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bwabys-scenarios · 11 months ago

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Fixer Upper

Part 27

Perv!Kurapika x Fem!Reader

!!REBLOGS APPRECIATED!!

Part 26

Part 28

warnings: drinking, characters get high(weed), killua and Kurapika get into a fist fight, Reader is mentioned to have attempted suicide, mentions of Kurapika planning to kill himself after he finds all of the scarlet eyes

A/N: everyone thank Bug for not only the idea for this chapter, but also for helping to write several scenes!! Without her, Fixer Upper wouldn’t be possible <3

taglist: @fabitheraven @tsukilover11 @ashdownunderscorebeloved @lemonslut @homeinmydreams @superweeniehutjrsblog @bugmomwrites @heartsforseo @lixiawinter @altaircc @itszenava @fiightforlovee @mimi-sanisanidiot @monainanuttshell @wow-im-gay @whorermoviestar @lightshowerrr @mama-m1na @nenggie @wicked-binch @jamayah @themanicwriter01

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(Name) set the turkey to bake the night before the gathering, and after that, she went to sleep. She would be waking up in the early hours of the day to cook and do some last minute cleaning, so she would need her sleep.

An alarm was set for 6 am, where she would wake up to check on the turkey before getting everyone else up.

“Kurapika, it’s time to wake up.”

The blonde groaned, sitting up to see (Name) standing at his bedside, looking exhausted. She gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her tired eyes, before gently brushing his hair out of his face. “Todays the big day. Let’s get ready, okay?”

He followed her downstairs, where everyone else was already awake and yawning. (Name) stood in front of everyone, wearing her pajamas. “Okay guys, I’m going to give everyone a task that you’ll need to complete before guests get here.”

“Um, (Name), a guest is already here.”

(Name) looked to where Gon was pointing to see Bisky sitting on the couch next to Leorio, eyeing him up. “Hey sweetheart, I decided to get here early, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh um, I don’t mind at all. Please excuse the mess, we’re still getting-“

(Name) watched as Bisky pulled out a wine glass and bottle of wine before pouring herself a drink. “Oh don’t worry about messes, (Name). I’m sure those boys are to blame anyways.”

Killua and Gon shrank under her gaze, the former sticking his tongue out at her. Leorio scratched the back of his head. “So what are our tasks, sunshine?”

“Oh, right.”

Killua and Gon were put on cleaning duty, Leorio and Kurapika were asked to do grocery runs and get the little fire pit ready outside, and Alluka was sat at the kitchen table to help (Name) cook. “I thought Bisky came to help with preparations, but she’s just drinking and watching hallmark movies.”

Leorio walked in, wearing a look of confusion on his face. “So is no one going to stop the 12 year old from drinking her weight in wine?”

“Are you talking about Bisky? She’s nearly 60.”

“60? Yeah and I’m 42.”

Alluka and (Name) glanced at each other then him. “You… look like you’re pushing at least 30, Leorio.”

“30!? IM 21!”

(Name) watched as he sulked out of the room, trying not to laugh. “You’re handsome though!”

The two got back to work, smiling and laughing as they cooked. “Okay Alluka, Zushi is going to be here soon so you two can go play, alright?”

A few hours passed, with (Name) finishing up most of the cooking besides a few items. Unfortunately she wasn’t able to make another cherry pie last minute, but she was able to make another batch of macaroni. She still set Kurapika’s version on the table though, even when Killua walked up and scowled. “Mom, that’s going to give someone food poisoning.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Killua, be nice. Kurapika and-“

“Oh I am being nice, that shit looks like it’s going to come alive at any moment and beg for death-“

“Does it really look that bad?”

Killua paused his rant when Gon appeared in the doorway, looking a little hurt. “I tried my best…”

“Oh, Gon…”

(Name) patted his back, letting him sniffle. Killua grabbed Gon’s sleeve and tugged him away, (Name) watching them go. Ever the curious one, she snuck around the corner to listen in on their conversation.

“Gon, I didn’t know you were the one that fixed it up. I was being too harsh b-“

“Because you thought Kurapika did it? That’s not very nice, Killua.”

She could hear Killua sigh, smiling to herself. She could almost picture his cheeks puffing out in a pout as he looked at his friend. “Well… I just don’t really like him all that much.”

“You keep saying that, but you never tell me why. What did he do to make you hate him so much? He’s never done anything to hurt any of us!”

Killua stayed quiet, (Name) holding a hand over her chest. “I just… don’t like that he can’t just tell mom how he feels. He says he wants to ask her out, but he keeps chickening out. Kurapika is selfish too, he expects her to wait for him forever…”

(Name)’s eyes widened. ‘He… he likes me? He’s been trying to ask me out on a date?’

Her face felt hot, and she stopped listening for a moment until she heard something else of interest. “Come here, Gon. Let’s get back before everyone gets suspicious.”

“Yeah. I love you, Killua.”

“I love you too.”

(Name) peeked her head around just in time to watch Killua give Gon a peck on the cheek, both of the boys blushing. She stared open mouthed for a split second before rushing back to the kitchen.

———————-

The guests started arriving soon after that, the first being Wing and Zushi. Zushi immediately left with Alluka to play outside, while Wing walked into the kitchen to greet (Name).

“Miss (Name), it’s good to see you. Thank you for watching Zushi last month, he really enjoyed it.”

(Name) smiled, shaking his hand. “Oh it was no problem, and just (Name) is fine!”

Wing left to join Leorio on the porch, Kurapika peeking into the kitchen soon after. “Angel, I got the milk and eggs.”

“Oh wow, he came back with the milk. Surprising.”

Kurapika scowled at Killua, narrowing his eyes. “Of course I did, (Name) asked me to.”

“Uh huh. It’s just a bit of a shock to see you doing anything useful around here. Usually you stand around like an idiot while (Name) does all of the work.”

Kurapika’s grip on the shopping bags tightened, (Name) rushing forward. “You two need to stop, you’re being childish. Anymore of this fighting and you’ll both be washing all of the dishes after dinner. And I mean all of them.”

Killua shuddered, looking at the various pots, pans, bowls, and plates littered across the kitchen. “… point taken.”

Kurapika set the groceries on the table, helping to unpack them as (Name) smiled. “Don’t take him too seriously, he’s trying to get under your skin. If you ignore him, he’ll stop eventually. You have to stop giving him a reaction.”

“You’re acting like he’s some kind of wild animal that can’t be tamed. He’s a kid that needs some discipline, you let him get away with everything.”

(Name) scowled. “I don’t let him get away with everything, he usually is really well behaved whne you’re not around. Have you ever thought it’s not him, but you that’s the problem?”

Kurapika paused, feeling a bit hurt. “What did I do to deserve-“

He stopped, sighing softly. They both knew what he did to upset Killua, but Kurapika had hoped he would be past that by now. But at that thought, Kurapika cringed. ‘Oh course he isn’t over it, who would be? (Name) didn’t deserve that…’

Kurapika sighed, throwing the empty shopping bags in the trash. “Is there anything else you need me to do?”

(Name) looked up, humming. She had already went back to mashing up potatoes while he sulked. “You can make sure Leorio doesn’t get high before dinner.”

“On it.”

More guests arrived, in the form of Knuckle, Shoot, and Morel. They all brought desserts, which were much appreciated since Kurapika burned the cherry pie. “Aww, these look great!”

“Thanks, we got them from the bakery down the street.”

Morel and Shoot joined Leorio on the porch while Knuckle sat at the kitchen table, watching her cook. “You’ve been working hard, (Name). You made all this?”

“Yeah, but I had some help from Alluka and Menchi-“

“I can tell you did most of the work, (Name). Don’t sell yourself short.”

She nodded, her cheeks warming at the compliment. (Name) leaned towards Knuckle to give him a kiss on the cheek just as Kurapika rounded the corner to ask if she needed any help.

The blonde stared at the two, his eyes gone scarlet. Knuckle was the first to recognize the intense bloodlust emanating from behind him, seeing Kurapika when he turned around. (Name) spotted him as well. “Oh, hey Kurapika!”

Kurapika didn’t respond, only walking over to get, grabbing her arm. “(Name), I need to speak with you for a moment.”

“B-but I have something in the ove-“

Kurapika continued to pull her away, his heart racing and his stomach churning. He couldn’t stand seeing her lips touch another man, it made him seethe with rage.

“Kurapika, what is so important that you need t-“

“Why were you kissing him??”

Kurapika grabbed her by the shoulders, meeting her (e/c) eyes with his scarlet ones. She blinked before answering. “Huh? Because he was being nice to me. It was just a kiss on the cheek, and I can kiss whoever I want.”

His grip tightened slightly, the blonde biting his lip. “(Name), I-“

A knock at the door interrupted the two. (Name) used the small distraction to duck away from Kurapika and towards the door. (Name) wiped her hands off on her apron. “Coming!”

Kurapika followed behind her, attempting to get her attention again as she opened the door. Neither of them were mentally prepared for who would be behind it.

“Hello, (Name). It’s a pleasure.”

Pariston stood behind the door, holding a box of gourmet chocolates, likely bought from the local bakery. He handed them to (Name) before pushing past her into her home.

Behind him was Cheadle and several other people (Name) assumed were zodiac members. She could almost feel Kurapika tense up behind her.

“Chairwoman Cheadle, what a-“

Cheadle sighed as Kurapika began to ask her a question. “When you mentioned the get together (Name) planned, Pariston was determined to attend. I didn’t want those two to cause too much trouble, so I and a few of the Zodiac came as well.”

“Those two? I only saw Parist-“

“Hey babe, miss me?”

(Name)’s face scrunched up in disgust when Ging walked up her driveway, giving her a sly smile. Cheadle slapped a hand over her forehead, rubbing at her temple as if she already had a headache from his presence alone. “Yes, those two.”

Ging walked in, walking over the welcome mat without wiping his feet. He ended up tracking in a lot of mud, causing (Name) to twitch. Cheadle hit Ging on the shoulder. “At least act like you have manners. Take those off on the porch!”

Kurapika seemed tense, the corner of his mouth twitching downward into a nervous frown. (Name) placed a hand on his shoulder to attempt to comfort him, but he shrugged it away. She sighed, putting on a smile for the Zodiac members.

“Well, welcome everyone. Please, take a seat. There’s drinks in the cooler outside.”

They walked in, and Kurapika noticed it was all the members that had been at the meeting the other day. Pyon, Gel, Mizaistom, and Zanzai, along with Ging, Cheadle and Pariston. ‘A bit of a handful, but if everything goes well, maybe this would be a good opportunity to prove that (Name) isn’t a bad person!’

(Name) got them all drinks, smiling sweetly and making idle chat as she did some tidying up. “I’ll be back in a little bit, please make yourselves at home!”

She wiped her hands on her apron before leaving to the kitchen, Kurapika’s eyes on her ass as she left.

“She’s got quite the figure, doesn’t she?”

Kurapika’s cheeks turned bright pink when Pariston sat beside him, following his gaze. “I can see why you like her so much, not only is her nen powerful, she seems like you could put her body to use as well.”

The blonde felt his blood boil. “Don’t you dare speak of her in that way, she’s not an object.”

Pariston laughed, patting Kurapika’s shoulder playfully. “Oh my dear friend, she’s the object of your desires, is she not? You were look at her too, you sly dog. Funny, I thought you were supposed to be the rat zodiac.”

Kurapika was visually uncomfortable, his hand gripping the fabric of his pants. No, Kurapika didn’t just see her as an object to own, he loved her. He was nothing like Pariston!

Right?

“Kurapika!”

He looked up, relaxing ever so slightly when he saw (Name) walking back in. She was carrying a bowl of peach cobbler and ice cream in her hands. “I got you a little snack! I saw you didn’t eat breakfast, so I cut into the peach cobbler a little early.”

He felt his heart melt, the blonde sighing happily as she handed the bowl to him. “(Name)…”

Like the last time it was given to him, the peach cobbler was shaped into a heart, with generous scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Pariston snickered next to him. “Wow, it’s even heart shaped. How… cute. You two… must be very close. That’s interesting, really.”

Kurapika’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t like the things Pariston was insinuating, or the sinister look in his eye. “We’re not that close.”

Kurapika said this to be cautious, but (Name) tensed behind him. “I… made it how you like it.” she said softly.

Kurapika’s grip on the bowl tightened, and Pariston decided to keep going. “That wasn’t what you were saying in the meeting. Don’t you lo-“

Pariston grinned when Kurapika covered his mouth, the Kurta’s eyes scarlet with anger. “Keep your filthy mouth shut, Pariston.”

(Name) glanced at the other Zodiacs, who all looked bored, besides Ging, who was walking towards her bathroom with a groan.

“Um… I’m going to go… finish dinner.”

She gave Kurapika a reassuring squeeze to his shoulder before leaning down to kiss his cheek. “I’ll be in the kitchen, okay Pika?”

Kurapika nodded, his eyes half lidded and face red as she left. Her touch could always calm him down, and the blonde couldn’t help but watch her leave with a yearning in his soul.

“Your face is as red as your eyes, lover boy.”

Pariston laughed at Kurapika, crossing one leg over the other. “You look like your husband just left for war. I never thought you would be the clingy type, but here we are.”

“I’m… I’m not clingy. (Name) is just important to me…”

He ate his cobbler in silence, pouting. Maybe if (Name) hadn’t made him something and kissed his cheek, he wouldn’t have been teased so much. ‘I’ll just talk to her… Leorio said communication is key.’

The blonde finished his cobbler, standing up and walking towards the kitchen. He opened the door, glancing in to see (Name) humming to herself as she chopped up celery. “Kurapika? Did you enjoy the cobbler?”

He was quiet as he set his bowl in the sink. He turned on the water, filling the bowl so it could soak to make it easier for whoever washed dishes later.

“(Name)…”

She looked up, swiping the chopped celery from the cutting board into a strainer with her knife. “Yes, Pika?”

(Name) looked awfully cute in her pink, frilly apron, making the blonde short circuit for a moment before he was able to answer. “Can… can you not embarrass me like that?”

The woman paused, giving him her full attention. With an unreadable expression, she replied. “Excuse me?”

‘Fuck.’

“W-when you kissed by cheek, it was a little embarrassing. The Zodiac are my prestigious colleagues, I don’t want them thinking lesser of me. Showing weakness in front of them isn’t very-“

Her expression was now very readable. She looked hurt and upset, the soft smile she’d been wearing before completely gone. “… think lesser of you? What do you even mean by that? Am… I embarrassing to you?”

Kurapika knew he fucked up, the blonde trying his best to backtrack. “No, no you’re not embarrassing, it’s the way you act that’s emba-“

He cursed to himself, he was just digging himself in further. (Name) stared at him in disbelief, hurt evident on her face. “Are you… being serious, Pika? You think I’m embarrassing?”

He froze, his mind racing as he tried to think of a way to explain himself, but he wasn’t able to get anything out. Kurapika stuttered, face flushing in embarrassment as he tried to justify what he said. “Well, it’s just that sometimes you can do things that e-embarrass me. I…”

He went quiet. There were tears pooling in the corners of her eyes, and her lip was quivering. “Sorry, I’ll keep that in mind, Kurapika.”

Kurapika flinched. He wanted to grab at her sleeve and apologize, try to explain himself better, but she was already giving him the cold shoulder, refusing to even look at him. He hated seeing her cry more than anything, especially when he was the cause of her tears.

“(Name), please, I… just listen to me.”

“Sorry, I’m too busy being embarrassing to hear you.”

“(Name)…”

He reached out to grab her shoulder to MAKE her listen to him, but before he could the bathroom door opened. Ging walked out, holding the bottle of Febreze and spraying it. “Yeesh, I feel 10 pounds lighter. Hey (Name)!”

He turned to them, laughing. “Ah, they you are sweetheart. Shitters full, hope ya got a good plunger.”

He patted her shoulder then walked off, leaving both of them grimacing and covering their noses.

“And I’m the embarrassing one? So much for the Zodiac being prestigious…”

Kurapika grimaced. He couldn’t really argue with that, and he didn’t want to either. There was the fact that Ging wasn’t a Zodiac member anymore, but he had been one for a while. There was no excuse, really.

“Leorio, toilets clogged!”

————————

(Name) sat in the kitchen, angrily stirring a pot of cabbage. She hadn’t spoken to Kurapika since he claimed she embarrassed him, and the blonde was currently an emotional wreck. He couldn’t even pretend to keep up appearances, Kurapika openly sulked on the couch as the other guests loitered awkwardly.

“Kurapika, you’re bumming everyone out. What’s up with you?”

The blonde groaned, his head in his hands. “I’m an idiot. The worst.”

“Oh fuck, what did you say to (Name)?”

Kurapika looked up at Leorio, his face miserable. “Why do you think this has to do with (Name)?”

“Because you’re an idiot when it comes to her.”

Leorio wasn’t wrong, Kurapika’s brain did always turn to mush when (Name) was around. “I… said she was embarrassing.”

“Just when I thought you couldn’t say anything worse than the shit you said in York New, you just… go above and beyond.”

A groan left Kurapika’s throat, causing Bisky to glance in his direction. She gave the boy a sympathetic look. “Girl troubles? (Name) told me everything. I should be angry with you but…”

She crossed her legs. “If I’ve learned anything in my old age, it’s that no one would act the way you are now unless they were in love.”

Kurapika nodded slowly, his cheeks flushing a soft pink. “I do love her, I just… I say stupid and hurtful things I don’t mean. I’ve made her cry, now I can’t say I love her. Who makes the one they love cry and think all they are is an embarrassment?”

Bisky placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, gently rubbing it. “Everyone says things they don’t mean sometimes. What’s important is fixing that mistake and making sure the person you hurt knows that you care about them. Just talk to her, tell her how you feel.”

Kurapika scowled. “That’s the problem, she isn’t talking to me now. Every time I try to talk to her, she turns up the music on her headphones or gives me the cold shoulder.”

“Yeah, that’s to be expected. Hell, if you called me embarrassing I would have broken up with you then and there.”

“… we’re not dating.”

Bisky blinked a few times. “Ah… with the way you two look at each other, I thought… never mind. Obviously you haven’t gotten lucky yet.”

The pink on Kurapika’s cheeks turned to a bright red, Leorio trying not to crack up beside him. “Th-that’s none of your business!”

Kurapika crossed his arms, looking away as Leorio stood. “You have fun sulking, I’m gonna go get the fire started.”

(Name) sighed in relief, placing the last dish on the table. The food was finally done, all she needed was to cut everything up and set out paper plates for everyone to use!

“Need some help with that, (Name)?”

Kite was leaning against the doorway, giving her a soft smile. It took (Name) a minute to process their presence, and when she did she broke out into goggles. She ran over to hug them, looking up at them with a big smile. “Kite, you made it!”

“Of course I did, wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

They helped (Name) get the turkey cut up, along with placing a serving spoon in each dish. She sighed, wiping the sweat from her forehead. “Finally…”

They ended up having to put two tables together to fit all of the food, and it looked like a feast for a king. If only Menchi could see it, but unfortunately she could only be there the day before the event to help. She had a lead on a new ingredient, and wouldn’t be able to make it.

“You did this all by yourself, (Name)?”

Kite looked over the tables, their red hair tied up into a ponytail to keep out of their face. (Name) leaned against their shoulder. “Mmm, I had some help, but most of it, yes. Thank god for Alluka and Menchi, they were both big helps.”

A soft smile took over Kite’s face. “It’s nice to see you’re allowing yourself to rely on others, (Name). It’s good progress.”

(Name)’s face heated up at Kite’s observation. Recently, she had been asking for help more often, without even realizing it. “I guess… I just have people I can rely on now.”

The two smiled at each other, before she stretched. “Well, let’s not keep the hungry people waiting.”

Kite caught her wrist before she could walk out. “(Name).”

They turned her so she was facing them. “Are you alright? You seem a bit… distracted.”

(Name) looked away from their eyes, puffing out her chubby cheeks in a pout. “I’m fine… it’s nothing.”

Kite raised an eyebrow before grabbing her cheeks in their hand and squeezing her face. “You’re fine? Why are their tear stains on your cheeks then?”

With a defeated sigh, (Name) told them what happened between her and Kurapika earlier that day. Kite nodded along, listening intently. “I see… that would be a quite upsetting situation to be in. Have you tried talking to him? From what he said, perhaps he said the wrong thing.”

(Name) huffed as she buttered the rolls. “I’ve been way too busy to deal with him. If he wants to man up, apologize, and speak to me, he can.”

Kite blinked in surprise. “(Name)…”

They smiled, patting her shoulder. “You’ve really grown, haven’t you?”

She nodded, finishing the last roll. “I… I’m not as much of a pushover as I used to be. I have friends now, friends that will back me up if I need them to. I don’t… I don’t have to put up with people mistreating me anymore.”

Kite patted her head, ruffling her hair a bit. “That’s good, name. Good girl.”

She melted at the compliment, leaning into their touch like a puppy being told how good it is. “Thank you, Kite…”

(Name) pulled away, her face a little warm. “Alright it’s really time to tell everyone it’s ready.”

The living room was occupied by the Zodiac, along with Bisky and Gon. Ging was nowhere in sight, possibly hiding from his son. “Hey guys, the food is ready, feel free to make yourself a plate!”

Cheadle stood, giving her a polite smile. “Thank you for this (Name), I know having to cook for so many people last minute wouldn’t be easy.”

“It’s fine, please, there’s plenty of food. Make yourself a plate!”

The zodiac were pleasantly surprised by how soft and sweet she was. Pariston smirked as he passed her, his hand brushing against her hip. “Thank you, princess. It smells lovely.”

She shivered, quickly retreating behind Kite, who kept their eye on the former rat zodiac. “It’s okay, (Name). He won’t bother you any further than that.”

The two made their way to the porch, where Leorio, Wing, Knuckle, Morel, Shoot, and a very awkward looking Kurapika. They all had a bottle of beer in their hands, though Kurapika had barely dipped on his.

Once the blonde spotted (Name), he looked away, seeming embarrassed and shy. Kite noticed this, glancing between the two. ‘Ah, they like each other.’

“The food’s ready, guys.”

Knuckle cheered, patting her shoulder as he walked past her. “Thanks, (Name)! Man, I’m starving!”

Morel laughed. “It smells nice, thank you for your hard work.”

He ruffled her hair, Shoot following behind him. The purple haired man gave her an appreciative smile. “Thanks, (Name). We’ve been looking forward to your cooking all year.”

She flushed over their compliments, waving her hand. “Oh, thank you… you’re all so sweet!”

Wing, who left to grab Alluka and Zushi, smiled. “Zushi always gets excited when he gets to come over. Also, I wanted to personally thank you for making the food nut free. It’s very kind of you to take Zushi’s allergies into consideration.”

“It’s no problem, really. He deserves to have a nice dinner too!”

Zushi and Alluka were both filthy, their hands and clothes covered in dirt. (Name) smiled, finding their dirty faces endearing. “Leorio, you guys go eat. I’m going to get the kiddos cleaned up.”

Leorio nodded, cupping her cheek to keep her in place so he could kiss her forehead. “You’re a doll, (Name).”

She sighed happily, leaning into his calloused hand. Leorio was always a warm and safe place for her, and when he held her so tenderly, it made everything a little easier.

Kurapika watched this interaction with a dull ache in his chest. Leorio was always able to give her affection without being awkward. Maybe he should try as well!

He stood up to say something, but from the look (Name) gave him, Kurapika knew he wasn’t getting any kisses. “Th-thank you for your efforts…”

(Name) nodded, turning on her heels. Kite gave the boy a sympathetic look before following behind her, the two kids being led by (Name) to the bathroom.

“Kite, could you keep an eye on the kitchen to make sure… some people don’t mess anything up? I’ll get the kids clean then come make myself a plate.”

Kite nodded. “If you mean keep an eye on Ging and Pariston, I’ve been doing it the entire time.”

She sighed in relief, giving them a smile before taking the two kiddos upstairs. (Name) was surprised to see Killua sitting on her bed, listening to something with headphones on. He glanced up when she walked in, reaching out his hand for her. She walked forward and took his hand, gently squeezing it. “Overstimulated?”

Killua nodded, glancing behind her two see the two filthy kids behind her. “Did they roll around in dirt?”

(Name) snickered. “That’s what I’m assuming happened. I’m going to get them washed up. Do you want to go make your plate now, or do you want me to come with you?”

He ran his thumb over the back of her hand in thought. “Could you… make me a plate and ask Gon to come upstairs with me when you’re done?”

She nodded, ruffling his hair. “Of course. Just relax, getting them tidied up shouldn’t take long.”

———————

(Name) sighed as she wiped Alluka’s face with a warm, damp rag. “Girl, you’re filthy. I expected this from Zushi, but usually you don’t like getting dirty.”

Alluka leaned into (Name)’s gentle touch, nuzzling her hand. “We were playing a fun game! I don’t like getting dirty, b-but it’s okay when it’s for a fun game!”

“Ohh, I see. Well, your nice dress will need to be washed now. How about we put you in some overalls, so you can play better?”

Alluka nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, yeah! That sounds like so much fun!”

(Name) took off her dirty dress and set it in the hamper, then dressed Alluka in a pink sweater and jean overalls. She changed Alluka’s Mary Janes to a pair of sneakers and put her hair into a ponytail so she would be able to play more efficiently.

“There we go, all done. Look at how cute you are!”

Alluka twirled around, giggling. “Thanks, big sis! I’m so excited, I want to play now!”

(Name) laughed, pulling the girl in for a hug. “You have to eat first, okay?”

When the girl looked up, it was Nanika. “Mama… want to sit with you.”

She scooped her up, balancing her on her hip. “Okay, that’s fine with me, sweetheart!”

(Name) walked down the stairs, spotting Zushi making his plate. He was all clean now, wearing a pair of Killua’s play shorts and a shirt. “(Name), thank you for getting me all cleaned up!”

Nanika smiled, nuzzling her face into (Name)’s shoulder. “Love you, mama…”

She kissed the top of Nanika’s head. “Love you too, sweetheart.”

(Name) sat Nanika down at the table, making her a plate of food before she made one to bring up to Killua.

“Gon?”

The boy looked up. He and Kite had been catching up when (Name) walked over. “Hi (Name)! The food is so good, you did a great job!”

“Thank you, Gon. I just wanted to tell you Killua is upstairs, and he asked if you could come eat with him.”

Gon jumped up immediately, grinning. “Sure! Is that plate for him?”

“Yeah, it is. Would you mind taking it up to him?”

Gon took the plate, smiling. “Of course not, Kite, come talk to me before you leave, okay?”

(Name) began to make her plate, spitting a certain blonde walking into the kitchen. Kurapika paused, wondering whether he should stay and make his place, or if he should leave and give her some space.

“It… all looks really good, (Name).”

She hummed in response, placing a piece of turkey on her plate. Kurapika grabbed a sturdy paper plate as well, standing near her as they made their plates together. Even when (Name) was mad at him, she still gently took his hand and guided him to the food she thought he would like. “Try this, I think you would like it.”

(Name) seemed to have an endless amount of patience and kindness. Kurapika did as told, trusting her completely. He looked up just in time to see her placing a helping of the macaroni he made onto her plate. “(Name), you don’t have to. It’s probably not that good.”

She glanced at him, a slight softness in her eyes. “You worked hard on it. It doesn’t matter if it’s good or not, I’m not letting your effort go to waste.”

This made his heart race, his face turning red once again. She was so good, so sweet, he truly didn’t deserve her. ‘Oh, (Name)…’

He truly loved her so much, even when she was upset at him he still couldn’t help but melt in her presence. “Thank you… you’re such a sweetheart.”

(Name) paused as she was walking out the door, her face heating up. She didn’t respond, but felt her heart speed up.

She sat with Nanika in her lap as she ate, making small talk with the other guests. Most of the Zodiac members were keeping to themselves, but now they had spread out.

Kanzai seemed to be getting along well with Knuckle. Pyon and Gel sat together with Bisky, drinking wine with their meal and watching some hallmark movie. Mizaistom was chatting along with Kite, the two seemingly debating something.

‘Well, I’m glad they feel more comfortable,’ (Name) thought, feeding Nanika a bite of turkey. The girl munched happily, before burying her face in (Name)’s shoulder.

“Happy… mama, Alluka wants to go play…”

Nanika looked up at her, gently nuzzling her cheek against (Name)’s. The girl was very affectionate, which (Name) didn’t mind one but. “Okay, okay. You finished your food, go have some fun.”

When the girl looked back up, it’s was Alluka. “Yay, thanks big sis!”

She hugged (Name) before she ran off, giggling. “Be careful, and don’t get into too much trouble!”

(Name) finished her plate before she went back to the kitchen. She looked over the feast she made. There was still so much food left, even after everyone had made their plates. ‘This is going to be a pain to put in the fridge later.’

———————

Kurapika sat on the couch, mindlessly a scrolling on his phone. (Name) has introduced him to social medias a week or so ago, and he really enjoyed TikTok. The nature themed videos where Hunters showed the places they were exploring interested him greatly, along with fun history videos. He had seen a few inaccurate history facts that had him ranting to (Name), though.

‘Ah… (Name)…’

He was thinking about her again, and how he pretty much fucked up his chance to ask her out at the party. Kurapika sighed, turning off his phone and glancing around the living room. It was crowded, but there were also quite a few guests missing. He spotted Ging sneaking around. So far the deadbeat had been able to avoid Gon’s detection, and it seemed he was going back in for a second plate now.

“Wow, you really are pathetic, aren’t you.”

Kurapika looked to his left to see Killua peeking over his shoulder. The blonde scowled, his eyes narrowing. Usually he would take it in stride and just leave the room, but today his mood was sour and patience thin. “What the hell do you want, Killua?”

“Wow, touchy. Guess making a complete idiot out of yourself in front of (Name) can make you pretty grumpy, huh?”

Kurapika’s eyebrow twitched. “I’m really not in the mood for this today, Killua. Don’t you have someone else to annoy?”

Killua didn’t answer him, only moving to sit across from him. “Tell me, Kurapika. Do you plan on making mom wait forever? Do you actually think she would wait that long?”

“Excuse me?”

Killua sighed, shaking his head. “Figures. If you haven’t been able to figure it out yet, mom is very popular. Take Knuckle for example. He’s a nice guy that likes mom, but she hasn’t given him a chance because she likes someone else.”

The white haired boy stared at Kurapika. “Unfortunately for all of us, that person she likes is you. It’s a tragedy, really. I really wish my mom had better taste.”

Kurapika was both flustered and pissed off. He was just about tired of Killua belittling him every chance he got. “What the hell is your problem? At this point it feels less like you’re defending (Name), and more like you have some personal issue with me.”

Killua laughed. “Are you joking? Fuck, I knew you were selfish and an asshole, but I didn’t know you were delusional too. I can count on a single hand the amount of times you’ve done anything for the group. Though, that number is smaller if we take into account whether it was for your own benefit or not. Mom has helped others for nothing reason other than being a good, kind person. Not only do you not deserve her, she doesn’t deserve to be taken advantage of by you.”

Kurapika was shocked, his mouth agape. “Taken advantage of by me? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Her kindness, Kurapika. You take advantage of what a good person she is. Like a parasite, you’ve latched onto her because she makes you feel a little less pathetic than you are. You can’t love others, so you find people that can and attach yourself to them.”

“That’s not true, I do love (Name)!”

“Really? Does someone in love make their loved one sick with worry? Do they make their loved one so depressed after they leave them that they fall into a depression so bad that Leorio had to take an entire month off of college to make sure they are taken care of? Fuck, Kurapika, do you not understand the absolute hell you put mom through?

You’re fucking selfish, and now that you’ve been given a second chance you can’t even make her happy when you actually try. I think that’s what pisses me off the most, the fact that mom is kind enough to not even mention the shit you’ve done and just allow you to stay here, and you can’t do something as simple as ask her out. You’re a coward, a selfish, pathetic coward.”

Kurapika crushed the cup he was holding, glass shards flying as he stood. “That’s it, I’m sick of this. You don’t know anything about me or how I feel. Do you understand how hard it is to try and love someone after losing everyone important to you, how terrifying it is to realize that my love for her could get her killed? My clan-“

Killua groaned. “Your clan is gone, Kurapika. At this point I think you’re using this bullshit as an excuse to distance yourself emotionally. Your mission, your dear clan, blah blah blah. Who fucking cares? They’re gone!”

This sent Kurapika over the edge. He launched himself over the table, his eyes glowing scarlet as he grabbed Killua’s shirt. “Don’t you ever talk about my clan like that, you fucking-“

Killua ripped his hands off of him, laughing. “Oh, are you going to fight me over it? Go ahead, Kurapika, hit me.”

And Kurapika did just that, punching the white haired boy in the face.

——————

Leorio sat on the porch with Wing as Zushi and Alluka searched the garden for more creatures. He took a sip of his beer as the latter army crawled out from under the porch, tiny fists balled up and caked in dirt as she made a beeline to the little picnic table in the distance. Zushi smiled, flipping to a random page in a coloring book he packed.

“Perfect! Worm Court is open for business. Time to assemble the jury.”

And just like that, two little sets of hands tried to place the various critters in a two-by-six array on the wooden surface. None of them were staying put, wriggling around and falling off. Amidst their cries of “contempt of court!” and “Order! Order”’, Wing finally hazarded a glance over to Leorio.

“Were kids’ games always that…”

“Strange? I don’t question it anymore. They’re not hurting anyone though, so that’s good.”

As soon as Leorio turned away, Nanika reached under the bench and pulled out a rusty hammer. How long it had been there was unknown, and she plopped it unceremoniously onto the bench before Alluka returned again.

“That’s a relief. I know Zushi wanted to teach her more about nen this weekend, but I feel like it’d be too stressful at a large gathering like this.” Wing nodded in understanding, sipping his beer. “Speaking of mastering nen, a little bird told me you’ve improved by leaps and bounds in your own journey? How’s that working out for you?” Leorio lit up at the praise, trying to rein in his excitement with a cough.

“Oh! Um, yeah. Yeah, I think I’ve figured out how to use my nen effectively enough for healing”, Leorio flushed a little, clearing his throat. It wasn’t every day a nen master praised your hard work after all.

“That sounds like a great application for it, I’d love to see it in action sometime.”

Leorio smiled, happy to share all the ideas he’s come up with so far.

“It’ll really come in handy for medical sc-“

CRASH!

The screen door slammed open, the wooden frame snapping in the middle and rattling the side of the house with sheer velocity. Fists were flying in a tornado of white, gold, and blue, and the men jumped back on reflex.

“Hey, HEY! What the hell is going on h-WOAH!”

It slowed down enough for Leorio to notice the two instigators as none other than Kurapika and Killua, and when he went to pull the latter back by the collar of his shirt he ducked out of reach, paying no mind.

“You mother FUCKER-“ Killua picked up the blonde by his tabard, only for him to spit out a little blood, scarlet eyes glowing with fury and…mischief? Kurpika, bruised and bloody gave him a shit-eating grin before he finally spoke.

“I sure am, what about it?”

The words took a moment to register in Killua’s head, but as soon as they clicked into place, he saw nothing but red.

Killua tossed him backward into the fire pit (Name) had dragged out to the porch for special gatherings, but Kurapika grabbed onto the boy, sending both of them tumbling off the porch as the railing splintered beneath their collective weight. The fire pit rolled into the flower bushes, and the rose bush was engulfed in flames, burning steadily as they traveled up the plant. A few feet away, not even acknowledging the accidental arson, Killua rolled over to pin Kurapika to the ground, fists flying as he wailed on the man below him.

“YOU”- he punched Kurapika, punctuating his words with blow after blow. “LEAVE”- a hand came up, trying to shove him off but he pushed it to the ground, standing up. “MY MOTHER”- another haymaker to the temple. “OUT OF THIS!” Killua finished with a solid kick to the groin, reaching for a split wooden beam and raising it to strike. In a flash, Kurapika blindly kicked him in the leg to fall on his ass with a dull thud.

Killua looked up just in time to see Kurapika grab a shitty plastic chair by the headrest, the latter chuckling dangerously as the cheap red material quickly began to dull in comparison to the scarlet rage overtaking his irises. He waved the 2x4 menacingly, almost daring the blonde to come closer.

Wing and Leorio watched, horrified as the two of them battled it out. Not with nen, like one might see in a clean fight, or normal blades like that of a sparring match- but with scattered debris, bloodied fists and all of the finesse and gracefulness of a couple of drunken sailors. Realizing they need to put a stop to it before it got any worse, Wing stepped forward as Leorio attemptsy to stomp out the blackening shrub.

“That’s enough! This is no way for dignified hunters to act, especially a couple of nen users such as yourselves. You two ought to be ashamed!”

Kurapika, too far gone to pay attention to much else, swung the chair at Killua menacingly as the younger one parried it with the splintered 2x4. The trajectory and force were enough to knock not just the glasses off of his head and onto the lawn, but the beer right out of his hands as well. The bottle ricocheted off the chair, flying towards the large oak tree before shattering into a million pieces like some sort of horrible glass baseball.

It left a dark stain on the trunk in its wake, trickling down the bark and down into the pile of shards left behind. Despite the impact, Kurapika never faltered, either unaware of what just transpired or completely indifferent.

‘They’re not even using nen, they’re just fighting dirty…it’s like they want to revel in the destruction, to feel the blood on their hands themselves.’ Wing felt around his immediate vicinity for the frames, before Leorio spotted them a few yards away. Placing them back on the man’s face and helping him up, he patted his shoulder and shot a glare at the duo, seemingly out for blood.

“Wing, the hose is on the left of the house. Put the flowers out, and I’ll see if (name) has some frozen peas you can put on your bruise.”

He nodded sprinting across the floor porch as Leorio hurried in to see (Name) minding her own business, putting up the food. He glanced back over to the door again, little more than a pile of mesh and scrap wood. Between the stress of cooking, company, and cleaning, (Name) seemed too preoccupied to notice the damage. He silently thanked the stars above

‘They’ll sort it out themselves, the last thing she needs is more stress’, he thought to himself. If Kurapika wanted to make an ass of himself in front of the Zodiacs by decking a 14 year old, then that was his problem. Right now, he needed to find something cold for Wing to use as a compress.

She had sent mostly everyone out, claiming the kitchen tended to get chaotic, and he would have laughed at the irony if he wasn’t so worried about the fiasco going on just outside. Her hair was a mess, favorite apron is covered in various stains and spills, and plates upon plates were scattered onto various surfaces. He nearly left undetected when she sensed his aura, turning her head.

“Hey Leorio, what’s up?”

His mouth was dry, trying to figure out the best way to explain himself and possibly buy some time when she paused and frowned. Leorio tried to follow her line of sight and saw Wing by the window, followed by… a garden hose?

