#she tells people the head snakes are fake + in person they look like stray yarn pieces she doodled faces on or smth

[ratgingi]

another nonfandom oc falls victim to the dialed town beam. everyone say hi to felicity, shes like if government spy drone pigeons were a person doing their best

[robininthelabyrinth]

JC adopts stray/rouge cultivators after the war au to cope with the destruction of lotus pier. also i love your writing so much!!

Gratuitously Acquired - ao3

-

1

At first, he took anyone who would join, needing numbers – needing people. There were plenty of cultivators that wanted to be associated with a great sect. Plenty, too, that were barely more than criminals, wanting to use the smoke and ash of war to obscure the past, to cover up old crimes and wash themselves clean.

Jiang Cheng wasn’t in any position to refuse them. Soldiers were soldiers.

After the war ended, though…

Some he cast out. Others, even more despicable, he slaughtered for what they’d done.

A few –

“Yan Qiao.”

The female cultivator in question, who had been sneaking out of the still mostly ruined Lotus Pier at night in flagrant violation of curfew, froze in her tracks.

“Uh,” she said. “Sect Leader Jiang. Fancy finding you…here…now…at this time…”

Jiang Cheng looked at the basket of buns in her hands. “You’re stealing leftovers from our kitchens to feed orphans among the common people,” he said. “Again.”

She blushed. “No one wants them now that there’s better available, Sect Leader! Really, they’ll only go stale, and then rot – and I never stole when it was the army eating them!”

“That’s not the point,” Jiang Cheng said irritably. “Tell me, how in the name of heavens did you really get branded as a criminal? Distributed too many alms? Did too much charity?”

Yan Qiao coughed, turning red. “I told you before, Sect Leader. I killed a man.”

“He must have done something particularly heinous, then. You’re shitat killing.”

“Now I am. Sect Leader, if you don’t mind…”

“You’re one of the ones who wants my surname, right?” he interrupted. “Consider it granted.”

Yan Qiao – no, he supposed he’d better start thinking of her as Jiang Qiao – gaped at him. “But…Sect Leader!”

“I’ve barely granted it to anyone, so you’d better live up to it, you hear me?” Jiang Cheng said in his best threatening voice. He’d been assured by several people that it was really quite threatening, anyway. “I don’t want any excuses. Now go feed your damn orphans, and in the morning I want a report on how you think we can do it in a more structured manner. I can’t have you sneaking off every night anymore! Now that you’re a Jiang, you’re going to have work.”

-

2

When they were done with war and started firmly on rebuilding, the Jiang sect’s name was firmly reestablished as a Great Sect once more, it was the opportunists that came.

Smiling faces, sycophantic voices, cowards one and all – like beetles crawling out of the woodwork, not willing to risk their lives, but willing enough to beg for scraps and advantages later on when it seemed safe enough to do so.

Jiang Cheng wanted to chase them all away, but his sect was still weaker than he wanted to admit, still rebuilding, still more army than civilian operation. They had valiant soldiers by the dozen, but they needed more than that. They needed administrators, supervisors, artisans, smiths, merchants, laundry-women…

They needed workers. The ones they got – well, cowards they might be, but skills they had.

He still rejected most of the worst of them.

Most.

“Bo Zhou,” he said, inspecting the surprisingly flush list of taxes they’d collected that quarter, and the man in question turned to grin unrepentantly at him. “You’d tell me if you were a con artist in a previous life, right?”

“A previous life, Sect Leader?” Bo Zhou said. He was still grinning, but then, he was always grinning. He had a crooked leg and an even more crooked heart, and he’d probably steal candy from little children if he happened to have a hankering, but he was amazing at getting people to do what he wanted. Too amazing, really. “Why limit yourself? What about thislife?”

“…Bo Zhou. Tell me you aren’t a former con artist.”

“I may or may not have had a sideline selling snake oil and protective talismans before I became a cultivator,” Bo Zhou admitted cheerfully, and Jiang Cheng pinched the bridge of his nose – less out of actual irritation and more to keep from actually laughing. The only person he knew that was more shameless than Bo Zhou was Wei Wuxian; he couldn’t wait to introduce them once Wei Wuxian stopped skulking around in wine shops long enough to get back to doing his job as Jiang Cheng’s head disciple and right hand. “Who would’ve known that making all those fake talismans ended up making me pretty good at making actual talismans when I became a cultivator? Really, who could have called that?”

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. “Who taught you how to cultivate, anyway? Can I – I don’t know – seek vengeance on behalf of the rest of the world or something?”

Bo Zhou rolled his eyes right back at him. Shameless! “Is this about the taxes? Just be happy I got them all!”

“I can’t just be happy! What if this money is stolen property?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Sect Leader. They’re what we shouldbe getting, and from all the right people. You told me this was the right amount yourself!”

“Yes, but no one ever actually pays the full amount!” Jiang Cheng enjoyed the way Bo Zhou’s jaw dropped. “I just wanted to see if you could actually do it.”

“I’m hurt at your lack of trust.” Bo Zhou paused, considering. “Also a little impressed at you for keeping a straight enough face to trick me. Well done, Sect Leader.”

“Yeah,” Jiang Cheng said. “You too, Jiang Zhou.”

“It’s Bo…” He trailed off, comprehension arriving and speech departing, and this time he didn’t have a quick retort. He’d been nagging Jiang Cheng on and off for the Jiang surname for the last few weeks, more joking than anything else – he knew that Jiang Cheng hadn’t given his surname to the vast majority of the new people in his sect, only the very few he thought were worth it.

Jiang Cheng enjoyed the newly dubbed Jiang Zhou’s moment of speechlessness thoroughly, since he was moderately sure he wasn’t going to get another one anytime in the next – ever, possibly.

“You proved your worth and your trustworthiness,” he said, patting Jiang Zhou on the shoulder. It occurred to him that he should probably come up with a courtesy name for the man, although he wasn’t sure the man would want one. “Also, congratulations, you’re now the person in charge of tax collection. See if you can think up some new thoughts about supplementing our income, will you? We have so many costs, and I don’t want to rely on Lanling Jin more than I can help it, not like Gusu Lan…”

“Oh, really?” Jiang Zhou interrupted, abruptly excited. “I have so many ideas! How ethical do you want to be about this?”

Jiang Cheng paused. “…very?”

“Be reasonable, Sect Leader!”

“…moderately?” he tried, a little more desperately.

“I can work with moderately. I don’t suppose you’d accept ‘thin and barely plausible veneer’?”

“No.”

“Oh well. Moderately ethical it is!”

-

3

Most of the Jiang sect was slaughtered during the attack on the Lotus Pier. Disciples Jiang Cheng had grown up with his whole life, had expected to see by his side in the future, his friends, his family, even his petty childhood enemies – all gone.

Well, not all gone. There were some Jiang disciples that had been away from Lotus Pier at the time, whether on some errand or a night-hunt or other reasons; they rushed back to his side as soon as they could, of course, and formed the core of Jiang Cheng’s new Jiang sect. When he’d felt utterly alone, when even Wei Wuxian was missing, they had been there for him. They’d preserved their lives and then they’d promised them to him, and it wasn’t until they knelt before him that he really felt like a Sect Leader.

There was no way he could give any of them up now.

“Jiang Meimei, you can’t go,” he said, having completely abandoned all shame in favor of clutching at her robes as if he were a child. “I need you!”

“I’m not even a proper Jiang disciple!” she exclaimed, exasperated – or possibly just annoyed that her grand plan to sneak out in the middle of the night had been stymied by his ambush. “Just because my surname is still Jiang doesn’t mean I didn’t get kicked out, remember?”

“I thought you just left,” Jiang Cheng said, temporarily distracted. “No one ever really talked much about it, actually, but to the extent anyone did, they said that you’d decided that your inclinations were more suited to being a rogue cultivator. That you didn’t want to be weighed down by sect expectations –”

“Hah!” Jiang Meimei tossed her head. “As if it wouldn’t be better to be a roving sect cultivator than a rogue cultivator! I won’t deny that I had a fair bit of wanderlust in my youth –”

“You’re only ten years older than me, you’re not that old.”

“Shut up, brat.”

“You can’t tell me to shut up, I’m your sect leader.”

“You’re my baby cousin is what you are, and, again, I’m actually not part of the Jiang sect!”

“That’s ridiculous,” Jiang Cheng argued. “You’ve been at my side during the entire Sunshot Campaign.”

“I wasn’t going to let my baby cousin get himself murdered, now was I?” Jiang Meimei sniffed. “But I’m still a rogue cultivator. They kicked me out when I wouldn’t accept a marriage, and I’m still firm on that.”

Jiang Cheng blinked. “Wait, you don’t want to be married? Really?” he asked, concerned. “But what about poor Liu Lingling? You shouldn’t be sleeping with her if you don’t intend to be serious about it! I’m pretty sure she’s just waiting for the current project you’re working on to finish to find a matchmaker to exchange birth characters –”

“They wanted me to marry a man,” Jiang Meimei clarified, but her habitual frown had eased considerably; she looked almost on the verge of a smile. “A-Cheng, you’re being dense again. You’re the Sect Leader of a Great Sect now. You know that that means you need to have alliances, marriage contacts with other sects, and that means using your subsidiary branches.”

“Jiang Meimei, you’re the one being dense,” Jiang Cheng said. “You think I’d force you into a marriage? I don’t have subsidiary branches. I barely have a sect, even after all this time. I’m not Wen Ruohan, handing out my surname to anyone who wants it – I only give it to the ones that matter, the ones I want to keep, and those of you that actually share my blood are even rarer, even more precious. How could I give you away?”

Jiang Meimei pursed her lips.

“I really do need you,” Jiang Cheng said quietly. “You weren’t part of the Jiang sect at all, not really, but you still came to help me – you were there from the beginning of the Sunshot Campaign, and you’ve never strayed, never left. You’re my right hand. I can’t do without you.”

Jiang Meimei turned her head away. “It’s not that I want to leave you,” she said. “But becoming a rogue cultivator was hard enough the first time. I couldn’t rely on any of the things that I had always had, everything always changing. I was young and angry then, I could handle it, but things are different now. I’m less flexible, less compromising, older, more tired – I can’t just walk out on a whim and just rough it anymore. I have a girl who, yes, I want to eventually marry; I want to have children. I need certainty. Are you going to give it to me?”

Jiang Cheng looked down at his hands. He’d known it was going to have to come to this, but he’d been dragging his feet, not wanting to succumb to a reality that already existed. Had existed for longer than he wanted to admit, as if simply denying it would mean that it wasn’t the truth.

Like a child.

“Yes,” he said, though it tore his heart out of his chest to do it. “I will. Jiang Meimei…will you take the position of Head Disciple?”

Wei Wuxian wasn’t coming back. Jiang Cheng had already cast him out of the sect, just like Jiang Meimei had been, except in Wei Wuxian’s case it had been something that Wei Wuxian himself had demanded. He was living in Yiling now, and by all reports was quite happy there with his little Wen sect family that he’d picked over Jiang Cheng and all his family.

He was never coming back.

It was time to move on.

“Yes,” she said, and shoved her pack into his chest. “Now go unpack that for me. Consider it payment for driving me to extreme measures!”

“I’m your sect leader, you know,” he grumbled. “Officially, now. You could show me some respect.”

“Would you rather pay for my wedding down the line?”

“I’m going, I’m going!” And then, as he scurried over away, he shouted over his shoulder: “As if I wouldn’t be paying for it anyway! You think my Head Disciple’s going to be married in anything other than top style? Better start planning…”

“Don’t rush me! Brat!”

-

4

Jin Ling wasn’t surnamed Jiang, but he was the most important person in all of the Lotus Pier – and Jiang Cheng wanted to make sure everyone knew it. It hadn’t been easy for him to get the chance to help care for Jin Ling, especially here, so far away from home; Jiang Cheng had expected to barely be allowed to visit, to have to cool his heels outside of Lanling City begging just for a glimpse of him. Being able to take him home to raise for half the year, even if it was due to the dangerous infighting amongst Lanling Jin, was more than he’d ever dreamed.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t clear that Jin Ling himself agreed.

“He’s still crying,” Jiang Cheng muttered, rubbing his eyes. “Surely he’s got to stop sometime? I mean, just – physically?”

“They say a boy resembles his mother’s brother,” Jiang Meimei said, echoing the gesture. “If he’s got your lungs and stamina, Sect Leader, we’re doomed.”

“I’m rethinking the whole having children thing,” Liu Lingling said blearily, having fallen asleep on her soon-to-be wife’s shoulder several times, only to be woken up by the next round of crying. “I need sleep.”

“Go get some, both of you,” Jiang Cheng ordered. When his cousin scowled at him, he scowled back. “I’m serious. If he keeps this up, we’re going to need to go into shifts. I can last a bit longer.”

“That’s a filthy lie.”

“It is not. Your sect leader has given you an order – get to it!”

It was a filthy lie.

Jiang Cheng opened his eyes when the crink in his neck grew too irritating to ignore, at which point he realized he’d been asleep – and, more importantly, that Jin Ling was somehow not crying.

He sat up with a start, suddenly terrified: had something happened to him? Had he been silenced forever? Had Jiang Cheng failed this one last duty he had to his sister?

“Shhh, little one,” someone was whispering, not far away. “Let me tell you the one about the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd, yeah? You seem like someone who’d appreciate stars. It all started –”

Jiang Cheng went to go look.

A teenage girl was rocking Jin Ling in her arms and telling him a story in murmured tones, and Jin Ling was yawning and trying to gnaw on her shirt. She wasn’t even a cultivator, as far as Jiang Cheng could tell. Her clothing suggested some level of poverty, her accent the countryside – how’d she even end up here?

He wasn’t sure he cared.

Jiang Cheng didn’t want to disturb her, but he did anyway; a shift of his weight, a scuffling of his feet, and the floor creaked. The girl jumped, startled, but luckily Jin Ling was already most of the way asleep and just grumbled a little instead of starting to screech.

“How’d you do that?” Jiang Cheng asked, nodding at Jin Ling. “Make him stop crying.”

“My mother had seven kids after me,” the girl said, answering automatically. “And her sister had six. Someone had to learn to deal with all those babies, and it ended up being me. Think it’s just habit after this long.”

Jiang Cheng couldn’t handle one baby. He couldn’t even imagine.

That’s when the girl seemed to remember herself, and bit her lip. “Uh, sorry,” she said, hanging her head. “I heard him crying and I couldn’t resist...I’m pretty sure I’m not supposed to be here. It was an accident.”

“How did you get here?” Jiang Cheng asked, because accidental or not, a security breach was still a security breach. “And who are you, anyway?”

“My name’s A-Hua. I’m here to work in the kitchens, just got hired this morning; the fourth cook is my uncle’s wife’s cousin, she got me a job, said it was a good place to start – I was trying to find my way out so I could go to the servant’s quarters to get some sleep, but then I got lost…”

More likely she’d decided it was better to try to stay somewhere indoors than go out in the pouring rain to try to find her way to the right set of quarters, Jiang Cheng thought to himself. “Give me your hand.”

“Uh. What?”

He ignored her stare, took her hand and felt her pulse. There was a little bit of natural talent there, though not much; she might, if she tried hard enough, become a cultivator, but she’d never be more than a servant.

Unless, of course, she did something unusual to impress someone.

“Forget the kitchens,” Jiang Cheng told her. “You’re hired on a provisional basis to keep an eye on Jin Ling.”

The girl nodded, eyes wide as saucers. “Can you – do that?”

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. “Yes, I can. What’s your surname? You can’t go around being called A-Hua, we have at least seven people that I know of that go by that name.”

The girl looked distressed.

She probably didn’t have a proper surname. Some people in the countryside didn’t.

But they really couldn’t go around shouting “A-Hua” every time Jin Ling was crying, which was basically all the time.

“Fine,” he said, giving in. “Do well, and I’ll consider letting you use mine. But only if you do well!”

-

5

Jiang Cheng was covered in mud thanks to a successful-but-at-what-cost night hunt and angry about it, stomping around the lotus pools on his way back to town, when he heard the familiar sounds of someone having a panic attack.

He slowed, involuntarily, and took a look: it was some teenager dressed in black, heaving miserably by a tree.

Jiang Meimei had once said that Jiang Cheng was a bit weak when it came to teenagers.

Jiang Cheng said that was nonsense.

Jiang Hua chimed in, quite loyally (if perhaps not with the best timing), and said he wasn’t.

Jiang Cheng yielded the argument at once to keep Jiang Meimei from laughing herself sick.

In view of that, he was better off ignoring the kid. After all, what was it to him that some kid was having a fit of anxiety right next the same old lotus pool that he used to have his own teenage fits of anxiety next to, under the shade of the same old tree that had sheltered him – one of the few places that remained untouched by the Wen sect’s aggression, one of the few places that was exactly the same?

Jiang Cheng groaned and walked over. “Okay, fine. What’s your problem?”

The kid looked up at him. He had dark circles under his eyes. “I think my heart’s about to explode.”

“That’s just the anxiety,” Jiang Cheng said, and sat down next to him. “What’s causing the anxiety? Don’t say that someone is better than you and your parents are disappointed in you.”

“What?” the kid blinked. “No, it’s not – it’s not that. I’m about to screw up the very first job I ever got.”

Jiang Cheng considered that. It was just different enough from his own issues that he didn’t suspect a plot, and yet close enough that he might actually be able to offer some expertise.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked reluctantly.

“Not to some mud-man,” the kid said, and – hey! It wasn’t that bad. He thought, anyway. Actually, it probably was that bad. “I just…I’m the only one left. I have to make something of myself!”

Jiang Cheng’s eye twitched. “What do you mean, you’re the only one left?”

The kid stuttered through his story. It wasn’t as bad as Jiang Cheng had initially feared, but it was still pretty bad – his small village had had bad harvests, and there had been starvation, a bad winter; the kid had been sent out to get help, but it had taken too long and he’d arrived back to find them all already gone. He’d been lost, but some traveling cultivator had agreed to take him on as a disciple provided he proved himself, had taught him all sorts of skills, cultivation and talisman-writing and music –

“Music?” Jiang Cheng asked. “Not the sword?”

“There was only the one,” the kid explained. “Obviously he kept it for himself.”

Jiang Cheng didn’t think much of that – surely this cultivator, whoever he ws, could have shared, just long enough to teach? – but he didn’t comment. It seemed fairly clear that the kid didn’t actually think very highly of his teacher, although he was very earnestly trying to be appropriately filial.

It was a little cute.

“…and I was supposed to wait here for someone when they came by here, some fancy rich person, and then get them to follow me, but it’s been ages and no one’s come by at all!” the kid wailed. “I’m such a screw up!”

“You don’t even know who you’re waiting for?” Jiang Cheng asked, and the kid shook his head. “How were you supposed to get them to follow you, then?”

The kid scratched his nose. “My master said that if I showed off some of my cultivation, they’d follow me right away.”

Jiang Cheng suppressed a smirk. “It must be very impressive cultivation, then.”

“…not really. I only know one trick,” the kid admitted. “But it’s not that hard, and it looks impressive – here, see, wait; give me a second, I just need to whistle –”

Zidian crackled to life on Jiang Cheng’s finger before the kid finished the first stanza.

“Stop that!” he cried out, leaping to his feet, and – startled – the kid stopped, blinking owlishly at him. “Is that what your master taught you?!”

“Yes?” the kid said. “Did I do it wrong?”

Jiang Cheng gnashed his teeth. “That’s demonic cultivation. Never do that, okay? Ever.”

“But then how am I supposed to get the fancy rich person to follow me, assuming he ever showed?”

Jiang Cheng’s eyes narrowed. If he hadn’t tripped over that branch and fallen into the mud – if he hadn’t taken an extra half-shichen to struggle out of the mire – if he’d walked by in all his usual finery, rich person that he was, and seen some kid practicing demonic cultivation…

He’d have given chase in a heartbeat.

More to the point, everyone knew he would. His reputation had been pretty much set in stone by this point.

“Let’s go find that master of yours,” he said. “Right now.”

Of course, that ended up leading Jiang Cheng straight into the bastard’s trap, which would have been a problem except that he’d taken the time to send someone to tell Jiang Qiao, who’d been waiting for him back in town, that he’d be a bit late and not to worry, just wait where she was.

She’d ignored his instructions and arrived just in time to knife the demonic cultivator – a human trafficker whose operations Jiang Cheng had shut down with extreme viciousness only a few months before – right in the belly, gutting him like a fish in a swift easy motion.

“I think I’m getting the hang of it again,” she said, smiling at the knife, and Jiang Cheng made a mental note to ask exactly how manymen she’d killed to get that criminal brand of hers, except the poor kid was sinking down to his knees with a horrified look and, shit, that horrible bastard, evil as he might have been, was probably the last person the kid had in this whole rotten world, wasn’t he?

“Does Jiang Hua still have those beginner manuals we dug up for her?” Jiang Cheng asked, and Jiang Qiao nodded. “Good. Tell her that starting today, Jiang Jianwen here’s her little brother. She’s been pining over raising someone ever since Jin Ling got to be too old to snuggle.”

The kid looked up with wide eyes.

“No, you don’t get a choice on the name,” Jiang Cheng told him. “Whatever name this piece of crap gave you, just forget it, you hear me? You can do better than him. But no more demonic cultivation!”

-

+1

“I wish I could visit the Lotus Pier,” Wei Wuxian mumbled, looking wistfully downriver. They were very close by, but he still didn’t dare, even though Jiang Cheng had grumpily extended an invitation through Jin Ling. So much had happened – he just didn’t know where to even start.

He didn’t want to get into all that messy history with Jiang Cheng.

He just wanted to visit, that’s all.

He missed Jiang Cheng, but he missed the Lotus Pier, too. The food, the places, the air…

“I just need a secret way in that even the sect leader doesn’t know about,” he sighed. He’d once known them all – but there was a different sect leader now, and a different Lotus Pier. He couldn’t risk it: Jiang Cheng might find out that he’d snuck in and feel hurt, thinking that Wei Wuxian was avoiding him, when he was just avoiding the conversation; that would just make everything worse.

Lan Wangji would have distracted him, but Lan Wangji himself had been distracted – some man in Jiang sect colors with a heavy limp and an excited sort of air had rushed over, shouting something about wanting to talk about tax policy and possibly also games of chance, and Lan Wangji had all but fled. It had been so funny that Wei Wuxian had nearly laughed himself sick.

“I know one,” someone said, and Wei Wuxian glanced over: it was a young man in Jiang sect disciple robes, little more than a teenager – only a few years older than Jin Ling, if he had to guess. He was smiling, ducking his head a little; he looked proud of himself. “I mean, if you really want. But only if you don’t mean any harm!”

How adorable, Wei Wuxian thought, and grinned at him. “I just want something spicy without having to go through the whole process of greeting people, is that a crime?”

“Not at all!” the kid exclaimed, beaming, and Wei Wuxian almost felt bad for conning him. Almost.

“Do you really know a secret way in?” he asked, pretending to be doubtful. “Really?”

Sure enough, the kid – Jiang Jianwen, apparently, he must be the kid of one of the ones that survived the massacre – was easily lured into insisting that he did know, and then to agreeing to act as guide.

And, moreover, it turned out he really did know his way inside, which made this the easiest infiltration ever.

Or so Wei Wuxian thought right up until he felt a knife point touch his ribs.

“Well done, Jianwen!” a young woman – also in Jiang colors – said, reaching out and ruffling Jiang Jianwen’s hair.

“Aw, it was nothing,” he said, just as bashful as he was when he’d been talking to Wei Wuxian. “I couldn’t have done it without shixiong luring off Lan-er-gongzi.”

Wait, that’d been part of this, too?

That was worrisome.

“Hardly nothing,” the older woman standing behind Wei Wuxian said. She had a certain sort of rock-hard steadiness that was more worrying than the knife she was holding on him – she was a powerful cultivator, familiar with killing and scarred with a criminal’s brand, and yet she seemed entirely at ease in a way that suggested a strong sense of righteousness, with no guilt or weak points he might exploit to make an easy out. “You successfully conned the Yiling Patriarch into following you right into a trap.”

Wei Wuxian wondered if he could deny it.

“I don’t know, shijie, that doesn’t seem that hard,” the first woman said. “Isn’t he the kind of person to run head-first into danger at the first instance?”

“Head-first into danger, and like his tail’s on fire away from dogs,” the older woman agreed, and – damnit. There was clearly no denying it; they actually knew him. Though from where, he had no idea. “A-Hua, Jiangwen, let’s go – we don’t want to be late for our meeting.”

“I don’t suppose I can convince you to tell me who we’re going to go see?” Wei Wuxian tried, putting on his most charming smile. “Or, perhaps, who you are, and what you have against me…?”

“Jiang Jianwen you know,” the woman said, rather unexpectedly. “I’m Jiang Qiao, and this is Jiang Hua. Our shixiong is Jiang Zhou – he’s the one that makes Lan-er-gongzi lose his wallet every time he’s forced to visit Yunmeng.”

Wei Wuxian was almost distracted with the tantalizing prospects of stories about Lan Wangji. Almost.

“You’re all surnamed Jiang?” he asked, surprised: he might have believed it for Jiang Jianwen, maybe, he was young enough to be the son of someone in the last generation. But Jiang Hua and Jiang Qiao looked absolutely nothing alike either to each other or to Jiang Cheng, and at least Jiang Qiao was old enough that he should’ve recognized her if she’d been a Jiang. There’d been a lot of people in the old Jiang sect, even if you limited it to those surnamed Jiang, but he’d been Head Disciple back then – he’d known almost all of them.

“We’re adopted,” Jiang Jianwen said. He looked very proud. “Sect Leader Jiang took us into the family as part of the branch lines.”

Wei Wuxian had never once in his life wanted to have the surname Jiang, not even when he’d been mocked for not having it. He’d never even thought about it. Not ever.

He felt a stab of envy at the word family, though.

“He gave you his surname?” he asked, and tried not to feel jealous when they all nodded. “Oh.”

It made sense, he tried to tell himself as they walked through the back streets of the Lotus Pier. The Jiang sect had been demolished, and Jiang Cheng practically the only survivor but for whoever happened by coincidence to not be at home – the Jiang sect would need branch family members, and adoption made sense. There was no reason to resent the idea of Jiang Cheng giving the name he had always treated as being so precious to a branded former criminal, to a con man, to a commoner from the countryside, to a –

“You were a what?” Wei Wuxian exclaimed.

“A demonic cultivator,” Jiang Jianwen said bashfully. “Not a very a good one, though.”

Wei Wuxian wanted to say something to that. He didn’t know what, but something.

“Enough chatter,” Jiang Qiao said. “We’re here.”

Jiang Hua opened the door and Wei Wuxian stepped inside.

Then he tried to step back out, only to be crowded in by the others.

“No, no, no,” he said. “No, I was willing to play along until now, but this is a step too far. You don’t understand! She’s going to eviscerate me!”

Jiang Meimei – older than the teenager he remembered her being when she left the sect, but still unmistakable – grinned with her teeth bared.

