#so glad to see I’m not the only one who’s fallen hopelessly in love with Ted Lasso

[ridingtedlassosjetskimustache]

Fighting the urge to write a Ted x Reader neighbors au and losing

[a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all]

A Picture's Worth 1000 Words (Alt. POV Rick Flag Rewrite)

Fandom: DC, The Suicide Squad, Rick Flag

Summary: It was an accident, something you were never supposed to see. But when you had asked to borrow his notes, it never crossed Rick's mind what else was in that notebook...

Word Count: 2733

TW: Fluff, Love Confession

Original Drabble

For Rick, briefing days were the worst. Not only did Waller always start them off by droning on for an hour about all their recent mistakes before ever getting to their latest assignment, but it was time he could be spending with you. Sure, you were sitting a few seats over from him, but it felt like a million miles away when he couldn’t talk to you, couldn’t make jokes about Waller’s latest fashion catastrophe, couldn’t make snide comments about her finding fault in everything they did on the mission. But today it seems it didn’t really matter anyway.

You were usually so on top of your game, so it was surprising to see you had actually let yourself nod off in the middle of the meeting. However, as much as you had been running yourself ragged these past few weeks, he was glad you were getting some rest. But still, Rick wondered if he should try and wake you up. If Waller saw you, there would be hell to pay. So, reluctantly, Rick took his pen and lightly poked you in the back of the head. You shifted slightly but didn’t wake up. He tried again, but then winced when the pen became entangled in your hair. But when he let it go and it stuck, his concern quickly shifted to glee.

Years ago after a particularly boring meeting, Rick had fallen asleep just to wake up to his normal American flag baseball cap replaced with one that read “I’m with stupid” with an arrow pointing down. It had taken close to an hour after the meeting (and a bunch of snickering and pointing in the halls) for him to realize it. He had sworn revenge, but you proposed an alternative. If either of them fell asleep during a briefing, they would become free game to mess with. It not only gave them more of a motive to stay awake in the long monotonous meetings, but it allowed the other person to have a little fun. So, instead of finishing your reports, the two of you spent the afternoon detailing a long list of rules and limits. And since then, the game had been on.

So, Rick quickly dug through the bag that he brought to the debriefs just for opportunities like this. Pulling out a handful of pens, Rick spent the next five minutes strategically sliding the pens into your hair. When he was finished, he sat back with a wide grin. You looked like his high school art teacher with five or six pens sticking out of your head at random angles. He was just about to take out his phone and slyly try to take a picture when you shifted in your seat, giving him a better view of your face.

Rick felt his heart leap in his chest as he drank in the view before him. You had been his best friend, his partner, his confidant, for years. But more than that, you had been his most well-kept secret. After only a month or two of knowing you, he had fallen hopelessly and helplessly in love. Sure, there had been an immediate physical attraction. You were exactly his type, and while you were beautiful and sexy, it was obvious you were oblivious to this fact which somehow made you even more attractive. But soon, those feelings of lust and desire morphed into something else.

As Rick really got to know you, he saw the amazing person you were beyond the physical. How you were so intelligent but not a know-it-all, how you were funny but never in a cruel way, how you could flip between a hardened soldier and compassionate friend in seconds, and how you would do anything to protect those who you cared about no matter the personal cost to you. You were everything he had ever imagined in a romantic partner and more. However, you were his work partner, his best friend. And as much as he longed for more, there was no way in hell he would ever risk what he had with you by trying to make a move.

So, he resigned himself to stolen glances and his notebooks. As much as his father had influenced and encouraged his militaristic side growing up, his mother had encouraged his artistic side. Pens, notepads, charcoal, paints. These were his birthday and Christmas presents every year. And he embraced it wholeheartedly. His art provided him a release from the horrors he experienced in the military, and even though he never shared it with anyone (except a few violent ones he showed you of the things he would do to Waller if ever given the chance), he still drew every chance he got. And lately, all he could draw was you. He knew it was weird, maybe even borderline creepy, but he couldn’t stop himself. You would look at him a certain way or the light would hit you just so, and he couldn’t help it.

Just like now. Because you had shifted in your chair, you were now facing him more directly. And you looked so peaceful. It was a look he hadn’t seen on your face in a really long time, and he knew he had to capture the moment. So, he grabbed his pencil out of his bag and began to draw.

His eyes kept flickering back and forth from you to the page. He wanted to capture each and every detail with as much precision as possible. The way your lips were parted just ever so slightly, and the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of your mouth. How your impossibly long eyelashes quivered slightly against your skin in your sleep. And your neck… It was extended to one side, baring its perfect, smooth skin to the world. And as he began to sketch it, his hand began to tremble. What would it feel like to kiss your neck, gently and tenderly? To feel your pulse beating beneath his lips as they trailed across your skin? Would you like him nibbling on your jaw, your ear? And the way your breath would catch just before his mouth crashed against your perfect, full lips. How your hands would gather in his hair while he-

Rick had to press the tip of his pencil painfully against his thigh to snap him back to reality. He had been so close to releasing a loud, needy moan right in the middle of the debrief. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, he returned to the sketch. His hand began to fly across the page. Normally, a sketch like this could take an hour or more, but within thirty minutes, he was staring at your perfect likeness on his page (minus the pens in your hair). And he softly smiled down at it.

That smile turned into a full-on grin as moments later, he watched you stir and sit up. You felt the extra weight in your hair immediately and turned to glare at him. Rick stifled a laugh and just shrugged. He knew it was best to avoid your fury immediately, so as soon as Waller finished the meeting moments later, he bolted through the back door of the auditorium.

He hurried back to his office and dumped his bag on the floor next to the desk. He pulled out his notebook and quickly reviewed the notes from today's meeting about the mission they would be leaving on in two days. Same old life and death stuff. But just as he was about to close the notebook, his eyes caught his sketch once again. He trailed his finger down your cheek and closed it with a smile. Then he hurried out of the office and headed to the cafeteria.

Just as he reached the double doors, he was attacked by a handful of pens to the face. He grinned as he turned to face you. “Hey, serves you right. You know the rules. Anyone who falls asleep durin’ a briefing is free game to mess with.”

Your face was fuming with anger, but Rick could tell it was mostly for show. “Yeah, but could you have been more obvious! If I hadn’t been sitting behind Nanaue, Waller would have noticed in seconds!”

Rick shrugged, “I don’t make the rules, I just follow them.”

“No, you and I did make the rules! It’s our game, you jackass.” You punched him in the arm but there was no real force behind it. Rick had felt what one of your real punches felt like and this was in no way that. Thankfully. “However, to make it up to me, can I borrow your notes? I obviously missed everything she said in there.”

Rick’s stomach growled and he glanced back into the cafeteria, not really giving your request a second thought. “Sure, but I already dropped my notebook back in my office. I can get it for you after lunch.”

“Do you mind if I just go get them now? I’m not really hungry and I want to get caught up in case Waller wants to discuss it more later.”

Rick shrugged again as he headed into the cafeteria. Of course, you would want to work through lunch. But he didn’t. And if he didn’t hurry, Economos would take the last burrito. “Whatever works for you. It should just be layin’ on top of my desk.”

Hurrying inside, Rick cursed loudly as he watched Economos grab the last burrito just as expected. The other man shot Rick a smug grin as he moved along to pay. Every week this happens! One of these days the cafeteria would actually make enough of the food people wanted to eat. Reluctantly, Rick grabbed a plate of soggy-looking tacos and an energy drink. Once he paid, he went and sat at a table alone. Normally, he would be eating with you but since you weren’t here, he preferred eating by himself. Not that he had anything against the office team per say, but he knew about the bets that they made every time the squad left for a mission and it kind of ticked him off.

But as he took his first big bite of taco, Harcourt called over to him. “Hey, Flag. Where’s your partner? I need to talk to her.”

“Not ‘ere.” Rick said through a mouthful of food.

Harcourt rolled her eyes. “I can see that. But where is she?”

Rick swallowed then said, “She went to get my notebook from my office. Just go talk to her after lunch.”

Harcourt kept talking about needing a report or some shit, but Rick tuned her out. He was just raising his taco back to his lips when a thought occurred to him that made his blood run cold. He bolted up from the table, spilling the remains of his lunch all over himself, and took off at full speed towards his office. He could hear Harcourt and Economos calling after him but he ignored them.

How could he be so stupid! He had given you permission to look in his notebook. The notebook filled with pages and pages of sketches of you. Oh God! If you saw them, if you realized how he felt…. Rick started running faster.

The second he reached his office door, he burst through it yelling, “No! Wait!”

Rick stood there, chest heaving and eyes wide, as he took in the open notebook in your hands and the shocked expression on your face. He didn’t know where to look. You. The notebook. You. The notebook. Finally, he nervously looked at you. This was never how you were supposed to find out about his feelings for you. Finding a drawing while he stood there, sweaty, out of breath, and covered in soggy tacos. But it seemed like this was how things were going to play out.