“Oh, did Alluka get all muddy from worm hunting under the porch again? I thought I told her not to do that until after dinner.” As soon as she said that, the oven went off, and she slips on a pair of Hello Kitty mitts, sliding the pie dish out and closing the door with her hip with a practiced ease. Placing it onto the burners to cool and slipping them off again, she offered them to Leorio. “Could you hang these up for me? “

Leorio realized what she saw just a second too late, powerless to stop her as she turned the stove off to rush past and see what was going on firsthand

“Leorio, what’s going on? And why do I smell something burning?!”

“Nothing! It’s just the kids get a little rowdy is all, and Wing needed an ice pack.”

Ging’s voice tore through the clattering of pots and pans like a warcry for deadbeat dads from the porch.

“WOOORLDSTAAAARRR!”

By the time (name) made it to the front door (what was left of it anyway), she was met with Wing frantically trying to put out the last of the fire as Leorio pulled the broken pit away from the bushes. The railing was completely destroyed on one side of the steps, and there was scorch marks all over the wood. Finally, Leorio cleared his throat.

“Thats not…what we called you out for”, (Name) followed the man’s gaze, before landing on Kurapika and Killua rolling around in the front yard in a mess of flailing limbs and screaming. This time, however, it looked as though Kurapika finally got the upper hand.

“You little bastard, have you always been this insufferable?! You just couldn’t keep your mouth shut, could you?!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Killua sunk his teeth into Kurapika’s arm, relishing in the anguished scream that rippled from the man’s throat.

“You think I’m afraid of your goofy ass Ghost Of Christmas Past attacks!?”

She got about four steps forward before a jet stream of water shot out from behind her, soaking the boys as they froze up instantly. Wing held the hose and glared at them, and white hot shame crept up upon both of them.

“If you want to fight like animals, you’ll be treated as such.

It quickly turned to dread however as soon as Kurapika noticed (Name) marching over, brandishing a wooden spoon and a scowl that somehow manages to chill him even more than the garden hose. Leorio had given her a quick explanation, along with Bisky who had heard what happened inside.

“(Name)! I can explain”

“Mom”-

“Killua, you didn’t need to bring his family into this. You know it’s a sore subject.” The boy in question was pouting as she flicked his forehead. Kurapika snickered but it died down instantly when she redirected her ire to him.

He yelped when she smacked him over the head with the wooden spoon. “And YOU’RE not much better. Who the hell throws hands with a child, Kurapika?! You’re a grown man. Come on.”

She narrowed her eyes at the two, who couldn’t even look her in the face. “Don’t you ever think about hitting each other again, we’re friends. Act like it.”

They nodded, and (Name) sighed.

“Both of you can do the dishes. I think that’s fair. Maybe it’ll teach you to get along too.”

The two grumbled, but quieted down when she pointed to the kitchen using her wooden spoon. “Go, now. I want them done within 30 minutes, or neither of you are getting any dessert.”

——————

The two stood in the kitchen, silent as they both washed dishes. They got a system going, where Kurapika washed, and Killua rinsed and dried.

(Name) had healed their injuries to the best of her abilities before they went inside, getting all of the big wounds and gashes dealt with. Now they were covered in bruised and little scratches, but were overall okay.

Kurapika glanced out the window to see (Name) walking to Leorio, Kite, and Wing, the woman looking distressed. When she started to talk frantically, Leorio pulled her into a hug. Kurapika felt awful for causing her trouble, and when he looked to his right, he saw he wasn’t alone in that.

Killua also looked guilty, looking at (Name) with soft, concerned eyes. Though they were different, Killua and Kurapika shared one thing.

They both loved (Name).

The blonde sighed, setting down the rag for a moment. “Killua… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let my anger get the better of me, hitting you was unacceptable.”

Killua was quiet for a moment before he nodded slowly. “I… I’m sorry too. I… was just so angry when I saw (Name) upset again over you that… I snapped. You were right, I… don’t know you or how you feel, and saying that about your clan…”

Kurapika shook his head, patting the boy on the back. “It’s alright, Killua. Water under the bridge.”

The two smiled at each other. “Okay, okay… and I have to admit, you’re pretty skilled, Kurapika. That’s the most fun I’ve had during a fight in years.”

The two laughed, laughing and joking like old times.

It calmed down a little and Killua sighed, trying to be serious. “Can I ask you a question? Man to man?”

“Hm? You’re fourteen, I’d hardly call that a man. But go ahead.”

Killua glared, but elected to ignore the remark in favor of getting information out of him.

“You love (name), don’t you?”

“…”

His silence spoke volumes, but Killua already knew his answer before then. He was just looking for confirmation.

“She let you back into her life, and I know she forgives you. Not that you deserve it, but a second chance just fell into your lap. I feel like you’re still holding her at arm’s length though. And don’t think she doesn’t notice, because she does. She’s a lot more perceptive than people give her credit for.”

“I…even if I were to stay in her life, I don’t deserve to be that close to her. I’m lucky to be her friend.”

“You don’t even want to try? Like at all?”

“Killua, it’s not that simple.”

“If it’s because you think you don’t deserve her, shouldn’t that motivate you to WANT to be better? And become someone she deserves?”

“People can’t change. If I get too close, I’ll lose my rage. That’s the only thing keeping me going right now.”

“Oh noooo, I can’t be around this person because they make me less angry~!” Killua replied mockingly, putting his soapy hands up in defense when Kurapika glared at him. “That’s called being comfortable around someone. And people can too change, genius.”

“The spiders will always be cold blooded killers. There’s no room for redemption.”

“Okay, maybe not everyone”, Killua rolls his eyes, of course Kurapika had an exception up his sleeve. “But for the most part, we do. (Name) told me once that stagnation is a fate worse than death. If you aren’t evolving as a person, then what the hell are you doing?”

Kurapika blinked in surprise, putting the plate down and grabbing a cup to wash. “I…guess that makes sense? You’ve mellowed out a bit over the years Killua.” He didn’t want to outright admit that Killua had matured, or he’d risk him getting a big head.

“No shit Sherlock. She gave me a loving home and enrolled me in therapy. Being loved didn’t nerf me, if anything it made me stronger. Now I’m emotionally stable, nourished, and thriving. I stand a way better chance at kicking someone’s ass now.”

The last dish was dried and put away, and the two of them came out to the living room where everyone is huddled on the couch or near it, the TV playing some sort of holiday special. (Name) noticed them, and waved them over. He noticed she changed into something more comfortable, but when he recognized the faded pattern on the sleeves he had to do a double take.

It was the same one she had during the hunter exam, but back then it was much newer and vibrant.

“You’re just in time, we were about to start Charlie Brown!” Killua joined her, and like clockwork she removed the sleeve so he could put half of it on like an oversized blanket. “This thing is kind of old, (name). It’s cozy, but definitely seen better days.”

“I know, I mostly wear it to bed or knocking around the house, but I love it too much to get rid of it. It’s one of the comfiest things I own, even if it’s golden days are long gone”, she ruffled his hair and Kurapika joined her on the other side.

“It still serves its purpose, Killua. We don’t all need a giant wardrobe”, Kurapika teased good-naturedly, and the boy in question lifted his head to stick a tongue out at him.

“It’s one of those that gets softer the more you wash it”, (name) helpfully supplied. “It just means it’s well loved, and it loves you back. Time is irrelevant when you’re this cozy.”

Kurapika hummed, leaning a head against her other shoulder. A few minutes into the movie, his phone pinged with a message from Killua, who sighed in contentment before closing his eyes. Kurapika opened up the message and saw attachment: 1 image.

Wholly expecting another stupid meme, like that god awful Megamind “no bitches” thing he got like clockwork every time he did something bad in front of (Name), he sighed and opened it intending to leave him on read. Instead, he was greeted with a side by side comparison of what looked like a couple of plush Garfield cats. One plush looked brand new, while the other was worn down from use. The text said “to be loved is to be changed.”

He thought back to what Killua said earlier about how stagnating was a fate worse than death.

He knew his mission was dangerous, but at the same time, would it really be okay for him to get close to (name)? It was just a stupid Garfield meme, he shouldn’t be reading this much into it, but before he realized it he was tearing up. (Name) looked over and frowned.

“Kurapika, are you alright? What’s wrong?”

A gentle hand cupped his cheek, her thumb swiping away his tears. Kurapika sighed in contentment, leaning into her touch. “It’s nothing, just… thinking about things, what I want to do with my time.”

(Name) nodded, retracting her hand and allowing him to lean back against her shoulder.

She seemed a bit more relaxed, the two not knowing she was watching their little interactions just moments before. “By the way Kurapika, Leorio wanted me to tell to meet him on the porch asfter this movie.”

The blonde nodded, looking down at her. “(Name)… when I get back… we need to talk, okay?”

(Name) paused, Killua giving him a thumbs up from behind her. “Oh, um… alright.”

She sounded hesitant, but it was an improvement from her ignoring him. The three watched He gave her a sneaky kiss to her cheek before walking out to meet Leorio.

Leorio and Kite sat on the front porch. It seemed most of the guests had gone home. Knuckles, Shoot, Morel, Pyon, Gel, Kanzai, and Mizaistom were gone already.

“Kurapika, sit.”

Leorio gestured for a wicker chair sat next to the two. The blonde took it, glancing between the two. “What did you call me out for?”

“You seemed pretty… antsy earlier,” Kite explained as Leorio rummaged a small metal box.

“Antsy is an understatement, you looked insane. I really thought you were about to start growling and foaming at the mouth for a moment there.”

Kurapika flushed at Leorio’s words, feeling ashamed of his actions. “I know, I’ve already apologized to Killua.”

“Shit, he wasn’t much better. Trust me, I know Killua, he can be a real asshole, but he’s still a kid.”

Kurapika nodded, looking at his lap. Leorio was right of course, he usually was. “So, what did you want?”

Leorio smiled, finishing his task and pulling out a blunt from the metal box. “I want you to relax and smoke with us. Take a breather, chill with the boys- or well, Kite and I.”

Kite rolled their eyes. “I told you I don’t care what you call me, Leorio.”

Leorio blushed, waving his hand apologetically while Kurapika processed what the dark haired man was offering. “You want me to get high with you? Is that smart, considering I pissed off (Name) enough today? She hates when I smoke.”

“See, you need to relax. Stop worrying about (Name) for a minute. You worry so much that you stress yourself out, making you snap at others. You’ll be way better to (Name) if you learned to chill out and take care of yourself every one in a while.”

Kurapika leaned back in his chair as Leorio lit up the blunt, taking a puff before passing it to Kite.

“Come on, Kurapika. It’ll help you relax.”

Kite held out the blunt to Kurapika, smiling. The blonde stared at the two. “Am I being peer pressured right now?”

“Yes,” the two said in unison.

He groaned and took the blunt, holding it out. “Just one puff.”

———————

(Name) looked up when Kurapika stumbled into the house, a dopey smile on his red face. Once he spotted her, the blonde made a whining sound, immediately clinging to her as he rubbed his cheek against hers. “Mmm… (Name)…”

The woman squeaked, squirming in his strong grip as he pulled her closer, peppering kisses into her cheeks and neck. “K-Kurapika, what are you-“

She paused, sniffing his shirt. “Oh god damn it, are you high? Leorio did this, didn’t he?”

(Name) huffed as Kurapika nuzzled his nose agaisnt hers, clinging to her like she was his lifeline in a storm. “Just want you… lemme hold you, ‘kay?”

She didn’t protest, leading him to the living room so he could snuggle her on the couch. He seemed so attached to her, and as soon as they laid down he squished his face into her chest, nuzzling until he was comfortable.

The woman wanted to pretend she was annoyed, but honestly she found him cute when he was like this. Whenever he was inebriated, Kurapika could let go of all of his limitations and do what he really wanted. He wanted to be near her, for every part of his body to be in contact with hers. It made him so happy to lie on top of her, his face in her breasts and arms wrapped around her.

“(Name)…”

She hummed in response, running her fingers through his blonde hair. “What is it, Kurapika?”

“I…”

He looked up at her, his eyes a little red from smoking. “I’m really sorry… I know… I say stupid and hurtful things sometimes… but just know…”

He blinked at her sleepily, leaning forward to the point their lips were only an inch apart. “I care about you… a lot… so, so much…”

(Name) sighed happily when he kissed her, feeling his tongue gently lap at her lip, asking for forgiveness and acceptance. With a little nip to his lip, she allowed him in, holding his face tenderly.

Though their tongues danced and their breaths were heavy, the kiss wasn’t arousing. It felt loving, sweet, a kiss people who loved each other would share. When they pulled away, Kurapika’s eyes were soft, looking into hers with so much love (Name) felt her body would explode. “Mmm…”

He laid his head back down, his lips pressing kisses into her neck sleepily. ‘I love you…’ he thought, his hands gently caressing her sides.

The two soon fell asleep on the couch, being covered up by Leorio and hour later. Guests left, leaving Kurapika and (Name) in peace.

Leorio, Kite, and Bisky sat on the porch, talking as they drank. “It seems those two have made up.” Bisky said with a laugh, swirling her wine glass.

“Yeah, it seems so. They both looked pretty happy.” Leorio agreed, staring into the neck of his beer bottle. Kite only sighed, leaning into his chair.

“Does he still not know about the Chimera Ant situation?”

The other two went quiet at Kite’s question, not daring to look up. “He doesn’t, does he?”

“No, he doesn’t even know about the letter, or the fact she nearly killed herself after what he did in York New,” Leorio said gravely, setting down his drink. “She said it would absolutely destroy him. Sometimes I hate how she always thinks about others before herself.”

Bisky nodded. “She cares about Kurapika so much, she won’t even tell him just how badly his actions affected her in fear that it would push him over the edge. Apparently, when she would sleep next to him during the Hunter Exam, he would talk about ending his life after finding the scarlet eyes in his sleep. It really messed with her head.”

Kite cleared their throat. “Well, it has to come out eventually. Keeping all of these secrets helps no one, especially the fact that (Name) has worked with the Phantom Troupe. If he finds out on his own, he might assume she’s a traitor when she’s actually been helping him by being getting information. He gets too angry, he wouldn’t be able to comprise with them.”

Leorio sighed, the man looking much more tired than before the conversation started. “Yeah, I know. I just hope Kurapika is ready for all of that information. Hell, Gon doesn’t even know any of it, he doesn’t even know Kurapika’s the one that broke (Name)’s wrist.”

The three sat in silence, knowing that eventually, these secrets would come to light.

They were just hoping it would be of (Name)’s own free will.

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jell0buss-37 · 1 year ago

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hiiiii i am absolutely in LOOOVEEEE with your fics<3333

i wanted to request something for peter b parker x fem!reader where it’s just a day in their life (domestic fic basically :3) like the reader owns a flower shop so she gets dressed in the morning so she can open it all while peter is watching her from the bed and talking about all the plans she has for today (and maybe telling her why she can’t stay for awhile in bed with him🤭🤭) then maybe once she’s at the shop, peter stops by to talk to her and leaves her lunch so she isn’t hungry :33

AND maybe possibly peter helping an old lady pick out some flowers and reader being surprised he knows what flowers go with what LMAO

i hope this makes sense and i would love to see what you do with this<33333

have an amazing day/night 🤍

This is so cute 🥺 and thank you!! I hope you like it. I got to use my flower language!

A day with Peter B!

He's most likely coming in from a long night of being spiderman, slipping out of his suit and under the covers next to you around 6 in the morning

You usually wake up around that same time, and aren't usually in bed at the same time as him, usually just walking out as he walks in

But it's a Sunday

And so you both cuddle in the early hours of the day, quiet mumbles passed between you two

Because it was Sunday, you opened your flower shop at 10 instead of 7 in the morning

You had sat up in bed at about 8, his arms around your waist and his head nestled into your stomach, your legs on either side of him, running your fingers through his hair, as he sighs in content

These were his favorite moments

He's dozing off, completely at peace, when you have to get up and start getting ready

He tightens his arms around you, a sound of protest leaving his lips

"Gimme like... 5 more days." "Pete, I have to make breakfast at least."

You end up having to get a muffin at a coffee shop near your flower shop

By around 12:30, he stops by to do his daily visit

"You never gave me my goodbye kiss :(" "Petie, you had your head under the pillows. I had to kiss your shoulder." "It's not the same :((("

He brings you some of his brownies that he had made at around 11 when he woke up that day before heading to see you

You two sit in the back office as he tells you about how his night went

He also brought the leftovers from last night that you had set aside for him

"This was my third plate. Your lasagna always hits the spot honey!"

In turn you tell him about your day so far, and he listens intently. No matter how wild his life as a hero is, he always finds your life interesting

You guys actually met when he was stopping these robbers from breaking into your store. You had been in the back, a baseball bat by your side, shaking

You almost hit him, but he dodged it and helped calm you down

He thought you were really headstrong, and stopped by the next day

He actually was too scared to talk to you, his confidence leaving him every time you'd smile

It took him a week to properly start talking to you

And you've been inseparable since

You guys finish your little lunch at around 1:30

On his way out, he quickly picks out a bouquet and hands it to what looked like a new couple

"Get her some red tulips and red roses. It means I love you newly in flower talk."

He absolutely loves whenever you'd ramble on about different flowers and what they meant

You were always so passionate whenever you spoke about them

And it made you blush whenever you catch him staring at you with such a lovesick look in his eyes

And so you couldn't help but smile whenever he'd help out your customers

He leaned over the counter, planting a big ol kiss to your lips, grabbing your face between his hands

"Big Smooch!" He'd say before doing it

"There's more where that came from ;)"

It always left you flustered, even after he'd flash that goofy grin and flutter his eyelashes at you, almost skipping out the door and on his way back to your guys' apartment

He usually goes back to take his evening nap before you came home to wake him up and have dinner with him before he went to work as the vigilante on Sundays

But when you get off of work at 7:00, you're surprised to see him waiting outside your door, wearing a suit and holding one of your favorite dresses, along with some of your shoes and some of your makeup

"Get ready, doll face. I'm taking you out tonight, and taking the night off to romance your ass."

You roll your eyes, before getting changed in your office, dressing up nicely for him

"Okay pretty lady, hang on tight!"

He swings you two over to a nice restaurant

You guys enjoy a night of laughter and good food, drinking wine and having a lovely date at 8:30

By 9:30 or 10, it didn't really matter, you guys were back in your living room, dancing to a song neither of you cared to learn the name of

You'd start out fast dancing, honestly just stumbling and shuffling around eachother

Then eventually he'd hold you in his arms, your head on his shoulder, his hand holding yours over his heart, the other wrapped safely around your waist. Ever the gentleman

Eventually you'd doze off, and he'd carry you to bed and watch you as you rest peacefully, his heart racing as he watches you

By 11:30, you both are out like a light, in each other's arms and dreaming of more days like this

#peter benjamin parker #peter b parker #peter b parker x reader #spiderman #spiderman x reader #spiderman x you #spiderman across the spiderverse #spiderman into the spiderverse #headcannons

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vegetable-man · 2 years ago

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Divine Intervention

FLUFFY WINTER FIC JUST DROPPED. I’m halfway done with finals. Bless the lord. N e wayz, I wrote this bc I think Eddie is so bae. no warnings just love fr. Sending u kithes <3

Divine Intervention

Eddie munson x reader (a slight mention of mechanic Eddie). Same universe as my other mechanic eddie fic.

{*_*}

Indiana was surprisingly cold in the winter. As soon as October came around, a chill would start to crawl down Eddie’s spine and soon enough would leave his back tight and aching. While he never complained, it kept him under the flannel and thick comforter of his bed like a super magnet.

Needless to say, Eddie wouldn’t get up for anybody.

Well, not quite anybody.

…

Max actually liked living in a small trailer with her mom. Living in that big house with Neil and Billy was far colder in the summers than it was here in the dead of winter. She settled quite nicely in her small bedroom and admired how peaceful her mom kept the place.

There was also another thing Max liked about living in the trailer park: she knew anything and everything about everyone.

You wouldn’t peg her to be much of a nosy girl but in truth, Max was a hardcore people watcher. She enjoyed silently observing her neighbor’s lives and arguments, even noticing small changes in their routines.

Max noticed when Mrs. Wilt got a new senior dog from the shelter. She noticed when the kids down the street started to feed the stray cats.

She also noticed that Eddie had been leaving his trailer much earlier than usual.

Now, being the observer she was, she knew that normally, Eddie was late for everything. He was late to the house parties at Steve’s, he was late to pick up her boyfriend and his friends, he was even late to his own campaigns.

As soon as there was even a thought of snow falling from the impossibly dark morning sky, Eddie was dressed and out of the trailer at 6:30 AM sharp.

The van starting up would wake her up, and Max would blearily look out her window at the trailer across from the window. Eddie would be out there warming up the car, brushing snow off his windshield, and sometimes running frantically back inside to grab something he probably forgot.

With a roll of her eyes, Max would roll back into bed and wait for her mom to wake her up in another half hour for school.

…

Wayne always kept the news on, especially in the afternoons. He didn’t care for the news, no, but he did care about the weather for the week.

After a small dinner between himself and his boy, Wayne sat his heavy bones down on the couch to watch some TV. Eddie grabbed two beers and a couple of papers, presumably for one of his games that Wayne didn’t quite understand, and set up camp on the small chair that accompanied the couch in their comfortably cluttered living room.

Handing Wayne an opened beer, Eddie sat down in his chair and took a swig from his own bottle, eyes trained on the TV.

“what are they sayin it’s gonna be?” He asked his uncle.

“a couple feet of snow” he groans out, and suddenly he smirks “you better head on to bed, boy”

“Fuuuuuck” Eddie gripped his forehead and leaned forward. With a breath he sat back up, barked out a quick ‘yeah I guess you’re right’ and dragged his feet to the bathroom to wash up before bed.

On the couch, where Eddie couldn’t see him -where no one could see him in fact-, Wayne couldn’t help the smile and sigh that escaped his mouth and entered the very bottle he sipped.

…

There was nothing that irritated Eddie more than his 6:00 AM alarm on a cold morning.

His body felt warm, his nose felt cold, his brain felt like a brick. And yet, Eddie dragged himself out of bed to put on his usual uniform except with an added twist: the winter coat that you had bought for him last Christmas. While Eddie thought that a bulky coat would destroy his style, it seemed like you had thought of everything, it was a true Wilson leather jacket with all the padding and insulation to get him through the arctic. Eddie knew that wasn’t true, but hell, he’d never see Michigan anytime soon much less the arctic circle. He just knew you didn’t want him to be cold, and he’d do anything for you.

Even get up at the crack of fucking dawn.

When finished his morning routine, Eddie was much more awake than before, but not anymore prepared to face the biting cold of the outside.

Still, he grabbed his keys and headed out to warm up the car and drive off.

As soon as the heat had filled the car, Eddie shifted out of park and slowly drove out of the trailer park through the newly falling snow.

…

If the roads in Hawkins were bad enough in the summertime, the wintertime felt like a deathtrap. There weren’t enough plows to keep up with the roads that weren’t frequently used such as I don’t know, most of them?

And while Eddie didn’t care for driving in the snow, he knew you were absolutely terrified.

You had your own car, you own routine and places to go, but it all seemed to slow down when there was a dusting of snow or ice on the asphalt. Once, you had called Eddie in a panic because you were stuck at school in a blizzard and couldn’t even get out of the parking lot without sliding.

Eddie laughed, he didn’t mean to, but blizzard was a gross overstatement.

Nevertheless, he drove his ass up to your college campus to save you from the dastardly dangerous terribly scary snow.

Ever since then, Eddie vowed to never let you drive in the snow again.

…

Back in the van, Eddie navigated the tight and windy roads of Hawkins to your house. Not even fifteen minutes by car, and Eddie knew he would be early like he always was.

Pulling into your driveway, which was quickly building up snow, Eddie saw that the garage was open and the lights were on. He knew enough of your family’s routine to know that both your parents were leaving for work at their usual time. Too fucking early, but their usual time regardless.

With an empty spot in the garage from the recent departure of your father, Eddie pulled into the spot and waved at your mom who was warming up her car herself. She looked over at Eddie and gave him a tired wave and smile, one that said ‘yeah hun she’s still in bed’.

Shutting off his car and tightening his abdomen, Eddie braced for, and eventually threw himself, into the cold air lingering around your garage. It wasn’t a long walk to the door which led into the coatroom, perhaps 10 steps. But these were 10 steps in which Eddie felt his back start to cramp and started walking with a hunch.

Your house was much warmer, though, which made up for the incessant and violating cold.

Taking off his boots and heavy coat, Eddie entered your house and beelined for your bedroom.

…

If Eddie was frozen before, he was entirely melted by the way you were swallowed by the seven..? He tried to count, blankets on your bed. He heart melted through his chest and in a puddle that made his socks wet with sticky and sweet love.

He could barely see your long and steady breaths from under your blanket and what he could see told him you were utterly out.

With firm steps to your bed, Eddie sat on the edge and dipped the mattress in a way that exposed your face a little further to his sight. Now, he always thought you were cute, even far before he told you for the first time, but Eddie was always hit by it the most when you were sleeping. When you would get a small furrow in your brows and cheeks would squish from the pillow supporting your face.

Cuteness aggression was an intrusive thought that Eddie used all his power to resist.

Compromising with himself, Eddie placed a firm kiss on your temple. Firm, now, meant that the kiss pushed almost your whole head a few inches into the pillow, and exposed your neck for a slight moment from the motion. Eddie used this moment to slip his hand into the crook of your neck and gently rubbed across its length.

A bit startled and groggy from sleep, you furrowed your brows and without opening your eyes, graveled out a small “hello?”

Eddie bit back a laugh and stroked upwards towards your cheek “Good morning sweetheart” and pressed an even deeper kiss to your temple.

With a small sleepy gasp, you moved from your side and onto your back and softly whined out “Eddie? Hi! G’Mornin”.

With that, Eddie laid his torso on top of yours as you wrapped your arms around his shoulders, breathing in his hair and soaking in his warmth.

Eddie knew, however, that if you wanted to be on time for your 8:00 AM class, you would need to get up right about now.

“You’ve gotta get up and ready sweetheart” he spoke near your neck.

“No.”

“Come on up now” Eddie used his leverage to lift you into a seated position. Seated in a valley made by the mountains of blankets on your bed, perhaps not up, but maybe more slouched than anything.

Eddie laughed at your messy hair and slightly swollen eyes as you yawned and embraced him again in your new position. This time, with your head on his shoulder and your cheek squished into his collarbone.

“I love you so much” you squeaked out.

“I know honey” he rubbed your back “I love you too” and he kissed your hairline.

Marinating in the love, as Eddie called it, you both sat exchanging small gestures and warmth under the soft glow of your bedside lamp.

A ringing of the phone somewhere down the hallway interrupted you both and sent Eddie slowly pulling away from you padding towards the wall where he picked up the receiver.

Great news.

Eddie grinned as he blinked out the lingering exhaustion from his eyes and called the garage.

“Hey Ray… yeah bud… nah… no yeah that’s perfect I was calling to call out anyway!” Eddie barked out a laugh. They were closing the garage for the blizzard “yeah, It shouldn’t be a hard job anyway… no I’m with my girl… no worries man… stay safe I’ll see ya Monday!”

Eddie always felt a sort of divine intervention around you.

First your college campus closes due to weather, and then his garage takes a day off too.

Perfect, he smiled.

Walking back to your bed, shutting off the hallway and kitchen lights on the way, Eddie opened the door to your room and slipped inside. It was dark besides the lamp which was still on and you, well, you had fallen back under the oppression of your six, eddie finally decided, blankets.

Grabbing a pair of his sweatpants from your drawer, Eddie slipped them on in lieu of his jeans, shut off the lamp, and climbed into bed with you and your squished cheeks.

Eddie maneuvered your half asleep body next to him and caressed the back of your head until you fell back asleep with a newfound warmth next to you.

Eddie was comfortable. It was dark, it was warm, it was heavy, and you were next to him.

Divine intervention, he reminded himself. And then, like young men can’t resist, he fell deeply asleep.

…

Eddie woke up to two things. Well, three. Eddie woke up to three things.

He woke up to the soft white winter light. A morning snow kind of light beaming from the windows of your room. It was somehow one of the most loving and nostalgic scenes that he could think of. A fresh snow gleam was a sight to warm the heart.

The second thing Eddie woke up to was the heavy dip next to him on your mattress as you re-entered the bed.

The third thing Eddie woke up to was the smell of hot chocolate.

Eddie took a deep breath, rubbed his eyes, and stretched his arms up and out before looking up at you and the mug of hot chocolate you sported.

Your hair was still messy, your glasses were on, and you brushed the hair out of Eddies face as you traced his jaw towards the outer corner of his eye.

Eddie moved his head to slightly bite the meat of your thumb and kiss the palm of your hand.

Groaning and lifting himself to a seated position, he grabbed the mug, tugged you into his side, and thanked divine intervention once again.

#eddie munson x reader #EDDIE MY BELOVED #eddie x y/n #mechanic!eddie #Eddie fluff #eddie munson #i want to have a morning winter cuddle when school is canceled and be little babies with eddie under the blankets IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK

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xoxo-teddybear · 4 years ago

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He’s Lost - Bakugou Katsuki - Part 2

Bakugou x f!reader

Warnings: angst, slightest fluff, cursing, physical harm mentions, lowkey little yandere obsessive hints, smut, 18+, daddy kink, sad boi Bakugou :(

BAKUGOU’S MASTERLIST

Summary: Bakugou’s been going through hell ever since the breakup. He’s been so lost without you. But he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win back his Teddy bear. Everything and anything for the love of his life.

*Everyone is of age for legal consent (which is 16 in Japan, if you are uncomfortable with it please move along, thx<3)*

A/N: Bakugou is a little OOC but the main thing in the beginning starts with fixing up Katsuki a little bit. So sorry if you don’t really enjoy it all that much<3

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Melancholy music bounces off the walls of the dark room. The river of tears that flow down his once perfect porcelain skin is everlasting. As he lays in the soft bed, staring at the ceiling, he thinks about all he could’ve done better for you. In his hand, the same framed picture of you both that he’s held onto every night ever since the horrible incident. Y/N L/N. Like a song that’s stuck on loop. It’s the only thing that runs through his mind.

The door swiftly opens, and much to his disliking, a massive amount of light now enters the former den of manliness pit of depression.

To show his displeasure, Bakugou rolled himself in the blankets, covering his entire body in them and being the picture inside with him as well. With different circumstances, Y/N would’ve thought it was cute or adorable, but it wasn’t Y/N that opened the door.

“Really Bakubro?” The blonde’s best friend spoke.

Eijirou Kirishima. The best friend of our dearest sad boy. He’s been letting his Bakubro crash in his dorm room because Katsuki refuses to clean his own. It looks exactly the same as it did on Valentine’s Day. Just a little different.

Rose petals were dead and dried up on his floors, candles were nearly melted to the bottom as they lay everywhere in the room, the curry was thankfully thrown out by Kirishima claiming that he could smell the spoiled aroma all the way from his room. But the presents, letter, and new gear stayed in the exact same spots. Bakugou didn’t feel worthy enough to be blessed with all the stuff but he was oh so desperate to be worthy. Worthy of your time, your love, and you in general.

Bakugou let out a grumbled whine of displeasure. He could feel the disappointment and concern radiating off his friend. As Katsuki poked just his face out of the covers, he was met with the expression that represented those two things.

“You can’t keep living like this bro,” Kirishima began, “You can’t keep hallowing in sadness in my room. I wanna help you, but you gotta help yourself too. Ever since you and Y/N split-“ Bakugou quickly interrupted.

“We didn’t split, she left me!” The blonde cried.

“...Right, okay. Well ever since Y/N left you, you’re not the same. You stay in here, playing the same damn sad tunes, covering yourself in my blankets, crying all day, and holding onto that picture! You haven’t even been to class or training! Shit man, you don’t even come out of my room to eat food! I gotta bring your plate here just to make sure that you’re properly fed. You’re a mess Bakugou. And not even the hot kind!” His best friend was right. He was a mess. And not even the hot kind.

“Well what the hell am I supposed to do shitty hair?” Bakugou said while dragging the covers over his face once more. Inside the blanket he held onto the picture as if it were actually you.

The fake red head snatched the covers off of his friend’s body and forced him up.

The said friend didn’t take too kindly to that and growled in displeasure.

“What the fuck Kirishima,” Bakugou said, a little to calm and chilling.

“Dont give me that bull Katsuki. You gotta get her back. I would say move on, but it’s clear you can’t.” Kirishima said while rolling his eyes.

Bakugou mirrored the action and said “yea no shit genius. I can’t and won’t move on.”

“So then go get her man!” Kirishima yelled

“And how the fuck am I supposed to do that? Huh?!” Bakugou was so confused. In what way was it going to be possible to win you back?

“Figure it out! Look Bakugou, I’ll be here to help you along the way, but you gotta figure this shit out on your own. This is your relationship here, if you want it as bad as you claim you do then prove it. You want Y/N back? Then fight for her, idiot!” The blonde’s eyes seemed to go wide.

Two words stuck out to Katsuki during his friend’s little speech. Prove it. Fuck yeah he will! He’ll prove to the whole damn universe how much he wants you back. More importantly, he’ll prove it to you and win you back.

The iconic Bakugou smirk reappeared on Katsuki’s face. Kirishima took it as a good sign. “Alright shitty hair, you want me to prove how badly I want Y/N back. FINE!” The two friends pulled the iconic bro hug to seal the deal.

(You know? That shit that guys do where they high five and pull each other in with that one hand for the quickest hug and pat each other on the back? You know what I’m talking about.)

“Welcome back Katsuki.” Kirishima gladly stated. “Now get the fuck out of my room man, I’m sick of sleeping on the common room couches and you reek. Take a shower. And get your own clothes from your own room.”

As Kirishima pushed him out into the hallway and shut the door, it hit Bakugou like a bus. This would be Katsuki’s first challenge. Going back into the room filled with the torn love.

As Katsuki opened the door holding onto the picture, he felt his heart sink. He saw the damage. Melted candles, dried petals, the gifts and letter. Even the nasty smell of the spoiled curry still remained. As Katsuki gathered the courage to walk in and place the picture on the messy nightstand, it’s like the room was holding onto some sad emotions. Heartache and regret filled Katsuki’s chest. He couldn’t believe how fast it happened. He thought he would at least have a minute or two before he felt the pain again. Man, did it hurt like hell.

Katsuki dashed to his closet grabbing the first things he saw. He grabbed his shower container that held all his soaps and cleaning utensils and ran out the room, shutting the door. Once out, he let out a breath of relief.

“...after I clean myself up, the room’s next.” Katsuki said with determination as he walked towards the boy’s community showers and bath house.

When the hot water hit his skin, he felt a sense of calm. It wasn’t the same as the warmth of Kirishima’s blankets. It was better. The water and hot steam completely engulfed him in relaxation. The water washed away not only the dirt and grime, but also some of the tense feelings. For a moment, he felt at ease.

As Katsuki walked out the bathing area now fully clothed and dried, he made his way back to his room. He stood there, staring at the knob until he felt he was ready. Once he opened the door, the emotions hit him once again. Like a wave of sadness washed over his entire body. Finally, he stepped in.

First things first. Open up these windows. Let out that disgusting air filled with spoiled curry and sad emotions. When Katsuki took a breath a fresh air, he felt so alive. Much better than he has in days.

Now, we gotta move stuff. Katsuki picked up his dirty laundry and put it in his closet to wash later. He moved all his presents up off the floor and onto the bed. He swepted all the dead petals and toss them in his trash can. He threw out all the ruined candles and sprayed the room with air fresheners. He fixed up his bed and placed the picture frame back on his now cleaned nightstand. Next to it, a lit candle that smelled of caramel.

Katsuki took a seat at his desk. He was back to thinking about Y/N and all that he could do to win her back. As he checked his clock, he realized just how late it was. Kirishima came back to him at the end of class and training which was around 6. He spent an hour talking to Katsuki, and then Katsuki spent 4 hours cleaning himself and his room. It was 11:00 now. Way past his usual bed time. He’ll figure things out in the morning.

Katsuki smiled to himself as he layed in his own bed. He was finally on the right track again and one step closer to getting his teddy bear back. He turned to the picture frame, and grabbed onto it, hugging it while he slept. Katsuki was getting better but he wasn’t whole again. He needed Y/N to help him sleep alright, so holding the picture at night will have to do. He couldn’t wait till he woke up in the morning. Tomorrow he had school, he’ll get to see Y/N’s beautiful face for the first time in awhile, but before that, you bet your ass he’s waking up extra early to come up with a plan.

——————————————————————————

The next morning

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *click!*

The blonde smacked his alarm button before he rose up and stretched his body. Today was the day. He’s gets to see Y/N again. Bakugou just sits in place staring at nothing. Just taking 2 minutes to regain full consciousness. Once he’s set, he’s up and getting ready. It’s 4 in the morning now, so he begins to strategize.

Katsuki is pulling out easels and white boards. Pulling out notebooks and writing down facts. What Y/N is interested in, her favorite hobbies and foods, where she likes to spend her time, what she could need help with that Bakugou could assist her with. He’s also writing down the highlights of their relationship and what she seemed to enjoy best about him. He’ll be keeping that as a reference for when he needs to reassess on how he should treat her better. He will do better this time. That’s a promise to himself and you.

After half an hour of slightly struggling, he reaches out for help. Now at 4:30 a.m, here was the blonde knocking at his best friend’s door.

Rock music is blasting, sweat is flying everywhere and punches are being thrown at a hero. Not just any hero, Crimson Riot! As Kirishima continues to spar with his idol, he’s interrupted by a banging sound.

*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*

“The hell?” The younger red head says. Soon his idol began to fade away.

“Crimson Riot! Hey are you okay sir?!” But it was too late, the man was gone. Now the whole room was waving around. Did Kirishima accidentally mistake his giant jug of water for vodka or something? Soon he was left in nothing but a black abyss. And then....he fell!

“Shitty hair.....Ei....KIRISHIMA!”

“AH!” The red head screamed as he shot up from the bed, head-butting his best friend right then and there. Great, a perfect dream. Ruined.

“Ah, shit!” Bakugou said in pain as he held his now throbbing forehead. “What the fuck?”

“That’s my line Bakugou,” the red head sighed, “Did you break into my room? Jeez man, what the fuck? What are you doing here at.....4:38 a.m?!?!? DUDE!”

“I know, my bad okay? But..I could use some help.” Bakugou whispered the last part so Kirishima had no idea what this man just said.

“What bro?” Kirishima asked.

“I said....I could use some help.” The blonde repeated.

“C’mon man, you’re gonna have to speak u-“

“I need your help, alright?!” Bakugou finally said. Kirishima sighed. His bro really couldn’t wait until later?