“Oh good,” she said. “At least your brain is still working. Now come on and have a seat, and we’re going to talk about how you’ve been treating my baby cousin recently…”

[anna-justice]

like i’m gonna lose you

summary: my take on the fall out of 8x16.

read on a03 

...

“Get your hands off of me” 

Hailey stirred in her chair, her grip on Jay’s hand tightening a bit. They couldn’t bring themselves to care about appearances as they sat in the waiting room of MED, anxiously awaiting news on Kim. Hailey had dozed off on Jay’s shoulder pretty quickly, not that he minded. He was sure she had had a rough few hours, despite her vague responses. 

“You knew exactly what to expect when you came here.” 

There was a soft moan from beside him and Jay looked down to find his girlfriend’s eyebrows laced together. Her knee shook slightly, grabbing his attention. “Hailey?” He whispered, earning no response. 

“This is what it feels like.”

Hailey flinched hard in her sleep, her bottom lip beginning to quiver, Jay’s heart dropped into his stomach. She was having a nightmare. He shifted slightly, bringing his free hand to her hair and tightening his grip on her hand. “I’m here Hailes, come back to me.” He said softly in her ear as he ran his fingers through her hair. 

The movement startled her, causing her to flinch again. “I saw.” She muttered - still asleep - a stray tear falling down her cheek, “I saw-” Before Jay could react, she shot up, grabbing the attention of too many people around her. 

Jay’s hand immediately found her shoulder, “Hey, you’re good. It was just a dream, you’re safe.” He took note of the half nod she gave him, the fake smile, the way her blue eyes were clouded with tears. Hailey looked down at their intertwined hands, pulling hers close to her body. “Hailey?” He asked, a little hurt. 

She looked like she had seen a ghost, and honestly, she felt like she had. The only way to describe the feeling in the pit of her stomach was absolute terror: she was scared that Voight would walk through the sliding glass doors, she was scared of what she had become, she was scared of what Jay would think of her. She was absolutely terrified of the shell of a person he would leave behind when he finally came to his senses and walked away. “I-uh-I,” She stuttered, standing slowly, “I need some air.” She barely got the words out before running out of the building. 

Jay stood to follow her, he had always been good at giving her space, letting her handle things on her own first, but this was killing him. She was spiraling, he could see it. She had spotted it in him so many times before. He was sick of standing on the sidelines while she fought alone but she wouldn’t let him in, not this time. And as much as he wanted to be her husband, he knew the proposal was only a product of whatever the hell had happened, he just never got the chance to ask what that was. 

“I don’t want to be without you.” Hailey said, her sad eyes locked on his. He knew (or at least he thought he knew) what she was getting at. He remembered the way he felt when she was kidnapped, he remembers the panic that set in on her face when he was shot. 

Jay felt the tears forming in his own, squinting a bit. It almost wrecked him to see her like this, so scared of losing what they had. He understood, he felt the exact same way, but it was different. He knew that no one else had ever stayed for her, no one else every cared, and he was determined to be the one that did. “You’re not gonna be.” He said, because how the was he supposed to say everything that he tried to push into those 4 little words? How could he make her believe that she was it for him? 

Hailey searched his face for any sign of regret or inconsistency, but she found none. Somehow though, she still wasn’t one hundred perfect sure. She couldn’t bear to lose him, she wouldn’t survive it. How could she ever feel secure when she had so much to lose? The second the thought crossed her mind, the words tumbled from between her lips, shocking her as much as him. “Maybe we should get married.” 

Jay looked at her blankly, obviously in shock. She could see it all over his face, he couldn’t believe what she was saying, she couldn’t either. “I’m serious, let’s get married.” 

In a split second, Jay saw it all. The life they would have: the white wedding, the lazy saturdays, the holidays, the kids, the house, the dog, the years they would spend growing old together, the family trips to the cabin. He saw it all, and it was in reach. He never believed that he would could have any of it, but with Hailey, he wanted everything. He would marry her tomorrow, but not like this. Not when the love of his life was standing in front of him so broken down that the only way she thought she could keep him was through a meaningless certificate. 

Hailey watched his smile fade, causing the panic to set in. “Jay, we can elope. We don’t have to wait. We can fly to Mexico or Hawaii or anywhere. Hell let’s do it here, I just want to be with you-”

“Hailey, breathe.” He said delicately, placing his hand on her cheek to keep her grounded. He leaned in, kissing her gently before pulling away to look her in the eyes, which were focused on anything but his. “Look at me, please.” She did - reluctantly - taking a deep breath when she realized his soft smile had reappeared. “I love you. And I will love you for the rest of my life. Nothing is going to change that. All I want to do is be with you, please believe me.” 

Hailey shook her head, tears beginning to fall. “I love you so much-” 

“Baby, tell me what’s going on. I want to help. Let me help you.” He was practically begging her.

She shook her head again, “Jay,” She gasped, “I can’t. Not until you say yes. I need you-” 

Suddenly, his phone began to ring. If it was any other day, he would ignore it, but today was not any other day. “It’s Kev.” 

Jay talked quietly on the phone for a minute or two. Hailey took the time to compose herself, to prepare for the worst: the end of her relationship. By the time Jay turned back around the light in her eyes was gone and there was a fake smile on her face, one that only he could see through. “Is she okay?” Hailey asked.

“Uh yeah, he just wants us to come so that he can go switch with Adam.” Hailey nodded, grabbing her phone off the table along with her keys. He cautiously followed her to the door. “We’re gonna be okay Hailes, no matter what.” He said, knowing full and well that this conversation was far from over. 

Hailey nodded, “I know.” The left the apartment, and Hailey did her best to ignore the feeling of dread deep in her chest, but it was inescapable. No one could walk away clean from she had done, not her, not even Voight. 

Hailey leaned against the wall outside of MED, trying to catch her breath. Her heart was racing and her eyes were burning, she clenched them shut to dull the ache, but every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was a gun pointed in her face. 

“Just because your stomach can’t handle it.” 

Hailey gagged, doubling over and leaning against the concrete wall. 

“Cause you’re scared.” 

She emptied the content of her stomach into the grass, choking and coughing violently as tears continued to stream down her face. Her vision clouded again, images of Voight’s face splattered with blood as he approached her running through her head. It felt so familiar. 

Maybe it was her father’s reappearance in her life, but she felt like she was a child again. Hiding behind the couch or in her room, him screaming at her and her brothers as they ran scared. Her past was taunting her, like it was trying to prove to her that she would never be rid of it. That history would always repeat itself. 

Jay followed her, watching from the doorway as she threw up. He rushed to her, “Hailey-” His hand touched her shoulder and she gasped, pulling away quickly and facing him, her arms shielding her face. Jay took a step back, caught off guard by the terror clearly shown on her face. She was frozen, panting hard.

“I-I’m sorry-I,” She said softly, slowly bringing her hands down to her sides. Jay watched as her gaze fell to the ground, his heart dropping into his stomach. He took a cautious step forward. “I’m not, I’m not afraid of you, I-” 

Jay’s expression softened, “I know, I know. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He was hurt, sure, but this wasn’t about him. It was so much bigger than him. 

Hailey wasn’t sure what emotion was more overwhelming: the fear, the guilt or the physical pain she felt in her chest. He looked so defeated, and it was her fault. He thought she was afraid of him. 

He took another step forward, “Can I?” He motioned to his outstretched hand, holding it out to her. Hailey nodded, slipping her hand into his. He slowly pulled her into to him, her arms snaking around his waist and her cheek pressed against his chest. She took a deep breath, instantly calming her. “Hailey?” She hummed in response. “Can you please tell me what happened? You’re starting to scare me.” 

Hailey took a step back, looking him straight in the eye, memorizing the way they were looking at her, in case it was the last time they ever showed that much love. She nodded, grabbing his hand and pulling him to a bench further away from the hospital. This was the last place she wanted to tell him, but he obviously couldn’t wait any longer, he shouldn’t have to. She couldn’t be selfish with him. 

They sat down, facing each other. Hailey let her hand fall out of his, folding hers in her lap. “Voight did find a lead.” She said, shrugging. “Ruzek and I didn’t know, he gave us the legit addresses. Adam, he um, he kind of lost it so I told him to go be with Mackayla, and he did. So, I went to find Voight.” 

Jay’s eyebrows were cinched together, listening intently. “He was at some warehouse, he had Roy. I walked in and he, uh he, he pulled his gun on me.” Jay’s jaw clenched, but he kept his cool (barely), letting her continue. “He was beating information out of Roy, then you radioed that you found Kim, but-but he was going to kill him anyway. We fought.” Hailey took a breath, but continued to ramble, “I convinced him to bring him in. I wanted to do it the right way, we were going to do it the right way, like you. I wanted to do it right, like you, Jay. But then, then-then he reached for Voight’s gun and, Jay I swear he was going to shoot Voight, so I-” Hailey choked out a sob, unable to look her partner in the eye. 

Jay slid his hands in Hailey’s lap, wrapping them around hers. Hailey’s head shot up, shock written all over it, “So you shot him, to protect your Sargeant.” Jay finished for her. She risked her career to protect him even though Voight had no care for hers.

Hailey shuddered, “I promise, I tried. I told him to drop the weapon. I saw him, he had the gun in his hand. I wanted to do it right.” 

“Shhh,” Jay said, pulling her to him. “It was a good shoot Hailes, you did it right.” He held her as her tears soaked his shirt, running a hand through her hair. He was trying to soothe her, but he was seething. He couldn’t believe Voight had put her in that situation. Voight had been on the job a long time, he knew better than to come into close contact with a violent offender with an exposed weapon. 

Once he wrapped his brain around his anger, it hit him. 

“No Jay, not until you say yes.”

Hailey was scared that he would blame her, or leave her over this. He held her a little tighter, his own tears gathering in his eyes as he held her. “I love you.” He whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m not going anywhere.” 

That grabbed Hailey’s attention. She peered up at him, her blue eyes filled with tears and hope. “Really?” She asked quietly, her voice breaking. 

Jay nodded, not trusting his own voice. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. Hailey’s eyes fluttered closed, this time, no flashbacks plaguing her mind. His hand settled on her cheek, brushing his thumb over her cheek. Jay pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. “Really,” He whispered 

There was a cough beside them, and Jay looked up first. Hank Voight was standing before them. “How’s she doing?” He asked. 

Hailey stared at him in shock. He looked like he always did. He was no longer wearing his tactical gear and his face was no longer splattered with blood. He was Voight, like nothing had happened. For a split second Hailey envied him, his ability to walk away unscathed, like it was any other Wednesday night and the only thing wrong was Kim’s life was hanging in the balance. Then she looked at Jay, whose jaw was clenched and his eyes were stuck on sergeant. He was just as strong, maybe even stronger, and he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. If he could do it, so could she. 

Jay stood, looking like a force to be reckoned with. “You need to leave.” 

Voight scoffed, quickly glancing at Hailey, “Excuse me.” 

“You heard me Sarge, leave. Now.” Jay said. His voice staying low, but intimidating nonetheless. 

“I have a right to be here Jay, to see Burgess,” Voight said, his words becoming louder as he took a step forward. 

“Then go, be the leader you’re supposed to be, but don’t you dare go near her.” Hailey’s breath caught in the back of her throat, her heart swelling at the sight in front of her. Voight glared at Jay, nodding shortly. Jay took another step forward, so that their faces were level, “And if she is brought into this, in any way, I will bury you.” He never raised his voice, or made any move to physically escalate the situation. The last thig he wanted to do was scare Hailey more than she already was. 

“Understood,” Voight said, with a trace of venom that could have been deadly. 

They parted ways, Voight entering the hospital doors and jay turning to face his girlfriend, who had been silent. “Are you okay?” He asked. 

Hailey nodded, “Yeah, I’m okay.” She met his concerned gaze. “Thank you.” 

Jay gave her a soft smile, “Of course.” She glanced between him and the hospital doors, a nervous look on her face. Jay held out his hand, which she gladly took. “Come on, we can come back in the morning.” 

Hailey sighed in relief, standing. He guided them down the sidewalk, wrapping his arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to her temple. “Let’s go home Hailes.” 

“Hold on.” Hailey said, her anxiety getting the best of her again. She turned to face him, their eyes locking. She felt tears gather in eyes once again at the look in his, the one she had memorized, that she had prayed would never disappear. She smiled as he eyed her. “Ok, I’m good.” She grabbed his hand, pulling him in the direction of his truck. “Let’s go home.” 

…

A/N: I couldn’t help myself, I had to haha. I can’t believe the premieres are only a month away! Thanks for reading <3

[jamiemackenziefraser]

All That Was Fair 

Chapter 27: Fraser Publishing Part 2

Summary: Claire and Jamie finish out their day at work

Read on AO3

Read chp 27 on tumblr below the cut

Previous, master list, next

a/n: A huge thank you to my friend @isthisclever (/isthiscleverr on twitter ;) ) for being an amazing beta for this chapter and also dealing with my writer's block/overall overthinking <3. Go check out her story "The Other Side," which one of my favs and is almost completed, ahh! While you're at it, maybe just stalk her whole AO3 page.

Thank you so much for your patience, lovely readers. I managed to get past the writer's block, and this 5k if what just sorta happened after a month of not writing. Hope you like it!!

*

Chapter 27: Fraser Publishing Part 2

The air felt heavy despite the fresh scents and slight breeze. Hand in hand with Claire, Jamie walked slowly around the trail that wound its way in a meandering circle around the park. If he was being honest, he was stalling, trying to give them both time to gather themselves before going back to Fraser Publishing. Jamie couldn't ignore the grief tugging at his insides, but he forced it down deep, praying that Claire couldn’t feel it from where she held onto his hand like it was her lifeline. 

Oh Christ, if she could feel how his grief was eating him up inside...

A cloud hung over them for a long while, but Jamie was trying his best to reassure Claire with comforting touches and sweet words.Gradually, her face began to lift, and he caught sight of the spark of his faerie beneath the sheen of guilt and lost potential blanketing her face. It was still clearly on her mind, though, and Jamie couldn’t shake the discomfort that he was trying to shove itself forward from the pit of his stomach and the back of his mind. 

It was well past lunchtime and when he should have taken her back, but he couldn’t seem to bring himself to force her to go inside when she still seemed so… off.

Apparently that was the right decision because at one random moment, Claire stopped him and abruptly pulled him into a hug. 

“What was that for, my wee faerie?” Jamie asked, brushing a few stray curls away from her forehead after holding her for a long moment. 

“I love you,” she said simply. 

There clearly was more on her mind. In that moment, he didn’t know whether to push her or to leave her be. He tilted his head down, catching her gaze, praying silently that he was making the right decision. 

“What’s botherin’ ye, a leannan?” he asked. He slipped his fingers under her chin and lifted her face higher so he could press a soft kiss to her lips. 

“I just..” she started, but cut herself off to take a deep breath. “I just… I don’t know how to tell you how I’m feeling, Jamie. I’m sad. But also I’m so, so happy. I want to be with you, be happy with you—” she tugged on his hand which was still gripping hers “—forever. I just… want it to last, I suppose?” 

“It will, Sassenach,” he assured in an exhale. “It will, lass. 

“I,” her eyes filled with unshed tears, and Jamie wished he could take them all in the palm of his hand and keep them from spilling from her eyes. She didn’t cry, though, just blinked watery eyes up at him. “I know we haven’t talked much about… the rest of our lives… but— talking about not having babies today just made me think. Maybe... maybe I’m not meant to be forever for you?” 

Jamie’s heart dropped below his toes, sinking down through the grass beneath his feet and likely down into the very core of the earth. He could barely force the words out through his suddenly raw throat when he asked shakily, “Do… do you no’ want that, Claire?” 

She shook her head so violently that the curls swished back and forth over her face. The expression of horror at the question eased Jamie considerably, and her answer fully assuaged the rest of the rising panic. 

“I do want that, Jamie. From the second I ran to you from that hill I knew it was forever. I love you more than the life that was mine. I just… if that’s not what’s best for you, I wouldn’t take the rest of your life from you. Your dreams.” It was her turn to raise a hand to his face, cupping his cheek with oceans of tender, selfless concern swimming in her eyes. 

“It’s always been forever for me, Sassenach,” he told her firmly, voice low. He believed it with every bone in his body. “And I told you before, I have no life but you, Claire.” 

She blinked, and he could tell she was trying very hard not to break down into tears. 

If he could have, he would have gotten down on one knee and proposed to her then and there. He knew it was forever, and he wanted desperately to share that with her, but there were conversations that needed to be had and preparations to be made before he could.

He let go of her hand and raised both to her face. He held her between his hands, cradling his whole entire world between his palms. Beseeching her to listen, he held her gaze for a long moment. 

“I dinna have to be an empath like you to ken that ye’re still feelin’ guilty, mo ghraidh,” he said. “Please, listen to me. I wouldna tell ye this if it werena true.” He took a breath. “If you could gi’ up yer old life, yer people, yer home… for me... it is nothin’ for me to no’ be able to have biological children. I would trade everything I have to keep ye. Everything. And I wouldna think twice. I want ye forever, Sassenach, whatever that means.” 

Her cheek was so soft under his fingers, and he was startled to find wetness there. He glanced up to her eyes to find that she’d finally lost her control and tears were escaping to roll down her face. 

“Please, dinna cry anymore,” he pleaded, “I canna bear for ye to be in pain.” 

“I’m not crying because I’m sad, Jamie,” she whispered. “I’m crying because I love you.” 

***

Walking back inside Fraser’s Publishing some time later, Claire seemed much more at peace. She no longer visibly waged war inside herself, and Jamie felt like he could finally breathe. The heartache they’d shared was far from over, but at least its troubles for that day could be left outside in the park. 

As they came inside, they were greeted by Mrs. Crook, who immediately beckoned them over to her desk with an eager wave. 

“Claire, darling! I have some homemade cookies I thought ye might like to try…” 

“That’s verra kind, but she has food allergies, Mrs. Crook. She doesna accept food from anyone,” Jamie quickly cut in. 

“Oh, well,” Mrs. Crook looked back toward Claire again. “I saw ye wi’ the Murray weans earlier, dear. Maybe ye would be interested in seein’ some photographs of my darling grandbairns?” 

The woman was clearly desperate to bond with Claire, and Jamie couldn’t help but feel proud to see how much of an impression his lass had made. Claire shot him a quick smile, giving him a nod and a look that said “I’ll be alright.” 

“I’ll meet ye back in my office,” Jamie said, leaning down to press a quick kiss to the top of her curls. 

Before she could even reply to him, Mrs. Crook had snagged her arm and was herding her over to her desk, Claire good-naturedly following while blowing Jamie a kiss. 

Leaving the ladies in peace, Jamie started toward his office. Before he’d even made it out of the reception area, however, he found himself face-to-face with Geneva Dunsany, forcing him to grind to a halt. 

Geneva was one of the lower level staff members in marketing and a relatively new hire. Jamie usually only hired people he knew personally, but John had insisted on her as a favor to her father, a longtime family friend. Jamie didn’t know much about her other than that she was competent enough at her job that he never had to interact much. 

But here in front of him stood the dark-haired lass, her face caked in makeup that was a shade too dark and her fake lashes blinking up at him. 

“I wondered if I might have a moment,” she asked. 

Jamie spared a glance behind him, checking that Claire was alright. Upon seeing her chatting away with Mrs. Crook over a picture on the reception desk (and hopefully not in immediate danger of revealing her secret), he turned back to Geneva. 

“Of course. What can I do for ye?” 

“I had a question about… Well, I thought I might ask you to have a look over some quarterly reports I’ve completed.”

As she was speaking, Jamie shot another look over his shoulder. He couldn’t help but worry about Claire when she wasn’t by his side, and he was impatient to get her tucked safely away in his office so he could finally get some real work done. 

Geneva was clearly displeased by his less than courteous behavior. 

“Mr. Fraser,” she sighed. 

He turned back toward her, reminding himself of his dedication to his company— as distracted as he was, an employee didn’t deserve to be treated like this. 

Geneva was already speaking again. “I was wondering if perhaps later today you could come by my office? Or I could come to yours?” 

“Ms. Dunsany, I’m afraid I’m verra busy at the moment and I’ve lost a fair bit of time already… Perhaps ye could take it up wi’ John instead?” 

“But…” her response faded from his attention as a familiar wee hand suddenly wrapped itself around his bicep and a body pressed flush against his side. 

At Claire’s sudden appearance, Geneva cut herself off mid sentence, her painted mouth falling open into a disgruntled “o.” 

“Hi, my love,” Claire all but purred to Jamie, giving his arm a squeeze. She tugged him slightly downward, enough so that she could stand on her tiptoes and press a kiss to his cheek. 

Jamie was left bewildered as one of her hands snaked over to plant itself firmly on the center of his chest and rub back and forth. 

“Hi, mo ghraidh, ehm—” he struggled to find words as Claire gave him another kiss, this time to his shoulder. He could barely focus his mind as it seemed her hands were everywhere at once: stroking his chest, rubbing his arm. What the devil had gotten into her? 

He finally remembered what he was trying to do, and managed out a weak, “This is Geneva, our…” her job title flew out the window as Claire’s hand went from his chest to hook into one of his belt loops on the opposite side, effectively stopping his heart and his brain in one simple motion. 

“Geneva, this is Claire,” the words burst out in a rush with zero brain cells behind them as he desperately tried to fulfill his social duties in the face of his girlfriend’s advances. 

He lowered his head to try to catch a glance at Claire’s face, to make eye contact and glean some sort of clue about what had gotten into her, but he found she wasn’t even looking at him. Instead, her eyes were fixed straight ahead, right on Geneva. 

“Hello,” Geneva said, a hint of disapproval in her voice. She took a step back from them as her eyes flicked up and down. 

“Hello,” Claire replied, but her tone made Jamie start. Never before had he heard his faerie— his joyful, bubbly, loves-everyone-without-discrimination faerie— sound so cold. Her voice was low and steady, without even a hint of smile. 

Jamie’s brain went on high alert as Geneva reached a hand out for a handshake. They had rehearsed this in the car (not that Claire’d had a chance to use it yet with all the hugs she’d been giving out), but Jamie was worried that all the training had gone from her mind when she had apparently lost her marbles. 

However, Claire removed her right hand from where it had been placed over Jamie’s stomach to reach out and clasp Geneva’s while keeping herself firmly glued to Jamie’s side. 

He could feel her stiffen against him the moment the two lasses made contact, and then, as if a rubber band had been snapped, Claire withdrew her hand and turned to Jamie with a jerk.  

“I need something from your… room, darling,” she said forcefully, clearly forgetting the word for office. 

“Of course, a leannan, what do ye—”

Before he could finish getting out his question, Claire was stepping in front of him to drag him away. He allowed himself to be tugged off by his faerie, leaving behind a nonplussed and rather displeased looking Geneva. 

When they got down the hall to his office, Claire all but shoved him inside. Jamie stumbled through as Claire shut the door behind them. He was just beginning to ask, “What the devil has gotten into ye—?” when Claire was suddenly on top of him, her lips claiming his so insistently that it was almost an attack rather than a kiss.

His words were muffled by her lips, and he found himself getting shoved up against a wall as she took his mouth. All protestations died in his throat and her strange behavior was wiped from his mind as her kiss clouded his senses, filling him so entirely. He let her tangle her fingers in the curls at the nape of his neck, pulling him down to her, and he didn’t resist even as she tugged hard and her tongue swiped into his mouth. 

He was fairly certain that she would be the death of him, but he was more than willing to die of asphyxiation if it meant that her lips wouldn’t leave his. Her mouth pressed hot against his, demanding and consuming. Still, as his lungs screamed for air, and he urgently squeezed her waist where his hands were resting. 

She tore her lips away, gasping for breath, and then stood there, panting. She was quite a sight. Her hair was mussed, lips puffy, and her eyes held a hard look, darker than he’d ever seen them before. 

What the hell?

“What— what was that?” Jamie gasped, barely able to find his breath. Claire had clearly stolen it from him during that heated kiss, right along with his wits and perhaps even his free will.  

“You’re mine,” Claire said hotly, drawing closer again so her body could press against his as she said it. Her eyes blazed as they locked with Jamie, as if daring him to disagree. 

“Of course I’m yours, mo nighean donn, but what brought this on?” 

Claire had been in the process of leaning in to trail a line of kisses down his neck when he spoke, and she halted on her second kiss to draw back with a huff. 

Clearly bothered, she looked almost dangerous as she said in a low voice, “Geneva. She wants you.” 

“What?” it was almost a laugh as Jamie reacted to her claim. 

Claire took a tiny step back so she could properly meet his eyes, and then said, very resolutely, “She does, Jamie. I touched her, I know. I could tell even before I felt it that she wanted you.” 

Jamie’s mouth fell open at this revelation. He knew better than to protest, and upon hearing her confirmation, he realized that Geneva had been rather forward lately, but that didn’t mean she… 

Looking at Claire’s heated expression, it clearly did. His lass was inflamed. Her cheeks were flushed, pupils dilated, and her jaw clenched tightly. 

Jamie couldn’t help it as a smirk began to turn up the corner of his lips and a warm feeling of something akin to satisfaction spread in his chest. 

“So ye’re tellin’ me… that whole scene outside, and then you all but attackin’ me in here… was because ye were jealous?” 

“Well,” Claire shifted on her feet slightly, for the first time in several minutes breaking free from her severe look, “yes. You’re mine, and she—”

“Aye, I’m yers, mo ghraidh, no doubt about it,” he confirmed without hesitation, making sure she knew it was the absolute truth of his heart, “jes’ as ye’re mine.” 

He couldn’t help but smile though as the pieces all fell into place. She’d seen him from across the room and gotten jealous, so she had marched on over to stake her claim on him before demonstrating her power by stealing him away, only to kiss the living daylights out of him. It all made sense now. Her behavior wasn’t random. It was possessive. 

“You’re enjoying this!” Claire exclaimed, looking up at him with an open mouth. She was trying to sound appalled, but he could see the smile she was trying to smother turning up the corners of her lips. 

The laughter bubbled up from his chest, and he grabbed her around the waist to pull her against him as he chuckled. “Ye’re too much, mo nighean donn. And it only makes me love ye more and more.” 

Despite herself, she started laughing too, grabbing his shoulders as he hauled her against him. 

“I suppose it was rather… petty,” she admitted, biting her lip. 

“Mmmm, the way ye kissed me, though. I think I wish more lassies would take a fancy to me jes’ to get that reaction from ye again…”

She smacked him lightly on the chest, but she was still smiling as he leaned down to peck her on the lips. 

“You don’t need silly girls to want you in order to get me to kiss you like that…” Claire teased, standing on her tiptoes so she could hover her lips over his. 

“Oh, is that so? What must I do, then?” 

“Absolutely nothing,” she breathed. 

And then her lips were on his again, and she showed him exactly how little he had to do. 

*

Jamie lost another solid twenty minutes of work time due to the makeout session with Claire that ended up with him pressed against his desk and Claire doing her darndest to make him lose every ounce of self control he’d ever possessed. He’d never been more grateful in his life that his office window had blinds and a locking door. 

