#shoutout to 'and you call me up again just to break me like a promise'

[gotta-winwin]

Can I request a full oneshot on that dino when accepting an award like shouting out his wife and watching the internet explode and the members reaction to him I NEED THIS it got me kicking my feet and giggling just by thinking this 🛐🛐🛐 HAHHAHAHA

btw I LOVE YOUR WRITINGS!! 😘

hehehe omg ofc! i was kicking my feet and giggling while writing this dino has no business looking THAT fine and bias wreaking me ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡) thank you so much for both requesting and enjoying my work!

where's the trophy... he just comes running over to me <3

masterlist fic that prompted this oneshot

word count: 1.4k tw/cw: idol!dino x wife!reader, childhood friends to lovers, public shoutout, a whole lot of sap, seungkwan clowning dino a/n: writing this just makes me want to see svt with their s/o in real life (we know these boys aint single bro)

It's a quiet and unassuming day until you're reminded that today is the MAMA awards. It didn't help that the award show wasn't hosted in Korea this year, leading to you being stuck on your couch, hands quivering as the show began.

It had been a tough yet rewarding year for Chan and his group mates, and you had been lucky enough to see it all. You felt proud that even with the distance, you had always been the first person Chan would call for anything.

Headlining Glastonbury? He had shined brightly onstage and even brighter during your video call, where he took you through his day, making it feel like you had been with him every step of the way.

Tour? He was texting you in between songs, updating you on the tiniest things despite you scolding him that he needed to concentrate on the show. He just couldn't help it, his mind immediately drifting to you whenever something remotely interesting took place. Baby, DK's pants ripped onstage just now. He'd text you, shoulders still shaking from laughter. Coups hyung got barked at again. Whatever tidbit it was, Chan's name lighting up on your screen was a warm embrace compared to the lonely nights without him.

It'd all be worth it now, you thought, as you let out a gasp of joy when Seventeen's name was announced as Artist of the Year. Your hands were still shaking as you picked up your phone to record the moment.

Chan's face glowed on your tv screen as he walked up with his members to accept the award. You couldn't help but remember how he used to look - kidish, tiny, cute and juvenile. You recalled how drastic the change had been, as you both matured and grew together, leading you to realize how hot he looked - so built and handsome. Yet it was the bubbly glow that stayed with him despite aging that you loved the most.

"Thank you Carats!" Your husband raised the trophy proudly into the air. "You know...I was the only one who didn't get to speak when we won a daesang last year..."

You couldn't help but scoff endearingly at how sassy he could be while receiving an award you knew would make him sob to you later.

"Ever since our debut," He continued, staring at you through the tv screen. "My dream was to be an artist that would remain in history."

You could remember that, even now, years later.

"I'm going to make you a promise." 15 year old Chan had told you, on the rare chance he had gotten a break from training. He had taken the two of you to the park in between Pledis and your house.

"Promise me what?" You had replied, lips feinting a small smile as you watched his eager expression.

"That one day, I'm going to be an artist that will stay throughout history." His face was full of raw determination. "And that you'll be right there with me. On top of the world. One day, I'll be an artist you can be proud of."

Seems like he kept that promise.

"And those feelings..." He continued speaking into the mic. "Those feelings will continue as we go into the future with Carats." The crowed cheered at his words.

You could tell from his face that something was up. He had that mischievous look that would only come out whenever he was about to do something to tease you.

"And..." He took a pause, smiling at the dramatic effect it had caused. "Well..."

You half wanted to reach through the tv and smack him, as your heart raced in anticipation. You had ran through his speech with him on video call days ago. This wasn't part of it.

"I once made a promise to someone," He finally said aloud, and you knew immediately what he was doing, mouth dropping in both surprise and realization. "A long time ago, when we were both very young, I made a promise that I would become an artist she could be proud of." He smiled bashfully at the memory of both the moment and the person. "I also promised her that she would be there with me, on top of the world."

You had to sit down, your legs failing you.

"I kept my promise, didn't I?" He said into the mic, and you could tell he was speaking just to you. "I hope you're proud of everything I've done, my lovely, patient wife. Only you could've stuck by me for fourteen years." He added the last part teasingly. "I love you." He raised the trophy in his hands. "This- this is for you." Pausing, he corrected himself. "Well- for you and the members." He smiled sheepishly at the boys behind him. "It is our award."

Dino had gotten Seungcheol's approval minutes before the award show began, begging the leader to let him shout out his wife. "Please, please, please, hyung." He had pleaded, trying to convey that this was literally his lifelong dream. "I've always wanted to do that. Just drop a bomb into the world and walk off." Seungcheol could only sigh, staring at him with a mix of exasperation and amusement. He nodded, although he knew it would inevitably create a media frenzy for the company to clean up. "Go for it." He patted their maknae on the back. "Not my problem, not my mess."

Jeonghan had been kept blissfully in the dark until he was watching their acceptance speech live. The further Dino's speech went, the further his jaw dropped. He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Dino was shouting out his wife on the stage at MAMA awards, accepting an AOTY award. Immediately after, he calls Dino up, scolding him for not telling him sooner and admitting it was a baller move.

Joshua had been busy trying to comfort a near-tears Seungcheol, Dino's speech barely registering in his ears. He's blissfully confused when the crowd goes bonkers, yelling into DK's ear to tell him what on earth happened. He's proud of Dino, acknowledging that their maknae has grown up to the point that the world now knows he has a whole wife.

All the way in China, Jun's watching the show live on his phone from his trailer on set. The connection is spotty, leaving his members in pixels and full of lag. Thankfully, the only clear part is Dino's speech, leaving Jun in deep shock and a little wounded. He wished he had been there for that.

Hoshi's loud ass gasp is the only thing fans can hear from the crowd other than their own screaming. It's clear on his face that he's flabbergasted - leading fans to speculate if he even knew Dino had a wife.

Wonwoo can't help but let out a hearty laugh once the weight of Dino's speech sinks into his bones. He knows the media and fans are going to have sooo much fun with this. He feels bad that you're now in the spotlight and hopes Dino got your permission beforehand...did he?

Very busy trying to will his tears away, Woozi's shocked out of his feels, tears evaporating at the sound of Dino's voice and the word wife. He's shocked, but happiness takes over when he realizes this will overshadow the fact that he's about to ball on global tv.

Minghao's just got that goofy shocked expression on his face as he registers the moment. He's smiling from ear to ear, basking in the joy that's radiating off of Dino. Who is he to stand in the way of Dino finally showing off his love?

Mingyu is over the moon. Having been your biggest supporter, he's elated you and Dino are finally going public. The fact that he's currently onstage accepting a daesang is completely thrown out of his mind, replaced with the joy of seeing Dino thrive.

Poor Woozi has DK's arms wrapped around him as if DK's trying to suffocate the man. He can't contain his excitement and joy at the reveal, accidentally using Woozi as a stress ball. He tackles Dino as they walk offstage, yelling about how CUTE that was and how lucky you are to have each other.

Seungkwan's stunned into complete silence. He's lowkey judging (just a little bit) at how insane Dino is acting right now - knowing this is bound to stir the pot online. He's the first one to tease Dino, going as far as clowning him during his own speech. "I once made a promise..." Seungkwan fails to keep a straight face as he clowned Dino's speech to his wife. "And I-" He's kicked off the mic by Dino before he can finish.

Vernon simply nods in approval as he watches Dino finish his speech. He respects the confidence and craziness to do such a thing, especially with how dating was basically a taboo for them as idols- and bros hard launching a whole ass wife!

[pedrosgrogu]

Born Too Late - Chapter 5

pairing/au: neighbor!joel x reader // no outbreak

Warnings: MDNI!!! SMUT (2 chapters in a row :0.. So much for slow burn), age gap, no use of y/n, i think thats it fr, dirty talk, unprotected p in v (be smart yall, wrap it up) lemme know if i missed something :) 

Summary: Sarah's conference is this week and seeing Joel is not on your list of things you want to do. Then he invites you over to talk. You need to set the boundary now, what could go wrong? (1.6k+)

a/n: i tried to write a lil more than usual bc i feel bad about inconsistent posting. (shoutout no personal life bc work/school) hopefully with winter break i can post a couple times a week. also trying to figure out how to make a taglist so if you want to be notified of new chapters, lmk!! If you have any suggestions, give em to a girl. i love to see/hear feedback :) <3

Yet again, you’re avoiding Joel like the plague. You have an unknown amount of missed calls from him. You also have conferences today. This means you have to see him, and you feel like you could throw up. He’s your last one at 5:30 p.m. The day goes by slowly, and you have lunch duty so you don’t have time to finish planning your conference notes. After lunch is the worst part of the day. Kids are tired and barely give a shit, but you have a couple good ones that you try to focus on. Sarah being one of them. The 2:30 bell rings and by 2:40 your class is empty. Conferences start at 3:30 so you finish your notes and try to eat your lunch but that sinking feeling is still there. 

By 5:15, you’ve talked to so many parents that they’re all starting to blur. You’re exhausted and would rather be quite literally anywhere else by now. You gather Sarah's notes and sit them on the table, one stack in front of you and a copy of your stack in front of where Joel will sit. Sarah really enjoys a select few books from your classroom library so you sit them on her desk for her in case she's with Joel. 

Before you see him, you smell him. The air in your classroom fills with hints of cedarwood and lavender. You look up and Sarah is already at her desk looking at the books. You stand to greet Joel. “Good Evening Mr. Miller” you reach to shake his hand but he doesn't move, he is staring right through you. “Sweet girl, you don't have to call me that.” He says, still staring. You smile and invite him to sit. “So” you start “Sarah is doing phenomenal, she loves to read and write, and is always very engaged. I pulled a few samples of her writings from the last couple weeks so you could read them. They’re the first sheets inside your fold-” “Babygirl” he says gruffly “I know my daughter, and she has excelled and exceeded every year. I'm here for you. Why have you been avoiding me?” You look at him, wide eyed. Half wanting to laugh and half wanting to cry. Your door is open and anyone could walk by and hear him, Sarah could hear him. “Joel I promise I'm not trying to avoid you” you say quietly, lying straight through your teeth. And he knows it. You stand up and walk to close the door and can feel his eyes burning through you. “I just dont think-” “I've called you more times than I can count, and you aint returned a single one. Shit baby, your bra is still on my bedroom floor. Taunting me every night.” You can feel the warmth begin to rise on your face, and between your legs. “Mr.Miller, now is not the time or the place for this conversation. If we could please get back to Sarah.” He looks at you, deadpan. “Alright, come to my house tomorrow night at 8. Sarah will be with her mom for the weekend.” Internally, you groan. Externally, “Yes sir”. You watch him stir in his chair at your words, repositioning himself. 

The rest of the conference goes well, Sarah reads some of her writings to her dad, and shows him her favorite books. He asks her so many questions about her work and she is extremely detailed in every answer. He seems like a great dad, and it puts him in a different light for you. Now he isn't only hot, and great at sex, and great at aftercare, but he's a good dad. You are so fucked. 

Friday comes and goes, yet again you're exhausted. You take a steaming shower when you get home. Shaving your legs, just because. NOT for Joel. Once out of the shower, you change into a pair of blue biker shorts and an oversized Texans crewneck. You throw your hair up in a bun and make yourself some coffee. Hoping the coffee will help combat the sleepiness, you throw yourself onto the couch and turn on some Grey's Anatomy reruns, and begin to drift into a nap. You try to fight it, but it's inevitable. 

You wake up to your phone ringing. You check the time. 8:17. “Shit” you grumble. You flip your phone open without even checking the caller ID. “Hello?” you say, groggily. “There's my sweet girl.” He says, pausing briefly. “You’re late. Better get here fast, dinners gonna be cold.” And before you can get a word out, Joel hangs up. “Fuck fuck FUCK.” You say, frustratedly. This has gone too far, and god forbid your work gets wind of this disaster. You’d be screwed. You throw your shoes on and walk next door. 

Joel opens the door right as you walk up the steps. The smells instantly take you back to that morning. You still remember how he felt inside you, how his lips felt on yours, how his hand fit around your neck so perfectly how- “You gonna come in or you just gon’ stand there?” Joel snaps you out of your trance. You follow him the rest of the way in, kicking your shoes off at the door this time. “I made spaghetti with garlic bread. Stuck it in the oven to stay warm since you tried to stand me up.” He says, grinning. “Joel look” you start, “I really appreciate this, and I really had a” “Sit down and eat. We can talk after.” He says, pulling a chair out. He walks around to the fridge, opening the door. You can't stop staring at him. His shoulders so broad, and biceps borderline busting out of his shirt. You’re in a trance. “Red or white?” he says, but you don't hear him. You’re too busy eye fucking him, completely forgetting that the only reason you’re here is to end this before it starts. He turns around and sees you still looking straight through him, undressing him with your eyes. He grins a devilish grin and you snap back to reality. “Huh? Sorry I was-” “No need to explain, I asked if you wanted red or white wine?” he says, grinning “Oh.. ummm.. White please!” He sits the glass next to you, along with your plate of food. 

Dinner goes well, you talk about Sarah and how great of a student she is. You realize Joel could go on and on about her, because he does. Before you know it, its 10:00 and you're fighting sleep again. But this conversation needs to happen. You gather the plates and wine glasses and begin doing the dishes. “Darlin’ don't worry about those. I can do them in the morning.” “Joel, we need to talk.” You say, hoping it doesn't come off too harsh. You turn the sink off and dry your hands. “Joel, I had a lot of fun a few weeks ago. But I don’t think-” he cuts you off. “Why’re you thinkin’ baby? Thinkin’ don’t never lead to nothin’ good.” He says, wrapping his hands around your waist. As much as you don’t want to, you lean into his grip. “Joel, please.” you almost moan. “I don’t want to get in trouble at work, it's a huge ethical misconduct if the school were to ever find out, especially since Sarah is in my class.” He’s kissing up your neck, and you aren't doing anything to stop him. “I just want to taste you, just one more time.” He groans into your ear, nibbling on the tip. “This has to be the last time.” you think to yourself.

You don't fight it, you give in. And you enjoy every second of it. Joel picks you up and lays you on the table. The same table you just had dinner on. Your shorts are thrown across the room and your sweatshirt is being used as back support. He’s devouring every inch of your body. Leaving bite marks in unseen places. You hear his belt hit the floor and watch his shirt peel off of his body. You moan at the sight. He lines himself up with your aching cunt. “What was all that earlier about you gettin’ in trouble at work?” he says, comically. “Joel, please not-” and before you can squeak the rest of your sentence out, he's ramming his cock inside you. Over and over. “What's wrong baby? Can’t speak?” he says, laughing. Hes fucking you so hard that the goddamn table is moving. “I need something more stable.” He grunts, picking you up and throwing you on the island, his cock never leaving inside of you. He rubs vigorous circles around your clit, watching your eyes roll into the back of your head. “Dont. Stop. Joel.” You manage to say in between breaths. “I don’t ever plan to babygirl.” He says, rubbing faster. Your release is on the horizon. Everythings gone white and all you can focus on is the sound of skin slapping skin. Your back arches and you scream with pleasure. “Let it out babygirl, cum for me.” Just as you begin to come down, you feel Joel's cock tense up inside you, and he falls to your ear, moaning. He pulls out and you moan gutteraly. You feel the warmth of his seed dripping  Yet again, he disappears and reappears with a warm washcloth. Cleaning and kissing every inch of your body. 

You get cleaned up and dressed. Joel puts on a pair of sweatpants, no shirt. You could go for round 2 but 2 times is 2 too many. You begin to put your shoes on. “Darlin’, why don't you stay the night?” You instantly get nauseous, and feel tears? Maybe? You barely know this guy, what the fuck? “Joel, I told you. This cannot happen. Not again.” You say, trembling. “We can-” You cut him off. “No more Joel.” and you open the door and walk out. Leaving him just as quickly as you found him.

Masterlist - Chapter 4

[svtskneecaps]

i am consistently and pleasantly surprised bc like. sometimes tswift has some WACK lyrics and then sometimes they come out of nowhere and absolutely fucking gut me

[boxwinebaddie]

hallowhallowhallow~ my dear, sweet children of the scandy eye-man-candy korn! sorry for the trick, my treats ( ...>.>;; thiiis is why i try not to make promises about postin 'cause, before there was jersey, there was he(a)rsay aka me, the og unreliable narrator w/ great hair *flips* )

either way...it's not you; it's me. more specifically, its a fkn MRI that i have to schedule that i have been avoiding like the plague -- and all my responsibilities along with it. most regrettably of all, dearlings...

i missed the most chaotic bisexual day of the year! :( nOO! perolike call me randy marsh the way i RUINED stan's birthday AGAIN! ( also, aaa!~ can you believe ravenstan turned 22? not my eyes leaking :'} rs really is my fkn angel and my sweet son; i mean that. mi amorcitooo~

...i feel oddly motherly things for him in this chilis <333 ( also he really Hates his bday, but i promise him and jersey did something very cute for it xx ) BUT! more on that later, beloveds! because i am breaking my silence to make a Very Important Announcement:

I Put Jersey In COSPLAY. ;)))))

( ljsDsjldskds crYiiiiiN i'll fix the spelling l8r )

basically! every year for ravenstan's faux, goth heaux, celebprettyboy birthday ( aka HALLOWEEN <333 ) they throw gayven a MASSIVE star-studded, spooky-ooky pacifistic majorRAGER; its THE party!

( probably at whatever the fanciest hotel or hottest nightclub is in NYC at the moment -- or maybe i'll have it at the iconique sicktorian manwhorsion so that rs and jk can sneak off into stan's greenhouse and have a *british tolkien vc* cheeky lil snog ala the climax of rm ;) )

but every year, crimson dawn gayng does a themed group halloween costume ( last year, they went as greta gerwig barbie characters; jimmy went as alan, marj was weird barbie, keny was ken, naturally, and ofc, blonde ravenstan had to go as barbie; it was...Necessary. yw.

ALSO, very important to me that you know that kenny and ravenstan were specifically in the Legendary Hot Pink Cowboy Jumpsuits -- i just KNOW yersey was crying and throwing up; my man looked so GOOD...and bent over an Unncessary Amount Of Times; jail foreVA! )

BUT THIS YEAR!!!!! THIS YEAR!!!!! BECAUSE STAN IS A CRINGEY, BOYFAIL LOSER AND STANIME ENJOYER ( y'all are going to have to pry that hc from my Cold Dead Gay Hands! its is the Right answer! so either get with it or get steppin! Cry! Cope! LAME ASS DORK BOY RAVENSTANIME NATION, WE ARE SOOOOOOOOOO UP LOL! )

they are going as CHAINSAW MAN CHARACTERS. ( am...azing ;-; )

okay...so the lineup Might change? but as it stands atm, i am thinking jimmy is denji ( that...makes so much sense to me, i fear ), KENNY AS POWER IS THE RIGHT ANSWER SORRY, marjorine's hair was already a pink/red color, so i think makima is also just...right...yeah? but, uh...

aNYWAYS WHATS IMPORTANt???!!!! IS THAT RAVENSTAN IS AKI AND THEYRE FORCING JERSEYKYLE AT FUCKING NERF GUN POINT TO GO AS ANGEL!!!! ITS NECESSARY!!!! IT IS THAT SERIOUS.

like...oh my GOOOOOD. if you don't know what the hell i'm talking about, you might have to do some light googling BUT??? WHEN YOU DO PLEASE TELL ME YOU CAN SEE THE VISION. i love you so BAD, pierced and yatted up, edgy boy punk rock ravestaki with his hair up,

( shoutout to when teri ~hi teri~ told me that putting stan's hair up is a nina influenced event...too real; speaking of his hair? i think he is...still a little blonde, like maybe just the bottom half or MAYBE oOOH? ill do his lil eboy curtain bangs because...wow. delicious. thank you god. also i know his makeup and his guyliner was FIERCE, BITCH!

also...i am bringing the lipring chain back bc it is my FAVORITE edgy rs hot topic display acessory -- which means it's Also jersey's bc he has...what? TASTE! /for metal, taco bell cinnamon twists, **achem!** a passion for fashion...and also v pretty twinky nerdy emo boys. <3/ )

BUT UHHHHH...listen. if ANYONE ELSE ASKED, jk would tell you to kys and gut you. but...sigh. ravenstan is actually god's angel, HIS EYES ARE SO BEAUTIFUL AND BLUE AND LARGE, like??? when he reliquishes the matte black golden retriever puppy dog pout, bats his very long dark eyelashes at you, juts the lil stanopener ringed lip out at you and his eyes sparkle like gothboy rapunzel from tangled...it really is SOOOO over. i would fold. jerseykyle...did fold. sorry, king.

RAVENSTAN ALSO NEVER, EVER ASKS FOR ANYTHING?! like he is SO nice and selfless and kind. he never, ever, EVER asks for anything. jk actually like actively has to try and force him to ask for things; its his lil project because God Forbid that man do one less than saintly or self-indulgent thing...fyi, its that every year he asks for a Sword...

WHICH IS SO INSANE, LIKE ABSOLUTEly NOt--did they...get him a sword...i--maybe? oh my god. i knOW HE SCREEEAMED KSLSDkj )

but back to cosplay!jersey ( god, i love my life. when i tell you this was an epic win for pathetic loser gamer boys everywhere LIKE HAHA i got my FINE ASS preppy office siren boyfriend to wear The Outfit ) which...actually isnt that different to what he usually is wearing, tbh?

( also...getting ur messy eboy bf to wear any kind of suit and get all cleaned up, is actually a net win for normie preppy office siren boys everywhere so he Also Won; like it really is just worth it to see rs roll up his sleeve w the TAttoOOS WWWWHEEEW with the hair tie in his mouth while he puts his hair up...jk like E-Excuse Me *goes Feral* )

the halo was sooo cute btw, als the cheekbone guylighter? HOOOO. so...beautiful. i also think he got a little guyliner or shadow...just so i can have ravenstan homoerotically applying his makeup pre-party ;)) BUT THE IMPORTANTE PARTE IS THAT WE GET GORG SWOOPY FARRAH FAWCET JERSEY WITH HIS HAIR STRAIGHTENED WHICH rs also like E-Excuse Me *GOES FKN FERAL* in...SAAAAANE.

it was probably so long and luxurious, it was rs' finest work literally. i know it was steamy in that bathroom. unfortunately god bless him, rs is probably a little autistic ( y...eah...yeah ) and jk kept trying to make out with him, help, bc he's very cute when he takes his medication like a responsible king to combat the severe gaydhd and laserfocuses really hard on what he's doing ( ilysm transmaquilladorble rs xxx <333

he does all his makeup, btw, bc he's shaky asf and doesn't like to inconvenience the makeup artists; they just clean it up for him...he's rlly good, btw ) does the squint and stan lipbite and tilts his head and very gently holds your face...Wowza, truly. jkyle was like u are so beautiful to Me. rs like....what do you MeAN actually ethereal 6ft tall avant garde haute couture european vogue italia supermodel boy whose hair i am straightening in this lil bathroom in my big ass ratty teeshirt with my dumb eboy hair back in this headband sitting on the the bathroom counter trying not to hit my inhaler like a vape every five seconds because this does not feel real to me??? sklhdk In Luv! )

but yeah...super best cosplay stanime boyfriends DEVOURING! i also just want them to do the serran wrap kiss and have it go viral. also x2 if you are looking for them, so sorry, ik, they pregamed a little too hard and looked a little too fine and are probably making out and ruining the extensive labors of stan's beautiful star tattooed emo boy silver ringed tan hands one of which is in jkyle's very lucious straight hair and the other one is probably hiking up his dress shirt...woops!

Amen Gaymen.

[piquedpequod]

"a knot that won't be undone" - fanmix for Voss and Orpheus from Baldur's Gate III Listen: (Youtube) | (Spotify) Lyrics:

From the Place Been Erased - Jambinai I am alive here Deeply suppressing the cold sadness Forgive me for not being able to say anything to you

In the flowing time of forgetfulness I hold my breath so as not to let you go

Everything Turns Blue - Chelsea Wolfe I've been thinking about you, heavy on my mind I've been losing days here, do you know what that's like?

To smoke, to dance, to fly To breathe into the night It falls and everything turns blue To fuck, to feel the same in the end To hurt, to steal, you were so unreal

Chokehold - Sleep Token When we were made It was no accident We were tangled up like branches in a flood I come as a blade A sacred guardian So you keep me sharp and test my worth in blood

Beneath the stormy seas Above the mountain peaks It's all the same to me It makes no difference I've seen my days unfold Done the impossible I'll turn my walls to gold to bring you home again So show me that which I cannot see

Primobile - Killing Joke Separated from each other Yet bounded by time as one Past hurt forgiven now we Recognise what's done is done

Weeping at disaster Choirs of endless tears Holy is the laughter That overcomes all your fears

Alien Shivers - Vola Everlasting friend Why are you so certain? Why do you defend This contagious burden? Are you still here?

This confrontation killing the perfect one Alien shivers stalling his victory run

Ghost - Ocean Jet Break through the dark And get me out of prison You know I still rely on you

Oh I dug down so deep I’m praying set me free I’m just a ghost in a mirror

Love Like Blood - Sybreed We must dream of promised lands and fields That never fade in season

'Til the fearless come and the act is done A love like blood, a love like blood

Now - Massface Your call is strong and makes me drown I want to hear you breathing My body's slipping to the ground No one can get me here

Pain and delight will rise and You can run but can not hide it Time is overridden When you're here the only time is Now

Bring Honor Back Home - Billy Howerdel They set blaze to the temple of reason Repeat every lie 'til it's true

Cast out these figments and start over All hail sanity and bring honor back home Free yourself from this spell and start over All hail sanity and bring honor back home

i didn't want to simply crib such an inspired pick, so shoutout to @des-no9 for putting "chokehold" out there as an orpheus/voss song. you are correct and your taste is impeccable.

started jan. 2024, fin. aug. 2024

[rainypebble07]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ME!

Today, August 30th, is my birthday and (conveniently) also the day I posted my first fic, It Wasn't A Bad Thing (Do not read it, read the rewrite), on Ao3 and entered the Byler community as a writer and eventually artist.

It's strange to think that I've been here for 365 days now. I mean, that's a lot of days, but it's honestly been so fun to get to know some of the people here and I just love you guys. All of you. Seriously.

As a birthday gift, maybe read one of my fics and leave a fun comment (I have them all listed in my pinned past, but I recommend the superspy, pirate, and zombie Will ones)! If not that, give me a silly drawing request I'll take days to finally get around to or even just a fun little ask!!

And I love to talk about myself, but over the year, there have been some very impactful people I've met on this site, and I'd just like to thank all of them for being so wonderful (if you're not on the list, I still love you, I promise. I'd name every one of my followers if I could), so without further ado...

Rainy's Thank You List of Very Awesome People:

@foodiewithdahoodie you, my friend, are the best. One of my first ever followers, even before I was an artist. I've had your support since day 1 and I'm so grateful to call you my mutual!! You're seriously the kindest ever <333

@microwaveonwheels You're just the most fun person, my favorite kitchen appliance. You've got the best (and sometimes the most challenging) drawing requests and you never ever fail to make me laugh with your tags. Keep your energy forever and ever, my biology genius mutual :)))))

@sillylittlerock If I have one fan, it's you. If I have 100 fans, you're one of them. If I have no fans, you have left the building. SILLYLITTLEROCK you are THE ROCK and genuinely the sweetest person ever. Absolutely my favorite and I hope you have the most beautiful of days. Rock gang, rock gang.

@callmetheidiot I hope the ex fight was worth it, you've let me become a wattpad fiend (jkjk I haven't even touched wattpad in over a week). You are the kindest and most wonderful of people, callmetheidiot. And I would never ever call you an idiot bc you are the absolute definition of the opposite.

@th3-third-duffel-bag You're the coolest ever. And it makes me laugh when you leave angry comments on my Ao3. Much, much love <333

@cringengl I don't interact with you much, but every time you like one of my posts, I feel like you're saying it's cringe and it makes me laugh every time. Have the most amazing of days today! I love you!

@runninguplenorahills If I had to have my first pointless internet beef with anyone, I'm glad it was you. I'll admit, I was wrong about the barbie movie thing. I'm just stubborn. I think you're awesome though, even if we're worst enemies now. (jkjk we're not enemies... unless...) (no jk again) Have a wonderful day!!!!

@elsbianism You know what? I just think you're neat. Even before I started following you I was just like gee, they're pretty neat. And then I did follow you! And now we're mutuals! And you're still the neatest person here, El, so congrats on that one.

@miaisagirllover MIA I LOVE YOU! Thank you for helping me to break the barrier between dimensions. I look at your pinterest every day like ahhhh my stuff. And you've just got the best takes, I'm sorry so many people like Billy. I'll try to stop them. Have a lovely day, friend!!

@chaoticbyler Just had to give a quick shoutout to my pinterest spy on the inside. Never would have even known my art was breaking barriers without your help. Thanks, soldier. I owe you one.

@midget-is-a-simp I don't think I have one post you haven't liked. And I've had minimal interaction with you, but if my life was a TV show, you'd be the character who showed up once a season and you're somehow everyone's favorite character.

@yearninginblue you are my superspy buddy for life and I love you so so so much <3

@phaniella your comments make my day and I love you for it <3

@howtobecomeadragon IDK HOW I ALMOST FORGOT YOU OMG YOU'RE THE BEST. BEST FOR LAST, I GUESS. YOU, my friend, are the sweetest ever and I'm so happy to be your mutual. The fact that you like dragons so much is so cool. Never ever lose your passion! Dragons are awesome (and so are you)!!

Alright, sorry it's long, but I had a lot of people to be thankful for (and, trust me, so many more who I couldn't fit to the list). If you see this, just know I love you more than anything and I hope EVERYONE had the best day ever.

Bye-bye for now,

Rainy Pebble

[roombathesequel]

asmo and vil play dti (featuring yuu/mc)

(an: SHOUTOUT TO MY LOVELY BETA READER @mmmmmmoldycheese THEYRE COOL)

it was a normal day for our lovely yuu (im just gonna refer to mc/yuu as yuu for this fic so it isnt confusing), just relaxing at ramshackle dorm while playing some DTI. atleast thats what i wouldve said if vil fucking schoeneheit didnt join randomly and just starts slaying so hard that he always ended up on the podium.(wow he slays so much omg)then like an hour after vil joined asmo decided “fuck it! imma join my lovely little partner on roblox and start fighting in the chat (AND VC THIS PETTY BITCH) with the person who keeps on winning when i dont win!!!” AND MADE SO MUCH DRAMA!!

“bro its not that deep!! he won cuz he slayed that theme, not cuz it was rigged!” yuu yelled at vil, trying to find out how the two most fashionable (and petty) people they know are somehow still fighting after like 30 minutes. “”SHUT UP YUU!!”” asmo and vil screamed at the same time, effectively almost breaking yuu’s poor eardrums, “OH MY FUCKING GOD SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU!”. cue the whole vc starting to laugh at yuu’s sudden outburst as asmo and vil were left stunned. yuu took a deep breath and went on with the game as if nothing had happened.

[time skip to like an hour later cuz i make the rules here]

“yuu~ can you vote me 5 stars please?~ i promise i wont ask again~” asmo pleaded with yuu. vil snorted at that but covered it up with a cough, “as if your outfits would be worthy of 5 stars! hey potato, give me 5 stars instead.” “hah? you think theyre gonna give you 5 stars just cause you asked?” “well you seem to think that will work seeing as you asked first.” “oh shut up! i was doing that ironically!!(he says, like a liar)” *insert more petty arguing here im too lazy to write it :P.*  “OH YEAH?! WELL I HAVE A HIGHER CHANCE OF WINNING SO YUU WOULD PROBABLY WANNA DUO WITH ME MORE THAN YOU!!!” (you can choose who said that line <3)

cuz of comedic timing lilia then joined the server and yuu immediately saw an opportunity to be a little chaos gremlin “oh hey lilia!! you wanna duo?” lillia also sensing an opportunity to also be a little chaos gremlin automatically agreed, “oh of course i would love to duo with you!!” *insert lilia smug face while asmo and vil look offended as fuck teehee* 

[the next theme is freestyle]

“HELL YEAH WE’RE GONNA NAIL THIS LILIA!!!!!! LETS GO GAMERS!”