“Bakugou, you know I’m always down to help you out but this is too early man. Can we just-“ the blonde quickly added on to what he was previously saying.

“Please.”

Kirishima’s eyes shot open after he closed them to drift off back to sleep. Did the Katsuki Bakugou just ask for help by saying please? This must be extremely important.

“......alright. You got me, I’m up. But if I’m gonna be up at 4 in the morning, others are gonna be helping us too.” Kirishima bargained.

“But-“ Kirishima cut him off

“But nothing. Besides, I’m drowsy in the morning so I wouldn’t really focus all that well. And we’re just going to the people we can trust.” The red head explained.

“Fine.” The blonde gave in. So there they went, gathering the other members of the Bakusquad (minus Y/N) to help Bakugou win back his girl.

As the 4 sleepy heads sat down on Bakugou’s floor infront of the whiteboard he wrote on, The blonde began to explain some of his plans.

“So I was thinking of treating her real nice all day until she takes me back and we become friends again, eventually leading to our relationship, but then I realized she’d be into a fake me and we all know I can’t pull the nice guy act forever. Then I thought I’d spoil her with all of the things she desires, but money can’t buy you love. So I thought I could-“ Katsuki quickly noticed the long period of silence other than his voice.

There, were his 4 friends sleeping in a dog pile in the middle of his dorm room floor, completely ignoring everything he’s been saying.

Bakugou sighed and grabbed a small “heroes weekly” issue sitting on his desk, rolled it up, and wacked his friends in their heads.

“You idiots...WAKE THE FUCK UP!” Ahh, welcome back Gremlin Bakugou.

As his friends came back from the dead, they all complained.

“Aww c’mon Bakugou. We’ve been at this for an hour already, it’s 5:40.” Sero said while yawning.

“I don’t care. You idiots offered to help so here you are.” Bakugou said while turning to face the board again.

“We didn’t offer shit!” The bakusquad simultaneously replied.

Mina let out a groan while rubbing her eyes open, “Look Bakugou. We really want you and Y/N to be happy together, we really do, but maybe it’s for the best if you guys don-“ Mina was cut off by Denki slapping his hand over her mouth.

As she looked at her electric friend, she saw a nervous expression on his face. She followed his gaze and saw the back of an angry and almost insane looking and shaking Bakugou.

Hearing Mina say that he should let Y/N go triggered something in his brain. But hearing her say they wanted the couple back together enlightened him too. His mind got the two mixed up.

‘Everyone wants us back together. Not just me. So...then we are back together. Yeah. Y/N is still mine’ the now insane blonde thought to himself.

“....Ok well, time to go, get some sleep, see you idiots in the morning!” Bakugou said while pushing the group out of his room. Once they made it over the threshold, he slammed the door.

With an insane plan in mind, Bakugou checked the time and saw he could take at least a good hour long nap before he had to get ready to leave for school. And that’s exactly what he did. So he jumped into the covers, grabbing onto the picture and drifted off into sleep.

——————————————————————————

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *click!*

Bakugou’s alarm rang once more, and again, he slammed it shut. He stretched, got up outta bed and changed into his uniform. That power nap really well rested him, but it also must’ve fucked up his brain even more.

‘And now it’s time to go see my beautiful girlfriend,’ he thought to himself.

After Mina’s comments last night, it hit Bakugou with a great realization. Everyone wanted him and Y/N back together. Not just him. So why not give everybody what they want? Sure maybe Y/N might not completely want it but she’ll learn how to love Bakugou again. Everyone’s happy. And so, Bakugou was convinced that him and Y/N were back together.

At breakfast, Bakugou ran down to already see the Squad up and eating.

“Why the hell do you losers look like death?” He asked while grabbing a cup for his orange juice.

“Well we were all trying to sleep, but after what happened this morning, we couldn’t.” Mina explained.

“What happened this morning? There was nothing big except you guys helping me out.” Kirishima really couldn’t believe it. Had his dear friend not even notice his weird ass trigger moment earlier?

“Alright whatever. Anyway, wheres Y/N?” Bakugou asked after he finished his cup.

“Oh, she just left. She had an early breakfast and went for a quick walk.” Mina said.

“You planning on talking to her today Kacchan?” Denki questioned him.

“You damn Spark Plug, of course I’m gonna talk to my girlfriend today. Fucking idiot.” He said as he grabbed his bag and walked out the kitchen.

“.........Huh?” The entire squad was left in confusion.

‘Had they gotten back together this morning? Did she really accept him back that fast? What the fuck is going on?’ They all thought.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!?” Kaminari cried out as he pulled at and scruffled his hair in confusion.

Ah Denki. Always saying what everyone is thinking but the only one ballsy enough to idiotically say it aloud.

——————————————————————————

As she walked to class, Y/N hummed a little song to herself. She enjoyed her walk as it helped clear her mind from all the recent events. Her breakup with Bakugou really took a toll on her. They were together for almost 2 years (EVER SINCE JUNIOR HIGH) so of course the split hit her hard. He accused her of cheating and burned her. So much for trust, right? Not only that, but the burn left a tiny scar. Usually, due to you having a regeneration ability as part of your quirk, Phoenix, the scar should’ve healed up. Maybe the emotional damage caused it to permanently mark itself in you. Oh well, whats done is done. And now it’s time for class.

When you walked though the door, you were expecting a normal day. Ever since the split, you usually got their a lot earlier before anyone else so you could sit, do a little reading, sketch out a little drawing, or just rest your eyes until the bell rang. Except this time, when you opened the door, someone jumped on you for a hug.

“Babe! There you are you little dumbass. Jeez, I was looking for you everywhere.” Bakugou said as he let go of the hug. “I’ve missed you, haven’t seen you in a few days.”

“Uhm, you said babe??” You spoke with a confused and shocked voice.

“Yeah, I called you babe? So what? We always call each other that. You are my girlfriend after all.” He said so casually as he walked to his seat.

THISMANSAIDWHAATTT

“Uh, Bakugou-“

“Katsuki.” He deadpanned.

“Bakugou, we broke up.” You stated while walking up to him.

“Mm...no we didn’t.” He once again so casually said.

“Wha- I- we- you-....HUH?!” You stuttered out.

“Y/N-“

“L/N!” You corrected.

“Y/N. We didn’t break up you dummy, we only had a little set back and that’s fine. All couples do. But thankfully you forgave me and we’ve moved past it,” he began as he pulled you into his lap, “besides, everyone wants us back together including us so why not make it easier for everyone.”

You began stuttering out none sense right there on his lap. You were in such shock and utter disbelief that he said all that bullshit. Well maybe he was right about one thing. Everyone did want you guys back together, including you both, but that’s besides the point! Y’all broke up! He needs to accept it.

“Baku- no- I- we-“ and before you knew it, his lips were on yours.

And for some reason, you didn’t push him away. Granted you didn’t accept it either, but you slowly melted into it. The kiss was passionate and slow. It wasn’t sloppy, it was very controlled, but it was just a lotta lip and tongue. The whole thing sent butterflies to your heart and stomach. Oh how you missed moments like these with Katsuki.

He readjusted you on his lap so that you were now straddling him. His hands travelled down to your ass as he gave it a nice squeeze, one that made you moan into the kiss. Your arms went straight to his neck to pull him in for more and he took it as an invitation to start. The kiss began to get a little rougher. More tongue and teeth, both of you extremely desperate for the touch from one another. With your cunt pressed onto his crotch, he slowly thrusted up into you as you grinded down slowly on him. You both started breathing heavier and letting out little whimpers of ecstasy. He could probably feel your now soaked panties. One hand left your ass and came around to the front. He pressed on your soaked pussy through your damp underwear and it caused shutters to go through your entire body.

You began pressing down into his hand, desperate for more friction and Bakugou noticed. He moved your panties to the side and slipped in one finger. This was rewarded with a louder moan that caused Katsuki to smile into the kiss. He knew you and your body so well. He was determined to treat you right and get you to fall for him one more time. As his finger felt around your velvet walls, he slipped in another one, receiving an even louder cry of pleasure. You broke off from the kiss to throw your head back. Katsuki saw this as an opportunity to attack your neck. To mark you up and let everyone know you still belonged to him.

“K-Katsuki. Don’t...don’t stop,” you panted.

“I won’t princess, I’ll take care of you.” He smiled.

Without warning, he shoved in 2 more fingers. You were so loud and Bakugou was so proud. You were gonna let everyone know what’s happening and he was excited.

He lifted his head to whisper into your ear as you continued to moan and sigh.

“Well aren’t you just a little slut. You want everyone to know how well daddy takes care of you? You want them to hear you scream in pleasure?” His words went straight to your cunt that was now welcoming in his 5th and final finger. Completely fisting you now, you let out loud cries.

“S-uki, .....ah, AH YES! Mm, s’too much!” You cried out. You couldn’t help it, you loved him. You knew you did. Even though what he did was wrong, your body took over and your mind turned off. You fully succumbed to his wishes.

You let your feet hit the ground to stand yourself up a little bit and fall down onto his fist, meeting the thrust of his hand moving in and out of you. Watching the show, Katsuki couldn’t help but stare in delight. His hard on growing bigger and bigger each second as he bit his lip to hold back his sounds. Watching you bounce on just his fist did something to him and brought out a feral beast. He snapped.

He pulled his fist out of your aching pussy and sat you down on his desk. He stood up infront of you and tore your delicate panties off.

“Katsuki-“ you were silenced with a smack to your ass

“That’s not my name, teddy bear. C’mon now, you know exactly what I wanna hear.” He said while caressing your thighs.

“..Yes daddy.” You bashfully said.

With a kiss to your cheek he praised you.

“Good girl.” As he began to unbuckle his belt, you looked around the classroom.

“D-daddy. Someone’s gonna see!” You cautiously stated.

Katsuki reassured you with a kiss to your lips, “We’ll be fine princess, I promise,” he said while placing his tip at your entrance. You whimpered at the thought of him inside you again, it’s been so long. You were almost nervous. That is until Katsuki place a finger under your chin so you could face him in his eyes.

“I’m gonna take care of you, so don’t worry.” And with that you slowly nodded. And he finally began to press into you.

With just his tip in, you let out a breathy moan. He was bigger than you remembered. He kept pressing and pressing until he was fully inside your warm and tight hole. You both let out a moan at the feeling of each other.

“Daddy, please move.” And he did as he was told. With a steady pace set, he thrusted himself in and out of you. Both of you moaning louder every second. While you were enveloped in the euphoric feeling, Katsuki was struggling to hold back the beast inside of him. That is until you came up to his ear.

“Fuck me like you mean it, daddy. I won’t break, I promise.” You said in his ear and Katsuki swore he could hear your smirk. Gripping your ass and continuing his pace he spoke.

“Don’t be mad when you can’t walk for the next week,” he smirked. With that, he slammed himself deeper, harder, and faster inside of you. His tip hitting your cervix. You let our screams of pure pleasure and he did the same.

“Oh yesss...shit daddy..so big..”

“F-fuck! Oh you like that? Yeah princess? ...oh shit baby your pussy takes me so well. Y-Yeah, your tight little cunt takes this big cock so fucking well,” he moved faster inside, exploring you completely. His hands went straight to your shirt and and ripped it open. You had a few buttons fly everywhere, but you didn’t care. He pushed your bra up and let one of your mounds fall into his hand. He squeezed it tight to release a generous moan from you. He then dove into the valley of breast to mark your chest. You held onto the back of his head and tugged at his hair and he growled at he feeling, enjoying every second of it.

“Oh yess princess just like that. S-shit. Oh fuck yes...oh you’re mine,” he went deeper inside as he spoke.

“Fuck! Daddy yes! Right t-there! Oh my god..yess,” you cried out.

“Can you feel that. Oh fuck, can you feel my dick in your gut?” He moaned out. Katsuki went to grip the edge of his desk as you kept your hold around his neck, causing him to somehow move faster. He went up to taste your lips once more

“I love you....so much princess...you hear me...Mm, your mine,” he said between kisses and ended with a smack to your now red ass.

His words had you squeezing his cock. He knew what was coming.

“Aww, is princess gonna cum? You gonna cum on daddy’s dick?” He teased.

“Mm...p-please daddy. Please let me cum,” you said while throwing your head back. Katsuki only smirked at this.

“Not yet~” he pulled out of you, leaving you a whiny mess.

“N-no! Daddy please! Please let me finish,” you said while holding onto his shoulders, inches away from his face, pressing your chest to his. Your words caused his “little” friend to grow even harder and Katsuki only smirked and looked down at you.

“Dont worry teddy bear, Daddy’s not done with you yet.” He yanked you off the desk and pressed you down onto it, with your chest to the desk. Then he slammed back into you, returning to the fast pace again.

“Fuck yeah..oh god look at this ass. Nice and round, all red for me,” he said while pounding into you.

He gave your ass a good few smacks, countered with a thrust each harder than the last before going to lay his chest on top of you to whisper in your ear.

“You wanna be a good girl for daddy? Huh, teddy bear?” He asked.

“Mmm, yes! Yes I’ll be good, just please!” You cried out. He reached his hand over to rub on your clit. Your body began to shake with pleasure.

“Then cum with me.....NOW,” he said, and that was all it took for you to release the white liquid. As you came you could feel his hot release filling you up to the brim. He cried out in pure pleasure while you did the same.

You both stayed in that position for a bit, and you could feel the mixture of both your release dripping down your inner thighs. Soon, you felt Katsuki lower himself to kiss your neck.

“You did so good princess.” He calmly said to you. It was relieving, and you loved the sound of his voice, but you couldn’t help but feel a little off at this whole ordeal.

Katsuki pulled out of you and watched how his cum covered and filled your entire pussy. He smiled at the sight and went to grabbed some tissue on Aizawa’s desk to clean you and himself up.

He tucked himself back into his pants and you rebuttoned your shirt the best you could and flipped your skirt back down. Since Katsuki tore your panties you’d have to go commando at least until you got back to your room. You watched as Katsuki went to throw away the tissues and your torn underwear into the trash can. When he made his way back to you, he held you in his arms and attempted to kiss you. But you turned away.

“Hey teddy be-“

“No, Katsuki. Please don’t call me that.” You said while looking down. Katsuki felt his heart hurt a little. You’re always gonna be his teddy bear, why would he ever stop calling you that?

“Y/N, what’s wrong?” He asked you.

“Us. This. Katsuki, what happened today should not have happened.” You said

“What?” He was so confused and a little hurt.

As tears start to fill your eyes, you did everything you could to not let them fall. “Suki, we broke up. You accused me of cheating, you burned me! So for us to come in here and just have sex like nothing happened is wrong.”

“Y/N, I’m sorry for what happened. Seriously, after what I did it destroyed me. But please listen, I lov-“ you cut him off again.

“I know!.....I know you do Katsuki.....and I love you too Suki. So much,” this brought a smile to his face. A true, genuine smile that you loved so dearly.

“But I’m scared.” You added on. This made Katsuki’s smile drop, worry and concern fill his eyes.

“Of what exactly?” He asked you while gently holding onto your hand.

“.....You.” This shocked him. His own teddy bear feared him. Heartbreaking.

“I’m scared of the lack of trust that you have for me. And not only that, but your quirk too. Katsuki I know you’re one of the best students here at UA, but I know you’re emotions can get out of hand too. It’s clear that when you’re not in control of your feelings, your quirk can lash out. The evidence is right here,” you turned you arm that he was holding to show him the scar he left on you.

Now this really hurt Katsuki. He loved marking you with his love, not with his anger. The fact that he did that to you sent his mind into a frenzy. Until he felt your touch on his cheek.

Holding onto his cheek with your soft hands, you spoke reassuring words. “Katsuki, you were right about two things. I do want us to be together again and I do forgive you,” and with that, Katsuki leaned into your touch. Holding onto your hand that held his face, he released a single tear he didn’t know he was holding and closed his eyes in relief and satisfaction.

“But I can’t be with you again.” Your words caused him to open his eyes and stare at you in shock and fear. “At least...not yet.”

Whew, his heart rate went back down. Oh the rollar coaster of emotions this poor boy was currently on.

“Yet?” He asked hopefully.

“Suki, I’m still trying to fix myself, and it’s clear that you need to fix yourself too. I really want to be with you, but we both need time to grow for each other. I can’t leave you. I know for sure that in my heart, you’re always gonna be the one I run back to, but I don’t want to run back to someone who could possibly hurt me again. I want to come back to you knowing that when we are together again, our relationship is secured.” You explained.

A silence filled the air. You both stared at each other for what felt like forever. Nobody else in the world. Just you and him. He then pulled you in for a tight hug. As he held onto you, you could feel hot tears hitting your shoulder, and quiet sobs left his voice along with a hitched breath every now and then. Katsuki was crying.

“....I promise you. I’m gonna get better for you. I’m gonna be worthy of you and your love and it’ll stay that way for the rest of our lives. You and me. Together. Im gonna do whatever it takes to get you back and I won’t stop at anything until you’re mine again. I swear I’ll treat you better than I ever did before. As long as I know that you’re coming back to me and me only, I’ll wait for you for as long as it takes teddy bear.” He said into your neck with his arms tightly wrapped around your waist.

“I know you will Suki. And I promise I won’t make you wait too long.” You said while hugging him back.

“You better not.” The blonde said.

“Don’t forget though, I’m always yours. And just yours.” You reassured him.

“......Can we at least make this a little easier for me and say we didn’t split. We’re just on a break. A small break?” He said, now looking directly in your eyes while still holding onto you.

You put his worries at ease with your gentle smile. “The smallest break, Suki.” You softly laughed as you both went back in for another hug.

“........I like it better when you call me daddy,” the damn devil said while smiling.

“Shut up you horny idiot.” You chuckled.

‘I can’t wait to be yours again,’ you both thought

You both stayed there in each other’s embraces until the world faded away. It was just you and him. Together. You were both no longer lost. You weren’t at your destination yet, but you were on the right tracks. One step closer to each other. One step closer to love.

A/N: There’s still a little more I wanna add to the story, so there will be a part 3 to close this little short story. Sorry if there were any spelling mistakes. Thank you guys so much for the love and support. As a new writer I never expected to grow so quickly so I truly love each and every one of you bear cubs! Sorry this was so long, I hope you enjoyed! 💗🧸

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dysfunctionalcrab · 4 years ago

Text

babysitter

pairing: georgenotfound x reader

pronouns: gender neutral

description: george is left to babysit your niece

warnings: mentions of a future family? just in case that makes you uncomfortable.

[y/n/n] - your nieces name

[y/s/n] - your siblings name (gender neutral too)

note: i’m not too sure about this imagine, please a like or reply if you actually enjoyed! - niss

you woke up to the sound of your alarm blasting your ear off, if you hadn’t turned it off right there you probably would have gone deaf.

george was sleeping like a baby beside you, you could hear his quiet snores. you were surprised he didn’t wake up to the sound of your ear-piercing alarm.

turning on your phone, you glanced at the time that read 12:30. you sighed in annoyance as you registered that you only had half an hour before you had to be on your way to university. so you got up and began your normal morning routine, brush your teeth, shower, have breakfast and finally get dressed. however, as you were packing your bag, almost ready to go, you received a notification from your [sibling]

[y/s/n]: we’re 5 minutes away!!!

[y/s/n]: thank you so much for agreeing to do this :)

fuck.

it completely slipped your mind. you had promised to take care of [y/n/n] for today, your 7 year old niece, while your [sibling] was at their job interview. regardless, you texted them a quick ‘no problem’ before rushing upstairs to wake up george.

he was still sleeping, but now he was completely hiding under the covers with one arm sticking out. you hated to interrupt his beauty sleep but this was more important. you began to shake him awake.

“babe,” you shook him

“wake up,”

“george,” you removed the covers off his face

“wake the fuck up!” you started poking his sides. usually, you would be a little less... harsh, but you were panicking.

finally the boy rose from his slumber, groaning and stretching all his limbs. he blinked a couple times before meeting your eyes

“good morning,” he said softly, as if he completely just disregarded your tone of desperation and worry.

you pulled him by his arm and he sat upright,

“you need to get up right now,” you told him

“what’s going on?” he questioned, clearly confused as you weren’t giving him any context

“you need to take care of [y/n/n] for today, i have classes today, and i need to leave in 5 minutes and [y/s/n] has a job interview and there’s nobody else to take care of her,” you rushed out all in once sentence.

“are you serious?” he narrowed his eyes at you. “you know how bad i am with kids, especially [y/n/n] , she hates me,”

that was partly true. unfortunately, your niece wasn’t exactly fond of george. ever since you even started dating,m, [y/n/n] acted cold towards your boyfriend, it only got worse when you moved in with him. she always refused to play a game if george was going to participate, or never accepted any high fives or hellos from him. you felt sympathy for george. this child despised him and now you were asking him to look after her.

“please, i’m begging you,” you looked at him with pleading eyes. his eyes softened up after recognising the urgency of the situation.

“fine,” he agreed. you sighed out of satisfaction that you didn’t have to stress out [y/s/n] over finding a new baby sitter.

“thank you so much,” you pressed a small kiss to his lips appreciatively.

right at that moment, you two heard the doorbell ring. you urged george to get ready as fast as he could while you went down stairs and greeted your [sibling] and your niece.

“auntie/uncle [y/n]!” [y/n/n] yelled as you opened the door, immediately rushing into your arms. she looked a lot taller than the last time you saw her

“how’s my favourite girl?” you picked her up and swung her, before placing a little kiss on her head

you gave your [sibling] a quick hug. they handed you a bag full of toys, teddies and colouring pens, along with a spare set of clothing just in case [y/n/n] got a little messy throughout the day. and some quick reminders about her favourite foods or how to get her stop crying. you’d looked after her before, so all of it was pretty familiar to you

“again, thank you so, so much, you have no idea how much you’re helping me.” they told you. your [sibling] gave [y/n/n] a kiss on the cheek and told her to be a ‘good and kind little girl’ before finally exiting the household.

george, at last, made his way down. wearing a decent pair of jeans and a hoodie, giving an awkward wave to [y/n/n]

you checked the time and knew you had to get going. you had to explain to her that uncle george was going to be the one looking after her today. and after one whole tantrum, you managed to convince her to be a good girl by promising to give her a big reward afterward.

finally, you kissed [y/n/n] and george a goodbye , then shut the front door behind you.

george and [y/n/n] stood opposite each other. there was an uncomfortable silence in the air. george felt so...he didn’t even know. what do you say to a child who hates you? [y/n/n] tightly clutched her bag of toys.

“so, [y/n/n],” george cleared his throat, he bent down to her level. “i hear you like toy story?”

[y/n/n] pouted “i don’t like you” she said, and stomped away.

george sighed. this was going to be a long day.

and it was.

it started off with [y/n/n] innocently using her colouring pens and drawing random things, you know, as children do. but when she ran out of paper, she made her way to your office, where all your uni work was. she grabbed the closest piece of paper that was sitting on your desk, deciding it was going to be the next canvas for her art. this paper just happened to be a very important assignment.

when george caught her in the act, he had to physically tear her away from your office, in defiance of all her kicking and screaming.

then, when george accidently left the door to your shared bedroom open. [y/n/n] waddled in without him noticing, she started playing with all of his devices. his computer, his microphone, and somehow she got a hold of his headphones, and took out the battery. george didn’t realise until he noticed the cover missing. he tried to ask her nicely where she threw the battery. but she insisted that she wasn’t going to give it back unless he stopped being ‘mean’

when lunch time rolled around, george put a pizza in the oven, he remembered clearly that [y/n/n] loved pizza, specifically pepperoni. nothing could go wrong here.

but when he called her to the kitchen so she could receive her lunch. she just stared blankly at the pizza, and then at him. she crossed her arms

“[y/n] usually makes a smiley face with the pepperoni”

george just felt all his will to live just disappear

coloured pens and toys were spread out all across the living room floor, [y/n/n] was sitting in front of the tv, george put on one of her favourite shows which thankfully distracted her for a bit, allowing him to relax. he pulled out his phone and texted you

to [y/n] <3 : help me please

to [y/n] <3: i cant take this anymore, i’m literally dying rn

to [y/n] <3: come home quick

he exhaled heavily, throwing his phone to the side. he was so exhausted.

[y/n/n] was roleplaying with her toys, making them move around and doing squeaky little voices. george smiled at the innocence

“purple bear doesn’t play with us anymore. princess giraffe, mr. george took her away from us,” she spoke in a high pitched voice

george’s ears perked up. how funny that she had a teddy named ‘mr. george’. curiously, he watched the little girl.

“koala george, is a meanie, he stole purple bear and now they don’t want to hang out with us!”

it didn’t take a genius to find out what [y/n/n] was displaying through her role playing teddies.

that was why she didn’t like george. before they got together, [y/n] mentioned they almost spent every weekend with [y/n/n], playing with her and having fun with her.

she felt abandoned by [y/n] and felt as if george had taken them away from her .

george felt at fault as he noticed the girls eyes started to water.

“does purple bear love us any more?” she continued to play.

george decided it was enough and he switched off the television. he joined [y/n/n] on the floor and grabbed the teddy that was supposedly ‘koala george’

“[y/n/n]” he spoke softly. the little girl looked up at him expectantly. he held up the teddy.

“is this supposed to be me?” he questioned her.

“that’s a koala bear,” she answered

“no-, [y/n/n],” he said. he thought about how to ask her, and just chose it was best to be flat out with the child,”

“did i steal auntie/uncle [y/n] away from you?”

the question took her by surprise. she gazed at him with big wide eyes. she thought about her answer and grabbed the purple bear, which was supposed to be you.

“they don’t play with me as much anymore, they’re always with you, because of you, they don’t love me anymore,” she pulled a face, it wasn’t angry, it wasn’t annoyed.

it was a genuinely sad face.

george was sure he physically felt a pang of guilt in his stomach. he never even comprehended the fact that a child could feel so rejected.

“listen... [y/n/n],” he said gently. he thought about his words. comforting someone wasn’t exactly his strongest point, particularly not a child who detested him “[y/n] will never stop loving you, okay? they love you very much, and i’m sorry you feel like i stole them ”

[y/n/n] continued to listen.

“but don’t forget that [y/n] has so much love to go around! look, they love you, and they love me, they love grandma and grandpa too! they will always love one another even if they can’t see each other often,”

[y/n/n] stayed silent. she fiddled with the purple teddy, folding its ears and patting its head. she loved that bear. it was actually gifted to her by you, when she was first born. she brought it to her chest and hugged it. george tried a different approach.

“listen, how about- this weekend, we can all go to the park together, and have a picnic. you, me, [y/n], and your parents too,”

she continued to just stay silent. george didn’t know what to expect, she was unpredictable, was she going to throw another hissy fit? or start to cry? he wasn’t sure

“can we also get ice cream?” she asked

george smiled and felt himself relax. thank god. “all the ice cream you want,” he told her

[y/n/n] stood up and giggled. like her whole entire mood did a whole fucking 180. “okay! let’s go play dress up now!”

———

7:45 pm. you finally arrived home. you were tired out of your mind. [y/s/n]’s interview was delayed by two hours and was currently half way back home, meaning you had enough time to spend with [y/n/n]

you unlocked the door, expecting to see a giant tsunami of toys and colouring pencils and pens, but what you saw was the most heart warming thing ever.

george was sleeping on the couch, his head resting on the armrest. he had a couple pink bows in his hair, his lips were painted a hot pink, he was wearing a couple sparky bracelets and a purple floral necklace.

in his lap, [y/n/n] rested her head, she was wearing a fairy costume with matching pink bows and sparkly bracelets.

you quickly snapped a photo of this wholesome moment. because, who wouldn’t? you spent a few minutes just watching the two sleep, they were probably just as tired as you.

moments like these made you really appreciate the people you had in your life. the people you love so dearly much.

you didn’t want to disrupt the ambience but you felt it was better for your [sibling] to collect your niece when she wasn’t covered in glitter and an overload of pink accessories.

you quietly woke george up,

“baby, wake up.” you shook him awake, gently. in a very different way than you did this morning. he opened his eyes. and immediately smiled upon seeing your face. you ran your thumb across his cheek

“it looks like you two had a lot of fun,” you teased.

he quietly chuckled. “she’s okay,” he told you. looking down at the little girl sleeping in his lap.

you slowly and carefully picked her up, removing any accessories you thought may seem uncomfortable to sleep in. she was a heavy sleeper.

you carried her upstairs, tucking her into you and george’s bed and placing a kiss upon her forehead. you turned back to george and rushed in for a bear hug

“thank you so much for doing that,” you said. “i love you so much, i know it probably wasn’t easy, she can be quite the handful,”

george chuckled. “handful is an understatement,”

“you’d better be willing to dress up like that with our own kids one day.” you stated, hugging him tighter.

his face broke out into a small smile, having thought of an image of you two playing with you future kids. he kissed top of your head and then your nose

“maybe one day”

———

masterlist

#georgenotfound imagines #georgenotfound x reader #georgenotfound #mcyt x reader #mcyt #georgenotfound imagine #mcyt imagines

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fandomness--randomness · 3 years ago

Text

Not so Hard Run Ins {Reiner Braun x Reader}

Warnings: none, just fluff and embarrassing stuff lol

Word Count: 1.7k

Summary: You just wanted to return a shirt Marco had lended you, instead you found yourself face to face with your longtime crush.... or rather face to chest.

inspired by this tiktok

Anyways - I love Reiner and his hella mommy milkers (I've loved this hoe since season 1, I am the ultimate Reiner simp)

Sasha let out a long groan as she stretched her arms high above her head. Her joints cracked and popped as she did so. “Gah! I’m so hungry!” She whined.

“Please - you’re hungry all the time.” You chuckled softly, landing a light punch across Sasha’s arm. The girl overreacted, splayed herself across the porch banister and placed the back of her hand across her forehead like some kind of damsel in distress.

“Oh woe is me! I have been slain!” She cried out.

Connie, who was walking from the training field with Jean and Marco, quickly joined in on the antics. He laid himself across the banister next to Sasha in a similar fashion and began to lament of their shared demise. Something about how if Sasha, his partner in crime and fellow prankster, died - he too would die of heartbreak and boredom.

Rolling your eyes, you walk into the cafeteria with Marco as Jean attempts to pull them out of their improve scene.

“When those two start acting up, I can’t help but feel old.” You muttered as you snatched a plate of whatever mediocre slop they had been feeding the training corps the last three years and some stale bread.

Marco chuckled. “Come on (Y/N), don’t say that. You’re only a few years older than us. It’s not like you’re some old lady who can barely walk.” He sat down on the bench gently while you plopped down without a care.

Rolling your shoulder, you scoffed. “I sure feel like it with all this hand to hand combat lately. I just want to get back to ODM training already.”

Two more, much taller figures than you and Marco sat down across from you with their own meals.

“Well now, if you’re an old lady does that make Bertholdt and I old men?” Reiner joked before taking a bite of his bread. “We’re the same age after all.” He added, sending you a soft smile.

Clenching your fist under the table, you turned your gaze to your dinner and fought back the oncoming heat to your cheeks. You’re not sure when it happened - but along the path of tough,constant training and awkward teenage development, you found yourself in love with the muscular blond. You didn’t think much of him at first, thinking he was just like the other stupid boys from your village that showed off their muscles in an attempt to woo girls like you and your friends.

But that idea began to crumble when his brotherly nature was revealed and he offered a helping hand to the other cadets when they needed it. The misconception was practically destroyed the day he offered to carry you back to camp after you had rammed right into a tree while using ODM gear. You had originally wanted to curse out Eren for being overly cocky and nearly crashing into you, which caused you to overcorrect and smash into the tree - but the feeling of Reiner’s muscular back against your chest was just too distracting. That night you practically ran to bed in an embarrassed mess.

Tonight would no doubt be the same if Reiner continued to joke around with you.

Shoveling some food into your mouth, you leaned onto the table with your elbows and pointed the old spoon at Reiner. “I’m - what - 3 months older than you? I’ve practically got years of wisdom on you.”

Reiner laughed at your remark just as the rest of your friends joined the table - Sasha and Connie sporting reddened ears and Jean nearly having a vein in his forehead pop.

Smiling at your fellow cadets, you let yourself fall into the flow of conversation. And although you loved and appreciated all your friends, you couldn’t help but let your eyes wander over to Reiner every once in a while.

Thankfully, there was no after dinner training - so the cadets had a few hours of freetime until the lights went out. This gave you the chance to finally get around to cleaning your laundry and refreshing your ODM gear.

While others found doing laundry to be a pain Sasha, you found the rhythmic pattern to be soothing and comfortable. Because of this, more than often, you would do laundry for yourself and few of your friends.

Popping your head into the giant dorm room, you called out to the rest of the girls. “Hey, does anyone need their laundry done? I want to get it done before it gets dark so give it to me now if you want.” Most of the girls shook their head, thanking you for the offer, but some of the others handed off small baskets of clothes and bedsheets.

“Thank you so much (Y/N)!” Christa exclaimed.

You smiled back at her. “It’s no problem. This way they'll be able to dry overnight if need be.”

Walking back outside with a few more baskets of laundry, you set to work. It was the height of summer and the sun was still beating down on the poor training corps. Thankfully, it hadn’t rained in some time so there was no lingering humidity that would prolong the drying process.

It was so hot and dry that your first round of laundry was done drying by the time you finished washing the entire load. Pulling the dry laundry off of the pins, you brought them inside and to their appropriate owners before going to the equipment building to clean and polish your ODM gear.

By the time you returned to the hanging clothes, the sun was starting to set.

You smiled in victory at the realization that all of the laundry had dried. Setting everything in the appropriate baskets, you lugged the now clean clothes and bedsheets inside. The girls who had taken up your offer thanked you again as they readied themselves for bed.

Taking your own basket to your bed (thank god for having the bottom bunk) you began to unload and fold the laundry. All was normal until you came across a large navy blue shirt. It was certainly too big to be yours and you didn’t own anything like this.

Then you remembered. Slapping a hand across your forehead, you let out a long sigh.

The week prior, Sasha had knocked you right into the mud during some after dinner training. Thankfully Marco and Jean were watching the two of you, so being the kind soul he was, Marco rushed into his dorm and grabbed an extra shirt for you to change into quickly.

Biting the inside of your cheek, you glanced out the window. The sun had set, but the torches outside and lights inside the other buildings were still lit.

Turning to Mikasa, you asked, “do you think I have enough time to return this shirt to Marco? Before lights out?”

The ravenette glanced at you, the shirt, outside the window, and then back to you. She nodded lightly. “Yeah, I think it’s safe. The sun set only a few minutes ago. Lights shouldn’t be called for another 30 minutes.”

Letting out a breath of relief, you jogged out the door and called out a thanks to Mikasa for her stable judgment.

It wasn’t uncommon for cadets to go back and forth between the dorms despite their gender. You and Sasha were often found invading Jean and Connie’s space to beg them to play cards with you two and Marco. Eren and Armin always seemed to be calling for Mikasa to come hang out with them too. But that was when the sun was out.

Going to the others’ dormitory building when the sun had already set was sort of...taboo among cadets, even if it was technically allowed.

No one just wanted to walk into the dorms when the chance of walking into the other cadets changing or even bathing were at its peak. But this was just a quick trip in and out. You’d be fine.

Slipping into the boys dormitory hall, you started the familiar trek to the dorm room Marco was in. It was practically ingrained into your head at this point (not to mention that the dorm buildings’ layouts were the exact same). You expected to run in and run out - no issues.

That was until you turned a corner and came face first with a wall. At least that’s what you would’ve thought if the wall didn’t let out a surprised grunt.

Horror flooded through your veins as you realized your cheek was pressed right against someone’s bare chest, the heat of their skin radiating across your face. Glancing up, that horror doubled - no, tripled - in size.

You hadn’t just ran into some random boy. No - you had just ran right into Reiner Braun, who was only clad in a towel around his waist with skin still damp from his shower.

The red blush you had pushed back at dinner came back full force. The two of you stared at each other for a moment in surprise. Reiner’s own blush spread across his cheeks and ears.

“He’s really warm.” You thought. “And a lot more muscular than I thought. Yet his chest is so soft. I feel like I could fall asleep on it.” You stared at his deep hazel eyes. “I really want to run my hands across his chest. Does he have abs too? Oh what I would do to be able to let my hands wander down furth-”

A droplet of water from Reiner’s hair dripped onto your nose.

“THIS IS FOR MARCO PLEASE GIVE IT TO HIM!” You screamed, shoving the now wrinkled shirt into Reiner’s chest.

Not waiting for a response, you turned onto your heel and ran out of the dorm practically screaming - a high pitched whine and curses following your wake. You didn’t stop until you had your face planted into the mattress and body huddled in blankets.

Your entire body was on fire as your friends questioned what had happened. Some were more worried, like Christa; while others immediately thought the worst may have happened like Mikasa and Sasha. Eventually, when you kept shaking your head and refused to come out of your blankets, your friend retired to their beds. All except Sasha, who sat next to you, swinging her legs back and forth as she waited.

Peeking out of the blanket, you looked up at her.

“I did something so embarrassing, Sash.”

#reiner braun x reader #reiner braun #reiner braun imagine #aot oneshots #attack on titan #attack on titan imagine #reiner braun and mommy milkers #I love this man so much #I just wanna hold his hand so badly #and ride his d!ck even more #{🥵 - thirsting}

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weeb-writor · 3 years ago

Text

Bittersweet Arguments

Heyo! Today I have a Cove x Reader! He is from a visual novel called Our Life: Beginning and always. Its available on Steam and itch.io for free! But I do encourage you all to get the dlc is it is more than worth it. It is inclusive of all race, sexual orientation and pronouns/gender. Also all the characters are just amazing and loveable. I could go on and on about this game but let me shut up so you all can read^^

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

Cove Holden x GN!Reader

You and cove get into a bad argument and picking up the pieces is hard.

Word Count: 2.4k(not beta read)

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

“Cove hasn't talked to you…yeah I’m just worried, they haven't gone more than a week without speaking since they met. They’re going on week 3 soon… yeah I know… yeah… alright I let you know what I can find out.” Ma said, hanging up with a sigh. You rounded the corner glancing at her as you plopped down on the sofa.

“We're not 8 any more, you don't have to call Cliff anytime we get in a fight.” you said with a chuckle.

“Honey, that's the thing, you and cove have never fought. We called about Lizzie plenty of times but you… it's just parents being parents. We're just worried.” She said stroking your hair. You grasped her hand and gave it a squeeze before you got up.

“Don’t be.” You said as you went up to your room. Well you were packing so really it was just a room with a bed. You plopped down face first into it. You just laid there mind racing a mile a minute. The fight, the disagreements, the tears played over and over again. It was simple at first and then it wasn't. Then it was yelling, arms flailing, and angry tears. What would happen next? It was a fear you thought that was already put to rest but it came again, and again, and again. Each time it was more and more muddled. What would happen to you both? How would long distance work? Were you supposed to tell your parents about your engagement? Who would come visit who? How often? No matter what question it was, the answer always resulted in more questions.