As nice as it was to have the very enjoyable attentions of his love, he had wasted so much of the day away already, and there was work to be done. He reluctantly detached his faerie, pulling her away by the waist while she murmured a protest. 

Jamie swiped a thumb over her puffy lips as she pouted at him, resisting the urge to laugh. 

How he loved her with his whole heart. 

“Sorry, Sassenach, I really hafta finish up some work before everyone leaves for the day, and at this rate, I willna ever be able to stop kissin’ ye.” 

She caught his fingers in a quick kiss before she frowned. “I don’t understand why all of you are so caught up with ‘work’,” she commented with distaste. 

“I’m beginnin’ to agree wi’ ye, Sassenach,” Jamie snorted. The temptation to throw everything out the window and pay attention to absolutely nothing save this alluring creature in front of him was nearly enough to drive him mad. But Jamie loved his work, cared about his business, and he had to have some self control— what few scraps remained. 

“Why dinna ye look through some of my books on the shelves while I work? I ken ye canna read the words, but there are some verra beautiful illustrations— uh, pictures, drawings— in some of them.” 

Jamie cursed himself for not bringing adequate entertainment for her. Although, beyond Adso, the space heater, and the garden— well, and him, of course— Jamie wasn’t sure what exactly entertained Claire. 

She agreed with only a brief pout, and Jamie could finally let out the breath he’d been holding when she was safely across the room, browsing the bookshelf. Feeling his heart rate finally descend (was it safe for it to be that elevated for that long?) he settled down in front of his computer. 

He managed to get a good chunk of work done while Claire busied herself with flipping through nearly every book he owned. It turned out that it was an excellent idea, as she seemed well entertained. Every once in a while, Jamie would hear a gasp and have to look up to see the adorable expression of wonder on Claire’s face as she discovered another illustration. It was mainly the kids books, he noticed, that really wowed her. Likely because she could follow the story based on the pictures, and she grew absorbed. Before long, there was a semi-circle of opened books surrounding her on the floor. It warmed him to notice that she never closed them— always leaving them open when she found an illustration she particularly liked, as if she wanted to go back and see it again. 

Despite her fascination and apparent entertainment, it was what felt like a short time later when Jamie was interrupted from deep concentration by a hand sliding up his arm to rest on his shoulder. 

“Claire, what are ye—?” he started, but was cut off when both of her hands smoothed over his shoulders. 

“You’re so tense,” came her smooth voice startlingly close to his ear. 

“Aye,”  he said, rolling his shoulders, “I tend tae carry my stress there when I’m workin.” 

“I don’t want you to be tense.” Her breath tickled his ear, and a shiver rolled down his spine. Warm hands began kneading into his shoulders, digging into the soreness of the muscles. Her touch was the perfect mix of gentle and strong, pulling the tension from his body. He couldn’t help the sigh that fell from his lips. 

Her hands didn’t let up their work, but she sometimes paused to smooth over his shoulders in broad strokes. Without meaning to, his hands fell away from the keyboard and his head tilted back. His eyes were closed in relaxation… when had he closed his eyes? 

He realized distantly that Claire was murmuring soothing words above him. 

“Does that feel good? Let out the tension, darling. There. I’ve got you.”

She hit a particularly tense knot, but the magic of her fingers had it loosening after only a second. 

“Oh Lord,” he breathed, feeling like he was in a trance. “Ye’re so good at this. I—”

His eyes suddenly popped open and he bolted up in his chair, “Christ, lass. Ye’re doin’ yer best tae distract me from my work, are ye no’?” 

“Shhh, don’t worry about it, just relax, my love,” she murmured into his ear, pressing down on his shoulders to get him to sit back in his chair again. 

He was onto her game now, though, and reached up to grab her hand and still her. 

“I have tae work, lass.” 

“I’m not stopping you,” she replied. 

The hand he hadn’t seized stroked over his shoulder. Feeling unequipped to the task of arguing with her, Jamie simply let go and brought his hands back to the keyboard. 

Alright, Fraser. This is a simple game. If you stop giving her attention, she’ll get bored and leave ye be. 

He focused all this attention on the computer screen, ignoring her as she continued her ministrations. It wasn’t the best job, but he managed to type out a few sentences before suddenly there were soft lips tracing the shell of his ear. 

Another shiver ran down his spine, and there was a slight tug of teeth on his earlobe before she kissed it again, soothing the spot with a flutter of breath. 

“Sassenach,” he said in a warning tone. 

“What? I’m not stopping you,” she replied innocently before stooping lower to brush her lips— just barely— down his throat. 

“Ye ken verra well that ye are,” he sighed, the sound turning from frustration to pleasure as she hit a particular spot that made his stomach twist. 

Her fingers were tracing just barely under his shirt, tucking themselves inside the collar. She didn’t seem to be listening, or maybe it was just that she didn’t care, because she refused to respond to the protestation. Instead, she breathed out, “Do you know you have beautiful collarbones?” 

“I didna ken, and I thank ye for the observation. May I return to my work now?” Jamie asked, trying to keep the pleading from his tone. 

She hummed to herself, “I’m not standing in your way.” 

Okay. So maybe he wasn’t quite strong enough to ignore it. And she was in no mood to free him from her clutches on her own accord. 

Swivelling so abruptly in his chair that Claire nearly fell over backward in surprise, he faced her. He took her hands in his and brushed his thumbs over the back of her knuckles. 

“Listen, lass. There’s no way I’ll get anythin’ done while ye’re toyin’ wi’ me, and I still have much to do. So let me make ye a deal. Gi’ me one hour wi’out interruptions, and I’ll… well…” Jamie found himself at a loss for bargaining chips. Ifrinn. The lass had him so well in the palm of her hand that he already gave her whatever she wanted. He decided to flip it and open it up to her. “What do ye want? In return?” 

Her eyes flashed with excitement and a twinkle of mischief. Jamie braced himself for some devious declaration or demand for a game that would prove tortuous for his self control, but instead of anything like that, Claire surprised him by smugly requesting, “I want one hour in front of the heater.” 

Jamie nearly laughed out loud. He’d come to realize that the lass thought that the space heater was a precious, exhaustible commodity, not some piece of junk hooked up to electricity. He hadn’t wanted to disavow her of that notion for fear that she’d spend every waking second in front of it instead of with him, and it seemed now it was going to play the situation to his advantage. 

“I think I may be able tae make that happen,” he said slowly, keeping his cards close to his chest. 

“With you!” she added quickly, narrowing her eyes, “for the full hour.” 

“Do we have a deal then?” he asked, putting on his best business face. 

“We have a deal,” Claire nodded primly. 

Rather than a handshake, Jamie opted for a quick peck of lips. As Claire drew away and made to head back toward the bookshelf on the opposite corner of the room, she looked like a cat that got the cream.

Better luck next time, lass. If you wanna bargain, better come knowing what’s of value. 

Feeling smug in his own right, Jamie returned to his work. This time, it wasn’t his girlfriend’s hands on him distracting his mind. Rather, it was the unshakable feeling of fondness that filled his stomach and warmed him to his toes. 

***

“Hey, Jamie?” Claire asked, breaking the silence about 45 minutes into the agreed hour. 

“What is it, a leannan?” 

He tore his gaze from his computer to find Claire looking up at him from where she sat on the floor at the foot of the bookshelf. Her arms were wrapped around her middle, and she looked so wee curled up in the corner, shooting him a troubled gaze with eyes that were round as a doe’s. 

“I’m cold.”

Brows furrowing, he abandoned his work— in the middle of a sentence no less— and went to her. She was shivering, despite it being rather balmy in his office. 

His wee faerie, typical. 

“Here, lass.” Jamie stripped off his suit jacket to wrap around her shoulders. She took it gratefully, her hands brushing Jamie’s at the edges. That bit of contact jolted through him, shattering any notions of him returning to his work straight away, and he fell to his knees beside her so he could wrap her in a hug. 

She melted instantly into his arms, laying her head on his shoulder. He smoothed his hands up and down her back, and it was at that moment that he felt her shivering. 

“Christ, lass, ye really are cold,” he burst out in concern. 

“It’s cold,” she repeated, shifting herself within his arms to burrow closer. 

“It’s no’ this cold,” he breathed. 

She didn’t say anything, just trembled against him. She withdrew her hands from around his middle and instead tucked them against his chest between where their bodies were pressed together. 

Jamie bit his bottom lip and repositioned himself to get comfortable. It seemed he was in for a longer break from his work than expected. His heart was beginning to beat faster as anxiety for his love rose in his chest. 

“This is more than temperature, a ghraidh,” he said softly. 

She shook her head where it laid on his shoulder but made no move to raise it and look at him. 

“Ye were fine all mornin’,” he noted quietly as his brain began working in earnest. 

“I’m fine now,” Claire insisted, her voice muffled from where her mouth pressed against Jamie’s shoulder. 

“I dinna think ye are,” Jamie finally said out loud, admitting the fear that had been rattling around inside of him for days now. He’d watched the little things add up, even worried over them, but every time he managed to convince himself it was nothing. Even just this morning he’d thought perhaps everything was in his head. Now, however, it was just another item to add to the growing list that was too long to be coincidence. 

“I told you, Jamie. It’s nothing,” Claire said, her voice gaining an edge to it. “I can feel you worrying.” 

Jamie swallowed thickly. A rush of guilt washed over him, and he wondered whether she could feel that too. Gah! It was impossible not to feel things, especially when it came to her. It was terrifying to know she could read them, and that what he was feeling could make things worse for her. 

“This isna nothin’ Sassenach, but I dinna ken—”

Claire sat up abruptly, pushing herself away from him with two hands planted firmly on his chest until she had gained her distance. Irritation was rising in her as warm spots on her cheeks, and her eyes flashed a darker shade of gold. 

“Don’t tell me about me like you know better than I do,” she said, brows drawing together in frustration. 

“I’m no’, I just—” 

Jamie reached for her, but she batted his hands away. 

“I’m telling you, it’s nothing. If you were tired of trying to warm me up, you could have just said something.” 

She was moving backward now, attempting to put more distance between them, but Jamie reached out to grasp her upper arm, holding her still. Her head whipped toward him, eyes hard and ready to lash out, but Jamie spoke before she could. 

“Please, dinna go,” was all he could think to say. 

It wasn’t like she was actually going to storm out of his office— at least he hoped not— but it still hurt for her to tear herself away like that. He didn’t want to fight.  

Something— perhaps it was his pleading tone, the look on his face, or maybe she could actually feel his distress— made her freeze and give him her attention. 

“I’m sorry if I made ye feel like ye werena my priority, mo ghraidh, because ye are. Always. I would abandon work entirely jes’ tae hold ye in my arms, for however long ye wanted. I’m jes’ worried, lass, I dinna mean to presume I ken more than you do about yer own body. I’m sorry. Please, lass, come here to me?” 

Claire’s eyes filled with tears. She remained stock still, her eyes locked with Jamie’s. There was a long moment where he watched the moisture gather in her eyes and the gears turn in her head as she fought within herself, and then she broke the stillness. She did come to him then, scrambling up into his lap and throwing her arms around him. A wet face pressed into the crook of his neck, and Jamie quickly brought his arms up to hold her, pressing her face into him and feeling relief course through him. 

“I’m sorry,” she said, “I don’t know why I lashed out at you, Jamie. I didn’t mean that.”

“Hush, hush, it’s okay, a leannan,” Jamie soothed, carding his fingers through her curls and rocking her back and forth. “Ye’ve had a long day. Ye’ve felt yer share of heartache, met so many new people and seen so many new things, and ye’re tired. Why dinna we head home now, aye?” 

She drew back, blinking tears away from her eyelashes. “Maybe just in a moment?” 

“Of course, Sassenach.” Jamie didn’t need to be an empath to know that she needed a second to gather herself together before she could face the task of exiting the building and encountering whatever people went along with that. 

“Hey, I love you,” Jamie added softly, petting her hair, pulling it back away from her neck over and over. He stretched his thumb so he could smooth over the long muscle of her neck, feeling the soft skin and wishing he were at an angle that he could press a kiss there. 

“I love you, too,” came her quiet response.

***

a/n: Important Update:

Hey friends! So I may be going off the grid a bit later in June, not 100% sure yet. There probably will end up being a brief hiatus for this story, and I wish I could tell you exactly what it will look like, but I don't know yet. I will keep you posted here. Thank you so much for your flexibility and investment in the story, and I'll do my best not to leave you at cliffhangers. While I still have time left, be prepared that updates may get a bit more frequent.

I don’t remember if I’ve announced it on here yet, but I also want to officially say that an Arc III is in the works! I’ve already started writing a bit on it because I’m so excited about it. So don’t worry, even if there is a brief hiatus, there is lots of story left. Thank you for sticking with me!!!

Next

[tetsuroyaoyaoya]

Despite Semi having allowed you to crash at his apartment after your fight with Kenma, for some reason - most likely the adrenaline from the argument running through your veins at the time - you hadn't got the faintest clue where he had actually taken you. It was a stupid response on your part, seen as you could have ended up in the middle of nowhere with no one to call for help, but you guessed that just showed how much you actually trusted Semi.

You hadn't ever dreamt of being in this position; on a hunt to track down your favourite member of your favourite band who just so happened to now be your fake boyfriend, and it seemed that you were in a constant inner conflict over whether you were actually enjoying the situation or not.

It was every girl’s aspiration to end up with their idol, but not like this.

You shielded your eyes from the sun as you walked through a neighbourhood that you definitely didn’t belong in, and probably wouldn't ever. Everything down to the road markings screamed ‘fancy’ and you were grateful when your surroundings began to seem more familiar, your eyes finally settling on the building Semi resided in.

After living with Kenma and Kuroo for so long, it was strange to you that the three boys would live separately, although, you could understand why they did for that exact same reason.

While it was nice to have roommates, especially ones that were your best friends and the people you worked with almost every single day, there were very few boundaries, and sometimes all you wanted was some privacy - or a door that locked.

The receptionists at the front desk gave you a foul look as you walked by, and you could still feel their eyes on you as you reached the elevator, hoping at least that you looked as if you knew where you were going. A bad feeling was pulsing in your chest, a ringing beginning to preside in the front of your mind: the telltale signs of anxiousness clawing at you.

But everything was going to be fine; there was no reason for it not to be.

The elevator ride was silent, sans the mind-numbing music in the background, but you were grateful you had ended up being the only one inside all the way from the ground floor to your destination. You didn’t need any residents looking down on you either.

Taking a deep breath, you raised your arm, giving the door a firm knock, praying that Semi was actually awake to hear it.

It took a fair few minutes, and you had been tempted to knock again just in case, but the door finally clicked, signalling it was being unlocked.

But the person who answered wasn't who you had been expecting.

“Hello?” The woman stared at you tiredly, clearly having just been woken up by the knock at the door. You were sure this was the right apartment.

Or was it?

“Ah... I’m sorry. I must have the wrong-”

“Babe? Come back to bed...” A pair of arms snaked around the woman’s waist, and a head came to rest in the crook of her neck. The display of affection made you cringe, but you tried your best to hide it, desperate to move on from the situation.

As you looked away, the glint of the sun on the man’s hair caught your attention.

There was something deathly familiar about the shade of grey, but... it couldn't be-

“Semi?” The man raised his head groggily, eyes widening as he met you, recoiling from the other woman as if she had caught fire.

“Y/N? What... what are you doing here?” The guilt on his face was obvious, but you were too baffled to process it. You couldn't comprehend the feeling in your stomach, all you knew was that you didn’t like it at all. With a heavy swallow, you were finally able to tear your eyes away from the two, opting to stare at the doorframe before answering.

“The boys didn’t know where you were and we were meant to have lunch, remember?” You heard him sigh, the sight of him running a hand through his hair just visible in your peripheral.

“Shit, Y/N... I’m sorry. I-”

“Got drunk? On a Monday? Really?” The glare you gave him as you turned your head to look at him again sucked the air out of his lungs, leaving him breathless and at a complete loss for words.

The anger beginning to bubble within you distracted you from the fast approaching footsteps behind you until they reached you, a delicate hand grasping your wrist and pulling you behind a body.

Peeking out from behind them, you realised it was Kenjiro, who was now currently in a silent stand off with his best friend, looking more angry than you had ever seen him before, even in press pictures. You swallowed as this continued for another moment or so, before he turned, gently guiding you away from the apartment and back towards the elevator.

Taichi briefly caught your eye as you passed him, and you smiled numbly, not even having realised he was there. He was apparently staying behind, and you watched as he walked into the apartment, clearly having to push past Semi and the woman to enter.

The last thing you heard was the door slamming closed as the elevator door slid shut, Kenjiro letting your wrist fall from his grip as you began your descent.

It was only then that you allowed a stray tear to fall down your cheek, not even caring if the man beside you saw.

Fuck.

You really were in deep.

TWELVE - DEEP

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*  updates every monday  *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

it’s like 2am so if there are any mistakes please tell me and i’ll fix them when i’m not sleep deprived :)

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[kisshwa]

𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐮𝐩 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 - 𝐣.𝐰𝐲

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒 — ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇʙᴏʏ!ᴡᴏᴏʏᴏᴜɴɢ ꜰɪɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟꜰ ɪᴍᴍᴇʀꜱᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀʀᴛʏ ꜱᴄᴇɴᴇ ɪɴ ᴏʀᴅᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴅɪꜱᴛʀᴀᴄᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟᴠᴇꜱ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ’ꜱ ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢꜱ

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄 — ꜱᴜɢɢᴇꜱᴛɪᴠᴇ, ᴍɪɴᴏʀ ᴀɴɢꜱᴛ, ꜱʟɪɢʜᴛ ꜰʟᴜꜰꜰ

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 — 1700+

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 — ᴀʟᴄᴏʜᴏʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅʀᴜɢ ᴜꜱᴇ, ꜱᴜɢɢᴇꜱᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ (ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ, ᴡɪᴛʜ ɴᴏ ᴅᴇꜱᴄʀɪᴘᴛɪᴠᴇ ꜱᴄᴇɴᴇꜱ)

waves of partiers continued to pile in, filling the place with even more drunken and stoned college students. it was a friday and no one had anything better to do than get wasted all night long. you found yourself hidden away in the kitchen with a few of your friends from class. the room was fairly quiet compared to the rest of the house; which whom you didn’t even know who it belonged to.

“y/n, pass me that tequila behind you, would ya?” jieun pointed in your direction, as you sat atop of the counter.

she was already super drunk but you did as she said, handing it over and watching her pour the liquid into a cup. you looked out into the living room where everyone was dancing, smiling at the fun everybody was having. you, however, only showed up for one person and had yet to see him walk through the door. it was pathetic really — sitting around, waiting for the moment he’d come strutting in and instantly have the girls pouncing on him.

you took another swig of the drink taeyang had mixed, getting ready to hop down and move to the dance floor when someone caught your eye. it was him, in all his god-like glory. the way the flashing led lights hit his skin, the way his face lit up when everyone began calling his name, the way his black hair was hanging in his eyes; everything about him was perfect. it was too bad he’d never be yours.

jieun nudged your knee, “you gonna talk to him tonight?”

“weren’t you just telling me last night that i need to stop talking to him? that he was only breaking my heart?” you arched an eyebrow at her.

she shrugged and took a sip, eyes still narrowing in on his face, “i mean, i have no room to talk. mingi and i are the same way, but if he makes you cry one more time, i’m breaking his face.”

you laughed, shoving her away jokingly. she patted your thigh and sent a wink before wandering off to another room. it took you a minute of thinking before you finally got down from the counter and headed out as well. just as you rounded the corner, you body collided harshly with another. you looked up to find the king himself with his arms up to avoid bumping you again. he stopped when he noticed it was you.

“y/n.” he smiled his stupid little smile.

“wooyoung.”

he continued walking into the kitchen, knowing you’d follow, “you didn’t tell me you’d be here tonight.”

he set his case of beer down in the fridge. ‘it’s not like it would matter anyway’ you wanted to tell him. he straightened back up and looked at you with raised eyebrows, waiting for your response. you looked him up and down with a deadpanned expression. as much as you wanted to hate him, for all he’s done, you just couldn’t bring yourself to do it.

“i didn’t even know i’d be here until a few hours ago.” you confirmed.

he nodded, stepping closer and wrapping an arm around you. you could smell that he had already been drinking, maybe even a hint of weed if you would’ve took the opportunity to lean in closer. he peered down at you, that little grin forming again.

“guess that makes you my beer pong partner by default, huh?”

you rolled your eyes and poked his side, “oh, please. i carry your ass in every game.”

the two of you walked out into the main area but you had pulled away from his grasp before anyone could see. the last thing you needed were boys teasing you and girls acting fake to get closer to wooyoung. almost everyone knew about your guys’s past but assumed all connections stopped once you cut things off.

it was nearing midnight and the party had yet to die down. some were passed out in the back and front yard, others were struggling to stand on their own two feet. you and wooyoung were on your final round of beer pong, earning a complete winning streak together.

“y/n! jieun’s throwing up in the bathroom!” taeyang yelled from the hallway.

you didn’t think twice and left the game instantly to go help your best friend. jieun was slumped over the toilet, luckily managing to make it on time and preventing a mess. taeyang stood behind her, hands on her hips as she looked down at her passed out friend. you rubbed jieun’s back and tried to pick her up, but with no luck.

“here,” a voice came from the door. “i’ll get her. where’s your car at?”

taeyang’s eyes flashed between you and wooyoung. she waited for you to signal that it was okay before answering. wooyoung hoisted her against his side, hands holding her tightly to assure she didn’t slip. you lead the one, clearing a pathway all the way out to taeyang’s car down the street, buckling her in.

she thanked him religiously before turning to you, “do you want to leave now or do you want me to come by later to pick you up?”

wooyoung’s held fell on your waist, “i have a dd picking me up around two. she can come with me, if that’s okay?”

taeyang double-checked with you to make sure you were comfortable with it. when you nodded, she sent you a flying kiss and climbed into the drivers seat. you watched as she drove away; with wooyoung still attached to your hip. he bent down and placed his chin on top of your head, eyes still following the vehicle.

“you have pretty great friends.” he announced. “i’m glad you found decent people here.”

you turned around to face him, arms absentmindedly snaking up and around his neck. maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was the emotions you kept balled up, but you wanted nothing more than to kiss him right now. his eyes were dead-set on yours, setting off butterflies in your stomach. why did he have to be so damn perfect? why did he have to mess with your head like that?

just as you began to make a move, a car came flying down the road and made a screeching stop in front of you. wooyoung pursed his lips, mentally cursing his best friend for giving a terrible impression of his driving. san, the best friend in question, just about fell out of his seat when you opened the back door. he hadn’t seen you for the last five months, after everything went down.

“long time, no see.” he beamed, discretely glancing at wooyoung for some sort of explanation.

by the time you arrived at their apartment, you were still pretty tipsy; after downing the remains of your drink before hopping in the car. wooyoung guided you to his bedroom, though you were well aware of where it was. you fell down on the mattress, not bothering to take of your shoes. woo cringed and snatched your feet in his hands, placing them in his lap as he unlaced your sneakers. you began to doze off when you felt a cold swipe across your face. your eyes fluttered open to see him delicately removing your makeup.

“you’re too nice to me.” you whispered, staring at him fondly.

he chuckled, “i’m just making sure your skincare routine doesn’t get too messed up. it’s not good to sleep in your makeup.”

it was unbelievable how in love you still were with him. everything he did made your heart skip beats just like when you were dating.

“wooyoung?” you opened your eyes again. “why do we keep doing this?”

he hummed, “what do you mean?”

this time, you sat up so he could sit beside you. his face was full of concern, afraid he might have done something wrong by bringing you home with him. he just wanted to make sure you were safe.

“we broke up months ago, but we still hookup and party together and do things that exes shouldn’t do. we still obviously care for each other, so why are we not together anymore?”

wooyoung licked his lips, fiddling his fingers out of unsureness, “i-i don’t know, y/n. we just weren’t the same as before. our lives got so busy and neither of us had time for each other. there were times i questioned if i was still in love with you.. and that shouldn’t even be a concern of mine. that’s when i knew i had to leave.”

you both agreed to go your separate ways after breaking up. yet you still found yourselves searching for each other in big crowds and keeping an eye out for anyone who was getting a little too close to the other. you tried anything and everything to forget about him: one-night stands with strangers, drinking til you blacked. nothing worked.

“i’m tired of trying to find you in someone else.” you confessed quietly. “nobody compares to the way you care for and look at me. you were my first real love. how am i supposed to move on from that?”

his eyes shook, dancing from yours back to his lap. he had never been able to put into words how he felt, but you did it perfectly for him. no amount of drunken hookups with other girls could ever amount to the warmth you radiated when making love to him. he missed you; so much, it was embarrassing.

“y/n?”

you looked at him once more, hoping your words got through to him. he leaned in dangerously closer and pushed the stray hairs out of your face. his touch sent electricity through your bones. your mouth opened slightly, almost as an invite for him to kiss you.

just before he captivated your lips on his, he whispered ever-so-softly, “i love you.”

his hands found their home on your sides, nonchalantly pressing you down further on the mattress. you placed yours in his hair to pull him closer. while still at work, he managed to pull your top over your head. his kisses cascaded down your neck, across your chest, then trailed your stomach. you watched as he made sure to give every part of your body the love it deserved.

“if you love me so much, then stay with me this time.” you were breathless by his actions.

he peered up from his position between your thighs, the faintest smile on his face, “i’m never letting either of us walk away again.”

[peachyteez]

lost puppy ≫ DAY FOUR, CONFRONTATION

being abandoned by your owners is never fun. but yunho takes it as a chance to explore the world as his owners were never the kindest people. having wandered around jiyu’s condo, seonghwa discovers the lost puppy and said puppy is offered a second chance at a place to call home

PART OF THE HEAVEN SERIES.

✧ taglist: @defsoul15, @choisaniskillingme, @joongiebug, @sunsethw4, @t-tbinnie, @danibookmarks, @chanyeolol, @hello-its-ya-boi, @murralyn, @alienmashup, @panini, @moon8894, @taetae123094, @luv3rxcha

can’t be tagged: @koasworld

feel free to let me know if you would like to be added to the list! :)

✧ notes: things get a lil intense, oops. she might me a lil lengthy hehe.

✧ WARNINGS: mentions of abuse, whip marks, and blood, indirect mentions of sexual activities, degrading names (mutt, bitch)

back。| next。

"jiyu, it’s eight in the morning on a saturday, why are you up so early?” seonghwa asked as he padded out to the kitchen in his pajamas. he rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes as he took a seat on the stood next to jiyu’s at the kitchen island. 

"i’m just trying to see how i can legally remove yunho from his current home,” she yawned. “he may have ran away, but his owners technically still have custody of him.”

the two were engulfed in silence. the only sounds that could be heard was jiyu typing on her laptop. “is that who you were giving the food to?” jiyu suddenly asked.

seonghwa’s eyes widened. “how did you know i gave him food?” he asked. he doesn’t remember ever mentioning about it too jiyu.