Holding up the page with today’s sketch, you asked in a hushed tone, “What is this, Rick?”

“It’s nothing,” he muttered. He hurried over to you and tried taking the book from your grasp, but you dodged out of the way, retreating farther into his office.

Clinging protectively to the notebook, you said, “This isn’t nothing. This is……I’ve never even imagined I could look like this…But-but why did you draw it? Why like that?”

Rick took another few steps towards you, silently begging you to not dig deeper into this. “Just drop it, okay? I was bored and I just wanted to draw something. I saw you asleep and….”

“And what? Rick, why did you draw me looking so…so beautiful?”

The awe and wonder in your voice stabbed at his heart. How could you not see that’s how you looked? How could this accurate representation of you come as such a shock? Why was it so hard for you to see the amazing person you really were? But, Rick couldn’t tell you any of that. Instead, he shrugged and somehow managed to mutter the words, “I just drew what I saw.”

He watched your face waver for a second before a look of realization passed over it. Quickly, you began flipping through the pages of the notebook, scouring every page for more sketches. NO! Rick dove for the book, trying desperately to pry it from your grasp before you got to the end. But he was too late. As he saw you turn to the first page of drawings, his body deflated. It was over. Any hope he had of talking his way out of this was now gone. You would know how he felt and everything would change. He wouldn’t be surprised if you asked for a transfer.

Rick stared intensely at the floor, jaw clenched tightly, willing himself not to show you how much this rejection was going to hurt him. But then, he heard you approaching him. Your shoes slowly appeared in his line of sight as you stood mere centimeters away from him. He looked up cautiously, glancing at your face which was a mix of hesitation and fear. But just as he was about to say something, your expression changed. It was one he had seen a million times. You had steeled yourself against your fear and were about to face it head-on. Suddenly, one of your hands reached up and slid behind his neck and began pulling him into your lips.

Rick didn’t hesitate. The second he realized what you were doing, he surged into your lips. For years, he had wondered what it would be like to kiss you, and this, this, was so much better than he had ever dreamed. While never breaking contact, he circled his arms around your waist and lifted you up. He was stunned when you wrapped your legs around his hips, but he took it as a sign to continue, so he carried you over to his desk. Once you were seated carefully on top, he slid your jacket off you, running his hands down the smooth skin of your shoulders and arms as you were left in only a thin tank top.

Finally releasing the moan that had felt trapped in his chest since this morning’s meeting, Rick trailed his lips down across your jaw and then your throat. You arched into him as his hands settled on your hips and he pulled you in tighter to him, slotting you perfectly between his large thighs.

And just as his first kiss landed on your collar bone, you finally spoke up. Breathlessly, you said, “Rick, there is one thing I need to know.”

He hummed in acknowledgment praying you weren’t about to ask him to stop but preparing himself for that eventuality. But instead, he was shocked to hear you ask, “That picture you drew in the meeting today was so detailed, so beautifully sketched and shaded……How long was I asleep?”

A soft chuckle exploded from Rick’s lips still on your skin, causing you to squirm under the vibrations. Glancing up at your face, Rick teased, “Really, darlin’? That’s what you’re thinkin' about right now? Huh. Seems I’m not doing my job correctly.” He reached up and slid his hands under your tank top until they cupped your breast through your bra, running his thumbs over the thin material. You gasped as your head fell back, causing Rick to grin widely. “Let’s see if I can change that.”

[lupically]

#F40B32 | RYOMEN SUKUNA.

genre | light fluff, light angst, very faint romance undertone 

word count | 2616

warning | mention of death, mention of injury, mention of killing, decapitation 

note | i just wanted to try my hand at writing for a villain that is obviously irredeemable in a semi-realistic way.

what happens when you are irredeemable? you will fall in love anyway.

but ryomen sukuna wasn't in love with you. after all, he had killed you one too few times to claim that he was in love with you.

the first time he killed you was out of instinct. you were an intruder touching his soul the way mahito did, except you barged in without any malicious intention. he had gazed over your fallen body with mild interest then; a mere mortal, yet you emerged from thin air into his locked tight domain without dying?

the second time he killed you was a choice. he gave you not a minute to explain yourself, even though you had wasted the minute asking questions about his identity and the skull-filled area instead of giving him any valuable information about yourself. he had been fed up, he was never a man of patience, so he killed you with a wave of his hand and returned to his dull life alone on his throne.

the third time he killed you—he did not kill you. there was no third time; people liked to say the third time's charm but sukuna believed no such superstition. he killed you twice already and each time, you came back unscathed, both your body and your memories. whether he liked it or not, killing you for the third time would do neither you nor him any benefit, so he kept you alive.

you were afraid of him. he could tell, and he meant for things to be that way until he realized it served as a misfortune on his part. in order to understand this mystery—your sudden appearance into his domain, as well as your inability to leave it and his inability to kick you out—he has to gain some piece of information about you, but you were too shaken up from being murdered to talk to him at all.

sukuna's patience was reaching a breaking point and he thought about torturing it out of you, but he understood that humans are fragile, way more fragile than your typical jujutsu sorcerer. he could accidentally kill you and you would return with no scars and more unwilling to converse with him than before. then it was the waiting game all over again.

he wasn't planning on going through such a dull ordeal again, so he left you be and waited for you to calm yourself down.

the first time you talked to him, you asked him a question.

"are you going to kill me?" you asked him.

sukuna peered down at you from his throne. small, frightened, curled into a ball with no desire to touch the skeletons at his feet, but you looked up at him out of politeness.

he scoffed, displeased. "no, but i always can."

the second time you talked to him, it was to exchange a brief introduction.

"ryomen sukuna," he hummed curtly then he nudged his chin toward you. "your turn."

you shuffled up to your knees and sat down on your heels. your fingers fidgetted at your lap as you timidly peered up at his tattooed, disinterested expression.

"[full name]," you said with a nod, unable to meet his eyes. "nice–nice to meet you, sukuna-san..."

the third time you talked to him, you flinched.

"ma–may i ask you two questions... if i can...?" you asked, for the first time standing up to face him directly.

sukuna leaned away from his propped-up arm. after taking a better look at you, accessing your figure analytically despite having seen you move around slowly for days already, he shoved his hands into the sleeves of his robe and he suddenly jumped down from his throne to stand before you.

you pursed your lips nervously over his looming figure, face heating up with terrible anxiety while your eyes darted down to the watery ground. oh, his presence has been so overwhelmingly deadly that you forgot your white tennis shoes were stained red and your pastel ankle socks remained wet. you did not dare to complain, not even in your head.

"i'll allow it," he said.

"where am i?" you quickly asked.

"an innate domain," he replied.

you have questions, but you decided not to ask. you only nodded after breathing out a soft sigh to calm your nerves. this man constantly sounded condescending, he was kicking open your comfort zone without actively doing anything that would make you uncomfortable.

"okay..." you said, "thank you."

"aren't you going to ask me another question?" he stated with a raise of his brow. "you wanted to ask me two questions."

you gulped, blinking hopelessly at the air as a grimace appeared on your face. "the first question was if i can ask you two questions, and the second one is about where i am... so that makes two."

oh, a meticulously cautious one, and somewhat humorous too he would give you that. sukuna scoffed loudly, but it was less out of annoyance and more out of disbelief of your incredible dullness. however, as plain as you were, he has grown accustomed to your presence; the scent of fear that bounced off of you and the fact that he cannot kill you at will.

"you must be dying to know what this place is, are you not, you brat?" sukuna asked.

when he saw the flashes in your eyes, he knew he had you down through and through. all you were was but someone who was too afraid to say what they want, which was just as he expected from you. you wouldn't cause him trouble, you never could.

reaching his hand out of his sleeve, he stayed silent despite seeing the way you flinched with your eyes shut at his raised hand. his movement had been slow, but that was an involuntary response, an instinct that he didn't craft into you. he wondered what it was.

"you can ask me three more questions," he said as he pushed the heel of his palm against the curve of your head. he was gentle at first, then he clamped his hand down on your head as he bent his waist to meet your eyes. he laughed. "i'll allow it."

he could keep you here. he has no choice but to keep you here, and he would kill you once he realized he has the ability to. but for now, perhaps he could act a little civil, something like a human being but one that people would hate to the core.

except he was met with a little obstacle in the way, which was that you were no bad company.

the first time sukuna gained a liking toward you was when you asked him a peculiar question.

"sukuna-san," you called one time when there was only silence within the innate domain.

you sat on a bed of skulls, one that you tentatively asked the king of curses to make you so you wouldn't have to lean on the rib-cage structure and sit in water for slumber.

he denied it at first. calling you names and threatening you about ever requesting something from him—a bed in his domain? fucking atrocious. but your insomnia was killing you; you hated the blood water and your neck burned whenever you wake up having it arched at the worst angle possible.

he did not grow soft. he just made one so he didn't have to watch you sleep in his peripheral vision.