To you it was like Cove didn't trust you, like he didn't believe you loved him enough to do anything to make it work. For Cove you were… well you don't know. He was silent about the issue of the future. It was like you were discussing it with yourself as if there isn't another person in the relationship. It was frustrating, it made you angry at him and at yourself for being angry at him. You grabbed your pillow which had become a bucket for your tears and you cried and screamed into it. Over time your tears and screams died down and you drifted into not a peaceful sleep but a painful one. When you woke up you stumbled down stairs in a trance and nearly rounded the corner before you heard it. You stopped in your tracks immediately and sunk to the floor. It was him, your love, the neighborhood boy, Cove Holden.

“How are they?” He spoke quietly.

“I can't lie to you and say they're fine but they are resting right now.” Mom said with a sigh.

“Tha… T-That’s fine but what about eating, drinking, packing, and leaving the house?” He stuttered nervously. You wanted to laugh. It was so Cove to still be nervous talking to someone he knew essentially his whole life.

“Yes, of course. We’ve made sure, nothing to worry about.” At that you heard a sigh of relief come from the green haired boy.

“Okay, okay good. Um could you just let me know if they need anything.” His voice was shaky like he wanted to cry.

“They need you, kid.” Your mom said slowly. There was a long silence at this. Was it actually long or were you just anxious you weren’t sure.

“...I need them more.” He said in a barely intelligible whisper. Goodbyes were said and stayed on the floor even as you heard mom coming your way. When she was in your sight her eyes widened but more in worry than surprised. You tilted your head at her and that’s when you felt it. Tears were cascading from your eyes. You wiped them away in surprise and rose to your feet.

“Im fine.” You said before jogging to your room where you curled into a ball as if to shield you from the impending doom. From this position you watched the sunset and the moon rise, almost unblinking. You felt tears soak your pillow, you had begun crying without realizing again.

This couldn't go on, you had to talk to Cove.

Muscle memory had kicked in from the one time you had snuck into Cove’s room and boom. You were sitting on his bedside stroking his hair as he slept. Just like you it seemed his sleep was anything but peaceful. His brow was creased and you couldn’t help but thumb along it prompting him to wake up. His eyes shot open and he blinked a while before he sighed.

“Are you gonna be a dream or a nightmare.” he said softly.

“I'm in your nightmares?” You said glancing to the side. At this he shot up. Tears pulled in his eyes as he held his hand out to you. As soon as his fingers brushed your face he let out a quiet sob.

“So dream or nightmare then?” You said with watery eyes.

“An absolute dream.” He said with a firmness in him that was rare.

“Cove I don't want to talk about it right now, can we sleep...together.”

“Yes!” he shouted quietly, immediately making space for you under his blankets. You moved with equal amount of eagerness and soon for the first time in a while you felt truly at peace.

“Can...can I hold you.” You didn't say anything to his request, just moved closer and grabbed onto his nightshirt. Instantly you both fall into a deep peaceful sleep.

“Hey kid, I wanna talk…” Cliff trailed off awkwardly as he locked eyes with you. Cove was fast asleep, head in your lap and arms squeezing you. You smiled and put your finger to your lips. Cliff got the signal and walked out with a smile. Cove slept for 30 minutes more before his icy blue eyes met yours.

“Uh, wanna eat? I got all the ingredients for…” he didn’t need to finish the red flush of his face said enough. He was eating your favorite and you were eating his. You let off a quiet laugh.

“I’m feeling more peanut butter, honey, and banana sandwiches. Maybe some fruit.” You smiled down at him. His eyes lit up and you were dragged into the kitchen and now you both were about done making the sandwiches.

“What are you glaring at my sandwiches for?” You jokingly accused him.

“There isn’t enough honey on it, honey.” He said poking your forehead. You laughed and he laughed and then you both went to sit at the table. Mr. Holden was there too and made moves to get up but was stopped by the both of you shouting no. Awkwardly he sat back down.

“So, how’s packing coming? Coves been putting it off, so much.” He asked you gently.

“I’m pretty much done! Nothing in my room but a bed now.” You said with a smile.

“That’s great, still planning on leaving for college?” He asked with caution.

“Yeah, that’s the plan. I’m going to miss having you around.” You said with a small smile. The impromptu breakfast was over soon after this and you were left alone with cove again. Questions about the future loomed over you and this time you were going to get answers.

“Can... we talk?” You said staring at him with determination.

“Yes..” he trailed off

“No Cove, can we really talk? Like talk things out, like argue and come to a consensus.”

“Yes but I just don’t... want us to fight” he said playing with his hands.

“Arguments are normal cove, hell they’re healthy even. The unhealthy part is what you do during the argument and what you do after. Of course, we could try just talking first.” You smiled at him hoping to ease his nervousness.

“So you mean to say storming off to your son's room and pacing isn't a healthy way of closing an argument?” He said with a joking tone.

“Well if we ever get to the talk about the future, maybe one day you could see just how healthy it is…” You trailed off looking at him hopefully. Cove let out one of his cute squeaks as he flushed red. He raked his fingers through his hair before he grabbed your hand and pulled you to the sofa.

“Let's… talk then.” he said, glancing at you and then away.

“Alright, Cove, I'm going far away. What you are asking to do is impractical, I'm asking you not to do it.” You said seriously.

“It's 36 hours by car on the fastest route and 3 hours and 29 minutes by plane, it's not impractical, it's totally possible.” He said with unusually fierce eyes.

“Sure but you want to do it every two weeks, twice a month! It's not safe for you to drive that long. Think of the money it’ll cost to fly or put gas in your car. Also you'll have your own bills now, your own place. It's not all that possible.” You spoke firmly.

“Doesn't matter… i'll make it possible and safe. If I need to, I'll stay with my dad for a while. Moving out isn’t that big of a deal” He said not backing down

“No Cove, do you hear yourself? You’ve wanted to move out and be in your own place for a while. What happened to the boy who wanted to do everything the way he wanted without listening to set rules or a predetermined plan?”

“This isn't someone's predetermined plan for me, it's what I want.”

“What about what I want?” you said softly

“Is what you want… not to be around me? Or am I too.. too clingy for you? Cause if so I promise I won't intrude too much.. And I’ll give you space-”

“No! Its nothing like that! You are never gonna be too clingy for me, you could get clinger if you wanted. I just want you to be safe, okay?” You said cutting that thought off immediately

“I promise I will be then.” He said hesitantly.

“Baby, the whole action of it isn't safe physically or financially for either of us right now. I'm not saying you can't come but what about once every month or even better ill come back here every break I have. They aren't frequent but I'd be with you for a while.”

“It's not enough!” He said, raising his voice at you. It's the first time he’d ever done it but you didn't respond, you just blinked at him and waited for him to continue.

“I need to see you more than that.. I just have to.” He said, looking away from you.

“Why? We’ve spent weeks apart before. Every summer you leave and we come out of it fine, it's the same.”

“No its not the same, at all.” He spoke firmly as his eyes got misty but he pressed on. “When I went with my mom I knew where you were, what you were most likely doing. It was routine, sunset bird is our place. Even if something new comes along I'm never out of the loop… but when you leave you’ll be in a new place with different people and new things you can experience. You’ll be in a place with all four seasons, they get snow! I won't know what you're doing any more and we might not even be on the same wavelength any more. You’ll make new friends and meet people who won't be afraid to lay in bed with you or stutter a lot or make weird noises. You’ll be changing and I’ll still be the same 8 year old cry baby you met on the poppy hill… you’ll leave and then you’ll disappear.” He said scrubbing at his tears. You stared at him before you started to laugh. You laughed so hard you started to cry.

“Let me get this straight, you want to come visit me so often because you're afraid I'll become this social butterfly and find better people than you, Miranda, and Terri? Me?” You were overcome with laughter again and paused to catch your breath. “I’m overly honest, pushy, a little demanding, and have “strange” interests. When have you ever known me to be easy to make friends with or be sociable with any other than you? You know I knew I was gonna marry you from the moment I laid eyes on you at the ripe age of 8? I wish some dumb college kid would try to change my plans i’d kill them… nothing is gonna take me away from you and I will always come home. Home, cove holden, is wherever you are.” Cove was hugging you in a second crying into your neck.

“I quite like your squeaks and weird noises by the way.” You could feel his face heat up in your neck as he laughed.

“Every break?”

“Every break longer than 2 days.”

“At my place… the whole time?”

“Duh I said I was going home.”

“Alright then, we agree. I want to come spend a break with you though, want to see your place.” He said squeezing you tighter.

“Of course… Also one last thing we need to put to bed.” Cove let out a groan at your words.

“Nothing bad at all. Just this.” You reached into your back pocket and pulled out a black velvet box. You handed it to cove as his eyes watered again.

“I know I already proposed but I wanted to get you something regardless. Its also so all these single people keep their grubby little paws off my love.” He blushed at you and whispered your name the way he always did when he was feeling embarrassed or overwhelmed. He opened it as tears fell down his face.

“Theres two?”

“Yeah look at the inside of the bands.” Each one was engraved with your respective nicknames for each other.

“Were engaged we minus well look the part. This way everybody at my college knows I managed to lockdown the most amazing guy to ever grace sunset bird.” You said kissing his nose. He wasted no time putting his on and handing you yours.

“I love you.” He said, eyes no longer misty.

“I love you so much, Cove.” You echoed his sentiment.

“Wanna go to our hill, we have a lot to make up for. I’ve missed you so much.” He said, grabbing your hand. You nodded and you both turned to leave. You both quickly made eye contact with Clifford Holden who was misty eyed. You gathered he had been there for a while.

“Sho...Should I pretend i didn't just see or hear that as well?” He said his hand on his neck.

#cove holden #our life: beginnings & always #cove #cove holden x reader

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the-broken-truth · 3 years ago

Text

A Returning Heart - Alcina Dimitrescu x Male Character

Summary: The Bloodline of House Dimitrescu has been destroyed by Ethan Winters, but will it remain that way? A cloaked figure approached the castle with one thing in mind - Can love transcend death?

Quick Note: The Explosion didn't destroy the Castle or that area of the village. Also, the male will not be given a name.

"Here are your purchases, My Lord." The Duke smiled as he handed 4 horizontal boxes out to the cloaked figure before him who took them in his arms but set the 3 smaller boxes down before opening the longest box. The cloaked man opened the long box - the Duke could see a long smile on the man's face as he gazed into the contents of the box before sealing the lid on it again.

"Perfect. What can you tell me about the other lords? Do you have their remains as well?" The man asked.

"But of course - after Ethan Winters killed the lords, he sold their remains to me for a fair amount of Lei. Would you like theirs as well?" Duke asked with a smile.

"Not at this moment. Once I make sure everything is in order, I shall come back for the remaining lords. And what of Miranda & the mutamycete?" The man asked.

"No longer in existence, My Lord. Ethan Winters and his company completely destroyed them - as well as the other Lords' Domains with the limitation of Lady Dimitrescu Castle and the Central and Northern Villages." Duke said.

"I'll take care of that as well." The man said as he reached down and gathered all of the boxes in his arms and started his way up the path to the grand castle that still stood.

"This is going to be interesting," Duke said as he got his notebook to make note of this. "It's not everything someone like that comes to the village."

[At Castle Dimitrescu]

The figure pushed the metal door of the castle open with one hand while the other held the boxes to his side. He looked around the room he now stood in before cracking a smile.

'Not much has changed.' He chuckled to himself before he made his way through the castle until he reached Castle Dimitresc's Hall of the Four (The Location where the masks go.). He opened the first box and gazed upon its contents before reaching in and pulling out the crystalized remains of The Royal Dragon - Alcina Dimitrescu, herself. He smiled at the crystal remains for a while before he placed them in the center of the room before going back to the other 3 boxes and opened them - showing 3 crystals torso that was small than Lady Dimitrescu's but each one had a gem placed in their chests - the first one he picked up bore a red gem.

'Bela.' the man thought as he placed the red-gemmed torso next to Alcina's. He back to the other two and picked up the second one - which bore a yellow gem.

'Cassandra.' He thought before placing it next to the other two in the center of the hall. He rose to his feet again and gathered the last one - a green gem in the chest of its chest.

'Daniela.' He echoed in his mind before placing it with the others.

Once they were all in place - he lifted his right hand which was engraved with runes of an unknown language. He cleared his throat before he spoke in Romanian.

"Din amurg până în zori. Din carne, sânge și os. Din aceste fragmente fragile, poruncesc - întoarce-te la care ai fost odată și mergi din nou pe acest pământ." The runes on his arm began to glow a blinding white light when a circle surrounded each of the remains and consumed them in a pillar of blinding light. The man watched and waited until he saw the remains float and take new form - this made him smile widely.

[About 3 Hours Later.]

A feminine groan filled the air of the Castle Main Hall has eyes began to flutter open, revealing a gold hue. The woman allowed her eyes to readjust to see - she was on a familiar floor. She pushed herself off the ground before groaning again and placing her hand on her head.

"My head...What happened? The last thing I remembered was..." Her eyes widened as memories began flooding back in her mind.

The meeting with her family.

Her daughters bringing her that Man-Thing.

The man-thing escaping and killing her eldest.

The pain she felt of loss.

Hunting that man-thing over and over again before he killed her last two daughters.

Tracking him to the chapel but getting stabbed with the dagger.

Then...dying.

"He killed me... I know he did, but then..." She looked at her hands. "How am I alive?" Alcina wondered as she tried to find an answer. Sudden movement at her right made her eyes dart and widen - instant tears filled them.

"My head...What happened?" the young girl asked.

"BELA!" Alcina said as she scurried to her daughter and engulfed in her a hug; surprising the girl who returned the hug.

"M...Mother?" Bela asked as she looked into Alcina's golden eyes.

"I'm here, little one; Momma's here now." Alcina said as she held her daughter more.

Bela looked behind her mother and her eyes widened.

"Mother - Cassandra and Daniela!" Bela said making Alcina look behind her to see her middle child and youngest also wake up. Alcina and Bela gathered the other two in hugs and all of them hugged and cried for at least 30 minutes before rising to their feet.

"I don't get it." Daniela began. "That man-thing killed us. How are we here?" She asked.

"Dani's right - I remember dying." Bela said.

"Then I ended up dying trying to avenge Bela." Cassandra said.

"And I died the library when that man-thing got the Iron Key." Daniela finished.

"That accursed man-thing stabbed me the Dagger of Deaths Flowers and managed to defeat my dragon form. How are we all here? Did Mother Miranda bring us back to life?" Alcina asked.

"I'm afraid Miranda had nothing to do with this - she can't do anything now that she's dead." A male voice called out. The women looked at the top of the stairs leading to the foyer and saw a figure dressed in a cloak with his face covered - only having the lower part of his chin showing.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my castle?!" Alcina demanded as she called forth her dragon's claws.

Broken Truth: That's what I like to call them. The whole 'A Rat can't escape the dragon's claw' was one of my favorite lines in the game; along with 'CASSANDRA!'.

"Calm yourself, Lady Dimitrescu." the male said as he raised his hand to silence her but that only made her angrier.

"You don't tell me what to do in my own castle, you stupid man-thing!" Alcina snarled.

"Geez and here I thought you would be grateful to the one who brought you and your daughters back to life." That made all their eyes widen.

"You brought us back?" Bela asked.

"Wait - why would you do that? Where're the other lords? Where's Mother Miranda?!" Alcina demanded to know.

"As I have said before - Miranda and the other lords are dead, just as the mutamycete no longer exists. Ethan Winters killed you, your daughters, and all the lords before taking out Miranda and destroyed the mutamycete before taking back that which was his." The man said from his place at the top of the stairs.

"That's impossible... All of our hard work - undone by a stupid male?!" Alcina snarled. "That doesn't explain why you brought me and my daughters back to life." Alcina said.

"Let's say - I was bringing back that which was once mine." The man said as he slowly started his way down the stairs. "A long time ago - I took up residence in this place as a loyal servant and became something more but short-minded humans came here to destroy you and those you held dear but I refused to let that happen and to save 4..." the male stopped at the bottom of the stairs and pulled the hood off - revealing his face: short brown hair, with emerald green eyes, and a familiar scar across his face. "I threw myself on the blade to keep my loved ones safe." He smiled at the wide eyes on the daughters' faces, as well as the tears that began to build in the dragon's eyes. He held his arms open in a welcoming manner. "I've returned to you, my family."

"FATHER/PAPA/DADDY!!!" The shouts of the daughters rung out as they ran into the male's arms, who held them as if they were something precious.

"It's okay, girls. I'm here now."

"I don't understand..." Alcina said as she tried to hold back her tears. "I saw you die - you threw yourself on the sword to save me from getting killed." Alcina said as she walked over to the group.

"I've been reborn since the time I lost you - while in this body, I attended a school and learned about dragons; that reminded me of you, awoke the memories of my past life and my bond to you. I was determined to return to you but I knew I had to become more so I trained myself in the arts of magic. It was a good thing too - when I learned about what happened, I had the skills to return that which I lost back to the world of the living." He explained.

Alcina looked into his eyes - those eyes darker than the tree's leaves during summer - the last time she saw them, they were as dull as sandstone but they were before her again.

He was here.

He was with her again.

And he gave back what she lost.

"MY LOVE!" Alcina fell to her knees and hugged the man and her daughters in one hug. She didn't want to let go of him; scared that this was all a dream and she was never going to see him again, that all of this would fade away and she would be back in the nothingness again.

"Shh...It's okay, Alci." He said as he began to wrap his arms around her neck to hug her for the first time in centuries. "I'm here, My Dragoness, and I shall not leave you or our daughters again." And this time - he was intending on keeping that promise.

Translation

"Din amurg până în zori. Din carne, sânge și os. Din aceste fragmente fragile, poruncesc - întoarce-te la care ai fost odată și mergi din nou pe acest pământ." - From dusk until dawn. From flesh, blood, and bone. From these fragile fragments, I command - return to which you once were and walk this earth again.

#alcina x oc #alcina dimitrescu #resident evil 8 #alcina x male #lady dimitrescu x reader

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btswrckd · 3 years ago

Text

War of Hearts II

Mafia Boss!Taehyung x Fem!Reader

Summary: Being in an arranged marriage with Kim Taehyung does not mean you have to be civil. Or make his life easy.

Warnings: mentions of violence, mentions o weapons, mentions of blood, slight angst, next chapter will be smut

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Taehyung isn’t sure how you can sleep through the night after the little stunt you’d pulled, but he finds himself tossing and turning through most of it. When he does finally manage to fall asleep at the fun hour of 3 o’clock in the damn morning, he’s woken an hour later by the dipping of the bed from your side. “Going somewhere, princess?”

“I have to pee,” you snap, “or will you be holding my hand to the bathroom as well?”

“Is that an invitation?” He grins, tucking one arm behind his head. Huh. Maybe you aren’t as well rested as he thinks. Maybe you’d spent the night just as frustrated. At least he isn’t alone in that.

“Shut up, Tae.” You stomp across the room and slam the bathroom door behind you. You can hear him laughing from the other side and silently contemplate shoving him off the bed when you return. You hadn’t slept, body anticipating his touch every time he moved but it never came and then you’d deflate in disappointment. You don’t know what time he plans on starting his day and hope it’s soon because you need space. You need room to think back on last night and figure out where the hell your sudden boldness came from. Where had you gotten the idea to touch him from? You were pretty bitter about the incident in the living room, sure, but to play a dangerous game like that? 6 months ago, you wouldn’t even dream of it. Now you’re panicking in the privacy of your personal bathroom because what, you actually want to sleep with your husband? You’re fairly sure you won’t be the first woman having sex with her own husband, but still, it was Taehyung. Tae. The chubby cheeked little kid who’d been your partner in crime at boring dinner parties that both yours and his parents attended. What kind of audacity did he have becoming so fucking attractive? Who allowed this?

“Are you going to actually use the restroom?” Taehyung’s voice startles you as he leans against the doorway. “Or can I brush my teeth?”

You didn’t hear him open the door. You hadn’t even locked it like you usually do. You’d forgotten and that irritates you. It means you’re letting your guard down when you can’t afford to. Not today of all days. You look at him, see the hunger swirling in his eyes, and your stomach drops because it’s been a very long time since any man has looked at you like that. “What time is it?”

“4:30,” he responds with a sigh, rolling his neck to release the tension that built overnight. “Why are you up so early, princess?”

“Why are you?” you fire back quickly and see him grin. He’s always known that you have a habit of deflecting when you can’t answer a question or explain yourself. His eyes drift down to the purple bruises around your neck, a lasting result from his mouth yesterday, and he smirks. You step back when he pushes off the door jamb and stalks forward, lightly gripping your chin.

“I wasn’t able to sleep,” he answers your question, “because my wife likes to play games and leave me with the worst case of blue balls I’ve ever had.” He watches your breath hitch and his smirk grows wider. “Then she runs into the bathroom and forgets to lock the door after winning said game from last night. As if I won’t come in, bend her over the sink, and play my own little game.”

“Just brush your teeth, Taehyung!” you squeak, shoving at his chest and rushing out of the bathroom before your mouth has a chance to ignore your brain, and most likely ask what kind of game he’s talking about. You throw yourself on the bed and burrow beneath the blankets in hopes of disappearing.

Taehyung doesn’t actually brush his teeth. He didn’t really need to. It was the only excuse he had for checking up on you after 30 minutes of silence. He does, however, splash cold water on his face to cool the heat spreading through his body. Last night is still very fresh in his mind and just being near you sets him off. He makes his way back to bed, falling onto the mattress and praying he’ll get a few more hours of sleep.

You peek out from underneath the blankets when he sighs, burying his face into a pillow. His nose scrunches up in discomfort. You know that it’s because he can’t fall asleep, can’t stop thinking about last night, despite having to be up soon to do...whatever the hell he does. Truthfully, you won’t be falling asleep either, even though you really need to if you’re going to pull off what you have planned for the day. Scooting closer, you see his eyes drift open in silent question, but you dip beneath the weight of his arm and tuck your head to his chest. His breathing stops for a moment before his hold tightens and he shifts onto his side, nuzzling his face into your hair. It’s this way, snuggled up to Taehyung, that you finally fall asleep to the sound of his steady heartbeat.

The shrill ringing of the alarm clock has you jumping in Taehyung’s embrace. You swear you had just shut your eyes before the screeching woke you, but looking at the time, you see that it had actually been 4 hours later. Taehyung blindly reaches for the clock, pressing random buttons until it finally quiets down and wrapping his arm around your waist once more. The shuffling of feet outside the bedroom door alerts him to Jungkook’s presence and the hushed tones of someone asking how he’s still alive alerts him to Jimin’s company as well. Right. He’d forgotten that they’d be taking you on another book haul after he’d ruined the one from yesterday.

At first, he had shut down the idea entirely when Seokjin texted him after his shower. Seokjin insisted that you be out of the house by the afternoon and Taehyung insisted on tearing his head off if he kept on with that nonsense. But Seokjin had just gotten a call from Namjoon and Hoseok that they were on their way back, and that they’d contacted Cecil for a meeting. To which Taehyung responded by reiterating that you needed to stay in the house until it was dealt with. He doesn’t remember how Seokjin had convinced him to let you go, but he had, and now he’s supposed to wake you up to get ready when he doesn’t want to.

“Princess,” his voice is groggy and barely audible, but you stir nonetheless. “Jungkookie and Jimin are going to take you somewhere today.”

“Where?” you mumble into his chest, brushing the tip of your nose beneath his chin.

“It’s a surprise.”

“I don’t like surprises.” You shift against him, tossing one leg over his hip.

“This one you will.” He smiles against your hair and presses a kiss to the top of your head. “It’s not like you to deny going out.”

“When I have more energy to burn, I like going out.” You don’t know why, but you’re working your mouth against the skin of his neck, teeth playfully nipping at him. “Not when I’m running on 4 hours of sleep.”

“Even if it means getting to pick out a new book?” He teases, and you’re up in a flash, stumbling to the bathroom to get ready. Your love for books and knowledge rivals Namjoon’s and between the two of you, Taehyung isn’t sure how there’s not a daily debate on whatever topic either of you bring up. Yesterday, when you’d rifled through half the shelves at the store, you resembled a kid in a candy store.

“Boss.” Jimin knocks on the door as Taehyung gets out of bed to answer it. He grins at Taehyung when he sees the look on his face. “Morning, boss. How’d you sleep?”

“Don’t let her out of your sight,” Taehyung snaps at him in return, yet Jimin merely laughs. “I don’t care if she brings home the whole fucking store, as long as she makes it home, am I understood?”

“Yes, sir.” Jimin nods, side eyeing one upset looking Jeon Jungkook and gesturing to him. “If it makes you feel any better, Taehyung, you’re not the only one who thinks she should stay in.”

“Are you saying she should be out and about with everything that’s going on?”

“I’m saying that despite whatever progress you’ve made as a couple,” Jimin clarifies, “if she continues to feel suffocated, she’ll lose her mind. You’ve seen it happen.”

Taehyung opens his mouth to argue with him when you duck beneath his arm, fresh faced and dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt, a jacket hanging over your arm, and the backpack you’re sure to fill with books. You step up next to Jungkook, nudging his side with your elbow and not so subtly tilting your head Taehyung’s way.

Jungkook looks like he’d rather vomit than say whatever is lingering on his tongue, but you pin him with a look that says he’d better spit it out. “Yesterday,” he clears his throat and looks to his feet as he addresses Taehyung, “I was out of line, boss.”

Jimin reels back in shock, Taehyung following his lead. Jungkook is still young and while he makes for a great marksman and an even better fighter, his mindset can be hard to crack through. Though he’d never been defiant against Taehyung, he could still be stubborn in his ways and would sooner chew off his own arm than admit he was wrong. So, this is what you were up to last night. Taehyung had known you’d been texting Jungkook, he just didn’t know what about and had honestly forgotten all about it until now.

You give Jungkook another hard nudge and when he shakes his head, you stomp on the top of his foot. Both Jimin and Taehyung raise their brows at the way you dig your heel in until Jungkook finally caves and lifts his foot to get you off.

“Arlight!” Jungkook hisses in pain and resists the urge to kick off his shoe to see if you’d broken any bones. “I shouldn’t have overstepped and it won’t happen again.”

“Let’s go,” you announce with satisfaction and shoulder past Jungkook, who limps after your retreating figure.

Jimin waits until you’re both out of sight to throw his head back and roar with laughter, nearly toppling over as he wheezes. “Sh-She really made him apologize. She got the most stubborn person on the planet to say he’s sorry. Oh, my God, I really think she’s my new favorite person.”

“She most likely did it for his benefit more than mine.” Taehyung is still unable to fully process what just happened. “Losing Jungkookie as her bodyguard would devastate her.”

“Even so,” Jimin gasps as he tries to catch his breath, “she still got him to admit he was wrong. That was gold. I should have recorded it.”

“Yoongi probably already did.”

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Namjoon and Hoseok arrive back at the house not long after you leave, refusing to believe Yoongi’s tale of Jungkook’s apology.

“No way.” Hoseok shakes his head. “Jungkook would rather shoot himself in the foot than admit he was wrong.”

“Hobi’s right,” Namjoon agrees with a nod. He’s sitting in the chair next to Yoongi’s in the security room while Taehyung and Seokjin prepare for Cecil’s visit. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Then I suppose it’s a good thing I got it on camera.” Yoongi snickers, pulling up the feed from this morning and pressing play.

Namjoon and Hoseok simultaneously wince when you shove your foot into Jungkook’s and put a good amount of pressure on it for some time. They listen to Jungkook apologize without really using the words ‘I’m sorry’, but it seems to be good enough for you. It’s when he limps after you that Namjoon and Hoseok share an amused look before bursting into laughter.

“Jimin is so lucky he was there.” Hoseok wipes at an invisible tear as Seokjin steps into the room with a questioning look.

“Do you 3 mind getting your asses in gear and getting the hell out here?” Seokjin scolds them. “Cecil just pulled through the gate.”

Namjoon, Hoseok, and Yoongi right themselves before following Seokjin to the living room where Taehyung is already waiting. They move to stand behind him just as Cecil strolls in through the foyer. All but Taehyung sneer at him and the two men at his side.

Cecil is an old, sweaty, greasy excuse of a man that couldn’t be more than 5’5. He’s balding, though he attempts to cover it up with a toupee, his stomach hangs over the waistline of his pants, and he smiles with crooked and yellow teeth. Even his appearance could be looked past if he wasn’t such a piece of shit person. Before Mr. Kim had gotten involved, Cecil had dabbled in human trafficking, mostly targeting women and girls 13 and older. When Mr. Kim had begun building his empire, Cecil was desperate to work underneath him, but Mr. Kim had demolished the trafficking ring Cecil had run in response. Cecil had exploded and accused Mr. Kim of being a hypocrite when Mr. Kim himself had dealt in drugs and assassinations. Mr. Kim admitted to being an awful person, but neither he nor anyone wishing to work with him would ever deal in people. Needless to say, Cecil had never gained Mr. Kim’s trust and very few people chose to work with Cecil anymore. Everything about this poor excuse of a man is nauseating.

“Kim,” Cecil greets with a sneer of his own, “you’re very much like your father, aren’t you? Sticking your nose in my business where it doesn’t belong.”

“Your business with the Seong family is my business, Cecil.” Taehyung peers at the two men flanking either side of Cecil. “What do you want from them?”

“Who says I want anything?” Cecil taunts. “I saw a pretty face and wanted it for my collection. I wasn’t aware she was a Seong girl.”

“And my wife,” Taehyung informs through clenched teeth. “You were aware that this is my home, and that she lives here, so why the fuck are you really circling around here, you greasy son of a bitch?”

“I knew this was your home when my boys scoped it out.” Cecil nods, observing the living room carefully. “I just thought the Seong brothers put her under your protection. I had no idea she was your new whore.”

Fire flashes in Taehyung’s eyes, nostrils flaring, as he steps in Cecil’s direction. “My original plan was to find out what you wanted and be done with you. Now the only way you’ll be leaving here is in pieces.”

Namjoon and Hoseok advance on the two men Cecil has with them. The men fight, but they’re no match for Namjoon and Hoseok, going down quite easily. Seokjin and Yoongi draw their guns quickly, both cocking back the firing pin as Cecil panics.

“I’m not the one that’s after her!” Cecil admits, hands raised in surrender. “I don’t know who is!”

“Don’t fuck with me, Cecil.” Taehyung raises a hand to stop Seokjin and Yoongi from pulling the trigger.

“I’m not!” Cecil insists. “It’s like this, okay? I’m sitting in my office one day, giving over some books for a new product I want to move when I get a call from a number that’s untraceable. They tell me to look into the Seong family, that there’s only one living girl left, and they want to get their hands on her. They tell me I’m the only one who can get it done, and they wired $1 million into my account as payment, but by the time I got to the Seong brothers, the girl was gone. She’d been moved and I told them that the next time they called. They were the ones who told me where to find her, they were the ones who set up the plan to trick your cameras, I just had the perfect lackey, that’s all.”

“What else do they want from her?” Yoongi is the one to ask, hand shaking with rage at the thought of someone getting to you.

“They didn’t say. Just that they wanted her.”

“Boss.” Namjoon looks panicked, and Taehyung is about to ask why when the sound of the front door opening hits his ears.

“Fuck,” Taehyung hisses, swiftly barreling into the foyer. He relaxes when he finds that his father is the one coming through the door. “Dad, you should have called.”

“I did.” Mr. Kim pats his son’s shoulder. “Y/N said she was out and that you’d be busy at home.”

“Why did you call Y/N?”

“Because she’s my daughter-in-law,” Mr. Kim states as if that should have been enough of an explanation, “whom I happen to adore very much, so if you’re done lecturing me, then shall we proceed?”

Taehyung guides his father back to Cecil and his unconscious men, nodding his head at Namjoon when he’s met with a questioning raise of Namjoon’s eyebrow.

“Mr. Kim.” Hoseok beams at Taehyung’s father as he looms over one of two beaten men.

“Always a pleasure, Hoseok.” Mr. Kim returns his smile fondly before turning his attention to Cecil. “I’m not at all surprised that you’re behind this, Cecil. I am, however, surprised that you were stupid enough to believe you could get away with it.”

“My men are expecting me back soon,” Cecil informs the room and is less than enthused to find that Mr. Kim’s smile has not faltered. “If I’m not back, they have orders to swarm this place and swoop down on your girl, Kim.”

“Of course.” Mr. Kim nods at his declaration in the same way a mother would do to a child that’s spouting a lie. “I believe you, Cecil, I truly do. Unfortunately for you, there are no men left to wait for you.”

“What have you done?”

“It’s been brought to my attention that perhaps I’ve been too lenient with you and that I’ve killed men for far less than you’ve done. I plan on fixing that, starting with the complete eradication of your entire syndicate. Well, what’s left of it, anyways.”

“This is your son’s mess,” Cecil bellows, feeling his knees shake at the new information being given to him. If what Mr. Kim said rings true, then he won’t be able to rebuild. He’d already been hanging by a thread as is. “But here you are to clean it up for him while he runs around playing ‘boss’. Pathetic.”

“This isn’t a mess,” Mr. Kim corrects him with a dangerously straight face. “Nor is it something for my son to handle on his own when it affects the entire family. This is us coming to a solution for a problem that will soon cease to exist.”

Hoseok and Namjoon rush to Cecil with a wave of Mr. Kim’s hand, gripping him by the shoulders and dragging him back through the front door to Mr. Kim’s waiting car. They wrestle him into the back seat where two of Mr. Kim’s men sit patiently.

“You’re sure all of his men are dead?” Taehyung asks his father.

“Every single one,” he assures. “We’ll handle Cecil from here. It’ll get bloody and your mother’s used to seeing it on my hands. Y/N hasn’t had to clean you up after a job yet, I’d like to help you keep it that way.”

“Cleaning him up isn’t exactly what she’d do,” Hoseok jokes upon his return to the living room. “More like make him sleep on the couch.”

Taehyung rolls his eyes while his father and Hoseok share a laugh. He doesn’t argue against Hoseok’s joke because it’s true. Though it would be more from being pissed off that he’d get into a fight in the first place than it would out of concern for staining an expensive set of sheets. When his phone rings, he barely hears it over the ruckus that is his father and idiot friend, but he fishes it from his pocket when he finally does hear it. “Jungkook.”

“She’s gone,” Jungkook is panting from having run around the entire bookstore and then around the entire neighborhood.

“What the fuck do you mean gone?!” Taehyung’s voice booms so loud that Seokjin and Yoongi drop the two men they’d been working on disposing of. “Where?! How?!”

“She went to the restroom, but never came out.” Jungkook can feel his chest tightening with each passing minute. He needs to find you. Not just for the sake of his own life. For the desperate need to make sure you’re still alive yourself. “We took all the precautions. No one was in there when she went in. We kept watch, boss, I swear on my life. She just never came out.”

Yoongi doesn’t need to be told to hop onto his tablet and tap into your phone. His fingers are already racing across the screen when Taehyung turns to him. Mr. Kim is rushing out with his own phone to his ear, barking orders to search the entire city, shut it completely down if need be. Namjoon, Hoseok, and Seokjin feel helpless when all they can do is wait for Taehyung’s command. They could attempt to hack your phone, but that’s what Yoongi’s for, and if he can’t find you then they for damn sure won’t be able to.

Taehyung is running through every possibility in his head and finds nothing to clue him in as to where you could be. Yoongi’s frantic ‘I found her!’ has everyone gathering around him, Taehyung’s nostrils flaring at the location on the screen. He still has Jungkook on the phone, informing him that, “We know where she is, Jungkook, calm yourself now. Get Jimin and meet me back at the house as fast as you can. We’re going to pick her up.”

“You want us to ride with you?” Namjoon asks, the concern in his eyes quickly morphing into anger. If anything had happened to you…

“No,” Taehyung sighs as he hangs up the phone. “I want Yoongi and Hoseok to go talk to the Ahn brothers. They have eyes and ears everywhere. I’m sure they can give us some answers.”

“I’d rather go with you,” Hoseok chimes in. “Y/N has a tendency to listen more when I’m there.”

“Everyone has a tendency to listen more when you’re around, Hoseok,” Seokjin points out.

“Which is exactly why you’re going with Yoongi to the Ahn brothers.” Taehyung begins dialing his father’s number into his phone, hoping to stop him before his men turn over the entire city.

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It’s the second month of your marriage when you finally get your phone and laptop back. You comb through both of them to make sure they still work the way they’re supposed to. Yoongi had promised that he didn’t delete or alter anything and you’d snorted in denial. Taehyung had taken them for a reason and if Yoongi was the one returning them, then they’d both definitely been tampered with. You were holed up in your room for hours, answering emails and text messages, scrolling through Instagram and Facebook to catch up on your friends’ lives, editing pictures that you’d promised Soyoung weeks ago, and called the HR department of your job to confirm if you even still had one. They had seemed confused by your questions and had let you ramble on like an idiot before informing you that the leave of absence paperwork you’d submitted had been approved, and they were looking forward to whenever you were ready to return. It was after the phone call that you realized Taehyung had been the one to submit LOA papers on your behalf. That sneaky little son of a---.

“Y/N?” The tapping of Jungkook’s fingers on your door startles you. “Dinner’s ready. You haven’t eaten all day. If anything’s gone wrong with your phone or laptop, Yoongi will fix it. So, please come out and eat something.”

Your heart melts at his tone, looking to the bedside alarm clock to find that it was nearing 9 o’clock in the evening. Resisting the urge to face palm, you scramble out of bed and race for the door, throwing it open. “I’m sorry, Jungkook, I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“Is everything okay?” He steps back to give you space to move, shutting the door behind you and following along to the dining room. “Is there a problem with your stuff?”

“No, no,” you sigh, shaking your head and running a hand through your already messy hair. “I just lost track of time catching up on some things. I didn’t realize how late it was.”

“Didn’t you get hungry at all?”

“Not when I get busy doing things,” you explain and laugh at the expression on his face, a memory coming to mind. “Namjoon gave me that same look the other day when I was reading a book I borrowed from him. I guess I hadn’t been out of my room all day and missed lunch and dinner, so he came looking for me. I told him that when I was a kid, my mom used to lose her head when she couldn’t find me. At the time, I didn’t fully understand how dangerous it was to wander off by myself. Anyways, her and my dad would tear the house apart looking for me. Turns out, I’d ended up being curled underneath my bed with a book in my hands. The second I learned how to read, I never stopped. It drove my parents nuts because I would become so engrossed in a book that I wouldn’t pay attention to the world around me. They complained that I needed real friends, not imaginary ones, and set up playdates with their friends’ kids. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that I actually had made friends, through the equal admiration and love for a specific book.”