“ms. kim saw you a few days ago going out with a bag of food,” jiyu chuckled. “don’t worry, i was just curious. i knew something was on your mind for the past few days, but i didn’t want you to feel entitled to have to tell me everything so...”

seonghwa thoughtfully nodded. “he was hanging around the dumpster alley,” he revealed, making jiyu slightly gasp.

“poor thing, i wonder how long he’s been there,” she mumbled as she continued reading up. she bit her lip as she read. “is he still asleep?” she asked, looking up to seonghwa, who softly nodded in response.

she pursed her lips in thought as she closed her laptop. “i guess we can take him shopping for a few pairs of clothes later today,” she thought aloud. suddenly, she remembered a question seonghwa had asked her a few days ago. would you be okay with another one? was he talking about yunho?

“hey, hwa,” she called out to the hybrid next to her. “were you talking about yunho when you asked me about another hybrid the other day?” she asked.

seonghwa bit the inside of his cheek before meekly nodding. jiyu softly smiled. “i don't mind,” she said, making seonghwa snap his head towards her out of surprise.

“really?” he thought he heard her wrong.

jiyu nodded. “my only concern now is that this apartment might be too cramped for the three of us,” she chuckled. “i think the previous owner moved out of the penthouse last month, and as far as i know, no one moved in yet,” she recalled. “if anything we can just move there if i can get custody of yunho.”

seonghwa’s tail excitedly started wagging as he smushed jiyu into a hug. “i have another friend now!” he cheered as he rubbed his cheek against the top of her head. a smile was spread across his face.

she chuckled as she reached up and scratched his head. “come on, let’s go get yunho so we can get breakfast and shop around, yeah?”

half an hour and five failed attempts later, the three were all ready to go out. yunho had to borrow seonghwa’s clothes again, although he protested and said he could wear his own. jiyu insisted since his old clothes had some holes and rips from his life on the streets.

“okay, let’s go get coffee then we can shop around for some clothes for yunho. sounds good?” she asked the two hybrids in the backseat. 

yunho cocked his head in confusion. “why would i need clothes? i thought you said i can borrow seonghwa’s clothes.”

drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, she turned around in her seat to face the two. “yunho, how about you live with us once if i can remove you from your owners’ custody?” she offered. 

yunho blanked out, thinking he was daydreaming. “pardon?”

jiyu softly smiled. “you and seonghwa already seem to have grown attached to each other. plus, i don’t feel right sending you to a shelter after all this is over,” she explained. “we’re not forcing you, it’s just a suggestion so don’t feel pressured to accept. we’ll understand if you turn down the offer,” she said before starting the car. “but you’ll still need some clothes just in case.”

yunho stared out the car window throughout the whole wide to the cafe. him? living with jiyu and seonghwa? can he really do that? can he really risk it to try and live with another owner again? endless thoughts floated around his mind. he was so deep in thought, he didn’t realize that jiyu left the two in the car as she went in to get her coffee. 

seonghwa waved a hand in front of yunho’s face. “earth to yunho,” he called out. 

yunho snapped out of his thoughts as he looked around. he sheepishly chuckled. “sorry, i was just thinking...”

“about our offer?” seonghwa asked.

yunho slowly nodded. seonghwa understood his hesitance. after living with abusive owners for who knew how long, he knew yunho’s reservations and hesitance about living with another human. heck, he had the same thoughts while in the recovery center. 

“she’s different,” seonghwa mumbled as he peered into the coffee shop at jiyu. “did you know she saved me from being put down?”

yunho’s eyes slightly widened in surprise at the revelation. seonghwa humorously laughed. “to be honest, i was like you about a year ago. ran away from my...owners and became a stray until stray patrol found me and handed me over to the recovery center.” seonghwa didn’t know what compelled him to share his life story with the golden retriever, but he thought he could offer him solace if he revealed how similar the two were. “my old owners weren’t the best people either. they used me like a toy for their pleasures and whenever i tried fighting back, they returned the fight twice as hard.”

seonghwa craned his neck and slipped his collar down a little to show yunho the damage. yunho gasped. he noticed a maze of whip marks on the wolf’s neck that snaked down farther down his back. seonghwa sighed as he continued. “sometimes i’d even be stuck laying in their basement bleeding out. if they felt nice, they'd send someone to patch me up. other days...i did it myself.”

yunho went silent. it was at that moment he realized that they were, indeed, more similar than he had thought. the only difference was that seonghwa received the help he needed, whilst he was still wandering around with no destination. 

“that’s why when i say she’s trustworthy, she really is.”

at that moment, jiyu came back. “sorry guys! the wait took a little longer than expected, but i got you guys drinks, too,” she said before handing them each two cartons of banana and strawberry milk. 

seonghwa’s eyes sparkled and his ears twitched in happiness at the drinks, while yunho stared at the drinks as if they were treasure. “thank you...” he gratefully said before glancing at seonghwa, who was happily sipping from his carton. he seemed so different. no one would’ve ever thought that he went through years of both physical and mental abuse from the smile on his face at that moment. maybe there’s a chance for me, too?

half an hour later, they came to a little shopping mall in the middle of the city. yunho’s eyes sparkled with fascination as they walked through the various stores. he sometimes was so distracted that seonghwa would have to come back and drag yunho with him so he wouldn’t get lost. jiyu chuckled. he looks exactly like seonghwa. she noted.

despite yunho’s protests again, jiyu and seonghwa eventually convinced him to pick out outfits. yunho’s eyes bulged out when he read the price, but jiyu insisted it was alright and he was free to chose whatever he wanted. seonghwa and jiyu waited while the golden retriever went to try on the clothes. pursing her lips, jiyu realized that they would really have to find a larger place if she wanted to house both seonghwa and yunho. 

“excuse me.”

turning around and snapping out of her thoughts, jiyu noticed a man and woman standing behind her and seonghwa. they seemed to be a little older than jiyu, maybe late twenties. despite them dressing casually like a normal person, jiyu could recognize wealthy people from a mile away—their haughty aura and tone gave them away pretty quick, not to mention how they both sported gucci watches. 

she plastered a fake smile on her face. she's dealt with plenty of condescending ceo’s and their wives during company parties. “hello, may i help you?”

the woman gave her a sickly sweet smile. “we couldn't help but notice a golden-retriever hybrid you had with you a while ago.” jiyu tensed. yunho.

“does this look okay—”

coming back from the dressing room, yunho froze when he noticed the man and woman talking to jiyu. all color drained from his face, giving jiyu the confirmation she needed. they were his owners. 

the man plastered on a fake smile as he walked past jiyu and seonghwa towards the trembling giant puppy. “there you are yunho! did you know how worried we were about you?” he asked, his eyes glaring at yunho despite his friendly tone. he reached out towards yunho. “say thank you to the young lady and let’s go—”

jiyu lunged forward and smacked the man’s hand away before he could grab yunho. she protectively stood in front of yunho and coldly glared at the couple. seonghwa and yunho’s eyes widened at her actions. “don’t touch him,” she warned.

the man scoffed and glared down at jiyu. “he’s our hybrid and we have the right to take him back home with us. so unless you want legal actions against you, then hand him over right now.”

yunho winced whilst seonghwa started growling at the couple. the woman stared back at seonghwa with disgust. “and learn to train your hybrid better! don’t you know any manners?” she taunted jiyu.

by this point, they were already attracting a crowd. 

jiyu humorlously laughed. “you’re one to tell me about manners, miss. you can’t even treat your own hybrid with care and respect,” she retorted. 

the man grew red with anger. “young lady, unless you want a lawsuit against you for theft of property, then hand him over. we have witnesses, you know,” he smirked, gesturing to the crowd around them. 

jiyu clenched her hands into fists as she felt her angle almost burst at the seams. theft of property? they really view him as an object?! glancing at the people around them, she noticed them whispering amongst themselves while some were recording the whole scene.

the woman rolled her eyes as she gestured to yunho. “yunho, darling, come to us. now.” her tone was hard and demanding. yunho hesitated, glancing at the younger girl in front of him. she glanced back at him with determined eyes.

gritting her teeth at yunho’s disobedience, the woman reached out towards yunho. “yunho, you useless mutt! what did i say—”

at that moment, something snapped in yunho. eyes hardening, he started to growl, making the woman freeze in her tracks. “no.” he firmly stated as he looked at his “owners”. “i’m not going back with you.” he glared. 

jiyu and seonghwa were surprised at his change of character. he was no longer the shy and smiling puppy. he now had the most intimidating glare, his eyes burning with hatred for the couple in front of him. 

the man exploded as he focused back to jiyu. he had enough. “do you know who we are?! we’re the ceo’s of star enterprise, and we can ruin your life with a snap of our fingers—”

as the man continued with his threats, seonghwa protectively stood in front of both yunho and jiyu. he towered over the couple, growling as a warning. the man gritted his teeth, slightly stepping back from seonghwa. 

“star enterprise?” jiyu mused at the familiar name. she remembered her father mentioning to her about how he had acquired their company. she smirked, realizing she had the upper hand. “then you don’t seem to know who i am.”  

the woman scoffed. “excuse me? you’re just a little bitch that—”

“does jiyu hwang ring a bell?”

suddenly, the man and woman’s eyes widened at the name. of course they knew who she was. she was the daughter of their acquirer, hwang enterprises. color drained from their faces at the sudden revelation. 

she walked around seonghwa and stood her ground in front of the couple. “i’ll make this short. i have proof of the both of you abusing this poor hybrid. now, we can make this simple and you can give me custody of him, and i won’t tell my father about any of this,” she smirked seeing their somewhat terrified expression. she knew how much they needed her father’s help in the industry. “unless...you want to wake up tomorrow morning with half of your stocks gone and your names labelled as hybrid abusers on an article. 

the man stumbled back. he had heard rumors of how ruthless hwang enterprises could be if you messed with them. now, he was witnessing it first-hand. unlike her husband, the woman still tried challenging jiyu. she scoffed. “you little bitch. you think you can threaten us using your father’s—”

“shut up, unless you want us bankrupt by tomorrow morning,” her husband hissed.

the woman was flabbergasted. “but—!”

ignoring his wife, he plastered a fake smile on his face as he bowed. “our apologies, we didn’t realize it was you, miss hwang!” 

jiyu fought the urge to roll her eyes at his switch of personality. “it’s fine.”

“although i’m quite unsure about why you want such a useless mutt, we can definitely hand him over. you’ll have the papers by tomorrow morning!” he said, trying to suck up to the younger female after his and his wife’s fatal mistake. 

jiyu plastered a smile. “i’ll be expecting them,” she curtly said before grabbing seonghwa and yunho’s arm to drag them away from the crowd. “and you should know, the hwang’s don't appreciate tardiness or lies.”

she pulled the two far from the whispering crowd and humiliated couple. seonghwa and yunho were shocked. that wasn't the jiyu they knew—it was like she was a completely different person. 

“oh my god, what did i just do?” she squealed when they made it back to the car. she face-planted onto the wheel as the other two climbed into the backseat. “i’m an idiot!” she berated herself.

“u-um...” yunho hesitantly spoke up. “are you okay?” 

she sighed. “yeah, i’m fine. are you okay, though?” she worriedly asked as she peered back at him. her normal, worried self was back. 

yunho nodded as he looked down, fiddling with his fingers. “t-thank you f-for that,” he mumbled. no one has ever done something like that for him. and it made him realize that maybe, just maybe, the universe was giving him a second shot at a place to call home.

she softly smiled before gently patting his head. “of course, yunho.”

“i think...i’ll take up your offer,” he shyly said, making jiyu and seonghwa grin. seonghwa cheered as he embraced the puppy. 

jiyu smiled. “welcome to the family, yunho.”

yunho grinned. “also, please remind me to never get on your bad side.”

seonghwa nodded. “that was cool, but scary.”

jiyu pouted. “i’m not that that scary, i promise!”

as the two teased her on the way home, jiyu gripped the wheel a little tighter. she never intended to show that side of her to them. as a matter of fact, she never intended to show anyone that terrifying side of her. the moment she left the main house, she locked that side of herself away forever, or so she thought.

as much as she hates to admit, she and her father shared many similarities—and their ruthlessness was one of them. she hated that side of her. discreetly glancing at the rearview mirror, she saw seonghwa and yunho laughing with each other.

that was when she knew she was different. while her father used his ruthlessness for money and power, she used it to protect her loved ones. she would do anything to keep them safe, even if it meant showing them glimpses of that side of her again.

“but now we have another problem,” she realized.

the hybrids cocked their head in confusion at her words. she sheepishly chuckled. “we’re gonna need a bigger living space.”

[lonelysoul029]

After Hours

Pairing: George x Reader

Summary: Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes is now closed for the day, and George can finally have his way with his girlfriend.

W/C: 1.6k

Warnings: dom!George, sub!reader, slightly (if not completely) embarrassing interaction with Fred, smut, dirty talk, bondage, aftercare, fluff at the end.

A/N: The gif below gives me life. I’m totally not staring at the veins popping out on the sides. Anywho, I might’ve gotten a bit carried away with this fic but oh well. Unbeta’d so as always, all mistakes are mine. Hope you like it!

“Thank you, have a good night!” Y/N sighs as she watches the last customer of the day walk out the shop with a couple of purple Pygmy Puffs. She closes her register then picks up her cardigan from the shelf under the counter, draping it over her arm. Y/N heads to the back office with a bit of a sway in her hips, completely aware of a certain brown pair of eyes watching her from the balcony.

When she reaches the office door, she hears a familiar crackling sound, the sound made when someone apparates from one place to another. Before she can even turn to face the person who transported behind her, large hands grab on to her waist and pushes her against the door. Y/N let’s out a gasp when long fingers dig into her sides.

“Did you really think you’d get away easy, little one?” George’s deep voice rumbles next to Y/N’s ear. She can feel his warm breath on the side of her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

Y/N feigns innocence, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Georgie,” she says in a confused tone but a smirk on her face, knowing full well that she wore the tight coral pencil skirt that drives him crazy and white blouse that’s so thin, anyone can see that she’s wearing her red lace bra underneath. Her words only earn her a spin and her back being slammed against the door. She can see him now; his brown jacket is gone, his sleeves are rolled up, the top few buttons of his shirt unbuttoned and his tie hanging loosely from the collar. There’s a prominent bulge in his pants, and his lust-blown eyes are staring down at her.

“Well you see, darling, I think you know exactly what I’m talking about,” George says, crouching down a bit so their faces were leveled with each other. Y/N bites her bottom lip while his gaze is on them, making George want to use his thumb to pull it back in its place. He tucks a stray hair behind her ear instead, then he uses the back of his index to stroke her soft cheek, “I think, you dressed like a whore on purpose,” he leans forward, his lips brushing the shell of her ear, “You want to be punished, don’t you, love?” 

Her lips part to speak, but gets cut off by the another deep voice. “Please don’t tell me you’re planning on shagging in my office,” Fred says, walking into the hallway they’re in. Y/N covers her face with her hands in embarrassment.

“Our office,” George corrects his twin, turning to face him. “And no,” he continues, “I wasn’t planning on doing anything in there,” he looks back at Y/N, pulling her hands away from her face and tilting her chin to make her look up at him, “We’ve got a pretty big store, don’t we?” he smirks at her

Fred lets out a fake gagging sound, “Well at least let me through so I can get my things and get the hell out of here.” George steps away, pulling Y/N off the office door to let Fred pass. Once the older twin gathers his belongings, he’s practically running to get to the exit. “Don’t forget to lock up. Oh, and please clean up after yourself George,” Fred reminds his brother, “I don’t want another customer complaining about the smell of bloody chloroform,” he adds in disgust, then he’s gone.

“George!” Y/N slaps him on the chest, “You said you’d cleaned that up properly last time!”

“Sorry if I was distracted by the naked lady on the counter looking truly and utterly fucked out,” George smirks, “Now, where were we?” He wraps his strong arms around her and picks her up bridal style, she squeals. George takes large strides, walking to the aforementioned counter and laying her down gently on it. His fingers swiftly unbutton her blouse, exposing her chest to him, “You’ve been quite naughty, haven’t you love? Walking around the store showing people what’s mine.” He says while trailing kisses down her the valley of her breasts. A hand reaches around her to unclasp the red lingerie then he pulls it off of her. He immediately wraps his lips around her nipple, making her arch her back off the counter. His teeth grazing and nipping at the bud.

“George, please,” she pleads, needing more.

“What is it, love?” he prompts. 

“I need to feel you, Georgie,” Y/N lets out a small moan when she feels his hand go underneath her skirt and his fingers brush against her damp underwear.

“Christ, darling. You’re so wet,” George moves her panties to the side, sliding a finger into her slick cunt, “That for me?”

“Fuck,” she breaths, “All for you, George. Only you.” 

He continues to thrust his finger in and out of her, adding another one as he goes. His thumb draws figure eight patterns on her clit and his mouth sucks dark marks all over her torso. The pleasure of it all sending her closer and closer to the edge. Her walls start to clench down on his fingers, telling him she’s almost there. George keeps up his movements for a few moments more, and just as she’s about to fall over the edge, he pulls away. Y/N groans in frustration.

“You don’t get to cum just yet, my love,” he completely takes off the tie around his neck, “Turn over, on your knees, arms behind your back,” George commands.

“Yes, sir,” Y/N nods and obeys, flipping her body over the counter and placing her arms behind her as instructed. 

“Good girl,” George lifts her skirt up so that it’s bunching around her waist. He takes both her wrists, tying them together tightly and pulling at it, “Is it okay?” he asks.

“Mhm,” she hums, earning her a stinging smack on her right cheek.

“Use your words,” he rubs his hand soothingly on the area he just hit.

“It’s good, sir,” Y/N mumbles. She feels his hand move away from her ass, then hears the sound of a belt unbuckling. She sucks in a breath, hoping George would use it on her. To her dismay, the piece of leather is dropped onto the floor.

“I know you want the belt, Y/N,” George smugly states. The smirk is definitely on his face without her having to look. Damn him for knowing her too well, “It wouldn’t be much of a punishment if you love it, now would it?”

“Sir, please?” She begs. 

George just chuckles, “Maybe next time, baby girl. Right now, I just want to make sure you won’t walk for a week.”

She whimpers at his words. George pulls down her lace thong down to her knees before moving his length through her soaked folds, making sure to add a bit more pressure when it slides over her clit.

“George,” Y/N moans. With that, he enters her. Inch by slow inch. She can feel his every ridge and every vein as he pushes in deeper and deeper still.

He groans as he bottoms out, waiting a moment for her to adjust around his cock. George pulls out only to slam back in. His hands gripping her hips. He builds up a rough and steady pace.

Y/N lets out loud moans when George hits her g spot repeatedly. The sounds she makes only spurring him on. His grip on her tightens, surely leaving bruises for tomorrow to see, as he speeds up his movements. Pushing harder and harder with each thrust. She tries to grip the edge of the counter, but stops when she realises her hands are bound. She balls her hands into fists instead, manicured nails digging into her palms.

Because of being denied release earlier, the coil in her stomach tightens quickly, and soon, she’s once again teetering over the edge. “M’close,” Y/N voices.

“Are you now, darling?” George prompts.

She corrects her mistake almost immediately, “C-can I please cum, sir?” 

He takes a few seconds to reply, even though he’s so close to cumming himself. He snakes one hand around her and his fingers find her sensitive nub, “Go ahead, love. Come for me.” 

The coil inside her snaps at his words. A series of moans and profanities comes out of her mouth as her walls flutter. After a couple more thrusts, George stills and groans out in pleasure as he finds his release. They’re both panting as they come down from their highs.

He pulls out of her, making her whimper at the loss. He frees her wrists from the tie, then plucks out a few tissues from the box on the shelf. He uses them to wipe off their mixed juices running down her thighs. His fingers hook into the waistband of her underwear and he pulls them back up in place. 

Y/N turns to lie on her back, her breath now at its normal pace. She leans back on her hands then slides off the counter. She adjusts her skirt but she keeps a hand on the ledge, not trusting her legs to support her. A now dressed George picks up her bra and hands it to her. Once the clasp is secured, he helps her button up her blouse. 

“You know,” George smirks, “You should wear sexy clothing more often,” he leans down to kiss her gently.

She pulls away after pecking his lips twice more and grins, “If it ends like that? Gladly.”

[misc-headcanons]

(Commission) NS.FW Spinner/F!OC: Closer

Word Count: 3114

Contains: Smut, oral sex, dirty talk, some alcohol consumption

Shuichi Iguchi wasn't a "people person". It wasn't for lack of trying, but years of schoolyard rejection and social isolation had left him with no desire to reach out to the world around him. Still, even if he was an isolated otaku as Shuichi Iguchi, he was proud to say that he'd become a slightly less isolated Villain after taking on the name Spinner. Hey, baby steps, right?

Normally he'd have been holed up in his room at his parents' place in the sticks, playing video games; now he was at a bar, his fellow Villains' hideout, enjoying a drink he wasn't even having to pay for. Hell, there was even a woman sitting next to him! A pretty-looking one at that, too. And...wait, was she looking at him? It was hard to tell with the shadows that made up her body obscuring her line of sight. How long has he been looking at her? 

"Something on your mind?" She spoke up and jolted Spinner out of his own thoughts, making him almost spill the drink in his hands. She laughed, and Spinner immediately felt a burn in his cheeks that wasn't caused by the whiskey in his throat. "Guess there was," she teased.

Spinner turned around slightly to face the bar and set his drink down. He was used to being teased, but it was still too easy for girls to fluster him and catch him off guard. "Not what you probably think," he insisted, scowling a bit. "I was just...thinking, that's all."

The female Villain tucked a stray shadowy tendril behind her ear and scooted her chair at the bar closer to him. "Aw, I didn't mean to make you feel that embarrassed," she replied gently. Her glowing eyes drifted to the side for a moment as she glanced at him. "To be fair though, you DO look pretty cute when you're getting teased."

Spinner's cold blood suddenly felt red hot.

"Wh-what?"

The shadowy woman grinned, her golden eyes and mouth lighting up in contrast to the dark purple shadows that made up the rest of her body. "I said you look cute," she replied, leaning over and taking a gulp of her drink. "You're acting like you've never had someone call you good-looking before!"

"I haven't," Spinner said, admitting that a little too quickly. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean...Mandalay, one of the Pussycats did, but that was just to distract me while I was fighting her." He puffed his chest a bit. "Didn't work though. I don't fall for that kinda fake flattery n' shit." He took another gulp of his drink. "Catgirls're overrated anyway…"

____ cocked her head and angled her chest subtly towards Spinner. "Yeah? How about shadow girls?"

Spinner's eyes widened and he finished his drink as he stared at the woman in front of him, noticing how she was not-so-subtly bending forward to show off her cleavage. Wait...if she had a shadowy body like Kurogiri, did she even have cleavage? His eyes quickly flitted to her black tube top and leather vest--yep, she definitely did…

Suddenly, Spinner jolted in his seat as he felt a pair of fingers pinch his shoulder. He looked over at his arm and saw a disembodied purple-ish hand attached to the shadow of a section of the bar that cascaded over part of his body. It sank back into the shadow and disappeared, and the Villainess next to him gave him a wave and a smirk. "If you wanted a closer look, all you had to do was ask," she said smoothly. "I'll even let you touch me, if you ask nicely enough."

Spinner's mouth felt dry, and it was only slightly because of the whiskey. Holy shit. It was happening. A girl was flirting with him. Fuck, he might actually get some action, too! He set his drink down as casually as he could and gave her a smile that he hoped looked more charming than nervous. "Can I at least get your name first? Just so I know who I'm...uh...looking at." 

The shadowy woman leaned forward with a stray napkin on the bar to wipe a bit of alcohol off his chin. "Overcast," she replied. "That's my Villain name, at least." She felt his lips tremble a bit as she ran her thumb over his mouth, and she smiled. "Believe me, I already know yours." A strange shade of lilac seemed to flush across her cheeks for just a moment. "I've had my eye on you ever since I first joined the League."

"Really!?" Spinner cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice from sounding so high-pitched and excited. "Uh. Really."

Overcast snorted and nodded. "Yeah, really." She leaned in close and moved her hand from his chin to gently run her fingers through his hair. "You wanna know what I was thinking about whenever I had my eyes on you?"

Spinner felt a shiver run up his spine as he felt her fingers brush through his purple hair. She was so close to him. He hadn't been this close to a girl since his mom would kiss him goodbye on the cheek before sending him off to school...wait, what the fuck, stop thinking about your mom Shuichi, you're about to get laid! 

When Overcast moved to whisper one of her filthy fantasies from whenever she'd look at him during meetings, he didn't have to worry about any more awkward thoughts; with how his eyes bulged and his jaw slowly dropped as she went on in raunchy detail about what she wanted to do to him, his brain had basically short-circuited from a torrent of never-before-seen attention and desire.

Overcast moved her head back and giggled at the dumbfounded look on Spinner's face. "Oh c'mon, that's one of the tamer things I've thought about doing with you!" She tucked a stray strand of purple hair behind one of his ears. "So...would you be interested in something like that?"

Spinner's mouth felt dry and his boxers felt incredibly tight as she played with his hair, looking down at him with a sultry smile on her face. "I...uh…" Yes! Yes, yes, holy shit yes. I'd be glad to just make out with a girl like you that's into me, much less all sorts of kinky sex. Oh my god, yes. He blinked and willed himself to speak. "Uh…" He laughed nervously. "Could I at least get your real name first?" 

Overcast smirked and tilted Spinner's chin up as she leaned forward to kiss him. "Occa," she replied, her lips mere millimeters from his. "Promise to moan it for me when I make you cum?" 

Spinner's lower lip trembled and he nodded eagerly, taking some initiative and putting an arm around her waist as she pressed her lips against his to deepen their kiss. Occa smiled against him as his hand trembled slightly behind her back; his inexperience and shyness was so cute, and such a turn-on for her. She gently bit his lip and moaned when Spinner boldly took the opportunity to explore her mouth with his tongue. It had a slightly strange texture to it, with a bit of extra weight and musculature to it as he snaked it around her. Despite the sudden outburst of confidence when he first kissed her (or...anyone) with tongue, his movements were unsure and tentative now that it was finally a French kiss. Occa did her best to guide him with her own tongue, and after a moment or so they worked out a steady natural rhythm before finally breaking the kiss. 

Spinner panted, not even having to look down to confirm just how hard his cocks were as they strained against his costume's zipper. He could still taste her along with the lingering whiskey from his drink earlier. Holy shit. He'd just gotten his first kiss, and with tongue! Tongue that he initiated! And she liked it! She liked him...He looked up at her in awe, wanting to continue hearing and feeling and tasting her but having no idea what to do next. "I...Can w-we…"

Occa put a finger to his lips and smiled. "Do you want to go to the couch? Everyone else is out, and I don't think Kurogiri would mind giving us the room for a little bit," she said sweetly. She turned her head towards the other shadowy figure behind the bar, who'd said nothing as this entire scene unfolded. 

"I have no problem giving you two some privacy," Kurogiri replied smoothly. "I'll create a portal for Master Tomura and the other members when he calls, but I don't need to be at the bar to bring them back." He gave the two of them a stiff nod and left to go into the small wine cellar located underneath the bar area, leaving them alone. As he closed the wooden panel that led down to the cellar, Occa gave him a casual wave before turning her attention back to Spinner.

