sure as shit never gonna adress them ! and i thank them for it bc this was a really cool read

Casefic/Roadtrip Fic

Deprived Of Every Planet by KelpietheThundergod (9k)

Dean's breathing is audible in the scant space between them, irregular. The motel room is dark, pale blue shadows falling in through the gaps in the blinds. Throwing a pattern of uneven white stripes over the bunched up covers. Over Dean's fingers twisted in the sheets. One half of him in shadow, softened by the dark. The heat of his skin. The tremble of him under Castiel's touch.

He caresses a hand over Dean's chest, slowly. Dean's mouth falls open, his body arching into Castiel's touch. Castiel stops over Dean's heart. Through the fever of his desire, he rejoices about the wonder of experiencing another's heartbeat through one's own senses.

Dean gasps, but then he turns his face away and towards the dark. Eyes closed tight and brows furrowed like something is hurting him.

Castiel stills.

“Dean?”

the case is background on this one but it Does take place over the course of a case so im putting it here. god touchstarved dean trying so hard to work through his shit for cas head in my hands i love this fic so much

before and after breakfast by spocklee (10k)

The monster of the week is a ghost who hates meat, alcohol, and feeling yourself. Guess who it is during the commercials.

chapter 2 of this one.....god. dean and cas you are both so unwell <3 i love everything abt this fic everyone read it now

we shovel all the ashes out by xylodemon (15k)

Dean’s always known things were headed this way. He just figured getting dragged under would be cleaner and easier than jumping in feet-first.

fics that make you go Oh they love each other...also there’s lesbians in it literally what else could you want.

thunder road by dothraki_shieldmaiden (20k)

After Chuck is defeated and the Winchesters settle into life without God, Dean Winchester is bored.

OR: Dean and Cas take a road trip and figure out some stuff along the way.

this fic is just like. it’s kind! this fic is kind it’s just a pleasant experience and i enjoyed it thoroughly. they’re in love and it’s good

Suck It, Judy Garland by GlitterDwarf, midrashic (20k)

It had to be St. Louis. Or, the one where Sam and Cas get fake married for a case, and Dean loses his mind.

actually im gonna defend dean here imagine youre dean and cas gives what definitely sounded like a deathbed love confession while making eye contact with you and then immediately afterwards fake dates your brother. who among us would not have been a bitch about this

best friends without benefits by lizbobjones (20k)

It’s nearing three a.m. and they’ve been on the road a long time. Sam’s been asleep in the back seat since eleven. Giving up and handing the wheel over to Cas and letting the guy who doesn’t sleep drive had seemed like a good idea.

the premise of this fic is so funny. cas voice dean you want to fuck me so bad it makes you look stupid. everyone read this

the taste of gravel in the mouth by deathbanjo (22k)

This is what Cas gave up Heaven for: greasy diner food, shitty motel rooms with even shittier cable, long car rides spent in complete silence except for the same six tapes playing over and over again, and a burnt-out husk of a man who can barely hold a conversation anymore.

alt version of getting rid of the mark of cain, the darkness never happens. this one is VERY heavy but it’s so good and it has a hopeful ending. ive read this one twice and loved it both times

Someone Who’s Feeling For Me by ellispark (45k)

Dean sees her for the first time in nearly six years in some no-name town in Idaho, and it's panic at first sight.

Lisa Braeden, the one woman Dean ever actually had a shot at a real life with, back from where he buried her in his mind. And her hand is on Cas's arm like it's no big deal, like it belongs there. Cas, Dean's dorky, sweet, badass, angelic best friend, and he's just standing there next to Lisa and not moving her hand away.

Dean feels the jealousy rising, and it's not directed where he expected it to be. Because it takes this exact moment for Dean to realize he's in love with his best friend. He's in love with his best friend, and Lisa is looking at Cas like he's the best thing since automatic rifles, and Dean is utterly fucked.

hello op please contact me. please contact me and let me see the inside of your brain. this fic was an unparalleled experience and everyone should also go through it. i love it so very much

Bumper Cars by mansikka (111k)

Two teenagers are missing from an abandoned carnival, and there’s enough to raise suspicion that their disappearance involves a ghost. Dean, Sam, and Cas arrive in town to investigate, though what they find leads them away from those teenagers, and on the trail of a ghost story that churns up things from their past.

Can newly-human Cas, and Dean, with the help of shipper!Sam, work out the mystery behind the abandoned carnival and its ghost, and along the way, figure out the riddle that is them?

one of my absolute fav case fics it forces dean to confront some aspects of johns parenting and work through some shit and also him and cas fall in love and it’s really well done. love this one a lot <3

Finale Fix-its/Finale Denial

Sorry Jimmy by K_K_TiBal (2.1k)

Based on the tumblr textpost:

jellydeans: so are cas and jimmy novak just up in heaven existing at the same time katebushstandean: #jimmy moves to heaven timbuku so that dean stops trying to make out with him every time they run into each other at the heaven grocery store

this one is just extremely funny. local midwestern heterosexual man is forced to play relationship counselor to the dumbest gay people in existence because one of them wore his face

Dean Winchester Really Needs To Make Some Gay Friends by AreYouReady (2.2k)

“Like, I’m trying to think if I’ve had, I don’t know, crushes. If I ever had a gay thing before you came along and just didn’t notice,” Dean said.

Cas suddenly looked down, and away from Dean. If Dean didn’t know better, he would swear Cas looked guilty.

“What is it, Cas?”

“You have had several… gay things before.” Cas still wouldn’t look at him.

“What? When? How come you know this better than I do?”

There was no way the answer to this question wasn’t funny as hell.

dean learning about gay ppl via the memories of dean smith...incredible.

tiny difference (between ending and starting to begin) by sunforgrace (2.4k)

Sometimes Dean catches Cas staring at the sky.

It doesn’t happen often. Not when Dean’s around to tell, anyway. But often enough that he starts to notice.

Eventually Dean starts to recognize the pattern.

Cas just doesn’t watch the sky. He watches the birds.

Chuck is gone, Cas is human, and the world is safe. In the quiet aftermath Dean and Castiel find each other again.

i really don’t have much to say abt this one it is just very good and they love each other so much

Bring Home by cenotaphy (3.8k)

Dean's phone doesn't ring on the drive back to the Bunker, but that's okay. Because—well, maybe Cas lost his cell, what with getting shuffled back and forth between a cosmic void dimension and all. And anyway, Dean doesn't want this conversation to happen over the phone, he wants to—he wants to talk to Cas face-to-face. They should talk face-to-face.

Dean will tell him—

Dean doesn't know what he'll tell Cas. Dean is, in fact, terrified by how utterly and completely he does not know what he'll say to Cas.

cas being forced to face the consequences of sending the risky text that was despair <3

dean’s coworkers vs the heteronormative agenda by cowboydeanwinchester (4.1k)

Dean started working at a local auto repair shop in Lebanon, Kansas about a year ago. His coworkers don't know much about him. Except that he has a wife. Or maybe he doesn't. But he has a kid. Who is either a toddler or a high schooler. Who is either named Jack or Sammy. He also might have a best friend named Cas, but that also might be his wife.

Truth is nobody knows what to make of Dean.

obsessed w people not knowing a single fucking thing about dean because he talks so much and never explains anything. this fic is SO funny

Enhanced Extraction Techniques by goldenraeofsun (5.8k)

The Empty takes Meg’s shape, Samandriel’s, Duma’s, every one of the thousands of angels Cas killed up in heaven. But in the middle of lecturing Cas in the form of Balthazar, it explodes in a burst of light and sound.

Dean Winchester stands in the aftermath.

the empty playing mind games on an awake cas bc it can’t put him to sleep is a thing i like a lot and this is very very good

Speak Silence No More by rea_sunshine (8.1k)

When Dean imagined this moment, it went like this:

Dean bursts into the Empty—guns blazing, chin high, righteous anger coursing through him. No matter what form his plans and fantasies and whiskey-drunk-whispered-promises took, he is always, always successful. When he imagined it, he was finally the hero Cas deserved.

The reality of the moment is this:

It’s fucking cold.

dean and cas STILL managing to not communicate with each other properly after the confession is so funny to me and this fic does it really well. also i like that a human being in the empty, where humans do NOT belong, had some like. consequences

my heart is a compass by lagaudiere (10k)

“There you are,” the Empty says, in Dean’s voice. It’s cold, like Dean’s eyes are cold, his expression set in contempt. It’s the expression Cas feared, he realizes, all the times he thought about saying it. Revulsion. It makes him feel sick in the way that goes beyond physical, here where there is nothing physical left.

The moment before it happened had been so sweet it covered up all the hurt. For years, Cas had been holding back those words, biting down on his tongue to keep from saying them. And now he had said it, and he knew that it was good, knew that it was worth it. But on the other side there is only this.

In the Empty, Cas dreams of his regrets, until someone comes looking for him.

one of thee best dean rescues cas from the empty fics out there i love the way his memories are written i love how many of them were ones that this fic came up with to give me new things to have brainworms over instead of just making me more fixated on He Watched Him Rake Leaves than i already am

killing time by orestespdf (11k)

It's been four years since Dean saved Cas from the Empty and confessed his feelings in return, and in their Vermont lakehouse, the retired couple is now learning how to heal. One morning, Dean gives Cas a haircut.

(A character study of Castiel.)

perfect fic perfect fic no notes no complaints they love each other so much and now dean is giving cas a haircut and they’re spending the day together. god.

and every time we kiss, i swear i can fly by knameless (14k)

Every time, Dean tells himself it’s the last.

aka, twelve times dean and cas kiss.

a just boy best friends kiss for every season <3 mwah

for which no words exist by MediaWhore (14k)

'a prayer for which no words exist' // richard siken

"Dear Cas who art in my bathtub, give me the strength to be honest about how I feel. For your sake and for mine. Forgive me all the times I wasn’t in the past, all the words I should have said but didn’t. And please stay. Please stay with me when all is said and done. Amen. "

Dean rescues a newly human Cas from the Empty. That's the easy step.

mediawhore i am in LOVE with you oh my god this fic. this fic. dean taking care of cas after rescuing him dean wrapping cas in a blanket oh my GOD

swimming with the fish pond fish by februyuri (17k)

Some time between Dean bleeding out on a makeshift hook in a barn in Ohio and Sam making marshmallows on his funeral pyre, Dean was brought back to life. By Castiel. Again. Dean agreed to it if only to give Jack time to work out the glitches up top. So, now Dean’s back in the land of the living and things are ... actually good, for once.

Or, as good as they can be when demons are attacking Earth, Dean’s failing to get over why he died in the first place, and Cas is suddenly, inexplicably taking every opportunity to casually tell Dean that he loves him.

this is a wip! but it is so good and so worth the read i love it a lot and am very excited for the last chapter. it IS pretty heavy though dean has a LOT to work through

looking like a true survivor (feeling like a little kid) by courfeyrac (20k)

"Jack’s a clever kid—has been ever since he was born, maybe even before that—but Dean’s pretty sure he hasn’t figured out where they’re going yet. And Dean’s… Dean’s excited about it. He remembers planning surprises for Sammy when they were little—saving up quarters and sneaking off to the arcade the year he turned seven, or slipping a book Dean had seen Sammy admiring into his jacket before sprinting out of the store the year he turned twelve. There was only so much Dean could give him back then, hindered by lack of finances and transportation and a father who paid attention. Now, though, Dean’s got a wallet full of cash, a tank full of gas, and the freedom to give his kid the kind of birthday he deserves."

Or, it's Jack's fourth birthday, and the kid wants to go to Build-A-Bear.

EVERYONE READ THIS RIGHT NOW. that is not a request this fic undid me. oh my god. oh my god. they’re a family and they’re going to build a bear and they love each other. oh my god. also no it isn’t a baby jack fic he is 4 and he is also alcal

what’s missing is found (our souls can exhale now) by sobsicles (27k)

It's not the first time Claire has ever gone missing. It is, however, the first time Kaia panics about it. Dean's dragged into the mess, but he soon finds that it's the best thing that could have happened to him.

~~~

"But have you ever just met someone and maybe it wasn't from the first moment, maybe it was after all these other moments that meant more than you ever expected them to, and it seems like your soul just—just—" Kaia makes a helpless gesture with her hands, pushing out, and she breathes out loudly. "Like it can finally exhale. And that person isn't guaranteed to make you happy, but they're—they're important. You just know it, you can't even escape it, you can't let them go. Ever met someone like that, Dean?"

"I—" Dean halts, his mouth hanging open. He's looking at Kaia, who's looking at him, and his heart is fluttering in his throat like a caged bird aching to soar again. His mind threatens to spiral out of control, but he focuses, swallowing hard. "Yeah. Um. I—yeah, I have."

deancas AND dreamhunter we love to see it also dean DOES smoke weed with kaia and apologizes for pulling a gun on her what more could you want in a fic

Command Me To Be Well by prospopeya (28k)

Dean did a lot of thinking about when and how he would get Cas back. Months of it, actually, stretching into a year, because while Sam and Eileen were settling into their new lives, Dean was stuck. He was stuck in a faraway corner of the bunker, dark and empty and hollow, ringing with the sound of a vibrating phone.

So when he falls to his knees in that same room, exhausted, hurting, breathless, and he feels a hand on his shoulder and looks up to see Cas, he realizes that he doesn't have a single clue about what to do now. Getting Cas out had been easy--actually, it'd been the opposite of that--but the planning of it, the methodical desperation of one attempt after the other had been a familiar rhythm. It'd been soothing almost, solid, something to focus on that wasn't Cas's eyes, watery and jubilant in a way Dean hadn't ever seen that up close on anyone, let alone Cas.

And now Cas is pulling him to his feet, and Dean's stumbling, and he instinctually grabs Cas's arm, and his hand lights up with a fire that he isn't prepared for.

"Hello, Dean."

oh post despair lack of communication....oh dean refusing to work through his feelings...this fic is incredible i love it everyone who enjoys dean doing everything in his power to avoid talking about feelings up to and including having sex with the guy who’s in love with him multiple times should read this

break the skin (to break the barriers) by sobsicles (29k)

The first time she meets him, he's nothing more than an almost-missed appointment.

SOBSICLES TATTOO FIC MY BELOVED. dean grieving and getting tattoos and it turns into tattoo therapy. im SO in love with mitzi it’s insane. requires some suspension of disbelief for how long a tattoo takes but it’s an incredible fic and an unparalleled experience. sobsicles does not miss

ascend by quiettewandering (53k)

Something in the world is wrong.

Demon activity is rising where mysterious black substance oozes and unusual ecological events are shaking the world. Dean, grief hanging on his shoulders, restlessly searches for answers that might lead him to the Empty… and to Cas.

But what Chuck wrote can’t be undone. The narrative thread pulls Dean along, forcing him to comply. Because once a story already has an ending, it can’t be rewritten.

Or can it?

SUPER cool concept i liked this a lot i’m pretty sure everyone’s read it already but just in case someone hasn’t you absolutely should

oh sooner or later it all comes down to faith by sobsicles (62k)

Getting used to Heaven is something of a marvel. It ain't perfect, and Dean thinks he'd hate it if it was, which is probably why it isn't.

~~~

"You don't understand," Dean whispers, exhaling shakily. "I know you don't, because even I don't. The instant you were gone, I wanted you back. Cas, I wanted you back. I wanted—I wanted—"

Cas stares at him, searching his face. After a moment, his own face falls slack, eyes widening just so. "Oh," he breathes out.

Dean wants to be furious that Cas has figured it out before he has—whatever it is—but he's not even that surprised. Cas knows him too well, always has, even more than Dean knows himself. He's been kicking Dean in the goddamn teeth with how deeply he understands him, even about the things Dean doesn't, ever since they first met. You don't think you deserve to be saved, that's what Cas had said. All bundled up in impossibilities and power, this being that looked at Dean Winchester and knew every single inch of him, as if he had a right to each part.

"What?" Dean grits out.

"I love you, too."

the ONLY heaven fic. i do not read heaven fics bc i refuse to budge in my finale denialism i refuse to read fic where it is accepted that dean dies. i was hesitant to read this but god im glad i did it was so good. literally the best possible outcome of dean dying

Endverse

final fantasy. by orange_crushed (1.9k)

“If I’d actually been born human, would I have gotten sick like everyone else? Would I be running around gnawing on the neighbors?” Castiel tilts his head up and even from here Dean can see the black ring of his pupils, wide and dark as dead stars. He’s high as fuck and he’s been loading the guns for forty-five minutes. He stares into the space where Dean is. He smiles and shows his teeth. “Maybe you’d have already put a bullet in my head.”

"This is why you don’t lead storytime anymore," Dean says. "This kind of shit."

endverse last night on earth fics are something that can be so personal actually. god

The Last Song by Moorishflower (3.5k)

The very last song is the Song of Solomon, and Castiel sings it only for Dean. Set in "The End."

this is like. pre endverse and the tone is so like. wistful? is the best word ive got? it’s gorgeous i love it but fair warning there is graphic description of like. viscera and infected wounds

to think that we could stay the same by cipherwriter (6.5k)

cas has all he needs; himself, his creation, and enough power to continue this cycle for a long time. he's fine. dean wants to take care of him anyway.

oh my GOD this one is good it’s based off the thing of how originally endverse cas was supposed to be just sitting in a room killing and resurrecting the same cockroach over and over. very bittersweet at some points i love it a lot, do not read it if youre looking for something happy though lmao

the first church at the end of the world by withbloodstainedclothingon (11k)

The angels don’t eat the brain. Only Croats do that.

this one is fucked but it’s incredible it contains very heavy and violent subject matter and cas is an Actual cult leader he doesn’t just have orgies it is SO well done and i had a great time reading it i recommend it very highly if the warnings sound like something you can stomach

Down to Agincourt by seperis (1.1 million. i know. yes it’s a wip)

There is no such thing as a guarantee when it comes to war.

The outcome's known. Why try? Return your rusty sword to battered sheath, bow your head and bend your stubborn knee. Why take the field when you cannot win the war? But Harry -- he went down to Agincourt.

PLEASE. i know the length is intimidating i KNOW it’s a very long fic but please. please read down to agincourt i am begging you. head in my HANDS this series is incredible.

Non Supernatural AUS

Long-Term Relationship by bendingsignpost (2.7k)

Castiel says, budging over to make room for Dean on the couch, “I thought we should have a serious talk about our relationship.”

Reflexively, Dean laughs.

Castiel does not.

“Uh, Cas... you know we’re not dating, right?”

look man it’s bendingsignpost okay. it’s bendingsignpost it’s good and it’s sweet and you should read it

One White Lie by komodobits (11k)

Castiel takes a deep breath and rings the doorbell. He doesn’t need to run through what he’s going to say – he’s already planned and edited and rehearsed it a thousand times. He is going to ask Dean Winchester out to dinner. If it’s not too forward, he’ll say, perfectly charming. You see, I’ve seen you around the neighbourhood and you always seem so earnest and I’d really like to get to know you bette— The door swings open, and Castiel panics.

He intends to excuse himself. He means to apologise and come back some other time. However, in a moment of blind fear, what comes out of his mouth instead are the words, “Could you spare a moment for Jesus Christ?”

do you ever pretend to be a jehovahs witness for months to hang out with the guy you like because you fucked up asking him out? yeah.

separate ways and sleeping dogs by sobsicles (53k)