"hmm."

"why do you think curses exist?"

he raised a brow at you. "did i not teach you that before?"

"you did, sorry," you nodded, "then do you believe in god?"

"where the fuck is this coming from, you brat?"

"from where i came, god is good. but from what i am seeing, whether from where i came from or here, everything goes against that value," you muttered loudly as you pulled at your fingers. "cursed spirits harm people. if i can argue that way, i think cursed spirits are harmful within themselves."

"if god is good, and god is real, why would this happen," you said. "why should we feel negative emotions? why do we have the ability to create cursed spirits? why do curses like you exist?"

he furrowed his brows in irritation. have you reduced him to mere curses? have you reduced him to nothing but a brainless being that only takes joy in the suffering of others? no matter how he approached your words, he felt infuriated that you could minimize his importance to simply being a bad person.

he was much more than a bad person, much more than just a pain! he has ideals, he has goals and ambitions, he has wit and strength! he has anger and malevolence and power beyond which your soul could ever contain and endure! he was ryomen sukuna, the strongest curse in a thousand years and more!

he will fucking kill you.

"i'm really glad you're here, though," you finished off softly, an unknowing smile on your face as you rubbed your thumbs weakly together.

he will kill you.

"for a long time, i was told my anger and hatred aren't real. that they don't and should not exist, and i learned to bury them to the ground so they never appear on the surface again," you said, your innocent smile audible to his ears and making his chest twitch with guilt.

"cursed spirits' existence is proof that my negative emotions are real. they may be a problem, but i am not crazy for having them because they're here. they became something, they're here and alive."

he will... he will kill you.

"i just think it's unfair to put the blame on cursed spirits and cursed energy alone when the society's standard guarantees the manifestation of them," you said. "if my anger got out to the world in the form of a monster and it hurt someone, i'll forgive it. i will forgive myself."

he...

"you don't need to hear this, i wish i had your confidence, but i have to say it," you looked up and smiled at him, "i'm a little glad you're here, sukuna-san."

he will kill–he will ki–

the second time, he went stoic.

mahito was too smart for his own good. the first thing he noticed when he entered the soul within yuji's body was the way sukuna has the collar of your shirt clutched in his hand and your body pulled close to his side. it was a glance, he had one small glimpse of you both before he was kicked out of the domain.

your face was riddled with tears—crying, disappointed, and frustrated, but why? for the transfigured human whose name mahito almost forgot, or because sukuna just had one of the most sadistic outbursts you have ever witnessed.

and sukuna, the king, the lord, the almighty—didn't he look annoyed. well, not annoyed, per se. angry, mad, overwhelmed, knowing, protective. very, very, very protective; glowing eyes that glared at mahito's patched up face, fingers that gripped at your shirt so tightly he could rip the fabric apart, an aura that was ready to spit any moment if mahito so much as reach a finger toward your direction.

you meant something to ryomen sukuna. mahito realized that, so the second time he entered the innate domain, he killed you.

right before his eyes, with a cunning and triumphant smile, your neck cracked and your skin broke, and mahito tore your head off just before he was once again beat out of the domain.

sukuna tried to heal you. he tried to seal your head back to your lifeless body, time and time again pushing your decapitated head against your haphazardly cut neck. but his reverse curse technique wasn't healing you. your skin refused to piece itself back together, you refused to come back to him. time passed and he was getting mad, he was going batshit crazy trying to force himself out of this body.

bastard! bastard! bastard! he was supposed to kill you! he was supposed to be the one to kill you! he would murder that patch-faced piece of shit! he would kill mahito! and he would destroy the whole world, light it on fire and kill all that wasn't worthy of his time! he would jump universes, light-years, the bloodstream of the galaxy to find you and bring you back to him. he would—

"sukuna-san, i'm sorry i took a while! i thought you were fighting–holy shit, is that me?"

the third time, sukuna admitted to himself.

"what kind of flowers do you like, sukuna-san?" you asked, voice drowsy and your legs dangling after you climbed on one of the bones of the rib-cage structure.

"why does it matter?" he asked from his throne, eyeing you carefully.

your were a clumsy idiot. you could fall anytime.

"it doesn't, but it's flowers," you mumbled with your chin leaning against the bone, eyes threatening to close. "sukuna... sukuna..."

"what?" he snapped.

"i like lilies, the red ones," you said with a silly grin. "will you visit me when i die? sukuna... will you bring... mmm... bring red lilies..."

he looked ahead. your death; your grave, decorated with red lilies, protected and preserved with his curses. your death—he gritted his teeth. he refused to think about it. it was a waste of time.

or maybe he simply hated the idea of your death.

sukuna has not gone soft. he was irredeemable; a killer, a curse, a tragedy to descend upon mankind. he was not good and he never would be, nor did he ever have the intention to be good.

still, from you, there was proof that he could be more. what was left of his being; his anger and his torture, what was left within the gaps of his hell, the rare softness that once was there, belonged to you now.

you were the vessel that pocketed all that he could potentially become if he wasn't born to be ryomen sukuna, a version of him that you have witnessed. within you, there was proof that he did not only exist to hurt people, but also to validate madness and pain, to acknowledge passion in its murderous wakefulness. within you, there was proof that within himself, there are pieces of what it means to be human and alive.

hearing your soft breath, sukuna looked up to find you asleep with your head against the bone. your arms barely supported your weight and you were threatening to fall off as you dozed with faint snores. he stared at you, his fingers twitching, then he finally waved his hand so he could bring you away from the ribcage and to where he sat.

he paid no mind to subtlety when he set you on his lap. his hand supported your back while he kept your head pressed against his shoulder. his other arm went around your body, preventing you from falling off the throne made only for him to sit on. when he was done adjusting to the new sitting position, he relaxed.

brushing the hair away from your face, he stared down at you with disinterest, but his heart pumped and pumped for you to be warm and well, his arms tightened for you to sleep soundly.

"i will bring you all the red lilies you want," he whispered, the back of his finger gliding past your soft cheek. you did not smell like fear when you fall asleep, you did not smell like fear now even when you looked at him. "i will allow myself that."

after all, ryomen sukuna was only fond of you. very, very fond of you. 

[jerzwriter]

Kind of our first Valentine's Day...

Book: Open Heart (Book 2)

Pairing: Tobias Carrick x F!MC (Casey MacTavish)

Rating: Teen

Category: Fluff

Summary: What do on Valentine's Day when you're madly in love for the first time in your life? Madly in love with your best friend who you've promised to stay "just friends" with. What do you do when you've fallen hopelessly for the man you promised to never fall for again? The man who is the first person you want to call when you're happy, sad, scared, or... anything. But you just can't take that step? What do they do?

Warnings: None – unless you have an aversion to alpacas. 🦙🦙🦙

A/N: This story takes place the February following the chemical attack, during Casey's first year of residency. For those unfamiliar with their backstory, they met in late summer last year. An instant attraction led to a brief, whirlwind romance until he bungled it big time. They broke up, and Casey swore she'd never speak to him again. ("Take One" Masterlist) Then, the attack happened, and after he helped save her and the others, she forgave him, and they agreed to become friends... even though he knew he wanted more (A New Chapter), he promised not to pursue it.

A/N 2: Tobias’s two best friends, Kerry Chadwick and Sasha Carlson, as well as his mother, Vivian Carrick, are in this fiction. You can find information about them here.

A/N 2: Participating in @choicesfebruary2022challenge - Day 25, Llamas as well as @choicesmonthlychallenge To Be or Not To Be Valentine's Event - even though this is open-ended, I think it has to be a "to be" 💖 ENJOY THE FLUFF!

“Casey! Casey!” Tobias jogged carefully along the snow-patched sidewalk as he attempted to catch up to his friend on a freezing Boston night.

Casey broke into a broad smile at the sound of his voice. She tried to conceal it as she turned to greet him, but it was a fruitless battle.

“Hey there!" She beamed as he approached her. "What are you doing outside tonight? It's freezing!"

“I could ask you the same thing," he grinned, the light in his eyes sparking a warmth she hadn't expected to feel.

“I’m heading home. I just left Donahue’s.”

Casey had only recently returned her residency at Edenbrook; the emotional scars of the attack a little over four months earlier had necessitated a leave. Tobias's support led to a flourishing friendship during that time. Her return to work meant they hadn't seen each other as much, the perils of two busy doctors working in two different hospitals. While they both missed their time together, they didn't articulate that well... for different reasons that they themselves didn't fully understand.

“Why didn’t you text me? You know I would have given you a lift home. It’s late, and it’s freezing.”

“Yeah, and what do you think I do every other night when I leave work? Hitch a ride with my fairy godmother?"

