#only the blue and black ones are new but i figured it'd be nice to share them all together

[dravidious]

Cool

The end of the cards!

[xxashtreexx]

Darkness

Some days, it wasn't the chronic pain that got to Viktor.

Maybe more accurately, it wasn't the only thing that got to him. The two often coincided, of course, and he was smart enough to see the patterns and also stubborn enough to want to ignore them.

They'd always been with him, the black days. The ones where it was too dark to see through to the other side, even though the other side, as he could deduce, from having done this timelessly, would come.

Here was how it went: There would be a stressful event, usually a deadline, a massive chronic pain flare up, and then, once the whole thing was over, a lull of calm that was shattered by something dark that swallowed all the good things up and left him battered.

That was the only real word to describe it without putting the real word, the real definition, to it.

Viktor didn't want to put the real name to it.

The first really, really bad day had happened a few months after getting to know Jayce, as the cramps in his leg and back had turned into full muscle spasms that left him debilitated until they cleared up, his cane not proper enough to help him get by.

In a strange way, both the pain and the darkness were worse after getting to know Jayce, after beginning to work on their projects; the brightness he felt, he figured, had to come with equal darkness, and he paid for that.

If there was anything to be learned, from living as an undercity child and growing to be a professor's assistant, it was that there were costs, and that they were to be paid in full.

And Viktor always, always paid in full.

It'd come after a particularly sunny day. They'd picnicked in the park, one of the few green places in the Piltover. It was after a particularly stressful week, with deadlines to prove a new idea to the board to continue their funding. And with Jayce's completionist and Viktor's perfectionist attitudes they'd barely finished in time, despite having worked on hundreds of projects within the last few months.

Jayce was clearly trying to get a smile out of Viktor, and he succeeded with a few laughs thrown in, but Viktor could feel that tell-tale gnawing emptiness growing in his chest, the kind that didn't clear up with a smile, the kind that eased with a laugh before returning right after, like a rubber band, snapping back with ruthless efficiency.

"You know," Jayce said thoughtfully, looking at Viktor from the side, laying flat on his back in the grass. "I think we could take a break for a few days."

Viktor blinked, shocked.

"I could take you somewhere," Jayce continued, unaffected except for a slight blush, a little tremble in his voice. "We could go somewhere nice, or come back here at night to look at the stars." He paused, and then turned his head toward Viktor. "We could dance."

Viktor forced himself to laugh. "Careful, Talis, or I might think it's a date."

Jayce said nothing, just returned to looking at the clouds, a little delayed chuckle falling from his lips. "We could do it, though. As partners."

Did Jayce know what he was doing? Was he doing it just to torture him?

"As partners," Viktor murmured, looking up at the blue sky. "Alright."

Jayce straightened. "Alright?"

VIktor nodded, still looking at the sky. "We deserve a break," he said, but his voice was a little uncertain. All his life, not unlike Jayce, they'd been constantly trying to reach for something, a greater goal, something bigger. To take a step back from that, even for a day, felt strange.

"We do," Jayce said. Viktor knew he was probably just trying to minimize the chance of burnout, that he'd taken breaks like this with Caitlyn before, but definitely not with Viktor, and Viktor had never blamed him; they spent all this time cooped up together in a lab, enough time that it would make anyone irritable, a little frustrated.

Viktor didn't get to take that break. Not really, anyway.

He'd woken up the day of their not-date, and felt heavy all over, with the hollowness in his chest that wouldn't let up no matter what he did.

Ah, Viktor thought, stretching. So it was this kind of day.

He made himself a coffee and a bagel while he had the energy, lethargically stared out the window instead of eating, before snapping out of it and mechanically eating until he was finished.

Then, he laid in bed and tried to pretend that it didn't feel like the world was ending. That he wouldn't do anything to escape this feeling, different than the chronic flare ups, because those were about trying to escape his body; this one was about trying to escape his soul, neither better or worse but just different.

Viktor didn't show up to their date, but Jayce was persistent, and knocked softly on his door about an hour after their scheduled meet up time.

"Viktor?" His voice was soft.

"It's open," Viktor called, and tried to ignore how rough he sounded, too.

Jayce let him in quietly, did an audible double-take at the state of his messy studio apartment-style dorm, and Viktor could feel Jayce's eyes when he saw Viktor's form, curled up and facing the wall.

"Migraine?" Jayce asked softly, busying himself around his apartment like he'd always lived there. He nudged Viktor's leg, having returned with water and some crackers.

Those crackers had seen him through a lot, he reflected, mechanically eating it. The worst edge of the heaviness was a little better, but there was also this anxiety to it, like the performance piece was necessary but Viktor just didn't have the energy for it.

"It's not a migraine," he said gruffly, looking away from Jayce, sipping at the water.

"Not a migraine?" Jayce sounded carefully blank, but there was an undercurrent of hurt there. That maybe Viktor might have blown Jayce off.

Viktor reached out his long, thin fingers to curl around Jayce's wrists. "I couldn't. I wanted to."

Jayce blew out a confused breath, blushing a little at Viktor's touch. "Couldn't?" Viktor could tell how much he hated the echo, how much Jayce wanted to be in control here, to make things better.

"I feel." Viktor hated this. "Stuck." He drank the last of the water and put it on the floor, putting the remaining crackers there too.

Jayce swept him up into a tight hug, and the hollowness eased some. "It's okay," Jayce said. "I'll take care of things until you're free."

Viktor hesitantly returned the embrace. I'll be there tomorrow stuck in his throat, because all of this hadn't been this bad for a long time, and he didn't know when he could be back.

A part of him wondered if there even was a way of coming back from this darkness.

"I'll be here," Jayce promised, and tears leaked behind Viktor's eyelids, the kind of tears that were invisible and Jayce would never, could never see.

Jayce seemed to feel it anyway. They sat like that for a long time, before Jayce pulled away, embarrassed, but still determined. "Go to sleep. I'll be here until you're no longer awake, and I'll let myself out."

Jayce hummed as he went about the apartment, sitting somewhere else in the dark. It loosened the worst of the tension in Viktor's muscles, and then he was asleep, halfway between one lullaby and another.

Jayce kept his promise, with an added bonus: He helped tidy the rest of the room, left more crackers and water, with a little note:

Take as much time as you need, Vik. -Jayce

[direwombat]

4, 6, 9, 15, 19 + Saoirse?

ahhhhh first ask game for babygirl saoirse! thank you amanda!

oc nsfw asks

4. Are they more of a dom, sub, or switch? If applicable, are they a top, bottom, or vers?

fa;fldj so, i will preface this (and honestly all subsequent answers) with the fact that saoirse, much like paola, is a-spec, and price is the first person she's ever been interested in sexually. she's fairly vanilla if only because she's inexperienced (she isn't naive she knows how sex works, she's just...a little repressed and catholic), so i really don't think these terms are...well, accurate to how she perceives her actions in the bedroom. but, if pressed to answer: she's vers and a switch with subby leanings. in terms of giving and receiving, they're fairly equal, but she does go weak at the knees whenever price's "beast" comes out to play. her brain does short circuit and the feminism leaves her body when he shoves her against a wall and shoves his thigh between her legs.

6. Any place they absolutely would not have sex?

lmao anywhere in public or anywhere that has a good possibility of someone walking in on/otherwise seeing them. she's also a fairly public facing figure (well respected journalist and podcaster (blue checkmarked by twitter and everything)) and she likes to keep her personal and work lives as separate as possible. she's embarassed enough that she, an anti-war and anti-colonialist activist has a beau who's a captain in the SAS.

also "dinners and diatribes" is on their playlist so like...saoirse knows when price starts getting antsy when they're in public and she'll make him wait. she has fun teasing him in the moment while they're still out and about and he has fun making her pay later by spending hours edging her.

9. What’s their favorite way to get in the mood? How do they set the mood?

fa;sldkfjasd well, if the mood isn't set by saoirse making price wait to arrive back at one of their flats, then it's usually by her asking if he wants a massage. you know that man carries a bunch of tension in his neck and shoulders and she'll occasionally help relieve that. and well...it doesn't take much for her hands to start wandering.

as far as setting the mood, i think she only makes an effort regarding atmosphere whenever price is due to come back from deployment. a home cooked meal, candles, roses, and stuff like that. she knows he doesn't need any of those things to make sex special, but after spending weeks -- if not months -- in the literal and metaphorical trenches, she likes having something nice ready for him.

15. Describe their favorite sexual encounter.

ah, well...considering saoirse hadn't been with anyone sexually before price, she'd probably say her favorite encounter was their first time. saoirse had confided in him that she'd never had sex before and he was perfectly happy to let her dictate the pace of their physical interactions. and saoirse was under the impression that when it did eventually happen, it'd be something slow and sweet, and just like how it is in the romance novels she read as a teenager.

but life has a funny way of happening and things ended up a lot more rushed and frantic and uh...life affirming than either had anticipated it being. price was domineering, but not rough, and he ended up taking the lead and for a woman who's really only ever used a rabbit vibrator whenever she's had to scratch that itch, he makes her feel entirely new sensations and made her feel good in ways she never even could have imagined

19. When they “dress-up” for sex, what’s their go-to outfit? Lingerie, suit, gown, etc.?

dfa;lkdfjadf very similar to her work clothes, but she makes a point to unbutton her blouse to show off a lacy black bra underneath and a tight pencil skirt that leaves very little to the imagination. complete with matching lacy black panties and garters to hold up her stockings. either she ends up fumbling through a strip tease for price or price gets to unwrap her like a present. win-win either way tbh. and this is an answer to an entirely different question, but i think they occasionally do tongue-in-cheek roleplay with them playing exaggerated versions of their jobs (usually with an interview/interrogation)

[sirenascales]

-> double black [part one] 18+

-> Chuuya x 1stPov!F!Reader x Dazai

-> Who knew getting fired from work could lead to this?

-> Content: SMUT, slight angst, violence, murder, swearing

A night out drinking leads to a small misunderstanding with a handsome, yet dangerous man. [Chuuya x 1stPOV!F!Reader]

3,894 words

note: edited this so it could still be read as a reader fic! it's actually a lot of fun writing in first person! hope those who read this enjoy my first bsd fic!

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Final || masterlist

I've experienced a lot of amazing things since I've moved to Japan. A new job in a different country, new co-workers and friends, work parties, themed bars, cafes, and hookups with pretty strangers. There was a long list of great things I've had going on, and a long list of things I've never expected... and being fired from the job I had for a year was not one of them.

"A year of hard work... for nothing," I mumbled bitterly as I sat at the bar with my close friend, and now ex-coworker, Keiko. She was beautiful, with long black hair and brown eyes. She frowned, a sympathetic look on her pretty face as she sighed.

"I'm so sorry," she said softly, giving my shoulder a squeeze. "I'm sure you'll find something else soon! You have an awesome resume, and you're an amazing worker who can speak English, Japanese AND Spanish... there is totally a place for you out there!"

Keiko has always been supportive and enthusiastic, a really bright and friendly girl who made it her mission to befriend me as soon as I started working with her. She was relentless, and soon enough, I found myself spending many hours with the woman.

"Yeah..." I just mumbled again and she laughed softly.

"It's okay to mope... that's why I brought you here!"

"Yeah, about that," I started, sending Keiko a look as I swiveled the stool so my body faced her. "Why did you bring me here?" As soon as the work day was done, Keiko immediately dragged me to what was clearly a mafia bar. That didn't surprise me, since she was actually dating a mafioso.

A mafioso, who was part of the Port Mafia. It wasn't long after I moved to Yokohama that I started to hear stories about the organization, and was also warned not to cross them. Of course, with my luck, I became best friends with someone who dated someone who was in the Port Mafia. How a sweet girl like Keiko ended up with a man like him, I'll never know.

What I do know is that Taichi adored Keiko, gave her everything she could possibly want and need with the money he makes, and that was just being a normal grunt! Even so, it was dangerous, but Keiko didn't seem to mind.

"I come here with Taichi all the time," Keiko answered, sipping her drink. I turned to sip on my own. "You can't tell me it isn't luxurious." It was. My jaw had dropped to the floor when we first stepped into the very luxurious bar. "Don't worry about it, okay? Drink your sadness away! You're safe here. Since I am Taichi's woman, and you're with me, nothing will happen, okay?"

"Where is Taichi anyway?" I asked, glancing over her shoulder when I spotted a group of men walking in through the entrance. I missed the way the light left Keiko's eyes, chewing on her bottom lip anxiously. My eyes were on the men, which in the middle was a man with orange hair, a black hat adorning his head. I felt my breath hitch in my throat, my eyes looking at the very handsome man up and down. I swallowed thickly.

"He had a job tonight and couldn't make it. He'll be home to- hey, what are you looking at?" Annoyed at me ignoring her, she turned in her seat, a shocked look on her face before she smiled tightly.

"Taichi! I thought you had an assignment!"

"Hey, babe! We finished early, which was quite surprising, honestly."

The couple embraced and I barely registered the mushy love between the two as I watched the ginger man lead the rest of the group further into the bar. He walked by me, and before I knew it, dark blue eyes were staring right at me, eyebrows furrowed.

"The hell are you looking at?" he sneered and my face turned red, heart dropping in my chest.

"No one! I'm sorry!" I exclaimed, quickly turning back around and facing the bar.

"Tch. Whatever," the man only responded before walking off.

"You look like a cherry," Taichi said, clearly amused. I sent him a half-hearted glare, Keiko slapping his chest lightly.

"Be nice to her. She got fired today."

"Ohh, that sucks. If you need help-"

"She won't take it," Keiko said with a huff. "Stubborn ass."

I rolled my eyes at her, biting my lip nervously as I fiddled with my glass. "So uh... who was that guy? With the hat?"

Taichi blinked. "Oh, that's Chuuya Nakahara."

"Is he part of the Port Mafia?"

Taichi barked out a laugh, Keiko giggling softly behind her hand.

"Baby... he's an executive. Chuuya works closely with the leader of the Port Mafia."

"And I work under Chuuya," Taichi finished, amused at how wide my eyes have gotten at the answer.

"You mean to tell me... I pissed off... an executive member..." I was dismayed, heart pounding in my chest.

"Hmm, probably. Don't go home alone tonight," Taichi grinned as I balked, clearly having fun torturing me.

"Taichi! Babe, don't listen to him."

I gulped nervously, downing the rest of my drink before signaling to the bartender to get me another one.. "R-right..." Despite my better judgment, I turned my head, looking towards the obvious VIP section of the bar. Chuuya sat with some other grunts, a glass of what seemed to be red wine in his hand. Of course, his eyes found mines yet again and I whipped my head back around. Fuck, I did it again! I quickly downed the newly made drink, unaware of Chuuya's eyes narrowing as he watched me.

"Nooo, do you have to go?" a drunk Keiko whined as she latched onto my arm, a forever amused Taichi watching on. "Don't leave me with hiiiiiiim."

"I want to go home, dammit," I huffed, successfully peeling her off of me and handing her to her boyfriend. "I have to start job hunting tomorrow. Thank you for bringing me here, I do feel better and I love you but... I'm tired."

"Ugh, you are such an old lady!" Keiko whined again and I couldn't help but laugh, turning to start walking towards the exit.

"Goodnight, you too. Please get her home safe, Taichi."

"I wouldn't count on it~"

I rolled my eyes at his teasing, leaving the two behind as I left the bar. I stepped out into the cool night air, shivering a bit as I closed my cardigan tightly around me. I wore a simple but cute outfit; a black dress with burgundy tights underneath, black flats on my feet and my favorite tan cardigan over the entire outfit. It helped me fight off a bit of the cold, but as I started to walk down the block, I grabbed my phone to start searching through my usual rideshare app.

I didn't get far. My phone cluttered to the ground as it fell out my hands, a gasp leaving my mouth as I was slammed against the nearby brickwall of a narrow, dark alleyway.

"Who the fuck are you?" a familiar voice hissed and I'm shocked to find Chuuya Nakahara glaring daggers at me, his strong hands pinning my arms against the wall. He growled when I didn't answer. "Answer me! Who sent you here?!"

"N-No one!" I cried out, shaking like a leaf. Of course, of course I would be confronted by a fucking high level member of one of the most dangerous organizations in Japan. "I swear, I just came here with my friend."

Chuuya growled again and he flipped me around, pressing my front against the wall. "Stay still," he grunted, and my face started to heat up as I felt his gloved hands quickly feel along my body. He was frisking me, and I gulped when he shoved his hand under my dress, producing the knife I had strapped to my thigh.

"I carry that to protect myself," I immediately explained, Chuuya turning me around again to face him. His eyes were still narrowed, staring me down as if trying to figure out what the hell I was up to.

"And the bouncer didn't pat you down?" he questioned and I shook my head quickly.

"No, he didn't pat me or Keiko down."

"Tch, that's Taichi's woman," he said, though he still looked at me with narrow eyes, hesitating a bit before he turned my knife in his hand, handing it back to me hilt first. "You sure know how to make yourself look suspicious."

I cringed a bit as I strapped my knife to my thigh strap again. I missed how Chuuya's eyes lingered, him licking his lips. "That's my fault I... I know I was staring..." I could feel my face heat up again and I couldn't even look Chuuya in his face. "S-sorry if I creeped you out. I don't mean any harm. Keiko brought me here 'cause I got fired and she wanted to help me feel better..."

"Hm," was his only reply, crossing his arms over his chest. "What you do to fuck up?"

My mouth fell and I sputtered as I tried to come up with the words. "What do you mean?! I didn't fuck up!" I protested. "It literally came out of nowhere! I worked my ass off all year, only to get fired 'cause I wasn't what they needed anymore. Fucking bullshit."

Chuuya was amused by my little vent, snickering a bit as he gave me a quick look up and down. "I'm sure it wasn't your winning personality."

I scoffed. "Says the one that shoved a random woman against a wall?! That hurt, you bastard!"

Chuuya raised his eyebrows at me, and I immediately slapped my hands over my mouth.

Oh no. Fuck, I forgot who I was talking to.

Chuuya snickered again, his eyes flashing in amusement. He stepped closer to me, making me press back against the wall again. Chuuya leaned his face close to mine, a smug smirk on his face as he spoke.

"Be careful who you talk to like that," he hummed, and I shivered despite feeling some of his body heat. "Someone might just cut out your tongue for talking back like that. Me? Well, it'd be a waste, especially when I think of all the things I could make you do with it."

I squeaked, the heat never leaving my face as I stared at Chuuya with a puzzled expression on my face. The sudden switch up was giving me whiplash... and lowkey turning me on. "I..." I stuttered, looking away and finally noticing my phone still on the ground. "Crap, I hope it's not broken."

I rushed over to pick my phone up, ignoring Chuuya's hard stare on me. I looked over my phone, sighing in relief when I saw that it had sustained no damages.

Chuuya then stepped up to me, jerking his head back towards the bar before walking off. "Let me take you home. Take that as an apology for being so rough on you."

I blinked. "Um..."

"Hurry up!"

"Okay!" I squeaked and followed after the man quickly, chewing on my lip as I asked myself... what the fuck was I doing? Am I really about to get inside this man's car? He was a stranger! Who frisked me! Let alone, he is clearly a dangerous man.

I must be insane.

"Tell me," Chuuya started and I was dumbfounded as he approached a rather cool looking motorcycle. No way. "What the hell were you being so creepy for?" He turned to me and asked, an all-knowing smirk on his face. I blushed deeply. Of course, he already was able to figure it out once he realized that I wasn't a threat.

"No reason," I huffed out, earning a low laugh as Chuuya grabbed the only helmet I could see. I looked at him confused, gasping when he unceremoniously placed the helmet over my head. "What about you?"

"I don't need it," Chuuya simply answered before he finally mounted his bike. "Come on, you little liar. Hop on."

I couldn't help but stare, my mouth going dry as I took in the image of this handsome bastard with his bike. The engine roared as he turned it on, revving it a bit and making me make a mess in my panties.

"Hey, ya done eyefucking me, dollface?"

I sputtered. "I was NOT eyefucking you!" I stormed over to the bike, glaring at the grinning bastard as I climbed onto the bike behind him.

Chuuya snorted. "Yeah, like you weren't eyefucking me earlier in the bar," he retorted, easily reaching behind him to grab my wrists, pulling me against his back as he wrapped my arms around him. I was stunned silent, from his words, and his actions and the fact that his back felt so solid.... and he smelled so good...

"I was not..." I mumbled, pressing my cheek against his back. "Shut the fuck up."

He laughed darkly, and that sent a shiver down my spine.

"Where do you live?" Chuuya asked and I hesitantly told him my address. "I know where that is. Hold on."

"You do? It's on the other side of the city," I said and Chuuya just chuckled softly, looking over his shoulder and smirking at me.

"And who exactly runs this city?"

I clamped my mouth shut, his eyes staring into mine. I blushed and looked away from him. He turned his head back around with an amused laugh, the engine revving as he took off on his bike.

"Hold tight, dollface!"

He didn't have to tell me twice, my arms tightening around his torso as he sped down the street, weaving in and out of traffic. It was scary, but also so fucking exhilarating. My heart was thudding in my chest, my eyes watering because of the wind. Still, I kept them open, wanting to watch the world blur by us. Chuuya made a sharp, right turn, making me scream while he laughed loudly. 

"Man up!" he yelled at me.

"Stop driving like a crazy person!" I yelled back.

I didn't see the large, almost evil smirk that grew on Chuuya's face. Didn't see him licking his lips excitedly as he eyed a rather tall building coming up ahead.

"Tell me, dollface," he hollered back at me, revving the engine and I gulped as I held him tighter, his bike going faster. A bad feeling started to settle in my stomach, balking when he asked his next question. "Do you want to defy gravity?"

I didn't have time to answer, not when I finally realized that we were heading right towards the side of the building. I couldn't even scream, fear striking me as I suddenly started to see red, body jostling as Chuuya maneuvered the bike to jump in the air.... before landing perfectly on the side of the building and continuing vertically up towards the sky.

"Don't let go!" Chuuya sneered. Like that was ever going to happen.

I didn't dare turn my head to look down, my wide eyes staring up into the night sky as we made it closer to the top of the building. I couldn't even think straight, my body just running on nothing but adrenaline and fear.

"Ch-Chuuya!" I gasped out sharply, the bike finally making it to the roof of the building. Chuuya didn't slow down though, only barreling towards the edge and I started to panic. "Chuuya! What are you doing?!"

Chuuya only snickered, revving the engine once more before sending the bike flying off the edge of the building. I squeak and screw my eyes shut, pressing my face against the middle of his back. I didn't want to watch us plummet to our doom.

"Hey, idiot, open your eyes."

I whimpered and shook my head. "N-No..."

Chuuya sucked his teeth. "Just open your eyes! You'll regret it if you don't."

Biting my lip, I wanted a moment before I lifted my head up and opened my eyes, a small gasp leaving my mouth as I looked around me.

We were still floating in the air, biking moving through the sky. The City of Yokohama was lit up beautifully underneath us. I looked over, seeing the ocean at a distance, the ferris wheel lit up and spinning slowly. My mouth had fallen open, eyes wide in wonder. Chuuya was looking back at me, a triumphant grin on his face.

