#only the one spread this week cause the coloring took me forever

[ostrumcomic]

Ostrum

Ch 5 pgs 12 & 13

Read it on Tapas

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[frostedfaves]

Dark Paradise

Masterlist

Pairing: dark!WandaNat x fem!reader

Summary: You meet the infamous Avengers on spring break with your best friend Peter, and two of them seem to adore you more than expected. Requested here by my lovely 🐞anon.

Warnings: 18+ ONLY!!! dark themes, manipulation, mind control, blackmailing, age gap (reader is 21), dubcon (saying this just to be safe because Wanda uses her powers for evil a lot here), smut: oral, fingering, penetration/sex toy use, voyeurism (kinda), edging, overstimulation (if I forgot something please let me know!)

A/N: hi this is 6k words, which is the longest single fic I’ve ever written/posted here haha. also the end is not technically the end, if you know what I mean. anyway this took forever to write so enjoy this super far from canon fic and please tell me what you thought!! (also if you’re on my taglist and you weren’t tagged it’s because your age wasn’t in your bio)

-

“Here, let me take that for you,” Peter offers when he notices you headed toward the car, and you hand your suitcase to him with a smile.

“Thanks, P.”

You close the car door behind you after getting in on the passenger side, instantly reaching for his phone resting on the dashboard once you were buckled in. The two of you had an unspoken rule that you controlled the music whenever you traveled together, so his library was filled with various playlists you’d created simply because you didn’t trust him not to listen to the same five songs for the rest of his life.

“This is different,” Peter comments as he gets in on the driver’s side and catches the opening notes to an upbeat song. “I thought you were going to go with something calmer to help you sleep, like you usually do.”

“Well, I’m not usually going to meet the Avengers, so I’m too nervous to sleep.” You turn to pout at him as he drives off. “Is it too late to cancel?”

“Don’t even think about it. If I show up without you, everyone will think you’re imaginary.”

“Do they think you can’t make any friends outside of Ned?” you question as you open a bottle of water. “Because they’re not wrong.”

“I can make friends!” Peter whines and a quiet snorting sound escapes you. 

“You can’t use me as an example.”

“Why not?”

“Because we’re not actually friends.”

He picks up on your teasing nature and rolls his eyes, causing you to laugh as you lean back and settle into your seat more. You had well over three hours to stress about spending a week with the world’s most popular superheroes, and you’d rather be comfortable while you do so.

-

“Wake up, we’re here!”

Your eyes fly open at the sound of Peter’s voice, and any of the nerves that left long enough to let you sleep made a U-turn and hit you again, full force. Sitting up straight in the seat, you practice breathing properly while stretching and taking a look around as he pulls into the garage.

“Are you okay?” Peter asks once he parks, placing a hand over yours as he meets your gaze and you smile.

“I’ll be fine, P. I’m not gonna miss out on hanging out with you just because your super family is super intimidating.”

“Good. Besides, it won’t even be that bad! I’m willing to bet $1 million that they’ll love you.”

“I appreciate your optimism,” you tell him as the two of you get out of the car. “But you’re going to regret that bet when I use your money to retire early in some faraway rural town.”

Peter carried both suitcases as you made your way to an elevator, and you jumped when you suddenly heard a male voice.

“Welcome, Mr. Parker and Ms. L/N.”

“What is that?” you questioned as you faced Peter with wide eyes and he chuckled. 

“You’re hearing Jarvis, Mr. Stark’s AI. Hey Jarvis, can you take us to the common room, please?”

“Right away, Mr. Parker.”

“This is so cool,” you comment as you look around the suddenly moving elevator. “How does it know my name?”

“Knowing everything is kind of its job, I guess.”

“Underoos!” a voice calls as soon as the doors open, quickly revealing itself to belong to Tony Stark as his gaze lands on you next. “So she is real.”

“I told you!” Peter defends as you step off the elevator together. “Mr. Stark, this is Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you, kid,” Tony greets you with a shake of your hand. “I’m glad he found you. I was starting to worry that he’d build a robot to spend the rest of his life with.”

“I’m just his best friend, so it’s still possible.”

“Is this your friend, Peter?” Steve cuts off Peter’s response as he enters the room, moving to shake your hand next. “I’m Steve. Nice to meet you.”

“Okay, I’m going to show her to our rooms and then we’ll be back for dinner,” Peter tells everyone once you’d been introduced to Pepper, Bruce and Clint as well, and you’re about to head for the elevator again when someone interrupts.

“How about we take her down to her room instead?”

Your eyes widen as you watch none other than Natasha Romanoff and Wanda Maximoff enter the room hand in hand. Natasha’s hair seemed much longer than the last time she’d been in the public eye, but her all-knowing smirk was just the same and her green eyes were even more piercing in person. You noticed a bit of red glowing in Wanda’s eyes, which faded as she probably realized you’d seen, and you couldn’t help but wonder if that meant she hated you already.

“I know what you’re up to, Red.” Tony seemed accusatory as he pointed a finger at the pair. “You can’t bribe her into helping you cheat tonight.”

“Maybe I planned on giving her tips for surviving this testosterone filled tower.” 

Natasha steps forward and grabs your hand with her free one, and with a flick of her wrist, Wanda has your suitcase floating in front of you as they lead you into the elevator.

“Sorry to whisk you away like that,” Wanda apologizes as the doors close with her head tilted to see you past Natasha. “We’re just excited to meet a new woman here.”

“No, it’s okay!” you insist breathlessly, your nerves slowly returning as Natasha lightly squeezes your hand. “I’m actually really excited to meet the two of you.”

“You know who we are?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that I know you personally, but I know that you’re one of the original team members.” You make eye contact briefly with Natasha before turning to Wanda. “And because the news stations somehow get ahold of everything, I know you joined after you helped everyone stop Ultron before he could create that indestructible body and destroy the world.”

“Yes, that’s true. Although I wish I could’ve saved my brother, too.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you lost him...or that you even had a brother.”

“It’s okay,” Wanda assures you with a smile as she lets go of Natasha, shifting to the other side of the elevator to grab your free hand. “I asked Fury to keep Pietro a secret because I didn’t want to see or hear any negative opinions from people that never even met him.”

“And we have plenty of time to get to know each other,” Natasha chimes in as the doors open to reveal a new setting. “This is our floor. We set up a spare bedroom here so we can spend time together away from the boys...when you’re not with Peter, of course.”

“Yeah, that’d be great!” 

They lead you past their living room and kitchen, and you shamelessly admire the simple decor with little personal touches spread about. Turning into a hallway, Natasha walks ahead of you and Wanda to open a door to a bedroom.

“What do you think?” she asks with a smile that widens upon seeing your expression. “I’m guessing it’s good, then.”

“It’s perfect!” you cry out as you walk past to enter the room, immediately noticing the eggshell colored walls trimmed with your favorite color along the borders. “Wow, this is four times the size of a normal bedroom. Wait a minute.”

“Do you like it?” Wanda asks when she sees you pick up the glass figurine on the nightstand. “Peter mentioned your love of this animal and I have a whole collection of them from different places.”

“Like it? I love it! I have the same one in my dorm room!”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I can get you a different one.” She steps forward as she brings your suitcase to the floor beside the bed and you hug the small object close to your chest. 

“Like I said, it’s perfect,” you assure her with a grin, which brings one to her own face.

“Well, I’m glad you’re happy with the set up. When you’re ready to head up to dinner, we’ll be waiting by the elevator. Also, if you ever need anything, our room is right across the hall.”

Natasha points to the closed door a few feet away, and you acknowledge her statement with a nod before they leave the room, closing your door nearly all the way behind them. You flop down on the bed with a dreamy sigh as you gaze up at the ceiling with a night sky painted on it.

“I don’t think I’ll ever want to leave this place.”

-

On the elevator ride up to join everyone for dinner, Natasha and Wanda take turns asking you questions about your classes and any friends you’d made, what you liked to do when you weren’t studying. You had to admit that the level of interest they had with you was shocking but flattering, especially when they insisted you sit between them at the table to continue your conversation.

“You don’t seem to be nervous anymore,” Peter acknowledges as you sit down, and Wanda faces you immediately.

“Were you nervous about meeting us?”

“Well, yeah,” you answer timidly, avoiding catching anyone’s curious glances by directing a glare toward Peter. “You might be normal people in here, but to the rest of the world, you’re portrayed as powerful and untouchable beings.”

“Maybe when they’re not talking about how much damage we’ve caused,” Bruce mumbles under his breath as the elevator doors opened again. 

“I’m here, I’m here!” a voice calls as footsteps hurry toward the dining area, and Sam Wilson is revealed as he rounds the corner. “Sorry, I’m late. I was--”

“On a date, we know. You only told us that 500 times.”

“Don’t be jealous, old man. You’re married.” Sam grins at Clint as he sits next to him before his attention turns to you. “Do we have a newbie?”

“No, Mr. Wilson. This is my best friend, Y/N.”

“Call me Sam, kid.” He smiles at you as he goes for his silverware, and you’re just about to acknowledge him when his expression suddenly turns serious. “I’m sorry. You’re not a kid. You’re an independent and capable adult, and I should address you as such.”

“What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know.” Sam clears his throat and shakes his head as if he was clearing his mind. “I just suddenly felt the need to correct myself…You have any powers we should know about, Y/N?”

“No!” you quickly respond with widened eyes. “I wasn’t going to say anything, actually. I’m pretty used to older people calling me kid by now.”

From your left side, Natasha asks Clint to recall an embarrassing tale for you and the table livens up again, but you can’t seem to move past the unsettling way Sam shifted gears from calm and casual to uptight and disciplined. The image stayed with you through the rest of dinner even after he seemed to fully recover, until dishes were cleared away and replaced with games, and you suddenly had a lot more to focus on.

“I just don’t think it’s fair that he gets to be on your team again when I haven’t had him once.”

“Is anything fair with the guy who could use his personalized AI to cheat for him?”

“Could I do that? Yes. But have I done that? Maybe.”

“Wanna grab some fresh air with us?” Natasha suddenly asks you, causing you to frown.

“Aren’t we about to play another game?”

“It’ll take them another half hour before they finally decide something,” Wanda assures you as her fingers thread through yours gently. “We have plenty of time, and they won’t even notice we’re gone.”

They lead you by the hand to the elevator once more, going up a few floors before leading you out onto a balcony. Because you were so much higher than most of the surrounding buildings, there was an incredible view of the sun that was probably minutes away from disappearing to the other side of the world. The air is chillier than when you’d arrived, but you had to admit that standing in the cool breeze is worth a few goosebumps on your skin. Your hands are released as you reach a bench near the ledge, and you climb over it to sit as the other two women settle on either side of you.

“Why did Peter decide to share his secret with you?”

“Technically he didn’t,” you recall with a laugh. “He’d gone out to deal with something that activated his spider sense or whatever and I came to his dorm room to sleep after an exam because I was too tired to walk all the way to my place. Anyway, I walk in at the same time he’s coming back in through the window, and I swear we both sat there for a full two minutes before either of us could think of anything to say.”

“It’s still very nice of you to keep such a big secret for him,” Natasha praises, and your laughter quiets down as you take in her words.

“I guess I just know what it feels like to not want your life to change drastically because of one thing.” Your gaze shifts between the women for a moment. “That reminds me, I wanted to ask--”

“Wait, look at this!” Wanda quickly cuts you off with an enthusiastic grin. “You’re about to witness one of my favorite things about living here.”

She directs you to lean over and look at the streets as the sun finally disappears over the horizon, and you can’t help the small gasp that escapes you. Street lights begin turning on at what seems to be the center of the city and quickly spreading, increasing the radius of well-lit neighborhoods by the second. It was a mesmerizing sight that--until every lamp was on--nearly made you forget the question you were building toward.

“That was so cool!” you express honestly before clearing your throat awkwardly. “So I wanted to ask if the two of you were dating...or in a relationship or whatever. I mean, I don’t want to assume anything of course, just wondering because you share a room and floor, and you seem to be really into holding hands.”

“Well, I’d never really been into holding hands or a lot of other forms of affection before I met Wanda, but she seemed to flip some switch inside of me.” Natasha admitted with a bashful chuckle as she glanced at Wanda before turning to study you. “And your hands are so perfect to hold.”

“To answer your question, we are together.” Wanda rests a hand on your thigh and casts a sweet smile in your direction when you face her again. “Natasha was the first to give me a chance after everything with Ultron, and initially I thought I was just feeling grateful to receive some type of positive attention from someone other than Pietro. It wasn’t until Tash called me out on staring at her lips that I realized I wanted more than friendship.”

“The only reason I did was to confirm she was feeling the same things I’d finally come to terms with myself.” Natasha chuckles as Wanda sends over a bit of red mist to squeeze her own thigh. “What about you, love?”

“What about me?”

“Do you think you’re feeling more than friendship for Peter?”

“Oh no,” you quickly denied with a chuckle. “He’s the perfect example of a great boyfriend, but not my boyfriend. Plus I’d rather not have the same experience as MJ did.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, the ‘close friends to a relationship that ends with each person pretending the other doesn’t exist’ experience. I’d rather not.”

“Yeah, that does sound messy,” Natasha sighs as she subtly rests her hand on your other thigh. “So you’re not looking for a great boyfriend. What are you looking for then?”

“Nothing really, at least until I finish school, but having a girlfriend would be nice. I’d like to be with someone that respects me and can take care of themselves when I’m not around, because I tried the ‘caring for someone’ thing and it sucks when they don’t put in the same effort that you do.”

“Maybe you should try someone older, more mature,” Natasha suggests as she shifts to squeeze your knee lightly, and you start to feel a bit nervous about where she’s going with this. “Maybe two people that already have their shit together and would go to the ends of the earth to please you.”

“Okay, um…” You push both of their hands away with a bit of difficulty. “You both seem great and you’re incredibly attractive, but I’m not really interested.”

“Don’t worry about it, detka.” Natasha pushes your shoulder down as you try to get up, and Wanda cups your cheek with her hand.

“You may not be interested now…” She stands with Natasha and leans in to kiss your forehead, letting her lips linger on your skin as she continues. “But you will be.”

She pulls away and winks before lacing her fingers through Natasha’s as they leave the balcony, and you gasp in air as the tension they’d built seems to exit behind them. You finally decide to head back once you’ve taken a few minutes to catch your breath and calm your shaking limbs, but you wonder how long the calm will truly last.

-

You found yourself waking up suddenly and practically flying into a sitting position as if someone had pulled you up, but luckily the room is empty. You sit for a moment to catch your breath and survey your surroundings to assure you’re truly alone, and you notice your door is cracked right before you hear an unidentifiable sound.

“Fuck.”

Despite every fiber of your being screaming at you as one would do to a character in a horror film, you decide to climb out of bed to investigate what you were hearing, justifying your actions with the excuse of seeing if your floor-mates were in danger, as if you could save them. A few seconds after opening your door fully and peeking out made you realize that they were more than okay.

“Fuck! Right there, please don’t stop.”

“Such a dirty mouth, malyshka.”

You’re quick to return the door to its cracked position, leaning against the nearby wall with wide eyes as you attempt to process the image across the hall. The bedroom door sits wide open, giving you the chance to examine every inch of bare skin of the two women spread across the bed, Wanda resting on her arched back with her hands in Natasha’s red hair buried between her legs. Her moans seem to raise in volume, pitch and frequency as she’s brought closer and closer to the edge, and you ignore the warm feeling in your lower abdomen as you hurry back to bed and throw a pillow over your exposed ear.

-

“Good morning.”

Your free hand quickly shoots upward to catch your water glass as it slipped through your fingers in your moment of shock, and you try not to make a deal of hearing two sets of footsteps headed toward the kitchen.

“How’d you sleep last night? I know how scary it can be to rest your eyes in a new place.”

“I think I did pretty well,” you answer quietly as you step away from the fridge and lean against a section of the counter that faces out into the rest of the room. “The bed’s really nice.”

“You’re lying,” Wanda accuses as she crosses the room, eyes turning red and hands lifting toward your face.

“What are you--”

“Couldn’t sleep because of us, right?” She chuckles when you go limp under her touch, and Natasha ducks between the two of you to save your glass for the second time. “Did you enjoy hearing us that much?”

“You did sound really good,” you tell her with a drowsy smile as she pins you against the counter to keep you from falling.

“I bet you wish you were in my place, don’t you?” Her tone is light and teasing at first, becoming a bit stern as she shifts to push her thigh between your legs and you instantly roll your hips against the pressure. “Or maybe you want to taste me while Natasha fucks you?”

“No.”

“No?!” she fires back immediately, leaving a red mist around your temples as she grabs your waist with both hands to keep you grinding against her. “You mean you don’t want to cum right now?”

“Well, now that you mention it…”

A breathy moan escapes you as your eyes flutter closed, and if your head wasn’t being forcefully held in place, it would’ve tipped backward. You feel what must be Natasha’s fingertips grazing along your jaw and tracing a line down the side of your neck and toward your shoulder, repeating the gentle motion as goosebumps appeared all over the exposed skin.

“Is everyone decent?”

The fog behind your eyes seems to clear in seconds, and you blink in confusion when you open your eyes to see Natasha and Wanda making coffee nearby. You try to recall even coming into the kitchen, but everything from the moment you stepped into the bathroom to get ready is a blur, so you shake your head and reach for your glass of water on the counter as Natasha responds.

“Come in, Peter.”

“Morning, everyone,” Peter greets cheerfully as he enters the kitchen, his grin falling when his eyes land on you. “Are you okay?”

You open your mouth with the full intention of telling him that you are not okay, not when you were missing at least an hour of memory, and bits of last night were slipping away from you too. But before you could speak, a cold feeling seems to pass through the back of your skull to slip into your brain, and a switch flips.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” you respond with a chuckle. “You worry too much, spiderling.”

“The world’s a stressful place,” he grumbles when you playfully ruffle his hair. “Anyway, are you ready to go soon?”

“Where are you headed?” Natasha quickly asks with a frown. “Y/N hasn’t even had breakfast yet.”

“We’re meeting Aunt May, so we’ll eat with her.”

“I just have to grab my bag,” you explain before heading down the hall to your temporary room, feeling the chilly sensation leaving you as you get further away from the kitchen, and it thankfully doesn’t return when you head back. “Ready.”

“Have fun!” Natasha calls as Peter heads for the elevator again, quickly grabbing your wrist once he’s out of sight. “See you tonight, printsessa.”

Her hand quickly shifts to grip the back of your neck as she leans in to kiss your cheek, and the two women are wearing sweet smiles as you turn away from them to catch up with Peter, attempting to shake the shell-shocked expression from your features.

“You sure you’re good?”

“I’m fine,” you insist as the doors close, in hopes that you really would be fine.

-

Meeting Peter’s aunt was much more of a pleasant experience than you expected, and it was obvious she adored you by the way she spoke to you, although part of you felt she was just happy Peter had more people around to love him. Your day was cut a bit short when MJ unexpectedly approached Peter, requesting to talk to him, and Aunt May offered to drive you back to the tower so you both could escape that awkward mess of a conversation.

“It was so great to meet you today,” you tell her with a grin as you take off your seatbelt.

“Likewise, honey. You have my number so just call me if you ever need anything, okay?”

She pulls you into a hug over the middle console and you thank her again for the ride as you get out of the car, trying not to seem too nervous when you notice Natasha and Wanda standing in the lobby. Your plan was to walk past them without speaking, but you should’ve known that wouldn’t work.

“Why was she hugging you?” Natasha asks coldly as you enter the building and you sigh.

“She was just saying goodbye--wait. Why am I explaining myself to you?”

You keep walking until they’re no longer in your peripheral, stopping abruptly as a red mist surrounds your legs, and your eye-rolling is cut short when Wanda appears in front of you and grabs your chin harshly.

“If Tash asks you a question, you answer.”

“Without attitude,” Natasha adds, which makes you want to roll your eyes again.

“Sorry, I didn’t get the rules handbook when I arrived. Can I go now?”

“You know what?” Wanda cuts off Natasha’s angry response with a smirk. “You can go.”

The red mist surrounding you disappeared, and despite the suspicious feeling that washed over you, you continued on toward the elevator with your head held high. You refused to let them get to you.

-

It was subtle at first. A slight tingling between your legs that you couldn’t seem to get rid of. In the very beginning, you were worried that something was wrong until you realized where the feeling was coming from when it turned into slow circles around your clit as you caught up with Peter in his room. By dinner, there was the added sensation of fingers curling inside you at a steady pace, and you hoped no one would notice your hips slightly bucking under the table as you attempted to repeatedly chase a release that never came.

A movie follows dinner today, and you make sure to cover yourself with a large blanket because you were still being edged and you couldn’t stop moving at this point. You even try to slide your hand into your sweatpants to finish the job yourself, and your jaw clenches in anger every time your fingers lock up because you know who’s responsible.

“Okay, you win!” you announce as you walk into the kitchen on Natasha and Wanda’s private floor, not missing the look shared between the two women. “I’m sorry I was rude earlier. Can you please just stop teasing me?”

“How about we help you finish instead?”

You should decline. You should just say ‘no’ because letting them finish you off tonight will turn into an attachment that you know you don’t want, nor are you ready for. Inviting them in will be equivalent to selling your soul, and you’re not sure you want to put a price on it. But the ache below your stomach is persistent, and if they won’t let you touch yourself, someone has to do it.

“Fine.”

“Don’t be so grumpy about it,” Wanda teases as she grabs your hand and starts leading you toward their bedroom. “I promise you won’t regret it.”

She pushes you back onto the surprisingly large bed as soon as you’re close enough, instructing you to take off your shirt and bra while she watches. Once your top half is completely exposed, she leans forward to run her hands from your shoulders down toward your nipples, circling them with her thumbs until they harden.

“I don’t like being teased.”

“Oh, you don’t?” she asks in a mocking tone as she reaches for the band of your sweatpants and pulls them down, placing her palm over the wet spot in your panties. “Then what’s this?”

“Please,” you beg through a quiet moan, bucking your hips again when she presses her thumb against your clit through the fabric. “Please just fuck me already.”

“Patience, detka.”

You watch with wide eyes as Natasha and Wanda both strip away their own sweatpants, revealing the toys tied to their legs. Natasha goes to untie hers while Wanda uses her powers to rip away your ruined panties in one fluid motion.

“There she is.”

Natasha puts her hand on Wanda’s back and forces her to bend over, and you bite your lip as her eyes flutter closed and mouth falls open while Natasha thrusts into her. You’re just about to grab Wanda’s hand to lead her where you want, when her eyes open suddenly with a glowing red surrounding her pupils, and your wrists are bound together over your head by an invisible force.

“Did you forget who’s in charge here?”

“Don’t get too cocky, malyshka,” Natasha reminds her as she grabs a fistful of her hair and slams into her, causing Wanda to moan and giggle at the same time.

“My apologies, Tash.”

You couldn’t help your sigh of relief as Wanda finally slid two fingers inside of you, her thrusts deepening each time as Natasha fucked her toward you with her hands on her hips. The sounds coming from your mouth and between your legs were embarrassingly loud, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care as she brought you closer and closer to the edge, until a loud whine escaped you as she removed her fingers and delivered a slap to your glistening folds.