[timeskip to runway cuz i choose what happens this is my fic <3]

*vil slaying the runway cuz hes vil*

*asmo slaying the runway cuz hes asmo*

then we have…….

OMG IS THAT LILIA AND YUU ABSOLUTELY DEVOURING SLAYING SO HARD I FELL OUT OF MY CHAIR THE RUNWAY?!?!?!?!?!!!!???!?!!! YES IT IS!!!!!!!! *pose 28 spam cuz yay*

[lilia and yuu got first place! yayy!!!!]

*awkward silence…* “....what the actual FUCK yuu?! since when were you so good at this game?!?!??!?” asmo stared at his screen flabbergasted, how the hell did yuu get so good at this game and how could he learn?? “fufufufu~ its quite simple actually,” started lilia, “its called layering!! Kinda hard to learn how to do properly but one you got it you can make amazing outfits!” finished yuu.

cue lilia and yuu teaching asmo and vil how to layer for the next hour

THE END

[novastories]

Flight Risk

Title and story inspired the song “Flight Risk” by Tommy Lefroy.

Summary: Aurora struggles to open up.

Disclaimer: This story is fictitious. All works are written by me and only posted here. Please do not copy, repost, or plagiarize on any other platform without my permission!

Warnings: Mentions of torture, depression, PTSD, and language.

Word Count: 3.2k

A/N: I'm finally back with another chapter!! First chapter of the year 2023, sorry I've been away. I've been on vacation! I’m also sorry there’s no Bradley again in this chapter! Just a heads up, he will be coming up soon! But I just want to expand on Aurora a bit more, plus, Jake’s in here! So enjoy Aurora and Jake as well as the NCIS team obviously! As always, shoutout to my beta reader and editor @reginleight!

As always, comments, reblogs, and feedback are appreciated! 🤭

Previous | Next | Masterlist

Aurora was still in shock about what had just happened as she entered Abby’s lab, where she found both Abby and Gibbs waiting for her. 

“I’m sorry I’m late, I was–”

“Rule #6,” Gibbs interrupts her.

“Right, never apologize, it's a sign of weakness,” she sighs. Abby looks at her, concerned at seeing her friend’s distraught expression. 

“You okay there Artemis?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Aurora dismisses her. “McGee said you had something for us Abs?”

“Right! So, according to…” Abby drones on about what she had found in the recent evidence that they had collected from the crime scene. Aurora still barely understood a lot of the forensic lingo, but it also didn’t help she was just distracted in general. Her mind was bouncing through different memories.

“You’ll be safe, right? Promise me you’ll be as safe as you can?” Bradley begs her. Everyone had just found out that she was joining NCIS officially and Bradley had finally been able to get her alone, pulling Aurora off to the side. 

Smiling at him, she nods. “Of course. I’m sorry I didn’t try and become a naval aviator like we planned.”

He shakes his head and returns the smile, grabbing Aurora’s hand and pulling her in closer.. 

“You have nothing to be sorry about, princess. I just want you to be safe.”

“For you, anything B.”

Aurora was on autopilot as she walked to take a seat in Abby’s chair in the other room, while Gibbs and Abby were distracted, not noticing that she had left the conversation. Another memory came flooding back into mind, this one much darker than the last.

Aurora’s screams echo across the walls within the room she had been kept in for hours. Or was it days? She couldn’t tell anymore. All she knew was she was almost past her breaking point. He had electrocuted her with a cattle rod, cut her, and beaten her. He was careful to not make her lose too much blood, knowing the right spots to make it hurt, but not enough to kill her. To prolong her suffering.

“C’mon, is that all you got?!” she growls at her captor.

“You haven’t even seen everything yet,” he replies calmly before electrocuting her once more with a higher voltage. Her screams start up once again, agony taking over.

A thud was heard as the door was kicked down.

“Freeze! NCIS!” a voice calls out. The captor tries to go after the voice with the rod, but was shot multiple times for attempting to attack the group. Aurora looks up and sees Gibbs and Ziva in the doorway.

“Took you long enough,” she croaks out, sarcastically. Ziva yells at Tony and McGee to get a medic, while Gibbs unties her from the chair, helping to lift her up. Ziva made sure that the attacker was dead before helping Gibbs carry Aurora.

“Thank you for saving me,” Aurora whimpers, looking at Ziva and Gibbs before her body finally gives out, body collapsing from the exhaustion and pain she’d suffered from. 

“Benjamin?! Breathe! Listen to my voice,” someone calls out. She recognizes it as Gibbs kneeling next to her, trying to calm her down, while Abby panics on the phone. She can hear Abby telling Ducky or Palmer to come down and check on her. Aurora then realizes that she was having another panic attack and slowly begins urging herself to calm down. 

“Focus on my voice Artemis,” Gibbs says. “In and out. In through your nose, out through your mouth.”

Her breathing starts to slow down and Abby comes back into her view and hands her Burt, the farting hippo. Aurora takes and embraces the stuffed toy in her arms. She hugs it tightly as it sounds its signature fart noise, burying her face into the stuffed toy as she regulates her breathing. 

“I’m sorry. I thought I had it under control,” she whispers to Gibbs. He puts his hand on her shoulder. 

“Artemis, how long has this been going on?”

“The panic attacks? Since the accident. Recently? Since the start of the case it’s gotten a bit worse,” she replies.

Gibbs sighs. “Artemis–”

“Please don’t take me off the case Gibbs. I can do this.”

“Artemis, you need to take a breath. At least take a day off. We can manage for now,” Gibbs says, getting up just before Ducky came in with his medical bag.

“Ahh, Gibbs,” Ducky says. “Abby said you need my assistance.”

“Yes, do a check on Artemis here and then make sure she goes home, or at least away from this case for a few hours.”

“Gibbs,” Aurora interjects. “That’s an order, Benjamin,” Gibbs sternly speaks up as he gives her the infamous look that lets her know that he was serious.

She sighs and nods. “Yes, boss.”

Abby gives Aurora a big hug not wanting to let go of the girl. Ducky then gets to work on checking up on Aurora, Abby giving her one last concerned look before reluctantly leaving to join Gibbs to continue going over the evidence in the other room.

“He means well, you know that Artemis,” Ducky tells her, preparing to examine her.

“I know Ducky…I know.”

—

Aurora needed fresh air from the panic attack she had, as well as after being examined by Ducky. Gibbs wanted her to take a break, so she decided to sit outside in front of the NCIS building where there was a little park with benches. The sun was just about to set, so she could see all the colors of the sky. She sits on a bench and sighs, resting her elbows on her knees before burying her head into her hands. Just for a moment, Aurora wanted to close her eyes and breathe, those thoughts in her mind finally falling silent.

A throat clears, and she looks up to see Lieutenant Jake Seresin standing in front of her, coffee in hand and a bottle of water in the other. He looks at her, subtly asking with his head if he could sit next to her. 

 She nods and lets him sit beside her. “Lieutenant, what are you doing back in the Navy Yard?”

“Agent Dinozzo asked me to come back, something about a DNA test to clear me from the murder. I stopped to get a coffee real quick and saw you sitting here, figured you could use this.” As he handed her the water bottle.

“Thanks, I really appreciate it, Lieutenant”

“Hangman,” he corrects her. She smiles as she repeated his callsign back to him.

He took a good look at her. He couldn’t believe that the girl that Rooster and Apollo always used to talk about was sitting right next to him, let alone her being THE Artemis almost everyone talked about. Gibbs and his team were renowned within the Navy and the Marine Corps. He glances at her figure, bent over still, putting the cold water bottle to her head.

“You alright?”

She takes a deep breath. “Long day, long case.”  

“PTSD?”

She looks at him in shock. Jake turns to her.

“I recognize the look,” he shrugs.

She sighs and chews the inside of her cheek, “I just feel like I'm stuck in a constant state of panic, like everyone is watching my every move. Like I’m a bomb waiting to go off.” 

Jake patiently listens to her.

“And the nightmares, the fucking nightmares,” she mutters, “It’s like nothing I do can help the nightmares. No matter how many bad guys we catch, what happened will always haunt me.”

There was a small pause between the two of them. He didn’t want to push her to know what happened, but rather why she hasn’t talked to anyone else about this. 

“If you have a question, Lieutenant, I suggest you ask,” she remarks.

“How do you know I have a question?”

“I’ve gotten used to reading people on this job.” She replies.

“Do they not know? Your team? About your PTSD?”

“Gibbs, yes. The rest of the team, if they do, they haven’t said anything.”

“Shouldn’t you talk to someone about it?”

“I did, it’s called a psych evaluation,” she retorts. 

“That doesn’t count,” he sighs, taking a sip of his coffee. 

“Well, it’s not like I have any options, since they’re the only ones who know about what happened that day.” She sits up to take a good look at the naval aviator.

“Not even your family? Bradshaw?”

She laughs sarcastically. “Please, Maverick almost had a heart attack when I told him that I was joining NCIS, let alone a case where I almost died. Mom and Amelia are supportive, but I don’t want them to know what I go through on a daily basis. And Pey and B–” she pauses and sighs.

“I don’t want to put them through any of that pain of knowing. This is my burden alone to carry.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way Aurora,” Jake argues as he tries to comfort her. “It’s better to have someone to talk to, why not your team?”

“Because my team has enough to worry about,” she hisses at him. Her temper growing as the conversation goes on.

“Don’t you trust them?” he asks. That question makes her pause shifting in her seat and biting the inside of her cheek.

“I do.” she replies curtly.

“Then why don’t they know anything about your PTSD? Your family?”

“I’m just…protecting myself.”

“From what?”

She finally looks into his eyes and for the first time he sees the pain in her eyes. Bags under eyes from exhaustion, from the nightmares or the job, he wasn’t sure. Her eyes were glistening with tears that were threatening to fall down. 

“From getting hurt,” she admits her voice just above a whisper. 

Looking at her, Jake then set his coffee down before reaching out his arms in a quiet offer. Instantly, Aurora put her own arms out and accepts the hug from him.

Aurora couldn’t believe she was being comforted by Bradley’s arch nemesis (so he calls him), and if he found out, he would probably be so pissed, it made her chuckle internally.

A few seconds pass before they separate from the hug. Jake picks up his coffee and takes another sip.

“So, a Mitchell huh?” 

Aurora laughs as she opens the water bottle Jake had given her and takes a swig from it.

“It’s been so long since I’ve heard that.”

“Your last name?”

“Heck yeah. It’s always Aurora, Artemis, or Benjamin. I haven’t been called Mitchell since college.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve called someone Mitchell,” Jake retorts. 

“Ahhh right, Peyton,” she smirks at him. 

Aurora never thought she’d get to say that she had made the Jake Seresin turn red.

“He told you?”

She lightly chuckles. “He tells me almost everything. Things that sometimes I don’t even ask,” she shakes her head, as if trying to get rid of any memories from what Peyton tells her.

Jake stutters a little. “I’m still…I don’t really…I-”

“Jake, you don’t have to explain yourself. It’s not my business to know. But if you ever need to talk to anyone, I’m here.”

“Is this a way of saying you want my number?” he smirks. Aurora chuckles.

“With the way you are when I mention my brother, I wouldn’t flirt with his twin sister,” she teases.

Jake chuckles. “How are they? Have you heard from them lately?”

“Got a postcard from both of them. Deployed on the USS Franklin, took a stop in Japan. They seem to be doing fine.”

“You miss them?”

Aurora looks to the sky. “Every hour, every minute, every second I breathe,” she repeats the phrase the trio always say to each other, thoughtfully rubbing a thumb over her wrist where her charm bracelet usually would sit. 

Jake looks at his watch. “I should probably head in.”

“C’mon,” she says standing up. “I’ll escort you.”

“Thanks. Not just for escorting me, but for talking with me.”

She smiles at him. “Anytime.”

—

Aurora and Jake step out of the elevator to the squadroom and Jake tosses his empty coffee cup in the nearby trash can on the way to Aurora’s desk. Tony, Ziva, and McGee watch the two as they enter the desk area.

“Hey Tony, I ran into Lieutenant Seresin on the way up, something about a DNA testing,” Aurora spoke up, as she went to her desk to set her water bottle down, and sat at her desk. 

“Oh right, this way Lieutenant,” Dinozzo gets up from his desk and leads Jake to Abby’s lab. 

Jake locks eyes with Aurora again on their way out as he nods at her and leaves with Tony,  while McGee and Ziva are still watching Aurora in disbelief. 

Feeling two sets of eyes on her, Aurora looks up from her phone and looks between the pair.

“If you have a question, ask it,” she says.

“Gibbs said you left, something about needing a breather,” McGee addresses.

“That wasn’t a question McGee,” Aurora retorts back.

“Are you okay?” Ziva asks, as she walks towards the girl and leans on her desk.

“Fine.”

“You don’t seem fine,” McGee replies.

“McGee, leave her alone,” Gibbs tells him as he walks into the bullpen.

“Sorry boss.”

Gibbs stops at Aurora’s desk and gives her a look.“I thought I told you to go home.”

“Boss, with all due respect, I can’t. We still have a case to solve. Plus you told me if anything I could just take a couple of hours away from the case,” she replies looking up at Gibbs.

He sighs and looks at Ziva who was still leaning on Aurora’s desk. She took the stare as a sign to go back to her desk and get back to work. Gibbs turns his attention back to Aurora.

“Fine, but if something happens-”

“I’ll go to you Gibbs,” she replies. He nods and walks back to the center of the bullpen.

“Alright, what do you have for me?” He addresses them.

—

Aurora should have gone home. She should have been at her apartment, eating takeout, watching a Netflix show Peyton had put her on, while cuddling with her golden retriever puppy she named CJ. Usually she would hire someone to come watch him while she was out for her job. So while she should’ve been home doing all of that and relaxing, she realized she needed to talk to someone. Without thinking too much about it, she arrived at Gibbs’ house, and walked through the house’s front door, which was never locked. She took a look around and realized Gibbs was most likely in his basement, so she headed in that direction. She stood in the doorway and spotted Gibbs sanding his boat.

Gibbs looks up as he had heard someone in his house, and sees Aurora. He puts his sander down, and walks back to his table where he had a small fridge sat on it. Usually he would offer a guest some of his whiskey he usually had, but knowing Aurora, he always had a stock of water for her in the fridge. Walking down the stairs of the basement, Aurora came over to Gibbs as he handed her water. She nods her thanks, and takes a sip from the water while sitting on a stool, Gibbs taking the other one beside it. 

They sit in silence, while Gibbs watches Aurora fiddle with her water, peeling the label a bit.

Aurora takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry about earlier, Gibbs. Not just about the panic attack but not telling you.”

“Why didn’t you say anything Artemis?”

“Because I didn’t want to look weak.”

“You went through so much trauma, that doesn’t make you weak, Arty.”

“Then why do I feel like I’m losing my mind? Ever since the start of this case, I just can’t get it out of my head. It’s not just the case. I keep reliving memories from my past and they’re nice memories, which makes the pain hurt even more.”

“You’re stronger because of it.”

“Am I?” She says exasperated. “I came to NCIS to be something. To prove to everyone that I can be someone other than my father’s daughter, other than being a Naval aviator legacy. The Mitchell legacy.”

Gibbs sat in silence listening to her as she went on.

“I just feel like I’m being worn down. I love this job, and I love this team.” she says after taking a sip of her water. “I just don’t want to be this broken anymore,” she whispers.

“Have you tried talking to anyone?” Gibbs was trying to comfort as best as he could.

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Not me Artemis, your family. Your dad? Brother?”

She stills from that realization. She hadn’t talked to her dad since he had just been recruited as a test pilot for a special Mach 10 project. Peyton was deployed with Bradley. Her mom had her bar to take care of, and Amelia had just started high school. Uncle Goose and Aunt Carole were on their anniversary vacation traveling around Europe. Uncle Ice and Aunt Sarah were still dealing from Uncle Ice’s cancer scare when they thought he had relapsed. No. She hadn’t talked to anyone. She shook her head and Gibbs sighs.

“Kid, you’re going to have to talk to someone.”

“Wh-”

“And not just me,” he cuts her off. “Maybe it’s time to see a therapist.”

Sure, Aurora could. But for Aurora, it was hard for her to ask for help. She just shrugs at Gibbs while biting the inside of her cheek, something she normally does when her anxiety kicks in.

“Maybe it’s time to tell the team-”

“No, Gibbs we both agreed that telling them about my family has nothing to do with my work.”

“When it’s affecting your mental health, I think it’s time to tell them about your family. You have nothing to lose, Artemis.”

She scoffs at Gibbs' words. She knew he was right, but she was stubborn. Aurora didn’t want to lose the respect she had earned from her peers all because of her last name. 

“We’re a family too. It’s time to trust us now,” Gibbs says to her. 

Aurora looks up at Gibbs. She smiles and takes out the postcard from her pocket and hands it to Gibbs. She could always trust Gibbs, maybe it was time to open up. He takes it and reads it, turning to her with a smirk.

“Brother and boyfriend?” He says teasingly.

“Brother and BEST friend,” she emphasizes, while rolling her eyes.

“Doesn’t seem like it. It sounds like he loves you.”

“No. I mean yes, but only like a friend.”

“I highly doubt that Artemis.”

“No, because if he does I can’t be with him.”

Gibbs looks at her incredulously. “Why?”

“Because I’m broken, he deserves better,” she replies.

“You’re not-”

“And I left. Life just got in the way. I was about to be an NCIS agent, he was just about to start his naval aviator career. He had just gotten into Top Gun, his dream! And I couldn’t hold him back. And he didn’t want to hold me back either.”

“What’s holding you back now?”

Aurora looks at Gibbs and sighs.

“I don’t know anymore.”

---

If you would like to be on the taglist or removed, please let me know! 

Taglist: @call-sign-jinx @sqrlgrl22 @luckyladycreator2 @purplevortexx

[ashesandhackles]

Fic recs

I read a couple of fantastic fics recently, and they all deserve some love. So, giving them a shoutout. As Moments Do by @thecat-isblogging-blog

Canon compliant. Remus Lupin centric fanfic that follows him through OOTP and HBP. Chapter 3 has been updated and here is a chilling excerpt of Remus channeling his "Goodbye Peter" side:

Keep up, Peter. You’ll get lost. James would say. Wrong way, Peter.

Reaching the end of the platform Lupin called out in unison with James’ ghostly voice:

“Wrong way, Peter.”

Peter stopped in his footsteps, shoulders tensed just as Lupin pointed his wand to his exposed back.

Peter’s rat sense seemed to be keenly threaded to him. He turned to peer over his shoulder, the sliver of moonlight catching his nervous, watery eyes.

The Sultan and Scheherazade are One by eldritcher Grindeldore, with the most fantastically careful imagery. I am so taken by the prose of this author. Excerpt:

"I will build you a Rome," I promised him. 

"We will build us a Rome," he corrected me, placing an easy hand on mine.

"The Rome that the ancients yearned for, egalitarian," I murmured.

Our dreams were one, and our wills twined.  

Albus's hands came to clasp mine in his. The magic of him seeped into me, and mine unto him. 

Trothed became he and I, to man and cause, under a yew tree. 

The Snow Child by @saintsenara

A short folk horror story with Merope Gaunt, Tom Riddle Snr, and of course Voldemort.

Excerpt:

Merope has seen the little boy too. 

He comes to her window - she sleeps on the floor of the kitchen, while Morfin and Marvolo sleep in their one, tiny bedroom - and peers in. He has his father’s face, and his father's jet black hair, but his skin is unnatural, waxy and snow-pale, and his eyes are as red as blood.

‘I created you,’ she says to him. ‘I dreamed of you and now you are real.’

The boy shakes his head. ‘I am not yet real, because my father does not believe. You must make him.’

Merope nods. 

Bistable by TheDivine Comedian

Always a sucker for OOTP era Sirius and Remus, and I adored this one shot.

Excerpt:

James, he thinks. James. I am walking to my grave.

The train stops with a shudder and he nearly loses his precarious footing. Turn around , James says. Turn around now. You’ll go mad in there again.

Sirius laughs under his breath. Like anyone would notice. Besides, this is for you.

The James in his mind huffs and shuts up. Spilled out onto the platform, Sirius once again comes face to face with his own mugshot, a faded print on a tattered wanted poster.

Think/ Hope by @whinlatter

Post break up, bittersweet Hinny, with RON cameo? Sign me up. Cutting out an excerpt from the larger rhythm (you'll know when you read it) of this fic feels blasphemous, but I committed to the format:

He flops down on the sofa, feet up on the coffee table, eats straight from the hot plastic as he flicks through channels. The nine o'clock news is all budget this, Hong Kong that, Tim Henman out at Wimbledon. The nine o’clock news is not Dumbledore's dead, Snape murdered him, there’s a war on, Harry Potter's dropped out of school to go hunt bits of Voldemort's dismembered soul.  

Dropped out of school, he thinks. Scandalous, delinquent. What d'you reckon? he asks the Ginny in his head. Harry Potter, troubled dropout? Do anything for you? The Ginny in his head laughs. 

I also recently made other fic recs here: Nymphadora by @bluethepineapple and a bunch here for a rarepair tag game

[honeydew-sillies]

"Takenaka's Cure for Boredom"

A Mob Psycho tickle fic !!

word count: 2,446

a/n: I've had this sitting for around almost done for a bit and figured I'd cut it off where I did so I could finally post it! Will hopefully write a sequel eventually... no promises. Shoutout to these two for being my favorite ever. Next on the agenda is Takeritsho... mwahahaha !!

warnings: none aside from light swearing!

☆☆☆

"D-don't!"

Momozo felt the sly grin on his face grow ever so slightly larger. Across from him sat Kageyama Ritsu, both sitting on the latter's bed.

They had been doing their individual homework together the whole afternoon, Momozo texting the other that his weekend tennis practice had been called off. Well, "doing homework;" it was more so Ritsu trying and failing to get Momozo to pay attention to anything other than his phone, and in turn also getting distracted.

(He didn't normally have too much of an issue focusing, but it wasn't Momozo's fault the kid never took any breaks.)

The distraction currently being the way Momozo had confidently stated "I'm bored," before setting his phone down, shooting a glance at the younger boy sitting next to him on the bed, and slowly bringing his hands up as "claws," inching in Ritsu's direction. As he seemed to have made a very ANNOYING habit of doing recently.

"Don't what?"

"Do not tickle me! Takenaka I swear to god-"

As selfish as it may have been, Momozo always relished in how skittish he could get the "Mr. Student Council, Straight A's, Mature and Serious Pretty Boy," which was a facade that he had seen through almost immediately. And not because of his telepathy. Ignoring the part of his brain that groaned at how grossly cheesy it was, the older boy enjoyed being able to see this side of Ritsu.

"Okay, so you're telling me that you really do not want me to tickle you? Is that right?"

The brunette bit back a fond laugh as he watched Ritsu squirm ever so slightly. He noted the small smile that the other was trying very hard and failing to bite down, the way his cheeks were already a lovely shade of pink, and how he was very clearly hesitating in confirming that he most definitely did not want to be tickled right now. Momozo quirked up an eyebrow as if to say ‘I know you’re lying.’ He did that often.

This kid was so easy to read it was almost annoying at times. Almost.

"Hey! N-no fair, you can't use your telepathy, that's cheating!"

Momozo barked out a laugh, grin widening. Normally, he would've grown irritated at the accusation; but with Ritsu, it was far too much fun messing with him for Momozo to be angry. Poor kid just gave himself away, too.

"How many times do I have to remind you, I'm not using my powers. People can say a lot with their eyes and body language. Plus you’re, like, super easy to read."

He watched Ritsu swallow as the boy realized his mistake, once again floundering for any attempt at control over the situation. If Momozo didn't immediately shut down the train of thought, he probably would've said it was cute. Gross.

"W-wait, but my eyes were-"

"Saying that you want me to tickle you? Yeah, I picked up on that."

Growing impatient, Momozo dashed forward on the mattress while Ritsu was still taken aback from the "matter-of-fact" statement. The shorter of the two let out a yelp, scrambling to get away from his assailant, but to no avail. Not only had Momozo had a head start, but he was also just a tad stronger than Ritsu due to his practicing for club and his height. …At least Ritsu liked to tell himself that.

Momozo put on an innocent smile at the friend underneath him; Ritsu's head had found its way to his pillow on the way down, with Momozo resting his hands on either of Ritsu's sides as he kneeled next to him, towering over him just enough to keep him in place. And as much as a show the raven-haired boy made of squirming around, it was clear to both of them that he really wasn't trying to get away. Plus, if he did want to, he had the strength to do so at any time.

"Takenaka!" Ritsu very nearly whined, biting his lip as the wobbly smile on his face became more prominent.

"Mmhm?"

Ritsu threw Momozo what was apparently supposed to be a sharp glare, though there was no clear malice behind it. Embarrassment, maybe, but not anger.

This was so unfair. It was so… childish. Definitely not something a serious, mature and perfectly ordinary middle schooler would spend time doing. So why, Ritsu asked himself, was his stomach filled with a buzzing excitement? Why did he already feel the giggles bubbling up in his chest, and why was it fun? Why was he having fun?

Normally, the only person who could ever get away with and actively tickled Ritsu was his older brother, Shigeo. And occasionally Sho, which was becoming more common, though that was embarrassing just to think about. Momozo has been a… new addition to Ritsu’s “I actually enjoy your company more than an acquaintance” list.

Which had, once again, somehow turned into his “you’re allowed to tickle me without getting telekinetically slammed into a wall (on purpose)” list.

What’s worse was Momozo’s telepathy; it had unintentionally caused Ritsu to allow himself to be more honest with the brunette, which meant not being able to keep up his totally serious and responsible front all the time. The invisible threat of his thoughts and emotions being free to read created a nervousness in Ritsu, making him state more things outright instead of trying to cover them up like he normally would.

Which also meant revealing a more playful side not often seen by anyone, other than his older brother and family.

Hence the situation at hand.

“L-let me go!”

Speaking of telepathy, the more excited a person got usually meant the louder their thoughts got, both subconscious and not. And esper’s thoughts tended to stand out more to Momozo’s hearing in general, though he wasn't sure why. Probably some sort of weird power energy thing.

At least he wasn’t doing it on purpose when he heard ‘Oh my god just do it already this is awful this is so embarrassing he's so-’

“You could very easily get away if you wanted to, Kageyama.”

Ritsu let out an indignant growl. It was anything but intimidating.

He flusteredly spat out, “You’re so annoying!” and what Momozo also hears is ‘Please don’t make me admit it-’

He sighed almost fondly; he had been pretty mean, what with knowing how much anticipation got to the other boy. Maybe it was time to do what he had actually planned to after getting bored with his phone and work…

Ritsu let out another squeaky yelp as he finally felt the hands around his sides squeeze firmly, the hypersensitivity from being on edge having built up to the point where he couldn’t stop the first surge of laughter to cascade from his lips. It was slightly high-pitched, but still boyish and sporadic and somehow so perfectly Ritsu.

But if there's something else that is most definitely Ritsu, it’s being stubborn as all hell when he feels like it. So, instead of fighting back (which Momozo would make a point of bringing up later), the younger boy smacked a hand over his smiling mouth, muffling his laughter as he instinctively squirmed away from the fingers kneading into his sides once more. He tried weakly to roll from side to side in an attempt to dodge Momozo’s hands, which followed him no matter where he went.

“Aw c’monnnn, it’s no fun if you don’t laugh…”

Ritsu shook his head, shoulder bouncing ever so slightly with the laughter that was being held back.

Okay, new tactic, then.

Momozo took a moment to focus more than he had been previously, staring at the boy underneath him with a menacing grin as he projected his own thoughts:

‘I know you want to laugh. Come on come on come on just laughhh you are so boring-’

Ritsu jumped from the startle (he would never quite get used to that power), and let out a few muted giggles behind his hand, narrowing his eyes at the other boy as if to challenge him. He thought back, loud and clear,

‘Eat shit-’ Before very clearly stifling a laugh at whatever look just crossed Momozo’s face.

“Alright, jackass. If you want to be like that then…"

At first glance, most if not all people would not expect Takenaka Momozo to be a “playful” individual; he was cocky when comfortable, sure. Stand-offish, socially anxious, and hardly ever outright playful. In the same way the telepath was allowed to see a realer version of Ritsu, Ritsu was shown a different side of the former as well. And, in all honesty, he regards this fact fondly.

…Except right now.

The raven-haired boy only had time to exclaim a quick “NO!-” before he fell into louder laughter, audible even behind the hand clasped over his mouth. The cause of this laughter of course being the fingers that were once kneading into his sides moving to massage his lower ribs instead; even being so kind as to pay special attention to the sweet spot between the two lowest ribs, causing Ritsu to arch his back upwards and let out what could only be considered a squeal. His face was most definitely burning up now.

“Wow, was that a squeal dude? Forgot how ticklish you are…” Momozo noted nonchalantly, the teasing lilt in his normally aloof voice driving Ritsu mad.

“Shuhut UP! I’m nohot even thahat- NAHA-!”

Whatever Ritsu was about to say was very rudely interrupted by another even higher-pitched round of laughter. Momozo was quick to disprove Ritsu’s claim by turning back and squeezing one of the latter’s knees; he narrowly avoided being kicked while Ritsu’s torso leapt forward instinctively before falling back against the bed. His body had very nearly gone limp, as it did when worse spots were targeted.

Ah, right, he really didn’t have much of a tolerance to strong tickling. Momozo smirked.

“Not even that huh? Didn’t catch that.”

“OKAY OKAY OKAHAHAY IHI’M SORRY! TAKE! SHIHIHIT-”

The slip of the nickname went unnoticed by the laughing boy, and if Momozo’s chest fluttered just the tiniest bit, he ignored it. Instead, he opted for being nice enough to move from the bad spot, bringing his hands up to skitter his short nails over Ritsu’s stomach through his unfortunately thin long sleeve t-shirt.

Ritsu fell into a fit of incredibly bubbly and distinguishably not serious giggles, legs instinctively kicking as he shot his hands out to hold Momozo’s wrists now that the dam of laughter had already been broken. However, that was more so to steady himself than to really fight back, and both boys knew this; it was already too late for him to put up a fight, and he was definitely laughing too hard. Ritsu naturally refused to acknowledge this. Momozo, on the other hand…

“Stohohop looking ahat me like- like thahahat!”

“What’re you gonna do? Push my hands away?”

"Shuhut UHUHUP!"

"Hm, that was kind of rude." Momozo responded calmly as he casually massaged the small bit of pudge Ritsu always had on his tummy that he "definitely should have grown out of." Not that he had time to think about that currently, though, considering the endless waves of giggling laughter that made it hard for him to form any coherent sentences.

The brunette continued to attack his friend’s stomach with no signs of letting up any time soon; he switched unpredictably between squishing around the softer area and spidering his fingers, sneaking his hands just the tiniest bit under the end of Ritsu’s now rumpled up t-shirt to scribble over the spot just beneath the shorter boy’s navel. A spot that, without fail, always made him kick and hiccup-laugh like there was no tomorrow.

At this point, Ritsu's thoughts had turned into a sort of jumbled and mostly incoherent mess, which wasn't anything foreign to Momozo. Sometimes thoughts were less of… thoughts, and more so feelings. And the only intense feeling radiating off of Ritsu was 'It tickles it tickles it tickles so BAD-'

The ticklish shocks running through Ritsu’s body were the only thing he could focus on as he shook his head back and forth, feeling how his cheeks were burning up and how the butterflies in his stomach just refused to let up. It was like an unbearable but pleasant electricity coursing through his nerves, starting at his stomach and spreading through his body before all collecting at one point in his chest; the place where the uncontrollable laughter flowed freely from his mouth.

