#otherwise he couldn’t possibly think bells hells would be taken in by what he’s going to show them

[nellasbookplanet]

Ludinus is so funny like... 'poor innocent Aeor was just Minding its Business (and totally not developing weapons and blowing up other cities for fun) when the mean gods just DECIDED to start a war (which had nothing at all to do with wizardly hubris releasing the betrayers). They were just trying to Protect their Families (by developing a weapon that could kill all the gods, including the ones trying to save Exandria, possibly by harnessing Predathos itself) when the meanie gods struck them down unprovoked :( anyway, I shall now convince you of all this by making you look at the Unethical Aeorian Panopticon, which monitored all its citizens absolutely at all times :) surely this will make you realize how innocent they were!'

[teklarn]

hi, this is my first ever ask so I'm not sure I'm doing this correctly, if that's the case I'm sorry; I don't know how tumblr works just yet >:')

would it be possible for you to write something about bakugo, pining incredibly hard for fem!reader and initially hating how strongly he feels about her? because they're not even friends, they only exchange few words occasionally and she doesn't even glance at his way whereas he slowly finds himself unable to divert his eyes from her during classes? shes always with damn deku and his friends and doesn't even seem interested in him at all but his heart can't ignore the way she looks at him proudly whenever they spar together, the way she sends him small confident smiles as they fight each other with all they have; so he thinks that maybe, maybe he might have a chance. basically bakugo liking reader so much he's completely lost in self-hatred because he always thought feelings were for weak romantics and not great people like him, but everytime he sees reader doing some badass things (again, like sparring with him and basically matching his skills etc...) he's reminded of how badly he likes reader? but when he finally accepts he's fallen for reader, after ignoring and trying to forget about how she makes him feel, he masters up the courage to confess? and it's a very clumsy confession because he's awkward and has no idea how to deal with those feelings? and he tries so hard to make reader realise he's never been more serious than now? and reader is startled and speechless before rejecting him? and at that point he's just completely humiliated, so he nods and walks away.

it might be a little dramatic but I've always been into unrequited love and one-sided pining. thank you, its okay if you don't want to write about this, i'll understand <33

𝓫𝓻𝓾𝓽𝓪𝓵 - 𝓴. 𝓫𝓪𝓴𝓾𝓰𝓸𝓾

character(s): katsuki bakugou x fem!reader (my hero academia) 

reblogs are greatly appreciated! 

a/n: AHHHHH this is so cute <33 honestly this is super exciting for me and this ask made me so happy, lovey. i’m fairly new to tumblr, i’m usually just a reader but i wanted to migrate here from wattpad so this made me so happy. here u are my love <33 i hope this lives up to what u wanted !! :)) a bit lengthy, but i had a lot of fun writing it !!! 

summary: bakugou finds he’s rejecting his feelings for you in fear of becoming weak, however he just can’t seem to ignore you. 

genre: fluffy, fluffier than the clouds istg, however the clouds are sprinking a little teeny weeny droplet of angst. 

warnings: cursing (bakugou, duhh), one-sided pining (on bakugou’s part) second hand embarrassment (on bakugou’s part bc we can all agree he’s a complete idiot when it comes to trying to get someone’s attention), just bakugou being a jackass, i gave the reader a quirk 

word count: 3,859 

(pls excuse any typos or mistakes, i edited to the best of my ability but i miss some things sometimes !) 

- - - 

part 2 is here my loves <3

brutal. it was utterly ruthless. he couldn’t focus, couldn’t think right. his hands were already exceptionally sweaty, but gosh when he saw your damn face, he was ready to explode. literally. 

what the hell was it about you? was it your stupid smile? or the way you just seemed to carry every battle on your back? was it all the undeniably sweet things you do for others ‘just because’? 

it made him angry that he thought about you, but gosh he couldn’t wait to see you every day. 

just like any other day, bakugou found himself staring at the large door to the classroom, awaiting the moment you would bounce into his day, skirt shifting around your legs, bag slung loosely around your shoulders. 

his leg was bouncing eagerly. 

bakugou didn’t know when the feelings came. his cheeks just started flaring up all of a sudden and one day you just looked...different. you hadn’t done anything different to yourself. it was just him. not that he would ever admit that, to you or anybody else. 

you were insufferable. you were stupid and obnoxious and so...so damn... 

“y/n! come look at this!” 

you’d come walking into class just as expected, and as soon as you did, that stupid nerd had called you over. 

it didn’t help that deku sat right behind him, either. the two of you had recently gotten closer. bakugou noticed it last month when he yelled at the two of you to shut up about all might and get to work. he’d turned around to find you leaning over deku, hands resting on his shoulders while you peered at his phone. 

“sorry, bakugou,” you’d said, barely acknowledging him. you had waved him off like an annoying fly. is that all you were to him? some nuisance that got in the way of your oh-so-entertaining conversations with deku? 

all he heard nearly every day was your chipper voice talking to deku. always, “oh my gosh, midoriya, did you see the fight edgeshot was in last night?” or “midoriya! i have something to add to our quirk analysis book!” 

that was the one that took the cake. you two dorks shared a notebook, occasionally passed between one another, and filled it with junk about quirks and pro heroes. but no matter how much he tried to tune you out, no matter how he tried to zone off and think about something else, you were always there. it made him want to vomit how much he thought about you. 

you were doing an adorable shuffle over to midoriya’s desk and leaned over the table as you usually did while he angled his phone your way. “did you see this hero report?” 

deku let you slip the phone out of his grasp to get a better look. 

“no,” you breathed. “was this just recent?” 

“yeah,” deku said, taking the phone back. “last night.” 

“holy—” 

“can you guys shut up over there?” bakugou said, his voice quaking. 

“sorry, kacchan.” deku scrolled through the article. 

dammit, bakugou thought. “i wasn’t talking to you, nerd. i was talking to shitface over here.” he jerked his head towards you. his eyes flared in anger when he saw you were looking down at your phone, now focused in on the article yourself. “i was talking to you, asshat!” 

your eyes flicked up to his. you looked around for a moment before slowly pointing to yourself as if to say, “me?” 

his face scrunched. “yeah, you. you’re so damn loud.” gosh, he hated how his voice was cracking, how he could feel his ears and cheeks lighting up in a swollen, cherry red. his stomach flipped. 

she’s looking at you, gosh i’m sweating. i’m going to throw up. she’s so gorgeous. what the hell? they’re ugly as shit, i don’t think anything of them. 

his eyes bore into yours. 

“did you...need something?” 

your voice broke his trance. 

“kacchan, are you okay? you dozed off there for a second. you look like you’re burning up.” 

bakugou looked to deku who was currently stretching out of his seat, arm extended. he pressed the back of his hand to bakugou’s forehead. “you’re really warm, kacchan. should we call recovery girl?” 

it took him a moment to realize what was happening. his vision got blurry every time he was with you. bakugou smacked deku’s hand away. “i’m fine!” his voice lifted at the end, cracking. “i’m not sick. don’t you think i’d take better care of myself?” 

“i don’t doubt you take good care of yourself, kacchan, but everyone gets sick once in a while. there’s nothing wrong with that.” 

“i never get sick!” besides, if i got sick, i wouldn’t want you to be the one taking care of me. 

he was still pissed. he was always in a bad mood, however, more so right now because you’d gone straight back to your phone and that stupid hero article that was supposedly so damn interesting. 

soon enough, the bell rang, and you were seated at your desk. it was jirou’s old spot, however, after much convincing, you two had switched spots so you could be closer to deku. just a few months of getting close to the idiot and you two are suddenly best friends. jirou hadn’t minded one tiny bit, claiming she needed a break from how loud that section of the room was. 

late as always, aizawa came trudging into your room. thankfully, his entire body wasn’t obscured by a yellow sleeping bag that smelled of something unwashed and coffee and gasoline. (for some reason, aizawa’s clothes always smelled of it.) 

“lucky for you,” he began while shuffling papers on his desk, “all of you are doing training for these first periods.”

the class cheered in perfect unison, followed by their individual chatter. you had erupted with glee along with them, and bakugou was sure he felt his heart clench and then explode. just a tiny bit. but he shoved the feeling down just as quickly as it had come up. 

“go out to the field and wait for further instructions. don’t make a sound in the halls otherwise, i’ll expel all of you.” 

this shut everyone up in almost a second, the sound draining out just as water does. the first years trailed out into the hall, single-file mimicking the positions baby ducklings would take when following their mother. 

bakugou found himself walking faster when he saw you take up your spot in the line, hoping to land his spot right behind you. 

unfortunately, this idiot who considered himself bakugou’s friend tugged him back. “bakugou!” a familiar voice rasped. 

“shitty hair, let go of me.” 

“hey man, chill out. wanna partner up if we’re doing training in pairs?” 

bakugou glanced at the line, the spot that should have been reserved for him now taken up by sato. 

bakugou tugged his sleeve from kirishima’s hand. “whatever,” he snapped. 

“sounds good!” kirishima flashed him a toothy grin and a thumbs-up. the bubbly feeling in bakugou’s chest died down as he stood behind sato, the overwhelming scent of sugar filling his nose, various candies that would go straight to your arteries. 

“you smell like ass, damn,” bakugou remarked, squeezing his nostrils together. 

luckily, sato was tall enough to not hear the insult, as he towered over bakugou by just another head. the line began moving like a sloppy train down to the change rooms. 

bakugou scoffed as he listened to your giggle. he should be making you laugh. 

- 

“you’ll be given partners randomly from this box.” aizawa held up a familiar red box. “inside are all your names. i’ll select one, then that person will come up and pick another name from the box. that will be your assigned partner for today. as soon as you have your assigned partner, i want you guys to get straight to work.” 

denki raised a hand, speaking before being called on. “sensei, why are we getting random partners? we’re always allowed to choose.” 

“in the real world, you’re going to come across different villains every day. you’ll never improve your skills or your quirks if you keep fighting the same person.” 

denki sighed, slumping back. 

dammit, bakugou thought, gritting his teeth together. there wasn’t any way he wanted to be partners with you. it’s obvious he’d win the fight in the first few seconds. 

yes! exactly right! bakugou internally grinned. his fluctuating feelings had finally soothed themselves. you were just another extra, and he had no room for you in his head. 

aizawa took a moment to fiddle with the slips of paper inside the box. soon enough, he pulled out a name. “todoroki.” 

todoroki walked up, digging his hand into the box when aizawa held it out for him. he pulled out a name, delicately unraveling the slip. “uraraka, you’re my partner.” he deadpanned. 

the brunette grinned. “great!” 

the two found their own spot on the field, and the class’s attention was once again diverted to their grouchy teacher as he pulled out another name. 

“bakugou.” 

bakugou strutted up without a worry in his mind. he pulled a name to find... 

“y/n,” he said, voice a low growl. instead of the annoying fluttering in his chest, his eyes met yours, and they were filled with a different, new ferocity. he crumpled the paper in one hand, letting it twirl to the ground. 

you looked at him, unsmiling. your eyes gave away nothing, and to bakugou’s knowledge, all you saw in him was another opponent. 

it took him a moment to realize you had both locked eyes for about a minute. perhaps the two of you would have stayed as you were if aizawa hadn’t snapped at the two of you to get moving as yaomomo’s name was called. 

bakugou was on his way to the back of the field, you followed close behind. while there was plenty of room still, he chose a secluded area. while it was still open enough to view everything going on so nobody got hurt, it was often nobody chose to train here. for whatever reason, you weren’t sure. 

“wait up, bakugou,” you said. after a bit, you caught up to him. 

“if you can’t keep up, then...” then what? he looked at you from the side of his eye. “then don’t keep up...” gosh, here came the embarrassing, disgusting feeling of redness in his cheeks. 

you laughed. “what?” 

“shut up.” 

“you’re an idiot, bakugou.” 

“i said shut the hell up!”

“what, so you can call me shitface in front of the entire class but you get all pissed when i call you an idiot?” 

so you had heard him! 

he tongued his cheek, curling his hands around an invisible ball, explosions sparking in the centers of his palms. “don’t expect me to hold back, dumbass.” 

“i wouldn’t dream of it.” 

gosh he loved that about you. 

bakugou caught his thought in the air. 

ahem...gosh he hated that about you. 

you both charged in at the same time. his cry was louder than yours, but you struck first. 

he admired your quirk. while he’d overhead you explaining all the drawbacks it had, it was strong, and you were strong because you knew how to control it. 

purple arrows flew from your arms, going in your desired directions. if you lost focus for one moment, they’d vanish and weaken. if you focused too hard or long, you’d be plagued by a splitting headache. 

he’d spent too much time obsessing over your strengths and weaknesses.  

your arrows were weightless, however they were solid objects capable of carrying any mass, any thing, and worked as extensions of your body. 

the violet arrow had shot out at him, twisting around his right gauntlet and crushing inwards. it’d snaked around him without him noticing, slithering along his back. 

bakugou struggled to get the air-light arrow off his wrist, but it was no use. he glared back, only to see your focused, furrowed brows. he’d expected to see your cocky ass smiling. it was nice to see you weren’t. 

that was one thing that had also caught his eye. you never underestimate your opponent, but you never underestimate yourself, either. 

you conjured a larger arrow. it snaked around your right arm as you hurled bakugou into the air, releasing your grasp on him. you shot your other arrow into the air, and it raced into the sky. 

it swerved. bakugou’s eyes went wide as the tip of the arrow came down on his chest. if they weren’t intangible things, he would have been bleeding out. 

another drawback: the arrows, while they could solidify, they couldn’t do any actual damage. you had to use your surroundings to inflict harm on your opponent. 

he coughed out as the arrow shot him into the ground. he hadn’t even touched you, and here he was, vulnerable and so...so... 

you stood over him, hands on your hips. 

vulnerable and so lost in that adorable, winning smile. 

“get away from me, idiot,” he grunted and turned onto his side, his back crying out in pain. 

“i think i won this fight, bakugou,” you chirped, rocking on your heels. 

“don’t get arrogant, shithead. you won’t be winning against me anymore.” 

you grinned, arrows shooting out behind your back. 

- 

the dorms were exceptionally quiet. you were typing away in the common room, bakugou on the couch reading. everyone was off doing something else. it was the weekend, luckily. he’d expected you to go bounding out with everyone else, however you’d stayed back, claiming you had some homework to catch up on. 

bakugou being classic bakugou had stayed back. he was excited to have the dorm to himself, but your dumbass was stuck here with him. couldn’t you have done your typing in your room? 

you were so aggressive on that poor keyboard. 

“oi, quiet down with your shit typing.” 

you barely grunted in response. 

“don’t ignore me.” 

“i heard you, mom.” 

“the hell did you call me?” 

no response. only your aggressive typing is a bit less aggressive. 

“i can still hear it,” bakugou remarked, eyes fixed on your back. 

“‘kay,” you said. your typing slowed a tad, and your pressure on the keys lessened. 

it was quiet now. bakugou should go back to his book. he shouldn’t still be looking for a reason to talk to you. 

the pages crinkled in his fingers. he bit his tongue, keeping his snarky comments in. 

“you’re a fucking idiot, you know that? doing your damn homework. it’s due tomorrow.” 

you turned, pursing your lips. “and how would you know what i’m working on? are you stalking me?” 

“i- what? no. you’re such an idiot, of course i’m not—” 

“i’m messing with you,” you breathed, face un-moving. 

“o-oh,” bakugou stuttered out. he blinked awkwardly. 

“gosh, what’s gotten your panties in a twist?” 

“you’re annoying.” 

“you’re a jackass.” you returned to your work. bakugou settled with reading in his room. reading consisted of jumping onto his bed just as the stereotypical high school girl would in an eighties movie. he buried his face in his pillow, face burning bright red. he cursed you for making him feel this way, and hated himself even more for how much he enjoyed it. 

- 

the next day came swiftly. you’d left early to go train with midoriya. there were many improvements needed to be made, but you weren’t doing too bad.

you propelled yourself forwards with an arrow, and your green-haired friend shot back, lightning flickering around his body. 

landing back on the ground, you panted and swiped the sweat from your brow. from the corner of your eye, you could make out both kirishima and bakugou coming to the training grounds. 

bakugou stopped in his tracks, frowning at the sight of you. 

it was evident he hated you a bit more than everyone else. he was always making his annoying comments, he was always snubbing you. you saw no reason to talk to him, so you didn’t. either way, even if you tried, he would still get angry for no reason. 

it’d taken you quite some time to get used to his obnoxious attitude. tuning him out had been the best course of action, in your opinion. 

the way you and midoriya had bonded was through bakugou, in a way. the first day of school, bakugou had snapped at you for tripping over your laces and nearly crashing into him. later that day, midoriya had stepped up and apologized for his old friend’s actions. 

you two had never been too close until now. the recent incidents going on with the league of villains had snagged your attention, and it seemed you were the only person who didn’t mind listening to him ramble on about heroes. 

you were just as passionate and just as dorky, but midoriya could talk your ear off. you never minded, and he always took the hint when you didn’t want to listen. 

you brought your leg up, twirling in the air with ease and watched your heel collide with midoriya’s face. he grunted, stumbling back. 

you were about to charge in again when a hand landed on your shoulder, big and rough. you turned to see bakugou standing behind you, a scowl on his face. 

“fight me again,” he demanded. 

“excuse me?” 

“don’t act like you didn’t hear me.” 

“i’m in the middle of fighting midoriya right now.” 

“so?”

“so if you think that i’m just going to ditch my friend because you want to fight, i won’t.” 

“you’re being stubborn.” 

“i’m being reasonable. back off.” 

“y/n?” midoriya rubbed his jaw—right where you had struck him. “what’s going on?” he jogged up to you and bakugou. 

“he wants to fight me in the middle of our fight. it’s nothing serious. don’t worry about it, midoriya. let’s just ignore him.” 

bakugou made a sound someone would only make if they were choking. “the hell did you just say?” 

“we’re ignoring you!” you waved him off and placed your hand on midoriya’s shoulder, wandering away. 

-

it was new to him, not getting what he wanted. and what he wanted right now was to be around you. again, it wasn’t like he would ever admit that to himself. 

“dude? you good? i thought you went off to fight y/n. i was so ready to cheer you on, dude,” kirishima’s chipper voice piped in. “she’s not fighting with you? why not?” 

“the dumbass was just probably scared of getting her ass beat by me.” 

“dude...that sounds really weird.” 

“whatever, shitty hair. let’s go.” 

- 

the clock ticked. his ears were on fire. again. 

gosh, it was happening again. it was all you. his face scrunched up, his voice would surely crack if someone were to ask him what was wrong. 

bakugou was once again stuffing his face in his pillow, hiding his expression from no one. why did you have to go train with that shitty nerd? why were you always around deku? deku, of all people. what did he have? why was he so great? 

bakugou was a man of many insecurities, but losing to deku? that was possibly his biggest fear. 

perhaps he wasn’t the nicest, or the most soft person out there. bakugou could admit that, at least. but he was smarter than deku. he was stronger and he was better and people liked him more. right? 

what was so...amazing about deku? 

it was often bakugou would find himself obsessing over little, insignificant things such as these. 

you were what he was thinking of most of the time. just yesterday, he’d gotten a test returned. he was expecting an eighty at the lowest, but more so expecting a high ninety. it’d come back exactly sixty percent. 

sixty. percent.

bakugou vividly remembered staring at your face. he also remembered not being able to focus because of it. his grades were dropping because of you. 

you were the only person to be able to do this to him. 

his heart grew quiet, but the pounding of his didn’t cease. he lifted his head. 

“alright, fine,” he said aloud. “you win, y/n. you win.” 

he settled with getting over his feelings the way he’d read them in his collection of romance manga. 

bakugou left his room and knocked on your door. (he was banging on it, but it was his nice way of knocking.) 

you answered, looking around awkwardly. “yes?” 

his hands shook. how was this supposed to go? sure, he’d seen it in romance movies and read it in books but it was always easy to tell whether the guy would get the girl or not. 

in this instance, bakugou was clueless. for once in his life, he was clueless. you stood, tapping your foot with a hand on your hip, waiting expectantly for him to tell you why he was here. 

“um.” he scratched behind his neck. “you uh- i uh...i’m sorry i called you a, um...a shitface.” 

“okay? is that it?” 

what? come on! it was already unlike him to apologize. what else did you want from him? 

“did you...i’ve been thinking, maybe? maybe we could..train together as...friends?”  

“...what?” 

gosh dammit, as friends? 

“whatever, um...the uh...” oh gosh, what did the boys do in all the books he’d read? right! bakugou stretched out his arm, resting his forearm on the door, leaning to the side. 

although he didn’t, really, because like the clumsy jackass he was, bakugou missed completely and nearly toppled to the floor. 

this earned a snicker from you. 

his stomach flipped and churned, and bakugou found himself unable to reach your eyes. “uh, would you maybe..? okay, um. do you want to go on a date with me? you absolute fucking dumbass.” 

your eyes flew wide. “...what?” 

“no, that’s not what i— i mean i didn’t mean the last part. um, i meant the first part. the first two parts. the part where i was asking you if you wanted to go on a date with me and then before that when i said maybe because it’s still a maybe until you say yes. or...or no because that’s an option too.” 

he swallowed. 

you resisted the urge to mock him, just a little bit. “um, bakugou, listen.” 

he leaned closer. “yes?” 

“it’s going to be a no. i’m sorry, but i’m just not interested in you like that.” 

it took him a moment to register everything. his shoulders sagged. gosh that was brutal. 

“oh, alright.” 

“yeah, uh, sorry about that.” you offered him a weak smile, still a bit shocked yourself. he did his best to return it, and when you closed the door, his face was ready to explode. 

it was so damn difficult to deal with these feelings, but maybe it was better this way. knowing where you stood on your end, he knew he wouldn’t miss out on anything. 

perhaps it was alright to admire from afar. things could happen in the future, right? 

right now, he’d just wait. for a long, long time. bakugou pressed a hand to his chest, feeling his erratic heartbeat. maybe it was alright to not have you right now. perhaps he could better himself for you. just for you. 

[triptuckers]

New In Town (part three) - Kaz Brekker

Request: nope Pairing: Kaz Brekker x reader Summary: after hearing an interesting conversation in the pub you work at, you're determined to find out more Warnings:  none Word count: 2.3K A/N: thinking about a video someone sent me on twitter of freddy saying the quote on bottling inej' laugh..... yea <3 enjoy reading! PREVIOUS PART | NEXT PART TAG LIST (all grishaverse fics): @ayushmitadutta @mrs-brekker15@dancingwith-sunflowers @thegirlwiththeimpala @parker-natasha@story-scribbler @romanoffstarkovs@daliareads@meiitanoia @itsnotquimey @sanktaesperanza @whymyparentscheckmyphone @aleksanderwh0r3 @ilovemarvelanne1 @marlenaisnthappy @brekker-zenik @just-deka @Graceknxwlson @the-very-tired-mess TAG LIST (Kaz Brekker): @mufnasa @janesofia7 @stairscortana @parker-natasha @illicitghosts @brick-by-brick553 add yourself to my tag lists here

When all of the customers have piled out of the pub, and you're cleaning the tables, you can't stop thinking over Jesper and Kaz' conversation.

If only you knew what gang they were part of, you could have easily snuck into their main building. You needed to find out exactly when this party was going to take place, if you wanted to steal the necklace.

You tried to think of any other way to find out the date and location of the party. You hadn't heard any other customers talking about it, so you guessed it was a party reserved only for the elite. And Ketterdam's finest didn't come to a somewhat dirty little pub like the one you work in.

You had to be smart about this. Maybe if Jesper or Kaz came back, you could try to follow them. Find out where they were meeting, what gang they are.

And if that didn't work, you'd just have to find some dirt on them and use it to your advantage. You'd done it countless of times before. Though this was an entirely new city, with new potential targets and clients, you are confident you can pull this off.

You have to, if you ever want to be able to rent a clean room, preferably one not directly above a pub.

But it looks like your luck has decided to abandon you. In the next three days, you don't see Jesper or Kaz in the pub. You even take on extra shifts, claiming you just want to earn more money. When in reality, you are on the lookout for either one of them.

They don't show up. And you have no way of telling if the party already took place or not.

On the fourth night, your gaze is fixed on the door again as you're working. Finally, your coworker steps closer to you.

'Did you like those two that much?' she says.

'Huh?' you say. You'd been so lost in your thoughts you hadn't heard her approach you.

'I'll take that as a yes.' she says. 'That tall one was cute. The other one gave me some creepy vibes.'

'What are you talking about?' you ask her.

'Those two that came by a couple of days ago. You kept hovering by their table, and you've been daydreaming ever since.' she says, smirking at you.

You laugh and shove her away. If only she knew the real reason why you had been hovering around their table. You decide to try if maybe she knows about the party. You doubt it, but there's no knowing unless you try.

'Hey, are there any good parties around here?' you say. 'I've yet to explore Ketterdam's night life.'

'Well, there are some.' she says. 'But most of the fancy ones take place at some merchants house. We'd never get in.'

'Sounds like one hell of a party, then.' you say.

'Oh, they're the best. On nights like those, you can see them all dressed up in their best clothes, jewellery all over the place. It's quite impressive.' she says.

'Hmm.' you hum. You hadn't seen a scene like that, so the party probably hadn't taken place yet.

'The merchants' wives have a new gown for every party.' she says.

'Really?' you say, genuinely surprised that they do. Surely you could spend your money on better things than a gown you'd only wear once.

'Uh-huh, they never wear the same thing twice. The other day, I was in one of those expensive stores to pick up an order for my aunt, and one of them was there. She kept raging on about how her dress wasn't going to be ready in time for a party.' she says.

This gets your full attention. Maybe this was about the party Jesper and Kaz were talking about.

'Was she really mad?' you say, pressing on.

'Furious.' says your coworker. 'She said that if her dress wasn't ready by Tuesday morning, because the party is that night, she'd never come to the store again.'

'Huh, what an attitude.' you say, trying to hide your gratitude for finally finding out the date of the party. All that was left was the location, and which wife exactly would be wearing the priceless necklace. But at least you got one piece of the puzzle.

'You really should have heard her. She kept yelling she couldn't possibly show up to Christensen manor without a new dress.' she says.

'Christensen manor?' you say, hoping you don't sound too curious. But apparently, your coworker loves gossiping way, as she nods eagerly.

'He's one of the richest merchants around. He's the one hosting the party. Rumour goes the ring he always wears is worth so much money, it could buy half of Ketterdam.' she says.

You snort. 'Half of Ketterdam? That seems a little too much.' you say.

'Oh, you'd be surprised.' she says. 'His family is always nearly sinking to the floor with the amount of jewellery they wear. They like to show everyone just how much money they have.'

'Aren't they afraid it gets stolen?' you say.

She shakes her head. 'They have too much security for that. Even the gangs back in the Barrel wouldn't dare to pull off such a daring stunt.' she says.