He bit his tongue to prevent the first thought from coming to his mind. She could call him every night—he'd find a way to be there for her no matter what—but he was trying his best to hide his feelings for her, so he edited—something he had become proficient at.

“Well, can you text me on the coldest nights, at least? It would make me feel better knowing you're not freeing out here."

“Sure,” she smiled, both knowing she probably wouldn't follow through. “What are you doing in my neck of the woods anyway?”

“This may come as a shock to you, MacTavish, but I've been known to visit Donahue’s on a few occasions before I met you."

"But The Puddingstone is your usual watering hole. Isn't that where the Kenmore ilk hang out?”

“So, what you're saying is... you're not happy to see me?”

She playfully poked his chest, and even under layers of protective winter down, her touch impacted him more than he anticipated.

"Of course I am."

“Well, I'm glad I caught you. I wanted to talk to you about our bowling plans Thursday night….”

“Oh, do you have to cancel?” She interrupted, almost too eagerly.

“Uh, no, but I wound up having Saturday off after all... so if you still have the day free...”

“I thought you were covering for Derek so he could spend Valentine’s Day with his girlfriend.”

“Yeah,” Tobias rubbed the back of his neck, “the thing is, she's not his girlfriend anymore.”

“Ouch!”

“Yeah, she sort of spending Valentine's Day with his ex-buddy Jorge.”

“Double ouch!”

“Exactly, so he asked if he could have the shift back. He wants to forget about the day altogether."

“Well," she nodded. "That's quite understandable.”

“Yeah, and since we're both off now, I thought we could spend the day together, you know," he nudged her shoulder. "Like old times."

“Old times? I’ve barely been back to work a month," she laughed.

“I know…” he hesitated, “but I miss our Saturdays together. And it’s Valentine’s Day, and even though we’re just friends, there are all these awesome deals around town for couples. As far as I can see, there is no rule about what kind of couple you have to be. We're two people, that's a couple, so... we'd be idiots to turn down the discounts. What do you say?"

“Oh... it's not that I don't want to...." she sputtered.

“Hey, look," He jumped in, desperate to ward off any potential rejection that might be coming his way. "If you feel weird about it, that's fine."

“No! No. It’s not that it’s just... I sort of already have plans on Saturday.”

“Oh,” he said, trying to hide his disappointment as he felt his stomach sink.

“It's not a date or anything like that," she offered nervously. "It's just... sort of embarrassing."

“OK, now you have to tell me! Come on, what is it, kid?”

“Fine! But you can’t make fun of me!”

Tobias's eyes gleamed in the moonlight as that sardonic smirk she secretly adored appeared on his lips. "Oh, come on, you know me better than that. I make no promises. Fess up... you're going to some kinky sex club, aren't you?"

“What?!” She smacked his arm, “No!! Of course not! Tobias!!!"

As her protests increased, so did his laughter and he was biting his cheek to stop when he continued.

“Then, it can't be that bad. What is it?"

“I was going to spend the day alone because, besides Sienna, I didn't think anyone would want to do this..."

"You're stalling!”

“Shut up!" She smacked his arm again. "I’m going to an alpaca farm. OK?"

“Ah! Llamas?”

“Alpaccas.”

“Same thing.”

“They are not the same thing! But at least you’re not making fun of me.”

“Hey,” he shrugged, “everyone has their own kinks, MacTavish. I’ll admit, yours is a little weird, but you do you.”

“It’s not a kink, you jerk,” she laughed.

"So...why llamas?”

“ALPACAS.”

“SAME THING.”

She let out an exasperated sigh. “I just love alpacas, OK? Growing up, I used to play with them at a farm by my grandparents. They're very loving, and being around them just calms me down. I can sit and rub their soft fur for hours!"

"Hey," he chuckled, pointing to his neatly cropped hair. “I’m always willing to help you out in a pinch."

“Stop,” she giggled. "I just found out that I can get to Harvard Alpaca’s by taking one train and a fairly inexpensive Uber, so I thought, what better way to spend a Valentine's Day alone? But,” she hesitated, “if you'd like to join me?"

“At the llam...” he halted upon seeing her icy glare. "At the alpaca farm? You won't mind sharing your furry friends with me?.”

“I think you'll find I’m very generous.”

“Then I’d love to spend Valentine’s Day with the alpacas... and you. I'll even drive us.”

“You caught me! I’m using you for your car.”

“Good, then use me for it now because I'm freezing. Let's get you home."

They walked to his car together; the familiar sounds of their chatter punctuated with laughter filled the night air. Neither could hide their delight because Valentine's Day was Saturday and while they didn't have a date... they had a date.

_____

Tobias picked Casey up bright and early, handing her a piping hot cup of coffee as soon as she sat in the passenger's seat.

“Perfect!” She beamed. “This will warm me up quickly.”

“Yeah, did you have to pick one of the coldest days of the year to visit a farm?"

“Farmers work year-round, you know. Besides, once you’re snuggled up next to an alpaca or two, you’ll be plenty warm.”

Between the laughter and the banter, the forty-five-minute ride passed by in a flash and Tobias marveled at the bucolic setting, replete with a requisite dark red barn, such a short distance from Boston.

“Have you been here before?” he asked.

“Nope, I just found out about it. This is my first time.”

“Then I'm happy I get to share it with you."

His voice was softer than usual, not an ounce of sarcasm present. Casey felt fluttering in her stomach as she longed to take his hand. "Yeah," she smiled bashfully, "me too.”

The owner of the farm greeted them and confirmed Casey's reservation.

“Reservation?” Tobias marveled.

“Yes, this is by reservation only. It’s just you, me, and the alpacas.”

“Well, now I really feel special," he snorted, wondering if she knew just how endearing she was.

"Well... you are," she assured, with a smile that gave him butterflies of his own.

Casey ran like a giddy child when they arrived on the field, and Tobias's heart flipped seeing her so happy, so alive. It was hard to believe that she was just a shell of herself... mere months before... and he was delighted to see that time was now in the past. But he'd be lying to himself if he thought she was the only one who had changed. If anyone had told him a year before he'd be spending Valentine's Day at an alpaca farm, pining for a woman he loved from afar, enduring the longest ‘dry spell’ of his adult life when there were many who would have loved to spend the night keeping him warm, he would have told them they were out of his mind. But here he was, and there was no place else he wanted to be.

The cuddly animals were now only yards away, and a small coffee-colored one was rushing over to an overjoyed Casey.

“Now, what exactly are we supposed to do with these llamas?”

“Tobias,” she scolded, “stop! They’ll hear you!”

“And what are they going to do? Spit at me?”

“No, that would be llamas,” Casey teased. “Have you ever been on a farm, any type of farm, Tobias?”

“I can’t say that I have,” he said, sitting next to her on the frozen grass.

“Well, thank you for indulging me," she smiled, already hugging her alpaca friend. "I'm really glad you came with me.”

He wondered if she noticed how he looked at her like there wasn't a single thing more precious in this world. "For you, kid?" he smiled. “Anything."

The rest of the afternoon was spent snuggling and frolicking with the adorable creatures; even Tobias got in on it. They had lost track of how many pictures they had taken, dozens of Instagram moments. Casey posted a picture, and once he saw that she did, Tobias eagerly followed suit, but neither knew what a firestorm that would set off.

Tobias's best friend Kerry was comfortable reading on her couch back in DC when the notification arrived. Her eyes bulging wide, she immediately dialed their friend Sasha.

“Were you aware of this?” she demanded before Sasha even said hello.

“I was about to call you!" Sasha replied. "I didn't know a thing!”

“Is it a date?" Kerry wondered. "I mean, it’s Valentine’s Day, and I don’t see anyone else in the pictures… unless we’re counting the alpacas?”

“I’m still trying to wrap myself around the fact that Tobias is on an alpaca farm…and it doesn't appear like he is being held against his will.”

“I know,” Kerry gushed, “and he looks… happy.”

“That man is in love," Sasha insisted. "And while I don't know her, you can't tell me she doesn't have a look going on there, too!"

“She does, right!" Kerry enthused. "But if they had a date, why didn't he tell us? That idiot better not screw this up!"

“I think he's learned a lot recently," Sasha grinned. "Our tutelage has done wonders for him. He should be fine.”

“Hold a sec,” Kerry said. “I have another call coming in.”

She looked at the phone with a dramatic eye roll.

"It’s Vivian, Sash. She had to see the pictures. Do you mind if I bring her on?”

“PLEASE!" Sasha insisted. "PLEASE do.”

“Vivian?”

But Mrs. Carrick had no time to mince words. “Kerry Nicole Chadwick. Have you been on Instagram today?”

“I most certainly have," she sang.

“Were you aware of this situation? Tell me you did not have prior knowledge and that you kept it from me!"

Kerry lifted her coffee to her lips, giggling like a teenager.