“You must miss them,” he notes and winces at the sheer stupidity of it. Of course you miss them. “I’m sorry. That was a dumb thing to say.”

“No,” you smile at him. “I miss them very much. I was 14 when they died, so they didn’t get to see me grow into adulthood. Some days it’s a little harder than others.”

“I’m sure they would have been very proud.”

“Not if they knew what a huge nerd I stayed,” you joke and earn yourself one of his rare bunny smiles, teeth, dimples, and all. “They never met any of the friends I still have now. Soyoung, Yunhee, and Bora are the same girls who’ve stuck by me for so long. Soyoung was actually the girl I met who loved the same book she’d caught me reading like a loner during recess one day.” You laugh fondly as you recall the start of your friendships. “Or attempting to read, I should say. A few annoying boys from our class had taken the book from my hands and played a little game of keep away. Soyoung saw them, came over, knocked the biggest one to the ground, and challenged the rest of them to a fight. They ran away and Soyoung spent the rest of the time sitting with me to make sure they didn’t come back.”

Jungkook isn’t sure what he’s done to deserve the retelling of a happy memory, but he doesn’t stop you from talking, even when he finally steps into the dining room where Taehyung is already waiting. When he sees Taehyung, he attempts to interrupt your story, though he doesn’t as Taehyung shakes his head with a slight smile on his lips.

“That was the first time I knew what protection was,” you continue while staring off into space, not yet noticing Taehyung standing from the table. “Sure, my parents had their own version of it, but having their security guards around wasn’t the same as having someone around that actually listened to you.”

“Princess.” Taehyung almost laughs at how high you jump in place. “Are you ready to eat something?”

With your trip down memory lane on hold, you walk past him to sit at the table. You think maybe you shared a little too much with Jungkook. For two solid months, you’d managed to hold off giving up your friends’ names, even when Taehyung had offered to have them brought over to stave off your boredom. Nothing had ever sounded so tempting and had you said yes, it would have undoubtedly been an amazing day. Still, you can’t risk their lives for your own selfishness. You look down to the plate filled with carbonara, your favorite, and bite back a smile because you know it was Taehyung’s idea to have it served. You’re not willing to give him the satisfaction of seeing you smile when he had held your phone and laptop hostage for two months.

Taehyung sits beside you as Jungkook stands just a few feet away and Jimin comes in to stand at the other exit. He sees your eyes squint with suspicion and almost tells you that he’s expecting a guest. Instead he taps gently on the table to get your attention. “Is there a specific reason you didn’t eat anything today? Or so much as leave your room?”

You give him a sideways glance, jamming the fork left for you in the pasta. “You had my phone and laptop for the last two months, Taehyung, things piled up.”

“And catching up was more important than eating or seeing the sun?”

“I wasn’t hungry and I prefer the moon to the sun anyways, so yes, catching up was more important.” Only half of that is true and just barely. It’s not that you weren’t hungry at all, it’s that you didn’t notice you were hungry until Jungkook had come to fetch you.

Taehyung rests his elbows on the table, rubbing at his temples and hearing Jimin snicker in the corner of the room. “Princess---.”

Suddenly you lean in close, propping your chin in the palm of your hand and hoping neither Jimin nor Jungkook can hear the next words about to come out of your mouth. Your gaze drops to Taehyung’s lips and then flickers back to the intensity of his eyes, the corners of your mouth tilting up. “Will you fuck me, Tae?”

Taahyung chokes on his own spit as you sit back, satisfied at having rattled him. He’s 100% sure you’re not serious and it’s payback for what he pulled the day he took your computer and phone. Lifting a hand to his mouth, he clears his throat and peers at Jungkook, then Jimin, who hadn’t heard what you said but laughed at Taehyung’s expense all the same. When his eyes land back on you, they’re met with a cat-like grin on your lips, your teeth biting down on the steel fork as you shove pasta into your mouth.

“Cute,” he comments dryly. He’s not completely unamused but he won’t be cracking a smile soon either. You had called him ‘Tae’, a nickname reserved solely for you to use when you’d gifted it to him as children. As a kid, it melted his heart when you would call out his nickname and he would do anything you asked. Now, it brings on an entirely different reaction and he’s adjusting the way he sits, and he knows you know why he’s squirming in his seat.

“Something wrong, Taehyung?” You pretend to be worried, hearing Jimin take a step in the direction of the table in case something was wrong with Taehyung. “You look uncomfortable.”

“I know you’re fucking with me,” he rasps through grit teeth and Jimin freezes in place. “But on the off chance that you’re not, the answer is ‘yes’, princess, I will fuck you tonight. I’m so glad you asked.”

Jungkook lets out an awkward cough as a deep blush creeps up your neck. He looks over at Jimin, the older man nearly doubled over in glee with a hand covering his mouth. He thinks he should step in and give you an excuse to flee, but truthfully, you really should have known better.

“You get on my fucking nerves, Kim Taehyung,” you hiss and hear Jungkook hiccup at the bold way you speak to Taehyung. With a quick glance, you can see his eyes go wide and jaw drop before he looks at Taehyung in a panic.

“Relax, Jungkookie,” Taehyung chuckles darkly, completely abandoning his food in favor of reaching out to grip the back of your neck to pull you close. “I’ve killed for less, you know.”

“Then by all means,” you challenge, have no qualms about matching his glare, “kill me, Taehyung.”

“How charming,” someone quips from the dining room entrance and you snap your head up to look for the unfamiliar voice.

“Hoseok,” Taehyung leans back in his chair and lets you stew in panic for a minute. “You finished your assignment early. You’re not due back for another few weeks.”

“I got impatient.” Hoseok shrugs in response, eyes darting to you. “Ah, so you’re Y/N. I have to say, you’re much prettier than Taehyung gives you credit for.”

“Is that so?” You manage to relax at the familiarity between your husband and this new stranger.

“He really doesn’t do you justice,” Hoseok teases, watching Taehyung tense. “Relax, boss, I’m not going to steal your wife. Though if she happens to fall for my charm then it’s really not my fault.”

Taehyung hears you bite down on a laugh and rolls his tongue against his cheek in irritation. With your attention still on Hoseok, he takes the opportunity to invade your space by leaning in close.“Finish your food, princess, and then go to bed.”

“I’m not a kid, you know.” You turn to him, breath hitching at his proximity. Moments ago, you’d been too pissed to care how close he was, not to mention how mad he was himself. But his face had softened in the last few minutes, now looking at you as he always did.

“I’ll make you a deal,” Taehyung offers, hand coming up to twist your hair in his fingers. “You finish your dinner and I’ll give you anything you want. Sound fair?”

“I want to go back to work.”

Taehyung sighs and leans back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Anything but that, Y/N.”

“That counts as anything, Taehyung,” you argue through clenched teeth. “You don’t get to change the rules because you don’t like what I’ve asked for.”

“It’s not safe for you to go back to work right now.”

“Then I’ll take Jungkook with me.” You’re not opposed to begging, not if it gets you back to work. “My cousins used to have men watch over me at my job all the time. As paranoid as Joongki is, he still let me go to work, that’s a testament to how uneventful that place is.”

“The answer is ‘no’.” Taehyung’s voice is firm as he sets his jaw. There are many things he’d be willing to bend on. You leaving the house is not one of them. “Don’t pout at me like a child or like I’ve kicked your puppy. You asked, I answered, and now you deal with that, am I clear?”

“Are you, really?” You push away from the table with so much force that the chair nearly falls backwards in the process. “Or are you going to change your mind when it suits you?”

Jungkook moves behind you quickly should Taehyung decide he’s had enough of your attitude and goes back on his promise to never harm you. He isn’t allowed to stop whatever Taehyung may do, but he is allowed to stop it from going too far.

“Sometimes I think you forget how hard I can push back.” You glare down at your husband. “And how painful that can get for whoever I feel like putting in their place.”

Hoseok lets out a whistle of appreciation after you storm out of the dining room with Jungkook hot on your heels. He looks at Taehyung, chuckles at his tired state, and sits at the table while Jimin decides to join them. “She’s a handful, Taehyung. Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“She’s not a handful,” Taehyung counters lamely because what Hoseok just saw definitely seemed like a handful. “Y/N’s lived like this her entire life and, unlike most of us, doesn’t embrace it.”

“Certainly sounds like she does.” Hoseok plucks the glass of water from where you previously sat and takes a sip. “Or does she only talk like that when she’s throwing a fit?”

“Believe me when I say if she plans on putting someone in their place,” Jimin finally speaks up, “she’s going to do it brutally. You’ll feel pretty stupid afterwards, too, so you should do what you can to avoid arguing with her, Hobi.”

Hoseok snorts. He won’t be intimidated by some girl who thinks she can handle the cruelties of this life just because she’s grown up around it. So has he, but he’s never been arrogant enough to throw out an attitude like that, especially not to a fucking boss of all people. Maybe if Taehyung wasn’t so whipped, he’d teach you what respect is.

“I’m serious, Hoseok.” Jimin is no longer smiling when Hoseok turns back to him. He recognizes the look in Hoseok’s eyes and doesn’t like it. If Taehyung, the one who actually gets a say in how you’re treated, says to never lay a hand on you no matter the circumstance, then all of the boys are to keep their damn hands off. His friend is far from abusive, Hoseok simply respects the chain of command with more passion than anybody. If something threatens that, then he’ll do what’s necessary to protect it. “If you can’t handle Y/N’s attitude, then you stay the hell away from her.”

Hoseok watches Jimin march out of the dining room, rolling his tongue against the inside of his cheek before facing Taehyung. “First Jungkookie looks ready to throw himself between you and her in the middle of a fight, and now Jimin thinks he can just go around threatening anybody. That girl’s power trip must be contagious.”

“We’ve been friends for a long time, Hoseok.” Taehyung curls his hand into a fist on the table and notices Hoseok’s eyes dart to the action. “But if you can’t respect Y/N, then I’ll toss you right back where I found you, rotting in the gutter.”

Hoseok looks down at the table and smiles, not at all bothered by Taehyung’s threat. “She reminds me of your mom. Y/N’s so much like her that I flashed back to the Christmas of our senior year in high school. Remember that?” He doesn’t wait for Taehyung to answer before he continues. “Your father had promised that year’s Christmas to be a work free one, but when she’d caught him on the phone, dealing with another shipment, she lost her mind. She screamed at him, hit him, threatened to disappear from his life if he didn’t get his shit together.”

Taehyung laughs at the memory. “Everyone had been home that Christmas. My grandparents, my aunts, and uncles. They all watched my big bad father get chewed out by a woman who could barely reach his shoulders. They likened it to a pitbull being afraid of a chihuahua. I think that’s why my mother loves Y/N so much, because she doesn’t take anyone’s shit.”

“So she has momma Kim’s seal of approval, huh?”

“The only girl who ever has.”

“You did bring some pretty mean trainwrecks through her house.” Hoseok teases him, though his smile drops as he becomes serious once again. “I know Jimin thinks I’ll hurt Y/N if I think she’s overstepped, but I won’t. If anything, I look forward to watching you cowering under the hateful gaze of your wife. It’ll be the most entertaining thing that’s happened in a long time.”

“All of the boys are excited to watch that happen.” Taehyung shakes his head.

“Are you going to let her go back to work?” Hoseok tilts his head in question. “It won’t be too bad if Jungkook’s with her. Maybe she’ll even let Jimin tag along.”

“I can’t take that chance right now. Joongki might have let her work, but there weren’t any threats against them at the time. Now someone’s after the Seong brothers and if they can use Y/N to do it, they will.”

“This is the Y/N you’ve been obsessed with since you were a kid, isn’t it?”

“I wasn’t obsessed,” Taehyung insists. “At least not in a creepy way.”

“She’s married to you,” Hoseok points out. “The girl you’ve been hopelessly pining after since you were a teenager is now your wife. Tell me that doesn’t sound like a creepy stalker.”

“Shut up, Hobi.”

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Standing across from Taehyung in the break room of your workplace, you grip the strap of your backpack tight and clench your teeth. You should have known better. Honestly, you almost didn’t run off because you knew he’d come chasing you down eventually. Even more honestly, if you didn’t actually want him to know where you were then leaving your phone somewhere miles off would have been the best idea. You’re aware of the ‘discreet’ tracking app that Yoongi had installed on the phone, hiding it amongst the music files as if you hadn’t memorized each and every one.

Coworkers gather around to watch the spectacle Taehyung has created. Some have the decency to pretend they’re not being nosy while others whisper to each other about the handsome stranger you’re facing off with. Most women are trying their hardest to catch his eye, but his focus is solely on you. It drives the women nuts and you almost smile at the thought until Jimin and Jungkook flank Taehyung on either side.

You almost flinch at the look of betrayal on Jungkook’s face. He was in charge of you, of your whereabouts and needs, and you ran from him. You’d snuck off from right under his nose and sent him into a panic, leaving him with no other option than to dial Taehyung. His anxiety subsided when Taehyung calmly explained that he was sure of where’d you be, thus leading them to this moment. You want to explain, to tell him that deceiving him was one of the hardest decisions you’ve made in a long time. There’s relief in his eyes, obviously, but there’s also anger and pain. “Jungkookie, I---.”

“Y/N?” Your friend and ex-boyfriend, Seojun, questions as he enters the break room. He scans over Taehyung, Jungkook, and Jimin, sensing the anger rolling off of you in waves. He steps in your direction to make sure you’re alright. Being broken up doesn’t mean he can’t still care about you. When your eyes cut to him, he catches you wince before the deep bass of Taehyung’s voice recaptures your attention.

“Princess,” Taehyung grits out in irritation when your attention shifts elsewhere. A smirk lights up his features when your eyes dart between him and the man who’d just called your name, panic crossing your features. You don’t want him to know who this is and that’s something he can use to his advantage. “You could have easily avoided my being here if you hadn’t snuck away from Jungkook. You really hurt his feelings, sweetheart. Look at him, he’s heartbroken.”

“Shattered into a million pieces, boss,” Jungkook deadpans, earning himself a spiteful glare. Tilting his chin and raising a brow, he silently questions why you’re the one who’s angry when he’d been running around like a chicken with his head cut off for the past two hours.

“Something of his will be broken soon, but I can assure you it won’t be his heart,” you snap, making Taehyung grin his rare boxy smile that you’d possibly return on any other day. Now though, now you want to slap the smile off his annoyingly handsome face. You see Jimin take a cautious step away from Jungkook in hopes of protecting himself and admittedly, it almost makes you giggle. Jimin always knows how to make you laugh even on the darkest of days, yet as he stands at Taehyung’s side, you know who he’ll always remain loyal to.

Taehyung’s heavy sigh slices the tense air and he’s in front of you in a matter of seconds, tucking a stray hair behind your ear. He can see the internal struggle you have to not recoil at his touch or slap his hand away. Maintaining a public image is something drilled into someone as soon as they step into the mafia life, but he figured you’d be angry enough to not care in front of your coworkers, and expecting you to blow up at him. When you don’t, he suspects it has something to do with the women who haven’t stopped ogling him since he first walked in. “Interesting,” he voices aloud and you jump at the way his fingers slide along the length of your jaw before he tucks his thumb, tilting your chin upward.

Your breath catches in your throat as he steps closer, bridging the gap between you two. It takes everything in you to not bite the thumb currently skimming across your bottom lip. The last time you’d done that, Taehyung had taken it upon himself to return the favor by biting down on the pulse point of your neck. You don’t need a repeat of that incident in front of your coworkers. A sigh escapes you when he wraps his free arm around your waist and nuzzles his face in your hair.

“You don’t want me,” Taehyung whispers in your ear, playfully nipping at it, “but you don’t want them to have me either, do you, princess?”

You grit your teeth, dropping your forehead to his chest, and using your hair as a curtain to hide your mouth. “I don’t care if they want you, Kim Taehyung. You could take any of them home right now if you wanted to and I wouldn’t give a damn.”

“Don’t tempt me, Y/N,” he growls low and it’s then that you realize how angry he truly is. Taehyung doesn’t use your real name with the exception of introductions during a dinner party, charity event, and when you get too stubborn in your ways. “If you want me to take a girl home and fuck her brains out while you sit and stew in your own denial, then I will.”

You stiffen in his arms, the mere thought making you nauseous. You know damn well how eager any one of these girls would be to jump in bed with him. Suddenly, a certain presence looms over the room, something dark makes the place feel smaller than it already is. “Seojun,” you breathe with realization. It’s him, his stare nearly burning a hole into the side of your face as his jealousy blankets the room.

Taehyung grits his teeth, hand sliding up to tighten at the nape of your neck and knotting the hair there. His fingers twitch against your scalp as he’s about to move away to face whoever the hell Seojun is. His grip loosens and fear strikes the air before you’re looping your arms through his to lock together at his back. The embrace is seemingly romantic to everyone else, but he knows that it’s to keep him in place.

He sighs once more and skims his fingers down to massage the tension in your neck, lips brushing against your cheek as he pretends to ignore what you’ve just said. “Can I kiss you, princess? And then every girl in here will know who I belong to. Sound good to you, baby?”

You’re on the tips of your toes, gripping the back of his neck, and tugging him down into a kiss as soon as he finishes the question. The hand in your hair tugs on it gently, silently asking for you to open up to him, but you’re already pulling away before it goes too far. Public affection is never something you could bring yourself to like but Taehyung makes it a little more tolerable. Even so, this was still your place of work and it requires a level of professionalism that you’re one more kiss away from throwing out the window.

Taehyung grins against your mouth as your chest heaves and he straightens up to take the backpack hanging from your shoulder. He tosses the bag to Jimin, who immediately digs through it in search of your work vest. With Cecil’s men dead and Jungkook on a new level of awareness after your disappearing act, enough of the threats to the Seong family have been eliminated for you to work peacefully. You’re not entirely out of the woods just yet, there’s still the matter of finding who paid Cecil, but he’s already spoken with your boss about Jungkook hanging around and keeping an eye on you. He’ll send Jimin down to help after the house has been cleaned up.

Jimin produces your vest and tosses it to Taehyung after swiping the name badge clipped on the fabric. He hands Jungkook the backpack to rifle through the contents, catching a quick peek of your puzzle book. Such a nerd, he thinks as a fond smile spreads across his face.

“I could murder her,” Jungkook mumbles from beside Jimin. “Scaring the shit out of us like that. Almost getting us killed because Taehyung was so pissed.”

“You have to admit that her determination is admirable,” Jimin jokes, nudging Jungkook with his elbow. “Come on, Jungkookie, don’t stay upset with her for too long. You saw the look on her face when we came in. She didn’t like sneaking away from us, but did we give her any other choice? No. So stop pouting and hold down the fort until I get back.”

Jungkook snorts in response. He’s still pissed off at himself for letting you slip through his fingers like that. Jimin only chuckles under his breath and Jungkook is left rolling his eyes. He catches the sight of Seojun in the process, the man’s mouth parted with confusion and brows pinched together in anger. Jungkook looks Seojun over and notes the way his eyes never leave you and Taehyung. Elbowing Jimin to get his attention, he gestures to Seojun, and Jimin clocks the way Seojun’s fists curl at his sides.

Taehyung is too busy swinging the vest around your shoulders to pay any more attention to Seojun. Pulling the zipper up to secure your vest, he tugs you a step closer and fiddles with the pull tab while pressing his forehead to yours. “You can stay, sweetheart.”

“I can?” You break out into a smile before you can stop yourself, pulling back to see his face. If he’s pulling a cruel joke, you’ll kill him. You will 1,000% murder your husband on the spot. But no, he’s not teasing you. “Seriously?”

“Under the condition that Jungkookie stays with you,” Taehyung clarifies, setting his jaw. When you bite your bottom lip in attempt to stop your smile, he tests your giddiness by leaning in for another quick kiss that you happily return. “Jimin will be back in about an hour to help him keep watch. So don’t try to run away from either of them.”

“I promise!” You throw your arms around his shoulders and squeeze him close. To a normal couple, being told that one actually has permission to do their job would be cause for concern. So it was understandably confusing for your coworkers when you practically vibrated with excitement at being allowed to work, of all things.

Taehyung presses another kiss to your lips, holding it just a bit longer than the previous two and smiles as you laugh against him. He’s surprised to find that he can easily slip his tongue past your parted lips, and that you eagerly accept him. When he finally pulls away, you’re looking at him like he just gave you the world, and it dawns on him that this, this is all you asked for. The freedom to make your own choices and keep at least a little bit of your previous life didn’t seem like an option with your cousins and now he was doing the same thing they had. He’s keeping you from enjoying the little things like the job you didn’t necessarily have to keep anymore.

“Thank you, thank you! I’ll see you at home, bye!” You rush past your husband, quickly snatching the name badge Jimin was holding out, and dancing in place as you swipe it through the time clock. Jungkook is basically sprinting after you in an effort to keep up with your newfound energy.

Jimin steps up beside his friend as Taehyung tries to compose himself by shoving one hand in his pocket and clearing his throat. He rolls his eyes as Taehyung uses his thumb to swipe away the chapstick you’d left behind on his lips. “You look like a kid in a candy store, you weirdo.”

“She called it home.”

“Yeah, for now,” Jimin snorts and it’s Taehyung’s turn to roll his eyes. “I give it two days before you fuck up something else.”

“Thanks for the support, asshole.”

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You don’t explore much of the house until about the 4th month into the marriage. You've seen most of the first floor and so far, Namjoon’s miniature library is your favorite place. The second floor consists of the guys’ rooms and you find it odd that Taehyung would have them sleep an entire floor away from you. They’re meant to protect you should anything go wrong, so why?

“Find what you’re looking for, Mrs. Kim?”

You jump and whirl around to face Hoseok, your heart nearly beating out of your chest. “Jesus, Hobi. You scared the hell out of me.”

“Sorry,” he laughs, though he doesn’t seem very apologetic at all. He’s drenched in sweat, hair is matted to his forehead, and he’s unraveling tape from his knuckles.

“You were boxing,” you point out with admiration. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

“No, I was done anyways.” He waves his hand dismissively, but notes the way your lips part in curiosity. “Do you want to try?”

“I didn’t know Taehyung had a gym in the house.” You immediately change the subject. Yes, you want to box. Not exactly ‘try’ because you have enough training to defend yourself. This newfound knowledge of a home gym has you excited. The idea of being able to let out your frustrations on a punching bag is thrilling.

“Jungkook requested it before the house was built.”

“Kook did?” You reel back in surprise. If Jungkook was around before this house was built then… “How old is this place?”

“A few years, I believe.” Hoseok finishes unwrapping his hands and crumples up the used tape. “Taehyung had it built for you when he found out your cousin wanted to merge the families.”

“Right.” You clench your jaw. You often forget how long this plan was in the making before judgement day. Or your ‘wedding’, as some would call it. Still, that Taehyung would go through such effort to build a home just for you, almost brings a smile to your face. Shaking the thought from your head, you take the tape from Hoseok’s hands to keep your own occupied. The itch to pick at your cuticles is clawing its way to the surface and you need to stop it before it takes over. “It’s flattering, I know that, but it’s also a reminder of the life I didn’t intend on having.”

“A safe one?” Hoseok quirks one of his brows, watching you fiddle with the used tape and catching the tiny scabs on your cuticles.

“A different one,” you say as the ball of tape is tossed back and forth between your hands. “One where I didn’t feel like a prisoner.”

“What happened?” He quickly snatches one of your hands and the tape falls to the floor. There’s a hint of dried blood on the cuticles of your nails and the skin around the pads of your fingers look to be gnawed on. “How long have you been doing this?”

You try to pull your hand back but it’s useless when it comes to escaping Hoseok. You learned this after spending a month with him as your bodyguard instead of Jungkook, when Taehyung had insisted you build a friendship with Hoseok before the rest of the guys. You had asked why and it had become clear after Hoseok was the one to track you down in a matter of minutes during your first attempt to run away.

“Hobi,” you grunt, twisting your wrist out and away from his hold with ease, instead wrapping your own fingers around his wrist to shove him away and he stumbles back. You laugh at the shock on his face. “Sometimes when I get too nervous or antsy, I chew on my fingers. It’s not very ladylike, is it? I didn’t do it for awhile after my teen years, but recently---.”

“How did you do that?” He interrupts your explanation. “Get out of my grip like that?”

Of course, he knows how you did it. His question is more about who trained you to do it, who taught you to defend yourself, and who taught you to fight. It’s the first time he’s seeing anything like it from you and he’s sure that Taehyung and Jungkook, or any of the guys for that matter, have no clue you can do it either.

You shoot him a teasing smile and pick the tape up from the floor. “My grandfather always wanted to make sure I could do at least the bare minimum if I was attacked. So, he had some of his men teach me to fight alongside Joongki and Jeonghan. I’m sure I’m nowhere near any of your guys’ levels, but I like to think I could hold my own against you if need be.”

“You’re really something else, aren’t you?” Hoseok questions with awe. He doesn’t mean it in an offensive way and he’s glad you realize that as your shoulders tremble with more laughter. “Taehyung always said you were amazing, but I thought it was because he’s so in love with you. Not because you’re a genuinely amazing person.”

You pale at the words ‘in love’ because although you’ve always known about Taehyung’s affections, you’ve never known how deep they truly run. Up to this point, you thought his feelings were more infatuation and lust than anything else.

“Enjoying your little tour, princess?” Taehyung comes from around the corner, leaning against the wall.

“You’re back.” You resist the urge to go to him. The space he’d given you when you first moved in was welcomed, and then you’d gone and given him a reason to revoke that privilege by trying to run away. After spending time together now that he’d been sleeping in the same room, that you had come to learn was actually the master bedroom and he’d been gentleman enough to leave it to only you, you found that you would actually miss him when he was out. There are nights when you sidle up to him as soon as he steps in the door, and you know he’s aware of how dependent you’ve become on his presence because Jimin did you the not so kind favor of pointing it out.

“I’m home,” Taehyung confirms, the ends of his lips almost tugging up into a smile. The way you basically wait for him to come home every day tugs at his heart. He didn’t think it would only take a few months for you to warm up to him, slowly, but definitely surely. He’d calculated that it would take you at least a year to want to be around him. Maybe two, maybe even ten given how stubborn you are. “Finally found your way upstairs, huh?”

“I was bored.”

“I know.” He pushes off the wall and comes to take the tape from your hands. He finally looks at Hoseok and nods. “Did Hoseok teach you anything?”

“Apparently there’s no need,” Hoseok explains while crossing his arms. “Did you know that she can fight? Not that sissy slap fight that some people do. I mean, real fighting, Taehyung.”

“You’re exaggerating, Hobi.” You roll your eyes and try to snatch the tape back from Taehyung, but he’s quick to pull it out of your reach. “You make it sound like we just went a full round of sparring. I was just able to get out of your hold, that’s all.”

“That’s the most important part,” Hoseok says as you and Taehyung begin a playful game of keep away. He’s sure you don’t notice the grin on your own face when you jump for the piece of trash in Taehyung’s hand. “Even if you can’t actually fight, being able to get away and run as fast as you can is the deciding factor in whether you live or die.”

You’re not listening anymore. It’s not to be rude or simply because you’ve heard it already. It’s because you’re trying to pry the tape away from your husband and you don’t even know why. Perhaps because you had it first? It’s childish thinking, you know it, but it’s what makes this part so fun. You make one final lunge for the used tape and Taehyung grabs your wrist, not prepared for you to counter it so quickly. Clamping down on his wrist with your free hand, you pry it away from your own and duck. You twist around, never letting up on his wrist, and pin his arm gently behind his back. A triumphant grin breaks out on your lips, but it’s short lived.

Taehyung spins around on his heel and is able to quickly back you against the wall. His fingers are already curling around your forearm to press against the plaster. He feels the push of your other hand to his chest and he’s shoved away with more force than expected. His chest rises and falls rapidly, winded from the surprising amount of energy this small little tussle took from him. You don’t rush to him like he thinks you will, instead clutching something in your hand that you open to reveal the balled up tape.

“Whoa,” Hoseok whispers, having been present the entire time rather than giving the two of you privacy like the other guys usually do. He was simply too curious to see how this would pan out. He’s going to say something, not entirely sure what words to use, when he looks back at Taehyung to find an all too familiar look on his face.

Taehyung’s pupils are blown wide as he drinks you in. From the cat-like curve of your lips, to the useless tape balled up in your palm, and down to the heaving of your chest. He’s always been an adrenaline junkie, he knows that, but never had a scuffle turned him on. The fact that you’re his wife and not some bulky, sweat drenched man definitely contributes.

“Well,” Hoseok chimes in uncomfortably, “I’m going to go anywhere that’s not here. You guys have fun.”

You don’t even realize Hoseok is still there until he breezes past you to make himself scarce, watching him disappear from the hallway. When you look back at Taehyung, he’s already in front of you and running the back of his knuckles across your cheek. The affectionate touch makes you blush, heat spreading across your entire body as he leans in so close that his nose bumps yours.

“Will you welcome me home, princess?” he rasps against your lips and it snaps you out of your own thoughts.

“Your home, Tae,” you whisper back and bump his nose gently, “not mine.”

“You are my home, Y/N.” His lips brush yours with every whisper before he fully presses against your mouth. A tiny kiss that somehow leaves you wanting much, much more. But then he’s pulling away and kissing your cheek next. “I know you hate being here, and the idea makes you want to puke, but this is your home. Always.”

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

Later, when you basically skip into the living room with a very tired looking Jungkook and Jimin, Taehyung is surprised when you plop next to him on the couch. You’re equally as exhausted as the guys, but it’s a good kind of tired, like you’ve accomplished something.

“What did you do to Jungkookie, princess?” Taehyung plays with the locks of your hair. He looks to his youngest member and almost laughs at the way Jungkook’s shoulders are slumped forward, his hair is matted with sweat, and like he’s on the verge of passing out.

Jimin is standing next to him looking pristine as ever, a smirk lifting the corner of his mouth at Jungkook’s state.

“I didn’t do anything to him.” You roll your eyes and laugh. “He was just having a hard time keeping up, that’s all.”

“Retail workers are animals!” Jungkook bellows, throwing his arms out in frustration. “And the customers who shop there are even worse! Who raised these people, savages?!”

“Kook, you’re in a gang!” You look at him like he’s grown two heads.

“Yeah well, nobody I’ve ever pointed a gun at has yelled at me for giving them the wrong color sweater, alright?” Jungkook runs his hand down his face before rubbing his tired eyes. “I need a nap.”

Taehyung chuckles as Jungkook stalks upstairs to his bedroom. His shift is over now that you’re home anyways, so the least Taehyung can do is let the poor kid sleep.

Jimin bids the two of you goodnight, making his way to the staircase and quickly following after Jungkook.

“I think Kook’s traumatized.” You turn your head to Taehyung just as he leans in and brushes his nose against yours.

“We should probably get him an emotional support animal,” he jokes, pressing a kiss to your cheek. “Did you have a good day, sweetheart?”

You tilt your chin up as his mouth travels lower, leaving open mouthed kisses down the column of your throat. Nodding in response to his question, you ask, “did you?”

“It’s boring in the house without someone to argue with,” his tongue snakes out lick at your skin before he’s pulling on it with his teeth.

“I’m sure Yoongi could have kept you entertained if you pushed his buttons enough.”

Taehyung knows that his being able to touch you within reason is basically a reward for granting you basic human rights. He didn’t like to think of it as keeping you a prisoner in your own home, but he knows there’s no other way to describe being locked inside almost 24 hours a day. He wanted to think you were finally understanding the rules and would stop fighting him. That wasn’t the case, he sees that now, because he practically falls to his knees every time you allow him to touch or kiss you. Little by little, you’re breaking his resolve with how defiant you can be, and then turning him to mush when he apologizes for making you feel a certain way. You’re practically training him like one would a new puppy.

“Tae,” your moan breaks his train of thought, and he pulls away to find that at some point he’d leaned you flat on your back. His hand had dipped into the waistband of your jeans and he was quick to pull back in case you were uncomfortable. You giggle and sit up to cup his jaw, giving him one more kiss before retreating to the bedroom.

“She’s happy,” Yoongi observes as he steps into the living room. “What did you do to deserve that?”

“Why doesn’t anybody in this house ever take my side?” Taehyung readjusts the way he sits on the couch. He beckons Yoongi closer and takes the tablet from his outstretched hand.

“Because it’s easier to take Y/N’s side.” Yoongi smirks. “It’s certainly more entertaining.”

“This Seojun guy,” Taehyung swipes through photos of your ex, most of which consisted of you by Seojun’s side or tucked underneath his arm. “Who is he?”

“A nobody, really.” Yoongi throws himself on the couch next to Taehyung. “Just some guy who was lucky enough to be hired fresh out of high school. He’s been with the company for 7 years now. He and Y/N dated for about a year before breaking up. Jimin asked around and found out that Seojun didn’t like how secretive Y/N was when it came to her family. So he broke up with her.”

“She didn’t look too happy when I showed up today.” Taehyung grips the tablet tighter when a picture pops up of you and Seojun from his instagram. You’re in a bed with Seojun’s arms wrapped tight around your waist and his face tucked in the crook of your neck.

“She never looks happy to see you,” Yoongi counters and earns himself a sneer.

“I’m saying she didn’t want me to know who this guy was, smartass.” Taehyung tosses the tablet back to Yoongi. He runs a hand through his hair and moves for the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. “Did you get anywhere with the Ahn brothers?”

Yoongi pulls up more images on his tablet and hands it to Taehyung. “The Choi family isn’t happy with Joongki and Jeonghan. It seems your family wasn’t the only one hoping to merge with the Seong’s.”

Taehyung stiffens as he swipes through photo after photo of you with Joongki’s men, but there was someone else trailing you. They weren’t close enough for you to think anything of it, and maybe your cousins hadn’t pieced it together yet either, but Taehyung knows this man, and he clenches his jaw. “Meaning?”

“Mr. Choi had been trying for months to convince Joongki to hand off Y/N to his oldest son, Hyunwoo, and he almost did before your father stepped in and told him the truth about the Choi family.” Yoongi leans against the kitchen counter and drops his voice to a whisper as the opening of a door echoes down the hallway. “Joongki didn’t want to scare Y/N or his brother, so he didn’t tell them why he was so quick to go to your father. Neither of the Seong brothers are the actual target. Y/N is.”

“What about me?” you pipe up, stepping into the kitchen while running a towel through your damp hair. You grab the glass full of water and take a few sips, eyeing Yoongi and Taehyung suspiciously. “What are you two up to?”

“Taehyung was curious about your friend Seojun,” Yoongi is quick to throw his boss underneath the bus, crossing his arms and tsking at Taehyung. “Jealousy is not a good color on you.”

“Sometimes I think you really forget what I’m capable of, Min Yoongi.” Taehyung pushes Yoongi out of the kitchen with a hiss. “Don’t think I won’t get you back for this, you son of a bitch.”

You hoist yourself onto the counter, running your hand through the tangled mess of clean hair. It should probably piss you off that Taehyung had Yoongi dig up information on Seojun, but your ex isn’t exactly your favorite person. After he’d broken up with you, he had made it pretty clear that unless you fessed up about your family, he wouldn’t be coming back any time soon. Six months after that, he’d heard about your marriage but was yet to know who your husband was. Protecting him from Taehyung earlier was more out of instinct than anything else. Taehyung just doesn’t have to know that part.

“You don’t like Seojun.” You swing your legs back and forth gently as Taehyung makes his way back into the kitchen.

“I don’t like any man that’s touched you before me.” He takes the cup back and downs the rest of the water. “I imagine you wouldn’t like meeting the women I’ve been with either.”

“Your one night stands aren’t comparable to the relationships I’ve had.” You glare at him with the hope that the side of his face will catch on fire. “Your women were just placeholders in your bed. They were there to warm it, not to become a permanent fixture in your life.”

“And you were planning on being a permanent fixture in Seojun’s life?” Taehyung turns to meet your glare with a sneer of his own. “Were you going to marry that pathetic little nobody, share a mediocre life, and live in comfort rather than luxury?”

“Your definition of luxury is burying someone in the most expensive gifts and then leaving them to their own vices.” You jump off the counter with a huff, snatching the towel you’d set down. “Maybe the women you’ve slept with could live with that, but I can’t. Seojun may not have millions of dollars to throw at anyone he wants, but he makes due with what he does have. And unlike you, his father wouldn’t have to step in to get me to marry him.”

Taehyung braces his hands against the counter as you saunter off, his shoulders tense and chest heaving with anger. He hears the slamming of the bedroom door and he bangs his fist against the counter before he’s storming down the hall after you. When he reaches the door, he’s even more pissed to find that you’ve locked it, and he’s seconds away from tearing it off its hinges when a piercing whistle catches his attention.

Jimin is standing at the end of the hallway, leaning against the wall and swinging a key ring around his finger. “Man, I really should have bet a few hours before you fucked things up instead of betting two days. I can’t wait to see how your wife reacts to you lying about having only one key to the master bedroom.”

Taehyung snatches the key from Jimin and growls out, “if you don’t want to be the next person I murder, then I suggest you walk away, Park.”

Jimin only shakes his head with a laugh, raising his hands in surrender and doing as he’s been told. It wasn’t the first time Taehyung threatened him and it certainly won’t be the last. He makes it back to his room in one piece where he finds the rest of the guys waiting. He grins as he looks around and says, “I think Y/N is my new hero. Nobody’s been able to piss off Taehyung like that in a long time.”

“She’s ballsy, I’ll give her that.” Yoongi looks up from the laptop he’d been typing away on.

“She’d make one hell of a leader,” Seokjin chimes in and Yoongi chuckles low in his throat.

“You’re lucky if Taehyung doesn’t have you tossed in a river with weights tied around your ankles for starting that fight,” Namjoon scolds Yoongi and gestures them closer to see what he’d been working on. “The Choi family is gaining quite the reputation for all the shit Hyunwoo keeps pulling. We’re talking gambling debts, jail time for street brawls, even a few women accusing him of sexual assault. I mean, this guy is close to costing Mr. Choi his whole empire. Nobody wants to work with them, even their supply is suffering. They’ll be left with nothing soon.”

“Choi wants to use Seong’s climbing reputation to save his own ass.” Jimin skims his eyes down the screen of Hyunwoo’s rap sheet.

“It goes a little deeper than that,” Namjoon frowns as Yoongi pulls up a different tab. “Hyunwoo went to high school with Y/N, had the biggest crush on her, but she always rejected him. I talked to her friends and they said that Hyunwoo couldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Whenever Y/N snubbed him, he’d corner one of them and threaten their lives if they didn’t try to talk Y/N into dating him. He was obsessed with her, still is. So I’m guessing he promised Choi that he’d clean up his act if he got Y/N.”