"Shall we?" She held one of her hands out to escort him to one of the plush leather couch in the middle of the room. Spinner bit his lip and eagerly nodded, taking her hand. Occa chuckled and led him a few steps to the couch, kissed him again once they were in front of it, and gently pushed him down onto the seat without letting their lips part. Now that the initial shock of his first kiss had (almost) worn off, he was much more active when their lips met again; when he accidentally bit down on her tongue, she moaned and he immediately pulled her closer as he pushed his long tongue deeper into her mouth.

Spinner shivered in anticipation as one of Occa’s hands wandered to his pants’ zipper and dragged it down. His legs wobbled and he was thankful that he was already sitting when she’d started to undress him; he definitely would’ve fallen flat on his ass if he’d still been standing. He broke the kiss and helped get his pants down to his ankles, and he noticed Occa eyeing his two bulges pitched against his dark red boxer shorts. “I uh, have two,” Spinner said sheepishly. “Two dicks, I mean. That’s...okay, right?”

Occa looked up at him while on her knees, her golden eyes shining even more than before. She smiled and bit the corner of her lip as she hungrily stared at his cocks. “Definitely okay,” she replied in a low voice. She placed her hands on either of his thighs and slowly made her way to his waistband. “I never would’ve guessed you had two of these.” As she pulled down his boxers, she couldn’t help but giggle at how he was subtly rocking his hips a bit in his seat. “Eager, aren’t ya?” When she caught her first glimpse of his two members, each of them deliciously thick and a fleshy shade of pink. The place where she expected his balls to be only had a small opened sheath of scales where his cocks seemed to reside--well, when they weren’t about to be played with by a lovely lady like her, that is. “Oh my God,” she sighed, “You’re so fucking hot.”

The moment Spinner felt her fingers gently wrap around his lower cock, his eyelids fluttered and he let out a small gasp. Occa kept up her pace with her right hand while quickly unzipping her pants, shoving them down and pulling her panties down a bit to play with her clit. Not wanting to leave his other dick unattended, she tilted her head slightly and licked a long stripe from the base all the way to the glistening pink tip. Spinner let out a shivery moan; her hand already felt so good, but now all he wanted was to feel her velvety tongue against his cock again. Occa smirked and looked up at him playfully, still pumping his other member as she spoke to him. “Could you guide it into my mouth for me? I’d do it myself, buuuut--” She moved her hand faster, making him buck his hips as she increased her pace and sighing pleasurably as she toyed with her cunt with her other hand--”I’ve kinda got my hands full…”

Spinner nodded, panting as he grabbed his other cock with a shaky hand and supported the back of her head with the other hand. He had planned to be slow and gentle but the moment he felt her lips envelop his tip, he hissed with pleasure and shoved his hips forward while gripping her hair tightly between his fingers. Occa eagerly bobbed back and forth as she stroked his other cock, and the two Villains moaned and sighed as the pressure and heat inside of them continued to grow and grow with every minute they spent intertwined with each other.

Occa gleefully moved her lips off of Spinner's length with a small wet pop. "Fuck," she whined, biting her lower lip, "I can't decide if I wanna have one of your cocks in my ass or if I want both of them inside my pussy." She felt his other member twitch in her hand at her lewd words, and she rode her other hand more vigorously as she grinned up at him. "What do you think, baby?"

Spinner let out a strangled whine and bucked his hips as she gently squeezed his shaft. A strand of drool fell from his lips as he panted, and his eyes fluttered when she leaned forward again to envelop his other cock in her mouth after saying something so lewd. God, this couldn't be real, it had to be a dream. This felt so good, she felt so good. No amount of hentai, erotic video games, and fantasizing with his own hands could have prepared him for the feeling of a real woman sucking him off and happily stroking him.

"Fuh--f-fuck," he hissed through gritted teeth. "Haah...Whatever you want." He felt a strange twinge of guilt as he stared down at Occa with half-lidded eyes; here she was with her hands and mouth full as she worshipped his cocks, and he was just lying on the sofa. That was probably rude. Women like it when you touch them and stuff while they blow you, right? He shakily reached out and cradled the back of her head with his hands, with his thumbs resting by her cheekbones as he brushed them against her smooth skin. Occa let him guide her head as she went back to giving his other cock more attention with her tongue, licking one long stripe up the shaft before suddenly taking him into her mouth completely.

Spinner involuntarily shoved his hips forward and Occa giggled, letting the vibrations of her voice run up the head of his dick and down his spine. She goaded him into going faster, stroking his lower length at a quicker pace while she eagerly moved her head back and forth. His fingernails dug into her scalp as he bucked into her warm mouth and hand at a feverish pace, panting heavier as the flickering warmth and pressure in his core came to a head. 

Occa felt his hips jerk forward and took his cock in her throat as far as it could possibly reach, and as she watched him come undone she felt her own climax about to peak as she used her free hand to furiously circle around her clit. 

Spinner groaned her name as he came, filling her mouth and sprayed her chest with his seed. He heard her let out a muffled moan and looked down to see her eyes rolling back slightly as she squeezed her thighs together; the wet sound of her digits pumping her drooling cunt left him salivating. He wanted to see it for himself, he wanted to taste what was on those slender fingers. He needed it.

Occa moved her head back and swallowed the cum in her mouth, panting heavily through parted as she slowly rolled her hips in the lingering afterglow of her orgasm. She saw Spinner reach for her arm and let him take her hand. The ache of her now-empty cunt was annoying but when Spinner eagerly sucked on her glistening fingers, it was quickly replaced with a feeling of pleasurable heat; for a virgin, he was so damn good at turning her on. 

She kicked off the pants and underwear around her ankles and rose up to join him on the couch while he continued to suckle and lick every drop of arousal from her fingers. "Mind if I get my hand back for a sec?" She smirked and tugged on her black leather vest and tank top. "Unless...you know, you don't wanna see my tits bounce while I ride you and play with 'em."

Spinner shook his head and parted his lips, and Occa giggled at how he'd immediately let her fingers go at the prospect of seeing some bare breasts. He watched her with wide eyes as she tossed her jacket and shirt aside, leaving her in a black bra that just barely stood out from her smoky purple skin. She quickly undid the clasp and teasingly rocked her hips a bit against his hardening cock as she got rid of her last piece of clothing. Spinner stared in awe at her chest, eyeing the lighter shade of dark purple that made up her nipples. They'd only been exposed to the cold air for seconds and they were already hard as she reached up to play with them with her saliva-covered fingers.

Spinner gasped softly when Occa reached down to set her hand on top of her left breast, kneading the soft warm flesh between his scaly fingers. His mouth felt incredibly dry as he tried to think of what to say. Your tits feel as great as they look? I've never been this hard in my life? 

"...My name is Sh-Shuichi," he blurted out, thumbing her nipple as she continued to grind against him. "My real name, I mean."

Occa cocked her head slightly and smiled. He really was a sweetheart, wasn't he? She leaned down to kiss his neck and jaw. "Shuichi," she murmured. It felt so strange to not call him Spinner for once, but she didn't mind it at all. "Shuichi" felt more personal, more intimate. "Mmm, I wanna feel your cocks inside me so bad." She smiled against his scales as she felt a trickle of his precum run down one of her thighs. "Shuichi...I can't wait for you to fuck me."

[aineirisha]

What I confessed while daydreaming

It all started that night, that dreadful night. It all started with their threatening voices of fake silk. It all started with their eyes on you ready to devour you, ready to take away what was rightfully yours. 

It all started with ignorance. 

Myths and legends and things that are not human.

It all started...

Or perhaps it started centuries ago, you couldn't tell. You never really knew...

Things that are not human...

Stories that don't belong to humans...

And yet... 

You were...

Human...

...frightened by their energy, by the way they looked at you.

You couldn't trust them. No matter how they tried to convince you, you wouldn't trust them, your instincts told you not to. All your senses screaming at you, 

"RUN!!" 

But you couldn't move. You didn't understand. 

Why were you so scared? Why weren't your legs responding? Why couldn't you stop quivering? Why were those men...?

"Do not worry Hime-sama, we will not hurt you"

"We are just here to please you"

"Let us please you, Hime-sama"

"We are just going to play a little game, shall we Hime-sama?"

But they did not carry toys with them. No dolls or balls, no wooden horses.

What were four men trying to play with a seven year old girl?

Why are these men trying to play...

... With me?

You raised your eyes to meet theirs and fear took over. Thirst for power dripping from their gaze, running through their veins. 

You shed no tear, you voiced no scream, you made no expression. 

The moment their hands were over you, your chakra unfolded, piercing their bodies, breaking their bones, and exploding their organs. 

A lot of blood was shed that night, not one single drop was yours.

It all started that night with that dreadful feeling. 

The power of destruction. The drunkness that comes with it. 

 It started with you, with all that you never really knew... 

Urging you to flee...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Working at that restaurant had turned out to be an excellent choice. It gave you enough money to sustain yourself and the opportunity to meet the daily life in the village. Every day you got the chance to practice all that you couldn't practice on the training grounds. Your power was about sensations and emotions. To recognize those emotions you had to be around living things, preferably humans, and what better place than a restaurant. 

Dozens of different chakras came into the restaurant daily. Each time they became easier to identify and distinguish. Bit by bit colors started to appear and, if you concentrated enough, you could even perceive each one of the 7 pools of chakra. 

It was very challenging at first. Allowing yourself to be affected by other people's energy was a burden really heavy to handle. Lots of emotions were mixed in that closed space. And it could hurt, to feel other people's feelings as if they were your own. It was overwhelming.

Some time ago you had found your peace extending your own chakra around you far enough so that other's energy couldn't reach your core, you strengthened your vibrations to a point they were stronger than everybody else's, preventing your energy and emotions from being polluted with those around you and prevailing over them. And now that you needed to move forward, that you wanted to learn about control, you had to make your peace aside to prioritize knowledge. Ironic. 

It was an exhausting exercise, way more exhausting than shinobi training. But it was rewarding, what for so many years you did by pure intuition, now you were doing consciously. 

Besides, it wasn't all dark and gloomy. Your power gave you the possibility to have things your way if the situation turned out to be more than you could handle. That usually meant, as a result, a feeling of tranquility, a feeling of certainty that it was all gonna be ok.  The power was way easier to bear when people's energy was bright, so it was kind of for selfish reasons but the results were convenient for everyone. If needed, making other people feel at ease was the easiest thing to do; it didn't hurt, it protected your core from other's pain or low-frequency emotions -usually negative- and it always ended up working in your favor.  All you had to do was extend your chakra and sync your vibrations to the ones of the human in question. Truth was, you didn't have to do it on purpose anymore, your vibrations were so strong everyone else just synced to them almost by accident. 

Lots of clients came to the place when you started working there for that exact reason. Unconsciously, everyone kept coming back to feel that lightness, that warmth.  

Nevertheless and despite everything, manipulating emotions wasn't your favorite thing to do even if it was for a good purpose. Life felt more real when you let others be honest. 

That and... maybe if you didn't fear your wounds that much you could... 

Maybe if you could let go of the past... 

Maybe if you weren't so scared of your own darkness...  

When it came to your power you were always careful. Perceiving chakra and observing its behavior was a safe zone and you found the way to work from there. It was like experimenting. Sometimes you'd try with certain words or phrases, other times facial expressions, and you awaited the reaction. It was particularly interesting when you found an energy that changed with the presence of another person, whether it was a loved one or a hated one. 

********

The afternoon was perfect. The sun was up, shining bright and warm, only cooled by the blowing of the wind. The sky was blue and eventual clouds floated miles above your head. The day went by at work without much to worry about. Megumi-san was kind of a weirdo and you two got along perfectly. She was teasing and playful. You were always joking and laughing. 

You took a deep breath and looked up to the sky. Some birds were flying by. You smiled. The sound of your steps on the ground made everything feel real. 

The buildings were all painted with messy patterns that seemed to have no order or purpose. Maybe there was going to be some kind of festival or something... 

No, the paintings were too messy to look good. That couldn't be for decoration. 

What happened here?

And then you bumped into him. Green goggles on his forehead, blonde spikey hair, evil giggles, with a bucket and a painting brush on his hand. 

 You had felt his energy a block ago. 

Was he trying to get revenge?

Was he just playing games? 

It felt like both. A dark type of amusement. A mischief. He knew he was doing wrong and he was enjoying it. 

As you approached him, the feeling of mischievousness increased. 

Intrigued by the kid, you walked towards him and stood by his side. With your hands in your pockets, you contemplated his painting. 

"Is that a hat?" you asked, tilting your head trying to get the shape of the drawing.

He turned around to see you with a defensive attitude, used to people scolding him for everything. 

"Maa maa, nee-chan, it's not a hat, it's a snake, see? It has an eye" he said while pointing at the spot on the lower edge.

"But why does it have a...That?" you were certain that you had never in your life seen a snake with a bulge, that looked more like a camel with no legs. 

Or a hat...

"It's fat cause it ate the entire bowl of ramen, dattebayo," the blonde said while nodding, a huge smile on his face. He seemed really proud of his creation. 

You laughed noisily, completely amused by the kid's imagination. 

A neighbor came out of the building, shouting.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, LITTLE BEAST?!!" He threatened as he started walking towards the child furiously.

The blonde stared back at him for an instant and panicked. 

"RUUUN!!" He shouted at you as he sprinted to get as far away from there as possible. 

You did as told not giving it a thought. That man seemed terrifying. 

When you two finally stopped, you were safe, many streets away. You paused to catch your breath. He was already searching for his next victim with a malicious grin. 

He was punishing the people, you realized, and by doing so he was getting himself into so much trouble. 

Punishing them for what?

"Hey kid" you called him. "I know of a fence that is in desperate need of some painting" your house wasn't that far away. 

He followed you ready to attack, wielding the brush like a kunai. 

Your fence was wide enough to keep him entertained for a while. 

You took the lead, dipped your fingers in the bucket, and started doodling on the wood. His mesmerized gaze fell on you like a stray of sunshine. Finally, he had a partner in crime, and it wasn't Choji or Shikamaru, it was an adult. 

He didn't feel like the enemy anymore. 

You two started playing. Your clothes were probably going into the trash after this, the paint wouldn't wash off. 

"Too bad we don't have other colors," you sighed, enjoying your time with the kid. He had a nice laugh and three marks on each of his cheeks that made him look adorable. It had been a long time since you last played with a child.

"Maa, maa; when I become the Hokage I will have all the colors I want and people won't tell me what to do" he smiled satisfied. "You can come paint with me"

The Hokage?

"Why are you painting fences?... and walls?" 

That's not exactly something the Hokage would do... or maybe but not like this.

"I want everyone to acknowledge me," he said decisively.  

His energy amazed you. It felt like he was... broken?... but more than broken, cracked. It was like cracked glass refusing to shatter. His determination and wishes holding him together, helping him stand (like a tape or a band-aid). There was no nostalgia in him. Only the hopes that things would be better in the future. No, it wasn't hope... it was... 

Certainty.

You smiled to yourself with a lump in your throat and resisted the urge to hug him.  

What could have happened for a child to be so fractured?

And yet he seemed so brave, so strong. 

For a moment you forgot about his malicious shenanigans. His vibrations were so strong they were competing with yours. 

"You missed painting here" you teased him, passing your dirty fingers over his recent doodle. 

He pouted. "You need a little color too, nee-chan" his brush painted over your lines. "Now it's a clown" he giggled.

You burst in laughter. He looked at you surprised by your reaction. You hadn't scolded him or criticized him once. You were definitely a weirdo. 

He started laughing too. 

The game began, whoever covered most of the fence would win. He was already winning.

"That's not fair!! You have a brush!!" you complained. He stuck out his tongue to mock you in response.

"Naruto!!" you heard Iruka shout at the kid. "What do you think you are doing??!!!" he quickly grabbed the child's hand. 

You signaled Iruka to stop, your hands over your neck telling him to cut it. Naruto didn't know that was your house. As far as he was concerned you were manging a mischief together. 

Iruka looked at you startled and let go of Naruto's hand. 

"Iruka-sensei hi" you waved at him. It was time for your lesson. 

"You know each other?" Naruto was suddenly very confused. He stared at you and Iruka back and forth.

"Yeah, he's my sensei" you smiled. 

"You are a student?!" he was shocked.

You nodded. 

"But you look old"

"Hey! I'm not that old!" you put your fists on your waist, pouting.

Naruto thought about it. Maybe you weren't that much of an adult, not of the same kind as Iruka at least, or as the villagers. Old people don't do funny things and they don't paint fences. 

"Naruto go clean yourself" Iruka took the bucket and the brush away from him and sent him home. 

"YN-san I apologize for Naruto, he's just... I'll make it up for you" he said.

"Don't worry" You giggled "I bumped into him while he was using the village as his canvas and a man came out to beat the crap out of him so I thought it would be better if I just..."

 Teamed up with him. Take him out of there. Be friendly. 

"I'm sorry," he repeated while looking at your dirty fence.

"Don't be. It has potential. This right here looks like an eagle, and if I fix these, they could be mountains, and these right here..."

He just looked at you and smiled. You were kind and tender. Not ruled by people’s ideas of how things had to be done. You always... behaved unexpectedly. It was as if you could see beyond things. Whether it was a landscape behind the doodles or a friend behind a missbehaved boy, you never settled with appearences. 

 There is always more than meets the eye. There are always things we don’t really know.

But you wanted to know...

"Is he the student you always talk about?" Of course Iruka had told you about him. Sometimes you didn't even train and all you did was talk about your lives. Whenever any of you had a bad day you would always put support first. It was pretty comforting to have someone to talk to. Iruka's energy was one of the warmest, sweetest, most compassionate you've ever met, you admired that. It made you feel safe. 

"Yeah" he scratched his head.

"Oh, I get it now" you laughed as you got into your house. 

************

CH 4  CH 6

Masterlist

A/N: Ok, guys so first of all sorry for my grammar, spelling, syntaxis, and everything that has to do with writing structure. English is not my first language and boi this is harder than I thought (I'm better at writing in Spanish I promise)

Second: reader has been through a lot and I mean A LOT. She's been through so much I have enough material to write an entire ff about it like hell maybe even two who knows, so I'm struggling with how to tell you all that information. Maybe you won't get to know everything, just the important things. Bottom line she's had a rough time. (I'm actually a little bit scared to write that part cause it's pretty angsty, like right now she chooses peace and nice feelings but back then she didn't and turned her life into hell but I don't feel my writing is good enough to do justice to all that so... hope I get better) that doesn't mean there won't be angst i mean, there's no way to avoid angst when it comes to kakashi, so wish me luck.

And third: I suck at drawing so I can't show you what her power, energy and vibrations and all look like. I hope I was clear enough to give you a general idea (I'll probably get deeper into it later) but if I wasn't please let me know and I'll explain it better, it would be soooo helpful to know what you understood. 

And last but not least: THANKS FOR READING. let me know if you want to be added to the taglist :3 <3

@femboyneji @spnningtop @strawberrycakesstuff @cosplayartponypoli @ren-hatake

[teaandcrowns]

whispered truce

Chapter Seven: Diplomatic Solution, part iv

_________

It… was actually a really good idea.

Zuko wasn’t sure if it was surprise he felt that she’d come up with something so ingenious, or if it was embarrassment that he hadn’t thought of it first. It’s admiration, a voice that sounded curiously like his uncle’s whispered in the back of his mind. He ignored that voice. Behind him, the Avatar’s waterbender hovered over his shoulder, watching.

“You’re being distracting,” he said, a little irritably. Did she have to stand so close? His arm still tingled with a pleasant coolness from where she healed him.

“Oh,” she said. “Sorry.” Except—she also didn’t move.

Zuko set the calligraphy brush on its porcelain stand and twisted to look back at her. “What is it? Did I miss a stroke in a character? Are my brush lines not clear enough? Do you have an issue with my wording?”

Despite his flurry of questions, Zuko didn’t expect an answer; he expected her to take the bigger hint and give him a little more breathing room. Forging a letter from the Royal Palace Ministry of Domestic Culinary Affairs took a bit more precision from his brush strokes than he tended to give them, and that was considerably more difficult to accomplish with a waterbender breathing down his neck.

She blinked a few times, as if not realizing she was practically invading his personal space. More frustratingly, she still didn’t move.

“I’ve never seen someone actually write that well before.”

That caught him off-guard. “Well, I mean—” he started. “My handwriting isn’t normally this formal. But it has to look official.”

“Still,” she said, leaning even closer over his shoulder so she could reach out and brush fingertips along the empty space to the left of his last line. “The lines are just so crisp and decisive.”

A strange shiver snaked up Zuko’s spine at her words, which he attributed to the time limit and pressure they were under to get this done and in the right place before dawn. He cleared his throat, giving her a pointed look which was completely hidden by the mask. Finally, she got the message and straightened, stepping away from him to walk over to the door of the storehouse. With nowhere else either could really think of, they’d headed back to the record keeper’s storehouse. It still stank in here, but once the waterbender had crystalized the air and captured what she said were droplets of the foul smell lingering in the air, it was bearable. Zuko had no idea what she was talking about, or how crystalizing a scent even worked, but he chalked it up to being a waterbender thing, and so had set to work drafting up a fake letter to forge.

Her plan was simple, but Zuko thought it had a really good chance of working. All the domestic shipments of food and cooking items that weren’t homemade by families or produced in local towns were shipped out from the capital. That included things like rice, barley-wheat flour, soy sauce—and nam-pla. The letter he was writing made the proclamation that an unknown number of nam-pla containers across several shipments got contaminated, and would soon go bad if they hadn’t already. It claimed that because the contaminant had been caught only after the shipments were dispersed, it would take too much time to send representatives to every location and check all the jars that had been already distributed to only get rid of the bad ones. In order to expedite the health and safety of all Fire Nation citizens, it is hereby decreed by the Ministry of Domestic Cultural Affairs of the Royal Palace that all current stores of nam-pla be disposed of. City, town, and village officials are to order a double shipment with their next procurement requests to the capital in order to replenish stores. Failure to comply will be considered a lapse in public stewardship of citizens and location officials will be dealt with accordingly.

“What if they don’t actually get rid of this stuff?” the waterbender worried from her spot by the door. It was cracked open to let fresh air in, and a slant of moonlight spilled in through the opening. “It’ll be really suspicious when no actual officials show up to ensure the jars have been disposed of.”

“They’ll do it,” Zuko replied, picking the calligraphy brush up again to finish the letter.

A beat of silence passes, and he can almost tangibly feel the tension of her concern. “What makes you so sure?”

He didn’t pause in his brush strokes. “I think the mayor here will spook easily enough and comply. From what I’ve gathered, people have only been getting sick recently, so being caught so quickly would most likely make him want to get rid of the evidence. After that, hopefully it won’t matter that Culinary Affairs officials never show up because the poison will be gone, and word will have reached the capital about the skimming he’s been doing here for the last few years.”

“But that also means people won’t be coming around to make sure every jar’s been disposed of. What if some families don’t?”

That thought had occurred to him, as well. Zuko frowned at the scroll, pausing only momentarily in his writing. They couldn’t afford to waste too much more time if he kept stopping mid-sentence. Beneath the wood of the Blue Spirit mask, his mouth pressed into a tight line.

“We just have to trust they’ll all follow the order.”

He heard her pace a few steps behind him. “What if they mayor doesn’t let the people know? How can we be sure the word will actually get out?” Her pacing stopped short. “What if he thinks it comes from someone trying to work against him?”

It was strange, hearing his own concerns voiced so clearly to him. “I think,” he said, slowly, “that so long as this looks really official, he’ll do what it says.” Zuko finished the line he was working on. “I did put in that officials will be coming around to gather the emptied jars and check for compliance, so…”

“That worry will hang over him like a bad banana.”

“Yeah—wait, what?” Her comparison struck him so odd as to be funny, and it caused him to pause so long before starting the final line of the letter, he nearly forgot himself and let ink drip onto the scroll. Thankfully, he caught himself in time and moved the brush away. He’d have to start a whole other letter if a stray splatter of ink found its way onto what was supposed to be an “official” document.

He twisted back to look at her, and saw she had a sheepish smile on her face. She shrugged. “I don’t know, seemed like a fitting saying.”

Zuko shook his head and was glad that his own smile was hidden by the mask. “That was a really bad attempt at a metaphor.”

“Not if that bad banana falls on his head,” she insisted, and he honestly couldn’t tell if she was serious or joking. Why would she be joking with him, after all?

“Is… the fake letter the bad banana?” he asked, unable to stop himself.

“Well, the fake threat of officials coming from the Royal Palace are. The letter’s more the peel.”

Despite himself, despite everything, he almost laughed at that. At the sound, the waterbender seemed to realize the banter starting between them and thought better of it. She cleared her throat a little.

“How’s it coming along?”

Right. Back to business. But… the banter was a good sign, wasn’t it? Maybe if he won her over a little bit, she’d help convince the others that he should be the one to train the Avatar firebending. That was his ultimate goal, anyway.

“Nearly finished,” he replied, picking up the brush again and getting back to work. After a moment, he leaned back a bit to scrutinize his handiwork. “There’s only one thing left.”

“Where to take it?”

“Well—before that. The signature stamp.”

“Oh.” It was clear by the fall of her voice that she understood his concern. “Do you… know it?”

He knew it well enough—most of the Ministries’ seals were variations of one another, and incorporated some part of the seal of the Royal Palace. He’d had them all drilled into him relentlessly during his schooling, so much that he doubted he’d ever forget one. “That’s not the issue. I can recreate it, but it definitely won’t look like it’s stamped.”

“I think I can help with that, too. Can you write it on another scroll?”

Unsure of how exactly she could help, Zuko did as she asked anyway. With careful strokes he replicated the seal to the best of his memory. It was a pretty good rendition of it, that was for sure, but any other thoughts he might have had on it were interrupted by a soft crackling beside him.

The waterbender was shaping the end of a small block of ice while staring intently at the seal he’d replicated on the scroll. When she was finished, she carefully pressed the carved end against the still-wet ink, then used that to stamp the scroll beside the written seal.

“How’s that?”

He compared it to the one he’d written. “Almost. This line should be a little more tapered, and that one just a bit straighter.” Zuko watched as she made the adjustments and made another stamp. He nodded his approval. “Won’t the ice melt into the ink, though?”

The waterbender shrugged, unconcerned. “All ink is, really, is charcoal and water and a little thickening ingredient. I can just evaporate the excess water if need be, but it probably will be so little it won’t make a difference.”

Beneath the wood of his mask, Zuko’s eyebrow lifted in startled appreciation. “You know how to make ink?”

“I know how to make a lot of things,” was her reply. She moved her fingers over the seal he’d written with a fluid twist of her wrist, and the black ink glistened in the lantern light.

“Wait,” he said suddenly, just as she was poised to re-ink the seal. “It should be red.”

Quickly, he rummaged through the storeroom until he found what he was looking for—a small porcelain container with the iconic red seal ink that every letter-writing Fire Nation citizen had. He removed the lid and set it down next to the extra scroll.

