#regroup and focus on the next one

[captainmartin20]

[exasperatedsportsfan]

bro we look lethargic, confused and completely out of ideas, we are a disgrace of a team tbh and don’t deserve even to move on to the playoffs atp

[ayumigotabittoolonelyquitted]

Stay alive, that's an order

Synopsis : After a brutal battle, Levi finds you barely hanging on,and he’s pissed. You ignored his order to stay alive, and now he’s stuck between anger and relief, trying not to show how bad it actually scared him. (You aren't death don't worry)

Warning ⚠️ : hurt / comfort, angst , mentions of death and violence, some graphic details. Spelling mistakes

Pairings : levi Ackerman x reader

Words count : 14k+!

“They’re all dead.”

The words hit like a blade to the gut. You tightened your grip on your ODM gear, knuckles turning white as the scout delivered the grim report.

Five teams. Five entire teams, wiped out before they even had a chance to fight.

Your squad stood in stunned silence outside the walls, the wind carrying the distant, guttural roars of Titans. The plan had been simple,split into units, clear the Titans blocking the eastern route, and secure a safe path for the retreating supply wagons. But now…

Five teams were gone.

“Shit,” someone whispered.

Your heart pounded as you turned to Levi. He stood at the front, arms crossed, eyes shadowed by his lowered head. His silence was far more terrifying than anything else.

Then, finally, he spoke. “Change of plans.” His voice was steel. “We don’t retreat. We finish what they started.”

Your stomach twisted, but you nodded. There was no running now,not when their deaths would be in vain.

Levi’s sharp gaze flickered over the squad. “Stay close. Don’t do anything reckless. If you die, it better be after killing at least five Titans.”

A weak attempt at dark humor, but no one laughed.

You checked your blades, feeling the familiar weight of steel in your hands. The air was thick, suffocating, but you pushed it down. Fear wouldn’t save you. It never had.

Levi’s voice cut through the tension. “Move out.”

And with that, you launched into the air.

The moment your squad arrived, it was clear why the others had fallen.

Titans. Too many of them.

They lumbered through the ruins of what had once been an abandoned outpost, bodies crushed beneath their massive feet. You spotted at least fifteen, and those were just the ones in sight.

Your breath hitched. No way had the scouts been prepared for this.

“We’re going in,” Levi ordered, already unsheathing his blades. “YN, you take the left flank. Flank and slice, don’t linger.”

You nodded. Focus. Breathe. Kill.

The battle exploded around you.

You hooked onto a nearby rooftop, gas propelling you forward as your blade sank deep into the nape of the first Titan you reached. Blood sprayed, hot and thick, but you barely registered it as you twisted midair, avoiding the grasp of another.

Levi was a blur beside you. Effortless. Precise. Death itself.

A scream tore through the battlefield. One of your squadmates,gone in an instant.

No time to look. No time to grieve.

You cut down another Titan, barely dodging its flailing arm before moving on to the next. Your heart pounded, lungs burning as the fight stretched on.

And then

Something was wrong.

Levi’s voice snapped through your earpiece. “Regroup! NOW!”

You turned, eyes scanning for him,only to freeze.

From the treeline, a second wave of Titans emerged.

Your blood turned to ice.

You were outnumbered.

The second wave of Titans hit harder than you expected.

You barely had time to breathe before the first one lunged,massive, fast, and hungry. Your instincts kicked in, and you fired your hook into the nearest rooftop, propelling yourself into the sky just as its hand crashed down where you had stood.

“YN!” Levi’s voice cut through the chaos. You turned just in time to see him slicing through a Titan’s nape in a perfect arc, blood spraying across his uniform. His movements were precise, deadly,there was no hesitation in him.

You wished you could say the same for yourself.

You tightened your grip on your blades and dived down, slicing through another Titan just before it could grab one of your remaining squadmates. The battlefield was nothing but blood, screams, and chaos.

And then you heard it.

A scream,too close.

You whipped around just in time to see one of your comrades Lena,caught in a Titan’s grip. Her eyes locked onto yours for a split second before

CRACK.

The Titan bit down.

Your stomach lurched, bile rising in your throat as her body went limp. Gone. Just like that.

There was no time to grieve.

You forced yourself forward, moving on autopilot, dodging, slicing, killing but it was clear now.

This wasn’t a battle anymore. It was a massacre.

"Fall back!" Levi's voice rang out through the earpiece. "Regroup near the treeline!"

But you were too far. Separated.

Your gas was running low, and your muscles burned with exhaustion. You cut down another Titan, barely avoiding its grasp, when

Your wire snapped.

A Titan’s stray swipe hit your gear, sending you spiraling. Your body slammed into the roof of a broken-down building, pain exploding in your ribs. You couldn’t move.

Shit.

The ground trembled as a Titan lumbered toward you. Its mouth hung open, ready to devour, and for the first time, real fear sank into your bones.

You had no gas. No mobility. You were trapped.

Then, in a blur of black and silver

Levi.

He came down like death itself, his blades slicing through the Titan’s weak point in one clean motion. The body crashed beside you, shaking the earth, but he was already moving,ggfgrabbing you by the straps of your uniform and yanking you up.

"Can you move?" His voice was sharp, but underneath ityconcern.

You gasped, trying to steady your breath. "Yeah... just winded."

He didn't look convinced, but there was no time to argue.

More Titans were closing in.

Levi’s grip on your arm tightened.

"Stay close."

then you were moving. (Back to life)

You and Levi fought back to back, moving like two parts of the same blade.

He was ruthless, fast, untouchable. Every slice of his swords ended a life. Every move was calculated, precise.

You did your best to keep up, lungs burning as you pushed through the pain in your ribs. You weren’t as fast as himyno one wasbut you knew how to fight.

You trusted him.

And hetrusted you.

But the Titans weren’t stopping.

The second wave had turned into a flood, and your squad was gone.

It was just you and Levi now.

"We're getting surrounded," you breathed, dodging a Titan's swinging arm. "What now?"

Levi didn’t answer immediately. His sharp eyes scanned the battlefield, calculating every possible escape route, every possible failure.

Then, he made his decision.

"We cut through."

You barely had time to react before he grabbed your hand and launched forward.

You lost count of how many Titans you killed. Five? Ten? Twenty?

Your arms were numb. Your body was on fire. Your ODM gas was almost gone. (Second gear brought by levi)

And then

Your blades snapped.

The Titan in front of you lunged, and you had nothing left to fight with.

You braced for impact, but Levi was faster.

He tackled you out of the way, the two of you crashing onto a nearby rooftop. His body shielded yours from the impact.

"Dammit, YN!" His voice was harsh, but when you looked up at him,his eyes told a different story.

He wasn’t angry. He was scared.

Levi Ackerman, humanity’s strongest soldier, was scared.

For you.

You tried to push yourself up, but pain shot through your leg. You looked down,a deep gash, bleeding badly.

Shit.

You weren’t getting out of this. Not alive.

Levi knew it too. His jaw clenched, his breath ragged. You could see it in the way his hands trembled, just barely.

For the first time, you saw the man behind the soldier.

And it broke you.

"Levi..." Your voice was hoarse. "Go. Leave me."

His expression darkened. "The hell I will."

More Titans were closing in. You were both running out of time.

You grabbed his wrist, nails digging into the fabric of his uniform. "Please. If one of us has to make it out of here, it should be you."

His eyes burned into yourszanger, frustration, something deeper, something he couldn’t say.

And then,chis grip on you tightened.

"Stay alive."

His voice was lower now. Almost desperate. Raw.

"That's an order."

Your breath caught.

It wasn’t just a command. It was a plea.

Even as the world burned around you, even as death loomed closer, he was still fighting for you.

And if Levi Ackerman was willing to fight for you

You couldn’t give up.

Not yet.

Not today.

The world was nothing but blood and chaos.

Titans surrounded you, their massive shadows looming over the crumbling buildings. You could hear their heavy, labored breaths, smell the stench of rotting flesh.

Your leg was useless, your gas was running low, and your blades were broken. You were a soldier with no weapons left to fight.

But Levi was still standing.

And he wasn’t backing down.

He was a force of nature.

With a flick of his wrist, he launched forward, a blur of black and silver. His swords tore through Titan flesh with effortless precision, movements too fast for your eyes to follow.

He cut down one. Then another. Then another.

But there were too many.

A Titan lunged from the side, and for the first time Levi didn’t see it coming.

“Levi—!”

You didn’t think. You just moved.

Your body slammed into his, knocking him out of the way just as the Titan’s hand came crashing down. You hit the ground hard, pain exploding in your already battered body.

But Levi,Levi was safe.

He was on his feet instantly, blades ready, but when he turned to you his face twisted in something close to fury.

“Are you out of your goddamn mind?!” His voice was sharp, but his eyes his eyes were terrified.

He crouched beside you, checking for injuries with frantic hands. His fingers ghosted over your bleeding leg, your trembling arms. His jaw clenched when he realized how bad it was.

You laughed weakly, though there was no humor in it. “Had to save your ass at least once.”

“Shut up,” he snapped. But his voice was hoarse.

A Titan's roar echoed behind him, and his entire demeanor shifted.

The fear disappeared. The hesitation was gone.

What replaced it was cold, unrelenting fury.

He stood up, rolling his shoulders. His grip tightened around his swords, his stance lowering. Every movement screamed death.

And when he spoke his voice was lethal.

“I’ll kill them all.”

Levi Ackerman, Humanity’s Strongest Soldier

You had seen Levi fight before.

But never like this.

This was war.

He moved like a shadow, faster than your eyes could track. Every movement was precise, calculated deadly.

A Titan lunged at him he was already gone. He reappeared at its nape, his blades tearing through flesh before it even realized what had happened. Blood rained down, but he was already moving on.

Another Titan swiped at him he ducked, twisting midair, his blades slicing through its wrist before plunging straight into its weak point.

One by one, they fell.

But Levi wasn’t just fighting.

He was protecting you.

Every time a Titan got too close to your fallen form, he was there slaughtering, shielding, refusing to let them reach you.

And in that moment, you realized something.

He wasn’t fighting for humanity.

He wasn’t fighting for victory.

He was fighting for you.

Levi landed beside you, chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. Blood so much blood stained his uniform, his skin, his hair.

But he wasn’t done.

He grabbed your arm, pulling you up despite your protests.

“We’re leaving.” His voice was strained, but it left no room for argument.

You tried to move, but pain shot through your leg. Your body swayed, and his grip immediately tightened.

You saw it then the brief flicker of panic in his eyes.

Levi Ackerman didn’t panic.

Levi Ackerman didn’t hesitate.

Levi Ackerman didn’t show fear.

But right now he was afraid.

For you.

You opened your mouth to say something, but then

A Titan’s shadow loomed over you.

Everything happened in a split second.

Levi turned.

The Titan lunged.

And it went for you.

Levi’s entire body reacted before his mind could.

He threw himself in front of you, blades up, but not fast enough.

The Titan’s hand swiped at him full force.

Levi went flying.

Your scream tore through the battlefield.

The Titan reached for you next.

You barely had time to process before your hands found the hilt of a fallen soldier’s blade.

You had no gas. No ODM. No strength left.

But you had this.

And if Levi was still breathing, you weren’t going to die here.

The Titan’s fingers closed around you, lifting you off the ground but your blade was already sinking into its hand.

It roared in pain, releasing you just enough for you to drive the sword straight into its eye.

It staggered. You twisted the blade deeper.

Then

A flash of silver. Again

Levi.

He was back.

Despite the blood dripping down his face, despite the pain slowing his movements he came back for you.

And with one clean strike, the Titan was dead.

The battlefield was silent.

The only sound was your ragged breathing. Levi’s labored exhales.

You collapsed to your knees, gasping, too exhausted to move.

Levi caught you before you hit the ground.

His arms wrapped around you, firm, steady,warm. His forehead rested against yours, breath shaky.

"I told you," he whispered. His voice wasn’t sharp this time. It was raw. “Stay alive.”

Your vision blurred, exhaustion finally winning.

But before the darkness took you, you felt it.

Levi’s hand, gripping yours. Desperate. Steady. Unshaken.

And then,nothing.

Pain.

That was the first thing you felt when you woke up.

It crept through your body like fire, every muscle aching, every breath sharp. The scent of antiseptic filled your nose, mixed with something warm.

You tried to move. A mistake.

A sharp gasp left your lips, your body flinching at the pain in your ribs.

Instantly,a shadow moved beside you.

"You're awake."

Levi’s voice.

But not the one you were used to.

It wasn’t sharp. It wasn’t irritated. It wasn’t barking out orders or insults.

It was quiet. Low. Tense.

Your vision cleared, and there he was.

Sitting beside your bed, arms crossed, dark circles under his eyes. His uniform was still stained with dried blood,yours and his. His hair was messier than usual, like he had run his hands through it a hundred times.

His gaze was locked onto you, intense and unreadable.

But you knew Levi.

And this was the look of a man who had just been through hell.

For a moment, neither of you spoke.

Then,Levi stood up abruptly, knocking his chair back.

“Do you have any idea how fucking stupid that was?”

The anger in his voice caught you off guard. Your throat was dry, but you still managed a weak, “Good to see you too.”

Levi didn’t laugh. He didn’t even roll his eyes.

He just stared at you.

Then he turned away, hands gripping the edge of the table so hard his knuckles turned white.

“You almost died,” he said, voice low. “Do you understand that?”

The air in the room shifted.

You swallowed, trying to ignore the sharp pain in your ribs. “Yeah. I know.”

“No. You don’t.” Levi’s jaw clenched. He took a slow, measured breath like he was trying to stop himself from breaking something.

Or maybe… from breaking himself.

You had seen Levi angry before.

You had seen him furious, ruthless, cold.

But this?

This wasn’t anger.

This was something else.

“Levi…” Your voice was softer now. “I-”

“Don’t.”

His hands trembled for just a second before he clenched them into fists. He still wasn’t looking at you.

“Do you think this is a game?” he asked. “Throwing yourself in front of me like that?”

“I wasn’t-”

“You did.” He finally turned, and his eyes

His eyes were burning.

“I could’ve handled it. I always handle it. But you-” His breath hitched, just barely. “You shoved me out of the way. And then you were on the ground. Bleeding. Barely breathing.”

You swallowed hard.

Levi took a step closer.

“You almost died,” he repeated. His voice cracked this time. “And I-”

He stopped himself.

His hands were shaking.

Levi Ackerman’s hands were shaking.

And suddenly, you understood.

This wasn’t just about you almost dying.

This was about him almost losing you.

You forced yourself to sit up hissing in pain but Levi was there immediately, pressing you back down.

“Stop moving, idiot.”

But his hands on your shoulders were too tight. Like he was scared that if he let go, you’d disappear.

You looked up at him, really looked at him.

This wasn’t Levi, Humanity’s Strongest.

This was Levi, the man who had lost too many people.

And almost lost you, too.

Your voice was quiet. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Levi’s breath hitched again. His hands didn’t move from your shoulders.

“You did,” he admitted.

That was it.

That was the moment everything changed.

Because Levi didn’t admit things like this.

He didn’t talk about fear, about loss. He didn’t let people see the cracks beneath the surface.

But he was letting you see them now.

Your throat tightened. “Levi, I-”

His fingers curled into the fabric of your blanket.

“just please,” he murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

And for the first time,you understood what he really meant.

It wasn’t just about the mission.

It wasn’t just about orders.

It was about you.

Levi wasn’t asking you to live for the sake of humanity.

He was asking you to live for him.

Neither of you spoke for a while.

The only sound was your breathing, the distant murmurs of soldiers outside.

Finally,Levi sat back down beside you, exhaling slowly.

“…I stayed here all night,” he muttered. “Hange tried to drag me out. Didn’t work.”

Your lips twitched. “That’s probably the first time Hange ever failed at something.”

Levi gave a soft snort, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I meant what I said,” he added after a pause. “Stay alive.”

You met his gaze.

“I’ll try.”

His jaw clenched. Not enough.

“You will.”

And then,Levi did something that made your heart stop.

He reached for your hand.

Not roughly. Not like an order.

Softly. Carefully.

Like he wasn’t sure if he had the right to.

His fingers brushed over yours before finally settling warm, steady, firm.

And you squeezed back.

Byee

[arixella]

Don’t Leave Me Too

╰┈➤ pairing: Luffy x female! reader

a/n: : I have so many drafts to post lol

summary: After nearly losing you in battle, Luffy is forced to confront his deepest fears — but this time, he holds on and refuses to let you slip away.

wc: 730

contains: angst turn into fluff, post-battle, desperate promises, traumatic flashbacks, and emotionally wrecked Luffy.

The battle was over.

Smoke curled into the sky, the distant island city still crackling from the aftermath. The enemy was down, the objective secured, and the crew was alive — mostly.

Except… you weren’t with them.