You smile to yourself. If only she knew at least five gang members were planning exactly that.

The two of you look up when a bell rings, signalling the end of your shift.

'That's my cue.' you say. 'You sure you're gonna be alright out here?'

'I'll manage. Go and get some rest.' she says.

'Alright, goodnight.' you say.

She waves at you as you walk toward the stairs to go to your room. To her, it seemed like you were just gossiping away. Little did your coworker know she'd given you exactly the information you needed. Maybe working at a pub turned out to be useful after all.

So the party would take place on Tuesday night, at Christensen manor. And his wife would most likely be the one to wear the necklace, if they parade around with their riches so much.

All you had to do was make sure you arrive before Jesper and Kaz do. You'd worked your way through more difficult plans, you could handle this.

When you wake up on Tuesday morning, you get dressed quickly and sneak out of the pub without being seen. You're grateful you bought loose pants with a lot of pockets.

You've hidden your gun in your pants, and your knives are strapped around your thighs. You didn't expect there to be an escalation, but you liked to be prepared.

You arrive at the manor, which looks abandoned. There are no lights on yet, but then again it's barely dawn. The reason why you came here so early is so you could inspect the building.

There are at least four different escape routes you can see. But you didn't know if you woud still have access to them when the manor is swarming with drunk party guests. And guard. And, of course, a few disguised gang members.

You pick out a spot in an alley across from the manor, and wait.

When you first stared doing jobs like this one, you didn't have patience at all. It caused you to be sloppy, to make mistakes and miss opportunities. But over the years, you learned that patience is a valuable ally.

You sit in the alley for hours, eating the food you'd brought with you. You're observing the manor, watching as servants come and go in order to prepare the party that would take place later that day.

When the sun starts to go down, the party guests arrive. Your coworker had been right; they're all dressed in expensive looking clothes in the brightest colours. Jewellery shines on their ears, around their necks, on their fingers and wrists.

You're lucky you're patient. Otherwise you would have simply snatched a less valuable necklace. But you had your eyes set on a prize, and you're determined.

When most of the party guests have entered the manor, you sneak closer and enter through the door the servants had used all day. Luckily, there's no one in the room you enter.

All you have to do is follow the music to the main area, and find the merchant's wife. Easy.

You make your way through the hallways, occasionally stopping to take cover when you hear someone approaching. Finally, you make it to the room where the music is the loudest.

People are laughing, drinking and dancing. You'd love to be part of that life some day. To just spend your days dancing with your friends, playing dress up. But that kind of life would have to wait.

You scan the room from where you are standing, and spot a couple dancing in the middle of the room.

They're dressed in colours so bright they seem to light up the room. The woman is nearly entirely covered in shining gemstones. And on her chest rests a heavy necklace, a large diamond dangling from it.

You look around the room, but don't spot Jesper or Kaz. They aren't here yet, or you just hadn't seen them. You had to be careful. They knew what you looked like. And as soon as they caught sight of you, you didn't doubt they would tell their companions.

Behind you, a servant approaches with a tray laden with glasses of wine. You smile and walk up to him.

'I'll take it from here, Christensen said you could take a break.' you say, holding your hands out to take over the tray.

It surprises you how easily he hands it over to you. Was working at a party really that bad you'd take the first change of getting a break you got?

You don't have time to question it. You have to move quickly if you want to be out before the gang members arrive.

You manoeuvre your way through the crowd, and most people don't even seem to notice you're not wearing a servant's uniform. Maybe they're too drunk to notice. Or maybe they just don't care.

After spotting Christensen and his wife again, you make your way toward them. The music stops just about the same time as you reach them.

Before the next song starts, you make yourself trip, spilling wine all over Christensen's wife.

She lets out a yelp of surprise when the red liquid stains her dress. She furiously turns at you and you're quick to put on a shocked face.

'I am so sorry, my lady.' you say. 'I tripped, oh Saints, I'm so sorry.'

'Watch where you're going!' she says. 'You ruined my dress.'

'I'm sorry, I'll help you clean it up.' you say.

'You better.' says the merchant, Christensen, as he roughly takes a hold of your arm and pushes you to follow his wife out of the room.

You keep your eyes down as you follow her through the halls. She opens door after door, muttering to herself about useless servants. She stops when you've entered a bedroom.

She opens another door to reveal a bathroom. When she sees her dress in the mirror, she glares at you.

'I haven't seen you here before.' she says.

'I'm new.' you say, keeping your eyes on the floor.

'New and clumsy.' she says. 'Wait here while I change.'

She takes off her jewellery and shoes before disappearing in the bathroom, closing the door. You don't know how much time you have, so you move quickly.

You grab a hold of the necklace and shove it into one of your coat pockets. You're debating wether or not you can go back the same way you got here, but then you hear footsteps approaching.

You whirl around, and spot a window. You could climb down and get as far away from the manor as possible.

With three big steps, you make it to the window and open it. You carefully climb through the window and being to work your way down to the street.

Just when your feet hit the ground, you hear the merchant's wife scream.

'Thief!' she screams. 'I've been robbed!'

You smile as you start jogging toward the street, to go back to the pub. When you round the corner of the manor, you see a few people making their way toward it.

Two guards and three people dressed as elaborately as the other guests. For a split second, you wonder why three guests would be accompanied by two guards, but then you remember Jesper and Kaz' hushed conversation.

A grin starts to spread across your face. You'd been fast enough. They'd go in only to discover there was no necklace to steal.

You walk across the street, keeping your head down. In the distance, you hear the woman still screaming. She had made it to the main party room.

'My necklace!' she yells. 'That damned servant took it! Find her!'

You see the small group of people outside the manor stop, and turn to each other. You can tell they're confused as they talk to one another. Probably wondering what the odds were someone else would steal the necklace they had their eyes on.

They're all looking at each other, except for Kaz. You can see even more clearly now he's the leader. Instead of looking at his companions, he's suspiciously looking around, his eyes scanning the dark streets around the manor.

You smile to yourself and disappear into the shadows. If you had it your way, he'd never find out you'd outsmarted him.

A/N: If you want to request something, make sure to read my house rules Here’s the list of characters I write for. Everything that I have written can be found on my masterlist. Please don’t repost my work, as I spend much time and effort on it!! Thank you for reading! Much love, Marit

[marvelsbetch]

Peter Parker’s field trip. Part 1

Warnings: Trans!Peter, Spidypool, sex references, superfamily, transphobia, supportive avengers

Tony POV

I was in my lab waiting for Peter, my newly adopted son, to come home from school when Friday told me I had an email from Peters school. Turning to my phone I opened the email and was completely annoyed. The email read

'Dear Parent/Carer of Patricia Parker,

We are delighted to inform you that we have a surprise field trip for the student to none other than Stark Laboratories. The trip with be a residential starting on March 7th with a trip to Stark Tower, staying the night there with Mr Tony Stark-Rodgers and then having a trip to the Avengers Tower where we will have the opportunity to meet the Avengers and ask them questions. This is a once in a life time opportunity and we hope you allow your daughter to attend. Also, we would like to keep the trip as a surprise for the student so we urge you not to tell them the destinations of the trip.

Yours Sincerely,

Mrs Robbins.'

I was livid. My child Peter is a boy. I do not have a daughter I have a son. I couldn't believe the nerve of this teacher so I stormed out of my lab and in to the main living area of the penthouse and saw my handsome husband lay on the couch watching tv. He looked so calm and collected but I feel this might change.

"Honey, I just got this email from Peters school that I think you should have a look at." I told him handing him my phone.

He looked confused at first but then the anger set in and by time my phone was placed back in my hand he had an evil smirk on his face. I had an idea of why he had that smirk but just to be sure I asked him,

"What's the smirk for?" I asked.

"Tell the teacher our son can go on the trip while I make a few phone calls. Nobody purposely misgenders my son and gets away with it." He is trusted before grabbing his cell phone and walking down the corridor to one of the training room. Probably going to blow off a little steam and anger. Might watch in a little while.

After a second I simply responded to the email stating'

I as Peters legal guardian allow my son to attend this field trip. Is there any additional information that we should be aware of?' It seemed like the appropriate response.

In all honesty I had Pepper invite the school to the towers as a reward for how well they did at the decathlon competition. I was not expecting to receive an email like this.

-5 hours later-

Peter arrived home shortly after the email incident and was greeted to everyone being in the room. Everyone being Me, Cap, Bucky, Nat, Banner, Pepper, Sam, T'Challa, Shuri, Rhodey, Wanda, Vision, Thor, Loki, Clint and Strange along with the Guardians on a Skype call on the tv. We told him it was a spur of the moment gathering as well all missed each other, not an entire lie, but in reality we were plotting to a) embarrass Peter as much as possible on the field trip and b) get back at the teacher for what they did.

We decided to order enough pizza for an entire 3rd world country and discuss Peter's school life as we ate.

"So Peter, has anyone been giving you trouble lately in School? You can tell us the truth." Steve, Peter's other father and my husband, asked.

"No everything just fine." He terribly lied.

"Come on kid. I've known you for almost two years now, don't try and lie. If there's anyone giving you any type of shit for whatever reason please know that you can tell us." I explained to him all of a sudden getting very serious. I could see him fighting with himself on weather to tell us something or not but decided not to as he then said he had homework to do and went to his room.

"So, he's either lying or the teacher isn't as bad as we think." Loki observed.

"No, he was lying. I could feel his conflict and pain in remembrance of what people have said to him. I'm not one for violence but someone needs to pay for what he's been dealing with." Wanda told us with tears in her eyes.

Cap and Barton walked over to comfort her and hopefully stop her crying. My blood started boiling, Wanda was a strong person and if what Peter's going through brings her to tears then that's a lot for one person to go through. What else has this teacher or student done? Why won't he tell us? Does he not trust us? That last question broke my heart.

"Baby, you okay?" I hear Steve ask moving towards me and holding both my hands in his.

"No. I'm pissed. I'm pissed at any one who hurt my son. I'm pissed at us for not making sure he knows he can talk to us. And I'm pissed at the world for making his go through all of this." I told him with tears coming to my eyes.

Steve pulled me close to my chest and held me tight. He stroked his hands through my hair as he tried to calm me down. I could tell he was mad to, we all were, but he was trying to hold it in despite everyone being here to essentially punish this teacher was his idea. Embarrassing Peter was mine.

"Right, so what do we do about this? I'm not letting anyone hurt my nephew and get away with it." Nat said sitting up and pulling a knife from who knows where to sharped her nails. That women scares me so much.

"How about we just drop in during the day and make sure one of us is always with him. If he has one of us always there and we make it apparent that we know and support him the I doubt even someone as bigoted as his teacher is going to say something. Then we can embarrass him when we're with him." Sam suggested.

"I like that. Where are we all going to be stationed?" Loki asked.

"Well if I speak to the tour guide I could get Banner to give them a lesson on Gamma radiation as the first. Then, Barton or somebody drops in. After that they will be taken to a different lab with Shuri and T'Challa. By that time it should be lunch where Thor and Loki could drop in and the guardians land near the level 7 outside cafeteria. Then we can have Sam drop some stuff from above like a water balloon or something and Bucky bake his favourite cookies to bring to him. After Lunch they're looking around some other labs where Shuri could also be along with Banner. I think they're also going to be visiting the training rooms so Nat, Cap, Bucky and T'Challa could be fighting and Wanda, Vision and Strange could be training their magic." I suggested feeling better now that we were planning this.

March 6th

-Peter's POV-

I was in Chemistry faintly heading the teacher, Mrs Robbins, drone on and on about ionic bonding and how it differs to covalent bonding. It was something I already knew so I didn't need to listen until Ned started hitting my arm. Turning to look at him he simply nodded to the direction of the teacher. I turned around just to catch two words that made my heart drop.

"-Field trip!" Our teacher cheered with a big smile on her face.

Field trip? To where and why?

"That's right, we have organised a surprise field trip for you all as a reward for how well you've all done on your recent exams. Only the top 20 student of the entire school will have the privilege of going. The destination will be a surprise but I will say to bring an overnight bag and money for food and such. You're parents have already got an email consenting for your attendance and the bus will be leaving at 8am tomorrow so don't be late." She further explained.

The whole surprise field trip thing made me nervous beyond all belief. I may not technically be a Parker anymore but the luck definitely followed me and the idea of having to go on an overnight field trip made me terrified. Also, our parents got an email. This means that either Dad (Tony) or Pops (Steve) knew about this probably weeks ago and didn't tell me, this only fulled my anxiety.

Soon the bell went signalling the end of the day and our temporary liberation from this educational prison. On the way out Mrs Robins pulled me aside. It confused me at first until she put our most recent test infront of me. My name circled in big red circles, I know what's about to happen.

"Patricia, you must stop this. You're name is not Peter, you're not a boy. You were born a girl and therefore are, there is no picking and choosing with what God gave you. You must understand this by now. This little joke has gone too far that you're name has been requested to change on our register. Get it through you're head that you are not a boy and you will go to hell for thinking otherwise. One more incident like this and you'll have detention for the rest of the year. Got it?" She basically shouted at me pointing to my circled name on the test.

"No. My name is Peter and I am a boy, I don't care what God assigned me because he got it wrong. I am a boy and my name is Peter as we have gotten it legally changed." I rebutted getting impatient with her ignorance.

"Don't speak to me like that young man. You have no right to change Gods idea and destiny for you. Just thing, you're a girl meaning you can have kids and spread God's message to others and have many kids. Just what God planned for all women." She told me trying to sound sweet but came off and incredibly patronising.

At this point I was too angry to listen to her bulls**t (Gotta keep it Steve friendly people) so I stormed out the room. She started yelling for me to come back to the classroom but I didn't listen and continued walking till I reached the car Happy was in to take me home.

I got in the car and started telling Happy about my day while playing classic songs on my phone such as Highway to Hell, You gave love a bad name and Living on a Prayer. He pretended like he didn't care but I could tell he was listening and hanging onto every word I was saying. I love that about Happy, he acts like he doesn't care but in reality he does and he does a lot. He once caught Flash saying stuff about me and threatened to hit him with the car, he almost did as well but we were running late to a meeting I had to go to with Dad. Of course that didn't stop Flash as he still likes to torment me daily but he now does it more secretly making it more bearable.

We soon made it home and I found all of my dysfunctional family,minus the guardians who were on a Skype call, sat in the living room watching a movie on the tv. I quickly set my bag down on the kitchen island and settled right next to Tony (Dad) who was cuddling Cap (Pops). Everyone was asking me questions about my day and school life in general. They focused mostly on if people were bullying on me. It worried me a little because as much as I know I can go to them, I don't want to because I know that if I tell them everything that's happened they'll kill people and I don't want that for my family. Half of them only just got pardoned and I don't want the governments to revoke that.

"Sorry guys but I got homework. The pizza was delicious, is it okay if I invite Wade around?" I pleaded with Pops knowing he's more likely to say yes.

"Yes but that door stays open hound man. Do I make myself clear?" Pops asked in a stern voice.

"Crystal." I responded before taking out my phone to call Wade, grabbed my bag and walked to my room.

"Hey Baby Boy, what's up?" Wade asked after picking up his phone.

"Not much, Pops said you could come around." I told him making him slightly squeal.

"Okay Baby Boy, I'll be there in 10 minutes. I love you." Wade informed.

"I love you to Babe." I said before hanging up with a smile on my face.

-10 minutes later-

I was sat at my desk finishing my algebra homework when I heard someone knock on the window. Knowing it was Wade I turned with a smile on my face and let him in.

"Hey Baby Boy, how was your day?" Wade asked making himself comfortable on my bed.

"It was fine, quite boring if I'm honest. We did get told about this residential field trip tomorrow though. Sorry I won't be here for most of the weekend. I'm sure my Dads will love having you around." I joked sitting on his lap and cuddling into his chest.

"It's fine Pete. I'll just have to savour our time together now." He said wiggling his eyebrows and kissing me passionately.

"My Pops said to keep the door open." I told him pulling away with a massive blush spread across my cheeks.

"Does that rule apply to your en-suite?" Wade asked.

"I don't believe so." I answered getting up from his lap and dragging him into my en-suite, which is where we stayed for the rest of the night.

To be continued...

[walviemort]

Fairy Godfather, part 2

Summary: The fairies have asked a monumental favor of Killian: be the surrogate for their babies—all nine of them. He’s been pregnant before, but this? This is a whole other level. What has he gotten himself into? And just how big will he get?

A/N: Another update! This is kind of consuming me so you’ll be getting these pretty often, I hope! thanks to @sancocnutclub for all her encouragement ;)

rated T / 2.2k words / part 1 / AO3

He didn’t wake until mid morning the next day, and was still fairly fatigued, but otherwise felt alright—just a bit tender about the middle. 

A shower helped dissolve most of the lingering soreness, and he took some time in front of the mirror to look for any changes. 

Given that his stomach had never returned to its previous hardened state, it was hard to notice any discernible change in shape, but when he poked around, there was definitely a rounded area that hadn’t been there before. 

He also took a moment to memorize his body as it was; it wouldn’t be long before the babes made their presence visibly known, and the changes that happened while pregnant with Hope were still fresh in his mind. He was both glad that Belle was keeping track of his stats, and already dreading it. 

But she was probably waiting for him, so he needed to get a move on—and something to eat; he was starting to feel peckish, but couldn’t tell whether or not it was more than usual. 

His normal jeans still fit comfortably, albeit a hair snug. It wouldn’t last long, but he’d relish it while it did. At least his shirts would last longer; he’d found a new appreciation for the forgiving cotton knits of this realm in his second trimester. 

Emma was already at the station when he got downstairs, but she’d left behind plenty of pancakes, and he ate a few more than normal; he wasn’t sure how to interpret that. 

Before heading to the library, he went to pick up Hope from her sleepover with her grandparents. David greeted him at the door, with tiny Ruth asleep on his chest.

“So, how’d it go?” he asked, hardly able to keep his eyes away from Killian’s midsection.

“Fine, as far as I could tell. Weird, but fine.”

“Did it hurt?”

“No, thankfully, but I’m sure there will be plenty of aches and pains later.”

David winced. “Man, am I glad they asked you and not me. This one was enough,” he said, patting Ruth’s back gently.

“I don’t disagree, but…”

“But you feel like you owe them,” David finished. 

“Aye.”

“Well, I think it’ll be the other way around by the end of this, but we’ll help you out as much as we can.”

“I appreciate it—and I’m sure we’ll need it with this one,” he replied, nodding at Hope, who was attempting to escape out a window.

She was easily wrangled, though, and happy to see him. He had no idea what fairy infants were like, but if they were half as charming as his daughter (who definitely took after her grandfather), this whole town would revolve around them.

As he thought, Belle was waiting for him, tape measure in hand. “Seriously?” he griped as he set Hope down next to Gideon in the playpen behind the circulation desk.

“You can’t possibly be surprised,” she threw back. “But if it’s any consolation, I won’t do it again until next week.”

“You only did it monthly last time around.”

“You were only carrying one babe.”

He sighed. “Fine.”

Though his waist measurement remained unchanged, his weight was slightly higher (more than could be expected by a few extra pancakes). “I can feel it,” he confirmed when she asked. “There’s definitely something in there, though I only notice it if I go looking for it.”

Belle made a note and then flipped back and forth between some pages. “That matches up with when you found out you were expecting Hope; so do your measurements, and that was, what 8 weeks?”

“Yeah, thereabouts.”

“Second pregnancies do show sooner, too.”

“Especially this one,” he grumbled. 

“Oh yeah,” she agreed.

The day continued normally, although his hand did gravitate to his stomach pretty often, without thinking about it. Even if it wasn’t noticeable, he still knew what was there, and his subconscious seemed to have already set out to protect it—that, or his hormones were already starting to affect him. 

Based on his reaction when Emma arrived that afternoon—particularly to his train of thought when she bent down to pick up a napping Hope—it was definitely hormones. His jeans felt a very different kind of tight then; something he acted on later that night, after a slightly larger than usual dinner. 

“Those hormones kicked in fast,” a sated Emma breathed as they came down from their shared high. “You haven’t been that voracious since we found out we were having a girl.”

“Are you complaining?” he panted. 

“Absolutely not.”

“Good.” And they went for another round. 

In fact, he was so insatiable the next couple of weeks that, despite his elevated appetite, no other discernible change in his weight was noticed; his waist actually went down a bit.

“Are you feeling alright? Keeping food down and everything?” Belle asked, worried, as she recorded his 2-week measurements, comparing them to his 10-week from his first pregnancy. “Last time, you couldn’t eat more than chicken rice about now.”

“Trust me—I feel more than fine,” he assured her. “Were it not for Emma’s implanted contraception, we’d likely need to be planning for a more traditional pregnancy.”

“That’s a very eloquent way of saying you can’t keep your hands off your wife.”

“I could have phrased it crudely—how many synonyms for ‘sex’ did you want Gideon to learn today?”

“None!” she exclaimed, covering her son’s impressionable ears. He was at the age when he repeated anything said around him—a fact they noticed when Gideon’s favorite phrase became “bloody hell.”

“What are uncles for, though?” he teased with a wink. 

Belle just groaned and threatened to teach Hope how to read with romance novels. Killian, however, was just glad she slept through the night so she didn’t interrupt the real thing. 

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

Where there had been some hubbub about town during Killian’s first pregnancy—and quite a lot of gawking—no one seemed as shocked this time around. They’d made no effort to keep it a secret, letting the Storybrooke rumor mill do its job, but either the town was more aware than Killian had been about fairy reproduction, or they had become jaded to such magical oddities (he assumed the latter).

That said—he had to assume the gawking would eventually return. 

Especially with the way Granny was feeding him. To be fair, she wasn’t letting him overindulge, but he’d noticed his portions were larger, and the amount of vegetables increased. He wondered if Blue had given her some nutritional instruction, or if it was just her innate grandmotherly instincts. 

The first time she slid an extra helping of broccoli over, he tried to protest, delicious as it looked. 

“Oh no—eat up, young man,” she commanded. “If my math is right, you’re eating for 10. I should probably be feeding you more, actually.”

Emma snickered next to him—they were on lunch break from the station—but he wasn’t sure if it was at Granny’s tutting or the fact that Killian had just realized the magnitude of…well, all of it. 

So when Granny slid some extra onion rings across the counter, he didn’t complain (but obviously shared them with his wife).

He wanted to blame it on those extra treats—onion rings, fries, pie, muffins—when they noticed an expansion in his waist measurement at 3 weeks, but it was definitely the babes; he could still wear his normal jeans, but was seeing some rounding behind his navel. 

And at 4 weeks—a month since the babes were transferred—it could finally be deemed a bump: there was a gentle curve to his whole stomach, from just under his pecs to his hips (which had been aching a bit as they widened some, likely in anticipation of the heavy load to come). Given the way he and Emma’s evening activities hadn’t slowed, he knew it was all the babies. 

Belle hummed as she compared the notes she’d just taken with those from last time. “Well, that’s interesting,” she commented.

“What is?” Emma asked; she’d joined them for that week’s check in, curious to see where things were.

“This week’s measurements match up with those from the end of the first trimester last time, which I suppose isn’t a huge surprise, but…”

“But I have a lot more to go than two trimesters,” he finished.

All eyes were on his stomach for a long while after that, likely all wondering the same thing: just how large would he get?

The only thing that took their attention away was the ringing of the bell over the door as someone arrived—Blue, it turned out. “Hi,” she greeted, clearly trying to be casual. “Just wanted to stop by and see how things were going.”

He wasn’t naive enough to believe she’d stay away from him for the duration of the pregnancy, although he had expected more subtle surveillance.

They chatted briefly about how he was feeling, and she studied his stomach with an outstretched hand, he assumed to do her own magical assessment. “Yes, they seem to be doing quite well; that’s good.”

“Did you think they weren’t?” Emma quipped.

“No, of course not,” Blue assured her. “Would it be odd to express my excitement?”

Well, they all understood that. “How long has it been since your last brood?” Belle had to ask.

“Over fifty years,” Blue answered. “They’re usually every five to ten, depending on the solstice.”

“And when you don’t have a series of curses in the way,” Emma added.

Blue glanced over Belle’s notes with interest. “That does seem to match up with past broods, though I don’t think anyone ever thought to take such detailed notes.”

“Are there any?” Belle asked. “I don’t have anything here, but if you had some back at the convent, it’d be great for comparison.”

“I’d have to check our library,” Blue answered. “There might be a few scrolls, but we’re not much for recorded history.”

“I can tell,” Belle complained.

After some more chatting, Blue excused herself, but did ask if it was alright if she checked in periodically.

“Of course,” Killian said. “It’s your brood. Plus, I’m certain we’ll need to take you up on the offer of help sooner rather than later, if this is where I’m already at after only 4 weeks,” he added, gesturing to his still-small bump.

“Absolutely,” Blue said. “Oh! I almost forgot.” She pulled her wand out of nowhere and twirled it at Killian’s midsection. His skin grew warm for a moment, but then returned to normal. “I’m not sure if the original spell will account for the size, as far as how it treats your skin; that should eliminate any damage.”

“No stretch marks?” he wondered.

“No—not any new ones, at least.”

“Oh, thank goodness.”

She then left as quickly as she appeared.

“Guess that’s something we’ll have to get used to,” he sighed, and then they went about their day. But he was starting to grow very concerned about what lay ahead for him; he knew this wouldn’t be a small feat, but was worried it would be more than he could handle.

As time progressed, his bump steadily grew, though not unnaturally so. At 5 weeks, it was yet more noticeable; at 6, he finally had to concede defeat and dig out his maternity jeans, though they were still plenty roomy. By the end of the second month, he wasn’t quite where he’d been at the end of his second trimester, but it was definitely a baby bump—roughly where he’d been around 24 weeks with Hope, even though he was only at 8 with this one.

It was around then, though, that he noticed the first flutterings inside. He thought he’d noticed it the week before, but chalked it up to gas or something like that; Granny had been feeding him a lot of black beans lately. But late one night, after yet another glorious session of lovemaking, Emma’s hand had drifted to his belly and even she took notice.

“Wow, they’re actually starting to move in there, huh?”

“Seems like it. You don’t suppose they actually have wings already, do they?”

“Normal babies hardly have limbs at this stage, so probably not.”

They lay peacefully in the afterglow for a bit, before he asked quietly, “You are okay with this, right?”

It wasn’t the first time he’d ask, nor was it likely to be the last. But it was a large undertaking and though she hadn’t exactly protested, he knew it wasn’t something she’d have volunteered for.

“For the hundredth time, yes. Even if this was partly fueled by guilt, I know you probably would have agreed anyway, and that big heart is why I love you so much. And can I say something else?”

“What’s that, love?”

“I was so attracted to you with that baby bump last time, even when you thought you were massive. So as long as your libido holds out, I think we’re both going to be very happy.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Mm, I think I might need some convincing.”

“Then let me show you.” And oh, she did.

Gods, he prayed he’d be able to do that for a while. The next several months were going to be very interesting.