“Here.”

With precision, she removed the outermost layer of ice on her block to clear away the black ink still clinging to the corners and contours she’d carved, then dipped the end into the container. Once the seal was coated in red, she hesitated and looked at the forged letter scroll.

Sensing her question before she asked, he directed her to the proper location for the seal, then held his breath for the brief moment she hovered directly above the scroll with the seal before pressing it firmly against the paper. When she drew back, Zuko looked over the letter, nodding.

“This looks…”

“Pretty official,” she finished.  “Do you know where it should go? Or who we should leave it for?”

“Yeah. But… it’s gonna be a little more involved.”

[pessimisticlatte]

Glass Roses ~ Chapter 21

Adrienette/Adrinette ~ Lukagami ~ Ladynoir ~ DJWifi/Alynino ~ Chlobrina ~ Gabriel x a Sack of Shit ~ Nathalie x Happiness (because she deserves it)

Remember how I said this was going to be a monster chapter? Well, it is. It clocks in at 13 pages (out of the 160 for the whole fic) and 6,505 words (out of 77,371). 

Author’s note at the bottom

Marinette watched Gabriel leave, slipping into a hidden corridor toward the back left of the ballroom and disappearing. Trying not to watch her illusory self walk gracefully through the ballroom on Chat’s arm, Alya as Rena following behind with her flute slung over her back and figures looking like Viperion, Queen Bee, Carapace and Ryuko not too far behind her. Mari knew that the Alya walking within their friends superhero forms was real and that she’d chosen to remain within the group of illusions so as to maintain the guise of them being real and to make sure the illusion didn’t drop. Trixx’s illusion magic tended to work best if Alya was as close to it as possible, so that’s the route the dark red haired girl had decided to follow for this particular mission. 

Following into the corridor behind Gabriel, Mari paused for a moment until she felt a warm hand wrap loosely around her trembling fingers. Turning to face Adrien and Nino, Marinette pressed her finger to her lips and led the two boys down the corridor until they reached a bend.

“Nino, you should call out Wayzz and transform, depending on how this goes, we’re really going to need you,” Lightly gripping the sleeve of Nino’s suit jacket, Mari pushed herself up onto her toes as far as her wedged heels would allow and whispered into Nino’s ear. “Adrien and I should be able to distract him for a bit, Gabriel hasn’t met me as Adrien’s girlfriend yet,” A slight blush began to creep up Adrien’s cheeks at Mari’s words. “And it should throw him off while you sneak in and swap his miraculous box with this,” Dipping her hand into the pocket of her dress (she’d added the pockets herself, not just for this particular purpose but because Marinette was a firm believer in all women’s clothing having the deepest pockets possible), Mari pulled out an eerily similar box to the ones she, Adrien, and their friends stowed their miraculouses in when needed, though this one had engravings of moths and butterflies on it, showing it as the box for Nooroo’s dormant miraculous. “It’s got a fake butterfly brooch in it so he won’t notice the difference until the last moment, and that shouldn’t be until Luka is far enough away with the miraculous case.”

“How do I make sure not to mix them up?” Scratching his chin as he took the box from Marinette’s open palm and slipping it into the inner pocket of his suit jacket, Nino’s lips curled slightly in worry. 

Taking the box out of Nino’s pocket, Marinette turned it slightly and showed him the hinge of the box. “Here,” She pointed at the ever so slightly visible golden hinge. “The proper boxes are made so the hinge is completely invisible and can’t be seen until the box is open, you can see the hinge on this one though. It’s not exactly what I wanted but I didn’t fix it purely because I knew you’d ask that question,” Handing the box back to Nino, the red capped boy slid it back into his pocket and patted the outside with a grin.

“I used to think that you overthought things way too much, Mari, but, damn, I’m so grateful for it now,” Pulling Mari to him slightly, Adrien’s hand still wrapped around hers, Nino pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You two go on ahead, I’ll transform and be right behind you.”

“Do you remember the words to make yourself invisible?” Placing a firm hand on his best friend’s shoulder, Adrien looked Nino in the eye sternly, trying to make sure that Nino wasn’t going to burst into wherever they were going completely visible and ruin this whole, precariously put together plan.

“Yep, now you two need to go or we’re going to run out of time,” Shrugging Adrien’s hand off his shoulder, Nino waved away Adrien’s comment and pushed the couple slightly toward the direction Gabriel had disappeared down. “Go, run like hell.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Remaining on the balcony, Nathalie watched the posse of superheroes fan out into the crowd of people, Rena Rouge sticking to Ladybug and Chat Noir’s sides as Viperion and Ryuko made their way to the back of the room and Queen Bee amassed a crowd of adoring fans, she was quite the social butterfly. Nathalie had lost track of the green one, Carapace or whatever his name was, in the throng of people below, the young man not wearing his usual vibrant green and his head not covered by the hood of his costume, making him blend into the crowd easily. Chewing on her lip, she searched for Adrien’s golden head, not sure whether she should be hoping that he was as close as possible to the superheroes or extremely far away from them; her search came up fruitless. Confused, Nathalie searched the crowd again with a more scrutinising gaze, leaning over the balcony again slightly. 

The shining haloed head of her son was nowhere to be found, causing Nathalie’s heart to thunder and beat with intense, worried irregularity. Where was he? He was here when Ladybug and Chat Noir and the rest of them arrived, where could he be now? Her head had begun to swim with a million shades of worry, the marble bannister beneath her hand beginning to sway slightly like undulating water as the grey and silver threading through it began to curl and coil and slither over each other like snakes. Nathalie suddenly felt weightless, like she was falling, as she tipped over the bannister and plummeted to the level below, unaware of the fact that she was falling at all. She couldn’t hear the distant cries as she fell, her ears deaf and her mind completely blank save for the aching, echoing worry for her boy, her son. 

~~~~~~~

Squeezing Marinette’s hand lightly, Adrien knocked on the large oaken door he’d watched his father disappear behind a moment ago. The rapping from the young man’s knuckles reverberated through the empty corridor he and Marinette were standing in as well as the study beyond the doors. There was the faint sound of muttered swearing before the clicking of shoes against polished flooring approached the doors, swinging open to reveal a very pissed off and mildly disheveled Gabriel Agreste.

The usually perfect coiff Adrien had never seen his father without was rumpled, as though someone had been running their fingers through it, and the top two buttons of his stark white button down were undone, revealing the equally as stark undershirt beneath. 

“Adrien,” Gabriel addressed his son curtly as he stepped aside slightly and allowed the two into the room, Marinette noticing Adrien’s verging on being than his father as they passed him. “I do not believe I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you yet,” Holding his hand out to Marinette, Gabriel assessed with extreme scrutiny her behind his wife framed glasses. Reaching out to shake the elder Agreste man’s hand, Gabriel grabbed her hand in a way she’d only ever experienced when it was Adrien dressed as Chat Noir doing it. Pressing a light kiss to Marinette’s knuckles with the slightest bow, Gabriel’s face remained emotionless despite his state. Mari guessed that he’d disappeared back here with someone else to throw off the scent of his being Hawkmoth should anyone, such as Adrien and herself, decide to follow him. “I am Gabriel Agreste.”

“I..I know,” Trying not to stumble over her words, Marinette felt her cheeks heat in the presence of not just her boyfriend’s father but the designer she’d aspired to be like for most of her life and the most dangerous, notorious supervillain in France. “I’m Marinette...Marinette Dupain-Cheng. B-but, my friends c-call me M-Mari, Mr Agreste. It’s a p-p...pleasure to meet you.”

“Chin up, child,” Almost disdainfully, Gabriel released Marinette’s hand and stood completely straight, his body unnaturally still, as his lips curled slightly at the young woman’s posture and the inelegant bow of her head. “Standing like that adds twenty years to your appearance and is unflattering and ugly.”

Wide eyed, Mari glanced at Adrien with quivering lips as she straightened her own back and tipped her chin up slightly. Hands held loosely behind his back, Gabriel walked further into the room, motioning for the two to follow him with a curt, impersonal nod. 

“Sit,” Sliding into the large leather chair behind the biggest, shiniest desk Mari had ever seen in her entire life, Gabriel Agreste ran a hand through his hair and smoothed down a few stray pieces of his perfectly glossy platinum blonde hair. “How did you meet my son?”

Marinette and Adrien had been careful about not closing the door behind them, leaving it slightly ajar so that the invisible Nino could pass through as soon as needed. Having watched his best friends disappear into the study, a slight glance over a shoulder from Adrien before they entered telling Nino that things were currently going exactly as planned, on this end at least anyway. Sucking his stomach in as much as he could, Nino slipped through the open door with painfully held breath. Bumping the door slightly, he squeezed his eyes closed as tightly as possible and fought against his own racing heart to stay as calm as he could. The door made no sound from Nino’s small collision, not even whispering as it brushed over the polished floor and away from him. Releasing his breath slowly, shakily, and impossibly quietly, Nino entered the room fully and pressed his back against the flat expanse of wall adjacent to it, seeing his two best friends across the room from him as Marinette was interrogated by Gabriel Agreste. Nino had been in her position once, Gabriel had called him to the mansion in Paris and grilled him within an inch of his life on every single aspect of Nino’s life, personality, interests and whatever other trivial things the Agreste patriarch had felt the compulsion to know. He felt sorry for Mari but was so thankful that it wasn’t him.

Inching further into the room, avoiding anything that could give him away as he slowly moved away from the door and past the half wall that had initially separated his entry from the conversation being had at the desk beyond, Nino slotted himself into a spot between a large metallic filing cabinet and a wall with a curtain covered window, waiting. Gabriel’s interrogation of Marinette continued, Nino beginning to feel as though this really wasn’t his place to be as the questions became more and more personal and Mari’s answers became more and more shaky, embarrassed. Ears suddenly pricking up at footfalls approaching the study, Nino’s breath caught in his throat again as Adrien’s bodyguard threw the door of the study open fully, rounding the half wall and commanding the trio’s attention with silent intensity.

“Yes, Mr Gorille?” Gabriel’s voice was bored, a tone Nino was more than used to seeing as Adrien’s father tended to have three emotions: bored, angry, and disdainful. Quickly and almost unsuccessfully stifling a laugh at the bodyguard’s surname, the invisible boy’s heart began to thunder again, so loud in his own ears that he was worried everyone else in the room would hear it and he would be done for. “What do you want?”

“Sir, Ms Sancouer fell over one of the balconies,” The Gorilla’s voice was gruff, almost as emotionless as Gabriel’s but there was the unmistakable tenor of worry in his tone as he spoke of Adrien’s new adoptive mother and his good friend. Gabriel immediately shot to his feet.

“Is she alright?” Gabriel didn’t sound or look particularly worried, though something about his posture hinted at him actively trying to experience a human emotion (and failing, much to Nino’s delight).

“One of the superheroes you invited, Queen Bee, caught her just as she tipped over. Ms Sancouer is alright though she did knock her head against the bannister as she fell and is bleeding quite immensely from the temple where her skin has split. One of the waiters is administering first aid as we speak but Ms Sancouer is asking for Master Adrien,” Nodding his head toward Adrien as he finished, Nino saw the change in the bodyguard’s posture a moment after he noticed the abject fear swimming in his best friend’s wide eyes. Nino had almost forgotten that Nathalie had signed the adoption papers for Adrien and that the other young man was still adjusting to having a parent who actually gave a shit about him, of course Adrien would be terrified.

“We will all go. Come,” Rounding the desk, Gabriel pulled Adrien and Marinette with him, like they were planets caught in his orbit. The four of them left the room, leaving Nino pressed against the wall between the filing cabinet and the window.

~~~~~~~~

Dressed as Queen Bee, Chloe cradled Nathalie in her arms gently before laying the woman down on an overstuffed lounge in a parlour not too far from the ballroom. A steady stream of crimson blood trickled from the woman’s temple and onto the pale golden skin of Chloe’s arm as she carefully positioned Nathalie’s head, making sure she was laid comfortably on the couch. Not wanting Alya to tire too quickly as she maintained the illusions, Chloe Bourgeois had slipped away to ‘powder her nose’ and returned dressed as Queen Bee, Pollen having morphed her usual suit into an equally beautiful dress as the one Mari had made for her. She’d just emerged from her hidey hole after transforming when she’d seen Nathalie suddenly sway then topple over the bannister of the balcony across the wide ballroom from her, using her miraculous enhanced speed, Chloe had flown across the room and caught the falling woman before she’d even come close to the shining floor. 

The crowd of people had begun to advance on Chloe as she held Nathalie in her arms, checking that she was still breathing and that there was no damage to her beyond the bleeding wound at her temple. For once in her life, Chloe hadn’t enjoyed the crowd’s attention, wanting desperately to get Nathalie somewhere safe so she could clean up the blood painting the side of the older woman’s face and bring someone to her who had the training and knowledge to be able to do something to help her. Adrien’s bodyguard, the Gorilla, had swept the crowd away so that Chloe could take Nathalie somewhere less crowded, the large man exhibiting a level of emotion Chloe hadn’t been sure he was capable of.

Luka had appeared soon after Chloe had set Nathalie down, the Gorilla having disappeared to find Adrien and Gabriel once the former’s name had been heard faintly leaving her lips, with Kagami in tow, a waiter not far behind the Japanese girl. Assuring her friends that the waiter knew first aid, Chloe moved aside and allowed the dark skinned woman to tend to Nathalie, mopping the blood away from her face and checking what vitals she could without complex instruments. 

Standing silently, arms crossed over her chest as her heart hammered, Chloe tried not to pace as Kagami (still dressed in creaseless culottes and a handmade kimono jacket she’d said Marinette had made for her at the beginning of the year) stood at Luka’s side, one hand entwined with hers while the other tapped out a melody on the thigh of his tux. He’d swapped out into Viperion before Chloe had changed into Queen Bee, Kagami remaining in civilian attire as Alya had suggested. Footsteps approached them from outside the parlour, Kagami releasing Luka’s hand and gliding away from him fluidly as the waiter’s head snapped to face the door, glancing past the two as her dark eyes glazed over Luka appreciatively. Immediately crossing the room to Nathalie’s side, Adrien’s skin had bleached to a pale sheet white as he knelt down beside her and took her limp hand in his own clammy, worry-mottled ones. Marinette hung by the door, Gabriel Agreste floating just outside the threshold as the Gorilla stood guard. Hesitantly, Chloe moved over to Marinette and stood beside her awkwardly as the two girls watched Adrien sweep a lock of dark hair streaked with Nathalie’s signature red stripe away from her pale face.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng,” Unsure of how to greet Mari, Chloe’s words came out too formal and too stilted.

“Hello Queen Bee, you look lovely this evening,” Mari was definitely a better actress than Chloe, not that the blonde girl would ever admit it to her. Keeping her identity as Ladybug from so many people in her life, including Alya, had definitely made her so good at pretending that, if Chloe hadn’t known Marinette better, she might’ve thought they were actually strangers meeting for the very first time and not friends trying desperately not to give up the dangerous charade that they were playing. “I heard that you caught Ms Sancouer as she fell. That was very brave of you and I can’t thank you enough for saving her.”

“It’s alright, helping people is what I do,” Chloe’s smile was sincere but awkward, she wished that Sabrina was here to hold her hand because it’s not every day that you watch your best friend’s mother go toppling off a balcony and you’re the one who catches her, stopping her from smacking into the ground from a height that very likely would’ve killed her. “I’m lucky that I caught her in time though, if I had been a moment later she might’ve hit the ground and would be in much worse condition.”

“Regardless, I’m really thankful that you were there. Where are Ladybug and Chat Noir?” Marinette knew that Gabriel, the Gorilla, and the waiter would all be asking the same question if they could so she asked it for them. Of course, she knew where they were; Chat Noir was kneeling beside his mother with shaking hands and tear stung eyes, and Ladybug was standing back, giving her partner a moment to breathe as he grieved. 

“They’re doing crowd control with Rena Rouge, we thought it best if the two of them stayed with the public and calmed them down instead of having Viperion and I do it. The public love Ladybug and Chat Noir, they’re more likely to trust them than they are to trust us,” The lie was smooth, seamless, almost as if Chloe had been practicing it over and over in her head for the moment that exact question was asked (she had been). Glancing around the room discreetly, Marinette made sure that those who’d needed to hear the lie had and that they’d believed it, convinced that Chloe’s words had met their mark, Mari moved toward Adrien and placed a careful hand on his shoulder.

~~~~~~~~~~

Marinette, Adrien, Gabriel and the Gorilla had gone, leaving Nino alone in the study with the fake miraculous box Mari had made clutched carefully in his hand. He generally wasn’t the type to say that an accident was a stroke of luck but this time, it really had been. They’d thought through how to get Nino in and how to delay Gabriel’s realisation that the real butterfly miraculous had been spirited away from him but there hadn’t been much thought put into how Nino would go about switching the boxes and then getting the fuck out of the study. The Gorilla had closed the door behind the group when they’d left, Nino’s keen ears hadn’t missed the click of the lock as he did so but that wasn’t an issue for now, the issue for now was getting ahold of the real butterfly miraculous. 

Still invisible, Nino crossed the room carefully and rounded the desk, kneeling down so he was at eye level with the column of drawers on the left side of the desk. The lowermost drawer had a keyhole toward the top of it, when Nino tugged on it he found that it was locked (not that he expected it to be unlocked, this was Gabriel Agreste he was attempting to rob and the man was nothing if not thorough). Checking the other side of the desk, Nino found two more locked drawers. Resting back onto his feet, still crouching, he chewed his lip and moved his gaze between the two sides of the desk and the three locked drawers, he’d never actually wanted to try and think like a supervillain but right now he was going to have to because he had a feeling deep in his gut that told him that Gabriel Agreste was definitely not keeping the butterfly miraculous in one of these drawers. Remembering what Tikki and Plagg had said a few weeks ago about how Kwamis could find each other, Nino paused for a moment before relinquishing invisibility and freeing Wayzz from his activated state. The exhausted Kwami hovered in the air in front of Nino as the boy peered over the desk toward the half wall separating him from the door and strained his ears for any sound of someone approaching.

“Nino, what’s wrong?” Confused, Wayzz looked up over the lip of the desk too, a large yawn leaving his mouth. 

Pulling a small packet of jelly beans from his pants pocket, Nino handed one to Wayzz before ducking back down under the desk. “Hey, so you know how Kwamis can find each other?”

“Yes, but it’s not an exact science, Nino,” Chewing slowly on the jelly bean, Wayzz’s smooth brow furrowed slightly. “What do you need me to do?”

“Do you think you can track Nooroo? I think the butterfly miraculous is in here somewhere but I wanna be sure before I start ripping things apart,”

“We’re in Gabriel Agreste’s office, yes?” Nino nodded, heart racing. They didn’t have ages and Nino was too far away from Luka to be able to ask for a second chance at this (second chance would only give him 10 minutes at max anyway and there was always the worry that jumping back to try again wouldn’t necessarily change the outcome for the better) so right now was likely the only chance he and Wayzz had to grab the miraculous and skedaddle the fuck out of this study and back to the party. “Give me a moment.”

“We don’t have long, turtle dude, cause if we get caught, we’re done for, so please don’t take too long,” Finishing the jelly bean, Wayzz nodded before closing his eyes and floating completely still in the air in front of Nino’s face. Moving with his eyes closed, Wayzz floated up under the desk, weaving past Gabriel’s desk chair as he did so. Opening his eyes, Wayzz pointed up to the underside of the desk with a fin.

“There’s a compartment there, he’s in there. I can feel it,” 

“Turtle dude, you are the best,” Crawling under the desk with a grin, Nino slid his fingertips along the underside until he felt a long groove in the varnished wood. Pushing up gently, the board dislodged and, with a slightly angled turn, came away from the underside of the desk into Nino’s gentle hands. Wayzz floated up into the compartment the board had been hiding and disappeared into the darkness within before floating back with a box much too large for him to be moving clutched unsteadily between his small, green fins. “Honestly, man, I don’t know how to thank you enough for this. You are a lifesaver, literally.”

“You should transform back, Nino, you have the box but, as you said, there isn’t much time and I would rather us not get caught,” Slipping the box Wayzz had been holding into the inner pocket of his suit jacket, resting above his heart, Nino pushed the fake box into the cavity beneath the desk and returned the board hiding it to its original position, making sure that the smooth wood that matched the rest of the desk was facing down so as not to give away what had transpired. 

Taking Wayzz’s advice, Nino transformed back into Carapace, his costume identical to the illusory one Alya was maintaining in the ballroom, before slipping back into invisibility with the whispered words: ‘Protective shell-ter’. Double checking the security of the miraculous box, Nino carefully got up and crossed the room to the door, twisting the handle gently hoping that it locked from the inside and not the outside. To his dismay, he found the door locked and refusing to budge, his knowledge of lock picking completely non-existent and thus no help to him in this moment. He couldn’t hear anyone approaching but that didn’t stop the anxious, echoing beat of his heart as he looked around the room for something, anything, that would get him out before Gabriel came back. When Gabriel came back, it was game over. He’d go for the miraculous and find that it was fake, Luka wouldn’t have had enough time to get away before Gabriel unleashed havoc in ways Nino couldn’t even fathom and this would end with Adrien and Marinette’s miraculouses in Gabriel’s possession as well as the rest of the groups. This was a risky game to be playing but it was the only one they had.

Eyes snagging on the heavy damask curtains, Nino moved toward the window and pushed them aside. Looking out into the garden and down, there was a row of rose bushes below (just his luck, eh?) and the window sill was higher than he would’ve liked, though all he had to do was step down from it, he was on the first floor after all. The window had a latch on the inside, which Nino flipped free so he could push the windows open; cold air rushed right at his heated face as he did so and calmed his fried nerves slightly. Pushing himself up over the window sill, Nino dropped down into the garden bed below, narrowly missing the thorns on the bushes as he maneuvered himself as close to the building as he could. Seconds before he began to sneak away, Nino remembered that the window had been closed and locked with the curtains drawn over it before he’d used it as an escape route; mentally bashing himself, he stood up and tried to close the window as best as he could from the outside, the endeavour going about as well as could be expected for a window that opened inward and closed with a latch. He didn’t want to leave it open, anything that could alert Gabriel of foul play had to be eradicated completely. Gaze darting around the room as the too fast beating of his anxious heart returned, Nino again searched for something that could help him, though this search was fruitless.

From where he was standing, Nino could see the door that he’d entered through as well as Gabriel’s desk, in fact, he could see the entire sprawl of the room from this one vantage point. There was a door behind the desk, slightly to the right, that was ajar and there was a light on behind it. Confused as to how he hadn’t seen it before, Nino climbed back into the study and carefully pushed the door open further. Sitting on a plush, velvet lined chair within was a woman in a rather severe state of undress, playing on her phone with a disgruntled look on her face. Mouth curving into an ‘o’, Nino remembered how Gabriel hadn’t seemed as put together as he usually did when he’d entered the room; realisation dawned on him as he looked at this stunning woman with mocha coloured skin and waist length midnight hair chilling in a room attached to Gabriel’s study in her underwear. Gabriel had come in here to fuck before he went all ‘hawky’. Nino’s lips curled into a smile which he hid, despite his invisibility, by pressing his lips together and rolling them into his mouth; reaching to pull his phone out of his pocket, he paused, he knew that he was going to take the photo so he could show Alya but he knew his girlfriend well enough that no matter how he tried to phrase it, she would definitely not take him having a photo of a half naked woman on his phone very well (especially since he’d taken it while invisible). Sliding his phone back into his pocket and looking back at the window, Nino had an idea.

Pushing the door into the room the woman was in open further before he dashed to the window and climbed out unceremoniously, Nino waited below to see if she’d take the bait. Surely, after a moment he heard the woman release a displeased groan before he heard her light footsteps moving toward the window.

“He brings me in here and gets me half undressed then his kid turns up so he fucking abandons me and he had the audacity to leave the window open before he left? Fuck you, Gabriel Agreste,” She slammed the window closed and latched it, Nino below stifling a laugh with all his might as she closed the curtains with an angry flourish and stormed back to the room she’d been sitting in. Once she was gone, he released his held breath with a refreshing whoosh, stood up and sprinted as quickly as he could, Wayzz didn’t enhance his speed as much as Plagg, Pollen, Trixx and even Tikki enhanced the others, toward the guest house. Ducking around the back of the house, chest heaving from exertion, Nino dropped the invisibility and pulled the miraculous box out, checking it over to make sure that it was the right one. Quickly assessing the vicinity around him, he twisted the handle of the back door and slipped into the guest house kitchen.

Opening the miraculous box, Nino caught a glimpse of the butterfly brooch for a split second before there was a flash of dull purple light and Nooroo appeared.

“H-who are you?” The Kwami spoke in a small, scared voice, pressing his fins together as he looked at Nino with an expression akin to that of someone just about to cry.

“I’m Carapace, I’m a friend,” Lowering his voice and trying to sound as reassuring as possible, Nino chewed the inside of his cheek. “Mayura sent me to come find you so we could return you to your miraculous box and keep you safe from Hawkmoth.” Silently, Nino crossed his fingers in the hopes that Nooroo would understand what he was saying.

“M..Ms Nathalie sent you to get me?” Still speaking very quietly, Nooroo floated slightly closer to Nino’s face with the widest eyes he’d ever seen. “Y-you’re going to take me somewhere else? P-please t-tell me t-that you’re go-going to take me s-s-s-somewhere el,” Nooroo hiccuped. “Else.”

“Yeah, I am, but I need you to get back in your box so I can put your box with the others. Then one of my friends, who is also here to help you, is going to come and get the miraculous case and take it somewhere far away from here to keep it safe until we can come get it,”

“W-will you come and get me?” It had been so long since Nooroo had felt cared for. Gabriel had treated him like an object and even the rare moments he got to share with Duusuu didn’t fill the void Gabriel had created within him.

“Maybe, maybe not, but I do know that my friend Marinette, she’s one of my best friends and the best person you’ll ever meet, will definitely be coming to get you. She’s got Tikki with her, so you know you can trust her because Tikki wouldn’t trust just anyone,” Nino didn’t actually know if what he was saying was true but if it would get Nooroo back in his box so they could get him away from here then he didn’t care if it was a lie.

“I-if Tikki chose her then she has to be special,” Nooroo nodded, the gesture making Nino’s shoulders feel lighter for some reason. “I’ll see y-you a-another time. Thank you for saving me.”

“Hey, don’t mention it,” Nino grinned as he held the box open, Nooroo floating back into it before it closed with a gentle snap. Alya had told Nino that he could tell which room was hers and Marinette’s by what was hanging on the doorknob, glancing around the room he saw only one door with something hanging from the knob so he moved toward it, whatever was dangling from it unrecognisable in the dimness within the guest house. Reaching the door, Nino saw that Alya had carefully balanced a pair of his headphones on the knob, they were his favourite pair and he’d been looking for them for days! Grinning and rolling his eyes, Nino pushed the door open and saw a weird, slightly curved lump under the sheets of one of the beds. Suspecting that it was the box, Nino pulled the sheets back and stowed Nooroo’s little, craved black and red box within the much larger black and red one before smoothing the sheets back out, making the box a little bit less conspicuous for when the girls came back. 

Releasing Wayzz and feeding him again, Nino exited the guest house through the back door and, by way of the shadows and some very carefully timed moving, made his way to the hedged garden where he sat down on a wrought iron bench and pulled out his phone, texting Alya to tell her that it was done.