Dean is three years sober when Cas comes back into town.

~~~

For a moment, they just stare at each other. Dean, once again, has to swallow the urge to offer to swallow something else. It's very hard to resist the gut-wrenching pull of want that hooks in his chest whenever he looks at Cas. And to think, he used to have him, used to be able to act on that want.

God, he's so fucking stupid.

Well, there's no point in kicking himself three years later for shit he can't change. He'll just sit right here and pretend that his fingers aren't twitching with the urge to reach out and touch. He can't do that anymore, and it's his own damn fault.

"Three years ago," Cas prompts.

Dean huffs a weak laugh. "Yeah. Eventful."

this fic hit me SO hard emotionally oh my god. don’t have much to say bc most of my thoughts on this fic are very personal but my god read this please

Everyone’s a Critic by Englandwouldfall (109k)

The one where uninspired chef Dean Winchester has a one night stand with the male (!) food critic who described the flavour of his garlic bread as 'closeted' and accidentally ends up dating him to try and prove that he's a kick ass chef, thank you very much.

(He may have a point about the 'closeted' thing).

this one is SO fun. dating the food critic who called your garlic bread closeted and lying about your career because you’re embarrassed and you want to redeem your food in his eyes but then you fall in love with him

Non Destiel Centric

gender? you mean that thing i have that pisses people off? by bigender dean winchester (homosexualitie) (946 words)

sam and dean paint each other's nails and dean abuses the technicalities of her gender. what more could you want?

HELLO HE/SHE DEAN COMMUNITY oh my god the pure rush of euphoria reading this. oh my god. oh my god.

the quiet road to a distant city by rottingbrains (1.2k)

Sam stares out the windshield again. They’re approaching a city, and she can see the lights in the distance. She’s past the danger zone, and she feels like the world around her reflects that in some way she can’t put into words- as if God is telling her that it’s okay. She did the right thing, and soon she will be past the lonely unknown and into the warm, forgiving light of acceptance. Or something. Come to think of it, the lights only look warm from far away, and she knows that the actual city will seem far less welcoming. Still. Best not to imagine the worst when it’s already going well.

required reading for transfem lesbian sam fans. fics that live in your ribcage to make your heart feel good

Four People Ruby Seduced & One She Actually Fell For (Or: Ruby's Epic Love Affair with Humanity in General and Sam in Specific) by tuesday (3.7k)

In which Ruby has a lot of sex, is not any kind of therapist that would be legal, and helps a few people out for her own reasons. (S4/S5 AU)

for everyone out there who enjoys ruby being a girlboss <3

Fractured Link by Trell (orphan_account) (5.5k)

Meg goes on, resolute despite the way Dean flinches, "He likes me. He likes me a lot, and I like him back, and that's probably good enough for both of us. But fuck me for saying so, Dean-o, he loves you, probably more than anything else on his daddy's green Earth, and you need to man up and give back what Clarence over there has been devoting to you for years."

this is meg/dean/cas which is not smth i really seek out but this was extremely good. set in s7 so it’s meg and dean and honey cas and it’s a lot of dean figuring his shit out and trying to forgive cas and i love meg a lot in this

#spn #supernatural #destiel #deancas #mine

475 notes · View notes

whatifxwereyou · 4 years ago

Text

The Oncoming Storm Part 10: Distance

Liu Kang x Reader and Kung Lao x Reader (gonna do both, two paths!)

Man, the vibe between these two fine men is so different. I'm so into it! ALSO have some exciting stuff coming. Gonna try to update both days this weekend, and then setup some... very spicy/fun/dangerous romance stuff? Might add in some "choose your own adventure" style choices before we get to that big choice Lol. ENJOY! Much love.

Part 9 Part 11 Chapter Index

You rested on your side with your head in Kung Lao’s lap, a decision that you’d had no part in making. He held your hand while the monks tended to the wound on your side. You’d pulled more of your stitches than you’d noticed when you and Liu Kang had stopped to examine your wound. You could hear him saying he told you so in your head. You owed him an apology, you supposed. Kung Lao’s thumb brushed over the back of your hand and you were momentarily distracted from the rest of night.

Your exceptionally long awful horrible and terribly confusing but also kind of wonderful night. What a whirlwind.

The way that the monks fretted over you was embarrassing. It had done nothing to ease Kung Lao’s obvious guilt. You were fine! They’d been practicing and it had been an accident. Besides that, you’d had fun with him. You hadn’t wanted him to go easy on you and he hadn’t. You were grateful. Would he ever trust himself in a fight against you again?

After a lengthy discussion out of earshot the monks decided to cauterize the wound to prevent further bleeding since you didn’t seem to be clotting properly on your own. You’d agreed when it had been presented as the only option just to feel like you’d had some say in it. Liu Kang had done the same for your arm the other day and you wished he were there to do it this time too. You’d been spoiled by his magic in comparison.

They’d hooked you up to an IV of fluids to help you recover from the blood loss and set upon the task. It was a painful and miserable process that crippled you from the onset. Kung Lao stroked your hair soothingly and urged you to squeeze his hand. You weren’t sure if he was helping or not, but it was sweet of him to try.

Once the agonizing process ended, the monks suggested you stay for a while so they could keep an eye on you. While they cared for you on and off, Kung Lao talked. He was good at that. He comforted you with distraction and told terrible jokes to try and make you laugh. Eventually silence had fallen, and he had taken to running his fingers through your hair with his eyes closed.

From the way the monks spoke, morning was fast approaching. You hadn’t felt so exhausted and afraid to sleep in years. If everything hadn’t been such a mess, then you would have been impressed. As time passed the pain faded to a near memory. It was only then that you realized that you hadn’t spoken a single word since you’d agreed to have your wound cauterized.

“You don’t have to stay.” If Kung Lao needed you to absolve him of guilt, then you would gladly do so.

“I’m staying.”

“It’s been a long night, Kung Lao. You need rest too.”

“I’m not leaving until you can.”

“You don’t owe me this, Kung Lao. This isn’t your fault.” You turned so that you were rested on your back and Kung Lao helped you settle against his legs. Of all the places you thought you’d end up, head rested in Kung Lao’s lap was not one of them. Boy, you could use a drink.

“Then whose fault is it, exactly? Yours?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“I know that it’s not my fault, Y/N.”

“Could you tell that to your face?” You reached to poke the underside of his chin. He smiled, as if relieved to see you joking with him again.

“I’m staying. And I’ll make sure you get back to your room.” He poked you right in the chest.

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“What’s ridiculous is that I am being perfectly charming and on my best behavior and you’re arguing with me all while using me as a pillow without so much as a thank you. You can’t just use me, Y/N.” He said it in that boyish way, as though he was teasing you for having a crush on him. You definitely had had a crush on him when you were a kid. You didn’t know what you felt about anything anymore.

You laughed and swatted at his hand that rested on your shoulder. It hurt to laugh. “I could be here for a long time. You’re better off not waiting for me. Presumably, you have things to do today and probably got an hour of sleep at most.”

“Well, you’re lucky that I’m curious to see how long it takes before my legs go numb beneath your dainty little head.” He patted your shoulder and so you reached to pat his hand. Just as when you’d been kids there was no arguing with him. He would do what he wanted to do and there was no stopping him no matter how idiotic it was.

“Well, if I fall asleep and drool on you then that’s your fault.”

“I’ve come to terms with this disgusting sounding fate, Y/N. You’ll just owe me.”

“I will not be in your debt, Kung Lao.”

“You already are. I saved you from that fire, remember?”

“Oh? I didn’t realize you were keeping tabs!” You closed your eyes.

“I never forget, Y/N.” He whispered, picking up your hand and tracing lines along your palm with his index finger. He then regaled you with a tale of a time where he’d run an errand for Raiden and had dislocated his shoulder, tried to pop it back into place and had done a piss poor job of it. You cringed the whole time, but he had been delighted in disgusting you without you being able to escape. His voice droned on and you almost fell asleep.

Thankfully, a monk came over to you and asked you to sit up. Kung Lao, without being asked, helped you upright. It was remarkable how comfortable he was with touching you. Chen, the monk, was one of the few who you had formed a bond with during your stay in the infirmary. She’d taken to teasing you about your close friendship with Liu Kang and from the look in your eyes, you were certain this moment was only going to make that teasing far worse. You could see it in Chen’s dark eyes. It was coming.

Chen tested your reflexes, took your pulse, and checked on your wound before removing the IV and wrapping the wound tightly. “Alright, Y/N. Everything looks okay. No more bleeding and you’ve finally got some color back. Promise me that you’ll rest. And that you’ll stop bleeding all over our temple?”

“Listen, I didn’t try to bleed on anything!” You assured your friend who looked at you as if to say that was a lie and that if she saw you in the infirmary for a new wound by the end of the day then you wouldn’t hear the end of it. You avoided eye contact. “I’ll rest. I promise.”

Getting to your feet, Kung Lao joined you and offered you an arm to steady you. You swatted it, blushed, and then walked on your own out of the infirmary. Kung Lao’s eyes were on you as you went and then he followed behind you.

“Hey, you’ve got enough color back to blush again. That’s a good sign.” He leaned close enough to your cheek for you to feel his breath and you swatted at him again. For someone you hadn’t seen for years he certainly was comfortable being in your personal space.

“I’m not blushing. And I was fine, even before.”

“Is it so hard to admit that I make you blush a little?” He teased. “And you were definitely not fine. No one’s going to believe you when you say that if you keep lying.”

“I wasn’t lying!”

“It’s okay to be honest about your feelings, Y/N. All of them. Really.” He stopped in front of you, and you stumbled to a stop before him, having to place a hand against his chest to steady yourself. You took a step back and he tilted his head confidently, giving you that smirk that could melt pretty much any heart, you were sure.

“Kung Lao, really?” You rolled your eyes at him, but your heart was definitely fluttering in your chest, betraying you. “Look, I’m going back to my room now. You can go do… whatever it is you do around here, Lao.”

“Right now, I happen to be walking you back to your room.” He shrugged. “Are you feeling weak, Y/N? Do you need me to carry you?” If he hadn’t said it in such a teasing and taunting sort of way, then you probably would have considered it. Your face was hot with embarrassment. He grinned in delight, proud to have thrown you off.

“I think you’re overtired, Kung Lao. You’re clearly not thinking straight.” If he was going to tease you, then you would tease him right back. It was only fair, after all. You stepped a bit closer to him and he cocked a curious eyebrow. You tilted your head back as you drew closer and made to touch his chest but then pulled your hand back at the last second. He was very still. “I can walk just fine.”

You then stepped around him and continued down the hall. He turned to watch you walk away, and your face burned but you talked yourself down quickly. Then he hurried his pace to catch up with you and joined you in your walk. It was quiet after that for the most part, as if you both had plenty to think about. You were tired. Drop dead tired. Even so, you felt far more stable on your feet than you had the rest of that night. The quiet gave you time to think, which you weren’t sure you liked or not. You had way too much to think about.

When you made it to your room, you pushed open the door and thought your bed had never looked more inviting. It wasn’t even a particularly comfortable bed, but you were still looking forward to flopping into it. You turned to find that Kung Lao remained in your doorway, resting against the frame with his arms folded over his chest, admiring you with a smile. He did that a lot- openly admired you. You were going to have to find a way to cope with all this damn blushing.

“You’re up for me staying a bit, right?”

“I’m exhausted.”

“Just a little bit.” Kung Lao walked past you anyway, and you sighed and closed the door behind him. It wasn’t that you didn’t want him there it was just that you also really wanted to sleep. Sunlight was peaking over the mountains on the other side of the ravine. Kung Lao dragged the chair from your desk and sat backwards on it. You sat on your bed and held your hand over the gauze on your side. It had a solid heartbeat beneath your fingertips. Kung Lao fiddled with things on your desk, picking up the journal that you and Liu Kang had been working in.

He flipped through the pages and you thought he looked a little sad, but as quickly as you had thought it, it was gone, and he looked bored. He closed the journal and then waved it toward you. “I thought that Liu Kang was just trying to flirt with you when he said study because that’s what I would have done. But you guys really study, huh? Your handwriting is awful by the way, especially for someone with ink arcana.”

“You’re less funny than you think you are. But yes, we actually study.” You were never sure what to do with the offhand flirtatious comments but teasing him in return seemed like the way the go. “You probably don’t remember this since we weren’t in the same class and I was kicked out of school before we got close but… I’m passionate about learning new things. Liu is an excellent and curious teacher. It’s been really nice.” You smiled in memory. It felt like it had been ages since they’d studied, and you missed it. “We’ve grown pretty close since you’ve been gone. I’m grateful to him.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” He didn’t even try to hide how he rolled his eyes and you scoffed in disbelief and scooted to the edge of the bed. “Liu Kang is a good friend to have. And so are you when you’re not being defensive.” He stood up and dragged the chair closer to the bed then sat back down. He kicked off his shoes and then placed his feet on the bed. You stared at them disapprovingly and he purposely moved them, so his legs were rested just next to yours, barely not touching you. “It was a lie, you know.”

“Huh? What was? Something Liu said or…?”

“No, definitely not. Liu is an atrocious liar. Me on the other hand? Practiced liar. So yeah, it was me. I lied to you.” He shrugged and then rested his folded arms behind his head. He was avoiding your eyes, something he seemed to do when he felt guilty. When he noticed you looking, he tilted his head, so the hat obstructed your view of his eyes. That was still extremely attractive. “When you first woke up after the fire, I told you that I would visit town because I had become fond of your dojo and your store. That it was a beacon of peace.”

“And that’s a lie? Why would you like about something so trivial?”

“You don’t need to know the reasons.” He shrugged and tilted his gaze back to you. His smile was confident, but his eyes commanded all your attention. They went from playful to serious so quickly it was giving you whiplash. You suddenly felt as if your tongue was blocking your throat and your brain went blank. All that was left to focus on was Kung Lao. “I came to see you.” He pulled his legs back from the bed and leaned closer in his chair, studying your response. It seemed like a harmless lie so why was he telling you this now? “I didn’t know that you were my Y/N but I was still drawn to you. Watching you was what brought me peace when often I struggled finding any.”

“Kung Lao…” This felt like a confession, but what the confession was he hadn’t said. They had a thousand things to talk about and this was where he started? Not the visions? Not the ink? No, his inner turmoil and the peace that you had brought him without knowing.

“If I had known that you were my Y/N then I would have been far more forward with you than I was.” He pulled off his hat and set it next to you on the bed, then rested his hands on either side of the bed next to you. You couldn’t remember him ever flirting with you back then, but you had seen many faces and most of his visits were a blur. You remembered him as harmless and thoughtful. Those were fond memories. You smiled and averted your eyes. “No? Too much?” He smiled that confident smile even against your silence.

“I’m thinking.” You laughed.

“Guy puts it out there and you just stare…”

“I don’t know what you expect me to say, Kung Lao.”

“Anything would do.”

“You’re very sweet.”

“Ouch.”

“No! No, don’t be like that, Kung Lao.” You laughed and without realizing you’d unconsciously moved closer to him. “Really, I didn’t even consider who you could be back then. You were a strange fellow from out of town who enjoyed sitting in the peace of my dad’s place. Honestly, that feels like a different life now.”

“So, where’s the but?”

“There is none.” You furrowed your brow and his thumb overlapped yours on the bed. “This is a lot, isn’t it?”

“It is.” He considered, but he was studying you, and it made you incredibly uncomfortable. This way his eyes looked you over from head to toe, not to objectify you entirely, but rather to try and gauge what you were really thinking and what happened beyond what you told him. While your eyes apparently spoke in novels to Liu Kang, Kung Lao read your body language like a book you had forbidden him to read. Never in a million years did you think that you’d be in a dilemma where your heart was torn between two men. You’d been in relationships before but most of them had been with men from out of town who you rarely saw and had been short lived. Most of the people living in your hometown that were your age were still afraid of you.

“I don’t know what to say.” You finally decided.

“Because of Liu?”

“Well, I don’t quite understand what you’re trying to say. You say a lot without saying much at all, Kung Lao. I will admit that I think of Liu Kang very fondly. Yet, it is a very strange and emotional thing to see you again after thinking that you were dead- something I would like to talk about eventually, by the way.”

“That’s less important than this right now.” He tapped the bed and spoke very quietly, and you watched his lips form every word.

“I feel selfish, Kung Lao.”

“We are allowed to be selfish at times. You were like that as a kid too. Have some fun with me, Y/N.”

“Wow.” You laughed and as he went to say something else, you pulled your hand back from where his thumb had hooked over yours. His eyes were like big puppy dog eyes. He gave you the shivers and it took everything inside of you not to shake with them.

“Come on. You like me.” He teased.

“Kung Lao, now is not…”

“If this is because of Liu Kang? Trust me, I can change your mind.”

“No, I… excuse me?”

“You were going to say something. Continue.” He leaned just enough back to let you breathe. You were so confused. What did he even mean? You had to think about it. You had to think about a lot of things. He and Liu Kang were family. You didn’t want them to fight because of you. You would sooner turn away from them both. Then there was the nagging truth of everything else.

“I’m afraid.” You confessed and as the words came out, you felt a sudden great weight on your shoulders. “For the first time in so long, I’m afraid. Since back then, Kung Lao.”

“I know you saw things then.” He moistened his lips with his tongue and his lips remained parted for just one second before he sighed and seemed to reconsider. “I asked you if you were a witch once and you got all annoyed at me.”

“In my defense, the other kids called me that and threw shit at me, Kung Lao. I was afraid that I was a witch. That I’d never be normal. Then you died and I grew out of it. Now here you are and here I am and all the things I lost as a kid are back. And I attacked Liu Kang without knowing. I don’t know what to think and then you being so forward and Liu being like he is… I’m overwhelmed. I keep thinking that maybe this is what I’m meant for.”

Kung Lao’s whole demeanor changed from flirtatious to serious and you were grateful for him listening. You hadn’t meant to say all that you’d said. It’d just come out. “No, Y/N. You’re a fighter. I know you are. I always knew that you were even back then. And I knew what was happening to you as a kid, too. Or I guessed it at least. I always thought that it made you even more special. Normal is overrated.” Kung Lao placed a hand to your lips to stop you from talking but quickly pulled it back. “Liu’s tough. I’m sure he was fine. And so am I. We can handle whatever you throw at us, knowing or not. I’m sure he’s up to the challenge.”

“Lao…”

“I will help you fight. I won’t watch you waste away here speaking in nothing but the future.” He placed his hands on either side of you again. “And I’m sorry about your side. I know it was an accident but I’m still sorry for the trouble it caused you.”

“I’m not. I wanted to fight. I didn’t want you to go easy on me. I had fun. I had so much fun, and it was nice not to be treated like something frail.”

“It was fun, wasn’t it?” He picked up your hand and brought the back of it to his lips where he made very purposeful eye contact with you and placed a soft kiss upon it. Words were lost to you again. He pulled your hand back from his lips but didn’t let go of it. “Do you remember when we were kids and would pretend that we were like those martial artists in the movies your grandma had? I may have been reliving those days a little when we fought. Except we both knew what we were doing and could have given those actors a run for their money.” His attention was paid mostly to your hand and his thumb brushed over the back of it. “You’re still so pale. Even after everything. You weren’t before we fought.”

“Maybe I always will be now.” You finally managed to say something, but it wasn’t any of the things you wanted to say either. That crush you’d had on him as a kid was rearing its ugly head again. It had been the silliest crush. You’d both been so young and understood so little of the truth of life but there it was. You’d credited that memory of him to ruining every relationship you’d ever had. No one could ever be Kung Lao. But there he was. Alive and the memory of his lips against the back of your hand at the forefront of your thoughts.

“Don’t resign to a fate of serving others, Y/N. You’re made for more than that.”

“I’m not resigning to anything but I’m not a fool.”

“Just don’t give up.”

“I’m not. I didn’t mean to sound like I was. Honestly, that all came out of me without meaning to.”

“Like you said: this is overwhelming.” Kung Lao released your hand and with that seemed to release the hold he had over you too. “I should let you rest, Y/N. For now.”

“How very thoughtful of you.” You managed to joke at last and scooted back onto the bed. Kung Lao stood, replaced your chair, and then offered you a short bow.

“Get some rest because the next time I see you, I’m not holding anything back.”

“You’re so much trouble, Kung Lao.”

“You’re welcome.” He left without another word, closing your door behind him. You sunk back into the bed and pulled the blankets over your head with a whine. You were never going to sleep again at this rate. Liu Kang and the wild fiery tension he brought with him and Kung Lao with his nostalgia, teasing you and dripping in romance. You supposed that of all the problems you had, those two were at least fun problems to have even if you swore that they were going to send you into cardiac arrest. You drifted to sleep, more mixed up than you had ever been.

#kung lao #kung lao x reader #liu kang #liu kang x reader #mortal kombat movie #mortal kombat 2021 #kung lao/reader #liu kang/reader #angst #romance #love triangle #danger #fanfic #fanfiction #mk fanfiction #ludi lin #max huang #mk kung lao #mk liu kang

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marauder-exe · 4 years ago

Text

Fake Dating- Peter Parker x Stark!Reader

Request: Hi! Can you write a Stark!Reader x Peter Parker (Andrew please) were they’re fake dating because May was starting to catch onto the Spider-Man gig? They end up catching feelings and are scared to admit it? I hope this made sense! Thank you!

Word Count: 1.5k

A/N; id love some feedback on this! and let me know if youd like a part 2

“So, let me get this straight” Peter nodded for you to continue “You want to fake date?” He nodded again. You gave him a questioning look. “Care to explain or no?”.

“Right, right. So, Aunt May is starting to catch on. The other day, I came home all dirty from helping people and she looked at me like I just killed someone. So, you know about the spiderman thing so that's not a problem. And since your my best friend” He gave a sweet smile “i figure, when she finds out we've been ‘dating’ she’ll think thats why Ive been acting strange.” He explained like it made absolute sense. It didn't. You were contemplating throwing him off of the roof you where stood on.

“righttttt...” You looked at him strangely. “How do you know it'll work?” you had a feeling this was gonna go very wrong.

“well, you know- you know, she's aunt May, shell believe it” There was also another problem.

“You know if my dad gets wind of this he will literally kill you right? Like he will 100 percent get all the avengers to murder you, and then he’ll bring you back to life, then re-kill you himself” You stated dramatically. He paled then gave you a look. That look. The look that he had given you for the last 5 years. The ‘im right just trust me on this one’ look. 9 times out of ten he wasn't right. But for the sake of both of you, you hoped this was the one time he was right.

“Fine fine, ill be your fake girlfriend or whatever” You groaned leaning into his shoulder.

“Wow, (Y/N) act more believable” He joked.

“Ah, Peter Parker, of course ill be your fake girlfriend!” You laughed loudly, shoving him.

“Shh, she might hear you!” He joined in, throwing his head back in laughter. After the laughter died down, you lay your head on Peters shoulder. You looked out into the sunset. It made you feel weird. Peter Parker's girlfriend. No. Peter Parker's fake girlfriend.

As the night was getting late, you decided to make your walk home, not before making your ‘relationship’ very clear to Aunt May. She was sat in the living room as Peter walked you to the door. As he opened the door for you, May looked your way, so you stood on your tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to Peters lips before scurrying out the door. He lifted a finger to his lips and blushed. Obviously Aunt May, who’d known you for 5 years and had never seen you kiss Peter, had some questions.

“Peter? What was that about?” Her question pulled him out of his romantic state. Its just because she's your best friend, He told himself.

“uh-h” He awkwardly laughed. Why was he so hopeless. “She's my girlfriend, now, actually” He mumbled tentatively. Before he knew it, Aunt May had gotten up and swooped him into a hug.

“I always knew you two had something going on!” She cheered. He furrowed his brows but hugged back nonetheless. Why would she think that? He shrugged of the thought and told Aunt May he was going to bed.

“Hey Parker! Hows ‘the plan’ going?” You jogged up to him as he made is way through the school corridors, clutching his camera. “She believe it?”

“y-yeah she did” He noted as you fist pumped the air. He thought you looked amazingly beautiful today. As you two stepped outside, he spotted a cleared bench, he longed to take a photo of you.

“(Y/N)?” He asked getting your attention. “Stand righttttt there” He pointed towards the clear bench as you happily jogged over and stood on it. Peter had always taken photos of you, but today it felt different. For him at least.

“Like this?” You giggled as you struck a pose.

“Yeah yeah, exactly like that” he threw his head back in laughter as he snapped plenty of photos at your ridiculous poses.

“(Y/N)! Parker!” Your photography fun was immediately stopped by the dreaded voice of Flash Thompson, making his way over.

“uh oh” You whispered to Peter as he helped you jump from the bench.

“I hear she's your new girlfriend” Flash nodded towards you, grinning devilishly. You and Peter looked at each other.

“Yeah- Yeah she is” He was trying to be brave. It wasn't working very well.

“Lay off, Flash” You both turned your heads your Gwen Stacey, the girl Peter had been crushing on for a few weeks. Although, he didn't feel like that any more.

“Come on, Gwen. You cant seriously believe this can you. Little Peter Parker dating famous Tony Stark’s beautiful, intelligent daughter?” You felt disgusted at his comment, so did Gwen. “Does Daddy even know? Nah, he couldn't, Parker would be dead by now. Or has Daddy just lost his game? Not as strong as he used to be. You could feel that Peter was about to say something out of anger, so you quickly moved your hand to hold his, even though anger was coursing through your veins

“Listen, Flash Thompson” The group of students surrounding the scene got slowly bigger. “im not dating ‘little Peter Parker’ im dating Peter Parker, a guy who is 10 times more smart and intelligent and handsome as you'll ever be. So why don't you go listen to Mommy’ nodding towards Gwen. “And lay off. Oh wait! You don't have a Mommy” You made a mock sad face then giggled. The entire group was in shock, even Peter. Okay maybe it was a bit uncalled for, but he shouldn't have insulted your dad.

Flashs’ face turned magenta as he balled his fist and tried to throw a punch. You ducked under his fist. Your dad had taught you to fight once you could walk.

“Wow! You just tried to hit a girl” You smiled incredulously, while Flash was still bright red. “Thats fine, im all for feminism, ya know, equal rights equal fights” You said nonchalantly. “You shouldn't have punched Tony Starks daughter though” You added, right as your fist connected with his jaw and our foot connected with his nether regions. You grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back as the ever expanding group cheered. Just as you were about to stand on top him, Peter grabbed you and pulled you away.

“Okay, enough fighting, avengers style” He dragged you inside the hallway.

“He deserved it for what he was saying” You grumbled.

“Im sure he did but-” Peter paused as he saw the principle and two concerned looking teachers, making their way down the hallway. “Rain check?” He whispered.

“Yep!” You whispered back as you jumped onto his back and he sped of, out of the school.

“You have to admit, it was pretty cool” You grinned at Peter as he fixed up the cuts on your knuckles.

“It was cool. You knocked out Flash Thompson. ‘The’ Flash Thompson. But you got yourself hurt in the process” He whined.

“Wow, Mr ‘im-spiderman-and-i-risk-my-life-everyday Is telling me about danger, okay I see how it is” You joked.

“You know what I mean” He grinned. As he finished wrapping your hands, you heard footsteps coming upstairs. “Its Aunt May. What do we do?” Before you could think of anything, you instinctively brought his lips to yours and your hand fell into his hair. He kissed back passionately, like his entire life had been leading up to this moment. It sent a flurry of butterflies into your stomach. He felt the same thing. His lips tingled and his hand lay on your waist. You had officially caught feelings. And so had he. You heard the door open and kept your eyes tightly shut and lips moving.

“You got into a fi-” You furrowed your brows, that didn't sound like Aunt May. You moved away from Peters loving kiss to face the door. The second you saw who it was your face turned bright red, you were done for.

“Dad?!” You shrieked. Peter was drawn from his daze, dreaming of you beautiful lips, by your loud voice.

“Mr. Stark” He almost fell out of his chair at the sight of Tony Stark, Happy and Aunt May, all stood in the door in shock.

“Alright, Spiderling, hands off my daughter” Your dad hurried over and grasped your hand, gently shoving you out the room. Of course Tony Stark knew about him.

“s-see you later, Parker” You muttered. After Tony left, Aunt May shut the door awkwardly, returning to living room. And once, he was left alone with his thoughts. His thoughts about you.

#peter parker #spiderman #peter parker x reader #mcu fic #mcu #marvel #spiderman x reader #andrew garfield #andrew garfield x reader #andrew garfield spiderman #peter parker imagine

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uwua3 · 4 years ago

Note

Hello! Sunflowers hold a really special meaning for me so when i read the "sunflower dreams" My heart was so happy!! I havent felt this happy in a long time since quarantine started so thank you for taking the time to write it! It really made my day. If i could request a kazunari x reader where they're both artists that would be amazing. Maybe the reader can be a famous anonymous art influencer? Its up to you! Again thank you so much for writing "sunflower dreams" 💜

i’m so happy i could make you smile ‧⁺◟( ᵒ̴̶̷̥́ ·̫ ᵒ̴̶̷̣̥̀ ) it’s messages like these that absolutely make my day! thank you so much for taking your time to even read it, i’m glad to know it touched your heart ♡ i hope you have a good rest of your day—please know all of a3! love you vvv much!!! ｀･ω･)9 i hope this makes your heart happy just like before! thank you, anon, for everything

summary: every time you fell in love, you made a new art piece

author’s note: please smile from this absolutely soft and endearing kazunari fluff! in times like these where negativity is all around us, it’s good to take a break and purposely give yourself happiness. i hope this is a light in your day and makes you experience all the goodness of love! ♡ — concept based on “to all the boys i’ve loved before”

word count: 3,389

music: i like me better – lauv

to everyone i’ve loved before.

🌻🎨 miyoshi kazunari

you created art every time you had a crush so intense, you didn’t know what else to do

no matter how big or small it was, or how long or short it lasted, love is love. even if it was a random stranger you’d never see again or someone you knew for a lifetime, love is love

therefore, there was no exact total. because even if you didn’t remember every single person you’ve made art for, you clearly remembered what it was like experiencing the euphoria of love. the phenomenon of your heart selflessly beating for someone else. the attack of getting hit by cupid’s arrow out of no where. the rush of emotions unlike any other

love was everywhere and you made sure to create something that was a memory of it. that was when you decided to practice art after being unable to recall a person’s face a moment too long

it was your form of a love letter. a picture spoke a thousand words you couldn’t write, and art was the perfect way to convey that. online for everyone to see were your love letters in art form: portraits of everyone you’ve loved