“Tell me who this belongs to,” she orders through her own moans, holding you down when you begin grinding into her hand. “I’m gonna cum regardless of what you do, so you’d better answer. Be a good girl like I know you can.”

“Yours!” you cry out finally, sighing when Natasha leans into your line of sight with a brow raised. “It’s yours and Natasha’s.”

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

She slips back into you without warning, and your back arches off the bed as she finally brings you to orgasm. She continues to thrust into you as you whine and squirm away, luckily slowing down and finally stopping as Natasha makes her cum a minute later, leaving the strap inside of her as they both catch their breath. Wanda pulls out of you and sits up to lean against her, holding her hand up between them as they both clean your cum off her fingers with their tongues, and you sit there clenching around nothing as you watch.

“You seem tired,” Natasha comments as her eyes land on you again.

“Too bad we’re not done.”

Wanda flips you onto your stomach with a quick motion of her fingers, using her hands to pull you by the waist until you’re on your knees at the edge of the bed, and she holds one side of your waist as she delivers a slap to your ass this time. Her touch lingers as she pulls away to free her own strap, and you nearly fall over when you feel the tip of the toy rub against your clit.

“Wait, let me fuck her this time.”

You hear their soft laughter as they switch places, sharing a kiss in the process, and you gasp when a hand wraps around your neck and pulls you up against Natasha’s chest.

“I like having you this close to me, printsessa,” she whispers in your ear, chuckling when you melt against her as she pushes the tip of her strap into you. “How many times do you think I can get you to cum?”

Her grip on your throat is loose as she allows you to adjust to the size, tightening suddenly when she slams into you once, twice, until every thrust is at a rough pace that you wouldn’t be able to handle if she wasn’t holding you against her by the waist. You feel that same tingling circling your clit again, occasionally traveling upward to tease your nipples as well, and it wasn’t long before you were releasing a strangled scream as you climaxed.

Natasha eventually stops thrusting into you as your legs shake, and you breathe out another sigh of relief when she allows you to fall onto the mattress. However, the relief is short-lived when you realize that she only paused to let Wanda push into her from behind, and it wasn’t long before the two of them found a rhythm that was pleasing them and ruining you.

Your wrists are freed as Natasha pulls out of you some minutes later, and you collapse onto one side of the bed with your body aching a bit from a third orgasm, your eyes only halfway open as you watch the pair. They remove the straps from their waists and set them aside, and you become a bit more alert when you notice Natasha grab what seems to be a double-ended dildo.

“No more. I can’t,” you mumble tiredly as your wrists are bound by Wanda’s power again.

“One more, and you can,” she tells you as she flops onto the bed beside you, and that red mist surrounds her fingers again as she guides you onto your knees to hover above her face. “You wanted to cum, so you don’t get to run from this.”

Her hands grab your waist and pull you closer, and you release a shuddering moan as her tongue runs past your hole and over your clit, teasing it a few times with the tip of her tongue before diving in to wrap her lips around it. She alternates between sucking your clit and slipping inside you as Natasha climbs on the bed behind you to position herself with the new toy. 

“Fuck,” Wanda attempts to say once Natasha begins thrusting, and you fall forward as the vibration of her moans become too much, whining when Natasha slides her hands over your breasts and pulls you back up again.

“Take it all like a good girl.”

She keeps pulling until your head drops against her, and she moans against your neck while she kisses and sucks on your skin, bouncing faster on Wanda who groans loudly in response as she attempts to match each thrust. The hums of her voice has you grinding against her tongue, and you yelp when Natasha bites down just as Wanda brings you over the edge. She keeps going despite your protests, managing to get you to cum once more before they finally do.

You lie there with your bones feeling like jelly as you’re covered with a blanket minutes after everyone’s bathroom trip, too tired to even fight for sleeping in your own bed as Natasha and Wanda slide in on either side of you.

“You did so well tonight, detka,” Wanda praises as she strokes your cheek with a loving stare. “I can tell you’ll be a great addition to our relationship. I knew it from the moment I saw you.”

“I’m not doing this again,” you insist as the smile fades from her expression. “I’m not getting in a relationship with two women that don’t take ‘no’ for an answer, and I’d prefer sleeping in my own bed.”

“You’re already in a relationship with us, printsessa,” Natasha growls as she shoves you back down when you try to get up, and you push her hand away.

“There’s nothing you can say that’ll make me want to be with you.”

“It’s not about what you want to do. It’s about what you have to do.” She grabs your phone from the nightstand, and you’re somehow not even surprised when she unlocks it on the first try. “Because it’d be a shame if someone was to tell Peter about all the nudes you have of him.”

You snatch the phone from her grip, eyes widening as you scroll through your camera roll, finding naked pictures of Peter scattered throughout it. You check the date on the oldest one and began to feel nauseous when you saw it was taken not even a month after the two of you met.

“Don’t think you’ll be deleting those either, because we can replace them and make things worse.” Her smile was falsely sweet and troubling as she grabbed your chin to force you to make eye contact. “We’ve gone this long without having you, and we’ll do whatever it takes not to lose you.”

-

Tags: @cordeliaswhore @egotisticalstoner @muralskins @natasha-danvers @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @madamevirgo @teenwonder @honeyvenable @slut-for-nat

[homosexuality-at-its-finest]

And we were stars

A/n: I'm in the mood for angst >:)

Plot: Y/n gives his life up to save his team, and all he can think about is the memories of his families that warm his heart. God, he’ll miss them

Pairing: Avengers x Male reader

дорогой - sweetheart

Y/n: Your name

L/n: Last name

H/c: Hair color

E/c: Eye color

Warnings: Y/n dies, hella angst, seeing the reader’s memories, crying, cussing, overall depressing ngl

Word count: 1248

Life was such a fickle thing, and this was a realization that slapped Y/n in the face during this crucial moment of battle. They were losing, he could admit that, even if his team, his family couldn’t.

The H/c haired man had no idea how things had gotten this bad, at first everything was going fine, the new Supervillain of the week had popped up and had created murder robots.

No big deal, they’d fought fucking aliens before, for crying out loud. Wrong, these fuckers were intense, hard to kill, and they were merciless. Clint was already down with a broken leg, and everyone was fighting on empty fuel.

No chance had presented itself to take down the baddie, and Y/n wasn’t a man of morals, he’d kill the bastard if he needed to. Funnily enough that chance had presented itself, but as he took down Shit head something had ripped through his chest, stealing the air from his lungs.

Hot searing pain spread through his body like a fire, every neuron writhing in agony. His mouth opened in a silent scream as he fell to his knees, the world swaying around him. A ringing filled his ears as his eyes were drawn to the sky that was fading into purple hues.

He’d always wanted to die seeing the sky. God, that sounded morbid, even to himself. His eyes burned as a tear rolled down his cheek, he wasn’t scared. No, he just mourned the fact that he wouldn’t get to see his family anymore.

Even in a moment like this, a smile spread across Y/n’s lips. His eyes fluttered shut as he thought of a night that felt like forever ago.

Steve had claimed the team needed to bond more, well more than they did on deadly missions. He proclaimed that they needed movie nights and had set it up for Friday night at 7 after clearing that no one was busy.

The idea was so foreign to Y/n, he’d been orphaned at a young age and had moved from home to home until he turned 18. Then he joined the military and eventually SHIELD, never experiencing something as mundane as a family night.

The unique group of Heroes all made their way to the common room, situating themselves throughout the room.

Clint and Natasha were of course sitting side by side, using each other as support, Bruce and Thor were curled up, Bruce’s face pressed into the Gods side, Steve was strewn across the floor, looking oddly comfortable, and Tony was snuggled up with Y/n, his arm thrown over the other males’ shoulders.

The room was full of chatter and laughter, and never in his life had Y/n felt so complete. His chest swelled with happiness, a smile spreading across his face.

“What’s got you so happy kiddo?” Tony questioned, looking down to the youngest team member, only getting a blinding smile in return.

“It’s just nice to have a family.” He replied softly, earning a squeeze to his shoulder in return.

Y/n was ripped from the memory as a sob ripped its way out of his throat, the pain was unimaginable. His back arched weakly off the ground, as if he was trying to escape from his own body.

His hands reaching up in a feeble attempt to stop the blood pouring from his chest. He tried to lift his head up in vain, the slight movement felt like the sun itself was engulfing him.

“Kiddo talk to me, where are you?” Tony’s voice broke through the ringing in his ears, and soon voices flooded into his comm, causing him to let out another sob.

“I don’t wanna die alone.” Y/n said weakly, a steady stream of tears rolling down his cheeks.

“You’re not alone, you’re never alone.” Steve’s voice piped in, a shaky breath leaving the captains lips.

Y/n closed his eyes once again, using his memories to escape from the finality of death that lingered over him like a veil.

The next one was with Natasha; the infamous spy was teaching him some of her moves so he could better protect himself.

The spy was a brutal teacher, but he also respected her greatly for that. She’d put him on his ass countless times, but he kept getting back up.

When Y/n had finally taken her down with one of her own moves, the smile she gave him made his week. She clasped a hand on the junior Avenger, eyes warm.

“Good job, дорогой.” Y/n grinned boyishly at her, a flush spreading across his cheeks. He and Natasha were almost the same age, but she’d taken on such a motherly role in his life. In reality it was soothing, he could come to her for anything.

“Thanks Tasha.” He breathed out, leaning against her touch. “With your help and the team protecting me, I’m gonna be immortal.” He teased, nudging her.

Natasha let out a soft laugh, rolling her eyes fondly. “Of course, дорогой, we’d never let you get hurt.” She replied, her voice holding a note of seriousness.

Once again Y/n opened his eyes, hearing the familiar thrusters of Tony’s suit. He let out a small croak, head barely moving to look at the man shrouded in red in gold.

The billionaire stumbled out of his suit, speaking hurriedly over the comm, all of the words blending together to the dying man.

Tony stood on wobbly knees, barely able to hold himself up at the sight of the youngest team member bleeding out on some decollate roof in upper Manhattan.

He fell to his knees beside the boy, giving him a weak smile.

“Hey kiddo, it’s okay. The teams on their way. We’re gonna patch you right up.” Tony didn’t even believe himself, words were just falling from his lips, as if desperately clinging to the boy’s attention.

Y/n let out a wet laugh, sounding far from pleasant. “It’s okay, I know I’m dying.” He said softly, his hand shakily reaching out for Tony’s own.

Tony grasped onto Y/n’s hand like a lifeline, his eyes burning with tears he refused to let fall.

“Try and hold on for us, won’t you, ya little brat.” The nickname held no malice as he squeezed Y/n’s frail hand.

Another weak laugh left Y/n’s mouth, his E/c eye’s turning to look up at the sky that held billions of stars.

“Yknow, when we die, I think we all turn into stars.” He said quietly, his chest rising slower and slower.

Tony bit harshly on his lip to keep the tears at bay, refusing to cry in front of a dying kid.

“I think you’ll be the brightest star of them all.” He forced out, watching as a small smile spread across his lips.

“I’ll see you guys in the sky…” Y/n breathed out with his last but of strength, his chest halting in its movements.

Tony let out a sob, his head bowing as he clutched the boy’s hand tighter. The pain of losing a teammate, a family member was unimaginable.

Unbeknownst to the grieving family, a twinkling star watched over them.

[olivia200312]

Prime Missing~ TFP! Optimus x Half-Predacon! Reader *Request*

Requested by the lovely CreatorCat

Plot: Hi there! Could I please request a TFP Optimus x half Cybertronian and half Predacon female Autobot reader? Only Optimus knows she is like that. Her Predacon form is a dragon and her vehicle form is a mustang car (Wildstyle colors from Lego Movie). Her fighting style is dancing (dance fighting, usually coordinated with music only she can hear in her earpiece, unpredictable). It takes place during Beast Wars where they meet Ultra Magnus. Optimus goes missing and the reader is very upset because she has a crush on the Prime.

Ultra Magnus grows a crush on her after seeing her fight in battle. He is concerned she'll get hurt because her style doesn't fall into the protocol and can't be monitored. He forbids her from joining the ranks in battle until she 'shaded up'. The reader is devasted and falls into sort of depression because that she wouldn't be able to dance or fight anymore and that was what she lived for. Optimus returns (finally) to find his crush (the reader) not herself anymore. They have been 'broken' and fight the way that Ultra Magnus saw fit. He's horrified because this wasn't 'his Y/N' and confronted Ultra Magnus. Afterward, Optimus takes the reader aside and confesses and she smiles for the first time in 'forever'. The next battle she's in, she breaks protocol and does her original style of fighting much to everyone's happiness (except Ultra Magnus). She also reveals her Predacon side to protect everyone from the Decepticons and Predaking.

What do you think?

That's a long request ever since I got a request to write a high school version. Lol. So, I read the entire text here and began to think. Do not think it is a bad way. I absolutely love the request but however, I don't like a few things. I'm not familiar with Beast Wars at all. I know only like literally one character and that is Optimal Primal. He is in fact the new Prime in Power of the Primes after Optimus' death. Don't believe me? Watch the 10 episodes or follow the OC book that I'm working on since I'm partnered up with Alita-One and others on Quotev. Furtonaly, I don't like Beast Wars at all since it's different. I also couldn't help but cringe a bit since it's TFP playing in Beast Wars. I remember some clips and scenes where Optimus actually goes missing after the base got exploded and Ultra Magnus appearing. I also remember Predacon's Rising.

Also since I don't like hurting other lovely characters (either rejected or friend-zoned), I made Ultra Magnus different. He'll be not crushing on the reader, but don't worry, he'll get tasted with his own medicine. Revenge will arrive.

Head area:

Brain: Processor / Brain Module

Head: Helm

Face: Face plate

Ears: Audio receptors / Receptor Orifice / Audials

Nose: Enstril / Olfactory Sensor

Eye brow: Optical Ridge

Eyes: Optics

Mouth: Intake

Lips: Dermas

Teeth: Denta/Dentas

Tongue: Glossa

Chest area:

Chest: Chassis / Thoraxal Cavity

Back: Hexa-Lateral Scapula

Spine: Bipedalism cord / Back Strut

Chest and back armour:

Chest plate

Back plate

Mid-section plating

Neck guard

Side plating

Arm area:

Arms: Arms / Restarlueus

Forearms: Bitarlueus

Hands: Servos

Fingers: Digits

Arm armour:

Gantlets

Shoulder pads

Arm guard

Lower area:

Pelvis: Pelvis

Butt: Aft / Skid-Plate

Thighs: Tibulen

Calves: Cadulen

Feet: Pedes - the high heel bits are called Struts or Heel Struts.

Lower armour:

Skirt plates

Aft plate / Skid plate

Thigh guard

Ankle guard

General/Internal components:

Muscles: Cables / Pistons - It depends on the area in question.

Veins: Fual lines

Stomach: Tanks

Lungs: Vents - used to stop the con/bot from over heating.

Heart: Spark

Tattoos: D-con/A-bot Insignias and the lark

T-Cog: The thing that allows all Cybertronians to transform, be that their arms or their whole body.

Bonus:

Penis: Spike

Vagina: Valve

Body: Frame

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

"Jack, meet Ultra Magnus," Arcee introduced her human partner to the missing commander of the Autobots.

Jack looked shocked as he took a look at Ultra Magnus. He was light blue while Optimus was dark blue. The commander had a strict look on his faceplate. What was his problem? Sure, there was a war still going on because since Cybertron, the home planet of the Cybertronians, including the Autobots, Decepticons, and the Predacons, was dead so the idiotic Decepticons moved the war towards Earth when they discovered that the Autobots had been hiding there. Honestly, Megatron was too evil and stupid for actually settling the war on Earth. Earth! The planet was involved in many wars already, especially WWI and WWII.

But let's get to the point: what's been happening?

Well, the Decepticons discovered where the Autobots had been hiding. Before it got blown up, Optimus ordered everyone to leave the base and a serious warning: don't use the phone to call or send anything. If they do, then the Decepticons can track your signal, which can lead a serious danger. Jack went with Arcee, Miko with Bulkhead, and finally Raf with Bumblebee. Eventually, the base got exploded. Optimus got seriously wounded that Smokescreen found him. He was a smart rookie for hiding him so that Optimus can possibly heal and be safely hidden. Sadly, the damage was too much that Optimus was slowly offlining. He didn't want to leave, especially not Y/N. She was a half-Predacon and half-Cybertronian. She was an Autobot. So, it means that Y/N's carrier or sire was a Predacon while the other was Cybertronian. She was found wounded in a forest by Optimus and he took her to the Autobots base. Poor Y/N... She remembered how scared she was when she was there. I mean, she was wounded, lost on Earth, and didn't know anyone. She lost her creators thanks to the war. She eventually learned fast how to take care of herself.

When Optimus met her, he couldn't help but thought that Y/N was a unique and beautiful femme he'd ever seen. I mean, she was half-Cybertronian and half-Predacon. He had seen full Predacons before like Predaking. Soon, he'll meet Darksteel and Skylynx who were brothers. Y/N had wings and a tail so she was very unique. She was thankful to fly and control her balance more. The human kids loved Y/N. Miko, of course, asked too many questions that at one point, Jack and Raf had to stop her since they noticed when Y/N got uncomfortable and scared.

But anyway, that all happened before the big explosion. Optimus grew in fact closer to Y/N that he was the only one at the base who Y/N trusted. She would stay by his side, help him and ask questions. Optimus gladly helped her whenever she was scared or asked questions. He also found her adorable in secret. He sometimes asked himself about her like her wings for example. Were they sensitive? Maybe they were? He will only know if he touched it. If Y/N ever allowed it.

While Y/N was with the Autobots, it didn't mean that she met everyone. She didn't meet Ultra Magnus at the time. He was a strict commander of the Autobots and was light blue and red. His vehicle was very similar to the Prime. His shoulderplates were weird, kinda. No disrespect. But oh boy, Y/N hated Magnus. When he saw her, he was only coldhearted and strict towards her. Y/N's fighting style was dancing but the commander didn't like it that he forbid her to do so. It was like this:

The Autobots just came back after a fight again with the Decepticons. The fight was brutal this time. Apparently, the Decepticons had a new 'weapon' and it was a full Predacon! It was a male and in fact, the ruler of the race when they went instinct many years ago thanks to Megatron himself. Shockwave managed to bring the king back from the dead. His name was Predaking. He was huge! After all, he was a male and a ruler. Since Y/N was half-Predacon, she actually can't transform. Some Cybertronians who were half-Predacons, couldn't actually transform. Some can, some couldn't. Y/N didn't mind that she couldn't transform. She liked how she looked, even having a Predacon tail and wings.

But everyone was wounded. Y/N fought against the male Predacon himself. Their fight was rough and they bit and clawed. But Y/N managed to trick him by dancing. Fighting was a little bit of dancing if you didn't know. You were moving and using your whole frame. It was exhausting for Y/N, but she won.

Ultra Magnus, however, didn't like her fighting style that he brought her into a private chamber. He closed the door and faced her, with his usual strict expression. "Soldier, I want you to change the style."

Y/N lifted her optical ridge up in confusion. What did the commander mean by that? Her armor? Her outgoing? What was it? "What do you mean?"

"Change your fighting style. Also, I forbid you from ever going to fight with us."

Y/N couldn't believe what she heard. Was he really serious? Was he going to forbid her from going out to fight? But what about Optimus Prime? He still wasn't found! He was missing ever since the big explosion that the Decepticons caused weeks ago. The human kids spread around together with their guardians and they weren't allowed to not use any technology or else the Decepticons will track them down. Jack, stupid enough, used his cellphone to text his mother that he was fine. It was understandable for a kid to text its parent to let them know that they were fine. But when it came to the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, then it was important to listen to the advice.

Ultra Magnus simply left the private chamber, leaving the poor half-Predacon femme alone.

That's basically how it happened. Ever since that day, Y/N didn't come out a lot from her berthroom. She was very spark broken ever since the strict commander told her those words. He forbid her from searching Optimus, who was still missing at the moment. How could he say that? Y/N cared deeply for Optimus just like the entire team. He was their leader but also someone that would protect others and be willing to sacrifice his life.

Y/N would only recharge all day. She ate and drank of course but it wasn't a lot like she used. Basically, how a normal Cybertronian ate. If you didn't know, humans can die from broken hearts. It was in fact a Broken heart syndrome, also known as stress cardiomyopathy or takotsubo syndrome. It was very sad to have that like heart disease. Not only humans can have that syndrome but also Cybertronians, especially the Predacons, full or not. Y/N attracted that syndrome. Everyone says that action speaks louder than words, but words hurt more than actions. Y/N had shortness of breathing and having chassis pains. That was the most common syndrome of heart disease.

Ratchet, the medic of the team wasn't blind at all and was trained to notice signs of any health problems. Since Y/N was showing those signs, he did the tests and diagnosed her with Broken Heart Syndrome or should I say Broken Spark Syndrome? Ratchet kept a close optic on her and made her take medication, especially if she showed signs of chassis pains and shortness of breath.

But meanwhile in the main room of the base...

Ratchet was updating Y/N's health on the Cybertronian computer since it was important for the medics to keep new updates so that they can keep the information. There was actually no standard treatment for the syndrome that Y/N had, but you can survive with medication and as long as you're being careful. Not only do doctors like Ratchet keep updates safe but also dentists as well. Ratchet was mad at Ultra Magnus for saying hurtful words but kept it quiet. It was time that others should watch out for what comes out of their mouths. Words can damage someone and give an illness. He began to ask himself how would Optimus react if he found out about that...

Bumblebee then walked up to Ratchet and beeped a question at him.

Ratchet signed and looked over his shoulderplate. "No, Bumblebee. Y/N is still a little bit weak to come out. I am doing the best I can to help her on track. But her syndrome doesn't have a standard treatment. Just like on humans."

Bumblebee frowned and let out a sad whirl. He saw Y/N as his good friend and cared for her as a friend. He was mad at the commander for saying those words that he nearly attacked her. Didn't the idiotic commander notice at all how much he damaged her? Why was he even doing this?! Just because she was a half-Predacon!? Bumblebee clenched his fists in anger as he started to shake.

Ratchet, being a smart aft medic, noticed it and quickly placed his servo on the scout's shoulderplate. "Easy, Bumblebee." Just as Ratchet wanted to say something further, his computer caught a signal. He quickly went to the device and Bumblebee looked curiously over his shoulderplate.

"Hahaha!" Ratchet began to laugh and clapped his servos happily. That caught everyone's attention as they walked up to him, except Y/N, who was still sadly in her berthroom to rest. She did hear Ratchet's happy laugh, which was confusing, but she didn't bother to check since she felt weak. Ratchet turned around fast with a big smile on his faceplate. "Optimus is alive!"

That caused everyone to cheer happily. Y/N fell asleep at that time. She didn't hear Ratchet's loud voice that said that Optimus was alive and coming soon to the base.

2 hours later~

"Awesome! Optimus is now like 2.0!" Miko happily jumped as she was fascinated by Optimus' new look.

"It's good to have you back, Optimus," Arcee said with a smile.

Everyone was saying how happy they were to see and have Optimus Prime back. The leader was smiling as he listened to everyone with respect. He was happy to see them as well. Even though he was almost offline for good, he thought about others, especially Y/N. But wait, where was she? He saw his friends but not Y/N. He frowned. What happened to her while he was missing? He wondered about her every day. He nearly did join the AllSpark and taking the servo of his mentor, Alpha Trion. The old smart mech understood his student's decision. He even teased Optimus to get the spark of the half-Predacon. He blushed.