Despite his brain’s natural reactions to the sensations, Ritsu really didn’t mind the feeling. In all honesty, he quite enjoyed being tickled; it allowed for a certain sense of vulnerability he had always had a hard time showing, a way for him to feel comfortable enough to laugh and smile freely. Though his stamina could only last so long, especially as someone who isn’t fully used to being tickled.

The younger boy didn’t seem to notice at first that the ticklish sensations on his stomach had ceased, catching his breath as he let out the rest of his breathy titters.

After a moment, Ritsu glanced up and made eye contact with Momozo, who to anyone else would have seemed bored; but Ritsu wasn't anyone, and caught the small smile still resting on his lips, likely mirroring his own unconscious one. A smile he quickly tried to cover up by glaring daggers at the boy above him.

What he would've give to wipe that stupid smile away with-

"You good?" Momozo asked, thankfully cutting off wherever that train of thought was headed.

Ritsu broke the eye contact bashfully, needing to look at anything other than the stupid genuine expression on the boy leaning over him because that's embarrassing and this is embarrassing.

Speaking of embarrassing, he quickly pulled his hands away from around Momozo's wrists, opting to cross his arms instead and pretend he didn't look like a toddler pouting at the moment.

"Alright, solid answer."

"So are you going to get off of me now, or what?"

"Dunno." Momozo shrugged. Ritsu bristled.

"What do you mean you don't know??"

"Do you want me to?"

"...You're a jerk."

The brunette couldn't help but chuckle. While his boredom had most definitely been cured, he knew they were both having far too much fun to go back to focusing on homework anyway. Well, Ritsu probably could, 'Like the nerd he is.' Momozo noted to himself.

He was pulled away from those brief thoughts by Ritsu's suddenly much less flustered tone of voice (which definitely couldn't be good) as he asked,

"Hey Takenaka."

"...'Sup?"

Ritsu grinned.

"I'm bored."

In the moment it took the latter to realize what Ritsu was getting at, he was already too late.

[emisirrelevant]

WE ARE THE TIGERS WEEK DAY 7/ REUNION DAY

AHHHHHHHHH

HAPPY REUNION DAY MY FELLOW TIGERS/GILES COREY STUDENTS.

I JUST FINISHED WATCHING THE LIVESTREAM AND OMG IT WAS AMAZING.

SO AS MY POST FOR THE LAST DAY OF WATT WEEK, ENJOY MY NOTES I WROTE DURING THE LIVESTREAM:

Preston starting things off! Hello icon and legend!

YESSS GO CAROLINE!!!

MAJOR SHOUTOUT TO CAROLINE LELLOUCHE AND LEANNA (I didn't get her last name I'm sorry) FOR COVERING PARTS

COVERING FOR LIKE 4 songs 

APPRECIATE YOUR SWINGS 

AHHHH CHESS AND KATE

JENNY AND CELESTE ARE BACK I MISSED THEM

HAHAHAAA Kaitlyn holding the phone when she calls Farrah 

AWWWW ZOE AS FARRAH

GOD I MISSED THEM ALL

SHE'S GOT THE FARRAH BRAIDS

AHHHH “sure Riley, what could go wrong?” 

awww Caroline changing the way "welcome everyone" is said

OK WE'RE ON DON'T EVEN

BUT I DON'T EVEN CARE I DONT CARE

JENNY AND CELESTE YESSS

“Chords for Christ” HAHAA

“Is co-captain a thing now?” Iconic line +1

“It’s not nepotism it’s called friendship” Iconic line +2

WOAHHH A LITTLE LYRIC CHANGE? (I didn't get the words down I'm sorry but maybe someone else will remember)

SCRELTING!!

Oh god it’s Skype tomorrow time

OHHH THE WAY JENNY AND CELESTE TOTALLY GET INTO THE CHARACTERS

OH GOD BEFORE THE BREAKDOWN

CELESTE AND ZOE VOCALS!!!

OH GOD EVERYONE SINGING NOW

THE BEAUTIFUL HARMONIES 

UH THE ZOOM IN ON THE LAST LINE KNOWING WHAT HAPPENS TO CHESS AND FARRAH

“Unfortunately after that Chess is murdered” HAHA Preston narrating in between

RIP Chess now it’s abstinence song time

YESSS KAITLYN SINGGGGG

YESSS CLARK SPOTLIGHT TIME

The man has entered the plot

FOREVER FOREVER-

"or however long it takes" lol love that lil line from Clark

Their voices are great together

Awww they must have had a lot of fun singing this one together again

HHHHH

A SURPRISE?

YES PRESTON BEING REESE!

YOU CAN CHANGE THE KEY FOR TRANS ACTORS!!! (said by Preston himself, ICON!)

Ohhh Preston singing this gives it such a deep meaning and it’s so good in every way

CAROLINE NO IMMA CRY (Y'all she started crying doing the dialogue when Riley says when you're a Tiger, your team won't let you fall, anyone who breaks that promise breaks us, and then everyone in the chat got EMO)

OMG THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL

CAROLINE DID SO WELL

THEN FARRAHS SONG AFTER THAT OMG

EMOTIONAL DAMAGE

BUT YES ZOE BEAUTIFUL VOCALS AS ALWAYS

OMG WALLFLOWERRRRR

Omg Wonu and Caroline did so good

The VOCALS AND RUNS

THEM GETTING HYPE IN THE END AWW

Omg DEFENSE TIME

defense, defense 

AWW LOL WONU COVERING HER LIL LYRIC SLIP AHAHA

Wonu I love you 

A national treasure

TIGER PRIDE ALWAYS

TAMPER WITH A MURDER SCENE

YESSS WONU!!! SCRELT

LEANNA AS MATTIE YESSS

I LOVE ITTTT

YESSS VOCALSSS

HAHAHA SOMEONE SAYING "SHUT THE FUCK UP"

LEANNA DID SO WELL SINGING MATTIE'S LAMENT

Oh god here we go 

“Not my usual reaction to homicide” haha Wonu as Cairo I will always love you

“Welcome back everyone” while like 3 people have died

OH GOD MOVE ON IS AFTER PHOENIX IM NOT READY

OH GOD NOOO

My heart

Kaitlyn and Jenny their voices together

UGH THE HARMONY ON "don't let go" 

ALWAYS GETS ME

AHH THE HUG AT THE END (Kaitlyn, Jenny and Celeste all hugging it out but Zoe completely missing it haha)

YESSSS SYDNEY 

SHUT UP AND CHEER TIME

AHH HER KEEPING THE GROWL ON "SHIT"

LOVE IT

SYDNEY VOCALS

EVA SANCHEZ I LOVE YOU

OMG HERE WE GO 

Haha the lines in IDK

so good 

WONU SINGING SEE YOU ALL IN HELL is my religion

YESS CAROLINE DOING THE BREAKDOWN

AHHH THE C-C-C-CUT EM

Amazing.

HHH MOVE ON REPRISE???

WE LOVE A LITTLE BIT

HHHH

OMG THE FINALE

NO NOT ALREADY

IM EMO

IM ACTUALLY SO EMO

THIS! SONG!

WE ARE THE TIGERS GO!!

Ugh seeing everyone up there singing together again MY HEART

OMG AND A LIL ENCORE

SINGING A CUT SONG OOH

EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE HER

OKAY BANGER

AS EXPECTED

YESSS VOCALS

OOH FARRAH AND CAIRO HARMONIZING

THE MOTIF OF "We are the soul of the school" COMING BACK IN THIS SONG TOOO???

OMggggg I wish it didn't end

That was amazing

So WORTH the livestream ticket

Ahhhh I love this musical

WATT my beloved, you will always be loved by me.

[katharinanadiaa]

this chapter is such a perfect closure and ending for this story. i love how you write their relationship is at the start, how it felt so natural and shows how they’re close and truly fit each other, the way gee invited him to the parents day just shows it even more, and that melts my heart. mason then being the biggest sweetheart at that, for making himself be seen as he sees how gee’s feeling and then recording her performance tooo, also how him saying she’s his baby girl. i love how he’s also reassuring y/n about coming there after being distant for a few days.

my heart breaks for them at them at the argument, how they’re just confused and shocked. but you wrote the whole argument soo well. even though he shouted at her, the way he picked up gee and then stay at the house, i think also shows how deep down he’ll always care about them despite anything. how both of them are already vulnerable afterwards only after a few hours hurts me, and then y/n hugging him. her having a big heart and admitting his words are true is admirable, also how mason himself apologize for shouting and then making effort in being more level headed also how he tucked y/n into his side and then getting happier as the convo goes on. also lovee that throughout the conversation, they truly confessed and pour out all their feelings. love that y/n’s able to clarify the stuff mason told before in the best way and being honest, also giving those reassurances. how she wants him to feel all the love he makes her feel every day is soo sweet. i love how throughout the convo, mason shows how much love that he has for y/n since they’re teenagers and also gee, especially at how y/n’s opening up about her past relationship with jack and how being a single mother affects her through the words of affirmation thats genuine and heartwarming. the 240 miles part, her always being his number one is soo adorable, with that little speech of him saying he’s in love with her. how he asked her to stop crying to then saying it because he can’t kiss her again is soo cute, he’s always able to make her smile, also the little things when he noticed her feeling nervous so he pulled the cover back and then tucks her is so sweet. love how there’s a lot of kisses in this chapter and how mason said fifteen year old is losing his mind makes it even better, shows how long they’ve known each other. also the way he asked her to go on a date is soo smooth, along with the little promise about the pasta. shoutout to ell for being such a great best friend for giving y/n that tough love at the start and making it possible for the both of them to have that conversation.

how there’s a new little one shocked me in the best way, the way its revealed is so lovely along with leo being such a happy baby especially with his daddy and calm enough that makes it possible for them to go on the trip🫶🏻 the way gee’s calling mason as a daddy also made me emotional, like even though mason’s been her father figure since her birth, it feels more real and official, the little part of him joking to her melts me. the mrs mount part leading to the proposal and it being in y/n’s dream place is perfect, along with the instagram post. this truly felt like a happy ending, how their wishes since teenagers are coming truee.

congratulations on finishing this series, six weeks felt so fast but you wrote this series so well. thank you so much for your efforts creating this heartfelt story of two teenagers best friends that finally get their happy ending together, along with wonderful characters, except jack☺️💗

Change Of Heart

The End - Part Six

Note - wow, I can’t believe we made it to the end 😭 thank you all so much for reading and for your kind words throughout. I really hoped you enjoyed this as much as I have and thank you again to Elisa for being so patient with me. I’d love to know what you all think and enjoyyyyy

Pairing - Mason Mount x Reader

Word count - 10.7k

Warnings - series contains angst & fluff

Day and night you thought about Mason. About what your life would be like if you got the guts to let him in and tell him how you really felt now but everytime you thought about it, you couldn’t bring yourself to do it.

Months passed and all you did was fall deeper and deeper for your best friend. Seeing him more often than ever didn’t exactly help the situation either but the fact the pair of you were so domestic just made it all even harder.

You were in a perfect routine with him. Home games with you both in his shirt when you could and away games if they were close by. Dinner together as a family at least twice a week with Mason picking up Gee from nursery every Wednesday to give you some time to yourself but you knew he liked taking her out for treats as well. So much so you pretend you didn’t see anything when she came back with chocolate ice cream stains down her dress as her happy smile made up for all of it.

You wondered if he’d maybe caught onto the fact your feelings had changed. It felt so obvious to you in the way you acted around him now as he made you so nervous and flustered, but if it was obvious then he didn’t say anything. He was still your typical kind and loving Mason and you were trying so hard to be his best friend.

You didn’t know what was holding you back. You were pretty certain he felt the same but it had been so long since you’d heard him say anything of the sort you’d managed to talk yourself into thinking that his feelings had vanished. What exactly did you have to offer him anyway? You were a single mum who was just about getting by when he could no doubt have any girl he laid his eyes on.

That didn’t make you feel any less for him, if anything as the months went by all you did was fall for him more. He made you feel happy and warm and filled your house with so much laughter and love that when he wasn’t around you felt lost. Even when he was by your side you still found yourself drifting off into your own imagination to think about what life would be like if you were an item and right now was no different.

You knew Mason was talking, but the piece of paper in your pocket was burning a hole through your jeans and it wasn’t long before he noticed you were in your own world and bumped your shoulder gently.

‘Y/n? You listening to me?’ He scolded lightly. Turning to face you and he must have picked up on the moody look on your face as his face dropped as soon as you caught eyes. ‘Y/n? What’s wrong’

‘It’s nothing-‘

‘No don’t do that’ he interrupted, placing his arm around your shoulders for a bit of comfort and you had to refrain from nuzzling yourself into him further. ‘You know you can tell me’

‘It’s Gee’s nursery’ you huffed. Figuring you may as well come clean. ‘They’re putting on a parents day thing for Christmas and… I don’t know, I'm just overthinking it too much. You know what this time of years like, it’s all gonna be about families and there’s gonna be all those kids with both parents there for them and-’

‘Stop it. You give Gee everything. You’re mum and dad rolled into one and Gee loves you, she thinks you’re a superhero’ he reassured you and you didn’t realise how much you needed to hear that from him until he’d said it. Your eyes filling with tears as you hid you face away again to take some breaths but he held you the whole time.

‘Will you come? To parents day?’ You asked. His eyebrows shooting straight up in shock but you just sent him a reassuring smile. ‘I know it’s a bit of a weird ask but she’s actually invited you’ you laughed, looking at his confused face as you pulled the invitation out so he could see his name written on the front under yours in Gee’s best attempt at writing. ‘If you’re busy it’s fine but she’s written your name and everything’

‘Well how can I say no to that huh?’ He laughed and you could tell he was a little emotional about it as his eyes became glossy. ‘I reckon if we asked Woody over we could recreate that picture’ he laughed, trying to mask how emotional he was with a joke. ‘Where is Gee anyway? I’ll go tell her I’m coming’

‘Watching tv, she said she had a long day and needed to unwind’ you told him, rolling your eyes at her sass and he quickly placed a kiss on your head before going to join her.

You joined them too not long after. Laughing as they were both laid on their bellies with their faces in their hands so they could watch tv together and it struck you how alike they were. You always thought Gee could pass as Masons own child but having had him be around consistently for well over a year now they were like little twins.

'Do you wanna stay for dinner?' You asked him, brows raised as you looked over to him but there was an expression on his face you'd never seen before and it made your tummy drop.

'Oh um I can't, I've got plans already' he nodded. Sitting up to face you and scratching the back of his neck as he looked to the floor so you decided to play dumb and see what he said in hopes you could confirm your suspicions.

'Oh, is Woody visiting? You didn't tell me'

'No, it's um… it's no one you know' he shrugged and you knew he was never going to come out with it so you decided to call him out.

‘Wait a minute, are you going on a date?' You asked him and his face told you everything you needed to know. A sinking feeling in your tummy at the realisation but you made sure you kept it together.

'I date, I just don't broadcast it everywhere’ he laughed. Your mind reeling and trying to think back when he may have been out before with someone without you knowing but you shut it off quickly. Not liking how you felt when thinking about him with another girl but thankfully he didn't let you dwell on it as he stood up and gathered his things. 'I better go, I need a shower and everything. Are you alright?'

'Yeah fine, sorry um, have a nice time, yeah? Good luck’ you spluttered, trying to look busy so he couldn't see the heat travelling up your neck but his hand on your wrist made you stop in your tracks.

'Thanks love' he smiled, kissing your forehead quickly just like always but all you felt was sadness.

The rest of the evening went by slowly. You and Gee getting into your pjs after dinner so you could watch some Disney films under a blanket but you couldn’t focus on anything for too long. Thoughts of Mason and who he might be with filled your mind and you’d never felt more miserable.

If he was going out on dates then he’d clearly moved on and left his feelings for you in the past. It's not like you could blame him, you’d never given him a sign that you wanted anything more and he’d waited long enough. He deserved to be happy but it was tearing you apart that it wouldn’t be you that could give him what he needed now.

You were up and out early the next morning as you were meeting Ell for breakfast but you saw the way her face changed with just one look at you. Waiting until Gee and Tommy were in their respective seats before she dived in.

‘What’s wrong?’ she asked carefully but you didn’t know what to say. She’d guessed a few months back that your feelings had changed for him a little bit but knew you weren’t ready to do anything about it and never pushed you. Right now you wished she’d had though and as you were still feeling just as miserable.

‘Mason, he’s um… he went in a date yesterday’

‘Okay?’ She breathed. Looking at you questioningly as if she couldn’t understand what the big deal was and you knew you’d have to explain further.

‘I don’t know, I just feel weird about it. He’s never told me before but I bet he’s been on loads. I mean look at him of course he has’ you sighed and you felt your eyes sting the more you thought about him with someone else.

‘Oh babe’ she pouted. Reaching over and taking you hand and as much as you didn’t want Gee seeing you upset you couldn’t seem to hold it together.

‘I’ve missed my chance haven’t I?’ You croaked. Using you other hand to quickly wipe your cheeks so your tears went as quickly as they came.

‘Not necessarily. You said he was just on a date right? That could be anything, it’s probably just a first date’ she tried to reassure you but your mind was already reeling.

‘Yeah but it could also be a third or a fifth or maybe he’s actually got a girlfriend and they’re in bed right now and she gets to kiss him and do all the things I should be doing’ you spiralled and before you knew it you were snatching your hand away from hers and grabbing your phone out of your bag. ‘That's it, I’m calling him’

‘Y/n, no! You can’t’ Ell cried out. Reaching for you phone and somehow snatching it from your hand before you’d even realised.

‘Why not?’

‘Whatever he’s doing he’s allowed to do! He’s single okay, don’t ruin it for him’ she told you and it’s like her words were a slap to the face.

She was right. He wasn’t yours anywhere else but in your own head so if he was in bed with someone else right now then it didn’t matter how much it was tearing you apart. He was well within his rights to see whoever he wanted and it made you feel like crap to think about. This was your own doing though and when you looked up to Ell she was looking at you sympathetically.

‘Look, i think you need to tell him how you feel’

‘I can’t’ you croaked, your emotions attempting to get the better of you but you swallowed them down as best you could.

‘You can, okay? This has gotten way out of hand like you can’t be trying to jeopardise his dates and keep tabs on him if you’re not going to tell him what’s going on in your head. So you either tell him how you’re feeling and move forward or you keep quiet and leave him be’ she told. ‘I’m sorry for the tough love babe, but I just want you to be happy and I know that Mason would give you the world if you just asked’

‘I don’t know, I’ll think about it’

‘Well I’m keeping hold of your phone until we’re done’ she winked and even though you knew she was being serious you knew she was trying to make you laugh.

You didn’t hear much from Mason over the next few days. You knew he was busy in recovery whilst also trying to get a few personal projects off the ground but you also didn’t feel like you could message him. Pulling yourself back from him a little bit as you were feeling awkward and sad about the whole situation but you knew deep down you were just incredibly jealous.

It got to the point where you weren’t sure if he was even coming to Gee’s performance anymore but as soon as you’d got in from work you felt your phone buzz and Masons name pop up on your screen.

The thought of seeing him the next day filled you with mixed emotions and you couldn’t tell if you were excited or completely terrified. One the one hand you knew you’d have to hear all about his date and how well it went but you but on the other hand you had missed him to the point you didn’t care and just wanted to be around him.

You dropped Gee off early so they could get her into her costume and asked Ell to save you two seats whilst you waited outside for Mason. He was taking a while though and you thought you might have to abandon him soon so you didn’t miss anything but as soon as you turned back to the door his voice rung through the car park.

‘Hey sugar’ you suddenly heard from behind you and when you turned to face him, he pulled you straight into a hug before you could even look at him.

‘Sugar?’ You laughed but he didn’t explain himself. Just held you tighter and buried himself into your neck. ‘I was beginning to think you’d be late’ you told him, pulling back and budging his shoulder but the ever persistent cheeky smile he gave you made you smile back just as wide.

‘Couldn’t find anywhere to park, I've been walking for about ten years’ he joked. Slinging his arm around your shoulder and kissing your forehead before his eye landed on the two huge Christmas trees dangling from your ears. ‘Nice earrings’

‘I’m just trying to get into the spirit of things’

‘Well you look great. Makes me look under dressed but I thought it was best I keep things on the down low’ he winked before his face turned a little more serious. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve seemed a bit off, I really wanted to be completely free today for Gee so I had to move some things around but you’ve got me uninterrupted for the rest of the day’

‘That’s okay, you don’t need to explain’ you told him but he just shrugged as he let you go so you could walk into the main reception.

‘I know, but I’ve missed you. I haven’t even had a second to think about anything else but work but it’s like now I’m back with my favourite people’

‘I’ve missed you, too’ you whispered. It hitting you then that you really had and now you knew he had the rest of the day free you thought you’d make sure you could spend as much time as you could with him. ‘Maybe after all this is over you can come back and we can catch up a bit more?’

‘Did you even need to ask’ he laughed.

Mason helped himself to the complimentary mince pies on the way into the hall before sending you a wink. Letting you lead him over to the two seats so he could say hello to Ell and Noah before you got settled for the show to begin.

‘So how was your little date the other night?’ You asked before you even realised what you’d said and you wished you could take it back. You didn’t want to know about him and any other woman but you couldn’t turn back time now. Not even having the courage to look at him as he answered but you knew he wasn’t looking your way either.

‘It was fine’ he shrugged.

‘Just fine?’

‘Yeah’

‘Wow Mase, say how you really feel’ you laughed sarcastically, your eyes flickering over to him for a second and you could see his cheeks were bright red and he was biting back a smile.

‘Fine, you wanna know how it really went?’ He asked, turning towards you in his seat as he wrapped his arms around the back of your chair and as much as you wanted to say no you didn’t.

‘Yes’ you whispered.

‘She didn’t stop talking, like non stop to the point she was talking whilst she ate and she accidentally spat pasta into my eye’

‘Oh Mase’ you giggled. Finally turning to look at him as you covered your mouth with your hand but he just rolled his eyes as he squeezed your shoulder.

Has he always been this gorgeous? you thought. His bright brown eyes full of warmth as he looked down at you and you could feel yourself blushing under his stare.

‘So yeah, that’s how it went’

‘Safe to say you won’t be seeing her again?’

‘Safe to say I won’t be seeing anyone again, at least not for a little while anyway. She’s traumatised me. The only other person I’ve seen that Messy with pasta is Gee’ he grumbled. Turning back in his seat as the lights were dimming and the show was almost about to start.

You felt a weight lift from your heart immediately knowing there was no other woman you had to worry about now but the reality finally settled in that you would have to let him know how you felt before another came along. He’d mentioned that he didn’t want to date but you didn’t know if he was being serious or not and figured you better tell him while you had the courage.

You noticed Gee as soon as she stepped out on stage in her Giant Christmas tree costume but you could tell straight away she couldn’t see you. Her eyes frantically searching the crowd as her bottom lip dropped in fear you might not be there but it was Mason who made himself known. Standing up and waving his arms whilst calling her name and she found him within an instant.

You thought Mason had wanted to be inconspicuous today from the way he was dressed and what he’d said earlier but that had clearly gone out the window as he’d just announced himself to the whole room so Gee wouldn’t get upset thinking you weren’t there for her.

It was the most adorable thing you’d ever seen, the look of relief washing over her face which quickly turned to excitement as she waved back at him before blowing multiple kisses to which he returned. A chorus of quiet awwws ringing out through the room as she continued to blow kisses to the whole crowd so after you’d given her a wave to let her know you were here too, you pulled Mason back down to sit next to you and he gave you a shy smile.

‘What happened to being on the down low?’ You laughed but he just pursed his lips with a smile and shrugged his shoulders.

‘Yeah that’s gone out the window a bit hasn’t it. I won’t have my baby girl being upset though, so it was worth it’ he told you but he must have caught onto the shocked expression on your face and knew he needed to explain a bit further. ‘I know she’s not mine, but she sort of is’

‘Sometimes I think she’s like your double’ you smiled at him. Thinking back to them sat watching tv together the other day but you didn’t have a chance to say anything else. The sound of rocking around the Christmas tree blaring through the speakers and suddenly everyone was silent.

You could barely see what Gee was doing through the tears that were welling in your eyes. It was a dance she’s been practising at home with you for weeks but to see her front and centre shaking her stuff as she sung her heart out made you feel like the proudest mum in the world and when Mason slid his hand into yours and squeezed it to offer you some comfort, you held on tightly.

It had been a long road to get here. Long nights of uncertainty of whether you were doing the right thing by becoming a single mum and moving hundreds of miles away from anyone you knew but it was moments like this that made you realise it was all worth it. She was the most important thing in your world, a reason for you to get up in the mornings and carry on and you knew as long as you had her you’d always have everything you’d always dreamed of.

Once all the theatrics were over about an hour later there was time for all the parents to chat but you mostly stuck with Ell as the pair of you didn’t really know any of the other mums, and you let Noah and Mason grab you all some drinks whilst you waited for all the kids to come out.

You knew all eyes were on Mason, and you knew he knew that too. Standing right by your side with his cap on low to hide his face but that was all out the window when Gee came back. Chucking her up in the air until she was giggling like a maniac and it wasn’t long before the first dad came over with their son to ask Mason for a cheeky autograph and a selfie.

‘Are you sure this is a good idea?’ You asked, watching a mini queue form but he just shrugged as he turned to you with a big smile.

‘Probably not, but I hate saying no’ he told you and thankfully it didn’t take too long to get through everyone. The four of you deciding to head out and back yours for some food and you watched with a soft expression as Mason walked the kids back to your car with one on each hand.

As Mason was parked a road or two away he let you know he’d meet you back home and dashed off but as you reached for Gee, Ell stopped you.

‘I’ll take, Gee. You need to talk to him’ she told you firmly and you knew she was right.

‘I will’ you nodded. Quickly putting Gee’s car seat in Ell’s car and telling her you’d come and get her later but she seemed excited about going to Tommy's house for a bit.

You were full of nerves the whole ride back, trying to think about what you wanted to say but the ride was short and sweet and all you felt was an overwhelming sense of nerves by the time you got back.

‘Hey, where’s Gee? And I thought they were all coming back here?’ Mason asked as you got out of the car. He was lent against his own but he followed you up to the front door whilst you frantically thought of an excuse as to why you were on your own.

‘Oh um… Gee was kicking up a fuss about ice cream and wanting to see Ell’s Hamster so she’s taken her for a couple of hours with Tommy. Thought maybe we could finally have a bit more of a catch up like we said?’ You offered and he sent you a nod as his cheeks reddened.

‘Okay, yeah. Let’s do it’ he smiled shyly. Letting you lead him into the house before ushering him into the living room whilst you got him a drink.

You used the time you were in the kitchen to calm yourself down a bit. This was Mason you thought to yourself and when you made it back to the living room he was looking at you with a huge smile as he waved his phone in the air.

‘You fancy a cheeky maccies? I didn’t have lunch I’m bloody starving’

‘Go on then’ you laughed. Taking his phone from him so you could add your order and before long you were chatting away as you shoved nuggets in your mouth. Thankfully the pair of you kept away from the whole dating topic and just spoke about upcoming plans and how he’d been playing recently after another short spell out but thankfully he was in good spirits about it all.

‘I fancy a coffee, you want one?’ You asked him after you finished off your last fry and he was nodding his head as he shoved the last in of his own so you quickly tidied up and made your way to the kitchen to make you both one. It suddenly hitting you that you hadn’t spoken about what you’d meant to as you were so caught up in just being together so you used the few minutes the kettle was boiling to think about how you were going to broach the subject.

‘What you watching?’ You asked as you walked back in with his coffee. Placing it down on the coffee table before taking a seat next to him and when he wrapped his arm around you and pulled you into his body you just went with it. Cuddling up with him on the sofa and he scrubbed the video back to the beginning.

It was a video of Gee from earlier, right at the front singing her song and doing her little dance and you felt your eyes sting again at how proud you were of the tiny human you’d created.

‘She’s so funny, I still can’t believe I cried through the whole thing’

‘That’s why I thought I better record it, thought you wouldn’t be able to see much through all the tears in your eyes’ he laughed but you just patted him on the chest playfully.

You both sat and laughed at how into it she was, cuddling into Mason like you couldn’t get close enough and when you looked up at him as the video finished his lips were merely an inch from yours.

The air shifted within a nanosecond. Time suddenly standing still as he froze in front of you and you did the only thing you wanted to and pushed up slightly. Placing your lips on his in a gentle kiss before pulling back to gage his reaction but he hadn’t moved. He didn't kiss you back but you didn’t exactly give him a chance to and he wasn’t backing off so you leaned in again in hopes this time he’d reciprocate. Thankfully after a beat or two he did and as you both sighed into each other's mouths you deepened the kiss even further.

It was like any sense of anything left your bodies as you kissed each other. Your free hand holding his jaw as he kissed you back softly and you thought you might have died and gone to heaven. Not believing yourself that this was the first kiss the pair of you had ever shared and your tummy was fluttering with how gentle he was being with you. Both lost in each other as you wondered what had taken this long to get here but soon you didn’t have time to think for too much longer. Feeling Mason pulling away and she shook himself out of whatever trance he was in and you felt all the blood in your body rush to your cheeks.

‘Shit, sorry y/n I-‘

‘No don’t be sorry, it wasn’t you. I kissed you first’

‘Yeah but I shouldn’t have kissed you back’

‘Why?’ You breathed, confused as to why he seemed so upset with himself but he was now looking back at you just as confused.

‘Cause you don’t want this’ he told you, speaking to you like he was talking to a crazy person. ‘You’ve told me this isn’t what you want so many times-‘

‘I was wrong, I do want this’ you cut him off, sitting up properly so you could finally speak to him properly about your feelings but this wasn’t how you expected it to be coming out or for him to be looking back at you.

Shocked? Maybe. But horrified? This wasn’t on your list.

‘What? I don’t… what do you mean?’

‘I was just confused, I’ve wanted you and us for the longest time I swear. I heard you talking to Gee when she was a baby and telling her how you still loved me and-‘

‘What? That was years ago’

‘I know, and I’ve been thinking about it for years’

‘You knew and you didn’t say anything? He asked, his voice easing slightly but you knew it was just because he was upset with you.

‘Mase please just listen’ you pleaded. The hurt across his face was unbearable and you wanted to reassure him in some way but you were so flustered you couldn't get anything out properly. ‘You’re my best friend, yeah? Always have been but hearing you still loved me, like after all this time still, it just made me wonder what life would be like if things were different and somewhere along the way I got confused like you’re so good with Gee especially after Jack left you really held us all together and you’re always there for her-‘

‘So because I’m good with Gee you think that’s enough?’

‘No, not at all Mason that’s just an extra-‘

‘So what then? Are you confused?’ He cut you off and you’re starting to get frustrated at how he kept batting you away.

‘No Mase’ you huffed, wishing he would just listen but you understood why he wasn’t.

‘Well what is it?’ He demanded. His voice desperate as he moved himself away from you and you felt your heart plummet as he moved to stand on the other side of the room.

‘Will you let me just talk? You know how much I hate being interrupted’

‘Let me guess, Jack always did the same?’ He scoffed and you were confused as to why he’d bought him up even if he was right.

‘Well yeah he did, and I don’t need you doing the same’

‘Why do you always fucking do that?’ He exploded and you were taken aback by the way he was being. He’d never once spoken to you like this before and whilst you knew you had nothing to be afraid of in anyway it still shocked you.

‘Do what?’

‘Comepare me to him all the fucking time?’

‘I don’t-‘ you defended but it was no use. Mason was furious and ready to give you it with both barrels.

‘You do!’ He insisted even louder. ‘Apart from what we’ve got between our legs I’m nothing like him and you know it’

‘Mase-‘

‘When he left, who picked up the pieces and expected nothing in return, huh? It was me, yeah? It was me and I’ve looked after you and Gee like she was my own ever since just for you to tell me I’m the same as the scumbag that never deserved you? Who left at the first sign of a struggle. It was me that stepped up, me that took care of everything, of you, and you take every chance you get to tear me down’

‘Mase please’ you sobbed. Wanting him to calm down a bit so you could talk rationally but every word that came out of your mouth seemed to just wind him up more.