you fell in love again and again, a new art piece posted soon over the years of your life. under the username, to-everyone-ive-loved, a lifelong project was in the works for all of social media to see

unknown to the rest of the world, you were the artist behind the blog “to-everyone-ive-loved” who created portraits from memory

but, you didn’t mean to fall in love with another artist as well

all it took was one comment and you were theirs

it was one of your most recent posts, a finished piece on a stranger you saw. you found yourself in veludo way, the ideal street to find people you’d never forget. after witnessing a sudden street act, only one actor caught your eye that day

you didn’t know his name, but you didn’t need to. you were in love

you immediately rushed home without a second thought, the inspiration and creativity infectious after watching him perform. something about his energy was wildly entertaining and bizarre, like a modern pop song as a person. he was effortlessly trendy, popular, and charismatic just from the few minutes you saw him

the moment he stood up on that street corner like it was a stage, all eyes were on him and he knew it. as you sketched into the day, you remembered the small details clearly. dirty blonde hair with no dark roots in sight, glittering green eyes, wide welcoming smile. he had the face of an actor, that’s for sure

when you posted it right after finishing, you didn’t expect any major attention. on average, your posts got 100 likes or so. while it was an impressive feat, nothing could’ve prepared you for that one comment

kaz-PIKO: i’m in love with your art ♡

as your popularity and fame grew before your very eyes, you clicked on his profile and realized it was him. the actor you had seen earlier at veludo way

you didn’t know what happened, but all you knew was you couldn’t forget this one person, miyoshi kazunari, no matter how hard you tried

no matter where you went, you couldn’t draw anyone else except that boy named kazunari. after scrolling through his entire instablam account, you found out he was an actor for mankai company’s summer troupe. he was a star in his own right, with a stage presence like the spotlight was constantly on him and a heart of gold

this was the first time you ever got so caught up on someone that they didn’t leave your mind. hours became days, and days began becoming a week before you let yourself follow him back

everyone you had ever drawn had never recognized themselves before. it was all because a follower connected the visual similarities between your art and kazunari’s unique traits that kazunari knew you had seen him before

if only he wasn’t a social media influencer with followers reaching the hundreds of thousands. at least, his popularity attracted attention to your profile...

this was a problem, however. because if you couldn’t draw anyone else, what could you do? once again, you stalked kazunari’s blog once again like it was a habit

it was never really a rule to make one love letter per person, but you never had wanted to make another for the same person. until, now

video after video. picture after picture. story after story. you could see kazunari’s face even when you closed your eyes. what about him made you daydream about him constantly? was it his charming voice that could make anyone stop and stare? his intricate piercings that were different every day? his ability to make you feel at home? whatever it was (or maybe it was an accumulation of everything and more), you had to draw kazunari again

when you posted it, you typically didn’t add more to the caption than the date and time. except this time, you felt like all your rules were being broken over someone who had no idea who you were

to-everyone-ive-loved-before: XX/XX/20 (3:33 A.M.) — social butterfly

you watched it upload. it was a piece you had never done before. glowing butterflies of all colors surrounded the center of the masterpiece, a smiling kazunari

hopefully, this would solve whatever feelings you were having and the world would go back to normal. you’d move on, fall in love with someone else, and repeat

it didn’t work, because some time later, you woke up to a comment that made you feel the butterflies in your stomach

kaz-PIKO: like a butterfly, i’ll fly to you, wherever you are~ ☆

and for some reason, you wanted kazunari to find you

you had never felt so motivated to draw before. however, your muse was the same. a beautiful boy named miyoshi kazunari who was slowly capturing your heart without even knowing it. you watched the pages in your sketchbook lessen and lessen. the corners of assignments and napkins and anything in between was covered in doodles. if there was a writing instrument in your hand, something related to kazunari would come out of it

it was a fascination. a fixiation, even. you had only seen one performance before falling in love. was it because kazunari responded that it made you feel like you had a chance?

you wouldn’t admit it, but it was becoming embarrassing with how much you were staring at the few unread messages from kazunari in your dm box. they came in right after you had followed him back, and more arrived when you posted the “social butterfly” piece

what was stopping you from talking to your muse? you knew the answer without thinking: what if these feelings were real?

obsessions and crushes come and go, but... love, love stayed. there wasn’t any possibility you could love someone from afar without knowing anything about them, right?

but, then again... you did know some things about kazunari. you knew kazunari was the best actor of all time, with expressions and gestures the equivalent of art. kazunari was art—in every single way possible. everything about him made you want to draw and draw and draw

you only drew kazunari for a certain time, no matter which stranger crossed your path. people you knew you would’ve sketched simply became passer-bys, and it was all because of kazunari’s sunny smile that you were in love. or, what you thought was love

the more you thought about kazunari’s unread dms, the more you wondered what this was. why did kazunari make you so happy? was this truly the first time you were experiencing... a crush?!

for the first time since that street act, you found yourself in veludo way. while half of you was hoping you’d randomly bump into summer troupe’s moodmaker, the other half was petrified about how kazunari was a real person. a very much popular, recognizable person

it was the weekend, and the burden of university projects was telling you to go back and focus. yet, with a sketchbook in one hand and a pencil tucked behind your ear, you were very much prepared to draw to your heart’s content

as you tried to flip to a clean page, you heard something that made your heart flutter. despite the noise and busy atmosphere of veludo, a distinct laugh was audible above the crowd. when you looked up, your eyes barely registered a deep blue jacket before walking straight into the person

you nearly tumbled to the ground before two hands steadied you, a surprised “whoa!” leaving their mouth before being followed by a gentle laugh. the usual embarrassment didn’t set in until you went to go thank the person, only to stop

oh my god. you had just bumped into miyoshi kazunari, your muse for the past month or so

kazunari grinned, even though it faltered slightly at your wide-eyed expression and awkward silence. he didn’t seem to mind as he adjusted his black top hat, pocketing his phone and confidently meeting your gaze

“i’m so sorry~! i hope you’re okay, i’m kazunari!” kazunari introduced and you realized he didn’t know you were behind to-everyone-ive-loved-before. you quickly adjusted yourself, pretending as if this wasn’t the highlight of your entire week

when you introduced yourself, kazunari’s eyes sparkled with interest as he easily led you into conversation. despite being a bit of a socially awkward artist who preferred being alone over anything else, kazunari was... comfortable. you didn’t feel self-conscious of how you acted, because he readily accepted how you were with a smile

was he like this was everyone or... did he find you to be a work of art, too?

standing off to the side, you finally noticed several members of mankai were advertising their latest play. bright, aesthetically pleasing flyers were being handed out to everyone walking by, and you seemed to look a moment too long before kazunari followed your gaze and suddenly snapped his fingers

“oh! are you interested in theatre?” you really weren’t, but you nodded anyways just to see kazunari’s excitement. he pardoned himself for a moment just to snatch a flyer, returning to show it off with a proud smile

“please come to mankai company’s summer performance!” kazunari’s smile sparkled and before he looked around to see if anyone was watching, he winked. kazunari covered the side of his face that was facing his troupe members, pretending as if you two were sharing some big secret

“plus, i’ll be there. if you come, i’ll make sure to do my very best~” kazunari bargained, even though you already knew he was already planning on wowing the audience with his charisma. you took in his genuine want to impress you and the butterflies came back

“i’ll come.” you agreed without even checking the date or reading anything. now all of you just wanted more & more opportunities as the person kazunari was surprisingly interested in, not as the artist who was basically in love with him

agreeing right away was worth it when kazunari shot you a grateful, blinding smile in return. you stumbled over your words with how taken back you were, but asked anyways, “do you like flowers?”

kazunari’s eyes softened for a moment, his usual energy suddenly gone before returning. he seemed genuinely moved by your question, and you wondered how many flowers it’d take to see him smile again like that

“i do, especially if they’re from you.”

“what kind?”

someone called kazunari’s name, insisting they were going to be late for practice. kazunari shouted back an agreement by telling them to go ahead first, before putting all his attention on you once again

“hibiscus.” meaning delicate beauty

before kazunari could ask for your socials, with his hand already reaching for his phone, you cut him off, hoping your voice wasn’t off

“next week. 7 P.M., mankai theatre. i’ll be there, front row.” you promised and took off, rushing off with a wave as kazunari stared after you for a second before waving back enthusiastically

as you left, kazunari was about to leave before he noticed something on the ground. it was a plain sketchbook, unassuming at first but it was nearly bursting at the binding with how many pages there were

when kazunari picked it up, he was about to flip to the first page before mankai called his name again, impatient this time. kazunari held onto the book and sent one last glance towards your direction before disappearing, hurrying to make sure the director wouldn’t penalize him for being the reason everyone was late

when you arrived home, you instinctually reached for the pencil behind your ear. at the same time, you put your hand in your bag, attempting to feel the familiar edges of your sketchbook

then, after turning your bag inside out and finding nothing, you collapsed onto your desk chair with shock and disbelief

you lost your sketchbook in veludo way the moment you met kazunari. what if he had it?

you drew another piece and stared at your screen, wondering if you should post it. it was kazunari once again with a yellow hibiscus flower behind his ear, the same gentle smile you couldn’t perfectly capture gracing his lips

you typed the caption and backspaced before settling on something that only you and him would know

to-everyone-ive-loved-before: XX/XX/20 (8:01 P.M.) — delicate beauty

you hesitated before deleting the post a second after. maybe, you’d keep some artwork to yourself

kazunari had the sketchbook open next to his bedside, his phone in his hands and your profile open. he could recognize your art style a mile away, and the moment he saw the first sketch after practice, he couldn’t believe it

did this explain why he felt such a natural attraction to you? when you bumped into him, kazunari swore he could see the sparks flying. you made him feel like he was falling in love and you only proved him right when you two talked earlier. he wanted to know everything about you, he wanted to see you again

was this what love at first sight felt like? kazunari giddily typed a message over and over again, the unread messages of his filling his screen

kaz-PIKO: heya!! ★>d(,,･ε´-,,)⌒☆ just wanted to say i LOVE your art fr!!! we should totes collab, you know???

kaz-PIKO: thanks for drawing me btw :0 does this mean you live near veludo? let’s meet up!!!

kaz-PIKO: ,,, i don’t usually say this but, that social butterfly piece was breathtaking. you must really like me, huh? (･ω<)☆ jk haha

kaz-PIKO: no but really, it’s beautiful. thank you, honestly. it made my day, you make me happy ♡

kaz-PIKO: you must be really beautiful, too. i would want to draw you as well. lmk if ur up for that haha

kazunari read back his previous messages, all of them delivered but unopened. he realized how... how open he already was with the anonymous faceless artist, despite never interacting with them

now that he knew what you looked like, it only reassured his intuition that he was rightfully head over heels for you

kazunari typed something before deleting it, closing out of instablam and throwing his phone somewhere on his bed

kaz-PIKO: i was right, you are beautiful. i may have fallen in love, too

some things were better left unsaid. after all, you two had until next week to figure everything out

for the rest of the week, all you and kazunari did were think about the other person. a small part of you was afraid kazunari wasn’t the dream boy you imagined, but he was much more. you noticed he started posting more often and turned his notifications, wanting to be one of the first to see his practice videos and university selfies

you didn’t post any of the art you made of kazunari, making it the longest you hadn’t posted ever. kazunari couldn’t help but refresh your account every now and then, hoping he’d see his face again, as selfish as it was. kazunari wouldn’t know how’d he feel if he saw someone else had your heart

the longer time went on, the more you were certain. every fascination you had with someone was temporary, and you remembered the feeling rather than the person. but, with kazunari, you liked him for who he was. everything kazunari made you feel was new and exciting, but even when that went away, you still liked him

kazunari was your first crush, for real

kazunari liked making people like him. so, your online confession through art wasn’t exactly a surprise. but, yours was different. it was earnest, honest, and everything he didn’t know he was needing

kazunari looked through your sketchbook again and again, tracing over the notes you wrote in the margins and admiring your skill

kazunari liked you, and he was certain he would’ve still liked you even if you weren’t to-everyone-ive-loved-before

when showtime arrived, kazunari was oddly nervous. peeking from behind the red curtain, kazunari could already see you were one of the first sitting front row, just like you said. he had practiced his lines a thousand times and summer was fully prepared, why was he nervous?

before he went on, kazunari ignored the urgency of the mankai staff and quickly texted a message to your profile, hoping you’d at least see the notification this time

kaz-PIKO: i like you, too

(when you felt your phone buzz, you quickly silenced it)

the show moved you to a standing ovation, just like everyone else in the audience. as summer walked out to bow and express their gratitude, you watched kazunari’s eyes search for yours as he tilted his head towards backstage. you nodded, knowing you’d do anything to see this kazunari. actor kazunari, who was on cloud 9 with his performance and glowing from praise

you wanted to see, to experience, to draw, all versions of kazunari

after the applause, you looked around backstage before feeling a hand on your arm, the feeling reminiscent of the first time you bumped into kazunari

“you came.” kazunari breathlessly stated, as if he was surprised. before he could say anything else, you presented him with a bouquet of hibiscus flowers. the same shade of yellow you drew him with

“of course, i wanted to see you again.” you honestly admitted, knowing it made you flustered. kazunari carefully took the flowers before grinning, gently placing then beneath his chin. he looked like a vision, you wish you could’ve asked him to stand still so you could capture this moment forever

“i wanted to see you, too.” kazunari softly said, all the energy of being on stage gone. it was tranquil and peaceful, like you two were the only people in the entire theatre

kazunari took a moment to admire you before realizing something, taking something from behind him and presenting it to you. it was your sketchbook on the bottom, but a smaller version was on top of it, signed in silver sharpie. kazunari’s signature was glittering like his eyes as you took it

“next time, let’s draw together.”

kazunari’s sketchbook was filled with you. anything from small doodles to encouraging messages was found inside, with tens of post-it notes of just thoughts about you. kazunari’s art was colorful and extremely out of the box compared to his usual traditional style. it made you smile

kazunari watched you flip through it, already knowing this was the greatest act of love he could’ve declared this early on. he anticipated for you to reach the end

when you landed on the last page, you saw a note

do you want go on a date with me?

“next time, respond to my dms! that way i don’t have to write everything~!” kazunari teased and you two shared a laugh, knowing everything was going to be okay

“yes.”

“yes...?”

“yes, i’ll respond to your dms. and yes, i’ll go on a date with you.”

eventually, you ended up closing your blog for good. your last post was a picture of you and kazunari, with one caption

to-everyone-ive-loved-before: XX/XX/20 (3:33 P.M.) — to the one boy i love now, i love you

kaz-PIKO: i love you, too ♡

#miyoshi kazunari #kazunari miyoshi #a3! act! addict! actors!#a3!#act! addict! actors!#a3! actor training game #a3! headcanons #act! addict! actors! headcanons #mankai a3!#mankai company #a3! x reader #a3 x reader #kazunari x reader #a3! kazunari #a3 kazunari

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mementomori-demimonde · 4 years ago

Text

Hidden Scars

I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII - VIII

Chapter 9

You still don’t know why you’re doing this, but she asked; Miranda woke up that morning, came into your room, and asked.

Willing to keep your part of the unspoken bargain, you agreed. It’s another of her tests, but it’s totally consensual: everyone’s happy. More or less.

You’re tied up to a kitchen chair, inside the vault that kept your prisoner for so long. You’re afraid that this might be doing with you making too much noise - will she get you to scream? - or with the fact that the floor has grates that lead somewhere, which are made especially to get rid of stuff and easing the task of cleaning any eventual mess.

Even if you know that the cable ties around your wrists, secured to the back of your chair, won’t buckle, you pull at them ineffectively, wincing at the dull sounds of the metallic legs squeaking against the grates as the chair jerks with your movements. Your ankles are bound too, leaving you at her mercy, only feignedly protected by your nightshirt and leggings - she’s left you barefoot, so the pattern of the grates is already printing itself on the soles of your feet.

Despite the uncomfortable position, you’re oddly relaxed with her fingers carding through your hair, readjusting them to her likes, away from your face, leaving you even more exposed.

When she seems satisfied, she walks slowly from your peripheral to occupy your whole field of vision and you can’t help feeling the thrill crawling up your spine as you take her in: the leather coat reaching her boots, black gloves of the same material, no make-up and a butterfly clip holding her hair back.

Her blue eyes, incredibly bright under the neons, are boring into you when she reaches into her pocket and fishes out her knife.

Click, shuffle, the blade glimmers for a second. It’s been a while since you’ve seen her holding her knife, probably since she gave you the scar.

Unconsciously, you try to move your shoulder, your muscles protesting at the failed attempt.

Teeth bare, she grins at you. Feral, like always, there’s something comforting in knowing it’s something you’ve agreed on after she asked you. Well, not exactly asked: she informed you and you agreed. But it doesn’t matter now, besides, it’s all worth it to see that faint twitch of pride in her eyes, more evident now that she leans into you, and you hiss slightly at the coldness of her knife when she presses it to your neck. It pricks.

“Let’s start, shall we?” Her voice is like honey and, still, there’s harshness in her words.

She’s playing the villain now, one of her enemies, one of those people belonging to the world she’s trying to get you ready for… and despite you know it’s Miranda, there’s something about her that makes you think she’s playing the part perfectly. Maybe she’s even used to play the monster when she needs it - it wouldn’t have come as a surprise, after all.

Even if you don’t need to, you nod once, granting her the permission she didn’t ask, not this time. You’ve agreed to participate, now that you are here, you cannot decide when and if to stop anymore.

Her gloved fingers are cool when they graze on your cheek.

“A few days ago, you hacked a secret account.” Just like a siren’s call, her sweet voice beckons recent memories.

In a flash, you see yourself typing strings of codes, your body shaking as you sweat profusely, your body balanced between pleasure and pain while your mind struggles to keep focused. Miranda is everywhere inside you, cruel with her actions and merciful with her words as she praises you for the good work you’re doing. After what looks like an eternity, you can fulfill the task, pass her test: the account has been successfully hacked, you changed the password and it’s now yours to do as you like. You remember that moment, when she allowed you to take your reward. You remember that password as she made you chant it over and over again until all the waves subdued.

Miranda taps her fingers on your cheek. It’s not a proper slap, but the leather makes a strange noise against your skin and your face starts to sting in anticipation, just as if she’s struck you for real already.

“I want to know the password.” She demands.

Drawing a small breath, you raise your chin and shake your head.

This time, the slap comes loud and clear. It stings on your cheek and echoes through your ears; out of instinct, you tug at your restriction to press a palm on your cheek to soothe the pain, but it’s useless, since your hands are bound.

Miranda askes again, but you don’t falter. You shut your eyes tight when tears start to gather in your eyes after the fourth - or the fifth? - slap. Honestly, you’ve lost count, the throb webbing in your body, the muscles in your neck plucked for the sudden jerks of your head being forced to abruptly turn right and left, sometimes even in rapid succession when she strikes you twice.

The knife has remained a phony threat against your throat. She presses in while you breathe hard, your whole face aflame, scratches your skin, and then retrieves it.

When you dare to crack an eye open, she’s hovering above you, a smirk on her lips. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say she’s impressed, but you wouldn’t go that far - maybe pleased might be the closest definition.

Her gloved thumbs run across your cheekbones gathering the moisture at the corner of your eyes and, when she withdraws, she hums, rubbing her finger together until all the remains of your tears have completely evaporated.

Miranda straightens her back, her blue eyes never leaving yours.

Click, shuffle, she puts her knife back into her pocket.

From her other pocket, she fishes out something else: a small object that has your frown as you try to understand what it is. Gracefully, she holds it between her thumb and middle fingers in front of your eyes to let you look.

“You know what it is?”

Swallowing, you nod unevenly, your mind running wild as you try to guess what is she going to do with that rather than what it is. Your head is startling blank.

“It’s, uh, a nine-volt battery?”

Miranda bares her teeth into an appreciative grin.

“Good girl.” She praises, and the mirth in her voice has the power to make a shiver crawl up your spine and, at the same time, an improper heat pool low in your stomach. “Except that it isn’t.”

She throws the little object in the air and catches it in her fist, hiding it from your sight when she starts to pace around you, her boots making noise against the grates on the floor.

“This is not a common nine-volt battery, you see? This one is more fun.” She snaps her teeth dangerously close to your ear, making you jerk. When she returns, towering and dangerous when she stands in front of you, she’s holding again the battery between her fingers, fidgeting with it without much care, and yet, all your attention is drawn to it.

When she stops and stares down at you, the intensity of those blue eyes makes all the blood drain from your body. Miranda leans into you, her warm breath tickling your lips.

“Stick out your tongue for me now, would you?”

Your lips part by their own volition.

Your gaze helplessly locked in hers, your timidly push your tongue past the crack of your mouth, and even before you try to brace yourself and get ready for the incoming pain, your eyes are tightly shut.

“Fuck!” You shout behind clenched teeth, the electrical discharge running through your body like billions of sharp needles pulling at every muscle, plucking every tendon until you’re a shuddering mess.

It lasts a few instants, but it’s enough to leave you panting and exhausted, all your body growing heavy and falling limp into the chair when the tension ebbs away.

“What is the password.” She asks again, her voice low, controlled.

For a split second, the idea of just revealing to her the sequence of numbers and codes crosses your mind, but when would your promises go? Where would your pride go? You would be weak to her eyes as well as your own: this is part of her training, something you agreed on, and it’s your duty to indulge her.

The delay, however, is not at all welcomed: b efore you can even think about her next move, her hand wraps around your throat and squeezes, the sudden movement forcing you to open your mouth into a silent cry, and your tongue, in a natural reflex, falls out and into the battery clip.

Miranda knows when to release your neck and massage the soreness away with her leather glove; she knows for how much time she needs to let go in order to let you regain enough air in your lungs to play with you more, squeezing against your windpipes to have your tongue exposed and vulnerable and at her mercy as she pleases. Miranda keeps asking for the password, and despite the pain coursing through your body, despite the confusion settling in your brain, you’re determined not to tell her anything.

It’s difficult. There are tears streaming incessantly down your face now, gathering on your chin, big drops falling into your lap as you squirm and whine. At every electrical discharge, you think about just saying something, if only to make her stop, or to have a break - perhaps only a number, or a letter, if the first one is in capital or not - but just when you’re about to say something, you bite the inside of your own cheek, remind yourself to be strong.

And yet, for how long? Miranda is not tired, you can see by the shimmer in her eyes she’s almost enjoying this game, the sadist in her delighting in your suffering while she deliberately tortures you in the name of some sick experiment that needs to pass as training.

You’re about to break. Your tongue has gone numb by now, and it still hurts: the pain spreading into your head, your chest, the furthest parts of your body.

“Oh, no need to cry.” Her voice is saccharine when she talks to you and tuts soothingly, her smile broad and all mirth when she wipes your cheeks with the back of her hand, the leather rough against your skin.

You draw a shaky breath, your eyes dropping on the altered battery still gripped between her fingers. Miranda softens her expression now, but you know better than to believe she’s about to show any mercy: if anything, now that you’re close to giving in, she’ll only make things more interesting, toying deliberately with your strained brain.

“Let’s try with something simple then, shall we?” She straightens her back, her free hand resting on her hip as she watches you.

The hand that holds the battery swings almost carelessly by her side, but you know what’s there, you know the threat, you know the pain it can cause, when held between her fingers.

When she lifts her eyebrows questioningly, you know she’s waiting for an answer. Maybe just to check if you’re still receptive, maybe to make you think she’s really trying to be merciful - is she?

Not trusting your voice, you decide to nod, but a small whimper escapes your lips anyway.

“The name of the previous owner of that account.”

Your frown, wondering if she’s really asking you to reveal her own name. Of course, she’s playing someone else right now, but the request still has you puzzled: something’s not right.

“It’s harmless information, you can tell that to spare you some pain- to give yourself a break.”

It is part of the training? Is she testing your strength? Is she teaching you something really useful? There’s no way to tell for sure. You could try with some fake information?

“Come on, spill it.” Miranda urges and you swallow sand when you see her fiddling nervously with the battery, making it spin around her gloved fingers without looking, as a croupier would to with a coin or a fiche, as she uses to play with her knife - a constant threat, a constant game, impossible to tell the difference between the two. “How bad can it be?”

She’s insisting too much, so you decide it’s a test. She’s pushing and pushing hoping to see you crack. Clenching your jaw, you shake your head.

“I- won't.” You croak, your throat sore like the rest of your body, and incredibly dry.

She stops fidgeting with the battery abruptly. Her eyes are narrowed, the tip of her tongue resting on the upper row of her teeth as if she’s debating something with herself; then, she smiles, a grin that it’s all teeth and sick delight as her eyes glimmer and bear into you.

“You hesitated.” She states, and she makes it sound like it’s a good thing, like she’s glad that you did.

“I did not!” You protest, grimacing when the slight raise of your voice, the urgency in it, reminds you of the soreness that has settled there.

“You did.” She insists. “You thought about saying something.”

You struggle to swallow, you struggle to even breathe. It’s upsetting, to say the least, how she seems to be aware of everything that’s going on out and inside of you, even before you’ve made peace with your brain and decided what to do. Miranda is always ahead, she’s always prepared: like the most skilled poker player, she knows exactly where and how to strike.

There’s no room for hiding.

“I- maybe I’d told a lie.” You confess, wondering if she’ll accept your idea well.

Miranda stared down at you, unwavering; maybe she’ll strike, maybe she’ll nod and have mercy, after all, for not revealing anything secret nor potentially dangerous.

“And you would be such a good girl, right? Not telling the bad guy any truth.” Miranda almost coos as she talks and you barely register her digging her free hand into the pocket, because she’s walking toward you, deliberately slow and, at the same pace, she lowers herself down to her knee, settling herself right in between your bound ankles.

Her knife is out and open and ready to cut before you even have the chance to register the blade shining at the neon lights. It hooks at the collar of your shirt and tears the fabric apart as if it were butter.

Helplessly exposed, painfully vulnerable, you heave a shuddering breath when you take in her predatory gaze, the black of her pupils almost completely engulfing the blue. You can’t decide whether it’s the thrill of lust because she’s about to bestow a reward, or the rush of incoming violence because she’s about to bestow a punishment, instead.

The knife has disappeared again in one pocket, and you presume the battery has disappeared into the other when you feel her gloved hands gripping your knees with a bruising force. Miranda heaves herself up, closer to you, and the hot breath coming from her parted mouth crashes against the bare skin of your chest rhythmically.

When her mouth latches harshly at one of your breasts, your eyes roll backward, your brain glitching under the swirly movements of her tongue over your nipple, teeth tugging until you’re a quivering mess under her ministrations.

She leaves you pert and slick, totally unsatiated, and makes no effort to clean your skin of her wet assault when she releases you with a mischievous grin.

Miranda licks her lips when she draws slightly back, blue eyes staring into yours.

“Thing is, a lie is still something, m’eudail.”

Before your breath has returned to normal, she flashes her teeth and, without you noticing until it’s too late, she’s digging her hand into her pocket again.

Before you can connect the dots, she’s pulling up the battery for you to see.

Miranda doesn’t inch to your mouth, this time: her hungry eyes drop to your exposed chest, staring at the glistening moisture almost dripping down your pebbled, neglected nipple.

You gape at her, draw a small intake of breath and hold it in, but of course, it’s too late and you can only prepare for the searing pain. It comes quickly, has your eyes rolling in the back of your head almost immediately before everything turns black.

It’s been a couple of hours now since she’s put you on her bed, face down, the cool sheets soothing against your abused chest.

Over the quilt, Miranda lays by your side with her ankles crossed, still fully dressed in her coat and boots, but has tugged her gloves with her teeth and discarded them somewhere on the floor. Almost carelessly, she’s grazing her blunt nails over the scar on your shoulder that bears the initial of her name.

You look up at her questioningly, your neck protesting from the awkward angle as you peer from above your shoulder.

Miranda smiles; it’s a genuine, almost fond one and it’s been a while since she’s shown you a similar one.

“I’m proud of you.” She says.

#miranda croft #miranda croft x reader #tfa #the flight attendant #fanfiction #ao3 #four lines #hidden scars

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optimistic-dinosaur-nacho · 5 years ago

Text

Imprisoned - Series

Chapter I

Story Rating: 14+

Warnings: Violence, Murder, Mentions of Murder, Language

Summary: Y/N is Andy and Laurie Barber’s 14-year-old daughter who is a high-grade student in Archer Middle School. Her best friend, Alice Miller had been gone for a while. They search for the lost student and find out that Alice Miller’s body has the prints of Andy and Laurie Barber’s daughter, Y/N.

Author’s Note: Not sure if I should make this a series, this is basically a daughter and dad situation. I DO NOT know what happens in DEFENDING JACOB. So don’t think I know it if I get these episodes correct. (Which I won’t)

Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V Chapter VI Chapter VII Chapter VIII Chapter IX Chapter X Chapter XI Chapter XII Chapter XIII

Spoiler free but will soon be spoiler alerts!

The song that reminds me about the readers character is Fitzpleasure by Alt-J Idk why