Ratchet seem to realize Optimus' frown and he immediately knew that it was about Y/N. He walked up to his leader. "Optimus, I have to speak to you. It's urgent."

Optimus nodded in understanding. Of course, he heard Ratchet's serious tone, which meant that he was deadly serious, especially for being a medic. His job was to take care of others and help if needed. They both went to a private chamber to speak while others stayed. Ultra Magnus, however, got a bad feeling...

Ratchet closed the door and turned to face Optimus. "Optimus, while you were gone, others had a fight against the Decepticons. They had a new 'weapon' it was a full Predacon... a mech. He's named Predaking, the ruler of the Predacons. Y/N fought against him. I must say, I am impressed with her fighting moves. Dancing. Ultra Magnus didn't like her style at all. I saw them going to a private chamber. I learned from Y/N that Magnus forbid her from going out and he forced her to change her style..." He sighed and took a deep breath. "As a result, Y/N has Broken Heart Syndrome, also known as stress cardiomyopathy or takotsubo syndrome in humans. But I called it the Broken Spark Syndrome. She has trouble breathing and having chassis pains. I made her take medication."

Optimus couldn't believe what he heard. How could Ultra Magnus do this? He was getting angry. The commander took it too far by his words. He look calmy at Ratchet and nodded. "Thank you for the information old friend. I will speak to commander Ultra Magnus and see Y/N."

Ratchet nodded back and they left the private chamber. Ultra Magnus knew that he was busted. Optimus slowly walked up to the commander, with a disappointed and angry expression on his faceplate. He took the commander to somewhere private and let's just say that Optimus was so stern. He also finally punished the commander for what he said to Y/N. Ratchet was satisfied and mumbled under his breath: "As humans say: 'Get rekt'."

Optimus then walked through the hallway corridors, searching for Y/N's berthroom. Each bot had a nameplate hanging against the door. It was easier for everyone to find each other, except for humans since they were so small. But good that the kids remembered which room was who. They drew small symbols on each door of the bot. Ratchet got a symbol of a doctor, Bumblebee got a bee, Arcee a motorcycle, etc. Y/N had a dragon, even though she couldn't transform into a Predacon.

Optimus knocked on the door gently as he found Y/N's door. After no response, he softly opened the door and peaked in. He smiled softly once he saw Y/N recharging peacefully. But he was still worried about her health after all. He walked to Y/N, closing the door softly to not wake her up. He caressed her helm with his gentle digits and he smiled once he heard her purr. Predacons can purr a lot. Yes, even Optimus can too but not a lot like the Predacons can, even half ones. Optimus continued to caress as he sat down carefully, lifting Y/N's helm and laid it on his lap. For some reason, laps were so comfy. No wonder humans and Cybertronians fall asleep easily, even falling asleep on someone's body. It was so cute when a male slept on top of the female as a couple or friends. Family too. But mostly, females slept on top of the males.

Y/N softly moaned in her sleep as she moved a bit. She felt very comfortable. But that's when she groaned and had trouble breathing. She panted and Optimus got worried. He then noticed the medication on her nightstand. He grabbed it and then Y/N gasped and sat up, her servo on her chassis.

"Easy, Y/N," the familiar deep voice said.

Y/N snapped her helm towards the very familiar deep voice and gasped. it was Optimus! Wait, he was really here?! She was about to say something but Optimus silenced her by cupping her cheekplate, causing her to blush a lot. He helped her take the medication and soon, she breathed normally. But she felt then sleepy again. Optimus noticed it and softly pushed her down. "Recharge, Y/N. Your body needs more rest."

Y/N smiled softly and fell asleep. She can now catch a lot of rest since Optimus was alive and well. She found him more handsome. His new look, now strong body, etc. But she loved his hips, smile, voice, and smirk. As she was sleeping, she felt soft dermas on hers. Optimus was kissing her, just like in the movie Sleeping Beauty.

I apologize if it isn't familiar a lot. I decided to try and make it a little cuter for the fans, especially the ending part.

[andypantsx3]

statistically significant | 2 | bakugou/reader

length: 23,490 words | 7 chapters

summary: You’re the scientist who developed a neural net to model the value of assists. Now that your work is feeding into the hero rankings, pro hero Ground Zero has a bone to pick with your results.

tags: romance, enemies to lovers, sexual tension, reader-insert

warnings: aged up characters, eventual smut, m/f threats of violence, problematic behavior

note: I cannot overemphasize that this interpretation of Bakugou is based on season 1 Bakugou, which means he behaves very questionably at the beginning. Please heed the warnings!

Present day

Miruko’s agency was large, much larger than you had expected.

From the street, it had looked unobtrusive enough, a moderately-sized office building with a modern-looking glass front. You could see into a large reception area on the ground floor, and open workspaces on the next few floors, conjoined desks piled high with paperwork and slightly wilted-looking office plants. If not for Miruko’s name emblazoned over the entry in bold, metallic letters, you could have taken it for just another office building.

Once inside, however, the building became much more than that. After checking in at reception, you were led deep into the building, and gestured into an elevator that took you tens of floors down. When the doors opened, they let out into a cavernous space, stretching under what must have been the entire block. The floor was equipped with a gym, several reinforced training spaces the size of office buildings themselves, and what appeared to be a surveillance room where footage from the training spaces could be replayed.

Your mouth dropped open. Did all hero agencies hide deep underground like this? How many other underground floors were there? How big was Miruko Agency, really?

Your guide had enough tact to ignore your inelegant expression, instead leading you towards a training room. A huge, clear window tens of meters across looked into the space, but you would bet anything that it was made of some material much stronger than glass, which was especially evidenced by what you could see going on beyond the window.

Rubble littered the room, scattered in towering piles that gave the appearance of a post-doomsday cityscape. You didn’t know if the room had been set up this way, or if the rubble was the result of the battle going on within; there were two heroes that you could see darting around the space, both appearing to be causing maximum chaos.

Closest to you, a woman with wild pink curls was emitting a powerful stream of some cement-colored substance that ate away at anything it touched, causing it to smoke and hiss and crumble. She melted a huge hole in a pile of rubble, and a man with a shock of golden-yellow hair leapt away from what had probably been his hiding place, backpedaling wildly.

You perked up when you realized who they were--Ashido Mina, the number twenty-nine hero Pinky, and Kaminari Denki, the number thirty-three hero Chargebolt.

Kaminari threw out a hand, and a crackling wave of lightning struck out at Ashido. The lights flickered out briefly, and even behind the window, you could feel your hair stand on end. You blinked past the powerful flash that had temporarily blinded you, casting about for Ashido who had surely been struck down, only to choke on a laugh when you caught sight of her flashing Kaminari the middle finger, sliding away from a huge chunk of rubble she’d dislodged with her acid to use as a shield.

“They’re idiots,” a voice intoned from your side.

You nearly jumped out of your skin, turning to find Miruko herself standing next to you, powerful arms crossed over her chest. Despite her words, a little fond-looking smile flickered at the edges of her mouth.

You schooled your slack jawed expression into a smile. “I don’t know--their personalities are mostly why they’re so popular, so they must be doing something right. I did a little digging into everyone’s results before I got here, and they stood out among a lot of the rest.”

Miruko’s gaze flicked over you. She was short, maybe even shorter than you, but her keen red eyes and very lethal-looking biceps more than made up for her stature. She was intimidating in person, an air about her that told you she could snap and turn on you at any second. Despite the fact that she had asked you here herself, you felt like she might seize you and bodily throw you out of her agency.

“And that’s why they’re idiots. Their results are buoyed by their personalities,” Miruko sniffed. “They need work.”

You prickled a little, feeling like you should say something in their defense, but the truth of it was, you were here to help them work on things.

Some weeks ago, Miruko had contacted the Public Safety Hero Commission with interest in the ranking model. Your version had been in production for close to a year, and you had recently been making scholarly noises about feedback loops, asking for permission to provide pro heroes with individual results breakdowns. Miruko had caught wind of this and demanded on site assessments for her “team of frigging clowns” as she had so eloquently put it. And so you had been loaned out, with the idea of helping to direct the training for the heroes at Miruko Agency, providing them a real time comparison of their training footage to the generic hero ranking model results.

If this trial run was successful, if you could help any of the heroes measurably jump ranks, then the Commission had committed to providing individualized results for the thousands of heroes employed today. The Commission had also expressed interest in your idea of creating and packaging smaller models that took less technical skill to operate, for heroes to use to direct their own training. They had even seemed receptive to giving you a small team of research scientists and software engineers to build such a product, so you would be looking at a pretty sick promotion, not to mention.

Miruko made her way over to the surveillance room, beckoning you after her, and you watched as she leaned over a desk, pressing down a button with one gloved finger.

A crackling sound echoed overhead and her voice followed. “Alright, brats, recess is over. Anyone not heading out on patrol, meet in the surveillance room now.”

The flickering light from Kaminari’s lightning fizzled out, and the door to the training room opened not long after, Kaminari and Ashido spilling out in a chaotic whirlwind of limbs and petty squabbling. They were the first to arrive at the surveillance room, and Kaminari visibility perked up when he saw you.

“Hey!” he exclaimed, interrupting himself on a gasp when Ashido’s elbow caught him in the ribs. “What the fuck, Mina--! Why are your elbows so sharp? Can you just not--?” He grabbed her elbow. “Stop, look, it’s stats girl! From the Awards!”

You startled a little, shocked that he had remembered you. That had been almost a year ago, and you’d only exchanged a couple quick comments in the stairwell.

Ashido looked up from where she appeared to be attempting to crack one of his ribs, her expression shifting into something altogether too interested. You flushed when a sharp grin broke out over her pretty features.

“Oh my god, you’re stats girl? I have been waiting forever. It’s an absolute honor to meet you.” She held out a palm, waggling her rosy fingers expectantly.

A rising sense of horror grew within you. Did...did Kaminari remember you so clearly because he’d told people about the incident? What exactly had he mentioned to her? Who else had he spread the tale to?

“Um, yeah that’s me,” you managed, trying to tamp down your embarrassment.

Ashido grinned wider, leaning forward. “I was totally convinced Denki and Eijirou made you up, except that Katsuki wouldn’t stop plotting revenge out loud for months. You’re, like, a legend. Do you do autographs?”

You gaped at her, your mind sticking on the phrase Katsuki wouldn’t stop plotting revenge out loud for months. A nervous, hunted energy crept over you. Revenge...for months.

Miruko’s rabbit ears twitched and she turned to you, frowning. “I wasn’t aware you’d already met some of my circus monkeys. Is this going to be a problem?”

You dithered nervously, not actually sure if it would be. You’d known Bakugou worked at her agency, considering you had done a fair amount of pre-work collecting everyone's results. But you’d honestly put off thinking about this. Bakugou had been in quite the rage at the Hero Awards, but that had been almost a year ago. And Ashido had phrased his revenge plans in the past tense… Surely he didn’t still hold as much of a grudge now?

Miruko eyed you suspiciously for a moment, but she was distracted when the scuffle of boots indicated the approach of other heroes, and a pair of burly men with curling satyr horns rounded the corner, one of them leaning forward to speak to her. Ashido sent you a wink when Miruko turned her back, mouthing something that looked suspiciously like later.

In the next few minutes, a small group of heroes assembled, ranging from relatively well-known heroes like Ashido and Kaminari, to a couple of heroes who ranked deep in the hundreds--you only knew some of their faces because Miruko had provided you with a list of her employees for preparatory research purposes. They formed a small crescent around the surveillance area, chattering lowly to themselves and eyeing you with speculative curiosity.

To your eternal relief, her most famously explosive employee was conspicuously absent, and you felt yourself relax when it seemed like everyone had turned up who was going to.

When it seemed like the crowd size was finally large enough to please her, Miruko barked a loud “SHUT UP” at them. The din of low voices instantly died down.

“Alright brats. Over the next few months, Y/N will be working here at the agency with us. She has been invited on behalf of the commission, and will be analyzing your quirks, your methods, and your recent work,” Miruko said. “She has individualized results pulled from the current hero rankings that can inform you how to improve. I expect you to take full advantage of this opportunity.”

She gestured to you, giving you a meaningful look as if she expected you to introduce yourself. You gave a little wave, glancing at the heroes around you.

“Um, hi,” you said. “As Miruko-san said, I can give you a little advice based on your current results breakdown. I also plan to analyze video of your training in the coming weeks, and build parallel models to simulate future results given your performance. We can compare those to the current rankings for an idea of how much work you will have to put into particular skills for you to move up in the ranks.”

A small murmur went through the crowd at the prospect of moving up in the ranks. Some gazes sharpened in interest.

You continued, “This is also a good chance to work on specific growth areas -- I can train smaller models on subsets of videos so you can compare your skills more directly with each other or with other heroes from other agencies. Please let me know if there is anything special any of you would like to focus on.”

Miruko stepped back in front of you. “Y/N is going to set up in the surveillance room for the next few weeks. I’ve already established checkpoints for all of you to meet with her, but I encourage you to meet with her more often if you can.”

There were a couple of nods, and a few interested whispers from somewhere at the back of the crowd. Miruko took a breath like she was going to say more, but then--

“Hard pass,” a voice growled from your left. Your hackles instantly raised, and it took your brain a couple seconds to catch up with your instincts. You whipped around wildly when you realized you knew that voice, and you almost jumped a full foot in the air when you caught sight of those familiar blonde spikes over another hero’s shoulder.

You hadn’t noticed his approach, but Bakugou had clearly returned from a fight only minutes ago. His hair drooped a little with sweat, there was dirt streaking the points of his high cheekbones, and his costume was shredded by a thousand tiny tears, like he’d been thrown through a glass window. And...was that blood on his gauntlets? Was it his?

You were torn between immediate annoyance and something like concern at the sight of him so obviously roughed up.

“The meetings are not optional,” Miruko’s voice took on a hard edge.

“I already know what this fucking nerd has to say,” Bakugou drawled dismissively. “And I don’t give a shit. I don’t need assists if I’m the one busy saving the fucking day.”

Your mood edged cleanly into annoyance. It seemed he hadn’t changed any, then.

Miruko’s face darkened. “It wasn’t a suggestion.”

Bakugou bared his teeth. They gleamed almost blindingly white against the dark dirt on his face. “No.”

A wild look entered Miruko’s eye at the challenge. “Everyone is dismissed. Except Katsuki,” she uttered in a low, dangerous tone.

There was a small pause. The heroes around you looked at her askance, and her features darkened even further. “I said scram. NOW!”

The effect was immediate. It felt like no sooner had you blinked than the hall was suddenly clear. The sight of Kaminari and Ashido wheeling around the corner was all the proof you had that the team hadn’t suddenly vanished from existence.

Bakugou snorted and propped himself lazily against a column, affecting a slouch, one pale eyebrow raised over his insouciant expression. It looked almost too perfectly arrogant, and you wondered if he practiced it in the mirror sometimes.

“I said the meetings are not optional, Katsuki,” Miruko hissed, taking a step closer to him. “You can ignore her suggestions all you want, but you will attend them.”

Close as they were, you could see she was almost a full head shorter than him, but the force of her anger seemed to make her larger somehow--she wasn’t towering over him, but she was certainly terrifying. Towering under, your mind supplied unhelpfully.

Bakugou, for his part, held his ground. His mouth curled disdainfully. “What’s the fucking point? The nerd’s just gonna tell me stupid shit. And I’m not going to listen.”

Your fingers twitched in irritation. Data wasn’t stupid shit -- it was mathmatical fact, almost as divorced from human bias as it was possible to be. How was it humanly possible that he hadn’t learned anything or grown even the littlest bit? How was it possible that he was just as infuriating as he was a year ago?

But fine. He could have things his way if that’s what he wanted.

Miruko’s face twisted in a scowl, and she took a deep breath like she was ready to start yelling. But you got there first.

“He has a point,” you said, giving him a hard look over the top of Miruko’s head. “I would hate to waste my time on someone who’s been stalled in the rankings for a year now. He wouldn’t know how to implement my advice even if I were to give it.”

You paused, letting an uncharacteristic smirk curl your mouth, trying your best to channel his disdainful energy. “Isn’t that right, Number Eight?”

Bakugou’s gaze sharpened over Miruko’s silver hair, twin pinpricks of red narrowing in on you. He abandoned his slouch, his body tensing like a hound that smelled blood. “What did you just say?”

You pushed down the petty satisfaction that rose within you at his reaction. He was so fucking prideful, so easy to bait.

“Hmm, cognitive delays,” you said, pretending to tap your chin thoughtfully. “Very worrying. Further evidence he wouldn’t be able to process the information, though. No, I think it’s best if we don’t meet.”

Bakugou pushed himself off the column, edging around Miruko as his mouth drew into a snarl. You were immediately reminded of the Hero Awards, that same overwhelming prickle of power edging over you as he stalked closer, the same scent like caramel and gunpowder.

Miruko’s eyes flicked between the two of you curiously, an eyebrow raised in interest. You hoped it meant she was interested enough in your data analysis to intervene if Bakugou tried to sauté you like an onion.

“If you melt through this blazer I really will sabotage the hero rankings and dip you all the way to number five hundred,” you threatened, edging away from Bakugou as he drew closer. “And also you owe me money for that dress.”

“I’m not gonna fucking give you shit,” he announced, looming over you when he’d decided he was close enough to intimidate. He was near enough that you could feel the heat of him, but he hadn’t put his hands to you yet. It seemed Miruko was enough of a deterrent to curb his bad behavior. “And I’m not gonna meet with you.”

“Good, then we agree,” you said, tipping your head back to look him in the eye. “You’re not good enough to do better anyways.”

Bakugou growled, the phrase clearly still enough to tick him off a year later. “Fuck you, I’m the best.”

“That’s not what your ranking tells me,” you clicked your tongue, feigning disinterest. With the dirt and scratches all over him he looked wilder than ever and you would be a fool to ignore it, but Miruko’s presence made you bold. And something else, some latent streak of frustration and pettiness told you to keep going, to keep pressing the buttons that were getting this reaction from him.

“Your ranking tells me you haven’t even improved the tiniest bit in an entire year. At this rate, you’ll never even hit the top three, never mind be the best. I don’t think you could improve even if you wanted to,” you said.

Bakugou looked like he wanted nothing more than to tear your head off with his teeth. “I can do whatever the fuck I want.”

You opened your mouth to reply but there was a sudden motion at the edge of your vision, something pink and blurry and wild. You glanced past Bakugou’s shoulder to find Ashido leaning around the wall, waving a hand frantically and mouthing something at you. You squinted, watching her lips shape themselves carefully: make a bet.

What? Make a bet?

She wanted you to make a bet?

You looked back up at Bakugou, taking in the oppositional expression, the angry curl of his mouth, the straight slope of his nose, and those keen, blood red eyes glaring down at you. This was certainly the face of a man who wouldn’t be told what to do, who couldn’t be told what to do.

But despite your words and your inherent distaste, there was no denying he was actually your best shot, the cleanest pathway to your promotion. Bakugou was smart, driven, and absolutely lethal. If anyone could turn around a rank at top speed it was him.

But he couldn’t be made to do it. He had to want to do it.

Ashido waved in the corner of your vision again, enunciating with exaggerated facial expressions. Make a bet.

Things clicked into place.

“Hmm, I wouldn’t be so sure,” you looked away from Ashido, inspecting your nails casually, like your focus would rather be anywhere than on this conversation. “In fact, I would bet almost anything that you wouldn’t know how to implement my suggestions, even if you tried.”

Bakugou froze, red eyes passing over you curiously. For one heart stopping moment, you thought he was on to you, but he just leaned down instead, putting his face close to yours.

“I’ll fucking take that bet.”

You tried to push down your sudden swell of excitement, fighting to keep your expression neutral. You knew he wouldn’t cooperate if he thought you were happy about this.

“Fine. You have two months to jump a rank,” you said. “Or I win. And you’ll pay me what you owe me for the dress.”

Bakugou smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. This had the effect of emphasizing both the tears in his shirt and the swell of his biceps.You quickly attached your eyes firmly to his face--that was so not what you needed to be focused on right now.

“I’ll do it in one,” he said. “And then I win, you smug fucking nerd.”

You gazed at him steadily. “Agreed. Miruko’s number seven--you think you can beat your own boss with just a month of work? You’ll never.”

“You haven’t heard what I win yet,” he said.

You stared at him, eyebrows drawing together in confusion. “You go up in rank. That’s what you win.”

Bakugou’s handsome face shifted into an uneven smirk. “Oh no. This is twice now you’ve opened your little know-it-all mouth and acted like you know what the fuck you’re talking about. When I win, you’ll tell me I’m the best and I was right all along.”

You suppressed an eye roll. If he moved up a rank, the point would very obviously be that you were right all along. Was he really so unreasonably competitive and spiteful that he needed to be told he was right?

Then you remembered he’d quite literally dragged you into a stairwell and implied he'd fry you to a crisp when he found out he was number eight. Of course he was.

Well, a few throwaway words were worth nothing compared to the promotion you’d be getting. He could have his sense of self satisfaction when you were knee deep in software engineers and fat stacks of money.

You took a deep breath, holding out a hand. “Okay. If you win, which is a very big if, then I’ll admit it. Deal?”

Bakugou considered you for a long moment, red eyes watching you closely, before a calloused hand engulfed yours. “Deal," he growled, a crooked grin flickering at the edge of his mouth. "Get ready to eat shit, nerd.”

You suppressed another eye roll, hoping to god this was going to be worth it.

This was going to be the longest month of your life.

[five-rivers]

Loved 7

Danny stared miserably at his shredded and ruined toothbrush. He’s been trying to be careful, but… He ran his tongue over his teeth, feeling first an extra row, then, on the next pass, braces he never had, then smooth even teeth, then needles, then something soft and clinging, then normal teeth again, then the almost vampiric fangs he’d become accustomed to over the past week.

His mouth ached constantly, an ever-deepening soreness, accompanied by a need to bite. His friends, especially Sam, were trying to help him manage the pain as well as the urges, but they couldn’t do anything about the underlying cause.

Or about the fact that he was, essentially, teething.

Despite being the only one currently in the bathroom, he still blushed. The whole thing was as embarrassing as it was disturbing. And it was very, very disturbing. And painful.

He could go ask Clockwork about it, ask for help.

The thought made him sway and his eyes flutter, his body yearning for the Dream. Sternly, he pulled himself back into reality. He had decided to only go to the Dream by actually sleeping. He’d been caught missing once too often, and while some of those times were unavoidable – he often had to chase the Ideal of Cubes away in the dead of night, among others – the one when he was making personal visits were not.

He threw the toothbrush away.

The journey back to his room and thence to his bed was a painful, sleepy blur. He wasn’t entirely sure if he hadn’t teleported. It was, after all, something that he could do.

He hid under his covers and dropped into the Dream.

The pain didn’t relent at all. Still, he made himself stop and consider his options.

First, he could try to tough it out, see if it would stop. That hadn’t been working well for him so far, though.

Second, he could try to find a solution on his own. Except he had no idea where to even begin. He suspected that any dentist confronted with the inside of his mouth would swiftly need to see a doctor of their own.