“(Y/N) should’ve been right behind me,” Zoro said, his brows furrowed as the crew regrouped at the Sunny’s edge.

“She probably got pushed back by the explosion near the tower,” Sanji muttered, scanning the horizon with narrowed eyes. “We need to find her. Now.”

Luffy stood silently at the railing, his knuckles white as he gripped it.

“She’s strong,” Nami said softly, more for herself than anyone else.

“She wouldn’t just disappear,” Robin added, though even her calm tone wavered slightly.

Luffy didn’t say anything. He just stared at the burning skyline, jaw clenched, body shaking with tension. His haki had flared without him meaning to — it always did when his emotions boiled too hot. And right now, he was scared.

He told himself over and over again: She’s fine. She’s okay. She promised she wouldn’t die.

But then he saw you.

Stumbling out of the smoke, hand pressed against your side, shirt soaked with blood.

Time froze.

His heart dropped.

He was already sprinting toward you, the world a blur. “(Y/N)!!”

You looked up, forcing a smile — a weak one, but a smile nonetheless. “I’m okay,” you lied, voice raspy.

But he could see it. You were pale. Shaking. Bleeding. Barely standing.

You collapsed into his arms.

The moment you touched him, the memories hit him like a wave.

Ace’s blood. Ace saying it didn’t hurt. Ace falling.

“No,” Luffy whispered, his voice breaking as he sank to his knees with you in his arms. “No. Not again. Please.”

“Luffy…” you tried to speak, but it was too much. Your body was done pretending.

“CHOPPER!!” His scream tore through the air like thunder. “SOMEBODY HELP HER!”

Chopper was already running, the rest of the crew behind him, but Luffy couldn’t focus on anything except you. His arms wrapped around you tighter, like he could physically hold your soul in place.

“You’re gonna be okay,” he said quickly, desperately. “You have to be okay. You can’t die. You promised.”

Your lips trembled. “I’m not—gonna—”

“Don’t say anything,” he begged, his face buried against your neck. “Don’t talk. Just stay. Stay with me. Please.”

His shoulders were shaking now, full-on trembling as Chopper began working on the wound. “Massive blood loss… internal bleeding—shit—she held this in too long—”

Nami knelt next to Luffy, hand on his shoulder. “She’s strong, Luffy. Let Chopper do his job.”

“She’s going to make it,” Robin added firmly. “But you have to breathe. You’re scaring her.”

“She was bleeding this whole time,” Luffy muttered, eyes wide and unfocused. “She was hurting, and I didn’t see it. I didn’t see it.”

“She didn’t want you to worry,” Zoro said lowly, arms crossed, jaw tight. “Just like someone else we knew.”

Luffy flinched.

Ace again. Smiling through the pain. Dying with a grin.

“She’s not him,” Sanji said gently, lighting a cigarette with trembling fingers. “Don’t put her in that grave.”

Luffy looked down at you, your hand still holding onto his shirt.

Alive.

Still warm.

Still here.

He let out a shaky breath and touched his forehead to yours.

“You’re not leaving me,” he whispered. “Not like that. Not ever.”

You blinked up at him weakly. “Wouldn’t… dream of it…”

He cracked the faintest smile through his tears.

You woke up later in the infirmary, sore but safe.

Luffy hadn’t left your side.

His hat was resting on your pillow. His hand never let go of yours. And the crew was sleeping in chairs and corners all around the room, refusing to leave either of you alone.

When you stirred, Luffy jolted awake instantly.

“Hey,” you rasped.

“Hey.” His voice was rough, but his smile was warm — and real. “You scared the crap outta me.”

“Guess I’m making it up to you with extra cuddles, huh?”

“Damn right you are,” he said, crawling up next to you gently, arms wrapping around you like he’d never let go again.

Because he wouldn’t.

♡♡♡

© 2025 arixella | please do not plagiarize or translate any of my work without my consent.

[rawme-price]

Someone asked abt the broken wrist comment on my 141!reader post so....here's the context lol (fair warning I dont write seriously and I dont care abt grammar. Severe injury, but everything's been discussed and consented to beforehand <3)

Nights like these are usually saved for special occasions. Either u or one of the other guys just cant seem to settle down no matter how much you work out or spar. Sure it takes the itch off for a moment, but then ur right back to restlessness.

Which ofc leads to ur favourite activity with the 141, a small hunting game. The woods work just fine, but gaz recently found an abandoned concrete building that may have been a mall at one point (dont question it), so you guys decide to play there. Color coded blankets and pillows mark out each of ur bases, and in the car ride over ghost is giving you a particularly hungry look.

You may or may not have been teasing him all week. Besides, you know that price is definitely doing after soap as payback for the sargeant edging him last time, and ur pretty sure price has got an alliance going with gaz.

Which means all of ghosts focus will be on you. A smirk tugging at your lips, you plan exactly how you'll have ghost once you capture him.

You've chosen a pretty nice place as ur base, in what was probably the good court. Open space, but dim and comfy enough for when u get ghost in there. then the hunt begins, and all of that 141 training kicks in.

Equipped with some handcuffs, a knife, and a flashlight the same as all the others, you sneak through the mall. Ghost tends to have the advantage in these situations, but you also know Ghost, which means u pay extra attention to the deep shadows and the small alcoves.

As expected, you spot the glint of a knife a few paces ahead, blood thrumming in ur veins as u approach. It takes work, and a brutal scuffle that has ur head ringing, but eventually u get ghost pinned in a headlock.

"Can't wait to edge you until youre crying, si." You murmer huskily, reaching to chain his wrists together. As ur hauling ghost back to ur base, you listen mildly to the echoed sobs coming from a bit aways. Seems like price found soap, then.

Ur so caught up in listening to soaps whines that u dont think about how little ghost is resisting until its too late. Between one breath and the next ur suddenly on the floor with ghosts hands wrapped around ur throat. You punch his kidney, roll away, but hes quick to get right back on you.

In fact, it seems that ghost is so eager that he plans to fuck you right there, not bothering to take u to his base. This, of course, means u have all the rights to fight back according to the rules. You play along, let him think ur giving up. Just when ghost is pressing into u, ur fist connects with his jaw. Ghost makes a startled sound of pain, followed by a sharp growl.

Ghost manhandles u, presses against those broken bones anytime u get a bit too feisty, fucks u until ur nearly passed out. Its brutal, it's painful, its heaven.

You try to use that distraction to reach ur knife, but he grabs ur arms and bodily slams you into the floor again. A sick *crack* echoes, and blinding paint flair up ur left arm, but his body is so hot and heavy above u that u dont care.

Uh anyways price chews simon tf out once yall regroup, ur wrist feeling much more painful than pleasurable. U look the doctors in the eyes and lie through ur teeth "yeah, took a nasty tumble while training. Tried to catch myself like a dumbass, real embarrassing." But its fine bc ghost gives u apology head afterwards <33

[saltymarshmall0w]

Danny was a half-a.

Until tragedy struck. He could tell, the moment he died. He didn't even pass out, it was just like a string cutting and all of a sudden he knew it was over.

But the battle wasn't over, and Danny could keep fighting, so he did.

With the bad guy defeated he regrouped with his friends and family. They cheered and celebrated, retelling that moment he seemed to suddenly gain a second wind to defeat the baddie, all while Danny didn't have the heart to tell the truth.

Being dead wasn't all that bad.

He just couldn't tell anyone.

Everyone knew he was the protector of the earth. The human boy turned superhero thanks to his ghost abilities that everyone secretly envied.

He just had to convince Spectra to teach him how to imitate his human form, which worked---so long as he didn't pass out or lose focus.

He had to be careful no one got close enough to see his real eye color shining through his contacts or notice that he no longer breathed unless done so manually.

His obsessions constantly buzzed in the back of his mind. If he wasn't indulging in one, he was thinking and planning the next time he could. He lost time staring at the stars and couldn't help but constantly check for unseen threats around his friends.

Sometimes, he forgot his name was Danny. Keeping two feet on the ground was hard. He no longer could digest human food and using his powers became second nature.

[purifiedclitoris69]

Breaking point

a/n: Finally got to the nat version of silent comfort. It’s a little short tbh so sorry about that. hope you enjoy!

pairings: Natasha Romanoff x supersoldier reader

warnings: violence

You’d been with the Avengers for almost a year now, and in that time, you’d managed to carve out a space for yourself on the team. Sure, being the former Hydra experiment wasn’t exactly the most inviting introduction, but you didn’t let that define you. It wasn’t who you were anymore. You were the team’s go-to for a laugh, always cracking jokes, lightening the mood, and making it easier for everyone to handle the high-stakes pressure of their lives. What you didn’t talk about, though, was your past. Not because anyone had told you not to, but because you didn’t want to relive it.

Especially not now, when things were starting to feel... normal.

Normal was spending late nights on the couch with Natasha, arguing over which movie to watch but never finishing them because you’d get caught up in teasing each other. Normal was training together and catching her smiling at you when she thought you weren’t looking. Normal was her throwing playful jabs about how you talked too much, only to call you out on being unusually quiet when something was bothering you.

You weren’t sure when things had shifted, but somewhere along the way, the time you spent with her had become the highlight of your day. And judging by the way she always seemed to find excuses to stay close, you thought maybe—just maybe—she felt the same way.

Neither of you had said anything yet, though. It was comfortable, whatever this was, and you didn’t want to ruin it.

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

The quinjet hummed softly as the team prepared for the mission. Hydra remnants were regrouping, and the team had been sent to intercept a high-level target.

You were double-checking your gear when Natasha sauntered over, a sly smile already playing on her lips.

"You know," she said, leaning casually against the wall beside you, "I’ve noticed you spend an awful lot of time fussing over that utility belt. Got a secret stash of candy in there or something?"

You snorted, pulling a strap tighter. "Jealous I don’t share my snacks with you, Romanoff?"

"Please," she shot back, tilting her head. "If I wanted candy, I’d just take it," she shrugged her shoulders, "I always get what I want."

You glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? I’d like to see you try."

She stepped closer, her green eyes glinting with mischief. "Careful, or I might have to prove it."

You chuckled, shaking your head. "You’re all talk."

"Am I?" She reached out, her fingers brushing the edge of your belt, and for a split second, your heart skipped a beat. But instead of taking anything, she smirked and stepped back, clearly enjoying the way you were watching her.

"Tease," you muttered, pretending to focus on your gear again.

"You make it too easy," she quipped, crossing her arms.

Before you could come up with a comeback, Steve’s voice cut through the moment. "Gear up. We’re heading out in five."

Natasha straightened but didn’t move immediately. Instead, she leaned in just enough for only you to hear. "Try to keep up out there, rookie."

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t stop the grin spreading across your face. "Try not to get distracted, Romanoff."

She laughed softly as she walked away, the sound lingering in the air long after she was gone.

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

Though successful the mission had been thoroughly chaotic, to say the least. Things had been going smoothly until Natasha went off-script.

You hadn’t even known what was happening at first. One second, you were covering her six, and the next, she was gone, chasing intel Fury and Maria Hill had deemed critical. It left you in a tight spot, trying to hold your ground without her, and you’d taken a few hits you shouldn’t have.

By the time the mission wrapped, you were sore, bruised, and too exhausted to joke around like you usually would. The tension on the jet ride back to the compound was thick, everyone keenly aware that Steve was seething.

The hanger was suffocatingly tense as the quinjet’s ramp descended with a mechanical hiss, and everyone piled out, the weight of the mission hanging heavily in the air. Conversations were sparse—exhaustion mingled with the unspoken tension. You were still catching your breath, the fight replaying in your mind, when Steve’s voice broke the silence.

“Romanoff, we need to talk.”

You glanced at Natasha, who was walking beside you. Her jaw tightened, but she didn’t stop, striding toward the hangar floor like she hadn’t heard him.

“Natasha.” Steve’s voice carried more force this time.

She stopped, turning around slowly, her face calm but her eyes sharp. “What?”

Steve’s expression was stony as he marched toward her. “What the hell was that back there?”

“The part where we got the job done?” Natasha shot back, her voice icy.

“The part where you ignored orders and jeopardized the team,” he countered, standing toe-to-toe with her now.

You stepped closer instinctively, but for now, you stayed silent, your fists clenching at your sides.

“I didn’t jeopardize anyone,” Natasha said, crossing her arms. “I prioritized the bigger picture. Fury and Maria needed that intel, and I got it.”

Steve’s eyes narrowed. “Fury and Hill aren’t the ones in the field. We are. And when you decide their priorities are more important than this team, you’re not just making a bad call—you’re making a selfish one.”

Natasha’s lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn’t look away. “I made a call that benefited everyone in the long run. You might not like it, but it worked.”

“Did it?” Steve snapped, gesturing toward you. “Because they almost didn’t make it out thanks to you.”

Your chest tightened as his words hit. “That’s not fair, Steve,” you said, stepping in now.

He turned on you, his voice rising. “It is fair. You wouldn’t have been in that position if she hadn’t dragged you into her little side mission.”

“That’s enough,” you said, your voice low.

But Steve ignored you, his focus still on Natasha. “You know, it’s always the same with you. You play both sides, keep everyone guessing. It worked for you in the Red Room, maybe even with S.H.I.E.L.D., but here? That doesn’t fly. We’re supposed to be a team, but you’re still looking out for yourself first.”

The mention of the Red Room made your blood run cold. You saw the flicker of something in Natasha’s expression—a crack in her armor.

“Watch your mouth,” you said, stepping in front of her now, your voice dangerously calm, as you met Captain America eye level.

Steve’s gaze snapped to you, his frustration redirected. “Stay out of this.”

“No,” you said firmly. “You don’t get to talk to her like that.”

“Or what?” Steve challenged, jaw tightened, his temper bubbling over as took a step closer, eyes blazing with anger.

The moment he moved, you acted. Your hand shot out, gripping his wrist and twisting with precision. With a sharp pivot of your hips, you flipped him over your shoulder. The impact reverberated through the hangar as Steve crashed into a nearby crate, shattering it into splinters.

The hangar went silent, the sound of the crash echoing in the vast space.

Steve was already scrambling to his feet, his eyes blazing with disbelief and fury. Bucky intercepted him, gripping his shoulder and holding him back

“Steve, don’t,” Bucky said, his voice firm but calm.

Natasha was in front of you before you could react, her hands pressing against your chest as she pushed you back. “Enough,” she said, her voice low but forceful.

You froze, the reality of what you’d just done hitting you like a freight train.

You glanced around the hangar, catching the wide-eyed stares of your teammates. The expressions on their faces weren’t just shocked—they were scared. Of you.

Your gaze landed on Natasha last. Her green eyes were glassy, her brows furrowed with confusion and something that looked too much like hurt.

“I’m sorry,” you muttered, your voice barely audible. Then you turned and walked away, your boots echoing in the silence of the hangar as you disappeared into the compound.

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

The rooftop felt like the only place you could breathe. The cool night air bit at your skin as you sat on the ledge, your hands gripping the metal railing.

What the hell had you done? You’d spent so long trying to prove you weren’t the weapon Hydra made you, but one moment of anger had torn that facade apart.

“Hell of a move back there.”

You didn’t have to look to know it was Natasha. Her voice was light, but there was an edge of something else—concern, maybe.

“Didn’t mean to wreck the crate,” you muttered, still staring out at the city lights.

She walked over, her steps soft, and leaned against the railing beside you. “The crate’s fine. Steve, on the other hand…”

You huffed a humorless laugh. “Yeah, bet he’s thrilled.”

She didn’t respond immediately, just studied you with that piercing gaze of hers. “Why’d you do it? he was right, I left you out there."

You sighed, finally meeting her eyes. "I would've been fine Tasha, and I know you know that," you looked down to your lap, "besides I couldn’t stand the way he was talking to you. Like you haven’t done more for this team than anyone.”Her expression softened, and for a moment, the world felt a little less heavy. “I don’t care about your past, Nat,” you said quietly. “And I’ll be damned if I let anyone throw it in your face.”

Her lips curved into a faint smile as she reached out, her hand brushing yours. “You’re not who they made you either, you know.”

You looked at her, and for the first time all day, you felt like maybe you hadn’t completely lost yourself.

Her voice dropped to a whisper. “You don’t have to fight for me," her gaze dropping to your lips as you both began to lean in, " but thank you for doing it anyway," her breath fanned across you. Before you could reply, she leaned in, her lips brushing against yours in a kiss that was well over do. Her lips were soft against yours, warm and grouding in a way that made everything fade away.

When she pulled back, she smiled—a real, genuine smile. “Now let’s go figure out how to apologize to Steve.”

You groaned, but for the first time that night, you felt like everything might just be okay.

[lieslab]

Know I'll never win the battle

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎ ꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

Pairing: Chan X gn reader

Summary: When your bipolar disorder turns a sunny day into a starless night, your boyfriend finds a way to cheer you up.