~~~

Going over the papers once again. This stress is getting to his head. Shoving the papers off to the side, he sighs. Needing to move on to some other case than that. His phone buzzes on the desk and he sees his wife’s name pop up. Taking the energy to take his phone, he looks at her message.

You busy?

He types in his phone with ‘a little bit’. He was curious was she needed so he replied with a ‘why?’.

Your daughter needs a ride.

The man looks at the time on his desk. It was 10 minutes after their last bell. He texts her back and picks up the papers, organizing them a little bit before grabbing his bag.

He walks out of his office and heads out, “Mr. Barber, you’re heading out?” The woman asks. The man turns around, “I gotta pick up my daughter. I’ll sure be back. If someone calls in for me, tell them to call me back.”

The woman nods, “All right. See ya, Mr. Barber.”

The man nods with a grin and pushes out the doors. He gets into his car and pulls out of the parking lot. He pulls out his phone and sees his daughter’s text.

I’m at the park :)

He drops his phone into the cup holder and drives towards the school. The students continuing to leave the building as he keeps driving up the street towards the park. The park he would take her sometimes as a little kid. There was a forest near that park and she would go back there and find some cool sticks she would bring home and play as if she was a knight in their backyard.

He sees the park come into view and two girls on the swings. He pulls up to the sidewalk and rolls his window down.

The two girls laughed as they swung back and forth. He smiled at them and a few seconds later, one of the girls brought their attention to him. “Oh, he’s here!” The girl says, she hops off the swing and grabs her bag.

Her friend follows her as they rushed up to the car. “Hey, dad!” The girl says, the man smiles at her. “Hey, champ.”

The girl grips on her backpack, “Is it okay if we take Alice to her mom’s house?” The girl asked. The dark-haired girl peaks over the other, “I’m sorry, Mr. Barber. It’s just my dad isn’t getting off work for another 3 hours and my mom is stuck at the store.” The man nods.

“Sure, I’m happy to drive you home. Hop in girls,” He says.

The girl smiles, “Thanks, dad.” The girl lets Alice hop in first and scoots over to the other side as the h/c girl sits next to her. “How was school?” The man asked.

“It was good. How was work?” His daughter asked.

He placed his hand on top of the wheel, glancing in the rear mirror to see them buckle their seat belts. “It was good. Your mother texted me to get you, so I might have to return back to work.”

“That’s okay. Mom was asking me to help her with some things around the house. We can finish the show tomorrow,” She says.

“That’s right, we’re both off. Spring break, right?” He asked.

“Yep,” She says. He grins and drives away from the park. He hears the two chatter in the back, laughing and pointing at their phones of funny or cute things on their devices. He tilts his head to the side to relief the pain in his neck. “How was practice, Y/N?” He asked.

“Hm? Oh, it was raining a little bit so the field was a bit too wet to play,” He looks back at his daughter Y/N who was rolling the soccer ball in her lap as she glanced at Alice’s phone. The two continued to laugh and chatter as he gotten closer to Alice’s neighborhood.

He pulls up to the light blue house and stops right behind her mother’s second car that was a dark van. “All right, Alice. It was nice seeing you again,” He says.

“Thank you, Mr. Barber.”

“Bye, Alice,” Y/N says, Alice grabs her bag and waves. “Bye!” She closes the door and she heads into her home, unlocking it herself and heads in. Y/N throws her backpack into the front and slides between the two front seats and sits in the passengers side.

“You got to stop doing that, Y/N.”

“What?” She smiles. He grins at her, “You’re too old now.”

“Says the old man, himself,” Y/N says, he shakes his head and pulls out of Alice’s neighborhood. “Did you get your test today?” He asked. Y/N shook her head, “No. Mrs. Lim wasn’t there today. Apparently, she left for her trip to Tokyo.”

“Tokyo? What’s over there?”

“Her family. Her mother’s birthday was coming up in a few days,” Y/N says, he hums, “And how do you know that?” He asked. Y/N looks at him, “Because me and Mrs. Lim always hang out during lunch! She likes me and Alice in the class.”

He nods, “All right, all right. What about that one kid? What’s his name again?”

“Henry?”

“Yeah, how’s his mom doing at the department? I haven’t seen her since the last pot luck,” He says, Y/N nods her head this time. “She’s good. His dad has to pick him up more because his mom is always taking late night shifts from 3 to 12.”

“Really? Nine hours of work?” He asked, Y/N nods, “It’s police work, you know?” His daughter was a student in Archer Middle. Top student and she has a big dream ahead of her. She wanted to be like her dad. A district attorney. He let her follow that and even filled her in with some of his cases he had been working on.

They were getting closer to the end of the school year and were glad to get it done. Y/N was their only child and couldn’t ask for a better daughter. She was kind, energetic and a good sense of humor.

He reached their house and stopped in front of the driveway, spotting his wife’s car. “You got yourself from here?” He asked, Y/N digs into her bag, “Yep!”

She pulls out her keys, “Thanks, dad.” She leans over and kisses his cheek. He smiled at her, “You behave yourself till I get back,” He says. She steps out and leans in to look at him.

“I will. Love you!” She closes the door and walks around to go up their lawn. “Love you too!” He shouts back, he sees the front door open to his wife and she kisses Y/N’s head before heading down over to him.

His wife smiles at him and leans into his window, kissing him. “What’s going on?” She asked.

“I still got stuff to do, I’ll try and make it for dinner.”

“Andy...” She says, he grins, “I’ll be here in time for dinner, I promise,” He says. Laurie gives him a nod and pulls away, “You should not work too hard, your daughter is insisting on finishing that show.” He slightly laughs, Y/N was into her crime drama shows.

“I’ll try not to.” She gives him a soft smile and walks back into the house. He rolls his window back up and drives off. His hand on top of the wheel, he drives back to his office.

Y/N drops her bag next to her desk and plops onto her bed with her phone in hand. Without knowing, something jumps on the bed and licks her face. “Aye! Milo!” Y/N says. She tries to push her Pointer hound who wagged his tail furiously.

Milo was from Andy’s friends a while back, the dog was a well-trained hunter and he needed a home.

Andy got the dog for Y/N and they became best buddies. Y/N watched as Milo sprawls out on her bed and begs for a belly rub. Y/N smiles and rubs his belly. “Y/N, sweetheart! Can you help me with the dishes?” Her mother calls.

“Coming! Come on, bubs,” She jumps up with her dog and they rush into the kitchen.

It was past 9 at night and Andy had returned. Opening his garage door, he parks his black small car into it. Closing the door afterwards, he walks into his home. The sound of the television going off and sound of the Live PD show played.

Andy walks into the kitchen to see his wife by the sink. Dropping his keys on the counter, that got his wife’s attention. “Hey,” He kisses her and turns to the table to see a plate that hadn’t been washed yet. It might’ve been Y/N’s.

He sighs, knowing he had missed dinner. Laurie scrubs the dishes as he looks at her, “I’m sorry, I tried to get as much done.”

“She’s more upset than I am,” Laurie said, Andy looks over to the living room and walks in the dark room only lit by the huge screen TV.

He walks around the couch to see Y/N and Milo spooning. Her eyes were closed as Andy kneels in front of her view of the TV. He gently pushes a strand behind her ear and that made her open her eyes up.

“Hey...” He says, softly, Y/N doesn’t say anything and closes her eyes again. He pierced his lips, “I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner. I tried to.” She doesn’t reply and he reaches over to pet Milo.

Sighing, he stands up and walks back into the kitchen. Laurie looks over her shoulder, “You hungry?” She asked. He shakes his head, “I’m okay. Thank you.” She grabs the plate off the table and brings it to the sink.

Scrubbing off the food, Andy walks away and tugs his jacket off his shoulders, throwing it in his bedroom on the chair. Pulling his tie off, he unbuttons his shirt and heads over to the drawer. He tossed his shirt and tie in the basket and grabbed a t-shirt. He slips that on and sits on the edge of his bed to take his dress shoes off.

Laurie came in and leaned on the door frame. “She still loves you.”

Andy slips out of his pants and throws them in the basket as well, “I know. But I just feel like a prick either way,” He says.

Laurie tilts her head, “Why do you think that?”

“A father should be there for their kid. She has games and everyone but me doesn’t go. I never went to one single game.”

“That doesn’t make you a bad parent, An,” She says, crossing her arms. He slips on sweats. “It makes me feel like one. The only thing we do is watch her favorite show and that’s it. I take her friend home and I don’t go out with you guys.”

“You don’t have to worry about us. We know you love us, but don’t let it get to you and make you feel like you can’t do much for us. We already know you are doing so much of it. We love you either way.” He sighs, dropping his head. Laurie comes over to the edge of the bed, pulling his head to her stomach.

Her hands caressing his head as he wraps his arms around her hips. Something they did when Laurie had a huge bump.

“Y/N loves you. She won’t ever hate you.”

“Ready?” Y/N asked, she holds the ball up to Milo, “Fetch!” She throws the ball out in the backyard and Milo runs after it. She watched as Milo jumps up and down at the ball’s movements before catching it into his mouth and returning it.

“Good boy!” She kneels down and takes the ball. “Wanna go again?” She shakes the ball in her hand, Milo barks. “Go get it!” She throws it and he runs off. Not knowing her father had walked out and watched her with a small grin.

Y/N knelt down for Milo but the hound runs past her and towards Andy. Begging Andy to throw it, he takes the ball. One swift throw, Milo runs for the ball across the backyard and Andy walks up to Y/N.

“Did you want to watch ‘Cage of the Past’?” He asked, the show was her favorite crime drama show on Netflix and they were on the third season out of eight. She gets the ball from Milo.

“Actually I was gonna ask if I can go to a party.”

“When? With who?” Andy asked. Y/N slightly shrugged, “Henry and Alice were gonna be there. It was at a girl’s house, named Emily. It’s her birthday,” Y/N said. Andy knew having his daughter out a lot, it worried him. He would have to make sure she had a ride home.

“Who’s gonna take you home?” He asked. “Alice’s dad was gonna take me home. I told them they can bring me back around nine.” Andy thought about this hard enough. Ride was given. Phone? Clothing? Right, what she said. Time.

“You promise to be back by 9?” He asked, Y/N nods. He sighs, “Okay. I trust you. You stay at that house.”

Y/N nods once again, “I’ll text you when we’re heading back over.” He nods at her and she throws the ball out to the yard one last time.

“You’re letting her go out to a party?” Laurie asked, she turns to lean on the counter, facing Andy. “It’s just a birthday party. Alice and Y/N were gonna come back after it ends.”

“Will she be back around 9?”

“I told her about coming home and she understands.” Laurie nods, “Okay, so we just keep an eye on our phones.” Andy nods in agreement. Y/N steps down into the kitchen from upstairs and she heads for the door. “Y/N, where’s your phone?” Laurie calls.

Y/N lifts up her phone, “It’s fully charged! I’ll text you guys, okay?” She says, Laurie smiles. “Okay, have fun.”

“Thanks mom. Love you both!” The two watched her leave that front door and stepped into Alice’s car with her father. Laurie watched the vehicle disappear and she sighs. “I hope they’re not having alcohol there.”

Andy smiles, “I’m sure she’ll be responsible.” Laurie looks at him and grins.