We made it to my apartment and Chuuya stood over me, an amused smile on his face as he watched me melt on the ground after I got off his bike.

"That was intense..." I mumbled, still feeling the effects of flying through the fucking sky. "I shouldn't even be surprised that you're gifted, with the power that you have already in the Port Mafia."

"Yeah, it was pretty great, huh," Chuuya said smugly, gloved hands stuffed in his coat pockets. I laughed softly, slowly standing up with my shaky legs. He took one look at my frazzled state and he grew even more smug. "That's a cute look on you, though if I really had my way with you, you wouldn't even be able to stand."

My face turned hot, sputtering as I tried to respond, but I had nothing to even say. Because the thought of actually inviting Chuuya inside and--

"Fuck..." I breathed out softly, looking at the man standing before me. His eyes didn't leave mine, the heat in them making a shiver go down my spine. "Do you... want to come inside?"

Chuuya fixed his hat on top of his head. "Lead the way, dollface."

"So... your ability lets you control gravity?" I asked once we made it inside the elevator of my apartment building. We were going fifteen stories up, after Chuuya parked his bike safely, of course.

"To put it simply, yes," Chuuya answered, stepping closer to me. I gasped softly when he grabbed my chin, the leather of his glove pressing against my skin. "But we're not here to talk about that." He pressed himself against me fully, leaning his face in until his lips hovered just above mine. I shivered, looking at him with hooded eyes. "This will be a one time thing, dollface."

I nodded, appreciating his honesty. "Of course," I replied just as the elevator stopped on my floor, doors sliding open. I grinned at him. "So let's make it count."

He liked the sound of that, grabbing my wrist and leading me out the elevator. I rushed to my apartment, grabbing my keys and hurriedly unlocking the door before opening it.

The door slammed shut as Chuuya immediately pressed me against it, his lips on mine in a fervorous kiss. I knocked his hat off his head as I ran my fingers through Chuuya's hair, moaning when his hands started to roam all over my body.

"Fuck..." I moaned softly when Chuuya started to kiss down my neck, squealing when he squeezed on my ass.

"Damn... you won't be able to fucking sit right, either," he growled against my neck as he massaged my ass and thighs. "Let's go."

Groaning when he moved himself away from me, I rushed to lead Chuuya to my bedroom, our clothes coming off in the process and making a trail on the floor.

It didn't take us too long to start really going at it, our lust fueling us to incredible heights. Chuuya held my hips tightly with his leather clad hands, thrusting his hard cock in and out of my soaking pussy.

He was fucking me hard, my body just sprawled on the bed as I moaned and grunted from the pleasure this man was giving me. "Fuck, fuck, Chuuya!" I whined, making the man grin widely as he kept his pace. Sweat covered both of our bodies, moans and deep growls mixing with the sound of skin slapping against skin.

"That's right, dollface, ride me," Chuuya smirked up at me, now on his back as I bounced up and down on his cock. His hands were right on my hips, his eyes going back and forth between  watching my bouncing breasts and watching his cock disappear inside my heat. "Fuck, you're so fucking sexy," he growled, thrusting up particularly hard and making me toss my head back, screaming when I finally fucking cum.

"Oh my God!" I gasped sharply, still squeezing around him as I began to slow down. "Oh fuck... it's so good," I moaned, reaching out and hooking my finger into Chuuya's black choker. I pulled and he pushed himself up, lips meeting mine in a messy kiss.

I moaned against his mouth, still slowly riding him as his hands ran up and down my sides, the leather cool against my skin. Then, Chuuya placed his hands on my hips, and with a mischievous little smirk, he licked his lips. Immediately, my body started to feel a little bit lighter, and Chuuya started to effortlessly bounce me up and down on his cock, 100% controlling my body with his ability.

"Chuuya..." I moaned his name, head lolling back. He continued to maneuver my body, little grunts and moans leaving his own mouth as he worked to reach his own pleasure, and mine.

I came again, tears falling down my face from the intense pleasure, and that was enough for Chuuya to pull me off of him completely, putting me on my knees before him on the bed. His hand grabbed the back of my neck and he pushed my head down, stuffing his cock in my mouth.

"Take it," he growled, his hands in my hair and using it to push my head up and down as he fucked my mouth. I moaned around him, a new wave of pleasure washing over me as I let the mafioso use me as he wanted. Soon enough, he exploded into my mouth, and I made sure I swallowed all of him.

"Fuck, that's hot..." Chuuya breathed out when I opened my mouth to show him that I did so. "You're such a good girl, dollface."

That made me flustered and I looked away shyly, earning a chuckle from him. I looked over when I felt him get up from the bed, thinking that he would leave. Instead, he just gave me a look. "Where is your shower?"

We showered together,  which took longer than needed because Chuuya couldn't keep his hands to himself. I was surprised when he climbed into bed with me afterwards, allowing me to cuddle against him as we slowly fell asleep.

I wasn't surprised though, when I woke up the next morning, sore and alone. I didn't get too upset about it, though. Chuuya laid it out clear and I accepted it and moved on.

I sat on my dining room table, looking through the newspaper as I sipped on my morning coffee. I was looking for a new job and figured looking at the local ads wouldn't hurt.

"Hm... let's see..." I whispered, reaching over and grabbing my knife. I ran the tip of it down the paper, stopping when one particular ad stuck out. "Hm... the Armed Detective Agency, huh? Interesting..." I set my knife down, staring at the ad as I took another careful sip of coffee.

-End

[neptunetheplanet7]

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 - 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫

DM ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE PUT ON THE TAGLIST!!

;mikasa ackerman x fem!lesbian!reader

;modern au, band au

word count: 3.3k

warnings: fluff at first, angst ig, angry levi, hitch, swearing, arguing/fighting, yelling

sorry it took a while to get this out there. school started for me last week and it’s been hard getting back into the groove of things. thank you for being patient with me!

listen to the music masterlist

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A couple of days passed since Zeke's sudden arrival. Eren agreed to your terms of his brother's stay with reluctance. He understood where you were coming from, though. Armin was right about him respecting your decision.

Tonight you and your bandmates would meet your large friend group at a nice restaurant nearby. You stood in the bathroom attached to your room, styling your hair the way you wanted.

In the last two days, you received texts from a few of your curious friends. They all seemed very interested in who you were bringing to dinner. If only they knew it was the strong-willed girl you'd had a crush on for years.

Sasha and Connie put the pieces together and teased you relentlessly about 'bringing a date to dinner'.

You were nervous to see the reactions of your friends when you walked in with Mikasa. Unlike you, they didn't get a warning of her return.

Stepping back from the counter and smoothing down your outfit, you exhaled softly. You took one final glance at the mirror and left the bathroom.

Two blonds were arguing in the living room when you entered.

"What's going on?" you asked cautiously.

"We can't leave him alone in the house while we're out. He's like a child! He already broke two vases because he slipped while looking for spare change!" Armin explained. He was wearing a white dress shirt and black slacks. He ran a hand through his silk hair then placed both hands on his hips.

Zeke protested, "Y/n, you can trust me. Don't listen to him, he's delusional." He was still in his usual attire, a t-shirt, and jeans.

Armin's face turned red from anger. "Why you-"

"You broke my vases?" you interrupted.

"No."

"He did! I watched him do it the second time!"

You learned the hard way that messing with Armin was a death sentence. Especially when he was mad. The argument had to stop before it turned physical.

"Zeke, get dressed. You're coming with us, but you sit far away. You don't talk to us or our friends." You pointed a stern finger at him.

He pouted and groaned like a child before slumping his shoulders and stomping down the basement stairs.

Armin rubbed a hand over his face and, in an annoyed fashion, checked his watch. "Will they ever be done?"

You chuckled. "You're always the first one ready. Don't you know that by now?"

He rolled his eyes and fell back on the couch. "Shut it."

Eren appeared at the basement door, looking frustrated. In his hand, he held out the tie to the suit he was wearing. "How the hell do you tie this thing?"

Armin sighed and stood back up, his rest short-lived. They made their way over to him and began to walk him through each step while his eyebrows only furrowed more.

His long hair fell around his face as he tried his best to maneuver the tie correctly. His face lit up once he got it right.

"How have you gone this long without knowing how to tie a tie?" Jean leaned his head out of the hall bathroom, which you didn't even know he was in.

"Shut up, Kirstein. I get by." He glared.

Jean laughed and fully emerged from the bathroom wearing a beige suit vest and slacks. Underneath, he wore a cream-colored dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His hair was tied back in a short ponytail with a few strands falling loose.

Your eyes shifted back to Eren, who was struggling to put on his suit jacket and you stifled a laugh.

"Stop laughing! It's not funny." His words were hard to understand since he held around three bobby pins between his teeth.

You laughed some more despite his agitation. You were disrupted by the light clacking of heels on the stairs to the second story. Looking in that direction, you saw Mikasa walking down and you had to stop your mouth from dropping open.

She was wearing a simple tight black dress that reached just above her knees. Silver dangly earrings were in her ears and a dainty silver necklace hung around her neck. Her ring adorned fingers played with the hem of her dress. She smiled at you from across the room.

Eren bumped your hip and you nearly shrieked. His presence next to you had gone unnoticed until then. He snickered at you and nodded to Mikasa. You narrowed your eyes and tugged a lock of hair out of his bun.

His smirk dropped. "What'd you do that for? Now I have to do this all over again. Bitch." he grumbled the insult and left your side.

Mikasa walked over to where you stood. "Hi."

"Hi." You returned her smile.

She sucked a quiet breath. "You look nice."

You couldn't fight the grin that spread across your face at her simple compliment. "As do you."

She smiled again and you felt you might collapse from the surge of butterflies in your stomach.

Zeke came up from the basement, gaining everyone's attention. "What the hell are you wearing?" Eren chided.

He was adorned in a baby blue suit with ruffles decorating the dress shirt. You struggled to hold in your laughs, as did the woman beside you.

"Don't talk about it." Zeke lowered his eyes to the floor as Eren laughed loudly without shame.

"Marco's here to pick us up," Jean announced, shoving his phone into his pocket. He wanted to see Marco's reaction to Mikasa's homecoming at the dinner, but that dream was cut short when she answered the door to him the day prior. He was shocked, to say the least.

Sure enough, when you looked tho the front door, you could see the glare of Marco's headlights in the darkness.

He waved you all over to get in his car. Jean sat in the passenger seat, perks of dating the driver. In a backseat that was designed for three people, you were crammed inside with Armin, Eren, and Mikasa. Zeke was forced to ride in the trunk.

Mikasa was pressed up against your skin. In the confinement of the car, you could feel her warm breath tickling your shoulder whenever she spoke.

A shiver ran through your body and your hands gripped your knees. Nobody noticed, thank god. You were very grateful that the only light sources were phone screens and the button rims inside the car.

Everyone chatted mindlessly until Marco turned a corner into a parking lot. He parked the car near the entrance and got out with everybody following suit.

Once you were inside, you were greeted with the familiar smell of the restaurant. It was the one you always went to when meeting up with the group. You didn't know the owners, but Reiner did, and he was the one who planned these gatherings.

"Welcome to Galliard's!" greeted a blond man whose name tag read Colt. A look of recognition crossed his face. "Oh, it's you guys. Right, this way." He grabbed a menu for each person and led you to a large booth in the middle of the restaurant.

You took a good look at everyone. You all went to the same high school, some of you just didn't meet until later. Like you, Sasha, and Connie.

Five people were seated at the table. Two were missing. Ymir and Historia were late. Figures.

They all saw Mikasa looming behind you since each of them had some form of shock on their face. Several voices suddenly arose from the group.

"When did you get back? And why did I not hear about it?" voiced a betrayed Bertholdt.

"Mikasa, I didn't know you would be here," Annie said coolly.

"Oh my god, Mikasa!" Connie tried to act surprised.

"Mikasa! I had no idea you'd be here." It turns out Sasha was just as bad of an actor.

"This is your plus one, Y/n?" Reiner held a knowing expression.

"So no one is happy to see me?" Eren sounded hurt.

Reiner wasted no time standing up to pull you in for a hug. He pulled back after a few seconds and held you by the shoulders at an arm's length away. "Like the beard?" He gestured to his chin.

"Sure, Reiner, it suits you." You patted his shoulder and he returned your cheerful smile. He moved to talk to the others as Bertholdt came into your view.

When he hugged you, you noticed how much taller he was than you. You had to stand on your tip-toes to see over his shoulder. "What the hell, Bertholdt?" You fucking ladder," you blurted.

He laughed at your lovely way with words. "Hi, Y/n. It's been a while. I'm glad to see you're still doing well."

"It has. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever. How's it going at the school?"

"It's definitely going. I'll tell you about it in a second. You wanna sit down?" He moved to the side to let you slide into the booth. Mikasa was on your right and Bertholdt was on your left.

Everyone was seated except for Zeke, who stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Eren told him to find someone to get him to a table. He just pushed up his glasses and left.

Across from you sat Sasha, Connie, and Jean who were laughing their asses off at something Marco said. Reiner, Eren, and Armin sat on the cushy bench across from Annie who sat on one of the three chairs pulled up to the table.

"So, Mikasa, when did you get back?" Annie asked.

"Earlier this week."

"What? You've been here that long and we didn't know?" Reiner gaped at her.

"We thought it'd be a nice surprise." You shrugged.

"I thought you were bringing a date. Or is she your date?" Connie teasingly wiggled his eyebrows while Sasha laughed loudly.

You blushed madly at his question. "Shut up, guys! You already knew I was bringing her, anyway."

"You knew?" Bertholdt's eyes boggled.

"No wonder you're so calm. Out of everyone I'd expect you two to go ballistic," Annie pointed out.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Connie lifted his arms in an attempt to appear threatening.

A new voice spoke, "It means you're an idiot." You looked up to see Ymir stood behind Annie's chair with one hand around Historia's shoulders and one in the pocket of her suit jacket.

"Ymir, hi!" You greeted and she raised an eyebrow.

"This is your date?" She chuckled.

"She's not my date," you grumbled, folding your arms. Ymir just snickered and sat in the chair next to Annie's, Historia sitting next to her.

"Quit it, Ymir. Is that all you have to say to someone we haven't seen in two years?" she scolded her girlfriend.

"How is it, Mikasa?" Ymir turned and asked.

"It's good. Glad to be back." She gave a small smile.

"That's good to hear! We're all happy you're back," Historia said with enthusiasm. Mikasa nodded in response.

You picked up your conversation with Bertholdt from earlier about his job. He was an elementary school teacher and from what he told you, he was very good at what he did.

Other conversations went on, jokes were told, and by the time the waitress came to the table for your orders, you'd caught up with everyone. The whole group was excited Mikasa came home and it showed.

Her hand brushed against yours multiple times under the table and your shoulders tensed up whenever they touched hers. She didn't seem to mind the contact. You wished she'd just take your hand since you were too scared to do so yourself.

Those moments of giddiness were short-lived because you noticed two familiar figures at a table toward the back.

Hitch smiled maliciously and waved at you while bringing her champagne glass to her lips. Marlo sat across from her on his phone, drumming his knuckles on the table.

Your eyes widen and you quickly move away from Mikasa, startling her.

"Are you okay, Y/n?" She placed a hand on your shoulder with a worried expression.

"I'll be right back." You brushed her hand off and shimmied out of the booth, heading to the bathroom.

You pushed the door open and luckily no one was inside. Your hands gripped onto the edge of the counter as your mind raced. What the hell were they doing here? Why tonight? Your blood was beginning to boil as you became angrier by the second.

The door swept open and in walked the woman of the hour. "Hello, Y/n," she sang.

"What are you doing here? Can I not have a meet-up with my friends without you riding my dick?" you sneered, looking at her in the mirror.

Shock flashed across her face and she let out a breathy laugh. "Such colorful language, Y/n! I didn't expect that from you!" She turned to face the sinks and your eyes met in the mirrors.

"What are you doing here, Hitch?"

"I'm having a nice dinner with my friend, that's what I'm doing. It just so happens you were here tonight as well," she said.

"So it's a coincidence? If you say so, I don't believe you."

"That's exactly what it is. You don't have to believe it, but it's the truth. I can promise I wasn't planning on spying on you tonight." She blew her bangs away from her face.

She honestly couldn't tell if she was lying or not but your anger level was rising quickly and you didn't know if you'd be able to stop yourself from saying something you would regret.

"What is your problem, Hitch? Seriously, have you nothing better to do? I haven't seen half of those people in months." You tore your eyes away from the mirror to fully look at her.

"I told you, Y/n. I wasn't here for you. I don't have a problem." She narrowed her eyes as she stood at her full height, facing you.

You scoffed. "Tell me what your problem is. I want to hear you say why you're doing all this. You never did give me an explanation."

"I don't have a problem."

"Yes, you do. Why did you follow me in here? Do you think you can intimidate me or something?"

"I know I can intimidate you. Stop acting like you're the one with the power right now. I'm the one who has the guts to tell people what we were. You wanna know my problem? My problem is you. You couldn't get over a stupid high school crush. You still aren't over it and it's fucking weak."

You backed away as she got angrier with every word she spat. She hesitated for a moment and inhaled sharply.

"What's weaker is how much I care. I gave a shit about you and you couldn't see that she didn't. I knew about your feelings the whole time. You think I'm dumb? I know you thought of me as a distraction. And I liked being your distraction. But you run away from everything. You're a fucking coward."

You were too shocked to even try to apologize. Your mouth fell open and tears pricked your eyes.  Her breathing was ragged and her eyes were big. She blinked several times and the light caught a few wet streaks on her face when she turned her head.

"Hitch, I-"

"Please, don't say anything."

The state of shock you were sent into was broken when a sudden bang sounded outside of the bathroom.

Hitch looked desperate to get out of the situation, so she took the opportunity to bolt out of the bathroom. You took a moment to compose yourself before leaving to assure your friends you were okay.

The moment you stepped out of the bathroom, you stopped dead in your tracks when you were greeted with the jarring sight of Zeke seconds away from being punched in the face.

A man with short black hair was kneeling on Zeke's table with one hand gripping his collar and the other pulled back in fist.

"Zeke Jaeger right? You owe me a lot of money and my wedding ring," the man seethed and punched Zeke hard in the jaw.

He fell to the floor, clutching where he was hit. You stood there, stunned. Just as the man was bringing his leg forward to kick him, your instincts kicked in and you rushed to crouch in front of him.  You braced yourself for the impact that never came.

"You'd really kick a woman?" an unfamiliar voice spoke.

You looked up and saw him being held back by a man with a slicked back undercut and a bomber jacket adorned with patches.

Eren and Mikasa were at your side in an instant with the others following closely behind.

"Are you okay, Y/n?" Mikasa put her hands on your shoulders and you nodded. Eren shot you a worried glance while tending to Zeke.

The short man was still being held back by the guy from before, but now someone new was at his side. He looked like bomber jacket dude but with a different hair color and style. He was trying to talk down the black-haired man.

Bomber jacket interrupted, "Look, dude, you're scaring my customers. We don't do that shit in here. One of my waitresses panicked and called the cops. They'll be here soon for you if you don't take this the fuck outside."

"Porco! Watch your language," the brunette hissed. 'Porco' glared at, who you assumed was, his brother.

Eren and Mikasa helped Zeke up and began to lead him out of the restaurant. You and the others followed, except Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt who stayed to talk to the restaurant owners.

Once you had safely gotten outside, you sat Zeke down on a bench. Sasha managed to snag some napkins for his wound.

Everyone except for you, Eren, and Mikasa were seated on the sidewalk. You three were also on the bench.

The door to the restaurant was pushed open and two voices were heard. The short man was walking out and a taller blond man was lingering behind.

He noticed Zeke and stopped his mumbling. He pointed a shaky finger at him and his face contorted into a nasty glare.

"Where's my money, bitch?" he shouted.

"Levi, why don't you calm down before you do something again." The blond man said.

'Levi' scoffed. "I just want my money back. And my wedding ring. Where the fuck is my wedding ring?"

The color drained from Zeke's face. Levi yelled at him again, "Where the fuck is it?"

"I pawned it."

If looks could kill, Zeke would be dead. The pure anger that was displayed on the man's face was enough to make you cower.

"Let me at him!" Levi purged forward and Jean attempted to stop him, but just ended up on the concrete. He pushed past Eren and in the blink of an eye, Zeke was on the ground. He was getting the shit beat out of him in front of your eyes.

Your friends yelled at him to get off. The man who was following him tried to hold him back, but Levi seemed even angrier than he was inside the restaurant. Eren tried pulling Zeke away with help from Mikasa.

Sirens sounded in the distance and you knew they were growing closer with each passing second. The staff hadn't called off the police, you realized. "Guys," you called.

"I'm gonna kill you!"

The sirens were muffled by the yells.

"Stop, Levi!"

They were clearer.

"Get off him!"

They were loud.

"What the fuck is your problem?"

Blaring lights could be seen over the hedges.

"Get off my brother!"

"Guys!" you yelled over everyone. You pointed to the police cars that were now pulling into the parking lot.

posted: 9/7/21

neptunetheplanet7© 2021

no reposts, edits, or modification to my work by anyone other than me.

[thewidowsghost]

Daughter of the Sea - Chapter 3

Percy's POV

Confession time: I ditch Grover as soon as we get to the bus terminal.

I know, I know. It was rude. But Grover is kinda freaking me out, looking at me like I am a dead man, muttering, "Why does this always happen?" and "Why does it always have to be the sixth grade?"

Whenever he gets upset, Grover's bladder acts up, so I'm not surprised when, as soon as we get off the bus, he makes me promise to wait for him, then makes a beeline for the restroom. Instead of waiting, I get my suitcase, slip outside, and catch the first taxi uptown.

"East One-hundred-and-forth and First," I tell the driver.

A word about my mother, before you meet her.

Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest luck. Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five, and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program. Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma.

The only good break she ever got was meeting mine and (Y/n)'s dad.

We didn't have any memories of him, just this warm sort of glow, maybe the barest trace of his smile. Our mom doesn't like to talk about him because it makes her sad; she has no pictures.

See, they weren't married. She told us he was rich and important, and their relationship was a secret. Then one day, he set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey, and he never came back.

Lost at sea, my mom had told us. Not dead. Lost at sea.

She worked odd jobs, took night classes to get her high school diploma, and raised me and my twin on her own. She never complained or got mad. Not even once. But I knew I wasn't an easy kid.

Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano, who was nice the first thirty seconds we knew him, then showed his true colors as a world-class jerk. When I was young, I nicknamed him Smelly Gabe. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. The guy reeked like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts.

Between the two of us, we made my mom's life pretty hard. The way Smelly Gabe treated her, the way he and I got along...well, when I came home is a good example.

I walk into our little apartment, hoping my mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe is in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blares ESPN. Chips and beer cans are strewn all over the carpet.

Hardly looking, he says around his cigar, "So, you're home."

"Where's Mom and (Y/n)?" I wonder aloud.

"Your mom's working," he says. "You got any cash?"

That was it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?

"I don't have any cash," I toll him.

"Here," comes a voice, holding out a ten to the man.

Instantly, a smile sneaks its way onto my face.