‘And now you wanna tell me you wanna be with me? You’ve known how I’ve felt about you this whole fucking time and you’d stayed silent. Why now huh? Why have you strung me along for so long? so I can babysit?’

‘That’s not it-‘

‘What is it then? I’m good with Gee and you think that’s all it takes for us to work? You didn’t say one thing about me, it was all about what I can give to you’ he carried on. Getting more wound up with each word that came out of his mouth and you had no idea how to stop him now.

‘Mason please, I got confused’ you whimpered and even though he’d stopped shouting you could see he wasn’t done yet. Expelling all the air from his lungs in a shaky breath before sliding his hands over his face and you wondered what he was about to hit you with next but to your surprise his voice was much quieter yet more emotional.

‘I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember y/n’ he croaked and you felt your heart shatter as his bottom lip wobbled. ‘Everytime i see you I can feel it and it’s torn me apart that you’ve never felt the same’

‘Thats what im trying to tell you though, i have, I do feel the same Mason, I just couldn’t tell you’

‘Why not ?’ He demanded, but you didn’t have an answer for him. Not a reasonable sounding enough one anyway but Mason was coming to his own conclusions as he looked at you. ‘Is this because I went on a date the other night?’

‘No-‘

‘It is, isn't it? You thought you had me wrapped around your finger but now you know i'm not you’re saying you like me so I don’t leave you’

‘Will you just stop-‘

You were cut off by your phone ringing in the side, looking down to see it was Ell and you knew you had to answer so you quickly cleared your throat before picking up in hopes you’d sound as normal as possible.

‘Hey Ell, everything okay?’

‘Yeah fine, I think little miss is getting tired though, I think it’s best you come get her’

‘Of course. I won’t be long, okay?’ You told her but before you’d even hung up Mason was already making his way to the door.

‘I’ll go, I need some air’ he told you, leaving before you could say anything else and once you were finally alone you let yourself fall to the sofa and let your emotions out properly.

Even in your worst case scenario in your head you never envisioned this happening. You figured he’d be somewhat confused and a but unsure at first but the pure rage coming from him was so out of character and you weren’t sure what the future held for the two of you now.

You knew Mason could tell you’d been crying when he got back. Placing Gee on the floor so she could run to you and you scooped her up and held her close whilst Mason shuffled uncomfortably at the door.

‘Listen, I’m gonna head off yeah. Let you put Gee to bed’ he nodded quietly and you felt your heart sink.

‘Oh’ you breathed, wondering why he didn’t want to stay and talk things through, especially after how upset you clearly were but you just nodded and placed Gee back on the floor. ‘Go say goodbye to Uncle Masey and we’ll get ready for a bath, yeah?’

Your heart broke as he placed little kisses all over her face, her giggles filling the hall as he told her he’d see her soon before nudging her back to you.

‘I’ll um, I’ll see you soon then’

‘Okay’ you whispered, unable to look at him so you picked Gee up and made your way up the stairs without another look at him. Your tummy dropping when you heard the door shut a few moments after and you knew he’d gone.

Gee was quiet as you got her bathed and ready for an early night. Not sure if it was because she was tired from the days events or she could tell you were upset but you were thankful that she wanted to go to sleep now even if she was being a little clingy. You stayed with her though until she was fully out but all you were thinking about was Mason and how you’d both move on from here.

That would have to wait for now though. All you could think about was the chocolate cake in your fridge that you’d saved for a moment alone so when you were certain Gee was definitely fast asleep, you gently kissed her head and made your way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

‘Fuck!’ You squealed. Hands clutching at your chest as your heart threatened to burst free. The sight in the corner of your eye making you do a double take before you were jumping out of your skin. ‘What the fuck, Mason’

‘Sorry’ he whispered. Standing by the fridge with his arms crossed over his body and you noticed he hadn’t looked directly at you once.

‘How did you get back in? I never heard you’ you asked, gulping to try and readjust your breathing as inconspicuously as you could but it didn’t really matter as his eyes were still trained on the floor.

‘I never left in the first place’ he told you and you realised that when you heard the door shut earlier he never actually left but had simply shut the door and waited downstairs for you.

He’d stayed for a reason, but you weren't quite sure if he knew what that was. Clearly he wanted to talk but right now he had his arms still crossed over his body and his head down as he looked at his shoes but you could tell he was chewing on his bottom lip which meant he was trying to keep his emotions in.

All you wanted to do was comfort him. Not sure if he wanted you close to him but you pushed that to the side and slowly made your way over to stand right in front of him.

He didn’t move a muscle, just kept his eyes down as you waited for him to look at you, but you knew he wouldn’t without a little encouragement so in the end you held him at his jaw and tilted his head up so he’d finally look at you. The tears welling in his eyes made your heart ache and all you wanted was to reassure him and let him know you were serious.

‘I’m so sorry, Mase’ you whispered, your tummy dropping as he shut his eyes and his tears spilled over. Wiping them away as quickly as you could before uncrossing his arms and placing them around your waist in hopes he’d hug you and once your arms were around his neck he pulled you in as close as he could.

‘I’m sorry for shouting at you’ he whispered. His voice full of tears as he spoke into your neck, but you just shook your head to let him know it was okay.

‘It’s okay, i probably deserved it’

‘No you didn’t, I just… I’m so confused’ he told you, peeling himself away so he could look at you properly and you hated the way he looked so vulnerable.

‘Shall we talk then? Talk properly and figure it all out?’

‘Okay’ he nodded and you took his hand to lead him back into the living room so you could talk. The smell of your untouched coffees from earlier still hanging thick in the air as you tried to clear your mind of all the angry words he’d thrown your way not too long ago but you could tell he was in a completely different mind set now. The anger subsided and vulnerability in its place and you just prayed you could finally get your thoughts together and tell him how you felt properly.

‘I’m a bit nervous’ he chuckled. Making sure you were comfy on the sofa as he tucked you into his side and you smiled up at him as you were feeling the exact same.

‘Me too. I don’t really know where to start’ you laughed and even though he’d clearly calmed down and wanted to talk you still didn’t want to set him off again.

‘You said you heard me talking to Gee once? What did you hear?’ He asked quietly but he could see you were nervous to talk so he took your hand and squeezed it gently. ‘It’s okay, you can tell me. I’m not gonna have a strop again I promise’ he chuckled and you felt your shoulder relax.

‘It was when she called you dada for the first time and you told her you weren’t but you wished you were’ you whispered, watching him recall that moment in his head but thankfully he was still smiling softly. ‘That you loved us and that it hurt knowing I was your person but I didn’t see it’

‘I see’

‘That’s not when I realised my feelings had changed though’ you confirmed and you noticed his brows furrow in confusion.

‘When was it?’

‘When you stayed with us that week before you moved into your house and you told me I had to share you with Gee‘ you laughed. ‘It just slapped me in the face that I don’t want to share you with anyone. And then her second birthday party you were just perfect and it made me feel all this new things for you that I never had’

‘That was over a year ago, love. Why the change of heart? Why tell me now?’ He asked quietly and you could tell he was in a completely different headspace to earlier.

‘Cause you were right’ you wept, using your free hand to dry your eyes so you could carry on talking sensibly but you were finding it hard to hold it together. ‘I didn’t like the thought of you going on a date the other night and I almost called you the morning after thinking you were still with her in hopes I could ruin it but Ell stopped me. I know how it sounds, I know. But it’s not me messing you around or keeping you wrapped around my finger. I’ve just had enough of keeping things to myself when I know we could be happy together’

‘I just don’t get why you haven’t said something before. I thought we told each other everything’ he told you sadly and you knew you had to just be open with him.

‘I was scared’

‘Of what, love?’

‘That you’d react like you did’ you laughed and even though he was smiling back you could tell he was still feeling guilty about it all. ‘Plus when you were talking to Gee that one time you told her you’d try to move on and I didn’t want to make an idiot out of myself just in case you had’

‘All you had to do was tell me and I would have been yours from that very second’ he told you matter of factly but you didn’t like the way he was using the past tense.

‘Does that mean you won’t be now?’ You pouted. Eyes full of tears that you’d waited so long to come clean but he just smiled at you softly and pushed the hair out of your eyes so he could see you better.

‘Why do you think I'm here, love?’ He asked quietly but you just shrugged as you looked down to your lap. Tears spilling down your cheeks but he was quick to hook his finger under your chin and make you look at him again. ‘I think about you, and what we could have, every fucking day’ he whispered. ‘I’ve loved you since we were kids, that’s not something I can just throw away and move on from’

‘I know it’s taken me a while to realise it but I love you too, Mase. I really do’ You gulped. ‘I’ve never felt like this about anyone before and I’ve never felt how you make me feel before’

‘What do you mean?’ He asked. Trying to contain his smile at the fact you’d just told him you loved him but he needed more from you clearly.

‘When Jack left me… well I’d never felt so ugly in my whole life. I hated everything about myself you know, like no matter what I did I was never enough’ you told him. ‘But you’ve always made me feel beautiful’

‘That’s cause you were. You are beautiful, y/n. So so fucking beautiful’ he whispered as he pulled you further into his lap and you were so close now your noses were touching as you spoke.

‘I think there’s this part of me that’s felt like I’ve never deserved you. You’re you, you know? And I’m a mess. A single mum who’s just about getting by like what do I have to offer you?’

‘Don’t ever say that again’ he whispered. Cutting you off as he cupped your jaw and stroked your cheeky softly. ‘You deserve whoever you want and whoever makes you happy. And I know I will do everything I can every single day to make you happy’

‘I know you will, you already do. This last year has driven me insane’ you laughed. ‘I don’t know how you’ve done it for so many years’

‘Well they say If you love someone you set them free. And if it’s meant to be you’ll find your way back to each other. We always find our way back no matter what happens right? That's got to count for something’ he told you and before you knew it the ghost of your favourite cheeky smile was adorning his lips. ‘You try and put 240 miles between us and i will hunt you down’

‘Well when you say that…’ you laughed, trying to pull away from him as a joke but he was having none of it. Pulling you in even closer so he could kiss your cheek and the feel of his lips on your hot skin made you shiver.

‘I really am sorry for earlier, I didn’t mean to go off like I did. I think I was just in panic mode and it’s been hard on me too. Like coming here and getting to play house with you sometimes but knowing I’d never get that happy ending was a lot but I still did it cause I’d take what I can get with you’ he confessed quietly. ‘That still doesn’t make it right though’

‘It’s okay, a lot of what you said earlier made sense but I need you to know I didn’t fall for you just because you’re good with Gee I promise’ you told him. ‘Even though you’ve stepped up and basically been her father figure without me asking you too. You know I’ll always be thankful for that’

‘Well I love the pair of you more than anything. And I get why me having a good relationship with Gee is so important to you’

‘It’s hard, being a mum and wanting to do right by your kids whilst also trying to have a bit of happiness for yourself’ you sniffed, not having spoken to him about this topic before but since you both seemed to be getting stuff off your chests you figured you’d go for it. Letting him wrap you up close to his chest so you could take in a breath of his relaxing scent before you continued. ‘Gee’s always been a big factor as to why I’ve held back with relationships cause as much as I want someone for myself, she’s my whole life, you know? She’s part of me and I’d never forgive myself for bringing someone into our bubble that could hurt us. So yeah, your relationship with Gee is huge for me cause I don't have to worry about that. You said it yourself earlier she’s basically yours and I don’t think I’ll every trust another man with her like I trust you with her’

‘And I promise you, you’ll never have to even think about trusting someone else okay? You guys are my family. Always have been always will be’ he told you softly and you had to pull back again to look at him as you missed his face already.

‘I’m sorry too though, for keeping it from you, and for comparing you to Jack a lot. I didn’t realise I was even doing it but now I do and I need you to know you’re nothing like him’ you told him tearily and you could see it all over his face how much that meant to him.

‘Thank you’ he whispered, tears still flowing down your cheeks that he gently wiped away and you could see from the frown on his face he didn’t like that you were so upset still. ‘Hey come on, please stop crying baby’ he whispered, the pet name making you smile wider than you had all evening as your tummy swarmed with butterflies. ‘I can’t kiss you again if you keep crying, and I really wanna kiss you right now’

‘You can still kiss me’ you chuckled. Letting him help wipe your cheeks so you didn’t look so upset and when he cupped your jaw you felt your heart flutter at what was about to happen.

If he was as nervous as you then he didn’t show it too much as he tipped your face up towards his. A small smile on his lips as his eyes flashed downward but you could see his pupils had dilated whilst his breathing had deepened but you couldn’t look for too much longer. Shutting your eyes just before his lips touched yours and you felt every nerve ending in your body sing. Your mind foggy as he carefully brushed his lips against yours but you felt whole for the first time in a long time.

‘I’ve waited ten years for that kiss’ he whispered. Lips ghosting yours as he peppered kisses to the corner of your mouth and back and you couldn’t stop giggling before he captured your lips once more.

‘Sorry it took so long’

‘Don’t be. I’d wait another ten, you know that right?’

‘I can’t believe I’ve been so blind this whole time’ you sniffed. Resting your hands on his chest as another wave of guilt hit you. ‘I’ve been so in my head about Jack and then trying to look after Gee and then the move. It’s like all I’ve been doing is trying to keep my head above the water but now I feel like I can take a breath and my visions cleared and you’ve been standing right under my nose this whole time’ you breathed, feeling him pull you closer into his body. ‘I’ve never told you enough how much I love you, like even just as friends. I know I was never great to you over the years and I’m just so sorry for how I’ve acted and how I’ve made you feel all this time. Kinda makes me wonder why you even still like me’ you giggled but just smiled as he rubbed his nose against yours.

‘Cause I don’t just like you, I’m in love with you. Good days, bad days and everything in between. Yes it’s been rough but even if I knew it would hurt as much as it has sometimes I would have still loved you like I do now’ he whispered. Tears springing to your eyes again but you were determined to keep them inside. ‘But I understand, my minds kinda blown and I don’t really get any of this either like when I woke up this morning this wasn’t on my bingo card’

‘Well I’ve been thinking about you for a while and Ell told me I had to be honest with you’

‘Yeah? What have you been thinking?’ He asked, clearly wanting to tease you even more and the prospect of saying divulging even more made you blush furiously as you tried to stutter out a response but he was quick to kiss your cheek and squeeze your sides. ‘You can just say you fancy me, it’s okay’

‘You’re unbelievable’ you laughed. Not being sure if you wanted to pull away or nuzzle in closer but you went for the latter in the end. Wrapping your arms around his neck to you could hold each other and you could feel yourself melting in his arms.

‘And you’re tired’ he whispered into your neck, making you laugh at the way he could read you so well. This whole evening had been exhausting but there was still so much you wanted to ask him. ‘Do you wanna head to bed?’

‘Only if you’re coming with me’

‘Of course’ he whispered, squeezing you tightly for a moment before pulling away and helping you to stand. ‘We can talk some more up there I just wanna be comfy’

You both got ready for bed fairly quickly and Mason was under the covers before you meaning he could warm it all up just as you liked. You’d shared a bed with Mason a few times over the years but this felt different, every other time he’d been basically fully clothed but this time he was just in his boxers and your mouth was watering at the view of his chest. He could tell you were a little bit nervous so he pulled the covers back and tucked you into his side just like normal. Your cheeks flaming as he held your jaw and kissed you again gently but your mind was still reeling with questions.

‘Can I ask you something, cause I feel like you never told me’ you asked as you pulled away from each other.

‘Yeah? Course you can’ he laughed tickling your side gently as you got settled on his chest, his skin warm against your own and after you’d nuzzled yourself into him a bit you were looking up at him with a smile.

‘Why did you pick United?’ You asked and you saw his cheeks redden a touch like he knew why you were asking.

‘Why wouldn’t I?’

‘I’m just curious. There’s so many other clubs that were in for you’ you shrugged before settling your head back down but you noticed his heart rate had picked up slightly.

‘Why do you think I chose here?’

‘I don’t know’ you shrugged. Hoping if you played dumb and not accuse him he’d come out and tell you.

‘I mean I picked here cause I thought it would be the best fit for me but I can’t lie and say the thought of being closer to you wasn’t at the forefront of my mind’ he confessed quietly. Confirming what you sort of had always suspected and rather than scare him off you kept your head down and traced patterns on his chest gently to see if he’d elaborate.

‘Yeah?’

‘When you first told me you were moving, I was so crushed. I thought that was it, you know? Any shot of us ever being more than friends was gone but not even just that. You were so far away it’s like I wouldn’t know if you’re safe or not and it tore me apart that I couldn't protect you anymore. Especially you being up here when Gee was so little. So yeah, you being here made have made it on the list of pros for signing here’

‘It’s your life, mase. I would have never expected to be on your list for something that big’

‘You forget, you are my life. You and pickle are everything to me like even after you told me you didn’t want this I’ve still never been able to let you go. And maybe that sounds a bit pathetic but I just always knew deep down we’d get there one day’

‘Well here we are’ you laughed.

‘Here we are’ he smiled. Kissing your forehead gently before looking down at you with a coy smile. ‘Anything else I need to confess to? Come on, out with it’ he laughed, knowing you and more to say and you figured since he was on a roll you may as well ask no matter how insane you seemed.

‘When you said you date… like how often are we talking?’ You laughed. ‘Cause I had no idea no idea, you’ve never mentioned anything before so it was a bit of a shock’

‘I mean it wasn’t often, every now and then. I’m not all that good at dating I’d don’t think, seemed to just compare everyone to you’ he laughed, rolling his eyes a little bit. ‘But after you moved up here I was with someone for a few months’ he confessed and even thought it was over quite clearly you still felt a weird sinking feeling in your tummy.

‘Oh? Was it serious?’ You asked carefully but he just shrugged.

‘Could have been. But then I had to move and she wasn’t up for long distance so we decided to leave it. I think she kinda knew my feelings towards you too so that probably didn’t help but since moving up I’ve only been on like two dates including last weeks’

‘Does that make me your third time lucky’ you smiled. Your fingers gently tracing his ribs as he smiled back down at you and you couldn’t help but reach up to peck his lips gently.

‘No way, you’ve always been my number one’

‘Is that why you didn’t tell me?’

‘Sort of, I guess I was just holding out hope that you’d come round one day and I didn’t want you thinking I’d moved on from you even if you didn’t care that I had at the time. I didn’t even really want to tell you about last weeks but you’d figured it out and I couldn’t lie. I hope that doesn’t make you feel any differently about me’

‘Not at all. You’re a human Mase, and I wouldn’t expect you to wait for me if I was giving you nothing back. You don’t have to worry about that anymore though cause I wanna give you everything’

‘Oh yeah’ he grinned. His eyebrows wiggling suggestively but you just rolled your eyes as you tapped his chest.

‘Yeah. Like I fell for you because of how I feel when I’m with you and I wanna reciprocate that, you know? I want you to feel all the love you make me feel every single day’

‘I feel it, always have done’ he whispered but all you knew was that you wanted to give home more.

‘Well then buckle up cause you’re about to be overwhelmed’ you laughed. Cupping his jaw and kissing him again but this time he didn’t let you go. Chasing your lips when you went to pull away but it was his hand that was on your lower back that was begging to explore your skin that made your heart race even faster. Gasping into his mouth as he gave your bum a cheeky squeeze and you both pulled away breathless before anyone took things any further.

‘I can’t believe I get to kiss you now. 15 year old me is losing his mind’ he chuckled, pecking your cheek as you both got your breath back. ‘If you wanna be my third time lucky you’re gonna have to let me take you out on a date then’

‘Really?’

‘Yeah, of course. How about this, Lew is coming up next week so he can make a start on some Christmas stuff, why don’t I ask if he can have Gee for an evening and I’ll take you out. I’ve been planing this in my head for years so all you need to do is turn up’

‘Yeah?’ You laughed, loving the excited expression on his face but you were just as excited to get to experience whatever he was dreaming up for the pair of you.

‘As long as you don’t spit pasta in my eye’ he winked and you knew that was a promise you could most definitely keep.

🤍Four Years Later🤍

‘Gee! You ready to go baby?’ You called, standing by the door with her bag and everyone else’s belongings.

‘Coming!’ She shouted. Her footsteps bounding down the stairs suddenly and as you looked to your left, she was running up besides you with a big smile on her face.

‘I’m gonna put all your stuff in the car, okay pickle?.’

‘Where’s daddy?’ She questioned, not wanting to leave without him clearly but you just smiled and stroked the top of her head.

‘He’s coming baby, don’t worry’ you reassured her and she gave you a quick nod to let you know she understood.

‘Right that’s all locked up out back, just need to do the front. We ready?’ Mason smiled, rounding the corner from the kitchen before his eyes were on you. A cheeky and excited look on his face as he wrapped his arms around your waist and even though you two were excited, you were full of nerves at what you were about to do. ‘You okay love?’

‘I’m nervous’ you giggled. ‘I can’t believe we’re finally going’

‘I always promised we would, didn’t I?’

‘You did’ you whispered smiling up at him before he dropped a soft kiss to your lips.

‘Which one are you taking?’ Mason asked. Looking over to Gee who had a protective hand on the handle of the car seat which made your heart thump in your chest.

‘You take Gee and lock up, I’ll get Leo in the car’ you smiled and with another quick kiss to your lips Mason had picked gee up and was stuffing her into a hoodie so she wasn’t cold.

‘Come on little man, let’s get you all strapped in, yeah?’ You cooed. Watching Leo giggle as you tickled his tummy.

Leo was around 10 months old now and he was the apple of Masons eye. You still remember the look on Masons face when you told him you were expecting and even though it was a bit of a shock, it was something the pair of you had spoken about often and you knew he was waiting to hopefully give Gee a sibling.

When you’d first booked this trip, the pair of you had no idea about Leo even existing. His arrival making you question if you should postpone the trip you’d always dreamed of but Gee was already excited and with Leo being such a calm little guy you figured you should just go for it and finally live your dream.

‘Hey mate, you all ready to go?’ Mason asked him sweetly. Coming up behind you as you’d finally got him sat in the car all strapped in and that was all it took for Leo to send him a bright gummy smile. He was such a happy baby but he always reserved his biggest smiles for his daddy.

‘Daddy! Come on!’ Gee suddenly called from the seat in the back next to Leo. Clearly getting frustrated you hadn’t left yet but Mason just playfully rolled his eyes as he smiled down at you.

‘She gets that from you, you know’ he winked. Dropping a heavy kiss on your lips before bending down to talk to Gee. ‘Oi you, I’ll throw you with the lions when we get there if you’re not careful’ he teased but Gee was giggling soon after as he began to hype her up about the trip and get her excited, behaving like he was your third child.

‘Come on, we best head off’ you laughed. Pulling his arm so he’d look at you and the smile on his face made your heart flutter. ‘You sure you got everything?’

‘Got all my people, that’s all I need’ he beamed. Cupping your jaw and kissing you deeply to the point you knees went weak.

‘I can’t believe we're actually doing this, it’s like my biggest dreams coming true. I know I’ve said it a million times but thank you. I love you so much, dimples’ you smiled and it was worth it to watch the blush creep over his cheeks like always when you called him that.

‘I love you, too’ he whispered. Squeezing your sides softly as he kissed you again. ‘But what have I told you about calling me dimples?’

‘Doesn’t matter what you say, your face says it all’ you whispered. Knowing how much he complained about the nickname you’d given him shortly after you’d finally gotten together, but you just didn’t believe him. Watching the way he’d turn into a blushy mess each time told you he secretly loved it and you loved making Mason feel good. ‘Come on then, before Gee loses the plot’

‘Your chariot awaits Mrs Mount’

‘Easy, I’m not Mrs Mount yet’ you laughed, tapping his chest and even though it was something you’d spoken about, Mason was yet to pop the question.

‘It’s only a matter of time’ he whispered. Kissing your head before he let you go and get in the car but it was only when you were out of sight that he checked his pocket for a very important piece of cargo. The small black box felt huge between his fingers but he couldn’t think of a more perfect time for him to ask the girl of his dreams to be his wife than on the trip of her dreams with their two babies in tow. Finally getting to be the family the both of you had always dreamed of.

y/n

liked by masonmount, ell_197, lukeshaw23 and others

y/n wild and free… but not for long 😌 it’s always been a dream of mine to come here but i never imagined just how special it could be. The easiest yes I’ve ever had to say 🤍

masonmount the easiest question I’ve ever had to ask 😏 I love our little family so much ❤️

y/n I love you more, dimples 🥰

masonmount 🙄

ell_197 it’s about damn time guys!!! So so excited for you, congratulations 🥳 🩷 I knew this trip would be special for you girly but who knew just how much 🥺

masonmount yeah I’ve left it a little late huh 😂

y/n he’s lucky he’s cute 🤭 can’t wait to start planning with you Ell! 🩷

lukeshaw23 he finally did it huh 😂 he’s been talking to me about it for months. Thank you for saying yes so he doesn’t have to come and live with me!

y/n why do I feel like you’re saying this because you actually want thank you happen 😂

Mummy_y/n oh I’m over the moon. I remember watching you two growing up and knowing you’d be in each other lives for a very long time. So glad you’ve found your soulmate baby girl 🩷

y/n Mumma 🥺 he’s been here this whole time I’m just glad I finally saw 😭

Tag list - @saltyheartnightmare @harvestmount @prideofpd @sid-vii @carlottawllms @footiehoemcfc @katharinanadiaa @whenelifallsinlove @neverinadream @cityzenchick @msnmnt @stikkibun @masonmtxo @chillymountsjess @yoursselo @maseymm @feelinglikeineedlotsofnaps @leclerc13

[empyreanwritings]

Not Your Average Birthday

Pairing: Gojo Satoru x fem!Reader

Warnings: 18+ only - minors DNI, light smut, mentions of throat fucking/gagging, implied cheating (reader & her bf cheat on each other and they're fine with it), Gojo is a Cocky Asshole, pet names (princess, baby, etc), dirty talk

Word Count: 846

A/N: Shoutout to me for coming back to the writing world just to write something totally self-indulgent and horny. Love yall ❤️

"Happy Birthday, Princess!" Gojo sets a velvet box in your hands, and you can't help but smile.

Until you open it and see a small silver chain with a diamond studded 'S' dangling from it.

"Gojo-"

"Satoru," he corrects you.

You huff. "Satoru, you know I can't wear this. My boyfriend would flip."

Gojo sucks his teeth and gently pulls the necklace from the box. You don't fight him as he pushes your hair over one shoulder to hook the necklace around your neck. Both of you know, despite your protests, you would have worn it anyways.

"Your boyfriend knows I've been fucking you for the last year and doesn't say shit," he mumbles against the crook of your neck. "He cheats on you too, and he can't fucking take me in a fight, so wear it."

You twist the small charm between your fingers, smiling softly to yourself. "You claiming me right in front of him?"

"Baby, I'd fuck you right in front of him," he says and grabs your chin, forcing you to look away from the necklace and into his eyes. "I'd fuck you brainless, make you cry my name over and over again in front of him. Make it known that only I can make you feel that good."

"I'm surprised you even let him have me too," you whisper.

Gojo chuckles darkly. "Oh, princess, he doesn't have you. You go on dates, sure. He fucks you, occasionally. But you aren't his."

You don't know when he started backing you towards the bed, but your knees hit the edge and send you toppling backwards before you can comphrehend it. Gojo crawls on top of you, placing his hands on either of your head and knocking your knees apart so he can slide his against your core.

"You're mine," he reminds you with a cocky smile. "The second I tell you to dump that lame ass boyfriend, you will."

"Oh? You're so sure?"

His stupid smile doesn't falter as he tugs on the necklace. "I'm sure. In fact, I've decided you owe me a present. Dump him right now."

"But it's my birthday! You can't make demands on my birthday."

His knee shifts against you, and you choke back a moan. He doesn't like being told no, but he knows you aren't serious. If you were, why are you reaching for your phone?

"Princess, call him right now and dump him, and I promise I'll make this a birthday you'll never forget."

His fingers dip below your neckline, tracing along the lacy edge of your bra. He's not even touching them, but your nipples are already hard. You love how possessive you've made him just by implying he might share you with your boyfriend. It shouldn't make you wet, but it does.

You press the phone against your ear, and his smile grows. That little feral look in his eye makes your heart race, and it takes you a few seconds to greet your boyfriend when he answers.

"Is everything okay?" He asks when you don't say hello right away.

"Y-yeah," you manage to squeak out just as Gojo cups your breast. "I need to tell you something."

Gojo rolls his eyes. Why the hell were you drawing this out?

He snatches the phone from your hand and places it between his ear and his shoulder. He refuses to let go of your tit, and he needs to use his other hand to stuff two fingers into your mouth to keep you from protesting.

It works, too. The second his fingers hit your tongue, your lips wrap around them and greedily start sucking.

"So, I hate to break it to you, man, but she's gonna have to break up with you," Gojo taunts through the phone. "I don't like to share, and you're not even making her cum so what use are you?"

"What the fuck-"

"I know, I know, it must be hard finding out this way," Gojo stops and hisses when you bite down on his knuckle. "But I'll make you a promise, yeah?"

"The hell kind of promise are you going to make?"

"That I'll fuck her so dumb, she won't even remember who you are or that she was ever in a relationship with you." You moan against his fingers, and he smiles. "You have a good day now, bye bye."

He tosses your phone onto the nightstand amd forces his fingers down your throat until you gag. Tears blot at the corner of your eye, but he doesn't pull back. Only tells you to relax your throat for him.

"See, princess? You don't belong to anybody but me. Don't ever fucking think otherwise."

You nod the best you can. You're his. All his, you want to say.

He pumps his fingers in and out of your mouth sloppily, letting drool dribble down your chin and all over his hand.

"Now let me fuck this pretty throat of yours to show you what a good birthday girl you are, yeah?"

[miekasa]

NICE.

+ pairings: eren yeager + (fem) reader

+ genres: rich kid au, college au, friends to lovers au, fluff, light-ish angst, smut/nsfw content (everybody gets a piece)!

+ warnings: mentions of depression/anxiety, mentions and use of drugs and alcohol, some of the smut happens under the influence so be cautious if that’s something you don’t like, i swear this is all more idiots in love than angst tho i just wanna disclose everything fairly

+ notes: this is alternatively titled super rich kids and you can probably figure out why. some of this is based off of real life, some of it is straight out of gossip girl and i challenge you to separate the facts from the fiction :’) anyways, i hope we all remember the lyrics to in my feelings

+ more notes: one quick reference for ages in this fic—all the vets are older but not by that much, think various stages of grad school. armin, connie, sasha, annie, and bertholdt are all college sophomores. eren, the reader, and pretty much everybody else are college seniors, so they’re about a year or two older. also here is a playlist for your reading pleasures, shoutout to ryn for letting me mooch of their spotify account :’)

+ word count: 19k. i’m sorry.

+ summary: fuck you, fuck you, you’re cool, fuck you.; or the story of notorious rich kid and self-proclaimed bad boy eren yeager, and his not so goody two-shoes best friend.

“So you’re saying that you don’t love me? That you’re not riding? That you’ll actually leave from beside me?”

“I’m saying that it’s ass o’clock in the morning and I’m not driving in the rain to Brooklyn to pick your sorry ass up.”

“But… but I want you, and I need you, and I’m down for you.”

You check the time on your phone screen and groan. 3:57am. Far too early to be dealing with the likes of Eren Jaeger. “Just get an Uber or something. I don’t know what you and your idiot friends were up to this time, but I don’t want any part of it.”

“First, they’re our idiot friends. Second, I don’t think they let you take Ubers from jail, and even if they did, it’s, like, four in the morning, so I don’t think there are any Ubers driving around, so could you pretty please come pick me up? I promise I’ll make it up to—”

“From where?” you cut him off, slowly sitting upright in your bed. You hold your phone closer to your ear, ready to listen again; because, certainly, you must have misheard him the first time. You wait, but the line is silent, save for Eren’s awkward chuckling. “Eren Asher Jaeger, tell me that that was another stupid lyric from that stupid song, and that you are not in prison right now.”