Third, he could go to Clockwork. This was the most and least appealing of his options, as well as the one most likely to get results. Because Clockwork would help him. It was just that… Clockwork would probably do other things, too.

Love was also a factor. Danny Loved Clockwork more than anything, and he sometimes craved Clockwork’s presence with an urgency that surprised him. He knew Clockwork Loved him back just as much. But he was a little scared of that Love, of how pliant and docile it made him act, of how small it made him feel. Not to mention, he feared the reappearance of the gifts he had not accepted.

But… He put one hand on the chain that represented Clockwork’s Love, rubbing the side of a link that was longer than his hand and thicker than two of his fingers together. It was silk smooth and icy, but in a comforting way. He put his other hand on his jaw. It did not throb with pain, but he suspected that was because he had no heartbeat, and even his own soft touch made him flinch.

He blinked tears out of his eyes and watched as they floated away on a breeze. It hurt.

He was tired of hurting. It was okay, wasn’t it, to want to feel better? He was in pain so often and so much. Did he have to endure it?

His hands trembled. So many of the others… He knew, now, that they were just toying with him, just playing, that they weren’t really trying to hurt him, but they did.

The dark mirror had hurt, had hurt more than anything else, but it had stopped, and, since then, Clockwork hadn’t hurt him. Not really. Clockwork had been soft and gentle, and he’d given Danny food and gifts, even if the food was strange and the gifts had strings attached.

He hurt, and he wanted to be taken care of.

Following the chain, he pushed through the Dream. It had taken on the metaphor of an alien garden with uncertain physics. Huge, blobby flowers tilted themselves at his face and vines spiraled into the air without support. It wasn’t a jungle, though. There was no thick overhead canopy, no baleful humidity. The air was heavy with perfume, but that was all it was heavy with.

It had been like this since Danny’s encounter with Nocturne, which was frustrating. He had been unable to shift the metaphor again on his own.

Clockwork rose stark against the not-sky in the middle distance, a great clocktower, a sweeping gothic cathedral. The outlines of the structure wavered, as if behind a curtain of heat.

Something moved in the underbrush, and Danny twisted to try and see it. As he did so, something moved in his mouth and he shrieked in pain.

Crouched on the ground, mumbling imprecations, he massaged his gums. It shouldn’t hurt. His real body wasn’t even here. This was all just a flavor of imaginary that was closer to solid than it should be. It was all thoughts and feelings.

Except those could hurt.

He brushed tears out of his eyes and looked up.

Oh.

Clockwork was much closer, now.

Danny walked through Clockwork’s front door. Clockwork’s avatar was on him almost at once. Danny had to crane his neck to look up at the avatar. Had it been so tall last time? Danny couldn’t quite recall.

What is wrong?

“M’teeth hurt,” said Danny, slurring the words slightly around both his new teeth and the fingers he still had in his mouth. “C’n you help?”

Of course.

The avatar then proceeded to pick Danny up with two of its arms. With its third hand, it gently probed Danny’s lips.

Show me, said the avatar. It wasn’t exactly a request, but it was too soft to be an order.

Danny opened his mouth anyway. He wanted this to be done. Clockwork ticked steadily in the background.

I have just the thing, said the avatar. It started walking deeper into Clockwork, not showing indication of when or if it would put Danny down.

Danny let his mouth close again, wincing as his teeth ground uncomfortably against one another.

“D’you know what’s happening?” asked Danny, stealing himself.

You are teething.

Danny hunched his shoulders. It was one thing to hear Sam and Tucker tease him, quite another for Clockwork, or, rather, his avatar, to say it.

An odd noise echoed in the hall they were traveling down. It took Danny a moment to realize Clockwork was chuckling. A bell began to ring overhead.

They entered a room that contained a large glass basin full of squirming things. Several of Clockwork’s mechanical spiders walked around the edge of the basin, pushing the things back in when they tried to escape. Cushions were arranged on the floor in a loose circle around the basin. A single light shone through a colored window overhead.

“W’t is’t?” asked Danny, unnerved.

Food, answered the avatar.

Danny attempted to twist out of the avatar’s grasp but was held firmly. The collar around his neck thrummed and he stilled.

Teeth, said the avatar, sternly, are ultimately for eating. For acquiring food. As is your venom.

Danny shook his head.

Come, now, said the avatar. This is how to stop the pain. At least for now.

“For now?”

It will return. Teething is simply something the young experience. And Danny was always going to be young.

His heart would have sunk. He’d been hoping—But more importantly.

“Not killing.” He had no idea whether these things were still connected to people, no idea of the damage he could do.

The avatar petted him, pushing hair away from his face. Danny leaned into the touch despite himself, feeling the chain and collar become heavier. Icy pinpricks danced along his wrists and ankles.

You will not, murmured the avatar.

With that, the avatar folded itself to sit on one of the cushions, arranging Danny in its lap. With two hands, it interwove its fingers with Danny’s trapping his hands. The avatar’s other arms crisscrossed over Danny’s chest, holding him close. Finally, it rested its chin on top of Danny’s head. Right now, the collar had shaped itself more like a neck brace than anything else, so he couldn’t exactly duck away.

Then again, he didn’t really want to. This position was… cozy. Comfortable. He felt secure. Safe. If it wasn’t for the pain, he might have been tempted to fall asleep.

With another arm, an unnaturally long arm with too many joints for Danny to count, Clockwork’s avatar plucked one of the squirmy things from the basin. Danny pressed his lips together as tightly as he could without his vision whiting out. He could feel his venom sacs throb as liquid dripped from his teeth, some of it escaping from the corners of his mouth.

Why did the Dream have to pick now to be so, so, so realistic? So physical? He wanted to go back to mist-soft edges interspersed with moments of shocking clarity.

The avatar pressed the thing’s soft, boneless body against Danny’s lips. The scent of it was a key in Danny’s mind that unlocked a vibrant hunger. He bit, his fangs sinking all the way into the thing’s not-flesh.

The relief was instant and much, much greater than when he’d bitten into apples. A pleasant numbness spread across his senses, even as the avatar stroked him reassuringly. It took far too long to force himself to disengage.

The puncture wounds on the things skin healed almost instantly, and Clockwork’s avatar threw it back into the basin, still squirming. Danny licked his lips as the avatar retrieved another.

By the time Danny was satiated, his mouth hurt much less, and he was also completely exhausted. Eating should not take so much energy, but it did.

The avatar cleaned Danny’s face. Time for a nap.

“Nap?”

It is helpful for digestion, said the avatar, before standing again.

Danny, feeling unbalanced, grabbed at the avatar’s robes. He blushed. He was being carried like an infant.

After another journey that both lasted forever and no time at all, they came to another door. Beyond it was a room with soft, cloth-covered walls and a variety of interesting objects with both possible and impossible configurations. There were designs on the walls in colors that Danny could not name but which were nonetheless soothing. In the center was a sunken area, like a reverse dais, filled with pillows, blankets, and other soft objects. A ring of twisting, luminous runes surrounded it.

The intent of the room itched at his mind. He had never seen anything quite like it, and yet it was familiar.

Your room, said the avatar, although it is temporary.

It hit Danny, then. His room.

This was a nursery.

Something else bothered him. “Temporary?”

We are making another room for you. A permanent one. It is not yet ready. For now, this will serve.

“Where?” asked Danny, curious.

In my heart, little love.

Danny felt himself smile. That would be nice… to be in Clockwork’s heart… forever…

The avatar placed Danny in the depression and made a nest around him out of pillows and blankets. It put a stuffed rabbit- or something near enough to a stuffed rabbit for Danny not to think too much about it- into his arms.

One more thing.

Danny blinked up at the avatar, slowly.

We had intended to save this for later, but… It brought out a box that looked oddly familiar. Slowly, it eased open the lid and a thick black smoke oozed out, condensing into a shape like a dog. The dog bounded into the pit and snuggled up next to Danny.

“A puppy!” said Danny, delighted.

I made note of how you said your human parents, there was some derision, there, would never let you have a dog. He will keep you safe. The avatar put a hand on Danny’s head, and then on the dog’s. I infused it with your human hate, it murmured. I thought upon your words regarding it- of reason and safety. And, so, any who would give you cause to hate, any enemy that would be so dear to you, this one shall feel that in your stead, and destroy them.

That really, really should have woken Danny up a bit. Should have scared Danny. Perhaps, if he didn’t feel so nice and warm. As it was, he only hugged the dog closer. Implications, terrifying as they were, could wait for later.

Sleep well.

The lights went dim. The avatar faded away, although Clockwork was, of course, still present inside himself.

From this position, Danny could see the other thing the room resembled.

A womb.

[luminois]

— 𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐣𝐢𝐧;

𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡, 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

𝐰: 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐱 (𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜), 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝.

𝟐𝟔𝟎𝟑 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬, 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫.

𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭.

demons had once been humans, and every single one of them had died young. their life had been plagued by rage and pain, and the devil had given them the chance to live for eternity to get revenge on the world. they all existed by choice, phoenixes who had gone through fire and chose to keep burning forever.

they whispered in innocent ears about greed and envy, painted their souls red with sin. and despite the suffering they caused they were loved, because they were attractive, alluring, irresistible. they could’ve been mistaken for angels, if it wasn’t for the darkness in their eyes and the heat they exuded. and the black, featherless wings, of course. fear didn’t touch them and they were driven by adrenaline, uncontrolled impulses, and lust. in paradise there were stories of angels who had let themselves be tainted by a demon’s touch, after being pure on earth and in the afterlife. they’d become addicted, and had been ultimately killed by the heartache of not being loved back.

you should have hated him. that’s what everything suggested, what you’d been taught and what you knew was right. he was incapable of love, of feeling empathy, the very things you were made for. you shouldn’t want to spend even a second in his presence, you shouldn’t even be able to look his way without feeling repulsed.

but you’d let hyunjin follow you, hadn’t even said a word back when he said he wasn’t going to leave you alone, and now he was in the bakery, leaning against a counter as if he owned the place. you were afraid of him, that you couldn’t deny, but you couldn’t hate someone you didn’t even know. and how come angels were capable of hate?

“why so pouty, little angel? did your cookies not come out as sweet as you wanted?”

with his mocking tone came your red cheeks, a natural consequence. he loved it, you could see his smirk getting wider every time, but you couldn’t do anything to stop it.

“you’re going to scare my clients,” you said, daring a glance his way. he was dressed in black from head to toes, and the red of his eyes was only matched by his lips against the unnaturally pale skin. he looked completely out of place in the pastel tones of the bakery.

hyunjin chuckled. “you’re mistaken, they love me. this is about you.”

“about me?”

he hummed. “you’re the one who’s scared of me.”

“you’re mistaken,” you said, trying to use the same condescending tone. but your words came out shaky, and it made hyunjin laugh.

“lying is bad, angel, didn’t they teach you that in paradise?” he said, reaching out his hand towards you. “prove you’re not scared, then. come here, i’ll believe you if you come here to me.”

you looked at his hand, waiting for you to take it. clutching the hem of your apron in your fists, you followed his arm up to his face. you knew what it would’ve meant, what would’ve happened if you got closer and let hyunjin touch you willingly. you wanted to do it, to prove you hadn’t lied when you both knew you had.

pride. that was the biggest sin, the root of all evil. you’d heard that sentence in your head more times that you could count, sculpted into your conscience by every archangel you’d encountered. if you didn’t take his hand, it wasn’t real. unless you acted upon it, you weren’t sinning.

the first step was small, insignificant, but you’d taken it. hyunjin’s eyes lit up with astonishment at the prospect of you falling so easily. you didn’t take it yet. that’s what you kept repeating to yourself as you took the second step, your heartbeat loud in your ears. you didn’t take it yet, you could stop. it wasn’t too late, not yet.

he was one step away when the bell above the bakery’s door rang. hyunjin’s arm fell to his side. you were never going to take that step. you put on a smile and turned to greet the client. even if nobody had opened the door at that moment, you wouldn’t have taken it.

“hello! what can i do for you?”

the young man came a couple times a week to buy apple turnovers, his favorites, as he never failed to tell you, and he always offered you a wide smile. today, his sunny expression died down before he could even walk up to the counter.

his face lost all color as he stared at hyunjin, having forgotten your presence completely. the demon held his gaze, his tongue swiping over his lips, the light catching on the little ball of metal of his tongue piercing. the young man seemed conflicted, tense as if he was holding himself back from taking a step closer. hyunjin was calling him without saying a word, letting his half lidded eyes do the work.

you knew this was what was going to happen and you wanted to do something, anything. but you’d never seen a demon before hyunjin, and now you understood why they were so hard to resist. he wasn’t looking at you and yet you felt affected by his power, as if it were a physical entity whispering obscenities in your ear.

you shook your head and got a hold of yourself, trying your best to smile at the distraught customer. “apple turnovers, as usual?”

your gentle voice snapped the young man out of his trance, and now he looked at you perplexed. you knew what he was thinking, how could these two people be in the same place? humans didn’t know about angels and demons, but they could feel when someone was out of the ordinary. both you and hyunjin were, in the most opposite way.

he nodded quickly, his hands fondling with each other nervously. you packed his order and offered it to him, feeling somewhat reassured when he took the paper bag with a poor attempt at a smile. his last glance before he left was for hyunjin.

you sighed, pushing your hair back before turning to look at the demon. “what did you do to him?”

he tilted his head to the side, narrowing his eyes at you as his smirk got bigger. “what do you think i did, angel?”

“how could i know?” you huffed. “did you convince him to commit murder? to steal something?”

hyunjin’s laughter erupted in the small bakery. he shook his head, standing properly on his feet. “easier, way easier than all of that,” he said, raising his eyebrows at you when you didn’t say anything. “i fucked him, more times than you can count on your pretty little fingers. the sweetest of sins, to me at least. he was in pain for most of it but kept asking me to go on.”

a gasp escaped your lips, your cheeks starting to burn at hyunjin’s filthy words. he bit his full bottom lip at your reaction, a glint in eyes as he took a step closer to you.

“you’ve never had sex, have you? my shy, blushing little angel, have you ever imagined what it feels like?”

you took a step back as he kept walking towards you. of course you’d never done it, angels had to be pure, untouched even in their previous life. he knew that, there were stories in hell, too. but you were free in your thoughts, and sometimes they were filled with an uncontrollable hunger for something you’d never had. you imagined strong hands touching you gently, warmth spreading from the most intimate part of you to your entire body, words whispered in the dark.

“sins aren’t sweet,” you said, avoiding his questions. your back touched the wall, and when he stopped walking your bodies were almost touching. hyunjin tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, his pointer finger following the curve of your scarlet cheek. you shivered.

“this one is, angel. i can show you just how sweet lust is, show you everything you’ve missed out on. you just have to say the words.”

he caged you between his arms, leaning down until your noses were almost touching. his tone was inviting, promises of ecstasy and pleasure silently accompanied his words. you’d heard

a few angels talk about the blissful sensation being close to the highest brought them. would laying intimately with hyunjin feel the same way?

your mouth fell agape as one of his hands caressed your waist, settling on the small of your back. his expression was softer, as if something was on his mind. you sensed his hesitation and used the moment to duck under his arm and step away from him, ignoring the cold instantly enveloping you now that his warmth was gone.

hyunjin sighed, turning to look at you. he chuckled as you cupped your own cheeks with your hands, trying to cool them down.

“i’m going to get you, angel,” he said, his mischievous smirk curving his lips again. “you can’t pretend you don’t want me much longer.”

“i don’t want anyone, hyunjin, i don’t even think about any of that,” you lied. it had become increasingly easier after days of being around him. “you can try, but i won’t fall for you, not this easily.”

“so you’re saying you will if i try harder.”

you shook your head, unable to contain your smile. you knew you were nothing more than a name he wanted to add to the list of souls he’d managed to taint. but you couldn’t ignore the small voice in the back of your head, wondering why he hadn’t given up on you to go find someone easier to corrupt.

you turned to gather everything you needed to start working on a new batch of cookies, and hyunjin was hovering over you mere seconds later. his hands on your hips burned through the layers separating them from your bare skin. he’d never touched you so directly before, without having an excuse.

“what are you doing?” you asked, biting back the shakiness in your voice.

“keeping you warm while you work.”

you turned just enough to look up at him, curious about what he was truly trying to do. he looked back at you, and if you didn’t know better you’d think his actions were innocent.

“acting nice won’t work either, hyunjin, i know who you are.”

hyunjin rolled his eyes, his arms casually wrapping around your waist. “i’m not trying anything, i know you like being warm and i’m the best heater you can find, that’s all.”

“are you… actually being nice?”

he groaned “fuck it.”

you grabbed his wrist as you felt him start to move away, looking down at the ingredients spread out before you to ignore the grin stretching hyunjin’s lips. he held you closer, one of his big hands resting on your stomach.

“don’t push it,” you warned him. when he didn’t say anything back, you took a deep breath and started working.

making the dough was second nature now, your hands moving quickly without much thought. you didn't need measurements or instructions anymore, muscle memory guiding you through the entire process. maybe you’d done this in your previous life, too. you didn't particularly like it, but it came easy. as an angel, everything that could make others happy did. you hummed a soft tune unknown to you as well, your mind free to think about anything. you recalled the things you’d promised to do, the people you’d promised to help, and it felt like reading a list of chores.

as you moved on to cutting the shapes, hyunjin moved your hair out of the way and placed his chin on your shoulder. he was completely enveloping you now, your smaller figure disappearing in his arms.

“you’re quiet,” you said, breaking the silence that had been filling the room for quite some time now. you felt hyunjin shrug.

“you’re slow, i was falling asleep,” he joked, and laughed when your shoulders sagged down with a huff.

“i’m not giving you any cookies.”

“i have never, not once in my almost centenarian life, met a mean angel before you.”

you gasped, turning around in his hold. “i’m an angel, i am physically incapable of being mean.”

“the world isn’t black and white, angel,” hyunjin said, “you lie and think about naughty things you shouldn’t even know about, and i’m willingly spending my time with you. and i like it.”

there was no shame in hyunjin’s words, and as your heart started racing you wished you could read through him like he could so easily do with you. he sounded sincere, but you couldn’t be sure he wasn’t lying. his hands were now placed on the counter on either side of you, and you dreaded how you missed his touch.

“how can something be both good and bad?” you asked, trying to grasp the meaning behind his words.

“nothing is ever entirely good or entirely bad, there’s always both,” hyunjin said, looking down at you almost… tenderly, endeared by how naive you were. “do you know the man who lives a couple blocks from here, the one with the fucked up car that sounds like a dying cat when he hits the brakes?”

you cringed at the demon’s words, and nodded. “the people living close to him always come here and complain about it,” you said, “they say he steals cars to sell the pieces to shady people, but i don’t know if it’s true or just gossip.”

“it’s true,” hyunjin said, an amused smile curving his lips, “i helped him do it the first couple of times, it was fun but he sells to assholes and i couldn’t stand them for long without starting a fight, so i left him to mind his own business.”

you sighed, not even slightly surprised. “are you telling me this to brag about it or is there a point somewhere?”

“slow down, angel, damn,” he chuckled, pinching your waist. “i want to know what you think of him, now that you know it’s all true.”

“he’s a bad person, obviously, and it’s your fault.”

“he’s a single father,” hyunjin said, holding your chin to make sure you were listening. “he couldn’t buy his daughter books to go to school because he lost his job. when i met him he was struggling to find a way to put food on the table, scared shitless they were going to take her from him.”

you listened to him talk with your lips parted, wide eyes trying to find a sense in it all. you’d been told that bad actions aren’t excusable, that crooked things have to be straightened because nothing good can grow from them. but what if something has to be crooked to work properly? you watched as the flower of your certainties lost his first petals, and the tragedy of it all made your eyes teary.

“the world is cruel, little angel,” hyunjin said, his voice gentle as he wiped your silent tears. “sometimes you have to do cruel things to keep your head above the water.”

he caressed your hair, his palm guiding you to hide in his chest. you didn’t care about being vulnerable in front of him, showing emotions brought people together, you saw no use in pretending to be strong when your world was falling apart. hyunjin’s heart was beating strong and fast against your ear. he held you tighter.

hadn’t you felt so lost, you would have noticed the memories of his life on earth darken his features with a bitter smile.

do you want to read more?

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taglist: @sleepylixie @bobateastay @meiiyue @aliceu @softieyn @riel-precious @witchylixie @tulipsandfire @anskiie @tpwkjerii @blackkacchan @fournia @parachuuuus @inlovewithasa @skzshortcake @lmxral @hyunyin

[sirthisisa-wendys]

The Sacrifice Part 6: Geto Suguru x Fem!Reader

synopsis: you have to give to get. But are you willing to do what it takes?

wc: 1.5k

tw: none

masterlist

You’re sitting across from the Rain God, his face stern and unmoving.

“Geto, I assume you have brought me here to discuss the reason why I have withheld rain from this woman’s village.”

“Yes,” Geto begins, bringing the noodles to his mouth. “That, and I need you to explain to her how to renew your favor with them.”

“Making love to a human can breed ill-effects,” Yuta murmurs, his lips connecting with his cup, but his eyes never leave your face. “You know this as well as I do, your Holiness.” Your head turns towards Geto, but the strange words from the god are not explained to you. Instead, Geto laces his fingers together and nods.

“Indeed, your Graciousness, but I am asking you to give y/n some insight, that is all.” Yuta runs his tongue over his teeth, then scoots his chair back.

“Why do you care so much about the people who tried to have you murdered, y/n?” he wonders, and you hang your head slightly.

“I’m not so heartless that I would wish everyone dead because of one person’s actions, your Graciousness.” Yuta huffs out a laugh, then leans forward on his knees, eyeing you carefully.

“One person’s actions can cause a whirlwind of consequences. Your General Commissioner has done quite a lot for a man his age.” You sigh, pushing your hair back behind your ears as you feel deep disgust for the elder’s crimes. First, he killed the Dragon God’s sister. Then, he angered Yuta somehow. What else had he done?

“Tell me, what did he do, and what must I do to make it right?” Yuta skillfully dodges your question, waving it away with his hand and sighing.

“Unfortunately, Gakuganji made a pact with the God of Death long ago, before he enraged me or Geto. What would make it right could very well endanger your own life. And I’m sure the Dragon God will not allow anything of the sort, will he?” The man’s eyes slide to Geto, who is clenching the armrest with a white-knuckle grip. “It’s either that or…” Yuta places his head on a propped-up fist. “You can give her to me for a week.”

“A week?” You stand, shaking from outrage. “No.” Geto sits still, eyes cast downward. “No!”

“Only a week?” Geto wonders, still not looking at either you or Yuta.

“Just a week. Compared to eternity, it’s nothing.”

“You’re seriously considering this?” you ask Geto, and he finally looks up at you, his black eyes full of worry.

“It’s better than going against Toji. I trust Yuta will be nothing but honorable while you are with him.” You flinch at this admission, and back out of the room slowly, unsure of what to say other than a string of curses you wouldn’t be able to take back. Yuta’s dark blue eyes follow you, a smirk playing across his face as you turn around, marching off to your room in silence.

_____________________________________________________________

“Y/n, you have to listen to me.”