"Hey, Perc," my twin sister says with a smile.

(Y/n)'s POV

I grab my brother's suitcase and carry it into his room; I set it down on the bed.

"You wanna come sit in my room?" I ask and Percy nods, a smile still on his face.

I lead the way to my room and when I open the door, Percy sinks into my desk chair.

"Percy?" comes our mom's voice.

She opens my bedroom door.

Our mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room. Her eyes sparkle and change color in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She's got a few gray streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old. When she looks at me, it's like she's seeing all the good things about me, none of the bad. I've never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me or Percy or Gabe.

"Oh, Percy," she hugs her son tightly. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas.

Percy's POV

Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central. She'd brought me a huge bag of "free samples," the way she always did when I came home.

We sit together on the edge of (Y/n)'s bed. While I attack the blueberry sour strings, (Y/n) stealing a few pieces of candy from the bag, Mom runs her hand through my hair and demands to know everything I hadn't put in my letters. She doesn't mention anything about my getting expelled. She doesn't seem to care about that. But was I okay? Was her little boy doing all right? The whole time, (Y/n)'s eyes were sparkling with amusement.

I tell Mom she is smothering me, and to lay off and all that, but secretly, I was really, really glad to see her and (Y/n).

From the other room, Gabe yells, "Hey, Sally—how about some bean dip, huh?"

I grit my teeth.

My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should've been married to a millionaire, not to some jerk like Gabe.

For her sake, I try to sound upbeat about my last days at Yancy Academy. I tell her I'm not too down about the expulsion. I'd lasted almost the whole year this time. I'd made some new friends. I'd done pretty well in Latin. And honestly, the fights hadn't been as bad as the headmaster said. I liked Yancy Academy. I really did. I put such a good spin on the year, I almost convince myself. I start choking up, thinking about Grover and Mr. Brunner. Even Nancy Bobofit suddenly doesn't seem so bad.

Until that trip to the museum...

"What?" my mom asks. Her and my sister's eyes tug at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. "Did something scare you?"

"No, Mom."

I feel back for lying. I want to tell her about Mrs. Dodds and the three old ladies with the yarn, but I think it'd sound stupid.

Mom purses her lips. Both she and (Y/n) could tell I was holding back, but neither push me.

(Y/n)'s POV

"I have a surprise for both of you," Mom says. "We're going to the beach."

Percy's eyes widen. "Montauk?"

"Three nights - same cabin."

"When?" I ask excitedly.

Mom smiles. "As soon as I get changed."

I can't believe it. Mom, Percy, and I hadn't been to Montauk the last two summers, because Gabe said there wasn't enough money.

Gabe appears in my doorway and growls, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?"

"I've got it," I offer, rising from the bed and walking out into the kitchen to make the dip for Mom.

An hour later, we are ready to leave.

Gabe takes a break from his poker game long enough to watch me and Percy lug Mom's bags to the car. He keeps griping and groaning about losing her cooking - and most importantly, his '78 Camaro - for the whole weekend.

"Not a scratch on this car, you two," he warns us as I load the last bag. "Not one little scratch."

Like we'd be the ones driving. We're twelve. But that didn't matter to Gabe. If a seagull so much as pooped on his paint job, he'd find a way to blame us.

We get into the Camero, me in the passenger's seat, and Percy in the back.

Our rental cabin is on the south shore, way out at the tip of the Long Island. It is a little pastel box with faded curtains, half-sunken into the dunes. There is always sand in the sheets and spiders in the cabinets, and most of the time the sea is too cold to swim in.

Percy and I love the place.

We'd been going there since Percy and I were babies. Our mom had been going even longer. She never exactly said, but I knew why the beach was special to her. It was the place she'd met mine and Percy's dad.

As we get closer to Montauk, Mom seems to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turning the color of the sea.

We arrive at the cabin, open all the cabin windows, and go through our usual cleaning routine. We walk on the beach, feed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and much on jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work.

I guess I should explain the blue food.

See, Gabe had once told Mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed like a small thing at the time. But ever since, Mom had gone out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop. This - alone with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano - was proof that she wasn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like Percy.

When it gets dark, we make a fire. We roast hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom tells us stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. She tells us about the books she wanted to write when she gets enough money to quit the candy shop.

Finally, it seems that Percy gets the nerve to ask about what was always on our minds when we come to Montauk - our father. Mom's eyes go all misty. I figure that she was going to tell us the same things she always said, but neither Percy and I ever got tired of hearing them.

"He was kind, Percy," Mom says. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, two. You have his black hair, you know, Percy, and you both have his green eyes."

Mom fishes a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish he could see you, Percy, (Y/n). He would be so proud."

Percy's POV

I wondered how she could say that. What's so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of the school for the sixth time in six years.

"How old were we?" I ask. "I mean . . . when he left?"

Mom watches the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin."

"But...he knew us as a baby."

"No, honey. He knew I was expecting twins, but he never saw you two. He had to leave before you were born."

I try to square that with the fact I seem to remember . . . something about my father. A warm glow. A smile.

(Y/n) and I had always assumed that he had known us as babies. Mom had never said it outright, but still, we'd always felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen us . . .

I realize I feel angry at my father. Maybe it was stupid, but I resent him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry Mom. He'd left us, and now we are stuck with Smelly Gable.

"Are you sending me away again?" I ask her. "To another boarding school."

She pulls a marshmallow from the fire.

"I don't know, honey." Mom's voice is heavy. "I think . . . I think we'll have to do something."

"Because you don't want me around?" I regret the words as soon as they come out of my mouth. (Y/n) bows her head, looking at the ground and Mom's eyes well with tears.

Mom takes my hand and squeezes it tight. "Oh, Percy, no. I - I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away."

Her words remind me of what Mr. Brunner had said - that it was best for me to leave Yancy.

"Because I'm not normal," I say.

"You say that as if it's a bad thing, Percy. But you don't realize how important you are. I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you'd finally be safe.

"Safe from what?"

She meets my eyes, and a flood of memories comes back to me - all the weird, scary things that had ever happened to me and (Y/n), some of which we'd tried to forget.

During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked us on the playground. When the teachers threatened to call the police, he went away growling, but no one believed (Y/n) when she'd told them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had one eye, right in the middle of his head.

Before that—a really early memory. I was in preschool, and a teacher accidentally put me down for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into. My mom screamed when she came to pick me up and found me playing with a limp, scaly rope I'd somehow managed to strangle to death with my meaty toddler hands.

In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was forced to move.

I know I should tell my mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds at the art museum, about my weird hallucination that I had sliced my math teacher into dust with a sword. But I can't make myself tell her. I have a strange feeling the news would end our trip to Montauk, and I don't want that.

"I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could," my mom says. "They told me that was a mistake. But there's only one other option, Percy—the place your father wanted to send you two. And I just...I just can't stand to do it."

(Y/n)'s POV

"Our father wanted us to go to a special school?" I ask, a little confused.

"Not a school," she says softly. "A summer camp."

My head starts spinning. Why would my dad - who hadn't even stayed around long enough to see me and Percy be born - talk about a summer camp?

"I'm sorry, (Y/n)," she said, seeing the look in my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I—I couldn't send you two to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you for good."

"For good?" Percy asks. "But if it's only a summer camp.

Mom turns towards the fire, and I know from her expression that if either of us ask her any more questions, she would start to cry.

I have a weird, vivid dream. It is storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse, and a golden eagle are trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf. The eagle swoops down and slashes the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse rears up and kicks at the eagle's wings. As they fight, the ground rumbles and a monstrous voice chuckles somewhere and beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder.

I run towards them, knowing I have to stop them from killing each other, but I am running in slow motion. I know I am too late. I see the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse's wide eyes, and I scream, No!

I wake with a start.

Outside, it really is storming, the kind of storm that cracks trees and blows down houses. There is no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight, and twenty-foot waves pounding the dunes like artillery.

With the next thunderclap, my mom and Percy wake. Mom sits up, eyes wide, and says, "Hurricane."

I know that's crazy. Long Island never sees hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seems to have forgotten. Over the roar of the wind, I hear a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that makes my hair stand on end.

Percy's POV

Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice - someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door.

My mother springs out of bed in her nightgown and throws open the lock.

Grover stands framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he isn't . . . he isn't exactly Grover.

"Searching all night," he gasps. "What were you thinking?"

My mother looks at me in terror - not scared of Grover, but of why he'd come.

"Percy," she says, having to shout to be heard over the rain. "What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?"

I am frozen, looking at Grover. I can't understand what I'm seeing, and I see (Y/n) looking at my friend.

"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" he yells. "It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?"

I am too shocked to register that he'd just cursed in Ancient Greek, and I'd understood him perfectly. I am too shocked to wonder how Grover had gotten here by himself in the middle of the night. Because Grover doesn't have pants on - and where his legs should be . . . where his legs should be . . .

Mom looks at me sternly and talks in a tone she'd never used before, and (Y/n) flinches: "Percy. Tell me now!"

I stammer something about the old ladies at the fruit stand and Mrs. Dodds, and my mom stares at me, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning.

She grabs her purse, tosses me and (Y/n) our rain jackets, and says, "Get the car. All three of you. Go!"

Grover runs for the Camero - but he isn't running, exactly. He is trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs makes sense to me. I understand how he can run so fast and still limp when he walks.

Because where his feet should be, there are no feet. There are cloven hooves.

Word Count: 3041 words

[selimunfridhirako]

Shinji Hirako x Reader

💜 The First Date💜

A/N: I haven't been writing much and I do deeply apologize for that, again this is my secondary account, my first is @targaryens-blog I'm no longer allowing submissions no longer accepting requests at this time but for selimunfridhirako I'll have the ask box open if anyone would like to send anons just chatting or discussing topics. now that's out of the way I am taking a break from writing bnha/mha and will be focusing on creating Bleach content! I'll be tagging a few of my favorite bleach blogs I've found while trying to find good ol bleach content writers and here's a few to list^^@shinji-slut @sexintheseireitei @seireiteisins @hirako5hinji @buriedinbleach @jazzandzanpakutos @theseireitei @thesecondcircleofkel

First I know none of us talk I'm just simply a fan of all your works and you all inspired me to write bleach again your all my favs and truly hope you never give up writing for your favorite fandoms. This is my first official time writing for Shinji Hirako and I guarantee it won't be as good lol but that's the point! I just wanna write whether it's good or not. Please enjoy this scenario! Also tagging @so---ft & @fi16ns ! Much love

-Tara

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Word count: 17k

Warnings ⚠️: minor Alcohol use

Pairing: Shinji Hirako x Fem reader

Prompt: You finally worked the courage to ask Shinji on a date after years of pinning after the male. How will this might turn out?

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*You shouldn't be this nervous. Twiddling your thumbs and eyes down casted. Your head soon followed the sound of Shinji's voice, complaining about being hungry. You giggled mostly to yourself before sighing. Your heart soars everytime he's near, shake your head when hiyori and him are having their little spats, you go out of your way to even bring the blonde new magazines to read for his downtime. Way more than you'd like to admit. Your friend nudges you and smiles. "Just ask him if you guys can talk privately, it'll be okay." They say. Oh how easy you wish it could actually be. To work up such a courageous act to simply ask a man on a date. It'd be much easier if he would do it instead. Girls don't ask boys out, do they?. Finally after minutes chewing on your bottom lip you finally stood from where you sat and casually sauntered over to where he was sitting on the couch. Face in hand, his light brown eyes scanned the room before landing on your frame. He noticed you're tense shoulders and opted to sit upright and his attention on you to hopefully ease you Of whatever nervousness you're feeling. "Shinji.. Can we go outside and talk?." He smiles sweetly before placing his magazine on the couch, forgotten and getting up to follow you out. Now here, him standing in front of you, the idea seemed far more difficult than before. His slouched position and hand in his pocket, his free hand begun scratching the back of his head not knowing what to do now. You start to feel your chest feel extremely heavy, and heart begun to drop in your stomach just by his body language. You were scared shitless on what to do now. "Nice day out, huh?." You said trying to start some small talk.*

*Shinji's head looked up towards the clear blue sky before mumbling a "Yeah." In agreement and leaning his back against the wall of the warehouse for support. Shit. This couldn't get any worse. Your eyes closed and mentally slapped yourself at how pathetic you were being choosing to play with the hem of your sweater instead. Little did you know that Shinji was watching your every move and expression in his peripheral. And decided to break the ice for you.*

*"So, whatdya need ta talk ta me bout'?." **Your (eye/color) eyes finally met his calm one's. Feeling ease creeping into your every fiber and relaxing, but only a little. "Well, I. I just wanted to know-. " you made a humming sound through your nose and rubbing your arm to calm your nerves. * *'just. Ask. Him'*

*"Date.. With. Me?." Silence. All that could be heard was the sound of the wind rustling the loose leaves on the street. Soon though, his smile grew into his signature smile and his eyes twinkled.*

*"Yer askin' me out on a date (Name)?."*

*You couldn't Shake your head any faster almost causing you to get dizzy at the eagerness. Before a soft smile shown on your features.*

*"Y-Yes! If. You want to.." Why were you so nervous? You've been on dates before? But then again asking first was singlehandedly the hardest thing you've ever done.*

*"Hmpf. Nev'a been asked by a cute girl before. T'sound nice. When is it?." His smooth voice rang in your ears and heart lept with excitement.*

*"How's 7:30 pm?."*

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Here now in your room, You stared at your reflection for the 20the time, finding something new that needed touched up and make-up to be reapplied. Fixing your hair and smoothing down the dress giving yourself another look over. The dress your friend helped you pick out was stunning. White knee length, with semi thick straps that connected in the back with a lace design. With floral flowers in the color of pinkish red and a sash that wrapped around your waist. Final thing to top off was a white and black laced shawl you'll use to wrap around your arms and a simple hand bag for your phone makeup and wallet. You felt that since you were the one that asked him out, you figured it be appropriate to pay for the two of you as well. Role reversed much?. You let out a soft laugh.

Hearing you're phone beep, you quickly pulled it out of your purse before checking the message

Shinji 🎷:*Hey doll, M'Here."*

A dust of Pink adorned your cheeks while you let out a giggle from the nickname he gave you, before dashing off from your room to meet him at the front door. Opening the door, Shinji turned to the sound, adorning in a white button up shirt with a black tie, suspenders, black slacks with a nice pair of white and black dress shoes and holding a dark blue jacket on his forearm. He pulls his sunglasses up on his head and gave a modest whistle. "Yer lookin great (Name). N' all dressed up fer me?." He became so comfortable with that statement that he landed a hand on your waist to pull you closer getting a wiff of your nice smelling perfume and shampoo. "Gorgeous."

You smiled looking down at the ground, pulling a stray hair behind your ear.

"You're looking incredible yourself Shinji." He scoffs.

"Nah. This ole' thing?. Ts'been collecting dust."

You playfully slapped his chest before walking down the steps to the side walk. "So I was thinking about this nice restaurant I seen walking with (friends/name), wanna check it out?."

Shinji threw his palm up to stop you.

"No darlin. This one on me. I know a good place." Taking your hand in his he throws his jacket over his shoulder and proceeds down the street to a jazz club downtown. During the walk you soon discovered he called ahead and even made a reservation. Your mouth hung open and gawked at how fast he moved. You had only asked him out that morning and already he's made arrangements? Your heart wasn't sure how much you could handle this man.

After sometime walking you made it to a building called *'Cocktails and Dreams'*. Shinji opened the door for you and followed inside. The room was not too dark, but not too light, there was red leather booths sitting along the walls and small rectangular tables wrapped in red satin silk filling the middle of the room, and at the end of the room stood a beautiful stage with red, blues, pinks and purple stage lights. A piano, saxophone, a couple electric guitars and a cello sitting on their perks with band mates beginning their routine. The smell of cigars and delicious food filled your senses as you looked around. There wasn't many people here, probably regulars and some folks sitting at the bar upon entering the building and to top off this classy place soft jazz music played. Filling your soul with something it hasn't felt in many years. Warmth and happiness.

You were brought from your thoughts when the waitress walked past you. "Your booth is this way sir." Shinji threw his arm around your waist and led you to where you'll be seated together. He leaned down to whisper in your right ear. "So, whatcha think doll face.? Yer kinda place?." Your spine shivered with anticipation and licked your lips before responding. "It's perfect." Whilst making eye contact. He smirks, when the waitress took the card off the table she gestured the two of you to sit while she asked you two what drinks to start with. Shinji allowed you to slide in first before following suit. "Ya wanna alcoholic beverage or just water fer now?." He asked leaning towards you with that smile you love so much. "Water for now please." He nodded, "Two waters."

The waitress wrote it down and set two menus for you both to look over. Even the menu was fancy. "Ya wanna talk first then order? Or jus order than talk?." You smiled before placing the menu down. Sitting your chin in both your palms you leaned towards Shinji looking directly at him. He scooted closer to the point of your legs touching and threw his arm on top the booth chair behind you. He looked easy going and relaxed. Eyes half lidded while he looked at you through his lashes. You couldn't help but move in next to him and laying your head on his shoulder. This display of physical intimacy surprised the both of you before he let out a hearty chuckle.

"Where's'tha blushy nervous cutie who asked me out this mornin? M'not sure why but I'm enjoyin this kinda attention." You laughed with him. "I don't know. I guess once the jitters wore off happiness replaced it." You felt his head tilt to peer at the crown of your head. "Yer happy?." You hummed in agreement. Before lifting to look at him face to face. "To be honest I've been pinning after you for awhile." You looked down at the table. His smile faded into a slight frown. "But.. Seeing the way you flirted with girls. I felt I'd never have a chance. Till' this morning." His smile was completely gone but he replaced it with a smirk when you looked back at him. "M'Sorry doll. Nev' expected ya ta even gimme a second glance." You rolled your eyes.

"Well of course I did!." You giggled while he feigned fake hurt. By this time the waitress walked back with your waters and placed them down. Shinji moved to collect them. But you felt the women's presence lurking. You looked up at her and she was staring directly at Shinji, "Are you ready to order now, sir?." He gave a curt nod your way as to ask you as well, when you picked up the menu you quickly picked the chef's choice, as you were nervous to take too long, Shinji picked the same one before handing the menu back to the lady. "Thank you I'll have that right out to you, sir." Before walking away. For some reason you couldn't help but feel as if she disregarded your presence and only noticed Shinji. He turned back to you.

"(Name)." You turned your head his way. "Yeah?." He held your hand in his lap tracing patterns on your skin. "Wanna dance?." You beamed before nodding excitedly. He slid out the booth with your hands still connected before pulling you to your feet and towards the dance floor. The music wasn't too fast but not too slow, and soon he begun spinning you in slow circles before pulling you close to his frame. You giggled. You could feel your hands getting clammy at the closeness as your hands moved to lay atop his shoulders while he swayed and twirled with you on the dance floor. A couple times you had accidentally tripped or stepped on his foot, mumbling apologies while he shrugged it off. He taught you a few jazz moves before doing the signature twirl and dip. His left arm wrapped securely around the mid of your back while the other held your hand. He leaned in close to your face, a blush creeping incredibly fast, heart thumping in your chest. Your eyes widened as his face kept inching closer to yours, your eyes slowly closed Before he landed a soft sweet longing kiss on your forehead and bringing you back upright to his chest. The music ended and people hollered and clapped before music transitioned into a soft melody again.

Grabbing his hand, you both sat back down while laughing amongst yourselves and by then the food arrived. Two words. Mouth watering. House salad with shrimp and steak and to top it off you both ordered a coconut breeze martini to go with the meal. Needless to say you were thankful he picked the place, you knew jazz was his thing and boy did he deliver. You both chatted about music, movies and other favorite topics. Going as far as to critique little details within each topic. His laughs were genuine and sweet. Something you never heard before now, and his body language wasn't so much as lazy and uncaring as most times, but attentive and serious while still retaining his comical behaviour. Everything was perfect, he listened to everything you said chiming in time to time to put in his opinions and comments while you did the same with him. Slight brushing of leg and arms, and occasionally leaning towards the other, lips caressing each other's cheeks while you spoke. Needlessly to say, you begun to get a slight buzz from the alcohol a red hue tinting your cheeks. Your giggles and eye smiles were the cutest thing Shinji had ever seen. You were far more relaxed and open with jokes. After two hours sitting and talking and eating, the waitress had come back for the final time to ask if you two wanted anything else, and if Shinji would like the bill. You went to reach for your purse to pay, but Shinji had moved his palm up to stop you as he did before. "It's on me darlin. I'm the man, 'mayyybe' next time ill'have ya pay." Your eyes widened for the up tenth time that night, trying to argue back that it was your treat. And then it hit you. *'next time ill'have ya pay.'*

Your hands shot up to hold your cheeks and stared at Shinji in shock. He laughed watching as you turned away with the brightest blush, *"he said next time? He wants to go out with me again?"* you squealed to yourself. Shinji watched with a soft smile as you had your monologue before seeing the waitress hand him the check, he thanked her before her hand touched his shoulder in a flirtatious way, his eyes narrowed at her gesture.

"I hope you have a nice night sir." She gave him a sultry smile and a wink before walking off to serve another round of tables. He scoffs, upon opening the check he seen a piece of torn paper with a note along with a number written on it. He scoffs again; *'if you want to spend a night with a real women, call me ;)-' (xxx) -xxx- xxxx'*

He makes quick work of the paper after writing the amount on the bill then left a note for the waitress. He didn't even bother to wait for her to collect the check before he insisted you and him leave for a walk. He slides out, taking your hand in his and helping you out of the booth and putting his hands on your hips to follow you outside.

The waitress had walked eagerly back to your tables to collect the check and plates. Quickly opening the check with anticipation before her face fell in disappointment.

*'Thanks, but I got a real women. Oh, and ya not gettin a tip :) hav'a nice night.'*

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the walk was even more peaceful, not so much chatting, just making small comments about the scenery or how well the food and music was.

Your eyes turned to look at Shinji. "I didn't want to bring this up, but I felt that the waitress-. " Shinji stiffened.

"Didn't like me very much." He hummed. "S'fine dollface. I took care of it." Your heart swelled you could hear your friends voice echoing through your head. *"Cuff him. Cuff him."*

You let out laugh to which caused Shinji to turn his head. "Wha'so funny?." You Shook your head and squeezed his hand, by this time you both had made it to your home. He walked you to your door. "Well. This is me." He begun to slouch and scratch his head again mumbling to himself. The action would've made you think he was disinterested but the light pink hue dusting his cheeks told another story. You laughed at him and placed a hand on his upper arm drawing him from his thoughts. His soft brown eyes scanned your features before walking closer to you holding your hand in his with utmost care.

"Shinji."

"Yes dear?."

"Can. We do this again?."

He smiles. "Absolutely."

It was your turn to smile. Before your hands followed his arms up to his shoulders, and stopping at where his neck connects, soft hands wrapping where his neck starts and peering into his eyes with heated passion. You sighed softly smelling his expensive cologne.

"(Name)."

"Yes?."

"May I, kiss ya now?. Fer real this time."

You stood on your tiptoes to get closer to his face. Pulling his face only centimeters away from where you wanted him the most. Your lips were parted for him, his eyes lowered from her irises to your parted pink lips.