Eren makes a sad attempt at laughing. “Technically, it’s a holding cell, not really prison… and I would leave, but they suspended my license for a month, and Min can’t drive yet, so we kind of need you,” he explains, “Uh, no pun intended.”

“Min?” you pull your eyebrows together at the mention of the younger’s name, “Is Armin with you?”

“Uh, yeah.”

With a frown and a heavy sigh, you push yourself out of bed, wedging your phone between your shoulder and your ear as you grab the nearest pair of sweatpants.

“Why did you get him caught up in whatever stupid shit you were doing tonight?” you complain, scanning your dark bedroom for a shirt to wear, “Erwin’s going to castrate you when he finds out.”

You curse as you stub your toe against the edge of your bed on your way out of the room. Given the time, weather, and the fact that you have several exams to start studying for, hanging up and leaving Eren in the middle of god knows where Brooklyn doesn’t seem like such a bad idea, but you couldn’t go back to sleep knowing that Armin would have to suffer with him.

“Relax,” Eren breathes in a tone all too nonchalant for the situation at hand, “He didn’t get charged with anything, and nothing’s going on his record.”

“You don’t know that,” you retort, sliding your raincoat over your free arm, as you paddle down the stairs of your apartment, “The NYPD suck.”

“True,” he hums, “But I paid off the cop, so it’ll be fine.”

You pause in your steps, but really, you shouldn’t be surprised. “Of course you did,” you mumble, moving again and grabbing your car keys off of the kitchen island.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he questions. His tone is actually genuine and it tempts you to roll your eyes.

“What it always means, Eren,” you sigh, stepping into the elevator, “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

“Thank you, baby. I love you.”

“Eren?”

“Yeah?”

“Get off my line.”

He doesn’t have time to throw in another pitiful “I love you” before the line goes dead and he’s met with static silence. He hangs up the station telephone with a silent chuckle, turning around to face Armin and Officer Hannes.

“Someone’s coming to pick us up,” he says, trying to focus on Armin’s sigh of relief and not the warmth creeping up his neck and into his cheeks, “I’ll, uh, call a tow for the car in the morning.”

The cop, too tired to care, only shrugs, and pays them no further attention. He hands Eren a plastic bag with his car keys and newly suspended license, escorts him back into the cell, and returns to his desk. Eren gives Hannes the finger while his back is turned.

Beside him, Armin is still quivering; bouncing his leg up and down, fiddling with his fingers, gnawing on his bottom lip. Eren frowns, a heavy wave of guilt washing over him as he takes in the younger’s anxiety ridden state. It wasn’t fair that Armin could have potentially suffered legal consequences because of his stupidity.

Eren’s lucky that Hannes was sleazy enough to accept his bribe and let him off with minimal punishment. With that they were doing, things could have ended up far worse for the both of them tonight.

“I’m sorry, man,” he apologizes, hands stuffed in his front pockets, “About tonight, I mean. We—I shouldn’t have done that, not with you there.”

Armin looks up at him with sparkling, doe eyes and Eren wants to punch himself in the gut for making him go through all of this, even if it didn’t amount to an actual arrest. “You couldn’t have known this was going to happen.”

“I could have prevented it,” he says. Because it’s what you would have said, too.

“It’s not your fault, I wanted to come, remember?” Armin tells him, redirecting his gaze to the grey floor of the precinct cell. He takes a deep breath, almost calming down completely when a sudden thought reignites his nervous ticks, “You… they’re not gonna tell my parents, right?”

“No, no—of course not.”

Armin was legally an adult; he, nor Eren, nor the police had to tell his parents anything. Sure, Hannes could rat them out, but honestly that sounded like way more work than he was cut out for; not to mention he’d be bound to reveal that he let them off easy for a couple thousand bucks.

Armin nods, “And… that wasn’t Erwin on the phone, right?”

“Are you kidding me? He’d murder me on the spot,” Eren says. He pauses before tacking on, “I, uh… I called (_____).”

“Oh,” the younger gapes, “She’ll kill you, too.”

“Yeah,” Eren sighs, scratching the back of his neck in nervous anticipation, “Trust me, I know.”

“You have your access card on you, right, Armin?” you ask. He nods sheepishly, hand on the car door handle.

“Thanks again for coming to get us,” he says meekly, “I’m sorry about waking you up and everything.”

You offer him a warm smile through the rear view mirror, “Don’t worry about it, I’m just glad you’re safe. Text me when you get up tomorrow, okay? We can get brunch, my treat.”

His face lights up at the prospect of free food, and he nods once more, enthusiastically, but his expression falls again when he speaks, “Okay, and I’ll, um, pay you back for the tickets and stuff as soon as I can—”

“It’s fine, really, don’t worry about it,” you repeat.

“It was almost three thou—”

“You forget who you’re friends with,” you cut him off with a smile, “Don’t worry about it, okay? It wasn’t your fault.”

Armin’s eyes dart to Eren quickly, before clearing his throat, a light pink tint to his cheeks. You know that the prospect of money can be a sensitive subject for Armin, one easily triggered by his very environment, but this wasn’t negotiable on your end. You know that Armin doesn’t like the feeling of owing anyone anything, but he knows he won’t get you to budge; so, he quietly nods, appreciative of your generosity, before bidding you and Eren a final goodnight and sprinting towards the dorm. Once you see that he’s safely inside, you wave one last time, and wait for the door to shut behind him.

Slowly, Eren turns to the driver’s seat to look at you. You were eerily calm when you came to pick him and Armin up from the station. You didn’t yell, cuss, or punch him in the face like he expected. You politely talked to the officer, thanked him for his service, paid their fees, and up until now, you’ve shown no signs of being angry with him at all.

The two of you drive back to your shared apartment in complete silence, Eren too confused, and borderline scared, of initiating a conversation. He wonders if you’re too tired, or if you really don’t give a damn anymore, but when you pull into the underground lot of your building and put the car in park, he finds out the silence was simply the calm before the storm.

You take your hand off of the gear shift and turn towards him. It’s a quiet stare down for nearly a full minute before you break the mime act with a slap to his thigh.

“Drag racing? Are you out of your fucking mind? Of all the stupid shit you’ve done—and you’ve done a lot of stupid shit—this has got to take the cake. Just what the actual fuck were you thinking?”

“Ouch!” he inhales sharply, rubbing over where you’d hit him, “We were just having fun! Then these other guys showed up and started talking shit so—”

“Having fun?” you echo, “You couldn’t think of anything fun to do that’s not illegal in every borough of New York City?”

Eren feels his cheek flush, but he only huffs with the illusion of disinterest, “I don’t know why you’re freaking out so bad. I’m a good driver, it was those other squids that got us into shit, I’m telling you. They showed up looking for a fight, then ran like a bunch of pussies when the cops came.”

You exhale slowly, shaking your head in disbelief. You seem to have no other words to say to him, choosing to step out of the car and slam the door behind you. Eren quickly follows, slamming his door equally as hard, and hot on your trail as you march towards the elevator.

“(_____), come on, enough with the silent treatment,” he whines when you stick yourself in a corner of the elevator after pushing the button to the penthouse, “I told you I didn’t start shit, Armin and I got ratted on.”

“I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about whether or not they started it, Eren. You’re still the problem here.”

“Me? How am I the problem?” he pulls back, eyebrows drawn together in genuine confusion, “I just told you I didn’t do shit.”

You scoff, crossing your arms and shifting your left leg, “I’m not doing this with you right now.”

“Doing what with me?” he presses, tone growing icy.

“This, Eren!” you reiterate, “I’m too tired to hear your bullshit right now.”

The elevator dings and opens into your apartment. You push past him, continuing your deliberate strides through the living area, and to the stairs, but Eren catches you with a hand on your wrist before you can go any further.

“Will you fucking stop that,” he growls, “If you’ve got something to say, then stop running away from me, and just say it.”

“Funny,” you sneer, pulling your wrist away from him and settling both your feet on the bottom step, “You’re one to talk about running away from things.”

He takes a step back, standing just a notch below you, perfectly frozen in place. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means your little drag racing episode was not only dangerous and immature, it was you running away from your problems like a spoiled child, yet again.”

Eren’s features narrow at your accusations; eyes fading into hooded slits, lips curving downwards, and voice bobbing low, “I’m not running away from anything.”

“Oh, please, Eren,” you roll your eyes, arms retreating to their crossed position in front of your chest, “Cut the bullshit.”

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” But he bets that even in the dim lighting of the apartment, you can see the tips of his ears growing red, just like they always do when he’s lying.

“Oh, really?” you ask, eyes widening in mock surprise, “You don’t think I don’t know this whole thing has something to do with the fact that your mom came home on Friday?”

Another pause. “Who told you that?” He asks, but it comes out more like a statement.

“Nobody had to,” you snap, “Jean said he caught you with a sack of coke over the weekend, and I knew something was up.”

“It wasn’t mine, I was—”

“I said cut the shit, Eren. If I went up into your room right now I bet your ass I’d find more than enough of it in a shoebox somewhere.”

He retreats, almost bashful, but unapologetic all the same. “Fine, whatever, I did a few lines. Big deal.”

“The big deal is that you think this is fucking normal, and now you’ve upgraded from coke to getting yourself arrested! It’d be one thing if you were acting like a misfit on your own, but to drag Armin into it because you—”

“Drag him into it?” he echoes with the snare of sarcasm dripping from each syllable, “You talk about Armin like he’s six. I don’t know why you think he’s some helpless little baby, but you have no goddamn responsibility over him. He’s not your fucking charity case.”

“I never fucking said he’s my charity case—don’t you ever fucking say that,” you say, “Having some basic respect and concern for my friends isn’t charity.”

“Wake the fuck up! You baby Armin when he’s a grown ass man. I didn’t force him into the fucking car to get sympathy points from you.”

“Grown? Armin is barely nineteen, disowned by his parents, is on a full fucking ride to an insanely expensive university, and you got him arrested tonight! Do you know what could happen if NYU found out? They could fucking kick him out, take his scholarship away—and then what, huh? Or were you just gonna buy off the headmaster, too?”

“You’re acting like I fucking planned for it!”

He’s screaming now, voice bellowing throughout the apartment, face red—and he doesn’t mean to, he doesn’t mean it at all; but it’s late, and he’s tired, and those shouldn’t be excuses, but he’s too prideful to back down.

“Of course you didn’t! You didn’t plan for anything, you were just being a reckless, irresponsible asshole like always,” you tell him, too blind-sighted by anger and the need to chide him that you miss the teary undertones in his words.

“And what’s it matter to you?”

“It fucking matters to me when you call at some godforsaken hour asking me to pick you up from prison!”

He takes a step forward, right leg elevated by the same step that both your feet rest on. “Well, what else am I supposed to fucking do!” He shouts even though he’s mere inches from your face, “Tell me just what the fuck I’m supposed to do instead!”

“You’re supposed to act like an adult and fucking talk to someone!”

“Who the hell am I supposed to talk to, huh?” he presses, taking a step forward and forcing you to retreat backwards, and up a step, “My mother who’s never home or her bastard boyfriend?”—another step forward for him, another step backwards for you—“The step-brother I can’t get in contact with?”—one step forward; one step backwards—“Or maybe the dad I never had, right?”

“Me, Eren!” you yell back with equal vigor, throwing your hands up at your sides, and planting your feet firmly. “Armin, Mikasa, Jean—anyone! You have people who fucking care about you! Stop treating us like correction officers, we’re your fucking friends!”

There’s silence for a while, just you and Eren staring at each other, heavy breathing, waiting for the other to make the next move. He opens his mouth, but when he tries to speak, his resolve washes away, his throat tightens and the words get sucked back in.

It would be easy to keep yelling, screaming, blaming you for blowing up on him. He used to think the scolding he got from you after pulling some stupid stunt was the worst part; but now, he thinks it might be his favorite part. He hates to hear you scream, and it hurts to see you cry, but if you’re yelling, you’re angry that he hurt himself; you care that he’s okay.

“I—” he stutters, words quiet and broken, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to get like this tonight, it was an accident I—”

“You never mean for any of it to happen, yet it always does,” you interrupt, voice soft yet strained, “I know you have your own shit to deal with, but so does everybody else.”

“(_____), please, you’re right, okay? I should have said something before,” he admits, mouth small as he voices his confessions, “I should have talked to you or one of the boys, but I—I don’t know what else you want me to say.”

He’s groveling now. Mouth in pout, eyes wide, voice small, and honestly, he thinks he might cry. At this point he doesn’t care if he does.

“I want you to mean it,” you finally say, and when he looks up, he hates the look he sees in your eyes. It’s something between sad and hurt and empty and it’s awful. Someone like you shouldn’t feel that way. He shouldn’t make you feel that way.

“I—”

“When you’re ready to tell me exactly what’s going on with you—what’s happening that made you think going to jail would be better than facing your issues—I’ll be here to talk,” you continue, eyes watering, “But until then, goodnight, Eren.”

Eren winces when you turn around and ascend up the remaining stairs. He flirts with the idea of following you, going to your room to finish talking, but you’re probably angry enough to have it locked. His room is up there, too, but he opts for part of the sectional, laying down with the palms of his hands kneading against his closed eyelids.

For as long as he can remember, you’ve been there for him. Your friendship, at times, was like a game of tag—Eren always on the run with you loyally chasing after him; he’d always run amuck, and you’d always be there to catch him in the act. Now, it’s five in the morning, there’s no more yelling, no more chasing, no more racing, but he’s still running.

The following morning, you take Armin out to brunch, as promised. Jean tags along too, something about hanging out with the two of you being infinitely more entertaining than his genetics lecture. It doesn’t seem like Jean knows anything about Armin and Eren’s late night antics, so you don’t bring it up yourself.

Oblivious, Jean chats your ears off as if nothing is awry. Whether he knows it or not, he does a great job of distracting Armin from his own thoughts. They both eat to their heart’s content when you remind them you’ll foot the bill; and you don’t bat an eye when Jean convinces Armin to order his third round of pancakes. He deserves it.

Afterwards, Jean convinces the three of you to go window shopping with him in SoHo, claiming that he needed inspiration for his latest fashion assignment (you don’t question why he’s taking a fashion class as a biology major, but you suspect it has something to do with Mikasa). Window shopping soon turns into actual shopping, so almost completely unprompted, and with little effort on his part, Armin gets a few pieces of clothing on your behalf, while you try to ignore Eren’s words itching at the back of your mind.

Armin’s not a baby, but he certainly is a kid with a rough past and rough relationship with his parents at a time in his life where he arguably needs them the most. A little extra support from his friends wouldn’t harm him.

It’s nearing six when the three of you are wedged in a small booth inside a café, indulging in overpriced hot chocolate. Three sips into his second cup, Jean excuses himself to the bathroom, leaving you sitting across from Armin.

“You know, you don’t have to keep buying me stuff to make up for Eren,” Armin says, a small smile playing on his lips.

“I’m not trying to make up for him,” you sputter, careful not to spill your drink over your lap, “You had a rough night. Just accept my gifts, don’t be a brat.”

“I do accept them. Erwin’s been eyeing that Off White sweater for, like, three weeks now. He’s gonna have a hissy fit when he sees me wearing it.” You chuckle, and he continues, “But you know, as much I love spending time with you, you can’t use me to avoid Eren forever.”

“I’m not avoiding him,” you frown.

“You said you were going to take us to brunch, and then spent the whole day with us.”

“Funny, I recall you saying something about how much you love my company about thirty seconds ago.”

“He’s called you at least ten times today.”

“I was spending the day with my favorite NYU student… and Jean,” you bat your lashes, “I see you maybe once a week. I live with Eren, I have to see him every day.”

Armin calls your name with a pout, “He’s sorry, you know.”

“Not sorry enough,” you mumble. Armin opens his mouth to say something again, but then Jean’s sliding back into the booth, chatting about how he’s finally come up with the perfect anniversary date for Mikasa.

Armin doesn’t notice your sigh of relief, but he does take note of the way you wipe away your notifications when a text rings through. If Eren could spend his days running away from his problems, then you could, too.

Despite being arguably the greediest of you all, Jean loves company, so he doesn’t hesitate to say yes when you ask to crash at his place after your shopping escapades. You expect to be welcomed with sounds of screaming, laughter, and loud music, but to your surprise his apartment is completely silent upon your entering.

“Bertholdt has class and Marco has a meeting,” he prompts, as if he could read your thoughts. He shimmies his coat off his shoulders and tosses it over the bar in the foyer.

Their apartment has the same amount of rooms as yours and Eren’s, but is all stretched along a single floor. It’s more of a maze, really, with intricate turns, and hallways, that all more or less open up into the expanse of the foyer and bar. Their living room is your favorite part. A dark, brown leather sectional wraps around the back three walls and an oversized flatscreen encased in an ebony frame takes center stage. A collection of vinyl records litters the walls above the couch; each of the boys contributing their favorite discs as décor.

“If he has class, shouldn’t you have class?” you question, fingers dragging over the ridges of the closest record.

“I’ve had class all day, but that doesn’t mean I go,” Jean shrugs, walking up behind you and taking your jacket off your shoulders and your bag from your hand, “Besides, Bertholdt will probably cut half-way to go see Reiner, if he can even stay awake that long. Going with him is just as productive as staying home.”

“You’re all a mess,” you scoff, turning around as a cheesy grin grows on Jean’s lips. His smile is infectious, and soon you catch yourself grinning just because.

“You want something to drink?” he offers, throwing your coat over his elbow and tilting his head in the direction of the bar.

“You’re bad at mixing drinks,” you remind him, but follow him anyway.  

Jean laughs, not bothering to deny the jab. He doesn’t try his hand at anything mixed or complicated this time; simply offering you a glass of your favorite red, and pouring himself a smaller amount.

He puts the album you were gawking at earlier on the record player, the two of you sinking into the couch as lovely melodies radiate throughout the apartment.

He spends the first hour bitching about how Marco’s supposed to become a CEO in less than a year, yet has the attention span of a squirrel; but the playful lilt in the brunette’s voice, and the begrudging smile on his face lets you know that it’s all love. He gushes about Mikasa for a good half hour, cramming you with stories about his girlfriend’s talent for sewing and fashion. You also learn that Bertholdt’s been busier than usual these days, and Jean suspects it has something to do with a secret lover.

You pinch your eyebrows at his hunch. Bertholdt’s never been one for dating. He’s had many friends with benefits in the past, but they weren’t relationships, nor were they secrets. In fact, you don’t think that he could keep a secret to save his life.

“Why would he be hiding it if he were seeing someone?” you question, swirling your newly refilled glass.

“Dunno,” Jean shrugs, “But it’s sus, I’m telling you. He’s been oddly busy for someone with a 2.3 GPA. Either way, I’ll pry it out of him eventually.”

“You’re so fucking nosey,” you chuckle, watching the mischievous, satisfied grin settle onto his features.

“I kinda think it’s Armin,” Jean says after a while, downing the remaining wine in his cup, while you choke on your own drink.

“Why on Earth do you think if Bertholdt had a secret lover that it’d be Armin?”

“Because he was in love with him for, like, two years in high school,” Jean says, as if the information should be painfully obvious.

“Yeah, and Bert also hooked up with a million different people in high school.”

“That doesn’t mean he wasn’t still in love with Armin.”

“I don’t think Armin’s kissed another human, let alone is in a secret relationship with one.”

“Hm, true. I forget he’s still a virgin.”

“Hey—there’s nothing wrong with Armin being a virgin, leave him be.”

“I know there’s nothing wrong with it,” Jean whines, “But it’s so—he doesn’t have to be. Armin’s cute! And very attractive—dare I even say sexy. He could go outside and get laid right now if he just tried.”

“Stay humble, Jean boy. If I remember correctly, you only started breaking hearts a year ago,” you tut. Jean’s nose goes pink as he shoves you away when you continue, “But, if you’re so concerned with Armin’s virginity, why don’t you go help him out with it.”

“Actually, if I remember correctly, I think that’s more your gig,” he shoots back, a smug smile tugging on his lips. “Not to mention, I’m not trying to get beat up by Annie. Though, I wonder how much longer it’ll take before she finally snaps. Hey, maybe the both of you can tag team him, I’m sure Annie wouldn’t mind, and it might even make Armin less nervous to have you—”

It’s your turn to shove him now, throwing in an extra punch when his head bobs back with laughter. You’re very certain Annie would mind; you would mind if someone inserted themself in your kind of, sort of, not really relationship, and ruined your four years of pining.

“Speaking of lovers,” Jean prompts, once his laughter dies down, bending his knee and turning closer to you. “Why are you and lover boy fighting? Trouble in paradise?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you hum, sipping your drink in between words. Jean’s eyes pinch together. “Marco and I would never fight.”

“My god, will you let your Marco fantasies go already? You’ve already caused him one sexuality crisis,” Jean groans, “You know I mean Eren.”

You sigh, lowering your glass and reaching forward to pinch his cheek. “It’s nothing you have to worry your pretty little head over.”

“Please,” he scoffs, flicking your offending hand back, “He’s been texting us nonstop since this morning at, like, nine. I didn’t even know he was capable of waking up before noon.”

It’s your turn to roll your eyes, but Jean continues, “Why he would ask us for advice on you is beyond me. He knows you better than all of us combined.”

“And why you’re saying all of this is beyond me.”

“Oh, come on, what’d he do,” Jean pushes, borderline whines, as he puts his empty glass down in a cup holder embedded in the couch. He’s always been the most prone to gossip, but you forget that wine makes him even more of a nosey prick. “Must have been pretty bad. Or stupid.”

“Try both,” you mumble, “Well—I don’t know, it wasn’t… the worst thing anyone could do, but it was really fucking reckless—and why he did it, I couldn’t even tell you. I don’t know what goes through his mind half the time, but I swear he must have been on crack last night.”

“He probably was. On crack, I mean. I told you, I took an ounce from him over the weekend, but that was after Eren and Ymir did, like, five lines.”

“Do they really do that regularly?” you nearly cry, a hand massaging your temple, “Fucking Christ, if he really was high while driving, I’ll kill him myself.”

“Well, I don’t know if regular is the right word,” Jean ponders, “Maybe for Ymir, but god knows what she’s on half the time, anyways. Besides, coke isn’t the worst thing they could do.”

“You sound like you speak from personal experience.”

“Maybe,” he shrugs, pausing when you shoot him a disapproving look, “Oh, come on! You’re no angel, either—if memory serves, you were high as shit at Moblit’s birthday party, and kept singing the star spangled banner all night.”

“Yeah, on weed! One time! It was on a rooftop and the stars were out and it has the same rhythm as the happy birthday song, cut me some slack!”

He finds laughing at your expense to be much more fun, however, as he continues to chuckle while you throw a fit. He’s also not one to let a topic of gossip go undiscussed, and has no problem bringing the conversation back to Eren.

“It’s because you two don’t talk, you know,” Jean tuts, “That’s why you fight like this.”

For the second time, the younger’s words have your eyebrows growing close together. “I mean, I guess—but it’s more than that. Eren and I live together, we obviously talk, but—”

“I know, I know, but just hear me out, okay? You and Eren talk about a lot of things, yeah, but you also… don’t. And sometimes you don’t have to, because you guys, like… get each other.”

“Wow. What a way with words you have, Jean Kirstein. You should write a self-help book.”

“What I mean,” he sneers, unhappy with the sarcasm being thrown his way, “Is that you guys understand each other in weird ways. It’s actually kind of cute—sometimes a little freaky, in all honesty. It’s why you don’t always have to talk about serious things. But you take it for granted and let shit bottle up, and then get in denial about it until you blow up in each other’s faces.”

“Please, you barely passed one philosophy class and now you think you’re Plato.”

“You’re doing the in denial thing right now!” he taunts, “Come one, when you two fight like this, what’s it usually about?”

You sigh, sinking back into the plush leather of the couch, and wrapping your hands around a fluffy throw pillow. Thinking about arguing with Eren isn’t particularly something you like to do, and truthfully, you don’t really get pissed at each other that often. Not to the point of ignoring each other, at least.

“I don’t know,” you drawl, “Drugs, me forgetting things, him doing stupid shit, him thinking Mikasa could do better than you, school, drinking, the fact that he leaves his big ass shoes at the top of the stairs for me to trip over and fall to my death every morning, when—”

“His parents?” Jean cuts you off.

“I—we don’t really… it’s not so much fighting over his parents, it’s all the stuff he does to deal with his parents. He never gives his mom’s boyfriends a chance, and he never really talks about why, either. I know he’s secretly just angry and insecure about his dad, but… I don’t know. That doesn’t really make it better.”

“True,” he nods, “See—he doesn’t talk about it.”

“I know, and I told him that last night, too, but… it’s a sensitive subject for him—his dad, I mean,” you sigh, “And you’re right, he shouldn’t bottle his feelings up, but, on the other hand he’s watched his mom get married five times. I don’t always blame him for not wanting to talk about it.”

“Yeah, but just because it’s hard to talk about doesn’t mean he shouldn’t,” Jean lolls, “Wouldn’t you have rather he said something than have done whatever stupid shit he did to make you want to sleep here tonight?”

“Okay, Socrates, I get it,” you lighten up, “I’ll talk to him—or get him to talk to me. Are you happy?”

“Quite,” he says, annoyingly chipper as he rises from the couch. “I hate seeing my favorite power couple fighting.”

Jean knows his words would elicit a slap to his arm, so he takes off just before you can reach him, prompting you to chase him out of the living room and down the hall. The brunette cackles ridiculously loudly as you scream his name with profanities sprinkled in-between. You catch a hold of the bottom of his shirt and pull him back, finally flicking him on the forehead.

He accepts his punishment with pride, offering you a signature smile in return while you both catch your breaths. It’s a sweet moment, the two of you looking at each other with stupid smiles on your face, exhalations tickling your cheeks.

Jean’s eyes break the gaze first, as he looks down the remainder of your face, and back up to your eyes again. His words could get caught in his throat, but he doesn’t let them—he shakes his head, and swiftly turns around, beckoning for you to follow him.

“Come on, we can steal Marco’s clothes for your pajamas this time.”

Jean spends all of three minutes pulling apart Marco’s dresser before swiping a t-shirt and Christmas themed pajama bottoms from his room. He tosses them in your direction before leading you back down the hall and to the left, opening the door to the guest bedroom for you, before leaving you to change.

They have more than one guest bedroom, but this one is unofficially yours. Little pieces of you can be found littered throughout the room, from spare jewelry to mismatched makeup. You spot a single, gold, teardrop shaped earring on the vanity and sigh as you run your fingers over it.

You swear you’d lost it a few months ago. Trust Jean to put it away for safekeeping without telling you he’d found it. The boy in question returns moments later, knocking while walking through the door with your purse in hand.

“How’d you know I was about to ask you to get that?” you question, a smile on your face as you retrieve the small bag from his hands.

Jean offers you a cocky grin, “Cause I’m the best.”

“Don’t go getting a big head, now,” you tease, “Or, well, an even bigger head.”

Jean ignores your insult, as you take a seat at the edge of the bed, fishing through your bag for your phone to plug it in for the night. He’s about to turn around and bid you goodnight, when the flash of something orange peeping out of your purse prompts his next thought.

“Hey, you picked up your refill, right?” he asks innocently, “It should have been ready last Thursday.”

You sigh, head falling slightly when you close your bag and place it on the vanity. “Uh… no.”

Jean’s mouth is already open, ready with equally friendly and scolding words, but you cut him off before he can talk. “I was going to on Thursday, but I had class late, and then I forgot on Friday and I haven’t really had time since then. But I have a few left-overs from the last two months, so I’ve been taking those!”

Jean’s mouth closes, but his eyes narrow as he begins to walk towards you. You know he’s putting two and two together, so you speak ahead of him again.

“I know, I know, I shouldn’t have any left over, but it’s only five, I promise! I’ve been really good, lately.”

Jean’s eyes remain in concentrated slits, but his resolve is waning when he reads over your expression. His facade fades as he takes the final steps towards you to stand directly in front of your body.

“Okay,” he says, voice soft through his smile, “I’ll go with you to pick them up tomorrow before I drop you home, yeah?”

It elates him more than it should to see the smile you flash his way. Unfortunately, it’s short-lived, as his next question leaves your face twisted with guilt.

“Have you… told Eren yet?”

You consider lying and saying yes, but something tells you Jean won’t buy it. Your silence seems to speak loud enough, as his shoulders drop with a quiet sigh.

“I want to, I just… well I’m mad at him right now, and even when I’m not… I don’t know why it’s so hard,” you confess.

“He’d wanna know, you know,” Jean says, and it’s not the first time he’s said it to you, either. “You know he wouldn’t judge you or anything.”

“I know that. But, truthfully, if I had things my way, not even you would know, Jean.”

It was an accident that Jean found out that you’d been taking anxiety medication.

It was at somebody’s house party where the majority of your friends and their guests had gotten piss drunk. Reiner’s date had suggested mixing their alcohol with molly she’d supposedly had in her bag. In her drunken stupor, she’d mistaken your purse for her own, but luckily, a not so drunk Jean had noticed the label didn’t match her name, and snagged the bottle before the worst could happen.

They ended up not finding her molly, anyway, but it’s a moot point. Jean had cornered you about the bottle later in the week with honest intentions; he’d been concerned that might be another kind of drug disguised by a prescription veil. However, you’d assured him that it was indeed your prescribed Lexapro, and not a shady mixture of black market substances.

And, he’d been more than understanding in the aftermath. Quite frankly, he had somewhat made it his business to ensure that you got and took your medication on time and felt comfortable getting to and from your therapy appointments.

It’s endearing in a way that made you pause and count your blessings sometimes. Jean had been nothing but unequivocally supportive in his understanding about anxiety and had gone the extra mile to comfort you where need be. It made you wonder why you hesitated to tell Eren on several occasions.

It was probably the very nature of anxiety itself that had you doubting your trust in Eren. You wanted to tell him—of course you did—but, you couldn’t. You know that Eren would do everything in his power to make it better, even if that was just being. You know that he’d want to know and he’d kill to understand. But you couldn’t possibly burden him with your problems, not when he has a million of his own.

The one person in the world you wanted to tell, you were terrified of talking to. And you know it’s irrational to be afraid of him, but you can’t seem to control those thoughts. It’s a tiring, consuming, endless cycle.

Jean watches the way your gaze lowers to the floor. He knows exactly what you’re thinking, and, god, he swears if he could take that train of thought away from you, he’d do it in a heartbeat.

With a heavy heart and tired eyes, he takes a final step forward and wraps his arms around your body. He counts three, four seconds before you hug him back. He raises a hand to the back to your head, cradling your face into his shoulder and squeezing you tightly.

“Hey, I’m proud of you, you know that,” he speaks, just a notch above a whisper, “I know you’ll tell him when you’re ready.”

“I will,” you murmur into the fabric of his shirt. You hug him back a little tighter and close your eyes, “Thank you, Jean.”

And Jean holds on, and hopes you know that he wouldn’t let you go, “You’re welcome, (_____).”

You come home to find your entire apartment littered with flowers; in the hallway, on the sectional, atop the counter, up the stairs.

There are several boxes of your favorite macarons stacked in a small pyramid on the kitchen island, and you wouldn’t be surprised if you checked the labels to find that they were shipped straight from the south of France this morning. There’s too many bottles of Ace on the coffee table, sparkling next to a basket of what looks like your regular skincare products. A pretty, gold bow rests atop an even prettier pair of red-bottomed heels, and if you’re not mistaken, that’s a limited edition, vintage YSL clutch on the sectional, resting against your favorite throw pillow.

You sigh, making your way to the couch to pick up the orange envelope sticking out of the handbag. Just as you’re about to open it, you hear footsteps, and a voice that follows.

“You’re back,” Eren chirps from mid-way on the staircase, “I, uh, there’s catering coming from Butter coming soon. I know it’s your favorite,” he continues as he descends the stairs.

He has his hand on the back of his neck and there’s a faint, pink tint to his cheeks as he slowly makes his way towards you. You cross your arms, looking him up and down when he stands in front of you.