Clymenestra is staring at your face in the mirror, the tears scrubbed away from your appearance before she had the nerve to enter the room. “If I had to choose between Toji or Yuta, I would choose Yuta in a heartbeat. Facing the wrath of Toji could be the end for you. Either way, he’d get what he wanted, which is more souls to reap and bargains made.” You shake your head, hoping there’s another way for you to save your city and get rid of Gakuganji without having to deal with any other gods.

“Toji has the upper hand,” you note, fiddling with your fingers. “What good will staying with Yuta for a week do?”

“Yuta is one of the older gods,” Helen murmurs, and you look over to her in confusion. “Compared to Geto, he looks younger, but he’s eons older than him. And he might have some insight into what you can do to help get rid of Gakuganji.”

“Why haven’t any of you wanted to stop the General Commissioner?” you wonder, turning around in your seat, and the girls look away with varying levels of sheepishness.

“I was so thankful to be free from that place that I never once considered saving a single soul from there.” Cly offers, shrugging. “And I couldn’t save them now even if I wanted to.”

“But what about next year? We’ll have another girl torn from her family and brought here, where she may never be able to rejoin them, even in death.” None of the girls respond, and when you realize they’re just as selfish as Gakuganji, you push back your chair with force. “Have none of you thought of anyone but yourselves?” you yell, just as the door to the room swings open, revealing Geto and Yuta.

“Clymenestra, pack y/n a few things. She’ll be coming with me to the Realm of Rain,” Yuta announces, but you shake your head.

“There has to be another way to get some answers.”

“There isn’t,” Geto states, looking at you sternly. “If you want to save your people, then you’ll go with him.” Everything in you wants to rebel against his words, but then you consider the alternative.

Toji Fushiguro was not just feared by you, but every single immortal being in the room - except Yuta. If Yuta could give you a way to make things right without having to make a bargain with Toji… wouldn’t a week be the least of your problems? Silently, you give in. There were only two options, and by the looks of it, you would be less ashamed if you took the one Yuta offered.

As you walk towards Geto, he holds his hand out, then takes yours and presses a soft kiss to it. “If I leave with you, I will never depart from your side,” he whispers, and you nod twice. “It won’t be long. Just a few nights is all he’s asking for. I'll be here waiting for you when you return, my love." He pulls you in for a deep, loving embrace and kisses you with just as much desire as the night before.

Cly reappears with your things, and Yuta clasps his hands together, which makes you pull away from Geto abruptly.

“Perfect, we should make it just in time for lunch.”

_____________________________________________________________

You arrive on a solid cloud - unlike the ones from the night before - to the Realm of Rain, with Yuta holding his hand up to help you down. You take it graciously and step onto the mirror-like water below, your footsteps barely making the surface move. “Up ahead is my palace. I will have the attendants prepare your room while I give you a tour. Then, your lessons will begin.”

As if previously hidden by a mirage of nothingness, a massive, five-story high palace looms in front of you both. The beige-colored brick is covered with greenery: vines, grasses, and a singular tree at the top of the palace. It appears to be hovering slightly above the water, its presence overwhelming but alluring all the same. You can see little birds flitting to and from the palace windows, and flowers of various colors dotting the greasy knolls on the roofs of lower levels. It all seemed so beautiful and peaceful, but appearances could always be deceiving.

“What lessons will you give me?” you ask him as the castle draws near, and he hums thoughtfully.

“First, you need to know what happened between Gakuganji and me. Then, you’ll need to learn how to avoid Toji in order to kill Gakuganji once and for all.”

“Wait,” you halt. “Kill Gakuganji?” Yuta turns back to you, his dark blue eyes mischievous but unyielding.

“Oh, yes,” he smiles, jerking his chin at you. “And then you’ll deliver his soul to me. That’s how you can make things right.”

“Why can’t you kill him?” you wonder. “Why can’t Geto kill him?”

“Because every immortal is bound by the pacts given by the God of Death. He’s one of the eldest gods, and his bargains are binding forever. They cannot be rewritten or undone by anyone outside of the two parties.”

“So, if I get Gakuganji to break his bargain, then I can kill him?”

“Yes and no,” Yuta begins, looking over at you as he steps under the archway that leads to the entrance. “You can get Gakuganji to break his bargain and he will die, but Toji will come and collect his soul immediately. You need to get him to break his bargain, but somewhere where Toji has no domain.”

“The God of Death has domain everywhere,” you whisper, and Yuta shakes his head.

“Yes and no, again,” he replies, pushing open the door. It’s only then that Yuta turns around to face you fully, hands spread wide. “If you get him to become a sacrifice, then Toji has no domain over Geto’s property. That would effectively break the bargain and aid you in delivering his soul to me. Think you’re up to the task?” You raise a brow, then smirk at the god with confidence.

“Of course.”

_____________________________________________________________ TAGLIST: @sunfloweroranges @jibe-gajima @jotazinha @brownskinnedgirll @leanne-tamashi @vabybizzle @amaris9 @fuegy-fuegy @ambiguous-something @kontentious@missbonekitty @fyotituti @honouredsatoru @sandyscastle @flare-on @sasahime @ggotgame @just4readingfics

[taeminyourmind]

REVLON #015 x Taemin (A)

Genre: Angst

Synopsis: Afraid Taemin has been cheating on you, you finally muster the strength to question his loyalty and find yourself heartbroken by the complicated truth.

Word Count: 1.8k+

Pairing: Taemin x Reader

Autumn came in like a lion, its cold claws tearing into the city while its roar brings a ferocious wind. The gray clouds overhead roll like giant waves about to take over the city, blanketing every surface with a gray hue. Only the red, orange and yellow hues of the dying leaves provide color and life to the dull city.

Large raindrops begin to fall, splashing against the window into smaller drops. You barely crack a smile at the thought of nature crying along with you as you use the corner of a napkin to quickly wipe your tears.

“Why don’t you talk to Taemin about it?” Jongah asks before taking a bite from her blueberry muffin and wiping away the fallen crumbs from her shirt.

You scoff softly and roll your eyes. “And say what? Are you cheating on me?”

“Yes!”

“It’s not that easy,” you sigh, pushing your half-eaten omelet away. “I’m in love with him and I…” your voice trails off when tears sting your eyes.

Jongah reaches across the table and gently squeezes your hand, her eyebrows knitting together in concern over your falling tears. “Talk to him,” she gently whispers, encouragement lacing her tone. “I know you’re scared of heartbreak, but you’re allowed to know the truth.”

Each step you take towards your and Taemin’s shared apartment makes your stomach drop. Your fingertips nervously feel the grooves of your keys while your mind races through loops so fast that you’re not aware of the sounds of babies crying and arguments around you.

‘I can’t stand out here forever,’ you think before closing your eyes and jamming the key into the lock before slowly opening the door.

The living room is dimly lit with the TV providing the brightest light. You throw your jacket across the couch and look around for any signs of Taemin.

“Taemin?” You call out as you look in the kitchen and hall bathroom. You stop at your bedroom door, your hand resting on the knob. The thought of opening the door and potentially finding Taemin giving his love to someone else.

The thought causes you to shiver as you remember the day your world turned upside down. It all began the night Taemin came home from visiting his family.

A marathon of rom-coms has you glued to the TV while an array of snacks are spread before you. You could barely concentrate on the movie as you eagerly awaited the return of your loving Taemin, who's been away for a week visiting family overseas. You wanted to join him, but the increased demand of your job barely left you time for yourself or Taemin. You often felt guilty when you would come home and find Taemin asleep on the couch from trying to stay up late so he could welcome you home. But tonight, you managed to get the night off so you could be home to welcome him back with open eyes. You fixed his favorite meal and dessert for a night of relaxation.

The sound of the front door unlocking pulled your attention away from the screen. A wide smile spread across your face when a smiling Taemin stood in the doorway with the door closing behind him. He immediately dropped his bags and ran to you. His arms engulfed you in a warm embrace, lifting you off the ground while your lips kissed all over his face in between the whispers of ‘I missed you.’

He gently set you on the couch before he quickly pressed his lips against yours, moving them feverishly. No words needed to be said to acknowledge or understand the need for each other’s touch and warmth as you made love to each other on the couch. His sweet whispers of admiration, tender kisses, and touches sent you into euphoria, never wanting it to end.

The next morning began with a shared shower before Taemin offered to make breakfast. You decided to put away some of Taemin’s clothes from his bags when a gold tube of lipstick caught your eye. A smile appeared on your face when the tube glistened in the sun’s rays.

‘He shouldn’t have,’ you thought before taking the top off. Your smile soon faded when you noticed the lipstick has been used several times. Then, a faint smell of warm vanilla caught your attention, a scent you never wore.

The sound of your name being called stopped your train of thought. “Coming!” You tried your best to hide the shakiness in your voice.

You hurriedly placed the lipstick back in the bag and forced a smile before walking out of the room. Where his smile and laughter would’ve made your heart flutter, you couldn’t fight the hurt and confusion that haunted the back of your mind.

The memory feels like a punch in the gut as you try to even your breathing. Suddenly, that familiar vanilla scent taunts you before a voice has the chance to speak.

“___! How was brunch?” Taemin cheerily asks with a laundry basket under his arm. His face falls when you turn to him with teary eyes. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

When he takes a step towards you, the scent becomes poignant causing the tears to fall down your cheeks. When you flinch at his touch, his gaze saddens in confusion.

“Who is she?” You ask shakily after a moment of silence. Your throat burns from holding back your emotions and your cheeks grow warm from Taemin's question of ‘Who?’ “I found used lipstick that I never use, a vanilla perfume that I never wear,” you pause for a moment, swallowing before finally meeting his eyes. “Are you cheating on me?”

The question causes Taemin to blink at a loss for words. He stands in silence, his eyes blank with emotion. “I’m not,” he finally says, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I’m having a hard time believing that,” you say flatly.

“It’s not easy to explain,” he says before grabbing your hand and leading you to the couch.

You sit on the opposite side of the couch, unable to look in his direction. The silence begins to feel suffocating until Taemin sighs and shifts in his seat.

“The lipstick you found,” he begins, “is mine.” You scoff and roll your eyes to his displeasure. “I’m telling the truth, ___.”

You remain silent for a moment, searching for the words that seemed to have quickly vanished. “And why would you own lipstick?” You slowly ask.

Taemin inhales deeply, rubbing his hands together. “It’s the only way I can still feel her lips on mine.”

‘Her?’ You think. So many questions swarm your mind before Taemin speaks again.

“Revlon #015. I can still see her put it on, her eyebrows knitting together as she glides the tube across her lips and I can still feel the beating of my heart when she catches me watching her and rushes over to kiss me, leaving some on my lips.” He pauses for a moment, smiling at the memory. “She would leave kiss marks on her love letters and spray it with her favorite vanilla scent from Bath & Body Works.”

The anger that rose inside of you quickly turns to sadness - for Taemin because he’s still in love and has been grieving the loss of his ex-girlfriend, and for you, because you’ve come to realize that his heart didn’t belong just to you.

“There are things I don’t want to forget about her, things I just can’t forget,” he softly says, his true feelings finally now allowed to come out. “And I can’t allow myself to lead you on anymore. I’m still in love with her and I love you,” he trails before clearing his throat. “I can’t, I can’t hurt you anymore. I won’t allow myself to do that to you.”

You swallow your sobs that want to erupt from your core. A sad smile disappears as quickly as it came as you muster the strength to finally look at the young man you love. His bangs hide his tear-filled eyes as he quickly wipes his tears away. You begin to wonder if you somehow forced him to begin your relationship before he was truly ready.

“I’m sorry,” you say weakly, your eyes falling to the floor.

Taemin looks towards you and reaches out to squeeze your hand. “I can never forget you or your love, ___. That’s nothing to be sorry about.”

You take a shaky breath before squeezing his hand back. ‘So this is heartbreak,” you think as you sit in silence, hands still intertwined. ‘They were right, it always gets you.’

A year has gone by since you’ve last seen or talked to Taemin. Every now and then you got the urge to contact him just so you could hear his voice, but that would’ve made the wound hurt more. Jongah was more than welcoming when she opened her apartment to you, even helping you move your things from your old apartment. For months, you lay awake thinking of Taemin and the memories you shared and the last hug you shared before you walked away, never to return.

It wasn’t until Jongah introduced you to her friend, Taehyun, that you thought about dating. When you met Taehyun, thoughts of Taemin no longer overshadowed your thoughts. Taehyun was like Taemin in his gentle ways, but you could see the unwavering look of admiration in his eyes when you were together and feel the excitement of being in your presence. With him, you felt your heart begin to be slowly repaired as he took everything slowly and did his best to comfort you and gain your trust.

The crisp autumn air causes you to shiver as you walk with Taehyun to your favorite lunch spot.

“Cold?” He asks. Wrapping his arm around you before you have the chance to answer.

The warmth radiating from his body pulls you closer. The changing leaves catch your eye as you watch one gracefully fall to the ground. A gentle bump against your shoulder makes you glance up.

“I’m so sorry,” you turn and begin to say. Your eyes widen when you see a familiar face. “Taemin?”

Taemin lifts his head enough for you to see his eyes from under his hood. A warm smile spreads across his face. “___,” he says before looking towards Taehyun.

“This is Taehyun,” you smile. The two young men shake hands bringing warmth to your heart. When Taemin inquisitively raises his eyebrows, you eagerly nod.

“You make sure you treat her right,” Taemin says, his tone stern. “She deserves the best.”

Taemin’s gaze brings a smile to your face. “It was nice seeing you.”

Taemin smiles, “Yeah, you too.”

Not knowing the right words to say, you bid him a farewell nod before grabbing Taehyun’s hand and continuing down the sidewalk. You refuse to look back as you cross the crosswalk.

‘My future is beside me,’ you think with a smile as you rest your rest on Taehyun’s shoulder and allow your fingers to intertwine with his.

[lune-hime]

Future (Chocobros x f!Reader)

“How did you imagine our future?” 

↞Noctis↠

The blossoms tickled your cheek as you turned to regard the prince. His question was asked with a tone as light as the crisp night air.

“Well, last I checked we were still getting married.” You chuckled, reaching out to idly caress a velvety petal between your fingertips. “It will be a grand wedding, no doubt.”

Noctis hummed contently next to you, your forms spread out in the vast field.

“We can expect nothing less from Specs.” He added. The two of you giggled at the image of a Ignis as a wedding planner.

“What should we do for the honeymoon?” You speculated to the starry sky, gaze getting lost in the endless maze of constellations.

“Sleep.” Noctis replied dreamily. You huffed and shook your head in disbelief, the movement causing petals to fall into your splayed locks.

“How about going fishing?” He proposed. The scowl you gave him caused an amused smile to settle on his smooth features.

“Altissia and a little sleeping and fishing on the side?” He offered in a last ditch attempt to fit his two favorite activities into the plans.

“That sounds more like it.” You sighed happily, letting the coolness of the midnight breeze delicately prickle your skin.

“Y/N.” Noctis cooed, the sound as smooth as the surface of the flowers. You turned back towards him, heart lighting up when you were met with his smile. The euphoria only lasted a moment, however, before the once pleasant chill of the night began giving you goosebumps.

“Promise me something.” He requested in a feigned upbeat tone. You could tell he was trying to mask the sadness in his voice.

You nodded once, watching the corners of his mouth quiver slightly.

“Anything.” You whispered. Noctis’ touch was temperate in contrast to the brisk air as he reached out to run his palm along your jawline.

“Promise me you won’t let me ruin your future."

Every physical aspect of reality had seemed to halt in that moment. You no longer had any sense of time nor of the itchy feeling of the blades of grass against your bare legs. You could no longer see the complex colors of the heavens and the moons seemed like dull street lights in the sky. The cold wind no longer bit at your skin. You felt completely numb to everything except Noctis.

“What?” You choked, suddenly feeling like a rock was lodged into your throat. Noctis’ shook his head, silently telling you not to cry, and flashed you another grin.

“Please do everything we just talked about, either for yourself or with someone who makes you happy.” His voice cracked at the second half of his phrase, but he retained his grin.

“I’m so sorry I’m not able to give you that future, goddess knows I would have given you the entirety of Eos.” His sapphire eyes reflected the dazzling lights in the sky and his gaze was filled with thousands of words he would never be able to say to you.

“Instead of living in my memory, live for my memory, okay?” His eyes softened into a smile of their own as he regarded you like it was the last time he ever would.

Suddenly, you felt the sudden urge to embrace him but before you could throw yourself into his arms, he had disappeared on the wind and you felt yourself being dragged out of the field with a swift tug.

“Rise and shine, Y/N. By the six, we need to find a new expression for that now. Time for another hunt.” Iris sang as she gingerly shook you awake. Blinking the sleep from your eyes, you craned your neck to peek out the tent window to regard the dark world that awaited for you. Heaving yourself up from your sleeping back, you rubbed your eyes and cracked your back with a resounding pop before getting to your feet. After slipping on your boots, you gave the jewel around your left ring finger a loving twirl as you walked out to the campsite. Even in the shadows of Eos, the little gem still managed to shine.

“I promise, Noct.”

He was now your past, but you would forever be his future.  

↞Prompto↠

He was the personification of a wilting flower. His once bright eyes were now sunken and bordered by heavy bags. He barely showed his dazzling smile anymore, so you had said goodbye to the little dimple on his cheek weeks ago. Even his once vibrant golden locks had seemed to dim in hue along with the rest of the world. When Eos lost its sunlight, so did you.

You barely registered the question he posed into his lukewarm coffee. Your heart broke when you hear the hopelessness in his voice.

Turning towards him, you reached over only to brush past his arm to grab his camera lying on the diner counter. Prompto looked over to you with slight interest, still slumped weakly in his chair. You flipped through the photos, pressure bubbling behind your eyes at the happiness of your youth. He always kept old pictures on his camera to make sure he never forgot what life used to be like. Photos were physical and more tangible compared to memories, anyway. You blinked back the wetness in your eyes until you found it.

Wordlessly you slid the camera over to him, and he picked it up with gentle hands. Once his gaze met the screen, they starting shaking and the camera began to fall from his grasp. You placed your hands firmly over his, securly holding the device in place.

It was a selfie Prompto took of the two of you at Wiz’s Chocobo Post early on in your journey. Sandwiched in between the two of you was your own Chocobo, Blueberry, his periwinkle feathers bristling in excitement and his beak open in mid chirp. Happiness radiated off you and Prompto, your smiles overtook all the other features of your face and the afternoon sun casted a cheerful glow over the image.

Prompto sucked in a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

“This was our future.” You gestured towards the photo with a sad smile. You removed your hands from his and used them to cup his cheeks, turning him to face you. It was the first time in a while you had gotten him to directly look at you.

“And it still is.” You stated, voice unwavering. As you looked into his eyes, all the memories of your Prompto flashed through your mind like the title credits of a movie. A happy smile found it's way to your lips this time.

“You are forever my sunshine, even more now so that the world has grown dark. And we will find the light again.” You sealed your promise to him with a soft kiss, his arms immediately coming to cup your forearms gently. When you pulled away you saw a few stray tears had begun staining his cheeks but more importantly that dazzling smile that could drive the darkness away with one glance.  

↞Ignis↠

The soft puff of air that left your mouth tickled the corner of Ignis’ lips. Your hesitation caused his heart to sink. He bit his lip nervously, teeth worrying over the chapped skin. He didn't mean to sour the previously sweet and intimate moment but the question had become a chronic worry of his. The various fictional situations of his disability somehow ruining your constantly ran through his mind and were gnawing on his insides.

In the absence of a response, he felt his intrusive thoughts begin to manifest into reality. Before he could turn away, however, your hands on his chest rose to gingerly clasp onto his cheeks, forcing him to face you. Through his clouded vision, he could only see the shadow of your movements but he knew your features were contorted in the way they did when you were trying to articulate a particular feeling.

“I didn't picture it like this, but I know you didn't either.” You almost laughed, bringing his face closer and looking into those milky green orbs. Although seemingly lifeless, they still sparkled with the same vigor the man had expressed before the incident. Brushing his eyelids shut with gentle fingertips, you replaced your touch with a feather light kiss to both of them. When you pulled back, the look of adoration on Ignis’ face made your heart swell. Who knew such a simple thing like a kiss could calm the tidal waves of insecurity that resided within the man.

“But I wouldn't change a thing, because even though the world went to shit, I still have you. And you are still you no matter what happens.”

↞Gladiolus↠

Gladiolus’ question replaced the comfortable silence between the two of you as you maneuvered through the briarwood. The inquiry made you laugh and you almost slipped at the minor distraction, boots squelching against the muddy ground. Gladiolus, reflexes as nimble as ever, gripped your arm thus preventing you from coming into contact with a sizeable bramble bush.

“Well, our lives haven’t exactly been a fairytale now have they?” You replied sarcastically, the both of you chuckling as he lifted up a low hanging vine so you could step under.

“I mean, sure I obviously thought it would be a lot different than this-” You started, abruptly stopping in the middle of the path much to Gladiolus’ confusion.

“But look.” You smiled, pointing to the sky. Gladiolus followed your finger to the thick canopy of the woods. A clearing in the branches allowed for pale rays of sunlight to seep through the dense foliage, the sun warming his skin and causing him to squint. His eyes started to sting from it’s intensity, but it was a welcoming feeling. What wasn’t welcome, however, was the moisture that began collecting in his eyes.

“And we have this” You stated, taking his hand and guiding it to rest on the slight bump of your stomach. He splayed his palm and rubbed soothing circles against the fabric of your shirt. He regarded you with an adoration he never knew he would get to experience.

“Thank you, Noct, for giving us this future.” Gladiolus said to the sky, his voice thick with a menagerie of emotions. The sun had given back their ability to live, but it was the boy behind the sun that had given Eos a second chance to shine.

↞Bonus↠

“Noct for the thousandth time NO we are not spending our honeymoon at the recreational fishing area.” You retorted over your shoulder as you sped walked to keep up with a swift paced Ignis. Why did he have to have such long legs?

Ignis was simultaneously speed firing you questions regarding the shapes and materials of various dining wares and whether or not you wanted hydrangeas or lilies placed in the center of each table as the three of you maneuvered through the elaborate department store. Well, it was more like the two of you with how far back Noctis was straggling behind. While Ignis was like a worker bee buzzing from section to section, the prince on the other hand was taking a leisurely stroll; touching random items here and there but not regarding them with much enthusiasm. You had told him that it was fine if he didn’t come; you were enjoying planning out your wedding enough for the two of you. But Noctis protested, saying that even though it wasn’t his favorite thing to do, he wanted to be there because at the end of the day it was both your wedding.

Ignis abruptly stopped in front of a vast display of fabrics, carefully inspecting each one with fine detail. You patiently waited behind the advisor, giving Noctis some time to catch up.  

“On any other occasion a weekend fishing with you sounds heavenly, but I don’t want to spend our honeymoon smelling like trout and stinky worms.” You stated, grimacing at the thought of your cute outfits smelling like dead fish.

“Which one of these do you fancy would be suitable for the table cloths for the reception?” Ignis inquired, shoving a book of samples into your hands as he slowly moved down the line of textiles. A moment later, Noctis popped up behind you, idly looking at the samples from over your shoulder. Once you noticed his presence, you held them up so he could get a better view.