~~~~~~~~~~

Shortly after Nathalie’s fall, Alya’s phone pinged, though she remained glued to the illusory Chat Noir and Ladybug’s sides she’d drifted to the back of the room for a little bit more peace and quiet. Keeping up an illusion always made her tired and maintaining one such as this for this many people was draining her in a way she’d never experienced. She’d gotten one of the waiters to bring her an espresso about 10 minutes ago, she’d downed the entire boiling hot cup in seconds, not caring if she signed her taste buds off completely because she would take any energy she could get at this stage. Discreetly checking her phone, Alya had to hold in her joyful whoop as she read Nino’s message. He’d done it. They’d done it. A small smile on her face as the only hint toward what she’d just read on her phone, Alya had her illusions begin to say their goodbyes and make their way toward the exit. It took longer than she’d wanted because people kept asking for Ladybug’s autograph and each time she’d had the illusory form of her best friend decline, she’d felt more and more guilty. 

Once each of the illusions was out the door, herself included, Alya released Trixx from the necklace and fed the starving Kwami before making her way, dead on her feet, to the garden where Nino had said he was so she could collapse into her boyfriend’s arms and pass the fuck out.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Once Adrien and Marinette had arrived in the room, Kagami had slipped out and kept an eye on Alya from the other side of the room. She could see that her friend was getting tired but she kept her distance so she didn’t blow Alya’s cover, after a little while, Kagami saw Alya check her phone and grin slightly. The fake Ladybug and Chat Noir started to say their goodbyes and push through the crowd to the stairs so they could leave, realising that this meant that Nino had done it and that Luka needed to get to the box and out of here as soon as possible, Kagami turned on her heel and walked back into the room where Chloe, Marinette, Adrien and Luka were. 

“Viperion, Queen Bee, if I may be so blunt, I think your friends are leaving,” Adrien’s bodyguard had ignored Kagami as she entered, the small Japanese girl addressing her superhero friends with no hint of recognition. 

Luka looked confused for a moment before he realised what she was trying to say. “Queenie, looks like Buggaboo and Kitty Chat are makin’ a move, do we wanna get a move on too?” Using his head to gesture toward the door, Luka tried to give Chloe a subtle ‘we need to go, Nino’s done it’ without actually saying the words. Luckily, Chloe hadn’t taken as long as Luka had to read between the lines of what Kagami had said, understanding fully.

“Mr Agreste, please contact me once she is better. I would very much like to pay her a visit and make sure she’s alright,” Leaning down slightly to speak to Adrien, Chloe’s voice was soft and reassuring. Unable to form words at the moment as he watched Nathalie’s chest rise and fall so, so slowly, Adrien just nodded. “We’d best be off. I do hope that Rena and Ryuko didn’t lose Carapace in the crowd, it’s almost as if he turns invisible.”

Sweeping out of the room, Chloe fixed Gabriel with a cold stare that the older man didn’t flinch at or even react to, not that she’d expected him to. He’d actually gone further than she’d expected when he met her gaze. Luka on her heels, Chloe made her way across the ballroom and exited just after Alya and the illusions of Nino and Kagami. Allowing the other girl to disappear into the darkness to the left of the door, Chloe and Luka disappeared to the right and released their Kwamis. 

“I’m going to go find Sabby,” Tucking Pollen’s box into the carefully hidden pocket of her dress, Chloe didn’t linger before taking the long route around the side of the house, to the gardens opposite to the one Nino and Alya were now resting in together, and back into the ballroom through large, open glass doors.

“We didn’t do a lot,” Kagami’s sudden voice caused Luka to jump. His heart racing.

“You scared me,” Turning to face his girlfriend, Luka opened his arms for her to walk into. “But I guess that it’s good that we didn’t do a lot, if we’d had to it might’ve meant that something went seriously wrong.”

Allowing Luka to wrap his arms around her waist, Kagami hooked her arms around his neck and let him sway her for a few moments to the melody of the faint classical music emanating from within the ballroom. “Let’s get the box and go,”

“Let’s?” Grinning down at the girl in his arms, Luka squeezed Kagami lightly.

“I’m coming with you. You didn’t think you were going to whisk the box away by yourself, did you?”

“Hmmm,” He let out a noncommittal hum that Kagami responded to with a joking scoff and a gentle smack to the side of his head. “I’d pretty much expected you to come with me, Echo, we make a good team.”

“That we do, Strings, that we do,”