“I knew Tobias likes her. I mean, he really, really likes her… but I had no idea about this.”

“Do you know how many times my son has posted pictures of a woman on social media since he has hit puberty, Kerry? Zero. It's never occurred.”

“Nope, it hasn't," Sasha injected. "He insisted it would lower his chances of scoring elsewhere. A bad look for him."

“Sasha, is that you?”

“Sure is, Vivian.”

“Well, how are you, dear?”

“I'm enjoying the tea as much as you are!” Sasha cackled.

“Right!” Kerry exclaimed, placing a hand over her heart. "I don't want to get my hopes up too much, but our eternal man-child may finally be growing up! I think I'm going to cry."

“Dear Lord, how do you think I feel? I may actually live to see grandchildren.”

“Well, let’s not put the cart before the horse,” Sasha laughed. “We're not even sure this is a date."

"Sasha!" Vivian scolded. "Can we go back to he has never done this before? Now... do you think we should comment on the post? I want to comment on the post.”

“NO!!!!" Kerry blurted. "We have to act cautiously! We don't want to do anything to screw this up!”

“You’re right!” Vivian agreed, “The stars have aligned, and we can’t take any chances. Now, I’m hanging up. I’ll see you on the Gram... God knows I'll be watching it closely all day!”

_____

The reaction was slightly more subdued back in Boston, but only slightly.

“Do you seriously think?” Sienna gasped as they gathered around her phone at the nurses' station.

“Are you kidding me?” Bryce asked. “Even the llama is giving them the side-eye.”

“It’s an alpaca, meathead," Jackie scolded. "and since when are alpaca's relationship experts?”

“Well, they’re not,” Sienna shrugged, “but… look at the way Casey’s looking at him?”

“The alpaca?” Bryce asked.

The two women turned and looked at him with disdain, Jackie throwing up her hands.

“I don’t even know why we allow you to be seen with us,” she said. "But in my opinion, it’s time to start the pool.”

“Oh, for sure," Bryce insisted.

“Can I get in on the action?” Maureen asked from across the station.

“Maureen!" Sienna was astonished. "How do you know about this?"

“How do I know? Dr. Carrick has been the lothario of the Boston medical scene for over a decade. No one's ever seen him post a picture with a woman on Instagram. He had an image to uphold! Now, he's on an alpaca farm? That alone is an act of God, but beaming at Dr. MacTavish like that? On Valentine's Day? This is already the talk of every hospital on the Atlantic seaboard."

"You can just hear hearts breaking from Maine to DC," Nurse Sarah laughed.

"Some might even say through Miami," Maureen agreed.

“All right, we need to mitigate! I want to keep this betting pool small,” Bryce admonished. "Sarah, Maur, you can be in on this... but do not speak of it to anyone else. Understood?”

“Loud and clear!" Naveen interjected. "Now, how much are we putting in?”

_____

It was already dark on their drive home, and Tobias didn’t have the luxury of conversation to help keep him awake. He peeked over at Casey, passed out with her head resting against the car window... snoring just a little bit. His face lit up like he was a smitten teenager. Everything she did was adorable to him, and, deep down, he hoped this was one of those things he found endearing now, but one day, when they were an old couple with a lifetime behind him, maybe his cranky old self would complain that her snoring kept him awake. He laughed at the thought, then said a little prayer that it would come true.

They were only a few blocks from her place when she woke up with a stretch and a yawn.

“We’re, we’re already here?” She asked.

“Yep.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You were out cold," he shrugged. "I figured you needed the rest.”

“Well, thank you,” she said as he pulled in front of her building. "I guess I did."

“Wait,” he said when she began to unbuckle her seatbelt. "Let me pull into that spot up ahead, and then I can walk you to the door.”

Casey’s heart pounded as he walked around the car and opened the door. There was only one thing on her mind.... how stupid she was to agree to no more "kissing with no strings attached.” Because right now, that's all she wanted.

“My lady,” he quipped as he opened the door, offering his hand in an exaggerated manner. But Casey quickly took it and didn't let it go. They walked the short distance to her house in silence, and she turned to him when they arrived far sooner than she wished.

“Well, I guess this is goodnight,” she smiled, her blue eyes sparkling brighter than he had ever seen. Roaming her face, his eyes landed on her lips, then he forced himself to look away.

“Yeah... it’s been… it’s been an incredible day, Casey.”

“It has,” she beamed. “So... you like alpacas?”

“Yes,” he chuckled, “I liked alpacas. But most of all... I like being with you.”

Biting her lower lip she managed a smile. "That's my favorite part, too."

They stared at each other until Casey's nerves got the better of her. She turned her head but quickly looked back, slowly leaning forward into his arms. He was sure she'd be able to feel his heart racing as he pulled her close, lingering in a tight embrace neither wanted to end... then she pulled away.

“Thank you, Tobias. For a perfect day.”

“Thank you, princess,” he whispered, placing a tender kiss atop her head. “We’ll talk soon?”

“Of course,” she answered sheepishly. "Good night, T.”

“Good night,” he said, not taking his eyes off of her until she was inside the door, where he lingered before walking back to his car with a smile.

It was a great day, he thought, but he had to disagree with Casey... it wasn't a perfect day, but it was awfully close.

(And these two idiots don't think they're in love... pfft.) lol

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[crimsonophelia]

hello basil!!! i’m the anon that sent the original request of reader being a big dumb dumb and accidentally mailing their love letters to childe in liyue—i personally just wanted to tell you that i absolutely LOVED what you wrote and that i’m so happy and grateful you did my request justice. keep up the good work!!!

if you wouldn’t mind, could i request for a hurt/comfort angst with kaeya and a gn reader? the reader is a fellow knight of favonius that regularly gets dunked on by their friends for their crush on the cavalry captain—but every time their friends insist they confess to him, they joke that “sure, i’ll tell him when i die.” and then they actually nearly die.

while on a mission with kaeya, something terrible happens that seemingly pushes the reader to the brink of death. they’re in his arms and convinced they’re about to die, so with their “dying” breath, they tell kaeya that they’re in love with him before the world goes black.

but then they wake up. 👁 (you know the drill—what happens next is completely up to you!!!)

featuring: kaeya x gn!reader

warnings: good ol' angst, some descriptions of blood, lots of typos lol

published: may 27, 2021

form: imagine

a/n: hi anon!! i'm glad you liked that imagine www and thank you for sending me ideas again! you know how much i love angst and kaeya lol~ also please forgive me for making it so long, i tried to challenge my writing abilities a bit more.

You came into this mission knowing that it would be quite a bit more difficult than the ones you typically took on. You were merely a B-rank knight, working on your certification to reach A-rank status, which definitely was not an easy feat. Yet the open commission to investigate a newly-uncovered set of ruins in Dadaupa Gorge was requiring one more member of the dual-member expedition team. When you saw who had occupied the first position for the mission, you threw caution to the wind and signed your name for position two, despite the mission being ranked A-level, at the very least. The occupied position? Filled by none other than Kaeya Alberich, captain of the Knights of Favonius cavalry, S-rank soldier and swordsman, and your former mentor. Who also happened to be the man you had hopelessly fallen for. 

The mission was assigned by the headquarters of the Knights, specifically for fully-trained Knights only, as the nature of the mission would be too dangerous for your run-of-the-mill adventurer team, and the Knights did not want to be held accountable for any potential casualties or injuries as a result of a mission gone wrong. You and Kaeya had been assigned to go investigate a newly-uncovered set of ruins in the Whispering Woods, supposedly already showing signs of being an Abyss rendezvous point. Apparently, the team of archaeologists who uncovered the ancient rocks from behind a thicket of trees had had many difficulties even making it back to the city of Mondstadt alive. You were frightened, no doubt about it, but you also knew that this was your chance. Your chance to prove yourself and your capability as a knight. Back in your training days before you took the certification exam to become a knight, you were Kaeya’s favorite pupil, a star student. Also possessing a Cryo vision, like the captain himself, certainly did not hurt your reputation in his eyes. Now, having taken on and excelled at countless dangerous B-rank missions, you felt confident in your ability to take on a mere A-rank mission, especially with the captain of the cavalry at your side. 

You had almost forgotten about the icy presence at your side, lost in your own daydreams of ambition. After following the paths leading out of Mondstadt, weapons and supplies ready at hand, you and Kaeya had finally made it to the edge of the Whispering Woods. It was starting to get dark, even though the two of you had left reasonably early in the day. The woods seemed so much more vast when their shadows grew longer, waning by the last seams of daylight. Faint howling moaned through the leaves (”Wolves? In the Whispering Woods?”, you thought to yourself), and you felt yourself tremble in the slightest. You couldn’t tell if it was due to the fear or the overwhelmingly strong Cryo aura that Kaeya emitted.