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

thanks for reading! tagging @wyntereyez @jennjenn615 @superadam54 @ashley-knightingale @justsomewhump @teamhook @88infinity88​ (let me know if you want a tag!)

[bakugosbratx]

OMGOMG so idk if you’ve watched the promised Neverland BUT I RLY HOPE U HAVE anyways I was listening to isabellas lullaby and this au came into my head like how about bakugou x reader who were childhood friends in that au in another life and she gets sent away and he’s devastated but then they meet in another life when they’re older and she hums the lullaby and he realizes it’s her? Please omg ur so talented!!! Thank you!!!

SFW Lullaby - AU Bakugo x Reader

WARNING: Angst, swearing, alternate universe(s), soulmates, fluff, etc.

A/N: I didn’t know what to name Katsuki in the first part so I just called him Kanchan lol I haven’t heard of this anime but I did some reading and I want to see it now! I hope you like it. I kinda put my own spin on it and I hope it fits the image you were thinking. I love the concept. If any of you have request, please feel free to send it to me! ✨

Check out my other works here

Year: 1900’s

You packed what was left of your clothing into your old, worn out suitcase. You’ve had it since as long as your young mind could remember. You always wanted a new start. Especially away from this orphanage you grew up in your whole life, but new starts never come without a price.

Everyone at school was excited for you. Except for one.

“What the hell you mean you’re leaving?” Kanchan huffed.

Even though you both are only eleven years old, Kanchan had quite a potty mouth with a short temper.

“I got adopted, Kanchan! Isn’t that exciting?!”

“Yeah.. exciting.”

“C’mon, Kanchan, let’s play on the playground. It is recess after all.”

You and Kanchan have been friends ever since kindergarten. It started off with him getting the adult scissors and cutting your ponytail. You cried, the principal was involved, and you both were not allowed around each other for the rest of the school year. Then, you got put into the same first grade class. Even though Kanchan still bullied you, at least he didn’t cause any destruction to your physical features. He only would take your juice box instead.

Once, Kanchan lied and said you were an accomplice to him doing something bad so you both had to stay in during recess and write sentences. What should have been punishment turned into fits of giggles as he found ways to annoy the teacher and cause more trouble. Even though it cost you both a few more recess days this brought you two even closer.

Throughout the years, fate would put you two in the same classes. You would always play on the playground together and work on group projects. Even traded lunches at times. You were inseparable.

Kanchan pushed you on the swings as you sang your infamous lullaby. You have sang it ever since you could talk. Your caretaker would always sing it to you and the rest of the orphans. Kanchan would pick on you for it, but he secretly loved it. It always made him happy.

“Let me sing a lullaby

As you close your eyes

And as you're drifting off to sleep

How I hope that the dreams that you find

Are bright

Love, can we meet again soon in the bluest of skies?

Where a tomorrow waits for you and I

So hold me tight one more time, but don't kiss me goodbye

'Cause I know that I'll see you on the other side

I will think of our song when the nights are too long

I'll dream of you for that's where I belong

Love, can we meet again soon in the bluest of skies

Only, in my dreams, do we meet again”

“Recess is over!” The teachers called.

All the children rushed to form a single file line to go inside. Kanchan couldn’t help but fall behind as you ran ahead.

“C’mon Kanchan! Don’t want to be late!” You giggled.

Kanchan faked a smile.

“I’m right behind you!”

The days seemed to fly. For you, you couldn’t ask for any better. For Kanchan it felt like the world was against him. How could this be happening? As happy as he was for you, he sure as hell hated that his best friend was leaving. He doesn’t get close to anyone else. He doesn’t want anyone else as his best friend. He just wants you.

Kanchan came to the orphanage to reluctantly say his goodbyes. You made sure you had all of your belongings while happily humming your song.

“I get your leaving, but could you not act so damn happy about it.” Kanchan states in aggregation. It was to mask his pain.

“Oh, Kanchan. I apologize. I am just so excited!”

“I’m aware.”

You take a quick glance around your old room.

“Looks like this is what is left of my belongings. Will you help carry my stuff to the car?” You asked, sweetly.

Kanchan nods, taking your heavy suitcase and carrying it to your new parents car. He put it into the trunk and aggressively shuts it. You were saying goodbye to everyone else before you turn to him. You and him were close, but Kanchan wasn’t the PDA type. This time was an exception as you hugged him. You felt his warm embrace around yours.

“I’ll miss you, Kanchan. If you ever go to New York City one day, come find me.”

“I’ll always look for you.”

The hug seemed like years, but you both did not mind. Behind that happy smile of yours there was sadness. As much as you wanted to be adopted, you also didn’t want to leave your friends behind. They were like family to you.

You pull away to meet his gaze and you gently placed a kiss on his cheek. Kanchan was taken back by the sudden action of yours as his cheeks glowed a crimson red.

“Do me a favor and one day when you someday have a wife and a family, will you tell them about me?”

Kanchan processed your words.

“As long as you do the same.”

You held out your pinky and he connected his pinky with yours.

“Promise.” You both say in unison.

You said your last quick goodbyes before you hopped into the backseat of the car. You looked out the window to see everyone telling you goodbye. You could not help the tears that fell when you looked at Kanchan, looking sad. He stood there until the cars taillights were no longer in sight and then some. The caretaker had to convince him to go home.

Life goes on. You both live a happy life with beautiful families and homes. It took you both some time, though, as a tug was always on the both of your hearts. Some say that means your soulmates, some say it’s just a crush, and some say it’s just sadness over a friendship. You both never met in this lifetime again due to you both being so young and so far apart. You both always had dreams of seeing each other again and speaking, but it just never happened. You both were perished by the time the internet came around. Even on your death beds, some of your final thoughts were each other. Both of your children tried finding a way to get you both together, but it wasn’t possible.

Still, you both kept your promises.

Year: 2020

“Class, welcome our new student, Y/N!” Your teacher excitedly greeted. You nervously waved.

“Hello Y/N!” Said the class in unison.

“Y/N, take a seat next to Katsuki Bakugo and we will get class started.”

You looked to see where the teacher was pointing. You saw a ashy blonde hair boy sitting at his desk with a scowl on his face. He did not look like the friendly type so you did not even try to get to know him today, but for some reason, your heart raced at the sight of him. He was not your type so it seemed a bit off for you to feel this way. You decided to ignore it as you took your seat next to the blonde.

“Okay class, we are going to have group projects! You are paired up next to the person you are sitting next to. The project is due in two weeks.”

“Great.” Katsuki groans in annoyance.

You were taken back by his sudden rudeness, but tried to brush it off. You would probably have the same reaction as him if you were lured with the new kid. Plus, you came into the school year late due to the fact you just moved to Japan from New York City. It was a great opportunity for you to study abroad.

“If it makes you feel any better, I am really good at History.” You say nervously.

“It doesn’t, nerd.” Katsuki insults.

The teacher finishes teaching the lesson and the class is dismissed. You gathered your stuff about to leave and Katsuki follows closely behind you. He stops you by handing you a piece of paper.

“What is this?” You ask.

“Open it, dumbass.”

You opened up the folded paper to see it is an address and the words “meet me at my place after school.”

Before you could even question anything, Katsuki was gone. You rushed to your next class as you heard the bell ring. The high school does not give you as much time as you should have to get to one class to another.

School was finally over and you made your way out the building. You noticed Katsuki waiting at the entrance.

“Took you long enough. Got lost?” Katsuki teased.

Your cheeks went red because you actually did get lost.

“You didn’t have to wait for me, you know?”

“I’m aware, but we are going to the same place. I don’t need you getting lost and I fail this project.”

“Fair enough.”

You and Katsuki began walking towards his place. Awkward silence overcame both of you so you started singing a lullaby that calms you down. Your mother sang this song since you were little.

“Let me sing a lullaby

As you close your eyes

And as you're drifting off to sleep

How I hope that the dreams that you find

Are bright

Love, can we meet again soon in the bluest of skies?

Where a tomorrow waits for you and I

So hold me tight one more time, but don't kiss me goodbye

'Cause I know that I'll see you on the other side

I will think of our song when the nights are too long

I'll dream of you for that's where I belong

Love, can we meet again soon in the bluest of skies

Only, in my dreams, do we meet again”

Katsuki stopped dead in his tracks. He has never heard of this lullaby before, but the song sounded so familiar. So did your voice and the feeling in his chest. He has never seen you a day in his life and neither have you, but the familiarity feeling in both of you said otherwise. You both have heard rumors of this feeling before, but you both have never experienced it until now.

You turned to face him.

“Something wrong?”

Katsuki shook his head no. You held out your pinky finger.

“Promise?”

Katsuki contemplated before wrapping his pinky finger around yours. He usually would have laughed or insulted someone for doing that, but this was different.

“Promise.”

©bakugosbratx

All Rights Reserved

[morganaspendragonss]

The Broken Soul of TK Strand (2/?)

once again, not my words, i'm just the messenger 😊

warning for a fair bit of gore in this chapter, some torture, and mentions of vomiting.

ao3 | 3.4k | chapter one

Carlos’s arrival at the station was Owen’s first sign that he needed to worry about TK. He had seen this expression before, when Carlos had come to his house, asking about his son. That time, TK had been kidnapped, almost killed, and he had spent two days in the hospital with a severe concussion.

“Have you heard from TK?”

This question was the second sign which set alarm bells ringing in the captain’s head.

Although he could just be acting a little bit paranoid; TK had left early to find an anniversary gift for Carlos, so that he would forgive him for having forgotten the day. There were many reasons why he might have been delayed, there was no reason to always think the worst. But, with the years, it was always easier for Owen to think about all the bad things that could have happened to his son.

“I’m sure I’m worrying about nothing,” Carlos continued whilst everyone was looking at him, accepting the coffee Mateo made for him. “But I’ve called him six times in the last two hours and he hasn’t answered or called me back. I’m worried that he feels bad for what happened this morning.”

“What did happen this morning?” Mateo asked, worry all over his face.

“TK didn’t remember that it was our anniversary. I think he still struggles to believe that we’re serious or that I’m not going to hurt him. I didn’t take it badly...well, I did a little. I was disappointed because I’d planned the whole day, and I didn’t hide it well. I think I scared him.”

“Oh, sweetheart, TK was mortified that he forgot your anniversary,” Tommy said, coming to sit at the table. She and Owen filled Carlos in on their conversation with TK and how they had told him that he could leave early.

“He even asked me what he could buy to impress you,” Owen added, trying to calm Carlos a little. “I’m sure that he has spent the time looking for the perfect gift to get you to forgive him.”

“So why doesn’t he answer my calls? He knows I worry.”

Carlos finished his coffee and tried to call TK again, this time with the speaker on, but he was sent to voicemail.

“I’ll send him a message saying that there’s an emergency here.” Tommy stood up to get her phone, but before she could go up the stairs to her office, Marjan’s voice grabbed everyone’s attention as she entered the kitchen.

“Guys, I just found TK’s phone on the ground outside with a bunch of missed calls from Carlos. Oh, hey, I didn’t know you were here. Is everything okay?”

Carlos clenched his jaw to keep from shouting, I knew it.

No more signs were needed to prove that something bad had happened to TK, so Owen mobilised everyone for the search operation he’d planned in his head in case anything happened to anyone.

He didn’t tell Carlos about the fear he always had when it came to TK, that when he was scared or feeling bad about something, he would end up in the first bar he found. This task he left for himself, and he headed off as fast as he could to some bars in the area to discard this possibility.

A panic attack could lead TK to drinking in order to free himself from insecurity or the fear that he wasn’t a good boyfriend to Carlos. It wouldn’t be the first time it had happened, and Owen didn’t want to find him drunk over a misunderstanding, ruining his more than twelve months of sobriety. Forgetting an anniversary wasn’t a good reason to throw it all away.

“You could go to your regular places in case anyone has seen him,” he told Carlos, then asked Tommy and Nancy to go for a look around, now that they had finished their shift.

“I’ll call Grace,” Judd offered. “She might have heard something at the call centre.”

Carlos thanked him, and Paul and Mateo decided to look around the station. If his phone had been left there, maybe they would find another hint.

“I’ll stay by the phone in case TK calls us or someone has something for us,” Marjan said, and they all set off.

The last thing Owen wanted was to return to the station without having found him. In a way, this would be good news, because it meant that TK wasn’t in a bar, but if Carlos had also heard nothing, it wouldn’t make him feel better, given how they’d called their close friends.

But nobody had seen TK all afternoon, and Tommy and Nancy had no luck either.

“Hey guys,” Grace greeted the group, hugging Carlos and Owen. “I haven’t had any call that could have anything to do with TK all shift today. I’m truly sorry, I wish I could help more.”

“Well, that could be a sign that nothing is wrong,” Mateo noted, smiling.

“Or it could mean that something is wrong, nobody found him, and TK wasn’t able to call for help,” Carlos replied, saying aloud what everyone else was thinking.

“Then where is he? Why doesn’t he call us?” Mateo said again, too innocent to realise that this was only serving to scare everyone more.

Paul sent him a murderous look.

Panic began to set in for Carlos. It wasn’t the first time someone had taken TK, and they had been so lucky then. He still dreamed about the gun sometimes, about hugging TK and sensing that he was about to pass out from the blow to his head. So it also wasn’t the first time he had feared for his boyfriend’s life, but as many times as it had happened, he couldn’t calm down any.

The next time could always be the last, after all.

*

TK woke up with the worst headache he’d ever had in his life. He’d suffered concussions before, and this was somehow even worse. He wanted to rip his head off, or at least stop hearing the banging that slammed against his eardrums.

He opened his eyes and looked around him, though the almost complete darkness made it impossible to see anything other than what was right next to him. He was sprawled on a mattress which someone had placed on the floor—a floor that smelt awful, like the whole room. It was a strong odour of blood and other horrible things that almost made him throw up right then and there.

He had to make a huge effort to push himself up so he was sitting on the mattress. Doing so made him touch the mattress, and he quickly regretted it; it was sticky with some substance that TK didn’t want to identify.

Lifting his hand to his head, he felt the blood smeared across part of his face, then turned his gaze down to his clothes. He was wearing the same hoodie he was when he left the station, but it was stained with blood.

His blood.

He couldn’t remember what happened. It hurt to think, but he tried anyway, going back to the last clear memory he had.

Carlos had been upset because he’d forgotten their anniversary. He’d decided to buy a gift at the end of shift, something unique and special, with which he would show Carlos how much he loved him and how stupid he’d been for forgetting.

Then nothing. He didn’t know what had happened after that, not even going to work, and much less how he had ended up in this situation.

TK tried to get to his feet, but he only managed to stumble a couple of steps until he had to hold himself up on the wall. He wouldn’t be able to get very far in his condition, so it made sense that whoever was holding him here didn’t see it necessary to tie him up; two steps and he was already about to throw up and fall to his knees.

He squeezed his eyes shut and, when he reopened them, he tried once more to concentrate on his surroundings. The room seemed like a basement; there wasn’t anything more than a tiny, dirty window, which was the only source of light. But it was so small that there was no chance he could escape through it, even if he wasn’t concussed.

Worse, though, was the smell. It was like something had died...or someone, though TK didn’t want to think about that, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to avoid the nausea, and he didn’t think there would be anyone to clean up after him.

TK groaned, hurting himself with how hard he was gritting his teeth. He fell to his knees, the pain in his head creating the sensation that someone was driving a million needles all over at the same time.

He breathed harshly, closed his eyes, then focused on moving.

Bad idea, though he realised it too late, when he was already on the ground. He looked at his arm where the stranger had cut it the day before, realising that the wound had opened and it was bleeding.

It did not look good.

But he didn’t have time to think on it anymore, as at that moment, the door opened and a dark shadow appeared. It was against the light, so TK could only see a double silhouette… He definitely had a concussion.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?”

“It matters little who I am,” said an almost guttural voice, deep and dark, which made TK’s hair stand on end. “Nor does it matter what I want from you. It is my Dark Lord who has called you.”

“Who?” TK just about managed to sit up on the mattress again, though it wasn’t any better or worse than being on the floor. He must be pretty out of it, because what this guy was saying didn’t make any sense.

The other man stepped into the room. TK estimated that he was more or less as tall as him, maybe a little taller, but he was wearing a type of cape or hood or something that made it difficult to see his face. The man laughed as he closed in on TK and squatted down in front of him.

“The Lord of Darkness doesn’t show himself to those who don’t believe in him. But don’t worry—as soon as we perform the blood ritual and the mark of hell is on your skin, my Lord will present himself before you, and then you will understand.”

“You’re crazy, man. Let me go and I won’t tell anyone who you are. I don’t even know where I am, so if you just leave me somewhere…”

“I haven’t kidnapped you.”

“Oh, no?”

The ham shook his head and, being so close, TK could see his dark, piercing eyes, making him tremble.

“No. I’m not one of those crazy psychopaths on the news. My purpose is to open the door to this world for my Dark Lord. His kingdom of darkness will be better than the shit we are living in now.”

“Okay, um, that sounds great and all, but what does it have to do with me?” TK asked. The pain in his head stopped him from thinking clearly or quickly.

The man took TK’s chin in a large, rough hand and pulled him towards him. “There’s no rush. Rest your soul, you will be able to ask all the questions you want during eternity with your new master.”

TK feared that he would kiss him and after that, he would want… He shook that thought from his head. But no, his kidnappers pushed him hard so he landed on the bed, putting emphasis on ‘rest’.

“Aren’t you at least going to give me something to eat and drink?”

“You’re right; I almost forgot.” The man moved quickly, turning and walking out the door, only to return two seconds later with a cup in his hands. He was also carrying a dish, and he placed them both in front of the bed.

TK looked at them—the strong smell had already reached him from the door, but seeing it was even worse.

It was a large heart, hopefully from an animal so at least it wouldn’t be human; the madness of this guy knew no bounds. The smell was awful, nauseating, as if it had just been taken from the animal’s body and put there.

The cup almost made him feel worse—it was wine, and TK could even smell it over the odour of blood from the heart.

“Couldn’t I have a little water? It’s not that I’m not grateful for the wine, but I don’t drink.”

“It’s time to leave your normal life behind. Your soul needs to be perfect to accept my Lord.”

The guy got up, clearly having said what he needed to say. He did a kind of bow, or something like one, and prepared to leave.

“Hey, no. You don’t mean to make me eat this?” TK called, but the man didn’t turn and kept walking towards the door. “Don’t leave me here, just tell me what you want from me.”

TK tried to launch himself at the man; maybe he could knock him down, run to the door, and escape. But he only took two steps before his legs failed him; he fell to the floor, hit his arm, and lay there prone, dizzy, fighting against the rising nausea, and watching as the man left and closed the door.

*

“Thank you, really. Thanks for being so quick.”

Carlos left his phone on the table and covered his face with both hands; he felt about to cry, but there was so much to do, and not enough hours had passed since TK’s disappearance for him to lose hope.

“It’s TK’s, right?” Owen asked, sitting in front of him, two mugs of tea in hand. “The blood on the floor is TK’s.”

Carlos nodded. “It matches his.”

Carlos’s phone pinged with another message, and he looked over at it. It was a link to a police video database; Carlos was grateful that he had friends in all departments, as everyone started working at full speed when he told them that someone had kidnapped TK.

He asked Owen for a computer and opened the video he’d been sent.

“It’s the security feed from outside the station, right where we found the blood. In theory, this is the moment TK was taken, so maybe we’ll be able to see something.”

The two of them watched the video in silence. It began with TK leaving, just as Owen and Tommy had told Carlos. The officer felt his heart stop, thinking that this might be the last time that he saw his boyfriend.

An instant later, a hooded figure appeared at TK’s back.

“It matches the description he gave me of the guy he said attacked him by the dumpsters,” Carlos said, not looking away from the screen. “I don’t know why I didn’t take him seriously when he told me.”

The man hit TK on the head and he fell to the ground, Owen and Carlos holding their breath. TK turned, looking up from the ground, and they saw him say something. They couldn’t see the face of his attacker, only that he hit TK again, leaving him unconscious...or so they hoped.

A moment later, TK’s inert body was loaded into a car parked not far from there. Carlos zoomed in but, as expected, there was no license plate.

“So now we know that TK was kidnapped.”

“Those blows could have killed him,” Carlos whispered.

“You know as well as I do—TK has a hard head. We’re going to find him.”

*

TK didn’t know how much time had passed by the time the man returned. He had thrown up twice due to the smell and, though he had tried to throw the wine away, a part of him told him that he needed the liquid. This was better than nothing, despite the danger that alcohol posed for him.

He left it to one side and pushed the plate with the heart away—he had no intention of touching it.

The cell door opened again. It was the same man, or so TK thought, given the few things he could see. The guy looked at the plate and cut and clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed that TK hadn’t followed his orders.

But he didn’t say anything; instead, he took a knife from underneath his cape and TK forced himself to his knees as quickly as he could—which wasn’t very quick—backing up against the wall.

“Listen, I don’t know what you have in mind but…” His captor closed the gap separating them and grabbed TK’s arm; they struggled until he was able to free himself. “Don’t hurt me, please. I’ll meet your Lord, I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Of course you will, starting right now.”

He stuck the knife into TK’s sweater and made a long enough cut so that he could rip it with his hands until TK’s shoulder blade was exposed. TK writhed but he was weak from thirst and the concussion, which was getting worse with every minute nothing was done about it.

“Please… No…”

“You have to do things right, just as my Lord likes, or else he won’t allow you to open the door.”

“What do you want me to do? I’ll do it, I promise, just don’t hurt me.”

The lord of darkness says that I have to teach those who don’t believe and make them obey rules so that, one day, they will follow them of their own will.”

TK tried to move away but the cold edge of the knife against his throat made him freeze. His captor was also straddling him, so TK couldn’t go anywhere or do anything.

“Drink the wine and eat the heart.”

“No… Please…”

TK stifled a moan as the knife dug into his throat, making a small cut. The man didn’t say anything, and he wasn’t going to give him any more options or opportunities. So there was nothing left to do—TK reached out and took the cup in a trembling hand, lifting it to his lips.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had wine, but the feeling of throwing his whole future away as he felt the alcohol running down his throat made him cry. Suddenly, the worst of torture didn’t seem so bad as what he was being forced to do know.

The man told him to drink it all, and TK did it.

“Now eat the heart.”

“If I do, I’ll throw up, and I don’t think your master would like that.”

“If you vomit, I will bring you another, until you have it inside you with the wine.”

The man pushed the plate closer. TK looked at it, terrible nausea rising up again, which only got worse when he took the organ in his hands and raised it to his mouth. The only way he could do it was by closing his eyes; thinking that he would never be able to eat anything again, he sank his teeth into the viscous, bloody, raw flesh. Blood ran down his throat and his face, staining his clothes, already ruined by his own blood.

Soon he felt pain in his shoulder. The man had stabbed him with the knife and he began to move it, drawing something on TK’s skin, paying no attention to his cries and protests. He had him well restrained and he wasn’t going to move until he was done, ordering TK to continue eating while he drew on his body.

When he climbed from on top of him, TK threw the heart to the other side of the room. He was barely able to hold onto consciousness for a few seconds, time in which he saw the man cleaning the knife on his clothes.

“Tomorrow we will finish the ritual, and with the full moon you will be the first to see the arrival of the lord in darkness in this world. You should feel proud.”

Then he left TK there alone, bleeding, in pain, terrified, fighting against nausea, trembling, and exhausted. He crawled over to the wall and hugged his legs, but he had no time to cry though he wanted to, as in a few seconds, he fell into unconsciousness.

[stydiaeverafter]

Summary: Sidney's POV while dancing with Charlotte in London.

A/N: First and foremost, thank you so much for the positive response to my last Sanditon fic; it meant the world to me! While I'm writing more for The Sea is Bound to Us, because that story may be multiple chapters, I thought it would be fun to write Sidney's inner dialogue from 1x06 when he asked Charlotte to dance. That scene was breathtaking, and you could recognize them falling deeper in love with one another. I wanted to capture that. Enjoy!

Read on ao3

I carry the sun in a golden cup.

The moon in a silver bag. - W.B. Yeats 

***

The evening had begun most predictable, as the ballroom rose in sound. Glasses were clinking as if bells were ringing, laughter drifting around in harmony, and twinkling chandeliers illuminating dancing formations.

Most balls in the excellent society of London often followed in suit. Sidney accepted it by now; this had been his livelihood for as long as he could recall. And yet, he had always observed them trivial and dull. Nothing innovative became of them. Instead, it was repetitive and tiring.

Nevertheless, that was not how this evening played to be. The reason for the shift? Miss Charlotte Heywood.

Sidney couldn't recollect when it had happen, as it surprised him to astonishment, but the truth of the matter was that he was in the process of developing strong feelings for Miss Heywood.

He had sworn love into the fiery depths of hell long ago after Eliza had shredded his youthful heart into pieces.

Afterward, Sidney had then wandered a path into the darkness, not giving a damn about anyone, especially himself.

But in her approach, Charlotte had managed to modify that particular mindset. She had appeared innocently and naive into Sanditon.

However, as Sidney gazed upon her now, Charlotte was transformed into a golden goddess standing with Babington. Then again, perhaps she always was, and it was his blindness that had hidden the revelation apart from him.

Sidney's feelings for Charlotte had wedged their way into what he thought was a dead beating heart from the moment he'd met her. She had stunned him with her assumptions and even her recurring accusations.

Miss Heywood was spirited, and Sidney felt drawn to her company, even though it had initially bothered him.

He had savored being in charge of outcomes, and yet Charlotte made him feel powerless. It was unnerving.

Sidney conveniently had sent her away when she had shown her faults, but it had been to no avail. And even when her actions had angered Sidney, his heart still beat for her; yearning to see her beautiful face once more.

Over time, he realized they weren't flaws of Miss Heywood. They were strengths of an immeasurable steady heart.

Sidney began to admire what she persisted for, even when Charlotte had him all wrong. But how had he shown her any different? He had acted as nothing but a brute towards her.

Even at his worst, Charlotte hadn't given up on locating Georgiana, which had restored his faith within her. The one that had sparked his attention in the beginning.

If only he could now prove himself to her.

Charlotte had brought that need to the surface as she continued to speak her mind about truths on what she assumed him to be.

Sidney didn't want to appear unfeeling, especially in Charlotte's presence. He recognized he had work to do from shifting from the man who had belittled her and accused her untrustworthy. Sidney had apologized with meaning and purpose; he couldn't comprehend it to be enough, though.

When Charlotte had mentioned she had not been in the mood to be sociable, Sidney worried about her good nature. Miss Heywood was always the life of the party, and he was afraid that light had dimmed within her. Of course, it had all been in result of Georgiana, not his previous actions towards her.

If he perceived one thing, it was that Charlotte's heart was unique and made of gold.