“Choi must have pursued Joongki for a long time.” Jungkook stretches his arms above his head until his back finally pops. He rolls his shoulders next as if preparing himself for a fight. If they go to Taehyung right now then they’d certainly be gearing up for one.

“He was close, too.” Yoongi curls his hands into fists at the thought of where you’d be now if Mr. Kim hadn’t stepped in. “Joongki almost agreed to the marriage because he was under the impression that Choi still had a good following.”

“So what happened?”

“Mr. Kim happened,” Yoongi explains, letting out a slow breath. “Nobody’s loyal to Choi anymore. Some of his men branched off and told other bosses what the plan was for the Seong family. Luckily, one of them came to Mr. Kim and he was able to get to Joongki before anything became final.”

“Does Y/N know any of this?” Jungkook questions while looking back and forth between Yoongi and Namjoon. When both men shake their heads, he scoffs. “Don’t you think she should? She’d probably be more inclined to fucking listen to us if she knew what was really happening.”

“Or she’d run away and disappear off the map.” Seokjin offers an alternative. He knows you well enough by now and if you knew how much danger you were truly in, then there’s no doubt in his mind that you’d leave. “We can’t take that chance, Kook. She’s our family now and we take care of family. So we’ll deal with Choi soon and be done with it.”

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

“I’m not really sure what you think you’re doing,” you interrupt whatever Hyunwoo is doing at your locker and he whirls around to find you a few feet away, “but it’s not going to happen, Choi. Move on.”

He steps away from your locker, giving you space to open it and shove your books inside. He gives you a greasy smile and leans against the locker next to yours. “You always say ‘never’ Y/N, but I’m pretty sure I can change your mind if you let me.”

“The only way I’m going to give you a chance is if you let me push you off a cliff.” You slam the locker closed just as your friends approach. “What’s your deal, Hyunwoo? Why don’t you get it by now? I don’t want anything to do with you.”

“Most girls would kill to be by my side,” Hyunwoo slaps an open palm on the lockers, rattling them enough to make your friends jump, but you stand strong.

“Then you don’t really need me, do you?” You turn to walk away with your friends only to have him clap his hand on your shoulder, and you’re shoved against the lockers. You wince at the impact, the combination locks dig into your spine, and Bona runs off to find help.

“I don’t need your permission to have you, you know?” Hyunwoo hisses in your face, his forearm rests gently on your collar bone, not heavy enough to cut off your air supply, yet. “My father will give me anything I ask for and if that’s you, then you don’t get a choice anymore. I suggest you come willingly while I’m still asking nicely.”

“There’s not a fucking thing nice about you, Hyunwoo,” you sneer and stomp on his foot, digging your heel into the top of it. It’s enough for him to release his grip as he jumps back in pain, and you’re already cocking your arm back to land a solid punch across his jaw when Bona comes rushing back with Jeonghan in tow.

Jeonghan moves for Hyunwoo but you step in front of your cousin before he does anything to get himself in trouble. He stiffens as Hyunwoo straightens up and uses the back of his hand to wipe away the blood dripping from his mouth. Gripping your arm, he gets ready to pull you behind him if Hyunwoo gets any closer.

You shrug Jeonghan off and take a step toward Hyunwoo. “Your daddy may baby the shit out of you, but make no mistake, Hyunwoo, you’re a trash human being. If you keep this up, you’ll run your father’s reputation into the ground and then where will you be? Certainly daddy won’t keep you around if you’re useless.”

Hyunwoo is seething, and if steam could come out of his ears, you’re pretty sure it would. He lifts his hands to grab you once more, but a teacher’s voice stops him. His eyeline is blocked by Mr. Lee, a math teacher that won’t have a job tomorrow if Hyunwoo can help it.

Mr. Lee directs both you and Hyunwoo to the principal’s office, stopping every so often to ask why Jeonghan is following behind him. He gets a mere shrug in response and he sighs, letting your cousin do as he pleases. He sits you in a chair far away from Hyunwoo before entering the principal’s office and explaining the situation.

Jeonghan stays plastered to your side, concern written all over his face as you goad Hyunwoo from across the room. You certainly had grandmother’s temper and, not for the first time that day, Jeonghan wishes you were a little less fierce. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Hyunwoo sneer at you, bloody gums and all. You tilt your head mockingly in response, leaving Jeonghan to nearly facepalm. The only thing that stops him from slapping his own forehead is the rapid footsteps of Joongki, grandfather, and one of grandfather’s men.

Mr. Choi and his right hand man come barreling in next. They blink in surprise at Hyunwoo’s busted lip and your completely unruffled response to him. Mr. Choi is about to ask what exactly is going on when the principal steps out and calls everyone into his office.

“Mr. Choi, Mr. Seong, thank you for coming down.” Principal Chang settles in the chair behind his desk, swiping the glasses from his face to rub at his temples. “Seong Y/N, I wish I could say it’s a surprise to have you here, but it’s really not, is it?”

“Y/N,” your grandfather sighs tiredly in the cramped space, “what have you done now?”

“Nothing that wasn’t prompted,” you defend yourself wholeheartedly.

“You assaulted Hyunwoo, did you not?” Principal Chang looks at the bruise forming on Hyunwoo’s jawline. He wouldn’t voice out loud how impressed he was given that Hyunwoo is twice your size. Unfortunately, his actions speak for him as he nods his admiration for you.

“I didn’t assault Hyunwoo, I defended myself when he nearly choked me to death.”

At this, Joongki snaps his head up to look at the boy in the other chair, rage building underneath the surface. “He did what?”

Mr. Choi lays one hand on Hyunwoo’s shoulder and uses his other to grip his son’s chin. “Look at this. My son is the one bloodied and bruised, and you mean to tell me that you’re the victim in this?”

“Your son doesn’t understand the kindergarten concept of keeping his hands to himself.” You grip the sides of your chair and lean forward to taunt Hyunwoo. “I was simply reminding him of what happens when he doesn’t respect someone else’s boundaries.”

Your grandfather grips your shoulder and hauls you back into the seat. “Stop it.”

“Maybe if you weren’t such an uptight bitch, then I wouldn’t bother you.” Hyunwoo fires back and tries to get in your face as you did him.

Daeseong, your grandfather’s most trusted man, steps in front of you and effectively cuts off any access Hyunwoo might have had. He stares down at the kid with a quirked brow until Hyunwoo seemingly shrinks in his seat. “You’ll refrain from using such language when it comes to Ms. Seong.”

Mr. Choi sputters at the blatant way his son is being intimidated and looks to Principal Chang for some kind of interference. “This girl damages my son’s face and her bodyguard has the audacity to try and scare him. Yet you want me to believe she’s done nothing wrong?”

“Believe what you will, Mr. Choi,” your grandfather’s voice holds the kind of authority that grown men usually cower at, “but given how your son just spoke to my granddaughter, I think it’s quite clear who the antagonist here is. Admittedly, it’s my fault she’s so headstrong. You see, Mr. Choi, my family doesn’t believe in ‘when you’re dead, lie down’, so my granddaughter obviously found it necessary to correct your son’s behavior.”

“You’re aware of who I am, Seong,” Mr. Choi seethes, attempting to be just as vicious. “I suggest you get that delinquent under control before I have to.”

“You’re also aware of who I am, Choi, so I suggest you watch your tone and be careful of who you threaten. Whatever happened here today is just a glimpse of what my granddaughter can do, and unless you want to find out what more there is, then you’ll get your poor excuse for a son under control before I have to.”

Your grandfather is bluffing and it really takes every muscle in your body to keep from reacting. The strength behind your punch is literally all you have, though after today, you’re sure you’re about to get some new self defense lessons. You’d throw your head back and groan if it didn’t give away his obvious lie. Thankfully, Principal Chang’s dismissal of everyone from his office so he can ‘think on your punishment’ saves you from embarrassing your grandfather any further.

Mr. Choi stops you from getting too far by gripping your arm, quickly letting it go as Daeseong latches onto his wrist in return. “You must think you’re so precious, don’t you, little girl?”

“No.” You don’t flinch away from him and you can tell he hates it. “I just know what it means to be a decent person. You’ve taught your son that the world would fall to his feet if he so much as commands it, but he is neither king nor god, Mr. Choi. Hyunwoo doesn’t get to demand the world only to throw a fit when he ultimately breaks it, and then you come in to clean up his mess. The longer you let him believe he’s untouchable, the more likely he is to fall harder than anyone else.”

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

Taehyung watches you stomp around the room, pacing back and forth while tugging at your hair because he’d lied about there being one and only one goddamn key to the master bedroom. Tomorrow he plans to do away with the door completely if you so much as think about locking the fucking thing again. He’s sitting on the bed, dressed in sweats and a plain t-shirt, waiting for your tantrum to be over. “Are you done, princess?”

“No, I’m not fucking done!” you screech, picking up the nearest object and hurling it his way. Another frustrated scream bubbles from your throat as he easily catches the bottle of perfume headed towards his skull. “You asshole! You said there was one, one fucking key to this room, Taehyung, and you lied to me!”

“This isn’t about the key, Y/N, you and I both know that.”

“It’s certainly not about the array of women you’ve paraded through here!” You pick up a bottle of lotion, your favorite to be exact, and launch it at him. When he skillfully dodges it, you begin picking up anything and everything that isn’t nailed down and try your damndest to cause him some kind of damage.

“I’m not bitching about Seojun, am I?!” Taehyung counters and peers around for any more loose objects. “I’m not throwing the disaster of that relationship in your face!”

“It wasn’t a disaster!” Your chest is heaving from exertion and you’re sure that if your pulse raced any faster, you’d have a heart attack. “Seojun was the best thing that happened to me and my cousins ruined that! This life ruined it! And yes, Taehyung, if Joongki hadn’t pimped me out to you then I would have absolutely married Seojun. We’d get married, leave this godforsaken city, have some kids, and live happily ever after.”

Taehyung knows you’re trying to get under skin, knows you’re trying to work him up so you’d have an excuse for your cousins to pull you from his home. Truthfully, your words do hurt, they pierce his heart and piss him off at the same time. Joongki didn’t pimp you out to the Kim family, and he for damn sure wouldn’t have let you marry Seojun and take off. The idea of you having kids with your ex-boyfriend makes Taehyung’s blood boil. The mere idea of Seojun putting his hands anywhere on your person is enough to have your husband close to pulling out his phone and calling for a hit on the poor guy.

You can see the gears shifting in Taehyung’s head, the cold calculation of whatever he’s about to do, and you know that if you didn’t diffuse the situation soon, you’d cost Seojun his life. “Stop it, Taehyung. You don’t get to be an asshole about Seojun and then get mad at me for calling you out on it. You for damn sure don’t get to be pissed that I wanted some space after you were the one who lost your shit over nothing.”

“It wasn’t nothing,” he growls low in his chest and shuffles up the bed to get comfortable. “It was that you felt like you had to protect him in the first place. You really think I’m some kind of monster that would have him killed because he dated you? Far from it, princess. I’m glad you were happy, but he’s not part of your life anymore. You’re my wife, mine, so you’ll forgive me if I get a little testy when you brag about some other man giving you a better life than I can. Especially when you haven’t even given me the fucking chance.”

“Hauling me into this house and then locking me in is not a better life, Taehyung. It’s barely even a life at all. You can say it’s for my own safety, I’ve heard it a thousand times before, but I know that it’s more about your pride than anything else. That the great Kim Taehyung has what someone else wants and no one can get to it.”

“You think if this was about my pride that I’d keep you locked away? There is nothing more that I want than to show you off to the world, Y/N. To show whoever wants you that you’re protected and safe from them, not because they can’t have you. My pride stems from the fact that I have one of the strongest women by my side who isn’t afraid to put me in my place. Not everyone finds that in this life, so yes, I’m proud to have you and no, I will not apologize for whatever kind of blow your ego takes because you can’t stand to be wrong.”

You walk up to the bed, and for a second Taehyung heaves a sigh of relief that the fight is finally over, but you simply strip the mattress of its sheets and turn to leave the room.

He’s on his feet, striding across the room and boxing you in against the door before you can yank it open. “And just where the fuck do you think you’re going?”

Whirling around to face him, you hiss, “I’d sooner sleep under a bridge than in the same bed as you right now, Kim Taehyung.”

“That can be arranged if you want it, princess.” Taehyung is done. He’s jealous, he’s pissed, and he’s exhausted, so if you want to throw out empty threats then he’ll match you vicious word for vicious word.

“Then do it,” you challenge quickly. If he wants to toss you out because you fought him so hard then that’s all the opportunity you need to disappear.

His hand comes up to slap the door, landing dangerously close to your cheek, but you aren’t afraid of him or his outburst. He curls his lip up in a sneer before he bites down on his bottom lip and takes in a deep breath to compose himself. “We can fight, we can yell and scream at each other all you want, but at the end of the day this is the bed we’ll be sleeping in. You and I, because it’s ours and I’ll be damned if you curl up elsewhere, understand?”

You swallow the lump in your throat when he presses his forehead to yours because damn it, you’re supposed to be mad at him, not craving his stupid touch. You understand perfectly well, but he doesn’t need to know that, nor does he deserve a verbal response. Shouldering past him, you spin around and hold your hand out. “I want the key. Both of them.”

“There’s two for a reason, sweetheart.” Taehyung explains, turning to lean his back against the door and crossing his arms. “If you lock yourself in here and something happens, either me or one of the guys needs to be able to get in here. In fact, for that reason, I think I’ll be giving one of the keys to the boys and keeping the original copy for myself.”

Your fingers curl against your palm and you clench your teeth. “If I could, I’d drown you, Kim.”

“I know that you’re perfectly capable of it,” he smirks and crosses the room to the bed, “yet I’m not afraid to sleep in the bed as you.”

You try to crawl onto the bed next to him, but unlike most nights, he’s chosen to occupy your usual side of the bed. You huff and try to shove him over. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Sleeping.” He pretends to yawn and bury himself into the mattress.

“I sleep on this side, Taehyung, you know that.”

“Not tonight, princess.” He smirks and closes his eyes, knowing how much you hated sleeping with your back against the wall. The bed was pressed into a corner of the very large room simply because after he moved into the room, he’d keep you pinned between him and the wall so you couldn’t run off in the middle of the night. After a few weeks, you’d complained about feeling claustrophobic and he’d relented, granting you the open side of the bed.

“I won’t do this crap again, Taehyung,” you warn with your hands on your hips after giving up on trying to move him. “Move over.”

Taehyung doesn’t say anything, instead tucking his arms behind his head and crossing his legs at the ankles to make himself comfortable. The bed dips unexpectedly and his eyes shoot open to find you swinging one leg over his frame as you settle yourself in his lap. He wastes no time in gripping your hips to keep you from falling if you lose your balance. “What are you doing?”

“You didn’t move.” You shrug your shoulders, sitting your full weight on his crotch and bunching your hair up to pull into a bun. “The only way for me to get to that side is to climb over you.”

He isn’t paying attention anymore, his hands grip you with a bruising force as your chest juts out with the way you pull your hair up. Your hips circle ever so slightly and he hisses through clenched teeth. This is payback, he realizes, and doesn’t have time to react before you’re rolling off and throwing the blankets over your body.

You hear him grumble something under his breath, but can’t tell what exactly it is. He’s angry, but it doesn’t stop him from turning on his side and snaking his arms around your waist. You nearly lose your breath when he harshly tugs your back to his chest so you push back against him in retaliation.

“You’re being a child,” he growls into your ear, “and if you plan on pushing against me all night, then you should also plan on not sleeping.”

You turn in his hold, coming face to face and bumping your nose against his. “You’re the one being a child, Taehyung. Not that you need to know, or even deserve it, but Seojun isn’t someone to be concerned about. I may not like that we’re married, but I’m not going to go out and violate the sanctity of our marriage either.”

You duck your head and nuzzle it beneath his chin before he can see the blush forming on your cheeks as you whisper, “I’m yours, Tae, no one else’s.”

He freezes and knows that if you hadn’t been embarrassed about admitting as much, then he would kiss you until you both struggled for breath. Your lashes flutter against his neck and he pulls you closer, burying his face in your hair and placing a kiss to your head.

#kim taehyhyung fic #kim taehyung smut #war of hearts fic #bts mafia au #bts smut #bts mafia smut

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shyficwriter · 3 years ago

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Temporary Home: Chapter 18

Guardians of the Galaxy fanfic | Reader x Guardians (With Yondu and Kraglin!)

Summary: Your soothing nighttime walk turns out to be not-so-soothing. What happens when Mantis wakes up to find you missing in the middle of the night?

Previous Chapter here | Next Chapter Here Or click here to: Start From Beginning

Author’s Note: This is a L O N G one lol. I was going to split it, but after asking you guys and receiving feedback that I should leave it long, here we are lol Content Warning for injuries and bad decisions. Also, for my records this chapter ends on day 35 of the Guardians living with reader. Enjoy!

Word Count: 9,359

The night was cool, and you were grateful you thought to bring your jacket as you crossed the tree line. It had been more than a week since you visited the forest, and a least a couple more since you'd taken a walk through it at night. You considered yourself overdue.

You sigh and glance up at the moon through the leaves. It provided just enough light for you to not walk face-first into a tree, assuming those clouds didn't decide to come cover it.

You pull out your earbuds from your pocket, deciding some music would make some lovely company on your walk, a companion to drown out the memories.

Tonight would be one of your "wonder aimlessly" nights, rather than heading to your favorite tree. As much as you loved to sit under it, tonight you'd keep walking, tire yourself out and forget what pained you.

It had been maybe an hour or more of you listening to the same playlist, trying to drown out memories of sirens and screams and pain, when you finally pulled out your phone to switch to a new song set.

Although you may have known most of this forest nearly like the back of your hand, you weren't immune to the occasional blunder, such as not paying attention to what was right in front of you, thus side-swiping a bush and dropping your phone in the process.

And, of course, it fell face down. That, or you had accidentally locked the screen when you dropped it. You weren't sure which. Either way, you sighed internally. Without the benefit of the phone's light to guide you meant needing to get down on your knees and patting the ground to find it. Wonderful. Hopefully the screen didn't break when it fell.

After a few moments of patting around on the ground your hand finally grazed the smooth plastic of your phone case, and just as you claimed your prize, a loud CRACK sounded, followed by an unfortunately familiar hot, wet, feeling in your side.

***

Mantis woke late into the night/early morning, not quite certain what exactly had woken her, but regardless, sleepily got up to use the toilet. Upon returning to the room, and having woken just enough from her brief nighttime quest, she realized that you weren't in your bed.

The clock on your desk read nearly 3:30 AM, and the corners of her mouth drooped slightly in confusion. She had learned enough about how Terrans tracked time to know that that was very late. Where could you be?

She didn't need her empathic abilities to know that you had been very upset that night before bed, perhaps you went downstairs because you couldn't sleep? Once she found where you had gone she could ask if you could use a friend to talk to, and maybe while the two of you were talking she could use her abilities to see what you were feeling. Perhaps that could help? She still hadn't told you about her empathic abilities, not wanting to ruin the "practical joke" Yondu had come up with, (She really should ask him when the 'punchline,' as Peter called it, was going to happen...) but she still used them from time to time without your knowing and she was confident this time would be no different.

Making her way carefully down the dark stairs she made her first stop the kitchen. Perhaps you were having a late night snack?

The kitchen flooded with light when she flicked the switch, only to reveal you weren't there.

Leaving the kitchen light on to provide some light to the hall, she crossed the dark floor to the sitting room door. It was possible you might have decided to watch TV or read. However, no light was found to be emanating from the TV or from any of the lamps you might have used for reading. A flick to overhead light switch also proved that you hadn't decided to just sit in the dark.

How strange...

Maybe you were in the downstairs bathroom, having coincidentally also needed the toilet while she was using the one upstairs? The light wasn't on under the door, but she still lightly knocked anyway, gently opening it when there was no answer. You weren't in there either.

Mantis turned to the two remaining doors in the hall. A closet and one leading down to the cellar.

Hall closet first. Definitely.

Opening that door revealed nothing but a small empty space with some pipes, the note from Agent Hill still stuck to the wall where you had never bothered to remove it. She closed the door and turned to the one leading down to the cellar.

The creepy cellar.

Maybe she should go check the cupboards in the kitchen, instead. You could be hiding in one of them, right?

Obviously, she didn't find you there either.

Returning to the hall she glanced at the cellar door again. Surely, you wouldn't be down there, right? There was a small closet in the bathroom she didn't check that you'd be much more likely to be hiding in.

You weren't there.

Behind the couch? No.

What about behind the shower curtain? No.

Under the kitchen table? No.

Mantis frowned and wrung her hands nervously. There was only one place left to try- Actually, maybe you went for a drive! That must be it!

Unfortunately a glance out the front kitchen windows would prove disappointing. Your car was sitting right in your driveway.

Shoot. Now there really was just one place left to check. Begrudgingly, she made her way to the cellar door. She really didn't want to go down there. It was just so creepy, and the fact that it was nighttime and she had to make the trip alone only made it worse.

Taking a deep breath, she went down anyway, flicking the light on before she descended, because there was no way she was going down there in the dark.

She bit her lip nervously, each step down making her heart beat just a little bit faster. When she finally reached the bottom of the stairs she tentatively called out your name, her voice coming out in a near squeak.

You didn't answer back.

She called again, slightly louder this time.

Nothing.

Just as she was considering touching down on the cold brick floor to search for you the light blew out, throwing the cellar into blackness. With a tiny frightened squeal, she decided what she'd already done was good enough and darted back up the stairs. Her heart threatened to flutter out of her chest as she swiftly, yet quietly, shut the door behind her once she reached the top.

She took a moment to catch her breath.

It would seem you were nowhere to be found. How odd... Where could you be then? Frowning, she decided she should maybe try to wake Gamora. She'd know what to do.

***

It took you a second to fully realize that you had been shot. There wasn't exactly pain straight away, more just the sensation that someone had chucked a pebble at you. It was the blood and the aforementioned booming CRACK that tipped you off.

When the realization of your situation did hit you, however, your first thought was simply, 'Fuck. Fuck.'

There wasn't pain yet, but you knew there would be.

You ripped the earbuds from your ears, knowing you needed to take in your surroundings immediately. You knew what happened, but you didn't know the why, who, or the full extent of how screwed you were. You needed to find out the why and who before the pain inevitably set in.

As quiet and aware as you could be as you applied pressure to your wound, your ears searched to hear anything that might give a clue as to who shot you, sure that they'd try it again.

Why was this happening? Had you been somehow compromised? If so, why were they shooting at you in the forest? How would they even know you'd be there? Unless... unless they followed you- Fuck. Did that mean there where others at the house? Did that mean- Shit. You didn't even have a weapon on you. Sure, you had a pocket knife, but you know the saying about knives and gunfights.

One of them speaks. "I think you hit it, Michael!"

The other answers. "Awesome! Wait until dad sees it! That fox sounded big."

"Are you kidding? It was way too big to be a fox! It must have been a deer!"

Oh no. No. They weren't enemy agents, or aliens.

They were kids.

They were the boys of the man who lived a couple miles down the road. They were hunting. Illegally. Poaching at night, out of season.

And they'd shot you.

They sounded far off, maybe thirty meters away? Twenty? You weren't sure. You tried to control your breath as you felt the wound, unable to see it clearly in the dark. The hole felt small, clean. Maybe a .22 round? If so, that was good. Meant you could dig it out later whole, rather than deal with the aftermath of the round having exploded inside you. You were bleeding, but not gushing. They hadn't hit an artery. Also good. Meant you wouldn't bleed out in minutes. You just needed to keep pressure on it...

Twigs and leaves crunched as they began walking your way. Coming to claim what they believed to be their kill.

No. Fuck.

If they find you, the authorities will likely be called, someone to bring medical assistance because, well, they shot you. If the authorities are called, they'll probably come to your home. You can't let that happen. Your charge's location cannot be compromised. Fuck. Fuck.

And this is all of course assuming the boys will feel guilt about shooting you and want to do the right thing. From what little you knew them they seemed like decent boys, but that's the thing, you didn't know them. You'd seen enough movies to know what can happen if someone doesn't want to get in trouble for an accident of this severity. They were also out hunting illegally. What if they just tried to finish the job? Eliminate the witness and avoid repercussions for shooting a person while poaching? You couldn't let that happen either. You had a responsibility to your charges.

Ok, so maybe panic was starting to set in from the adrenaline, clouding your judgement. This wasn't helped by the fact a hot pain was starting to creep out around your wound. Maybe you weren't thinking your clearest. But still, you couldn't allow them to get close.

They were getting closer, and you desperately needed a plan. You had the benefit of the bush for concealment, but just sitting there wasn't an option. Neither was running away. For one, they'd hear you and possibly see you. Secondly, you wouldn't be at your top running game with a bullet wound. You patted the ground for something, anything to throw and alert their attention elsewhere.

Your hand grazed over a decent sized rock, and you thanked the stars for your good fortune that it wasn't so big you wouldn't be able to throw it one handed and that it wasn't so small it wouldn't make enough noise.

Grabbing the rock, you threw it as hard as you could in the direction heading away from your home. Unfortunately, that also meant removing the hand you were using to apply pressure to your wound as you couldn't throw with your other arm being still trapped in a brace as it was, but you considered it a necessary risk.

The rock landed in another bush somewhere and you felt dizzy as one of the boys said in the distance, "Oh! I think I heard it run over that way, you must have just stunned it!" Rusting could be heard headed in the direction the rock landed, and you sigh in relief that they had taken the bait.

That relief was short lived. Pressure still needed to be applied to your wound, and the hot pain now enveloped nearly your whole side. The wet patch had grown in the few moments that your increasingly foggy mind had neglected it. As quietly as you could, you laid on the ground. Fatigue overcame you, but you couldn't allow yourself to sleep. No. Just lay there. Just until the coast was clear. Until traces of their voices and footsteps can no longer be heard. Maybe rest your eyes while you waited...

No! Stay alert. You needed to head back to the house as soon as you could.

But could five seconds really hurt?

Yes! Of course they could!

But your eyelids were already so heavy...

You exhaled slowly as the world went black.

***

"Gamora?" Mantis whispered quietly, staring down at the green woman's sleeping face.

Gamora didn't stir.

"Gamora?" she tried again, a little louder this time as she shook her gently by the shoulder.

Gamora sleepily groaned and blinked her eyes, asking Mantis what she wanted before startling when her eyes opened fully and she was confronted with Mantis's face inches from her own. Once the startle wore-off Gamora sighed and sat up, rubbing her eyes. Trying not to show her irritation at being woken up, she reached for the phone SHIELD had given her. It had a Terran time clock inside. She asked again, "What do you need, Mantis?" as she made out the time on the phone to be a quarter to four, and added, "It's late."

Mantis backed away slightly and answered that she couldn't find you anywhere.

"What do you mean you can't find her?" Gamora asked.

"She's not in her bed, and I checked the whole house, she's not here. Her vehicle is, but she is not."

This got Gamora's attention. If you weren't in the house, where would you have gone in the middle of the night?

"She was upset earlier at Peter earlier, do you think she ran away?" Mantis asked, sounding worried.

Gamora shook her head. No, this was your home. If you were really that unhappy with them it'd make more sense to her that you'd kick them out rather than just abandoning your home. "No Mantis, I'm sure she's around somewhere, we'll help you look."

With that, she took her pillow and threw it across the room at Peter, who was dead asleep and snoring softly. It smacked him in the head.

He woke with a start. "Hey! What was that for?" he asked groggily, sitting up to throw the pillow back.

Gamora caught it, informing him that Mantis said you were gone, and that he was going to help them check the house for you.

Peter groaned. "Really? I'm sure she's just downstairs. I'm going back to sleep." He laid back down and turned to face the wall.

"What if she ran away? You made her pretty upset last night, what if she doesn't come back?" Mantis asked, ignoring Gamora's previous assertions that that wouldn't have happened.

Peter flopped on his back and groaned into the ceiling. He also knew that scenario was highly unlikely, but now Mantis had made him feel bad. Now he had to help them search for you. "Fine!" he said, "I'll help look, but I'm telling you, she's probably just downstairs getting a snack or something."

They made their way down the stairs together, trying to be quiet about it so as to not wake the others. The way was lit just enough to see the steps, courtesy of the lights Mantis had left on downstairs in the kitchen and sitting room.

Like Mantis had before, they checked the bathroom, the kitchen, the sitting room, and, after obtaining a torch from the kitchen drawer you kept them in, Peter checked the cellar again too. Nothing.

"Let's check outside," Peter suggested, now more awake and seeing the oddness of your absence. "Maybe she just wanted some fresh air."

Gamora grabbed another torch from the drawer and started to head outside. Just before exiting the front door Gamora noted the door was still locked, which prompted Peter to check the back door as well. It was locked too. This likely meant you'd likely not be outside, because why would you lock yourself out if you were just getting some fresh air? Regardless, they checked outside anyway. They walked around the house, shone the light in your car, peered in the garden, and investigated the tree swing. You weren't in any of those places either.

Peter went to check the shed, but found it locked. No lights were on inside, and he didn't hear anyone stirring around in there, but he knocked anyway. No answer. Not like he really expected one.

Puzzled, they all went back inside the house.

Maybe you were in someone else's bedroom? Sure, they knew it'd be odd to find you in someone else's room, as you usually never went in them to their knowledge, but maybe you had sleepwalked?

They headed back upstairs, taking a quick peak inside your room and the upstairs bathroom again just in case, before quietly looking into the other's rooms, not wanting to wake and alert them right away just in case.

Well, Peter and Gamora had intended to be quiet. Mantis, however, just flipped the light on in the room Drax, Rocket, and Groot shared, which woke them.

Drax groaned and covered his eyes at the sudden intrusion of bright light and Rocket grumbled. Groot just sat up sleepily and yawned, stretching adorably as Rocket sat up and asked Mantis what her problem was.

She repeated what she had said to Gamora earlier, that you were missing.

Rocket rolled his eyes, and had much the same reaction as Peter had. Told her that you were probably just downstairs.

Gamora stepped next to Mantis, followed by Peter, and vouched for her claims. They'd already searched for you. You weren't there.

Rocket frowned. "She'll turn up. You worry too much."

Gamora's eyes narrowed. "What if something happened, Rocket?"

Before he could answer, Yondu and Kraglin, who had been woken by the voices, sleepily stepped into the hall. "What's goin' on here?" Yondu asked, sounding gruff and none-too-pleased at having been woken.

For the fourth time that night it was explained that you were missing, and Yondu and Kraglin shared a look. "What'd'ya mean, 'missing'?" Kraglin asked, his eyebrow raised.

After some more talk about how the search for you turned up nothing, and wondering if something had happened, Rocket rolled his eyes and said "Like what? You really think someone came in here, just took her, and woke none of us up?"

Drax was sitting up now. "He is right. We would have heard it if something like that happened."

Gamora sighed, saying, "I don't know, but don't you find it the least bit strange that she just vanished? I seriously doubt she just decided to go take a walk in the middle of the night."

Yondu and Kraglin had moved closer to the doorway of the bedroom everyone was currently hovering around and Yondu spoke up. "I wouldn't be so sure about that one."

"What do you mean?" Peter asked.

"She might've done just that. Probably went for a walk."

"Why would she-" Gamora started.

"Not a chance," Rocket said disbelievingly, cutting her off. "I would have heard the door. I hear every time one of you guys gets up to get a drink or take a leak in the middle of the night. I would have definitely heard her leaving the house."

"Clearly ya don't hear as well as ya think," Kraglin said, "Cap'n and me seen her go out for walks at night through the window a couple times. We never heard her leave."

"Surely the door would have been easier?" said Drax, perplexed.

Yondu just pinched the bridge of his nose, but didn't correct him.

"Yeah right," Rocket scoffed, ignoring Drax. "You're probably just losin' your hearing to old age. Terran's ain't that stealthy."

"Hey!" Peter objected.

"She can be real quiet if she wants to," Yondu said, wondering if he should mention you might just be in the forest. He shared a glance with Kraglin, who seemed to be wondering the same.

"Oh wow. The geezer can't hear. Shocker." Rocket said sarcastically.

"Well you clearly never heard her leave either, Rat." Kraglin tossed back at him.

"Or us searching downstairs for the last fifteen minutes." Gamora added.

That shut him up.

"But who goes for a walk this late?" Peter asked.

"Well, ya did make her mighty upset last night," Yondu said.

"So?"

"So, I noticed on bad days she would go out for walks."

Peter frowned. "Bad days?"

"Yeah. Like when Rocket messed the kitchen, or that night she bit ya. Days when she'd be upset. She seemed to quit going after she hurt her arm, but maybe she was finally feelin' more up to it, or just upset enough to not care."

Drax spoke up in realization, repeating what Yondu had previously said. "That's right! Quill did make her very mad last night! That must be where she went!"

Rocket looked at Peter accusingly. "So it's Quill's fault that we're all awake at..." he glanced at the clock on the wall, "four in the morning."

Peter frowned and Yondu made a concerned humming noise. He hadn't realized the time. Didn't realize it was quite that late.

"What?" Peter asked.

"That is real late to be out..."

"That's what we're saying!" Peter said in frustration. "So what do we do? Should we wait? Go looking for her? Call SHIELD?"

Yondu looked down thoughtfully for a moment, then looked up to meet Gamora's gaze, her face illuminated by the light coming from the bedroom. "Let's wait. If she ain't back by mornin' we'll call SHIELD."

"What if she's hurt?" Peter asked, guilt setting in. If you had indeed gone out for a nighttime walk because you were pissed at him, and then got hurt, or worse, it'd be his fault. It was just supposed to be a bit of fun. He only wanted to get a little under your skin. He didn't think he was going too far, but still, if that was the outcome-

Mantis interrupted his thoughts. "Oh no! What if a monster ate her!" she exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands.

"A monster did not eat her." Gamora said to calm her, slightly frowning. Though, secretly, she was unsure of this. Terra did have some terrifying creatures. Just the other day she read about the Hippopotamus. Where they native to this area? Could one have gotten to you?

She pushed those thoughts aside and said, "Peter and I will stay up and watch for her. The rest of you can go back to sleep."

"Finally!" Rocket said, laying back down and pulling the blanket over his head. Groot had already fallen back asleep several minutes ago, having been too sleepy to fully grasp what was going on and unable to keep his eyes open.

Gamora gently nudged Mantis back to her own bed, and Peter did the same to Yondu and Kraglin with a nod of his head, though they seemed reluctant to go. Yondu only frowned and they didn't make an immediate move to leave.

Drax, who usually woke early anyway, then said, "I'm already awake, I might as well stay awake." With that, he threw off his blanket and went to stand up.

This was met with complaints and the others shielding their eyes.

"Dude! You got to start wearing underwear to bed!" Peter scolded.

Drax just rolled his eyes and waved him off, muttering something about Earthers having hangups.

Yondu and Kraglin turned on their heels and escaped to their room to save their eyes from further assault.

***

"Mommy?" a small voice whispered. "Mooommmyyyy?" it said again in a sing song voice.

You hum in response, "What is it, sweetie?"

"Get up, mommy!" said another small, giggly voice. This was almost immediately followed by two small bodies flinging themselves onto the bed, someone's knee connecting with your side and sending pain jolting through you. Your eyes immediately pop open with a groan.

"Sorry!" apologized one of the little voices.

"It's ok, baby." you say, trying not to grit your teeth despite the pain not ebbing away.

"You need to get up, mommy!" the voice giggled.

"Five more minutes," you joked, re-closing your eyes.

"Come on, wakey-wakey!" This time the voice came from your partner as they briefly tickled your ribs.

You laugh before wincing in pain, your side still aching you. You open your eyes and look into those of your love. You smile despite the pain.

"Get up, darling," they said, smiling lovingly down at you.

You reach out to touch their face before it hits you. Wait... This- They can't...

Your partner's face falls, they look worried. "Get up, darling." they say, there is more urgency to their voice.

You open your mouth to answer when one of the small voices speaks, sounding frightened. "Get up, mommy!"

You furrowed your brow at them in confusion. What's the matt-

This thought is cut off by a stab of pain in your side. You look down, but nothing's there.

"Get up, mommy!" It's more frantic this time. Your partner joins in, just as frantic. "Get up!"

Now you're frightened. All three of them are screaming at you now. "Get up, mommy! Get up! GET UP! GET UP, MOMMY! GET UP, NOW!"

***

You jolt awake, tears running down your cheeks and a hot pain in your side despite the cool air. You shivered.

The entire side of your shirt was soaked in blood, and you could feel some pooled on your backside. How long had you been out? Minutes? Hours? It was just beginning to get lighter out, so perhaps not hours?

With some difficulty you managed to pull yourself to your knees. Your phone and earbuds lay next to you on the ground and you stuff them in your jacket pocket before moving to stand up.

Dirt and leaves stuck to the blood coating your hand and you wiped it as best you could on the hip of your dark jeans. Dried blood and dirt still remained in translucent smears on your hand and you frowned at the sight. It'd be a bad idea to press it back against your wound. Your other hand, however attached to your injured arm, was reasonably clean. So, you pressed that to your side instead, using your opposite hand to help keep pressure against it from outside your jacket.

Maybe if you found the river you could clean-

No. Fuck the river. You needed to get home. You had supplies there.

The thought of walking all that way made you dizzy, but you needed to press on. You could do this. Just one foot in front of the other.

***

Peter and Gamora sat at the kitchen table sipping coffee to keep themselves awake, unsure how long it'd be when, or if, you came back. After a bit Kraglin joined them.

"Couldn't sleep?" Peter asked as Kraglin made his way to the coffee.

"Nope." Kraglin sighed. "Yondu's trying, but I gave up. Hard to sleep when he's tossin' n' turnin' like that. Get's like that when he's worryin', about stuff." He approached the table, coffee in hand. "Though, he ain't gonna admit that."

"Wait," Peter raised an eyebrow at him as he sat down. "You saying he's worried about her?"

Seeing Peter's expression Kraglin said, "Pete, we both know he puts on a tough act, but if ya ain't figured out by now that Yondu's really jus' a big softie, I don't know what to tell ya."

Now Peter and Gamora shared a look.

Kraglin rolled his eyes and took a sip of his coffee before speaking lower, as if afraid Yondu might hear him. "Ya seriously haven't noticed how he's taken to her? How he teases and messes with her? Like how he does with you, or how he did with-" he cut himself off, seeming unsure if he should have said anything.

"With who?" Peter asked, intrigued.

Kraglin seemed hesitant, but eventually answered. "Well, with the other kids your dad had us fetch. Cap'n cared about every single one, Pete, even if he didn't say- 'cause he never says. They may never have stayed long, certainly not as long as you," he chuckled a bit, looking down at the table, "but he couldn't help carin' about all of 'em, the big softie."