Before finally closing the gap to a kiss as Swift and loving as the first shine of sun adorning the horizon. And left little to the imagination of his feelings towards you. You wish you could say the kiss was short but you both held it for as long as your lungs could allow, before finally parting for air at last.

Breathless and full of love.

"I'll see ya tomorrow yeah?." You nodded excitedly before pulling him in for a hug. "Goodnight shinji. Thank you for a wonderful time."

He gives you one more squeeze before letting you go and walking in the direction of the warehouse. You leaned against your front door after sighing dreamily to yourself. You should ask him out more often.

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END.

A/N: hope this was amazing unfortunately my computer is down so I had to do all of this on mobile and wasn't able to put a Read More™ link. It was supposed to be a short one shot to get me started but inspiration bug hit so I apologize for the long post. I hope you enjoyed, my ask box for this side blog is open feel free to slide in and say hi! Love you all and more works will be upcoming ~ stay tuned. Much love

- Tara 🐉🔮

[evanaaml]

Trick or Treat

A little one-shot for #MistyAppreciationDay that I cooked up. Figured, with the holiday closing in, I ought to make it Halloween-themed. Hope you enjoy!

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"Ok, I think just a few more should do it, what do you think, Azurill?"

"Azu! Zu!"

Misty giggled at her little baby Pokémon as it bounced over the kitchen floor to the little table and grabbed some clementines with its tail.

Halloween was here, and at the Cerulean Gym, Misty, (with her sisters), were put in charge of hosting this year's holiday party. Every year, the Kanto Gym Leaders would take turns hosting holiday events for the league, and more importantly, the people of Kanto. The leaders would often alternate which gym would host which holiday, (with a few exceptions; Lt. Surge insisted on hosting Kanto Independence Day), and this year, the Sensational Sisters were placed in charge of Halloween.

Misty's sisters, Daisy, Lily, and Violet, preferred to host a summer event, (and Misty could hardly blame them, a part of her did, too), but they didn't complain. Any chance to dress up and socialize was a win for them.

For Misty, it was the new norm.

When she was younger, and her sisters were in charge, the league kept them out of these events. They knew they were young and inexperienced. And Misty was naive, she was traveling, looking to become a water Pokémon master, she didn't think of hosting parties or charities. She thought the gym life was just battling trainer after trainer; she thought nothing of the rules or politics that went with it.

But now that she was the primary leader, things like this were her new life. Battles, as it turns out, were a small part of the gym leader life. She had to work with the league, do a lot of paperwork, keep up-to-date on the healthcare of her Pokémon and her employees, and do plenty of personal appearances for Cerulean City.

But despite it all, the stress and the pressure and the busy lifestyle...she loved it. While it wasn't entirely what she expected when she took over the gym all those years ago, she knew that it would be difficult. And she took that challenge with her head held high. She didn't want it to be easy, she wouldn't have taken the position if she thought it would be. It would just prove to herself that she was up to the task if it worked out. And so far, it had.

Still, a little warning would have been nice.

At the moment, Misty was making snacks for the guests. Her cooking skills, while coming a long way since her childhood days on the road, were still...not up to par for mixed company.

Of course, she wouldn't admit that; of course not.

Instead, she opted to put together food already made. In this case, she was placing tiny celery stalks into clementines for a healthy pumpkin-looking treat. Her cooking may not be the best, but her craftsmanship was impressive.

Azurill hopped back to the table and with a mighty bounce, landed on top to place the clementines down. The green paper gently tied around its tail rustled. Azurill was painted (with Pokemon-friendly paint!), a dark green, and with "leaves" on its tail, made itself to be an Oddish. Misty couldn't help but smile every time she saw her adorable Pokémon in its costume.

As for her, Misty opted to go a bit more mythical. She wore a light blue and white body suit and had wired-lined white ribbon around her waist that stuck out around her body; as if flowing in waves. Attached to the back of her neck was a large hood with a light blue headpiece and long, purple hair. At the moment, it was down, but if she flipped it up, it'd stick up just above her head.

She always felt an attachment to Suicune, the Aurora Pokémon. This was of course no surprise, she felt an attachment to all Water-Pokémon. Certain ones, however, had an aura about them to that she could not help but feel drawn to in more ways than just admiration. Suicune was mist personified.

"How they comin'?" someone asked from outside the kitchen.

"Almost done!", Misty replied.

"Alright, I'm gonna show you my costume; prepared to be, like, mind-blown!" the person stated. Misty shook her head in exasperation, but giggled all the same.

"I'm waiting on baited breath", Misty replied sarcastically. Within moments, Daisy entered the room. Like Misty, she wore a body suit, but it was a much darker blue with light blue bands going down the side and around her waist and chest. She had large fins on her back that looked more like elegant Butterfree wings outside of the water. She had two sets of much smaller fins on her side and abdomen. In her hand was what looked like a flat, black baton with a pink dot on it.

"TADA! What do you think?", Daisy asked, striking a pose with one hand in the air and the other on her hip.

"A Lumineon, fitting! A shame they aren't in Kanto waters, having one in the gym would be amazing", Misty said dreamily. She imagined the glowing aura Pokémon swimming through the pool at night, its glow lighting up the water and making the pool seem almost supernatural.

"Like, don't go off daydreaming again, we need the snacks finished soon! Some guests are already here, and the doors open to the public in an hour", Daisy scolded lightly.

"Yeah, yeah", Misty said, waving her off. Misty wasn't interested in impressing the League's big-wigs, they rarely left their offices for these events anyway; instead opting to sends notices reminding her to "Keep up the standards of the Kanto Pokémon League, esq.".

Yawn.

And she wasn't concerned about making an impression with the gym leaders. Through her journey as a child, she got to know them all on a personal level. Through her new position, that level of friendship only increased; she became tight with all of them. Erika and her hung out on the regular, Misty was the first person who Sabrina opened up to, and whom she was now the closest with, Blaine continued to this day to send her riddles for her to solve, (which she never failed to do), and she became a sort of mentor to Forrest; Brock's younger brother, and the gym leader of Pewter City, (when his brother was away for studies).

Her biggest concerns came from the citizens of the city. Namely, the kids. Since becoming the gym leader, she became a role model for the kids of the city. She would host events at the gym, speak in classrooms, run charities, and of course battle any locals who wanted to test their metal before officially joining the League challenge. They were the ones she wanted to impress, to put a smile on their faces. This was for them.

She began peeling the clementines that Azurill handed her. "I have to say though, Daisy, as beautiful as the costume is, I thought you'd do a little more for the party", Misty stated. Her sisters were known for going all out for all their outfits; regardless of occasion. And while her older sister's costume was well made, it didn't seem to have that "over the top" feature that they were known for. Daisy winked.

"Oh, just watch", Daisy replied. Misty looked on as Daisy reached over to one of the fins on her side. She slid a tiny lever up, and within moments, the blue bands along her body and fins lit up in a fluorescent glow. "Like the Sensational Sisters wouldn't try to be the stars of the evening".

...Ok, she was impressed.

"Wow! That's amazing, Daisy!", Misty said.

"I know, right?", Daisy replied. She walked over towards the table to pick up a platter of the finished treats. "You know, if you weren't so stingy, we were going to add lights to your outfit, too".

"I didn't know you were going to do that, I just wanted to add my own part to the costume is all. I didn't want you three to do all the work for my own costume", Misty replied. Her stubbornness never left her. She knew her sisters were more talented at crafts like costumes than she was, but she didn't have it in her to let them do it all on their own, even if they were happy to. She had to help.

"Well, the ribbons did come out nice, so, I guess you got some of our talent after all", Daisy said. Misty glared daggers at her older sister. Did she really not think about what she said before saying it?

But she let it slide. Since her sisters returned from their trip, and she was put in charge of the gym, they had all made great strides in becoming more of a family. They had their fights and spats, but Misty felt that they were the kind of disagreements that siblings had.

So then the others have similar costumes?", Misty asked.

"You bet!", someone called out. Daisy turned around and Misty glanced over to see Lily and Violet approaching them. Violet stepped into the kitchen, walking sideways through the doorway to fit in. She had several tentacles attached to her waist from a subtle belt. Some tentacles dangled from the belt and hung just above the ground, while others had some sort of support that allowed them to stick out a small ways from her body. Two tentacles were attached to small sticks, which she held in her hand to raise and move like the real thing. She wore brown leggings and a bell-shaped costume with two large glowing plastic orbs on her shoulders, with a smaller glowing one attached to her head via a tiara. She also had a long, jagged stinger, which she currently had just dangling around her neck.

"Awww! Tentacruel! How beautiful!", Misty said.

"Well, I dunno about beautiful, but it sure is illuminating!" Violet replied, lifting two of the tentacles up in a pose with a smile. Misty was insulted at Violet's blatant disregard for one of the most beautiful sea Pokémon.

"What are you, Lily?", Misty asked, ignoring Violet for her crime...for now.

"TOO BIG TO FIT INTO THE ROOM!", Lily whined. The sisters sighed.

Lily had a large shell that hung from her waist and raised up over her head, and a pink sphere around her chest, with black leggings to finish the attire. Around her body within the shell, she had white orbs that glowed similar to her sisters. The shell was too tall and too wide to fit her through the door frame.

"It's just the shell, Lily, like, no one's gonna think you're fat", Violet stated, knowing full-well what she was worried about.

"The costume came out amazing...BUT AT WHAT COST!?", Lily asked out loud.

"The costume looks great, Lily! What did you use to keep it light and bulky like that?", Misty asked.

"DON'T SAY BULKY!", Lily replied in disgust. Violet groaned.

"EVA foam. It's in all of our outfits, including yours", Daisy answered, ignoring Lily's outburst. She used the tail in her hand to point to Misty's hood.

"Oh, really? I just thought it was cardboard", Misty replied, lifting the hood up over her head.

"As if! Like cardboard would be able to keep that form!", Daisy replied. Misty sighed. Her sisters were experts at costumes from all the ballets they put on; they really knew which materials to use and how to make them stand out. If their jobs at the gym didn't work out, Misty thought they could make a career as professional cosplayers.

"Not gonna lie, sis, I'm a little bummed that you didn't go with Lugia for your costume. I mean, like, you SAW it and everything!", Violet exclaimed, recalling her sister's incident in the Orange Islands.

"Lugia was certainly a finalist. I may go with it next year, but that costume would probably take me longer to make", Misty admitted, thinking of the struggle to make its wings and tail manageable.

"Personally, I thought you should have gone with Bruxish, I think it fits you better", Lily said with a sneer, thinking of the large, big-lipped fish. All three sisters burst into laughter at the thought. Misty growled.

"OH WHO ASKED YOU, ANYWAY!?", Misty yelled. Azurill jumped in shock at the outburst. Misty gasped, realizing her error, and rushed over to console the baby.

"Wow, way to go, Misty, scare the poor little baby why don't you?", Daisy said in jest. Misty glared, but kept her cool this time.

"So, anyway, what guests are here?", Misty asked, changing the topic. Daisy handed the platter in her hand to Violet while she grabbed another one to hand to Lily.

"None of the other gym leaders yet, but they'll be here any minute, I'm sure", Violet answered.

"The mayor's here, and some of his guests", Daisy added.

"No surprise. Any trainers?", Misty asked.

"Uhm...yeah! That Casey girl is here!", Violet answered. Misty's eyes lit up.

"That's wonderful! I was hoping she'd come around. I know she head's back to Johto during the holidays, I'm glad she could stop by before that", Misty said. She had met many trainers on her journeys over the years, plenty of whom she was still in contact with. They would make time to write her notes or video call her, some would even visit if they were in the area. It made her heart feel good that she still had so many friends from her childhood.

"Brock said he'd be over with his family soon, too. Prof. Oak said he was running late, had to pick up Mrs. Ketchum and someone else", Lily said from outside the kitchen.

"Probably Gary. Alright. Did anyone call while I was working in here?", Misty asked.

"Yes! May did. She said that she'll be here! Didn't say what time exactly, but that she can't wait to catch up!", Daisy answered. Misty smiled. May was someone who she only got to meet once or twice in her childhood, but as she got older, she got to hang out with more and more.

Any friend of his would be a friend of hers, given enough time.

She was a coordinator, a field that Misty knew she wouldn't be cut out for, but loved to see. Misty's sisters, who had an interest in coordinating before becoming co-gym leaders, quickly became some of her biggest fans. They were even one of her first sponsors when she was skilled enough to take some on.

"*Sigh* I knew she would. I can't wait to catch up, it's been far too long since we've seen her. I know Dawn can't make it, she's too far away, but she sends her regards!", Misty explained.

"Aww, how sweet!", Lily replied.

"Iris has her own League's party to deal with, Serena is in Hoenn, and...Tracy's been here all day helping set up", Misty said, thinking to herself of what friends could show up.

"Wait, aren't you missing someone?", Violet asked.

There was a pause.

"...No, I'm pretty sure that's it", Misty replied, feeling a little twitch in her chest.

"...Misty, you know you're forgetting someone", Lily replied.

Another twitch, more painful than the last.

Misty turned around to face the little snacks she was making.

"...No, I'm not. Everyone who said they were going to come, already answered", Misty retorted. The sisters looked at one another. They were all thinking the same thing. About the same person.

"Misty...what about Ash?", Daisy asked.

Twitch.

Azurill, sensing a sudden mood change in its trainer, hopped over to her side. Misty just looked at the fruit before her, her mind elsewhere.

"He...isn't coming".

The sensational sisters seemed perplexed at the statement. As if it didn't seem possible.

"Ash isn't coming? Did he say that?", Daisy asked, slightly shocked.

"He didn't say anything, I left him a message, telling him the details, and he didn't respond", Misty answered. The words came out harsher than she intended, but it felt deserved none the less.

"That doesn't seem like him. He's dense, but not rude", Violet replied.

"Yeah, like, are you sure he would just bail on you like that?", Lily asked.

"I don't know, and quite frankly, I don't care", Misty spat back. She grabbed a few clementines, stabbed celery stalks into them, and then held the platter out for one of them to grab. "Here. Done. I'll work on another treat set and then head out". The sisters all looked at one another in a mutual feeling of concern.

The sisters knew their own strengths, they knew they had beauty, charm, and a wit that would rival anyone. But they also knew their own weaknesses.

They knew that, despite all of their shared love of Water Pokémon and the gym, and the training they've put in since their time back home, that they weren't the best trainers. And though there were many, many differences between them and their youngest sister over personalities, and ideas for running the gym to its prime capabilities, that Misty always thought with the gym's best intentions.

They knew that their "runt" of a younger sister, the "not-so sensational sister", was the best the gym had to offer.

And while they had confidence that she'd get over this soon, it still pained them to see her like this. Misty was most certainly not the type to drool over men the way they used to, (or, still do in some cases), but they knew, from the moment they met him, that she had the one. And that one, right now, was hurting her.

Daisy sighed and walked over, taking the platter. She could see, albeit only from a glance, the pain in her sister's face.

"Misty, hun, listen...just, don't judge too harshly, ok? I know he didn't reply, but you don't know why yet. Maybe something came up, maybe there was bad service where he is, maybe he is, in fact, just an idiot...So please...go easy on him, ok? If, afterwards, it turns out he just ditched you, then Hell, I'll drive you to him myself so you can beat his ass", Daisy explained. Lily and Violet shuddered at the thought of her behind the wheel with their sister again. "But, until then, just...keep an open mind, ok?".

Misty clenched her hands, feeling like she was about to explode. Who were they to tell her how to feel about this situation? But...she eventually sighed, and nodded.

"Yeah...you're right", Misty replied.

And it pained her to admit it.

"Alright. Don't take too long with the next snacks, I'm sure these will last until the main course arrives. Most everyone's eating candy anyway", Daisy explained. Misty gave a half-hearted giggle.

Daisy walked away from Misty and looked to her other sisters. They both looked worried for their youngest sibling, but knew that things would be clear in due time.

Call it women's intuition.

From out of the kitchen, Lily turned towards a noise, and giggle aloud.

"Well, I don't know about Ash, but at least you can see Pikachu tonight", Lily said through laughs. Misty turned around in shock as Lily side-stepped to allow something to pass her.

Walking into the kitchen, its hands on either side of its head, was Misty's ever-so faithful companion, Psyduck. Attached to its head by a thick rubber band were long, flimsy pieces of paper, cut out awkwardly into points with black tips drawn on with crayon. Attached over its tail was a tube, which led to an equally poorly-cut Pikachu tail. To compliment the additions, red circles were sloppily painted on its cheeks.

"Psy.Duck.Psy.Duck.Psy.Duck", Psyduck said as it marched towards its trainer. It finished with a final "Psy" as it stopped on front of her.

"Ohhh, bless its little heart, it tried its best", Daisy said, both loving and horrified at Psyduck's attempt at a Pikachu costume.

"How did it struggle to paint simple circles on its cheeks, but made the brown stripes all the way over on its back almost perfect? I swear your Psyduck's like, the weirdest thing on two legs", Violet exclaimed. Psyduck tilted its head in response.

"Psyduck!"

"Oh leave it alone! I think your costume is...wonderfully you, Psyduck!", Misty stated, bending down to give her Pokémon care. The water type smiled as Misty readjusted its ears.

"Well, don't take too long, alright? Psyduck, make sure she comes out to mingle soon, ok?", Daisy said, instructing the duck Pokémon.

"Psyduck!", Psyduck exclaimed, waving its hand in the air. Daisy and Violet then left the kitchen, and, with Lily, went towards the pool area. They wanted to socialize with the elite and friends, but more still, they wanted Misty to have a moment to herself.

They knew things would turn around for her soon enough.

Misty, meanwhile, looked to her little sheet of "Halloween Snack Ideas" she "borrowed" from Serena's blog online to see what to make next. All the snacks were easy to make, and for most of them, they had the ingredients right there in the kitchen. But the more she thought, the more she got anxious. She didn't want to make anything. She didn't want to be there all of a sudden.

What was wrong with her?

She shook her head, and looked back to the sheet. They were easy ideas, Serena made them even simpler by explaining it in easy steps. But she couldn't find the urge to get started. Her mind kept wandering. Kept getting side-tracked.

She groaned.

Eventually, Misty sighed, tossed the sheet aside, and just sat on the stool at the kitchen island. Azurill bounced over and hopped into her arms while Psyduck wobbled over and leaned against her leg from the floor. They both knew what was getting to her.

"I'm sorry for upsetting you two. I don't mean to worry you. I'll be fine, I'm sure of it", Misty said, rubbing Azurill gently. She said it, but she herself didn't believe it. Misty sighed. "Who am I kidding? I don't know when I'll get over this. It's just...so unlike him. If he had told me he couldn't make it, I would have understood. He's missed more parties and events I've had than I can even keep track of. But to just...not respond to me. To just, leave me sitting here, wondering, and...hoping...it hurts".

Misty found herself clutching Azurill tighter to her chest. It wasn't just the lack of response that bothered her, it was that it came from him that really made it hurt. He just didn't do that. He was always busy, always traveling, always training. Working day in and day out to accomplish his dream; something she would never cease to admire.

But he always made time to talk to her.

Maybe she was spoiled over it. Maybe, she thought, that she expected too much from him, and that, realistically, he didn't need to answer every message that came his way from her. Maybe he was busy responding to another female friend of his?

Twitch.

She shook the idea out of her head. What made her think it was a female friend? What made her think it was even a friend he was talking to? It could have been a multitude of things. He could have gotten hung up with a gym battle. He could be traveling out in the wild with no signal. He could be somewheres out there, alone, and with no one to help him.

Twitch.

Again, she shook the thought out of her head. Why did she keep jumping to the worst conclusions? Azurill nuzzled more into her, sensing her anxiety levels rising. Misty sighed. These thoughts of hers were getting out of hand. She wanted to distract herself. She needed to distract herself.

But the motivation wasn't there. She knew what she had to do, and she knew that doing it would help. But try as she might, she couldn't will herself to start, and so she sat, with the same question running through her mind.

Why didn't Ash answer?

A commotion in the pool area startled her out of her thoughts momentarily. Misty could just make out the voice of her sisters talking to a person or persons. More guests were arriving.

It was as much motivation as she was going to get, she thought. Misty sighed, and stood up, placing Azurill down on the table in the process. Looking at the sheet momentarily once more, she decided on a snack and grabbed several bananas. She handed some to Psyduck.

"Here, peel these for me, please", Misty said. Psyduck took the bananas and began to peel the skins away with its sharp webbed claws. Misty herself peeled a banana and then cut it in half. Then, with a chocolate-filled pipping bag, began to draw the tiniest of dots on the ends of the bananas. Within seconds, a ghost face had formed. Serena's "Boo-Nanas".

With Psyduck's help, Misty managed to make a fair amount within only a couple minutes. Before she knew it, she almost had enough for a platter's worth. While it was still in the back of her mind, her concerns over Ash weren't controlling her like they did moments before.

"Ok, that's a fair amount done. Let's get a few more and we can send it out...Psyduck?", Misty asked, holding her hand out and expecting to be given a peeled banana. She turned to see that Psyduck was smelling the air. "What is it? You smell something? Wonder if the main courses arrived from the restaurant?", Misty wondered aloud. Azurill also began sniffing the air. Soon, both Pokémon recognized the scent and turned to the door. The sound of something dragging caught Misty's attention.

Entering the kitchen was a small creature, draped in some kind of old-looking sheet. Small black dots were on the lower form, while the head looked to be a misshapen form of a Pikachu. Eyes, cheeks, and a smile were drawn on with some form of crayon, as were the ear tips, not unlike Psyduck's. The head was limp, bobbing left and right and refusing to sit upright. A stick for a tail was stuck to the end of the sheet, by a means Misty could not immediately tell. The figure stood there, not saying a word.

Admittedly, Misty was creeped out, but she recognized the costume. It was a Mimikkyu, a Pokémon from the Alola region.

"Well, hello there", Misty said politely. There was no response from the Mimikkyu. "Hmm, well, I know what you're supposed to be. The question is, are you the real deal? Or are you a costume within a costume?". The figure raised up, the sides of the sheet extending out ever so slightly from the lower body, as it groaned. Misty sighed, no dark appendages.

"Ok, well you're not a real Mimikkyu. So who are you?", Misty asked. The figure darted with surprising across the kitchen floor and to the table, hoping up with ease. It crawled over to the gym leader and sat there, staring at her as the head bobbled more. Misty was creeped out, but sighed. "Ok, being stubborn huh?". She put her hand on the head, stopping it from moving. The figure shuttered, causing Misty to actually tense up. It groaned loudly as Misty held its head.

She heard of the legends surrounding the ghost type. And while she had the utmost confidence that this was nothing more than a Pokémon, dressed up as a Mimikkyu, the hesitation was still there. None the less, she gulped and lifted the head up, and the sheet with it.

"PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII....KACHU-PI!".

Her heart skipped a beat, both from relief, and shock.

"P-Pikachu!? What, how!?", Misty asked. The mouse Pokémon had raised its paws up, growling menacingly as its costume was revealed, in an attempt to be scary. But ultimately greeted its female friend with its usual smile.