Affirming a fib that his brother had sent him up to ask if she'd reconsidered attending the ball, Sidney's goal had been to arouse her spirits once more. And if he were honest, the truth was that Sidney wanted her there, by his side once more. They were a good team, which not only jarred him but likewise pleased him.

When Charlotte had ultimately agreed and had gone for a fitting for a dress, he couldn't help but feel happiness course through his body. Sidney hadn't felt joy like this in a long time, and he was eager to present Miss Heywood with the knowledge that he was improving because of her.  He wanted to show her he could be something other than a monster that seemed heartless.

Sidney had agreed to himself to be kind and respectful, and yet he also desired to see her laugh and smile, for it took his breath away every time she did. Their banter fueled him in a way nothing else would, and he simply couldn't grasp his fill.

His pleasant thoughts had all but vanished the moment Miss Charlotte Heywood had taken those first few steps down the stairs. Instead, his heart had begun to pound relentlessly inside his chest, and Sidney realized how deep in he was.

The falling for her had already happened long ago—this was the result, he could only assume, of being in love.

Charlotte was beyond beautiful, and he had been at a loss of words as she walked towards him with a soft smile upon her miraculous face. The golden dress illuminated her face in a glow that warmed her eyes; they were inviting him in. She was elegant and still the woman he grew attached to.

Sidney had never witnessed such beauty.

Miss Heywood was worthy of everything she desired and more—would someone such as he be good enough company to her excellence?

Those had been his thoughts as she had stood within range. She inquired if she would do. How could she possibly wonder such a question?  Sidney didn't have the courage yet to proclaim his inner thoughts of observation; all he could do was add, "It'll do very well."  

Charlotte had taken his hand, and enlightenment bestowed upon his heart.

Once again, she had been innocent and quiet as they had entered the ball. Charlotte had eagerly glanced around the room in awe, not fully aware everyone in the room was noticing her. Instinctively, Sidney had shifted closer to her, grasping her gloved hand on his arm a bit tighter. He hadn't even been surprised by his annoyance at Crowe's compliment towards her—Charlotte was a spellbinding creature. The comment that bothered him was that his friend was astounded that it was Miss Heywood.

What a fool.

As Tom and the others left them, he made no move to let her out of his sight. He lingered next to her asking if she was pleased to be there. Her response wasn't a surprise, but his reaction to not fitting into this setting was.

Sidney realized he was an outlier and preferred it that way. He also perceived a recognition that Charlotte was as well.

They could be outcasts together.

As they had roamed the room together, she finally declared she wished to go, with his permission. He jested her slightly, not wanting her to leave him. Charlotte, with her strength wavering, doubted herself.

At that moment, Sidney confessed to the woman who had touched his heart, was not too much of anything. Charlotte was perfect to him. And for a man who had early on assumed her responses to be frivolous, had apprehended that he now adored them.

Sidney had aspired to expose even more when his brother, on his neverending mission for Sanditon, drew him apart from his shiny golden anchor.

So here he was in the present moment, attempting to listen to Lord Willand muttering on and holding Charlotte within his gaze. Abruptly, however, she had wandered away from his friend to leave the room. Unfortunately, he couldn't take his leave just yet; as his heart was with Charlotte, he couldn't leave his brother behind.

Finally, when he could make his courageous escape, he caught her gentle voice from a tranquil room. Sidney couldn't quite capture the words, as there was another unfamiliar voice with her. The one remark he did obtain was, "...an affliction. Like the measles."

At first, as he walked into the room, he didn't notice the elegant woman sitting down on the bench. Sidney only saw Charlotte's bewildered and slightly flustered expression.

"Ah, there you are. I was beginning to think you'd made your escape," Sidney stated with a grin feeling relieved Charlotte hadn't left.

"Might I presume you are Mr. Sidney Parker?" The woman asked with a welcoming smile.

Could they have been discussing him?

He nodded in her direction as she added, "We were just discussing you." So they had been speaking of him. But how exactly? Curiosity was suddenly seizing the better of him. The last notion she had said was the measles; unfortunately, that didn't reflect well in his favor.

What about him, he continued to wonder to himself as Charlotte shifted back-and-forth, blushing a beautiful rosy pink. She left him breathless with her beauty; he just had to partake in an intimate moment with her. "Right, well, um, I was wondering if Miss Heywood would like to dance—if I'm not interrupting, that is?"

"Not in the least," the woman replied.

Charlotte, usually full of words, looked startled. Could the fact that he wanted to dance with her come as such confusion to her? Evidently so.

Nevertheless, he offered his hand, which to his delight, she took.

As they made their way back to the ballroom, Charlotte finally broke the silence, "You did not have to ask me, you know, out of politeness."

"It is what people do at dances, is it not—dance?"  He commented with an anxious facade, adding, "Unless you'd rather not?"

"No, it is only, there are so many other ladies here that you could ask," Charlotte responded sheepishly.

The answer to his internal question caused him dismay. Miss Heywood truly believed he did not value her company. Sidney yearned to show her otherwise.

"But I don't want to dance with them." It was a truthful statement, after all. To him, she was the only woman in the room.

Charlotte didn't inquire further, but the expression of astonishment he had seen momentarily appeared back onto her beautiful face.

As Sidney put out his hand, he noticed she seemed bashful towards him anew, even after everything they had just been through in recovering Georgiana. However, he felt similarly.

They'd danced before, and he had been intrigued but not quite as mesmerized yet; now, he was. This sequence in their story felt distinctive...special even.  

The music started, and their bodies moved on their own accord. It was the most natural movement Sidney had ever experienced.

Charlotte smelled sweet like a flower and fresh like the morning rain. Sidney wanted to close his eyes to take the sense in, but alas, her gaze captured him lovingly.

He couldn't look away. All Sidney could do was relish in each detail. To the way, her curls pinned upon her head, to the way she parted her rosy lips slightly to catch her breath. He realized he, too, had been holding his own.

The more they moved and swayed, following the rhythm of not only the dance but their bond, Sidney knew they saw each other in a different light.

It had already progressed for him since he'd first met her, but the way she was gazing at him right now...well, he craved to embrace her tightly into his arms and never let go.

The desire to kiss her was becoming exceedingly overwhelming with each passing step, mostly when her strong hands softly grazed over his hips.

Sidney knew his thoughts weren't proper, but he didn't mind in the slightest. All that existed was this moment, with Charlotte in his arms.

As he twirled her around, he saw a smile appear on her face for the first time all evening.

Sidney knew he was in love.

Although he had cast the mere thought of marriage to the sea, Sidney aspired to spend the rest of his life, making Charlotte smile in that manner.

Imagining life with her by his side, sharing moments with loved ones and in solidarity, surrounded by their future children, nearly brought tears to his eyes. It had been a hidden dream of his for years, one he thought he'd packed up properly.

Sidney noticed the other men spinning their partners, but he was frozen in time. The song was closing, but this moment had transformed him for good; Charlotte Heywood had undone him entirely with what he thought to be dependable.

Grasping one more gaze upon that sweet face, Sidney exhaled deeply. As Charlotte pulled away slightly, Sidney was already pondering on how he could get her alone with him this night.

He swallowed and was about to ask if she'd take a walk with him when Sidney felt eyes following him from afar. Unable to relinquish the sense, Sidney quickly thanked Charlotte and felt a chill run down his spine. It wasn't one of comfort, more perturbed as if a whirlwind was reaching for him.

As he looked up, searching for the cause, he saw her. 

Sidney halted, becoming nonplussed, for there she stood opposite the room, unmasked and beautiful as ever. He was whisked backward into his past as Eliza smiled at him. As Sidney perceived the moment, the sonances in the room faded away.

Fate, apparently, was not through with him just yet.  

However, as he politely excused himself from Charlotte, the woman who confounded him in every way imaginable, Sidney had an unsettling feeling he was about to head in the wrong direction.

[arrow-guy]

Author and Auror (1/??)

Synopsis: Eleanore Vaughan has never been one for the spotlight. Her cousin, Rosaline, is the one best suited to the limelight, and is happier for the attention. Though Nora is most comfortable tucked away in her book shop, what happens when Grindelwald’s sudden takeover flips her world upside-down and thrusts her into the inner circle?

A/N: Alrighty, this is a fic that’s been in the works for nearly two years now, since Crimes of Grindelwald came out. This is the first chapter in my half of the collaborative story that I’ve written with @thorne93​. I will not be adding anyone from my tag list to this story, but if you’d like to be tagged, just let me know!

Start here for Rosaline’s story!

Pairing: Theseus ScammanderxOFC

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: None

Page dividers by @carryonmyswansong

The door opens and the bell tinkles, welcoming in a new customer. I hear them wander through the shelves before pausing halfway through. I look to find the familiar combination of mousey brown hair and a sharp three-piece suit. My smile comes easily.

“Theseus,” I say.

He smiles. “Hello, Nora. Newt said you weren’t assisting him today.”

“He’s got Rosaline to help him now. Only needs me when there’s something especially big that needs socializing these days.”

“I see.” He raises his eyebrows and slips one hand into his pocket. “Never did understand why she left the ministry. She was moving up through the ranks pretty quickly, as I remember.”

“Mm, you say that every time.” I lean forward on the counter, my chin propped up on one hand. “Maybe she didn’t want you to have too much competition.”

He laughs and finally approaches the front desk. “No, that can’t be it. Otherwise, you would have stayed to help.”

“Oh, I think you overestimate me, Mr. Scamander. I was never cut out for ministry work. Too much running here and there and being bossed around. Books have always been my calling.”

“Speaking of…” He trails off and fishes a slip of parchment out of the breast pocket of his suit coat. “I was wondering if you carried any of these. Leta hasn’t been able to find them in Diagon Alley. Newt suggested we try your place.”

I take the parchment from him and plaster on a smile. “I’ll see what I can do for you.”

Theseus leans on the counter top as I move to the back to flip through my stock records.

“Newt says you haven’t been in for months.”

“As I said before, he’s got an assistant now. No need for me to bother him.”

“He also says you’ve been dating.”

“So what if I have been?” I ask coolly. I move out from behind the register to sift through the bookshelves. “I can’t wait around and hope that a spouse will drop into my lap.”

“I understand that, Nora. It just never seemed to be something you were interested in before now.”

I slam a heavy book down onto the counter.

“Merlin, Theseus, we are not in school anymore! I can do as I please. If that means saying yes when a bloke from down the street invites me out for dinner, who am I to say no?”

“Nora, that’s not what I meant, I just-I don’t know…” He trails off and looks at me helplessly.

I sigh and shake my head. I slip my wand from my sleeve and summon the other books from their shelves. They stack themselves perfectly one on top of the other.

“That’ll be forty-five Galleons.” I write up a receipt and lift the cover of the book at the top of the stack to place it inside. “Are you in need of a bag?”

“No.” He digs around in his pocket for the money. “No, I… No, I’ll be fine without it.”

I nod and hold out my hand for his coins. I sort the money into the till and push the books closer to him. I don’t look up. He shrinks the books and slips them into his jacket pocket and says goodbye. I wave to him and wait till the door closes to drag my eyes away from the register. I drop down onto my stool, head in hands.

“That the hell is wrong with you?! He hasn’t done anything to you! Not anything on purpose, at least…” I shake my head. “Why did I snap at him?”

The store kneazle wanders over and sits beside my feet. He looks up at me and yowls to get my attention. I reach down and scratch him behind the ears. He pushes against my leg and purrs loudly. I laugh and bend down to pick him up. He curls up in my lap and I comb my fingers through his long fur.

“I’m fine,” I tell myself. “Things are fine. I’ll run the shop and work on my novel. I’ll be just fine.”

“Theseus came by the shop the other day.”

“I’m sorry, Nora,” Newt says. His voice crackles through the floo. “Had I known, I would have warned you.”

“Don’t worry about it, Newt. It’s not your job to protect me. He did, however, mention that you told him I’ve been dating.”

He frowns. “Was I not supposed to tell him that?”

“No, it’s fine that you did. I suppose I just wasn’t expecting you to.” I shake my head. “I don’t even know why he brought it up, honestly.”

“Maybe he’s trying to figure out whether or not you’ll be bringing a date to the wedding.”

I roll my eyes. “They haven’t even set a date yet. And who knows! Leta might not let Theseus invite me.”

“Is that really something you want to worry about right now?”

“I genuinely have no clue.” I let myself fall back against the carpet. “I don’t even know what I’ll say if he asks me what was wrong with me today.”

“I can’t see you anymore, Nora.”

I raise one hand and wave it around. “I’m on the floor.”

“Sounds uncomfortable.”

“Oh, believe me, it is,” I say, opening and closing my hand like a mouth. I can hear Newt laugh so I continue the game. “Is this helping the situation? Is this making things better?”

He laughs harder. “It is, actually, I-” He stops in the middle of his sentence and I sit up, thinking the connection’s been lost. His face is still in the fireplace.

“Newt? What’s wrong?”

“There’s someone here,” he says. “I’m going to find out who.”

“Be careful!” I call out. He nods once and pulls his head from the floo.

I don’t hear from Newt for hours and I take to pacing around my flat. I’m worried about him. He’s a brilliant wizard and can protect himself, but still. I’m starting to think about contacting Theseus when there’s a knock at the door. I immediately fling the door open and Newt is standing there, creature case in hand, a plump man standing just behind him.

“Who’s this?” I ask.

“Nora, this is Jacob Kowalski,” Newt says, stepping to the side and gesturing between the two of us. “Jacob, this is Nora.”

“Nice t’meetcha.”

I stare at Jacob for a moment before turning to Newt. “A muggle?”

“In New York, they’d call me a no-mag,” Jacob says. He almost sounds proud of himself.

“That’s great. Get inside.” I wave them through the doorway and look up and down the street before closing the door. “Why did you bring a muggle to my home, Newt?”

“We have to get to Paris and I need your help.”

“Why?”

Jacob answers. “See, my girl Queenie and I got into a fight and she ran off to go find her sister Tina in Paris.”

“Tina, huh?” Newt blushes.

“You know about her?” Jacob asks.

“Yes, I know about her. Newt’s been quite taken with her since coming back from his trip to the states. But why are you here?”

“Queenie enchanted him,” Newt says.

“She wants to get married real bad, but we can’t back home. It’s dangerous for the two of us to be together and she figured we’d be able to get married here,” Jacob explains. “Thing is, when Newt took the spell off me or whatever, I figured out what happened and Queenie ran off and I thought somethin’ I shouldn't have and she got even madder and then she just, poof! Vanished!”

I look to Newt for an explanation. “She’s a very powerful legilimens.”

“Oh,” I nod. “So why do you need me to get to Paris?”

“I’m still banned from Travelling, so we’ll have to go illegally. I’ve asked your cousin to come along as well.”

I deadpan. “She’s in the case, isn’t she.”

“She is.”

“Fantastic. When do we leave?”

Newt blinks, taken aback. “You’ll actually come?”

“You and I both know I need to get out of England for a while. I have a couple of employees I trust to run the shop while I’m gone.”

“And if Theseus shows up?”

I shrug. “Then he shows up.” I look between Newt and Jacob. “You can stay here tonight. We should leave as early as possible tomorrow morning.”

Jacob reaches out and vigorously shakes my hand. “Thank you so much!”

I nod and smile and lead them towards the dining room. I reheat leftovers from a couple of nights before and serve it to Newt, Jacob, and my cousin, Rosaline. Rosaline speaks calmly with Jacob and I’m able to pull Newt away from the table for a moment.

“This isn’t just about getting Tina and Queenie back,” I say. “Is this Dumbledore?”

He nods hesitantly. “Credence is in Paris and looking for his family. Grindelwald wants to use Credence for his own gain, and there are those who would rather he be dead than anything else.”

“And you need to help him.” Newt shrugs and bobs his head from side to side, signaling a “yes”. I sigh and fold my arms over my chest. “I’m going to write James and Tessa, let them know they’ll have to take over the shop for a while.”

“My brother may try to stop us.”

“Believe me, Newt. If I couldn’t handle your brother, I’d be much worse for wear by now.” I jerk my chin toward the dining room. “Get back in there. Keep them company. I have beds to make and letters to write.”

“If anyone stops by looking for me, don’t tell them where I’ve gone.”

“How can we? You haven’t told us where you’re going or why you’re leaving!” James cries.

“That’s the point. If someone tries to use veritaserum on you, then it won’t work.”

“Why would anyone want to use veritaserum on us? Are you in some sort of trouble?” Tessa asks.

I shake my head. “No, but I worry that someone from the Ministry might feel differently. If that happens, I don’t want to drag you two down with me.”

James frowns and Tessa throws her arms around me and hugs me tightly. I sigh and hug her back. There’s a tapping on the window. Rosaline is rapping one knuckle against the glass on the door and I wave her off. She shakes her head and turns back to Jacob and Newt.

“I have to go. I’ve got a portkey to catch.” Tessa nods against my shoulder and I reach out and muss James’ hair. “I’ll write when it’s safe, okay?”

James nods. “Okay. Please be careful.”

“We will be, don’t worry too much.”

I leave them to tend the shop and head out to meet Newt, Jacob, and Rosaline.

“They’re an emotional bunch, aren’t they,” Rosaline says.

I shrug. “They’ve been working for me since they were sixteen. They’re allowed to be emotional.”

“Did you at least get the money?”

“Of course I got the money.” I glance around and grab Rosaline’s hand. “Come on, we should go.”

Newt grabs Jacob’s hand and reaches out for mine. As soon as our hands touch we apparate to the cliffs we were told to meet our contact. Jacob stumbles when we arrive and Newt and I each grab one of his arms to keep him from toppling over. When we’re sure he’s steady, Newt places his case on the ground and opens it for Rosaline and I to climb in. Rosaline goes first and before I follow I hand Newt an extra twenty Galleons.

“What’s this?” he asks.

“Whoever it is we’re meeting will probably raise their price.” Newt raises his eyebrows. “It’s just a precaution.”

“Thank you, Nora,” he says.

I smile and nod to him and step into the case. I allow myself to slide down the ladder into Newt’s workshop. Rosaline is tidying things up and I move past her to lay in the grass in the grove just outside. Faeries dance through the trees above my head and I silently watch their movements with my hands pillowed beneath my head.

“Newt said Theseus stopped by yesterday.”

“Does everyone know about this?” I ask.

“He didn't tell Jacob.”

“Oh, well thank Merlin he didn't tell Jacob.”

“I just want to know if you're alright.”

“I'm fine. Genuinely, there's nothing wrong. He just overstepped, is all.”

“Overstepped?”

“Started asking about me dating.” I snort. “As if it’s any of his business.”

“Since when has he shown any interest in your love life?”

“That's what I'd like to know!” I cry. “Up until Newt told him I started dating, there was nothing! Newt thinks he was trying to figure out whether or not I’d be bringing someone to his wedding.”

“You’ve never talked about it this much.”

“I’ll be honest, I’ve never been this frustrated.” I sit up and lean back on my elbows. “I’m sorry about snapping at you last time. I know you were only trying to help.”

“Nothing to apologize for, cousin, I know I went a little too far.” She sits beside me and picks at the grass. “You were right. I haven’t told Newt how I feel. Every time I think about it, I remember Tina. If I keep putting it off, how can I expect you to confess to a man who’s engaged?”

I snort. “Our lives each present their own unique challenges. We’ll deal with the consequences as they arise, yeah?”

Rosaline opens her mouth to answer, but a firm rapping coming from the workshop pulls her attention away.

“That’ll be Newt,” she says.

I shove myself to my feet and brush off the seat of my trousers before offering Rosaline and hand up. I haul her up and we head back up through the case. Jacob offers me his hand and pulls me from the case. Newt grabs Rosaline’s hand and helps her out before stooping down and closing up his case. He leads us down the street and begins looking for any trace of Tina. He mutters a spell and a fine golden dust settles on the street. Rosaline and I step to the side and I pull Jacob out of the way when he tries to get a closer look. Newt releases his niffler and they set to work sorting out what happened the night before. When he pauses to lick the ground, Rosaline shakes her head and I rub my temples. Jacob just watches, completely transfixed.

“He wasn’t this weird in New York,” he says.

“You truly haven’t seen Newt in his element then, Mr. Kowalski,” I watch the niffler roll around in the gold as Newt holds his wand to his ear, searching through the noise from last night. “He’s brilliant, but he certainly is an odd man.”

“He’s a genius,” Rosaline says.

I laugh and gently shove her. She catches herself on the frame of a nearby window and comes back to glare at me halfheartedly. Jacob shoots me a knowing look and I just shrug and shake my head.

“You find anything, Newt?” I call.

He grabs the niffler and tucks it under his arm before plucking a feather out of the air. “She met a man,” he announces. “Also a zouwu got loose.”

“It has to be halfway across Paris by now!”

He grins. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

“Newt, we have to find it,” Rosaline says.

“I figure we’ll find it wherever we might find the man to whom this feather belongs.”

Rosaline shakes her head and I have to press my fist to my mouth to keep from saying anything. Jacob sighs and straightens the collar of his suit coat.

“Fine, but we’re gonna need to stop for something to eat.”

“I agree with Jacob,” I say. “We need food that wasn’t meant to feed baby nifflers.”

Newt laughs. “What, not good enough for you, is it?”

“Funnily enough, it isn’t!”

Everyone laughs and the sound attracts the attention of several passers by. I press my lips together to suppress another giggle.

“We’ve been sitting here for hours, Newt,” Jacob says, his voice edging into a whine.

“We’ve been here for half an hour,” Newt shoots back. He leans forward and rests his chin on his folded arms.

“Are you sure this guy is here?”

“Feather says so,” I mumble out. “Newt’s tracking magic doesn’t often steer us wrong.”

Newt lifts the glass bowl and the feather floats through the air, slotting itself into the ribbon a hat on a man passing by. Newt jumps to his feet and hurries after him, quickly followed by Jacob. Rosaline and I hang back a ways, careful to stay out of the man’s line of sight. I grip Rosaline’s arm as we watch Newt whisper something to the man who nods and mutters back.

“Can you see what they’re saying?” Rosaline asks.

I shake my head. “No, their mouths are half blocked and they’re talking too fast.” I scowl. “Dammit, Newt, this would have been a wonderful time for you to remember I read lips.”

Rosaline moves to stand up and I tighten my grip on her arm, pulling her back down into her seat.

“What?”

“Wait till they walk away. We’ll follow them from there.” I look at her, head tilted to the side. “I thought you were supposed to be the hit witch.”

“It’s been a few years, alright? Fallen out of practice and all that.”

“Mhm, sure.”

Rosaline smacks my arm and points to the place where Jacob and Newt had been standing just a moment before. We shove our chairs back from the table and immediately start off in the direction Rosaline saw them go. We follow them to what looks to be an entrance to the sewers. Once the man who had been leading them there steps inside the door, we creep up and position ourselves out of sight on either side of the doorway. When we see a flash of light Rosaline races in and I duck through the door after her. She’s got the man stunned on the floor, one foot on his chest. Newt’s wand lays several feet away along with one that I don’t recognize. I stoop down to pick both up and nearly topple over when someone shouts my name. I manage to catch myself before I fall. When I look over my shoulder, Jacob, Newt, and a woman I don't recognize peer through the bars of an iron gate.

“Locked in?” Newt nods and I point my wand at the lock. “Alohamora.”

The latch pings open and Jacob shoves the gate away from him and shuffles out. He throws his arms around me in a huge hug, throwing me off balance.

“Whoa there, Kowalski,” I warn.

“Right, sorry.” He peels himself away and reaches out to straighten my tie. I laugh and he grins.

Rosaline still has her wand trained on the man on the floor. The woman with Newt steps forward.

“Don’t hurt him,” she says. “We need him.”

“You mean you need him,” Rosaline snaps. “Who are you, anyway?”

“Rosaline, this is Tina,” Newt says.

I watch as her eye twitches and I reach out and place one hand on her arm. Her back stiffens, but she removes her foot from the stunned man’s chest. A deep roar shakes the room and I immediately look to Newt.

“Looks like your little friend has shown up,” I say. “Shall we catch it now, or should we wait till it’s gone on a violent rampage and destroyed half the city?”

“Perhaps it is time.”

Rosaline follows Newt back up to the street and I watch as Jacob and Tina struggle to drag the man on the floor to the stairs. I sigh and cast a weak levicorpus and float him up to the street with Tina and Jacob following along behind me. I leave Tina and Jacob to take care of our mystery man while I run off to help Newt and Rosaline with the zouwu. Rosaline and I leave Newt to take care of and subdue the creature while we keep bystanders out of the line of attack. We push the cars that skitter across the street away and cast a widespread protego charm over the crowd. I hear a jingle and look over my shoulder to find that Newt has entranced the zouwu with a toy. Newt wiggles the toy again, the bell tinkles, and he slowly lowers the toy to his case. The zouwu follows the toy with it’s entire body and dives after it into the case when Newt drops it.

“Newt,” Tina calls. “We need to leave!”

“I couldn’t agree more,” I say.

A card emerges from Newt’s coat pocket and I grab his arm and hustle back to the rest of the group. We each grab hold of one another and Newt reaches out for the card.

“Wait!” Tina says. “Where is this taking us?”

“Is this really the time to be asking this?” I hiss. “We’ve just captured a zouwu the size of a small house, and you’re worried about an address that was given to him by Dumbledore?”

“I-I...”

“Newt, get us out of here!”

He doesn’t leave her any time to respond and we disappear with a loud pop.

-----------

Part 2

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter, please reblog, comment, and/or shoot me ask! Feedback would be greatly appreciated!

[sanktnikolais]

What Keeps You Up At Night

A/N: one last writing before I disappear for quite a long time. Or idk maybe i’ll be back again soon, but it’s burnt out season these days. No more will to write and live HAHAKLDHFS so have this mess of neighbors au, and i might still write more of this in this au, maybe not just too soon. ;-;

Happy Halloween, ig. 

Word count: 2151

AO3

The first time Zoya had finally talked properly with her noisy, infuriating neighbor without them arguing was in the middle of the night. 

          The endless readings for her upcoming case had taken a toll on her for the past few days, and the sleep she got was not enough to make her last the next day without verbally murdering someone in the firm. Tonight was no different, but she decided to go to bed earlier, as the noises from next door were starting to get louder again, and she was tired of going over and trying to knock his door down. They had been arguing off every little mistake they could pinpoint and use it against each other.

          When Zoya had moved in the apartment complex more two weeks ago, only the ones from across and by the end of the hall came to greet her, while the one next to hers was silent the whole time, and the rest of the day. 

          A firefighter, the other floor tenants had said, so he was gone most of the day. 

          She would've appreciated it at some point, if only if he didn't make so much noise at nights whenever he was back. It was during the third night that she finally had enough rage to stomp over the adjacent door and knock, only to end up with the firefighter arguing back that she, too, was too noisy every morning.