“Black obviously.” Noctis declared blandly. It was clear to everyone that he wasn’t that into the whole wedding planning process and was more excited for the actual event than having to be involved in everything that went into arranging it. It didn’t help that he had to get up two hours earlier than he normally did either.

“Of course, Noct, but which black.” Ignis exhaled, looking close to short circuiting. The cloth samples were indeed both a dark shade of cobalt, but they differed in pattern and sheen. Taking matters into your own hands you pointed to the silk cloth with intricate silver embroidering.  

“This one is pretty, Iggy.” You chimed in, wanting to keep Ignis’ sanity intact and let Noctis be done with the whole process as soon as possible.

“Couldn’t agree more, Y/N. You always have had the better sense of aesthetics out of the two of you.” Ignis praised before immediately moving onto the next item on the list, leaving behind an annoyed Noctis. You choked back a laugh and turned to face him, poking his puffed cheeks until his pout turned into a smile.

“How about we go to Altissia, with some fishing on the side?” He proposed, grasping your hands and lowering them from his face to intertwine his fingers with yours.

“It’s a deal!” You beamed, bouncing on your heels. The excitement on your features set off sparks in Noctis’ chest.

“If I receive some persuasion, maybe we can throw in a few naps in there too.” You added playfully, swaying your entangled hands from side to side.

“Oh, we can do more than just nap.” Noctis grinned, taking his hands out of yours and fluidly moving to lightly tickle your sides, offering an animated shriek from you. Just as you were getting into a small tickle fight, the buzzing of the store’s intercom system activated.

“Stop dilly-dallying lovebirds and lets get a move on, we still have to go to the caterer’s office after this. I am in isle 24, the silverware section.” Ignis’ unamused voice echoed off every surface of the building.

The two of you exchanged a look of disbelief before breaking out into hysterical laughter.

“Better not keep him waiting.” You patted his chest and broke away from his embrace. Noctis rolled his eyes and placed a kiss to your forehead before the two of you ran hand in hand to your lovely wedding planner.

[howdoyousleep3]

Self care story for the day:

It wasn't easy, keeping this whole thing a secret. It had to be timed perfectly, while on his trip, since there'd be absolutely no way to keep it from James if he was still seeing him every day.

Steve hated hiding things from his boyfriend, but he alleviated the guilt by justifying that it was a good surprise, and nothing to feel bad about. There had been a few close calls, when James had peeked over his shoulder at his phone during the appointment making, and almost overhearing a conversation that Steve's been having with a classmate about their experience.

But now Steve was halfway across the country for the next three weeks on a school trip, James was none the wiser, and the day was upon him.

The tattoo parlor was clean and warm, the artist was open and perfectly happy to work with Steve's design, answering all his questions and generally making him feel a lot better about the whole thing.

It knew it was kind of extreme, in a not-so-good way, to get a tattoo to show your love for someone, but honestly, he'd been wanting to get one for a really long time, and the design that he'd chosen was ambiguous enough that if--God forbid--he and James part ways, it won't be clocked as a relationship tattoo.

The whole process took only about an hour and a half, the artist quick and precise, and only a slight burn lingered as Steve eyed the finished piece in the mirror.

"It's absolutely perfect," he whispers, smiling wide enough that his face hurts.

It wasn't until the artist was cleaning and wrapping his ink, explaining how to care for the healing tattoo that the little red charms glinting in the window caught his eye.

"Those are blood jewels," she replied to his question about them. "We take a bit of your blood and seal it inside a tiny vial that you can wear, or give to someone you care about. It's delightfully macabre and romantic, isn't it?"

Steve agrees and leaves a little bit later with an aftercare checklist, a small bandage on his finger, and a little box in a little bag.

-

The remaining days of the trip are dedicated to schoolwork, tattoo care, and Steve stopping himself from spilling the beans every time James sighed heavily down the phone line, "I miss you so much, Steve. Can't wait to have you back with me, baby. It's so lonely without you here."

It feels like forever and no time at all that Steve is stepping out of the airport terminal and into the open arms of James Barnes, both of them heaving out shuddering breaths as their pieces finally stop shifting and slot back into place perfectly. They were finally home.

An errant stroke of James' hand has Steve flinching slightly, James immediately clocking the motion, and Steve has to push on tip-toes to stem the questions he knows are coming with a quick and dirty kiss.

"I'll tell you at home, okay?" he whispered against the older man's mouth. "Please take me home," he sags against the broad chest in front of him, suddenly very, very tired. "Wanna g'home."

James is clearly concerned, but he merely nods, tucks Steve against his side, and takes him home, just like his baby boy asked.

The drive is quiet, soft music from the radio cutting the silence, but neither man talk as James weaves them in and out of city traffic, one hand on the wheel and the other clasping Steve's tightly on the center console. Steve nods off a few times, but is awake and aware as they pull into the driveway.

Bags and suitcases get gathered up and hauled into the house, but as soon as the door clicks closed behind both of them, James is dumping his burdens and stalking towards Steve, looking seconds away from the warpath if Steve is actually hurt.

"Show me," he growls, eyes glued to the hidden thatch of skin that caused his boy to flinch away from his touch.

Steve shivered almost violently, but obeyed, feeling his pants tighten at the heat in his Daddy's gaze, crossing his arms at his waist to grasp the hem of his shirt and twisting to get it over his head, keeping his left arm raised to show off his secret.

James breathing is the only sound for a very, very long time, getting heavier and more ragged as he looks at the art on his baby's side. "Fucking hell," he finally chokes out, stepping in close to trace a gently trembling finger around the outside of the tattoo, not touching the ink but making Steve shudder and whine high in his throat.

It's not that big, maybe the size of James' spread hand, and it's done in the neo-traditional style; stark black lines standing stark with vibrant colors.

James recognized some of the blossoms--the red carnation, the little dandelion, the tiger lily, and even a cactus blossom--but most of them were beyond his ken, and the whole beautiful bouquet was bound in a flourish of grass and white heather. As he soaks in all the details and colors, Steve's hand joins his on his goose-pimpled skin, bringing James' large fingers to each flower and speaking in a quivering voice:

"Cactus, for endurance

Carnation, because I ache for you

Tiger Lily, for my proud and successful Daddy

Dandelion, for loyalty and happiness

Pink Hyacinth, for playfulness

Lily-of-the-Vally, for making my life complete

Mistletoe, for kisses

Petunia, because you bring me peace

Primrose, I can't live without you

Heather, for the protection you give me

And grass, for the submission I give to you."

-

James is not ashamed of the tears that are tracking down his cheeks as he pulls Steve into his arms, burying his face in the crook of the blond's neck. "I love you so much, Steve," he rasps. "This is so fucking beautiful, sugar. You are so fucking beautiful. What did I do to deserve you, huh? How did I get the best fucking baby boy in the whole damn world?"

Steve's laugh is a little soggy sounding, but he gives James' damp cheek a kiss before pulling back, "I got you something else, too."

"Another gift? Stevie, it's my job to spoil you, not the other way 'round."

Steve rolls his eyes and sniffles softly as he squats to dig through his backpack, "Shut up, James. I can get you gifts if I want. Daddy's need spoiling too, y'know." He straightened with a little black box, cupped in one outstretched palm. "Here."

James gently takes the box and lifts off the lid.

Nestled in a tuft of black tissue paper is a small red pendant in the shape of a teardrop. James plucks it up and holds it to the light, realizing that the red is actually liquid. "It's beautiful, sugar," he says, turning it this way and that.

"It's...um...i-it's actually my...my blood in there," Steve stutters, hands twisting nervously, blush spilling down his still bare chest. "I saw them at the parlor I got inked at and...well, I...I wanted you t-to always have a piece of me w-with you. To know that I'm always there."

James stared at the little red gem with fresh eyes, and slowly, reverently, slid the cord over his head, cupping his palm protectively over where it settled on his chest. "You are...," he started, but had to swallow back more tears.

He decided to give up on words and simply scoop Steve up in his arms, making the younger man yelp, then giggle, and carrying him to the bedroom.

His actions would speak louder than any words he could say.

And his actions would swear his love so deeply that it would mark Steve even more permanently than his new tattoo.

On his chest, a drop of red glittered brightly.

My dearest Shadow, I adore you and your mind and your skill and your attention to detail. This one really got me! Steve would no doubt sneak a tattoo for his Daddy and James would no doubt be emotional as fuck over it. The blood jewel?? 😭 Oh my goodness. Wow. We are truly blessed on this Self Care Sunday. 💕

[midearthwritings]

Aren't We Just Terrified?

Three brothers who actually were two brothers and a sister.

Words Count : 1,997

Pairing : Fíli, Kili & Transgender!Dwarven!Reader

Warning : Angst

Author's Note : In this one, the reader is MTF transgender. So I kind of hesitated to write and post it because I didn't know if people would like it. But I actually am quite satisfied with what I did so yeah, give me feedback?

Now, this was different. It gave you a certain freedom that breeches didn't allow. You liked it. The feeling at least. Because when you looked closer, it wasn't very aesthetically pleasing at the moment. Perhaps it was because of your hair? With a flick of your wrist, you brushed off the idea. It wasn't about the looks, right now. No, it was about how it felt.

For weeks, the dress had been laying under your bed, securely. You had been waiting for the right moment to try it on. It wasnt that easy to have time for yourself when you were royalty. Between your duties, and your two brothers who were glued to you like honey to a bear's teeth, you were never alone. Not that you were complaining, no. You loved your brothers and your education, despite being tiring, was important to you.

Your patience had paid off. So here you were, in the privacy of your bedchambers, twirling in one of your mother's dress.

Deep inside, you knew you looked a little bit silly —just a little bit—, doing random movements to see how the fabric reacted to your body. But it was worth it. Because for every shift of your arm, every tentative jump you took, it felt good. It felt right.

But little did you know that your peace wouldn't last, and you would have to cut your exploring escapade short.

You were in the middle of another timid twirl when the wooden door flew open.

"Can you, please, tell Fíli that using a bow doesn't- What are you doing?"

Instinctively, you wrapped your arms around yourself, in a weak attempt to hide the clothing. Trapped. Trapped like a rabbit in a hunting party. No, worse. You had been caught, like a thief trying to steal from the King.

"Brothers!" You exclaimed, your voice shaking. "I will explain!"

What was there to say, really? The sight before them spoke by itself, your words would be useless.

Time stopped, as they both stayed still, staring at you. So, silently, you waited. You had done it for weeks, only to try on a dress. And yet, the five, or less, minutes you waited for your brothers to speak up felt like forever.

Then, suddenly, Kili shook his head in a slow, oh so very slow, disapproving gesture.

"No. This is not good."

His words resonated in your bedchambers, cutting the air like a sword cut the skin of its enemies, and breaking your heart in a billion pieces. Your fingers clutched the fabric of your mother's dress. Desperately, you looked at your eldest brother, pleading him to say something, anything. Fíli's silence was deafening.

Slowly, he narrowed his eyes. From head to toe, he scrutinized you. You felt naked under their judgemental gazes. And really, if you had had to choose, you would have rather been nude than living this situation. Because it was not supposed to happen. They were not supposed to come home from training this early, and much less walk in on you in woman garments.

When finally—finally— Fíli chose to speak up, you wished he hadn't. You wished he would've stayed quiet.

"It is not. At all." He said, earning an agreeing nod from Kili.

The world crumbled around you, the furnitures dancing in the room as you started to feel dizzy. Suffocating. You were suffocating. Yet, you stayed still.

Fíli was the first to turn around and leave, soon followed by your other brother. The door fell loudly behind them, its sound bouncing on the walls, echoing in your ears.

Slowly, you turned around, facing the mirror again. And through the tears, you looked at your blurry reflection. It looked ridiculously broken and lost. They had been right. It was not good, not good at all. Dis' dress was too tight for you, despite you not being as muscular as your siblings. The only part of the clothing that was too big was the upper part, where breasts were supposed to fill it.

Lips trembling, you grabbed the hem of the garment and brought it over your head to take it off. It fell to the floor in a soft thud, the deep blue fabric spreading like an enraged sea at your feet. Your eyes locked with those of the person in the mirror. It was a familiar figure, yet you felt like you didn't know who it was. Those broad shoulders and flat chest were someone else's. Not yours. You brought your hand to your face, following the stranger's sharp jawline with your fingertips. Droplets dampened your skin as warm tears slipped between your cheek and your palm.

All you had wanted was to feel beautiful for once, in that manly body of yours. And now, the two people you loved most on Earth would look upon you with disgust, instead of the adoring eyes they used to give you. You were sure that, soon, your mother as well as your uncle, would hate you too. Maybe they will be so disgusted that they'd ask you to leave. You will be very alone, in this world you knew nothing of.

At that thought, your tears doubled and a broken sob escaped your lips.

What stirred you out of your thoughts was the door opening again, and voices. In the mirror, you could see your brothers, arms busy with various items. Your eyes met Kili's and he smiled.

"Ah you undressed already." He pointed out. "Perfect. We had a bit of trouble finding the ones mom wore during her pregnancies but... Are you crying?"

You spun on your heels, facing them. Your brows furrowed in confusion. What was all this about? Kili punched the blonde Dwarf's arm and whispered loudly :

"I told you she would not like the green one!"

"You liar!" Fíli exclaimed, punching back. "I had picked the red one but you said green would suit her best!"

I told you she would not...

Green would suit her..

She... Her..

These two innocent words echoed in your brain, getting louder and louder.

"I do not understand.." You croaked sadly, bringing your brother's attention back on you.

They stepped forward.

"Well," the archer began. "Fili does not want to admit that it was me who wanted to pick the red dress for you."

You shook your head, completely lost.

"No..I mean. Do you not hate me? Are you not disgusted?"

The two princes looked at each other, now as confused as you.

"Why would we?" They asked at the same time.

"You said...And..the way you looked at me...You left...I thought..."

Your tears were stronger now, as you babbled nonsense. The confusion was overwhelming, and had they not dropped what they were holding to come hug you, you would've collapsed onto the floor. Instead, the descent was slow and gentle.

Reassuring hands were everywhere. Caressing your hair lovingly, rubbing your arms, drawing soothing patterns on your back.

"We could never hate you, Kidhuzel." Fíli whispered, pressing a kiss to your temple.

"We said it was not good because..." Kili explained, reaching out behind the three of you to grab the discarded dress on the floor. "Blue clearly is not your color, Muhudel. Plus, it is a dress mom used to wear before she met our father. It is too small for your frame. You need something that fits."

You nodded timidly and looked up at your brothers, offering them a shy smile. One of them—you didn't notice which one— reached up to wipe your tears with his thumb.

"But I was trying on a dress and I am a-"

"A woman." The crown heir interrupted. "You are a woman. Listen to me, Mizimelûh. I have seen you grow up into a strong person. But never, before today, had I seen your eyes scintillating with such happiness."

"He speaks the truth." Kili added, tilting your chin up so you would look at him. "You never liked the way you look. Because it is not who you are. It is nothing to be ashamed of. The Gods made a little mistake when creating you and they put you in the wrong body."

The earlier heartache was now forgotten, replaced with comforting warmth, expanding throughout your limbs. You smiled, ignoring the pounding pain in your head caused by your crying. Timidly, you reached down and took the green fabric between your fingers. No matter who was it that choose the color, he had been right. It was a deep green, like the leaves covering large trees in forests. Yet, it looked softer, more welcoming, than the raging blue one. It was also larger than the other, which would make it appear nice and fitting instead of ridiculously too tight. And although the breasts problem remained, you found yourself wondering how it would look.

Above your head, you couldn't see, but your two brothers were looking at each others with the biggest smile planted on their face. They had been suspecting this for a while, but they had waited. Because after all, happiness takes its sweet time, doesn't it?

"How about you try it on?" The eldest spoke up, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

"And then, we will add a few more things, and style your hair so it looks really, really good. Is that alright?" Kili added.

You nodded eagerly and the three of you stood up. The dress was pushed past your head, falling on your body delicately.

After that, a strange procession, of which you were the center, took place.

Behind you, there was Kili, taking off the clasps that secured the few braids you wore. You felt his fingers working in your hair. And when you peaked in the mirror, you could see his tongue poking out, sign of how focused he was. It surprised you sometimes, how talented and gentle he was with other people's hair, when he couldn't even take care of his own.

In front of you, Fíli was tugging at the fabric, this or that way, clicking his tongue when he wasn't satisfied with what he was doing. And when he was done torturing the poor clothing, he grabbed a pouch and emptied it on the floor. You looked at all the precious jewels and accessories that were discarded at your feet.

"Did you ask mother before taking her belongings?" You asked.

"You know us." Kili's voice rose from behind. "We did not, of course. But she will not mind at all when she sees how beautiful her daughter is, wearing them."

Fili hummed approvingly from where he was and you bit your lip at the appellation. Yes, you definitely liked it.

It took them a bit more time, many doing and undoing, and an infinite amount of unsatisfied groans before they finally stood in front of you, side by side.

"How does it look...?" You questioned, nervously fidgeting with your fingers.

"Why don't you turn around and see by yourself?" The blonde suggested.

And so you did. Shakily, you took in the sight of the new person in the mirror. The change was astonishing. Oh, your face still had some hard features. But the attention was taken away by the smartly placed jewels. Your hair had been tucked into a braid crown around your hair, decorated with smaller braids and clasps that were worn by women. A belt piqued with gemstones was circling your waist, hiding your large hips, and making the dress look less like a tube. And Fíli, intelligent dwarf that he was, had put the upper part in place with pins, therefore getting rid of the empty space.

Your eldest brother's arm circled your middle, and Kili's chin rested on your shoulder.

"What do you think about it?" The latter asked with a bright smile.

And when the mirror showed you how happy you looked altogether, you knew it was right. Slowly, you nodded at their reflection and in a soft murmur you said :

"It's good. Perfect."

-----

Translation :

Kidhuzel→ (the) Gold of Gold

Muhudel→ Blessing of Blessings

Mizimelûh→ Jewel of all jewels

[mlqcanonymous]

hi can i ask a scenario when tbe boys find out that their s/o was once abandoned at the altar on her wedding day? thanks

I remembered this was the first person who asked me if I accepted requests/asks 😂 Well, you got what you asked for! I wrote this in the middle of taking the exam lol So, if it sucks, blame it on rhe exams haha! PS. Some of the boys aren’t married to MC yet so I hope that’s okay with you!

𝓥𝓲𝓬𝓽𝓸𝓻

For the past few days after Victor’s proposal and your lame response (“Can I think about it first?”), Victor noticed you’ve been acting a bit odd.

To him, it seemed like you were no longer sure how to act around him. He noticed how you pause whenever you were in the same room as him, how your words were more hesitant and how your movements were more withdrawn.

You’ve been together for four years already and living together for nearly a year. To see you act so differently just felt so wrong for him.

Was it because of the proposal? Victor thought one afternoon in his office. He didn’t see anything wrong with his proposal and he already told you that he’d wait for your answer as long as it took.

So, what was wrong? What changed? What was different now?

Could it be that you no longer loved him?

It just struck Victor then that maybe the reason why you asked for more time was because you were thinking about how to break up with him.

And honestly, for someone like Victor who was always sure of his actions and who never hesitated on his words, he didn’t know what to do if that were the case.

Victor already took away your right to decide once (back then with the whole bodyguards business thing) and he couldn’t imagine taking it away when you stressed it enough how important it was for you.

Taking it away again would be so despicable and undeserving of you that if it ever came to a point where you decided to leave him, he would undoubtedly let you go no matter how much it was killing him in the process.

Thinking about it not only made his head hurt, but also made him unable to properly breathe due to the pressure mounting on his chest.

Preoccupied by the thoughts running in his head, Victor didn’t even notice when you came in his office until you spoke his name.

He snapped out of his thoughts and upon seeing you, blurted out the first thing that came to his head, “Are you leaving me?”

“Wait, what?” You asked, caught off guard by his abrupt question. “No! What? Victor, I’m not leaving you. What made you think that?”

Victor, at first, didn’t want to admit the reason why, but when you looked at him with such a worried expression like that, he went on to explain what he observed, what it meant, and the conclusions it formulated. He did all of this reluctantly, as if admitting it aloud would also be admitting a weakness.

You listened to all of his points, and once he was finished, you berated yourself for putting him in a such uncomfortable position that most likely caused the ever unbreakable and untouchable Victor to feel doubtful. It was something that almost never happened so you could imagine how discomfited he was.

“Oh, I’m sorry I made you think that way, Victor,” you said, regret coating every cadence of your voice. Then you hesitated.

You honestly didn’t know how to proceed and what to say next, afraid that what you would reveal next would cause Victor to doubt you. But you hid the truth for a very long time and that was no longer an option if the consequence would be ruining your relationship with him forever.

You sat down across him and finally decided to reveal the truth. “The reason why I’ve been so strange lately is because... I admit, it’s because of your proposal, but it’s not what you think!” You rushed out before he could form a remark. You fidgeted in your seat, finding it unable to meet his gaze, and forced yourself to proceed. “You see, back when I was in university, I had a relationship with someone. It was a serious one, the kind that led to an engagement.”

Victor’s facial expression didn’t change but inside, he was surprised and a bit cautious as he listened to what you were revealing to him. He didn’t know that you had a relationship before and he certainly didn’t know that you had gotten engaged to someone else. 

"My dad didn’t exactly approve of my relationship with him. He thought that he wasn’t good enough for me, I guess. But I loved him and wanted to stay with him. So, for the first time in my life, I disobeyed my dad and my ex and I got together. We made our relationship a secret from everyone else; no one knew aside from us. At first, it was thrilling. We were young and happy and in love, and I though that being with him was simply the best time of my life."

"But then, later, things changed. We got into more fights and arguments about our relationship and coming clean to my dad. It got worse and worse as months passed by, and for some reason, he thought that the solution was to get married-- in secret. It didn’t sit well with me, but I truly thought that I loved him that when he proposed on my graduation day, I said yes."

You paused, jaw clenching as memory after memory bombarded your mind. The memory wasn’t as painful as before, but it would still affect you somehow until to this very day. Maybe because those memories didn’t get the closure that it deserved, or maybe because you were sharing these awful memories to the love of your life and you couldn’t imagine someone having the same kind of burden you have.

“But, on the day of the wedding... he didn’t show up.”

There, you finally said it. There was absolutely no going back after this.

“He stood me up and I never knew the reason why,” you added, emotions welling up inside of you.

“The reason why I’m acting weird is because I’m scared, alright?” It was like a dam broke and all of your worries and fears poured out of you without anything to stop it or hold it back. “For a long time, I wondered why he left me. He left me without an explanation or a proper goodbye, and for a long time, I thought it was my fault. I thought that something was wrong with me and that’s why he stood me up. When he left, it absolutely broke me. And... And I can’t imagine what would happen to me if you leave me, too. He might have broken me, but I can’t even think about the devastation that I would feel if that would happened again.”

Because you loved Victor with all of your heart, with more feelings than you could possibly imagine. You never thought you would feel the same way again after what happened, but Victor made you feel that way more deeply than before. It was Victor and it would always be Victor for you.

You hang your head, ashamed at yourself and the past you tried desperately to hide, because you couldn’t admit aloud to someone else how you felt like a failure before.