Let’s hope she is.

~~~

TAGS:

@jtargaryen18 @joannaliceevans-fanficblog @chrisevans-imagines @iguessweallcrazyithinktho @elliee1497 @princess-evans-addict @chrisevans-source

#andy barber x daughter!reader #andy barber #andy barber x reader #daughter!reader #chris evans #defending jacob #laurie barber #cevans #murder #novel #chris evans x reader #steve rogers x reader #captain america #steve rogers

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argumentl · 4 years ago

Text

The Freedom of Expression Ep 9 - Housewives living in Yamagata prefecture referred to prosecutors for insulting Kawasaki Nozomi.

K: Hi, This is Dir en grey's Kaoru, getting started with another episode of The Freedom of Expression. Joe san,Tasai san, welcome.

J, T: Pleased to be here.

K: Ok, so today's theme, Joe?

J: Yes, lets take a look at this news. 'Insult to Kawasaki Nozomi. "She gives me the creeps". Housewives in Yamagata prefecture referred to prosecutors....

A 39 year old woman from Yamagata and a 45 year old female medical worker from Osaka are being referred to Tokyo area prosecutors by Harajuku police station. According to staff at Harajuku police station, the pair are suspected of exchanging insults like "She gives me the creeps" about Kawasaki on an online public parenting platform between the 8th and 9th of April. They both admit to the charge.'

Just from reading this, being referred to prosecutors for saying 'she gives me the creeps' is a bit..

T: Well, yeh, but if you look in more detail, over three years they actually wrote on this parenting forum stuff like, 'She should miscarry' or ' 'she's creepy', also 'she's insolent', 'lets set fire to her house', *1, quite extreme things.

J: So we don't actually know thier reason for writing this stuff do we?

T: They wanted to send a message to Kawasaki Nozomi's husband's blog, but they were blocked, or unable to do so for some reason, im not sure. This made them angry and they directed thier rage towards his wife.

J: They probably shouldn't target his wife, and getting that upset because they couldn't send a message..I don't really know.

K: Its not very clever, right?

J: Yeah, its really not.

T: Also, 'defamation', I havn't heard this in a while.

J: Yeh, well Kawasaki san probably felt some damage to her honour, and in reality, if they come near her house, its coming close to interference in her business. The police probably thought this kind of 'defamation' was grounds for referrering the case to prosecutors. Another possibility is that Kawasaki san hired a lawyer, who may have said they same thing....So, this happened on an online forum? I think we talked about this happening with someone else before, but how far can slandering be forgiven? I mean, in this case its being reffered to prosecutors, so, well, when does it become a crime? I think this is a really difficult point. This kind of thing hasn't been made clear in detail, but it may have similar requisites as harassment. But like, how far do you have to go for it to be sexual harassment?, how far to..???*2. This type of thing isn't specified in criminal law. I think this is a problem that will have different interpretations, that will change depending on the information. So, Kaoru, as an artist with your name and face in the public eye, you must get lots of supportive messages. But at the same time, you probably also get some not so supportive messages. How far can you tolerate those? Of course, even one nasty thing can hurt, but what what would you consider worth talking to the police about, for example?

K: Well, I havn't had anything as bad as this, but...???*3 seems creepy to me.

J, T: For sure

J: And in this case, Kawasaki san hasn't even done anything! She's just in the wrong place. Right from the start its like, 'Why me?!'

K: Yeh, cause she's pregnant isn't she?..with that..its scary isn't it?

J, T: It is.

T: So, Kawasaki san is a former AKB 48 member, and after she quit, she started up her own company and was quite successful, she's been categorized as a winner, there might be people who are jealous of her. But to this extent..?

K: Well, they wrote it thinking that they wouldn't be exposed, didn't they?

T: Do people get exposed?

K, J: They do.

J: But why would they intentionally write this on a public forum? Wouldn't you normally spout your jealousy at a bar or something, after a few drinks?

K: But this is the same as that.

J: They simply write it?

K: I think so.

J: Like a kind of public execution?

K: No, I don't think they are thinking that much about it.

T: I think people need to be more aware of how scary SNS can be.

K: People are writing stuff with no thought, so i also think its ok to ignore it really. Its a person writing wierd stuff off the cuff, its all over...I mean, recently.???? There are tonnes of people writing stuff without thinking. And then people see all these comments just like that...writing just like that, and seeing just like that. Strangely, you need to be able to ...???, and you need to be able to brush it off . You'll still always encounter SNS or online info, thats how I feel about it *4.

J: I see.

T: There have been sucides in Korea, famous people have committed suicide, because they got affected by what people wrote online. So it happens in other countries too.

K: Well, it does affect you, the first time you see it.

J: Well, yes. When I do radio I get called all kinds of names *the others laugh*, recently, ive gotten, '????', to one of my shows. And these people get carried away, right, so it just increases more. They just come out with insult after insult*5, like 'are you still at it?!' ...well, i think, at least they are listening, so im kind of thankful.

K: Yeah, yeah.

J: Like, im just always talking, it could be kinda annoying, so if theres someone out there listening, im grateful. *T laughing*

T: Doesn't it bother you, Joe?

J: Not usually, no. But sometimes they hit in a sensitive spot, right? *K, T laugh*

J: It shouldn't be a big deal ...but....right? Some people will even cry on the train home. Even though it hasn't been a big deal until now, some people will cry about it. Especially if im also having a tough time with work or personal life, it stings.

K: Well, you are only human.

J: Right.

Kami: It happens to me too.

J: Oh, Kami's here.

Kami: Yeah, that happens to me.

T: You're not bothered by that though are you?

J: Yeah, you're a god.

Kami: Well, they say im no big deal, unreliable, or useless or something like that, loads of things are said about me...'you cheater ' and such.

T: *laughs*

J: You cheater?

K: Cheater..? What did he do?

J: Yeah!

K: No, I havn't done anything! I havn't done anything. Maybe its because, they'll give thier shrine donation but I don't do anything in return.

J: Oh, that more like a case of money trasfer fraud in the end?

Kami: Well, yeah.

T: Are you doing well at your part time job Kami?

Kami: Yeah, im doing well.

J: Are you?

Kami: Yeah, I am, i am.

T: A pseudo account...

K: He's writing on one, right?

Kami: No, if stuff happens to my displeasure, I'll give out bad luck..as a fortune.

K: Did you say, 'I'll give out..' *laughs*

J: Kami, you're scary.

T: He is.

Kami: The people who insult me will go home with bad luck.

J: But there must be people all over the world saying stuff about you..

Kami: Yes, yes, yes.

J: It must be tough to search online for yourself?

Kami: Yes, that is tough.

J: Right?

K: He said once before that he searches for himself online, didn't he?

J: He did..I wonder how many hits you get per day with the god hashtag?

Kami: There are people saying this god is good, or that god is good, or there is only one god, or stuff like that. I don't even know which one they mean.

K: But aren't there many gods, but one in charge, right?

Kami: Who's in charge..im not sure.

*everyone laughs*

J: He doesn't even know?! Maybe you're a cheater because you're not even real?!

Kami: Some people say that about me.

J: Ok, prove to us now that you're real. At least, show us something that you've achieved. If not...if i mention it now, we've never seen you in person since the start, you just came down from the sky, and we just thought you were a god.

K: He just came all of a sudden, right?

J: Right! We've don't even have any proof that you're a god. We've had no choice but to believe you.

Kami: I'll refer it to prosecutors.

J: Eh? What do you mean?

T: Scary!

Kami: As defamation.

*laughing*

J: Oh, if we say stuff about you?

Kami: Yes, yes, its defamation. Bad luck for Joe.

J: Eh? Really? ...by the way, how for would you tolerate people badmouthing you, Kami?

Kami: Badmouthing?

J: Are there any insults where you think, 'This is really awful!'?

Kami: No, the things that are said about me are, im no big deal, that im unreliable, not in existence, or useless. That type of thing..'he's a cheater' and such.

J: I see.

T: Now that you mention it, thats sometimes said about Tokyo Sports too.

J: Yeahh

T: 'Go under'.

Kami: Yeh, its like Tokyo Sports.

J: Do people really say that to you? But you said before, right? Apart from the date, everthing is false. *everyone laughing*. Thats amazing, you can sell papers and make money like that? Is Tokyo Sports originally just like fake news?

T: Well, people all over the world like a good story don't they?

J: I see. Well, it excells in the field of sports newspapers. Tokyo Sports has tonnes of fans, doesn't it?

T: Yeah

K: Tokyo Sports is like, the different one.

J: Yes, its different.

T: Well, im grateful..

J: Really!

T: On the other hand, we aren't respected. The level of respect we get is really low. *the others laugh* But I want to keep eating, so I'll recommend it.

J: Ah, ok. Are you hiring..at Tokyo Sports?

T: No, not really.

J: You're not?

Kami: A normal newspaper puts articles out, right?

T: Yeah.

Kami: But Tokyo Sports is creative.

J: Ahh, yes. They are stories, right?

Kami: Very much like a god.

J: Tokyo Sports like a god?!

T: Will you come and work for us, Kami?..hourly rate 25% bonus.

J: Ohh, 1250yen!

K: What will you make him do?!

Kami: Hmm, hmmm.

T: He could start with cleaning the toilets.

Kami: A night shift would be more money. *laughs*

J: Kami, how about cleaning Tokyo Sports' toilets?

Kami: It would be an outrageous guy who makes a god clean the toilets.

J: No, that would be the real Toilet God*6.

K: ?!...You were aiming with that!

J: Err, yeh...kinda.

*everyone laughing*

K: It seemed on purpose

J: No, no, it just came to me. I thought it would be too good.

T: You sounded serious.

J:I've been exposed...I took a deep breath before I said it. My shoulders moved.

K: His face looks so camp now....Ok, well, lets finish up here. Err, everyone, please subscribe to this...show?

J: This channel.

K: Please subscribe to this channel..See you next time.

*1 Im not massively good at Japanese slurs.

*2,3 Couldn't catch these bits.

*4 He spoke so fast it all kind blurred onto one, difficult to understand.

*5 He's running off a list of slurs which his listener sent to him. Im not advanced enough in Japanese slurring to grasp each individual one.

*6 There is a toilet god in Japanese folklore, have a google :)

#dir en grey #the freedom of expression #tfoe #薫 #kaoru

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zeldasayer · 5 years ago

Text

Loving Dyn V - Christmas Eve

Pairing: Mandalorian/Dyn Jarren x Reader

Summary: Domestic Daddy Dyn, Artist Mom & the green bean attend your parents infamous Christmas Eve party. We get to know your parents and your backstory. (Continuation from Loving Dyn II & IV)

Warnings: Flashbacks including drinking, smoking, brief depictions of depression, loneliness/abandonment, mention of coming out.

Dyn squeezes your hand as you walk up the steps to your mother’s residence. Your other hand holding up your caramel coloured silk dress, your heels clicking against the marble.

Baby looks up at the 15-foot doorway in astonishment from his father’s arm.

“Okay,” you say turning to your two boys, you feel the lapels of Dyn’s blue velvet suit between your fingers to stay grounded. It’s fitted and he looks dashing. You’ve dressed Baby in a matching blue velvet robe you made yourself out of fabric you found at the market. “There’s my mother, Wilhemina. My father, Stark. My mother’s husband, Ezra. My father’s husband, Madden.”

Dyn nods, “Wilhemina. Stark. Ezra. Madden. I got it.”

“Right, and then there’s everyone else. My aunts. Uncles. Cousins. Family friends.” You look towards the door as you start to panic. “Oh god, Dyn what have I done?”

You start to fidget. “Everyone is in there. This is too much. It’s Christmas Eve. You must think I’m insane. Let’s just leave. We can just go. Let’s just go.’’

You turn and Dyn grabs your arm, “Hey, hey. It’s fine. I’m excited. I love Christmas.”

“You didn’t even know what it was three weeks ago.” You whimper.

“Yeah, well....” Dyn shrugs, tilting his head to the side.

You look down at your hands and Dyn crouches to try and find your eye line. “Hey, I am ready for this. It’s you, me and Baby against the galaxy, babe. Always. It’s going to be just fine.”

You nod and Dyn takes your hand and you push open the door.

You’re hit by a wave of warmth, sound, and colour. As the foyer is filled with people dressed in jewel toned evening wear, everyone dripping in silk and fur and velvet and gold. There is laughter and clinking of champagne glasses. More than a few heads turn toward you and you look down in embarrassment.

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Darlene Love fills the air glowing rich with candlelight, as a droid skids past, offering drinks.

“HMm.” Dyn grunts in displeasure. You let go of his hand and link your arm through his.

“Come on, tough guy. Let’s find my parents”

Baby coos, distracted by the lights and colours and different voices, the vibrating music. Even Dyn has his neck craned up to the cathedral ceilings strung with twinkling lights.

“Remember,” you say looking back at them, Baby’s eyes bouncing around like a ping-pong ball, Dyn staring straight up at the oversized black and white portrait of you as a child, a goofy smile plastered across his face. “If this gets to be too much, you tell me and we’re out of here.”

“Yeah, sure.” Dyn says, looking back down. “Is that you?”

You look up at the portrait you mother had blown up after you moved out. It was taken at the beach, your hair wind-blown and salty at the end of the day. Your chin raised, and your eyes cast down to the side. You were 7.

“Uh, yep.” You say, maneuvering through the crowd. Stopping as more guests began to recognize you. You exchange quick kisses on the cheek and insist you’ll return once you find your parents.

“Kind of crazy, isn’t it?” Dyn asks.

“How so?” You say over your shoulder.

“That’s what our daughter could look like.”

You stop and Dyn walks into you, Baby’s arms go up in surprise. You look up at your love with wide eyes, “Okay, we’ll unpack that when it’s not Christmas.”

Dyn laughs and shrugs and you imitate his movements as a joke.

You turn back as you walk through the arches of the grand living room and you hear an excited scream.

A woman in a long red fur coat turns, she wears a matching red gown, her exquisitely shiny silver hair piled up with pins on the top her head. She has an opera length cigarette holder between her dark purple lips.

“Someone take this!” She calls, pulling the holder out of her mouth and stepping forward with her arms up. “There will be no smoking around my grandson! Or my daughter! Or her beautiful partner!”

“Hi, mom” you smile, opening your arms for her. She embraces you and gives you a kiss on the cheek.

“And this must be Dyn and Baby,” Wilhemina sings, wrapping her arms around the two of them.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you.” Dyn gasps through her grip.

Wilhemina pets the top of Baby’s head lovingly, then clasps her hands together. “I am so glad you’re all here. I am so happy.”

The droid skids by again, a replenished tray of champagne balancing on top.

“Please!” Your mother exclaims, “Have a drink.”

“I’d love one,” you say and Dyn just stares.

“It’s fine, just take it.” You say through your teeth.

Dyn grunts.

“Take it.” You pretend to cough.

Wilhemina raises an eyebrow but her focus is broken as she looks passed the two of you. “Oh, Stark! Look who’s here!”

You turn to greet your father, but Dyn catches his hand first. Giving him a strong handshake and Baby cackles from the bumpy movement.

“Nice to meet you, Dyn.” Your father smiles, before crouching down to meet Baby. Everyone is always stunned when they meet Stark, Baby included. He coos with his mouth agape, reaching for his club master reading glasses. Your father wears and all white suit with a black tie, salt and pepper hair slicked back, his beard impeccably kept. He stuffs his hands in his pockets as his velvet fog voice spills out of his mouth, “Well hello there, Baby,”

Baby smiles sweetly with wide eyes and Stark squeezes his little cheek.

“Y/N!” Madden calls, stepping around his husband. “The most beautiful girl in the galaxy. When are you going to let me put you in a movie?”

“Never!” You laugh, as you kiss each other on both cheeks.

Madden rolls his eyes, “I know, but I’ll never stop trying.”

“She’s far too talented to be an actor, Madden darling.” Stark declares to his husband, crossing in front of him to embrace you and you quickly inhale his cologne.

“Hi dad,” you smile up at him.

“I’m so happy you came.”

“I think I’ve almost missed it here.”

Dyn laughs at something Madden & Wilhemina are telling him, probably something at your expense, but you smile at the sweet sound of his voice any way.

“You look happy, my star.” Stark says, searching your face.

You look over to Dyn, now bouncing Baby on his side as your mother introduces them to her husband and others you recognize as your aunt Adohara and her family. Dyn’s face is Iike sunshine, even in the darkness of winter as he smiles and nods, wishing everyone around him a “Merry Christmas”.

Your aunt comments on his exquisite face as Children pull on his arm for a better look at Baby and Wilhemina passes him champagne. He and Baby are a commodity.

You look back to you father, “I really am, dad.”

Your father nods, “I am so glad, my star.”

Stark smiles, and behind his frames you can’t help but see relief, joy and sadness swirl around in his eyes, all at once.

Wilhemina Starling and Stark Juniper were pioneers of the hologram film age, and the biggest stars on Venus-9. They were disgustingly beautiful, effortlessly funny, breathtakingly talented, and, as a duo, criminally profitable. Their marriage was iconic and your birth was broadcasted on every comm on the planet, finally an heir to a film dynasty. The next true star, so they thought. You rebelled at an early age against any matching of your parents stardom. You would rarely sit still for photographs and journalists, loudly expressed your contempt for fame, specifically declaring you had never even seen a Starling & Juniper vehicle. You didn’t mean to come off harsh, it just spilled out of you.

You were cursed at such a young age with the ability to see through it all. You didn’t see the beauty, the constant filtering of important people through your home - from filmmakers, to poets, to musicians and diplomats. You didn’t see the opulence, or even the joy your parents brought to others through their films. You only saw the loneliness looking back at you in the mirror. The confusing desire to both rebel and have your parents full attention, to be as great as them in anything. You could only see a life you didn’t ask for. You wanted to be delicate, exist in the shadows. Stunning and strong.

Instead you were full of rage and sadness. Your own beauty repulsed you and you were so desperately impulsive. You screamed out to the sky every night “Why did you send me to this planet?!” for you knew it must have been a mistake. You weren’t who you longed to be. You had an obsessive desire to set the planet on fire, but knew it wouldn’t burn fast enough. Nothing ever did. You were lost in a never ending cycle of everything being too much, or not enough.

It wasn’t until you were an adult and moved off of Venus-9 that you saw your parents for what they were, as complicated and lonely as you.

There was your mother’s exhausting career in always being “on”. Trapped in a contract she signed at 21, she had been making 6 films a year since. She was who everyone either wanted to be, or be with. A pressure she kept hidden in the dark with cigarettes and brandy. The biting of her cuticles and the ever-present guilt of so desperately wanting to be famous, just to secretly be unable to handle it. Wilhemina threw herself into every party, every role, every glass of brandy with her purple lipstick print, as to not be afraid.

Though, Stark could have been the loneliest of all. From the ages of 12-15 you could count on one hand how many times you had seen your fathers glorious face. It was a time you called, The Days of Recluse. You all slept under the same roof but at this point your parents had separate bedrooms. Your father only emerging from his for work. Otherwise, he laid in the dark all day, you were certain, catching a glimpse inside his room one afternoon when your mother shuffled out with a tray of uneaten breakfast. One of the few times you actually came face to face with Stark during this time, his appearance startled you. Gone were his golden movie star looks. His lustrous perfectly coiffed black hair had gone dull and shaggy. His skin over grown with a beard that made him unrecognizable. The dreamy look in his eye had gone hard and vacant like stone. He looked frail, his body swallowed by light blue pyjamas. Ultimately, he looked defeated. If you didn’t know your father, you wouldn’t know who was standing before you in the hallway at the top of the stairs in your own home. You stood there, eyes wide and he began to cry.

“I love you,” you blurted out, and pushed past him. You didn’t know what to do. How could you? This was just your normal.

Wilhemina became increasingly irritable during this time. Favouring chain smoking in the grand living room, with her large sunglasses on with her sister, Adohara. They spoke in whispers, but you heard them, of not knowing what to do. Wanting to help your father but not knowing where to start. “He needs his truth.” Your mother would say. “He needs his truth.”

When your father came out to you, you wept. You wept for him, you wept for yourself, you wept for the light that now crept into the home. You wept tears of happiness because you felt like perhaps this had been what was missing all along, your father’s truth.

You had a vivid memory of just days later, sitting on the floor of your parents formerly shared en-suite bathroom as your mother cut your father’s unkept hair, and trimmed his beard that he decided to keep.

Your father leaned into every touch, and your mother smiled through misty eyes. It felt so intimate, like you shouldn’t be there. It was like witnessing two people coming out on the other side, battered and bruised, but alive. Victims of a vicious studio system that overworked them and stole the best years of their lives just to display for the joy of others. A system that didn’t care what happened to them, as long as they were making money.

You once had elaborate fantasies of telling your parents you were magnificent in spite of them, not because of them, but all that came out of your mouth the night before Stark moved out of the residence was, “Growing up was so hard.”

Your parents looked down in shame. Your father’s bottom lip protruding as he let out a heavy exhale.

Wilhemina grabbed his hand and opened her mouth to speak, but you cut her off.

“And I don’t need you to be sorry, I don’t need you to want to take it back, I just need you to know how hard it was to always be alone. I was always alone.” You felt your chest burn from your voice cracking. “I know it wasn’t easy for you either, but I was the child and I needed you.”

Wilhemina and Stark nodded. They knew. And you knew that they did. There had been a shift after your father’s coming out. You actually saw each other, Wilhemina in the process of retiring from the scene all together and Stark transitioning to work behind the camera. You had begun showing them your own work, your art picking up recognition under the pseudonym F/N Zelda as to not attract any concerns of nepotism. Your mother began hanging pieces around the residence until they sold, even holding on to the ones you insisted on scrapping.

They were trying, but change wasn’t immediate. You weren’t suddenly delicate overnight. You felt for your father who was now faced with dreaming up his entire life all over again, and your mother who was losing you both to new lives at once. The three of you had a lifetime to mend and heal from, but it finally felt like the beginning of the end.

“Dyn, Y/N,” your mother sings as Baby reaches for her, much to your surprise. “I hope it’s alright, I got a few Christmas gifts for Baby.”

Wilhemina adjusts Baby in her arms as he rubs his face softly against her fur coat.

“Of course,’ Dyn says.

“We got him a few things, too.” Stark says, putting a hand on Madden’s shoulder and Madden beams a radiant smile.

Your mother turns and you all follow her as a parade through the sea of people to the back of the home. Past the 18-person dining table and through the kitchen with servant droids assembling platters of hors d'oeuvres and glasses of champagne. You link your arm through Dyn’s again, pressing yourself against him as delicately as you can. You look up at him with doey eyes and he smirks.

Through the kitchen you’re met with the more modest living space, the one you frequented most growing up. You gasp.

The room is lit up by a Christmas tree surrounded by package after package wrapped in different coloured foils, all tied meticulously with bows. Different shapes and sizes, there is at least two dozen of them.

“Oh mom.. Dad...” You sigh.

Wilhemina sets Baby on the ground and he waddles toward the shiny colours.

Stark and Madden walk passed you excitedly as you and Dyn have stopped in your tracks, eyes wide.

Dyn leans into your ear and whispers, “Baby isn’t going to know what to do with any of this.”

“Yeah, no. Not a clue.” You whisper back.

Baby looks back at you, as his finger traces along a gift.

“Go ahead, Baby.” Dyn nods. “It’s all for you.”

Sometimes you can’t believe this is your life. A civil relationship with your parents. An angel you would run to the end of the galaxy for, and his sweet green bean that you came to care for as your own. A delicate existence that satisfies you creatively, emotionally and otherwise. Filled with soft moments and a love so deep, if you think about it for too long, it makes you cry. A life you didn’t know was possible, for you once believed you’d be screaming up into the sky for eternity. But here you are. Sitting cross legged on the floor with Baby in your lap as he tears through Christmas presents, more interested in the wrappings and bows than the toys themselves. Dyn scarfing down hors d'oeuvres with your step dads and father just above you, stopping to feed you one, as your hands are tied with your sweet boy. Your mother watching everything with excited eyes, sipping on Coca Cola from a glass with her purple lipstick print.

You made it. You’re okay.

Tags: @otherthingsinhead @aeryntheofficial @maryan028 @readsalot73 @osric-the-l3m0n-l0v3-demon @capsironunderoos @antclottz @intense-sneezing

A/N: I feel like I should apologize as this has turned into more of myself practicing/finding my writing style than an actual Star Wars tale. I promise in the next chapter or 2, everything changes....👀 Stark and Wilhemina are based off of Rock Hudson and Dorothy Malone. I hope you enjoyed. Happy holidays! Love, Zelda

#the mandalorian #the mandalorian x reader #mandalorian #mandalorian x reader #pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #baby yoda #star wars #star wars fanfiction #dyn jarren x reader

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boywizardscanbecute · 4 years ago

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Inseparable Part IV

Hey guys here’s a present for yall! Part 4/5 of Inseparable!!! I’m a sucker for Harry Potter x Reader and long fics so those of you that know me know I had to write this. Enjoy!!! Part 5 I hope to finish in the next month. Let me know if you have any requests or want to be tagged in future stories!

LOVE YOU GUYS

Find parts I-III Here: https://boywizardscanbecute.tumblr.com/post/619112671437111297/inseparable-parts-i-iii

Part IV

Dumbledore arrived at 9 am sharply. “Good morning professor,” you say cheerily. He smiles with a twinkle in his eye, “And a good morning to you too Ms. l/n. Tell me, are you ready to depart?” You nod. Dumbledore offers an arm to each of you, but before disapparating he adds, “Y/n you will be going to the burrow. Harry, I have someone I would like you to meet first. Then you will join her at the burrow.” Harry nods, and then looks to you. Dumbledore, averts his gaze. The man was one of the brightest wizards known to live, he surely felt the chemistry between the two of you. Nevertheless, you keep things low key. “Harry,” you squeeze his hand, “Please be careful.” He nods, and plants a swift kiss on top of your head. When you’re finished, Dumbledore takes each of your hands and disapparates. When you reappear, you stand alone in the Weasley’s kitchen. Dumbledore and Harry gone.

You’re only left to your thoughts for a single moment before a smiling figure welcomes you into their arms. “Y/n darling! Dumbledore told me you’d be coming today. Your trunk already arrived along with Harry’s trunk and Hedwig. Almost time for a spot of breakfast make yourself comfortable dear,” Mrs. Weasley fawns over you. Instead of busying herself in the kitchen however, she sits across from you. And you could sense what she was about to ask. “Are you okay dear? Ron told me about everything. I know you’re the only one Harry will talk to, but I don’t want you to feel burdened.” You feel a rush of gratitude at her concern. Faking a smile you respond, “I’ll be okay Mrs. Weasley. Harry needs me and I need to be there for him.” She reaches across the table, grabbing your hand. “Y/n,” she urges, “You are just a child. It’s not fair for you to take on being someone’s emotional guardian like that.” A response forms on your lips, “But Mrs. Weasley, wouldn’t you do the same for Mr. Weasley?” She smiles, “Of course I would dear, but he’s my husband. You’re still so young.” She did have a point. But Harry wasn’t just anyone. “Yes he is Mrs. Weasley. And to be completely honest with you I feel the same future approaching for Harry and I. No one makes me happier than him and I really couldn’t imagine my life without him,” you beam. She returns your look, “Inspired words. I just want you to be safe.” Squeezing Mrs. Weasley’s hand you reply, “Always will be.” Then she busies herself cleaning and cooking. As soon as you befriended Ron, Mrs. Weasley became the mother in your life. And you would do anything for her. You were lucky she thought of you as her child.