          Those arguments only got frequent for the two weeks, until they got a notice from the landlord to settle things down otherwise they’d get evicted. They had both ‘compromised’ with each other’s time schedule, but it really just involved them glaring at each other and arguing very quietly. Though their interactions had gone much calmer in the past few days, there was still no denying about the bad blood between them.

          Now Zoya was just about to retreat back to her bedroom when there was a loud scratching on her front door. It wasn't the type that one would suddenly hear but was gone after a moment. Instead it was continuous and hurried, as if someone or something was trying to get in. 

          She raised an eyebrow, eyeing the time on her phone. 1:03. What the hell could it be at this time of the night? 

          The scratching continued as Zoya slowly approached the front door, her heart starting to hammer in her chest. She wasn't the type to believe in the supernatural, but who's to say it was impossible? 

          She stopped in front of the door, and then the scratching stopped. Coldness seemed to wash over her, the suddenness of the feeling making her shiver. Whatever it was may have left already, most likely a stray rat or something. But the sound was too loud for something as small as a rat. What if it was—

          Zoya stopped her thoughts with a dark chuckle, feeling silly for even thinking about the impossible, though there was still no denying the slight fear in her chest. With a shake of her head, she took a deep breath and peeked through the peephole on her door. 

          There wasn't anyone outside. 

          She scoffed. Maybe the lack of sleep for the past week had made her imagination and hearing tacky. 

          "Being scared of mere sounds now, huh, Nazyalensky?" she mumbled to herself, stepping away from the door. 

          Only to stop when another sound came from the other side. A soft cry. 

          By this time, her fear was replaced by annoyance, and Zoya just turned the lights on, grabbed at the knob, and opened the door. 

          As expected, there wasn't any soul outside. Even the hall was dim and quiet—except for the occasional ones coming from the infuriating firefighter's slightly open door—when she turned to look in both directions, the small light by the end made it possible to see. Otherwise, the floor was empty. 

          She eyed the next door with a frown, shaking her head. Was he so confident to leave it open during this time of the night? 

          Then a thought came to her head. If she ever caught Lantsov trying to play a prank on her in the middle of the night, she would definitely not hesitate to strangle him on the spot. She shook her head, feeling annoyed with both herself and whatever it was that made the scratching sound. It surely wasted her time to check when she was supposed to be dozing off already. 

          She stepped back, ready to close the door, when she felt something brush past her ankle. 

          It was enough for a yelp to erupt from her mouth and jump, almost crashing over to her door. 

          Zoya quickly recovered and whirled around, expecting to see something scary, probably a ghost that had finally decided to become visible to her or anything supernatural that she's read and watched far too many times. 

          What she didn't expect was an adorable fluff of golden fur poised down on the floor as if it were trying to get her to play. 

          She gaped at the dog, turning back to the hall and expecting its owner to come over to get him. But no one came. 

          A soft whine made her turn back to the dog. It was now sitting up, head inclined to the side with a curious look on its face. If this was some other time, Zoya knew she would've melted on the sight. But now there was only confusion and bewilderment in her mind. 

          The dog couldn't be any older than several months. It was still a bit small to be an adult Retriever, but definitely not a puppy anymore. 

          She crouched down in level with it, and the dog immediately got up to run towards her. It only took a blink before it was jumping to her with an excited bark, and Zoya caught the dog mid-air. 

          The Retriever started attacking her with kisses, and the annoyance she was feeling just now disappeared completely. She laughed lightly when the dog's tail started to wag too vigorously as she stood up. 

          "Where did you come from?" Zoya asked, giving its head a ruffle. There was small ringings coming from the bell on its collar, and she turned the tag over. Sturmhond. "Storm dog, huh?" She leaned back to look at the golden fluff. It reached over to lick at her nose, causing a chuckle from her. "Who in the world would name you like that?"

          There was a squeak of a door being opened. "Sturmhond?" a deep voice echoed in the hallway, followed by rushed footsteps. "Sturm—" 

          Zoya turned around to Lantsov stop by her door, already in his black shirt that had a printed Ravka Fire Protection on the upper left. 

          The firefighter’s stare at her lingered for a second too long before he was blinking and averting his eyes from her and to the bundle of golden fur in her arms. "Sturmhond!" His hazel eyes that had a deep look of worry before suddenly lit up when they landed on the dog.

          The dog—Sturmhond—immediately squirmed off her arms and leaped over to him. 

          He caught him with a laugh. "Saints, there you are," he said in obvious relief. He gave the dog a ruffle on the head as Sturmhond bombarded his cheek with kisses. After a moment, he turned to her with a small wince. "I'm sorry about that, I only got him several days ago from the alley at the back and he's still trying to adjust—" He seemed to realize his own blabbing and he shook himself. “Yeah, I’m sorry for the disturbance.”

          Zoya raised an eyebrow. Did he just apologize to her? “I think this is the first time I heard you apologize, Lantsov," she said, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorway. “You ought to close your door if you don’t want him escaping your place.”

          The firefighter frowned. “It was closed, alright?”

         Zoya raised a brow at him. “Oh, really, now?” she said. “How come he got to my door?”

          “I don’t know,” he said, a tad bit too sharply, and he seemed to realize his tone. “Maybe I did leave the door open. My shifts have been longer these days, I really would tend to forget a lot."

          She fought a smile on her lips as she took in this whole new character of her neighbor. He was so far from the one that she had been arguing for the past two weeks. “Is this character development? You are awfully different today.”

          Lantsov only rolled his eyes as he adjusted the dog in his arms. “Nice to finally meet you,” he said sarcastically. Then he shook his head, a small smile on his lips. “Taking care of this one probably did the trick.”

          Zoya made a surprised huff. It was the first time they had talked without wanting to verbally murder one another, and it was a new thing to see. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all. 

          “Anyway, my shift starts in about ten minutes and it won’t end until lunch I think,” he said with an amused smile, “at least I don’t have to endure your loudness at eight in the morning.”

          She erased her previous thought. Still the infuriating and idiotic neighbor. “For once, I thought you actually had some character development, Lantsov.”

          Nikolai laughed, and Zoya felt the strange ease in the air that was never there before. “Only for you, dear,” he said. “Well, then. I have to go—”

          He was cut off when Sturmhond suddenly jumped off from his arms and padded his way inside Zoya’s apartment, hiding behind her legs. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked down at the dog behind her. It seemed to have shrunk smaller as Sturmhond continued to hide. 

          “Sturmhond. Come on, buddy, I have to go,” he said gently, bracing his hands on his knees to crouch lower. He tried to call the dog once more, but Sturmhond didn’t budge. He sighed and stood up, checking his watch. “He’s still having issues with leaving. He thinks he’s going to get abandoned again.” Then he winced, closing his eyes as if he were in pain. “Can I, uh, ask for a favor?”

          She narrowed her eyes, a laugh bubbling out from her lips. The night was definitely going on a weird turn. “Nikolai Lantsov is asking a favor from me?”

          His wince only worsened. “I know, but it’s all because I forgot to call my friend that’s supposed to take Sturmhond tonight,” he said, rubbing at his face. He looked up after a moment, a defeated look on his face. “Can you watch over him?” 

          Zoya raised an eyebrow, and before she could reply, he quickly added, “I will pay for the dog sitting, don’t worry.” He looked past her and down to the dog hiding behind her. He had a worried crease between his brows, and for once, his usual smug expression was gone and replaced by a genuine emotion she never saw him have before. “He really looks like he doesn’t want to leave tonight.”

          Her frown got deeper as she contemplated the firefighter’s request. He hadn’t been the most likeable person on their floor, at least for her, and she had every right to say no. But what she couldn’t understand was her lack of resistance over the favor and the sudden urge to help him.

          She sighed. “Fine, I can watch over him,” she said even before she could think of changing her mind. Then with much more surety, she added, “I’m on a day off tomorrow, anyway.”

          His eyes lit up like a child being allowed to play outside. “Really?”

          “He seems behaved enough. And I’m sure he’s much quieter than you.”

          To her surprise, Nikolai laughed, and her stomach did a weird flip at that. “He definitely is quieter than me. And he sleeps a lot too, would pass out anywhere he lays down.”

          “My rate is not cheap, though.”

          “I don’t mind.” He chuckled, the expression in his eyes was soft when he said, “Thank you.”

          Zoya blinked, the direction of the night catching her completely off guard. It was only then that he looked much better with a smile on his face rather than the frown he always had every time they argue, and his eyes were definitely much warmer up close. 

          Lantsov was indeed quite a looker.

          She shook herself out of her thoughts, covering them up with a glare on the blond. “Don’t thank me yet, I am planning to use this favor against you.”

          Nikolai chuckled. “Of course, anything for you, Nazyalensky.”

          Oh, she still hated him for having a sudden effect on her. 

          She’ll charge him off big time for dog sitting.

---

But when he came to pick the dog up much later in the afternoon, Zoya hadn’t charged him off with anything. 

[charliesradiodemon]

Arranged Marriage AU (Part 3)

Part 1  Part 2

(ping reminder for @ariloucii <3)

Part 3

Charlie was back in the 666 News studio after six months since her last broadcast appearance and public humiliation. This time however, she was with her father and Alastor. She should feel safe coming back with the two feared demons, but she couldn't hold back the foreboding feeling in her gut or the bad memories. She just wanted to get the announcement over with as soon as possible. 

It took months of convincing for Charlie to get a sliver of time on the news show. But it seemed that her father managed to get air time overnight without a hitch. But what was strange about this announcement was the fact they were at 666 News and not at the mansion for a private announcement. Why they were announcing the engagement at this news station, Charlie didn’t know. 

Charlie stuck close to the food table all by herself while Alastor and her father spoke to none other than Katie Killjoy herself, who completely ignored Charlie's existence and pulled the pair away from her as soon as they arrived. She watched their exchanges from afar all while noticing how the crew members gave the princess either the stink eye or laughed as they passed her. It was obvious everyone here remembered her stunt half a year ago and it only made Charlie want to shrink. 

She wished her mother was here. Charlie even wondered if her mom knew she was engaged. ‘She definitely knows. Right?’ . Suddenly Charlie’s heart hurt thinking about how her own mother might not even come to the ceremony. She had to. There was no reason to think otherwise, right? With nothing else to turn to, she clutched at the skirts of her dress to try to calm herself. She needed to stop thinking about everything and stay positive. She had to. 

Trying to get her mind off her mom and those who sneered at her, Charlie went back to watching the news anchor kiss up to both her father and her fiancee. She even seemed to be throwing herself at Alastor who, Charlie could sense, was not in the mood to indulge the arrogant newscaster. She remembered that Alastor wasn’t interested in lewd relations of any kind and the thought of him denying Katie’s advances nearly made Charlie laugh. The influence she flaunted truly didn’t mean anything to either of them. 

Suddenly Charlie caught Alastor glancing back at her and she popped a tentative smile and a wave. He waved back and returned his attention to Lucifer and Katie. This was the third time she caught him staring since arriving.

She caught him looking at her several times during the ride to the studio. Whenever their eyes met, she’d always look away as if nothing happened. She kept feeling his piercing gaze on her throughout the afternoon since they gathered for the interview and announcement. She couldn’t understand exactly why he did this, but it almost felt like he was checking in on her, as if he cared in his own strange way. It was an oddly comforting thought, but it was still very strange. 

“We’re live in 2 minutes!” Called the producer. Saved by the bell, Alastor and her father excused themselves to return to Charlie, who noticed how everyone around them avoided eye contact with either demon. They even scrambled to get out of their way. It was obviously respect borne of fear, something Charlie lacked with her subjects. She may have been princess of Hell, but that title didn’t mean a single thing to anyone if she didn’t express her power like her father or mother had. She just never wanted that kind of treatment. 

Alastor greeted her and offered his arm out for her to loop her own arm around. Audible gasps and whispers could be heard throughout the studio.

“I knew someone who got torn to shreds for even accidentally bumping into him!”

“He could destroy her for touching him!”

“Anyone else would be dead meat for sure.”

Suddenly it all hit Charlie. The purpose of this marriage, the perks and what Alastor meant by having this marriage benefit her- it suddenly made sense. This relationship was what she needed to be taken seriously. In the eyes of the public, she’d gained the trust and respect of the infamous Radio Demon and she realized she could use it to her advantage. There was more to this marriage, but she could explore it later. For now, she had a show to put on. Confidently, she looped her arm around his as if she’d done it thousands of times before. 

“My, you catch on quickly dear.” Alastor said quietly to her with an amused smile and a quirked eyebrow. She smiled up at him with full confidence and walked over to the news desk, arm-in-arm with one of Hell’s most powerful and feared mortal souls.

Once they reached the desk, Katie Killjoy glared Charlie down. Whether it was out of jealousy or the grudge she still probably held, or both, it was obvious that Katie was still not impressed with her. But before Katie could start anything, one or the producers clapped his hands to get the studio's attention. Katie scoffed at the pair and sat down in her usual seat. Lucifer took his seat right next to Katie. Alastor took the next seat and pat the last seat next to him. "I assume you would like to be seated furthest from that wet blanket," he smirked. Charlie gave him an appreciative nod and took her seat. It took her a moment to realize how close their seats were to each other. There was enough space at the desk, why were they shoulder to shoulder with each other?   

“Okay we’re live in 3…2…” 

“Welcome back! I’m Katie Killjoy!” Katie cheerily said through grit teeth.

“And I’m Tom Trench!”

“Today we have the honor of hosting some special guests! Today we have the big boss of Hell himself! And accompanying him is the elusive Radio Demon!” She announced as she gestured to the two guests to her right. “Okay! So tell-“

“I believe you forgot someone! How she slipped your mind I could never guess.” Alastor’s cheery, yet not so subtly threatening interruption forced Katie to halt her reporting and effectively challenging her on live television. She snapped her head to watch as Alastor pointed at Charlie with an arm swung around her shoulders. Lucifer also shot Katie an unamused scowl, signaling her to do her job properly. She couldn't do much else but comply. The crew even looked like they were sweating. After all, pissing off two immensely powerful beings could prove disastrous for everyone in the studio, so the producer shot Katie a panicked yet hard-pressed stare. 

Katie leaned over the table to make sure Charlie could see her face. If looks could kill, Katie Killjoy would have erased Charlie from existence already. As she retracted back into her seat she sighed and muttered quickly “And we have Charlotte, princess of Hell,” Charlie smiled awkwardly and waved to the camera that may not have been on her. Relieved sighs could be heard through the studio.  

Katie quickly changed tones and continued as if nothing happened. “With that out of the way, we’re here today to listen to an important announcement from Lucifer himself! As the king of Hell, I’m sure it’s going to be a big one! So what news do you have for the people?” She smiled as brightly as she had before to cover her unbridled rage. 

Lucifer stood and took a minute to clear his throat. With a wide grin he turned to the camera. “I do have an important announcement to make. We are making changes to our household. Big changes!” Lucifer proudly announced and glanced at the couple. “It is my pleasure to welcome Alastor the Radio Demon into the royal family as fiancee to my daughter-“  he paused for a moment to gesture toward the pair. “-Princess Charlotte Magne!” 

The room fell deadly silent and still. Nobody moved a muscle and all Charlie could see were gaped mouths and wide eyes. The intense atmosphere made Charlie tense up, but it didn’t seem to phase either Alastor or her father. She didn't know what to expect from the announcement, though she hadn't really thought about it at all. Satisfied with his announcement and reactions he concluded his statement. “I believe Alastor has some words to say.” And sat back down. 

As Lucifer sat, Alastor shot up from his seat like an elated child. He cleared his throat as he took in the atmosphere. The intensity of the room did not waver, but Alastor was definitely enjoying it. “Hello! I trust you all know who I am by now," he paused to chuckle, soaking in the attention and intensity of the situation. He was not a television type of man, but he could definitely get used to this refreshing sensation! He was being seen and heard publicly for the first time, he needed to put on a show! "Yes, I am now engaged to miss Charlie here,” he turned to look down at Charlie and effortlessly pulled her up from her seat to spin then dip her. She was fluid in his arms as if she were unconsciously trusting his movements. He set the discombobulated princess up right and wrapped his arm around her to hold her even closer to him. He turned his head to face her. He was going to get his point across and show her just how serious he was about their partnership. “And I have made a promise to always be by her side and keep her safe. Forever.”

The last word hit Charlie like a baseball bat to the face. As she stared up at Alastor with wide eyes, she remembered his exact words to her. 

‘Have I ever broken a promise to you?’

Suddenly Charlie felt as though her heart was going to burst straight out of her chest. 

“Oh shit.” Charlie whispered. 

Part 4 HERE

[miya-nooo]

yes i ask of u for some soulmate au keishin ukai and asahi azumane. male reader n make it fluffy and/or angsty 👀👌

AAAAA— First request!! Oh boy am I glad—!! Thank you so much!! And I do hope that this is to your liking!! I’ll go easy first and do some fluff!!

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U K A I ・K E I S H I N

soulmate au where the moment you hit 25 years of age, a timer appears on your wrist and it starts counting up and when you do meet your soulmate and get your first contact, the timer stops

You squinted at your wrist, eyes a little blurry and a bit hungover from the party last night. Congratulations, my boy, you have turned 25. And thus, you get the blessing of this pesky timer on your wrist. It’s like a tattoo, except that it actually moves.

“...I feel like a ticking time bomb,” you mutter to yourself. And you were. Except that you’re only about to blow up from the attraction that you’ll feel once you do meet this soulmate of yours.

On the flip side, Keishin has already received that timer on his wrist, and honestly, after seeing that 525,600+ minutes have passed on his wrist wasn’t giving him any hope soon. It’s been a year at most, and not a single moment did that timer ever stop.

“Any moment now, I’m sure you’ll find them! And I’m sure they’re worth the wait!!” Takinoue told him with optimism.

And Keishin just stares at his friend with a ‘r e a l l y ?’ look. Nonetheless, he forgets about it. He’s not that eager to meet his soulmate anyway. He knows that certain things take time. But with the possibility of getting him hooked up with someone else so he can get married breathing down his neck, he couldn’t help but at least meet the person he’s supposed to be with.

Brushing that aside, it was finally your time to shine. Sort of. You’re currently heading off to Karasuno High School — an alumni school of yours, so you could teach. Yes, teach. There was a wide selection of schools that could’ve accepted you, but you decided to choose this one. Why? Because you wanted to feel that nostalgic feeling of just walking through the halls and maybe oversee some clubs. Y’know, shit like that.

It was then that you meet... your problem child. Hinata Shouyou. He’s endearing and honestly, you treated him like a son. But this kid when it comes to studies... is just. N g h.

Yikes.

Either way, you do your best to aid him when you can. Because you know this kid has aspirations to chase outside of classroom, and he can’t do that if he’s epically failing his classes.

Hinata immediately becomes fond of you and chats you up a storm when you meet within the hallways. You... somehow became his favorite teacher.

And then, one day, he drops the bomb.

“SENSEI, DO YOU WANNA COME WATCH ME AND MY CLUB??” The sunshine asks exuberantly. And, you were already dead set on refusing him since the pile of worksheets to be graded is just... overwhelming.

But then you told yourself, fuck it. I’ll go. After all, it’s important to aid your student, right? Give him the mental nudge and shit. And it’s also a teacher thing to do right? Defo not an excuse to leave your worksheets lmao.

So then you arrive by the gym and Hinata goes on to greet his teammates and his coach.

“Oi, Hinata! Mind telling us why you’re late?” A rather gruff voice suddenly fills your ears.

“Sorry cooooaaachh!! I just came to ask sensei to come over and watch us practice!!” The sunshine beams before beckoning you to come in.

Keishin raises an eyebrow, tearing his eyes away from the sunshine and looking at the gymnasium doors, where you stood.

MY MAN, KEISHIN ALMOST CHOKED ON AIR. He had to do a double take. You were just... the most handsome guy he’s ever laid his eyes on?? Like what the fuck is this shit? Is this a dream or a wHAT—

“Forgive my intrusion, I came here to watch Hinata-kun.” Your voice was immaculate in his ears. If it was physically possible, his eyes would be crying right now.

Keishin recovered from that mini heart attack and coughed. “Yeah, sure. I— We don’t mind.”

Takeda suddenly comes into the scene, quite surprised to see you, “Ah! [Male name]-san! Good to see you! Came to watch our practice?” He receives a small nod from you. Then he guides you over to Karasuno’s almighty coach. “Here, let me introduce you to the team’s coach, Ukai-kun!” He says and does the same thing when he introduces you.

You lent out a hand, the ticking timer on your wrist completely evident, “Nice to meet you, Ukai-san.”

The coach nodded and stuck out his hand as well to take yours and shake it. “Likewise, sensei.”

The moment your hand touched his, you could feel the warmth in his hand, and made you want to hold on a little longer.

But then you heard it.

T i c k.

Confused, you looked down on your hand and your soulmate did the same.

What a surprise it must’ve been — when you saw the timer stop.

Keishin’s eyes widened. Then looked up at you to see the equally surprised look on your face. Then he remembered his friend’s words earlier.

Takinoue was right;

You were indeed worth the wait.

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A S A H I ・A Z U M A N E

soulmate au where everyday, you receive a message about a random sentence your soulmate has said that day

Ding!

You quickly fished out your phone from your school pants’ pocket. You were quite glad that it’s recess right now, or you would’ve gotten in trouble for just not having it muted. Swiping the screen, you looked at the new text message.

A-AAAAAAHHHH—!! THERE’S A SPIDER!, the text message read.

You deadpanned, eyes narrowing at the quoted message. You had recently gotten these weird ass text messages ever since you got your phone. At first, you thought it was a prank, but after trying to block and block and block the damn number, it just keeps coming back.

Only thing was that it doesn’ t bring you harm, but it definitely is annoying. Every single day, it keeps sending these weird sentences that are either whiny... or just... full of nothing but screaming. And some negativity too.

Normally, you’d think this is a prank, but this has been going on for months now. Literal. Months. And no one has that kind of dedication for one simple prank. So you decided to just... let it do its thing.

From what your friend has told you, it might be some kind of connection towards your special someone. And the only thing that you’ve gotten from that was, “So you’re telling me that my soulmate... is a wimp?” You received a nod and a little shrug from that. And you heaved a long, dreaded sigh.

From then on, you started to accept that your cellphone has a weird celestial and supernatural connection with the person you’re supposed to be with. You weren’t in a rush — in fact, you weren’t even sure if you’d meet that person.

That all changed though when you heard a certain conversation.

“Get a damn grip, Asahi! It was just a spider!!”

You suddenly turned your head at that, cocking an eyebrow at the topic. What a goddamn coincidence. For you to receive a text screaming about spiders, and all of a sudden, you hear someone talking about it too.

“You sure are a scaredy-cat, aren’t you?”

“Couldn’t you have phrased that more gently?!”

It piqued your interest, to say the least. But just as you were about to see who’s talking to who, the bell rang.

Whoopty-fucking-doo.

The day ends with you not knowing who the hell that person was.

Next day arrives, and here you are again, within the hallways, but this time clutching your phone with much intent. You were so damn eager to know if you’ve hit the jackpot. If your soulmate is actually in here.

It was then that you hear someone mumble. You looked up from your phone to see a tall guy, a little hunched over while he walked through rhe corridor. You couldn’t make out what he was saying but it had something to do with dogs and health.

Ding!

You glanced down on your screen.

Man I really wish that dog would get better. His health is growing a little weaker, according to the neighbor.

Throwing your hesitations away, you called out to the mystery guy. Said guy jolted when he suddenly heard your voice.

Asahi turned around and almost died.

Well, he thought he died.

Because otherwise, how would he see a handsome angel in front of him?

Cha-cha real smooth.

“Are you perhaps... by any chance, my soulmate?” You asked, ignoring the lingering embarrassment by the mere fact that you could be wrong with your guess and ultimately humiliate yourself in front of a schoolmate.

A little taken aback, Asahi blinks and doesn’t respond for a moment until;

Ding!

Now it was his turn to fish out his phone and look at it and read the ominous text message. His eyes widened at the words displayed.

Are you perhaps... by any chance, my soulmate? It read.

[butterbuni]

♥ Ash Series ~ Picnic ♥

𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨: Kirishima x Ash  𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵: 1817 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘦: Fluff

Kirishima sat at the table being unusually quiet. He looked down at the barely touched food. His stomach twisted and turned but it wasn't from being hungry. He was having a different ache.

He was in love.

"Hey dumbass what the hell is wrong with you?" Bakugo asked taking a break from silence.

"It's nothing man." Kirishima said looking away already knowing there was no fooling Bakugo. Bakugo gave him the side eye before returning back to his food.

"If your not going to eat that then i will!" a hand quickly swiped Kirishima's tray from him causing Kirishima to look up his face already getting warmer. Ash smiled already eating the food he had taken from Kirishima.

Kirishima looked away bashfully and mumbled, "It's fine."

Ash raised his brow at his friend a little confused.

"I think i'm with Bakugo here," Ash looked away a smirk playing on his lips, "For the first time ever." Ash's voice calmed a bit and he looked to Kirishima taking one of his hands into his own, "What's wrong Kiri? You can tell me."

Kirishima swore his heart was about to burst out of his chest. He looked straight at Ash taking in his handsome features. His dark fluffed hair that always looked messy but somehow it was perfect. His perfect dorky smile that made Kirishima want to smile.

He had already begun to space out narrowing on the feeling of Ash's cold hand on his own.

Bakugo sat in his seat eyes glued to the two. It was alike a light had been lit in his mind as his eyes widened at Kirishima, his best friend though he would never admit that. Bakugo dared spared a glance towards his pink skinned friend. She was already beaming as she looked at him. They both shared a knowing look before Bakugo broke eye contact with a 'tch'.

"It's nothing Ash I'm fine." Kirishima said almost in a whisper. it felt like his heart had gotten caught in his throat his eyes glued to the hand Ash was holding.

"Promise?" Ash asked lowering his head to meet Kirishima's gaze.

"P-Promise." Kirishima choked out his stutter hidden as the bell that meant lunch was over rang. Ash let go of Kirishima hand hurrying to throw away the leftovers. Kirishima desperately wished Ash had continued to hold his hand.

"Shitty hair."

Kirishima snapped out of his thoughts and faced Bakugo with a questioning look.

"Stop being a coward," Bakugo said looking annoyed with the whole situation.

"I don't know what your talking about man," Kirishima took a quick glance in the direction Ash had gone off only to see him happily making conversation with Kaminari and Sero.

"Yes you do don't act dumb! That's Kaminari's job!" Bakugo said urging his friend to open up to him. Kirishima sighed in hopelessness. "I can't Bakugo. What if he doesn't like me," Kirishima's voice got low and solemn, "like that..."

The second warning bell rang before Bakugo could answer Kirishima question. Not like he could answer it unless it was cheesy empty promises like 'Yes he will your're amazing anyone would be lucky to have you.' Even the thought of those words coming out of his mouth made Bakugo shudder in disgust.

Sero, Ash, and Kaminari walked over greeting the rest with smiles and waves not like Kirishima noticed the others his eyes were already glued to only Ash.