Genre: Comfort/hurt

Word Count: 2.7k

Trigger warning: Bipolar disorder, depression, manic episodes, and paranoia/delusions.

Depression resources

A/N: Brains can be so mean to us sometimes. As I wrote this request, I burst into tears (starting to notice a pattern about writing sad stuff, huh?) Mental illness can be so hard. I don't know much about bipolar disorder, but I did some research to try and understand the perspective. This might not be entirely accurate, but I tried.

You all better be so nice to yourselves. Give yourself a big hug, please. Be gentle. Be soft. Do not let the cruelty of your own brain rip you apart from the good things in this world <3

_ _ _

A year’s worth of suffering unveils in a single day. Not really, but that’s what it feels like. A human puppeteered by their brain, but never in the right way; a handcrafted tea cup without the warmth and welcoming taste of tea.  

You spun to the beat of your own drum. The wrong beat. Society marched around you in circles. Their footsteps methodically raised and fell. Left, right. Left, right. Left, right. You? Always one beat behind or another beat ahead.  

Living with any kind of mental illness is hard, but yours felt worse. A lot worse. A switch that you couldn’t turn off. You could feel it creep up before it pounced. It inched behind you closer and closer until it leapt upon you. The neurons misfired and genetics hung you. 

You tried to stop it, but you couldn’t. That’s the thing about bipolar disorder. Where does the mental illness separate and life begins? Because in your head, you didn’t know how much longer you could blame your actions on your mental disorder. Who really controls you? Is it you or is it the festering and molding disorder that you try to push down and scrape out? You grab onto it with two hands and try to pull it out, but you can’t pull out your own brain. 

You nested yourself in the comfort of your bed. Wrapped in cotton blankets, swallowed by the weight of another low, you couldn’t find the energy to do anything. Beside you, the clock kept ticking into the future, but all you could do was drown. 

In these moments, it all felt so low. You couldn’t gather the strength to pick yourself up. You tried, but it always unraveled. Just as you thought you were getting better, you were taking accountability, trying to be more and do more; it always crashed back down. 

Swallowed by the whale, not even the light could find you here. In your room, the room you shared with your boyfriend, the sheets saturated with peppermint. A calming and grounding scent. The essential oil diffuser released a steady stream into the air, but not even that made you feel better. Why couldn’t you be normal? 

Emotional regulation. Two words that seem so normal. When an emotion overpowers you, when it sucks you into the void of nothingness, you regroup. Step back, count to ten, and focus on breathing. Calm your racing heart when you find a negative emotion. Try to power through it and just breathe. 

You’ll always find the next stepping stone of life. In your worst moments, the best is always yet to come. Your brain painted another picture. One where everyone hated you. They all slipped through your fingers due to the consequences of your actions. 

In the darkness, you rotted. Between silk sheets and cool pillows. In the rotation of white fan panels, you found glimpses of who you could have been in another life. The adult that didn’t feel so behind. The kid that didn’t feel lost among their peers. Someone far more successful and incredible than you were now. 

The tears leaked out unknowingly. Your heart didn’t just ache, it fell apart and disintegrated between your fingers. You couldn’t even keep that part of yourself together. 

You didn’t know Chan appeared until you felt the familiar warmth against your cheek. “Hi, there.” His Australian accent still made your heart melt. You didn’t deserve him. You didn’t deserve that tenderness. Not after the hell you always put everyone through. 

Last week, Minho confiscated your wallet because you insisted you needed to blow a ton of money on a bouncy house. Impulsive and reckless, you always described yourself that way when you were manic. The stars came to life and lifted your soul. The fuzzy static sparked and disintegrated, a burst of adrenaline came to life like a live wire. 

Going, going, going, you couldn’t stop. So you lived fast and lived large. Living in-between a brain-chased delusion and keeping up after it wasn’t easy, but when you’re in a fragile state of mania, the unbelievable seems believable. It comes to life so easily; a god without a cult-following. 

How many times did Chan call his band members worrying because you were so reckless? Like the time you got into a fight with Chan and took off barefoot into the night. They spent three hours chasing your zipping figure through the wet pavement streets and in down-pouring rain. By the next morning, everyone had colds. 

When you decided to repaint your bedroom without asking because the color you found filled you with such joy. It spoke to your soul and you didn’t ask. In the process, you didn’t consider putting down a sheet of plastic over the carpet. An honest mistake that cost hundreds of dollars to repurchase new carpet for the bedroom. It turns out dancing and finger painting in a manic state has consequences. 

Another time, you started a food fight in Felix and Seungmin’s dorm. It started with Felix trying to distract you. Chan went out on an ambassador trip. When you felt yourself slip into a manic episode, you called Felix, hoping to ground yourself. 

It was fun at first, baking brownies. It started well until you threw a handful of flour at Felix’s shoulder. It was just a stupid impulse; a moment of poor misjudgement. Felix threw a handful of sugar at you and you both snapped. 

Yelling, hooting, and hollering. Waking up a sleeping Seungmin. Dry ingredients covered the floor. You inhaled a breath of flour. Felix licked grains of sugar from his lips. What neither of you were expecting was Seungmin’s outrage. 

On the stove. Beneath the fridge. Smeared on countertops. The rolling flour dust coated crevices in their fancy coffee machine. It laced the insides of the toaster. You were still working on paying back your half for the coffee machine. Felix offered to pay for it. Sugar grains snuck into an opening and tarnished the entire thing. You started it and refused to let him suffer alone. 

It wasn’t just your mania that drilled holes in the people around you, it was this, too. Depressed straight to the bone, you scared the shit out of Jeongin the day you threatened to fling yourself off the top of the JYP Entertainment building. Now he’s constantly worried about you. 

Hyunjin invited you for coffee with him and Changbin one day. Unable to control your sadness and keep yourself together, you sobbed over your vanilla latte, right in the middle of the cafe. The attention drew from bystanders. They quickly tried to console you, but someone snapped a photo. By the time you tried to make your way out to the parking lot, a reporter from Dispatch waited for you near Changbin’s car. The article surrounding the conspiracy of your tears went viral between the venomous teeth of the fandom. 

And Han? He met with you one-on-one to show you a new anime. He was so happy and excited. You ruined it with self-pity and the admission that your brain was destroying you from the inside out. You swore this bipolar thing would be the death of you. How do you live in a society where you can’t regulate yourself? 

Minho showed up to find you and Han wrapped around you crying. Your own tears steadily fell down your cheeks. All he could do was call Chan and attempt to have him talk to you and try to console whatever lay shattered before you. 

Nobody ever knew what to say or how to fix it. You could feel the tension building between people. Strangers looked you in the eyes on the streets. Even then, you swore that they knew something occurred within you internally. Every look casts judgement. Every glance, a scowl and sneer followed. 

Ever since the diagnosis came, you always knew. You knew you’d be the one to be too much for people. Lightning ran through your veins at the wrong time. You lived your life climbing the rollercoaster and then you tipped over the edge screaming. Your heart fluttered, your stomach dropped, but god, it felt so good. 

The realization in those bits of mania that life didn’t matter. It gave you an entirely new perspective. In those bits of life, you were unstoppable. The world was in your hands. You could do anything if you tried hard enough. All you had to do was believe it and anything could be yours. 

On the sadder days, your brain becomes a boulder. It kept you locked into the bed and you didn’t know how to get up. Too heavy. Your limbs were laced with concrete and you lost the ability to eat. No longer a human, but rather an android. 

You waited and waited. You tried to cycle through the societal standards, but you struggled. It all felt so hard. Like this whole life had been cast for you from the depths of hell. Who would make someone live through all this? 

Other days, the two feelings collided and dizzied you with such a confusing feeling. You were alive, your thoughts cycled and shuffled so fast. You knew it was the mania talking, but these thoughts were different. Less confident and more depressing, a chain caught between the gears of mania and depression; the highs and lows blended together. 

And the worst part? It never stopped. It was a constant cycle. A few hours. A day or two apart. Maybe a week or more. You never knew when your mental illness would possess you. Your vision clouded and you tried to tell yourself the next time would be different. You’d find a way to deal with it in grace, but it never happened .

You tried treatments, but talking to a therapist about it always felt weird. The few medications you tried, some of them made you sleep and feel much worse. Others, they didn’t touch it. It made you want to throw in the towel at the worst times. Why bother fighting if medicine couldn’t cure whatever was wrong with your head?

More importantly, why did it have to be you? What the hell did you do to deserve this? Was it fate? Did you do something so bad in your past life that this was just the universe’s way of getting karmic retribution? 

“What’s in that head of yours?” 

You glanced up at Chan, pulling away from your thoughts. “We don’t have to do this. We always do this and you already know. The answer is always the same.” 

He sighed softly and smiled at you. “I know, but I still want to know. I won’t get tired of asking you. No matter how many times your answers are the same, I’ll always ask you.” 

“Why do you stick around and do this with me?” 

“Do what?” 

“This!” You reached up and gestured between the two of you. “Doesn’t it get tiring and boring? Doesn’t my existence exhaust you? What part of dating someone with a bipolar disorder is entertaining? Please enlighten me because I’d love to fucking know.” 

Chan’s eyes didn’t leave yours. You could lash out however you liked, but deep down, he loved you. He’d never stop telling you that. Someone had to fight to put the truth in your head. 

But you didn’t know. Where did you start and where did the disorder begin? What were parts of you and your happiness? When did you know you were happy and not on the rollercoaster ride accelerating up to the drop of mania again? How long did the good times last? What if they never came back? 

“Carrie Fisher played Princess Leia in Star Wars.” 

“So?” 

“Did you know she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder?” 

You sniffled and shook your head. Beside you, Chan crawled forward to get into the bed with you. “She struggled with addiction, but found hope. She became a mental health advocate and openly talked about it. She struggled with it, just like you.” 

“Why are you bringing this up?” 

“To remind you that just because you’re battling something some people don’t, it doesn’t make you worth any less. So you fight your brain to stay strong and I don’t see that as a horrible and terrible thing.” He paused, frowning at the way his words sounded. “What I mean to say is that it can be challenging and difficult, but we’ll figure it out.” 

“You’re using my love of Star Wars against me.” 

A squeaky laugh fell from his lips. “I mean, yes, but no. I’m being serious here.” He reached over and pushed a strand of hair behind your ear. Swaddled in sadness and bathed in depression, you didn’t understand what lay on the outside. 

“You know what I see when I look at you? I see someone fighting for peace. You get up every day and you try. Doesn’t that trying count for something? I know your brain might not think so right now, but to me, I think that’s pretty heroic.” 

“It’s not heroic to ruin friendships with people around me.” 

“Who said you’re ruining friendships?” His eyes narrowed. “Did you know that Hyunjin has lost confidence in his speed when it comes to you? Ever since we chased you that one night-” 

You groaned and covered your face with your hands. “Don’t remind me, it was embarrassing. You had to scrub my feet because they were dirty and the memories from that night are all blurry.” 

“At least, we all got to take Nyquil together during those colds. I’ve never seen Han fall unconscious that fast. One dose and he just-” Chan snapped. “Hit the ground like a light.” 

“Didn’t Minho have to drag him to bed?” 

“That was a little funny, too.” 

“Now I just feel entirely mortified. I need to try harder and do better. Hearing that, it’s just so humiliating. It makes me feel like a failure. I really don’t mean to cause harm, I just…” You sighed and looked away. “I don’t know. It’s so hard sometimes and I’m really trying to be better.” 

“I know you’re trying.” He reached up and placed his hand back against your cheek. Shifting closer, the scent of amber and rosemary caught your attention. 

Your nose scrunched instantly. “Woah, new scent?” 

“Something like that. How is it?” 

“Meh.” 

“I spent over fifty dollars on this bottle.” 

“I’ve spent more money than that on a smaller bottle of smelly stuff during a manic episode.” 

His face went blank and your eyes found his. He quickly bit down on his bottom lip, trying not to laugh. In the current of silence, a brief moment of mutual understanding. At least, until you burst into a fit of giggles first. He quickly followed after with his own laugh. 

Seconds ticked by again, suspended by laughter and clenched stomach. Wet eyes, oversized grins, and a wave of relief. When you finished, you wiped a hand over your face, trying to regulate yourself. 

“I really needed that laugh.” 

“Yeah, I could tell. In all seriousness, I think you give yourself little credit and I wish you’d give yourself more. I know you’re not perfect, but you’re trying. As long as you’re fighting, in my eyes, you’re winning. Even when you have off days and bad days, you’re still here, aren’t you?” 

“I guess so.” 

“And you know what that means?” Dimples spread across his cheeks. Mischief glistened in his eyes and your heart dropped to your stomach. You jerked upright, trying to escape the bed, but he pounced. “It means your mine!” 

You burst into a fit of giggles as you squirmed in his grasp. Laughter bounced off the walls of his bedroom and broke your train of depressing thoughts. The gentle brush of fingers against your sides, you tried to get away, but they stayed consistent. 

So maybe your brain wasn’t perfect. Different brains look different for everyone. They always say if you don’t like the direction your boat is steering, turn the sail another way. You might lose bits and pieces of time, but you never lose who you fully are beneath the waves. The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again and so would you. Manic, depression, or stuck in the web of a blurry between, the support compacting you, it was bound to be endless. 

You might not win every battle, but the more you refuse to sink, you’ll always win the war.

| ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ | ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ | ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ |

Taglist: @lia-linny @seungnishi @stellasays45 @emilyywhyy @rockstarkkami @flightlessackerman @inlovewithstraykids @velvetmoonlght @chrizrizz

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Ko-fi

[lucidhalseys]

soft spot

damon salvatore x reader

summary; you're injured in a fight with a rogue vampire who breezed into town, and Damon is being weird about it

hurt/comfort

----

You tried to stay hidden in the shadows outside of the streetlight, but your rapid heartbeat probably would've given you away either way.

"Who the hell is this guy?" You heard Damon mutter from the spot he was tossed just a few feet away from you, dusting the dirt from the trash cans he'd squished like cardboard. His ice blue eyes spared you a quick glance but didn't say a word, trying not to draw any attention your way.

Damon intervened as Caroline was struggling to grapple with the stranger. In the span of a moment, she was on the ground groaning with a broken arm and he had launched the assailant to give them a chance to regroup - right toward you.

You couldn't help the little gasp that you emitted, no matter how much time you spent around these creatures this was a vampire. One in particular who would have no hang ups about snapping your neck.

Per their supernatural hearing, it didn't take long for the mans vicious senses to find you, and took half as long for him to have a bruising hand around your neck.

The sound of Damon yelling your name was distant in the background, you were focused on the threat literally snarling in your face.

"Don't you smell good?"

That was as far as the stranger managed to get before Damon had the broken handle of a broom protruding from his back. His grip slipped off your throat as his body slid sideways and you toppled to the ground, heading bouncing off the pavement hard enough for you to see stars.

Damon's voice was faint to you again, but you could hear him begging for your attention. Caroline was in the background too, in panicked discussion with someone over the phone. You couldn't get your eyes to focus though, hair becoming wet and warm.

The eldest Salvatore's touch on you was feather light, his mouth still moving with words he wanted you to latch onto but you had already lost the dance with consciousness.

⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆

The first thing you were aware of when you woke up in a bed was that it was decidedly not yours. The next thing you noticed was that you weren't in any pain, just a bit stiff when you went to sit up from the bed. Someone had definitely given you blood, which was against every rule her and her friends had discussed, but from the smell of the sheets behind you - Damon wouldn't have cared either way.

You made your way out of the room and down the stairs, vaguely knowing the layout of the boarding house from your handful of times actually coming inside. Over the last few months you had become dangerously intertwined in Elena's grapple with the supernatural, despite Bonnie's vehement advice to go as far as possible. You were emancipated, you could switch schools and move to Pennsylvania.

No, you couldn't. Once your conscious had been opened to everything around you, once you were aware of the dangers of the dark - you could never ignore that. Better the evil you know.

Speaking of.

You came upon Damon in his favorite spot, a tumbler of bourbon in his hand while he leaned up against the fireplace. The suit jacket he had been wearing earlier that night was discarded on the couch behind him, a small amount of blood on the collar of his shirt still.

"You always look so broody." Poking fun at him might not be in your best interest, but you figured you'd give it a go. Over the last few months, your and Damon's relationship had morphed into something you couldn't quite understand, but moments like these had seemed to become more comfortable between you.

"I believe you're confusing me with my much broodier younger brother." Damon's words were laced with sarcasm, but his tone didn't have a hint of amusement.

You felt suddenly awkward, in his space and home. Just because you had gotten kind of comfortable lately didn't mean he wanted to be around you.

"Well, thanks for the whole life saving thing." You began to babble nervously, a faint pink glow to your cheeks. "I'll get out of your hair. Sorry for taking your bed, I don't even know what time it is-" You had begun turning toward the door, making to just leave and find a way home. How you could this age and still flustered in front of attractive men, especially murderous ones was beyond you.