Pacing around the living room, you waited for Harry to return from wherever he was going with Dumbledore. You knew Dumbledore would protect him but it didn’t stop the worry you felt. It is still very early in the morning, Ron was sleeping upstairs. Instead it was Ginny who came down the stairs. “Alright there y/n?” she called out to you. Turning, you plaster a fake grin on your lips. “Fine Ginny, just waiting for Harry to get here.” She saw through your fake smile, but decided not to press the issue. She continued to wander into the kitchen. It’d been nearly 2 hours since you got here. You decide to distract yourself with food when you hear a loud crack from outside. The unmistakable sound of apparating. Sprinting out the door, you see Harry standing in the grass. “Harry!” you shriek. His arms don’t have time to catch you and he topples over as your body crashes into his, the air rushing out of his chest. Lifting yourself off of him slightly, you look down and study him. “Are you okay?” you giggle. He grunts, “Yea just surprised at being knocked over.” Immediately you get off of him and help him up. There’s a call for breakfast from inside and you’re about to go in, but decide to follow your impulses. Turning around, you cup Harry’s cheek and give him a long, lingering kiss. When you pull back, he stands there stunned into silence. “Come on,” you laugh. Taking his hand, you drag him back into the Weasley kitchen where a delicious breakfast awaits.

Summer at the Weasley’s was the most relaxed you’d felt in ages. Today you’d decided to go to Fred and George’s joke shop along with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. The shop was a marvel, a beacon of light in the now dimly lit shops of Diagon Alley. Fred and George had really found their calling. The day was fantastic, that is until Harry caught sight of a familiar platinum blonde haired boy headed for Diagon Alley. Harry burst out the door after him. “Harry where are you going?” you call after him. Ron and Hermione look to you. You shake your head, not knowing where Harry was going, but you follow him, with Ron and Hermione on your tail. Harry watched Draco turn the corner and made a decision. He began to scale the building across from Fred and George’s, climbing onto the roof. “Harry Potter you get down from there! You’re going to hurt yourself!” Hermione and you both yell at the same time. But he doesn’t listen. “Merlin’s beard,” you curse under your breath. Grabbing hold of the gutter, you climb up following him. “Hang on, he doesn’t answer so you’re just going to follow him?” Ron asks bewilderedly. Ignoring him, you lay yourself next to Harry on the roof and follow his gaze. “Harry, what are we looking for,” you hiss. Not taking his eyes off Draco in Bourgon and Burke’s he replies, “Malfoy looks an awful lot like someone who doesn’t want to be followed. And now he’s in there, see he’s talking to his mother and Bellatrix Lestrange.” You gasp, Bellatrix Lestrange did indeed stand in plain sight in the main attraction of Knockturn Alley. Soon Hermione and Ron crawled up next to you. “What do you think they’re talking about?” Ron asks, already knowing why Harry was watching them. “Dunno,” Harry replies, “But they seem pretty interested in that cabinet.” Hermione squints at said cabinet. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” she murmurs. If Hermione hadn’t heard of it, that meant it had to be rare. So the four of you watched Draco’s interaction until he left. It was hard to pull Harry away. “Harry, come on. There’s nothing else happening,” you pull his arm. Reluctantly, he goes. Meeting back in the shop, you return to the burrow with your friends and an extremely agitated Harry.

Today was no different. The Hogwarts Express chugged along the countryside and Harry sat next to you, aggressively chewing on his finger nails. “I’ve got to do something. I’ll be back,” he suddenly rose and left the compartment without a second glance. Ron looks at you. “Don’t look at me,” you say aloud, “He’s been acting weird all morning.” “But why?” Hermione asks. You groan, “I’m not sure. But I have a hunch.” Hermione doesn’t inquire further.

Around lunchtime Luna and Ginny join you in the compartment. It somewhat takes your mind off of your missing best friend. But as the sky grows dim and you get closer to the castle, you shift in your seat. Pulling into the platform Hermione announces hopefully, “Maybe Harry’s already gotten off of the train.” You return her smile, “Maybe. But I’m gonna hang back just to make sure. See you guys at dinner.” They reluctantly nod. Ginny follows and it’s Luna who announces, “I’ll keep you company and help you look.” “Thanks Luna,” you reply thoughtfully Once everyone exits the train you begin to walk the aisle. “Harry?” you call tentatively. No answer. Luna slips into the other cart and continues searching. “Harry? Are you here?” you call out again. Silence echoes around you. Another minute of searching and a sing song voice calls from the next car over, “I’ve found him!” You rush towards Luna’s voice. She stands over Harry laying in the middle of the aisle with a clearly broken nose. “Oh Harry,” you sigh once you realize he isn’t seriously harmed. You and Luna each take a hand and pull him to his feet. Walking out onto the platform Luna briefly stops, stepping in front of Harry. “I can fix that for you,” she states. “That’d be great thank you Luna,” he replies, lowering his sleeve from his bleeding nose. Raising her wand Luna exclaims, “Episky.” Bones crunch as Harry’s nose is put back in place. The three of you stroll back towards the castle, forced to walk as all then carriages are gone.

Dinner’s halfway over when the three of you arrive. Luna departs for the Ravenclaw table and you and Harry slide in by Ron and Hermione. “What happened?” Hermione gasps, gesturing to Harry’s bleeding nose. “Later Hermione,” Harry hisses, focusing on Dumbledore’s speech. You softly readjust the cloth he holds against his nose before turning to the front as well. “Even now, as we speak, dark forces attempt to penetrate this castle. They attempt to infiltrate your mind and you must ask yourselves, will you be the one to deliver your peers to darkness. The answer is hopefully no.” The speech was bleak, and it struck a chord with Harry. He was sure now more than ever that Draco was working with other followers of Voldemort. “We have a staffing change as well. I’d like to welcome Professor Horace Slughorn who will reprise his role as potions master. Professor Snape will begin Defense Against the Dark Arts.” It takes you a second to register said statement. “Wait what?” you ask incredulously. Harry answers, “That’s the man that Dumbledore took me to meet before we went to the Burrow. He wants me to get to know him, get close to him.” “Why?” you hiss. Harry just shakes his head responding, “Dunno.” When dinner’s over, you and your friends trail back up to Gryffindor tower. And before you sleep you ask Harry, “Harry I want you to promise me something okay?” He looks up at you from his spot on the couch. “Promise me you won’t impulsively go after Malfoy,” you state. Harry immediately frowns but you continue, “Harry, if he really is one of them now, then they could easily be at his side. Please don’t do anything impulsive, I need you to be safe Harry.” In response to your plee, Harry stands and presses a soft kiss to your cheek. “I promise,” he whispers. Satisfied, you return his kiss and skip off to bed.

The next day was Quidditch tryouts. After Umbridge left Harry was reinstated and became captain. He kept you and Cormack on as beaters, Ginny as a chaser. There was one open spot, for keeper. Competition was fierce but in the end, it’s Ron who gets the position, to a very satisfied Hermione. That night you sat by the fire, comparing schedules. “Why aren’t you taking potions?” you ask Harry and Ron. Harry answers, “I don’t have the scores to become auror anyways so I may as well not take it.” You purse your lips considering his statement. Turning towards the fire, you realize how late it is. “Well, we best get some rest before classes tomorrow. Goodnight everyone,” you tell them. Harry walks you to the stairs like normal. “Goodnight Harry,” you tell him between kisses. “Goodnight beautiful,” he responds, causing a blush to creep to your nose. Harry laughs and sends you up the stairs.

The next day was a whirlwind as you rushed from class to class. And as you stood listening to Professor Slughorn drone on about potions you’re surprised to see Harry and Ron enter the dungeons. “Ah, Harry my boy what brings you here?” Slughorn beams. Harry replies, “Well sir, Ron and I have added potions to our schedule sir. But we don’t have the book.” Slughorn, turning back to his notes says, “Very well, check the back cupboard for any extra books and find a seat.” Harry nods. Another moment later and Harry and Ron settle into your table. You raise your eyebrows at him. He mouths back ‘McGonagall’s orders.’ You smile, having had a feeling this would happen. When Slughorn announces that you’ll be brewing draught of living death on your own, you feel Hermione tense beside you. You laugh until you hear what the prize for the best one is. A vial of Felix Felicis. “Liquid luck,” you gasp. Hermione stares longingly at the prize and you join her gaze. “And Begin! Goodluck!” Slughorn proclaims.

Half an hour later you wipe your forehead across your arm, sweat dripping down your face. “Why is this so hard,” you curse under your breath. Hermione had an equally difficult time, which comforted you a little bit. Trying to slice open a lobalog you growl as it shoots across the room out from under your knife. “Bloody hell,” you shot, eliciting a few dirty looks. Harry laughs at you. Turning to shoot him a fake glare, it’s then that you notice how well Harry is doing. Walking over to him you tug on his hand. He turns to look at you. “How are you doing this so well?” you moan in annoyance. Harry laughs and lets go of your hand turning to your textbook. “There’s notes in here,” he says, “I’ve just been following them.” Your eyes widen in jealousy. “Do share my dear,” you gently tease him. He shrugs, “Well for instance, try crushing the lobalogs against the blade instead of cutting them.” “Well okay,” you reply, returning to your station. Lo and behold, the crushing works and you smile in satisfaction. Hermione is in complete panic mode now, her hair blowing up in the steam. Dripping the juice into your cauldron she gasps, “How did you do that?” Shrugging you tell her, “I just crushed them instead of slicing them.” She shakes her head, “But that’s not in the directions.” Grinning you turn back to your work replying, “But it worked didn’t it?” She huffs in annoyance and continues trying to slice the bugs. Leave it to Hermione to insist on doing things by the book.

When everyone is finished, Professor Slughorn parades around the room testing each potion. “I can tell this class will need some work,” he comments. Finally reaching your station he tests Ron’s and tuts, “Pitiful,” to which Ron profusely blushes. Hermione’s is next and he smiles saying, “Well done Ms. Granger.” She beams with pride. When he tests yours his face grows with excitement, “Even better Ms. l/n.” You couldn’t help but grin despite Hermione’s frustration next to you. But in the end it’s Harry’s that wins. “This is fantastic my boy! Absolutely Splendid! One bottle of Felix Felicis for you!” Slughorn hands the bottle over. Harry smiles and flashes a wink at you. Hermione looks torn between jealousy and curiosity and Ron looks longingly at the bottle. Exiting the dungeons you whisper to Harry, “I do hope you’ll share that book a little more.” Harry chuckles and takes your hand, walking towards the Great Hall for lunch.

The first weekend after classes was your first Quidditch match. And unlucky for you it was against Slytherin. By the end of the week Ron was falling apart from nerves. “Ron are you okay?” you tap his shoulder. He jumps nearly a mile. “What? Oh sorry I was just thinking about the match tomorrow,” he replies. “Ron you’re gonna do fine,” Hermione reassures him. He gulps, “I’m not so sure ‘Mione.” He studies the fire in the common room, avoiding everyone’s gaze. “You should get some sleep Ron,” Ginny pushes him up from the couch. “I’m sure I’ll sleep, and not spend the whole night worrying about tomorrow,” he groans, traipsing up the steps. Ginny and Hermione follow. “We should get some sleep too,” you pull Harry up from the couch. “Meet you down here at 7 tomorrow?” he asks you. “Of course,” you tell him. Reaching the stairs to the girls dormitory you stop and turn to him. “Are you nervous for tomorrow?” you ask him, wrapping your arms around his waist in a hug. He murmurs into your hair, “For me? No. For Ron? Yes. But I have an idea on how to fix that.” Pulling away from the hug you catch the mischievous glint in his eye. “Harry James Potter what are you planning on doing?” you fake scold him. He laughs, “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” You push a finger into his chest and he backs against the window. “I know when you’re lying Harry,” you tell him. He grabs the wrist of the hand poking at his chest and kisses you deeply, pulling you into him. It’s all too easy to give into his touch and you let him run his hands across your back as you wind your own through his hair. Breathlessly he pulls away when he runs out of breath, with a goofy grin plastered on his face. You shake your head at his smile, He goes to kiss you again but you turn your head saying, “No kisses for you until you tell me this plan.” Harry groans, still reaching for your lips. Finally he sighs, “You’re too hard to resist.” Grinning at your victory, you turn towards him and wait for his explanation. He continues, “I was thinking of faking putting the Felix Felicis in Ron’s morning juice. I already asked Luna to come over and comment on the ‘tonic’ I put in his juice. If he thinks I gave him it, then I bet anything he’ll be at the top of his game.” Your jaw drops in surprise. “Harry that’s brilliant!” you squeal in delight. He laughs, “Well I’m glad you think so.” The clock chimes midnight and Harry frowns in frustration. “You should get to bed,” he tells you. Nodding, you plant one last lingering kiss on his lips and bound up the stairs, his eyes watching your backside as you go. Harry sighs in contentment and goes to bed himself.

The next morning you wait for Ron and Hermione to arrive at breakfast, as you already sat with Harry and Luna. When Ron does sit you urge him to eat. He looks like a ghost. “Some juice then? Come on drink up Ron?” Harry pushes the cup forward. As planned Luna comments, “Is that why you put a tonic in there?” Ron looks to Harry in confusion. Again as planned, Harry hastily moves the bottle of Felix Felicis from the table. It’s Hermione who speaks up, “Harry you can’t do that! It’s illegal.” Harry shrugs, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Hermione groans in frustration at Harry. Turning to Ron she begs, “Don’t drink it Ron. You don’t want your first victory to be won unfairly.” Ron considers her statement for a brief moment before downing the juice. Hermione frowns in disappointment. “Come on Harry, y/n. We’ve got a match to win,” he strides towards the field with newfound confidence. You follow your teammates with a hint of guilt in your chest at lying to Hermione. Harry, being your closest confidant, notices you’re feeling guilty. “She’ll find out soon enough, no harm done. I promise,” he tells you. Taking your hand, he leads you to the changing rooms.

Nearly every single student showed up for the match, the crowds were massive. After a somewhat motivating speech from Harry, you emerged from the changing rooms. Before you let him go and focus you kiss him on the cheek and say, “Goodluck darling.” He smiles and struts away. Following his figure, you focus all your thoughts on beating Slytherin.

As soon as Madam Hooch blew her whistle it was evident how much the Slytherin’s wanted to win. Due to the fact that they were likely to play dirty, you had to dash around the field, batting every bludger in their way. One Slytherin made their way through your defense and went to score. Miraculously, Ron blocks the Quaffle, kicking it right into Ginny’s arms. “YEAH!” you pumped your fist in the air. Refocusing, you search for the next bludger. Headed for Ginny with the quaffle, you dived in front of the bludger, wacking it towards a Slytherin chaser with all your strength. Knowing this move, GInny simultaneously dips lower, continuing on with the quaffle. The team was incredibly in sync. Another ten minutes pass and you spot the snitch. A red blur quickly follows it and you knew Harry saw it. Problem was, so did Malfoy. Racing towards Malfoy, you search around for any bludger to hit. The answer comes in the form of a heavy object slamming into the back of your arm. Gritting your teeth, you watch the bludger fly past you. Ignoring the pulsing in your left arm you position yourself behind the bludger and blasted it in Malfoy’s direction. His hand reached out for the snitch and you watched with bated breath. The bludger made contact with the back of his shoulders, effectively knocking him out of the way. With Malfoy gone, Harry closes his fist around the snitch in victory. He sails towards the ground, jumping off his broom. The whole team follows and the seven of you dog pile on top of Harry. The stands erupted in cheers and the Slytherin’s quickly retreated in defeat.

That night in the common room a party was thrown to celebrate the victory. Tons of firewhiskey was brought in, music blasting through a speaker. When Ron entered he was immediately lifted onto people’s shoulders. The amount of saves he brought for the team was nothing short of amazing. Hermione scowled. You and Harry walked up to her, ready to explain what really happened. Wordlessly, Harry pulled the vial out and showed it to her. She gasps, “You didn’t really put it in. He only thought you did.” Harry nods. “Sorry we didn’t tell you before,” you add. “It’s perfectly alright I…” Her voice trails off, her expression immediately changing to disgust. You and Harry followed her gaze and see Ron Weasley passionately kissing Lavender Brown. “Oh no. That’s not good,” you mumble. Harry stares on, stunned into silence. You turn to talk to Hermione, but she’s gone. “Harry,” you nudge him out of his daze. “Hermione’s gone,” you tell him. His face falls, “Oh no. She must be heartbroken.” You nod your head. “I’m going to go find her and talk to her. I’ll catch you later,” you press a fleeting kiss on his cheek and leave Gryffindor tower, searching for Hermione.

20 minutes later you find her in her favorite stairwell, the sniffles floating up to your ears. “Oh Hermione,” you sigh, filled with sympathy. You silently sit down next to her and place an arm around her. She sobs loudly. “I’m so sorry,” you tell her. She cries into your shoulder, soaking your shirt. Eventually, her cries slow and she shakes softly. “How did you do it?” “Do what ‘Mione?” you ask. She sniffles, “Watch Harry be with someone else. Last year with Cho.” You sigh, pondering her question. Eventually you answer, “It was hard. Really hard actually. Some days I didn’t want to leave the room. But I had to be strong.” She nods. “Ron’s an idiot,” you comment. She laughs. Minutes pass and she fiddles with her wand, conjuring tiny songbirds that circle the two of you. Soon giggles round the corner and a cheery Ron and Lavender pause at the sight of the two of you. Ron glances up, “What’s with the birds?” he asks. Lavender coos, “Come on Ron, I think this stairwell is taken.” She leaves but Ron stares at you comforting your friend. Hermione’s face hardens and she flicks her wand, sending the birds after him. With a look of horror and confusion, he turns and runs away. Then her cries return. “Hermione you know you don’t need him right?” you tell her. She doesn’t answer. You continue, “You’re the smartest person I know Hermione. And you’re such a pretty girl. Besides, you've got me and Ginny and Harry. We’re here for you. Come on, let’s go back.” Hermione nods and follows you back to Gryffindor tower. Sending her up the stairs to your dormitory you say, “If you need anything Hermione I’ll be in the common room for a little while.” She nods and says, “Thank you y/n. You really are my best friend.” You hug her and send her to bed.

When Hermione is gone you walk over to the couch to find Harry talking to Ginny. “Well?” Ginny asks. You sigh, “I got her to stop crying. But she’s heartbroken.” Ginny nods, “I can’t believe my idiot brother.” Harry bites back a snort of laughter. Ginny laughs and stands up saying, “Well I think I’ll head to bed. Great match today guys.” You compliment, “You too Ginny. You must have scored at least seven times.” She shrugs as if it was nothing. Laughing, she walks up the stairs and disappears behind the door. Finally you turn to Harry and let out a long breath. “This will sure make things complicated,” Harry comments. You nod. Taking his arm, you place it around your shoulders and curl up into him, tucking your feet underneath you on the couch. Harry asks, “Are you okay y/n?” Breathing against his chest you answer, “I’m okay. It’s just Hermione asked how I had to deal with you seeing Cho. And I had to think back about that. Because even though I was with Seamus I still had such strong feelings for you and it was hard to watch you be with someone else.” “I know exactly what you mean,” Harry replies. “I wish we didn’t lose all that time,” you admit. Harry speaks softly, “I wish we didn’t either. But we’re together now. That’s all that matters.” “You’re right,” you agree with him. A comfortable silence falls over the two of you and you relish in the pure bliss of snuggling with Harry. Suddenly, a thought comes to you and you sit up looking at Harry. “Harry what are we?” you ask eagerly. He snorts with laughter, “I beg your pardon?” You continue, “I mean I know we’re together, but like are we dating? Are we boyfriend and girlfriend? That’s what I mean.” A blush creeps onto his cheeks as he considers your thought. “Well?” you elbow him playfully. He answers, “I’m not really sure what any of that means. I’ve never really dated anyone before but I would like to call you my girlfriend. You grin like a fool. “So I’m your girlfriend then?” you look up at him. He answers by kissing you, pulling you into his lap. Breathlessly he pulls away and answers, “Yes. You’re my girlfriend.” You smile and kiss him again. It felt so natural to sit in his lap. His hands roam around your lower back, leaving your skin on fire. Running your hands through his hair, you let your tongue slip in his mouth and press yourself closer to him. Boldly, Harry removes his lips from yours and begins to suck on your neck. You hiss, “Harry that feels good.” He chuckles against your skin and continues to leave love marks on your collarbone. You squirm in his lap and he pulls away saying sheepishly, “We’ll probably have to stop now.” His face was beet red. Sliding off his lap you plant a soft kiss to his cheek and whisper, “Goodnight darling.” He gulps, “Goodnight y/n.” Flopping onto your bed, you fall asleep with a goofy grin on your face.

As potions continues throughout the term, Hermione becomes increasingly furious with how well Harry is doing. “Hermione I would let you share my book with me you know?” Harry argues with her after class. She huffs, “That’s not the point Harry. It’s that it doesn’t follow directions.” “Suit yourself,” Harry shrugs. “See you at the three broomsticks?” you ask Hermione. She shakes her head, “I suppose. But if Ron and Lavender are there I’m leaving.” “Okay Hermione,” you tell her. Looking out the window, you see a fresh layer of snow falling as you run up to Gryffindor tower to change. You decided to wear jeans with your brown combat boots and, sneaking up to Harry’s room, you throw on his Quidditch sweatshirt. Walking down the stairs into the common room, Harry raises his eyebrows at you. “I don’t think that’s yours,” he teases, snaking an arm around your waist. You feign innocence, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He laughs and kisses you on the forehead.

You enjoyed your time at the three broomsticks, successfully managing to distract Hermione from Ron and Lavender. Tragedy struck on the walk back to the castle. One moment you were laughing with your friends and the next minute you laughed in horror as Katie Bell’s body hung in the air a package lying at her feet. “Oh my god what’s going on?” you shout, running forward. Katie’s friend tells you, “I told her not to touch it, I told her!” Confused, you watched as Katie’s body is thrown around by some unknown force. She then drops from the air. “Arresto Momento!” you yell, slowing her fall. Stepping forward, you reach for the package but are stopped by Hagrid striding forward yelling, “Do not touch that! Whatever you do don’t touch that!” Stepping back, you watch as Hagrid lifts Katie up and carries her back towards the castle.

When you get back to the castle, you’re immediately summoned by Professor McGonagall. “Please describe what happened,” she asks you. Hermione jumps into a long winded explanation, saving you from having to say anything. When she’s done Professor McGonagall says, “Very well, you may go.” Harry however, stays glued to where he stands. “It was Malfoy,” he blurts suddenly. Both you and Hermione shoot him a look not to pursue this. “And how, may I ask, do you know that?” McGonagall questions him. “I just know,” Harry replies. “You just know?” McGonagall lets the statement hang in the air. Professor Snape comes striding into view and says something privately to Professor McGonagall. She whispers something to him. When he leaves she looks back to the three of you and says, “Please go back to Gryffindor tower.” You’re happy to oblige.

When you get out to the hallway you tell Hermione, “Hey you go on up, I want to talk to Harry for a minute.” She nods. When she leaves, you take Harry’s hand and dragged him up to the astronomy tower. When you get there, you pause and turn around to face him. “Harry what’s with the firm belief that Malfoy is up to something?” you ask him. He crosses his arms replying, “I already expected no one else to believe me but now you too?” He looks betrayed. Sighing, you uncross his arms and hold his hands in yours. He avoids your eye contact. You place a hand on his cheek and catch his green eyes. “Harry please talk to me,” you whisper. He sighs and answers, “I just need you to believe me.” Your voice rises to a shot as you try to convince him, “Harry I do believe in you! I do!” He finally looks at you, emotion in his eyes. You continue, “Harry, if you say Draco did it I believe you. I just don’t want you to get into unnecessary trouble, you know I worry about you.” His eyes flash with sadness. “Katie could have died,” he lets the statement hang in the air. “But she didn’t,” you reply. Harry takes your hand and brings you to the edge of the astronomy tower. The two of you sit, legs dangling off the edge, and watch the sunset. Harry’s arm is wrapped around your shoulders and you lean into him, nuzzling your face into his chest. After it gets dark he says, “I wish we could just run away sometimes.” You lift your head up from his chest and study his facial features. You were only 16 but Harry looked aged, there was worry in his eyes and you couldn’t remember a time when his eyebrows weren’t furrowed in concern. “I wish we could too Harry,” you lightly kissed his cheek. After a pause he confesses, “It’s so much pressure. I’m just a teenage boy. And now the whole wizarding world is relying on me to save their asses.” You knew it was hard for Harry to admit his fears, he always wanted to wear a brave face. You gently turn Harry’s face towards your own and kiss his lips deeply. You only pull away when you run out of breath. Breathing into his face you whisper, “I’m never going to leave you Harry. I’m going to help you. You’re not alone in this.” Pressing his forehead against yours, Harry says, “I really don’t deserve you.”

Slughorn made a big deal about the Christmas party that he would be hosting this year for his favorite students. Sitting in the common room around the fire you ask Hermione, “So who are you going to bring to the Slugclub’s christmas party?” She groans, “Ooh I don’t know. Maybe I should just go solo. Or wait, I’ll bring you!” You laugh, “Hermione, Harry is Slughorn’s crowning jewel in his collection of students, surely you don’t expect me to not go with my boyfriend?” She sighs, “God I don’t know what to do. You know who I’d really like to go with, but I can’t.” Squeezing her hand you say, “I know Hermione. It will get better.” She replies, “What I’d love to do is take the person who would piss Ron off the most.” You encourage her, “So do it then.” She pauses, “Maybe I will.” Harry comes up to the two of you and says, “What’s going on?” You tell him, “Hermione doesn’t know who to take to the Christmas party next week.” Harry sits down on the couch, pulling you into his lap and kissing you quickly before telling Hermione, “You know I happen to know someone that is dying to go with you.” Hermione’s eyes nearly pop out as she asks, “Who?” Harry laughs, “Cormack.” Hermione groans, “Now that is the last person I want to go with.” Harry agrees, “Yes, he’s quite annoying. But I know he would say yes.” “Fine,” Hermione huffs and walks over to Cormack, taking the plot into her own hands. Harry tickles your side and kisses your neck affectionately. “Harry stop,” you giggle. He chuckles and continues to tickle your sides. Finally, when your laughing dies down, Harry asks, “So what will my beautiful y/n be wearing to the party?” Kissing him on the nose you reply, “It’s a surprise.” He groans, “Don’t keep me in suspense.” “But then it’s no fun for me,” you laugh. Hermione stomps back over and says, “It’s done,” with a look of disgust on her face.

You help Hermione get ready for the party, nervousness already spreading through you. The dress you decided to wear was a deep red, silk material, with off the shoulder sleeves that stopped right above your knees. Meeting Harry in the common room, his eyes glance over you and he lets out a low whistle. “Harry,” you blush profusely, playfully swatting his arm. “You look gorgeous,” Harry breathes. Blush travels up your neck to the tip of your nose and you mumble, “Thanks.” Harry offers you his arm and he escorts you to the party.