But then you felt Victor’s strong arms around you, embracing you with all of his warmth, and you fell into his chest, listening to the comforting sound of his heartbeat. And everything was okay in the world because he was there and he was still holding you like you were the most precious thing he had ever held before, and there couldn’t be anything more precious than you.

“I’m sorry.” His soft breath caressed your ear as his gentle voice filled the air. “I’m sorry I made you relive those memories. It wasn’t my intention to hurt you like this, and I’m so, so sorry. Don't ever think that you're not worth it or you're not good enough, because beloeve me, you are. I want nothing more than to go back to the past and stop what happened to you because you don't deserve that. Please, stop being ashamed when you did nothing wrong. You just happened to love a wrong person and that's not your fault. You shouldn't blame yourself for the mistakes that others made, especially towards you. But, at the same time, I’m happy.”

He pulled away slightly to peer into your eyes and you knew that there was nothing more beautiful aside from the sight of his purple eyes. “I’m happy because if he showed up and you married him, I would never get to hold you like this. I would never get to love you like this and I would never be this happy without you in my life. That’s why you don’t have to be scared about me leaving you, dummy. Because, for me, even imagining a life without you is torture. I can handle losing everything I have in life and I would sacrifice everything that I do have in order to have you so don’t ever forget that.”

You grinned at him, unable to hide the relief in your eyes at his words and unable to deny the warmth that spread throughout your whole body because of his sincerity. You were no longer afraid as long as he was by your side. “That might be one of the nicest things you ever said to me,” You couldn’t help but tease him as you brought up a hand to cup his face.

He chuckled and rested his forehead against yours. “Don’t get used to it.”

“I don’t know.” You smirked cheekily. “Maybe I will once we get married.”

“Wait, what?”

ᧁꪖꪜ𝓲ꪀ

It was a fine Saturday day and you and your husband, Gavin, were in the mall, picking out furniture for your brand new house. You two had just gotten married and, just last week, had moved into a new house where you planned to spend the rest of your lives together.

Needless to say, it was a fun experience and a bit reminiscent of your furniture date years ago, back when you two were just getting reacquainted for the first time in a very long time.

That’s why you absolutely didn’t expect for this day to be the day when you finally bumped into your ex-fiancé after he had left you at the altar years before.

At first, you didn’t notice that it was him. It was such a long time ago, and those memories were buried deeply in your head that it was almost as if it never existed. So, when you two met again, it was quite a shock.

You were rendered speechless and, by the way he was staring at you, it seemed that he felt the same thing.

“MC?” He asked, disbelief coloring his tone of voice. “Wow... I can’t believe it’s you.”

“Oh,” you said, blinking out of your daze. “Oh, wow, hi. I— wow...”

This was an incredibly awkward experience. You two seemed unable to comprehend the situation in front of you, like it was a surreal moment that even the wildest of your imaginations couldn’t come up with. You couldn’t say anything to him and, worse yet, you couldn’t even move your feet to walk away.

You didn’t love him anymore. Love wasn’t anywhere near close to what you felt for him now. But it was undeniable how there was so many things left unsaid between the two of you, that it created some sort of tension around you.

So, you didn’t know whether to feel thankful, relieved, or feel apprehension when Gavin showed up at that moment.

Gavin’s eyebrows rose seeing the two of you together, and after casting a suspicious look at your ex, he turned to you, ignoring the other man completely.

“Where have you been? I thought I lost you. You do know that the living room set is that way,” he said, chuckling softly as he slipped an arm over your shoulder.

You tensed for some reason before glancing at your ex watching you with your new husband. You felt the sudden need to explain, to introduce Gavin to him, to finally let go of the past that continued to taunt and mock you until Gavin came into your life and made it better. It didn’t matter if you never got closure; it mattered that you were now happy with your new life with someone else who loved you fiercely.

“Gavin?” You addressed your husband before gesturing to your ex. “Uhm, this was my ex-fiancé. And, this is Gavin, my husband.”

Gavin was unable to hide the surprise from his face when you introduced him to your ex.

Probably because you never mentioned a certain ex-fiancé to him before, you thought sheepishly. Your painful past wasn’t something that you advertised and with Gavin now a part of your life, it just seemed so irrelevant compared to what you have now with Gavin.

Gavin immediately covered his surprise with a neutral expression as he shook hands with your ex.

“So, you’re already married. Wow,” said your ex in disbelief. He opened his mouth to say something but then hesitated a moment, before he tried again. “Uhm, I hope you two have a happy life together. Best of luck to the both of you.”

Before you could say about anything else, your ex turned on his heel and left, his shoulders slumped and his steps long but slow. You and Gavin watched him walk away and you couldn’t help but feel sort of sorry for him, although you didn’t know why.

You didn’t know what kind of life he led after he left you. You didn’t even know if he regretted what he did. But it happened; and that was something that wouldn’t change. It was painful, of course, but you learned from the pain and in result, you came out stronger and happier than ever.

“So, care to tell me what happened with him?” Gavin’s question broke you out of your thoughts. He sounded a bit too casual for your liking. “I didn’t know you almost got married to someone else.”

Your lips tipped up in a small smile as you reached out a hand to his. “That was a long time ago, back before I never thought I’d meet you again. I didn’t tell you before because it wasn’t something I liked to discuss and over time, it wasn’t important enough to discuss considering what happened.”

“He was your ex-fiancé,” Gavin emphasized, like it mattered. Which, it did on some accounts. He might be a little upset about the fact that you never spoke of it or even mentioned it in passing.

“Yes, my ex-fiancé,” you said then proceeded breezily, “who left me at the altar on our wedding day.”

One second. A two. Then Gavin let out a loud, “What?!” There was fire in his golden eyes as he clenched his jaw, outraged at the treatment you received many years ago. “He... left you like that?”

You nodded your head. In contrast to him, you looked perfectly calm and rational while he looked seconds away from snapping his sanity in order to hunt your ex down. If you knew anything about Gavin, it was that he would absolutely find your ex and beat the shit out of him.

He was protective like that, but as a dutiful wife, you couldn’t let that happen. For one thing, Gavin was a cop and for another, you didn’t want to spend the rest of your married life with a husband locked behind bars.

To calm him down, you leaned closer to his side and wrapped your arms around his trim waist, knowing that your presence would soothe the blazing anger inside of him. 

And slowly, it worked. His tensed shoulders relaxed, his taut posture loosened, and he even brought a hand up to pat your head. It was sweet in a way, and almost scary knowing the kind of effect that you had on him.

“You’re sexy when you get angry,” you said, smiling to his shoulder.

“I’m always sexy,” he retorted as the both of you headed towards the living room set, with you leading him away from the direction where your ex disappeared into.

“You don’t have to be angry on my behalf,” you told him, looking up at his handsome profile. “It happened a long time ago. He was the first guy who showed interest in me and made me feel loved, in a way. Plus, my dad liked him so it just made him more attractive to me, I guess?”

“I don’t think I like the sound of you talking about someone you’re attracted with,” Gavin grumbled, frowning.

You laughed. Of course this was the time when he’d get jealous. “Obviously, I’ve moved on,” you assured him. “I guess what hurts the most isn’t the fact that he left me or that he didn’t give me a reason why, but the fact that he disappointed my dad. They were really close, almost like father and son, and when he didn’t show up, it broke my dad’s heart which made the memories more painful. But now, I’m happy with my life with you. Yes, it hurt, and I don’t think I deserved it, but all the pain that I’ve felt that time was worth it when I met you.”

He didn’t say anything. He just looked at you intently, as though he was memorizing every inch of your face. Then, he smiled. A small, barely noticeable smile, but it was a smile nonetheless and a beautiful one at that.

“It sucks to be him,” Gavin said, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. “I got to be with you while he’s likely regretting what he did. His loss, my gain. Funny how life works.”

Yes, funny how life works out for the better.

Gavin cleared his throat, rubbed the back of his neck, and didn't meet your eyes. "Ever wonder what your dad would think about us?"

You beamed at him. "Honestly, I have no idea what my dad would think. But I have no doubt that wherever my dad is, he's happy now knowing that I'm with someone who would never intentionally hurt me and who tries his best to show me that I'm loved every single day."

Gavin ducked his head, a smirk on his lips as a spark of happiness flashed in his amber eyes. And you two went on your way, the revelation merely a speck of dust in your lives. Inconvenient, but easily ignored.

The past never truly mattered when you two had a future to look forward to.

KIᖇO

The wife of a popular and well-loved idol was something that you were still getting used to. Even though you two are almost a year into your marriage, there were still days when you were caught off guard by how easy but passionate your relationship was with Kiro.

It didn’t matter that you still received death threats from die hard fans of Kiro or that every once in a while, an article or two would pop out to falsely claim that you and Kiro were having a divorce, or you were having an affair, and other unsavory things such as that.

The two of you were still as strong as ever. So strong in fact, that it was starting to worry you a little. You never knew when the other shoe would drop and hit your head, waking you up to a reality where everything you loved and held dear weren’t yours to begin with.

And the other shoe did drop.

The day it happened was a completely normal day for you. As usual, Kiro was busy promoting his new single while you were busy preparing a new show for your company. You were actually planning to visit Kiro that afternoon since your dear husband forgot his lunch because of how busy and preoccupied he was.

But a news spread throughout the internet while you were driving to the studio, and this news just so happen to have your name in it. You didn’t know about the news and.you especially didn't notice the way people stared at you after walking into the building where Kiro worked. You also didn’t hear your phone ringing -- all calls coming from Anna, Willow, Kiki, Savin, and Kiro -- because you put it on silent mode. You absolutely had no idea what was going on by the time you reached the studio.

When Kiro saw you though, he immediately pulled you aside to the dressing room, away from prying eyes, which immensely confused you.

“Kiro, honey? What’s wrong?” You asked, watching with a puzzled expression as he locked the door.

“Didn’t you get my messages and calls?” Kiro asked, turning to face you, looking worried for some reason.

You shook your head no. “No, I was driving. You know how I always turn my phone off when I drive. Why? What happened?”

“So, you have no idea about the article about you?” Before you could ask what he meant, Kiro pulled out his phone and showed you a news article that featured you--and the long forgotten past you all but forgot until that day.

You paused as you stared at the headline -- something about you being Kiro’s wife and almost getting married before and other things that the public should never had privy to because it was a complete invasion of privacy -- and then looked at Kiro’s face, his baby blue eyes earnest as he waited for your reaction.

“I... I can explain,” you started to say and you watched as he blinked his eyes in surprise before he dropped his arm to the side.

“So, it’s true?” He asked, eyes serious which looked so different from the playful Kiro that you fell in love with. “All of it? You were really engaged to someone else before?”

You slowly nodded your head, fear snaking its way to your spine as you waited for the inevitable explosion that was about to occur. “It happened a couple of years ago,” you told him like it could solve everything. “He was older than me for at least ten years, I think. I was young and stupid, and I was... I was immediately enamored with this person that I completely forgot who I was. I was only twenty that time and I didn’t know any better."

You bit your lower lip, preventing yourself from openly breaking down in front of your husband, as your nails dug into the skin of your palms. "I didn’t know... that he was already married to someone else, and that he had a child. I didn’t know about any of it until the day I was going to get married to him. He didn’t show up on our wedding day, but just gave me a sorry ass letter telling me the whole truth."

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I didn’t tell you -- not because I thought you didn’t deserve it -- but because it was too hard to say it aloud. I was so stupid and-- and--”

No words were needed to be said as Kiro pulled you into his arms, shushing you softly. It just broke you, being in his arms when you felt like you didn't deserve it. You trembled as your hands clenched and unclenched into fists, wanting nothing more than to wrap your arms around him. But you stopped yourself because you were afraid he would find your touch disgusting.

"Stop," he said, whispering the words to your ear so soft that you closed your eyes and dropped your forehead against his shoulder. "Stop before I start to feel angry. Well"--he sighed, his warm breath brushing against your ear--"I'm already angry to be honest, but I don't want you to think that I'm angry at you."

"You're not?" The question that slipped past your open lips was timid and meek.

"I'm not angry at you, no," he assured you while rubbing tiny circles over your back, still holding you tightly in his arms. "I'm disappointed that you didn't tell me, but I get it. That past was painful and shameful for you. I would’ve been willing to wait for you to tell me but this thing happened and I’m so sorry you’re being watchedand judged like this because of me.”

“It’s not your fault, Kiro,” you told him, brushing his blond locks at the back of his head with the tips of your fingers, finally finding the courage to touch and hold him.

"I'm just..." Kiro struggled for a moment before he eventually continued, "I’m more angry about the fact that someone hurt you before when I’m trying so hard, every single minute of every day, to make you feel beautiful and appreciated because you truly are."

At his words, there was clearly no other choice but to hold him just as he held you before. You tightened your arms around him, unable to believe your luck that after you’ve been hurt in the past, you’re now in the arms of the man who treasured you more than anything else in the world. You didn’t know what kind of good karma you managed to collect in your past lives to receive such a blessing in the form of an angel with baby blue eyes and golden blond hair. Whatever good luck it was, you resolved to make even more luck just to have him again in your next life.

He let out a sigh as he dropped a kiss on top of your head. "I don’t know," he murmured, "but I have the urge to find the man and ask why he did that to you. Maybe I might even beat him up."

You burst out a laugh. “You can’t beat people up and you don’t want to.” The last thing anyone needed right now was for someone to charge Kiro with assault.

“I do want to beat someone up now,” he said with all the seriousness of a kid. “And I can very well do that to someone, I just choose not to.”

“No fighting,” you said, shaking your head. You honestly didn’t know how you got into this topic of conversation.

“Fine,” he pouted and stared at you intently. “Are you okay?”

Your breath hitched at the intensity of his eyes and the silent promise in his voice. The kind of promise that spoke of the fact that he would do whatever it took to take care of you and love you. That voice resembled that time when he was speaking his vows to you, on your wedding day.

And you smiled, the past no longer there to burden you. Rather, it was there to open a new path of life in the hands of a man who cherished you. “I am, now,” you answered.

Later, at home, a new article spread throughout Loveland City.

“What happened with my wife before was in the past,” said Kiro in the article, addressing the issue of the damning gossip about you and your ex-fiancé. “She was young and in love then, and many people make a lot of less than ideal decisions when they’re young and in love, right? But that was the past and this is now. Trying to bring the past up now when we’re married and happy with each other is wrong; defining my wife because of what happened to her in the past is wrong; trying to ruin a perfectly great relationship is wrong. I know what happened to her before is not something that I would wish on anyone else.”

“To be honest, the issue that you’ve spread should’ve been addressed within our family by ourselves, as husband and wife, in the privacy of our home. It’s not something that you should be exploiting or gossiping about. That’s why I’m asking, not as your idol, but as a husband who loves his wife very much, to please stop the previous article from spreading. My wife is the most beautiful, kindest woman that I know, and she doesn’t deserve this. That’s all, thank you.”

But truly, the rest of the world didn’t matter, as long as Kiro looked at you just like that.

𝕷𝖚𝖈𝖎𝖊𝖓

He looked at himself in the mirror and was caught off guard at the change that the tux brought out in him. Today was his wedding day--something that he never expected to happen to him, but was made come true when you agreed to marry him when he proposed out on a whim.

So, here he was now, preparing for his wedding day, and taking a quick break to watch himself in the mirror. This moment, right here, felt so surreal for him. He often wondered if this was real, and it wasn't some kind of fantasy that his mind had conjured out of madness.

He fixed his crooked tie. It wouldn't be the first time he'd been delirious with the thought of you in his mind.

A knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts and when the door opened, he was surprised to see you standing in the doorway, wearing nothing but a thick, fluffy bathrobe. Your hair was already styled into a low chignon and your face was made up with beautiful makeup. Beautiful didn't even come close to the image you presented to his vison.

The only thing marring the image was the agitated creases across your forehead and the frown upon your coral tinted lips.

"What's wrong?" He asked, heading towards you and cupping your head with gentle, elegant hands. "Is something the matter?"

He felt your jaw clenching beneath his palms. You brought a hand up to grasp his wrist. With a hesitant voice, you said, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Lucien held his breath before nodding his acquiescence. You led him to a white loveseat and you both sat at the same time, neither talking. For you, you were silent because you were trying your best to formulate some kind of coherent thought. For him, he was silent because he was bracing for the worst.

You breathed in a lungful of air before angling your body towards him. "The reason why I wanted to talk to you... is because I haven't been truthful to you."

His eyebrows rose in shock but he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to interrupt a rather poignant confession coming from you.

"I wanted to tell you the truth for a long time now but... but whenever I get a chance to tell you, I always get discourage and I end up not telling you in the end. But I don't want to hide the truth any longer. Now that we're getting married in a few hours, I know that I can't marry you while also lying to you at the same time. So, here I am now, finally..."

Your heart pounded hard against your chest as you began pouring out the memories and thoughts running your mind for at least a few months now. But you proceeded, even if it caused you pain as you ripped open old wounds that, to be honest, never truly healed properly.

"A long time ago, before I even met you, I got into a relationship with someone else. We were each other's first loves, and it wasn't long before he and I got engaged. I was still in university that time, so it was a long engagement where we planned to get married after graduation. And we did--plan a wedding, I mean. It was a beautiful one, too. I remembered how excited we were to get married and spend the rest of our lives together. We were just so ready to start a family that we didn't even talk or think about anything else. It just felt.. it felt so pefect, you know? Like we were on top of the world and nothing can go wrong."

Lucien felt a lump in his throat and it took everything in his power to open his mouth and ask, "What happened?"

A forlorn smile spread across your face. "Well, it turns out nothing is perfect after all and everything can go wrong in just a split second. On the day of our wedding, he... he, uh, didn't show up. I waited for him. I waited for a long time but there was no sign of him. It wasn't until a few hours later when we got a call and... and it turns out that he got into an accident." A shudder wracked through your body as your mind went back to a dark time in your life. "He was already dead by the time the wedding started and I never even knew that he was no longer with me."

This was one of the hardest thing you'd ever done but you still plowed through, knowing that you had to do this. "I thought, for a few hours while I was waiting for him at the altar, that he changed his mind, that he got cold feet and decided that he didn't want to marry me anymore. When I found out that he died, I wished that he got cold feet instead. It was better when I thought that he changed his mind, than to find out that he died when he was about to marry me. It took a long while for me to recover and it's still painful to think about it."

"That's why I didn't tell you until now because..." you gazed at him with your sorrowful eyes, you hands reaching out to hold his. "Because I don't want the same thing to happen to you. I don't want to lose you the same way I lost him."

"Oh, silly girl," Lucien breathed out softly as he brushed your cheek using the back of his hand. "To lose someone so young, it's very painful indeed." He thought of his parents and how it still pained him to this day to think about what could've been. He understood why you didn't tell him before, and why you struggle telling him now. "I wish with my entire being that you hadn't experienced that kind of suffering, but it happened and as much as I wish to change it, it can't be changed. I'm sorry that I hadn't known you were in that kind of pain."

"No, please don't say sorry. It isn't your fault. Bevause, honestly, when I'm with you, I'm happy," you told him, smiling a bit through teary eyes. "Everyday got a little easier knowing that I have you and I'm not alone anymore. Everyday I had something to look forward to aside from making shows. That's why I'm so thankful that I have you. I can't deny that it doesn't hurt because it still does. I think it will always hurt, but unlike before, it's a bearable kind of hurt now."

"I'm happy that I've made you happy," he said, grateful beyond all that he'd given you the same measure of happiness that you'd given him. "And you're right. It will always hurt but sometimes pain can be good too. It reminds you to hold on to the things that bring you peace."

He squeezed your hands gently, his eyes soft. "Just like how I hold on to you. Now, let's get married."

He never really believed that he'd be a sentimental person, but as he gazed into your eyes, speaking his vows to cherish you forever, a new vow echoed in his head.

I swear that I will take care of her just as you likely had before, he promised towards the unknown man who had loved you previously. She will never feel unloved or unwanted when she's with me. She will never have a reason to doubt me or us. As long as it's in my power, I will do whatever it takes to make her happy. She will not regret choosing me to love her.

And when you gazed at him with beaming eyes, those new vows were sealed.

ғɪɴ

That's all! Thank you for reading!

[miss-choco-chips]

Umm... I was wondering if you could Maybe do a follow up on your mini fic Last Line from dicks pov? It gave me alot of feelings and i would love to see the fallout?

Your work is really good! Its so cool how your brave enough to put pieces of yourself out there for other people!

Hey babe! Thank you for your kind words! It made me smile getting this, you are very sweet <3

I totally forgot about Last Line lol, but when I saw it reminded me that I actually wrote a bit more of it, both before and after the scene I posted. So, this isn’t exactly what you asked, but here’s some backstory and then the fallout!

---.---

Four years old, and he watches the red string on his finger pulled taunt towards the crying boy, the color of the thread well disguised among the red blood of the murdered acrobats.

Nine, and he watches from the shadows as it swings right and left, following Robin’s pirouettes from building to building. The thread, that usually goes a few feet before ‘vanishing’ from sight, was almost completely visible now, at such a short distance from the person holding onto its other end.

He’s on his twelve when he tries to explain to Dick the importance of him going back home. He wasn’t sure of his success, even though the older hero took him to the manor, because during his whole speech, Nightwing hadn’t looked up from the red joining them together. It wasn’t exactly how Tim wanted him to find out, but… Batman needed a Robin, and he was out of options.

At fourteen, he feels Kon’s hand clenching on his shoulder, as they both watch from the side how Nightwing swept Barbara off her feet and twisted her around, laughter falling from both their lips even as Dick thread’s end was pointing towards Tim. The third Robin didn’t turn to look at his best friend, didn’t meet Bart’s eyes or react to Cassie taking his hand on hers. He just made sure his face was perfectly devoid of any emotion when he muttered, low enough only a kryptonian would hear, ‘I wish it was any of you’. 

(A few nights later, when he and Conner were sitting quietly on the Tower’s roof, the clone took Tim’s hand with his own, his lack of red string blatantly obvious as he said ‘If I had any, I wish it could be you’. To this day, it’s the sweetest thing anyone ever said to him)

He is so, so tired, and he’s only sixteen. But keeping up with the shitfest that was the Battle for the Cowl, helping Dick while ignoring his red string (pulling him towards Nightwing, now Batman, stark contrast against the dark of his suit, with distracting insistency), dealing with Damian’s abuse as expected of him as the ‘mature, older brother’, coping with Bruce’s death, the shock of Dick throwing him, his soulmate, away so so easily…

(Shouldn't be surprising; Dick had been discarding him in favor of others since they met, shamelessly displaying his various relationships in front of him with an attitude that might be called cruel from anyone else but that just earned him playful shoves from other Leaguers while Tim was expected to swallow his pain, because a red string isn’t a promise, Dick is free… and yes, he knows that, but it doesn’t mean shit to his dying heart)

(Maybe, when he left for proof of Bruce being alive, it wasn’t so much for his old mentor than it was for himself)

----.----

Tim is seventeen and halfway across the world, looking at the string attached to his hand that never truly meant anything to any other than him (not to Bruce, who never took Dick aside and talked to him about consideration with his soul mate; not Dick's conquers, who never gave a fuck  about the red string in the hands that touched their skin, even when a lot of them knew who was on the other end of it; not Dick himself, who after asking every thing out of Tim and having it, forcefully took the one thing Tim wouldn't give by choice and claimed Tim was his equal, his soulmate, so he never could be his sidekick... even if it was the first time ever that Dick even mentioned the string tying them both together), when he thinks 'you were always free; now, I'm freeing myself’.