"But wait, if you're here, then...", Misty said, realizing the inevitable truth. She covered her mouth and immediately began fighting tears that were suddenly forming as she turned to the doorway. Just popping into view was a man, dressed up in a store-bought Entei costume. The man lowered the mask, revealing the face.

"Hiya, Mist...been awhile".

Misty, despite the well of emotions she was feeling, both positive and negative, couldn't stop herself as the two embraced in a large hug. Ash wrapped his arms around her tight and she felt like she would melt into him. He smelled like dirt road and wild grass, with hints of dewdrops. A combination of scents she missed, and grew to love over time.

"Damn, still got an inch on me, thought for certain I'd be taller. I think we're both done growing, too", Ash joked.

"Ash...", Misty said, smiling with tears coming down her face. "...you ABSOLUTE ASSHOLE!".

Misty immediately stepped back and punched him in the arm, causing him to jump back and rub it firmly.

"Ow! Damn, still got a killer punch I see!", Ash replied. Pikachu sighed. It appeared as if little changed over the years. It hopped down from the table with Azurill to catch up with its friend Psyduck, and admire its rendition of itself.

"What the HELL were you thinking!?", Misty asked. Despite the tears and rage inside of her, she was smiling and laughing as she asked it. She was a whole mess of emotions and she didn't know which one was in control at the moment.

"I was thinking that my plan went off without a hitch", Ash replied, still rubbing his arm.

"Your plan!?", Misty asked.

"Yeah! Your sisters knew! I asked them what costume you were wearing, so that I could match it...but dang, you really had to go all-out and make me look cheap, didn't you?", Ash explained, looking over Misty's costume.

"They knew!? Argh! I'm gonna KILL THEM!", Misty growled, nearly tearing her hood off.

"Actually, they seemed pretty upset with me, too. Did you not know I was coming or something?", Ash asked.

Twitch.

There was a moment of silence. Misty turned towards the trainer. He looked genuinely perplexed. It was a look she swore was stuck to his face nine hours of the day.

"...How could I, when you DON'T ANSWER!?", Misty asked. Ash stood back from the angry response, and Misty could tell he was rearing to protect his other arm.

"Woah, woah, I did respond!", Ash exclaimed. He then fumbled in his costume pants pocket and pulled out his Poképhone. He unlocked the screen and immediately began going through his messages. "See, look, you sent me the text, asking if I would come to the party, and showing me your official invite sheet, and yadda yadda, and here I said...".

There was a pause.

Ash groaned heavily. Pikachu did the same. He tapped a button, and within a few seconds, Misty heard the sound of a water droplet. She recognized it as her custom ringtone for a text message. She grabbed her Poképhone from off the table to see, on her screen, a single message.

"Why not both? ;)"

Twitch.

"I uh...I thought I hit send...I apparently did not...", Ash said sheepishly. Pikachu slapped its forehead.

"...Ash...", Misty said.

"Y...Yes?", Ash asked.

"...You are, in fact...just an idiot", Misty exclaimed. Ash sighed.

"Oh, yeah, that I knew", Ash replied. He expected much worse.

"Why not both?", Misty asked, referring to the message.

"Uh, yeah. Your message. After you sent me the image of your paper invite you sent out to people, you asked me, "So, Trick, or Treat?". And that was my answer.

"...Both?", Misty asked.

"Yeah, the treat was that I'd be here for you. The trick...well, the trick was technically Pikachu's costume, in an attempt to scare you, but I guess this little incident is more of a trick now?", Ash replied with a nervous chuckle. Misty sighed and covered her eyes with her hands. In doing so, more tears came out. They were residual, but it was enough for Ash to notice. He rushed over and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Misty, I'm so sorry, I swear to you, I didn't intend to hurt your feelings. I wondered why you didn't respond, and I didn't think to check and see if the message sent, I figured you were just busy with preparations and talked to your sisters about me coming over. I guess they thought that you got a reply from me until tonight", Ash quickly explained. His chest hurt from seeing Misty tear up like that. Especially that it happened because of him.

"Ash...the amount of emotional pain you've briefly given me...is nothing, compared to the amount of PHYSICAL pain I'm going to put you through after the party", Misty exclaimed. Ash shuddered. "And once I tell your mom what you did, she'll probably add to it".

"...You wouldn't".

"Gyarados won't even be able to eat your remains, they'll be so pulverized".

"...Pikachu wouldn't let that happen to me".

"Piiiii", Pikachu answered.

"Once again, you've proven to be just the BEST friend I could ask for!", Ash said sarcastically.

"But for now...", Misty started. She slowly leaned into Ash and wrapped her arms around him. "...let me just...sit here a bit?" She closed her eyes, took in a wiff of his scent, and smiled. Ash smiled himself, wrapped his arms around her, and closed his eyes.

"Take as long as you need...Happy Halloween, Misty".

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

I haven't stopped writing and editing this story for the last few hours, and I'm EXHAUSTED. I'm so sorry if this story isn't up to snuff; I'm out of practice. This was my contribution to Misty Appreciation Day, hope you enjoyed!

-EVAN AAML

[orange-waterfalls]

Favorite Things

Captain Magnum x gender neutral!reader

@rattyships ty for the request!

A/N: YES the title is a quote, YES it's from That One Song™, YES I based this fic off of that idea, leave me alone. Uh... Christmas. Yeah. Captain Magnum seems way too calm in this fic for my own liking, but y'know. Reader can paint even though I am physically unable to, so. There's that. Fluffy. Rated PG because there's one two "hell"s and one "damn" and that's it. It's cheesy and that's why it's great.

Word Count: 2.0k

--

You paced around your cabin, very anxious. Christmas was in three days! What were you supposed to get everyone? You didn't know what anyone liked! Or that they even celebrated…

Well, who says no to a gift, right?

You went over to your secret chest (nobody on that damn ship knew how to share) and opened it up to see how much treasure you had. Not much, but it was there. You could buy a lot in normal markets with these. Maybe you could convince the Captain to take you back home for the holidays?

Well, you never know until you try, right?

But what would you buy? They have quite enough gold and jewels, none of them seem to have any interest in anything, you doubted they'd like something homemade…

This was gonna be difficult.

You sighed and closed your chest, walking over to your door. You opened it to find said Captain standing there, the rest of the crew behind him.

"Hi, Captain," you blinked in surprise. You probably should have been more confused than you were, but this boat was already super weird. He was smiling at you.

"Mornin', first mate!" He greeted. "We found a treasure map on a ship we were lootin'. We're about t' start searchin' fer treasure!"

"Oh. Alright. Gimme a minute," you smiled and closed the door. You sighed and rested your back on the door. Maybe you could find something on the island to give them…?

"Yeah, they'll love a nice flower crown…" You snorted at your own idea. You sighed and grabbed up your stuff, opening your door and walking over to the crew. They were all talking about how they couldn't wait to find more treasure. You rolled your eyes. Don't they have enough of it? You took a head count of how many of them there were. Five… five crewmates, five presents. Captain Magnum noticed you and smiled.

"Thar ye be! I thought ye would lock yourself in yer cabin th' whole day!" He, along with the rest of the crew, laughed. You smiled saltily. "Wha' were ye doin' in thar?" You looked around, trying to come up with something.

"Um… I was… I was…" you looked out onto the horizon for a moment, your eyes softening. The crew looked at you.

"Y/N?" One of them called to you. "Are ye-"

"Painting," you interrupted.

"What?" Magnum asked.

"I was… painting…" you looked back to them. They all stared at you for a minute.

"You… you paint?" One woman asked. You smiled and nodded at her. All of the crewmates looked at each other for a minute.

"Uh… wha' d' ye paint?" The other woman asked. You shrugged.

"Whatever, really. Animals, landscapes, whatever's in my room…" you looked over at Captain Magnum to make sure this was okay. He sighed and plopped himself down on a stair. You smiled and turned back to the group.

--

You explained painting to the crew for 15 minutes. You had no idea they'd be so interested in your hobby. They asked so many questions, some of which you'd somehow never heard. How long had these people been at sea?

Eventually, you looked over to see Captain Magnum looking impatiently at the island the ship landed at 10 minutes ago. You chuckled at him and stood up.

"Captain's getting a bit annoyed, guys. Let's go," the crew complained, but got off of the ship as you walked over to the Captain. He raised an eyebrow at you and you mimicked the action.

"They find ye mighty interestin'," he commented. You smiled.

"Yeah. Not more than you though. I doubt anything could be more interesting than those logs you have for legs." You both looked at each other for a moment before laughing. He stood and you both followed the crew off of the ship.

He lead the way to where the treasure was, the rest of you trailing close behind. One of the crewmates, a boy who looked no older than twenty-one, took your arm. You raised both eyebrows and looked at him.

"So… wha' were ye sayin' about watercolors?" He asked softly. You smiled as the other crew members gathered around you again. You looked up at Captain Magnum, who was smiling at you all. He chuckled and turned back around, continuing to lead the way. You sighed.

"Alright… so watercolor is probably one of the most well-known types of paint…"

--

You had found treasure on the island, and most of the crewmates became interested in that, but the boy who has asked you about watercolors stayed as you explained how people originally made paints from flowers. You saw the curious look in his eyes, and decided what you were gonna get everyone for Christmas.

You were gonna paint for them.

What, you weren't sure. But you sure as hell were gonna paint. Maybe… their favorite animals? Or maybe an object they really liked…

You decided to ask them what they liked.

The woman with the bandana really liked sea creatures. Specifically, narwhals. They were very pretty and could also impale people. She liked that about them. You didn't think she noticed you scribbling everything she said into a small notebook.

The woman with the eyepatch really liked swords. She knew a lot about them; names, origins, uses… it was slightly unnerving, but you couldn't judge.

The boy liked plants. He liked the fact that they were living beings, just like people and animals. Only, they were smaller and couldn't talk. They could, however, feel. And he liked that. You couldn't get over how soft he was…

The man who was first mate before you liked… hats. He liked that they all basically had the same function, but looked so different. You could respect that. Hats were very cool.

The next day, you decided to paint them pictures of their favorite things in their respective color schemes, and added a different color for each background. A blue and white narwhal with a green background, a red and black sword with a navy blue background, a black and orange flower with a dark green background, and a brown and maroon hat with a pastel red background (no, not pink. There's a difference). You spent an entire day painting the pictures. They turned out very well, in your opinion. You just hoped the crew felt the same.

After you were finished with those, you asked Captain Magnum what his favorite thing was. He thought for a moment, stroking his beard.

"Well… I suppose it'd be treasure!" He answered. You knitted your eyebrows together.

"Really? Treasure?" You asked, hoping for something more.

"O' course, treasure! I be a pirate aft all! Wha' would I like if it nah be treasure?" You sighed in slight disappointment. You thought that you would find something new about him but, nope. He loves treasure the most. You nodded and turned around.

"Well, that or ye." You stopped dead in your tracks. Did you hear that right? You slowly turned back towards him. He looked away from you, towards the horizon. The setting sun illuminated his face, tinting it orange, pink, and yellow. He looked like he was ripped right from a movie...

"What was that?" You asked, slightly distracted by how beautiful he looked.

"Treasure be a pirate's fav'rit thin' o' course. But, since ye showed up... I reckon me fav'rit "thin'" be me first mate. Ye." He said nonchalantly. A small smile creeped onto your face. Magnum looked at you, since you hadn't said anything in a while.

"So, you're saying… you love me?" You asked, fishing for compliments. Magnum flushed a bit. It was mostly hidden due to the sun, but you could still see.

"Well… er…" He scratched the back on his head, thinking of how to respond.

"Cause that's what I'm hearing here…"

"Um…"

"Exactly how much do you love me, Captain?" You smirked, leaning on the side of the ship, your cheek in your palm. Magnum finally took a deep breath and looked in your eyes.

"More than all th' treasure in all th' seven seas…" he stated. Your eyes widened as your smirk fell. You felt your face heat up and you turned away from him.

"Well, uh…" you coughed, "I should… get to bed… wanna be up early tomorrow, so…" you shuffled away.

"First Mate Y/N!" He called. You turned back towards him.

"Merry Christmas." He said. You smiled.

"Merry Christmas, Captain."

--

You walked into the deck, the crew already gathered. You figured Magnum must've gotten them. You took a deep breath and walked over, the paintings in your arms. The crew all waved and greeted you. You smiled and stood in front of them.

"So, uh… it's Christmas as you may or may not know…" you explained nervously. "So, um… I decided that, as gifts, I was going to paint for you all… and these were the results." You move forward and pass out all the works you painted. All of the crew seemed happy with their pictures. They showed them to each other and gawked over the detail and bragged about how good they looked. You finally walked up to Magnum, who was steering. You held out a painting to him.

"Wha', fer me?" He raised his eyebrows and took the picture. It was of a red, blue, yellow, and black ship with a sunset in the background and sparkling green and blue waves. The words "a pirate's life for me" were written on the back. He laughed heartily and pulled you into a hug.

"Oh, ye really outdid yourself, mate! 'tis wonderful!" He complimented. You managed to pull yourself out of the hug after a minute or two and handed him an envelope. He looked over at the rest of the crew and, upon seeing that no one else had one, tilted his head a bit.

"It's from her," You explained, pointing. Magnum nodded and looked over at the woman who was showing off her narwhal. She glanced at the Captain and winked as the boy with the flower painting giggled. Magnum plopped down onto a step, but you stayed standing. He opened the envelope to reveal a card. On the inside, it said "This thing you two have is special, more special than anything I could try to get. I can, however, make you realize exactly what you have". You frowned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" You asked. Magnum shrugged and gave you the envelope. You looked inside, seeing something green. You took it out and your eyes widened.

Mistletoe.

Mistletoe?

Where the hell did they find mistletoe?!

You looked at Captain Magnum, who was staring at you. He raised both eyebrows at the plant in your hand. You were holding it between you two accidentally (on purpose).

"We don't 'ave t' if ye don't wants t'..." He told you. You took a deep breath, telling yourself to stop being so weird about it because you knew he loved you back. Besides, the crew had all left to put their gifts in their rooms. You leaned down, since he was sitting, and softly connected your lips. He sat there for a moment, eyes wide, before closing them. You both stayed like that for a few seconds before you pulled away all too soon. His eyes looked hazy as you smiled.

"Merry Christmas." You whispered and walked to your room, leaving Magnum to process what happened.

You entered your room and leaned your back on the door, smiling widely.

"Well, that was the best Christmas present ever…" you mumbled to yourself. You started to giggle as you continued to think about it. You put your hands on your face in embarrassment. It was only a couple seconds, why were you being so weird? You jumped a bit when you heard a gentle knock at your door. You turned around and tilted your head. Who could that be? It was getting late and the crew had already shown their appreciation…

Unless…

You opened the door to reveal, you guessed it, Captain Magnum. He was holding the mistletoe you had left on the deck. You looked at him and raised an eyebrow. He smiled.

"Do ye... Uh... Wanna do that again?" He asked sheepishly. You laughed a bit before smiling up at him.

"Absolutely."

[halcyonnhood]

Changes || l.h

Summary: Sarah struggles to come to terms with her feelings for Luke, Ashton's a good friend, and Luke is an understanding boyfriend.

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: implied past abuse. lots of emotions. a few curse words.

Authors Note: More Luke and Sarah content! Here the first part if you missed it. This part may seem redundant, but that's okay. I think this ended up being a vent fic, so please just try to be nice to me. If you ever have any thoughts about the luke & sarah universe just send me an ask!

- - -

Love feels a lot like sunshine on the first day of spring.

Not that Sarah would know what love feels like. She doesn't. She doesn't even know if she loves Luke romantically, how could anyone be so sure of that? Luke seemed so certain of his feelings when he told her and she had been oblivious to it the entire time. All she knows is that she feels different whenever she's around the lanky man. She feels warmth from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, as if she were basking in comforting sunny rays. Everything seems so much brighter and prettier with him, it reminds her of seeing flowers for the first time after a long snowy winter. She doesn't know if that's what love feels like. She could just be happy to have Luke home.

If Sarah is honest, she's envious of Luke and all of his certainty. He's always been so sure of everything in life. Sure that he was born with music in his bloodstream and talent flowing from his fingertips. Sure that he was made for fame in LA. And he had sounded positively sure when he announced his love for her when he returned from tour. She hadn't been so lucky, in fact, she is the complete opposite and doubts everything. She hasn't quite found her passion in life, she often times regrets moving to LA, and she can't figure out all of these twisted emotions. She wishes it could come to her that easily.

“What're you thinking about?” Luke questions, breaking the girl out of her daze. He twirls more noodles around his fork and watches her with his kind blue eyes.

Sarah bites the inside of her cheek for a moment and decides to tell him the truth, “Love.”

The response nearly makes him choke on a mouthful of food and his coughing sends bits of liquid spewing everywhere. If Sarah hadn't grown accustomed to both him and the boys, she would've considered it gross. She also would've marked this as a failed first date, but it's Luke and it's nothing she hasn't seen before. The sight just makes her laugh as she hands him an extra napkin.

“Love,” Luke repeats. She swears his eyebrows might fly off his face if he raises them any higher, “Love, right. What about it?”

“It's just that you were so certain about it...And I don't do love, Luke.”

Luke's expression softens, “I know.”

“You know?” Sarah looks up at him in confusion.

“I know you don't do love. I know practically everything about you. Sarah, you've only ever told me you loved me once and that was just platonically. That's okay. It's only the first date, I shouldn't have been so quick to say that.”

The two sit in silence for a while, the slurping of noodles being the only noise between them. Sarah wants to be able to tell Luke that she loves him, because that's just what you say in response to someone who loves you. It's something you should say if you think you love someone. It's definitely what you say after you kiss the man that loves you, but the words never come out. Someday she hopes she'll be able to say it to the man and mean it with her entire heart and soul. All she knows currently is that she's enjoying the date and every time he smiles at her, she feels warmer.

“I don't do love, but I do other things. I bake sweets, I take care of petunia, and I write really nice music reviews on every app I own.” Sarah finally breaks the silence. “It isn't a lot-”

“But it's how you show that you love me,” Luke finishes for her.

Sarah lets out the breath she was holding, relieved that he understands, “Yeah. I know my fears are irrational, but I don't want not saying it to stop whatever this is,”

“I have to say, I've enjoyed this date and it'd be an awful shame if a second never happens.” Luke tells her. She can see the playful twinkle in his eyes, but the words ring truthful.

“That really would be disappointing,”  She agrees. “I am looking forward to you beating traditional ramen. That's pretty hard to top,”

“Sounds like a challenge,”

/ / / /

Everything has to change. The seasons, the time, and emotions all go through changes. The summer turns to fall and long days turn to early sunsets. Sarah's tough exterior turns into a poorly supported shield. Which she isn't very happy about. She is not vulnerable. Or soft. She is consistent and strong. But she still finds herself lacking her normal demeanor whenever the blond curly headed demon is around.

Ashton invited Sarah over to his housewarming party, so naturally, she drives over with the tupperware full of cheesecake strapped safely in the passenger seat. The absurdity of buckling food into her car puts her in a giggly mood, but she didn't spend the night before baking it just to have it spilled onto the floorboards. She balances the gift bag on top of the containers and tries to carry it into the new home with steady hands. The task proves itself to be more difficult than she expected, because the bag covers her line of sight, and she doesn't know the layout of the house. She's barely into the foyer and she's already hit her hip on the sharp edge of a decorative side table, making her let out a hiss of obscenities at the pain. Ambling through hallways blindly is obviously not her strong suit, so when the bag is lifted out of her vision, she's happy to find Ashton in front of her. And to properly see the entrance to his house.

“You swear like a sailor, Sarah. You do know that, right?” Ashton asks her with a dimpled smile.

“Only because you have a table in your foyer!” Sarah huffs. Ashton laughs and turns to lead the two of them towards the kitchen, “Who puts tables in a foyer?”

“My interior decorator. It's been two minutes and you're already insulting my house, I'm wounded.” Ashton shakes his head in mock disappointment. He points towards the empty space on the counter next to the wings, so she can set down the containers.

After setting down the contents, she turns and takes in the sight of his new kitchen. She wishes she could find more to insult, but she really enjoys it, “It looks nice, Ash. I like the blue in here.”

“Me too, it feels appropriate. So, what'd you bring this time? Since you nearly fell protecting it,”

“I made two cheesecakes just for you! It took some research, but I made them coffee and cappuccino flavored,” Sarah tells him with an excited smile. “Just had to feed into the addiction,”

Ashton wraps her into a tight hug, “I think that might be the sweetest thing you've ever done. Thank you, Sarbear.”

“You're welcome. Just try it, loser. Since you're my biggest critic and all,”

Sarah leans against the counter while Ashton cuts himself a piece of each. She lets her eyes wander past the kitchen entryway to the living room where she can see some of their friends messing around. She can hear Luke's laugh before she sees him, even just the sound makes her heart race. When she does finally see him in the back of the room, curls bouncing as he laughs with Michael, it makes her heart clench. After multiple dates, lots of hanging out, and scattered kisses, she can still feel her heart melt into a puddle at the bottoms of her feet. And it frustrates her more than anything, because this is not her and this is not how she acts. Not towards Luke or anyone in her life. She can't figure out when she started looking at the man romantically, not in a best friend way or ‘just a couple dates’ way, but full blown “I dreamt I married him once” way. She does not do emotions, no matter what her stupid subconscious might say.

“It tastes delicious,” Ashton tells her. It breaks her daze and she focuses back on the black haired boy who gives her a sly smile.

Her eyebrows raise in shock. A compliment from her friend is rarely heard of when they like arguing so much, “Wait, really? I'm glad you like it,”

“Of course I do.” He rolls his eyes. “I know that look, by the way.”

“What look?”

“The one you have everytime you look at Luke. It's the same one he's given you for the past year. It's the same look that Michael gets when he thinks about Crystal,”

Sarah is immediately shaking her head, because she knows that look. She's seen Luke giving her that look, “No! There's no look. Besides, you guys have only been home for like three months, how can yo-”

“It's been a lot longer than that, he loves you and you know it. Sarah, I know you're this protected, cold, and unfeeling person, but stop denying this.”

“I'm not unfeeling, I just keep my emotions to myself. You learn to with five brothers at home.” She tells him softly, “I do love you and the boys.”

Ashton looks up from his plate in shock, “I love you too.”

“You all have been my best friends since I moved here. I've been up Luke's ass since day one and accepting that my love for him isn't platonic anymore is hard. All I've ever known is best friend Luke, not boyfriend Luke who is romantic and soft.”

“He can still be best friend Luke, but with a few upgrades. Admitting that you love people will not make the world implode. You'll be fine telling him,” Ashton encourages.

Sarah stares at Ashton silently. She's never realized that he could read her so well, but she's not sure what else she expected. He could see that she loves Luke and he can tell she's scared. She just wishes these things were as easy for her as it is for everyone else.

“And that's coming from the brother who wouldn't say that unless he trusted both of you completely.”