Slughorn welcomes Harry with open arms and only acknowledges you as an afterthought. Once he’s thoroughly had his ear talked off, Harry returns to you side. “Care for a dance?” Harry asks you. You smile sheepishly, “Harry I’m not the best dancer.” He laughs, “And you think I am? Come on we’ll embarrass ourselves together.” So you let him drag you onto the dance floor. Harry really wasn’t the best dancer, but he had an ulterior motive; to hold you close. Wrapping your arms around his neck, his hands wind around your waist, pulling you tightly against him. You rest your head on his shoulder, The biggest smile grows across his face as he sways with you in his arms. And in that moment, Harry thought that he could never be happier than he was right now. But as was typical with his life, the happy moment was quickly interrupted. Mr. Filch entered the premises, dragging a reluctant Draco Malfoy with him. “Professor Slughorn sir, found this one gate crashing. Claims he was invited sir,” Filch simpers. Slughorn chuckles, “No harm done, no harm done.” Before he can continue, Professor Snape sweeps onto the scene and says, “I can take care of Mr. Malfoy.” His black robes sweep behind him as he drags the boy out of the party. You look to Harry, wondering what he wants to do. Your eyes travel down to his pocket as he flashes you the invisibility cloak. You nod and follow him as he slinks out into the corridor.

“Come on, let's go. Quickly,” Harry raises the cloak and you climb underneath, standing against him. Shuffling slowly down the hallway, you and Harry stand tucked against the wall as you listen to hushed voices. “I made a vow to protect you. So I would appreciate you not getting yourself into trouble everytime I turn my back,” Snape sneers. Draco shoots back, “I was chosen for this task. I don’t need your help. He chose me. Leave me alone.” Then there’s the telltale stomping of Draco walking away. You look at Harry, who mutters, “Believe me now?” Slowly, you nod. “He’s definitely involved somehow,” you agree. Harry gulps and slowly takes you back to the Christmas party. But the rest of the night seems pointless and you watch helplessly as Harry is extremely agitated to a point of distress.

Returning to the common room, Hermione immediately goes to take a shower, claiming she needs to scrub off Cormack’s touch. Harry plops down in an armchair and you settle comfortably in his lap. “Think we’ll ever have a night to ourselves, uninterrupted by impending doom?” you chuckle sarcastically. Harry laughs and runs a hand affectionately through your hair. “One day darling, one day,” he promises you. You study his emerald green eyes closely and see both the admiration and sadness in them at the same time. “One day,” you echo his thoughts. Harry smiles adoringly at you and you laugh, kissing him gently. Eventually, you part ways with your lover and go to bed.

Christmas holiday came by fast and soon enough you were back at the burrow. Opening your presents, you smile at the sweater Mrs. Weasley had knit you. “Oh thank you so much Mrs. Weasley I love it!” You run around the table and hugged her. From Ron you got some broom polish, from Hermione the new edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and from Ginny you got new converse. “Thank you so much guys!” you beam at your friends around the table. And as dessert finished up, everyone scattered throughout the house, enjoying family conversation. Making yourself some hot chocolate, you sit in the windowsill, watching snow fall.

Harry comes up from behind you, kissing the top of your head. “Hello darling,” you smile at him and patted the seat next to you. Sitting down, he smirks and pulls out a present from behind his back. “Harry you didn’t have to,” you begin but he silences you with a kiss. When he pulls away he says, “Yes I had to. Because you are life’s greatest gift to me.” Smiling cheekily you reply, “I got something for you too.” Revealing the present you got him from underneath the cushion, you push it towards him saying, “Open it.” Harry grins and begins to unwrap it. His breath stops for a moment when he sees what it is. Somehow, you’d managed to find a picture of you and Harry, age 7, smiling and lying in your aunt’s backyard, dirt all over your hands, holding them up to the camera. You’d managed to charm the picture to move and it showed you laughing and wiping dirt on Harry’s nose. It was a simple frame the picture was in, but it was the picture that mattered. His green eyes shine with emotion as he says softly, “I love it. I love it so much.” You smile, satisfied with the gift. Harry hastily wiped his eyes on his sleeve and says, “Your turn,” pushing your own gift towards you. It was rather tiny and you held your breath as you opened it. “Oh Harry,” you gasp, staring at the gift. It was a simple oval shaped silver locket. But that wasn’t the special part. The special part was that you noticed this necklace in a shop window in Hogsmeade months ago. Somehow, Harry had remembered this. Opening the locket, you saw a picture of you and Harry moving. It was the two of you embracing tightly after you won a Quidditch match earlier this year. “Hermione must have taken it,” Harry shrugs, answering your question before you can ask it. “Will you put it on me?” you ask him. Harry nods and takes the necklace from you. Turning around, the hairs on your neck stood on end as Harry brushed your long locks aside, and clasped the necklace around you.

When Lupin turns to leave, Harry stands with him at the front door, staring out across the land. “Something’s up,” you mutter to Ginny. The two of you walk towards the door behind him. Suddenly there’s a flash of black across the sky and you freeze in your spot as you hear the laugh of Bellatrix Lestrange echoing through the air. There’s a ring of fire and Bellatrix appears chanting, “I killed Sirius Black! I killed Sirius Black!” You look at Ginny and mutter, “Oh no. He’ll go after her.” Sure enough, Harry sprints through the ring of fire after the death eater in a moment of anger. Without a second thought, you sprint after him, jumping over the flames. “Y/n no!” Lupin shouts after you. Ignoring it, you sprint through the tall grass after Harry. “Harry!” you scream. Sprinting further into the tall grass, you search frantically for your boyfriend. There’s a rustling in the grass a few feet behind you and you turn around scared. “Harry?” you call out shakily. There’s a low growl coming from the rustling in the leaves and you freeze, frightened. Backing up quickly, you squint your eyes into the night, searching for the source of the growls. You gasp as your feet hit wet ground, and you back up into the dredged pond. Then you nearly jump out of your skin when your back hits something solid. Turning around, you sigh in relief as you see Harry. “There’s something out there,” your voice quivers. “Don’t turn your back to anything,” he tells you. You oblige, standing back to back with Harry, wands raised, searching for death eaters. Then Fenrir Greyback comes into view, releasing that low growling sound again. “There’s that pretty one,” he grumbles in your direction. You feel Harry tense behind you and he turns around saying, “Touch her and you die.” The werewolf growls and moves closer. “Harry,” you grip his forearm, concern growing in your voice. Then there’s a bellowing behind you and Mr. Weasley shouts, “Stupefy!” The werewolf is blasted back onto the ground. He gets up, seething anger and advances towards you. A screech fills the air and he stops, looking back towards the burrow. He smiles smugly and disapparates. Looking back to the burrow, you see the entire house is on fire and collapsing in on itself. “Oh my god,” you gasp in horror. You take off sprinting towards the house, Harry following close behind.

There was no cheering Harry up over the final days of Christmas Holiday. You knew that he completely blamed himself for what happened at the Burrow. Returning to Hogwarts, Harry is immediately whisked away by Dumbledore for another one of their special lessons. So you sat up in the common room, waiting for him. Nearing midnight, you jump in surprise as the portrait opens and it’s not Harry. Ginny shuts the portrait and leans against it, a smug smile on her face. “Ginny?” you hiss at her. She jumps in surprise. “Bloody hell y/n you frightened me,” the smile drops from her face. “Where were you?” you question. She struggles to form an excuse. Finally she confesses, “With Luna.” “At the library?” you continue. Ginny blurts out, “No. We’re dating.” “Oh,” you’re briefly surprised. But the more you thought about it, the more the idea of Ginny and Luna together grew on you. “That’s great,” you smile at her. “I’m happy for you,” you continue. She beams, “Thanks y/n. Night.” “Night Ginny,” you reply. It was almost 1 am when Harry returns. “Bloody hell Harry that took a long time,” you whisper, walking up to him. You hug him and don’t let go for at least two minutes. “Y/n,” he laughs, “What’s going on?” You pull away and say, “I don’t know. I’m just always scared that whenever you leave there’s a chance I’ll never see you again.” Harry looks at you intensely and whispers, “Do you really get scared of that?” Wordlessly you nod, looking down. He tilts your chin up and gives you a soft kiss. Trying to make you smile he says, “Not even death could take me from you.” You give him a small smile as he moves over to the armchair by the fire. You casually climb into his lap, curling up into him. “What did he say this time?” you ask. Harry sighs, “He really needs me to get that memory from Slughorn. Without it we won’t know how many horcruxes there are or any idea where the could be.” “Oh,” is all you can say. Harry audibly gulps and you reassure him, “You’ll get it Harry, I know you will.” Harry presses a kiss to your neck and mutters sleepily, “Thanks.” It wasn’t abnormal for people to find you and Harry curled up in the common room, having fallen asleep. That’s what happened tonight.

Reconvening at dinner the next day Harry tells you of his failed attempt to get the memory. “He’s now avoiding me at all costs,” Harry groans. You gently rub his shoulders saying, “I’m sure it will be alright.” Harry laughs, “He kicked me out of his office and didn’t even acknowledge my presence in potions today.” “You’ll just have to wait it out and try again,” you tell him. “I suppose you’re right,” Harry concedes. “Always am,” you reply with a smirk. Kissing the top of his head you say, “Come on, let’s head back. Besides I haven’t seen Ron since lunch and I’m slightly worried.” “Alright,” Harry takes your hand and you walk back to Gryffindor tower.

Entering the common room you look around and don’t see Ron. “I’ll check upstairs,” he says, bounding up the steps. You walk over to the fireplace and see Hermione entranced in her homework. “You okay ‘Mione?” you ask her. She looks up from her place on the floor and says, “What? Oh yeah I’m fine.” “Hermione it’ll get better,” you try to tell her. She groans, “I don’t know. I just wish things would go back to normal.” “I know what you mean,” you tell her.

About to settle into your homework, Harry comes down the stairs, pulling a reluctant Ron. “What’s happening?” you walk up to them. Hermione follows, concern etched on her face. “Romilda Vane tried to slip me a love potion through some chocolates. Ron helped himself instead,” Harry grunts, pulling Ron towards the common room door. “Where are you going?” Hermione asks. Harry replies, “To Slughorn. He’ll fix this. Don’t worry, be back soon.” He flashes you a wink and then leaves, tugging Ron behind him.

Every minute that Harry and Ron don’t return, Hermione grows even more anxious. “Hermione, I’m sure everything is fine okay? Harry had to get Ron to Slughorn’s office and you saw how loopy Ron was. It’s bound to take a little while,” you reassure her. She looks up at you and you’re surprised to see her crying. “Hermione what’s the matter?” you exclaim in worry. Wrapping your arms around her, you urge her to share. She sniffles, “I’m worried about him y/n.” You feel the utmost sympathy for her. “Hermione it’ll be okay. I promise,” you console her. She merely sobs into your shoulder. Her head pops immediately up when Harry bursts through the portrait hole, breathing tirelessly from sprinting up to the common room. “What is it?” you shoot to your feet. Harry sighs, “Ron was poisoned. He’s going to be okay, but he’s in the hospital wing. He’s gonna be there for a few days.” Harry waits for no reply, instead he turns and runs back to his friend’s side. Hermione and you sprint after him.

Entering the hospital wing, your heart hurts to see Ron laying there, the palest you’d ever seen him. He looked ghastly. Hermione throws all caution aside and plants herself beside him, clutching one of his hands in her own. You watch on by Harry’s side. The drama only continues when Lavender comes into the room, seething at the sight before her. “What are you doing here?” she asks Hermione coolly. Hermione replies, “Ron’s my friend.” Lav scoffs, “I suppose you’re only here because he’s all interesting now.” Hermione laughs, “He’s been poisoned you daft bimbo! Besides, he wants me here I’m sure.” Lavender finds this hilarious. Ron begins to stir and Lavender smiles, expecting him to sense her presence. Instead, Ron moans out, “Her-mi-one. Her-mi-one.” You’re floored with surprise. Turning, you watch as Lavender runs from the room, sobbing endlessly. You shoot Hermione your biggest smirk and she looks away, muttering, “Shut up.”

Ron is allowed to leave the hospital wing three days later. Harry had told you what happened. That the poisoned mead Ron drank was meant for Dumbledore. He had your suspicions and as much as you wanted to deter Harry from getting in a duel with Draco, you couldn’t help but agree with him that everything pointed towards the platinum haired Slytherin. Sighing, you sit down next to Harry in the common room, as he pours over his potions book. Gently taking it from his hands, you say softly, “Harry. It’s time to get that memory from Slughorn.” “How?” he asks you exasperated. “With a little help from Felix?” you offer the suggestion casually. He grins, “That’s brilliant! You’re brilliant y/n.” He plants a kiss to your forehead and runs up the stairs to his room. When he returns, he holds the vial tightly in his palm. Ron and Hermione approach the two of you. “What are you gonna do with that mate?” Ron asks him, gesturing to the vial. Harry responds, “It’s time for me to get that memory from Slughorn. Dumbledore says it’s the key to figuring out how to defeat Voldemort.” Ron nods. Harry looks from you, to Ron and Hermione. “Go on,” you encourage him. He downs the potion in one swallow. As he finishes the potion, a grin spreads widely across his face. Hermione tells him, “Right. Slughorn usually takes supper in his office, and then goes for a nightly walk. You’ll be able to find him I’m sure.” Harry stares at her and replies, “Right. I’m going to Hagrid’s.” He begins to walk towards the portrait hole. “Harry, wait what?” you call after him. He turns around to you and goes all doey eyed. “My beautiful y/n,” he walks over to you and cups your face gently. You suppress a laugh. It appears that Felix Felicis had the same effect as too much alcohol. “Harry you’ve got to find Slughorn,” you urge him, removing his hands from your cheeks. “I’ve got the feeling though that Hagrid’s is the place to be,” he argues. He turns to exit again. “Harry, are you sure you know what you’re doing?” you ask desperately. He smiles, “No. But Felix does. I’ll see you guys later.” He exits Gryffindor common room. “I have a very bad feeling about this,” you groan, sitting next to Hermione. She laughs, “He did seem a bit drunk didn’t he?” Ron agrees, “Seemed bloody wasted more like it.” Eventually Ron and Hermione head to bed and you wait up for Harry, tapping your leg restlessly against the floor.

The portrait hole opens at around midnight. “Harry!” you call out his name breathlessly. Shortcutting it, you step over the top of the couch, jumping into the green eyed boys arms and wrapping your legs around his waist. He catches you and holds you in his arms, his hands tucking underneath you to support your body. “Did you get it?” you ask him desperately. He grins, “I got it. Brought it to Dumbledore and saw it. He says he thinks he knows where one is. That we might go and get it soon.” Harry carries you over to the couch and sits down with you in his lap. “What did it say?” you ask about the memory. Harry’s eyes study you carefully. He confesses, “Slughorn’s the one that told him about the horcruxes. He split his soul into seven pieces. Seven.” You gulp nervously. Harry continues, “The diary from second year was one. The ring was another. But like I said, Dumbledore thinks he knows where the next one is.” “What a relief,” you sigh. Harry rubs your back affectionately and admits, “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of how excited you always are to see me.” You respond, “I’ll always be excited to see you.” Harry gives you one last fleeting look before smashing his lips on yours. His hands roam across your waist and you tangle your own in his messy black hair. You can feel the passion rising in your chest and you desperately cling to him. Harry breathes heavily, his lips moving to your neck. “Harry,” you sigh breathlessly. He continues showering you with affection. Harry kisses you with a desperation you’d never felt from him before. His fingers dug into your skin, as if he was scared you might disappear from his grasp. “Harry wait,” you gasp, reluctantly pulling away from his lips. “What is it?” he asks you, concern etched in his eyes. “When you go to find this, this horcrux, promise me you’ll be careful okay? Promise me,” you plead with him. Harry looks at you and responds, “Of course I’ll be careful y/n. Why are you so worried about me lately? I mean besides the inevitable.” You gulp and avoid his gaze. “Y/n what is it?” he implores you. A tear comes to your eyes and you look up at his beautiful emerald green ones. “Harry I always worry about you. I’ve never stopped. As much as you may want me not to, I will always worry for you. Because I love you Harry. I do, I love you.” Harry sucks in a sharp breath and searches your gaze. In his heart, he wonders if this is really happening. The words slip from his mouth, “I love you y/n. I always have. Always will. My heart has always belonged to you.” You brush away a stray hair of Harry’s bangs. “I never thought we’d get this,” you admit. Harry sighs, “Me neither. I always thought the timing wouldn’t line up. But here we are, and I can’t believe how lucky I am.” Grinning wildly, you rest your head on Harry’s shoulders. “I love you Harry,” you whisper into the night. “I love you too y/n,” he repeats. Waiting up for Harry that night was the best decision you’ve ever made. It appears the liquid luck gave you and Harry the extra push you needed to confess your love for one another. But the next morning the luck ran out.

You sat at breakfast beside Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Lifting cereal into your mouth, you drop your spoon as you watch who enters the great hall. “Harry look,” you nudge him, “It’s Katie. She’s out of the hospital.” Harry gasps and follows your gaze. Katie approaches the Gryffindor table quietly. Harry immediately stands and walks over to her. Worriedly, you follow him. Stopping in front of her, Harry asks quickly, “Katie, how are you feeling?” She gives him a small smile. “I’m okay Harry. Alive aren’t I? And before you ask Harry, I’m sorry. I don’t know who cursed me. I can’t remember a thing,” she tells him. Harry’s face falls and you place your hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He manages a smile, saying, “I’m just glad you’re okay Katie.” She smiles in return. Looking behind you, the smile falls from her face and she stands frozen in fear. Turning slowly around, you see the platinum blonde haired boy she’s staring out. “Oh no,” you mutter under your breath. Harry’s eyes follow Katie’s gaze and they fall on Draco, anger seething from his look. Katie’s frightened look at Draco is all Harry needs to confirm his suspicions. Draco glances briefly at Harry and then Katie. Then he exits the great hall quickly. Harry races after him. “Harry wait!” you call after him. He ignores you. “Bloody hell,” you groan, running after your boyfriend.

You skid to a halt outside the Great Hall and Harry and Malfoy are nowhere to be found. A floor above you, you hear the pounding of footsteps. “Shit,” you curse, sprinting up the steps. The footsteps came from near the bathroom. As you neared the door, your feet splashed in water on the floor. Kicking the door open, you hear curses flying and faucets breaking. “Harry!” you shout, searching for him amongst the chaos. Across the stalls on the other side of the room, you hear the sound of feet moving across the wet stone and watch helplessly as Draco tries to curse your boyfriend. “STOP!” you shriek desperately. But they were caught up in rage and no one listened to you. Harry shouts an unknown spell, “Sectum Sempra!” And Malfoy’s body is thrown back by the magic, his form coming into view. He lays beneath the sinks, and you race forward, your feet sopping wet. Coming to a stop, standing over the Slytherin boy, you gasp in surprise. Blood seeped from his body. Harry comes halting to a stop next to you. “Harry what did you do?” you breathe in horror. Harry cries, “I didn’t know. I didn’t know what that spell would do.” Behind the two of you, Professor Snape comes sweeping into the bathroom, kneeling over Draco’s body. Harry stands frozen. Draco’s body begins to heal, the wounds closing up. “Harry we have to go,” you grab his hand, pulling him backwards. “Harry,” you say urgently. Shaken from his daze, Harry finally turns to you, and the two of you run hand in hand back upstairs.

Back in Gryffindor common room, Harry explains to your two other friends what happened. “Where did you learn that spell?” Hermione asks. Harry avoids her gaze, instead looking to his potions book. “Harry you didn’t,” Hermione gasps. His silence confirms the answer. “Harry, Snape saw you in the bathroom. We need to hide this book. Whose book is it anyways?” you ask, taking the book from his grasp. “The half-blood prince. Who is the half-blood prince?” you ask curiously. Harry shrugs, “Dunno.” Rising to your feet, you pull Harry along with you. “We need to get rid of the book. No one else can learn that spell. Now,” you declare. Harry has no choice but to follow you.

You lead Harry to the room of requirement and he breathes, “Of course. Brilliant idea.” Closing your eyes, you concentrate on what you need the room to give you. And obliging to your request, the door appears and swings open. Squeezing Harry’s hand, you both enter the room of requirement.

Before you is a complete maze of every item that’s ever been hidden in the room before. Various noises wash over your ears and without thinking, you stash the book deep in the room, dragging Harry along beside you. When you return to Gryffindor tower, extremely out of breath, Harry falls to the couch in the common room, sighing, “Thank you. I didn’t know what to do. I was just… frozen. I didn’t know it would hurt him like that.” “I know baby, I know,” you stroke the back of his head.

A non-stop wave of rain passes over the castle for the next week. And on the last day before your scheduled exams, Harry announces to the group that Dumbledore wants them to depart for the supposed location of the next Horcrux. Worry coursed through you and you felt your heart nearly ripped out of your chest when Harry departed with Dumbledore.

Hours later, you stand pacing the common room. “What is taking them so long?” you blurt out at Hermione and Ron. Ron shrugs and Hermione replies, “He’s with Dumbledore y/n, I’m sure that he is safe.” And almost as if to defy her logic, there’s a loud crashing through the sky and you turn to look out the window, seeing possibly the worst thing you could have imagined. The dark mark rose high above the astronomy tower. “Harry!” you state, barely above a whisper. Before they can stop you, you race out of the common room, sprinting across the castle.

Your lungs burned as you made your way to the astronomy tower, but a loud noise stopped you. You heard a great crashing noise near the great hall and cackles of Bellatrix Lestrange’s notorious estranged laughter. Worry rises in your throat and you detour, running towards the great hall. Skidding to a stop, you see Harry exiting the castle. “HARRY!” you shriek desperately. But he doesn’t hear you, blinded with emotion. If possible, you pump your feet even harder and try to close the distance between the two of you. Blood rushes in your ears and you barely make out the cry of Fawkes across the castle grounds. Your eyes narrow in on Harry sprinting after Snape and Bellatrix, straight towards Hagrid’s hut. With a flick of her wand, Bellatrix sets his house on fire. Cries are heard from within and the building begins to collapse. Hagrid is nowhere to be found and you realize that Fang must be in there. Without a second thought, you cover your face and sprint into the flames. Coughing loudly, you croak, “Fang!” The dog answers with a cowering whine in the corner of the hut. Flames lick at your legs, burning the fabric into your skin, but you push onward, fueled with adrenaline, lifting the dog into your arms like a baby. Sputtering up smoke, you stumble out the door and put the dog down, who howls, racing towards the castle. In the midst of saving Fang, Harry has disappeared. His screams reach your ears near the castle, and your feet tirelessly carry your burned body towards the boy you loved.

Your heart stopped when you discovered him. Silence rushed in your ears as Harry knelt over Dumbledore’s limp body. His cries broke you. They were worse than anything you had ever heard. The thought of Dumbledore now gone made you fear for Harry more than ever before. You drop to your knees beside the headmaster’s body, cursing this night into oblivion. Pain overtakes your body, the burns becoming too much to bear. You collapse onto your side in the grass, succumbing to unconsciousness as the smoldering of your skin finally begins to stop.

#harry potter x reader #harry potter imagine #harry potter #draco malfoy x reader

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soobiniebaby · 4 years ago

Text

Angels & Devils Part IV: Can You Tell Me

Tomorrow x Together Fanfiction

~ p a r t s : main post || prologue || part 1 || part 2 || part 3 || part 4 || part 5 || part 6 || part 7 || part 8 || part 9 || part 10 || part 11 || part 12 || part 13 || part 14 || part 15 || part 16 || part 17 ~ p a i r i n g : love triangle involving choi soobin and choi yeonjun ~ g e n r e : high school au | some social media au | some fluff & angst | childhood friends | love triangle ~ l a n g u a g e : English ~ w a r n i n g : contains swearing, alcohol, kissing (?) and may contain mature themes (angst, etc.) ~ a / n : This will be my first fanfic (go easy on me pls) and i’m just writing this as I go along, so bear with me juseyo The setting (place/country) of the story is up to the reader’s interpretation ~ s u m m a r y : What should she choose? Han Baby: the new girl with a troubled past MO Academy: her new high school Choi Soobin: student council president, member of the Ecosave club, volunteer at the Humane Treatment of Animals, member of the Honor Society, a vocalist in the Jazzed club, the school’s all around golden boy Choi Yeonjun: leader of the Dance club, star of the Jazzed club, the school’s it boy with a bad rep 5 best friends, 1 new girl, 1 childhood friendship, 1 epic love triangle? What will this school year bring?

B’s first week at MO Academy had been going smoothly so far.

She rarely found herself lost around the campus since she always had Kai or at least 1 member of the student council by her side, she was able to get to know a few other people in her classes, she was able to keep track of lessons and deadlines so far, she had grown to enjoy her walks to and from school with Taehyun every day, and she was able to adjust well to living alone without her parents to watch over her or without anyone else to help around with household chores.

She actually really liked living away from her parents for the first time. The one downside was that she was starting to feel a bit lonely, especially since the apartment had 2 bedrooms, which was obviously meant to be occupied by at least 2 people. The spare room was also set up like a bedroom with a bed and a wardrobe and a desk, but she didn’t have any use for it so she never really went in it since she moved in. She mostly used it to store extra clothes.

Today, Wednesday, the boys had their first student council meeting of the year to finalize things for club recruitment day, so B walked home alone, which she didn’t really mind.

Her week was going smoothly until she received an unusual message that night, while she was lying in her bed after finishing some household chores.

B smiled as each boy sent a selfie, and laughed when she realized that all of them were holding up peace signs in their photos. She quickly saved the pictures and set each boy’s contact photo until she saw Beomgyu send more photos to the group chat.

B locked her phone and turned over in bed, her head full of thoughts of what they could do for Kai’s birthday. If it were up to her, she would take Kai to someplace special and out of the way, like the beach so that they could reminisce about their childhood memories spent along the beaches in Hawaii. But considering that there would at least be 4 other people celebrating Kai’s birthday with them, she knew it was out of the question. She was also curious about what the other boys had in mind, and she was wondering what gift she could get for her best friend.

She checked her phone one last time before shutting her lights off and drifting off to sleep.

•°•

Soobin put his phone away once the other boys sorted out their plan to keep Hyuka busy while he, B and Yeonjun stayed behind. Their last period had already ended, and they were preparing for their meeting.

“So, where do you guys wanna talk?” B asks, grabbing her bag and getting up from her seat. “I’m guessing the 3 will be hanging out at the café, so that’s not an option.” she says, referring to the café that Taehyun’s family owns and runs, which they’ve hung out at everyday after school so far, except for yesterday when the boys had their student council meeting.

“There other cafes nearby, but they’re really not as good as Kang’s.” Yeonjun says, leaning back in his seat.

“You know, there’s one place we could hold our little meeting, and we won’t even have to leave school.” Soobin says.

Yeonjun and B look at him then, curious and interested.