"C'mon guys. I know I'm usually the late one but it can't be all of us," Ash rolled his eyes playfully and grabbed his stuff. The group made their way to their class with an exchange of jokes and laughter. Kirishima couldn't stop thinking about Ash's laughter. He thought it was the best sound in the world.

They took their seats just as the last bell rang and Midnight walked in to give them their lesson in heroics. Kirishima could barely focus on what Midnight was going on about. it had become inceasingly clear he would bot be able to get through the day. Every other minute or so Ash would lean over to his desk to doodle something anywhere.

A tiny picture on Kirishima's hand, a 2013 joke that no one thought was funny anymore on Kirishima's notebook, maybe even a tiny scribble on Kirishima's desk. Kirishima hoplessly let it happen he wanted to focus his mind on anything else. He gave up on even trying to comprend whatever the lesson was and his eyes trailed from the board to the window.

Maybe the birds who were building a nest on a nearby tree would distract him.

Somehow he found himself being distracted by Ash once more. He looked over to Kaminari. Kaminari was always doing something. Maybe making origami from the notebook paper he was supposed to be writing his notes on. Today he held a Gameboy in his textbook and Kirishima tried to focus on whatever Kaminari had been playing but all the effort was for naught as soon as Ash whispered something to Kirishima.

"Wanna bet I can get Ms. Midnight to rant about something so we can skip out on the homework?"

Kirishima shrugged, which was all he could manage because if he had opened his mouth he might've said something he wasn't ready for.

Ash took this as Kirishima accepting his challenge he gave Kirishima a wink and whispered, "if i can you owe me something of my choice."

Kirishima just accepted already knowing Ash could distract Ms. Midnight, it gave him an excuse to make Ash happy.

Ash rose his hand up high. Ms. Midnight temporarily stopped the lesson and looked to Ash. "Yes?" she asked.

"Hero costume laws." Ash said confidentially already knowing this specific subject would rile Ms. Midnight up. Midnight's eyes widened a bit the fury already filling in remembering how they had 'unjustly' made her change hero costumes and even went as far as to creating a new law. Before she knew it she had began ranting her thoughts about the whole situation with a few less that 'school appropriate' words here and there.

Ash snickered and turned to Kirishima with that same smile that made Kirishima want to melt on the spot.

"You owe me. After school meet me on the roof of the dorms."

The day went on with teachers going on and on about different subjects. Kirishima desperartly trying to pay attention to each lesson but it was to no avail. Every other moment or so he would find himself staring at Ash.

It wasn't until when everyone was walking back to the dorms did most of the class ambush Kirishima and dragging him away to have a 'chat'.

"You like Ash!" Mina blurted out unable to control herself any longer, "You couldn't stop staring at him all of class today!"

The rest nodded in agreement. Kirishima wanted to hide so badly.

Embarrassed Kirishima looked away from his classmates questioning eyes, "I have no idea what you mean."

"Kiri, my man, don't lie to us. You're not as discreet as you think you are," Sero chimed in placing a comforting hand on Kirishima's shoulder, "Just tell him."

"Oh no!" Kirishima exclaimed moving back a few steps, "I can't do that! He may not like me like that. I may end up ruining our friendship." Kirishima looked to his feet. It wasn't like he hadn't day dreamed about confessing to Ash. He would day dream about this extravagant confession. Ash's favorite flowers in his hand, a talk under the moonlight, maybe even get Jiro to serenade them in song. But each time, despite his heart telling him otherwise, he would always picture the worst possible outcome.

'I don't like you like that Kiri.'

This hypothetical outcome broke his heart and he was not ready if it did happen. His friends spared him a sympathetic glances. Sero was about to say something else before Kirishima picked his head up a smile, that was less than happy, on his face. "C'mon guys its not that deep besides-" Kirishima eyes caught his watch. "Oh I need to go!"

His friends looked confused but had no time to say anything cause Kirishima was already booking it to the dorms. He ran in slipping his shoes off sparing a few glances to the other classmates that were already in. He scanned the room, no sight of Ash.

'I'm already late.' he thought to himself as he ran into the elevator for the last floor. As soon as the elevator doors dinged open, Kirishima ran out heading for the stairs that led up to the roof. He pushed the door open.

Ash was there. Standing tall hands behind his back standing on something that looked like a picnic rug. Kirishima was so confused. There was not only a picnic rug but there was a picnic basket, a vase with a red flower, and even fake light up candles.

"Hey Kiri."

Ash smiled before pulling out a bouquet of red roses from his back. "These are for you."

Kirishima had to force his legs to move. He was so stunned. He had no words. Shakily he accepted the flowers.

"W-What's all this?" he asked.

Ash looked away bashfully, "Do i really have to say it?"

Kirishima, as oblivious as ever, asked, "Say what?"

Ash held Kirishima's free hand and looked into his eyes, as much as Ash didn't want to he was already blushing and Kirishima made sure to take a mental image.

"Kirishima. I like you."

Now it was Kirishima's turn to blush. His face was redder than his hair.

"Am i dreaming? Right now?" Kirishima asked himself but Ash heard it and chuckled. "You're not dreaming Kiri. I like you. I have liked you for awhile. I admire you for always putting others before yourself. I admire your confidence, the way you light up every room when you walk in-"

Kirishima could not believe his ears.

Ash. THE ASH. The person he had been crushing on since forever was confessing to him.

"Please say something." Ash said.

"Ilikeyoutoo!" Kirishima said quickly. He dropped the flowers he had been holding giving Ash a big hug. Hesitantly Ash hugged him back. "I like you too," Kirishima said more calmly. "Oh I'm so glad," Ash tightened the hug and they stayed like for what felt like eternity.

Kirishima wanted to hug Ash forever but his legs had begun to get tired. He took the initiative and separated but he still held one of Ash's hands.

The smell of food from the basket wafted into his nose.

"Ooh what's in there?" Kirishima said as the both took a seat.

"Garlic bread, Kebabs, and some sweets." Ash said happily already opening the basket.

Kirishima gave Ash a look. Ash chuckled, "I had Bakugo make them. If I made them we wouldn't have a kitchen anymore."

They both laughed. They spent hours up there on the roof. They talked, ate, joked. The sky got dark and the stars were coming out. They laid down on their back and Ash listened to Kirishima make up names for each star.

Their hands intertwined the whole time.

It was truly a night to remember.

[seb-owns-these-tatas]

Fix (TJ Hammond) (Pt. 1)

Characters: Sub!Bi!TJ Hammond x You

Summary: You've went home and was welcomed by a very high TJ who was clean for a year since you've been together. Your boy even did something wrong, resulting to you in reacting very hostile and leading to a hot night considering that he needed to learn his lessons for disobeying you.

Warning: This part has no smut, so you're good to go. Except there's a hint of a Sub/Dom relationship, and there's drugs involve. Plus, some soft, crying Tj for everyone. Oh, and cusses. :)

Words: 4,000+ It’s quite long. (But I think the smut is longer? Hehehehe)

A/N: This is suitable for everybody. The next part won't be. *wink wonk* I've poured my heart in this! LOL. So, FEEDBACKS ARE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED! THANK YOU MA'AM AND SIR'S! LOL XD Y’all are prolly quaking because of the word SUB! *wink wink nudge nudge* PART 2 IS SMUT, OKAY? LET YOUR HEART BE STILL WITH THE GIFS ALRIGHT? IT AIN’T FROM MOI! Just took them in google! CREDITS TO THE CREATORS!

Disclaimer: GIF'S and PNG'S aren't mine, however the whole one shot and edit are rightfully mine to begin with.

Dedicated: @caps-boo-bear (I couldn’t tag you bud? Maybe your account is prohibited from tagging in posts?) @angel-of-hell-cece1967​

Every step you took was such a pain in the ass. How you sluggishly walk made every person know not to dare bump on you. The boots you've picked for the day had a defectability that gave your feet blisters which resulted as to why you were walking like the heavens were weighing down on you.

You've met Mrs. Bell on the way to your apartment. She was a very nice old lady who have been giving you free viands and pastries whenever there was any extra that could go to waste. Her husband was the only companion she has that lives in their apartment, and their relationship was darn cute. They've been together for 60 years, and you ought to have that kind of relationship. Mrs. Bell kind of reminded you of TJ's nana, Margaret.

Will that be possible to happen with TJ? It was a question that nobody could ever answer except from God. Even though you were there to keep him steady, you knew how rickety he can get sometimes. The thought of him going back to who he was before was making you worry, scared that after a year of being clean..His addiction would suddenly come around.

"TJ's been awfully quiet today," Mrs. Bell spoke, her voice frail and shaky. You met her on your way up, seeing her once the elevator door pulled open. She lost her chance of transport as her grey eyes watched the elevators close just to tell you news about TJ since you've asked her to check how he was from time to time, especially since you've had your girls night out with your friends, making you a little intoxicated as you went home. You were quite tipsy but not tipsy enough to fall on the ground and swim in your own vomit. You drank moderately and responsively tonight.

The lollipop in your mouth was flavorful. Tangerine taste sipping on your taste buds. You've missed the confectionery since years and you decided it was time to finally satisfy your cravings.

You sucked on your lollipop before taking it out of your mouth with a pop, licking your lips and giving Mrs. Bell a nervous smile, "Did he went out or something, Ma'am?" You could sense something was wrong with how she worded everything, yet you wanted to believe he didn't. He wouldn't because he promised.

The sweet old lady took seconds before she gave a shaky nod, "Yes, I think my husband saw him went out for an hour..then came back looking bothered,"

Your heart skipped a beat, anxiousness began surging through every vein in your heart. He wouldn't, right? You gave a weak nod at Mrs. Bell, helping her wait to get a lift and assisting her till she could enter the elevator before dismissing her with a kiss on the cheek.

The walk to your apartment made your nerves go berserk, every step was shaking your hopes, wishing that nothing happened to your Tj. Once the door opened, the lights to the living room was off, you've flicked the switch on and expected him to come out of the shadows and surprise you yet there was still no Thomas.

"Teej?" Your voice echoed through the hallway before your feet brought you to your kitchen. A half emptied bottle of water was on top of the kitchen counter, and you sighed. Relieved that you saw no beers, not even a single trace of alcohol. Well, that's because you took all the alcohol away when TJ decided to get help. You wanted nothing more than TJ to be happy, and for him to be healed..Mentally and emotionally.

You had always been TJ's strong tower, been there for him no matter how fucked up he was. You still accepted his flaws and him, himself. Your baby boy has been your life and breath. You loved him with all your heart, and you won't ever hesitate on taking care of him even when he was broken.

The lights to your room were on. So, you paraded towards yours and TJ's room. Never even knocking because you wanted to surprise him, but turns out it was you who was surprised by your boyfriend.

TJ was sprawled on your bed, his necklace that you've given as a present for his birthday was dangling around his neck. He was in his clothing alright, but without a shirt on. His eyes were closed as an arm was around his eyes, looking deep in thought. You guessed he was sleeping, yet when he heard someone open the door to your room, his head instantly perked up to see who it was.

It took seconds for Tj to realize who it was. That dazed, lightheaded look in his eyes made your nerves go tense. When he was sure it's you, he languidly sat up. Blinking slower than usual as he set his eyes on you, a discomposed smile and his eyes having this glassy twinkle that could make you want to coddle him up all night.

Yet, there was something in those look of his that you couldn't decipher.

"Y/N?"

You sweetly smiled at him, strolling towards your baby boy sitting on your bed, waiting to be cuddled. How could you not snuggle him right now when he looked so soft and vulnerable?

"Hi, Love! You alright?" You sat beside him, immediately wrapping your arms around him and he was quick to take the chance to snuggle you up, his fluffy head now on your chest. Your nails gently scratching his back.

"I'm fine..just fine," He mumbled quietly. His fingers nonchalantly playing with the hem of your shirt. There was something wrong with him, you thought as you felt him hotter beneath your palm, hotter than his usual body heat. However, you tried to shut those thoughts first, just loving the comfort and embrace that you were both in.

"You don't sound fine," Your hands traveled towards his soft, fluffy hair. Giving his scalp soft scratches and Tj couldn't help but moan very audibly. "My baby boy looks so...so...tired," Dazed and lightheaded was what you wanted to say, but you didn't want him to think you were doubting him into getting drugged again. He wouldn't right? Your heart kept on pounding on that thought.

"Mmm," He hummed in agreement, slipping his hand inside your shirt, softly caressing the skin of your soft stomach. You were used to Tj being handsy, he always was with you every minute of the day. Finding assurance that you were there and that you weren't just a part of his imagination. Making sure that you were there and you stayed. "I missed you,"

"Well, I missed you more. Have you been a good boy while I wasn't around?" There was a second of quietness except from the tiny suckling sounds you make from your lollipop. You hoped he would answer back but he didn't. You checked if he fell asleep yet he was wide awake.

His quietness answered the questions floating inside your head. He seemed to be guilty of doing something that wasn't right.

Your guesses were right all along.

"Thomas," You took the lollipop out of your mouth and addressed him seriously, unwrapping your arms and cutting your embrace. Looking up at his diluted cerulean eyes. Why have you just realized that now? He was definitely drugged and high. You took his face in your hands, setting his eyes on you and a pang of disappointment rushed through your veins. The way the pupils of his eyes were more diluted than usual, eyes glassier and high. What did he even take?

You stood up from the bed, disappointment running in your features. Tj was already a year clean, already starting to change his addiction. Yet, with what happened tonight seemed like he chose to go back from where he used to be. His family would definitely be mad at you for not keeping a close eye on him. "I just went out for a while and now you're high?! What were you even thinking?!" You exclaimed rather furiously.

"I wasn't thinking anything," He deadpanned, shrugging his broad shoulders in attempt to shake off the anxiety creeping. "It just kinda happened,"

Once he saw the intense glare that never failed to falter, his emotions shifted in one snap. What was he saying? Did he disappoint you? The person he loved the most and the only person who continued trusting in him?

Tj's intense, still gorgeous as fuck, glassy eyes peered at you, a look that appeared like he was a kicked puppy and you wanted nothing more than not to be mad at him because you knew how hurt he gets when you're angry. He was immediately on his foot, trotting till he towered and stood in front of you. His half naked fit body gloriously giving you a warm welcome and it surely distracted your maddened state.

God, his abs. Your slightly drunken state thought mentally, giving his body a once over before focusing on his gorgeous orbs again. His lower lip seemed to tremble, "I-I just needed a fix!" He reasoned back, biting his lower lip as he fought a frown, but his eyebrows tell otherwise. He knew you were already disappointed in him, and he didn't like the thought of it.

Your sly, sneaky eyes couldn't help but scan the indents of his hipbone and it made you emit a groan because of how you were thinking in between your pants in a very serious moment that should be taken importantly. Your forehead furrowed in return to his reasons, "You what?!"

"I just needed a fix!" He repeated more clearer, eyeing your face with an obvious frown. "Did something happened, Tj?" You asked more calmly now, the anger slowly subsiding as you saw the pained look he was giving you and it hurt your heart.

He was already in too much pain, and you didn't want him to experience and feel more by being mad at him. You just needed to understand him and why he did it.

"S-Sean," Tj croaked a little more quietly, voice breaking and sounding more vulnerable. The anger that once left you suddenly came back in a hot second just because of one mention of that fucker's name. Sean Reeves, an idiotic man who broke your Tj's heart, torn it into pieces and left Tj feeling shit about himself, that he wasn't someone important made him trigger to go suicidal.

"What.about.him," Y/N gritted in between her teeth, jaw clenching from the irritation she felt from hearing his name. God, it was even nauseating to hear. "I've went to The Dome, updated on things then saw him there," You hummed in understanding, nodding at the same time. His gaze kept on shifting from your face then on the ground, trying to find the exact words as he recollected what happened earlier. Tj looked as if his mind was swirling, kept on jumping from one scene to another from the way his brows furrowed.

"Man..Was I stupid to give him my time," He shook his head to himself, a disgruntled chuckle leaving his plump, red lips--Lips that have been red and swollen from biting it too hard. "He tried coming back, kept on saying things that I wanted to hear from him when we were still together. But, he's too late. Sean tried to fix something that was already been fixed," You saw his miserable baby blues intensely staring at you, eyes turning more diluted and glassy. Beneath those were pent up emotions that you've vulnerably seen. Emotions that held sadness, anger, and brokenness.

There was a pause. He was having an internal debate with himself. Debating whether he needed to even tell it to you. After moments of waiting for him to finish as you stood patiently, desperately wanting to hug him when you saw how your Tj's close to crying.

He finally decided and he was sure to tell you the truth because that's one rule you've both agreed to. It's to be honest with each other and never keep secrets. "He even played dirty because he tried kissing me, Y/N--he did. He did kiss me," His voice croaked like it was difficult for him to say.

Thus, his honesty felt like a cold bucket of ice was thrown on top of her head. That asshole kissed him. Y/N couldn't help but roughly draw crescents on her palms, nails digging deep indenting crescent shapes that could explain the betrayal she felt.

But, it wasn't Tj who did the first move. You debated with that tiny voice inside your head. Y/N was having her inner monologue when the drugs in Tj's system was growing more intense as time goes by. He felt the need to touch you, to be close with you and he didn't hesitate to step close. Holding your tightened hands with his, soothingly pressing his hands with yours.

"I didn't kiss him back if that will make you feel better," He coyly said, looking deep within your furrowed forehead and angered eyes.

Tj couldn't help but gaze down on your lips. His mind completely elsewhere, wanting nothing more than to kiss and bite those lips, stick his naughty tongue inside your warm mouth. He was beginning to feel the side effects of the Ecstacy he took. Those two pills of Ecstacy were the last, and he didn't hesitate to take them all.

His warm, sneaky hands were slowly caressing your hands, trailing up to your arms in a lethargic manner. Sending heat to your warm core. The way his eyes look was making you all fuzzy inside, sending fiery warmth to pool below your stomach.

"That didn't change the fact that you two kissed and you're damn stoned again, Tj! Why did you even think about getting high?" Y/N forcefully unlatched his hands that were sensually caressing her feeble arms.

She could basically hear him whimper when she turned in her heels, walking away from Tj and aiming out of the room, as far as Tj wasn't around because whenever she sees his face. It's either she feels mad or feels the want to let him eat her and delightedly punish him for making a mistake. God, her thoughts are getting way out of hand. Was it the alcohol consuming her?

You thought you would be out of reach by your boyfriend, turns out he followed you like a lost puppy and with a want to oblige and genuinely follow all of your erotic punishments in mind. Tj was in for a mission, a mission to do all of those dirty thoughts you had in mind. He wanted nothing more than to be close to you as of the moment.

"Y/N! Talk to me!" You both stopped in your kitchen, it wasn't entirely the best place to have a conversation when you're mad. You were loudly sucking your lollipop in frustration, and you turned in your heels. Giving him a whiplash of your frustrated anger. Was it frustration out of anger? Or out of other..things?

You pulled the lollipop out of your mouth, using that hand to point at your gorgeously half-naked boyfriend giving you the googly, tantalizing eyes, standing tall before you, a pained expression in those baby blues of his. He wanted nothing more than for you to not be mad at him. Tj was already regretting why he let Sean kiss him when he knew to himself that he didn't have any feelings for him anymore. "You don't get to talk, Thomas!"

You stood on your ground, eyes giving a heated glare on your puppy eyed Hammond. It was making your toes curl inside your aching boots, the look on his face was making it difficult for you to continuously get mad at him, "Does he still affect you?" You whispered harshly through gritted teeth. Your damn mind assuming to think he still has feelings for that idiot and those assumptions couldn't help but send a sting to your big heart.

You loved Tj more than anything in this world, he was a broken soul and you decided he needed all the love in this world. Preferably a love that came from you and his family. Having to think that Tj still has feelings for Sean was hurting you, "Do you still love him, Tj? Do you?!"

Tj's baby blue eyes turned cerulean from your admittance. He chewed his bottom lip, staring straight into your fragile soul beneath your eyes. Thump, he heard. Then, another loud, ear-wrecking thump. The way his heart was beating isn't the same way as he felt for Sean, that particular beat of his heart was only for you, a melody made for you and he could feel his heart screaming for your name.

You were special, but Sean was not. He have loved that man, yet he loved you more than he loved him if that was even possible.

"No, I don't!" He debated, largely puffing out breaths through his mouth out of frustration. You needed to repeat your question because you were contemplating whether he was telling the truth or not. "You don't?! Really, Tj?! Then why the fuck do you sound like you do?!"

Tj was getting agitated, his truthful words ignored by your stubborn mindset. He was telling the honest truth, yet you couldn't believe him and it was making him demonstrative. The drugs in his system turning him more emotional when his eyes turned glassier due to fact that he wanted to cry out the frustrations and the painful feeling that you didn't trust and believe him enough.

You were just like his family. Everyone appears to have a difficult time to trust in him, he thought you were going to be an exception, he thought you could trust him enough more than how his family does, "I-I really don't! I don't! Not anymore!" He stuttered, and poked the inside of his cheeks with his tongue, tears threatening to form in his cerulean eyes that were turning reddish with every forcible word that he wanted to say.

"You're the one I love, Y/N. You're the only girl I loved, I-I never thought I would be in love with a woman, ever. Then, you came along,"

"--You showed me how it feels to be loved, completely loved that you gladly accepted my fucking imperfections and my damn complicated sexuality," You heard his voice break and with that, you knew your baby boy was beginning to slowly break. You felt your heart shatter when he tried hard to talk through out his mental breakdown, "--how to be trusted enough with their life. But, why the fuck do you sound like you don't trust me enough? why don't you trust the words I say, Y/N?"

Your eyes were tempted to jump out of your eye sockets when he desperately took your face in his hands, forcing you to look into his cerulean, glassy eyes. An obvious frown on as he was turning to look miserable. Manipulating thoughts forming in his head, Didn't you love him anymore? Were you just like Sean? Did you love him because you needed something from his family's reputation? This was why Tj never wanted to love again, he was scared that he would fall deeper than he intended to, and unfortunately..he did.

"Tell me you trust me!" He rasped and pleaded desperately, his lower lip pouting when you kept staring at him with that shocked look in your eyes, "Tell me you love me, Y/N. You do right? You do love me? These...These thoughts inside my head," He choked, sniffing to himself.

"T-They aren't real, right? They aren't true?" You could feel his hand shake, his hands that were still on your neck, holding your jaw to look at him in the eye. He was breaking, and he did even more when you heard him emit a whimper. His tears began to fall, like a water hose without no gardener holding onto it. It was more painful to think if you didn't actually love him, more than how Sean hurt him, yours were more painful if it was all true. Just thinking about it was making Tj break down miserably, "T-Tell me you love me, Y/N! Tell me you love me because I do!"

He sobbed and sobbed a little louder and that made your heart cry. You couldn't take it anymore, you couldn't get mad at him when he was acting like that, all miserable and broken. He didn't deserve to cry. Not anymore. "Tj," You croaked out loud, eyes feeling hotter than the usual. You were quick to wrap him in a hug, tucking his head in between your neck as you coddled your crying, miserable baby boy. "I love you, Tj. I do, I love you so much, I trust in you too, okay? Don't you ever forget that, Baby." You gently raked your hand in his soft, fluffy hair. Trailing behind his bare back. You could feel yourself choke in your own anger, it was slowly subsiding, turning into dust.

"Tell me you love me, please..tell me you love me back, Y/N...Tell me you aren't grossed out, tell me it isn't just sex. I love you, I love you so much,"

Tj kept repeating his words in despair, he kept whispering that he loves you and that you were the only one in his life. You believed him, your stubborn mind believed him now. "It's love, baby. It's love. I love you,"

Only one hug from you made those horrible thoughts go away as every minute passed by, his whimpers and cries were long gone. However, you still had him in your arms, gently raking your nails on his back. You could hear his sniffles. He feels so small in your arms and you couldn't help but cuddle him more. "Baby boy's all good? Now that you know I really do love you? And that I trust you very much? I wouldn't have been in a relationship with you if I didn't, Thomas."

"--Trust comes with love, and I love you very very much. This means that I trust you either," You gently patted his warm, smooth, broad back. Whispering loving words against his ear, "I just don't want you going back to the life you were used to, I don't want you to get caught up in your drug addictions again, Teej."

GO SCREAM YOUR HEARTS OUT WITH FEEDBACKS! YAAAY! Second part’s (WITH THE FILTHY SCHMUT) going to be posted after half an hour or so! GIVE ME SOME LOVEEEEE PLEASE? 

XOXO, 

TATA

[chaoticminhos]

heart eyes and a picnic basket

bad boy!hyunjin, angst, suggestive (?not smut tho), fluff

words: 4300-ish

this is my first fanfic, sorry if it’s not the best! i hope you enjoy :)

please excuse the issues with my account changes gahh im sorry

===========

hyunjin was the stereotypical bad boy in your high school. he had an annoying amount of charm, despite being a complete asshole, and his looks weren’t bad either. in fact, they were godlike. and he knew it.

and then there was you, another girl trying desperately not to fall for hwang hyunjin. you did your best to stay as far away from him as possible. you kept your distance, and as far as he knew, you didn’t exist. until you did.

~~~

it was monday, and you were walking to class from math, where you had just taken a test that you were completely sure you failed. needless to say, you weren’t in the best mood. you kept your head down while you walked through the halls, thinking about how your parents would definitely have your head for the grade you got when you bumped into someone, bringing you out of your thoughts.

before looking up to see who you had ran into, you exclaimed “what the fuck!” not even trying to be kind, due to your mood. your bold demeanor dropped the second you looked up and met eyes with the one and only hwang hyunjin.

“hey there princess, quite a vocabulary you’ve got there.” he smirked down at you. when you didn’t reply, he continued, “and how come i’ve never seen you? what’s your name, baby?” as he spoke, he leaned down so his face was level with yours.

you tried to ignore that your heart skipped a few beats with the close proximity, and prayed to god that he couldn’t hear how fast your heart was beating.

it took all of your courage to make eye contact as you spoke, “y-y/n.” and you mentally cursed yourself for stuttering.

“y/n, that’s cute. I’m-“

“hwang hyunjin. I know.” you interrupted him.

his smirk grew wider as he replied, “so you’ve heard of me. tell me, y/n, what have you heard?” he leaned in close to your ear, and you felt his warm breath on your neck. “have you heard how good I am in bed?”

your face heated up and you were sure he could hear your breath falter. you were about to push him away when the bell rang, signifying that class had started, and he stood up straight, putting the distance back between the two of you.

“I have to get to class.” you shakily mumbled as you quickly walked past him.

he called some cocky goodbye, but you were too focused on getting away from the whole situation to hear what he said.

~~~

you spent the entire class period zoned out, your face heating up whenever you though back to his words.