Ashton eats his piece of cheesecake in silence after that, the sounds of their friends filling the empty space. Deep down, Sarah knows that he's right. She knows that Luke loves her and she should tell him that she loves him too, but there's something terrifying about the unpredictability of emotions. She could tell him she loves him and there's the chance that his feelings could change. Or maybe he would realize he never loved her at all. If something ever did happen between them, could they ever go back to being best friends? Even worse than that, she hopes she never has to go back to being only friends.

What's the worst thing that could happen? Sarah knows that Luke loves her, he may have taken a step back from vocalizing it, but he shows it in other ways now. The worst thing is that she gets nervous and bails while trying to tell him. It wouldn't be so bad, to be able to show him her feelings for once. Right when she decides to tell him, Ashton bumps her shoulder and breaks her focus.

He holds his fork out to her with the last bite of cheesecake on it, “It's delicious, I swear. It's just rich and you're over here feeding me two slices.”

“You made the choice to try both,” She shakes her head, but still takes the fork to finish it. “Thank you though. I know how hard it is for you to compliment me.”

“Ashton complimented you? That's a miracle.” Luke comments. The unexpected sound of his voice makes Sarah jump, which brings out bubbling giggles from both men.

“Don't expect it too often. Anywho, I have a party to host. Catch up with you guys later!” Ashton winks at her, then leaves the two alone in the shiney new kitchen.

“Hey, honey.” Luke whispers as he pulls her into a tight embrace, “What were you guys talking about?”

Sarah snuggles into the warmth of his hug, “Just my absolutely amazing coffee flavored cheesecake and his poor choice of tables in foyers,”

“Sounds like an entertaining conversation,” He chuckles. He releases his grip from her and studies her playful expression.

"Oh, absolutely! You really missed out on that one. Just about as exciting as Ashton could get!”

"That's a shame, I must be so boring in comparison. I was just going to ask if you wanted to come over to my house after this.”

Sarah blinks up at his hopeful eyes and tries to keep the smile on her face, but she feels her brows furrowing some, “It'll be pretty late once we leave, Lu”

“I was asking if you'd like to stay the night with me.” Luke tells her softly.

His face has gone all serious and there's something in the sincerity of him inviting her over that just makes her crack right then and there. Sarah wants, scratch that, needs to tell him about the mess going on in her mind. He always knows how to organize the mess and it's not going anywhere until she finally admits what the issue is.

“I think we should talk,” She lets out a nervous sigh. By the look on his face, she can tell that's the wrong response to the invitation, but he recovers quickly and just gives her a tiny nod.

“Yeah, of course! Let's just get some privacy.”

Luke leads her to one of the rooms upstairs and explains that it's a guest room. He keeps glancing at their intertwined fingers and she knows that he must be thinking of the worst possible scenarios. She really wishes he wouldn't, she's just scared and needs to talk to both best friend Luke and boyfriend Luke. To accept that there's a difference in the two now, but all the same. And she needs to realize that no, the world will not implode if she tells him she loves him. It didn't when she told Ashton and it won't this time. The world will still be here continuing on with life and she'll be a bit more soft around the edges.

Except that Sarah has never learned to be soft or vulnerable. She grew up with five brothers and drunk parents. She was never given the chance to act like a proper little girl. It was always screaming, fighting, and blood. There were never any tears shed or lapses in her tough exterior, because the situation hadn't allowed for it. So, when she packed up and moved to LA she tried her best to push her own limits and act girly. She learned how to do makeup on her own and taught herself how to bake, without five boys waiting to make fun of her or parents to take everything away. She was trying to work on expressing herself when she met the boys and being surrounded by four boys meant that the exterior went right back up. They are her family here in LA and that means having three more brothers to protect herself from. She isn't sure she'll ever get the chance to be soft, but she wants to be. Especially for Luke.

Luke squeezes her hand lightly as the two sit on the bed. Sarah can't make out his expression or what he's thinking, but she still squeezes his fingers back in response.

“Are you breaking up with me?” Luke asks, breaking the silence. The question lingers heavily in the air and Sarah wishes a black hole would swallow her whole.

“Of course not,”

This time, Sarah can feel his warm blue eyes burning into her skin, “It feels like you're going to.”

“I'm not, I promise.” She tells him with furrowed eyebrows. She stares at the cream colored carpet beneath her feet and makes a note to tell Ashton that it was a bad choice. Light colored carpets are just asking for stains.

"I know we're still in the ‘new’ stage of this relationship and I'm really not trying to push you into being more serious. But you need to tell me things,” Luke lets go of her hand.

She watches as he paces the length of the room and struggles to piece together the words she needs to say. Everything is scattered in pieces, the words that Ashton told her, what she wants to say, and the stupid fucking carpets. But nothing is coming out, yet again.

“You never tell me things and I'm really trying to understand, but I can't when you used to tell me everything. If you can't talk to me and we're only three months in, we can't do this. Sarah, I am trying my best here and I don't know what else to do.”

"I told you everything because you were my best friend. And now you're my boyfriend and things feel different.” Sarah says quietly.

“I'm still your best friend,” Luke tells her. He squats in front of her sitting spot and strokes a thumb over her soft hand.

Sarah avoids his gaze, “I am used to being cold, it's just how I grew up. I had to. Then I met you and was able to express some things to you. Now that we're together there's a whole new set of emotions and I have never had to deal with them.”

“Are you trying to s-” Luke starts, but she cuts him off. He just pushes a strand of hair behind her ear and watches as she takes in a shaky breath.

“I love you, Luke.” Sarah tells him. And she waits for the world to implode, for the house to crumple on top of her, or for him to laugh. The only thing that happens is Luke looking up at her with glassy eyes as he kisses the backs of her hands.

“I love you too, Sarah.” He smiles, “Is that what all this was about?”

“I was scared that something bad would happen if I told you. That you would change your mind or you would laugh at me...I don't know, my family never reacted well to me talking about love and I didn't want a repeat of that.”

"Oh, honey,” Luke whispers and joins her on the bed so he can wrap his arms around her. “I would never ever do that to you.”

Sarah leans into the warmth, “I'm trying to get better at this. I just have to remember that you guys are different and emotions aren't weaknesses for you.”

"Never. You're human, you're supposed to be emotional. I know your family wasn't very nice to you, but you're here now. You have a loving boyfriend and three brothers who would do anything for you.” Luke explains softly.

Luke wipes the tears from her cheeks and places a kiss on her forehead. He remembers Sarah telling him stories about her family and how she wasn't too fond of them. She ended up in survival mode most of the time, but it never hit him that she was so cold because of it. He doesn't even think that she had realized that before tonight. She was just scared of emotions and didn't know what love felt like due to family. He hopes that she knows that they would never treat her badly.

“I'm sorry for crying all over you, I promise that it's not because of you,” Sarah giggles a bit, “I just love you so fucking much and I can say it,”

“You can say it,” Luke laughs with her, “I love you more than you'd ever realize.”

For once in Sarah's life, she feels completely at peace. She can do the whole “emotional” thing and nothing bad will happen, because all the bad stuff is in the past. It feels good to admit all the pent up stuff. And most importantly, loving luke DOES feel like sunshine on the first day of spring. Warm, fuzzy, and everything nice.

And she's certain that she's happy. So sure of it. She gets to be happy with the best person in her life and that's all she could ask for.

[loveactualharry]

The Shamrock of the Sea [A Niall Horan short fiction.]

Good evening lovely people. I haven't been able to post anything decent on here for a while, and I know many of you are still waiting for part 3 of "December, 1997" - I'll be quick on that : it's coming next week.

Meanwhile, you might or might not be interested in a little Niall thing!

I originally wrote it for a friend, but I thought It'd be nice to share. So, here it's Part 1 of The Shamrock and The Sea.

Overview: Niall is the only son of a wealthy Irish family in 1897. He sails to New York to negotiate a business on behalf of his father. But The Shamrock has a different fate for him in mind.

Facts: Harry has a part in it as well!

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

24th July 1897

“Lily. For you, again.”

Her colleague had panted, throwing the umpteenth letter on her bed. She swiftly lifted up, sitting on the slender, uncomfortable mattress. Her fingers unfolded that paper, slightly wrinkly and rough. The words gathered in the middle of the page, written in a neat, clean handwriting. She noticed how the letters slightly leaned towards the right angle: the author of those verses had to have been lefthanded, she figured.

“One more? Jesus, it’s the sixth in five days.” Sarah remarked, absentmindedly tying the back of her apron.

“I know! Lily, are you sure you don’t know who sent them?” Selene asked with hands on her hips, squinting her eyes. Sarah darted at her, then turned around rolling her eyes. She did not like the questioning tone she always put out. And anyway, she was the last person in the position of questioning her colleagues, especially after Sarah had caught her sneaking out of his cabin. She twitched nervously at the mere thought.

Lily, however, failed to catch the jealousy displayed in the eyes of her best friend, still too caught up in her own thoughts to even care.

“I told you both, and a million times: I have no idea. I don’t know who sent them. Maybe…maybe it’s just a mistake.” She tried to convince herself, getting up and rubbing her palms on the wrinkly surface of her work uniform.

“Or maybe it’s a secret admirer.” Sarah winked at her with a silly face, “A secret admirer who is also a poet. Wait, maybe he is rich! Maybe it’s Lord Styles!” she battled her eyelashes, looking up with a dreamy face, before curling her lips and darting her eyes towards her friend, tapping her foot. “Are you fucking Lord Styles? You’d better not, or I’ll-”

Lily let out a puffed laugh, placing her hands on Sarah’s shoulders. She adjusted her long, silky hair, shaking her head. “I am not doing anything with Lord Styles. First off, he is way too out of our league, and second, I could never do this to you.”

They both tried to look serious but burst out in a loud laugh.

Selena looked at them from afar, hands still on her hips.

“Shut up, you are going to get us all in trouble. We’d better get to work.”

Sarah rolled her eyes again, sneaking out of her friend’s hug to follow the other girl outside.

“Yes, miss. But seriously, Lily, try to find out who this secret admirer is. Maybe one of the musicians?” she hinted.

“I think we are setting out hopes too high. For what we knew, it could be some kind of joke.”

She lowered her eyes, looking at the words inked on the paper one last time.

“You, that's what I've been missing,

Was tangled up and twisted

Now all the clouds been lifted

Lately, my heart's been so empty.”

Her heart still beat in the hope that it would be no joke.

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

Dublin, 14th July 1897

HORAN, NIALL JAMES.

The name was inked on that yellowish piece of paper. He read it one last time, then raised his blue, wide eyes. Niall was still amazed at that monumental, imponent structure in front of him. His gaze run on the long, majestic right broadside of the ship. Not far away from him, the long cue on the third-class passenger’s footbridge disgorged in a chaotic mass of unhealthy-looking and dirty men, women and children, gathering upon each other, pushing and shouting phrases in Gaelic.

“Come on, son, let’s move forward.”

His father grabbed his arm, dragging him around, in the that multitude of souls, looking for some sort of salvation on that ship. “The Shamrock of The Sea”, they had called it, in the hope that it would cast the light of good luck upon those travelling on it to the new world. Niall had heard many times his father ramble about how he knew the lord who had funded the construction of the Shamrock, but he had never paid much attention to that. He had never been fond of business and funding, and he had a relative interest in the world of major buyers and sellers. He knew, though, that the trip to America would be a lifechanging path for him, and he was grateful that his father had put enough expectations on him to give him the opportunity to go and negotiate a business on his behalf. New York was waiting for him, and he was excited. Yet, much as he loved his hometown and his country, he wished he didn’t have to come back to Ireland.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this, my baby? You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”

His mother stopped to wipe a few tears away from her cheeks. She hadn’t stopped crying ever since they had left Mullingar a few days before. Niall found it sweet and heart-breaking at the same time. Mr. Horan senior asked two of their servants to load his son’s trunk and all his belonging up on board. The boy cupped his mother’s cheeks, looking at Maura with a half-smile.

“I’m alright, ma. I’ll do what I have to do and…I’ll be right back to you sooner that you think. Stop crying for me, will ya, ma?”

The lady smiled through her whimpers and nodded. He held her close in one last, long hug.

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

18th July 1897

Niall had spent the first few days wandering around, exploring all the salons, hallways and decks he had access to. Of course, travelling as a first-class passenger had its advantages. Nobody would pay much attention to him wandering around every part of the ship. He liked to look at the other people around him though. He fancied reading and collecting the multitude of emotions displayed on everyone’s face. Most of the passengers were rich, wealthy people, happy to be there, excited about their new adventure and all the comforts that would accompany them to the new world. He could recognize them. Not only by the clear expensiveness of their clothing and shiny jewels, but also because they wore proud smiles on their lips. The men often gathered around the counter of the bar for a sip of whiskey, or they would play cards, setting their bets higher and higher each time. Niall liked to play bets with himself, too. For example, he enjoyed betting on who would have lost at least half of their fortune before even getting to America. One of his favourites to bet on was Lord Styles. He was rich, extremely rich, apparently. And he would walk around the salons with a proud smile on his lips and, very often, more than one woman behind him. He had heard stories about him: he was, apparently, the most coveted bachelor of the whole Cheshire county. And nobody knew why. Niall liked to take the piss out of him, and he didn’t like him very much.

Sometimes, he liked to wander along the lower decks of the ship, and once he had even reached the stern, where the third-class passengers where hoarded. In was different, down there. Hidden in their cheap cabins, mother would try to soften the cry of their many children, shrieking out of fear and hunger. Some young men would whimper, facing the parapet running along the back deck, looking back and thinking about the mother and lovers they had left behind. Niall wondered which storied they carried along. He wanted to ask, sometimes. But he knew the wound of leaving their motherland behind was still too fresh, and scars were still wide open and too delicate.

His trip from Mullingar to Dublin had been long and exhausting, and over the past few nights he still hadn’t been able to adjust to his new bed, losing more sleep than he should have. His sunken eyes and his slightly unshaved face made him look older than he actually was, and he knew he needed some rest. After all, it would be a long trip to New York, and most of the times he preferred staying up at night to write or play his beloved fiddle. So, after lunch he found his way through the decks and staircases, to the cabin 402. He let his gaze travel up to the golden number on the black wooden door, then opened it, still holding the case of his fiddle in one hand. He rarely left it behind and found some kind of comfort in carrying it around with him.

The girl in the room flinched, then turned around as the key clicked in the lock. Niall stepped in, and there she was. She had dark, brown hair, which were thin and shiny. He couldn’t see her eyes, though. He put his fiddle on the freshly made bed, furrowing his thick, ash-blond eyebrows as he slowly walked towards her.

“Good afternoon, Sir. My apologies, I was just bringing fresh towels for you.”

She performed a quick, small bow in front of him. Then, she left with a fleeting glance. Niall noticed how her big brown eyes had rested upon his face for a little longer, before she stormed out of the cabin. He felt his throat go dry for a couple seconds, standing like frozen on the spot. He was normally not an impulsive man, usually very calm and thoughtful. But there was no hesitation in his steps, which led him out of that cabin, after grabbing the pile of white towels she had just left inside. His deep, blue irises squinted, looking around the corridor till he spotted her.

“Excuse me?” he called.

The brown-eyed girl turned around in his direction, still holding one hand on the handle of the wooden trolley she was pushing around on the mahogany wooden floor.

Niall straightened his back as he walked towards her in long strides. There they were face to face again. Now he could see. She looked younger than him, a couple years maybe, he guessed. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she carried no ring on her left hand.

“Yes, sir?” she patiently said, bringing Niall back to reality. She was staring at him, now. He had wide, deep, baby-blue eyes. His hair, she thought, resembled a dense honeypot, fluffy and perfectly combed. His cheeks were slightly puffy, making him look younger than he actually was, in contrast with the shallow shade of beard. He had thin lips, and a lovely dimple rested beneath his chin.

“Aye, I…I need to have my towels changed.” He demanded. Then mentally cursed himself.

She furrowed her brows in confusion, taking one step back.

“My apologies, Sir, but I brought laundry-fresh ones no more than one minute ago.”

Niall tapped his foot on the floor, following an irregular rhythm.

“I know, I saw you. I just don’t think they are clean and fresh enough.” He stated, handing her the pile of cloths.

She slightly parted her lips, but bit her tongue right after, taking a new pile from the trolley.

“As you command, sir.” She answered, handing the fresher towels to the man, never breaking eye contact, till she once again bowed before him and went back her own way.

“Many thanks, miss…”

His eyes were quick enough to shoot a glance at the silver name badge on her chest. He stood there, watching her walk away, holding the new towels in his right hand, before heading back to cabin number 402. He locked the door, frantically opening his large, black trunk, searching for ink and paper. Niall sat on the floor, writing her name on that page. Lily.

[nothingbutfangirlsmut]

My God of Mischief

Loki several chapter fan fiction.

Rated: Mature

Background: Loki is left behind leaving Blake, Bruce, Thor, and Valkyrie to make their way off Sakaar and threw the Devil’s Anus

(If you read part 23 before 5/11/20 you might want to go back and reread that one first before moving on. I made a big booboo and had to completely redo that chapter.)

Part Twenty-Four

I came to with someone shaking me. I cracked my eyes open to see Bruce kneeling in front of me. A look of worry plastered on his face.

"You okay?" He asked me.

I nodded not sure if I could actually form words at the moment. Bruce unstrapped me from my seat then helped me to my feet. The sight outside the window was like nothing I'd ever seen. This must be Asgard. I was literally at a place of legend. I stepped up behind Thor's seat as Bruce stood behind Valkyrie.

"I never thought I'd be back here." Valkyrie said as she watched out the window.

"I thought it'd be a lot nicer. I mean not that it's not nice it's just, it's on fire." Bruce said quickly.

Something in front of Valkyrie started beeping causing us all to look down. She pressed a button then a small hologram popped up.

"Here, up in the mountains. Heat signatures. People clustered together. She's coming for them." Valkyrie informed us.

You can drop me off at the palace. I'll lure her away." Thor told her.

"And get yourself killed?" She asked in disbelief.

"The people trapped down there are all that matters. While I'm dealing with Hela I need you three to help get them off Asgard." Thor commanded.

Bruce leaned forward to get closer to Thor.

"How the hell are we suppose to do that?" He asked the god.

Thor chuckled.

"I have a man on the ground." Thor said simply.

Bruce and I took the seats over as Thor and Valkyrie worked on getting the plan in motion. A loud bang behind me had me turning around to see a massive gun laying at Valkyrie's feet.

"Here, now the ship has a gun." I heard Thor say from behind me.

"You sure about this?" I asked Bruce quietly.

He shrugged but smiled at me. I wanted to help Thor but I didn't have any special abilities like they did. I was just a normal mundane human caught in the middle of this mess. Oh how I wished I was back home safe with Dr. Strange.

We took off away from the palace to get to the Asgardian people. I glanced behind me to see Valkyrie now in some white outfit. It suited her and made her look a lot more badass. She worked quickly on setting the gun up. My heart pounded in my chest. I did not want to die. We made it over to the mountains to find absolutely no one.

"They must have evacuated at the last second." Valkyrie said.

"Where would they go?" I asked.

"Probably to the bridge." Valkyrie answered.

Bruce was quick to turn the ship around. As we neared the bridge we could see a large group of people stopped. Something big and black was at the end of the bridge facing them.

"What the hell is that?" I asked squinting my eyes.

"Hela's mut" Valkyrie said as she readied the fun to fire.

Bruce brought us closer. He kept the ship at an angle that Valkyrie could fire the gun. That big black thing was a wolf. A huge terrifying wolf. It started running as Valkyrie rained down bullets. I looked down to see the wolf unfazed by the bullets spraying it. Valkyrie groaned as she stepped back from the gun.

"This stupid dog won't die!" She shouted.

I heard Bruce sigh. He hit a button in front of him then stood from his seat.

"Everything is going to be alright now. I got this. You wanted to know who I am." Bruce said as he walked over to Valkyrie.

I jumped from my seat quickly running over to my brother.

"Bruce no! We don't know what will happen if you do this." I spoke frantically.

Bruce smiled down at me then kissed the top of my head.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Valkyrie asked.

"You'll see" Bruce said then squeezed my shoulder.

I covered my mouth to stop from screaming as Bruce jumped from the ship. A scream did come out of me as I watched him hit the bridge hard. His body lay unmoving. The wolf touched him with his paw then quickly stepped over him. Tears burned my eyes until I saw a familiar green. He did it! He had turned into hulk and grabbed the wolf's tail pulling it back from the Asgardians. He sling the wolf backwards then roared.

"Holy shit" Valkyrie said quietly.

"You knew about that?" She asked pointing down at the Hulk.

I nodded.

"Take the controls I'll need to get down there and help." Valkyrie told me.

"What? I don't know how to work this thing." I said in a panic.

"Figure it out" she said gesturing for me to go on.

I sighed then took the seat Bruce had been sitting in. I took a deep breath then grabbed the controls. The ship instantly jerked. I'm gonna kill us all. This is not good.

"Get it on the bridge!" Valkyrie shouted.

I turned the handle causing the ship to tilt up on it's side. It flew in a tight circle then crashed hard on the bridge.

"Stay here!" Valkyrie shouted then jumped out.

I turned to watch her as I accidentally hit a button. I heard the fireworks going off as the music tried to play but it only skipped then died out. I huffed then leaned back in the seat. As long as I stayed right here I should be safe.

I sat up in my seat as I heard a loud rumbling noise. It sounded like an engine. I got up from my seat then ran over to the open door Valkyrie had jumped out of.

"Your savior is here!" I heard the familiar voice shout.

A huge dark blue ship was slowly next to the bridge. A figure was walking down the extending walkway off of it. Is that Loki? It can't be him. A bright flash of lightning over the palace drew my eyes from the new comer. What the hell is happening? The fighting continued in the distance as I shrank back into the ship. I sat on the floor with my back against the wall. Everything is going to be fine. It's going to be okay. I jumped at the sound of someone jumping into the ship with me. I shot to my feet only to see the god of mischief standing before me.

"What the hell?" I questioned harshly.

"No time to explain sit down and strap in." He said quickly as he ran to sit in front of the controls.

I quickly took the seat next to him then strapped myself in.

"This is madness." He whispered.

"What's going on?" I asked him.

"Remember that Ragnorok thing my brother talked about stopping?" He asked as he lifted the ship into the air.

"Yea" I nodded.

"I'm about to cause it." He said simply.

"Excuse me?" I shouted in disbelief.

He couldn't be serious.

"Why did you come here?" I asked suddenly.

Loki glanced at me then back on the window. He chewed his bottom lip for a moment then sighed.

"Because this ridiculously beautiful, stubborn, goddess of a woman said some pretty accurate things to me. I wasn't going to but then Thor left me behind and I felt like the smallest piece of shit in that moment. I remembered the look on your face and I couldn't have that be the last time we spoke or saw each other." He explained quietly as he flew around the palace.

My heart lifted at his words. Was he serious? He came back here because of me? He helped save these people because of me? It was like a light bulb went off in my head. Odin has been right. My heart or love for Loki had been what brought him here to help save Asgard.

The ship lowered to the ground. Loki pressed a button then stood up.

"Stay here I'll be back in just a few minutes." He explained.

I nodded then watched him run off the ship, across the landing, then inside the palace. He was right when he said it would be just a few minutes. He was back in what felt like no time.