Damon appearing in front of you almost made your heart stop, hair stirring at his incredibly fast movements. He was barely a foot away, his piercing gaze holding your confused one. From this close you could smell just how much he had probably drank.

"Are you... okay, Damon?" Your voice wavered a bit under the heat of his stare and you saw the muscle in his jaw working overtime while he looked like he was debating whether or not he wanted to actually say anything to you.

"You don't have to thank me for saving you when you were in danger because of me." His eyes had drifted from your eyes to your neck, voice whisper quiet.

Vulnerability was the last thing you expected from the man standing over you. "What do you mean? It wasn't your fault. Just wrong place, wrong time and I so happen to be the weakest link." You hoped your voice conveyed even a bit of humor.

His eyes snapped back up to yours, head tilting slightly while he assessed you. Damon's hand rose to grab a lock of your hair, twirling it around his finger in thought. Your breath caught in your throat, feeling like you were on the precipice of something.

"My weakest link, maybe. Have I told you how much I like your hair?" His voice was still quiet, an innocent lilt.

Your mind was reeling, half drunk on his closeness and hazed by confusion. Where was this coming from? Had he drank a small liquor store and now he was confusing her for her much more appealing best friend?

"Damon, I'm not sure how much you've had to drink, but I'm happy to brew you a pot of coffee. Does that even work for vampires?"

You had started to pull away, making to turn toward the kitchen but Damon was infinitely faster than you. His drink was discarded, one hand going to your upper arm and the other to your waist, tugging you back into his vicinity.

"On the contrary, I don't think I've ever been so sure minded, sparrow. I'm sorry for not protecting you tonight." His voice was tight now, the warmth of his hands tingling down your body.

"It's not your fault, or job, Damon." Your voice had quieted to match his, all humor leaving. You didn't know where this guilt had come from, but it was misplaced. Since you'd met Damon he'd made some bad decisions, but you had also seen his sacrifice so much for the sake of the team. Even if others didn't acknowledge it, he didn't need to add anymore to his plate.

"I'd like it to be. My job." His reply was lightning quick, eyes pinning yours in place.

Were you dreaming?

Damon's signature smirk was visible for a split second, telling you that your confusion was written all over your face. "I think that I'm asking you, in the most coming of age movie way, if you'd like to go steady?"

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send any fic requests here!! all comments/criticisms/requests welcome

[whitecompri]

Shortcut to Your Heart

Pairing: Boom!Sonic x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Comedy

Rating: T (Teen)

Warnings: Mild Action Violence, Light Romance

A/N: I was writing about Sonic, and I started thinking, why not write about the Boom version of him? And so I started writing this one, I hope you like it.

--*--

The morning was pleasant, a gentle breeze swayed the palm trees, and the day would have been calm—if not for the sound of explosions and crashes coming from Hedgehog Village. Team Sonic had regrouped in the middle of the village, preparing to face yet another wave of Motobugs. You took position beside Amy and Sticks, getting ready to strike back. 

“I told you we should’ve stopped at Meh Burger before checking out the noise. Now we’re hungry and have to fight!” Sonic spin dashed into one of the badniks, blowing it up. 

“Stop whining. Amy wanted to make breakfast for us today!” you said, rolling to the side to dodge another badnik. 

“Good thing we didn’t accept, or we’d be fighting with a stomachache.” He crossed his arms at you. 

“Hey!” Amy shouted from afar, annoyed at him while smashing a Motobug with her hammer. 

“Can we forget about Amy’s terrible cooking and focus on smashing these old cans?” Knuckles punched a line of robots, sending them flying. 

“Guys, this isn’t about Amy’s cooking! It’s about being mad at Sonic for agreeing to check out the explosion noise,” you said, kicking a badnik that was coming up behind the blue hedgehog. He let out an annoyed grunt, spin dashing another one. 

That was when your eyes caught a group of civilians hiding in a corner, and your brow furrowed as you felt the strong urge to rescue them. 

“Sonic, help me here.” You took off running. 

He looked at you, ready to retort, but you were already far ahead. 

“Hey! Saying something and running off is my thing!” He dashed after you, stopping in front of you and starting to move debris away from the civilians. 

Soon after, you arrived at his side, pulling away broken wood and tossing it aside. 

That’s when both of your gazes fell on the group of hiding civilians. The ones in front promptly took off running, leaving behind only two. A couple, hugging, lost in a deep kiss. 

You raised an eyebrow. Sonic scrunched his muzzle to the side. The two of you exchanged a look. 

“Ugh... Lovebirds in the middle of chaos... So cute... Blergh.” The hedgehog stuck out his tongue, displeased by the romantic scene in front of him, whispering to you. 

“What do we do? Do we leave them here... or interrupt?” you whispered back. An explosion went off behind you at that moment, but both of you were more focused on the scene in front. 

Sonic shrugged, scratching his chin and narrowing his eyes. 

“Let’s just leave them there. I don’t wanna look at that for another second...” He turned his back and returned to the fight. 

“Agreed...” you said quietly, following behind your teammate. 

--*-- 

You walked beside Tails, leading the group. Behind you, Sonic walked with his hands laced behind his head, a bored look on his face as the team made their way to Meh Burger. 

Finally sitting at the table, you all relaxed after the battle. You sighed, crossing your arms, waiting for your order to be ready—until you heard Sonic next to you, tapping his foot impatiently on the floor. 

“Man, did you see that couple in the middle of the battle? How can they be like that while all the action’s going on?” Sonic gestured with his hands, sounding indignant. 

“I think you should appreciate passionate couples more, Sonic. If they were that lost in a kiss, it means they feel something real,” Amy replied, lacing her fingers on the table. 

“Oh sure, let’s see how far that love would go if a badnik ran right over them,” you said, crossing your arms. 

You turned your head, hearing a laugh. 

“I think Sonic’s jealous,” Knuckles said with a mischievous look. 

“Pfft, as if. If I wanted a girl, I’d just go up to her,” Sonic said, resting his face on his hand, elbow on the table. 

“You don’t want to, or you can’t?” the echidna kept teasing. 

“Obviously I don’t want to right now.” The hedgehog closed his eyes, gesturing with his hand. 

“He’s rusty in the art of romance. I bet not even a rock would fall for him,” you said quietly, inspecting your nails. 

“Please... winning hearts is just a matter of speed and style. I’ve got both. Doesn’t matter if I’m rusty or not...” the hedgehog turned to you, furrowing his brow. 

“If that’s the case, then I’m a romance master too. I’ve got tons of style—look, I’m wearing mismatched socks.” Knuckles pointed down, and the team looked at him with deadpan, confused expressions. 

“...And that’s why you don’t have a girlfriend, Knux,” Sonic said, slowly shaking his head. 

You sighed softly. 

“I’m just saying... if I ever have a romance that makes me want to kiss someone in the middle of an explosion, commit me. That’s way too cheesy.” Sonic gave a small nod at your statement, a sly smirk forming on his muzzle as he looked at you with a raised brow. 

“Some might take that as a challenge...” he said in a low, husky voice. 

“Challenge?” you asked, confused. 

“Well yeah. I’m irresistible, so I find it hard to believe someone wouldn’t fall for me in a day. So here’s the challenge: I’ve got until midnight to win you over. You’ll fall head over heels for me. Easy. If I win, you give me a kiss.” He turned his body toward you, a smug grin on his face. 

“And if you lose?” You crossed your arms, a sly smirk of your own appearing. 

“Let’s make it interesting. If I lose, you get whatever you want.” He placed his arm on the table, tapping his finger impatiently. 

“Whatever I want, huh? Sounds tempting. Deal.” You extended your hand. 

The blue hedgehog’s eyes lit up. He chuckled softly, grabbing your hand to seal the bet. 

“Can’t wait to get started,” he said with an eager voice. 

“And I can’t wait to watch,” you said, noticing the surprised looks from your friends around the table, all staring at your exchange. 

--*-- 

You stretched out on the couch, starting to feel bored. It had been about an hour since Sonic proposed the challenge, but so far, he hadn’t done anything—or rather, he hadn’t even shown up again. You had no idea where he’d gone. 

Sighing, you flopped back onto the couch, resting one arm behind your head, staring up at the wooden ceiling of the cabin you shared with the blue hedgehog. And living with that rodent wasn’t exactly an easy task. 

Suddenly, the front door burst open with a loud sound, making you jump in surprise. You looked toward the door, only to be met with your blue friend, a smug smile on his face, both hands behind his back. 

Your eyes immediately narrowed at him, suspicious of that look and smirk on his face. 

“So...? What are you hiding back there?” you asked, crossing your arms. 

Sonic chuckled softly, taking a few steps toward you and stopping in front of the couch. 

“If I remember correctly, we’ve got a bet, right?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Well, I thought about it a lot, really got my hedgehog brain working, and now... I’ve brought my handsome face here to give you a gift...” His voice gradually became a low, husky murmur. 

As you raised a curious eyebrow, his hand moved from behind his back to reveal what he’d been hiding. 

Your mind took a moment to process what the heck had gone through his head to bring you this. 

“...Sonic?” you asked hesitantly, staring at the very unconventional bouquet in his hand. 

“Like it?” 

“Dude, I don’t even know what to say... Was this supposed to be a romantic gift?” Your hand hesitantly reached out, taking the bouquet from him to examine it more closely. 

Among the little green leaves, a few stalks stretched upward, ending in tiny open green mouths, waiting for the next unfortunate insect to fall in. 

“I worked hard to find those, okay? These carnivorous plants only grow deep in the forest,” the hedgehog said proudly, puffing out his chest. 

“What am I supposed to do with this now? Throw it in your face so they bite you?” you asked playfully. 

“Oh, don’t worry, they don’t bite... I think.” He glanced away for a second, then looked back at you. “So? Have you fallen for me yet?” 

“You swear they don’t bite?”

One of the little mouths on the plant began to stretch, getting dangerously close to your face. 

“It’s not like they’re gonna bite your finger off with those tiny little mouths,” the hedgehog laughed, watching every single one of your reactions meticulously. 

You let out a snorty laugh. 

“What kind of guy gives carnivorous plants to win over a girl? I think your mating ritual system needs a little recalibration, huh?” you said in a playful tone, amused by his choice of gift. Still, you were holding the plants tightly to your chest, in a caring way. 

“Think about it, babe. Any guy would give you flowers… but only I gave you carnivorous plants. That means I actually thought before gifting, and that means I care. Any girl would be totally into that.” He gestured with his hand. 

“Well yeah, but I’m not just any girl, am I? I put up with you 24/7 in this house, the situation with me is a little more delicate.” You stood up, walking calmly toward the kitchen, looking for a water jar to place the plants in. “You’ve still got time, don’t worry.” You gave him a wink before turning around, focusing your attention on the plants. 

Sonic’s fists clenched, and his eyes filled with determination. Then, in the blink of an eye, he dashed out of the house at the speed of sound, leaving only his blue trail behind. 

--*-- 

Focused, you were busy washing some dishes. Still, even while absorbed in the task, you were ready for Sonic’s next attempt, which you figured wouldn’t take long—he’d already had enough time to get creative with his next move. 

And right when your thoughts were circling around the blue hedgehog, you caught a movement from the corner of your eye. Looking to the side, you spotted him standing still, watching you with his usual crooked smile. 

Sonic leaned against the counter, propping himself up with his arm. 

“Ready for my next try? Careful, you won’t be able to escape this one.” He winked, chuckling softly. 

You turned off the faucet, focusing all your attention on him. 

“Alright then, proceed.” Crossing your arms, you waited. 

He cleared his throat dramatically, then smiled wide and began. 

“Did you fall from the sky? Because I keep tripping over my feelings for you…” You looked at him, confused, blinking once, then twice. 

“Was that a pickup line?” 

“Of course it was!” He stood up straight, placing his hand on his hip. 

“Seriously? That didn’t even make sense.” 

“You know what doesn’t make sense? How into you I am…” He pointed at you, winking subtly. 

You laughed, shaking your head in disbelief. 

“Still not convinced? If I were a storm, you’d be the lightning rod that draws me in.” He took a step forward, getting closer to you. 

You slowly shook your head again, still in disbelief, trying to process those bizarre attempts. 

“If you were a storm, I’d hide inside the house.” You shot back, taking a step toward him too. 

“Cruel. You wouldn’t want my rain to get you wet?” His voice dropped into a soft baritone. 

“Actually, I wouldn’t want to get struck by lightning, you know? Dying over that would be humiliating.” You gave him a playful punch on the arm. 

“Humiliating would be giving up on a babe like you…” His eyes shone with intensity. And it was only then that you realized just how close the two of you were, close enough to feel the warmth of his body, the sharp breath from his nostrils, and how noticeably ruffled his quills had become. 

His ears twitched forward, he blinked, and then he backed away slightly, breaking the spell that had held you so close. 

“I got an idea, babe.” He looked at you, smiling slightly. 

Before you could question him, you felt a firm arm wrapping around your back, holding your side, while another slipped under your knees—and before you knew it, the wind was hitting your face. 

Closing your eyes at the rush of air, your hands instinctively gripped the soft fur pressed against your body. 

Within seconds, Sonic gently set you down. You slowly opened your eyes, seeing that you were now on the far end of the beach. 

“Hey, who said you could kidnap me out here?” you teased. 

“I took the liberty. I wanted to take a walk with you. I mean, I’m not gonna win you over just sitting around the house—we already see each other there every day, you get it?” He gestured with his hands, tapping his foot in the sand, waiting. 

“Yeah, you’re right. Well, at least it’s nice to stroll out here without Eggman annoying us.” You started walking, your feet sinking slightly into the soft sand, feeling the cool breeze contrast with the warmth of the sun. 

“May I have this walk?” He ran ahead of you, holding out his hand, which you gladly accepted. 

“There’s this place up ahead that sells killer tropical ice cream. I can’t wait to show you.” He said with a cheeky smile. 

“How do you even find these places?” You nudged him with your elbow. 

“I’ve got my methods…” 

--*-- 

Enjoying the beach view, you also indulged in your ice cream, slowly licking the cold, sweet treat. At the moment, you were waiting for Sonic. He had said he was grabbing something for you and would be right back. So, you waited. 

A few seconds later, you heard the sound of him arriving behind you. Popping the last bit of the cone into your mouth and chewing, you slowly turned around to see the blue hedgehog standing there, smiling, with a gift box in his hands. 

“You’re really determined, huh?” you laughed, getting up and walking over to him. 

“This is nothing. That merchant owed me one after I saved his shop from a moth invasion…” He held out the box to you. 

You accepted it happily, looking at him with a soft expression. 

“Thanks, Sonic. I didn’t peg you as the gift-giving type.” You started unwrapping the box. 

“I can make exceptions sometimes—when the girl’s as pretty as you.” He crossed his arms, watching proudly as you opened the present. “I told the vendor loud and clear: I want something cute, unique, unforgettable, something that radiates beauty…” He gestured dramatically to show how much he cared about the gift. 

“Well, sounds amazing, but… you didn’t see what it was?” You raised a brow at him. 

“Uh, no, I wanted it to be so amazing even I didn’t know.” He scratched the back of his neck. 

Your gaze returned to the box, and that’s when you saw it—your eyes widened before you covered your mouth and burst out laughing. 

“I think that was the vendor’s definition of ‘radiant.’” You laughed, turning the box toward him. 

Sonic looked curious—then his eyes widened too, and he burst out laughing along with you. 

He reached in and pulled out a squished cactus plushie with giant googly eyes. 

“You sure you saved his shop from moths? Kinda seems like you sent the moths and he wanted revenge.” Laughing even harder, you looked at Sonic, seeing his genuine smile of amusement. 

“Well, never look a gift horse in the mouth. Here—forget everything I said earlier. Let’s pretend I picked this plushie out because I thought it was cute.” He handed you the cactus. 

“Alright, let’s pretend this was totally intentional.” You let out the last of your giggles, calming down, hugging the adorable plush to your chest. 

Sonic kept smiling, watching how affectionately you held the plush. 

“At least you liked it, right?” he whispered, almost too quietly for you to hear, cherishing every second of these shared moments. 

--*-- 

You lay down on your bed, night having fallen over the entire island. You hugged your plush to your chest, inhaling its pleasant scent. In the end, after receiving it, you and Sonic had walked back along the beach hand in hand, enjoying the late afternoon. 

And surprisingly, he hadn’t tried anything else. 

You glanced toward the living room, where the glow from the TV lit up the space. Sighing, you closed your eyes. Maybe he had just given up on the bet—or maybe, it had all just been a big joke to Sonic, and he didn’t actually care that much. 

A thought crossed your mind: maybe Sonic had already won the bet. You reflected on your own feelings, realizing that maybe—just maybe—you were starting to fall for him. 