“have you heard how good I am in bed?”

you knew he was a fuck boy. every girl he’s spent the night with knew he was a fuck boy. and you did not intend to test that theory for yourself, hoping he would leave it at the one conversation in the hall and never think of or speak to you again. but of course, when have things ever gone your way?

after what felt like forever, the bell rang and class was dismissed. you hadn’t taken a single note, making a mental note to ask someone for the notes later.

you walked into the hallway and went to pick up your books from your locker, but you reached out to open your locker, it wouldn’t budge. you usually kept your lock unlocked, since you didn’t really have time to fiddle around with a lock in between classes, but apparently someone thought it would be fun to lock random lockers along the hall.

you looked around and noticed a few other kids crouched down trying to unlock their lockers. you mentally cursed whoever had locked them. everyone else seemed to get their code within a few tries, but you did not know how to work the old locks in the slightest.

by the time you got the lock open and got your books, everyone had left the school. you shoved the books into your bag and huffed as you picked it up. why did books have to weigh so much?

you started to walk towards the front door, thoughts drifting back to hyunjin and your little encounter. once again, your face heated up as you bit your lip and looked at your feet, embarrassed. you were about to reach out to grab the door handle when you felt someone grab you from behind and drag you into a nearby bathroom.

you cried out in shock as you were pushed against the cold wall. you could feel the books in your bag digging into your back. you struggled to get out of the persons grip and out of your uncomfortable position against the wall only to freeze when you looked up and met eyes with hyunjin, a smirk on his face and a dangerous look in his eyes.

~~~

“hey again, baby.” he spoke with a smooth voice.

“what the fuck?”

“is that all you know how to say?”

“hyunjin please.” you started as you began to struggle against him again, wanting to just get home and sleep after the day you’d had.

“oh, you’re gonna have to beg harder than that.” the tone in his voice pissed you off in more ways than you could count.

“fuck off, hyunjin, let me go.” you’d stopped struggling, realizing that he was much, much stronger than you, as you could see by his toned arms and broad shoulders, and you began to wonder how fit he was under his shirt…

he chuckled at you and moved one of his hands from your hip to the wall beside your head, and moved closer to you so that your bodies were pressed up against each other and your faces were only inches apart.

you tried to speak but no words came out, just a small squeak, to which hyunjin chucked again, the smirk on his face growing.

he brought his mouth down to your ear and whispered, “what? use your words, babygirl.”

you felt your face somehow get even more red at the new name and you knew he could feel how fast your heart was beating, since he was pressed flush against you. he shifted so that his knee was in between your legs and you gasped, tensing slightly and bringing your hands to grip his shoulders, but you made no attempt to push him away. he paused for a moment, continuing once your muscles relaxed. he placed small open mouthed kisses along your neck and you let out a quiet, involuntary moan.

you were having a mental battle with yourself. on one hand, there was no way in hell you were having sex with hwang hyunjin. you were a virgin, and you were in a school bathroom. on the other hand, the way he had pressed his lips softly on your neck made you think otherwise.

his thumb was rubbing circles on the small patch of exposed skin on your hips and his leg was offering friction where you couldn’t help but want it.

his lips traced your jaw as he made his way closer to your lips. as he moved along your jaw, you let out a shaky breath that you hadn’t realized you’d been holding.

right before he could reach your lips, you spoke, “hyunjin-“

“shh” he hushed you and placed a kiss on the corner of your mouth.

you were about to speak again when the door to the bathroom flung open. you and hyunjin jumped away from each other and your face heated up so much you could have sworn you were going to explode.

the boy who had walked in was just a freshman, and he had an equally red face, hastily apologizing and running out of the bathroom.

you stood frozen in place dying from embarrassment when you were brought back into reality by a loud, obnoxious laugh coming from beside you.

“it’s not funny! what if that had been a teacher?” you hit hyunjin on the shoulder with as much strength as you could.

“you-“ he tried to speak past his laughter “your face! the look on your face was priceless!”

as much as you wanted to hit him again, you felt a small smile tug at the corner of your lips.

you let out a small chuckle and muttered, “it’s not funny.” before turning to look him in the eye.

his smile was breathtaking. it wasn’t a smirk or a cocky grin, it was a genuine smile. you felt a weird feeling in your chest as you listened to his laugh, but your good mood was short lived. when he met your eyes, your smile dropped and you remembered that you had just been contemplating letting him fuck you in a school bathroom. you turned and walked out of the bathroom door, not bothering to respond when he shouted after you.

~~~

the next day of school was torture. you spent every second in between classes and at lunch practically glued to your friends sides, hoping to god hyunjin wouldn’t try anything. you even went so far as to force Felix to walk you home after school, since he lived close to you and that’s when hyunjin jumped you the day before.

you and felix had been friends practically forever, since you grew up as neighbors. he was your best friend, without a doubt. he was even your first kiss, courtesy to a game of 6th grade spin the bottle. 5 years later and he still teased you that he’s the only boy you’d ever kissed.

you had told him about your little.. encounter after school with hyunjin, leaving out the unimportant details, like how you liked the way his lips felt against your skin and wanted to feel it again.

~~~

felix met you at your locker after grabbing his things from his. you and felix decided to wait until the busses left to start walking home to avoid the chaos of all the kids rushing to the busses. after 15 minutes, you decided it would be clear to go. felix was playing a game on his phone, and you flicked his head to her his attention.

“lix, lets go. I want food.” you pouted.

“jeez y/n, that’s no reason to abuse me. but yeah sure. just let me use the bathroom first.”

you gave him a nod and sad down with your back against your locker, because knowing felix, he was going to sit on the toilet and play games for another 20 minutes.

just as you sent a text to felix telling him not to take forever, you heard a familiar voice call your name.

“y/n! princess, hey.” it was hyunjin.

you stood up and quickly shot felix another message to hurry up.

“hyunjin, please, just leave me alone.”

“that’s not what you seemed to want yesterday.” he said as that damn smirk found its way onto his face again. he placed his hands on your hips and spoke lowly, “come on y/n, i know you want me just as badly as I want you.”

before you could disagree with him, felix came out of the bathroom, and he looked pissed. he stood right next to you and threw an arm protectively over your shoulder as he glared at hyunjin.

“I thought it was your voice I heard. hyunjin, find some other girl to be your next fuck, y/n’s not interested. y/n, come on. let’s go.” as felix moved to grab his bag, hyunjin spoke.

“i don’t know felix, she seemed pretty interested yesterday when she was practically begging for me to fuck her in the bathroom you just walked out of.” he took a step towards felix. “she didn’t seem uninterested when she had my lips on her neck and my body pressed against hers.” he took another step towards felix. “she seemed to enjoy it quite a lot, actually, having my hands on her-“ he was cut off by felix punching him square in the jaw.

hyunjin stumbled back, clearly not expecting felix to throw a punch. but instead of throwing a hit in return, he chuckled.

“oh, I’m sorry, did I hit a nerve? you don’t like hearing about y/n being with boys, do you?”

“I don’t enjoy listening to you talk about wanting to fuck my best friend, no.” felix spat back.

“Oh, of course not, especially when you wish you wish you were the one doing all those things to her, right?” he turned to you and smirked, “isn’t he cute when he’s jealous?”

felix clenched his jaw and you grabbed his arm, quietly speaking, “lix please, let’s just go.” felix’s face softened when he looked down at you. he reached down and picked up his bag, his arm returning to it place around your shoulders. he shot one last glare at hyunjin before leading you out of the school.

~~~

the next day, it was felix who stuck to your side, going out of his way to walk you to class even if he had class on the other end of the school.

“I don’t want you alone, who knows when that asshole will try something again?” he said whenever you asked. you told him it was fine and that you had other friends to walk with, but he refused, saying none of them would throw a punch if it was needed.

when you left math class, you found felix waiting for you outside the door. “I got that test back today.” you told him.

“Oh yeah? how’d you do?”

you held the paper right up to his face, so he could clearly see the big “D+” written at the top of the paper.

“at least it’s not an F?” he said, and you gave him a smile.

“at least it’s not an F.”

when you got to your class, you looked at felix and whined. you hated history.

“don’t worry, you just watch some stupid documentary today. you could totally sleep through it.” he patted your shoulder. you just let out a sigh in response. he laughed and waved as he turned to walk to his own 8th period class.

once again, felix was there waiting when outside your classroom when the bell rang.

“seriously lix, how are you always here right away? isn’t your last period science? that’s like.. all the way across the building!”

he laughed, “it’s magic.”

you laughed along with him as you two began walking to your lockers. Felix was aimlessly talking about how he won a match in some video game when you looked towards your locker and groaned in annoyance.

“oh my god seriously? can’t he just let me be?”

hyunjin was standing right next to your locker, writing something on a piece of paper he had in his hand.

you were about to yell at the boy and tell him to just leave when to your surprise, he slipped the paper into your locker and walked away.

felix looked at you before bolting ahead of you and swinging open your locker, immediately grabbing the piece of paper.

you ran after him and tried to grab the paper from his hand, “felix! that was in my locker! it’s for me!” but he held it high above your head and began to read it in his head. after a few seconds, he made a disgusted face and groaned, handing the paper to you. it read:

“hey princess. seems like that felix guy has been on your ass since yesterday. give me a call so we can talk without him around. (XXX)-XXX-XXXX”

you read it and went to shove it in your pocket when felix reached for it again.

“hey, why are you saving it? are you seriously planning on texting him?”

“No, I don’t know, maybe? I just want to tell him to leave me alone.”

“Then let me, y/n, i don’t want him to have your number.”

“Felix, I can handle this on my own.” and with that, you stuffed the paper into your pocket, slammed your locker shut, and started walking.

“y/n-“ Felix began “I just don’t want you to do something you’ll regret.”

A wave of confusion hit you and you looked up at Felix. Do something you’ll regret? your blood began to boil as you understood what he meant.

“Like what Felix, like fuck hwang hyunjin? Do you really think I would waste my time on someone like him?” your voice got louder with every sentence.

“I don’t know y/n, he made it seem like you were pretty close to letting it happen.” his voice got equally loud.

“oh, so now you take his words seriously?”

“Then look me in the eyes and tell me you wouldn’t fuck hwang hyunjin. look me in the eyes and tell me he was lying when he said you wanted him.”

you stared up at felix and your heart dropped. your voice broke as you spoke to him, “I can’t tell you that.”

Felix scoffed and began to walk past you.

“Felix!” you called after him. he stopped and turned around, facing you again. you were still angry.

“It’s my body. Why does it even matter to you, felix? you nearly yelled.

“You’ve got a thick skull, you know that?” he scoffed.

“You honestly can’t tell that I like you? that i’ve liked you practically forever? And now you’re choosing some.. some fuck boy that’ll ditch you in a few days over me? Seriously y/n?”

your anger drifted away when you processed what he had said. Lee Felix, your best friend, liked you? you just stared at him.

“I know you don’t like me back y/n, you’ve never looked at me how you’ve looked at the boys you’ve liked. That’s fine, I can live with it, just please, if it’s not going to be me, find someone better than hwang fucking hyunjin to fall for. please.”

Tears brimmed up in your eyes. he was right, you didn’t feel the same, but you still loved him as your best friend. you threw your arms around him and he held you close as you cried. he let go of the breath he was holding, glad that you didn’t hate him now that you knew how he really felt.

“Lix, I love you, you’re my best friend, but this is my life. Let me make the stupid choices i want to make, okay?”

“yeah, and I’ll let you cry to me when they blow up in your face.” he gave a weak laugh, and with that, you two headed home

~~~

You reread the note as you typed Hyunjins number into your phone.

“hey princess. seems like that felix guy has been on your ass since yesterday. give me a call so we can talk without him around. (XXX)-XXX-XXXX”

You: seems like you’re the one on my ass, not felix.

Hyunjin: y/n, princess! I didn’t think you’d actually text me.

You: You said you wanted to talk. what do you want?

Hyunjin: I’m sorry for making felix mad.

You: shouldn’t you be texting him then?

Hyunjin: i’d rather have your number ;)

You: seriously? you did this just to get my number? I can’t believe you, hyunjin.

Hyunjin: no, no, it’s just the cherry on top. I really did want to apologize.

Hyunjin: hey, it’s still early. meet me at the coffee shop by the school in 10.

You: Hyunjin, i just got home, I have homework to do.

You: Hyunjin?

You: Fine. but I might be late.

You walked into the café and saw hyunjin already sitting down. he waved you over and you sat across from him.

“Hey.” he spoke first

“Hi.” you tried to look everywhere but at him. he had changed since school, now wearing dark grey jeans and a white t-shirt with a leather jacket thrown over it. it was simple, but he looked good. unfairly good.

“Look, I know I’ve been kind of an asshole lately and-“ you cut him off with a loud laugh.

“Kind of? Hyunjin you’re a grade A asshole.”

he took a deep breath. “A huge asshole, but i really do like you.”

“oh, like you ‘liked’ all the girls you had meaningless one night stands with? I thought you actually wanted to apologize, but you just want in my pants.” you started to stand up but he grabbed your wrist from across the table.

“y/n, wait! no, i don’t want in your pants. I mean, i do, i really do, but-“ you scoffed and tried to stand up again. “no, y/n, just listen, I don’t only want in your pants. I think I actually like you. let me take you on a date.”

you looked at him, baffled. did hwang hyunjin just ask you on a date? your brain told you to say no, to get up and walk out of the coffee shop and block his number, but before you could think, you spit out an “okay.”

he smiled a genuine smile, like the one you saw in the bathroom. this was only the second time you’d seen him smile like that, and you wanted to see it more. the feeling in your stomach when he smiled made you smile.

“yeah?” he asked. “uhm.. uh, okay, is friday okay? after school?”

“Sure, hyunjin. but.. just so we’re clear, my pants are staying on.” you joked.

he laughed again, that smile shining on his face.

You’d be lying if you said you weren’t excited for friday.

~~~

thursday passed without any drama, but felix still stuck close to you. you hadn’t told him you and hyunjin were going on a date, or even that you’d texted hyunjin the night before.

Friday is when it got interesting. the day was normal, felix walked you to class, and hyunjin only interacted by small smiles passed in the hallway.

History class ended and you walked out of the room to greet felix. you playfully bumped him with your hip to get his attention and giggled when he stumbled.

“Someone’s in a good mood.” he shoved you in return. you giggled and started walking to your locker.

When you got there, Hyunjin was waiting for you.

“Hey, baby.” hyunjin greeted you.

before you could reply, felix spoke, “dude. she didn’t text you, she’s not interested.”

hyunjin looked at you in confusion and you glanced up at felix.

“actually, lix, i did text him. he apologized.”

felix just glared at hyunjin.

“whatever, y/n, lets go.” felix put his arm around your waist.

“actually-“ hyunjin grabbed your wrist, “she’s coming with me today.”

felix waited for you to protest, to say that, no, you weren’t going with hyunjin on a friday night to do god knows what, but you didn’t. he looked at you with his mouth hung open,

“y/n. are you seriously going with him on a friday night? to where? a party? or just his house so he can take advantage of you? or maybe-“

hyunjin cut him off, “felix, i’m taking her to the park.”

“the park?”

“yes, the park. I had my mom make some food, we’re gonna have a picnic and maybe sit and watch the stars if she feels comfortable staying out that late.” he looked at you with the last sentence, reassuring you nothing you weren’t okay with would happen.

felix stood there for a moment, looking at hyunjin. finally, his angry face softened into a smile.

“y/n, why didn’t you tell me about this romantic picnic date you have with the schools bad boy?” felix joked.

you laughed, glad that felix wasn’t angry at you or hyunjin.

“well, what are you two still doing here? go have your date, or whatever.”