“Well come on then, let’s go. You can lead the way, Mr. President.” B says teasingly. Soobin visibly cringed as she did so. It wasn’t a nickname, but it was something she seemed to enjoy calling him by.

“Alright, follow me.” Soobin says, and the three make their way across the campus.

Walking across campus with Soobin and Yeonjun by her side made B remember the times in the past when she would be escorted by bodyguards hired by her parents. The dark days. She had yet to fill Kai in on the specific details, and a part of her was secretly afraid of spending one on one time with her childhood friend, dreading the moment when she would have to recount the memories that she would rather just forget.

The 2 boys had been chatting about their term project for their creative writing class, Yeonjun whining about getting paired with someone other than Soobin and Soobin in turn comforting him, and B had been so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice where they were.

“Ah, I see. Nice thinking, Soobin.” Yeonjun says, as they walk down a familiar hallway.

“What, why? Where are we going?” B asks, the hallway wasn’t familiar to her at all. It was at a part of the school near where the faculty rooms and offices were, so it wasn’t really part of the tour.

“Actually, I just remembered that I had to stop by to sign some forms that I left after the meeting yesterday, but I figured we might as well have our meeting here.” Soobin says, as they reach a set of double doors at the end of the hall. He takes a bunch of keys out of his pocket and takes a moment to sort through them before taking one and unlocking the doors.

The sign above the door read “Student Council Office.”

“Oh wow, I haven’t seen your office.” B says, realizing where they were.

“Well then, welcome to our lair.” Yeonjun says, before Soobin pushes both doors open in a dramatic fashion.

The three step inside, and B takes a moment to scan the room. There were 5 desks situated along the walls of the room, 2 desks each on 2 opposite sides of the room and 1 desk at the very end of the room, which was bigger than the other 4. Each desk had an assortment of files, papers, trinkets, and frames on them. In the center of the room was a long conference table lined with office chairs. There were 2 whiteboards on the walls filled with scribbles from past meetings with a bulletin board full of reminders and notes, and a projector screen at the end of the conference table hanging from the ceiling. The only windows in the room were behind the 1 desk at the end of the room.

Soobin goes straight to that desk and shuffles through some papers, opening the drawers as well and sorting through documents.

Yeonjun sits at the edge of the conference table and beckons B over. “Come on, Baby. Take a seat.”

“Where, though? This place is huge. And I know we’re sort of having a meeting, but isn’t a conference table for 12 a bit too much?” she says, her eyes still scanning the room. “This place is…pretty cool.”

Soobin makes his way over to the 2 with a stack of papers in his arms. “I think it’s my favorite place in the campus. We come here all the time, and we’re free to use it as much as we want, so please, just take any seat. Make yourself at home.” he says, smiling sheepishly.

“Alright, I guess.” B says, taking a seat close to the end of the table. Soobin takes the seat at the end and Yeonjun sits between the 2.

B notices that the boys seem a bit different as they take their seats. When they were seated in class, Yeonjun was usually slouched in his seat while Soobin had an elbow on his desk and his head resting on his hand. Now, seated at the student council office, they were both sitting upright. Yeonjun had both elbows resting on the table and was leaning forward, while Soobin was sitting up straight with one hand on the table and the other on his lap.

“So, B, we just wanted to talk about Hyuka’s birthday. It’s tomorrow, and we were wondering if you could help us plan something as a surprise.” Soobin says, beginning their meeting.

B felt a bit intimidated, so she found herself sitting up straight as well. “I’ll help you as much as I can, but I haven’t celebrated his birthday with him since we were kids, so I’m not sure what we can do.”

“I’m sure anything you suggest will be a big help, really.” Soobin says, smiling warmly at her.

“Okay, well honestly, I already had an idea but it’s nothing grand, I just thought it would be nice.” she admits. When she sees that Soobin and Yeonjun are focused on her intently, she continues. “I was thinking I, or we, could greet him right at midnight? Maybe drop by his place and surprise him with a cake and stuff so that as soon as his birthday begins, we’ll be there to celebrate it with him. But if it seems too hard to pull off, we don’t have to do it. Or I can do it myself, since I grew up with his sisters too so I could ask them for help.”

“That’s actually a brilliant idea.” Yeonjun says. “I’m up for it.”

Soobin nods. “So am I. We can let the guys know about it in the group chat to see if they can come with us, and B you can coordinate with his older sister Lea to see if we can come over to surprise Hyuka.”

“Alright, I’ll get in touch with her and if she gives us the go signal, I’ll let you guys know right away. I’ll buy a cake tonight, maybe you guys could bring those pop out streamers or something so it’ll be a mini celebration.”

Yeonjun nods. “Great idea, Baby. I’ll deal with food and snacks, maybe a pizza?”

“Or 4?” Soobin says, grinning sheepishly at him.

Yeonjun’s face softens as he says “You know I can’t say no to you.”

Soobin laughs and says “Thanks, Yeonjunie. I’ll try to see if I can get my hands on streamers and stuff too.”

B nods. “Okay, that’s good. Is that all you guys wanna do? I’m sure you have something in mind.”

“A party. Let’s throw him a party.” Yeonjun says. “Tomorrow’s Friday, and we don’t have school or anything the next day, so it’ll be perfect.”

Soobin nods. “I was thinking of a party as well, but where? And how will we set it up?”

“Friday’s club day, but we won’t have club meetings yet since recruitment day will be on Monday, so we’ll just have homeroom in the morning then we’ll be free for most of the day. Plus we can come in school in casual wear, since Fridays are our washday.” Yeonjun says, stating facts.

“Wait, what’s wash day?” B asks.

“It’s the one day of the week where we’re allowed to wear casual wear to school. It’s on Friday cause the school thought it would be more convenient for club day.” Soobin explains. “If we throw a party on Friday, I think we could do it at my place. It’s always available.” he offers.

“Won’t your sister be home?” Yeonjun asks.

Soobin shakes his head. “She started at University this year and moved into a dorm, and you know my parents only come home a couple of times every year, so I practically live alone now. Except for the household staff, of course.” he explains.

So he lives alone too. Like me. B thinks to herself. “At least you have household staff to keep you company. It’s actually a bit lonely, living alone.” she says wistfully.

“It really is, especially since I’ve always been close with my family. It’s a big adjustment, having everyone move away now.” Soobin admits. “You guys are always welcome to come over, though, so I’m hoping I won’t be too lonely often.” he says hopefully.

“You guys are always welcome to come visit me too, though I doubt my apartment is as big or as grand as your house.” B says teasingly. “What about you, Yeonjun? Do you live with anyone?” she asks suddenly.

“Nah, my house always feels crowded, even though it’s just me and my parents, plus the household staff. I don’t like being at home though, and I think I’d actually prefer living alone, or at least away from them.” Yeonjun responds candidly.

B was surprised by how straightforward his answer was, and by how easy it was to ask him about it. “I’m an only child too, but as much as I love my parents, I wanted nothing more than a bit of freedom, so I think I understand.” she says, sympathizing with him.

Yeonjun gives a small smile. “At least you got your freedom, Baby. And at least you can say that you love your parents. I mean, my mom’s not bad I guess but my dad is just…” he says, shaking his head. “Anyway, yeah alright, I guess we’re having Hyuka’s party at Soobin’s place.”

Soobin nods. “Yep, that’s settled. Uh, we have to think about setting up now and stuff. Decorations, food, drinks, guest list, that sort of stuff. Gifts will be handled individually, of course.” he rambles, a bit flustered from the sudden change of mood in the conversation.

“I think the main problem is keeping Kai distracted while we’re setting up the party?” B says, offering her opinion. “It’s nice that we’ll be out of school early so we’ll have more time to prepare, but that also means that we’ll have to keep him distracted for longer too.”

“Well, we could do what we did today? Split up the group, 2 of us can distract him while the rest help with party prep.” Yeonjun suggests.

“No, we’re gonna need as much hands on deck as possible with the preparations, plus I don’t think splitting up the group will be necessary. One person is all we need, and I think I know the perfect one.” Soobin says.

B raises a brow at him when she notices him staring at her with a pointed look, until it clicks in her head.

“Oh… you mean me.” she says. Looks like she’d be having her one on one time with Kai a bit sooner than she thought.

•°•

“I can’t see anything.” Beomgyu says.

“SHUSH! Hyuka might hear us.” Taehyun shushes him.

“Wait, I’ll light up the candles so we won’t be in complete darkness.” B whispers. “Hold this for a sec, please.” she whispers, passing the cake to Yeonjun as she shuffles through her bag for the lighter. She lights the candles and pokes them into the top of the cake one by one then takes the cake back into her hands. “Thanks, Yeonjun.”

“Sure thing, Baby.” he whispers, and with the candles lit she could now see that he was smiling at her. She smiles back.

“Okay, are we all ready to go? Hyuka’s room is down this hall, the 2nd door on the right.” Soobin whispers.

“We know where Hyuka’s room is, Soobin.” Beomgyu scoffs.

“I, uh, was talking to B? Are we all re—oh wait! Everyone, put these on!” Soobin whisper-shouts, opening a pack of party hats and passing them around.

“We should’ve done all this before we snuck upstairs. The lights were on in the foyer.” Taehyun whispers while securing the party hat on his head.

“Too late now.” Beomgyu mutters. “Ouch!” he then whisper-shouts, as Taehyun grabs the elastic of Beomgyu’s party hat and releases it so it slaps against his chin

“That’s enough bickering, now let’s go!” Soobin whisper-shouts, holding up his huge pop out streamer like a bazooka.

“Ah, wait, shouldn’t Baby be in front since she’s holding the cake?” Yeonjun whispers.

There’s a moment of silence as everyone thinks it through.

“Okay, cake then pizzas then egg tarts then pop out streamer then camera. So that’s me then Yeonjun then Taehyun then Soobin then Gyu at the back so he can capture everything.” B whispers, getting everyone into formation.

“Why do I have to be at the back.” Beomgyu whispers, pouting as he takes his phone out to start taking the video. “Uh, guys, it’s 12:01 already. We missed midnight.”

And with that everyone runs down the hall and barges into Kai’s room.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!” they shout as they burst through Kai’s bedroom door.

“What the—?” Kai exclaims groggily, sitting up in bed and pulling the sheets up to his shoulders.

“Hyuka, were you, um, sleeping naked?” Soobin asks awkwardly.

Kai’s face flushes red as he says “No, of course not! I’m wearing underwear!”

“Oh yeah? Prove it.” Beomgyu smirks behind the camera.

“I can’t show you my underwear.” Kai says, flustered. “Wait, are you filming this?”

“Everyone sing!” B exclaims, which the boys happily oblige to.

“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you!” they sing as they walk further into Kai’s room and surround his bed.

B leans forward, putting the cake as close to Kai as she could, and says “Make a wish, Ningning.”

As flustered and red as he was, Kai squeezed his eyes shut before whispering something under his breath and blowing the candles out.

Soobin lets the pop out streamer rip as Kai blows the candles out, which causes everyone to jump and someone to scream in surprise.

“Uh, that wasn’t me.” B says, as they all look each other, trying to identify who screamed.

Soobin sighs. “Okay fine, it was me.” he admits.

“But you’re the one who popped the streamer.” Kai says.

“Yeah but I wasn’t expecting a loud sound to come out so I was surprised as well.” Soobin says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Anyway, happy birthday Hyuka!”

“Thanks, everyone.” Kai says as they all start to greet him. “How’d you get in here, by the way? And what time is it?”

“I asked Lea if we could come over to surprise you, so she told one of the maids to let us in beforehand.” B explains.

“And it’s 12:13 now.” Beomgyu says.

“Oh wow, you really came over here just to greet me at midnight? Thanks, you guys.” Kai says, smiling warmly at all of them. “It means a lot to me.”

“It was B’s idea.” Taehyun says, setting the box of egg tarts on the bed and wrapping an arm around B’s shoulders. “You’re lucky to have a best friend like this one.”

B blushed, surprised by the sudden show of affection from Taehyun. “Thanks, Taehyun. I couldn’t have done this without you guys.”

“Quick, group selfie before we devour the pizza?” Beomgyu says, holding his phone up.

As everyone moves closer together around the bed to fit into frame, Kai asks “Can I at least put a shirt on first so it won’t look weird?”

“Nah, it’s fine. Everyone say Kimchi!” Beomgyu exclaims.

Kai wraps the blanket tighter up to his neck as everyone says “Kimchi!” and Beomgyu takes pictures.

“Okay, now let me put a shirt on so we can do this properly.” Kai says. “Baba, please look away.”

B scoffs. “Oh please, it’s not like I haven’t seen you shirtless before. We lived in Hawaii, remember? Beach days? Sunburns?”

Kai’s face starts to burn red as he explains, “Yeah, but things are a bit different now, Baba. We’re not kids anymore.”

“Aw, is Ningning shy?” Beomgyu says teasingly.

“Just look away for a sec, please, Baba?” Kai pleads, giving the girl puppy dog eyes.

B sighs. “Fine, because I believe in consent and respect your adolescent boy body.” she says before burying her face in his sheets. “Just let me know when it’s safe to look.”

The mini celebration went on until 1:30 in the morning, with the boys exchanging funny stories about Kai and B in turn telling the boys embarrassing childhood stories about him. The 4 pizzas were easily devoured, the egg tarts were saved by Kai for later, more pictures and videos were taken, and they had to remind themselves that they had to be at school at 8 AM, and that’s when they decided to put the birthday celebrations on pause.

Yeonjun offers to drive Beomgyu home since the two of them live in the same area, while Soobin offers to drive B and Taehyun home since he lived closer to the 2, which they happily accept.

Before B falls asleep, she remembers to put together a quick birthday greeting in the form of a tweet.

And as she wakes up the next morning, she smiles when she sees Kai’s reply, but her smile drops a bit when she remembers what she and the boys had planned for the day, and what her role in the plan was.

•°•

“No offense to MOA, like this school is great and all, but are Friday mornings always this boring?” B asks Kai and Taehyun.

They were sitting in their homeroom, which was scheduled every Friday from 8AM to 10AM. Since it was the first homeroom of the school year their teacher didn’t have much to discuss, and on a normal Friday, homeroom period was used to prepare for afternoon club activities, but since club days haven’t started yet, so they were basically just sitting and waiting to be dismissed now.

“Kinda? Don’t worry, it’ll be less boring next week since we’ll be having club day by then.” Taehyun says, trying to reassure her.

“Hang in there, Baba. There’s only 15 minutes until the bell rings anyway. After that, we can do whatever we want.” Kai says cheerfully, trying to fight the boredom.

“You mean we can do whatever you want, birthday boy.” B says, nudging his arm playfully. “Seriously, anything you wanna do? I’ve got you for the whole afternoon, right?” she asks him. She was able to guilt him into spending the whole afternoon with her by playing the ‘I’m your best friend and I’ve missed you so much and I haven’t had quality time with you since we were kids and we need to catch up’ card. It was the perfect opportunity to keep Kai distracted from the 4 other boys.

“We could hang out at my place, maybe watch a movie or nap for a bit? We kept you up pretty late earlier so I wouldn’t mind a quick nap.” B suggests. She was feeling pretty sleepy, and she wanted to feel energized for whatever the boys had planned for tonight.

“That actually sounds really really nice. I wouldn’t mind taking a quick nap, plus we can finally catch up one on one, just me and you.” Kai says, grinning at B.

“You and I.” Taehyun says, correcting Kai’s grammar. “Honestly, I’ll probably spend the whole day sleeping as well, then I’ve got to work a night shift at the café.”

Kai pouts suddenly. “Aw, what? I was hoping you guys would be free tonight, we could all have dinner together or something. My treat.” he offers.

Taehyun fights the urge to smile at how adorably clueless his friend was. “No, it’s fine. I’m glad we were able to celebrate earlier today though. But still, you can ask the other guys if you want to but I think they might be busy too.” he says.

Kai pouts, nods, and takes his phone out to text the other boys. While he’s distracted, B takes the opportunity to communicate to Taehyun.

“Night shift? Really?” she asks, mouthing the words to him behind Kai’s back.

Taehyun shakes his head at her, mouthing back “No. Made it up.” Then he holds up his hand, showing her his fingers crossed which meant he was lying when he told Kai about it.

She nods, understanding him and then gives him a thumbs up.

Just then, the bell rings. B groans and says “Finally!” as she stretches her arms above her head. “This period was a long moment of nothingness.”

Kai nods his head in agreement. “You got that right. Let’s get out of here. Tyun, you gonna walk with us?” he asks, turning to Taehyun. “You guys walk together all the time, right?”

“Yup, let’s get going. I can’t wait to spend the afternoon in bed.” Taehyun says, gathering his things. And with that, the 3 of them leave school together.

•°•

B sent a quick update to the boys as she and Kai step into her apartment. All she had to do now was make sure that he stayed within her sight for the rest of the afternoon, plus she wanted to make sure she was appropriately dressed when they left for the surprise party later. How she could get all dressed up without Kai suspecting anything might be a bit of a challenge, but she was sure she’d come up with an excuse.

“Welcome to my humble abode! When I moved in, I decorated and organized everything by myself, so sorry if it’s a bit of a mess.” B says as Kai’s eyes scan the surroundings. Upon entering the front door, the living room was the first thing that greeted everyone who stepped in. There are 3 doors on the left side, the kitchen to the right separated from the living room by a counter with bar stools set up, and there was a round table with 5 seats set up in front of a pair of sliding glass doors that led into a small balcony at the back.

“Baba, this place looks great. Not bad at all, considering it’s your first time living alone. It’s pretty spacious, too.” Kai says, stepping further into the apartment. “Quick question, how have you survived living alone? I don’t think I could do it, I’m not a very good cook.” he says as he surveys the place, trailing a hand on the kitchen counters.

“It hasn’t been very easy, and honestly I don’t really know how to cook either, so I end up having food delivered a lot or getting takeout instead.” she admits. “I swear, I tried to cook here once on the day I moved in, and I almost burned the kitchen down, so I’m probably never gonna do that again.” she says, laughing sheepishly.

Kai’s eyes widen at her revelation. “Baba! What happened? What did you do?” he asks, almost screaming at her in surprise.

“I tried to cook and then the next thing I know, my smoke detector starts beeping nonstop, then I got so distracted by trying to shut it up, I didn’t notice that the food I was cooking was burning, then the sprinklers came on and my superintendent called to ask what was going on and I had to beg him not to tell my parents about it. It was pretty funny, but yeah, I’m probably never gonna try to cook on my own ever again.” she says, laughing at how ridiculous the whole thing sounded.

“Hey, if you want, we could try cooking a quick meal now? For lunch? I’m no seasoned chef, but I know a thing or two. You deserve to eat a homecooked meal at least once in your own home, after all.” he offers, as he starts rummaging through the fridge. “You got any rice?”

As Kai starts to scrap together ingredients from B’s almost-bare kitchen drawers and shelves, he goes into full focus and even puts on an apron. Whenever B asks him if there was anything she could do to help him, he just waves her off.

She takes a seat on one of the stools at the counter and snaps a quick picture of her bestfriend and she composes a tweet.

“Hey, remember that one time when we were still kids and we tried to cook eggs?” B asks as she puts her phone down. “I think we were at your place, we snuck into the kitchen while the maids weren’t looking, and we had to stand on stools just so we could reach the stove.”

Kai nods, though he still had his eyes focused on his cooking. “I remember you ended up with a burn on your arm cause it accidentally brushed against the pan, and when the maids caught us, you were trying so hard not to cry so they wouldn’t see your burn.”

“Oh yeah, I did get burned that day.” B says, then she lifts the sleeve of her sweater until she spots the barely-there mark just above her wrist. “Ah, memories.”

“You know, I still regret doing that.” Kai admits.

“What? Why? That was such a fun day, I miss being able to come over to each other’s houses and just playing around.” B says.

“Yeah, but the cooking was my idea, and you got hurt because of it.” Kai says, looking at her then with regret. “I know I said it a million times that day, but I’m sorry Baba.”

B scoffs, dismissing his apology. “Come on, it’s fine. I barely felt it anyway, and that was ages ago. Look, it’s your idea to cook today too, and I don’t think anything could go wrong since you’re not letting me do anything to help around the kitchen.”

“That’s cause I wanna make sure that nothing like that happens again.” Kai admits. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this. Just keep talking to me so I won’t feel too bored.” he requests.

“Alright then, anything you wanna talk about?” B asks, resting her elbows on the counter and leaning forward.

“What exactly happened to you last year?” Kai asks suddenly. B’s heart drops and she feels the knots in her stomach start to form, even though she knew he’d want to hear about it soon. “All you said was something about your family and your dad’s job and stuff, but I could tell you were having a really tough time so I didn’t want to push you into telling me all about it back then. And I guess I understand if it’s still something you’d rather not talk about, but as your best friend I’m just worried about you.”

B takes a deep breath, preparing herself to recount the bad experience. “Okay, I’ll tell you now, but to be completely honest with you, the whole thing was a bit of a blur for me too.”

Kai looks at her with his brows furrowed. “What do you mean? Like, you don’t remember what happened?”

B shakes her head. “No, it’s not like that. I remember what happened, I guess I just don’t understand why or the reason behind it? Or what exactly was going on?”

“Okay, I am very confused right now. If this is your way of saying that you’re not comfortable with talking about it, then it’s fine with me, you really don’t have to tell me.” Kai says, trying to sound comforting.

“No, Ninging, I promise I’m gonna tell you everything I know. The thing is, I don’t know much. How do I begin to explain this…” B wonders aloud, sighing before saying “Okay, do you remember what my dad’s job is?”

Kai nods, his eyes focused on his work in the kitchen. “He’s a lawyer, right?”

“Yup, he’s one of the most high-powered lawyers in the country, he works at CNK, which is a globally recognized law firm. He deals with a lot of high profile clients and is one of the most sought-after attorneys for classified cases, usually for big companies with dirty little secrets.” B explains.

Kai nods again, keeping his eyes focused on his work. “Okay, so what does your dad’s work have to do with you?”

“Everything, I think. At the time, my dad was working on a big classified case. I could tell it was big cause he only went home to sleep, shower, and then he was off to work again. I’ve never shown interest in the cases he works on because it’s his business, and it’s not like he’s allowed to talk about them anyway cause they’re usually classified.” B sighs as she realizes that she was starting to ramble, subconsciously stalling.

“Anyway, he was working on this one case, and I didn’t think it was a big deal, but one night he came home looking really shaken, like he was terrified. We usually have dinner together, me and my parents, but when he got home that night he and my mom immediately went up to his office. I tried my best to listen from outside the door, but at first I could barely hear anything, as if they were whispering. Then suddenly, I can hear my mom start to shout things like ‘drop this case right now,’ ‘what am I supposed to do’ and the one that sent chills down my spine was when she said ‘what about our Baby, what if they come for her?’” she says, trying her best to keep her voice stable.

“‘What if they come for her?’ What’s that supposed to mean?” Kai asks, his brows pulled together as he was trying to process everything she was telling him.

“I think there was a death threat.” B forces herself to say out loud.

There’s a moment of silence as Kai’s hands freeze, and B swore she could hear her heart pounding. She started counting her breaths, trying to slow them down as Kai looks up at her, his eyes meeting hers.

“You think there was a death threat?” he asks, repeating her words.

She nods slowly. Taking a shaky breath before continuing. “Yeah, that’s the only explanation I can think of for what happened, because since that night I’ve had bodyguards with me everyone I went. Outside my bedroom, at the dining table, they’d even be waiting for me outside my classroom and walking with me around school. Not only that, my parents put me on complete lockdown. I was only allowed to go out to school, then I’d be taken straight home. I mean, my parents were always a bit strict, but this was insane.”

“That sounds really rough, Baba. And it sounds scary.” Kai says, looking at her full of concern.

“It really was. I felt like I was suffocating, cause I never got a moment to myself. The bodyguards wouldn’t leave me alone, and of course everyone at my school started to act like total dicks because of it. Stories started going around, my friends started avoiding me because of the rumors, everyone probably thought I was a criminal or something because they all started treating me like an outcast. And I really felt like I was.” B says, remembering the stares she got at her old school.

“The kids at your old school are all idiots for judging you like that.” Kai says.

B sighs. “I don’t blame them, if a student at school suddenly showed up flanked by 2 bodyguards everywhere, I’d probably be weirded out too. But the worst part is, I don’t know why it all happened. My parents were very adamant about not telling me anything. All they said was ‘it’s for your own good.’”

“Oh wow, so they never explained anything to you? They put you through that shit without even telling you why?” Kai asks in disbelief. “I always knew uncle and aunty were a bit strict, but that’s just cruel.”

“Well if it was really a death threat, I guess they just didn’t wanna scare me. It got better once my dad’s firm won the case though. Again, I don’t know what exactly happened, but at the end of the school year my dad won the case, my parents eased up on my bodyguards, but the damage was done. I lost my friends, I was seen as a weirdo at school, and I felt so frustrated and suffocated that I just wanted to get away.” B continues. It was the first time she had said all of this out loud, and as shaken as she was, she felt a lot better to finally let it out.

“So that’s why you begged your parents to let you transfer schools? And move out of the house?” Kai says, finally understanding.

B nods. “Wow, I feel much better letting it all out now.” she says, taking a deep breath. “I’m just glad my parents let me do it. I think they only agreed because they felt bad about the whole thing, but ever since you mentioned when you walked me home the other day, I really do think that they might have secretly hired security to look after me.” she says, laughing at how ridiculous the whole situation sounded.

“You know what? Come here.” Kai says, motioning her over to his side of the kitchen. She stands and walks over to him and is surprised when he suddenly pulls her into his chest and wraps his arms around her.

“Ningning? Wha—?” she starts, but then he hugs her tighter and shushes her.

“Shut up and let me hug you for a moment, alright?” he says, and she feels his body rumble as he laughs. “Listen here, Baba. While I’m around, I promise I won’t let anything hurt you. You got that?”

B tries to relax into the hug, but he was so tall and he was holding her so tight that her face was buried in his chest and she was starting to have a hard time breathing so she lifts her head up and takes a deep breath before saying “Got it. Thank you, Ningning. That means a lot to me.” she says, smiling up at him.

They stay that way for a while longer before she says “Um, I think your food is burning.”

Kai jumps and screams then, panicking as he tries to save his cooking.

The two of them spend the rest of the afternoon picking out the unburnt parts of Kai’s cooking to eat, lying around the couch and chatting with some cheesy Netflix series playing in the background before they fall asleep.

B wakes up when she hears her phone ringing. She notices that the sky was much darker, and she panics when she sees the time and the notifications from Soobin.

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