But for now, it was better to forget about that. Midnight was only a few hours away—he wouldn’t have time to try anything else. 

Just as you were starting to drift off, you heard soft movement, footsteps on wood, until you felt the mattress beside your head sink. That’s when your eyes flew open, startled, locking onto curious green ones staring right at you. 

You raised an eyebrow at Sonic, seeing how he had trapped you in your own bed with his arms.

"And what are you doing now?" you asked, while deep down hoping he wouldn't stop whatever it was he was doing.

"My final move... Every great conquest needs a little seduction..." he said, flashing a sly smile.

"And by that you mean what? Kiss me?" you chuckled.

"No, the kiss is my reward for capturing your heart, remember?" he winked. "I have other ideas..." he lowered his voice, resting his forehead against yours.

"Listen, you're aware that you broke into my room, right?" you said in a playful tone.

"Yes, and I’d do it as many times as needed." He lowered his face, nestling his muzzle into the curve of your neck, sending a shiver through your spine. His arms dropped from their position holding you in place, wrapping you in a hug.

Unable to resist, you hugged him back, your arms going around his back too, your face moving closer to his neck, catching the scent of his neckerchief.

"You know... since it's almost midnight..." the hedgehog whispered in your ear. "I just wanted to say... the day was a lot of fun, babe..." he chuckled softly, making you laugh too, agreeing that the day really had been fun.

"Yeah, it really was..."

"And I want to see you smile every day, just like you smiled today with me... it's been my wish for a long time... I want to see you happy, even if it’s not with me..." he finally said in a low voice, still with his face in your neck.

Your heart clenched at his words, your eyes widened at the confession. That was real—he truly had feelings for you, misunderstood by you until that fateful day.

"Sonic..." you whispered, and that was when your eyes turned to the clock on the bedside table, showing midnight sharp. You sighed.

The hedgehog pulled his face away from your neck, releasing you from the hug. On his face, he was still smiling, pleased that he had finally expressed his true feelings, even if you didn’t feel the same.

"...I guess I lost, huh? Well, a deal’s a deal—you earned the right to ask for anything..." he scratched the back of his head, laughing. "But please, ask for something within my budget, otherwise—" He didn’t get to finish the sentence before you answered.

"Kiss me..." you said promptly, sitting up. His eyes widened in surprise.

"What? Can you repeat that?" He looked at you, confused.

"You heard me right... Kiss me. That’s what I choose as my prize..." you sat on the bed, holding his hand, pulling him closer.

"Babe, you're going to give me a heart attack like that... I didn’t see that one coming..." he leaned in close to your face, giving you time to pull back before pressing his muzzle against yours with passion. His hand quickly cupped the back of your neck while his lips locked with yours in a deep, loving kiss.

His other hand intertwined fingers with yours, squeezing affectionately as he continued to enjoy the intimate moment.

When you finally pulled away from that intense display of love, you were both breathless. Sonic let out a small laugh.

"I guess this means I won, right?" he looked at you with a playful smirk.

"I’d call it a tie..." your hand rose to cup his cheek.

"That works too, babe..." he sighed contently before leaning in again, ready to capture your lips in another passionate kiss.

--*--

You sat on the couch with the team at Amy’s house. Everyone was curious about the announcement Sonic had been hyping up all morning—he seemed incredibly excited. You already knew what it was, but you wanted to see your friends’ reactions to it all, how they’d take the big news.

That’s when the hedgehog stood in front of everyone, hands behind his back in a formal posture. He cleared his throat, smiling a little before speaking.

"Guys, I just wanted to say I’m really grateful—"

"No boring speeches, just get to the point..." you said, trying to avoid any long-winded explanations. Sonic cleared his throat again after pouting slightly.

"Alright, short and sweet, folks. [Y/N] and I are dating now, okay? Anyone have any objections?" Sonic said with his arms crossed.

For a second, everyone stared wide-eyed at the blue hedgehog, and you started to think the reaction might be negative. That was until you heard clapping. Your eyebrow raised in confusion.

"It was about time, geez, you two took forever," Amy said, laughing.

"Yeah, you two seemed so close we thought you were already secretly dating," Tails said, crossing his arms with a grin.

"We even tried to give you a little push, but you didn’t exactly respond the way we expected to Amy’s plan," Sticks noted, scratching her chin.

"Why are we clapping again?" Knuckles suddenly asked, scratching his head. Everyone looked at him, blinking once, before turning their attention back to Sonic.

"For the fastest creature alive, you were pretty slow in winning her heart," Amy teased, making Sonic’s ears fold back, embarrassed.

"I wasn’t slow! I just... waited for the right moment. And when the right moment came, I took a shortcut to her heart." The hedgehog turned to you, giving a cheeky wink.

"Should we be worried you two will stop to kiss in the middle of fights?" Tails whispered.

"Absolutely not! I’m not that reckless..." you looked away.

"Well... but who knows, maybe I’ll steal a quick kiss from you during battle..." Sonic said huskily, giving you a mischievous look.

"Sonic!" you looked at him, shocked, while the rest of the group laughed at your banter.

And you could hardly wait to see how your life would be filled with love and affection from then on. That thought warmed your heart deeply, especially as you looked at the hedgehog you’d fallen in love with.

[punkpandapatrixk]

Full Flower Moon in Scorpio ♦︎ Moon Magick Pick A Card

Full Flower Moon this year was in Scorpio on May 12/13💐Themes of 'fear' are strong with this one! One way or another, old fears find their way back to creep up your spine, rattling every trauma bone in your body...all for you to really take a good one last look...and then release them all to the skies above, the earth below and the waters beyond🌊On that note... Of course, themes of 'karmic justice' are also strong with this FM!⚖️It was interesting that I heard this as the 'main channelling' of this Scorpio FM:

Whatever fear is creeping back in to your consciousness, realise that it serves a higher purpose for re-appearing at this current stage in your spiritual evolution. That fear might hold some information about what kinds of things you do truly value in this lifetime. The fear is showing you what you shouldn't want to perpetuate or let happen in your personal reality nomo. You see, the mastery of fear is the mastery of the wheel of your Ship! Acknowledging your fear and navigating strategically and calmly will make you wiser~🚢

-I'm young and unwise, so I really dunno what I've just channelled lmao-

On another note, I'm also hearing, to assist you in navigating or sorting out fears and anxiety in your mind/body, it helps to regroup first before you rush to take ANY action to eliminate/soothe that fear. You got that?🥶People who've been traumatised a lot most likely deal with a scattered mind, because we were 'forced' into observing, noticing and anticipating all kinds of possible doomsday scenarios☄️

This Full Flower Moon in Scorpio is inviting you to re-learn, again, to re-train your brains to be able to focus on just one good thing at a time, before you move on to the next good thing. Or at least, focus on that one important thing until it is at least half done, or 60-70% taken care of... Something of that nature🍍Pssst...

Don't you think that the advent of the Internet and social media has hijacked people's minds, making us more scattered in our focus because there's a lot of BG noises from...maybe...notifications...? Yeah, turn that shit off when you're needing to regroup is what I'm hearing! Back to primitivity(?) for a few hours a day doesn't sound so bad lmao

spirit: no more words by Hamasaki Ayumi

gnosis: Treating Matter with Loving Care: Marie Louise von Franz | The Jungian Aion

deck-bottom: XI Justice Rx, Gold Alchemist (Roger Bacon) & Priestess of Ritual

[Moon PAC Masterlist] [Patreon] [Paid Readings]

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 1 – No More Fear of Losing Shit

d e a t h – 6 of Pentacles

You've been through a multitude of lack periods up until this year, it seems. I'm picking up on an aenergy signature that feels pure and childlike, like a faery. Due to extreme empathy and compassion, you'd allowed other people's lack mindsets, so to speak, to wrap around your mind and belief systems. Their beliefs about how difficult and effortful Life's achievements have got to be became your limitation as well, even if on the inside, you kinda knew Life didn't have to be that hard...

Up until this year, the transmutation of this typa belief system—again, transmutation, you weren't just eliminating this bs—has been the theme of your spiritual healing. Your karmic justice this season will be assuredly abundant, my darling! Security and stability for LYFE! Coz you've done so much with so little; now you can do anything with nothing! In effect, you ain't afraid nomo of losing shit—not things, not people, not time or opportunities, not even money or health—because...

p u r g a t o r y – 4 of Cups Rx

You simply know now, that whatever must transpire in this mortal realm, you're always gonna be good. You know you've got the power. So then, in this coming season, you'll see just how gooooood Life gets to be for you! You've done so wonderfully well to transmute the consciousness surrounding lack, hard work and hardship! From here onwards, your Life experiences are elevated. You'll know that with certainty because there ain't no mistaking your blessings now. They ain't shit in disguise nomo!

This Full Flower Moon in Scorpio is ushering in a new era of abundance for you that surrounds more than just the idea of money. Now, you will finally see and feel what security and stability look like. It could be in terms of relationships/communication, money and the ability to buy higher quality food or tissue (lmao), the ability to afford real pleasurable/luxury travels, etc. Your Life is regaining its colours that were dropped during survival and transmutation. This time around, more vibrant, more quality, with sanity.

'Now, money is safe with you and you're safe with money,' my fave YouTube reader said <3

r e b i r t h – Knight of Wands

Creation, creativity, fun times and good times, networking and socialising, maybe even partying and dating. These are some main themes/keywords for you this whole year. You've become the embodiment of the Empress herself—well, a smaller embodiment, maybe, but you're HER nevertheless. You'll see just how you turn heads whenever you enter a space. Your energy is becoming ever closer to being the aenergy of your Higher Self; this is who you were always meant to walk as <3

You're right now coming to understand, and accept, your true personal power. You've got this pure abundance aenergy that's making it easier to secure opportunities or charm the living shit out of people. You're the IT person! Everybody wants to serve and please you, they want to help you, buy you things, take you places and show you off to others who would only want to do the same! You may be finding yourself becoming sneakier or slickier... But, it's all just a Game, right? Ain't nothing evil about not showing your cards~

full moon self-care🔻🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘

Gold Geographer (John Dee) & Priestess of Purity

Access bonus, cards + affs on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 2 – Two… Two… Duality Shifting and Balancing into Unity

d e a t h – 2 of Wands

Whoa, 'TWO' and 'DUALITY' are strong for this Pile TWO! I get that you may resonate heavy with having, at least, two people inside your mind—giving you counsel and being your voice of reason when things were tough or deeply confusing. This may have developed as a coping mechanism and to varying degrees, may be a milder manifestation of depersonalisation or multiple personalities? Well, you just needed to give yourself a good talking to! They're very likely just your Spirit Guides and/or Higher Self! <3

Many of you tuning into this as your main pile, I'm hearing that you're 'learning to live again'. You may be in the middle of being highly inspired by morning/night routine vlogs and some such, and right now giving yourself the permission to try some new things out, for your continued betterment. This may be a slow and gradual process whereby you're finding yourself occasionally overwhelmed by the smallest things/acts. That's perfectly understandable—trauma is stored in the body, after all.

p u r g a t o r y – 2 of Pentacles Rx

Some days, you may find your body totally crashing or collapsing after doing the bare minimum. Know that this is perfectly expected if your body and mind have been through multiple cycles of narc abuse, death magick attempts, and other kinds of traumatic events that you may resonate with. That body works so much to achieve 'regular' feats with what amount of trauma stored inside it. Be patient with yourself; love your body, love yourself, love your process, always <3

This period/phase of your Life is all about Integration. That's literally your main theme if this is your main pile. You're integrating the light and the dark, the trauma and the healing, the stupid and the wise, the wild and the in-control. You're becoming more whole, more deep, as a spiritual being having a Human experience. At this time, you may be feeling out of balance every now and then, but you're just learning to walk again before you can run steadily! You're going to a really good place, trust that~

r e b i r t h – II The High Priestess Rx

You may have felt like up until now, your whole entire Life is just a buzz of confusion. Like you never really knew what was going on, or you felt like events just took place and you weren't even an active participant in the drama of your Life's script. Strange, wasn't it? I'm not sure how to make sense of that myself, but with the High Priestess herself being in reverse, I'm getting that all of that confusion or not-knowingness or not being control thing is passing away.

You're actively dying and perishing to so many old cycles of misery and trauma, which explains the push and pull of, possibly, suicidal ideation or the sheer desire of giving up. Things may feel like they're fucking with your mind right now but trust your Spirit Guides when they say: 'You're actually being rebuilt, it's only natural there's a lot of clanking noises right now. Sorry. Bear with us just a little more~!' By the end of it all, there's a high chance you could be meeting a Soulmate, Destined Person, or even a Divine Counterpart <33

full moon self-care🔻🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘

Silver Astronomer (Galileo Galilei) & Priestess of Fertility

Access bonus, cards + affs on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 3 – Your Gardens Nourished by Fiji Water!

d e a t h – XIV Temperance Rx

Wow, this is probably gonna be the greatest channelling I'll have ever done for a Moon PAC so far lmao But, it's because your aenergy is so PURE like shit, babe~ No, I mean, like seriously, some of you may have the recognition of your not having lived a perfectly innocent Life, but shut the fuck up, bitch—I know that you're a good person whose heart is simple: you just want to have a good time here, as much as possible without hurting anybody. Though sometimes, it's hard because Humans are weird anyway...

Perhaps it's because you've always been this way, that some kind of abundance has been quite hard to come by. This 'abundance' can be about money, but could also be about Love or cleanliness, or healthy relationships or whatever resonates, really. 'Mercy... Why is it love is never kind to me...?' lol Looking at this Major Arcana, the whole time, it wasn't that you couldn't manifest good shit for yourself; it was that on a Soul level, you always wanted the Fiji Water typa abundance...

p u r g a t o r y – King of Pentacles Rx

Your whole Life, most people had either gutter water or sewer water to offer you. As you grew older and learnt to respect and love yourself, you were beginning to manifest people and opportunities that offered you tap water, finally; and as you grew some more spiritually, now you were manifesting regular-but-fake ass bottled spring water, which in reality was just treated tap water. Your Soul couldn't sit with those typa 'abundance', you get it? Your conscious mind wanted to be OK with that; your Heart couldn't let you...

So then, you decided to work on creating your own channel for the real Fiji Water typa purity and freshness to flow towards the pond in your Heart. You, refused to drink from impure waters. Water here is literally the frequency of wealth, joy and happiness, prosperity and abundance~ When you see other people seemingly doing well with whatever money or relationships they have, they look OK drinking tap water, but that's not the quality your Soul would be OK with... You got that? <3

r e b i r t h – Ace of Pentacles Rx

So you see now, your 'delays'—especially in comparison to your peers' progress—were always your protection and blessing. In disguise? Not really. You probably just didn't know that you were 'working' spiritually to get only Fiji Water to nourish the gardens of your wealthy existence on Planet Earth. Naturally, it's about time all of that hard work bears fruit~ I don't even have to tell you anything; I'm sure you're already seeing your abundance—the pure kind—flow into your pond and spread throughout your gardens.

You worked so hard for all of this mechanism to be foolproof, leak-proof, quake-proof, theft-proof, siphon-proof, and all that stealing shit. You're good for Life, honey. Not regular good. Luxury water good on a spiritual level. Ain't that the best water any person could secure for themselves, huh? XD Karmic justice, is sweet and nutritious. You ain't getting toxic chems from your water source now; you're getting natural minerals what would ensure a happy, healthy Life for the rest of your days~★

full moon self-care🔻🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘

Silver Historian (Polydore Vergil) & Priestess of Energy

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[itwillbethescarletwitch]

Unsaid Emily

tfatws!bucky barnes x fem!reader

D.C. – Two Days Before the Mission

Bucky didn’t mean to start a fight.

He just couldn’t stop watching her zip up her tactical suit like it didn’t mean anything.

“It’s a recon run,” she said, tying her boots. “We’re in and out.”

“You always say that,” Bucky muttered.

She paused mid-lace, glancing up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I’m tired of acting like this isn’t dangerous.”

She scoffed. “It’s always dangerous. That’s the job.”

“No,” he said sharply. “It’s your job. I never asked you to do this.”

She stood up then, arms crossed. “You don’t get to play protector, James. Not with me.”

“I’m not playing anything,” he snapped. “I just don’t want to watch you walk into a mission and never come back.”

“Well maybe next time,” she said, voice low, “don’t fall for someone you don’t believe can take care of themselves.”

The room went quiet.

Bucky swallowed hard. “I don’t need you to be invincible. I need you to be alive.”

Her voice softened—just slightly. “So do I. But you can’t save me from everything, Bucky. You don’t get to choose what I risk.”

He looked at her for a long time.

Then said, quietly: “I hate how you do this. How you make it so easy to care and so impossible to stop.”

She blinked.

But before she could answer, the comm buzzed—mission briefing in 10.

And just like that, she turned and walked out the door.

——

Northern Border, Europe – Mission Day

A routine op. A regular day. That’s what made it worse.