The tall man seemed unaffected by the ominous surrounding, forever carrying himself with an unwavering assuredness. He looked onwards, into the woods, eyes darting back and forth, exhibiting the remarkable surveying skills of a seasoned knight. 

“Well, [y/n]”, Kaeya turned to you, with that smug yet rather comforting voice of his. “Are you ready?”

Kaeya’s unshakeable confidence was rather spiriting, you had to admit. Nothing like traipsing into a wild forest, overrun with archons-know-what, with only your own wits and a cunning, distractingly handsome knight to guide you. 

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose”, you replied, trying to hide the rookie anxiety from trembling your voice. Damn it, you weren’t even a rookie. You were one of the more experienced knights in the entire Knights of Favonius. You could handle this. Plus, Kaeya has your back. In all the years you had known him, Kaeya had never dropped that rogue-ish grin off of his delicate countenance--he had the face of a prince, but marred with the implications of his mysterious eyepatch (he had never told you how he had lost that eye) and the pierce of his sly smile. It made him all so painfully attractive. 

You hate to recall the very first day you met him, the two of you only teenagers, barely adults grown into their own skin, yet he stood at the front of the training yard like the prolific swordsman he was, tan skin gleaming beneath the summer sun, hair tied behind his neck, sinewy muscles stretching as he maneuvered the sword in his hand like it was an extension of his own being. That day, you swore that you would become like Kaeya, that you would learn all you possibly could from him. That was also the day you had fallen hopelessly for the charismatic boy, though you were not aware of it just yet. 

Trudging into the forest, you made sure to clutch the weapon at your side a little tighter, wary of any potential threats that could appear in front of you at any moment. You never know how much the Abyss mages could use their magic--they are always using the spirits of Teyvat for evil. Although you had only encountered Abyss mages a small handful of times in your past B-rank missions, you already knew how perilous an interaction with any of them could be. The last time you and a partner engaged with a Pyro mage, you left the site with severe magic burns to your side, which took at least three months to fully heal. Looking at Kaeya, he appeared to be as relaxed as ever, both hands loosely tucked into his pockets, his steps led by his elegant hips. The eerie silence of the woods didn’t seem to bother him at all, a comfortable void between the both of you.

“So, captain”, you begun, doing your best to break the proverbial ice a bit, trying not to let the emptiness of the whole forest get to your head. “How have you been? It’s been a while since we last took an assignment together, I believe. 3 months already, isn’t it?”

Kaeya chuckled. “Oh, drop the formalities, [y/n].” He looked at you with his singular, unobscured eye with a teasing glance. “You’ve always known me as just Kaeya, havent you?”

Blood rushed to your face, although not entirely unwelcome, due to the chilliness of the forest. You hoped that the twilight shadows could hide your red cheeks from the man beside you.

“To answer your question, I am doing exceptionally well, thank you”, he smirked. “Although, the last time I did see you was only about a month ago, at the Windblume Ball. Not sure if you remember it all though—you were rather... intoxicated, it seemed.”

Oh, archons. You didn’t know if your face could possivly get any redder from the embarassment. The Windblume Ball was a month prior, hosted by the Knights for all citizens of Mondstadt to attend, to end the Windblume Festival with a night of wine, music, and dancing. Your group of friends within the Knights convinced you to attend along with them, though they didnt quite succeed at convincing you to finally confess your attraction to the captain of the cavalry himself. You acquiesced only on the condition that you would not have to interact with Kaeya at all that night. The anxiety was simply too much and you did not want to deal with the potential situation of seeing Kaeya in formalwear and absolutely losing your mind, let alone Kaeya seeing you dancing and drinking.

“Oh, come on, [y/n]”, your friends had whined. “If you don’t tell him now, when will you ever? He most definitely finds you attractive, as well.” Chuckling, you took a sip of the wine lrovided by the Dawn Winery. You cringed at the sourness of cheap grapes. “I’ll tell him when I’m dead.” You took another sip of the wine, but over the rim of the glass, you saw the one person you were hell-bent on avoiding.

Kaeya Alberich stood across the room, talking to one of the other knights. He was dressed to the nines, in clothing you had never seen him don before. His hair was parted neatly, his long lovelock secured by a large sapphire band. His lean, upper body was covered by a three piece suit, fitted perfectly around his narrow waist, tailcoat resting neatly by his thick, carved thighs. His pants were pressed tightly, without a wrinkle, and he had brought along his usual white fur cape, giving him the sophisticated look of a king.

In awe, you spluttered in your drink as he caught your eye from across the room, clearly noticing you were staring at him. You turned the other way, seeing that your friends were making fun of your oblivious gawking, and they now excitedly pointed behind you, mouthing the words he’s coming! You tried your best to smooth down your hair and pat down your outfit, before turning back around to see that the captain was standing in front of you, face-to-face, with his hand outstretched.

He looked even more sparklingly glamorous up close, an image of old-world elegance that you never knew him capable of portraying. You suddenly felt more drunk than any cheap wine could possibly make you. Kaeya looked at you, a gleam in his eye, and asked

“May I have this dance, [y/n]?”

The rest of the night was a blur, what with your continued consumption of alcohol, convincing yourself you needed to periodically top up your liquid courage. Kaeya had asked you for a few more dances, as far as you remembered. But from what you could recall, he was just as elegant and charismatic as you had always remembered him to be. He never made you feel out of place.

It was awful that Kaeya only seemed to remember how disgustingly drunk you were, but you were thankful at least that he didn’t seem to recall the perpetual state of flusteredness you were in that night, by his mere presence beside you, and his hands guiding yours as you both danced to the upbeat music of the band.

“Archons, I assure you that I am not the unabashed drunkard I may have seemed to be that night”, you chuckled.

Kaeya let out a hearty laugh, his voice reminding you of the sounds of the bells ringing atop the Cathedral. “Of course not, my dear”, he drawled. “I’ve met many a drunkard in my day��you are far from one; I promise.”

You and Kaeya kept on your way in this manner, making pleasant small talk to fill the silence. You didn’t dare tell him for fear of seeming a coward, but hearing his voice and reminiscing with him diminished the fright you initially felt, entering the woods and taking on this assignment. Kaeya was a master conversationalist, and diplomat too, no doubt, always knowing what to say at what time. His warm remarks and playful banter took your mind off of the imminent danger of your situation, and you didn’t notice the path you were both on narrowing. The sun had already set, and the woods were doused in an eerie darkness, and as you and Kaeya approached the vicinity of the ruins, the thickets grew denser and the tree branches hung lower. Not a sound could be heard--

Until suddenly, Kaeya stepped in front of you, blocking your path with an arm outstretched. Shit. You smelled Abyss magic. How could you have possibly missed the putrid scent of sulfur before? 

Kaeya’s grin had fallen. His attention was now beyond only you, as if trying to detect something he sensed nearby. Out of nowhere, a hum grew, louder, until an earblasting pop rang out in front of you and Kaeya, and in its place were three Pyro Abyss mages. Three. You could handle one, if you had a partner with you, but three? 

Terror ran down your spine, knowing how difficult your Cryo vision could be against a Pyro mage. Your hand unsheathed the sword at your side with blinding speed, just like you were trained, but before you could even take a step forward, Kaeya was already charging at the mages, ice blasting forth from his swordtip, smashing up against the mages’ shields.

“Aren’t ya glad I caught that, [y/n]?” Kaeya teased, sword cutting through the air and the force fields surrounding the mages, as their strained groans pierced the night air. His movements were swift and effortless; at times his movements were so fast that it looked like he teleported from one spot to the next. This was the grace, the beauty of a true prodigy. “If I hadn’t stopped you, we would’ve been roast boar by now!” 

You jumped into action, assisting Kaeya with his assaults against the mages, doing your best to dodge the onslaught of fireballs. You felt the heat of the fire magic graze your extremities more than once, counting your blessings that it was nothing critical. The way the two of you moved in unison, one complementing the other, like an avalanche of piercing ice, was a testament to the years of experience you gained in under Kaeya’s expert tutelage. One sword piercing the left, the other the right, until you both had broken down two of the Pyro mages’ shields. You had never gotten through their force fields in such rapid succession before, you thought, in awe. Swinging your sword calculatedly, whilst utilizing your vision and shooting out ice crystals, you defeated the mage, dealing a killing blow, piercing its side with your sword. You watched the creature groan out gutturally, and eventually dissipate into ash, drifting away. 

Turning around, you noticed that Kaeya had already taken care of the other mage, already breaking down the final one’s shield. He dodged each blast of Pyro magic with grace and ease, not even showing any sign of fatigue. 

“Hey, good work rookie!”, Kaeya teased, activating his ultimate Cryo weapon, sending a halo of ice crystals about his body, knocking into the mage’s shield with every swing.

You huffed. “I’m not a rookie”, you called back, joining him in his siege upon the last enemy. Exhaustion was quickly catching up to you, although you tried to hide it. You couldn’t let Kaeya down. 