Peter looked at him, surprised. He wasn't expecting this conversation, but if the universe was giving him a chance to have some things clarified, he was going to take it. "Ya know I asked him once, a little while back, after all that stuff happened with Ego, why he took that job. Why he brought so many kids to him, but he just shrugged and said it was good money." Peter's tone was questioning, as if he knew he didn't quite believe that but wanted Kraglin to confirm.

Kraglin lifted his coffee, but didn't drink. "Yeah, the money was good, but he also thought he was doin' a good thing at the time, even if it didn't adhere to the code. Bringin' youngins back to their daddy." He frowned a bit. "It killed him when he found out what Ego was doin' to those kids."

He paused a moment, set his mug down, and glanced out the back window. "He hated knowing he had a part in it." Another pause. He looked back at Peter. "It's no surprise to me that he kept ya instead of dropping ya back off here. He didn't just want to do right by not delivering ya to Ego, ya know. He got attached." Kraglin then let out a half-chuckle. "He can't help himself. Like I said, big old softie." There was more to it than that, Kraglin knew. Though, he didn't say. Yondu had a habit of taking in the broken or the lost. Give them a place to belong. He was rough on the outside, but if you could peel back the many layers he hid under, you'd see a softness. Someone who just wanted a family. It was no wonder it broke his heart when Stakar exiled him. Yondu had only been trying to reunite a family, but this mistake had resulted in him being disowned by his.

After a moment Kraglin spoke again. "Ya know, I told him not to get attached to this one 'cause we'd be leavin' eventually, but he don't listen. It's just how he is, Pete." He took another sip of coffee.

Peter sat there in silence a moment, having replied with nothing more than a short, "Huh."

He had actually not given much thought on whether Yondu had cared about the other kids he fetched for Ego in the short time since that whole situation went down. He supposed it didn't surprise him now though, given how things had turned out. He saw how quickly Yondu and Rocket got along, and how he played around with Groot almost like a grandpa. Not to mention the fact that Yondu's near-death experience had made Peter better able to appreciate the fact that he had definitely gotten special treatment apart from the rest of the crew growing up, even if he hadn't noticed at the time.

Gamora sat and watched the two men in silent understanding. This revelation about Yondu did honestly surprise her, but if her last adventure with Peter had taught her anything, it was that sometimes people aren't always how they seem. Everyone has hidden parts.

She blinked, a sudden realization having hit her. She nudged Peter in the arm. "The attic," she said.

"What?" Peter asked, confused. Kraglin also raised an eyebrow at her.

"We never checked the attic. What if she's been up there this whole time and doesn't even realize we've been looking for her?" It could be possible. You had spent plenty of time up there when that couple upset you.

Now Peter blinked. Then he sighed in slight annoyance. "If that's where she's been this whole time I'm kicking her ass."

Gamora gave him a scolding look and Kraglin stood.

"Hold that thought," he said, explaining that he wanted to tag along, having been curious about the attic ever since he learned no one was allowed up there, but he wanted to excuse himself to the toilet first. Then he'd be ready.

Peter and Gamora figured waiting another couple minutes wouldn't kill them, so they stayed at the table and waited for their friend to come back. Peter was still grumbling about how if you worried "Mantis" for nothing he was going to 'kick your ass', and Gamora telling him that he would do no such thing, when they heard the front door open.

***

The time you spent stumbling your way back felt endless, the effort of standing upright and walking was doing nothing to dull the pain of your wound. You did your best to keep pressure on it, but you still felt dizzy, and you wondered again just how much blood you had lost when you were out and just how long you had been laying there. The sky was growing lighter still, but it wasn't near dawn yet. You must have been out all night.

Eventually you came to a break in the trees, only you weren't where you expect to be. Granted, you were disoriented, but you didn't think you were so much so that you would have managed to exit the woods to the side of your house, rather than behind where you normally came and went from the forest.

No wonder it felt like it was taking forever to get home.

No matter. Your home was finally in sight. The others wouldn't likely be up for a few hours, so you'd have time to clean yourself up in the kitchen with the aid kit you kept under the sink and get back to bed before anyone noticed you were gone. No need to listen to anyone fussing about you having been shot and the likely resulting questions about the hows and whys.

It took longer than it really should have for you to fully register that lights were on inside.

They shouldn't have been. They weren't when you left.

Someone was up.

Crap.

Nothing for it but to continue on your way. You were about three quarters of the way there now. Almost there.

Nausea creeped in your belly, you blamed it on the anxiety.

This was fine. It was fine. If someone was in the kitchen, you'd just sneak by to the bathroom. You had enough supplies in there to do what you needed in the medicine cupboard. Not like whoever it was would barge in to see you treating your wound, right? It's fine.

It was a hollow plan and you knew it. For one, there was your bloody clothes to consider. Well... you probably did need a shower... You could feign having forgotten your clothes upstairs if whoever was downstairs hadn't made their way back to bed before you were done. Worst that would happen is that whoever it was would see you making your trip upstairs in a towel. You could live with that, right?

Sure. Sure. It's fine.

At least that's what you told yourself in your impaired state.

You finally reached your front door and reach out with your good arm to grab the doorknob, only realizing as it turned easily to let you in that it shouldn't have. You always locked the doors at night, and you had left out the back door, so if you had forgotten to lock any of them, it would have been that one as you left.

What if someone broke in?

Anxiety tightened your chest and stomach as you quietly shut the door and quickly took in your surroundings. The lights to both the sitting room and kitchen were on, the hall light was off, as was the upstairs light. The other two rooms provided just enough light for objects in the hall to be visible enough that a person wouldn't walk into anything, but the space was still largely dark, and got darker the closer one would get to the staircase.

Drax could be seen in the sitting room, resting in one of the armchairs and facing away from you towards the TV. He hadn't seemed to notice you come in, and a little tension relieves from your shoulders.

Surely if someone had broken in then he wouldn't just be sitting there watching TV. And if he was in there, maybe he had just been in the kitchen and forgot to turn off the light? You hoped so. It would make your life a whole lot easier right now.

Nope. Someone was rustling in the kitchen. Someone else must be awake. Damn. You prepared yourself to clean up in the bathroom, but then noticed the thin light under the door.

Damn it! You really didn't want to climb stairs right now. You were so tired.

Guess that's too bad, because it seemed the upstairs bathroom was your only choice at the moment. It was the only place left where you had any medical supplies stored.

You made you way towards the stairs, fighting the dizziness and pain. You could do this. One step up. Good. That wasn't so hard, was it? Now just to repeat that sixteen times until you reached the landing. Oh what fun.

"Where have you been?" called a stern voice from behind you.

You turned to see Peter and Gamora standing in the hall near the kitchen doorway that was closest to the front door, looking rather cross even in the dim light provided from the kitchen.

"What?" You frowned and turned completely to face them, hoping to keep your posture looking natural while still keeping pressure on the wound. Your braced arm couldn't extend straight anyway, due to being locked in a limited range of motion, so that helped your case a little. If you just put your good hand in your pocket you thought your posture would almost look natural and relaxed. You only hoped they didn't turn on the light. Your dark jeans and jacket paired with the dim light were the only things saving you from them seeing the blood on your clothes.

Gamora tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. Something was off here. You seemed strange.

"Where have you been all night?" Peter repeated, taking a few steps closer and becoming more of a silhouette as he walked out of the range of the kitchen's light.

Squinting at him you feigned a short laugh, moving backwards up a step on the stairs. "What are you? My dad? I don't need your permission to take an early walk," you said, making to turn away but stopping when Gamora spoke next.

"You've been gone since at least 3:00 AM, it's nearly 5:00 am now." You seemed strange to her, and she wondered if something was wrong. You seemed in an awful hurry to get away from them.

You grimaced both at her words and the pain in your side. So you had been out for quite a bit... "Alright, so a very early walk." You take another backwards step, bringing yourself to stand on the third stair. Please let this conversation end soon. You were getting shaky, or at least you noticed it more now that you were forced to stand still.

"Bullshit. You were out all night." Peter confronted. "Where did you go? What's the big idea?"

You were glaring at him and trying to find a way to cut this conversation short when Drax came out of the sitting room, having heard you guys talking.

He smiled and said, "Peter, Gamora! She's back!"

Gamora pinched the bridge of her nose. "We know, Drax."

You took this distraction to climb up another step, trying to take deeper breaths to ease your rapid heart.

"Friend! We thought you had climbed out a window and then got eaten by a monster!" said Drax, who, for reasons unbeknownst to you, decided that now was apparently a good time to hug you.

Your eyes widened as you saw him approaching with outstretched arms. In a slight panic you take a quick and painful step backwards to rest on the fifth step. "Stop!" you say, a little harsher than you intended.

Drax stopped, having only been able to take a few steps in your direction and looking confused.

You made an attempt to recover. "I'm sorry, just... no bear hugs right now. I'm... not feeling too well. I'm going to go lie down now," you say, throwing a glance at Peter and adding, "assuming you're done telling me what I can and can't do in my own house." Ok, so that was a little harsh, considering they actually did have cause to be concerned, even if they were unaware of your current circumstances, but you really needed to get upstairs.

A thoughtful look came over Gamora's face. You had been acting strangely in her opinion, but she supposed if you really weren't feeling well that could explain it. She decided not to press it.

Peter narrowed his eyes at you before waving you off with a scoff, he and Gamora turning back to the kitchen. Drax simply nodded and turned back to the sitting room, seeing no reason not to comply with your request. It made perfect sense to him that you wouldn't want to be squeezed if you weren't feeling well.

You sighed in relief, and used the added adrenaline to force yourself into taking the steps quicker. You made it to about the twelfth step before one of your knees buckled and you tripped, letting out a short cry of pain when you caught yourself.

Many things then happened simultaneously in the next couple of minutes.

First, Peter rolled his eyes upon hearing you stumble up the stairs. He turned with a sigh, making his way over to the switch while Gamora paused and waited for him just outside the kitchen. "You know you probably wouldn't trip if you bothered to turn on a dang light!" he scolded, still frustrated with you. What was the big idea? Being gone all night, making him feel guilty that you might have gotten hurt and it would've been his fault, worrying Mantis, just to show up and act like they were being overbearing? Jackass.

You shook your fall off best you could, ignoring Peter's scolding about walking up the stairs in the dark. You shakily continued up, only to then see a thin light under the upstairs bathroom door just before reaching the final step, certain that you could also hear the shower running. 'Is the whole damn house awake?' you bitterly wondered. Whatever. You'd just wait them out in your room. Hopefully they were almost done.

Then the hall light flicked on below, making your breath hitch in surprise. You tried to calm yourself. It was still relatively dim upstairs, now brighter than it had been in the hall, but still dim enough. They wouldn't see the blood on you. You were fine. Just get to your room, before someone sees.

When the hall flooded with light Peter was finally able to notice a red smudge on the floor. Another rested a little ways from that one, and another, and another. Like a trail.

The few steps to your bedroom door from the top stair were dizzying, but you made it. However, just before you could grab onto the knob a gruff voice spoke behind you.

"Finally decide to turn in for the night?" Yondu asked, a layer of scolding in his voice. He had decided to finally follow Kraglin's lead and give up on sleep, telling himself his sleeplessness was just curiosity about where you had run off too. He wasn't worried, he was just curious. Maybe a little annoyed that you'd worry Mantis like this by staying out all night, but him worried? No.

At least that's what he told himself.

So imagine his relief surprise when he opened the bedroom door to see you standing on the landing just outside your own room. He had half a mind to give you a piece of his for scaring him Mantis like you did. What had you been thinking? Staying out all night, worrying the others? Downright rude.

You turn to face him, resting your shoulders against the door. "Peter already pulled the mother hen act downstairs," you quipped weakly. "You can give it a rest."

He walked closer. You were being your usually snippy self, but something was off. Part of him wanted to ask if something had happened, but instead he settled on scolding you for being out all night. He didn't know what you meant by 'mother hen', but your tone implied cheekiness. He narrowed his eyes, his tone got darker. "Ya know you had the whole house up lookin' fer ya," he began. A bit of an exaggeration, but as long as it had the desired effect- "Thought somethin' might've happened to ya. Got anythin' to say fer yerself?"

Yondu walks a few more steps towards you, hoping to see your face better, get a read on you.

Downstairs, Peter followed the red trail across the floor slowly with his eyes until they rested on a larger red stain on the first step. Gamora followed his gaze. 'What the hell?' Peter thought, sharing the same sentiment as Gamora without either needing to speak, 'Is that... blood?'

Upstairs, you frown at Yondu. "Clearly nothing happened," you lie, brushing him off. "Now if you excuse me, I'm not feeling well and I'm gonna lie down," you say, satisfied that lie would work just as well for him as it did for the others.

You may just be wanting to avoid being questioned further, but Yondu actually believes you when you say you don't feel well. You look like crap. Even in the dim light you look paler than normal, and almost kinda shaky. But something was still off, he just couldn't put his finger on it...

In haste to get into your room, and satisfied he bought it, you turn away without another word.

In that moment he saw what you didn't even realize you'd been hiding, and he moved quickly to close the distance between you before you could shut yourself in your room.

Of course you aren't going to be feeling well! Not when he can see the damned exit wound through your jacket and the wet stain of what he was sure was blood trailing down the back of your leg.

As for you, you were finally out of steam. You barely even registered his footsteps rapidly approaching. Hell, you didn't even get a good grip on your doorknob. That final turn back to your door proved to be the last straw, causing your vision to swim as your knees gave out.

The sound of your body hitting the floor upstairs snapped Peter's gaze up. He could now make out yours and Yondu's voices, but not what you were saying, just that neither of you seemed to be engaged in a particularly cheerful conversation. Peter uttered the word, "Shit," before running up the stairs, Gamora following close behind.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that something bad had happened. What they didn't understand was just how bad yet, or why you had attempted to hide it.

When Peter and Gamora reached the top of the stairs you were lying on the floor, weakly pulling yourself into a kneeling position. Yondu was frustratedly ordering you to "let him see," but you kept ignoring him.

"What happened?!" Gamora said, more of an order for you to explain than a question.

You barely paid attention to her. You were feeling too dizzy. Why couldn't they see that they needed to let you be?

"Turn that light on, boy!" Yondu ordered.

Peter complied and flipped the switch at the top of the stairs, illuminating the upstairs landing.

This action revealed the same bloody tracks on the floor as downstairs which lead to you, and the blood that soaked the whole side of your shirt as well.

Peter and Yondu both swore at the sight, and Gamora again demanded to know what happened. She cursed herself internally. She knew something had been up, and wished she had listened to her instincts.

"Looks like she's been shot," Yondu answered for you, since you didn't seem interested in answering.

You groaned out that it was fine. It was just a bullet wound- you'd had worse. You could take care of it yourself. You didn't need their help.

Yondu glared at you. "Bullshit," he said, not bothering to ask permission as he forcefully turned you so he could pull back your jacket and take a look at your backside. "Looks like it went all the way through." He said this more to Peter than to you. He, incorrectly, assumed you already knew.

Those words froze you for a moment. All the way through? Oh fuck. You had never checked for an exit wound. Why didn't you check for an exit wound? You knew better than that. Oh hell, that's why this was so bad. You were keeping pressure on only one side of your damn gunshot wound. How much had you bled out?

Shit.

"How did this happen?" Peter demanded, "Who shot you? Where are they?"

Fueled with misplaced anger you found the strength to elbow Yondu away from you and scoot yourself back against the door. You didn't answer his question. Instead, you told him not to worry about it and to leave you be so you could take care of it.

Yondu locked eyes with Gamora and instructed her to call SHIELD before grabbing at you again. You were either stupid, or delusional, and he had his bets placed on the latter. He had a feeling that you had lost way too much blood to think straight. You didn't seem to quite understand the severity of your injury, or that they were trying to help. "Don't you dare fight me, girl!" he said angrily when you smacked his hand. "We're trying to help you, dammit! Look at me, you hear! Let me see your eyes!"

You tried to pull your head away but he wouldn't allow it. He tilted your head back and held each eye open to the light. He then pressed his fingers to your throat and growled at you to 'stop it' when you tried to twist your head away. You make a low whine in response, your eyelids growing heavy. So tired. Your head leans back against the door.

Being a space pirate taught one a few things. One of those things was what could go very wrong if shot or stabbed. Like losing too much blood and going into shock. Ravagers were all taught at least basic first aid. It was often needed in their line of work. Of the things taught were the signs of shock, several of which you were currently presenting. Your skin was clammy and you had lost your color, your pupils were blown wide, your heart rate was rapid, and those were just the signs Yondu was able to see. "Fuck, she's in shock, boy. I'm sure of it," he said.

"Quick, lay her down." Peter said as Gamora thrusted some towels she retrieved from the bathroom at Yondu, still on the phone but now trying to get ahold of Agent Hill after she got a busy tone from Fury.

Lay down? You didn't want to do that. They were just being dramatic, you weren't in shock. Sure, you lost a decent amount of blood, but you walked all the way home, there was no way. Shock? Pfft. You just needed to grab your aid kit, treat the wound, and then you could sleep this off. Sleep was better than the pain. You swatted at Peter's hands, telling him it wasn't that bad.

This, of course, pissed him off. "Stop being an idiot! You need to lay down." he scolded. Peter, having been raised by Ravagers, had also been required to learn first aid and therefore also knew the basics of what to do for shock. He knew they needed to lie you down, try elevate your feet, and stop the bleeding until help could arrive. If only you'd quit fighting them.

"Why the hell is she fighting you?" Rocket asked in the background. He hadn't been able to fall back asleep either, and had been the person showering in the upstairs bathroom when you came up. He had come out just before Gamora rushed in for the towels, and was quite confused by the sight that greeted him on the landing. "Can't she see you're tryin' to help her?"

"I don't need- OOF!"

Suddenly the door opened behind you, cutting your sentence short as you fell on your back and stared up at what appeared to be a shocked and frightened Mantis.

Mantis? Oh that's right. You had forgotten you shared a room with her. Oh... That probably really wouldn't have gone over well if you had succeeded in your plan of hiding out in your room until the bathroom was free and you had entered the room covered in blood. You could only imagine the look on her face. Well, you didn't have to try hard, she was pretty much already wearing that expression.

Mantis's hands were clasped at her chest as she asked what happened to you.

Peter briefly filled her in before asking you again who shot you, only to be met with a choked grunt and a curse as Yondu pressed a rolled up towel under your back to help stop the bleeding of the exit wound you were now too delirious to fully care about.

Seeing Peter frustratedly ask you again, Mantis realized her services may be needed. Kneeling down, she pressed her hands against your temples and Peter looked up at her gratefully as you began to still. He knew she was using her abilities to ease you into a more compliant state.

Gamora now told the others that SHIELD was on their way, ignoring your weak response of "What'd you call them for?"

By now Kraglin and Drax had heard the commotion and came to see what was going on. Upon learning you had been shot Drax offered to go find the person responsible and return the favor by ripping out their spine.

You let out a short whimper, your eyes fluttering as you tried to stay conscious. "Please don't," you say, a hint of desperation in your voice that made the others exchange glances. "It was just an accident. They were just kids. They don't even know they shot me."

"How could they not know they shot you?!" Peter said incredulously.

"They thought I was a fox," you answer weakly, "I couldn't risk anyone coming here and finding you lot, so I hid... threw a rock for distraction... laid down until they were gone." You left out the bit about passing out, certain it would make them more fussy. "It was just an accident... I swear..." Your voice was getting weaker and Peter lightly slapped your cheek a couple times, telling you to stay with them. He could ask how they hell they thought you were a fox later. You only weakly responded with, "You're safe..."

He looked up at Mantis, his brow furrowed. "Can you keep her awake?"

Mantis bit her lip and shook her head. "I can't. She's weakening."

You tilted your head back slightly to look at her, wondering what she meant, but at the same time losing your ability to make much sense of what anyone was saying. Your eyes fluttered once more. So tired.

Peter tapped your cheek again, telling you to keep your eyes open.

You couldn't.

#gotg #gotg fanfiction #guardians of the galaxy #x reader #mantis #gamora #peter quill #kraglin #yondu udonta #starlord #drax #rocket racoon and groot

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spenciegoob · 4 years ago

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Who Needs Luck?

A/N: hi! I solely wrote this because of my 3 recent visits to NY (no, I sadly did not meet mgg)... plus i’ve been going there my whole life.. this is becoming the longest authors note, but as i’m writing I just want to say the people who work at food trucks in nyc are the nicest people ever, ask them about their day (AND TIP OMG PLS)

Summary: Reader invites Spencer to go to New York City with her where he finally sees the beauty right in front of him.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Category: Fluff!

Content Warnings: reader can’t drive very well (I apologize if this is a callout post), slight road rage, language

Masterlist

Word Count: 2.4K

____

I never considered myself a lucky man. Life had proven time and time again that no matter how many four leaf clovers I set out to search for, how many pennies on the ground faced heads up I stumbled across, luck was never on my side. I’ve learned to live with it, accepted my fate as the world’s smartest punching bag long before I was even in college.

But then I met her, and as cheesy as it sounds, I didn’t need luck that morning.

The second I woke up, the universe seemed to have it out for me specifically. I swung my legs over my bed, and in my half asleep daze stepped on my glasses, successfully breaking them. Unable to see on my short trip to the bathroom, I stubbed my toe… twice. Once I finally finished my morning routine more methodically, I walked out of my apartment only to bump into a stranger, sending the coffee she was holding all the both of us.

I had tried to apologize so many times, cutting my words short when they didn’t feel right. I had gotten through a series of “I’m, uh, oh, I, you,” before her smile interrupted my thought process, leaving me awestruck instead.

“That’s okay, but you owe me a coffee now.” She giggled, actually giggled, even with the scorching liquid causing her shirt to stick to her body. “Maybe… together?”

I didn’t hesitate to agree, taking her up on the offer that weekend and never looking back. Even when a loud crash, followed by a quiet, harsh ‘shit’ woke me up in a startle, there was no regret. Maybe just a little concern for my girlfriend who now that my eyes have adjusted to the darkness, can be seen holding her knee on the floor of our bedroom.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to wake you,” she whispered out, grabbing onto the dresser to stand straight again. Once she was on her feet, she came over to sit on the edge of our bed, immediately running her fingers through my hair. If I wasn’t so worried about her knee, I probably would’ve fell asleep again.

“Are you okay?” She giggled at my scratchy morning voice before nodding her head. It’s then I realized how the sun hasn’t even begun to rise, the room still pitchblack. “What are you doing up?”

“Getting ready to go to the city, sleepyhead,” she said as if it was the most obvious answer, but truthfully, it left me with more questions.

“At... 5 am?” I sat up, glancing at the alarm clock three times just to make sure I was reading it right. She may have always been a little strange, but usually at a reasonable hour.

At this, she stood up to continue getting ready for the very early morning. Now I notice why she fell, the piles of clothes leading to the closet had to have at least half of her outfits compiled together.

“Well, yeah. I want to get there before noon.” Even in my perplexed state, I rose from the bed and carefully tiptoed around haphazardly thrown clothes to reach her.

While wrapping my arms around her waist still hidden under my t-shirt, I questioned. “It’s right outside? You have 7 hours.”

She turned to look at me funny as if I wasn’t the one digging through clothes and waking up before dawn to walk literally 5 minutes to my desired location. My eyebrows must have subconsciously furrowed at one point, because she brought her hand up to stroke her thumb on my forehead. Immediately, I felt the tension melt, no longer caring to correct my confusion. She still did it anyway.

“Not DC, silly. New York!” I wish it were untrue, but my heart dropped at her words. She was leaving, going to a city I wasn’t familiar with beyond reading about, solving cases, and memorizing subway maps. Is this how she feels every time I board that jet?

“W-what? You’re just going to New York City?” I inwardly cringed at how desperate and sad I sounded, but I really didn’t want her to leave.

“Mhm,” she mumbled, turning back around to return digging in her closet.

“For how long?” Please change your mind. Please change your mind. Please change you-

Realizing that I was fully awake, she let out a boisterous laugh, allowing the way it bounced off our four little walls to return back to us. It was a sound most treasured. “I was hoping to get back around 9.”

“What?” I leaned back to look at her like she was absolutely preposterous. I mean, she was!

“Roadtrip!”

That’s how I found myself in the passenger seat of her car, no coffee in my hand because I wasn’t allowed until I have “a real cup of coffee.” Whatever the hell that means better happen soon, because as much as I loved watching the way she concentrates on the road in front of her, my eyes were starting to droop.

“It’s going to be another 4 hours. You can sleep, my love.” How she knew me so well, I will never be able to figure out, but I was out before we even made it across state borders.

That however, didn’t last very long. My girlfriend may be short and sweet, but behind the wheel? That’s a different story. The horn to her car is a very familiar sound when I’m jolted awake by a sudden stop.

“Really, asshole? Go!” She yelled, slamming her hand against the top of the steering wheel before looking over at me. “Hey, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to wake you yet. I forgot how awful drivers are here.”

“Where is here exactly?” I questioned, sitting up from my slouched position to find cars practically on top of each other on a road not wide enough for two lanes.

“New Jersey. We’re 10 minutes away.” Wow, I didn’t realize I slept for that long, and I have to admit I’m a little surprised I wasn’t woken up sooner.

“How are we 10 minutes away? It’s at least another 30 to get to the tunnel.” Looking at our surroundings didn’t help me determine our exact location. To the left of us, there were dozens of graffiti murals on the side of what I assumed was another elevated highway. To the right, sidestreets with local businesses ranging from auto repair shops to fast food joints to gyms.

“Nuh uh, stop analyzing mister. You’ll know when we get there.” She waved a finger in my directions, putting a pin in my scrutinization. I pouted right back, successfully playing along to the theme of her scolding me like a 5 year old.

“I don’t like surprises you know.” It was the truth, but her contagious laughter that filled the car made me slightly less disinclined to stop asking questions.

“Oh I know, but trust me, you’ll like this one.” She went to go reach over to grab my hand from where it was resting in my lap, but stopped short and retracted in favor of slamming the horn. “Oh, come on!”

***

“So you drove to a train station... in New Jersey?” I asked while she was… attempting to park the car.

“Well, yeah. I’ve been taking this route since I was a little girl.” Once she finally figured out how to evenly space a two door convertible in a very spacious parking spot, she unbuckled her seatbelt, and was quick to grab her bag from the backseat. “Well, come on mister, we’re going to miss the train.”

To be quite honest, I have never been so lost in my life. I could probably pinpoint our exact location on a map if I wanted to, granted I was given any sort of information, but part of me didn’t want to. Scratch that, all of me didn’t want to, because my entire life has been planned out in front of me before, but right now, I get to be spontaneous with the most beautiful girl on the planet.

“Don’t let go of my hand,” she told me, lacing our fingers together and pulling me forward. “Don’t stop to look around, you will get pushed.”

We made it inside, and if I thought the DC transit system was bustling with people constantly, this place was so much worse. There were hallways left and right, all packed with people in a rush. It seems everybody had some place to be and zero time to get there.

“Upstairs.” We walked up two flights before reaching a platform, buying our tickets and making it just in time for a train to arrive. “I know they come every 8 minutes, but thank god we made this one,” she said as she sat down.

The cart we were in wasn’t too crowded, and once I finally found a map on the wall across from us, I saw that it was a direct ride to the World Trade Center.

“You said you took this train when you were little?”

“Yeah, I went to the city a lot as a kid. This was the easiest, and the cheapest way there.” A small smile played at her lips, obviously the product of some childhood memory. “I used to hop it.”

“Of course you did,” I laughed back with her, thinking about how an innocent looking child would be the first person to get away with sneaking onto the train.

***

“I said it before, I will say it again. Do not let go of my hand.” This time it was more stern, and if I were being honest, I would say that it got me the slightest bit nervous. She must have noticed, she always does, because she continued. “Don’t worry, it just gets congested and I don’t want to lose you.”

She was right about that, it indeed was very congested, but that was okay because she was holding my hand, and I would follow her just about anywhere if it meant she kept looking over her shoulder and smiling when she saw me. Once we made it across the way, and in front of heavy looking glass doors, she turned to me and started walking backwards.

“You okay? This is definitely not off to a great start.” She was wrong, it was off to a perfect start.

“Yeah, I’m okay, but you might want to watch where you’re going,” I said before her back hit the door.

“Please I can get here with my eyes closed.” And then we were outside, and all 5 of my senses were hit immediately. The sun was shining down on us, and before I could complain about not bringing my sunglasses, she handed them to me. My heart fluttered at the innocent act, taking the sunglasses with such gratitude even though she had already moved on to retrieve hers. “Do you smell that?” She asked.

“There are a lot of answers to that question,” I told her, not knowing if she was talking about the smell of the construction happening at the corner, the permanent garbage smell or something entirely different.

“The hotdogs, silly. Come on, there’s nothing like ‘em.” This time, I laced our fingers together, not because I was scared of losing her, I was, but I just really wanted to be closer to her. She didn’t mind, in fact, she let out a content hum and leaned her head on my arm as we walked to the stand.

“Can I get four hotdogs with sauerkraut and two grape sodas,” she asked the vendor, who politely nodded before moving on to prepare our food.

“You’re going to have a heart attack by 35,” I said as I nudged her with my shoulder. She gave me a small push back before answering.

“Is that a doctor’s diagnosis?” She asked as she took our now ready food into her hands, after paying the man before I even had time to blink. I just grabbed the two cans of soda and followed her where she was making a beeline for a park bench. “Watch out for skaters.”

“Yes, it is indeed a doctor's diagnosis.” I unwrapped one of the hotdogs before taking a bite. I closed my eyes and let out a content hum. “It may be a little worth it.”

“Exactly.” We sat there quietly, enjoying the warm weather and sounds of wheels against pavement. At one point, she rested her head against my shoulder, and I am convinced wherever she went would be Heaven.

***

“Are your eyes closed?” We found ourselves with both our hands interlocked, my eyes closed while she walked backwards. I gave an ‘mhm’ before she continued. “We’re here, just keep them closed, and…” her words trailed off. “Okay open.”

I opened my eyes to her holding her arms out in the middle of the largest bookstore I’ve ever seen. “Surprise!” My eyes were bouncing everywhere. It wasn’t too crowded, the large stairwell across the store catching my eye first. There were bookshelves tens of feet high, all loaded with different genres and authors. To the right of us, tiny knick knacks and pins and socks. It was beautiful.

“Wow,” I whispered out, still stuck in my place admiring our surroundings. She was beaming up at me, a hint of pride at her successfulness to drag me 6 hours away to the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.

“The Strand has always been my favorite place in the city. Come on, let’s go explore.” She grabbed my hands again, pulling me deeper into the store towards a shelf labeled adult fiction.

***

Six books, three pairs of socks and a postcard later, we were back on the busy streets of New York, aimlessly walking and admiring the tall buildings and different attractions. Well she was, I was admiring the way she was looking around like it was her first time here. Maybe I should have been paying more attention to our surroundings, but no amount of skyscrapers or fountains could possibly ever match up to her level of beauty.

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” I asked randomly, startling her into jumping a tiny bit before giggling. She stopped us, turning to face me fully before reaching up to grab my face in her hands.

“Once or twice.” The kiss we shared on the New York streets were no different than the ones before, but this time, it felt like a silent promise. A passing between two lovers that no matter where we are, our love is the most beautiful thing there is. “I love you too, dork.”

___

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leon-scott-kennedy · 3 years ago

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Distrail

Chreon, Rated-T

Read on Ao3

For a price, anyone could check into a seedy motel, even three people covered in blood, guts, and grime, no questions asked, especially with the ashes of Raccoon City still cooling 100 miles away. So the horizon still held a faint glow of destruction when Leon and Claire stumbled, barely conscious, through the front door of the Tadpole motel at 2 PM October 1st, using each other as support and Sherry clinging to Leon’s back like a koala if a koala drooled and snored.

Two other motels along the highway turned the odd couple away, rumours already flying about Raccoon City, zombies, and a nuclear cover-up. But at the right price, triple the going rate, Claire managed to convince the manager to let them bunk down, courtesy of Leon’s stressed credit card.

The fact Leon’s credit card worked, or that he even still had his credit card, was a miracle. His wallet hadn’t exactly been a priority, and honestly, they could sleep in a cockroach-infested basement, and Leon would be happy because they were dead on their feet after hiking on foot what Leon estimated to be a good 30 miles of rough terrain to get to the nearest town. The sun barely peeked over the horizon when the sky behind them exploded.

Raccoon City was gone. The people Leon had sworn to defend were gone. Sherry and Claire were all he managed to protect, and he’d be damned if he failed now.

The motel room wasn’t terrible; two double beds, a small tube TV, and a leaky faucet. It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t something out of a horrible nightmare. They’d left that behind them.

“I’m glad we don’t have a blacklight,” Claire joked, but her tone fell flat.

Leon nudged the bed farthest from the door suspiciously with his boot, dragged back the yellow duvet, and inspected the mattress before he lay Sherry down and tucked her in. He even let Claire shower first, insisted, while he watched Sherry sleep, tossing and turning and whimpering from reliving the horrors in her dreams until Claire emerged from the bathroom, hair still damp, and crawled into bed beside Sherry.

By the time Leon scrubbed his skin raw, the water was cold, and Claire had passed out cold with Sherry cuddled up beside her, little hand tangled in the front of Claire’s dirty tank top like a lifeline. Leon passed out face first on the other bed. He couldn’t even muster the energy to get under the covers.

Movement woke Leon. He jolted awake, reaching for his gun on the bedside table, only to find Claire, fully dressed, perched on the end of his bed and tugging one of her boots. She smiled sadly at the gun levelled at her head.

Leon lowered Matilda, gasping for air. His arm fell limply to his side. “Claire?”

“Hey.” Claire pulled on her second boot. “Sorry.”

Leon blinked at the sleep crusting his eyes. “What... what are you doing?”

Claire sighed and set her foot back down solidly on the ground, hands grasping her thighs. “I need to find Chris. I need... I need to know he’s okay.”

“Now?” Leon glanced at the clock. The bright red numbers read 7:46. The setting sun outside glowed faintly behind the curtains.

“If you ever need me...”

“Forget me. What about Sherry?” Leon snapped, somewhat mollified when Claire winced.

“I know you’ll take good care of her.” Claire’s attention briefly snapped to the sleeping 12-year-old that had survived literal hell. “Leon... if I didn’t have to.”

“Yeah. Yeah, whatever,” Leon scoffed, then rolled over. His heart thundered in his chest. He heard Claire briefly wake up Sherry to say goodbye, promising they’d be in touch, that if Sherry ever needed her, all she needed to do was call.

The door creaked open. Leon clenched his eyes shut, willing down the panic swelling in his chest until it ached. This was it. He was all Sherry had left. They were on their own.

“Take care of our girl for me.” Claire’s voice was barely a whisper.

Leon’s hands trembled, buried in the sheets and pillows, he struggled to suck down air, and his hearing fuzzed. Claire was gone.

For hours, Leon faded in and out of consciousness, barely able to keep the crush of dread at bay. Finally, at some point around 3 AM, he gave up all pretense to sleep and kept a vigilant guard. He jumped at a car alarm, tensed at the slam of a door, and clenched Matilda tightly when soft footfalls passed their door. Eventually, Sherry climbed into his bed to watch early morning cartoons with him.

“Is Claire going to be okay?” Sherry asked softly. She hugged Leon’s arm, cuddling into his side like he used to with his grandma.

“Yeah. Don’t worry about her,” Leon said. He slumped to the side, gently resting his head on top of Sherry’s. “She’ll be fine, kiddo.”

When the sun rose, Leon and Sherry trekked down to the front office to extend their stay another night, then hiked into town searching for clothes and sustenance. Being out in public, surrounded by people, set both Leon and Sherry on edge. They jumped at the slightest sound, and Sherry refused to release Leon’s hand for anything less than going to the bathroom, and even then, he had to stand guard outside the stall. Thank god he had pissed before they left the motel because Sherry was clinging to the back of his jacket while he tried seemed ridiculous.

Their shopping trip was quick. They grabbed what they could, Sherry setting a brisk pace through the little thrift store they found, dragging Leon from rack to rack. They scrounged up a few changes of clothes, socks, underwear, which Leon was a little uncertain of, a jacket that fits over his side holster since he had a license to carry, and a backpack that they filled with snacks and a deck of cards from a little corner store. It turns out Leon’s palette was similar to a twelve-year-old.

The tenuous credit limit finally crapped out on Leon when he tried to buy a six-pack at a shady liquor store on the way back to the motel.

“No job. No money. Just great,” Leon sighed.

For the rest of the day, they holed up in their room munching on junk food, watching terrible daytime TV, and playing Go Fish until Leon made the brilliant decision to teach Sherry how to play poker, and she fleeced him for all the Cheetos.

Leon had no plan beyond survive, and he hadn’t even planned for that. His body ached from being tossed by mutated monsters and shot. His wrapped shoulder twinged.

“Shit,” Leon cursed and clutched his wound. They needed help. He needed help. Taking care of a kid without any resources would be impossible; never mind, he’d never taken care of a person in his life. He had no siblings, no parents. His grandma died when he was nine.

Leon smiled at Sherry in reassurance when she questioned him. This little girl couldn’t be another statistic of the system. He could fix that. He would fix that.

Covered in orange Cheeto dust, Sherry crashed around 8 in the evening. The glow of the sun behind the curtain reminded Leon of the mushroom cloud that had enveloped the sky 36 hours ago. Leon’s stomach twisted in knots. Every creak, every thump, every squeaky break, Leon tensed, waiting for something to crash through the door and disrupt the precarious peace.

Leon hunkered down on his bed, the one closest to the door and any potential threat that came for them, and prepared for another sleepless night on edge.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Around one in the morning, his eyes beginning to droop, Leon nearly fell off the bed in his mad scramble for his gun when someone knocked heavily on the door. Checking his clip, Leon cautiously crept to the door, motioning for now very awake Sherry to stay out of sight.

“Who is it,” Leon called.

“Hi. Look, I’m sorry to bother you. My name is Chris Redfield. I’m looking for my sister Claire.”

Leon blinked and glanced back at Sherry, whose head had popped out of the blanket at the sound of Claire’s name. Then, double-checking he had bolted the chain, Leon opened the door a crack to peek out.

A man a little taller than Leon stood under the flickering light outside the door, his hair cut short and a 5 o’clock shadow. Chris Redfield, decorated member of the Racoon City Stars Division. Leon recognized him from the old photo Claire had shown him, but also the records he’d run across during his frantic hunt through the Police Department.

“Chris?” Leon said, astonished it was actually him. He slammed the door, unbolted the chain, and flung the door open again. “What the- Claire’s looking for you. What are you doing here?”