He gingerly bites on the string, and with his other hand takes a handful of it and pulls.

The pain piercing his heart is expected, but not new. He had been feeling it since the first time he saw Dick's back as he walked away with someone else.

He times it carefully, too. He doesn't think Dick would care, but just in case, Tim waits until it's morning in Gotham, when he's sure Dick is probably sleeping after patrol.

Maybe he would wake up without noticing

---.---

In Gotham, Dick is carried by Alfred and Damian to the cave, when the new Batman's screams of pain woke everyone in the Manor up. They are suspecting cardiac arrest, and then Dick looks down to his hand and notices the string, always tense, signaling him where his north is, where Tim is, laying loose and lifeless.

He panics, asks Superman to track Tim down or something, and when the man confirms Tim is still alive somewhere in the Middle East, he knows.

And like a freight train, the parting words Kori told him the last time they saw each other hit him right in the chest.

"He isn't going to wait for you forever"

----.-----

When Tim does come back, at nineteen, it’s a quiet thing. 

He spent the last how many days carefully setting his systems up, making sure his mainframe would outstand Oracle’s scrutiny when she realized he was back in town and tried to hack her way into his life.

(He didn’t blame her, of course not. Dick was charming enough, good enough, anyone he set his eyes into would be helpless to nothing but fall in his arms.

And, wasn’t Tim the one who would have been intruding, had he tried to chase after the first Robin? Everyone knew he and the original Batgirl were a perfect match, thousands of times better than Tim, whom Fate just wanted to screw over.

But not anymore)

The first thing he did, once the safe houses were chosen and his programs up and running, was to ruthlessly hack into the Batcomputer and take a look at patrol routes. 

He would need to keep clear of Diamond District and Old Gotham, least he risked crossing paths with B and R. The Financial and City Hall Districts were apparently Batgirl’s playground for the night, and if he wanted to drop by and let Cass know he was back, he could always search for her by the Upper West Side down to Chinatown.

He would avoid the Upper East Side like the plague, though. Maybe Coventry too, just to be safe. Lots of skintight blue in that direction.

Which left… Crime Alley, the Bowery and Burnley, mainly. He needn't check to know who’s house that was.

And that’s how he ended, on his very first night back on the streets, dragging Red Hood’s bleeding ass away from a blowing up building.

-----.-----

Apparently, saving a recently rehabilitated murderous vigilante was a bonding experience, because Jason didn’t kick him out of his side of town, nor tell on him. 

He couldn't, however, do anything to prevent the criminal gossip mile from spreading, and before a week had passed, half the city was aware of the new player on the board.

-----.------

Jason was taking a breather, smoking while sitting on his favorite rooftop, when the rustling sound of fabric told him his peace and quiet was over.

“I thought you were back at being N”, he greeted, not bothering to turn around or get up. 

“B was out of town, and Robin needed someone to watch over him during patrol.”

A quick glance around had Hood snorting, “Then y’re doing a shitty job. Don’t see the midget anywhere.”

It would never NOT be weird to hear a strangled laugh coming out of the Bat suit, as tight and humorless as it was now. It seemed big ol Dick wasn’t doing so great tonight.

“Batgirl took him to a party in Diamond District. Gang war.”

He humms in response, not bothering to keep on the smalltalk. N, no, B was here for something, and it wasn’t Jason’s job to ask it out of him; if it was important, he would do it himself.

“Where is him, Hood?”, he finally went to the heart of the matter. 

Jason tilted his head, still looking over his city, unmindful of the steps coming closer to his position, “Robin? Ya just said it, B. Going senile? Gang war, wasn’t it?”

“Don’t play around. You know I mean…”

Oh, yeah, Dickie still wasn’t sure what to call Timbo. Criminal gossip only went so far, for someone who didn’t bother to shout his hero name to everyone he beat up. It was very possible only  Jason was aware of his new monicker. All gothamites knew was a young vigilante showed up recently, wearing red and black and hanging out with the Hood, which immediately upped his street rep to ‘not to be fucked with’.

“Lil red?”, he completed for his older brother, feeling both charitable and petty. Batman’s wince was more evident by the rustling sound of his cape; he had hit a sore spot, hadn’t he? 

“Where? I’m not asking again.”

“Good, ‘cause I’m not answering. Must be ‘roundere somewhere, the little creep.”

“Hood, I’m running out of patience.”

“And I’m out of cigarettes, your point? I don’t have him on a leash asshole. We just share the same hunting space, it’s not like we go home together and do face masks while we talk about feelings.”

They did go to a safespot, though, and share beer and pizza while cursing their relatives and Fate as a whole, but it wasn’t necessary information for the fucker. He just breathed in the last of his smoke before dropping the cigarette butt and stepping on it, stretching as he did.

“Now, any more of this riveting conversation, or can I go? No, wait, it was a rhetorical question; get out of my part of town, ass. I’ve been plenty generous by letting you come this far, but our truce lasts as long as the lot of you don’t build any sandcastles on my playground and you know it. Now, scram.”

He could feel Dick’s reticence at leaving without what he came here for, but Oracle must be talking him into letting it be for tonight, because he didn't push. Jason turned just in the right moment to catch the way Dick looked down to his gloved hand, as if expecting the lifeless red string to be pulled taunt in Tim’s direction by some miracle. Jason felt the smallest ping of pity, quickly washed away by the memory of the younger hero’s haunted eyes as he told Jason the story of his severed soul bond and how he came to do it.

Thirty seconds after the bat vanished into the night, a little red bird landed softly on the spot next to him.

“Thanks, Hood”, he muttered, just as tired and hurting as he’d been ever since he saved Jason’s ass and they became partners, but with the smallest hint of lightness that made him prouder of driving Dick away than he’d ever been.

“Don’t mention it, but fair warning, the big B scomin back home in a few days, and he’s harder to kick out than a hurting, annoying bluebird.”

“I know”, Tim sighed, well aware of both facts. “I’ll play it by ear. For tonight, what about bashing some skulls and ruining Two Face’s new op? Good intel says it’s just a few blocks from here, and shattering bones always makes you smile.”

“Babybird, you speak the language of love.”

“Wasn’t that french?”

“I’m trying to compliment you, don’t be a smart ass about it.”

“I am smart, and I do have a good ass. That seems like an impossible request.”

----.----

[happyandticklish]

Take A Break

Notes: For the ask by @ticklish-sidekick who requested a Percy and Nico fic. Hope you enjoy!

Summary: Nico needs to take a break, but is being stubborn as usual. Luckily, Percy knows just how to handle obstinate demigods. 

“Hya!”

Nico lunged forward suddenly, his sword clashing with Percy’s. He grunted, attempting to untangle the block, but Percy was too quick for that. He brought their swords up suddenly, flinging the weapon from his hands. Emptyhanded, Nico dodged around Percy’s sides, attempting to wrestle the sword from him physically instead. Percy kicked his leg out from under him, causing the other to stumble and fall backwards onto the grassy field. Before Nico could regain his bearings he found a sword brandished neatly at his throat.

Nico swallowed, a hearty flush coloring his cheeks from the exercise. “Okay. You win.”

“Ah, you’ll get it next time. It just takes practice.” Percy lowered the sword, offering him a hand up. As Nico grasped his hand however, he jerked him forward suddenly and Percy yelped as he fell to the ground beside him.

“What were you saying?” Nico teased. Percy threw a handful of grass in his face, prompting the other to duck with an amused chuckle.

When Percy had first approached Nico about combat lessons, he had refused him. He figured he was already decent enough with a sword, and he had fought off enough gods and monsters to be fairly self-sufficient. Eventually though, after a humbling conversation with Hazel, he ended up taking him up on it.

He had quickly realized that it wasn’t just swordsmanship that Percy was offering to teach either, and soon Nico was learning different hand-to-hand combat maneuvers and sparring at least once a week with the other. It became almost a challenge for the two, each trying to come up with new strategies to best the other. It was fun. For the first time in a long while, Nico was genuinely enjoying himself.

As with most things though, he had thrown himself completely into it and found that he was quickly overextending himself with each session. Percy watched as Nico flopped down on the grass, throwing one arm across his face. He could see the rise and fall of his chest as the boy attempted to regain his breath and took in the other’s obviously sore features. 

“Exhausted yet?” Percy questioned, raising an eyebrow. “You want to take a break?”

“Not on your life,” Nico mumbled through the skin of his arm. “I could do this forever.”

“Right...” Percy crossed his arms in skeptical disbelief. There was no way Nico could go another round, especially training as hard as he had been. Still, he knew that simply saying that to the boy would have the exact opposite effect. He had to make him come to the conclusion himself. As he watched him, splayed out and vulnerable on the grass, an idea on how to do just that slowly started to form in Percy’s mind.

“Another round, huh?” Percy repeated, leaning forward on one knee to smirk at the boy. “In that case, maybe we should take it up a notch. A new level of training, something you’ve never experienced before.”

A thrill of excitement and worry trilled through Nico’s spine at the words and he slowly removed his arm to give Percy a curious look. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“It’s a surprise.” At Nico’s unimpressed glare, he quickly added, “It only works if you don’t know about it in advance. Trust me.”

“Trust you?” Nico scoffed, but he didn’t resist as Percy shifted to face him, grabbing both of his legs in an armlock. Experimentally, he tugged at his legs but found them to be truly stuck. Due to his playful and silly nature, Nico often forgot how strong Percy genuinely was after years of training. There was no way he was getting out of this.

Noticing the worried look on his face, Percy asked, “Nervous?”

Nico flushed, averting his gaze. It didn’t help that Percy’s physical proximity was doing strange things to his heart, either. “No, of course not. Bring it on.”

“Okay. Just remember that you asked for this.”

Percy’s other hand was obscured from Nico’s vision, so he was only able to watch in confusion as Percy readied his attack. One finger, quick and sudden, slid down the length of his left sole, and Nico was unable to stop his leg from jerking back at the touch.

“W-What the hell?” Nico asked uncertainly, but soon the finger continued, tracing soft and lazy spirals all over his soles. “P-Pfft, h-hey! Jahackson!”

“Hmm?” Percy shot him back an innocent glance. “What’s wrong? I thought you said you could handle it?”

“Y-Yeah, combat t-training,” Nico gritted out, stuttering over his words as he tried to hold back the laughter quickly bubbling up in his throat. “Nohot t—” he broke off suddenly, a blush spreading across his cheeks like wildfire. He cleared his throat, trying again. “Not tickling.”

“This is combat training. A form of it anyway.”

“T-Thihis isn’t trahaining! This is stuhupid!” A reluctant grin had begun to form across his features and Nico quickly covered it with one hand, using the other to prop himself up.

“It’s endurance training,” Percy corrected, changing tactics and scribbling all five fingers over his soles now. Nico choked over a laugh, attempting to cover it up as a cough. “You said you were up for the challenge. Maybe I was wrong though.” As he spoke, he spidered blunt nails all over the ball of his foot, causing Nico to squeak and fall back onto the grass, covering his face with both hands. “What do you think? Can the dark, ferocious ghost king not handle a couple of tickles?”

Nico tugged frantically at his legs, giggles spilling unwarranted from his lips. “Ihihihi cahahahan hahahahandle ahahanything—eep! Nohohoho, stahahahap!”

Percy scratched at the sensitive undersides of his toes, prompting the latter to go into a squirming, babbling fit. “How did I not know you were this ticklish? It’s adorable.”

“Nohohoho ihihit’s nahahahat!” Nico screeched with a violent blush, curling his toes uselessly. “Ahahahahand I’m nahahahat tihihihicklish!”

“No? Then why are you laughing?”

“B-Behehecause… behehehecause… behehehecause shuhuhuhut uhuhuhup!”

“I’ve got to be honest, that’s not a very convincing argument, Nico.”

Percy grinned, and before Nico knew what was happening Percy was sitting on top of his legs, effectively holding him still. With both hands free now, he quickly set to work raking nails up both feet and sending Nico into a new level of hysteria.

“Wahahahait nohohoho, hohohold ohohon ahahaha sehehecond!” Nico burst into a round of squeaky giggles, attempting to both hold himself up and cover his mouth to stop the flow of laughter from escaping, as well as somehow sit up and pry Percy off of him. “Dohohon’t!”

“You know how to make this all stop,” Percy reminded him. “All you have to do is admit that you need to rest and I’ll let you go.”

“Ihihihihihi dohohon’t neheheheed tohoho—gahahahaha, ohohoho gohohods!”

Deciding that it appeared to be his most sensitive spot, Percy had moved his focus back to his toes. Nico squeaked, launching forward to try to pry Percy off of him. Eventually, he settled on merely wrapping his arms around the other for support, burying his face in the back of his t-shirt. “A-Ahahahaha, Pehehehercy!”

“Yes?”

“Ihihihihit tihihihickles!”

“I am aware of that,” Percy agreed, biting his lip to hold back a smile at the adorable nature of his protests. “Your point?”

“Stahahahahap!”

“Are you going to take a break from training?”

“I dohohon’t neheheheed a breheheak!”

“Then no. I wonder what would happen if I did this?” Experimentally, Percy held back his toes with one hand, using the other to scratch the taut, exposed skin. The muffled shriek into his t-shirt said all Percy needed to know on how effective that particular method was.

Nico himself was just as surprised as Percy was at his apparent sensitivity. The only person who had ever tickled him before was Bianca, and after that everyone he knew was too afraid of the consequences to try. Now though, he found himself grateful that no one had, or he never would have been able to save face around any of his peers. Electric shocks seemed to shoot up his legs as Percy trailed devastating fingers over his soles in a manner that was far too ticklish to be fair.

Yet even as he protested and even as his composure trembled, he found that he was almost having fun. There was something nice about being able to freely laugh and squirm under someone else’s touch and not worry about being some tough, dark war hero.

That didn’t mean it didn’t tickle like hell though.

“I hahahahahate yohohou sohohohoho muhuhuch!” Nico giggled, legs jerking in their attempts to free themselves. “Ahahahah, ehehe, stahahahap!”

“Are you going to rest?”

“Thihihihis ihihihis stuhuhuhupid!”

“Are you?”

Percy scratched the spot right under his middle toe that had him howling, and suddenly Nico found he couldn’t take it anymore, even if his pride suffered. “Fihihihine, fihihihihine, I’ll rehehest! Juhuhuhust stahahahap!”

Finally, Percy let up and allowed him to breathe. For a couple of moments Nico stayed like that, fingers gripped tight around his t-shirt as he hugged the other from behind. He knew intellectually that he should let go of him. However, another, larger part of his brain wanted to stay curled up against him, soaking in the other’s body heat.

Eventually, Percy coughed, a faint flush tinging the ends of his ears. “Um, Nico? Are you okay?”

Nico’s eyes snapped open and he shoved Percy off him in a sudden, fluid motion, rolling over into a standing position. He brushed grass off himself, blaming the heat on his face from the tickling. “Uh, I’m going to go take that rest now. Thanks for… thanks for the training.”

“Oh.” Percy blinked at him, startled. “You’re welcome, I guess?”

Nico whirled around, picking up his sword and starting to head back down the hill towards the cabins. He paused after a second, turning back to glare at him. “Oh, and Percy? If you ever tickle me again I’ll decapitate you, got it?”

Percy opened his mouth to respond, but before he could Nico was off again.

Needless to say, Percy did tickle him again and though the other complained vehemently, he found that he didn’t mind it as much as he thought he would. 

Not that he would ever tell Percy that.

[radiantroope]

Heart of Gold || Rafe Cameron

pairing: rafe x reader

requested: no

summary: your mental health is slipping and your boyfriend will do anything to help you.

warnings: swearing, depression, implied suicidal thoughts, mentions of drug use/abuse, fluff; if any of these are triggering please read with caution

word count: 1.6k+

author’s note:  rafe is not a murderer in this fic. i love non-canon rafe. i wrote this as a vent the other day when i was having a hard time. i’m good now though<3 also, i suck at summaries so i’m sorry.

masterlist | add yourself to my tag list

You felt numb. Completely and utterly numb. The hollow feeling in your chest only felt to grow with each hour. The soft fabric of your pale yellow duvet cocooned you in the bed you wished to never leave. You stared blankly at the wall in front of you.

You stopped crying hours ago. Remnants of tears stained your flushed cheeks. The tip of your nose had turned a rosy color and your eyes that were once so full of life were puffy and bloodshot. Your arms tightened around your legs as the daunting thoughts loomed inside of your head.

Rafe Cameron was no stranger to your inner demons. He had his own as well and that’s what brought you two together. Shared traumas of being berated for everything you did. Feeling unaccomplished no matter what you did. Feeling unloved by the very people who were supposed to take care of you the moment you took your first breath.

Rafe knew you needed your space sometimes. He knew you had to work out your thoughts and emotions on your own and he was okay with that. You had it way harder than he did, being a Pogue — someone he never could have imagined falling so hard for. Though, when he hadn’t heard from you in three days, he started to grow worried. He sent you a good morning text, an “I love you” text in the afternoon, and a goodnight text before he went to bed each day. Despite the state you were in, he always got a reply. When this time he didn’t, his mind went into overdrive.

The Kook knew your parents spent all day on the mainland every Wednesday so he hopped in his truck and made his way to the South side of the island. He just needed to see you and make sure you were okay. He knew the longer you isolated yourself, the darker the thoughts in your head would get. He wasn’t going to risk you doing something stupid in a moment of weakness like he’d done before.

“I don’t know what else you want from me dad! I try so damn hard, but nothing is good enough for you!” you shouted at your father from the other side of the living room.

This had been going on for almost two hours. For a while, you sat in silence as your father called you every name in the book. He told you how he raised you better than this. He compared you to your older sister who had gotten a full ride scholarship to Julliard. You barely skimmed the surface in school. Not seeing the point since it was rare for anyone to actually make it out of The Cut.

“I want you to do better. I want you to stop treating this house like a god damn hotel! You come here to eat our food, use our shit, and sleep one night a week! You may as well move the fuck out at this point!” your father’s voice got louder with each sentence, face turning red in rage. “Go move in with your perfect little Kook boyfriend in his big perfect house and mooch off him! You’re worthless, Y/N! I’ve lost all the faith I had in you.”

The fight happened three days ago, but you couldn’t get your father’s words out of your head. They kept spinning there, along with every other hurtful thing he’d said from the moment you turned sixteen.

You’re worthless. You’re lazy. You’re stupid. You can’t do anything right. Who would ever love you?

You didn’t hear the front door or the footsteps walking down the hall. You didn’t hear your bedroom door open and gently shut seconds later. The voices in your head were far too loud.

Rafe’s heart dropped at the sight of you curled under the blanket. Your knotted hair was splayed out on the pillows. He almost couldn’t even see the rise and fall of the blanket due to your shallow breathing. He walked around the bed and let out a soft breath. The emotionless expression on your otherwise beautiful face caused a tightness in his chest.

The blue eyed boy crouched down by your head and gently brushed your hair away from your eyes. He watched your eyelids flutter and your gazes met. It was like you were looking through him, a sad smile spreading across his lips. He whispered, “Hi, sugar.”

As your brain registered your boyfriend was the person in front you, the floodgates in your eyes reopened. A small cry left your lips as you released your legs and reached out of the covers for the boy. He didn’t hesitate to climb straight into the bed with you. His muscular arms enveloped you, pulling you tightly into his chest. You couldn’t control the sobs that wracked your body.

“Oh, baby,” Rafe breathed, feeling tears burn in his own eyes. Seeing you in such a state was never easy and he had trouble keeping his own emotions at bay.

He buried his nose in your hair and closed his eyes. One of his large hands rubbed up and down your spine, trying to consol you. He quietly cooed, “I’ve got you. You’re okay.”

The sandy haired boy held you in his embrace until your harsh sobs turned into small whimpers. You sniffled every so often and your body still trembled against him. He brought one of his hands up to your hair and worked his large fingers through the knots. He knew you probably needed a good shower but he was going to wait until you’d calmed some more before he moved you. He placed a soft kiss to your forehead right at your hairline, causing you to look up at him.

“Why do you love me, Rafe?” your voice was barely even a whisper. He definitely wouldn’t have heard you if you weren’t pressed chest to chest. “I can’t do anything right. I’m a waste of space. You deserve someone better.”

A deep frown pulled at the Cameron boy’s face. He knew you were only saying it because your parents had embedded it in you. They’d said things like that to you so many times that you started to believe them. He always did everything in his power to remind you that you were incredible and so loved — even if it was only by him.

Rafe brought his hand up and cupped your cheek, thumb brushing down the flushed skin and over your jaw. His tone was stern but his voice was soft as he said, “Don’t talk about yourself like that.”

“I love you because you’re a strong woman with a heart of gold. You go through hell and still wear a smile on your face to everyone on this island. You go out of your way to help people when they need it, even if you get nothing in return. You defend your friends and I even when we don’t deserve it.”

The Kook’s heart leapt when he saw the corners of your mouth twitch. His thumb brushed over your bottom lip. His bright, ocean blue eyes stared into yours with complete adoration.

“Remember when I was an addict?”

How could you forget? It was two years ago, early in your relationship when you learned of his addiction. You remember every sleepless night staying up making sure he didn’t choke on his own vomit when he was going through withdrawals. You remember having to help him shower when he was too weak to stand on his own. You remember having to change the sheets once a day when they were covered in his sweat. You remember taking the angry outbursts when he desperately wanted a fix and couldn’t get it.

You remember the three times he relapsed and you had to start the process all over again.

You remember the one time he overdosed — and you almost lost him forever. That’s when he finally realized he was killing himself and checked into a rehabilitation center. Topper and Kelce cleaned up their acts along with him. None of them wanted to die over an overpriced white powder that gave them a temporary high to numb their pain.

“You visited me everyday in rehab, even when I gave you every chance to walk away. You never gave up on me,” Rafe’s thumb made its way back up your cheek and over the protruding bone. “I’m not giving up on you, baby. I will spend everyday, for the rest of my life, reminding you that you deserve the world. That you are smart, beautiful and the absolute love of my life.”

Your lips turned up in a smile. It wasn’t a big one, but it was something, and Rafe had never been so happy to see it. He tilted his head down and captured your lips in a sweet kiss. Your hands that had been gripping the front of his polo slid around his back. When he pulled away, you rested your head on his chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart.

“Move in with me,” Rafe said after a moment of silence.

Your head lifted immediately, nearly knocking his chin as you stared wide eyed at him. He chuckled at your shocked expression and tucked your hair behind your ear.

“I’ve got some money put away. We can get an apartment and it’ll cover a few months. We can get jobs and I’ll go to school,” Rafe’s fingers trailed over your arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “What do you say, princess? Wanna start our own life?”

You couldn’t stop the grin that enveloped your face as you thought about what he was suggesting. You wouldn’t have to be criticized by your parents anymore. You’d be free to do whatever you wanted with your life, and you’d have the man of your dreams by your side. So you nodded, bending in and pressing your lips to Rafe’s passionately.

“Let’s do it, baby,” you whispered against his lips, squealing softly as he pulled you on top of him and attacked your face with kisses. 

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