Snow drifted off the trees in soft clouds as Y/N and Bucky moved along the perimeter. Sam’s voice crackled over comms: “You two good over there?”

“We’re solid,” Y/N answered, glancing up at the crumbling building ahead of them. “Looks like an old comms tower.”

Bucky barely glanced at her.

He hadn’t spoken more than five words to her since their fight two nights ago. And she hadn’t tried either.

She was calm, professional, focused — and that killed him more.

They crept through the corridor in silence. She took the lead, scouting. He followed, eyes trained on her like his focus could keep her safe.

It didn’t.

They split at the hallway fork — standard sweep pattern. Two minutes, then regroup.

Y/N turned and gave him a quick nod.

He didn’t nod back.

He wanted to say “Wait.”

He wanted to say “Come back.”

But he said nothing.

And that was the last time he saw her alive.

⸻

1:42 PM

Bucky was halfway through disabling an old security console when the explosion hit.

It shook the ground — a thunderous crack followed by fire and debris slicing through the hall.

“Y/N?!” he shouted into the comm. “Talk to me! Answer me!”

Nothing.

Only static.

He ran — faster than his legs had ever moved — into the smoke-filled hallway. Sam was yelling something behind him, but Bucky didn’t hear it.

All he could see was the collapsed east wing.

And a patch of black tactical gear crushed beneath beams and rubble.

⸻

Later That Day

They pulled her out of the wreckage hours later.

It took three people to confirm the body.

Sam stood in silence. Torres vomited. Bucky… he didn’t move.

He stood there, staring at what was left of her.

He didn’t cry.

He didn’t speak.

He just reached down, hands trembling, and took her necklace from the soot.

He stared at it like maybe — maybe — if he held it long enough, she’d come back.

But she didn’t.

⸻

One Week of Mourning

⸻

Day One

Bucky didn’t leave the room.

Didn’t eat. Didn’t sleep. Didn’t move.

He sat on the floor, back against the wall, Y/N’s necklace clenched so tightly in his hand that his knuckles went white.

Sam came in once.

“Bucky…”

No answer.

He was somewhere else — back in the hallway. Back at the fork. Back in the moment he should’ve said something. Should’ve turned around.

⸻

Day Two

He found her sweatshirt in his duffel bag.

Still smelled like her. Lavender and leather.

He curled up in the corner of the bed with it pressed to his face and shook silently for two hours.

Didn’t talk to anyone.

⸻

Day Three

He climbed to the rooftop just before midnight.

The wind cut through him like glass.

He stared up at the moon and whispered, “I didn’t mean it.”

His breath fogged in the cold. His fingers curled tighter around the chain in his palm.

“I should’ve told you I loved you.”

No one heard him.

Except the sky.

⸻

Day Four

Sam found him in the gym, bleeding.

His fists were raw — he’d punched through two punching bags, a concrete pillar, and a mirror.

“Bucky, stop!”

Bucky didn’t even blink. “She died thinking I hated her.”

“No, she didn’t—”

“I never said sorry.”

Sam froze.

Bucky stared down at the floor, chest heaving.

“I never said sorry.”

⸻

Day Five

He started writing.

Pages and pages of words he should’ve said. Crumpled letters. Torn journal entries. Ink-stained hands.

“If I could take us back… If I could just do that…”

“I’d write ‘I love you’ in every empty space.”

“So time couldn’t erase me.”

⸻

Day Six

He stopped talking.

Just sat on the rooftop again. Every night.

Necklace still in his palm. Always clenched.

He whispered to the moon like she could hear him.

“I never let you go.”

“I just… I didn’t know how to hold on.”

⸻

Day Seven

Zemo broke the silence in the common room.

“There’s been another string of deaths. Clean kills. Cold precision.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

Bucky looked up, eyes dark.

“They’re Hydra hits,” Zemo said, tossing the file on the table. “Same M.O. Different location.”

And then Sam’s voice, slow and low:

“…Hydra’s back.”

Bucky didn’t speak.

Didn’t blink.

But his grip on her necklace tightened like a man realizing the ground beneath him had just shifted again.

Because suddenly… he had a reason to get up.

——

Hydra Facility – Somewhere Underground

Seven days since she died.

Three days since the bodies started piling up.

Twelve minutes since they entered the compound.

Zero sound. Zero movement. Too quiet.

“Something’s off,” Sam whispered, scanning the corridor as Redwing hovered above.

“I feel it too,” Bucky muttered. He hadn’t let go of her necklace — it was tucked in his pocket, over his heart, like a shield.

Zemo trailed behind them, silent but watchful. The man had insisted they investigate despite Sam’s warnings.

“This is a trap,” Sam had said. “They’re trying to lure Bucky.”

“Then let them,” Zemo had answered. “The truth is worth it.”

Now, all Bucky felt was ice in his lungs.

They stepped into the main control room, walls covered in dust and frost — untouched, abandoned-looking. But it didn’t feel abandoned.

The lights flickered once.

Then a voice — warped and smooth — crackled through the intercom:

“Welcome back, Soldier.”

Bucky froze.

His fists clenched, breath catching in his throat.

“We’re so glad you came. We have a surprise for you.”

“Cover your ears!” Sam shouted, smashing his elbow into the control panel while Redwing shot upward and exploded the speakers.

But the damage was already done.

Because the wall across from them groaned — a mechanical whirr — and the massive double doors hissed open.

And standing there…

Was her.

⸻

Y/N.

Alive.

But not really.

Stripped of the warmth in her eyes. Her left arm replaced by a sleek black vibranium model, humming with faint blue light. Her suit was black, tactical, no insignia. Her stance — stiff, soldier-like. Controlled.

Her eyes locked on Bucky’s.

And they were empty.

Not confused. Not familiar.

Just empty.

⸻

Bucky’s world cracked in half.

He stepped forward, almost stumbling. “Y/N…?”

Nothing. Not a flinch. No recognition.

He took another step, shaking. “It’s me. It’s Buck. I thought you were—”

His voice cracked.

“God, I thought you were dead.”

Her head tilted slightly, like a machine running diagnostics.

And then, flatly, she spoke:

“Target acquired.”

She moved like lightning.

Metal arm first — crashing into Sam and knocking him into the wall. Redwing went down in pieces.

Bucky couldn’t move at first.

Because it wasn’t just her body that had changed — it was everything. Her soul, her heart, stolen and warped and twisted the way Hydra did best.

The same thing they had done to him.

And now, they did it to her.

⸻

The Fight

It was brutal.

She moved with precision and rage, flipping over consoles, taking bullets to the shoulder like they were paper cuts.

Zemo tried to subdue her with gas — she dodged it.

Sam tried to pin her — she flipped him.

And Bucky… Bucky just stood there.

Watching the love of his life try to kill him.

When she turned to him finally, breathing hard, her metal arm sparking, he barely lifted his hands.

“Y/N. Please,” he begged. “You don’t want to do this.”

But she didn’t pause.

Didn’t blink.

She launched at him.

Fist to his jaw, elbow to his ribs, knee to his side.

And Bucky let her.

He let her hit him until the blood from his lip dripped down his neck.

Until he saw the way her hands shook mid-punch.

Until — just for a second — her eyes flickered.

And he saw it.

Fear.

Buried beneath the programming. Drowning under commands.

“Come back to me,” he choked out. “Fight it. Please, baby. Please.”

She screamed — rage and confusion and agony all tangled together — and raised her arm again.

He caught it mid-swing.

And slammed her to the ground.

One hit. One knockout. Clean. Final.

And it destroyed him.

⸻

Hours Later – Wakandan Transport En Route

Bucky sat in the corner of the jet, her head in his lap, unconscious.

She was strapped down gently, softly — not like a prisoner, but like a patient.

The Dora Milaje were already coordinating the deprogramming.

Bucky stared at her face.

She looked so peaceful now. Like she wasn’t carrying 1000 kills in her hands. Like she wasn’t just trying to kill him.

Like she wasn’t taken from him, broken, and handed back in pieces.

He pressed his forehead to hers, voice trembling.

“I’m gonna bring you home. I swear.”

And then, lower.

Broken.

Whispering:

“If I could take us back… if I could just do that… I’d write ‘I love you’ in every empty space…”

Wakanda – Underground Recovery Wing

Two days after the base.

Y/N woke up screaming.

Thrashing, metal arm flaring with unstable sparks as she tore through the silk sheets and kicked off the restraints.

The walls around her were unfamiliar.

The bed — too soft.

The lights — too warm.

The scent — lavender and cedarwood.

It was all wrong.

She wasn’t supposed to wake up here.

She was supposed to be dead. Or killing.

Not… breathing.

She staggered back, gripping her head, a raw sob ripping from her throat. Her knees hit the ground hard.

Blood. Screams. Hands stained red.

She remembered all of it.

⸻

The door burst open.

The Dora Milaje were in before the second gasp. Calm, poised, trained.

“She’s disoriented—get the arm!” Ayo said.

“No!” Bucky shoved past them.

“She needs to see someone she remembers. Let me try.”

They hesitated.

But they let him through.

⸻

He dropped to his knees in front of her.

She didn’t even look like herself — soaked in sweat, trembling, eyes wide and feral.

Her metal arm twitched against her side, fingers curled like claws.

“Y/N…” he whispered.

Her head jerked up.

Her eyes met his.

She flinched.

“No. No, no, no, no—” She backed away like he was fire. “You can’t see me like this—”

“Hey—hey, it’s okay.” He reached forward slowly, gently, like she was glass. “You’re safe. You’re here. You’re not—”

“I killed people, Bucky.”

Her voice cracked like a dying star.

“I killed so many people. I remember it all. Their faces. Their screams. I—”

She dug her metal fingers into the skin of her own shoulder, like she could rip herself open and make it stop.

“Get it off me— get it OFF—”

“Y/N!” Bucky grabbed her wrists and pulled her close, holding her tight against his chest as she screamed and kicked.

“Look at me,” he said desperately. “LOOK at me!”

Her breath hitched.

He cupped her face, wiping the sweat from her temple with a shaking hand.

“This isn’t your fault.”

Her voice was barely a whisper. “I didn’t get to say goodbye.”

His heart split open.

“You weren’t supposed to. You were supposed to come back. I was supposed to apologize. I was supposed to tell you I—”

He couldn’t even finish.

She fell into him.

Collapsed.

Sobbing.

⸻

Later, when she finally slept, he sat beside her with her head in his lap.

He ran his fingers over her hair, like she was still fragile and alive and his all at once.

He stared out the window.

At the moon again.

And this time… he said it.

“I love you.”

“I should’ve said it before the mission.”

“I should’ve said it every day.”

“If I could take us back, I’d write it everywhere.”

“I’d tattoo it on the damn walls so time couldn’t erase me.”

He took her hand — both of them, flesh and metal — and brought them to his lips.

“You’re gonna come back to me, piece by piece.”

“And when you do… the words I most regret…”

“Will never be left unsaid again.”

Wakanda – One Week Later

She hadn’t looked him in the eyes since she came back.

She hadn’t called him Bucky.

She hadn’t said anything at all, really — except at night, when the nightmares tore through her lungs like fire, and she’d wake up gasping and clawing at her arm, screaming things she couldn’t remember saying.

And every time, without fail, Bucky was there.

He never said a word when she screamed.

Never flinched when she cried.

Never left.

He’d hold her through it.

Rub her back.

Kiss her hair.

Sometimes hum under his breath — barely audible — just to fill the silence.

But tonight… tonight was different.

Tonight she didn’t wake up screaming.

Tonight she was already awake.

⸻

She sat curled up on the edge of the bed, knees drawn to her chest, metal hand limp beside her.

Bucky stood by the doorway, unsure if he should come in.

Until she spoke:

“…You said it. Didn’t you.”

He froze.

“What?”

She glanced over her shoulder.

“In the base. Before you knocked me out.”

Her voice was quiet. Empty. “You told me to come back to you.”

His throat tightened. “Yeah.”

A long pause.

“I heard it.”

⸻

He moved closer.

Step by step, until he was sitting on the floor at her feet.

“You were gone,” he said, voice cracking. “And I didn’t get to say anything. We’d fought, and… and I let you go into that mission thinking I hated you.”

“I thought you did.”

He looked up at her. “I didn’t. I never did. I was scared.”

She looked down at her hands. “Of what?”

“Of how much I loved you.”

Silence.

“I thought if I lost you, it’d kill me.”

She blinked, hard.

“And then I did lose you. And it didn’t kill me — it just made me wish I was dead.”

⸻

She reached out slowly, like she wasn’t sure if he’d let her.

But he did.

He took her metal hand in his — the one he once thought would only hurt people.

Now it was holding the only thing that had ever made him feel alive.

And then…

She whispered it:

“I loved you too.”

“I still do.”

“I remembered your voice, Bucky. Even when I couldn’t remember mine.”

“That’s what kept me from pulling the trigger.”

“That’s why I missed.”

His chest caved in.

“You remembered me?”

“I never forgot.”

She finally looked him in the eyes.

And this time, they were hers again.

⸻

He pulled her into his lap. Held her like she’d disappear if he blinked.

And then, in the quiet of the Wakandan night, under a silver moon…

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“I never wanted to leave you.”

“You didn’t,” he whispered back.

“You just came home a little later.”

⸻

He kissed her metal shoulder first.

Then her temple.

Then her lips.

Slow. Careful. Like she was something fragile he’d spent a lifetime losing.

And when they pulled apart, she asked:

“…What now?”

He rested his forehead against hers.

“Now we write in every empty space.”

“We take back what they stole.”

“And we never leave another word unsaid.”

[rekino2114]

Fluff 6 with makoto haru and Kawakami (p5) and male reader too pls

Makoto, Haru and Kawakami giving you a lap pillow

Prompts list

Makoto niijima

"Hey y/n, are you paying attention?"

Your girlfriend's voice brought you back to reality, which greeted you with her beautiful red eyes staring at you in disappointment

"Did you fall asleep again?"

".........maybe"

Makoto sighed and fully turned her chair to look at you

"I thought you invited me to a study date to study not sleep"

"That was the plan"

"But?"

"But I just can't focus"

"Why?"

"I dunno, I guess it's the stress of exams coming up, I pulled way too many all nighters"

"....so you can't focus on studying....because you studied too much?"

"Pretty much and phantom thieves business definitely doesn't help either"

"So that's why you've been falling asleep in class"

"You noticed?"

"It's pretty hard not to when we sit next to each other"

"Thanks for not telling the teacher"

"You seriously think I'd tell on you?"

"No but still thanks"

"It's nothing"

".......so do we keep studying?"

"Even if we did I think you'd just fall back asleep"

"Oh sorry"

"It's not your fault, and I think I can fix that"

"Huh? How?"

"Well as the student council president it's my duty to ensure all students try to study at their best and you can't do that with a sleep schedule like that"

"....oh"

"And as your girlfriend I have to make sure you're healthy and taken care of so......."

Makoto blushed abut quickly regained her composure

"You can......s-sleep on me"

".....what?"

"...r-rest on my lap, I've heard it's a really comfortable and intimate thing that couples do......a-are you ok with that?"

You blushed too but smiled at her

"I'd love to if you're OK with it"

"I'm more than ok, I need you to have a good rest and I think this is a solution for that...s-so come here......p-please"

She turned even redder as she lightly patted her thighs

"You don't need to tell me twice"

You quickly got up and laid your head on her lap causing makoto to blush even more

"A-are you comfortable?"

"The most comfortable I've ever been"

"That's great i-i'm glad"

You smiled and closed your eyes as makoto looked at you with a slight smile

"By the way I had an idea, you're going to take a nap now right?"

"Yeah, if it's all right"

"Definitely, I just wanted to propose something. They say that the brain absorbs more information before it's about to fall asleep, so how about I read what you need to study so you can memorize it easier"

"That's genius makoto, you always have the best ideas"

"Thank you, I appreciate the compliment, now just relax and listen until you sleep alright?"

You nodded, and makoto grabbed the book and started reading to you while stroking your hair with her other hand, her soft voice and hands making you relax even more

"Thanks.....this feels really good"

"It's nothing, I just wish to help you sleep better........i-if you want I suppose I wouldn't be opposed to doing more study sessions like this if you don't mind"

"......You're the best girlfriend I could have asked for"

"...and you're the best boyfriend, now just continue listening ok?"

Haru okumura

You sighed, stretched and grabbed your weapon after defeating the last shadow, then turned to noir to see that she had just finished axing the last one too

"That was every shadow right?"

"Yep, I checked, we should probably regroup with joker and the others now"

You nodded as she smiled brightly and held your hand, you two made your way through some floors and found your leader talking with panther standing outside the Morgana car

"Oh you're finally back"

"Yeah sorry, there were more shadows than expected"

"It's fine, we weren't waiting for long"

You got in the car ready to leave mementos you and noir together in the back while joker and panther were on the front.