As he lifted us back into the air a loud crash had me craning my neck to look out the window.

"What the hell is that?" I asked in a completely panic.

The firey being rose up bigger than a mountain. Loki made the space ship swerve from side to side to miss the creatures hands and falling debris. Asgard was going to be ruined. Ahead of us I could see the bigger ship drifting away from the rainbow bridge.

"They're leaving" I said pointing at the moving ship.

"Indeed" Loki said then turned to miss more falling debris.

The smaller ship we were on was faster than the bigger one. It wasn't long when we were hovering right above it. Loki watched below as he carefully lowered the smaller ship onto the top of the bigger one.

—

—

Tags: @jedionironthrone @fabulously-majestic-alicorn @mehrmonga @rainbow-pandacorn @bauboshell @lovely-geek @girlwith100names @thecrazyoneshavetakenover @tiffanyhpentaholic @shaunamart @takenbymyfandoms @yourmonster-myfriend @sebastiangotmefucked @scarecrowsragdoll @imagine-adict

[witness-protection-official]

Warning! Lots more cussing this time, mention of doing drugs, and god tier acting from both parties

Also very long this time I spent a sold three hours writing this

Witness Protection - An Eyeless Jack x Female Reader Fanfiction

Chapter 3

You felt as though you were going insane. The man hadn't said a single word to you since the weird field area. Only lord knew if the ancient vehicle you sat in had a working radio. Asking was out of the question, you still had tape over your mouth. Couldn't check, you had tape gloves that went all the way up your arms, rendering them useless. With half lidded eyes, you stare at your disheveled figure in the side mirror. Dear god, you looked like shit. The blood on the side of your face had caked into a gross brown and was beginning to flake off, leaving you looking like you were a burn victim. You wince internally. You had mangled hair, with strands sticking every which way. Bags under the eyes displayed your lack of sleep and slowly depleting sanity. With a nearly inaudible groan, you tap your head against the glass. 'Can't he just kill me and get this over with? I don't know how much sitting in dead silence I'm going to be able to handle.' You slouch heavily, slowly sinking to the floor of the truck.

"You'll hurt your back sitting like that," his monotone voice stated off handedly. You huff and remain there. He sighs and grabs the back of your shirt, tugging you up to sit properly. You groan. Apparently sitting weirdly isn't even an option. He remains facing foward, not even glancing in your direction. Unable to spit insults at him, you level a heated glare at instead. He either doesn't notice or doesn't care. Maybe a good mix of both. It wasn't easy to tell how long you sat there, giving a dirty look to a man that probably couldn't even see you past the hood he had been wearing this entire time, but you assumed it had been about ten minutes or so. The truck suddenly stopped. You break out of your hate filled trance and look around. Why did he park in an actual parking lot? Was he going to let you go? The thought filled your heart with hope. He popped open the center console and pulled out a large bottle of what sounded like pills. Christ, was he about do just pop a few pills to deal with your bullshit? He pulled his mask off, placing it in the back seat. The cap popped off and he dumped a few out, throwing them into his mouth and closing the bottle. He pulled the hood down, giving you a clear view of the side of his head. You voice your distress at his appearance in muffled screams. He sighs heavily, leaning his head back against his seat, not seeming bothered. The screaming grew louder as his features shifted.

He opened his eyes and glanced at you, letting you get a clear view of his eyes. The screaming ceased in shock. How had you not seen them under his mask? With how bright the blue of his iris was, one would think they would glow in the dark. He pulled the visor down to examine his face in the small mirror embedded inside. He licked his teeth, turned his face from side to side. It finally clicked why he sounded familiar. He was the weird guy that had been staring at you when you changed out shifts with a coworker. You sigh internally. No point in thinking about it now, you guessed. He had murdered someone and kidnapped you, you had bigger things to worry about. His buckle clicked and you snapped out of your thoughts.

"I'll be back," he said simply, clicking something on the side of the door and closing it. Did- did that fucker just turn the child lock on?! Where the fuck were you gonna go in blood soaked clothes and taped up arms?! You send a hateful glare at his retreating form. He went into a store. A very large store. The fuck was he doing?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He bit the inside of his cheek as he entered the store. Did she really have to scream like that? Probably, not everyday you see a man with grey skin. And it's also not everyday you see him suddenly become a shape shifter after popping some pills. Either way, it really wasn't a boost of confidence for his already weak self esteem. Whatever. He had a reputation to uphold, and that meant keeping his cool, constantly. He'd already almost lost it on her while she was being annoying the night before. No point in risking it now. Jack sighed and rubbed his eyes. He began his journey towards the clothes section of the store before he paused. He forgot to ask what her sizes were. He facepalmed. And she had been wearing heels too. He grumbled, figuring it'd be easier to deal with that later. Right now he had to focus on getting her clothes that weren't stained with blood. He debated on heading to the woman's section, guess her size. No, bad idea. Someone is bound to try to talk to him. He was a tall man, he had no reason to be in the woman's section, and people were bound to wonder. Both his pride and crippling social anxiety told him to not risk it. Avoid talking with people was a priority. With a deep breath, he swiveled on his heel, headed towards the mens. He'd just grab some smaller sized jeans or something. There was a time where baggy jeans were popular right? He furrowed his brows as he thought, as he did a lot. His mind continued to wander until he reached the clothes. He eyed the jeans and opted to grab a pair of skinny jeans, in a random size that looked like they would fit her. He wasn't exactly staring at her legs, so he hoped that brief mental image he had in his mind was enough. He turned to the shirts. Any of them would work, they just couldn't be too big. He really wasn't in the mood to listen to her bitch and whine about him being a 'pervert' because it dipped too low and showed her bra.

He grabbed a basic black tee, looking to be maybe a size smaller than he got his own shirts. That'll do. He got a second pair of pants and a second shirt, just for good measure. He bit his tongue. He knew a little bit about the hygenic needs of a woman, but he hadn't smelled any blood or hormonal spike on her, so he figured she'd be fine for now. As he made his way to a different part of the store, he passed a shelf of hoodies. He backed up. Should he get her a hoodie? That would be awfully nice of him. She had done nothing to deserve any form of kindness from Jack. Letting her live was the extent of his mercy for her. 'But if she isn't cold that's less things she'll have to bitch about…' he mulled it over in his head before deciding. He'd get another hoodie for himself and let her wear it passively. 'What a fucking genius you are, Jack, absolute genius' he congratulated himself, grabbing a dark colored hoodie that was in his size. He nodded, satisfied and went to get a few more items.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

You had been pretty confident he up and died in that store, he took so long. But alas, he had to return. You watched his form make it's way to your side of the truck and reflexively shifted away. He swung it open, placing the bags he held ontot he ground while he stood onto the step to reach your seatbelt clip. He tore off the tape, unclipping the restraint. The tape on your mouth went next.

"Spit an insult at me and I'll cut off your tongue," he quipped. You closed your mouth. "Good girl," he himself seemed to cringe at what he just said, judging by the sigh he released. You scrutinized his face as he worked on the tape on your arms with intense concentration. He had tiny freckles all over his face. They were so small it was impossible to see them from a distance, but they were everywhere. His nose, his cheeks, even the top of his neck and between his eyes. You would've found him attractive if you didnt know it wasn't what he actually looked like. Tanned skin and soft looking auburn hair helped him sell the whole 'fucking gorgeous' thing.

"What's with the whole 'pretty boy' get up?" you murmur. He pauses and looks up at you, confused. "why did you choose this look to be normal?" He searched her face for any underlying intentions. When he found none, he shrugged.

"Didn't get a choice," He finally managed to get the tape off of your hands and arms.

"You got damn lucky with it then, you coulda been ugly," you shrugged. He took a deep breath and didn't respond, instead reaching into the bag and pulling out a package of what appeared to be baby wipes. "I'm not a baby,"

"I noticed," he opened the package and pulled out a wipe. He gripped your jaw and turned your head to the side.

"I can do this myself,"

"Don't trust you," as usual, his response was simple. He wiped the dried blood off of your face rather harshly.

"Hey, hey! Be gentler! I'm not dead yet!" He growled lowly and held your face tighter in his hand, wiping the rest of the blood off of any currently visible skin. He took another wipe and used it to wipe off any tape or dirt residue off of you. "What gives with the mini bath?"

"You'll see," He pushed your head down, bending you so that your chest was pressed tightly against your thighs. He threw what you assumed to be the wipes into the back before letting you sit up again. He picked up the bag from off of the pavement and handed it to you. "Change," he closed the truck door. He must've gotten you clothes so you wouldnt be covered in blood constantly. You pull out a pair of jeans and a shirt, followed by an extremely oversized hoodie. You quirk a brow but peek out the window. The man was scrolling on his phone, back pressed against the car door. You deemed it safe to change and stripped down, pulling the new, clean clothes on. You rummaged through the bag some more and came across a hair brush, dry shampoo, and deodorant. Questionable items, but you put them to use. You felt like a human again. A soft knock on the window startled you. There he was. You blink dumbly at him. He points down. You look down. You had locked the door. With a sigh, you unlocked the door and he opened it.

"You didn't stare at me while I was changing, did you?" you narrow your eyes in suspicion.

"I've got no reason to," he took the hoodie out of the bag and threw it at you. "Wear it if you want," he threw the bag in the backseat. You huff and pull the sweater over your head. He closed the door and moved to the drivers side. He strapped in and started the truck.

"Why'd you make me freshen up and stuff?"

"You need food. I don't know what you want," He made the short drive to a gas station that was only about five minutes up the road. He unstrapped and went to your side, opening the door. "Out," You unstrapped and slipped out of the truck, a little wobbly from not standing for so long. The heels didn't help.

"You're coming in with me?"

"I'm the one with money,"

"There's another reason, isn't there,"

"That one is obvious. Now listen. You go in there, grab anything you need, and if anyone asks, I'm your boyfriend," he briefed.

"Why do I have to say you're my boyfriend?"

"You won't have to if you don't act suspicious, now lets go, I've spoken to much,"

"You got a word limit or something?"

"Mentally," he ushered you inside.

"You gonna act all boyfriendy?"

"Boyfriendy?"

"Are you gonna act like my boyfriend?"

"Yes, and you'll have to deal,"

"Ew, but why,"

"There won't be any kissing," he rolled his eyes.

"What if you need to?"

"I won't" he guided you to the hot foods area. "Now get your food," He stayed close as you grabbed two slices of pizza and a hot dog, putting them in mini bags. "Its a long drive, go get yourself some snacks," you nod and sort of hand him your hot food, which he holds with no complaint. His eyes hold a glimmer of warning, telling you not to do anything stupid.

You're examining the chips on the different shelves when some girl about your age comes up to you.

"Did you hear?" She leans in close.

"Hear what?" you tilt your head.

"About the murder at that hotel. Apparently the murderer took a hostage with them, one of the staff," you pretend to be shocked and that the hostage was 100% not you.

"Really?" top tier lying this was. You just hoped it was believable. She nodded.

"By the way that guy has kind of been staring you down this entire time," she whispered. "Hey, creep! Why don't you go bother some other chick-!"

"Wait! It's ok," you subtly gulp and turn to your kidnapper, acting as natural as possible. "Babe, are you gonna keep standing there like a stalker?" He shook his head.

"S-sorry," he chuckled awkwardly, moving to stand next to you. He somehow managed to look bashful, blush and all. His posture was slouched to look more weak and not as standoffish. He probably took an acting class at some point.

"Oh, you're dating," she seemed relieved. You nod. "Can I have proof?"

"Why- why do you need proof that we're dating?"

"With the whole hostage thing I just wanna make sure he isn't the murderer, or you aren't, you never know,"

"It does make a bit of sense," your abductor agreed, somehow flying through this whole interaction look weak and pathetic, and making it look like he was completely off the list of possible suspects. She raised her eyebrows, waiting. He looks down at you and you look up at him, seeming to have the same idea. He lean down and you meet him halfway in a short kiss. The taste of iron and blood you expected never showed up. When you two pulled away from each other, the woman visibly relaxed.

"Alright, sorry for being weird. Have a nice day!" she waved. You waved along with the man. He grabs your hand.

"She made a scene, we gotta keep up the appearance," he whispered as he leaned down, followed by a kiss on the cheek to cover it up. You notice some people were definitely staring.

"Got it," you whisper back. Pulling your hand away from his you grab a bag of chips. "Do we wanna get chips or something else for the trip?"

"You'll be eating them more than me,"

"Yeah but I don't want you to think I'm greedy for eating them all,"

"I won't think you're greedy,"

"Yes you will," you put the chips back.

"You can get the chips, babe," You whine.

"But-!"

"You're fine," he took the chips off of the shelf and placed them in your hands. He mouthed something to you. 'Jack'. You assumed that was his name.

"You sure, Jackie? You're 100% sure?"

"Yes," You shrug and grab the collar of his hoodie and yank him down, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you," you coo. He hums and pecks your lips. The line is fairly short as you two go to pay. Jack pays and before you leave the guy manning the register bids you farewell.

"Be safe, you two lovebirds,"

"We will, have a nice day!" The moment you're both in the car you place the bag down and go to fetch the wet wipes to wipe your mouth off. They wer to far back and you sighed. "You're a really good actor," you comment. "Your affection felt real," he hums.

"Likewise," he seemed greatly uncomfortable, and it made you wonder what he meant by metal word limit. Either that or he just really did not like pretending to be dating his hostage. You shrug. Best to ask once you've eaten. You unwrap your hotdog and take a bite.

[morticianikolaevna]

Hear My Soul Speak pt. 1

Gwilym Lee has bought a beautiful Victorian styled home for himself as he prepares for an upcoming role in something potentially huge. His friends Joe and Ben help him move in!

Gwilym shut off the car and let out a sigh, observing the beautiful black and red house before him. He heard Joe fumble with the door handle to his car, and Ben shuffle around. He got out and took out the key he gotten beforehand from the agency he bought the house off of. He looked towards the beautiful garden gazebo type thing that was perched in the backyard, that's how big it was.

"Hey, can we go look around the backyard first? I really wanna see the view!" Joe asked, taking off out back. Ben followed and so did Gwil.

"Geez mate, this is going to be a lot of up keep! It's beautiful though. Its not everyday you find a Victorian styled home by the ocean for sale." He said as they came up to the breath taking view. The gazebo was very nice, it was very large and had over head cover. The garden was extremely elegant with all kinds of flower. One thing the agency mentioned about this place, a rich business man named Matthew Y/L/N owned this, and he raised a family here.

There was even something here left behind after all these years one of his daughters made by hand, and it was a stone bench with designs of butterflies, and two hand prints from different people. Gwilym only saw pictures, that was until he say the very bench in front of him and he went up to it.

"Hey guys, remember that old bench I told you about that came with this?" Gwilym asked and both boys turned towards him and nodded, looking at what he was staring at and ran over.

"Oh, no way! Doesn't this have the really old carvings as well?? This is fucking history." Joe said, inspecting the bench. Gwilym leaned down and saw the first butterfly design. It looked so beautiful and.....So real. Like it'd fly away at any moment. Joe found the hand prints and he held his hand up to the larger ones, the hand way too big for his.

"I think it's safe to assume the larger one belonged to a guy. There is a smaller one there too!" He pointed out. Gwilym held his hand up to the large one and was just about to connect it, but he heard another car door. All the boys stood and quickly went back out front and saw Rami had just arrived, in awe at the house before him.

"Rami! So glad you could make it!" Gwilym said and pulled him in for a hug. Before he could be interrupted again, he went up to the door and unlocked it. All four boys stepped inside and Joe let out a low whistle when looking around at the inside.

"Goddamn Gwilym, this place is fucking beautiful! You've got the best taste in things!" Ben said as he made his way to the living room. Rami looked around the kitchen, and Joe went into the library. Gwilym went up the large steps where beautiful bay windows gave Gwil a whole new world. He could see the ocean for miles, and the sun dancing on the cold waves. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Uh, you guys! I think you'll wanna come see this!" Ben shouted from downstairs and they all rushed into the large open room. Ben stood by the beautiful fire place, and Gwil went up to him while the other two stood behind.

"What's wrong Ben? My house isn't haunted, is it?" Gwilym joked. Ben pointed to a weird looking porcelain butterfly figure on the mantel and looked back with a slight smirk.

"So what, this family really liked butterflies. There is nothing to be afraid of, Benjamin." Rami spoke, but Gwil took a look closer and Ben tapped his shoulder.

"I tried lifting it, but I heard this weird grinding noise! Try to pull on it!" Ben said, his eyes wide.

"Oh come on Ben, it's not like there is a secret door that leads to a secret room or something, this house is far too old for something so advanced!" Joe said laughing. Before anything else was said, Gwilym pulled the butterfly and it came forward before going back down. The fireplace in the wall made a grinding noise again and the fireplace moved to the right, and a set of stairs assembled. Lights came on and lit up a flight of spiral stairs down to a room, and all the boys looked at each other in pure shock.

"Oh my fucking god......" Rami muttered. Joe's mouth hit the floor, and Ben took a step forwards.

"Let's go down there. I wanna see what this secret room is!" Gwilym shouted and took off down the beautiful wooden staircase. The boys for some reason followed and after a solid minute of walking, they reached a lit up room with walls painted a soft blue color, the floor made completely of beautiful white tile. There we no windows, but there was a door off to the left. There was a small bed down there which looked really old, and a oak wood desk with things still left on it.

Gwilym ran his fingers over the designs on the walls, that were carved in. There were butterflies, flowers, and finally, a name above the bed.

Y/N

Gwilym looked over at Joe who was in awe.

"So, what the hell do you think this was? A secret study?" Gwil asked. Rami cut in with a small snort.

"Or a creepy, old fashioned sex dungeon. No, I'm joking. I think maybe someone used this as an escape, its just too private."

Ben let out a shout as he fell onto the tiled floor, gripping his foot. The boys all shot over and looked for what made Ben fall. Ben cursed as he pointed towards a loose set of tiles, crawling over to it.

"Huh, well this is what made me trip. Is this a small door to another secret basement maybe?" He asked. Gwilym crouched down and flipped it over. Beneath was a small sheet which appeared to have had in it, and Ben reached in to grab it. He opened the sheet and saw an old, red journal with a white butterfly on the front.

"Butterflies are popular here, wouldn't you say?" Rami asked and Gwil flipped it open to the cover. In beautiful cursive writing was a small info page.

Y/N Y/L/N's journal, for my eyes only. Do not pass the point of no return and read on.

Gwilym repeated this outloud and looked up to the boys, who stood in silence.

And that's chapter one! Oh my god, I have such a thrill writing this! Does anyone have any theories on whats going to happen in this series, I'm honestly just curious! Thanks for much for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter!

@punkgeekchic @tardisgrump @plethora-of-things @borhapqueen92 @littledarlingwellaway @sohoneyspreadyourwings @mistaandmercury @zackgba @extremelypansexual @scarecrowmax @kween-mazzello @storiesandcelestialbodies @climbmelikeatreemrlee @rogerina-deacon

[stillthewordgirl]

LOT/CC fic: Just One Night, Ch. 2 (of 4)

When Team Legends returns to Central City for Barry and Iris' wedding, Sara jumps at a chance to do something, anything, else.

She doesn't even remotely suspect where that decision will lead her. (Or to whom.)

Thanks, as always, to @larielromeniel for the beta! Can also be read here at AO3 or here at FF.net.

It's melodramatic to say that the world tilts around her, but that's precisely what it feels like. Sara puts a hand to the wall as if checking to see that it's still there, that she's not dreaming, that she's not going to wake up in a moment, stomach and heart clenched with a pain she can't show. 

It is there, cool and solid beneath her fingers, and that's all the moment of weakness she gives herself. And then her gun is in her hand, aimed straight for his heart, and if her hands are shaking just the tiniest bit, well, she knows she can compensate for that. 

"Don't move," she repeats, keeping her voice cold, without a quaver. "I will fire."  

Leonard tilts his head just a little and regards her for a moment that feels like forever. 

"Ah," he says, finally. "Right." Slowly, he raises his hands in front of him, eyes never leaving hers, and they're not that rat bastard's eyes, there's actually warmth in them and concern... "The last time you saw me, it was that me." 

"What are you talking about?" She knows her voice is harsh, but that's better than letting it break.  

"I remembered, after I..." His voice trails off as he watches her, frustration in those so-very Leonard eyes. And then he takes a step forward. 

"I said, don't move." She tightens her finger on the trigger, heart beating so hard she figures they both can hear it. 

He stops stock still again, watching her. Those eyes. 

“What would convince you?” he asks slowly. “That I’m not the same person who was with the Legion? Well, in a way…” 

The words send a chill through her. “You remember…” 

He glances away for the first time, a frown on his face, but one that seems to be directed mostly inward. “Yeah.” The word is curt, pained. “There’s not really time to get into that right now.” 

It’s the edge of actual feeling in the words, feeling that she’s not sure that earlier Leonard even possessed, that has her, almost against her will, lowering the gun the tiniest amount. He sees it, and lifts his eyes to hers again, and it’s like a body blow. 

"Sara, it's me. The Waverider. Savage. Gin. The goddamned Oculus." He takes a deep breath, repeats it. "It's me." 

She stares at him and then slowly, slowly lowers the gun, studying him as she does so. 

"You don't have the cold gun." 

"You took it with you at the Oculus. And I haven't talked Ramon into making me a new one yet." A shrug. "I'm working on that." 

And oddly, the casual name drop finally convinces her. 

The question explodes out of her. "How?"  

Leonard takes another step closer to her, then another when she doesn't raise the gun again. 

"Barry pulled some..." He pauses, apparently to consider his words, then shrugs. "...timeline fuckery to undo Iris' death. And while he was doing whatever he was doing in the Speed Force, Time Force, what have you, he found... me." He spreads his hands out before him. "Last I remembered, I'd been at the Oculus, so finding myself sprawling on the floor of STAR Labs was a bit disconcerting." 

He takes a deep breath. "Can we get out of here? I'll even be a good boy and not take anything, but the window to get out safely is closing." A smirk. "I'll just have to get Barry and Iris something else." 

"You were going to steal them a wedding gift?" But Sara takes a step backward toward the door, then another, turning as Leonard falls into step beside her. If she’s going to trust him, she thinks as her skin prickles, she might as well commit. 

"It seemed... fitting. I kept pointing out that they didn't bother registering for a china pattern and that there was this lovely exhibit in town right now, and wouldn't they like a one-of-a-kind present..." 

Her laugh is disbelieving. This whole thing is surreal. "How the hell do you know what Barry and Iris registered for?" 

"They talk. Everyone at STAR Labs, they talk, talk, talk." Humorous annoyance in his drawl. "Except for Wells. He's all right." He pauses to hold the door to the storage room for her, closing it carefully behind them. "The camera thing is temporary. We have another three minutes with those, by my count. Just... wait..." He stops at the door to the outside, messing around with the darkened alarm panel she now sees by the door, then tilting his head toward it again. "When I restart this, we have just a minute to get out and looking like nice, everyday citizens before the security guard for this section strolls by. OK?" 

She nods, he taps something, the panel lights up again.... 