Over and over, the pair of you banged upon the force field with your swords, with more difficulty than any of the previous mages. This one was different, somewhat stronger. The grass surrounding the two of you was already lit up in flames, licking at your ankles. If you even so much as tripped, the heat would probably damage you more than a fireball could. 

“Watch out, rookie”, Kaeya yelled in your directions, trying to be heard above the cackling of the mage and the raging flames, already beginning to catch onto the trees nearby. The night was filled with a reddish glow--hellish and suffocating. “I think it’s about to activate it’s ultimate.”

The cackling grew louder, as you worked yourself into a frenzy, shooting more and more ice crystals, trying to break it’s force field. Three, dragon-like heads began to emerge around where the mage floated. Fuck. The fire-breathers were out. You had only ever fought a Pyro mage that could use fire-breathers once before--that also happened to be the instance that caused you to be an invalid for several months, healing from a deep flesh burn. But Kaeya was here this time. Things would be okay, right?

You could tell Kaeya was growing panicked as well, his swings becoming a bit more hurried and erratic. You didn’t know, but he was deathly worried about you. He had no idea how experienced you were with dodging the fire-breathers, and he knew he had to make quick work of the blasted mage before things could escalate, Archons forbid you get hurt. Kaeya activated his ultimate once more, and, finally, the mage’s shield broke. 

You heaved a sigh of relief, closing in on the Pyro mage. Kaeya’s strength and incredible reliability in battle did not fail to impress you, even beyond just the prowess he had demonstrated as a trainee and a mentor. You finally activated your own ultimate, summoning a boulder made of hard ice. Approaching the mage as you saw it struggle to get up off the ground, the ice in your boulder began to form, and you willed it to hurl towards the mage, intending to finish it off. Finally, you would show Kaeya your true strength, your capability. He could depend on you. Hell, you were his star student. Even if you were afraid to tell him about how he had stolen your heart, you could at least show him that the time and effort he had dedicated to you wasn’t for naught. 

The seconds slowed down, as the blinding white ice made its way through the air, aimed straight at the pathetic mage, groveling in the dirt. But beyond the ice, was something even brighter, not making its way to the mage; no, it was headed straight at you. A fireball. 

You felt an excruciating pain on your left side, right below your ribcage. A scream in the distance--the mage? No; it was Kaeya’s voice. The white-hot pain blinded you, as you felt your back make contact with the hard ground beneath you. Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit. Archons, what will Kaeya think? 

Vaguely willing your arm to press into your side to assess the damage, you felt warm, sticky liquid pooling on your waist. Lifting a hand, you saw it drenched in crimson blood, dark in the moonlight. You heard another scream again nearby, this time coming from the guttural squeaks you knew was the mage, the dying cries of a pitiful monster. At once, a pair of arms lifted you from the ground, supporting your head. What a damned disappointment you were. 

“[y/n]! [Y/N]! DAMMIT!” You had never heard Kaeya this worked up before. The pain of hearing the panic in his voice was also tinged with a selfish gladness that he cared, that Kaeya Alberich gave a damn if you died. Because, in that moment, you were certain you would die.

Straining out a chuckle, your chest racked up a wet cough, sticky blood now staining the edges of your lips. I’ll tell him when I’m dead, you once said. Well, isn’t this all quite ironic.

“Fucking hell, [y/n], I need you to keep your eyes open”, Kaeya commanded. He was using his captain voice, the one that only comes out when a new recruit wasn’t following orders. “Rookie, don’t you dare pass out on me.” His voice wavered.

Would it be worth it to tell him now? Did you want his last memory of you to be a pathetic, wishful fantasy spilling forth from your bloodstained lips, like the nonsense uttered by a mere child? Your vision spun faster, losing sight of Kaeya, hovering over you. You couldn’t make out his features too clearly in the darkness, but something about the wet drops of water landing on your cheeks told you that it wasnt more blood. You supposed that you should do yourself justice and at least keep the one promise you made that night in Mondstadt.

Straining to open your mouth, you uttered, “Kaeya, I—”

But before you could muster the strength to speak another word, your vision went dark.

*****

The first thing you heard when you woke up was the sound of birds chirping. The second was a silent snoring sound coming from somewhere to your right.

Cracking your weary eyes open, you sensed the faint light of the early morning coming in through an nearby window. Getting your bearings, you realized you had woken up in the Knights of Favonius headquarters hospital. Your damaged adventurer’s clothes were gone, and instead you could feel bandages dressed around the wound at your side. Oh, right. You thought you had died.

Trying to sit up, you fekt an excruciating pain burn through the side of your body that had been hit, setting your nerves on fire. You hissed, and the snoring beside you abruptly stopped.

“Archons, you’re awake.”

Kaeya sat up from the chair he had apparently been sleeping in, still dressed in his captain’s armor, just as dirt-covered and singed as when you last saw him. Was that only last night? You figured Kaeya must have hurried you back to the city before your condition could get any worse.

Fuck. As all your memories of the prior night came flooding back, your eyes pooled up with salty tears. Not only had you cone closest to death than you’ve ever had, you had completely disappointed Kaeya and made a fool of yourself in front of him.

“Kaeya, I’m so sorry—”, you started.

Your words were interrupted by the man next to you leaping into your embrace, arms wrapping your shoulders where you were not injured. “Dammit, [y/n]. When won’t you just shut up.” His voice was muffled by his face buried into your neck. “You don’t have to say a word.”

It scared you, seeing him vulnerable. The ever-cocky and cunning captain of the cavalry, the man who always had a plan and was never caught off-guard. Now, a man bearing his innermost emotions to you, little old you. Had he heard what you begun to tell him last night? Or were things going to return back to the way they were, you admiring his dazzling beauty from a distance, comfortable yet agonized at the degree of separation.

You hoped to the archons for the latter. You hoped that it wouldn’t take another instance where you almost lost your life for the love you felt for him to spill forth. Archons, even if you had to die, it would still all be worth it, if it were with him at your side.

Kaeya trembled as he pressed himself deeper into you, desperately clinging on. “Don’t you dare open your mouth, rookie”, he chided. “I don’t want to hear something you’ll only tell me when you’re almost gone. Please just let me do the talking.”

Pulling back, you looked at him in confusion. His hair was disheveled, eyepatch slightly askew, yet his face was full of an almost childlike wonder, akin to the gleam he possessed when you had first met him, however many years ago.

“Do you think I did it all for nothing?” Kaeya looked at you. “Do you think all those years of training together, eating together, soarring together, was all because I thought you had potential as a soldier? The private walks through Windrise, the nights spent at the tavern, the dance, that damned dance we shared—what did you think that was?” Desperate and exhausted, Kaeya’s eye began to shimmer with tears. “Fucking hell, [y/n]. I’ve always loved you. Since the very beginning, you idiot. Why else would I dedicate all my time, all my energy to you and only you?” He grasped your shoulders tighter. “If you think that I haven’t been madly in love with you since I first laid eyes upon you that day, then you’re fucking wrong.”

You cut him off, burying your hands into his hair—pain be damned—and kissed him. It was bitter and metallic, the taste of both of your blood on your tongue. Kaeya’s neck was ice cold, but his cracked lips were thick and warm, and when you pulled away from them, you suddenly felt like you could take on the world.

“Well”, you remarked. “I’m glad that we got that out of the way.”

a/n: uhuhuhu this is pretty long but i hope you like it! i wanted to improve my writing a bit and elaborate on descriptions a bit more, so i hope i did your request justice!

[aminiatureworld]

Affection

Characters: Albedo, Beidou, Keqing, Zhongli, gn!reader

Word Count: 4,705

Warnings: Swearing

Premise: Sometime we know something is impossible from the start. But still we walk towards it, even if we know it will hurt us. It’s only flirting, only a smile or a hug or some food. Even if nothing comes of it, there is nothing to regret. Even if it hurts.

In which the reader gives affection, expecting nothing in return.

Author’s Note: More “new” characters! I’ve been neglecting Keqing and Beidou, they deserve some love. I hope as always their characterizations live up to expectations! This was very fun to write, so I hope you enjoy it!

I couldn’t tell whether to make this melancholy or fluffy, so I guess I half-and-half-ed it. Best of both worlds, right? Although the tone feels definitely lighter.

Albedo

Your friends never could figure out why you were flirting with Albedo.

“That alchemist has nothing on his mind but work,” one of them once told you, “he’ll never reciprocate your feelings you know.”

“I know.” You’d replied, smiling the sort of smile people put on when they’re trying to show they’re not annoyed. “I know he doesn’t like me in that way, you don’t have to tell me.”

“Then why are you doing it?”