As soon as you entered you stretched again and yawned, attracting haru's attention

"Is everything alright darling?"

"Hm? Yeah,yeah don't worry, I'm just a bit tired you know how mementos gets on days like this"

"I see, but are you sure you're alright?"

"What do you mean?"

"You look really tired, n-not in a bad way of course, you still look as handsome as always, it's just......."

The beauty thief narrowed her eyes, and sweat dropped at the fact that she could still see your eyebags even with your mask covering the part around your eyes

"You look really not alright"

"O-oh it's just.........j-just don't worry about me"

"Dear, I'm your girlfriend it's my job to worry about you"

"......i-i'm just really really tired"

"Oh, there's an easy solution for that. Once we go outside, I'll make you some chamomile and we can cuddle"

"That does sound amazing"

"Hm, but I can’t have you falling asleep on your way there, how about you have a quick power nap in here? I'm sure there's enough time to rest until we get back in the real world"

"Sure but Morgana doesn't seem too comfortable"

Haru giggled at you and you already felt a bit better hearing her adorable laugh

"Oh no silly, I meant over here"

She pointed at her lap

"R-really?"

"What's the issue, it's not like this is the first time we've done this"

"Y-yeah but in public....."

You mentioned while pointing to your friends in the front seats

"I'm sure they won't mind, and they definitely wouldn't even think about doing any noises to wake you up right?"

Joker and panther just did a thumbs up

"Alright then, it's decided, I'm sure you remember how comfy and fluffy this pillow is. Just come over here my love"

You still blushed but sighed and laid on her lap

"That's great baby, just relax now, alright? I'll play with your hair and sing something,that should help you"

You nodded and closed your eyes as haru started playing with your hair and singing a lullaby. Her actions and just entire presence were so relaxing that you fell asleep almost immediately

"You're so adorable like this"

Haru kissed your forehead and whispered sweet dreams in your ears before turning to look at her friends

"Joker may I request that you send someone else other than me and y/n to mementos for a while, I would like to take care of him more"

The phantom thieves leader just nodded causing noir to smile

"Oh my God! You are so adorable together I need to take a picture"

"I-i suppose it's alright"

Haru posed for Ann's picture before returning to stroking your hair and singing

Sadayo kawakami

The moment you heard it you immediately recognized the sound of the keys jangling and the lock opening, a sound that could only mean one thing: your wife had returned home.

You immediately turned around from your computer and went up to the door where you saw kawakami standing

"Hello honey"

"Hi sadayo, welcome home"

"Thanks"

You helped her take her jacket off and hang it up

"How was work?"

"You know always the same, annoying kids who don't listen"

"Hehe, I can definitely relate"

"Speaking of, how was yours?"

"Pretty much the same, I'm just glad they let me leave early, I'm sorry that we couldn't do lunch break together by the way"

"It's alright, we can just eat dinner together now"

"Yeah......about that"

You sheepishly avoided kawakami's gaze but she quickly noticed and inquired

"What's wrong y/n?"

"Sorry I didn't prepare dinner, I was just grading some tests and lost track of time"

"Oh is that it? That's fine we'll just order something"

"Yeah, I'm still sorry though, I'll wash the dishes to make up for it"

"Hey you don't think I married you just because you can make housework right? We both know I can do that too"

"I know but you're always so tired when you get back from work and-"

"Y/n we work the same job I know how hard it is you deserve to be taken care of to and you have me for that"

You smiled at her and she did the same while holding your hands and leading you to the couch

"It's obvious you've been overworking yourself so you need to sleep more"

"It's easy when you put it like that"

"I know but I think I know how to at least make it more comfortable"

"Huh?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this but just lay your head on my thighs"

".......h-huh?"

"Just do it before I change my mind"

"O-ok"

You did as she told you and found yourself laying on her incredibly thick and comfy thighs

"Wow this......this is great"

"Is it?"

"Yeah like the best pillows I've ever laid on"

"I'm glad my experience was at least useful"

"Experience?"

"Some clients asked for stuff like this, they just wanted someone to comfort and listen to them, they were actually some of the nicest ones"

"I can definitely see why they'd like this..... I get this for free though right?"

"Obviously, you're the reason why I don't have to work that job anyway"

".......and I can have this in the future too?"

"Yeah whenever you feel stressed"

".....thanks"

"You're welcome, if I can give great lap pillows then why shouldn't I give them my husband"

"...I love you so much"

"I love you too just fall asleep now, I'll wake you up when the food gets here"

You nodded, closed your eyes and fell asleep on your wife's lap who sighed again before smiling and starting to give you an amazing scalp massage

[overtake]

if you’re still doing prompts: ⁹¹⁾ six missed calls

Car mechanic Daniel, driver Max.

Daniel’s brain pulses inside his head, kissing the fragile walls of his skull with every second he’s awake. His nose simultaneously runs out of one nostril and is stuffed up in the other. Even through his slightly blocked hearing, he knows his breathing sounds wheezy and congested.

He props himself up onto a shaky elbow and almost collapses with the motion. His whole body aches. There’s spine-chilling shivers sent through his bones one second and hot flashes the next. Groaning, he finally adjusts himself to a seated position and takes a second to regroup.

Reluctantly, he reaches for his phone to turn off do not disturb. He hates to call out of work, made worse by how nice Cyril always is about it. The garage is a lot for the two of them to handle, let alone Cyril by himself.

Daniel blinks when he realizes he has six missed calls from the garage. He’s definitely running a bit behind his usual schedule, but Cyril doesn’t set specific hours for him so long as Daniel gets his work done. There must be some emergency, which is fucking great. He’ll be taking medicine and going after all.

He sees spots when he stands to his feet, but he grabs his bedside table and manages to stay upright. He puts the phone on speaker and drops it on the bed while he pulls on the first respectably clean items of clothing he can find. Not like it matters, really. He’ll sweat through them within five minutes of working through this fever, and grease always seems to permeate their coveralls no matter what they do.

Cyril picks up in a state of panic — which, for him, still sounds remarkably calm and stable.

“We have an emergency repair,” he informs Daniel. “It’s going to take me all day, probably. I need you to cover everything else so I can get this done.”

“I’ll be there in fifteen,” Daniel promises, trying his absolute best to sound as if he’s not deathly ill. Cyril is too caught up in frantically relaying this emergency to Daniel, who has entirely tuned him out in pursuit of getting on pants without passing out and splitting his head open. He probably ends the call rather rudely into Cyril’s story, but he needs to focus all his attention on driving into work without a dizzy spell.

Cyril takes one look at him and tries to send him straight back home.

“No,” Daniel protests. “I’m good. I’ll go home if it’s still bad by midday, but I’m alright. You have that emergency repair for someone important.”

The reminder of this seemingly VIP client perks Cyril right up. “You would not believe who is in our office right now,” he says, dropping his voice to a low whisper.

Daniel shrugs. He probably can guess. A tiny auto repair shop on the outskirts of Perth doesn’t exactly attract high profile visitors. At best, it’s probably some dickhead politician or half-famous musician. They definitely have money, based on the nice ass car Cyril was working on when Daniel walked in.

“Go and look,” Cyril says excitedly, shoving Daniel toward the door that leads into the office space.

This mystery guy has his back to Daniel, bent over on his phone. Daniel sees broad shoulders and scruffy hair in that nebulous area between blond and brown.

It’s only when the guy turns around that he realizes he’s looking at Max Verstappen.

Daniel hasn’t paid actual attention to F1 in years. He did his time in Italy, tried to prove himself worthy of a real shot. He got it, too. He did races with HRT, made it two races with Toro Rosso, and then collapsed in the paddock before quali and was diagnosed with a heart condition. Manageable, they said. Shouldn’t affect his length or quality of life, so long as he took medication and stopped putting his body through the enormous strain of racing.

He’d considered saying fuck it and racing anyway. It felt more important to him than anything else at that time. To a 22-year-old with his dreams at his fingertips, he figured there was no quality of life without F1.

His mum, though — it would have destroyed her. He returned to Perth and laid uselessly in bed for two months, then found the closest job to cars he could stomach without driving himself mental over what he’d lost.

“Everything okay?” Max asks, twisting and facing his body toward Daniel when he hears the door open. His blue eyes widen when they take in Daniel, probably looking just as spooked as Daniel’s do right now. Daniel knows he’s sick, but he didn’t realize he looked atrocious enough to scare people.

“Hi,” Daniel says. His words come out phlegmy, and he tries for a casual cough to clear it. He can feel it’s not successful, but forges on. “Uh, I don’t know if Cyril mentioned it, but your repair is going to probably be an all-day thing. You don’t have to sit in here.” Then, panicked that he sounds as if he’s kicking Max out, he hastily clarifies. “Obviously, you can stay if you want. There’s just probably more exciting things to do.”

Max looks at him drily. “I don’t have a car.”

“Right,” Daniel says. “Like, no offense, but I think you’ve got the money to rent a new one.”

Max doesn’t look remotely offended. He laughs, something genuine and higher-pitched than Daniel expected.

“I’ve done all the tourist things anyway. I leave tomorrow. I don’t really mind just sitting here.”

“Alright, well. Just wanted to let you know.”

“Thank you, Daniel,” Max says. He has a nice smile, Daniel thinks, and admires the pink shape of it before Max turns back to his phone.

It takes his hazy brain ages to realize he never told Max his name.

Max hunches over his screen, shooting the odd glance at the door to make sure no one’s about to bust back through. He types in the Instagram handle he’s visited countless times over the years. Daniel Ricciardo, who shook his hand at a karting event with a big grin and imprinted himself permanently on Max’s psyche.

Max had spent ages on his dad’s computer after that collapse, refreshing the search over and over until a news article confirmed that Daniel was alive.

Daniel had faded in and out of Max’s memory in the years since, but he never left completely. Every so often, Max would look at his social media and watch the profile picture change with the times. Those pixels on a locked-down profile were the only documentation he had that Daniel was still out in the world somewhere and doing okay.

He didn’t come to Perth for Daniel. He didn’t even know if Daniel still lived here, for one. Plus, it would be incredibly creepy to track him down based on the foggy memory of a decade old karting event.

Max had watched back Daniel’s limited races, breathless at the raw potential. He’d wondered a few times what it would’ve been like if Daniel stayed and fought his way into Red Bull long enough for Max to race beside him.

Even still, he didn’t pick his vacation spot for Daniel. Subconsciously, maybe it influenced his choice, but he had two spare weeks after Melbourne and an ache to see something besides his white bedroom walls.

Fate, not Max, made his ludicrously expensive rental car break down in the Perth suburbs and brought him to Daniel’s garage.

He looks down at Daniel’s profile. 32 posts. A profile picture of him in a colourful bucket hat sipping a drink. No mutual followers, despite the countless people that connect them. Daniel didn’t make this page until he was out of F1, and Max assumes he blocked out that world entirely.

He hovers his finger over the follow button, then exits the app before he can make that kind of bad decision. Instead, he stands, pats his jeans to check for his wallet, and marches out the door toward the cafe a few doors down.

He thinks of Daniel’s raspy voice and ruddy, fever-red cheeks and hopes he likes soup.

[pbaz7]

It’ll Always Be Her Chapter 15

AN: Here’s the next chapter, just a cutesy one to transition into the last portions of the story. It’ll end up being 19 chapters so we’re almost done!

Word Count: 3.4k

The UConn Pavilion was alive, buzzing with the kind of energy only playoff basketball could bring. Every seat in the arena was filled, a sea of fans clad in blue and white, waving banners and chanting in unison. The court gleamed under the bright lights, the UConn logo standing proud at center court. The stakes were high; this wasn’t just any game—this was the Big East Championship game, where every second counted, and every play could make or break a team’s positioning come time for the NCAA tournament.

Paige took a deep breath, standing at the free-throw line as the referee prepared to toss up the jump ball. She could feel the eyes of the packed crowd on her, but she tuned out the noise, her focus narrowing to the task at hand. Across from her, Azzi gave her a quick nod, her expression calm but intense. It was their silent way of communicating—no words needed. They’d been here before, and they knew what needed to be done.

From the moment the ball was tipped, Paige and Azzi were a force to be reckoned with. They moved like two parts of the same machine, their chemistry undeniable. Paige drove to the basket with precision, weaving through defenders before kicking the ball out to Azzi, who drained a three-pointer with ease. The crowd roared, but neither player celebrated. There was still work to do.

On defense, they were equally relentless. Azzi intercepted a sloppy pass, immediately looking upcourt to find Paige sprinting ahead. The two connected on a fast break, with Paige finishing at the rim, her layup just brushing the backboard before dropping through the net. The opposing team called a timeout, desperate to regroup, but the damage had already been done.

“Keep pushing!” Geno shouted as the team huddled on the sideline. “They can’t stop you two if you stay locked in.”

Paige wiped sweat from her brow, her eyes never leaving Azzi. They were both breathing hard, but neither looked ready to slow down. Azzi smirked, leaning in close enough for only Paige to hear. “They’re scrambling out there. Let’s keep pushing.”

Paige chuckled, nodding. “Let’s do it.”

Back on the court, the intensity only ramped up. The opposing team fought hard, trading baskets and refusing to let UConn pull too far ahead. Every possession felt like a battle, with bodies colliding and tempers flaring. The crowd fed off the tension, their cheers and boos rising and falling with every play.

With three minutes left in the fourth quarter, the score was tied. Both teams were in the bonus, and the pressure was palpable. Paige dribbled at the top of the key, calling for a screen. Azzi set a perfect pick, giving Paige just enough room to drive into the paint. As the defense collapsed on her, Paige spotted Azzi slipping to the wing, wide open.

Without hesitation, Paige fired the ball to her. Azzi caught it in stride, rising for the shot. The ball hung in the air for what felt like an eternity before swishing through the net. The Pavilion erupted, the crowd on their feet, but there was no time to celebrate. The opposing team inbounded quickly, racing back down the court.

Azzi clapped her hands, barking out defensive assignments as Paige picked up the ball handler. They were back in sync, shutting down passing lanes and forcing a contested shot that clanged off the rim. Paige snagged the rebound, her eyes immediately searching for Azzi. Together, they pushed the pace, refusing to let their opponents catch their breath.

The crowd was on their feet as the clock ticked down in the fourth quarter. With under a minute to go, UConn clung to a comfortable lead. The pressure was suffocating, but Paige kept her composure. She called for a screen, weaving through defenders before dishing the ball to Azzi, who drained another three, putting UConn up by 13. As the final buzzer echoed through the UConn Pavilion, signaling the end of a thrilling Big East Championship game. The crowd exploded, a tidal wave of cheers and applause that seemed to shake the very foundations of the arena. Blue and white streamers and confetti rained down from the ceiling, filling the air with a sparkling, celebratory haze. Paige stood at center court as she took it all in.

This wasn’t just any win—it was the culmination of a season built on grit and determination, a season where they had a full roster for the first time in years. After a difficult, injury-riddled season the year before, where they barely had enough players to field a full squad, UConn had come roaring back this year, undefeated and ready to take on the world. Now, with the Big East Championship secured, the number one seed in March Madness was all but theirs.

Paige’s breath hitched as she realized the weight of it all. The last few years had been a rollercoaster, but this moment made every struggle worth it. She had a perfect season ahead of her, but more than that, she was just a few games away from possibly lifting the NCAA Championship. The emotions flooded her—joy, relief, pride—and for the first time in what felt like forever, she allowed herself to fully feel them.

She didn’t notice the tears at first, but as they slid down her cheeks, it became impossible to ignore. She’d put everything into this season, everything into leading her team, and it was all coming to fruition in the most glorious way.

Azzi was by her side in an instant, sensing the shift in Paige’s demeanor. She didn’t hesitate, pulling Paige into a tight embrace, her arms wrapping around her to offer comfort, strength, and love. The world around them faded. The noise of the crowd, the celebration, everything else was drowned out by the closeness of the moment.

They stood like that for what felt like eternity, Paige resting her head on Azzi’s shoulder, as if grounding herself in the support of the one person who had been with her through it all. Azzi held her tight, the intensity of the moment palpable between them.

In the hush of the hug, just for a moment, Paige’s lips brushed against Azzi’s neck in a soft, almost imperceptible gesture, as if confirming the unspoken bond they shared. Paige pulled back slightly, her eyes searching Azzi’s, the quiet words that passed between them only adding to the electric energy of the moment.

“Couldn’t have done it without you,” Paige whispered, her voice shaky with emotion.

Azzi’s smile was tender, her voice soft but filled with certainty. “And I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else.”

As their hug lingered, the camera zoomed in on them, capturing every raw emotion. The jumbotron flickered to life, broadcasting their moment for everyone to see. The crowd’s cheers softened as they caught sight of the intimate exchange between the two. The connection between Paige and Azzi was undeniable, filled with so many emotions—victory, love, relief, and the silent promise that they were in this together.