And then they move quietly out the door and across the blessedly traffic-free street, slowing their steps to a casual stroll, just two people who happen to be dressed all in black, no breaking-and-entering going on here, folks. 

They walk in silence in a few moments, then Leonard clears his throat and tips his head toward the park that runs along the sidewalk they're using. Sara nods, and they turn off into it, moving through the trees, still wordless. 

Leonard seems to be looking for something; after a few minutes, he finds it: a playground set, its bright primary-colored plastic a bit weather beaten, but still cheery, even in the moon’s dim light. It's deserted at the moment, and he waves a hand at a bench at the area's edge. 

Sara isn't quite ready to sit down yet, through. Instead, she leans back against a tree nearby, feeling as if she can use the support, and watches him shrug and proceed to hold up the maple opposite her. 

For a minute, they just watch each other. 

“The thing, with Iris… that was months ago,” Sara says finally. “You’ve been…back…all this time?” 

“Sort of.” He shrugs, with that sort of ingrained insouciance she’s so unexpectedly missed. “I’d no sooner picked myself up off the floor to ask Barry what the hell was going on, when I found myself hitting it again.” A wry twist of the lips. “Apparently, I was getting hit with memories that had been—masked was Ramon’s word—for a few years and it hurts when the ‘neutral pathways’ get rewritten.” He nods at her expression. “Yeah. Tell the Nerd Squad that a considerable dose of temporal energy can undo their little gadget’s work. And it’s not pretty.” 

“I’ll do that.” 

“Good.” Distaste drips from his tone. “They had me sedated in the freakin’ basement for a while. Ramon thinks the temporal energy itself was a big problem. I was…raving.” He glances away, then back at her. “Anyway. Moving on.” 

Sara stares at the silhouette of his features, only barely visible in the dim light at the other end of the playground, wondering at everything he didn’t say. "Why didn't you send word? Why didn't Barry tell us?" 

Another long pause. 

Finally: "Because I didn't want you to know." 

His voice is flat, emotionless, an abrupt departure from the wry tone he’s been using. And that, and the words, are the kick in the gut that Sara finally needs to snap out of the haze of shock and surprise. 

She takes one step, two, three, until she’s close enough to touch him, to slap him or haul off and slug him, like she’s so tempted to do. But she doesn’t. She knows Leonard Snart, or she did, or thought she did. She could kill him in a heartbeat and bury the pain if she needs to to protect her people, but she’ll never use casual violence on him to make a point. 

He’s known too much of that. 

But it doesn’t stop her from reaching up and grabbing two fistfuls of his coat, that damned black leather jacket he’d been wearing at the Oculus, balling them up in her hands, and yanking him down just far enough to give him a good shake. 

“You jerk.”  

He blinks at her, and she’d be amused at his just-slightly wide-eyed expression if she wasn’t so goddamned mad. 

“Do you know how much…” I. “…the team mourned you? It might have happened quietly, but there was so much going on and... Leonard, we should have at least known. Even if you didn't want to return to the ship, if you wanted to abandon us..." Not the word she'd meant to use. "...it would have helped so much just to know." 

She thinks of something else and gives him an extra little shake, fingers curling in the soft black leather, staring up into blue eyes that are dark in the low light. "And Mick! He was your friend, and he felt so guilty. I didn't even realize the toll it'd taken on him until recently and... and I should have, but..." 

But I felt guilty, too. 

In her anger, her rush to get the words out without giving too much away, she hadn't realized until just now how close they are. She can feel the warmth of him, right there, only inches away, and if she tilts her head just a little and goes up on her toes a little more, their noses will brush... 

Something in those dark eyes tells her that Leonard is not unaware of this. 

Before either one of them can make a decision on what to do about that, a police siren from altogether too damned close makes them both jump. Sara lets go of Leonard's jacket and takes a step backward, and he gives himself a little shake to resettle his jacket and gives her an indignant, ruffled look that, oddly, makes her smile. 

"Really?" he asks, and that damned drawl is back. "After what happened with the Legion?" He nods as her smile turns to a frown. "I saw how you looked at me in there." A glance away. "And I don't blame you." 

"Leonard. We both know that people change. I was just... surprised." A sudden thought occurs to her and she turns to glare vaguely in the direction of the reception hall. "Barry Allen, you asshole." 

"Ooh oh. What did the Scarlet Speedster do now?" Leonard's voice is lightly taunting again as he follows her gaze. 

"He knew you might be there. At the museum, at that exhibit, tonight. And he specifically told me about it. And didn't warn me."  

She sees Leonard frown again, hears him mutter something that might almost be "matchmaker." (Surely not...) But her own thoughts and another siren nearby have reminded her that she has a mission out here, and she's not getting it done arguing with a mysteriously resurrected crook. 

"Come on." 

She can feel Leonard's eyes on her back (OK, maybe not her back) as she turns and starts walking away, but as she'd hoped, after only a second, he starts following her. 

"Are we going somewhere?" comes the slightly sarcastic drawl. 

"I said I'd keep an eye on things during the wedding. I'm not doing that standing here. Bike I borrowed is parked about a block from here. Is yours around?" 

A pause. “An alley off McPartland,” he admits. 

“I think I know where that is.” She takes a deep breath, turns to look at him. (Nope, definitely not her back.) “I could use your help.” She points at him. “And you’re definitely not off the hook yet for this ‘didn’t want you to know’ shit. Meet you at McPartland and Johnson?” 

Len’s expression seems a trifle nonplussed, but he immediately nods. “Inside 10 minutes.” 

“Great.” 

Leonard’s not sure, really, why he so promptly agrees to Sara’s plan to enlist him in this mad “watch over Central City” thing.  

That’s certainly not in his job description, no matter how much Barry goes on about “sacrifice” and “heroes” and “I knew you had it in you, Snart.” He may be spending a lot of time with Team Flash (so silly) these days, but that’s more to do with the fact that they’re the only ones who have any idea what’s happened to him…and a life of crime, wedding gifts notwithstanding, doesn’t seem to have quite the same shine these days. It’s not that he’s actually a hero himself, or anything. 

Walking back to where he’d left his bike, though, he sighs. Oh, who the hell is he kidding?  Having set eyes on Sara Lance for the first time in…well, it feels like months to him…he’s not at all inclined to take his eyes off her. At all. Not even for the handful of minutes it’s taking them to obtain their transportation and meet up again. 

He isn’t sure if he’s going to ice Barry for this, or shake the man’s hand. 

Maybe both. 

[uncannycookie]

You are the entire reason I ship terumob. They're so cute. I love your writting and it's amazing. So far my favorite is Of Nearly Letting Go. It's a damn shame ONE never got to the aftermath of the mogami arc. :o It said you were looking for writing prompts?? Maybe Chapter 9 but from Teru's perspective?? It'd be interesting to see his internal thoughts of the big reveal

Ahhh sorry it took me so long to get to this! 

I tried rewriting scenes before, but I just can’t quite make it interesting enough when all the dialogue is already established. SO. I hope you don’t mind that I adjusted your prompt a tiny bit… now it’s the aftermath of chapter 9 from Teru’s POV.

I really hope you like it, and thank you so so much for the prompt and for reading my fics!!

AO3 link

In Liminal Space

Teru has no idea what kind of book he's holding right now. He was looking at the shelf pretending to pick one out for at least a few minutes, but if he was actually expending any energy on reading through the titles, he immediately forgot about them again.The only thing he knows is that it's large and heavy and shaking in his hands.Teru is absolutely no stranger to the sensation of wanting to kick his past self right in the teeth an indefinite number of times. But it's a relatively new twist that he would feel it this strongly about a past self that's only a few weeks old. He was under the impression by now that he'd gotten better than that.Yet here he is, playing through a past argument in his mind again and again, remembering this bitter, satisfied sense of superiority when he brought up the cats to prove a point. And now it just makes bile collect at the back of his mouth.

The book covers are slowly bending in his hands, pages fanning open and pressing against his fingers in a way that he knows will give him paper cuts if he just moves his hands a certain way.With a hard breath, he puts the book down. Leans closer to the bed, his elbows making the mattress dip slightly, and props his chin up on it just a few inches away from Shigeo's face.It's burrowed deep into the pillows and covered up to the nose in blankets. Teru can hardly see any part of him except a worryingly flushed cheek and one closed eye, almost entirely hidden behind a thick curtain of hair. Near his nose on the pillow, the blankets are bundled up where he must be holding them in his fist. His knees are drawn up all the way to his chest. It makes him seem so small that Teru has to swallow past a traitorous scratch in his throat.It was maybe five minutes ago that Shigeo curled up here and tucked himself in, but his breathing is already deep and even.Teru's hands, empty now that the book is lying forgotten on the floor, must have wandered towards the hem of the top blanket all by themselves at some point. Now they're pulling it further up Shigeo's shoulders, which are covered in two layers of thick blankets already ‒ but it was not even a few hours ago that there were small ice crystals stuck in black hair and eyebrows, that pale toes and lips and fingertips were turning blue. Teru is entirely governed by the senseless urge to keep him warm right now.(Safe.)He makes sure to keep his grip light and soft, to not do anything that might wake him up. Which is yet another reason to not let his hands wander even further up and run his fingers through his hair. Apart from possibly waking him, that might also be just a tiny bit creepy.Teru still keeps his fingers curled around the edge of the blanket for a few seconds too long. He's never used this one before. He's spent a lot of time telling himself he bought it simply because he liked the pattern of purple and blue circles and that it had nothing to do with how it reminded him of someone.His legs are starting to hurt. He's been kneeling on the floor in front of the bed for a few minutes now. For some reason, his muscles are trembling with an odd strain.Well, no, not for some reason, he knows the reason. They just had a half hour long talk about the reason.The more calm and quiet Shigeo's breathing becomes, the more Teru's own is picking up, hitching uncomfortably, pressing a sensation of dry cold into the roof of his mouth. He's been trying ‒ albeit not all that successfully - to keep his own feelings on the issue somewhat contained. It's not about him after all. He's supposed to be just the supporting cast, literally.But now it's quiet and his mind is running away with images of blood and loneliness and dead cats and Shigeo right in the middle of it.He pushes himself upright, too fast, too jumpy, and the edge of the futon behind him gets caught on his heel and nearly trips him up.He should get some shopping done. It's the perfect time and he needs to anyway. There is nothing edible left in his fridge, there is nothing else to do in here and it's silent and it's making him itch on the inside.The pajama bottoms he's wearing are just plain enough to not be too embarrassing to wear outside. He still grabs a scarf and a long coat to hide most of his questionable outfit, as if he would even meet anyone at this hour who would care. There is a small shopping list pinned to the magnet board by the door, but he hasn't added anything to it in at least two weeks, so it's pretty useless. He'll know what to get when he sees it.

At some point between two and five in the morning, the twenty-four-hour convenience store becomes a weird place.

There is a small group of drunks pretending to be sober in front of the entrance, too absorbed in their surprisingly sophisticated discussion about artificial intelligence and the nature of human consciousness to really pay him any mind as he walks past them.There is that sales clerk behind the counter that Teru would swear is a different person every time, but who still nods at him as if in recognition whenever he comes here.There is the quiet, cheerful and relaxed music slithering through the air above him. He knows it's exactly the same music as during the day, but it sounds slower now, more tinny, just as the lighting appears colder when the windows are tinted dark from outside.The shelves are loaded with wares that he's sure he never sees here any other time. That chocolate bar in front of him is from a brand that was discontinued years ago. He drops it into the basket hanging from the crook of his arm.Only distantly, the realization bumps into him that he brought his cash card with him. That's usually a bad idea for night time shopping, as he's had to learn the hard way. He stops in front of the refrigerators, fumbles the card out of its usual place in his wallet and crams it into another slot along with four other cards. If it gets to the point where he has to either spend an awkwardly long time pulling it out of there again at the register or just put a few items back instead, this might help him to make the more sensible decision.It's already a challenge to fit it in there at all, because his hands don't want to stop trembling.Teru remembers this one summer camp from when he was a kid. Camping in the woods somewhere, with lots of child friendly survival training, tying knots, fishing, making camp fires. Nothing he was particularly good at or interested in.He was already spoiled back then, already convinced he was better, only he hadn't figured out yet how to distract from his rough edges with the thick padding of charm that is his second nature today. Hadn't figured out how to be mean and arrogant and make people like him for it.Those were three weeks stuck in the woods without friends, without anything nice to do. Three weeks with even the adults there not willing to indulge him anymore, three weeks of being the singular most disliked person in a group of twenty.He managed to stay angry while he was there. To yell at the other children when they hid bugs and snakes in his bedroll, to argue with the adults when they put him on cleaning duty the fifth time in a row, to loudly defend himself every time he alone was forced to carry the blame for their "roughhousing," to barge in filled with rage whenever he caught a group of other kids making fun of him behind his back.And then, when his mother came to pick him up, he ran to her so fast that he fell and knocked out a part of his front tooth on a rock. Even though it was still humiliating, he could at least leave the other children behind knowing they'd think he was bawling his eyes out because of that.And it might be a stupid little thing - a stupid little story, one where maybe every other person can tell at least one similar to it from their own childhood. It's probably the most normal thing, Teru doesn't know.

He does know that it formed him. That it was one of the things that had him trying harder to be popular. It was three weeks of loneliness that he was not going to let himself experience ever again.He can't even begin to wrap his mind around six months.Should probably not even think of comparing one unpleasant three week camping trip to six months of ‒  A hot lurching sensation invades his chest and he has to breathe it away harshly, squaring his shoulders and filling his lungs with as much air as he can. There is a word for what was done to Shigeo there, hovering at the edge of his mind, but he doesn't want to think it, wants to keep it neatly in between the lines of Shigeo's story, where the storyteller himself likely didn't even notice it.Teru is clutching the handle of the refrigerator door in front of him, maybe a bit too hard, and staring right past his reflection in the glass. He's trying to remember... he feels like he's hanging off kilter, jarring conversation snippets clinging to his mind the way a catchy but awful song would, only it's Shigeo's soft, kind voice declaring that "it's not so bad," and "it wasn't real," and "it was so long ago."And Teru is trying so hard to remember if he even answered anything. If he made sure, absolutely certain, that Shigeo knows it was real and it matters.He doesn't think he did.What a joke he is. There was the most basic sort of reassurance he could have provided, just a few strict words he could have said to offer some basic validation, and he was too busy feeling horrified to even attempt it. All this time that he spent trying to get Shigeo to open up, to just fucking talk to him, and when he finally does, Teru is completely useless.A derogatory chuckle escapes him, falls against the glass in front of him and spreads light fog over it. Teru is leaning so close to it that his entire vision is buried in white.Will he ever learn not to do this? To not think himself so much better, so far above failure? It was only ever about making Shigeo trust him, breaking him out of this self-inflicted prison where apparently it wasn't appropriate to acknowledge that he is not okay.And that was it. The end goal. He hadn't even bothered to think past that. Hadn't even considered the possibility that maybe he wouldn't come up with a solution right on the spot, that maybe he wouldn't be able to fix it.That he wouldn't be able to help.With a small snapping sound, the door handle fractures under his hand and he hastily lets go. The shelf behind him would have made it impossible for the clerk to see, but Teru still throws a nervous look over his shoulder and then quickly walks a bit further up the aisle.What even is it with him and refrigerators lately.He sighs loudly, pulls a hand over his face and rubs his eyes until he sees stars. Groceries. That's why he's here. He should stop letting himself get distracted. The drunks from outside have entered the store by now and are wandering along the aisles. Teru makes sure to keep a few steps between them and himself. They seem pretty harmless, but it's hard to tell sometimes and he doesn't want to risk a confrontation. Not today.Two of them are holding hands while they stumble through the store.Teru stares for maybe a second too long. His own hand twitches around empty air, senselessly grasping for the memory of a touch. It's not that he thought Shigeo reaching out to hold his hand was ever about more than simple comfort. He knows it couldn't mean anything else. Teru started that whole thing, offered it as a solution for a problem he barely understood, and that's all it's been ever since.He always enjoyed it. Was always feeling weirdly proud and special whenever Shigeo's fingers would quietly slip between his own as if that was something they did all the time. Teru savored those instances of something almost intimate between them. He knew it was only happening because something had upset Shigeo, but he felt trusted and useful, felt like he was actually doing something to help. At least it never seemed as if it wasn't helping.And all this time, while Teru was walking along in blissful ignorance, proud that he was doing just a small thing to make a small problem go away - this had been on Shigeo's mind. Memories of - of cats dying and of Shigeo dying and of Shigeo being alone, and hated, and helpless...Teru presses his palm to his forehead, hard, if only to stop himself from punching something.The handholding drunks are looking at him in concern. "Kid," one of them says, hardly even slurring, "you feeling alright? Drink some water, we're getting some water right now. Water helps. Hey!" They turn and gesture towards one of their friends already at the register. "Hiro! Get, get some extra water for the kid, yeah? He doesn't look so good, kid, you really don't look so good.""I'm fine, thank you," Teru bites at them and quickly adjusts his hand gesture so it looks like he was just going to brush the hair out of his face. He means to send a smile along afterwards, but it feels more like a strained grin and he is surprised that it still seems to work somehow. The drunk points at him with a stern frown. "If you're sure," they say, already turning away. "Gotta take care of yourself, you know."Teru waves them off with barely contained annoyance and flees to another aisle.Right, so, time to concentrate. All he has in his basket so far is a possibly ancient chocolate bar that he should probably put back. He'll do that when he gets back around to the front of the store. For now, he should prioritize what he needs in his head, pick the most important stuff first and leave what he can't afford right now for later. A gentle buzzing feeling is ghosting over his skin, urging him into action. He hasn't gotten anything done for way too long now.He'll have to make breakfast for Shigeo tomorrow, so the first priority is milk. Two cartons, just to be safe. He still has some coffee powder at home, but no marshmallows. There have to be marshmallows. Teru instinctively reaches for his standard ones, but snaps himself out of it just in time. They're cat-shaped. It's like he's trying to be an asshole now. Grinding his teeth for a second, he gets the more expensive ones instead, the ones that just have dog and bear shapes in different colors.Also, he should make pancakes. The thought barely strikes him before he's already collecting everything he needs, hardly even realizing how he gets from one side of the store to another. Every movement feels a bit too erratic, too sudden. Only in front of the shelf with the syrup does he stop for a moment, searching deep in his memory for any inkling of what Shigeo's favorite is. He doesn't know. Does he even like syrup at all? Teru ends up getting all four he's looking at. Just to be safe.The drunks have left the store. The music stopped playing for some reason. The sudden silence makes Teru hurry up even more. When he's standing at the register, he realizes that he doesn't have enough cash to pay for everything. He doesn't even consider putting anything back and instead spends about half a minute fumbling his bank card back out of his wallet.The clerk accepts it with a wide-eyed look. Teru raises an eyebrow at him and there is an odd, slow moment where they just stare at each other.Then, as he notices a little leftover flare of his own aura, Teru realizes he probably doesn't remember how he got around the store just now because he might have been using telekinesis to do it.... oops.The clerk has slipped back into his work routine by now, quietly ringing him up and handing the card and his shopping bags to him. The light perspiration on his forehead and the enormous question mark in his eyes are the only indicator that he's even remotely uncomfortable.Teru takes the bags and aimlessly waves one hand around at the store behind him. "So you noticed that too, huh?" he says with a forced casual tone. "Seems to be some weird haunting going on here. Maybe think about hiring an exorcist." Then he hurries towards the exit, paying extra attention to his feet and that they stay on the ground. He hasn't slipped up like that since forever ago. Apparently he's very tired, even though he doesn't really feel like it anymore.On a garbage can next to the exit sits a single, unopened water bottle with a post it note on it. "Water is healthy, kid!" it reads. Teru blinks at it for a moment, before quickly walking past it.He is nervous on the whole way back to his apartment. Like an itch in his throat that he has to try and swallow again and again to make it go away for at least a few seconds. Dawn is slowly approaching when he unlocks the front door and closes it behind him to the first sounds of chirping birds. It hasn't registered until now that it's not really nighttime anymore, that his late shopping trip switched to an early shopping trip somewhere along the way. That's worse, that's so much worse. What if Shigeo woke up already while Teru wasn't there? Woke up to an empty apartment, alone and abandoned, right after the sort of talk they just had?Teru rushes up the stairs taking three steps at once, the railing shakes and creaks loudly under his grip. The content of the shopping bags would have long since spilled all over the staircase if he didn't keep it inside with his powers.His fingers are shaking when searching for his keys.

He knows he locked the door and windows properly before he left, but spirits can still get in. Why didn't he think of that?

He's never seen many spirits, none actually before meeting Shigeo, and he's certainly never had to be afraid of them.

But suddenly there is a spirit that managed to overwhelm the strongest person he ever met, a mere spirit with enough power to blur the lines of reality and the mind. A spirit that, as far as he knows, is still alive somewhere and still watching Shigeo.Finally he unlocks the door. It slips from his grip and crashes into the wall of the hallway. Teru barely catches it in time as it swings back at him, but then tries to close it as quickly and quietly as he can. The bags slip from his hands and right to the floor, he kicks off his shoes and jumps over them, dashing to the living room.He feels unhinged, suddenly, his muscles twitching weirdly and making him move in ways he doesn't want to. There are no spirits nearby, he can feel that, but there is still that thought clawing at the back of his neck that he left Shigeo alone and if something happened to him then it's his fault, he needs to make sure he's still there and safe and warm -With his socked feet, the sudden stop at the door to the living room almost has him sliding to the side and falling, but he catches the door frame just in time to keep himself upright.Shigeo is still there.

In fact, he hasn't moved at all since Teru left. His knees are still drawn up to his chest, his hand still curled around the blankets, his face still buried deep into the pillow. As Teru's heartbeat slowly but surely backs down from ringing in his ears, he can make out the calm, even sound of Shigeo's breath.Teru goes slack against the door frame. Holding himself up with the right, his left arm now tightly wraps around his ribcage, fingers grasping for purchase on the thick, rigid surface of his coat. Something burns in the corners of his eyes, hot and itchy, and his next inhale stutters, hitches and becomes a sob.This is stupid. And loud. He'll end up waking him after all.Turning around, he leans with his back against the frame, decisively looking away from the bed. He presses a hand to his mouth, closes his eyes, keeps swallowing hard and breathes through his nose. Stop, he thinks at himself, calm and clear, strict. He knows he doesn't listen otherwise. Stop. He's fine. He's still here.The arm slung around his middle is not the sort of contact he is craving, is not at all enough compared to holding another person. But it helps, just a bit. Just for now. It has to.Only two more sobs manage to escape him, then he bites back the rest. They taste bitter, but at least it's quiet now.

One, two, three more breaths and he pushes himself off the frame. Hangs up his coat, picks up his groceries. By the time he's cleaned out the fridge and stocked it anew again, the sun is already coming up. Teru quickly washes himself, turns on the coffee machine, and walks back into the living room.Everything is still as it was before.Teru kneels down next to the bed, elbows on the mattress. He tries not to look at Shigeo too much. That'd be weird.The purple and blue blanket has slipped down Shigeo's shoulder again. Teru carefully pulls it back up.Just to keep him warm.