He’s wearing dark jeans and a tweed sweater with patches at the elbow. His hair is split down the middle, longer than usual, so the ends of sweep over his eyelashes; and there are telltale signs that he’d been toying with it.

“Eren, what is all of this?” you finally ask, shifting your weight to your right leg.

“Part one of my apology and explanation,” he replies, a hopeful timbre to his voice. You roll your eyes, but he continues anyway, “Actually, part two is in that envelope.”

Skeptical, you unfold your arms and open the envelope. You don’t know what you were expecting—a card, maybe tickets to a musical or something; but what you definitely weren’t expecting were two tickets to Paris.

“France?” you look up, tickets in hand, “You don’t get it do you? You can’t just buy all of this shit, jet us off to Europe and expect everything to be okay.”

“No, no it’s not like that—I swear!” he interjects, hands moving sporadically, “It’s just, well… Can we sit? Then I can explain everything.”

Eren looks at you with those big green eyes and that sad pout to his lips, and you find yourself sighing and taking a seat on the couch against your better judgement. There’s a small smile to his lips when you do—a little victory—and he sits next to you, your knees resting against each other as you face him.

He’s shaking, and your resolve to punish him with whatever solid exterior and half-assed silent treatment dissolves as you take his left hand in your right, and recall your conversation with Jean. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s me, Eren. You can talk to me.”

When he feels your smaller hand envelop his, the shaking stops, and for a moment, it feels like he can do this, like everything is okay. He smiles, and takes a deep breath.

“The other night, you were right, about my mom and her boyfriend coming home,” he starts, words slow and heavy, “I didn’t even know she was coming—I knew she was visiting this month, but she didn’t tell me when, and I thought it was going to be just her, you know? But then she showed up with him, and, well, I don’t know. I was upset. She’s been home for a week now, and we haven’t even gone to dinner or anything.”

He pauses, and you squeeze his hand for reassurance, “We were supposed to get lunch on Thursday, but she cancelled. Had some meeting or something, I don’t know, I don’t care. Friday comes and she says she wants to have dinner, right?”

You nod, he continues. “I thought it was just going to be us, but he was there. That’s when she told me that… that they’re…” he squeezes his eyes shut, “They’re engaged.”

Your mouth falls into a small o-shape. Everything made perfect sense now.

It’s not that Eren didn’t love his mother, quite the opposite actually. He’s a mama’s boy through and through; she’s his role model, his everything, he adores her. Her career as a designer often takes her on long business trips, most frequently as prolonged stays in Paris, so much so that she relocated her primary office there shortly after Eren graduated high school.

Now, she only visits home for one or two weeks at a time, sometimes only for the weekend. Upon her decision to permanently relocate, she planned to leave Eren under the unofficial supervision of Mikasa. Instead, Eren bought Mikasa her own three-bedroom apartment in Midtown (according to his logic, it was better for her to have her own place than to move in with Jean), and a shared two-story penthouse for the both of you that overlooks Central Park.

Eren misses her more than he cares to admit, but he puts on the same facade every time she comes home because he hates the company she brings.

Paris is where she met her newest boyfriend, Mitchell, and Eren swears he hates that man with every fiber of his being. It’s not saying much, though, not when Eren’s hated every single one of his mother’s past romantic partners, right down to his own father.

“Is… is that why you—”

“Rented a brand new Corvette and went drag racing at one in the morning?” he chuckles, “Yeah. It was stupid, I know, but I was just angry, I guess. I dunno what I was feeling, but it wasn’t good.”

You nod, wrapping both of your hands around his now and offering him a warm smile. He smiles back, just for a moment. “That’s what the tickets are for, actually. The wedding.”

“They’re getting married in France?” you question, to which he nods, “On the first? Isn’t that a little short notice to plan a wedding?”

“I think you’re underestimating the power of Carla Jaeger,” he chuckles, “Apparently, it’s been in the works for a few months now. He proposed with fireworks or some shit. Said she wanted to tell me in person, though.”

“This ticket is for next week,” you say, rereading the dates on the papers. “The wedding is three weeks from now.”

“Well, I kind of figured we could take a little vacation before then,” he grins, “I texted most of the boys earlier, and they can probably come to the wedding, but I want to spend some time with you before it gets hectic, you know? Consider it an end of the semester present.”

Your eyes flicker down to your hand, still wrapped around Eren’s, when he starts to trace circles into your skin, “I thought I just told you, you can’t jet us off to Europe to fix things.”

“You did,” he hums, “And I know I can’t—I’m not trying to, I just… Truthfully, I reserved the plane and the hotel a few weeks back and it really was just going to be a surprise for us—well, more like a gift for you because I know you’ve been busting your ass in chem—but then… everything else happened, and I think a break sounds perfect before I watch my mom get married for the sixth time.”

You watch him continue to toy with your hands for a while, processing your conversation. It was typical of Eren to surprise you like this, so you can’t figure out why this particular present leaves you feeling warmer than usual.

“You sure you don’t need a break from me?”

Eren beams and takes the opportunity to lace your fingers together. “Nah, you’re annoying, but not Jean level annoying.”

You scoff, “I’m telling him you said that.”

“It’ll sound better coming from you, anyway,” he shrugs, “Besides, I might just murder Mitchell if you’re not there with me.”

You chuckle, on the verge of accepting his proposal, but the mention of Jean prompts another thought to cross through your mind. “I’d love to, but I… I don’t know. I don’t want Armin to spend the first few weeks of winter break here all alone.”

This Christmas would mark one year since Armin had seen, or even talked to, any of his immediate family members, with the exception of Erwin.

Last year, you all tried to salvage the damage by sticking around so, at the very least, he didn’t have to feel alone. You and your friends decided that Armin ought to be celebrated, not ostracized for any aspect of himself, so you all chipped in for a cute, impromptu trip to the Catskills so that everyone could be together and close to home.

This year, however, there seemed to be quite a few conflicts of interest. Even if Armin was one of the boys who was planning on attending the wedding, you doubt he had plans leading up to it. You know that Marco, Bertholdt, Mikasa, and Jean had invited him to go to Aspen with them, but Armin declined the offer. Similarly, Connie, Sasha, Annie, Reiner, and Ymir would be off to Dubai as soon as classes ended; an invitation Armin had also turned down.

You weren’t sure what Erwin’s plans were, though you’re certain they involved his own friends in some way or another. At the very least, it was unlikely that he would leave his younger brother completely stranded over the break; but you didn’t want to make plans without knowing Armin wouldn’t be alone.

“He won’t, actually he’ll be closer than you think,” Eren reassures you, “Hange and Moblit wanted to go skiing anyways, so Erwin is taking all of them to the Alps instead of Aspen. Armin doesn’t know yet, but he’s going with them.”

“Shouldn’t Erwin spend his break campaigning, and not skiing? Last I checked, he wasn’t too popular in Queens”

“Ah, you know Erwin,” Eren shrugs, “He has a way of making people devote themselves to him. He’ll win the election with or without campaigning, trust me—the point is, that little baby Armin will be safe and sound under Erwin’s protection, and you don’t have to worry about him.”

“How come you get to call him a baby?”

“Because I’m a hypocritical asshole who doesn’t deserve you, but is hoping you’ll come with me anyway.”

Eren smirks, but there’s a genuine undertone to his words as he moves his fingers to toy with the ring around your pointer finger. The same one he gave to you two Christmases ago. Well, kind of.

The ring he originally gifted you was a Harry Winston piece, with an encrusted band that wrapped into two sunflowers, both made of classic, white diamonds with emeralds sparkling in the center. After seeing the design, and the price tag, you demanded that he take it back, or at the very least, get it sized to fit on your index finger or thumb so that people didn’t get the wrong idea.

Instead, he came back with a simple, silver chain for the original ring to hang from, and the current ring on your finger; a rose gold band with tiny diamonds studded around it. Likely equally as expensive, but more appropriate according to you.

“Fine. But you have to be on your best behavior,” you agree, paying no mind to Eren’s thumb twirling your jewelry, “Do you promise me no drag racing or antics of any sort while we’re there?”

Eren shakes his head at the memory, eyeing the first ring that sits against your chest.

He smiles. “I do.”

The afternoon after your last exam, you bid the remainder of your friends goodbye, grab your bags, and hop on a plane with Eren. It arrives in Paris, but you’re rerouted off to Nice before you can so much as blink at the Eiffel tower; you’d be staying there for the two and half weeks leading up to the wedding, in a small villa.

You had to hand it to him, Eren really outdid himself. It’s dark and nearing three in the morning when you arrive, but even in your sleepy stupor you can admire your accommodations. The villa is secluded, the perfect distance from the water, and decorated lavishly almost to your exact liking. You wouldn’t be surprised if Eren sprung it on you that he’d bought the place, and wasn’t merely renting it for this vacation.

Every day after that, Eren proves he was honest in his intentions of this being a getaway gift to you. He’s planned every activity under the sun—from hot air balloon rides, to helicopter tours, to jet-skiing. The days are certainly fun and filled with beautiful memories, but there’s something special about Nice at sunset; something about the sound of gentle waves brushing up against the beach, and the spotlights carved from sun-cast shadows on the buildings.

It’s just after dinner time, bordering on your eighth night here, when you and Eren are walking along the cobblestone streets that border the beach, the length of your sundress flowing every which way with the breeze, and the tail of Eren’s blazer flailing like a cape behind him.

He looks nice tonight, but, truthfully, he always does. He claimed he hadn’t put on the casual green suit because of your outfit, but you swear he was wearing khakis before he saw your dress. The tips of his ears go red when you tease him about it at dinner, but it doesn’t really matter to you; he would have looked good, regardless. Those suits are made for him, after all; tailored to fit perfectly, and designed by his own mother.

The streets tend to settle down after six, locals and tourists retreating indoors or heading to the beach to relax and draw in the evening. Tonight, however, there’s much more commotion than usual on your route.

“Maybe we should take the long way,” you suggest. On the tips of your toes, you realize that there’s some kind of special event happening in the square, filled with lights and music that grows louder with every step you take.

But the crowd and the lights and the smell of food only piques Eren’s interest. “No way—let’s check it out!”

You don’t have the time to refute before his long legs surpass your own stride, headfirst into the sea of people. You can only follow with a smile and a shake of your head. The soft green of his suit jacket serves as your guide as he navigates through the crowd, but the closer you get to the center, the more people there are.

You can feel palms of your hands growing uncomfortably warm as you become hyperaware of just how many people there are. You clutch the end of your dress in your hand, for both practicality and as a sort of comfort mechanism, as you try your best to calm the anxious wave threatening to crash against you.

With a deep breath, you begin to walk again, unaware of Eren’s actions until you physically walk into his hand, long fingers poking at your belly. You hadn’t realized he stopped walking, or that you’d caught up with him, and your eyebrows crinkle when you look down to see Eren’s left hand extended behind him and towards you, palm facing upwards.

He doesn’t say anything, or look back at you at all. Only wraps his larger fingers around yours when he feels the weight of your hand in his, and continues to guide you through the crowd, his pace slower, and hand firm around yours.

The mass of people becomes more spread out when you approach what appears to be the center of the event; and it looks like a party, maybe a wedding of some sort. There’s food and champagne galore, and more than enough happy guests dancing along to upbeat music in the streets.

Eren’s eyes light up as he takes in the scene, “You wanna dance?”

“What—Eren, no!” you refuse, “We cannot crash these people’s party!”

“Why not?” he counters, without a care in the world, “Seems like an open invitation to me! Come on!”

And for the second time that evening, you find yourself being pulled into his schemes; this time in the direction of the open space dubbed dance floor.

You’re both terrible and ostentatious and people start to watch, but it doesn’t matter because you’re smiling too wide and laughing too hard to care. Eren has a way of moving both with and against the music, forcing your body to follow his lead.

He shouts something over the noise, but you don’t have time to register his words before he laces your right hand with his left, and places his right hand on your waist. There’s a blink of confusion for a moment before you’re being swept off your feet and into a dramatic dip. You don’t have time to secure yourself against his shoulders, but Eren does a fine job of supporting you with a single arm against your back.

From what you can tell the song is far from over and the dramatic pose is completely unwarranted, but you and the crowd alike are victim to his charm. You indulge yourself, looking up at him with eyes too fond to memorize every feature of his face in this moment; the way he’s laughing with that big, dumb, wide smile of his that makes his nose crinkle and his eyes light up.

You’re too busy looking at him to hear Eren’s voice calling out to you, or even realize that he’s moved you from your pose to standing back upright. He’s equal parts amused and concerned at the glazed over look in your eyes.

“Hello? Anybody home up there?” he teases, elongating the vowels and squeezing your waist to alert you.

The reminder of his hands on your hips pulls you back to reality, your eyes fluttering down to his arms, then back to his face. It feels stuffy suddenly, too close to function.

“Yea—yeah! Do you wanna get a drink? Yeah, let’s get a drink!” you exclaim, haphazardly pointing and walking towards the food.

You don’t see it, but Eren looks on with glittering eyes, his verbal agreement heard only by himself as you veer towards the buffet. He can still feel your body in his grip, still see the specks of gold in your pupils as he lingers on the back of your silhouette lovingly. And before you can realize, he snaps himself out of it—an out of body experience similar to yours a few moments ago—before catching up with you.

You end up socializing for much longer than intended. Eren makes friends with everyone, to no surprise, and, uncharacteristically, you feel influenced by his actions, and converse with a few people yourself. You let him take the lead, though. Partially because he’s better at it, and partially because you just like listening to him speak French.

“Hey, we should probably get out of here,” he whispers into your ear after waving goodbye to a lovely couple you’d just met, “Before the host of this party realizes we’re miles better than his actual guests.”

You nod with a smile, more than happy to play by his rules for the evening. He offers you his hand again, that same, dopey smile on his face when you take it.

He leads you out of the crowd and back on to the path to your villa, the smell of warm food and sounds of vibrant music growing dull as you venture further from the celebration. It’s much darker than it was when you began your trek back from the restaurant, but beautiful all the same.

Your sandals pad against the wooden dock that leads up the villa, and Eren unlocks the door silently, ushering you inside before entering behind you.

“I know I said I wanted to leave, but I’m not really tired yet,” Eren confesses, pulling his blazer off of his shoulders.

“Me neither,” you say, placing your small wristlet on the table with a shrug, “What do you wanna do though, I’m not—”

“Great!” he cuts you off, smile too big. You narrow your own in suspicion. That tone of voice with that look on his face usually meant something mischievous, at best. “Remember when you said the first time you’d smoke would be with me, and then pranced away and took a bowl from Hange and got high as shit at Moblit’s party?”

“Why does everyone remember Moblit’s party but me!”

“Don’t worry about it,” he chuckles, waving the topic away, “Anyway… Do you wanna smoke now?”

You blink. “I… did you… smuggle weed all the way to France?”

“No, of course not!” he refutes, “…I got it here.”

You scoff, but don’t have the time to question him further before Eren’s tugging on your wrist and pulling you into the bedroom. You take to sitting on your bed while he rummages through his suitcase to retrieve a small, clear jar with several rolled joints inside and a lighter to match.

He shuffles next to you in the bed, mindlessly handing you the lighter while he unscrews the top off the jar. He takes out two of the joints, places one next to the jar on the nightstand, and tucks the other between his teeth. He asks you to hand him the lighter, and you do so wordlessly, distracted by the sight of Eren’s gaze and the blunt poking out his mouth.

“This’ll be fun, yeah?” He reassures you, “Technically, you let Hange take your weed virginity, but I’ll be better.”

“Can you not phrase it like that,” you roll your eyes, “You already took my virginity virginity, don’t be bitter.”

An all too smug grin settles on his features as he recounts the fact. “Besides,” you tack on, “I’ve never done it like this before. So, it’s still a first, kind of.”

Eren cups one hand around the joint, sparking the lighter with the other until it catches fire. He inhales, slow and deliberate, as if he were putting on a show, or a lesson, of sorts, taking the smoke into his lungs and out through his mouth.

You’d gravely miscalculated how attractive Eren would look doing this. Sure, he’s hot, you knew that, but the pronunciation of his jawline when he exhales, and the confidence with which he drags on the blunt is a stark reminder to you. He takes a few more hits, just as slow and sensual as the first, and the room begins to feel warmer.

“Come closer,” be beckons, smoke rolling off of his tongue with every syllable.

You snap yourself out of the haze of your imagination and scoot closer to him. He silently hands you the joint, and it feels heavy between your fingers. At the distance, you take in the smell—pungent and off-putting, but too familiar.

Eventually, you bring it to your lips, careful not to let your tongue press against the tip, and inhale slowly, like you’d seen Eren do before. You do your best to hold the smoke in your lungs for a bit, but seeing as the last time you did this you were amped up on adrenaline and drunk off your ass, the task proves to be much more difficult. It tickles before becoming uncomfortable and you exhale ungracefully, puffs of smoke punctuating your coughs.

Eren watches with a grin, amused at the sight of you fanning the excess smoke away with your nose scrunched in distaste. “You should have warned me you were gonna cough like a bitch.”

“Oh, fuck off,” you whine, trying to hide the hint of a smile creeping onto your face. You hand the blunt back to him, “You’re supposed to teach me, not tease me, asshole.”

Eren pauses his laughter, unsure of what to make of your tone; rushed, a bit embarrassed, but testy. It’s quiet while he stares at you, trying not to let the implication of your words run wild in his mind; but it’s futile when you’re pouting like that, the room is growing foggier, and he’s been semi-hard since you accepted his offer.

“Fine. Watch and learn,” he breathes, words coming out more jagged than he’d intended.

This time, he completely exaggerates every motion; he inhales at a tantalizing pace and flutters his eyes closed while he lets the smoke swish in his mouth, down his throat, and expand into his lungs. He cranes his neck upwards, and purses his lips to let the clouds exit in the streamline that follows the slope of his jaw.

Maybe it’s the drugs getting to you, but your mind is filled with nothing but sheer clouds that aren’t thick enough to block out thoughts of Eren. The weed is unattractive, potent in smell, and all kinds of wrong; yet, everything about him is soft, sultry, and pulls you in.

“Wanna try again, or do you need another lesson?”

You faintly mutter a profanity under your breath. His words end with giggles, a sign the drugs have already begun to take their effect on him, his expression is still smug. You forget Eren knows just how attractive he is. Motherfucker.

“Actually,” he cuts your train of thought, “I have a better idea, come ‘ere.”

Eren beckons you forward again, closing the gap between your legs so that your knees graze each other under the fabric of your clothing while you’re sat next to each other. He leans over, far too close into your personal space, as if to test something; he freezes when his nose is mere inches from your face, a dissatisfied scrunch taking over his features.

He reinstates his hold on your wrist, motioning your body backwards until your back is against the frame of the bed. He hums in approval, positioning himself next to you again, equally as close, but far more comfortable for what he has planned next.

“I’m—I’m gonna try somethin’, okay?” he stutters, the first word mistakenly coming out in broken German, “Just, don’t freak out on me. It’ll be good, promise.”

You nod, unsure of what you’ve just signed off on, but you don’t have time to ask questions. Eren takes another hit, then passes the blunt to his non-dominant hand. He turns to face you, leans forward, and places his free hand on the back of your neck to pull you closer; the expanse of his palm leaving room for his thumb to venture over the bottom half of your cheek.

Eren pulls you in until your lips are millimeters apart, and he can see the pattern of your eyes in beautiful detail. He shifts his hand now so that the majority of it covers your face, the pad of his thumb running across your bottom lip. He applies the perfect amount of pressure to pry your willing mouth open, and then, finally, exhales.

This time, you can taste it. It’s woodsy, and bitter, but the sweet undertones dance on your tongue. This time, there’s more to think about than just the smoke in your lungs; like the burn of Eren’s hand on your neck; the pressure of his thumb against your bottom lip; the proximity of his lips to yours; the look in his eyes.

“Feel good?” he doesn’t bother to pull away before asking, and the words ghost over your lips with the remaining smoke. You nod; he smiles. “Wanna try again?”

You let out a breathy note of affirmation, and then he’s inhaling and exhaling into you, and you welcome him with pried lips and a heavy thumping in your chest. The confidence with which he maneuvers his body and the drugs is nerve-wracking, yet comforting at the same time; he has an expertise and power that intimidates, but compels you to follow.

Together, you finish the first blunt, and Eren lights the second without missing a beat. His hands are more demanding this around; they guide you into submission, and he’s pleased to find that you’re willing to listen.

After the third exhale, you stop focusing on his hands, and more on his lips. After the fourth, you think you might be high—not to the stars as you infamously were during Moblit’s party—but with a comfortable, dull buzz in your head. Everything feels a little fuzzy, out of touch, but you host a burning want for something more, something tangible.

You don’t know it, but Eren feels the same.

After the fifth exhale, Eren pulls away, the blunt a simple stub as he flicks it away onto the night stand, and you miss him being too close. You miss his hands, you miss his warmth, you crave his touch.

“Eren,” you call, unable to think of or see anything but him in the haze. He answers with a strained, “Yeah?” keening towards the sound of your voice, wide eyes flitting all over your face.

It’s too much, too close, too hot. That’s when you cup his jaw, pull him forward, and meld your lips together.

Kissing Eren is painfully familiar, and unnervingly satisfying. It’s certainly not your first kiss with him; and, yet he has a way of making you feel like it is while reminding you of your history. His lips are soft, and they taste like smoke and the chapstick you swear by because he refuses to buy or test out his own.

You pull away too soon, gauging his reaction with blown-out eyes, before dipping forward to have him against you again. Then again, and again, and again, until Eren is tired of your leaving, and his hands are back on your neck.

This kiss is deeper, Eren searching to satisfy the hunger aching inside of him, and you’re happy to comply when his thumb is pressing at your lower lip again. You open your mouth for him and he doesn’t waste a moment, brushing his tongue against yours experimentally, and then flush into your mouth.

He groans when you rake your fingers into his hair, and pulls back with a hissing noise when you scratch at his nape. Large hands move to grip at your waist, and he pulls you into his lap with a concentrated gaze—a brief second for him to admire the sight of you on top of him, before he resumes kissing you. He sucks on your tongue, rolls his past your teeth, and bites on your bottom lip.

You know he relishes in the sounds he elicits from you, and under any normal circumstance, you’re willing to put up a fight with him, but not now. Now, you let him unzip the back of your dress and snake his hands beneath the fabric. The rubbing motions of his hands turn into gripping, gripping into grinding, and eventually, an unfiltered moan slips past your lips when you feel Eren’s erection roll against you.

“Fuck,” he pulls back with a suck of your swollen lip, “You’re so hot.”

Eren quickly switches your positions so that he’s hovering over you. You chuckle lightly underneath him, taking the opportunity to run both your hands through his hair and cradle his head in your hold, “Haven’t done anything yet.”

“I know,” Eren murmurs, dipping his head down to press kisses into your neck, “Still so sexy. So pretty, always.”

Eren bites a hickey into your collar bone, and everywhere he can touch; your neck, your ears, your cheeks, your lips. Your moaning serves as the spark to keep him going, but he’s barely coherent himself the way you keep pulling at his hair and grinding yourself against him. Even through his clothes, you can feel how painfully hard he is.

He barely catches your tongue between his lips when you moan again, sucking harshly before bruising his lips over yours again. His hands are grabby again, finally pulling your dress completely off of your body, leaving it to form a puddle on the ground. They’re back on your as soon as possible, massaging over your tits, and running his index finger over your nipples.

“Eren... Eren, please,” you whimper, chest heaving as you look down at him. He rolls his index finger over your right nipple, with his left hand teasing the other with his thumb. You can’t tell if the look in his eyes is a product of the weed, or just his glassy, borderline predatory stare, but it makes you shiver with pleasure when he wraps his mouth around your nipple and sucks.

“I want you.”

“Want you, too,” Eren hums, pulling back with a thin trail of spit from your breast, before moving to give your left nipple the same treatment, “More than you know.”

You keen to him when he teases his teeth against you, finally having had enough you force him off of you with a tug of his hair. “Then take off your clothes.”

Eren blinks, wide-eyed but glazed all the same. He chuckles lightly, a blush spreading over his cheeks as he nods. He sits back on his knees, pulling his shirt over his head, forgoing undoing the buttons, and pauses briefly with his hands over the zipper of his pants.

“Please tell me you’re not that gone that you forgot how to undo your zipper,” you tease him, chest still heaving from his previous ministrations. Eren smiles, doe-eyed and hazy, and shakes his head.

“No,” he reassures you, finally undoing his zipper and shimmying his pants off his legs, “Was trying to remember what underwear I was wearing. Didn't want it to be embarrassing.”

His honesty makes you laugh, and Eren pauses for a moment to soak it in. Even like this, even with him stumbling over the steps to undress himself, and you almost completely naked in front of him, he can make you smile. There’s something equally sexy and endearing about your giggles; a juxtaposition that makes him want to hug you or kiss you or something in between. And you—you like the look in his eyes even through your giggling; the way he smiles back and blushes and tells you exactly what he’s thinking.

“It’s okay,” you tell him, “Don’t think mine are particularly sexy either.”

Eren hums, shuffling back on to the bed so that he’s between your legs, and leans forward to kiss you again. He still can’t seem to keep his hands off of you, his fingers immediately flying to your underwear and peeling them off your legs, pulling you closer despite the lack of space between your bodies.

“Yeah, doesn’t matter,” Eren echos, tossing the offending item to the side, before cupping your face in his hands, “I’d still wanna fuck you in your granny panties.”

“You wanna fuck me?” you question, eyes sparkling and hopeful.

“Yeah, I do,” Eren can’t help but to smile again, happy and high and drunk on you, too, “Will you let me?”

Your feverish nodding is all it takes for Eren’s mind to go hazy again; clouded with you, you, you. You pull him into a kiss, arching your body into his, and running your hands down the sides of his back. He moans at the feeling, punishing you by nipping at your lower lip and pressing your stomach back to the mattress with his palm.

Your eyes meet his as Eren lines himself up with your cunt, teasing your folds with the head; but it doesn’t take long before he finally pushes in, sheathing himself inside you completely without movement. He waits a minute, whether it’s to make you comfortable, or to gather his own bearings, you’re not sure; but when he’s ready, he flashes you a smile and waits for one in return, before he starts thrusting.

You know Eren’s not gentle; rough whether or not he intends to be by virtue of his size in comparison to you, but you seem to have forgotten just how capable he is of making you lose your senses. He has you gasping, grasping at him at him unintelligibly, feeling full with his cock inside of you.

Eren groans, borderline growls, when he feels you clench around him, when he sees you shaking beneath him. He could do this all; could watch you all day.

“So pretty, the prettiest. Prettiest girl, my favorite girl,” Eren praises, eyes raking up and down your thrashing body, “My favorite fucking girl.”

“You—you, too.”

“Yeah? I’m your favorite, too?” Eren coos, reaching out to guide your arms over your head, the force of his body pinning your hands down; you can hardly gasp before he lacess your fingers together, and gives you a reassuring squeeze.

“Promised you, didn’t I? That I’d be good to you, be on my best behavior,” Eren reminds you, leaning forward.

He eyes your necklace—eyes glued to ring around it—bouncing with your body. He bends his head down to kiss it, bites at the skin near it; a possessive streak overcoming him as the diamonds shine against you. “I said I’d treat you good, always. Meant it.”

He stutters, when you squeeze him back; fingers tightening around his hold, your pussy clenching around his cock. Your whining is insistent, and mixes with Eren’s low moans and guttural noises. Eren doesn’t let up his pace, fucking you fast and deep, and it’s only a matter of time before you feel a knot twisting in your belly.

You attempt to move your arms, searching for a release of the feeling building up inside of you but Eren is strong; stronger than you, and he keeps you in your place. Keeps your arms pinned above you, keeps his palms pressed into yours, keeps his lips hovering above yours, just out of reach.

“Eren,” you call his name through shaky moans.

“Yeah? What, baby?”

“Kiss me.”

And so he does, his lips needy and hungry over yours. Eren fucks you and kisses you through your orgasm, tasting your moans on his tongue in timing with him cumming inside of you. You don’t let up; kissing him lewdly while you both come down from your highs.

“So good,” Eren croons against your lips, down your jaw, into your skin, “So good for me.”

You both moan in chorus when he finally pulls out, Eren’s head laying on your collar, nose nuzzling into your neck. He lets your hands free, and immediately you wrap them around his back, holding him close as you both attempt to catch your breaths.

You don’t know how long you lay there like that, with Eren on top of you, and your thumb rubbing circles into his cheek while he sleeps soundly. Maybe an hour, maybe more, maybe less; but the euphoria of your sex doesn’t quiet seem to fade.

It might last all night, maybe even for the rest of your trip but you don’t mind. You think back to earlier in the evening, when you’d caught his gaze after your dance. The feeling isn’t all that different; warm, and fuzzy, and too much and not enough all at once. It feels good, it feels like Eren.

You hum softly to yourself, careful not to wake up the sleeping boy on your chest, when you realize exactly what these two moments have in common: a rare event in which Eren is still in front of you, steady and stagnant, no running or chasing; and you don’t want to let him go.

Sometimes Eren thinks you act oblivious on purpose just to fuck with him, because there’s absolutely no way you—or any human with a functioning nervous system and social cues—can’t tell that he’s completely, stupidly, and embarrassingly in love with you.

Long gone are his days of trying to deny it or get over it. He realized that sophomore year of high school—almost eight years ago—that no matter where he went, what kind of drug he inhaled, or how hard he tried, you’d be permanently etched into his heart. That doesn’t make it any less exhausting, and, in fact, only makes it more astounding that you haven’t caught on yet. Honestly, Eren’s considered hiring a private psychiatrist just to make nothing’s wrong with you.

Amazingly, the remainder of your vacation continues just like the former half. The only exception being that now you’re in Paris. And that he’s shamelessly coerced you into letting him fuck your brains out on several occasions. But besides that, everything’s chill.

Just two best friends traveling through France together and stopping to fuck in any semi-private location they can find. Just two peas in a pod walking along the Champs Elysées at damn near midnight. Just two best buds with linked arms tasting (see: feeding each other) every macaron flavor they come across while violinists play stupidly romantic, classical music in the background.

He knows he should probably talk to you about it, but for some reason he can’t. Like telling you would make it all too real, and give it a meaning that could so easily be taken away from him; give you a reason to want to leave him. Right now, it’s just a fantasy, and he’s free to keep dreaming, believing that he’s special and worth enough for the affection you’ve shown him.

He doesn’t want to be one in a list of your boyfriends, or fiances, or husbands; he wants to be your only one, and if he can’t be, then he’d rather be stuck to your side as your best friend. At least that way, in someway, he could remain special to you; not a forgotten, ordinary ex of your past.

Though, a best friend who he’s sleeping with regularly and he’s in love with and will always be in love with is starting to sound a lot like a husband to him. At least, the kind of husband he would like to be to you.

You call his name, asking him if he wants to try another sweet. Eren rolls his eyes. What he wants is to fuck you, and marry you, and have you bless his stupid little existence with two runts for kids that look like him but act like you so his life savings don’t run out by the time they’re twelve. But sure, he’ll settle for having you feed him another macaron in the meantime.

“This one tastes just like the coconut one,” he mumbles, chewing his way through the pastry you’d stuffed into his mouth whole.

It’s the seventh bakery you’ve stopped at tonight, and even though Eren’s growing pretty sick of the sugary treats, he’ll walk with you to every damn bakery in Paris tonight if that’s what you want.

He blinks at the thought. He’s so lovesick it’s disgusting. And he wouldn’t do a damn thing to change it.

“That’s probably because it’s almond and coconut flavored,” you say, wiping the stickiness from your fingers onto a napkin.

“I didn’t taste any almonds.”

“I don’t even think you could spell almond, much less tell me what they taste like.”

Eren simply pouts in refute, leaving you giggling at his expression. He doesn’t know if it’s possible, but you seem even prettier in Paris than in Nice. But, that’s probably his rose-colored glasses speaking.

“You think there’ll be macarons at the reception?” you question, biting into yet another pistachio flavored treat, “And if not, would it be rude to bring my own?”