Chris, who eyed the gun uncertainly, brightened at the mention of his sister. “Is she here? The manager at the front recognized her. Said she was here with some guy and a kid.” Chris glanced past Leon into the room to Sherry curled up in the other bed peering out with curious fear from under the blankets.

Leon shook his head, eyes scanning the parking lot. “She’s not here. She left this morning to find you.”

“Fuck.” Chris winced and glanced at Sherry again. “Shit, sorry.”

Sherry giggled into her hands, and Leon rolled his eyes. “I think she’s dealt with worse.” Like the apocalypse.

“But she’s okay. She’s alive?” Chris asked.

“Who? Claire? Yeah. Yeah, she’s fine. Saved my ass more than a few times.” Leon smiled wistfully and then frowned. So Claire had left, and now, here, her brother was trying to track her down. It must be nice to have someone that gave a damn about you.

“Oh, thank god.” Then, finally, all the tension and stiffness in Chris’ posture melted. “I got her message, and...”

Leon scanned the dark parking lot again for any sign of life, then gestured into the motel room. “You should come in.”

“No.” Chris waved off the invitation. “No, I need to find her.” But the fatigue in his voice threatened to topple him, and that would definitely fell Leon if he tried to catch him.

“Dude, you’re dead on your feet,” Leon said. “It’s the middle of the night. Crash for a few hours.”

“Yeah!” Sherry chimed in, bouncing on her bed. “Stay!”

Chris shook his head. “I can’t.”

Leon pursed his lips. “Look, I don’t know you, man. But I do know that if you pass out behind the wheel and wrap yourself around a pole, you’re pretty damn useless to her.”

Chris opened his mouth to argue, and Leon sighed, tilting his head to the side, ready to give up when Chris snapped his mouth closed and cleared his throat. He studied Leon closely, scrutinizing him like he would a suspect, but Chris must have been satisfied with what he found - weakness, terror, immaturity - because he finally said, “just a few hours.” And the anxiety squeezing the life out of Leon eased, just a tiny bit. Enough that he could breathe.

Chris excused himself to run and grab his go-bag, and Leon cursed his stupidity because nothing was stopping Chris from running. That tightness immediately returned, but a few minutes later, another sharp knock sounded at the door.

Leon smiled tiredly and welcomed Chris into the room, relieved to have the company, someone who knew what they were doing; an adult. Leon grew up fast, but he’d never been an adult in his life. Racoon City was supposed to be a fresh start, and now, he was back to square one. Not even. He was in the basement of square one—the root cellar.

Leon finally caught a good look at Sherry with the lights on, still covered in orange dust, her fingers and cheeks stained. “Jesus. Did you eat the Cheetos or roll in them?”

Sherry laughed. “Leon taught me to play poker, and then I won all the cheezies,” she said to Chris, who grinned.

“Nice job.” Chris offered her a high-five, which she eagerly accepted. The hero worship was already forming.

“He gets a little wrinkle right here when he lies,” Sherry said, pointing a small finger between her eyebrows.

“Okay,” Leon said, scooping Sherry off the bed and carrying her off under one arm. “Let’s get you cleaned up and back in bed, munchkin.”

Cheeto dust proved a formidable adversary, but they managed. When they walked back into the room, Chris was standing exactly where they had left him, his bag still slung over his shoulder and his boots laced.

Getting Sherry tucked back into bed became a struggle now that the brand new company hyped her up; no hesitation whatsoever. She liked Chris. She even made Chris put her to bed, Leon faking offence at being disregarded for the new guy, but there was something about seeing a six-foot boulder of a man coax a tiny twelve-year-old back to sleep that made Leon’s chest ache. Especially when Chris told the story of how Claire was convinced that if she left fake teeth under her pillow, she could trick the tooth fairy into giving her more money. It never worked. The tooth fairy left chocolate coins instead. Fake money for a fake tooth.

Leon watched perched on the edge of the other bed, a little envious of Chris’ skill with kids. He double-checked the safety on his handgun, then the clip. Chris eyed Leon as he set his weapon back down on the bedside table, and Leon couldn’t muster the energy to be self-conscious about his paranoia.

Chris may be Claire’s sister and a fellow survivor of Raccoon City, but Leon didn’t actually know him. For all he knew, he was a traitor like Irons or Wesker. Maybe he wasn’t the man Claire believed him to be. What the hell had he been thinking? Inviting a stranger to stay with them?

With Sherry asleep again, Leon and Chris were left to settle in for the remainder of the night. For Chris, that meant shedding his bulky jacket and combat boots.

“It’s Leon, right?” Chris said. He stood awkwardly beside the bed, watching Leon click off the light and climb under the blankets, tucking himself up against the edge of the mattress as close as he possibly could without toppling off. “Claire mentioned you in one of her messages.”

Leon almost facepalmed. He hadn’t introduced himself. He really was doing everything backwards. “Yeah. That’s me. Leon S. Kennedy.” He curled up into a small ball.

“Jesus Christ.” Chris swiped his palm across his mouth. “You’re the new rookie.”

Leon chuckled humourlessly, his hands tightening into fists around the sheets pulled up to his neck. “Was a hell of a first day.”

Chris picked up real quick that Leon didn’t want to talk about it. So instead, he climbed into his side of the bed, the one closest to the door. The mattress dipped under his weight, and Leon tensed. Where else would Chris have slept? The floor? The last person Leon shared a bed with was his ex, who had seemingly saved his life. If she hadn’t broken up with him, if he hadn’t gotten drunk, if he hadn’t slept in hungover as hell, he would have arrived right in the middle of the initial panic, and who knows if he would have survived that. No one else in the department had.

What would it have been like? The screams, the moans, the pleas for help- the sounds still played on repeat in Leon’s head. Lieutenant Marvin Branagh, mouth agape, stumbling towards him with his hands out. Leon had put two bullets between his eyes.

The first indications of a panic attack slammed into Leon. Abruptly, his throat closed. He couldn’t breathe, his vision slid out of focus, and his chest compressed. Like someone reached into his chest and squeezed his heart in a vice. His entire body shook.

Suddenly, a warm voice murmured in his ear, the soothing tone talking him down, calming him. Leon wasn’t alone. He wasn’t trapped in the police station battling endless waves of the undead, the people of Raccoon City he’d taken an oath to serve and protect.

“Leon, kid, you need to breathe,” Chris said. His presence was a solid wall behind Leon. “I’m going to touch you, okay?”

Leon focused on Chris’ voice. His vision began to swim back into focus, his hearing rushed back in a sudden wall of familiar night noises like the drip of the faucet in the bathroom or the lonely car that passed on the highway. He nodded, not fully understanding what Chris was saying. An arm slid around his waist and pulled him back into a firm chest. Leon flailed, seconds from panic again when Chris’ voice rumbled in his ear.

“You’re going to be okay. I got you.”

Leon grasped Chris’ arm, his grip probably tight enough to leave bruises, and he choked on a shuddering sob.

“It’s okay, Leon. You’re going to be okay.”

Gasping for air, Leon rolled over and buried his face in Chris’ chest, and Chris let him. Leon’s sobs were muffled in Chris’ arms, not wanting to disturb Sherry in the next bed. He felt every subtle muscle flex when Chris tightened his grip or shifted them into a more comfortable position. That’s how Leon passed out, wrapped in the reassuring embrace of a complete stranger, one who understood the hell he’d lived through and the fear and uncertainty he felt in his soul.

Morning came quickly. Leon woke up still curled into Chris’ chest with a death grip on the other man’s faded t-shirt. Chris’ nose was buried in Leon’s hair, each soft snore ruffling his hair, but his embrace hadn’t lessened overnight.

The warmth of embarrassment burning, Leon snuck out of bed, anxiously loosening Chris’ hold and dashing for the safety and solitude of the bathroom, horrified at his complete lack of control the night before. No one had held him like that before, at least not since he was a child and his grandma would sit up with him after a nightmare. But, sadly, this was another type of nightmare, a waking one.

When Leon finally mustered the courage to wander back into the room, Chris was up, sitting on the edge of the bed with his elbows on his knees.

“You okay?” Chris asked the same time Leon burst out, “I’m sorry!”

Chris sighed. “You didn’t do anything wrong. When I showed up on your doorstep last night, I saw right away that you were barely holding it together.”

Leon’s fists clenched at his side. He couldn’t meet Chris’ gentle gaze.

Chris crossed the room in two enormous strides and considerately grasped Leon by the shoulders. “It was the shock finally hitting you. It happened to me too, but I was alone,” Chris admitted. “Hey. Hey, come on. Look at me.”

Leon bit his lower lip, but he slowly looked up, eyes stinging. “I don’t know what to do.”

Telegraphing his movements, Chris gently pulled Leon into a tight hug. “You’re not alone. We’re going to do this together. I want to take Umbrella down, but first, I wanna make sure you’re okay.”

Leon jerked back so fast Chris stumbled. “I want to help. I want to make those sons of bitches pay.”

Chris smiled. “Good. But first, I have a safe house.”

Together, they set the plans. Leon and Sherry would meet Chris in two days, hopefully with Claire in tow, at Chris’ new safehouse three states over. Sherry and Leon could catch a bus a couple miles down the highway to get them most of the way. The trick would be getting up the mountain to the cabin. But they were in this together. Hope simmered once again.

Armed with a freshly drawn map on motel stationery, Leon watched Chris pack. Umbrella wouldn’t know what hit them.

“Here. Take it.”Chris handed Leon two rumpled twenties, a five, and a few ones he dug out of his wallet. “It’s all the cash I have on me, but it should be enough to get you there. I’ll drop you off-”

“No.” Leon took the cash, but waved off Chris’ offer to give him and Sherry a lift to the bus station. “It’s in the opposite direction. We’ll be fine.”

“Two days,” Chris promised. Sherry had climbed out of bed and now clung to Chris’ arm as if he couldn’t leave as long as she was attached. He ruffled her hair. “With or without Claire, I’ll be there and we’ll go from there.” Chris grabbed Leon by the back of the neck and dragged him into a gruff hug, their foreheads lightly pressed together. “It’s gonna be okay, kid.”

And Leon believed him. That is, until two hours later when an unmarked vehicle pulled up on Leon and Sherry hiking down the side of the road, hand in hand. They never made it to the rendezvous.

#chreon #leon s kennedy #chris redfield #claire redfield #sherry birkin #re2make #re fanfic #leon kennedy #kennfield

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kodzukyan · 3 years ago

Text

two hearts, four broken pieces (now we’re unbreakable)

notes: happiest belated birthday to my grand king <3 lots of (long?) dialogue, long talks at the beach, kinda clunky, but i hope you enjoy :> song accompaniment recommendation: unbreakable by lauren dyson (carole & tuesday) & everything i need by skylar grey! also posted on ao3.

summary: you were there like the air when i felt like i was underwater. AU in which you have matching birthmarks on your heart as your soulmate. - oikawa/oc

wc: 6.2k

The clock ticks continually as you finish reviewing the club budget for the upcoming school year. As the last rays of the sun begin to dim into a darkening blue, the clock rings loudly, signaling the end of club activities. The other student council members routinely leave by five, and after a quick goodbye and wave, two hours pass by without you knowing. You glance at your watch, and you sigh softly as you see the shorthand reach seven.

There are still numbers that do not add up, but you suppose that has to wait. Getting up to stretch, you automatically head to the keys cabinet to see which keys are still missing. As usual, the keys to the volleyball gym have yet to be returned.

Like any other day, you sigh again. This is a rather normal occurrence as the volleyball team tends to stay as late as you do. Normally, you don't mind since it’s not a big deal - you’re usually still here to lock up after they leave. Today, however, you’re rather exhausted and would like to finish up your report and just go home. Putting on your white blazer and patting down the wrinkles of your tan skirt, you make certain you’re presentable before you head out of the room and towards the volleyball gym.

A resounding smack reverberates through the air before you even enter the gym. You knock twice on the gym doors, and when there is no answer, you open the doors soundlessly and enter the gym. The gym is unoccupied except for one lone player, making the echoes of each movement louder.

He doesn’t notice you, and as you see him jump to hit a serve, you are in awe by the strength and impact of it as it lands. It astonishes you a little to discover the normally flirty eyes and teasing smiles with such intense concentration and seriousness. When you see a faint smile on his face as his serve lands within the lines of the court, you wonder if this is what he really is like. As he recovers another ball to try again, you clear your throat. This time, you catch his attention, somewhat.

“Sorry, Iwa-chan! You don’t have to wait for me. I’m almost done!” he calls out, eyes never leaving the court.

“Sorry, Oikawa-san. I am not Iwaizumi-san. While I do have to say I am extremely impressed with your tenacity, I am afraid it's late and time for you to go home,” you say politely with a perfectly practiced smile on your face.

The ball he tossed into the air previously drops straight down onto the floor and bounces as he hears your voice. He jerks his head towards you, and you almost want to laugh when you see his gaping mouth.

“Oh, Pres-chan! I wasn’t expecting you!” he recovers swiftly, a hand behind his head and his tongue sticking out humorously.

Ah, he’s back to his normal self.

“Apologies again,” you nod, a courteous smile never leaving your face, despite your slight disdain for your new nickname. You’ve learned it is easiest to deal with people with a perfect smile, lips upturned slightly at a 45-degree angle and eyes crinkled together lightly.

He stares at you intensely as you smile. While his eyes are analytical enough to press anyone under, it doesn’t bother you because you are used to such scrutiny.

“I’ll pack up! Pres-chan, wait for me! I’ll walk you home since it’s so late.” He finally softens in his stares and begins picking up the balls around the court.

“No need to worry about me, Oikawa-san. There are still some matters for me to finish up at the student council room,” you assure him courteously despite your mild annoyance at your stray strand of hair that fell out of your neat ponytail as you tuck it behind your ear.

“No, no! I insist! It’s so late, so it’s dangerous for cute girls like you, Pres-chan!” he protests as he continues cleaning.

You begin assisting him to pick up the balls and grab the mops to clean up the gym. The more hands there are, the faster you two get to leave. After cleaning up the gym and returning the keys to the student council room, you continue to decline his offer of walking you home. Being around him for a little less than 30 minutes has already tired you, but you find it more draining to talk him out of it so you just relent.

He accompanies you back to your house at your pace, constantly filling the silence with some sort of conversation. He seems to recognize your need for distance, so he keeps the conversation light, never diving in deeper than what you are willing to give. You respond as amiable as you could with this surface-level sort of conversation. This is comfortable, this is straightforward, this is not about who you are, so you find it easy to keep up your practiced smile and pleasantry.

For what it’s worth, you can understand why he’s so popular. He’s attractive, and his personality is tolerable enough. But something about him is slightly unpleasant to you. You have an inkling of what it is, but you’re not ready to open the tightly sealed jar of emotions yet.

When you reach your stop and he bids you goodbye, you find yourself face to face with your cousin, who just squeals and questions you.

“Who is he?” she exclaims loudly, far too energetic for so late at night. “What if he is your soulmate?!”

You smile tersely, “He is just a classmate.”

She only looks at you in confusion. “Eh? You never know! Did you already see his mark?”

You flash her a practiced smile as you excuse yourself.

“No, I was born without one.”

---

You like routine. This is something you’ve established for as long as you remember. If things are set in place, set in stone, then they are less likely to fall apart, to break.

So when walking home with Oikawa Tooru stays as a recurring part of your days, it makes you uneasy.

This is not part of your normal routine. But you suppose him returning the volleyball gym keys instead of you wrestling him for them is also not part of your normal routine.

“You know, for someone so smart, you’re kind of dumb."

You finally look up from your papers. Your pen still in hand, eyes in disbelief, and voice laced with venom as you hiss, “Excuse me?”

“Pres-chan, even I know when to stop. It's nearly 8 in the evening. Your body needs rest so you can function as efficiently as you always want to,” he rolls his eyes as he air-quotes the word efficiently. The volleyball gym keys jingle in his hand as he does so, and the sound of it aggravates your headache.

"This is coming from the one who stays behind two hours every day after club activity ends? Stop trying to preach what you don’t practice." Your grip on your pen tightens.

"I take Mondays off," he shrugs and offers a lopsided smile. There's a serious glint in his eyes despite his casual gestures.

You know he's right because the keys to the volleyball club always hang neatly and untouched every Monday. You know he's right when you finally let yourself feel the tiredness in your body. You know he's right when your headache finally catches up to you, but you simply cannot completely let go.

Maybe he sees your sagging shoulders and weary eyes, so he doesn't press the matter anymore. He hangs the clubroom keys in the cabinet before he walks over.

"You can rest, you know?"

You do, but you can't. Not when there are so many reports to fill out and papers to file, not when the club budgeting still isn't adding up, not when you have to be the you that your father created inside his head. Your brows cease together as your head throbs. Before you could respond, you feel a gentle pat on your head that brings you out of your thoughts.

"You're doing great, Pres-chan. Take a break," he speaks softly as he strokes your head.

You close your eyes at his touch, and you relish in his gentleness. For someone with such calloused hands, his touch is surprisingly tender. His voice sounds distant, and it feels like he's speaking past you, like he's speaking to whoever he sees in place of you. You think maybe this is what you needed anyways, this is what you want to hear even if he’s speaking to himself through you.

"Take a nap. I'll wake you up in 20 minutes," he ruffles your hair, messing up your perfectly tied ponytail.

You glance at him briefly, and his stupid smile irritates you. Maybe your headache is getting the better of you, maybe you’re just too tired, but you find yourself nodding as your shoulders finally drop in defeat. "10 minutes."

He laughs as he agrees, and when you finally lay your head down and close your eyes, you briefly feel the warmth of his jersey before you drift off.

When you wake, you find that Oikawa is sitting beside you, humming a soft tune as he scrolls on his phone. It takes you a moment to blink the sleep out of your eyes, and then it occurs to you that he never woke you up. Your eyes flutter to the clock, and when you see that it's a little past 9, you panic. You shoot instantly up from your seat, and your sudden movement leaves you dizzy as the world around you rapidly spins in color. Oikawa stops mid-hum as looks up from his phone before he secures your arm to steady you.

"Holy shit, I thought I told you to wake me up in 10 minutes. The papers need to be filed so we can work on the report due next week. I need to finish the reports, so I can turn them in on Friday. The budgeting excel -."

"Pres-chan." He cuts you off as he takes his hand off your arm and pokes your forehead. "I filed the papers on your desk. They go into their respective color-coded drawers, right? And the reports are just club updates, yeah? I arranged them by club type, so you can just sort through them later. Also, I put the volleyball club on top, so get to us first, okay?" he teases lightly and sticks his tongue out mischievously. "I didn't mess with your budgeting excel because it's not my place to, but don't you think you can ask your treasurer to explain their budgeting and money management so far?"

You blink at him in silence as you take in all the information he told you. You glance over at your desk and see the piles of loose paper gone. In place are new stacks of reports clipped together with the assortment of pastel paper clips you brought last month on a whim. Your surprise overtakes you as you let out a shaky breath.

"Oh," you whisper, breath still quivering and voice slightly trembling. "Thank you."

You make a mental note to double-check everything again in the morning, just in case. That thought almost flies out of your head when you glance over, and the smile he flashes you is so bright you almost forget how to breathe.

"You're welcome."

When he accompanies you home that night, your steps feel a little lighter and your heart soars a little higher as you catch a glimpse of his profile, eyes fixated on the stars above as he tells you stories of constellations and aliens.

---

While you’re not an avid volleyball fan, witnessing their defeat to Karasuno in such a close match, watching the light in their eyes dim into a quiet somber crush on your heart. When the match was over and they asked for the keys to the gym, you gave it to them without hesitation although the gym is supposed to be closed for cleaning later today.

Throughout the hours, you find yourself unable to completely focus on the paperwork in front of you. Your eyes keep trailing to the empty key slot where the gym keys are supposed to be, and your ears are fixated on each tick of the clock. Fidgeting with your pen, you finally give in and let out an uneven sigh when the clock rings eight. After smoothing out your skirt and blazer and retying your neat ponytail, you make your way to the gym.

As always, you knock on the doors before coming in. Only silence greets you.

The gym is vacant, and the cheering crowds and rest of the volleyball team members have long gone home after their spontaneous practice. Volleyballs are still scattered everywhere, the net is still up, but none of that matters as your eyes focus on the lone figure lingering in this solemn, almost crushing, silence.

His eyes are downcast, but you can tell from the hitching movement of his chest and the pooling puddle in his lap that he hasn't stopped crying. There is so much you want to tell him, but no words come to you. You’re not even sure if you’re in a position to say anything, but when you see him sitting there defeated and crying silently, a split image of yourself instead of him appears for a moment. The tightly sealed jar of emotions you’ve repeatedly tried to suppress opens.

"You don't have to be perfect, you know?" you tell him softly.

He doesn't look up and only clenches his fists.

You pat the creases out of your skirt as you squat down, hands gently touching his before clasping them firmly. The words burn in the back of your throat as your eyes tear because you know. You know this feeling, this absolutely crushing feeling when all you have is taken away and you’re just left with nothing. Maybe you’re projecting your failures onto him, maybe this is just what you wanted to hear, but you tell him all the same.

"You're so much more than just your losses," you whisper with gentle firmness, "This is not the end. Not for you. Not for your volleyball."

His calloused hands only grip yours tightly as his silent tears fall and roll off your skin.

"You are not your failures."

You barely detect the sound of him letting out a deep breath, but he squeezes your hands. It may not be enough, it may not be okay, but it’s a start.

As the two of you sit in silence, you can merely laugh at yourself for ever thinking Oikawa Tooru was anywhere close to perfect. He is incredibly fragile, human, and unlike a star that you thought you could never reach, he is here beside you. He sniffles every so often, and when every so often becomes more often than not, you laugh lightly and offer him a tissue.

He accepts it with a sniffle, and as he blows his nose, you could only crinkle your nose.

“Ew, you’re gross,” you lightly poke fun at him.

“I was going to say thank you, but I take it back now,” he gasps dramatically.

You roll your eyes as you offer him the rest of your tissues. “It’s fine. I don’t need your thanks. Just… feel better.”

“Thank you,” he whispers anyway as he props his head on yours.

---

You hear three knocks, two fast knocks, a pause as if it’s left for drastic effects, before the third knock, in a familiar rhythm. Instantly, the wooden doors of the student council room open, and brown hair and honey-colored eyes peek in.

“Wanna do something fun with me, Pres-chan?” Oikawa asks, eyes brilliant and smile equally mischievous.

"... Depends on what it is," you raise an eyebrow at him as you look up from finishing some preparations for university. You've substantially given up trying to advise him to wait before barging into the student council room.

He wiggles his eyebrows before he grins. “Let’s go to the rooftop!"

It takes you a moment to comprehend what he said because while it’s not that crazy, the rooftop is off-limits to students. Subsequently, it occurs to you that out of your three years here, you've under no circumstances done anything remotely rebellious. The adrenaline hits you, so you snatch the keys to the rooftop before heading out the door.

"Alright, let's go."

He freezes before his mouth drops and gasps dramatically. "Heh, Pres-chan, looks like you really aren't that much of a good girl after all."

You roll your eyes at him, and a soft smile finds a way to your face before you walk out. "Hurry up, or I'm leaving you behind."

"Wait for me!!" You hear the scampering footsteps, and you swear you can hear his pout.

This is the first time you’ve ever been on the rooftop, you think, as you finally unlock the door and step out into the sun. It’s a little past seven, and you think the sun is going to set soon as it slowly fades behind the Miyagi skylines in bursts of orange. You close your eyes as the wind blows, almost as if it’s greeting you. You can see why people skip all the time to be up here.

“Feels pretty good, huh?” Oikawa stands beside you as the wind tousles his hair and the sun kisses his skin. He looks radiant under the sunlight, and you merely hope he doesn’t hear the fluttering of your heart.

“Yeah,” you nod along, “I… I wish I came up here earlier.

Honey brown eyes so deep and warm, staring directly at you, and there is something that you’re terrified to name. You always thought love was something dramatic, once in a lifetime, and it just hits you like a train out of nowhere. With Oikawa Tooru, it feels more like learning to walk - steadily, one step after another, until he becomes a part of your natural routine.

You can see the longing and something akin to love in his eyes, but you know it's not love. You know when he loves, he loves with all his being. Right now, there is something, but it's not love because he sees not only you but also past you. He sees the light at the end of the tunnel, the future where he's standing on a volleyball court with his name on the back of a national team jersey. He sees the passion and the love he has for volleyball beyond you, and even when he's here in the moment, even when he likes you, he sees something greater.

Your heart clenches because you want it to be you, you want you, this to be enough. But you know he is meant for something so much greater. He is meant for the stage lights of an international court, living and thriving with so much passion and love for the sport he dedicates his life to. He is unmeant to be here, to be held back by something called love.

You try ignoring the way his eyes soften when he looks at you, try ignoring the way his eyes linger at your lips as if he wants to kiss you. You try ignoring your yearning heart when all you can hear in your head is him telling you he's going to Argentina.

“You’re going to do great in Argentina.” You swallow the lump in your throat and interlace your own fingers together to prevent yourself from reaching out and holding his hand.

He blinks, and slowly retracts his extended hand, and swallows the words he wants to tell you. “Oh, uhm,” he hesitates. “Geez, Pres-chan! Don’t make it sound like we’re never going to see each other again!” he pouts dramatically, voice creaking just ever so slightly and eyes lacking the playful glint in it. “We’ll see each other again.”

He sounds hesitant, almost as if he’s doubtful if he can uphold the words of a promise. He doesn’t deserve to be held back by a promise.

You let him go.

It’s funny because you don’t even think he is yours to let go, but you smile anyway as you catch his unfaltering eyes back on the sunset. He is the one who teaches you a little bit about being okay, the one who first opens the tightly sealed jar and lets a gale of fresh air into your world.

“Thank you,” you tell him softly. Your hand finds its way to him, fingertips ghosting over his hand almost as if you didn’t just reject his moments ago.

The wind blows softly, and the blooming cherry blossoms flutter as he blinks in confusion before he smiles crookedly too. In a world where you are braver, you would have voiced the three words lingering on your mind instead of the two that came out, and your lips would have been on his instead of settling for a ghost of a touch of hands. But in this world, this is all you can do, all you can intend for.

Instead, the two of you continue to stand in silence, sharing this one last moment where he can stand on both legs without leaning to his left to accommodate for his right knee, where you can laugh in a loose smile and ruffled hair without feeling the need to fix them. It’s satisfactory, you tell yourself, this is enough.

While he may not be your soulmate, while you have no soulmate mark, it hurts all the same. Your heart still breaks as the falling sunlight fades into the deep indigo skies, as he waves goodnight, as you watch him go with the world on his shoulders and wings on his back. The hollowness in your chest aches, and you wonder if this is what heartbreak feels like.

---

“Funny, huh? Out of all the people in the world, out of all the places in the world, I end up meeting you on an Argentinian beach, thousands of miles away from home,” you stifle your laughter softly.

The hot summer wind blows into your unbound hair, bringing grains of sand and the scent of the ocean. The shore calls you, and you find yourself wiggling your toes in the clear waters. As you look to the horizon, you find that the crystalline waters contrast vividly against the soft pinks and oranges of the fading sun. It’s so surreal, and it makes you momentarily forget that there are responsibilities, people waiting for you back at home.

The faint rustling and the loud splash of water wake you from your trance, and you find Oikawa Tooru running into the waters carefreely. His pants are roughly rolled up just barely above the water level. His eyes are tender and his smile is wide as he holds his hand out to you.

“Come on, Pres-chan,” he gestures his hand in front of you again. “The water feels really nice!”

You take a moment to breathe because he looks beautiful with his brown eyes twinkling mischievously and lips upturned jovially and carefreely against the fleeting sunset. You smile once more, lips upturn softly instead of the traditional 45 degrees, as the last strands of your hair frees from your hair tie.

You briefly remember being eighteen, standing on the rooftop of your high school. His hand is extended, but you were too afraid to take it, too afraid to become a burden. You blink once and think maybe this time, he should have a say in his own decisions instead of you selfishly making it for him. You take his hand, hesitantly and shyly, as you take your first steps into the water.

Time stills as your eyes meet his brown ones. He stares at you dumbfoundedly, and you are unsure if the pinks of his cheeks are from you or the sunset.

“You look happier,” he finally comments softly, “I’m glad.”

Now it’s your turn to stare at him dumbfoundedly. Your hand covers a slight laugh that breaks from your lips. You take in his wind-tousled chestnut hair and eyes closed from his laughter, his muscular body that no longer tends to lean on his left side absentmindedly to protect his right knee, and you realize he is more genuine, more candid, more Oikawa Tooru than the one you’ve known since high school.

“You do too.”

”Wanna grab drinks after?” Oikawa asks nonchalantly as the two of you finally make your way out of the water and sit under the broad umbrella from the blazing sun. His long legs are stretched out as he leans back, hands propping him up.

Despite his relaxed posture and even voice, you see his fingers wiggling in the sand and the pinks peeking on his cheeks and the tip of his ears. It almost makes you laugh because you’re certain you can reckon on one hand how many times Oikawa Tooru seems so timid.

“I mean”- he continues, taking your silence as a declination, -“just as friends, to catch up, you know? How have you been? Oh! What about your cousin? Didn’t she -”

“Okay,” you laugh lightly. “I’d be happy to.”

“-Oh, now that I think about it, what did you end up doing- wait -” he pauses mid-sentence as he stares at you bewilderedly, ”-okay?”

“Yes,” you laugh again, much louder and without restraint. “Okay.”

“Okay,” he repeats after you again.

“Yes, okay.” You nod.

The smile he gives you is so bright it outshines the sun.

---

"So, how are you?" he asks again once you're seated beside him, a beer in hand and dusk in view.

You offered a general answer earlier, and it started a train of small talk that never breaches past the surface. It reminds you of high school and leaves a bitter aftertaste in your mouth.

The beach in Argentina is always full of life, but it's quieter now. Maybe it's the fact that it's getting late or the fact that you're on your third beer already, all you can focus on is the man beside you.

Maybe you're more honest now too because he looks like he wants to ask more. (Like he asks “how are you?” when all his eyes are saying is “I love you.”)

"I threw my phone into the ocean and got in a screaming match with my dad," you tell him honestly.

You can feel his gaze on you as he lets out a soft hum to let you know he's listening. It used to unnerve you whenever he looks at you like that, whenever he makes you feel so transparent. Now, it makes you smile because he always makes you feel so seen.

"He told me to be all these things that I am not because he wanted me to have a good life. I know his intentions and know it makes him happy. But I was so fed up with just constantly not being enough for who he wanted me to be, so I told him I just wanted to be his daughter."

You don't realize your hands are shaking until you feel his hands on yours. He pulls the beer bottle out of your hands before he places them into his own and squeezes them.

"And what did he say?" he asks softly, recalling all the late nights and the mask you put on at school in the name of a shadow that always looms over you. He remembers the instant drop of your face whenever your father comes up, when the words duty and filial piety become a burden instead of pride on your shoulders.

"He just kinda stared at me and stopped talking. I think it didn't occur to him that this was a thought in my head. I cried a lot." You squeeze his hands back.

"Yeah, I'm glad you gave him a piece of your mind, though." His voice is gentle as his thumb brushes over your knuckles.

"He cut me fruit after, so I think we're okay," you laugh awkwardly as you flash him a smile. "I think I'm okay."

He smiles too when he notices your smile is a lot freer now, that the corners of your lips are no longer locked in place and forced in front of fake pleasantries. Maybe he's freer now too, he thinks as he looks at the brightly lit skies, as he continues his volleyball journey, feeling so fulfilled despite being thousands of miles away from home.

"I used to think I wasn't good enough," he starts honestly with a small laugh. "No matter how hard I work, I could never be enough compared to geniuses who just get it."

“I used to think you were so put together when I initially met you, like the universe's spotlight was meant for you,” you hum. “Until I realized you were the reason why the volleyball gym keys were never returned on time.”

He laughs light-heartedly. “Hey, I had an image to keep up, okay?”

You tuck in your knees and prop your head on top of them, eyes never leaving his, hand still in his. “I think I realized you were a lot more reachable, human even, when I saw you broke down after losing to Karasuno our third year.”

“Are you deriving comfort in my pain? How rude!” He pouts. “But I somewhat get it. I used to think you were super snobby with your fake smiles and your super tight ponytail. I used to think you were going to be balding early!”

“You were the one who habitually had a hoard of fangirls around you, and nobody could get anyplace in the hallways!” You retort with a fond smile.

Memories of high school seem so long ago, and as you recall each one, you see the light in his eyes waning and waxing with the tides. The feelings you try so hard to bury, the ones you try to let go of the day he set off to Argentina bubble through your chest and flow onto your lips.

"I think I was too scared to love you," you finally whisper as the moon rises and the waves kiss the shore.

He stares at you and blinks once, twice, before he breathes a soft, “Oh.”

You finally take your eyes off him, hand finally wiggling its way out of his to encase yourself as you bury your face in your knees. “I wanted to be enough. But I wasn’t. I wasn’t for my dad, wasn’t for myself, wasn’t for you.”

He leans closer and brushes a strand of loose hair off your face. “You are always enough. For your dad, for yourself,” he pauses and smiles gently, “And you are more than enough for me.”

You peek at him through your lashes. The ocean waves drown out the sound of your heartbeat as he stares at you earnestly, eyes honest and lips so, so close.

“I didn’t want you to regret me,” you whisper, voice barely audible, “I didn’t want to be someone who holds you back from your dreams. I didn’t want to be just temporary until you find your soulmate.”

His eyes widen, but he persists steadily close. “I don’t think I could ever regret you. My dreams will always be the national court, but you being there, by my side, would be the best part of it.”

He takes a breath as he reaches for your hand, much like he did at the rooftop of your high school.

“I was born without a soulmate mark. Initially, I was so upset because I thought no one would love me unconditionally like a soulmate is supposed to. But honestly, fuck that. Fuck soulmates. Fuck some pre-destined person supposedly made for you because no one is. We are in control of our own fate, and we are in control of whom we choose to love. And I like you Pres-chan. I have since I was eighteen and dumb. I still like you now at twenty and still a little dumb. But no matter how old I am, how old I will be, it’s always you. I will always choose to love you.”

You breathe in sharply as you listen to his words, every sound and syllable clear as his eyes as he looks at you, only you. There is only truth in his words, and as your eyes wander from his to his hand and back to his eyes, the overwhelming amount of sincerity overwhelms you.

Oikawa Tooru has always been dedicated in all that he does, and the thought that he is offering you that very same dedicated heart of his becomes a consuming warmth in your chest. The heat of your fluttering heart radiates off your cheeks, and the feeling that has been blossoming in your heart blooms into an indescribable softness and affection.

Love has perpetually been something out of reach, something you witness in movies and read in books, something you witness in your friends and cousin. But love is here now, in the form of Oikawa Tooru with his hands stretched out for you to take, with his heart bare and exposed for you to have.

“I was born without a soulmate mark too. I used to hate it because it felt like it was another thing I was lacking in. I wasn’t even enough to have a soulmate,” you breathe out, eyes on the ocean that reflects on the moonlight. The last bits of the tightly sealed jar of emotions you’ve kept finally flows out.

“But if soulmates do exist, I would like to think they are made. Not in the sense that they are made for each other, because fuck destiny, but in the sense that we wake up every morning and choose who fits us and how they fit. And whatever this is we have between us, we forged it,” you start firmly as you place your hand in his, eyes meeting his. The last bit of bitterness flows into the sea, and the only thing that remains at the bottom of this jar is hope.

“I like you too, Oikawa. I have since I was eighteen and smart. I still do at twenty and moderately smarter but still trying to figure life out. And I don’t know what the future holds or even what I’m doing to do from here on, but I want it to be you.”

“I want it to be you too. I can’t promise you the world or where our lives will lead from here onwards. What I can promise is I will choose you, from the moment I wake up until the moment I sleep, from now until the end of the ocean.”

A promise, his truth. While the unknown horrifies you, this is enough. You smile as you squeeze his hand. When he grins and squeezes your hand back, you think maybe love is irrevocably here to stay.

---

“What were you before you met me?” He takes one of your hands in his and uses his other in an attempt to tame your unconstrained hair against the wind. He pouts when he finds that your hair just blows wildly and gives up, but he smiles, nonetheless, when he hears your unrestrained laughter.

You shake your hair out of your face and turn to face him, hair blowing wildly and freely with the wind. You tear your eyes away from slow waves of the ocean, illuminated by the brilliant reds and oranges of the setting sun, and you find yourself more captivated by glowing brown eyes than you ever could by the dazzling colors of the horizon.

You stare briefly at him, looking into his eyes and seeing his relentless soul, and the butterflies in your stomach flutter like they did the very first time, feeling absolutely starstruck. You hum softly as you turn back to the peaceful waves and remember the tight ponytails and painted smiles of your high school days. You remember the weight on your shoulders to become someone ideal and the heaviness on your heart to become a you that only lives to make your father proud.

“I think... I was drowning,” you answer almost inaudibly but honestly, both hands gripping his tightly as if you’re holding a lifeline.

He pauses for a moment before he squeezes your hands again. He whispers then, reluctantly and almost fearfully, “And what are you now?”

You turn to meet his eyes. You recall him at seventeen and feeling annoyed because he mirrored every bit of the pretense you put up in all the undesirable ways. But you see him now, twenty and free of the inferiority and limitations he places on himself, and you wonder if you also look older, wiser, happier because you are now the you you want to be.

You have always associated him with air because he is terrible and unpredictable, destructive and clear, focused and silent. But he is also comforting and calm, like an invisible force, who's consistently going and going, with unhindered sight. He is always persistently here and cannot be turned away, and before long, you find yourself not knowing what to do without it.

At the moment, you find the last bits of the riptides that pull you under the waters finally cease, and as you enjoy the scent of the salty ocean and hear the lull of the gentle waves, you think you can finally breathe freely and vivaciously.

Slowly, you take a hand to trace the outline of the miniature matching sun tattooed on his chest, where the soulmate mark is supposed to appear. You smile undoubtedly and wholeheartedly.

“Water.”

---

you’re what i need cause now i can breathe; you put the beat in my heart. somehow we fit together, and now we’re unbreakable.

#oikawa x reader #oikawa x you #oikawa tooru x reader #oikawa tooru x you #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x you #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu fluff #oikawa fluff #oikawa toru x reader #oikawa toru x you #happy birthday to my mf grand king <3 #slightly late because tumblr was being dumb </3 #please give unbreakable from carole and tuesday a listen! :')#this has been sitting in my drafts since october lmfao pls take it before i hate it even more pain #sorry for the choppiness </3 #sometimes i write things #soulmates au series #text

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