A/N: I’m a massive lover of suspense and high stakes action but I didn’t think that would fit into this story so, yeah, this resolution was a little easier despite how tenuous and kinda shitty the plan was. Also, yeah, I added a power to Nino’s stuff, having one ability makes you a pretty shitty superhero when it only lasts like 5 minutes so he and Alya got an upgrade, sue me. Honestly, I’m not gonna apologise for a less than impressive resolution chapter because I actually really like this chapter as it is. If you don’t like it, please don’t tell me because I love writing and hearing people say that they hate my work is very demotivating

~~~~~~~~TAGLINE~~~~~~~

@lady-charinette @mochegato @katieykat513 @hnbutt @camelliaflwr @a-star-with-a-human-name @beauty-and-her-books @severalverysmallmangoesinabasket @aussie-lesbian @imgaydontshoot @maniic-pixie-dream-girl @itwasmydog

[james-bucky-barnackle]

Two Night Stand (Part 3)

Synopsis: (AU) You can’t wait for your contract to end and get that recommendation to get an actual job as a writer so you found yourself at a club drinking away to forget about the stress of your shitty job as the assistant of the biggest Editor in New York, you end up hooking up with the man of your dreams only to wake up to a nightmare when you find out he’s the son of your boss.

PART 2 | 2NS Masterlist

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: none

Word Count: 4k

A/N: I'm sorry I took sooooo long to update this! I just had a writer’s block :(( ALSOOOO, this whole fic is actually inspired by Tove Stryke’s album - SWAY, so check that out if you want to know what I listen to when I write this fic ok bye. (gifs not mine its from tenor)

“This is me,” I say as we get to the front of Winnie’s building. He moves closer to touch my back and was about to plant a kiss on my cheeks, when he quickly realizes we’re on a hazard zone. We both laugh, I bite my lips, he is such a dream.

“Where’s your next appointment at?” I ask, as he fishes his pocket for his phone.

“It was actually the building next to where we did the fitting,” he scratches his head. What?! He sees my surprised face. “I just wanted to spend six blocks with you,” I blush for the nth time. He’s ridiculous, I shake my head.

“You sir are out of your mind,” his head is shyly hanging low.

“I’ll see you soon?” his blue eyes look into mine, does he have magic gems in them? What is wrong with me? This is unfair. I wish I could look at someone with puppy dog eyes and get what I want.

“Yeah, sure. Let me just turn in my resignation letter and we’ll be on our merry way.” Of course it’s a joke. I feel like I’m 12, hiding my middle school boyfriend from my parents. He laughs again, I’m pretty sure passers by look at us like we’re patients fresh out of the mental hospital. Especially with me, I’m probably the one with the stray jacket smiling like an idiot. Now he bites his lips, we both have places to be and yet here we are standing stuck on the concrete sidewalk like lamp posts oddly placed too close together.

“Y/N?” Shit, I whip my head and I see Nat. Holy crap I thought it was Winifred. You know what? I’m too jumpy and nervous that even if it was a grown man’s voice, I’d still think it was Winnie. “Good afternoon, Sir Barnes,” she greets Bucky as soon as she sees who I’m standing next to. She knows who he is?! I work with his mother and I didn’t know who he was. I immediately take a step away from him. Nat raises her eyebrows at me and gives me a suspicious look that says What’s going on Y/L/N? And I reply with a Don’t look at me like that! Look that has my nostrils flaring. I see Bucky try to hide his amused expression. What did he even find attractive about me? Probably my stupid expressions, right.

“I-uh have to go, thanks for helping me, Y/N.” He sneaks in, and in a split second touches my arm before he waves at Nat and I see Vision pulling up the driveway. When did that happen?

“Bye,” I reply as he gives me this look that I know already says a paragraph for my haywire brain. He gets inside the car and they start driving off. I smile like I’m waving off my husband before he leaves for work, like the pearl necklace wearing housewives from the 60’s cereal commercials.

“Why do I feel like you’ve had way too much fun on that errand?” Oh right, Nat. I quickly purse my lips together, blowing air into my cheeks as I try to hide my smile. Nat’s not stupid. Am I high? Is this what it feels like? The smile isn’t going away, my cheeks are filled with air. I shake my head like a five-year old. Nat pinches my side.

“Ow! Hey!”

“You’re gonna get into so much trouble.”

“I’m not! What for?” I play dumb with her, so far she knows the title of this suspicion, and not the content. I’m still safe.

“I saw how you two looked at each other,” okay, maybe she saw a little trailer too. We start walking towards the building’s doors.

“I just helped him with the fitting, he was just thankful for the help,” I’ve said help twice, at this point I might as well add one more, since third time’s the charm, am I right? Nat nods at me, she’s suddenly nonchalant. Wait a minute, that’s it? She quit? Normally, she doesn’t stop until she knows everything. Okay, I’m not complaining. Good, I guess my secret’s still safe, then. We enter the elevator, floor number thirty here we go.

-

*Ding!*

“You what?!” Whoops, guess not.

“Don’t tell anyone! I’ll take care of Bruce’s dog for you!” Bruce is her boyfriend, and he has this french bulldog that he’d ask Nat to walk every night. Nat would rather be staying at home binge watching the making of a murderer than walking that cute hound. She hated that dog. How could anyone hate that dog? Sure he jumps a lot at people, but it’s because he’s excited. He’s a dog, what does she expect it to do? Walk around at home on two feet and wash the dishes?

“Fine, and you better be the one to give him his baths as well,”

“What does Bruce even do?”

“He feeds him”

“Are we a committee? It’s one dog Nat, you don’t need a village to raise a dog.”

“Are you gonna shut up or am I gonna unzip my mouth, because there’s your boss.” Oh shit, I scowl at her. I walk and immediately follow Winifred just before she gets to the door of her office and open it for her. She walks to her table and I replace her coffee with a new one, thank god I didn’t forget to get one on the way with Bucky. She lowers her glasses and peers at me like I’m a parasite.

“Tell me your not wearing that to the dinner meeting.”

“I’m- uh not.”

“I didn’t think so.” she lifts her glasses back up. I sigh, and fake a smile and snarl as soon as I turn my back. My phone beeps, it’s Sam, saying he’ll be ready to pick us up in thirty minutes, I tell Winifred and leave to sit at my desk. I open my drawer and pick a mirror up giving myself a once over. Maybe, the messy bun wasn’t ideal for a meeting at the Eleven Madison Park. I look like a bozo, do people even still use that word? I shake my head. I hear steps behind me, I look to see that it’s Clint. Just the person I need to get me out of this wardrobe disaster.

“Clint!” He turns around, a sudden glee to his face. He already knows it’s for a makeover, he skips in my direction. I laugh at his expression and I lift one of my camisole straps to signal the SOS and he points to the elevator. I give him a huge grin as I follow him to the lift. He presses floor number twenty, my favorite floor; the best floor, to be honest. I’m already excited, and I can tell he is too. Clint’s the art director, he’s the kindest. The moment I got in the View, he’s been a hero to me. He’s really close with Winnie, that’s why I was really anxious around him at first. But he was the only one who ate with me the first lunch I had in the building and even gave me a tour, and showed me all the ropes so I didn’t have to be such a nuisance to Winnie, not knowing where each department was located and what they did. The elevator doors open and I gasp, I feel like I’m in heaven. Racks of clothes, shoes and bags all over the whole floor. This was a luxury I could never see myself have in a million years.

“Come, sweetie let’s fix-” he gestures his hands over me like he’s swatting a fly, “whatever that is.” I shake my head and smirk.

“I’m ready.”I blow air up the strand of hair that’s fallen in front of my face.

Everytime me and Clint are together, he always tells me the best gossip. I rarely have any to share, but I’ve definitely been more observant of our coworkers. We’re at the aisle where the dresses are all lined up neatly. I see this gorgeous white off the shoulder dress that’s fitted. Clint sees me eyeing it, and pulls it from the rack. I put my hands up,

“Oh, no. I can’t wear that. I might stain it, and I definitely don’t have the money to replace that.”

“Honey, it’s all yours. I didn’t even know we still had this, it was for a 2015 photoshoot with Natalie Portman.” I almost trip, I’m I really serious about this? He pushes the dress onto me.

“Just wear it.” It’s not like I didn’t have a hint of disdain for it, he didn’t really have to ask twice. I ran to the dressing room and hope it fits. I pull my hair tie letting my hair snake behind my back. Okay, this looks really good. I’ve never really worn white before, and now that I’m pretty much checking myself out in the mirror, I think I’ll wear white more often. When I open the dressing room curtains, I see Clint holding nude stilettos, he’s literally my fairy godfather. I hug him tight, and I break free when he taps my shoulders, “oops, sorry. Too much?”

“Too much,” he replies.

“You’re. The. Best.”

“You owe me-”

“I know,” I kiss him on the cheek, thank him and say goodbye. I think I’m gonna have to start making a list of people I owe. I make a quick stop at one of the vanity tables at the far end of the floor and put a light dab of makeup on my face. Mostly just highlighter, lipstick and mascara. I steal a few pumps of the perfume on the table too, what good would it be working at the View if you couldn’t take advantage of the makeup lying around the styling department? I give myself one more look in the mirrored wall, and then click on the elevator buttons, now we wait. When I get back to my desk, I grab my iPad and a notebook just because, and stuff it all in my bag. I check everything, Winnie included. Sam’s already texted me that he’s already downstairs. I open Winnie’s office doors just as I see her standing up, and she gives me a smile- it looks like a genuine one. I tried to look into what it meant, it can’t be a real smile. Does she know I stole Natalie Portman’s dress? Holy shit she’s probably going to fire-

“Someone’s finally looking like a real employee,” she says as she walks out the door, I clutch the door handle tighter. Did she just compliment me?! Oh my gosh I wish I had it all on tape. This is never gonna happen again. I nod and am not even sure if I should thank her, she might think I’m too low if I thank her for that, that was definitely a compliment. I close the door and lock it, and when I turn around, she’s staring at the bag sitting on my desk. It’s the canvas tote bag, there goes my compliment, gone in a second.

“Go back inside, grab my black Louis Vuitton hand bag, borrow that,” what have you done with my boss?! “And throw this dust rug out,” there’s my girl.

I open her office door again and go inside to get the bag, I can’t wrap my head around this. Is this really happening? Is she high? What is going on? I see the bag on her shelf and grab it, it’s light, I open it and voila! It’s already empty, okay no need to declutter. I clutch it and leave the room. As soon as she sees me lock the door for the second time, she’s started making her way to the lift. I grab my tote and dump everything into the Louis Vuitton. I can’t believe she’s letting me borrow her bag, surely this has to be broken, maybe there’s a hole in it. I jump when I hear her voice interrupt my silent inspection.

“It’s in perfect condition. Don’t - ruin it,” yes, ma’am I gulp.

-

“Hi Sam,”

“Good evening Winnie,” he nods his head at her. “--hot damn!” he says when he looks to greet me, I nudge him with my shoulders and laugh. He opens the car for us and we drive to the venue. I open my iPad and scroll through the people that will be present at the meeting. Winnie doesn’t really give a damn about remembering names, you only ever need to know hers. Looks like Ken doll’s gonna be there too, that’s neat. Lowkey wished he was there too. I mentally smack myself, I’ve had way too much of him already, I’m being so selfish. Or am I? It’s not everyday you get to meet a guy like him. Okay focus, I scroll through the agenda and the topics that will be addressed for the meeting- hmm, so there’s an announcement. Oh boy, Winnie does not like to be surprised, this better be good. In a few minutes, we arrive and Sam opens the door for Winnie while I help myself out. The place is perfect, the ambiance warm and elegant. Sam parks the car and I follow behind Winnie. The host immediately ushers us to the table, located in one of the far corner of the restaurant, the perfect place for privacy.

As soon as we near the table, a man dressed in a very expensive suit stands up and lowers his shades, of course he’s wearing shades at night, and indoors, beside him is a statuesque blonde angel. I raise my eyebrows and lower them quickly as I whisper onto Winifred’s ears.

“Tony Stark of Stark Industries and Pepper Potts, the new CEO,” Winnie fakes a smile like I’m telling her something else as Tony removes his shades and the two of them hug, she hugs Pepper just after. He helps her to her seat, and before he sits on his, he gives me a once over. Okay, big guy. I speak onto Winnie’s ears like I’m her conscience, but instead of giving her advice on how to be a more decent human being, I’m telling her people’s profiles. By the time I’ve finished introducing everyone to her seated around the table silently, not wanting them to know Winnie is completely unaware of who a lot of them are, it’s probably been 20 minutes. Food has started being served, and I’m allowed myself a salad, before Winnie judges my eating habits. The last time she saw me eating, it was at my desk, sneaking bites of my cheeseburger, she looked like she wanted to puke.

“What’s the announcement Stark?” her voice is cold.

“Don’t wanna wait until dessert?” Stark replies.

“I don’t do dessert, sugar is the devil’s work.” Well Winnie, if you really wanna know what the devil’s work is, you might want to look in the mirror.

“Okay, I want to sponsor the View’s annual fashion ball.” I almost drop my fork, I immediately grab the glass and drink water, not wanting to be asked my opinion. Winnie’s paused, she’s silent, but she suddenly huffs, a small chuckle escaping from her lips.

“What do you want this year’s theme to be? Bolts and screws?” Stark’s the lead innovator for technological advancements, Winnie’s such a drag.

“I thought the Winnie could make fashion out of anything, bolts and screws too hard for you?” I can hear the mortal combat narrator saying “fight”. Tony raises his glass, Winnie smirks at him.

“Very well, what purpose does it serve to sponsor this year’s ball?”

“I’m venturing out into other things,”

“Fashion being one of them?”

“Winnie, when have I ever looked bad?”

“Well you did have this one time where you wore that ugly-”

“Besides the point,” I hide a giggle as I lowered my glass to continue munching on my greens. “I’m trying to reach out to new demographics, and it’s good PR, trying to fix last year’s bad run,” he continues chewing on his steak. Last year was a mess, his prototypes were stolen which was ironic considering his inventions were designed to ensure safety and security. Getting those stolen without the alarms going off in his own house, doesn’t really speak reliable. I already know Winnie’s gonna accept the offer, it’s her plan all along, she’s had one of Stark’s board members talk the idea to Stark, and Winnie uses drama to spark attention to her projects. Looks like Stark’s gonna be this year’s headliner. Tony bids a quick goodbye right after Winnie says yes and leaves Pepper to handle anything else, and the meeting continues and I’ve noticed Steve isn’t here yet, that’s not good, Winnie’s not gonna like that. Dessert’s already on the roll and I try to ignore Winnie’s glare when she sees the waiter put down a slice of cheesecake in front of me. I deserve this, let me be woman. As I take a chunk in, I hear one of the other people in the meeting ask Winnie.

“I heard your son’s in town, will he be attending the ball?” I immediately bite the spoon at the thought of him.

“Of course he would,” Winnie answers as a matter of factly.

“Any idea who his date might be?” my stomach drops, now that’s sad. He’s probably not gonna ask me, I mean who even am I? We’ve just met last night, and I can already see every hollywood tabloid making all sorts of nasty titles if he brought an unknown to the red carpet. Why am I even thinking about this? Of course he’s not gonna ask me, I’m a nobody, and hello? Earth to Y/N? We’ve known each other for what, two days?

“Probably the girl he was caught kissing by the paparazzi,” a woman from the other end of the table sneaks in. Wait what? Why that motherfucker, I knew it! He’s such a playboy, why did I not see that coming?

“Who? When?!” I hear Winnie, she’s shocked too. I fish for my phone, and immediately ask good ol’ google who exactly this girl is. I start typing his name.

“Her identity’s still a mystery to me, I thought you’d know Winnie. Looks like young Barnes is keeping secrets from his mother now,” oh you bet, he is, who could this woman be?! This morning?! He probably went out with someone before he came by Winnie’s office.

“It was just this morning, I saw the photos on Twitter too,” the guy chimes in. I’m scrolling rapidly on one of ET’s website, and I gasp. Winnie looks at me and raises her eyebrows, probably wishing I was dead for sneaking a gasp in between their conversation.

“Sorry! I don’t hiccup like normal people.” She rolls her eyes at me, I’m glad she let’s it go and immediately goes back with her conversation. I quickly exit my browser and put my phone in my bag. I’ve seen the photo, of Bucky and the girl he was kissing. She was wearing an orange camisole, denim jeans with her hair in a bun and her hands on Bucky’s shoulders. My heart jumps out of my body. Winnie can’t see that photo. I am dead. My face wasn’t seen, my back was turned to the camera, but I’m now time travelling through earlier events in my mind, did she know what I was wearing?! Okay, I came to her office, with the coats from Balmain, so I was covered, right? And when I excused myself out of the office, she didn’t even notice me that much since she was so focused on her dear Bucky. And now, I’m wearing this white off shoulder dress… Holy fuck, “Tell me your not wearing that to the dinner meeting,” my jaw drops, her voice repeats through my head over and over again. She’s seen me, in those exact same clothes, in that exact same hairstyle. I wished I was a different skin color right now, that would’ve saved my ass. But no, my palms suddenly feel sweaty. I’m thinking of what I could do. This is not happening, not yet. Oh my gosh, I can’t even think straight. Great, now I have to keep Winnie from ever seeing those paparazzi photos, which would be fucking hard because she’s got eyes everywhere! I’m surprised she hasn’t even seen it.

“If she’s got her back turned, what good would it be for me to look at it?” WHAT? I’m gonna start putting fruits on the altars of every religion I know. I’m thankfully confused, I have no idea what just happened. Why does it feel like I’m gonna get away with this? “She’s probably just one of my son’s models.” Okay this is gonna sound very contradictory, but 1) models? She thinks I’m a model? No wait, she hasn’t seen the photos; 2) his models?!

But being in this situation, sitting next to Winifred, iPad on my lap recording the meeting for me to type the transcript on my laptop later, Bucky’s sort of fading away, he sure is an eye candy… well, an actual candy… But my fear of Winnie definitely defeats dating him. These two Barnes are pulling me on two opposite directions, and I’m whacked not knowing where to go, I’m not so excited about meeting Mr. Barnes now, which direction is he gonna pull me into? I try not to even imagine. My heart is still pounding like crazy, Winifred wins - for now. Maybe try not to walk and kiss him in public, Y/N? That’d be great.

“Well Winnie, looks like the tabloids are not gonna let that paparazzi photo slide,” Pepper chirps in. No Pepper, shhh, be on my side, I thought you were an angel? I’m having your wings cut. She looks like she enjoys this topic. A voice jolts my body just as I try to grab my glass to have another drink.

“One week and I’m already the talk of the town.” I pull my head up slowly as if a camera’s zooming in to capture my blank expression. I’m wiped clean, how many emotional roller coasters do I have to experience? I want out. Of course, he’s here, of course.

“James!” Winnie kisses him on the cheek as he takes a seat just in front of me, great. Steve quickly follows behind him. “Steve,” Winnie grunts, “where have the two of you been? We’ve already finished the meeting!’

“Had something to turn in the office, I borrowed Steve for a bit,” Bucky replied as he gave me a wink, I kick him from under the table and gave him a quick stare. He looks to his side laughing. Steve takes the seat beside Winnie.

“Learn to look at the time James, and Y/N” I look up way too fast, “just email the transcript to Steve after you’ve done it.” I nod robotically.

“So who is it?” Pepper’s voice hums in the air.

“Who is?” Bucky answers, as he calls a waiter.

“The girl in the pap photo.” Pepper smirks.

“They’re that fast?” I’m about to burst into flames, in 6 months, I thought I’ve gone through the worst working in the View, but this boy right in front of me, has been giving me both heaven and hell. He really wants me to get in trouble.

“Stop making it longer than it has to be,” Steve interrupts, I look at him and see him smiling right at me. Oh. My. Gosh. He. Knows. I feel like my makeup has peeled off my face.

“Why don’t you guys just mind your own business?” he laughs as he points an accusing finger at Steve and shakes his head at Pepper.

“Guess Bucky’s already booked for this year’s ball,”

“Only if she agrees,” Bucky replies as I feel his feet playfully swinging at mine underneath the table. Oh my, here we go.

PART 4

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[voyeur-in-the-mirror]

Alive for Me

Ship(s): Adam/Lawrence Character(s): Adam Stanheight ; Lawrence Gordon Words: 1,922 Warning(s): Mentions of alcohol ; Mentions of panic/anxiety attacks ; Ask to tag A/N: I’ve been writing this one all day I’m kind of proud of it enjoy

Lawrence was the only thing Adam was alive for.

He'd never openly admit that, though. His pride was too great for him to say that, because it would only let him say that he stood for himself, by himself. For the last twenty-some odd years he has been completely independent, doing what needed to be done to live and doing it pretty damn well, but for the last month and almost a half, he has lost nearly all of his independence because, from what not Lawrence but Dr. Gordon observed, Adam cannot live by himself in that shithole apartment. So, he took it upon himself to come on nights when he's able to easily lie to Allison and say he's going to the hospital just so he can spend the night with Adam and be there in person in case of a nightmare or anxiety attack instead of having to talk him through one through the phone which happened quite frequently.

But despite the reason his fridge is filled with food, his apartment’s warm, and he's not as alone as he used to be, Adam still refuses to call himself dependent because a man like him should be able to take care of himself.

Except he can barely leave his apartment without sparking dreadful anxiety in his system. And he can barely acknowledge the existence of his camera, and he can barely look in that old closet where he found pig head, and he can barely do anything without sparking anxiety so bad he ends up shaking where he stands and hoping Lawrence will pick up the phone.

Lawrence has made it a habit to do that very often, even while at work. Due to the severe mental and physical trauma he had faced, he had been reduced down to just paperwork duty until the hospital deemed that he was stable enough to get his original job back. And honestly, he was fine with this arrangement because it allowed him to be there for Adam when he was needed and for him to call Adam when he needs him.

Unlike Adam, Lawrence was somebody people were always dependent on. He always had Allison and Diana to need him. And now that they were in the middle of a divorce of a relationship he had left because ‘I'm no longer mentally stable for a relationship’ (which was true), he could spend time with Adam who, due to his mental condition, seemed like he needed Lawrence more. So Lawrence could continue feeling needed and Adam could continue living without having to go back to his voyeuristic ways.

When the divorce began going underway, that was when Lawrence decided to (ask Adam if it was okay to) move in. That was about a month after leaving the bathroom, and at first, much to Lawrence's surprise, Adam opposed the idea.

“I was able to live here for years alone before that damn bathroom, I'll be good, man.”

“I'm not a damn baby, I'm fuckin’ fine.”

“Dammit, Lawrence, no!”

But he moved in anyways. Lawrence knew that with every excuse and answer he was given, that his Adam was cracking, tearing at the seams, and knew that if he let Lawrence know that then his humility was showing and he just couldn't let that happen. Lawrence observed that in Adam and was easy to not to push him to talk or, generally, feel. He let Adam think he was fine on his own while secretly supporting him.

The first anxiety attack, courtesy of Adam, was only an hour after coming home from the week-long wait for police in what was supposed to be his tomb. He wasn't awake when he was found by police, having passed out from starvation and blood-loss, but when he woke up in the hospital the next day, he was all but screaming for ‘Dr. Gordon- where the fuck is Lawrence?!”

He had never experienced anxiety attacks nor panic attacks before. Sure, hes felt panic and anxiousness, but he'd never had an attack before. Finally back in his apartment, Adam was back to being alone and having nothing. He thought he'd be able to move on so easily from what had happened, and maybe even forget about Lawrence despite his screaming for him in the hospital and the screaming for him in the back of his head. He was proven wrong, though, an hour later when he decided to step into his own bathroom and realized, ‘Oh! I just came out of one of these! These rooms aren't safe!’ and was suddenly hyperventilating on the floor.

He didn't remember to call Lawrence, not like it was a rule or anything. But Lawrence did call him, just wanting to check on him, and the fact that Lawrence had his number didn't even cross his mind. Hearing the doctor’s voice brought so much relief to him it made him cry. Hearing that he was safe and that he, himself, was safe slowly but surely brought him out of his panicked state and allowed him to take a well deserved piss.

He avoided the bathroom as much as he could.

Lawrence did, too. When he was first able to come home after getting his leg and mental health checked, his first motive was to keep himself calm so he knew staying away from the bathroom would keep him that way. It took a lot of aggravated and fake-smiles from Allison’s part to just get her husband into the damn bathroom, but eventually it worked before the day was over.

The first time Lawrence saw Adam in person after the incident, it was at Adam’s apartment. It was when he first started coming over before he had to start lying to Allison about where he was going. She didn't want him seeing Adam often because ‘he'll remind you of what happened, it's unhealthy’, and Lawrence shot back with a ‘he's the only one who knows what I went through’ and the conversation ended there.

They tried staying friendly, he and Adam. Lawrence would come over, give him a free therapy session because even though he wasn't that kind of doctor, he was the only person Adam could trust and for some reason, he felt like he needed that trust or he'd be crushed, and he'd just be there for the younger on the rougher days, which was nearly every day since.

Their first kiss was only a week after Lawrence started coming around. He came over right after work, right after Adam called him telling him something along the lines of ‘Don't come over to my fuckin’ place again’ through panting breaths. He was mindful to not just walk into the apartment, knocking before he did, and was heartbroken to hear broken sobs coming from down a hall. He hurried along, his thoughts convincing him that Adam was somehow hurt further, and it nearly brought him to tears when he saw the younger laying curled up in his bed, shaking and trying to breathe. Lawrence was by his bedside immediately, cupping one of his cheeks and talking to him gently.

“Breathe with me, okay?”

“I'm here. I'm here and I'm never going to leave, I promise.”

“You're here and you're alive, you made it out and I'm so proud of you.”

During his comforting, Lawrence had gotten into the bed, laying down behind him and holding him close. His arm was first around his chest, then it has snaked down to around his waist which is where it made Adam really melt against him. Though he had calmed down, his tears couldn't seem to stop flowing. He felt disgusting and hated himself for needing someone to comfort him like he was a ‘fucking child’, but Lawrence had him lay down on his back to face him, and gently he tilted his chin up to look at him.

“I don't know why you won't let yourself trust me.”

This stung Adam because it was true. He's been let down, hurt, and left by anyone he's ever cared about and he didn't want to care about Lawrence for that reason, he didn't want to trust him, but no matter what he told himself, he trusted Lawrence more than anything.

Of course he did. He had to trust that he'd get him of the bathroom and he did.

Goosebumps flowed down Adam’s body and his stomach tied itself in knots. He knew he wasn't ready for this, Lawrence knew, and they both knew Lawrence wasn't either but they wanted it so bad, to be held and loved and comforted by the one person they could trust. So, slowly, Lawrence connected their lips and kissed Adam gently, using the pad of his thumb to wipe away Adam’s stray tears and make him feel safer than he had ever felt before.

After that kiss- that gentle, soft, loving touch- they were nearly inseparable.

Then there were nights of fighting. Sometimes it was frequent, and sometimes they wouldn’t fight for months. It depended on whether or not Adam was going to lock his emotions away, pretend he was fine, and tell Lawrence to fuck off. Lawrence knew this to be a defense mechanism, something he’d expect in Adam, but it was undeniable that when Adam would briefly act like he couldn’t trust him that it hurt. So, when he started seeming off-put and upset because of Adam, is made Adam get offensive.

“So what? Am I not allowed to be upset, now? I was left in the dark, alone!”

“And I came back for you just like I promised! Because I wouldn’t lie to you! Remember that?!”

These nights, or even weeks, resulted in Adam leaving the apartment for god-knows-how-long to get shit-faced. It’s not doubted that Adam assumes that they had broken up, so Lawrence doesn’t doubt that Adam is also sleeping with a random hooker to take his anger out on, but even that thought stings Lawrence, especially since he doesn’t have the proof. Just assumptions and self doubt that he’s much more easily able to hide.

It’s easy to hide because he can’t have Adam worry about him. That would mess up their dynamic and he can’t have that.

But when Adam comes back, barely knocking on the door, Lawrence doesn’t care about all that. He just cares that Adam is back home, alive, and to him again. When he opens the door and is able to pull his lover into his arms, burying his face in the crook of his neck, and apologize softly to him, his anxiety washes away and is replaced with blankets of relief.

When Adam comes home, it’s when Adam is truly able to sleep without triggering panic attacks from fear of waking up in ice-cold water and with a chain around his ankle. Because instead of waking up on separate ends of the room, Adam can wake up in Lawrence’s arms, cry to himself softly, tell himself that he’s fine, that Lawrence won’t let him get hurt again, and find peace knowing that there’s actually somebody who doesn’t want him dead and wants him very much alive. Because no matter how strong Lawrence acts for him, he’s fully aware that if he left, Lawrence would crumble because he needs him as much as he needs Lawrence, and he’s okay with that, and so is Lawrence.

Adam was the only Lawrence was alive for.

And unlike Adam, because Lawrence can set aside his pride, he’d admit that.

And it makes Adam feel better every day.

[thatsmybluefondue]

The Glass Door: BIG MISUNDERSTANDING

Chapter 1

“HOME” FELT LIKE MY GRAVE.

        Staring up at the towering mansion that stuck out from all the other homes on the street, slowly making my ways towards it, I felt like my insides were turning inside out.

        If I puked all over the front door, I was blaming death.

        I inched my way up the driveway after opening the fancy metal gate, subconsciously checking the flower garden in the front yard as I went. What’s the worst thing that can happen? It’s not like they know I died, I told myself. I didn’t even know I had died.

        Still, I only took shuffling steps forward, and I took every chance to delay entering my home. I blinked up at the mansion again—the windows from every of the three stories, the tipped pitch black roof, the white exterior, and rising pillars. I looked at the well-kept garden and neatly trimmed grass, then turned to see the twisted black metal gates that opened with four numbers, 7649.

        It was all too… fake.

        Like I lived in a movie instead of reality, with the huge house, gates that guard the property, and beautiful garden.

        Sometimes it made me sick.

        I shook off the thoughts—because I knew I was extremely fortunate—and sped up my pace. Not many people get the opportunity to live in a fantasy home. Not many people can afford to buy the whole state of Hawaii and then some. Not many people have what I have. I told myself this over and over in my mind as I twisted the shiny gold doorknob—which was totally unnecessary—and stepped into the front hallway of my home.

        I didn’t need to fuss over the pure wastefulness of my family. No, I needed to focus on the fact that I had died. That was important. Like, really, really important to know.

        I weaved my way around the stands of pieces of art as I rounded the corner from the picture covered hallway. Dragging my fingers against the ivory piece of an African elephant, I turned right, into the kitchen area and out of the living room. I yanked open the refrigerator—because dang being dead must make people hungry—and the cool air flowed over my face. After searching for something I was in the mood for, I pulled out a jug of orange juice and drank straight from it. Finishing it off, I also got some cheese and a pear.

        Then I slipped up the stairs to my bedroom.

        The whole time, I didn’t even see one living thing, and it was sort of creepy, how eerily silent everything was.

        There wasn’t anything but the nonliving.

        I shook my head—though I thought if I did this anymore I would knock my brains out—and crept down the stairs again. I was not sure why I was creeping, since no one was around to hear me, but continued on my path, soon slipping out the back door.

        Again, I was stopped in my tracks by the beauty of it all, which I tried really hard to deny. Red maple trees, nearly fully grown, towered all over the yard, which was an unnaturally neon green-like color. Flower beds lined the property edges, their colorful flowers ranging from violet irises to deep red roses waving in the gentle wind. A cobblestone path led to a swimming pool with an artificial waterfall to the left. To the right was pure green grass rolling over a little hill; just over that hill were the visible tops over towering trees.

        I went to the right, toward the trees. Rather quickly, I was over the small hill and plunging into the darkness of the wood that my family owned. Find the beaten path, I reminded myself. With the few straying strands of sunlight that seeped through the trees, I found the worn-down path, the one that seemed to merge with the roots of the trees, only barely visible, like a slithering snake.  

        Ugh, I hate snakes.

        But I followed the trail, slipping past the slapping branches and shaking leaves, like a snake. The trees were packed tightly together for a few minutes of my walk, but then they separated, opening into a wide circle of clear land. Well, it was clear except for the small wooden cabin and shimmering lake that resided beside it. I dragged my feet to the cabin, possibly beating the record for slowest snail ever.

        Upon reaching the door, all I could manage was stare—stare at the door that I stood before. It was simple, really; nothing spectacular. It had a brown wooden frame, like most doors, and a single, plain handle. The only difference was the glass that took up all but the single inch on each side of the door. Many doors had glass, yes, but this glass was all different colors. Each day, they seemed to shift: one day, I noticed that the top right-hand corner was mainly red, and the next evening it was blue. They were only colors, too; the fragments of glass never made the illusion of an image or picture of any sort, not even from afar.

        The only time it had looked like any sort of image was when I first saw it, when I was seven, four years ago. But that whole sight those many years ago suggested to a paranormal happening, so it couldn’t be real.

        It shouldn’t be real.

        I was about to open the door, when it unexpectedly swung inward, presenting Jyoti, one of my best friends. Her thick black hair was spread wildly around her shoulders, and her coco brown skin, instead of its usual glow, seemed dull, like she was worried. Her dark brown eyes were missing that spark of fire that showed her stubborn, fiery personality. Jyoti’s eyebrows scrunched together as she cocked her head to the side, studying me; then, arms stretched out, she lunged. I tucked my arms close to me and ducked, positive she was out to get me.

        “Please don’t kill me!” I screeched as I scrambled to my feet, running for my life. Sort of.

        Jyoti, who was chasing me, stopped in her tracks. “Kill you? Why would I kill you? I was trying to hug you.”

        I turned warily in my spot. “Hug me?”

        She nodded. “Hug you.”

        I was silent for a moment, debating on asking why she would hug me or just hugging her anyway, since Jyoti always got what she wanted one way or another. I decided on neither. “Well, if you want to hug me, don’t go chasing me like you’re trying to kill me!”

        Her arms dropped as she thought about what I said. “Okay,” she began, “I won’t look like I’m attempting murder when I’m chasing you, if”—I groaned at the if; something evil was going through her mind—“you tell me where you’ve been for the past hour.”

        That wasn’t so evil; not at all, really. I shrugged indifferently. “Walking,” I answered easily.

        “Okay.” Jyoti took a tentative step toward me. “Why weren’t you on the bus?” she asked, accusation tainting her voice. “And what about your backpack? Where is that?”

        “I don’t—”

        But Jyoti was on a roll now, her voice slowly rising with every question she spit out, and I could feel the anger rolling off her in waves. “Why did Ms. Langanbot tell Nurse Joyce you were dead?” She stopped at that question, shoulders slumping, a look of defeat in her eyes. I probably was the same; how could I possibly answer that?

        Oh, yeah, that happens a lot. Don’t worry.

        Yeah, no.

        “I don’t—I don’t know,” I answered lamely. “But”—I laughed nervously—“isn’t it obvious I’m not dead? I mean, look.” I waved at my living self to emphasize my words. “Still as alive as ever.”

        Jyoti bounced on the balls of her toes and mumbled, “I-I guess so. But—”

        I cut her off before she could continue. “No buts, Jyoti. It’s just a misunderstanding. A big misunderstanding.” I smiled softly, hoping against all the hope in the world that Jyoti Harris, one of the most stubborn people anyone could ever meet, would agree.

        “Okay…” Jyoti relented quietly, a suspicions glare in her eyes. “But…” She faltered, shaking her head. “What about…?”

        “It’s just a big misunderstanding,” I repeated, gently pushing her to the door.

        Jyoti turned right before stepping inside, her eyes almost disbelieving. “Yeah. Yeah—you’re not dead. You’re right here.” Laughing humorlessly, she almost skipped through the door.

        I did too. Maybe—just maybe—it was all a big misunderstanding. No one could just die and come back to life all on their own.

        Right?

I kept on repeating that phrase over and over, in my mind and out loud. “It’s just a big misunderstanding. People can’t just die like that, right?”

        Raven, the other of my two best friends, needed some more hard-core logic than Jyoti to convince her—something I was shocked about—but eventually she caved in to the fact that I couldn’t just flop over dead and pop up live five minutes later. I mean, it isn’t possible.

        It is not possible.

        But after I did all the explaining—minus the fact that the whole affair had happened multiple times before—things calmed down. There was still tension, of course, because for reasons unknown to my friends I had been missing for hours when I was supposed to be screaming “TGIF” at the top of my lungs. It was fine, though; everything was fine.

        Darkness began to blanket the world outside as the hours ticked by. The only sound was the television playing a rerun of some old movie. The three of us were completely silent, like we were holding our breaths. They sat leaning forward on the couch, staring at the TV, enraptured by the flickering colors, while I sat back, staring at them.

        Creepy sounding, I know. But these two girls—Jyoti Harris and Raven Tanon—were my best friends, and at the moment, they didn’t trust me. At least, I figured it was that, because they were ignoring me as if I didn’t even exist, as if I were dead.

        Yeah, I’m still not letting that whole “dead” thing go, even if I want everybody else to.

        Jyoti sat to my right, in the middle of the worn mucus-green couch. Her arms were wrapped around a similarly colored pillow, with her head resting on it. To contain her, simply put, messed up hair, Jyoti had twisted it into a quick braid, but even that had dark, frizzy strands sticking out all over the place. Her shirt was wrinkled at the hem, something that happened when she was nervous or anxious and fisted it up in her hand. Jyoti’s eyes were glued to the screen, but I knew that if I saw them, they would be dark, darker than normal, with no spark that caused her whole face to light up. All in all, she looked awful, and I felt responsible.

        Raven was a whole other story. Unlike what her name suggests, Raven is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl—no black hair or dark eyes or anything of that sort. Instead, Raven had perfect platinum hair with just the hint of a wave cascading down her back; and blue eyes, dark and deep, the color of the sky on a clear, cloudless night or a brand new blue crayon. Normally, her eyes were literally like doors to her soul, but ever since the whole “it’s a big misunderstanding” conversation, Raven has kept a poker face on. It was so unreadable a stone carving would have seemed to have more emotions.

        Suddenly, Raven shifted, moving her eyes off the screen. She blinked hard a few times, rolled her blue orbs all around, and then they landed on me—who was openly staring. We locked gazes, and it took all my willpower not to duck my head and dash from the room. Raven blinked blankly a few more times; I gulped nervously, throat dry. Then I tried for a meek smile; Raven remained poker-faced.

        Nothing happened for a few beats of silence, save for the giggling characters on the TV. Jyoti’s attention remained glued to the screen, and my eyes and Raven’s stayed locked behind Jyoti’s back. Then Raven coughed awkwardly, hiding her mouth behind a fist, releasing our eye contact. “I’m gonna—I’m gonna go home,” she whispered hoarsely, eyes averted to the floor.  

        Jyoti finally snapped out from her trance. “Yeah,” she agreed. “It’s getting late.” Stretching, she popped her joints before standing. “See ya later.”

        Raven nodded once, standing as well.

        Nothing else was said as they left the small cabin, and after the door had been closed for several hours, the movie long over, the sky dark as pitch, I finally left also, silent like the ones who left before me.

[joo-heo-n]

The Friend in Boyfriend

Genre: Fluff

Member: Changkyun

Word Count: 2,314

a/n: I’m complete trash for this fake boyfriend series I have started.

The Friend in Boyfriend: Changkyun / Jooheon / Shownu / Wonho / Hyungwon / Minhyuk / Kihyun

Holiday season was either a dreadful season, or a very exciting one for you. Once surrounded by your family, the spotlight could forget you entirely, or focus on you for a good five minutes, which was more than enough time for everyone to bring up your dark past or nonexistent present. It only seemed to worsen as you got older, because work and relationships seemed to be the personal favorites of everyone.

Living away was always a bonus for holidays though, you could either choose to spend them with yourself or with friends, or go back home. However you had used up your last holidays to be away from home, so this time around you were going to have to wear thick skin and go home.

Changkyun had no particular schedule for this season, so you decided to have him tag along with you, and as the two of you drove back to your hometown, your nerves began to pile up high until you were about ready to combust.

“I don’t want to see anyone” you blurted and Changkyun turned to you from the driver's seat with a blank expression, “W-Why?” he asked softly, turning back to look at the road. You groaned and leaned your head against the window with a thump, “They know I’m going so they invited everyone and I’m scared- they’re snakes!” you whined, covering your face and bringing your knees up to your chest as you hugged them. Changkyun smiled, “You’re so mean, they probably miss you a lot” he said, occasionally glancing over at you as you curled up on yourself.

He was right. They were your family and probably only meant good, but sometimes you realized they just didn’t really filter any of their comments on your life.

“I know… I’m just nervous” you admitted and that was that for your worries. Until you were standing at the doorway of your house, Changkyun patting his clothes a little and fixing his hair as you breathed in and out before knocking. As soon as you did, you heard the voices on the other side and recognized your aunts and cousins and your parents, making you gasp and suddenly take Changkyun’s hand. He shot you a look of shock and before either of you could say anything about it, the door opened and your mother stood at the entrance, with nearly everyone you could recognize standing behind her.

_______________

You knew they had noticed your skinship with him, because looks of surprise and thrill arose as well as those of judgement. Your mother held one of thrill as she greeted the two of you with hugs and brought you inside, your hand still tight on Changkyun’s as he held yours gently and very reluctantly. You refused to let him go, for some reason your brain was able to be more grounded as you said your hello’s and how’ve you been’s with him by your side. Everyone sat at the living room on the couches, or dining table, some even on the floor, all eyes on the two of you as you entered and sat at the couch side by side.

Someone began to make small talk with you as everyone else settled, “How have you been Y/N? How’s school?” they asked and you finally let go of Changkyun’s hand so that you could run your hands over your lap, “Good, I’ve been really good, and school has been very busy but I’m doing well there too” you replied with a smile that felt too tight on your lips. “Y/N, aren’t you going to introduce us to this young man?” your mother then interrupted and you could feel everyone staring at Changkyun now, and it made you want to find the closest blanket or curtain to throw over him and protect him from any criticism.

“O-Oh, yeah, he’s Changkyun, everyone…” you started and met his gaze nervously as he smiled kindly and exchanged looks with a few people, “Um, Changkyun, she’s my mom, and that’s my dad” you then added, pointing at your parents who came up to Changkyun to shake his hand as he stood up and did the same with them, bidding everyone else a small wave before sitting down.

A few prying eyes begged for you to continue, to further introduce him and you knew exactly what question snaked behind their teeth, so out of impulse and sudden selfishness, you gave them what they wanted.

“Changkyun this is my family, and family, this is my boyfriend Changkyun” you said confidently, earning the reactions you were currently reveling in, with the exception of your now apparent boyfriend, who didn’t look at you but you knew wanted to smack you across the face and yell what did you just say?

____________________

Just like that, tension subsided between your family and you, but only thickened between Changkyun and you. Everyone caught up and decided to settle down to eat, in the meantime, while everyone was busy, Changkyun pulled you aside, “Show me where your bedroom used to be” he said through a very forced smile, and had the situation been different, you would have teased him about it. However you excused yourself and led him to your bedroom, nearly being pushed inside by him as he then closed the door behind him and turned to you. “Why would you say that? Why didn’t you at least warn me?” he spewed, his voice low and hushed, almost making you feel scolded.

“I know I’m sorry it just came out but just do this for me please, I’ll do anything for you after this is over but just do me this one favor” you begged, taking his arms and nearly dropping to your knees had he not held you in place. He sighed loudly and looked over his shoulder then back at you, “Do you know how nervous this makes me? I was already feeling awkward- Y/N I’m an awkward person, granted you would have probably been better off without me as your boyfriend” he rushed and it made you giggle despite the circumstance.

“I know- no, you’re great, just be you it’s okay” you tried, patting his shoulders and giving him a once over and nodding to yourself, “You’re good looking, that’s more than enough” you then added and Changkyun grinned but covered his face and groaned, “Oh my god” he said, then  patting his chest with one hand to soothe his nerves. “Don’t be nervous, it makes me nervous” you then said and he raised his eyebrows, his ministrations coming to an instant halt, “Okay, okay- no you know what, I’m nervous now, just give me a second” he said through a whisper and you chuckled, standing before him for a few seconds before leading him back towards the door as you opened it.

He was shy, but you could tell everyone liked him, he also stuck close to you at all times, occasionally pinching your shirt when you’d stray away and he couldn’t grasp your hand or arm. He feared being cornered by someone and being ultimately interviewed all by his lonesome. He couldn’t escape the questions when they came from your parents, and he always replied with small nods and attempts at answering as politely as possible, but stammering a few times before you were chiming in to his rescue. He didn’t need it much anyway, he was fairly good and your parents were more than satisfied. You were sure at some point he had even gotten comfortable enough with everyone because eventually, he’d stay at least a few feet away from you, that was more than enough progress for you.

You hadn't realized the burden you had placed on his shoulders until the day got closer to an end, and he no longer smiled much, his shoulders slumping slightly. Everyone stayed until midnight and only then did you get a moment to yourself with Changkyun as the two of you brought your luggage to your bedroom.

“You okay?” you asked in concern, as the two of you arranged your belongings. Changkyun nodded and offered you a small half smile, sitting at the edge of your small bed and scrolling through his cellphone. You looked away and sighed, sitting at his side and leaning your head against his shoulder as you watched the contents on his phone. “I can tell you’re tired… I mean, you used up a lot of energy in charming everyone” you commented jokingly and caught him smile sheepishly. He didn’t mind you looking, and the two of you stayed there for a few quiet minutes until you were hooking your arm with his and he was putting his cellphone away. “Changkyun… I’m sorry” you said softly, still hearing your family chat in the kitchen. Changkyun hummed and then sighed, letting his gaze fall on his lap as you turned to look at him, “I’m really sorry…” you repeated and he gave you a warm smile, shaking his head a little and meeting your gaze for a little before you were looking away a bit flustered.

“It’s okay, I just wish I would have had more time to mentally prepare myself for this” he commented with a chuckle and you moaned in guilt, burying your face against his arm as he glanced at you. “I wasn’t planning on dragging you down with me, I feel really bad… But you took it like a champ” you admitted but all Changkyun did was lean his head against yours and shake it, “Do you feel better about seeing your family though?” he asked and you took in a deep breath and nodded. The burden had been shared, and you no longer felt like your self-esteem had been walked all over by your family members. “Thank you, boyfriend” you joked, making him grin, “You’re welcome girlfriend” he replied, the two of you chuckling lightly.

The word made him a little weak as it escaped your lips, it was no burden to have him play your boyfriend, he’d do it any time, but he would have wanted to meet your parents after he’d confessed his feelings for you. Had it all worked out differently, he would have been much more prepared to meet your parents as your real boyfriend.

“You were great, they’re gonna miss you when we’re gone” you commented and he chuckled, “What are you going to tell them later on?” he asked and you moved away and sighed, letting your shoulders drop with a shrug, “That we broke up or something” you stated and Changkyun pressed his lips into a line as you met his gaze. He looked away and toyed with the ring on his index finger, one you always insisted he should wear because you were convinced rings were made for his hands. “Let’s say, hypothetically, your family really wanted to see both of us again, would we do this again or would you just turn the invitation down and say we broke up?” he asked and you knitted your eyebrows in amusement as you smiled in thought, “I don’t know… I feel bad bringing you” you said and Changkyun nodded, raising his eyebrows in acknowledgement, “Makes sense, but what if I told you I could do this any time?” he then countered. You stared at him quizzically and chuckled, “Why would you? This is terrible and annoying, and eventually they’ll start attacking your self-esteem too” you said jokingly but with a hint of seriousness. “But what if I’m okay with it?” he pushed and your smile faltered as you met his expression, you knew he was looking at you and things were breaking away from the hypothetical. “Why would you be?” you asked again and Changkyun smiled shyly, looking away and shrugging sweetly, “Hypothetically speaking, I could enjoy being your boyfriend” he admitted and your heart jumped, making you freeze in your spot as you stared at the floor.

He then cleared his throat and stood up slowly, letting out an exhale and patting his clothes down, “That’s okay if it’s not what you want” he then said, making his way to the door of your bedroom as you watched him. “Wait no don’t go out there yet, we can’t just leave this conversation hanging” you stated, getting up as well. You couldn’t go back to your family and have him hold you close with genuine feelings while you pondered on them, that’d be using him knowing this was no longer a fake situation and that was definitely not a path you were going down on.

Changkyun turned to you and smiled awkwardly, “If it makes you uncomfortable-” he started but you cut him off, “It doesn’t, but you just kind of threw a curveball at me” you said with a chuckle and he grinned. “I had thought about us together before, but I didn’t think you ever wanted it so I didn’t… Really push for it” you confessed and his eyes widened, “You should have said something!” he said raising his voice in disbelief and you quickly made your way to him and hushed him. The two of you sniggered and you leaned your head against his chest, gripping his arms and trying hard not to laugh loudly. He held your arms as well and you felt him chuckle, making you look up at him and suddenly you were looking at him in a different light.

“So no more lying, okay? We’re actually dating now” he said and you nodded, leaning forward to peck his cheek, “I’m glad we came to terms with it now, any sooner and I don’t think I would have kept my hands to myself” you said with a wink to which Changkyun grinned at sheepishly before opening the door while he held your hand, “You’ve been keeping them to yourself?” he joked and you snorted.