He chuckles. “Yes, babe, I’m sure there will be macarons there.”

He’s always loved Paris, even when his mom moved away here and left him in New York, and he’d always loved it more when you’re with him. He feared that having to attend another, what he considered to be wasteful, wedding in arguably one of his favorite places in the world would leave a bitter taste in his mouth; but, thankfully, he’s only fallen deeper in love since being here.

“You sure you won’t be sick of them by tomorrow?” he asks, watching you debate between taste testing another variation of vanilla bean or rosé.

“How could I get sick of them?” you answer offhandedly, not sparing him a glance away as you choose the pink snack. How could he get sick of you.

“By the time we get back to New York you’ll have forgotten all about them,” he scoffs.

“Don’t worry I’ll quit it soon. I’ll have to eat something solid if I wanna take my meds and go to bed,” you spew with a smile, unaware of what you’ve actually just said, “But they are delicious and I have no regrets.”

Eren pauses. Then so do you, mouth stuffed with sickly sweet.

“I mean—”

“I know, you know,” he cuts you off, “About the meds and stuff.”

You look like you could pass out, or scream, or cry, or everything in between. Eren figures saying more is better than saying less, so he continues.

“I saw a bottle in the bathroom a few months ago,” he admits shyly, but careful about his tone, “Didn’t understand half the words on the label, but it had your name on it so I just, uh… Googled it.”

Of course he knows. Eren’s always kind of known, just never had the words to express it. He imagines that’s what you’re feeling right now.

“Oh,” you finally gape, “Why didn’t you, um… you know, like, say… anything?”

“It seemed like your secret to tell,” Eren shrugs, features softening out, “Besides, I figured you’d tell me when you wanted to.”

Eren’s always been better at showing than saying, anyway. He hopes that his actions, small as they may seem, might have provided you with any sort of comfort in the past few months. Maybe even before that, too.

“Oh,” you repeat, continually blinking at him, “That’s… that’s it? You’re cool with it?”

Now it’s Eren’s turn to blink. “What do you mean am I cool with it? They’re your meds.”

“Yeah, but like… you’re not mad I didn’t tell—”

“Of course I’m not mad,” he cuts you off with a soft smile, “It’s not really my business. I mean, like, you’re my business because I care about you, but you have your own private stuff, too, which is cool. Besides, when I was, uh, researching it, I learned that it can be hard to tell people stuff like that even if—”

Eren shuts up when he feels your weight against him and your arms wrapped around him. Shell shocked, he takes a moment to hug you back, and slowly comes to rest his chin atop your head after leaving a flurry of kisses.

“You didn’t have to look it up or do any kind of research, you know,” you mumble softly into his jacket. Eren borderline chortles, but only hugs you more tightly.

“Of course I did. If not for you, then for myself, because I meant it when I said I’d never seen half the words on the prescription before in my life,” he replies, heart glowing at the sound of your small chuckles.

He’s expecting an equally witty response, but you surprise him when you pull back just enough to face him, a hazy smile on your face. “You’re amazing, Eren.”

Don’t blush, fool. Don’t blush, fool. Don’t blush—fucking idiot.

“Yeah, I’m pretty great,” he boasts, leaning back into the coolest pose he could muster up while ignoring the growing heat creeping up his neck. It’s all in vain as you reach over to playfully tug at one of his ears.

He thinks you’re pretty like this. All the time, but most notably when he has you in his arms. So pretty, that he has to lean forward to kiss you; you don’t seem to mind, if the way you smile into the kiss is any indication of your feelings. Eren finds himself mirroring your grin; moving his arms from around your waist to the sides of your face.

The workers in this poor little café probably hate the two of you, but he doesn’t fucking care. He’s got his favorite girl in his arms right now, and you taste like almonds and coconuts and like the love of his life.

And he should tell you. Eren wants to tell you, and he finds himself wondering if those same intrusive, fearful thoughts were part of the driving force behind your own reason to keep your secrets from him.

You pull away from him, hands lightly draped around his neck, and you smile like you’re shy—like he hasn’t known you your whole life. Still, Eren finds himself smiling back; and thinks that if you were brave enough to tell him how you were feeling, then he should do the same.

“(_____), I… I gotta tell you something,” he starts, voice soft as his fingers curl around your waist a little more tightly, “Though, I’m kind of hoping you already know.”

You blink at him, almost innocently. Eren bites the inside of his jaw; you’re going to have to stop doing that before he jumps you again.

Better now than never, he supposes. He tries to shake his nerves when he takes your hands in his, completely covering them with his palms, and closes his eyes. Despite that, you try to offer him comfort, squeezing his fingers as best you can; and Eren takes that moment to thank his lucky stars for whoever decided to put you in his life. Because he knows that no matter what, even if he royally fucks this up, you’ll find some way to be there for him.

He slowly blinks his eyes open again, gaze resting on the ring around your neck. A faded chuckle escapes his lips when looks at it. The only one who got the wrong idea about his gift was you. But, he supposes that’s his fault; he never did explain it, after all.

“It’s nothing… It’s just that, I’m in—”

But Eren’s startled by a voice that makes him freeze. He almost wants to believe he misheard it, but he can hear the telltale clacking of vintage heels on the floor of the bakery and he knows that he didn’t mishear a thing.

Eren turns his head, and sure enough, there is his mother, in all her five foot glory, adorned in designer clothing from her beret to her shoes. With a fucking street urchin on her arm.

“Well, well, well, what a lovely surprise,” Carla beams, red lipstick perfectly in place even after a long day of wear.

Eren’s eyebrows draw together, as he takes in his mother and her fiancé standing in front of him. He can just barely register you calling out towards her, carefully maneuvering yourself off of his lap, and into the neighboring chair; but still keeping your right hand wrapped around his left. He can feel you squeeze it—whether to give him comfort, or warning, he’s not sure yet; probably both.

“It’s so good to see you!” you beam, excitedly offering her and Mitchell a seat across from the two of you at the table. Eren opens his mouth to refute, but you squeeze his hand again; a warning.

Carla leans forward to encase you in a hug, exchanging cheek kisses, and leaving Eren to stare at the street rat across from him. Mitchell seems to know better than to make eye contact with him, irises scattering from Carla’s back to the décor of the bakery while the two girls catch up.

“We missed you at the rehearsal dinner on Sunday,” Carla recounts, eyes fluttering to Eren’s briefly. One look into her son’s eyes, and she understands why; one look into his mother’s eyes, and Eren knows she has him all figured out. “I was worried you might not show at all.”

Eren strategically averts your gaze when you turn your head towards him, choosing to look at his mother instead.

“I didn’t even know there was a rehearsal dinner,” you tell her, tone polite, but Eren can hear the clear jab directed towards him, “I’m sorry, I—we would have gone, otherwise.”

“No need to apologize, darling,” Carla smiles, “I’m sure you two were very busy.”

“We were,” Eren cuts in, words definite. He sees a hint of surprise flash in his mother’s eyes briefly, expertly covered up with her sweet demeanor. She only nods in understanding, sitting back a bit to wrap her arm around Mitchell’s.

“What are you even doing here, Ma?” Eren questions, even as you do the same with his hands under the table, “Isn’t it bad luck to see the groom before the wedding.”

“After the third or fourth wedding, you grow tired of pleasantries and superstitions, my love,” she replies, “This place makes Mitchell’s favorite macarons, we thought we’d share a few before the big day. Maybe get some tea as a pre-celebration.”

The topic of sweets has you speaking up once again, engaging both his mother and Mitchell in a discussion about them, and your other findings from bakery hopping earlier. If Eren didn’t love you to pieces, he would have left the table a long time ago.

It carries on much longer than he can bear to endure; almost an hour of you, and his mother, and Mitchell making pleasant conversation while he tries his best not to brood beside you, but it’s futile. He feels like a little kid again. Stuck at the dinner table with his mother and a man he was being forced to get to know, only for him to become a stranger to him in a matter of months.

Eren grinds his teeth into each other when you laugh at something Mitchell says. He’s not going to sit through his any longer; or ever again.

“Well, this has been fun,” Eren says, voice blatantly monotonous as his cuts through the conversation, “But we should all probably head back go to bed. Big day tomorrow.”

“Eren, we should—” but, he stands up quickly, hand wrapping around yours to force you upwards too.

He doesn’t care to look at you, knowing the dissatisfied expression he’ll be met with. He fishes for his wallet and pulls out too many Euros, neatly tucking them under an unused knife to pay for the meal.

Eren’s steps out from between his chair and the table. “We’ll see you guys tomorr—” But is stopped before he can take three steps away.

His mother’s hand wrapped around his wrist. She stands, significantly shorter than Eren’s full height. “Actually, Eren, could I borrow you for a bit?”

And he doesn’t want to, because he knows exactly the conversation waiting for him. But he looks down at her, lets his eyes flicker to you, and back to her, and he knows he doesn’t have the heart to walk away. Not even if he tried.

He sighs with a shallow nod. He can feel your hand on his shoulder, the proud smile on your lips when you tell him that you’ll meet him back at your hotel. Mitchell ensures him and Carla that he’ll make sure you get back safely, and Eren still can’t stand the guy, but he’s grateful that he can at least be of use for something.

Eren kisses you on the forehead briefly, a promise to you and himself that he’ll finish his confession later. After all, he probably should come to terms with the woman who taught him what love is before he vowed to love you for the rest of his life.

The walk to his mother’s hotel is silent, Eren choosing to keep to himself, hands stuffed in his pockets to prevent his mom from holding them. He’s probably acting like a child, but isn’t that what he is to her; isn’t that she treats him as.

“Look, Ma, you don’t need my approval to marry him,” Eren grumbles, when they finally exit the elevator into the hotel room, “It doesn’t matter to me.”

“Of course I don’t,” Carla offers him a small grin, even if he won’t look at her directly, “But it matters to me.”

“Why does it matter now? It didn’t matter with Keith, or Henry, or Henri with an I, or any of the others,” Eren mumbles, reluctantly taking a seat on the stool opposite the vanity.

His mother tracks his movements with soft eyes and an amused grin as Eren absentmindedly bends a knee and begins to fiddle with the hem of his pants. Just like he used to when he was upset as a child.

“It mattered then, too, Eren,” she tells him, sitting on the stool and facing him.

He’s surprised by her words, his wide eyes giving him away even if he attempts to act unfazed. “It didn’t seem like it.”

Carla opens her mouth to speak, but closes it, words stuck in her throat. She watches Eren’s hunched figure, her tall son not even bothering to look her in the eyes. She exhales slowly; if he were five feet smaller, he’d have tucked himself under her arm, still refusing to look at her, but he’d have snuggled his head into her side while he pouted anyway.

“I suppose it didn’t,” she admits, “In the end, the love wasn’t enough to make it last, then.”

Eren is quiet for a bit at that, pulling at his pants leg. “And… and you love him enough, now?”

“It’s more than love, Eren. It’s... happiness—for yourself and another person—it’s being okay with somebody knowing you now, and forever. Whichever version of you that is.”

“Then why did you marry them before?” Eren asks, “If you knew it wasn’t enough, if you knew it was just going to end up as another big mistake.”

“Maybe the marriages were a mistake, and some of what came with them, but I don’t think the feelings were,” Carla muses, “Love is never wasted.”

“How can you say that?” Eren questions, disbelief and exasperation painted on his face, “Of course it is—you wasted your time, and your money, and your—your everything on those people who couldn’t care less about you now!”

“Eren—”

“You let them into our house,” Eren speaks over her, “You let them into your life, and they left. They always left—”

“Eren—”

“—And you even let some of them come back! Everyone, you let everyone have another chance, another anniversary, another wedding,” He’s ranting, crying, hot, irrational tears streaming down his face; hiccups interrupting his speech, “So—so, so if it’s not wasted and everyone gets another chance and another chance and another chance—why didn’t he come back, huh? For his?”

Eren’s standing now, arms flailing every which way during his breakdown, but his mother doesn’t try to stop him. She lets him continue, hears him out.

“If it’s love—if it’s not wasted, and it’s real—then why didn’t he come back? Why didn’t he want to? Why—why didn’t he want me? Why did I end up the bastard?”

Eren looks his mother in the eyes for the first time in the duration of their conversation with that final question; with his vision blurry, and chest heaving, and cheeks wet. Carla has no words to say; can only carefully open her arms, and wait for her son to come crashing into them. And he does; and it rains and pours, and Eren holds onto his mother for dear life, and onto the pieces of her breaking heart.

“Am I not good enough to have that kind of love?” Eren asks through tears, “Am I not special enough to want to know?”

“Eren,” she finally speaks, moving to cradle his head in her hands, “You don’t have to be special or good, to be known or loved. It’s enough that you were born. That’s enough to make you deserving of love.”

She doesn’t mind the tears against her palms or the hiccups of Eren’s breathing, “And you already have it.”

And Eren looks at her with eyes wide and wild like a child, staring at the first person to have ever loved someone as messed up, and plain, and ordinary as him; and he can feel more tears bubbling at his eyes.

“Ma, I’m—I’m so sorry,” he chokes out, wrapping his arms around her even tighter, chin resting on her shoulder while his shake through his tears, “I’m so fucking sorry.”

Carla hugs her son as close as she can, like he’s five years old and the apple of her eye and she can take all his pain away. “You don’t have to be. You’re my son, and I’ll love you always.”

It feels like they have all the time in the world like that, to hug and cry and apologize; but Carla hopes Eren knows that he was always forgiven; that he never had anything to apologize for in the first place.

“She loves you, too, baby,” she coos, holding Eren as tight as possible, “But you have to let her know that. That you accept it.”

“Do you think she knows?” Eren asks, words muffled into the fabric of her clothing, “That I love her, too?”

“I do,” Carla confirms, pulling away to look at Eren in the eyes; his beautiful, shining, green eyes, “But I don’t think that either of you really realized it. I mean, you did give her an engagement ring, darling.”

Eren huffs at the memory, “She thought it was a gift.”

“Because you gave it to her as a gift.”

“I thought it was pretty obvious.”

“Love has a way of making people blind,” Carla muses, “Especially two lovesick semi-adults with too much money on their hands.”

Eren’s cheeks grow pink at the accusation, “It’s your money!”

“Yes, and I’m very happy to have it,” Carla chuckles, motioning for Eren to stand up. He does, and she looks up at him with glimmering, proud eyes. “Now, go, shoo. You have a girl to propose to, don’t you? There might be two Jaeger weddings this weekend.”

Eren nods, certain of himself for the first time in a while. He turns on his heel with a vigor igniting his footsteps, but pauses when he reaches the elevator. He makes a sharp turn, running back to his mom one last time, and squeezing her suddenly, and tightly against him.

“I love you, mom,” he says; the words too foreign on his tongue, and he vows to not let them be a stranger to his vocabulary from here on out.

“I love, you, too, Eren,” Carla calmly wraps her arms around her son one last time, “And I always will.”

You half-expected your walk back to your hotel with Mitchell to be painfully awkward, but he proves to be a pleasant conversationalist, even in Carla’s absence.

You know that Eren isn’t fond of him, but you wish that he would at least give him a chance. There’s no way to know if a marriage—if any relationship—will last forever, but, sometimes, you think it’s not about knowing about forever; but, rather about wanting it to make it there; about willing to go the distance with that person.

You can see that want, that willingness that works alongside love in Mitchell and Carla’s relationship, that stands out from her past marriages. You get the feeling they’re going to last; and that, most importantly, they both want it to, too.

It’s quiet out as you both walk the streets of Paris, Mitchell taking the time to point out small notes in architecture that interest you. You readjust your jacket as a gust of wind washes over you, careful to make sure your necklace doesn’t snag against your clothing.

“That’s a beautiful ring,” he calls to you gently.

“Thank you,” Surprised, you quickly let out an embarrassed cough, looking down to your left hand resting atop the uppermost button on your coat. “It was a gift.”

“I meant that one,” Mitchell corrects, carefully gesturing to his own neck to indicate that he was talking about the ring on your necklace, and not the one on your finger.

“Oh, thank you,” you repeat, “That one was actually a gift, too.”

The older man hums, continuing your walk to your hotel. “Must have been one hell of a gift. I don’t know many people who give out engagement rings as presents.”

“Oh, no, no, no, it wasn’t—it’s not an engagement ring,” you tell him, feeling a warmth creep up your cheeks even in the chilly atmosphere of the night, “Eren gave it to me, actually, a few years ago—it was a Christmas gift.”

“Eren, huh?” Mitchell smiles fondly, “That makes sense. Carla tells me how much he cares about you.”

“You—she does?” you stutter. Mitchell nods. “I—I mean, I care about him, too.”

“Enough to accept an engagement ring from him, it seems,” Mitchell taunts, “I’m no specialist, but I know a Harry Winston piece when I see it. They’re not cheap.”

“Trust me, I know,” you scoff, “I almost killed him when I saw how much he spent on it.”

“And you took it, anyway?”

“Well, he—he was supposed to return it,” you defend yourself, “Because I didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea! But he just, well, he gave me the other one instead, so I wear that one on my hand.”

Mitchell pauses, just as you both stand to the entrance of your hotel. “And what was the wrong idea you didn’t want people getting.”

“That... that...,” you pause, thinking back to that Christmas day.

Even though Eren is known for spending ludacris amounts of money, the ring came as a genuine surprise to you. A couple thousand on shoes, sure—you’re victim to that yourself; a couple hundred thousand on a lavish vacation wasn’t out of the ordinary, either; but a million, maybe even more, on a ring that you could have only ever asked of him in your dreams was another thing completely.

And, sure, even a few million didn’t mean much to you or Eren at the end of the day, but it wasn’t just the price; it was the object of the money, too. To accept a house, or a car, or a jet for that amount is something you could rationalize; but a ring seemed foreign, and far out of your league.

Then there was the display and value it held beyond money. It’s beautiful, gorgeous, but more than that, it’s tailored to your exact liking. The synthesis of your aesthetic and everything you could ask for, garnished with the memory of Eren in the very design; the diamonds you love, the flowers that remind him of you, and the way they stems wrap around each other and the petals meet in the middle.

A small gasp leaves your lips and instinctively, you reach to clutch the ring in your hold. There was no way this was an engagement ring... Eren hadn’t proposed to you when he gave it to you—in fact, he was so casual about it, that it had you stunned that he hadn’t thought to consider that other people might think it meant something more than what he intended it to be.

But, looking back, it seems like you’re the only one who didn’t understand what was going on. Because Eren told you, even then, that he’d wanted you forever; you didn’t know how to hear him. It was all right there—not just in the ring, but in all his gifts, in the entirety of your friendship.

Eren loves you, more than you could ever know.

“It’s an engagement ring,” you say aloud, but more to yourself than to Mitchell, “Oh my god, it’s an engagement ring.”

Mitchell can’t do anything but smile at your revelation. You’re practically bouncing off the walls, connecting the puzzle pieces of your relationship in the middle of the street at damn near midnight, but you don’t care; because it finally feels right, and it finally, finally all makes sense.

“He, but he never pro—oh my fucking god, I’m going to kill him.”

You feel elated and confused and happy and murderous all at once. Eren wanted to marry you; Eren loved you. He wants you for the rest of his life, and you’ve been too blind to see it this entire time.

Still, you think that maybe a verbal proposal might have helped to open your eyes a bit.

“Mitchell, I have to—”

You’re cut off by the echo of your name coming from the opposite end of the street, and you can just barely make out of Eren’s figure in the faded lights of the street lamps. His name falls from your lips like a whisper, and you hardly register Mitchell’s amused, soft laughter from beside you.

“I think that’s my cue,” he says, patting you on the shoulder, “I better get back to Carla. Something tells me you two have a bit to talk about.”

You can barely nod at him, eye still wide and stunned, but a smile on your face even in your fearful anticipation. You don’t have time to thank him before he turns away, bidding you goodnight; and then you have something else to focus on, as Eren’s footsteps grow louder, and his silhouette grows sharper the closer he gets to you.

He practically crashes into you, chest heaving, hair wind-swept and wild from his running. He puts his hands on your shoulders, to steady himself physically and mentally, labored breaths ghosting over the top of your head.

“Hi,” he finally squeaks; and that stupid, big, dopey grin is on his face.

It’s ridiculous, so utterly ridiculous that you can’t help but greet him back. The two of you stand there, smiling like fools for god knows how long, before the realization strikes you for a second time.

Eren opens his mouth to finally speak, but a pained squeal leaves his lips instead as he feels the back of your hand slap his chest. “Ouch—hey, what was that for!”

“What the hell do you think you were doing proposing to me without telling me?” you screech, packing another punch to his chest for good measure, but it’s a poor barrier and does nothing to stop your tears from falling, “You’re an idiot, I should kill you for this, you know that, Eren Jaeger?”

Eren laughs softly, only to be heard by you in close proximity. He takes your offending hand in his, and reaches for your other, pulling both of them between your bodies. He can feel tears welling in his own eyes, as he looks down at the necklace, glimmering perfectly under the moonlight.  

“In my defense, the first thing you told me to do when I gave it to you was to return it.”

“I might not have said that if you told me what it meant,” you can hardly choke out a laugh through your tears; and Eren can’t stop his from falling either, “It’s insane, you know. This whole thing—to ask me to marry you at 19. For me to not realize until we’re 21.”

“I know,” Eren agrees, inching closer even though there’s barely any room between you, “I know. But I know I love you, every version of you. I always have, I always will.”

You close your eyes as Eren’s hands move to your face, gingerly sweeping your tears away from your cheeks. He feels too close, it feels like too much; but you don’t want him to move.

“You know... if you had asked me, then,” you start, blinking your eyes open with a sniffle; you’re met with Eren’s emerald greens one with far too much hope and love glimmering in them, “I—I don’t even know what I would have said.”

“And if I asked you now?”

You pull your bottom lip between your teeth, slowly raising your hands to wrap around Eren’s wrist, and lower them to your neck, before looking at him again, “Ask me.”

Eren blinks, carefully trailing his hands up and around your neck, nimble fingers undoing the clasp of your necklace. He hardly lets the chain pool into his hand before it’s tossed aside, and the ring is still between his thumbs and index fingers as he lowers himself on to one knee.

“You are the love of my life, and there’s not a single version of life—a single version of you, or me—where I don’t want to be with you forever,” Eren says, “And you know how shit I am with my words, but I fucking mean it. I swear to you, that I’ll do my best every day to show you how much you mean to me; marry me, and I’ll prove it to you, I swear, I will.”  

Your lips are wobbling at Eren’s confession below you, and you can just barely beckon him upwards in your state. He’s hardly back on two feet before you’re pulling him against you, ghosting the word “yes” on his lips before you kiss him.

You both melt into the kiss, Eren’s hands skillfully cupping your cheeks, while he keeps the ring in his hold and bruises your lips together.

“You don’t have to prove it to me, Eren,” you assure him, hand shaking when you pull apart and let him slip the ring onto your finger—where it belongs, “You already have.”

For his first birthday as a married man, Eren requested something intimate. He wanted just a small celebration with all of your mutual friends, some good food, alcohol, and lots of fun.

Supposedly simple and intimate for him entailed renting out the top floor of the Whitney, which was currently encasing an exhibit portraying some kind of abstract modern art that allowed for a very drunk Eren and Armin have to entertain themselves by trying their best to recreate the paintings using very flawed couples aerial yoga.

The art, paired with the dimmed lighting, Jean’s choice selection of overtly sexual music, and Eren’s pick of overpriced champagne also meant that Marco, Bertholdt, Connie, and Sasha found everything ten times funnier than they were—which meant they were a million times louder than usual.

Jean stands next to you by the bar, watching as Eren attempts to hold Armin above his head by holding on to just his waist. They’re unsuccessful, of course, resulting in both boys toppling onto the ground as the majority of their older friends laugh along.

“Lucky me, I get to take him home at the end of the night,” you drawl, turning to the bartender to order another drink.

She smiles, easily preparing your martini and sliding it you with an inquiry. “That’s your boyfriend? The tall one with the brown hair?”

“No,” you sigh, eyes closed for a moment before taking the glass between your fingers. “That’s my husband, unfortunately.”

× even more notes: this fic. is my baby. it’s been a draft of mine for over two years at this point. it’s gone through various fandoms but i’ve never quite been able to complete and post it, so i’m very happy that it’s finally here! i hope you all enjoyed, and i just wanted to say that i’m glad to finally have been able to share this with you all!

[goldenlaurelleaveswrites]

Juleka vs. the Forces of the Universe ch 13

Juleka vs. the Forces of the Miraculous iii 

Juleka vs. the Forces of the Universe (AO3)

Sorry for the delay in posting this everyone! This chapter took a lot longer than I anticipated. I was had 95% of this chapter written and then I ended up hating it so I scrapped everything except one scene. Then rewriting took a long time because, well, Min said it best, "Fight scenes are to writers what hands are to artists." I struggle with fight scenes, a lot, so I really wanted to take my time with this. Also, I definitely overthought this chapter a lot 😂

A big shoutout to the LBSC crew for helping motivate me to finally get this edited, and a big thank you to Ver for listening to me whine and complain about how much this chapter was kicking my butt, and for helping me come up with the idea for All-Seer. And thank you to all of you for your patience and support. 

___________________________________________________________

“Juleka Couffaine…”

She was not supposed to be seeing this.  

“…this is the miraculous of the tiger.”

She was not supposed to be hearing this.  

“It grants the power of stealth…”

This could not be happening.  

Because she definitely was not supposed to be a hero. 

There was no way. She had seen too much. She had heard too much. She knew too much. 

Was witness protection still an option?

“…will you use it for the greater good?”

Ladybug held out the open box —a red and black spotted one— that contained a panjas bracelet. Her face was a mask of confidence and strength. But she could see the cracks of the facade in her eyes. She had been fighting this akuma for over an hour. Chat Noir had been fighting it too. Sort of. But his help had seemed less than helpful from what she had seen on the news… 

She could see the stress and weariness in Ladybug’s eyes. 

When she had told Marinette she could ask for help, this had not been what she had had in mind! She had meant that Ladybug should ask for Luka’s help! He was already Viperion! Surely he would be a better choice? 

Besides, she wasn’t a hero!

But… 

Her mind flicked back to their talk from last night. She had told Marinette she could—and should—ask for help. And she had…

She had called on her. 

She needed her help. 

And she had promised Marinette she would have her back.

And she wasn’t one to break a promise. 

She reached out and took the miraculous. “You can count on me.”

                                                         ***

How did Marinette do this? 

How did Luka do this?

Her heart lurched into her throat again as she leapt off another roof. She spared a split-second glance to the side as Ladybug swung past her in a blur of scarlet and black. At least Ladybug was next to her, in case she didn’t stick the landing… 

Her heart slammed back into its proper place in her chest as she landed on the roof. But amazingly, like her last six landings, it didn’t hurt. Not even the slightest. It was like the suit absorbed all the shock. 

Well, all the physical shock. 

Because she was still a little overwhelmed by the fact that she was literally running around Paris beside her friend, wearing a magical piece of jewelry and on her way to fight a supervillain. 

To say nothing of all the- the changes the suit brought. 

Everything felt… different. 

It was like there was iron in her bones and steel in her muscles. She had never been able to run this fast or jump this high. Not even close. And she had never been able to hurl herself into the sky, only to land in a graceful roll and keep on running with the wind.  

And everything was just… Colours were brighter. Shapes were sharper. Sounds were clearer. 

And there was something… buzzing in her. Some tingling, buzzing, electric feeling that filled her to the brim. 

It was like she had been plugged into an amp. 

“This way.” 

Silently, she nodded and followed Ladybug down into the street below. 

She landed in the street with a grace that wasn’t quite her own but had slipped over her like a second skin the moment she had transformed. She had never been particularly clumsy. Not like Marinette. But there was something about wearing the miraculous… Was this what it was like for Marinette to be Ladybug? 

“M’lady!” Chat Noir was hurrying towards Ladybug, who had landed a couple of feet ahead of her. His focus was so securely trained on Ladybug, he hadn’t even seemed to notice her yet. He was already reaching for Ladybug’s hand, no doubt to try and plant another kiss on it. 

She stepped forward with a quiet cough. 

“I brought help,” Ladybug said firmly, snatching her hand back. 

He still hadn’t looked at her—his attention was still wholly on Ladybug—but she didn’t miss the sour look that crossed his face at the mention of the word help. Chat’s eyes lingered on Ladybug for far too long. But then, when he finally looked at her, his eyes flashed. And oh, wasn’t that a green-eyed monster there.

But then, something else flickered in his eyes. 

Something that looked a lot like reassurance. 

He grinned at her. 

He had obviously decided she wasn’t competition for ‘his lady’s’ affection. But given the way his grin didn’t quite reach his eyes… ‘He’s never been very enthusiastic about bringing on more people. He’s really possessive of the time we spend together.’ Marinette’s words echoed in her mind. 

“Hey there,” he said in what was obviously supposed to be a suave manner. Too bad it was ruined by, well… everything she knew. “I’m Chat Noir. And you are?” he asked as he bowed to her. 

Oh. 

Shoot. 

She hadn’t actually thought of a name yet.

“Purple Tigress,” she blurted out. 

It was a little basic. 

But she had committed. 

And at least the Tigress part was cool. 

“Purple Tigress?” Chat stared at her. And then suddenly, he was right beside her- nuzzling against her. “Me-ow! That makes us practically family!” 

Oh gross. 

She stepped back, and he stumbled. But he straightened up quickly enough to make it look like he had done it on purpose. And he was grinning at her and- had Adrien always been that short? 

Well, short wasn’t the right word. Because he was pretty tall. And yeah, she had always been taller. But…

She shook her head. That didn’t matter right now!

She turned to Ladybug as she flexed her claws. “So, what’s the plan, Ladybug?” 

                                                          ***

She was going to scream. 

It wasn’t enough that Hawkmoth couldn’t give Marinette a day. Just one day. Just one measly day to rest. No! He had to go and make a pain in the butt akuma the day after Marinette had spilled her heart out to her, sobbing over how exhausting it all was. 

But that wasn’t enough. 

No. 

Chat Noir wasn’t being even remotely helpful. 

The plan had been simple; Ladybug and Chat Noir were to distract All-Seer so that she could use her power to sneak up on the akuma and swipe the crystal lodged into his head. Normally, Ladybug—or Chat Noir—would have been able to sneak up on any old akuma just fine. But All-Seer was… well, the name was pretty self-explanatory. 

The akuma reminded her of the greek myth Luka used to tell her about Argus, what with all of the eyes covering the akuma’s body. It was those eyes that had kept Ladybug and Chat Noir on their toes and away from the akumatized object. Because no matter how sneaky anyone was, the akuma literally had eyes in the back of its head. And shoulders. And arms. And legs. And… well, everywhere basically. 

Add in the fact that the akuma was ten feet tall, with an arm span to match… it wasn’t exactly helping matters… 

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and narrowed her eyes at the action below.

Ladybug was trying to catch All-Seer’s arms in her yoyo to give her a better chance at getting in close and getting the crystal, where the akuma was hidden. But All-Seer was making it hard for Ladybug; she had to keep dodging his blows and attempts to grab her or knock her off her feet. And every time she swung her yoyo, All-Seer saw it coming. No matter which direction it was coming from.

 And Chat… Chat wasn’t even following the plan despite multiple snapped prompts to do so. 

Chat was supposed to be attacking All-Seer from behind. The akuma would still be able to see him. But the plan was to keep All-Seer’s attention as split as possible, to give her as many opportunities as possible to steal the crystal. But he kept sidling closer to Ladybug—likely to keep up his constant stream of flirting—even as she moved away to try and keep them on opposite sides of the akuma. 

Her grip on the overhang tightened. Chips of stone dropped onto the awning far below her as her claws dug into the stone of the overhang she was hiding under. 

There was nothing that would bring her more pleasure than to go down there and smack the grins off of All-Seer and Chat Noir’s faces. 

But Ladybug had told her to remain out of sight until it was time; she hadn’t wanted All-Seer to have any idea there was a third hero hanging around. So she grit her teeth and dug her claws in a little deeper. 

And she watched. 