you and hyunjin laughed and walked out the door.

~~~

“oh my god your mom is a genius” you said with your mouth half full of tuna salad.

“I know, she’s the best. you should try her homemade brownies,” his eyes rolling basically into his head, “they’re heaven.”

after spending time with hyunjin that wasn’t in a school bathroom, you realized he’s actually very kind. you found out that he’s an only child but has a dog named Kkami that he loves more than anything. the way he spoke about Kkami brought a smile to your face.

“aww, is ‘bad boy hwang hyunjin’ soft for his dog?”

hyunjin stick his tongue out at you and smiled “only for Kkami. and you.”

instead of replying, you stuck your finger into the whipped cream that had been brought out for the strawberries he had brought along and spread some on his cheek.

he gasped and jumped over to you, spreading some on your nose as payback. you giggled and tried to run away so he couldn’t get anymore on you, but he captured you in his arms from the back. you flailed around in his arms and caused the both of you to fall, you falling directly into the pile of whipped cream. you landed under hyunjin and he propped himself up on his arms, his face only a few inches above yours as you two laughed. he stared down at you, and just as he was about to close the distance between your lips, you reached into the pile of whipped cream you’d landed on and speared it all across his lips and chin.

you both burst out laughing once again, hyunjin still hovering above you, he licked his lips in an attempt to get some of the whipped cream off, and you laughed at how covered in it he was.

“what?” he laughed, “you did this to me! at least help me clean it off!” he continued to tease you.

“okay.” is all you said before grabbing the collar of his shirt and crashing his lips into yours. it took him a moment to realize what had happened, but he melted into your touch almost immediately.

it was a small kiss, only lasting for a few seconds, but it was sweet. when you pulled away, he began laughing even harder than before.

“what!?” you laughed and hit his shoulder, causing his arm to give out and him to fall next to you.

“now you have whipped cream on your chin too!”

you giggled and sat up to grab a napkin to wipe your face off and handing one to hyunjin as well.

you two sat and talked and joked for a while, and in no time, it was dark and the stars were out. you were laying shoulder to shoulder facing the sky looking at the stars in silence. you had his hand in yours, playing with his fingers as you watched the stars. eventually, you fell asleep.

you woke up to hyunjin cleaning up the picnic and packing everything back up.

“morning sleepyhead.” he smiled at you

“it’s 11 at night hyunjin.” you giggled back

“close enough.

he walked you back to your house despite your protests.

“it’s not safe for a pretty girl to walk alone at night,” he said, and to be honest, you were sad when you reached your doorstep, you had a lot of fun with hyunjin.

“thank you y/n, for giving me a chance even though i was a dick.”

“and thank you, hyunjin, for bringing me on my first date ever!”

his eyes widened, “first date?! y/n why didn’t you tell me? I would have planned something better than a picnic-“

you cut him off with a kiss to the cheek.

“shut up hyunjin, i had fun.” you giggled before hurrying inside, leaving him standing on your doorstep with heart eyes and a picnic basket.

[myngxy-sue]

Heartbreak Hurts Like Hell

I was originally going to write about Sue’s envy finally giving her the motivation to confess to Lucifer but I got so caught up with what happened beforehand that I dedicated almost three days of my life writing this. Pairings: Mammon X Yuki, Lucifer X Sue maybe Word count:  3772 words Genre: Angst, hurt, comfort Warnings: Probably OOC and my character gets slightly injured. There’s also some cursing in it. The ending is probably rushed too. 

She wrote him a love note once. It wasn’t anything special. She couldn’t think of a better way to express her love for him. Perhaps it was a bit too long. Sue had a horrible habit of getting wordy when it came to her writing. But it was from the heart and she dedicated all her time and effort into writing it. She stuffed the note into her purse, assuring herself that she’d give it to Mammon when she got the chance.

Well, chances came and went, the note was forgotten about and it wasn’t until Yuki confessed to Mammon that she remembered. But it was too late. Mammon and Yuki were together.

It was a pretty generic confession, like one straight out of an anime. Their meeting place was under a cherry blossom tree of sorts. Sue happened to be there as well because she had a still life assignment for art class. Yuki had been there for quite a while, leaning on the tree, walking around it a few times and sitting right next to it, waiting. Sue had half a mind to ask what she was waiting for but she decided against it. Yuki didn’t seem to be aware that she was there too.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps, the sound of someone’s feet cutting through the grass as they ran. Sue peeped to see who it was and her heart stopped. Mammon stumbled before Yuki, scratching his head and wearing a sheepish grin on his face.Yuki helped him up.

Sue got a cold, clenching feeling inside her, somewhere between her chest and her gut. Something told her that she knew what was about to go down. She absentmindedly placed a hand on her purse, watching everything unfold.

Yuki looks down at her feet, a strong blush fading on her cheeks. She fumbled with a skirt before taking a letter out of her pocket, a pink letter bound with a red heart sticker. Sue wanted to turn away. Lord knows she desperately wanted to turn away. But she couldn’t. It was like watching a car accident take place.

Mammon’s face went blank as he eyed the letter. He takes it and promptly shoves it into an inner pocket with a smile, probably planning to show it off. They exchanged some words with each other, Yuki looking ecstatic and Mammon blushing. Then he took her in his arms and planted a kiss on her forehead.

Finally, Sue had enough.

She gathered all her things, stood up almost instantly and bolted to the school building. The clenching feeling began paining her. She tried to prevent the hot tears from accumulating but to no avail. Sue didn’t want anyone to see how hurt she was. They’d start pestering her with questions she didn’t want to answer. She slipped into class and hastily as possible and went over to her seat.

Putting all her supplies inside her desk, she rests her head down on the surface, using her arms both as support and as cover. Everyone assumed she was sleeping when she was really crying. This was all thanks to her habit of taking quick naps during school hours, particularly during breaks. She made sure to stay as still as possible and regulate her breathing.

She couldn’t believe it at first. Even if she knew all the signs, she refused to accept it at first. Yuki was a very outgoing girl despite what she tried to affirm. It was only a matter of time before she decided to make her confession. Her anxiety was never as bad as Sue’s, perhaps because she didn’t have a voice in her head constantly demeaning her. Mammon favored Yuki since she was the first between the both of them to make a pact with him.

But she didn’t get why he was only drawn to Yuki. Sue made a pact with him too and through less dubious means. She should be the one he clinged to. Leviathan forced Yuki to make a pact with Mammon for his own benefit. It didn’t make any sense.

Yuki wasn’t all that great. She was much too nosy and reckless for her own good, constantly getting herself into trouble. Sue had to save her countless times, especially from Lucifer. Yuki was childish. She cried about every little thing, she was a bit selfish, lazy, indecisive, irresponsible and maybe even stupid. Yuki was nothing but a burden.

At the same time though, Yuki was so sweet as well. Even if she was nosy, it was only because she wanted to do what she believed was right. No matter how cruel the brothers were to her, Yuki was always kind to them and believed they had some goodness to them. She was the only person who was never mean to Mammon.

Of course Mammon loved Yuki. Even with all her shortcomings, she was still better than Sue in many ways. Sue couldn’t really think about anything meaningful she had to offer. That was probably why everyone except Lucifer prefered Yuki. She was the fun, loving one. Sue was the boring mom friend.

Sue felt guilty for trying to rationalize why her friend was a bad choice. She should be happy for Yuki. She remembered all those late nights when she listened to Yuki swooning about her dream boy. Yuki saw that in Mammon so she should be glad. But no matter how hard she tried, Sue was never fully content for her friend. Her feelings for Mammon were still so strong.

Ugh, why does stuff like love and feelings have to be so difficult?

“Oi, oi! Sue-chan! Wake up!” A high-pitched voice bubbled as the owner shook Sue. “You’re not supposed to be sleeping during the day!”

Sue let out an exasperated sigh. She knew it was Yuki, not that it was hard to tell who she was to begin with. Yuki stood out for better or for worse. Reluctantly, Sue sat up, wiping her eyes in a groggy way so her friend wouldn’t suspect a thing.

“But it’s break time…” Sue grumbled.

“But Lucifer-san got mad at you for sleeping in school!” Yuki pouted, putting her hands on her hips.

“Weren’t you listening?” Sue began cleaning her glasses. They got smudged against her skin. “He was mad because I was sleeping during class. Otherwise, Lucifer has no problem with me sleeping in school.”

“Oh really?”

“Really.”

Yuki took a closer look at Sue, narrowing her eyes. Sue put back on her glasses with a straight face. Deep down, her guilt was reaching its zenith. Someone so pleasant didn’t deserve her wrath, even if it was all internal.

“Why did you wake me up anyways?” Sue huffed, acting like she didn’t see the confession.

Yuki pulled away quickly, instantly becoming bright eyed. “Oh Sue-chan, it was like a dream come true! I confessed to Mam-kun under the sakura tree and he accepted my feelings!”

And grass is green and the sky is blue! I bet you want to tell me that people die when they are killed too!

That was a stupid thought to have. Sue tapped herself on the head lightly. Yuki didn’t know she saw a good chunk of the confession. Sue knew that very well. This heartbreak was making her act weird.

“That is the sappiest thing I’ve ever heard,” Sue smiled weakly.

“But it was so magical!” Yuki swooned, spinning herself around like some sort of princess. “If you had a boyfriend, you’d understand!”

Sue felt like she got stabbed in the heart. She shouldn’t be getting so hurt over Yuki’s words but they hit a nerve. The bitter part of her was telling her that Yuki knew what was going on and she was intentionally trying to hurt her. But Sue’s rational side reminded her that even if Yuki knew, she wouldn’t be so spiteful about it. She just wanted to scream so badly.

“Why don’t you have a boyfriend, Sue-chan?” Yuki said suddenly.

Sue was taken aback. “Why would you ask something like that?”

Yuki shrugged playfully. “I just think you should’ve had a boyfriend by now. After all, you’re eighteen.”

Sue couldn’t be mad at Yuki for having that mindset. She grew up in Japan and Sue heard that there was a dating crisis there. If Yuki hadn’t been dragged to Devildom, there’d be no doubt that her parents would pressure her into finding a man to settle down with.

“I don’t know…” Sue groaned. “I don’t know anyone out there who likes me…”

“There has to be someone out there!” Yuki asserted. “There’s always someone for everyone. It’s like the saying from your country: Every…. Umm.... Every… Well… It has something to do with bread.”

“Every bread have a cheese?”

Yuki snapped her fingers. “That’s it!”

Sue chuckled softly, secretly wishing that the ground would consume her already.

“Don’t worry, Sue-chan! I will find the right man for you!” Yuki declared.

Sue gawped at Yuki before smiling and snickering, “Good luck with that.”

Yuki affirmed that she could do it before stomping off ambitiously. Sue sighed once more before putting her head down again. Now she had to deal with getting over Mammon and Yuki’s quest to match her with someone. Two things too many. And once the bell rang, Sue was going to have math with the worst teacher ever. Sue placed her hand on her purse again.

“Well, so much for that…” Sue thought to herself.

She knew at that moment that she wanted to dispose of the note. It had no use anymore and if anyone found it, she’d die of embarrassment. Throwing it in the bin was out of the question. It was so easy for someone to find it that way. Not to mention, there were some demons gutsy enough to rummage through garbage. Sue kept thinking of other ways. Even when the bell rang and classes resumed, Sue was coming up with a myriad of ideas to get rid of her note.

It went on like that until school finally finished for the day. To Sue, the day felt longer than usual. She was so desperate that she didn’t even wait for the bell. But she managed to control herself. The last thing she needed to do was piss off Lucifer.

During the walk home, Sue abruptly had an idea. She had read Little Women very recently. There were many parts of it that stuck to her. But since she wanted to dispose of her love note, the moment she thought about very much had something to do with destroying paper. She remembered when Amy burned Jo’s writing.

Of course, fire was the best way to get rid of almost anything. Paper wasn’t safe. The flames would reduce everything to ashes. All of her regrets, unrequited feelings and all would become nothing. If she played her cards wisely, it’d be like the note never existed to begin with.

She knew at once that burning the note would be the first thing she did once she returned to the House of Lamentation.

As she walked home, Sue thought about how glad she was that never bothered to give Mammon the note. She was proud that she was too shy for her own good. She had the feeling that even if she did beat Yuki to the confessing, Mammon would probably reject her. He needed someone who loved him wholly, someone who didn’t make him feel like trash. That someone, as hard as it was for Sue to admit, was Yuki.

If she saw Yuki and Mammon together, she’d turn a blind eye. She’d have to stop looking at Mammon with rose-colored lenses. He was a demon and whatever trouble he got into affected everyone to boot. Even Sue was annoyed at how Mammon would constantly get into the same problem over and over again. That and his arrogance was quite annoying.

Damn it…

Even with all that in mind, Sue’s love for Mammon was still great. She could only hope that this wouldn’t last for so long.

The walk home went without a hitch if one ignored the fact she fell into an open drain. Her ankle hurt like a bitch. In the heat of the moment, she almost used her pact to summon Mammon. Seeing him for the rest of the day was the last thing she wanted. She couldn’t summon anyone else. Making a pact with Mammon alone was a dumb idea. Well, she supposed that her ankle wasn’t that badly hurt.

Shit…

Sue rubbed her ankle once she managed to climb out. Lucifer would notice. She could pretend to her heart’s content, but he had a way of knowing. Her heart stopped. He had a way of knowing. Sue began to worry about how much he knew about her.

He probably knew about the note already. They were in the same room when she wrote it. Lucifer may have taken some cursory glances while he was working. He might’ve known that she was pretending to sleep when she was really crying. Once Lucifer even knew she had a cold before she even came to the realization. But maybe she was just over thinking. Sure, Lucifer knew many things but not everything. And what business did he have with unrequited love anyways? In all likelihood, he wouldn’t care. Lucifer had six oversized babies to look after, two humans to protect as well as copious amounts of work from Diavolo. Even if he knew, he didn’t have the time and energy to care.

Sue limped the rest of the way home, grateful that she didn’t bump into anyone she knew. She stopped at the front door. Maybe she could hide the ankle problem. It wasn’t like she didn’t try to walk normally when she hurt her foot before.

She entered.

The entrance hall was empty, much to her delight, and the fireplace was right in front of her. Sue stumbled into the living room. She didn’t even bother to check if anyone was in there.

“You’re late,” A voice said sternly.

Sue froze, jolting a bit when she accidentally applied weight to her bad leg. She turned to the source and she could feel herself trembling. Lucifer was not too far from the fireplace, lounging on a chair with a book in hand. His eyes were locked on her, that world famous scowl on his face.

“You didn’t even have any of my brothers accompany you,” Lucifer added as he stood up. He walked over to Sue. “Care to explain yourself?”

She looked up at the demon, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest. Her mouth opened slightly but not a sound came out. Lucifer let out a frustrated sigh as his face softened. He picked her up suddenly and set her down on the nearest chair.

“Even you can be troublesome…” Lucifer mumbled under his breath. He stared at her bad leg, almost cradling it in his hands. Sue didn’t know why but it was oddly comforting. It wouldn’t awaken anything within her, right?

“I fell into a drain,” Sue admitted.

Lucifer remarked, “You know you should watch your step.”

“I guess…”

“I am going to grab a few things for your ankle. I want you to stay in this exact spot. Don’t even think about getting up.”

She eyed her feet as she listened to Lucifer walking off. The sight of the swollen ankle made her cringe. Regardless, she took off her shoe and her sock to get a better look at it. It was a lot worse than she was expecting. The skin was mostly reddish with some bits of purple here and there. Sue grumbled. If she hadn’t been so caught up on the note, she would’ve watched her step.

Oh yeah, the note…

Sue pulled it out of her purse. It was folded pretty delicately. If only she could fold other things just as nicely, she thought. She opened it. Only one word in and she already couldn’t take it. She had put so much effort into it. That was one of the reasons she hated it so much. But mainly, it reminded her of the feelings she was now ashamed of. Feelings she wished that she could just get rid of on a whim. Why couldn’t it just be simple like that?

Lucifer may have told her to stay still, but she had to do what she was about to do. Sue got up, the pain from her ankle shooting up to the rest of her body. Jesus Christ, she was in pain! But she ignored it. Crumbling the note in her hands, Sue staggered over to the fireplace. The heat was quite welcoming.

She looked at the crumpled piece of paper before quite casually tossing it into the fire. Falling down to her knees, Sue watched as it was slowly consumed by the flames. A strange sense of melancholy took over. At the same time, she was strangely ecstatic. She couldn’t look away even after the note turned into ashes.

“You cannot be serious!” Lucifer exclaimed.

Sue chuckled softly as the demon paced over to her. He hoisted her up and carried her back to the chair, plopping her down on it. Lucifer gawped at her, holding her face up by the chin so she wouldn’t look away.

“I thought I’d just be able to ignore this but you've been acting strange since break,” Lucifer said. “What’s the meaning of all this?”

“Sometimes you just want to watch your regrets burn in an open fire,” Sue answered plainly. She smiled weakly but Lucifer was as stern looking as ever.

Lucifer raised a brow. “Is that all?”

“It was just a stupid story I wrote. I didn’t like it so I burned it. There’s nothing to worry about,” Sue claimed after hesitating for a moment.

The silence between them was damning. Lucifer’s eyes narrowed before he huffed.

“Sue, I believe we both know that’s a lie. I saw what you wrote and I know exactly who it's for. But if you insist on lying then please be my guest.” Sue bit her lip. She knew what she should tell him but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to. Just thinking about it brought back the pain tenfold. The tears came flooding out and her lips streamed. Lucifer was stunned.

“I feel horrible!” Sue whimpered. “Mammon likes Yuki and I don’t want to be mad at her. But I still love Mammon!”

Lucifer’s eyebrows went up ever so high in disbelief. “You have feelings for Mammon of all demons?”

“I can’t help it. I think he’s great.”

“No, he is not,” Lucifer said, shaking his head.

Sue pouted. “Don’t act like you don’t get it!”

“I really don't.”

Sue furrowed her brows, giving Lucifer the best icy stare she could manage. But she gave up and let out a sigh in defeat, pulling away from him.

“Whatever,” Sue grumbled. “That doesn’t matter right now. It’s just that… I think I might be jealous of Yuki.”

“There, there…” Lucifer comforted, patting Sue on the head. “You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.”

“But I’m jealous of my friend.”

“You shouldn’t be jealous of Yuki. You must remember that she’s the inferior one.”

Sue paused as she gawked at Lucifer. How could she say such a thing? But once she really thought about what he said, she giggled lightly. It was pretty clear that Lucifer wasn’t being serious. He smirked a bit.

“Thank you. I’ll take it to heart,” Sue assured him.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes. “I hope you are not trying to flatter me. I was worried that this may affect your academic performance.”

“Is that all?” Sue had a blank expression.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Lucifer scoffed. “Now, let’s see about that injury of yours.”

Sue watched as Lucifer tended to her ankle. The brief moment of joy from a few moments before had faded.

“I just wish I could get over it sooner,” Sue confessed.

Lucifer nodded. “I suppose such feelings are quite bothersome. But they are not easy to overcome so don’t beat yourself down if you believe it’s taking too long.”

“I wish it were that simple but…”

Lucifer looked up at the human, raising a brow.

Sue continued, “I don’t know. I just feel really bad about being jealous of Yuki.”

“Has your jealousy led to you hurting Yuki?” Lucifer inquired.

Sue shook her head.

“Have you ever thought about hurting her?”

She shook her head again.

“Then you have nothing to worry about,” Lucifer assured her. “You have a lot of self-control, something my brothers unfortunately lack.”

Sue tilted her head. “But what about you?”

Lucifer got serious real fast. “And what do you mean by that?”

Sue paused, looking at him with a blank expression again. She considered whether or not she should tell him. But before she could decide for herself, Lucifer spoke up.

“No, I don’t even want to hear it. I suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself, Sue.”

“Fine.”

She looked down at her patched up ankle, her internal pain easing up a little. Then her gaze turned to the fireplace. She wished that she could burn her feelings and move on. But all she could do was bottle them up and let it sit there until she forgot. Lucifer said she was doing a fine job, keeping it all in. That probably wasn’t the best advice. But she took it regardless.

“You should stay away from school until your ankle heals. I don’t want you hurting yourself anymore,” Lucifer advised. “I will make sure that you—”

Sue threw herself onto Lucifer all of a sudden, pulling him into an embrace. She could feel a new stream of hot tears running down her face. Lucifer eyes widened in surprise.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Lucifer bleated.

“Thank you…” Sue breathed. She hurt her ankle again.

Lucifer recovered from the shock a bit before sighing. “If you wish to thank me, just say it. This is simply unnecessary.”

Sue looked up at him and was amazed to see the demon blushing. He tried to glare at her, but it was hard to be afraid when he looked so cute. She didn’t think that she’d get him flushed so easily. Many things were running through her mind. Something told her that perhaps getting over Mammon wouldn’t be so daunting.

“You are such a strange human,” Lucifer remarked.

She shrugged. Perhaps she was. Sue began to wonder about what would happen next.

“Will you finally sit down? You’re not making this any easier.”

Well, chances came and went, the note was forgotten about and it wasn’t until Yuki confessed to Mammon that she remembered. But it was too late. Mammon and Yuki were together.

It was a pretty generic confession, like one straight out of an anime. Their meeting place was under a cherry blossom tree of sorts. Sue happened to be there as well because she had a still life assignment for art class. Yuki had been there for quite a while, leaning on the tree, walking around it a few times and sitting right next to it, waiting. Sue had half a mind to ask what she was waiting for but she decided against it. Yuki didn’t seem to be aware that she was there too.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps, the sound of someone’s feet cutting through the grass as they ran. Sue peeped to see who it was and her heart stopped. Mammon stumbled before Yuki, scratching his head and wearing a sheepish grin on his face.Yuki helped him up.

Sue got a cold, clenching feeling inside her, somewhere between her chest and her gut. Something told her that she knew what was about to go down. She absentmindedly placed a hand on her purse, watching everything unfold.

Yuki looks down at her feet, a strong blush fading on her cheeks. She fumbled with a skirt before taking a letter out of her pocket, a pink letter bound with a red heart sticker. Sue wanted to turn away. Lord knows she desperately wanted to turn away. But she couldn’t. It was like watching a car accident take place.

Mammon’s face went blank as he eyed the letter. He takes it and promptly shoves it into an inner pocket with a smile, probably planning to show it off. They exchanged some words with each other, Yuki looking ecstatic and Mammon blushing. Then he took her in his arms and planted a kiss on her forehead. Finally, Sue had enough.

She gathered all her things, stood up almost instantly and bolted to the school building. The clenching feeling began paining her. She tried to prevent the hot tears from accumulating but to no avail. Sue didn’t want anyone to see how hurt she was. They’d start pestering her with questions she didn’t want to answer. She slipped into class and hastily as possible and went over to her seat.

Putting all her supplies inside her desk, she rests her head down on the surface, using her arms both as support and as cover. Everyone assumed she was sleeping when she was really crying. This was all thanks to her habit of taking quick naps during school hours, particularly during breaks. She made sure to stay as still as possible and regulate her breathing.

She couldn’t believe it at first. Even if she knew all the signs, she refused to accept it at first. Yuki was a very outgoing girl despite what she tried to affirm. It was only a matter of time before she decided to make her confession. Her anxiety was never as bad as Sue’s, perhaps because she didn’t have a voice in her head constantly demeaning her. Mammon favored Yuki since she was the first between the both of them to make a pact with him.

But she didn’t get why he was only drawn to Yuki. Sue made a pact with him too and through less dubious means. She should be the one he clinged to. Leviathan forced Yuki to make a pact with Mammon for his own benefit. It didn’t make any sense.

Yuki wasn’t all that great. She was much too nosy and reckless for her own good, constantly getting herself into trouble. Sue had to save her countless times, especially from Lucifer. Yuki was childish. She cried about every little thing, she was a bit selfish, lazy, indecisive, irresponsible and maybe even stupid. Yuki was nothing but a burden.

At the same time though, Yuki was so sweet as well. Even if she was nosy, it was only because she wanted to do what she believed was right. No matter how cruel the brothers were to her, Yuki was always kind to them and believed they had some goodness to them. She was the only person who was never mean to Mammon. 

Of course Mammon loved Yuki. Even with all her shortcomings, she was still better than Sue in many ways. Sue couldn’t really think about anything meaningful she had to offer. That was probably why everyone except Lucifer prefered Yuki. She was the fun, loving one. Sue was the boring mom friend.

Sue felt guilty for trying to rationalize why her friend was a bad choice. She should be happy for Yuki. She remembered all those late nights when she listened to Yuki swooning about her dream boy. Yuki saw that in Mammon so she should be glad. But no matter how hard she tried, Sue was never fully content for her friend. Her feelings for Mammon were still so strong. 

Ugh, why does stuff like love and feelings have to be so difficult?

“Oi, oi! Sue-chan! Wake up!” A high-pitched voice bubbled as the owner shook Sue. “You’re not supposed to be sleeping during the day!”

Sue let out an exasperated sigh. She knew it was Yuki, not that it was hard to tell who she was to begin with. Yuki stood out for better or for worse. Reluctantly, Sue sat up, wiping her eyes in a groggy way so her friend wouldn’t suspect a thing.

“But it’s break time…” Sue grumbled. “But Lucifer-san got mad at you for sleeping in school!” Yuki pouted, putting her hands on her hips.

“Weren’t you listening?” Sue began cleaning her glasses. They got smudged against her skin. “He was mad because I was sleeping during class. Otherwise, Lucifer has no problem with me sleeping in school.” “Oh really?” “Really.”

Yuki took a closer look at Sue, narrowing her eyes. Sue put back on her glasses with a straight face. Deep down, her guilt was reaching its zenith. Someone so pleasant didn’t deserve her wrath, even if it was all internal.

“Why did you wake me up anyways?” Sue huffed, acting like she didn’t see the confession.

Yuki pulled away quickly, instantly becoming bright eyed. “Oh Sue-chan, it was like a dream come true! I confessed to Mam-kun under the sakura tree and he accepted my feelings!”

And grass is green and the sky is blue! I bet you want to tell me that people die when they are killed too!

That was a stupid thought to have. Sue tapped herself on the head lightly. Yuki didn’t know she saw a good chunk of the confession. Sue knew that very well. This heartbreak was making her act weird.

“That is the sappiest thing I’ve ever heard,” Sue smiled weakly.

“But it was so magical!” Yuki swooned, spinning herself around like some sort of princess. “If you had a boyfriend, you’d understand!”

Sue felt like she got stabbed in the heart. She shouldn’t be getting so hurt over Yuki’s words but they hit a nerve. The bitter part of her was telling her that Yuki knew what was going on and she was intentionally trying to hurt her. But Sue’s rational side reminded her that even if Yuki knew, she wouldn’t be so spiteful about it. She just wanted to scream so badly.

“Why don’t you have a boyfriend, Sue-chan?” Yuki said suddenly. Sue was taken aback. “Why would you ask something like that?” Yuki shrugged playfully. “I just think you should’ve had a boyfriend by now. After all, you’re eighteen.”

Sue couldn’t be mad at Yuki for having that mindset. She grew up in Japan and Sue heard that there was a dating crisis there. If Yuki hadn’t been dragged to Devildom, there’d be no doubt that her parents would pressure her into finding a man to settle down with. “I don’t know…” Sue groaned. “I don’t know anyone out there who likes me…” “There has to be someone out there!” Yuki asserted. “There’s always someone for everyone. It’s like the saying from your country: Every…. Umm.... Every… Well… It has something to do with bread.”

“Every bread have a cheese?” Yuki snapped her fingers. “That’s it!” Sue chuckled softly, secretly wishing that the ground would consume her already.

“Don’t worry, Sue-chan! I will find the right man for you!” Yuki declared.

Sue gawped at Yuki before smiling and snickering, “Good luck with that.”

Yuki affirmed that she could do it before stomping off ambitiously. Sue sighed once more before putting her head down again. Now she had to deal with getting over Mammon and Yuki’s quest to match her with someone. Two things too many. And once the bell rang, Sue was going to have math with the worst teacher ever. Sue placed her hand on her purse again. “Well, so much for that…” Sue thought to herself.

She knew at that moment that she wanted to dispose of the note. It had no use anymore and if anyone found it, she’d die of embarrassment. Throwing it in the bin was out of the question. It was so easy for someone to find it that way. Not to mention, there were some demons gutsy enough to rummage through garbage. Sue kept thinking of other ways. Even when the bell rang and classes resumed, Sue was coming up with a myriad of ideas to get rid of her note. It went on like that until school finally finished for the day. To Sue, the day felt longer than usual. She was so desperate that she didn’t even wait for the bell. But she managed to control herself. The last thing she needed to do was piss off Lucifer.

During the walk home, Sue abruptly had an idea. She had read Little Women very recently. There were many parts of it that stuck to her. But since she wanted to dispose of her love note, the moment she thought about very much had something to do with destroying paper. She remembered when Amy burned Jo’s writing.

Of course, fire was the best way to get rid of almost anything. Paper wasn’t safe. The flames would reduce everything to ashes. All of her regrets, unrequited feelings and all would become nothing. If she played her cards wisely, it’d be like the note never existed to begin with.

She knew at once that burning the note would be the first thing she did once she returned to the House of Lamentation.

As she walked home, Sue thought about how glad she was that never bothered to give Mammon the note. She was proud that she was too shy for her own good. She had the feeling that even if she did beat Yuki to the confessing, Mammon would probably reject her. He needed someone who loved him wholly, someone who didn’t make him feel like trash. That someone, as hard as it was for Sue to admit, was Yuki. 

If she saw Yuki and Mammon together, she’d turn a blind eye. She’d have to stop looking at Mammon with rose-colored lenses. He was a demon and whatever trouble he got into affected everyone to boot. Even Sue was annoyed at how Mammon would constantly get into the same problem over and over again. That and his arrogance was quite annoying. Damn it…

Even with all that in mind, Sue’s love for Mammon was still great. She could only hope that this wouldn’t last for so long.

The walk home went without a hitch if one ignored the fact she fell into an open drain. Her ankle hurt like a bitch. In the heat of the moment, she almost used her pact to summon Mammon. Seeing him for the rest of the day was the last thing she wanted. She couldn’t summon anyone else. Making a pact with Mammon alone was a dumb idea. Well, she supposed that her ankle wasn’t that badly hurt.

Shit… Sue rubbed her ankle once she managed to climb out. Lucifer would notice. She could pretend to her heart’s content, but he had a way of knowing. Her heart stopped. He had a way of knowing. Sue began to worry about how much he knew about her.

He probably knew about the note already. They were in the same room when she wrote it. Lucifer may have taken some cursory glances while he was working. He might’ve known that she was pretending to sleep when she was really crying. Once Lucifer even knew she had a cold before she even came to the realization.

But maybe she was just over thinking. Sure, Lucifer knew many things but not everything. And what business did he have with unrequited love anyways? In all likelihood, he wouldn’t care. Lucifer had six oversized babies to look after, two humans to protect as well as copious amounts of work from Diavolo. Even if he knew, he didn’t have the time and energy to care.

Sue limped the rest of the way home, grateful that she didn’t bump into anyone she knew. She stopped at the front door. Maybe she could hide the ankle problem. It wasn’t like she didn’t try to walk normally when she hurt her foot before. She entered.

The entrance hall was empty, much to her delight, and the fireplace was right in front of her. Sue stumbled into the living room. She didn’t even bother to check if anyone was in there.

“You’re late,” A voice said sternly.

Sue froze, jolting a bit when she accidentally applied weight to her bad leg. She turned to the source and she could feel herself trembling. Lucifer was not too far from the fireplace, lounging on a chair with a book in hand. His eyes were locked on her, that world famous scowl on his face. “You didn’t even have any of my brothers accompany you,” Lucifer added as he stood up. He walked over to Sue. “Care to explain yourself?”

She looked up at the demon, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest. Her mouth opened slightly but not a sound came out. Lucifer let out a frustrated sigh as his face softened. He picked her up suddenly and set her down on the nearest chair. “Even you can be troublesome…” Lucifer mumbled under his breath. He stared at her bad leg, almost cradling it in his hands. Sue didn’t know why but it was oddly comforting. It wouldn’t awaken anything within her, right? “I fell into a drain,” Sue admitted. Lucifer remarked, “You know you should watch your step.” “I guess…”

“I am going to grab a few things for your ankle. I want you to stay in this exact spot. Don’t even think about getting up.”

She eyed her feet as she listened to Lucifer walking off. The sight of the swollen ankle made her cringe. Regardless, she took off her shoe and her sock to get a better look at it. It was a lot worse than she was expecting. The skin was mostly reddish with some bits of purple here and there. Sue grumbled. If she hadn’t been so caught up on the note, she would’ve watched her step.

Oh yeah, the note… Sue pulled it out of her purse. It was folded pretty delicately. If only she could fold other things just as nicely, she thought. She opened it. Only one word in and she already couldn’t take it. She had put so much effort into it. That was one of the reasons she hated it so much. But mainly, it reminded her of the feelings she was now ashamed of. Feelings she wished that she could just get rid of on a whim. Why couldn’t it just be simple like that?

Lucifer may have told her to stay still, but she had to do what she was about to do. Sue got up, the pain from her ankle shooting up to the rest of her body. Jesus Christ, she was in pain! But she ignored it. Crumbling the note in her hands, Sue staggered over to the fireplace. The heat was quite welcoming.

She looked at the crumpled piece of paper before quite casually tossing it into the fire. Falling down to her knees, Sue watched as it was slowly consumed by the flames. A strange sense of melancholy took over. At the same time, she was strangely ecstatic. She couldn’t look away even after the note turned into ashes. “You cannot be serious!” Lucifer exclaimed.

Sue chuckled softly as the demon paced over to her. He hoisted her up and carried her back to the chair, plopping her down on it. Lucifer gawped at her, holding her face up by the chin so she wouldn’t look away.

“I thought I’d just be able to ignore this but you've been acting strange since break,” Lucifer said. “What’s the meaning of all this?”

“Sometimes you just want to watch your regrets burn in an open fire,” Sue answered plainly. She smiled weakly but Lucifer was as stern looking as ever.

Lucifer raised a brow. “Is that all?” “It was just a stupid story I wrote. I didn’t like it so I burned it. There’s nothing to worry about,” Sue claimed after hesitating for a moment.

The silence between them was damning. Lucifer’s eyes narrowed before he huffed. “Sue, I believe we both know that’s a lie. I saw what you wrote and I know exactly who it's for. But if you insist on lying then please be my guest.”

Sue bit her lip. She knew what she should tell him but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to. Just thinking about it brought back the pain tenfold. The tears came flooding out and her lips streamed. Lucifer was stunned.

“I feel horrible!” Sue whimpered. “Mammon likes Yuki and I don’t want to be mad at her. But I still love Mammon!” Lucifer’s eyebrows went up ever so high in disbelief. “You have feelings for Mammon of all demons?”

“I can’t help it. I think he’s great.” “No, he is not,” Lucifer said, shaking his head. Sue pouted. “Don’t act like you don’t get it!” “I really don't.” 

Sue furrowed her brows, giving Lucifer the best icy stare she could manage. But she gave up and let out a sigh in defeat, pulling away from him.

“Whatever,” Sue grumbled. “That doesn’t matter right now. It’s just that… I think I might be jealous of Yuki.”

“There, there…” Lucifer comforted, patting Sue on the head. “You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.” “But I’m jealous of my friend.”

“You shouldn’t be jealous of Yuki. You must remember that she’s the inferior one.” Sue paused as she gawked at Lucifer. How could she say such a thing? But once she really thought about what he said, she giggled lightly. It was pretty clear that Lucifer wasn’t being serious. He smirked a bit.

“Thank you. I’ll take it to heart,” Sue assured him. Lucifer narrowed his eyes. “I hope you are not trying to flatter me. I was worried that this may affect your academic performance.” “Is that all?” Sue had a blank expression. “Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Lucifer scoffed. “Now, let’s see about that injury of yours.”

Sue watched as Lucifer tended to her ankle. The brief moment of joy from a few moments before had faded. “I just wish I could get over it sooner,” Sue confessed. Lucifer nodded. “I suppose such feelings are quite bothersome. But they are not easy to overcome so don’t beat yourself down if you believe it’s taking too long.” “I wish it were that simple but…” Lucifer looked up at the human, raising a brow. Sue continued, “I don’t know. I just feel really bad about being jealous of Yuki.”

“Has your jealousy led to you hurting Yuki?” Lucifer inquired.

Sue shook her head. “Have you ever thought about hurting her?” She shook her head again. “Then you have nothing to worry about,” Lucifer assured her. “You have a lot of self-control, something my brothers unfortunately lack.” Sue tilted her head. “But what about you?” Lucifer got serious real fast. “And what do you mean by that?” Sue paused, looking at him with a blank expression again. She considered whether or not she should tell him. But before she could decide for herself, Lucifer spoke up.

“No, I don’t even want to hear it. I suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself, Sue.”

“Fine.”

She looked down at her patched up ankle, her internal pain easing up a little. Then her gaze turned to the fireplace. She wished that she could burn her feelings and move on. But all she could do was bottle them up and let it sit there until she forgot. Lucifer said she was doing a fine job, keeping it all in. That probably wasn’t the best advice. But she took it regardless.

“You should stay away from school until your ankle heals. I don’t want you hurting yourself anymore,” Lucifer advised. “I will make sure that you—”

Sue threw herself onto Lucifer all of a sudden, pulling him into an embrace. She could feel a new stream of hot tears running down her face. Lucifer eyes widened in surprise.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Lucifer bleated. “Thank you…” Sue breathed. She hurt her ankle again. Lucifer recovered from the shock a bit before sighing. “If you wish to thank me, just say it. This is simply unnecessary.” Sue looked up at him and was amazed to see the demon blushing. He tried to glare at her, but it was hard to be afraid when he looked so cute. She didn’t think that she’d get him flushed so easily. Many things were running through her mind. Something told her that perhaps getting over Mammon wouldn’t be so daunting. “You are such a strange human,” Lucifer remarked. She shrugged. Perhaps she was. Sue began to wonder about what would happen next. “Will you finally sit down? You’re not making this any easier.”