Phones came out in the stands, fans capturing the moment for social media. Before the trophy presentation had even begun, the buzz was already growing. Speculation swirled across Twitter and Instagram, as fans and followers debated the nature of the relationship between Paige and Azzi. Some celebrated the bond they shared, praising their connection as something pure and powerful. Others weren’t so kind, questioning what they saw, unable to separate the intense chemistry on the court from their own assumptions.

@hoopsfanatic21: “That hug says it all. 💙@paigebueckers1 & @azzi_35 are not just teammates. Uconn is unstoppable! #BigEastChamps #TimeForMarchMadness

@CourtSideGurl: “Love seeing @azzi_35 and @paigebueckers1 show their bond on and off the court 😍🔥. But is it just me, or are we witnessing something more? #UConn #BigEastFinals"

@BasketballNews247: "Is @paigebueckers1 and @azzi_35 hug more than just a celebration? The chemistry between them is unreal. 🔥💔 #BigEastChamps #MarchMadness"

@SportsHotTake: "That hug... uncomfortable. Just me? Something feels off with this whole @paigebueckers1 and @azzi_35 dynamic.”

But while the social media storm began to rise, the team was still lost in the bliss of the present. They were too busy celebrating their victory, their trophy, and the joy of a perfect season to notice the online frenzy unfolding. The cameras caught the smiles of the team, the hugs exchanged, and the euphoria of a championship win—but none of them had any idea what was brewing off the court.

When the trophy presentation finally began, Paige was called forward as the Big East Championship MVP. She walked up, her steps steady but her heart racing. The roar of the crowd filled her ears, but she couldn’t stop the overwhelming flood of emotions that rose within her. Azzi’s eyes followed her every movement, filled with pride and admiration. When their gazes met, Azzi’s face softened, a tender smile tugging at the corners of her lips. It was clear: Azzi was beyond proud of Paige.

Paige took the trophy, the weight of it symbolic not just of her individual achievement, but of the journey she had taken with her team, and with Azzi, by her side.

As the celebration continued, no one—least of all Paige or Azzi—could have anticipated the chatter just their moment of a hug on the jumbotron would cause.

As the sound of celebration slowly faded and the team filed back into the locker room, the excitement was still palpable. They had just won the Big East Championship—something they had worked so hard for all season. The coaches were still congratulating them, clapping each player on the back as they made their way toward their lockers. Paige, still holding her MVP trophy, exchanged high-fives with teammates, her heart still pounding from the win.

It was only when they started pulling their phones from their bags that the first signs of the online firestorm hit. Caroline, who had just unlocked her phone, looked up in surprise as her eyes scanned the screen. Her expression shifted from curiosity to disbelief.

"Guys, you need to see this," she said, walking toward Paige and Azzi, who were in the middle of a quiet exchange, still basking in the glow of their victory.

Paige and Azzi both looked up, but it was Azzi who answered, her voice casual. "See what?"

Caroline handed over her phone, showing them the flood of tweets, Instagram posts, and viral videos featuring their hug on the jumbotron. The speculation was rampant. Caroline pointed to one tweet in particular.

Paige and Azzi exchanged a quick, surprised glance. Their hug had only been a moment of raw emotion between them—a celebration of everything they had worked for. Yet, now it was at the center of a social media storm.

“Wow,” Paige said softly, shaking her head. "Just a hug, huh?"

Azzi laughed softly, a touch of disbelief in her voice. "Guess it’s a lot more than that."

Caroline gave them a sympathetic look, her face mixed with concern and amusement. "I’m sure you two didn’t expect this. But honestly? You look so happy together, people can’t help but notice."

Paige nodded, still processing everything. "We’re fine with it," she said quietly. "It’s not like we’re trying to hide anything. But we also didn’t think it’d blow up like this."

Azzi gave a short chuckle, her smile still warm. "Yeah, but it is what it is."

Before they could discuss it any further, Geno walked into the locker room, signaling that they needed to head to the interview room. "Let’s go, ladies. Time for interviews."

As they walked down the hallway, the weight of the conversation they were about to have loomed in the air. Both Paige and Azzi were quietly processing the fact that their moment was now out in the open, and they were about to face questions they hadn’t prepared for.

The interview room was filled with media members, cameras flashing as Paige and Azzi entered, still wearing their uniforms. The reporters’ chatter quickly died down as Paige and Azzi took their seats at the front, with the MVP trophy sitting proudly on the table in front of Paige and the team trophy sitting in front of Azzi.

For the first few minutes, the questions were all basketball-related. The reporters congratulated Paige for her MVP performance, and Azzi was asked about her contributions to the game. They talked about their preparation, their teamwork, and what it meant to secure the number one spot in March Madness.

One reporter, sensing an opening, leaned in. "Paige, Azzi," the reporter began, "we all saw that emotional moment between the two of you after the win. With everything going on right now, fans seem to be reacting strongly to your connection. Have you two seen what’s been happening on social media?"

Azzi and Paige exchanged a quick glance, the weight of the moment sinking in. Paige was the first to speak, her voice steady but calm. "We haven’t seen it, no," she said, glancing at Azzi for a moment. "But Caroline showed us a quick glimpse at what people were saying."

The reporter leaned forward, eager to get more. "So, with all the attention on that moment, what’s your take on it?"

Paige took a breath, thinking carefully before she responded. "Azzi and I have been through everything together," she began, her voice softening with the weight of their shared history. "I’ve known her since I was a teenager. We’ve played on Team USA together, we’ve been through injuries together, and we’ve been at UConn together. Our bond is deep, and we’ve been through a lot. But we’re both private people, and we’ve always kept our personal lives just that—personal."

Azzi nodded in agreement, her tone calm but firm. "Yeah, it’s about respect. We’ve got a deep connection that’s been built over years of friendship and shared experiences. But we don’t feel the need to explain it all. We’re focused on basketball, on the championship, on what comes next."

Paige added, "What’s important right now is what we’re doing together as a team. We’ve been through a lot to get to this point, and we’re focused on the bigger picture."

The reporter, sensing they weren’t about to get an explicit answer, nodded, respecting their choice to keep things private.

The conversation shifted back to basketball, but the subtle way they spoke left room for interpretation. Neither Paige nor Azzi confirmed anything, but their words said enough to make it clear that they weren’t really hiding anything anymore.

…

After the game ended and the interviews were done, Paige and Azzi made their way out the back of the UConn Pavilion, where a crowd of fans waited excitedly. Paige, casually holding Azzi’s bag, seemed unfazed by the attention, her focus more on the quiet moment shared with Azzi. They stopped to take a few pictures with fans, each fan bubbling with excitement.

One fan, snapping a picture, grinned. “You two always seem to be together. I couldn't stand being with my bestfriend 24/7.”

Paige chuckled and shot a playful look at Azzi. “Just good teamwork,” she said with a wink,

Azzi, leaning in a little closer, grinned. “Yep, we work well together. Can’t ask for a better partner,” she teased, her voice light, but with an undercurrent of something more.

Another fan, snapping pictures, noticed Paige holding Azzi’s bag and raised an eyebrow. “That’s sweet. You always carry her stuff?”

Paige shot the fan a half-grin. “What can I say? I’m just really good at helping out,” she said casually, making no effort to downplay the closeness.

Azzi rolled her eyes dramatically, but her smile never faltered. “Yeah, she’s sooo helpful,” Azzi teased, nudging Paige’s shoulder as if they were sharing some private joke.

One fan, waving their hand frantically in an attempt to catch Paige’s attention, called out her name. But Paige was too engrossed in conversation to notice.

Azzi, noticing the fan’s efforts, leaned in with a mischievous smile and whispered in Paige's ear, "Someone’s trying to get your attention."

Paige didn’t look up right away, still distracted by the fan she was talking to. Azzi raised an eyebrow and, with a quick glance toward the fan, turned back to Paige, her voice a little more playful and louder this time. “Hey, babe,” she said, her words slow and teasing, her tone deliberately flirtatious. “Someone’s calling you.”

Paige finally turned, raising an eyebrow at Azzi’s tone but smiling when she realized what was happening. “What? You’re just trying to get me to notice you, huh?”

Azzi smirked, a confident glint in her eye. “Maybe, but I think I’d rather help our fan out,” she said, nudging Paige toward the excited fan, who was still waiting.

Paige chuckled, clearly amused. “Alright, alright. I’m here,” she said with a grin, finally turning her full attention to the fan.

Azzi leaned in a little closer to Paige so only she could hear, her voice lowering just enough to be playful but filled with flirtation. “You know, it’s kinda cute how much attention you get. I think they’re all a little obsessed with you,” she teased, her lips curling in a smile. At this, Paige smiles at Azzi, letting her know she heard her as they share a moment with one another.

The fan was clearly excited. “I just wanted to say that you two are great together! You make the best team on and off the court.”

Azzi glanced at Paige with a knowing smile. “Well, what can we say? We make a pretty good duo,” she replied, her eyes locked on Paige, the chemistry undeniable. “But we’re just doing what we do best.”

Paige grinned, her fingers lightly adjusting the strap on Azzi’s bag. “Yeah, we’re just two people making it work. No big deal,” she said casually, giving the fan a smile. “Thanks for the love!”

As they wrapped up the conversation, another fan shouted from a little further away, trying to get Paige’s attention. This time, the fan looked directly at Azzi, unsure how to catch Paige’s eye.

Azzi, with a playful smirk, turned to Paige and said, “Looks like we’ve got another one. Maybe I should help them out, huh?”

Paige raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “You really do like playing matchmaker, don’t you?”

Azzi just gave her a sly wink, leaning closer to Paige’s ear and in a loud enough voice for the fan to hear, she called out, “Hey, Paige! You’re needed over there!” Her words were light and teasing, her eyes never leaving Paige’s face.

The fan’s eyes widened, both at the sound of Azzi’s playful tone and the way she effortlessly got Paige’s attention. Paige couldn’t help but laugh, finally turning to the fan. “Sorry about that! What’s up?”

Azzi leaned in and whispered with a teasing grin, “I think I just became your personal hype woman.”

Paige chuckled, shaking her head but clearly enjoying the playful banter. “Clearly, you’ve got this whole thing down.”

As they continued to chat with the fans, one of them pointed out their matching phone cases, prompting another round of smiles. “Are those matching cases?” the fan asked, grinning. “That’s so cute!”

Azzi, glancing down at the phones she was holding with a smirk, nudged Paige. “Guess we’re just on the same wavelength,” she said, her voice light but flirtatious.

Paige shot her a sideways grin. “Don’t lie, I got those for us.”

As they made their way to the car, more fans continued to watch, whispering excitedly about everything they had just seen.

Azzi overheard and shot Paige a teasing look. “Guess I’m getting spoiled tonight,” she said, her voice dripping with playful affection.

Paige opened the car door for Azzi with a smile, not even thinking about it as she helped Azzi slide in. “What can I say? Someone’s gotta treat you right.”

Azzi’s grin widened. “You’re officially my chauffeur now. I’ll make sure to tip well.”

As the car pulled away from the Pavilion, the fans' murmurs continued to buzz. Social media lit up again, fans sharing every little detail they’d just witnessed: Paige holding Azzi’s bag, the matching phone cases, Paige opening the car door for Azzi, the two of them flirting in front of fans. It was a game of subtle hints, with the fans eagerly picking up on every unspoken gesture.

Paige looked over at Azzi, her eyes soft. “Guess the fans will have a lot to talk about tonight.”

Azzi just laughs at this saying it’ll probably get 10x worse during March Madness.

@melpthatsme

[hoe4hotchner]

A night to remember

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Reader (x BAU)

Words: 1k

Warnings: Alcohol

A/N: Brain was not braining while writing this, so it’s a little all over. I like it though 💕

The team had just wrapped up a particularly nerve-wracking and challenging case, and with work finally behind them for the next day or two, Morgan and Prentiss had suggested a night out before flying back to Quantico to regroup for their next case. The local bar was surprisingly lively, a cozy spot with exposed brick and upbeat music.

The team arrived in high spirits. Morgan and Prentiss were especially excited finally having gotten Hotch to agree to let the team go out. They quickly took charge, persuading the bartender to mix up a round of colorful, strong cocktails. The drinks arrived, each one a vibrant concoction that pledged to a good time.

Morgan slid a drink toward you with a grin. “Here’s our special celebration cocktail. You’re going to love it.”. You looked at the drink with hesitation, not used to drinking as much as some of your more seasoned colleagues. Your college years had been spent focusing on studies, not on parties.

Emily leaned in, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Yeah, relax and enjoy. We’re here to make sure you have an unforgettable night before Mr. Suit and Tie over here cracks the whip again.”

As the evening progressed, the atmosphere became even more lively. The drinks flowed down your throat, and your demeanor shifted to an intoxicated happiness. Morgan and Prentiss ensured that you never had an empty glass, continuously encouraging you to try different cocktails, mixers, and liquors. The infectious energy around you loosened your usual restraint, and soon you were laughing more freely, even joining JJ and Spencer on the dance floor.

Meanwhile, Rossi and Hotch had stepped outside for a break, enjoying the cool night air and some quiet conversation away from the bar’s chaos. They leaned against the wall, discussing the case and catching up on personal matters. Hotch, ever the responsible one, was still keeping an eye on his team through the windows.

Morgan and Prentiss, never ones to miss an opportunity for a bit of fun, decided it was time to focus on their favorite target once again: You. They had noticed that you were incredibly lightweight when it came to drinking, and they were determined to make sure this would be your most memorable evening out with the team.

Morgan nudged at your side with a playful grin. “Alright, time for another round. You’re doing great!”

Emily joined in with a conspiratorial whisper. “We’ve got a plan. You’re going to have the best night ever. Just keep enjoying yourself.” You didn’t catch the mischievous glint in their eyes.

As the evening wore on, the booth gradually emptied, leaving you somewhat slumped over, your mind a foggy haze. Reid had joined Rossi outside, while Morgan and Emily had pulled JJ back to the dance floor for the night’s final songs. Glancing around, you noticed how the booth seemed emptier than before, leaving you confused and disoriented.

As the evening progressed, the booth you all shared became empty. You were sitting somewhat slumped over as your mind felt foggy. Reid had joined Rossi outside. Morgan and Emily had joined JJ on the dance floor as the last few songs were being played for the night. You glanced around, noticing that the booth seemed emptier than before. Not knowing where the others were.

“They left without me,” You said loudly, wobbling out of the booth. “They do this every time! Why? Doesn’t anyone love me?” The dramatic outburst drew amused glances from the few people left in the bar. The scene was more humorous than distressing, with your exaggerated tone providing a bit of comic relief.

Hotch, noticed the shift in your mood and decided it was time to step in. He quickly finished closing the team's tab before he approached with a gentle hand on your arm. “Hey, let’s get you out of here,” he said calmly. Trying not to startle you.

As they made their way to the exit, you almost stepped in a puddle of vomit left by a large, bulky man who had just finished throwing up on the sidewalk. You recoiled, exclaiming, “Eww, SICK! Hey! Wide body, curb it next time!”

Hotch quickly covered your mouth to stifle any further comments as he turned to the man with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry about that,” he nods before guiding you away from the scene.

Back at the hotel, Hotch helped you into your room. The rest of the agents already having retreated into theirs. As soon as you walked in, you began looking pale and became unsteady on your feet. “I don’t feel so good,” you said, clutching your stomach.

Before Hotch could respond, you hurried to the bathroom, the sound of retching following shortly after. Hotch’s concern grew. He knocked gently on the bathroom door. “Hey, are you alright in there?”

“Yeah, just reallyyyy sick. I think I had too much to drink.” You slurred, your head bobbing a little to the side.

Hotch stayed just outside the door, ready to kick it down to help if needed. After a few minutes, you emerged, looking slightly better but still pale. Hotch helped you to bed, making sure you were alright one last time before leaving you to rest.

The next morning, the team gathered at the airport to head back to Quantico. You looked exhausted and pale, clearly not having slept very well and still feeling the effects of Morgan and Emily's overindulgence. Your head was spinning. They couldn’t resist teasing you about it.

“Hey, baby face,” Morgan said with a grin, “looks like someone had a rough night. I guess the drinks were a bit too much?” You stuck your tongue out at him, clearly annoyed with how cheerful he was.

“Yeah, you might need to work on your drinking skills. You were quite a scene last night!” Emily joined.

You managed a weak smile and rolled your eyes. “Very funny, you two. I’ll stick to water next time. Thanks.”

“How are you feeling today?” Hotch asked, concern evident in his voice. He had been watching the exchange with a sympathetic look.

“Better,” You replied.

Hotch handed you a bottle of water. “Here, drink this. Let’s get you through the flight and back in one piece.”

On the plane ride back to Quantico, you tried to rest, still feeling the effects of the night before.

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