And waited.

Ready to pounce.  

Ladybug ducked out of reach of All-Seer. She watched as her friend rolled under a car abandoned haphazardly on the street and came up on the other side of it. Ladybug jumped onto the roof of the car and sprang up in the air, lashing her yoyo with lightning-quick speed. 

It was enough to catch All-Seer off guard. 

The yoyo wrapped around one of the akuma’s wrists. Ladybug sprang back and ran around a lamppost, using it as an anchor to help hold the akuma’s arm. 

“Chat! His arm!”

All he had to do was keep All-Seer’s other arm occupied, and it would be easy-

Chat lunged. And she watched as the plan fell to pieces in front of her. 

“I’ve got this one, m’lady,” Chat called and then added with a smirk sent about two feet to her left, “Tigress. Cataclysm!” 

Chat leapt for the crystal and was promptly snatched out of the air by All-Seer. All-Seer swung Chat like a club. In his flailing, Chat reached out to grab something and caught hold of a car. Which promptly turned to dust under his touch. Chat did managed to sink his claws into the akuma's hand; All-Seer yowled in pain and fury as he hurled Chat into the air. She grit her teeth as she watched Chat sail through the sky before disappearing far out of sight. 

The eyes on All-Seer’s back narrowed in her direction, and she pulled herself further up into the crevice under the overhang. 

“Tigress? Where is this so-called Tigress?” All-Seer bellowed. 

She heaved a deep but quiet sigh of relief. If he was asking where she was, then that meant he hadn’t seen her yet. 

“Hey! All-Seer! Forgotten about me already?” 

“On the contrary, bug. I just wanted to squash two pests with one fist!” 

Something crashed, and the sound was quickly followed by a yelp that had to have come from Ladybug.  

It seemed now was going to have to be her opening, whether she liked it or not. Because there was no way she was leaving Ladybug to deal with the akuma on her own. 

“Camouflage,” she whispered. As soon as the command left her lips, her body tingled with what she was quickly learning was the feeling of magic. The tingling was gone almost as fast as it had appeared, and when she blinked up at her hands clinging to the overhang, she couldn’t see anything. 

She grinned, then peeked out from under the overhang. 

“Where’s your little friend, Ladybug?” All-Seer crooned as the eyes on his body swivelled in every direction, looking for her as he tried to pull Ladybug off her feet. Watching him was making her a little nauseous. 

All the more reason to finish this fight. 

She let go of her hold on the overhang. She was in a free fall. Racing towards the ground so far below. 

Her heart was in her throat again. 

But the wind ripping past her, flowing through her hair was… exhilarating. 

She twisted midair, angling her body towards the side of the building whose underhang she had hidden under. Not hidden. Waited. Her claws caught against the stone, slowing her descent into a controlled fall. Halfway down, she kicked her legs up and used them to push off the building and down towards the centre of the street where Ladybug was fighting All-Seer. She loosened her bolas from around her waist as she hurtled toward the ground. 

She landed in a roll, and as soon as she was upright, she flung her bolas. They became visible again as soon as they left her grasp. But that was still too late for All-Seer. 

The akuma howled in rage as her bolas wrapped themselves around his legs, binding them together. He teetered almost, overbalancing, but managed to stay upright. Barely.  

“Where are you?” All-Seer roared as he swatted blindly with his one free arm. She ducked and rolled out of the way of an errant strike. 

“Right in front of you,” she snarked from behind him. She vaulted over his arm as he swung it in the direction her voice had come from, catching a flash of Ladybug’s smirk as she kicked off of All-Seer’s arm. She twisted in midair to land in a crouch beside him. He wavered, almost toppling over, but he managed to keep his balance. 

“Tigress, I need my lucky charm!” 

“Got it!” 

Ladybug released All-Seer’s arm from her yoyo. The akuma tried to make a grab for Ladybug, but she was ready for him. She leapt into the air and came down hard on the giant hand reaching out for her friend. All-Seer yowled in pain as she dug her heels in on her landing. He tried to swipe at her, to grab her. But she was too fast. 

And it was next to impossible to catch a moving target that was invisible. 

She evaded his other hand easily, leaping to handspring off his shoulder, shoving him forward as she pushed off of him. 

Forget how Luka did it. How had she done that? 

It had to be the suit. 

Which was a shame. 

She could get used to doing stuff like this. 

All-Seer stumbled forward and fell flat on his face, unable to stay upright with his feet still caught in her bolas. Somewhere out of sight, she heard Ladybug summoning her lucky charm. A flash of red light shone from behind a car as the akuma shouted, angrily ripping the bolas from his ankles. He began to swing them as he stalked towards the car.

They came dangerously close to Ladybug’s hiding spot.

But she was not going to let him get to her.  

“Hey! Four eyes!” Maybe not the most original—or accurate—insult, but it would do. “Over here!” she sang, kicking his knee out from under him before ducking and rolling to the side. “Nope! On your left!” It would be his left. If he was facing the opposite direction. “Behind you! Over here!” She grabbed onto his swinging arm and slashed her claws across the back of his hand. 

She bit back the pang of guilt. Yes, he was a civilian, but right now, he was an akuma that could do a lot of damage given the chance. And she hadn’t scratched him too deeply. Only enough to make him drop her bolas. 

He yowled as he stumbled, shaking his hand violently. Enough so to dislodge her. 

But a tigress was a cat. 

 She landed on her feet behind him. 

He swung again, and she dove to the ground, sliding far out of his reach. A flash of scarlet caught her eye. Ladybug was holding a chisel in her hand, her gaze darting around wildly. It seemed to lock onto the crystal attached to the top of the akuma’s head. Then to her yoyo. Then to her bolas. But then her gaze kept darting around. Like she was looking for something she couldn’t-

She dove towards All-Seer, tucking into a roll as she hit the ground. She grabbed her bolas and tossed them to land at Ladybug’s feet. 

“Ready when you are, Ladybug!” she shouted as she scrambled out from under the enraged akuma. 

Ladybug’s eyes darted around again, likely trying to determine which direction her voice had come from. Her miraculous beeped. Three minutes left. It was about time they wrapped this up. She saw the hesitation in Ladybug’s eyes for a millisecond. But then confidence settled onto her face. 

Confidence and-

“Tigress, go high!” 

Ladybug hurled the chisel high up into the air, then snatched up the bolas with her suddenly free hand. She heard the familiar zip of Ladybug’s yoyo whizzing through the air as well as what sounded like a whip cracking. Her bolas, probably. But she didn’t have time to stop and look. 

Ladybug had trusted her to catch the lucky charm. 

And she was going to catch it. 

She trained her eyes on the chisel as she darted through the street, trying to track its path through the air. Her gaze followed it towards-

She sprinted forward, dodging the yoyo and bolas as Ladybug whipped that at the akuma’s feet to keep him on his toes. She shoved the akuma. Not enough to topple him. But enough to send him off balance. All-Seer windmilled his arms to try and catch his fall as he pitched back, which gave Ladybug the perfect opening to catch his arms in the yoyo and bolas. 

With the akuma restrained, he made the perfect springboard. 

She leapt onto All-Seer’s shoulders and tensed every coiled, steel muscle in her legs. And then pushed off hard. She could hear Ladybug grunting with the effort of restraining the akuma. She just had to hold on a little longer… 

She snatched the chisel and twisted in the air before plummeting back towards the akuma. All-Seer grunted and staggered as she landed on his shoulder. Gripping the chisel with both hands, she brought it down hard on the crystal. 

It shattered, and a black butterfly fluttered out. 

The familliar zip of the yoyo split the air. All-Seer's muscles rippled under her feet. 

"This isn't over!"

She dove off All-Seer’s shoulder as his hand, no longer trapped by the yoyo, closed around the air she had just been occupying. As she rolled out of All-Seer’s reach, she caught sight of Ladybug swinging her yoyo towards the butterfly. 

“No more evil-doing for you!” Ladybug cried as she caught the akuma. A moment later, a silver butterfly flew away. But the akuma-

Right. The Lucky charm. 

“Ladybug!” Ladybug’s head snapped in her direction. “Catch!” She tossed the chisel to Ladybug—which turned visible the moment it left her hand—who caught it easily. The next thing she knew, the miracle cure ladybugs were swarming through the air in a wave of glittering light. 

                                                              ***

“I’m sorry, again… for Chat…” 

“You don’t have to apologize; he’s the one that made the fuss.” She frowned at the memory of the sour and disgruntled look that had crossed Chat’s face when he had returned, only to realize she and Ladybug had already dealt with All-Seer. He had been even more disgruntled when she and Ladybug had made a quick exit, prompted by a beep from her bracelet. 

“Still-“

“You have nothing to apologize for.” 

Ladybug looked like she wanted to protest. But then seemed to change her mind and smiled at her instead. “Come on, this way,” she said before leaping off the side of the roof they were standing on. 

They landed in an alley a few blocks from where the Liberty was moored. Once they had checked to make sure the coast was clear, she let her transformation drop. 

The steel that had infused itself into her muscles was gone, as were the heightened senses. But that something that she couldn’t quite put a name to was still there. Fainter, like it had faded to nothing more than background noise. But she could feel it was still there. 

“You were amazing!” Roarr—the kwami, because apparently, that was why they were called—well, roared as she flew into her face to nuzzle her cheek. 

“Thanks,” she mumbled, trying to fight down the heat in her cheeks. 

“None of that! You’re a tigress! Don’t you forget it!” 

“That’s enough, Roarr,” Ladybug chuckled, motioning for the kwami to return to the bracelet. She watched as Ladybug tucked the bracelet into a little box she pulled from her yoyo- it was the same box the miraculous had been in when she first asked her to don it. By the time Ladybug was tucking the box back into her yoyo, she couldn’t help but frown “But Roarr’s right. You- what’s wrong?” 

“Nothing,” she stared to say but thought better of it when she saw the way Ladybug’s face crumpled in concern. She didn’t want her to think Chat had gotten to her or anything like that. “It’s just… you seem… you seem shorter than usual. I mean shorter than I remember you being. From when you’ve helped me before,” she rushed to correct herself. “I guess I just didn’t notice it earlier. With the akuma and all-“ she broke off as Ladybug began to chuckle. 

“I’m not shorter. You’re standing up straight.” 

“What?” 

“You aren’t slouching.”

What? She glanced down at herself. She still looked the same but… she shifted her shoulders, and sure enough, they weren’t hunched the way they normally were…  

“It’s nice to see.” She blinked in surprise, but Ladybug just smiled at her before adding, “You really did do an incredible job today. We- I couldn’t have done it without you.” 

“No problem. It was nice to have a chance to actually do something. Instead of just running or hiding. Or being Hawkmoth’s puppet.”

“Shadowmoth, actually.”

“What?”

“He’s calling himself Shadowmoth now. I guess, when he started using the peafowl-“

“Shadowmoth? You have got to be kidding me!” Ladybug blinked at her in surprise. No doubt she hadn’t been expecting her outburst, but… “That has got to be the lamest and most cliché villain name I’ve ever heard! And that isn’t even a kind of butterfly! Or Moth!” 

Ladybug blinked at her again, and heat started to flood her cheeks. But then Ladybug snorted. They both jumped at the sound, Ladybug’s eyes widening as if she hadn’t expected herself to make that noise. The next thing she knew, her friend was bent over double, howling with laughter. 

It was nice to see. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Ladybug wheezed as she wiped at a stray tear. “It’s just… I haven’t laughed like that in a really long time. I needed that.” 

“Glad I could help,” she chuckled. 

“Then, if I need you again… can I call on you?” 

She smiled. “Anytime. I’ve got your back, Ladybug.”

                                                       ***

“Juleka, I need your help again.” 

Two days. 

That was all Shadowmoth had given Marinette since the last akuma fight. 

Two measly days. 

Didn’t he have anything better to do than terrorize Paris and try to beat up teenagers for magic jewelry?

Of course, he didn’t. 

He was Shadowmoth.

If she ever got her hands on him…

“Let’s do it.”

                                                      ***

She wove around the knight’s blows and strikes, dodging with the inhuman grace her miraculous granted her. She kicked the knight in the head, her boot clanging against his helmet as he crumpled to the ground. She whirled, spinning her bolas above her head, and lashed them at another oncoming knight. The weights at the end shattered the sword before the knight could even fully raise it. She ducked and swiped to knock his feet out from under him. 

She hadn’t had a chance to ask why D’argentcourt had been akumatized again. But she was just glad that this time, she wasn’t one of the ones waving a sword. Although, she would be a lot happier if there wasn’t an akuma in the first place. This was the sixth one in ten days. 

And Shadowmoth had seemed to catch on that Ladybug was calling in Purple Tigress on the regular now. Ever since her second akuma battle, he had been giving all of his akumas brainwashing abilities. Chat seemed to think three was a crowd, but Shadowmoth seemed to be under the impression ‘the more the merrier.’ 

She twisted and turned through the onslaught of approaching civilians turned knights. And Chat Noir. He was somewhere in the midst of them. But it was impossible to tell him apart, given the minute the beam of light had hit him, his suit—and thankfully his miraculous—had disappeared into the armour.

She had to bite back a groan at the thought. He hadn’t even needed to jump in front of Ladybug! She had already been swinging out of the path of the beam of light intended to put her under the akuma’s spell. It would have flown harmlessly under feet. 

It would have. 

If he hadn’t needlessly thrown himself in its path. And made himself part of the problem. 

She grabbed two of the knights, clashing their helmets against each other as she went. She tried to soften their fall as they crumpled to the ground, likely unconscious. They were just civilians. They had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. It wasn’t their fault they were attacking her and Ladybug. 

But it wasn’t like she could exactly let them keep attacking. 

She fought her way through the crowd of civilians turned mindless knights. Ladybug’s yoyo was a red blur as she swung it, striking knights down and keeping the rest at bay. She grabbed the shoulders of two knights that were approaching Ladybug from behind and vaulted over them, pushing them to the ground as she leapt over them. She landed behind Ladybug and immediately turned so they were back to back. 

They flowed and danced around each other, blocking incoming blows and dealing out strikes of their own as they covered each other’s backs. 

“Any idea where he went?” she asked as she cracked her bola, using it to shatter more swords. 

“I think he’s heading towards the-on your left!” She slashed her claws, forcing the knight that had tried to get the jump on her back. “I think he was heading towards the tower.”

“Why do they always head for the tower?” she grumbled. “You would think it was the only place in this city- Duck!” She felt Ladybug drop to the ground behind her. She loosed her bolas and swung them in a wide arc around the two of them to force the knights back. She didn’t have as much range as Ladybug’s yoyo, but the weights at the end of her bolas were heavier and dealt more damage per blow. “I am so over swords,” she groaned as another one was swung her way. 

“You and me both,” Ladybug grunted from behind her. 

They needed to get out of here before they were completely overwhelmed.  

They were out in the middle of the Jardin des Plantes. And surrounded by a sea of brainwashed civilians in shining—and in some cases dented—armour. There was no way to sneak away. Not unless she used her power. But that would leave Ladybug in a lurch. And Ladybug’s yoyo had a long range, but there was nowhere for it to latch onto for her to swing them to relative safety. 

She struck another knight down, muttering an apology under her breath for the umpteenth time. She knew they would have no memory of it and that any damage inflicted would be cured by the miraculous cure. But it still…

“We need to-“ 

Whatever Ladybug had been saying was lost as a thunderous roar ripped through the air. It was so loud, the force of it almost knocked her off her feet. Against her better judgment, she slapped her hands to cover her ears. Thankfully, the civilian knights seemed just as pained by the sound. Many were clutching their hands over their helmets.

“What was-“ A dark shadow flew overhead. She craned her head to look up. “You have got to be kidding me!” She had signed up to fight Darkblade. She had not signed up to fight a dragon. 

Somewhere, the Universe had to be laughing at her. She just knew it.  

“It must be a sentimonster!” Ladybug shouted over the clattering of metal as the knights, having recovered from the roar, were starting to collect their dropped swords and advance. “We need to get out of here and find some cover!” 

The dragon swerved in the sky, banking back to fly towards them.

“Just tell me when!” 

The dragon opened its mouth-

“Now.” 

The dragon bellowed another roar, so deep and forceful, she felt it in her chest. 

Around them, many of the knights dropped their weapons as the roar reverberated through their armour. Shadowmoth obviously hadn’t been thinking of acoustics when he sent out the sentimonster; the knights’ armour was catching and echoing the sound like bells. It had to be more than unpleasant for the poor, brainwashed civilians. 

But it was a perfect distraction for her and Ladybug. 

They began fighting their way through the crowd. She cut a path with her claws and bolas as Ladybug stuck to her back, swinging her yoyo as a shield to cover their retreat. The dragon was still flying overhead, but every time it opened its maw, Ladybug struck it with her yoyo. Around them, the knights were beginning to recover now that the dragon wasn’t roaring.; they moved as a mass, trying to block their way. 

And to separate them. 

There was no way she was going to let the knights separate them. 

They moved as a unit. But their progress was slow; fighting through the crowd of akuma minions was far from effortless. For every knight that went down it seemed three more joined the mob. And having the dragon looming overhead was hardly helping. 

Sweat beaded on her forehead. Her arms were heavy, even with her enhanced strength, and her lungs were beginning to burn. They were still so far from the buildings- Ladybug couldn’t latch onto any to swing them to safety from here… 

She grit her teeth. They had come this far. She was not giving up. Not when Ladybug needed her. 

But this wasn’t working-

“Tigress,” Ladybug muttered under her breath, just loud enough for her to hear over the din of clattering metal and a whizzing yoyo and beating of wings. “How good is your aim?” 

Her aim? She cast a quick glance over her shoulder. Ladybug’s gaze was pointed skywards, and she suddenly understood. 

“Just tell me when.” 

“Throw on three. Then cover me, and be ready to grab on.”

“Got it.” 

“One.”

She slashed at an oncoming sword, cleaving it in two with her claws as she spun her bolas with her other hand. 

“Two.”

She kicked hard against a knight’s chest plate, sending him clattering back into another group of knights. The group fell like dominos. Her bolas were a whizzing blur in her hand, gaining momentum with every rotation.  

“Three! To your right!” 

She feinted left, dodging an oncoming attack and whirled to the right. Her eyes locked onto her target. With all her might, her muscles screaming in protest, she hurled her bolas into the air as the dragon’s jaws unhinged. She didn’t watch to see if her aim had been true. She dropped to sweep the legs out from under more knights as Ladybug lined up her shot. 

The dragon’s shadow was streaking and swerving erratically. As Ladybug watched and waited for her opening, she slashed her claws at any knight who dared approach. 

She heard the yoyo whiz through the air-

“Tigress!” 

She delivered a final, roundhouse kick to a knight, then turned. Ladybug was already being lifted off the ground, her yoyo securely wrapped around the dragon above them, with her hand outstretched. She jumped and clasped her hand around Ladybug’s as the dragon carried them off. 

                                                          ***

She sank deeper into the sofa cushion, her cheeks burning. Around her, her friends gasped and chattered as they watched the replay of the live footage from the battle earlier that day. One of the news helicopters had managed to get footage of her and Ladybug fighting their way through the knights-

“That was so cool!” Kim crowed. “Did you guys see that? How Tigress just threw her rope thingy, and bam! She got it on the first try!”

“Yeah, we’re all watching this, Kim,” Alix scoffed, rolling her eyes. “But it was pretty wicked," she added as the screen showed a replay of the bolas clamping the dragon's jaw shut. 

“Very impressive indeed,” Max agreed off-handedly as he continued to putter away on his tablet. 

The screen cut to a video of her and Ladybug riding the dragon towards the tower. 

“That must have been so scary!” Rose gasped around the hands covering her mouth as the screen showed Purple Tigress snapping the keychain that had been clasped around the dragon’s neck. Ladybug snatched the feather out of the air with her yoyo as she launched herself toward the tower from the dragon’s back as it dissolved in mid-flight. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Mylène chewing anxiously on her nails. “But where did Purple Tigress go? Did anyone see her make it onto the tower?”

She leaned further back into the cushions, trying to hide her smile. It wasn’t like she could go and tell Mylène what had happened…

“No- Wait! What was-“

“Dudes!” Nino brought his hands up to clutch his head, eyes glued to the screen as the video showed Tigress dropping down behind Darkblade from the shadows. 

She couldn’t help but allow herself a small smile.

In the moment, it had felt so seamless, fighting beside Ladybug. They had found their rhythm easily. They had found it during the fight with All-Seer, and it had only grown stronger and more fluid the more she fought by her friend’s side.

Watching the fight, it was almost like a dance in a way. The way they pushed and pulled and flowed around each other, covering while the other struck or ducked. They had been on the same wavelength. They had needed so few words to know what had to be done and what the other needed of them. 

“Look at how she turned invisible!”

“That doesn’t make sense, Kim. How can we look at her when she goes invisible?” 

“You know what I mean.”

“She- watch!”

Her friends watched with rapt attention, gasping and crying out as they watched the battle unfold. By the time the footage got to the point she had broken the sabre the akuma had hidden in, her cheeks were on fire. She sank even lower into her seat as the others carried on about how cool the new hero was and how awesome she had been. They had no idea the hero they were so engrossed with was sitting right next to them. 

It was kind of impossible not to smile.  

Especially when Marinette, who was looking more rested these days, chimed in her agreement in a bright, bubbly voice. “Purple Tigress is amazing!”

She pretended not to notice the way Marinette glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. 

“I wonder if I’ll be able to get an interview with her…” Alya mused. “That would definitely boost my ratings.” 

“She's so cool,” Rose squealed, latching onto Ivan's arm as she jumped in her seat. Ivan nodded in agreement. 

“She and Ladybug work really well together too,” Mylène added. Her comment was met with more chatter of agreement.

“By our calculations,” Max said, “Ladybug’s efficiency in dealing with akumas has increased significantly since bringing in Tigress.”

“Yes! ” Markov added cheerily. “On average, Tigress’s involvement reduces the time spent battling an akuma by nearly thirty-six percent!”

“I definitely need to get an interview with her.”

The only one who didn’t seem impressed was Adrien. Which was unsurprising. He was looking put out and, if you looked, downright annoyed. He was still agreeing with the others. But his words were half-hearted and mumbled without an ounce of sincerity. 

But for once, it seemed their friends weren’t paying much attention to him. They were too engrossed in Ladybug and Purple Tigress fist bumping as they steadied D’argentcourt to keep him from falling to notice the sour look on Adrien’s face. 

“Shouldn’t we start rehearsing now?” Adrien asked, that note of sourness creeping into his voice as the others continued to sing Purple Tigress's praises.  

                                                        ***

She had always found Mr. Banana annoying. What with his obnoxious earworm of a jingle, that stupid catchphrase of his—he was a banana! Not a peach! Yes, they were both fruits but still!—and the garish costume with the soulless eyes… Maybe annoying wasn’t a strong enough word for her feelings for the fruit mart mascot… 

But whatever he was, he was infinitely worse as an akuma. 

It was like his annoyance factor had been dialled up by a hundred! And to add insult to injury, it felt like Shadowmoth wasn’t even trying with this one. At least, not in the costume department. Although maybe that was a blessing given some of the more recent akumas… 

The only difference in Mr. Banana’s akumatized form—because Shadowmoth hadn’t even bothered to give him an akuma name— was that his eyebrows were cartoonishly downturned, and there was an exaggerated frown on his face. 

Oh yeah, and there was the sceptre that shot beams of light that brought fruit to life. 

“Fruit shall reign supreme!” 

She grabbed a giant strawberry as it tried to punch her and pulled it off its leafy feet. The beam of light Mr. Banana had shot toward her struck the strawberry. But given he had already brought the berry to life, it didn’t do anything. She hurled the humanoid strawberry towards the akuma and twisted out of a peach’s oncoming attack. 

She skidded to a stop and took a breath as she took stock of the situation. 

It was pure, fruity chaos. 

Muffled screams filled the air, coming from the giant cantaloupes the size of cars that Mr. Banana had trapped civilians in. She had already freed some of them, but the fruits Mr. Banana had brought to life—or at least semi-life because really, they were just giant zombie fruits—continued to mob her and the rest of the team. She had no choice but to focus on them 

She grit her teeth as she slid under a pineapple. They may have been brainless fruits, but there were a lot of them. It had been just their luck the grocery store nearby had just gotten a shipment of produce in… She snapped her bolas at an apple; the weights smashed through the fruit, and the spell on it broke. A normal-sized apple—that was halfway to applesauce now— dropped to the ground. She turned and pounced on a watermelon, raking her claws across it. It also hit the ground, sliced to bits. 

Slash. 

Punch. 

Kick. 

Swipe. 

Strike. 

Dodge. 

Repeat. 

Her bolas were moving so fast they were nothing but a blur as she slashed with the claws of her other hand. A shadow crossed in front of her, and she turned just in time to duck under a mango. It sprayed juice everywhere as she struck it with her bolas before it dropped to the ground in the ever-growing pile of fruit at her feet. 

 For mindless minion fruit, the fruit around her wisely backed up a step as she flexed her claws. She had already made fruit salad, and she wasn’t opposed to making more. Keeping her bolas swinging, she turned in a tight circle to check on her teammates. 

Chat was nowhere to be seen. He was probably still recharging, having run in headfirst without thinking and wasted his cataclysm escaping from the canteloupe Mr. banana had trapped him in. Ladybug was perched on top of a tree, dodging beams of light as she tried to catch Mr. Banana with her yoyo. 

Her eyes narrowed on Viperion. 

He was perfectly able to hold his own. Of course, he was. He had been a hero longer than she had. And he was smart. Perfectly capable. And despite being more of a strategist than a fighter, he wasn’t bad in hand-to-hand combat. 

But they were all being overrun, and his lyre wasn’t serving him well. It gave him no way to protect his back the ways her bolas and Ladybug’s yoyo did. It didn’t offer him much range either unless he threw it, which would leave him empty-handed. 

And it seemed a banana had caught on to that. 

Oh no. 

She was already moving, tearing her way through the crowd of fruit, swinging her bolas and slashing her claws at any fruit too brainless to get back. 

The only one who messed with her brother was her. 

And that went doubly so for supervillains and evil, magic fruit. 

What was her life?

“Viperion! Duck!” Thankfully, her brother listened to her. He dropped to the ground, just in time for her fist to sail through the air. Her hand sank into the over-ripe fruit. It flashed a bright yellow, then dropped to the ground to join the rest of the fallen fruit. “Gross,” she muttered, shaking banana slime off her hand. 

“Thanks.” 

“No problem,” she said, turning so they were back to back. 

She lost track of time as they deflected blows and kept the attacking fruit at bay. But they just kept coming. They were vastly outnumbered, and Viperion hadn’t had a chance to set his power yet. She glanced over the mob of fruit and caught sight of Ladybug sailing towards them. Her mouth was set in a tight, determined grimace, and her hand was outstretched. Like she was ready to grab…

She swung her bolas far and wide, being careful not to hit Viperion. The fruit had no choice but to back up or be made into a smoothie.  

“Viperion, put your foot in my hand. When I get to three, jump.” 

“What-“ he glanced back over his shoulder, and his eyes flashed. “But what about you?” 

“You take priority. We’re going to need second chance. Besides, I can get out of here easy,” she grunted as she whipped her bolas towards a mango that had tried to step into the area she had cleared for them. “They can’t attack me if they can’t see. Now do it.” She whirled and clasped her hands. He put his foot in them, bracing himself against her shoulders. 

“Viperion! Tigress!”

“Three!” She yelled, hurling him up with all her strength. “Camouflage!” She leapt over an apple as her power washed over her. She landed on top of a honeydew and paused, just long enough to look up. Ladybug had caught Viperion and was swinging away. They both cast a glance back at where she had been, blue and green eyes searching. But of course, they wouldn’t be able to see her. 

But Ladybug didn’t look worried. She knew she could handle herself. 

With a smirk, she turned her attention back to the fruit. She slashed her claws across the honeydew, leaping off it like a springboard, and began making her way out of the crowd of fruit that was blindly looking for something they couldn’t see. 

                                                        ***

“Pound it!” She exchanged smiles with Viperion and Ladybug as the four of them bumped fists. Chat smiled too. But his didn’t reach his eyes. And there was a sour note to it too. Apparently, he had seen Ladybug swing onto a roof with her arms around Viperion and his arms around her, and he hadn’t been all too happy about that. Never mind the fact that they had had to hold onto each other so she wouldn’t accidentally drop him… 

He also seemed put out at not being beside Ladybug in their loose little circle. She hadn’t missed the look he had given Viperion. Or her, for that matter. 

“You did a great job!” Ladybug smiled. It was a general statement, but her blue eyes were trained directly on her. 

“Yeah,” Viperion agreed quietly. “And thanks again, you really saved my skin out there.” 

She shrugged. “No problem. Just doing my job.” 

Chat sniffed at that. “Yeah,” he muttered. 

“Well, we couldn’t have done it without you. Either of you,” Ladybug said with another bright smile. She didn’t miss the pink tinge in Ladybug’s cheeks as her eyes darted to Viperion. 

                                                         ***

“I meant what I said earlier. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

She smiled as she passed the miraculous back to Ladybug. “Like I said, it’s no big deal. I was just doing my job.”

“Maybe,” Ladybug hummed thoughtfully, looking down at the panjas bracelet before looking back up at her. “But having someone I can rely on… it’s a big deal to me.”

[screaming-for-eternally]

“...In One Grave.”

Skin. Blue as the sky skin. Cayde had a list of things he knew would likely never happen: Zavala getting that stick out of his ass, War Beasts learning to fly, and him getting flesh back. Of course, none of these things had come true, even the last one. As real as that skin felt, it wasn’t really his skin. The other presence in his head, who was understandably panicked at suddenly being shoved out of the driver’s seat, indicated as much.  “Hey man, I know this is a new and horrifying experience for you, but freaking out isn’t going to help.” “Oh I’m sorry, I forgot it was common courtesy to remain completely calm while my body gets stolen. My bad.” “Hey come on, that’s not fair, I didn’t steal your body...on purpose...I think.” Well it was true. One moment, he was lying near death on the floor of that prison, the next he, was here, in the body of the man who fucking killed him-. No no no. That wouldn’t do. This...this wasn’t Uldren. Had his face, but it wasn’t him. Having said that, he would fault him for not getting rid of that emo fringe but he’d worry about that later. For now though... “Crow...are you alright?” And that would be the kid’s Ghost. “You’ve been sitting there for a while.”  “I’m fine Sundan-Err I mean.” Cayde started, but caught himself. No you idiot, it’s not Sundance. This is Crow’s Ghost, and Sundance was in thousands of pieces because he was a damned idiot who thought he was invincible.  “Glint. His name is Glint. Just thought you should know.” “Oh, well, thanks.” “I’m fine Glint...just...tired that’s all.” Glint gave him a look that said he wasn’t fully convinced, but the lil’ guy seemed content to let it go for now.  “Alright...who are you...and why are you stealing my body?” Well...crap. Had to throw him that curveball, did he? Well, he sure wasn’t gonna say “Oh I’m the guy your previous incarnation killed.” Luckily Cayde was always...alright at lying or bluffing his way out of these situations at the very least. “Love’d to tell you buddy, but spoiler alerts you know. And only a real jerk spoils something for someone else.”  “I’m not getting an answer from you am I?” “Not telling you who I am, but I’ll give you my name. It’s Cayde by the way.” “Brilliant. Well nice to meet you Cayde. Could you at least give me my body back? Please tell me you can do that?” “I think I can do that. Just need to, relax. I’m good at that. But you gotta promise me one thing. Get rid of that stupid emo haircut.” Crow sighed. “Of course, not only do I get possessed, it’s by an insufferable jackass. Can’t ever catch a break, can I?” “Relax, I’m joking with ya. Anyways, I’ll try to make it up to you bird brain. How does some ramen sound?”  “Sounds nice, I suppose. Just, don’t call me bird brain again, alright.” Yep, this sure was gonna be something. ______ Shoutout to @echosong971. Love her “Cayde haunts Crow” thing and decided to try my hand at it.