“Because I want to.” You’d shrugged, shifting the conversation to some other topic. In all honesty, it wasn’t as if your friend was lying. But neither were you, not really. There wasn’t any good explanation for why you were flirting with Albedo after all. You knew that he’d never take it seriously, knew you weren’t good enough for it anyways. Maybe that’s why you flirted with him. Maybe it was better to make the slightest fool of yourself than drive yourself mad thinking about something that could never be.

So you continued on your merry, if slightly self-destructive way. Every time you saw Albedo, which was quite a bit considering the fact you were often posted around Dragonspine and spent a lot of your free time in the square right outside his office, you ran his way, asking him what he was doing, or telling him about your own day. You’d developed this habit of leaning in a bit whenever he spoke to you, and the slight pause he gave as his smile grew wider whenever you did made your heart soar.

Not that you ever started thinking there was ever a chance. I mean, come on. Albedo was Albedo and you were you. There was a great deal of distance between the two of you, as if you were standing on opposite sides of a bridge which was liable to fall at any moment. You could shout across at each other, but never did you attempt to walk over to him, knowing it’d surely result in disaster.

Still, why did you flirt with Albedo? The question sort of haunted you at times. You enjoyed his company, you’d even told him you enjoyed his company. He’d smiled his sedate smile, pausing for a moment to look away from the painting he was working on. “I enjoy your company too.” He’d said, before turning back to his work. It was a quiet, calm, even sort of response, just the sort you’d expected. And yet you kept going, and though you made no attempt to push the boundaries or go any farther, you still wondered at times what the point of it was.

Perhaps following that line of thought was a bit dangerous. You found the more you asked yourself what you expected out of your closeness with Albedo, the more absent you seemed to be. It wasn’t as if you were trying to avoid him or anything, no quite the contrary. It was only that you tended to want to be alone when you were thinking about something like this. Reaching out was hard, especially to the person who you were thinking about.

“Are you alright?” You glanced up from the lunch you were pondering over to see Albedo leaning over you. Feeling your cheeks redden you jumped slightly.

“Albedo! Oh I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying any attention to my surroundings! Sit down!” You gestured vaguely to the spot on the bench next to you. Albedo smiled politely, sitting down as directed. He seemed to sober however once he was sitting, scanning your face for something, though you weren’t sure what that something was.

“You seem… absent recently, I was wondering if something was the matter.”

“Oh, I’m perfectly fine!” You shook your hands out in front of you. “I guess I’ve just been sort of busy recently, or maybe a little tired I guess. You know that the festival is coming up, right? Well Acting Grand Master Jean is really running us ragged! But I promise I’ll be back to normal soon!” You laughed awkwardly; it wasn’t as if you weren’t telling the truth per se, just… not the whole truth. But you’d rather not put all your troubles on Albedo, not when he was reaching out to see if you were okay. Smiling once more you attempted to switch topics. “How’s your research? Have you found something new while I’ve been gone?”

“Yes, I’ve begun to study the reaction between macrophage and eukaryotic cells in contrast with prokaryotic cells, and how adding elemental effects to reactions either speeds up or slows down the reaction. But I’m glad to hear you’re alright,” Albedo seemed to relax a bit, leaning backwards slightly on the bench, “everything has been much quieter with you gone. It’s unnatural, I can’t focus as well. I keep finding myself distracted by little things. I look forward to participating in our conversations once more.”

“Well I’ll be there soon!” You promised, heart fluttering slightly. Did he really mean that? I mean sure, it didn’t mean anything more than what was on the tin. Your situation hadn’t changed that much. Still, it meant something to you that Albedo wasn’t just tolerating your presence, that he was actually somewhat involved in your friendship. “I promise I’ll have some very interesting topics of conversation when I come back.”

“Good.” Albedo nodded once more before smiling slightly sheepishly. “My workspace is currently going through a cleaning and the lab isn’t supposed to let any foreign substances in in; would you mind terribly if I ate with you?”

“Not at all!” You responded. “I love spending my free time with you. What have you brought?”

Why did you flirt with Albedo? Why did you seek out his presence despite you and everyone around you knowing full well that it was never going to come to anything? What did you even think of Albedo? Well you could answer that last one at least. You loved him. You loved him very much. And even if he didn’t reciprocate the way you did, even if your friends told you it was pointless and your mind chastised you for putting yourself through the ringer, even if all that was true, you weren’t going to stop. Because you were Albedo’s friend and he was yours. And for now that was enough.

Even if a part of you continued to hope that one day this would change.

 Beidou

Beidou was utterly out of your league and you knew it.

It wasn’t exactly a difficult conclusion to come to after all. Brash, outspoken, good with a sword, Beidou embodied that sort of restless, self-reliant spirit you wish you yourself could emanate.

It didn’t hurt that Beidou had essentially rescued you from destitution, having found you languishing in a corner of one of the seedier docks of Liyue, and having taken you in quickly after the fact. You owed her a great deal, and was glad to do so. After all you’d fallen hopelessly in love with Beidou.

Life aboard a slightly illegal ship was bound to be an intimate one. Everyone knew everything about everyone else, and it was very difficult to find someone that hadn’t heard about your crush. Someone who wasn’t Beidou, that was. Although it wasn’t like you attempted to hide it; you just never brought it out in the open. And who could blame you? How could anyone who’d nearly died of starvation waiting for some sort of divine help compare to the bravest captain you’d ever met?

So you two settled into a routine of sorts, at least in your mind. You ate every meal as close to her as possible, something which had been difficult at first but as the “secret” spread around became almost comically easy, you discussed your plans with her first, gave her various trinkets you’d found in your travels, asked her opinions about your weapon then asked her to train with you. The training sessions had almost killed your resolve not to tell her, nothing was so intimate as having someone constantly checking your posture, moving and arm here a leg there, closely monitoring how you moved and acted.

All the while you said nothing. It felt selfish after all to even think about it. Beidou had many a time told her crew that they were one big family. On top of the obviously platonic motives behind her love for you, you weren’t about to impose on the crew by trying to take the spot as favorite or partner. It’d make you feel sleazy.

But damn if sometimes your resolve wasn’t tempted. It was the night after a particularly successful raid, and everyone was drunk out of their minds. Even you were tipsy, although compared to the rest you were positively sober. Sitting next to Beidou, who was walking up and down the tables making speeches of various levels of comprehensibility, you thanked the archons above that this woman had saved you. It was all worth the pain and suffering, if only to see her smile, which was blinding at the moment.

“You were brave, my dear compatriots! Distinguished! Honored! Positively courageous!” Beidou let out a slight “hic”, her vocabulary always did turn a bit grand when she drank too much. “Indeed, I’m sure not even the greatest of emperors had an army which could rival the visage of our band of brothers! Storming the deck, why we all might’ve perished! Damned visions, they’re for cheaters! For fraudsters! You all fight without them, and in doing so you prove yourself far more valiant, far more exemplary than they do!” Evidently Beidou had forgotten she herself was a vision wielder. Then again, so had everyone else.

“On this night of victory, of perilous and prestigious triumph, I wish to congratulate the greatest of warriors! This! My proverbial right hand man, the distinguished…” Beidou turned around towards you, gesturing in a very flamboyant sort of manner. You stood there, shocked by the sudden attention, blushing deeply, brain so filled with awe that you only half realized Beidou couldn’t remember your name.

“Yes! This person, this noble scalawag!” Beidou lifted you up so you were standing next to her, archons was she strong. “Now I don’t believe in laws, but if I did I’d marry them I would! You all ought to be more like them, mark my words I want to see some shaping up! There are no levels on this ship, but if there were they’d be higher than you all! Pay attention to my words, they are final!” And with that, speech apparently over, Beidou planted a soft, if slightly messy, kiss on your cheek.

If it weren’t for the people around you, you might’ve fainted.

The next day announced itself with a headache, though as the least hungover of the group you were put in charge of dishing out the medicine and water. The whole ship appeared to be groaning, and though the crew was usually quite active and excited at almost any hour of the day, you could tell that most of the men and women just wanted to roll over and go back to sleep.

“Captain wants to see you when you’re done with your rounds.” There were a few other people helping you out, and the one that informed you about this raised an eyebrow as you promptly turned white as a sheet, before a splotchy shade of red covered your face. What was she going to say? Had she remembered what had happened the night before? You admitted to yourself that maybe banking on Beidou forgetting was a doomed cause from the start. Beidou was perhaps brash and a lover of alcohol, but her memory was sharp, and she somehow managed to never drink herself to total incompetence. If you challenged a drunk Beidou to a duel your chances were going to be about the same as if you’d challenged her sober. Hell maybe they’d be even worse. With that grim thought in mind you distributed the last of the medicine, wiping your hands needlessly on your clothes before walking towards the captain’s cabins.

You loved Beidou’s cabins, they somehow seemed both incredibly grand and inexplicably homey. With furniture made out of a plush and luxurious red sort of material, it was nonetheless crowded by knickknacks; drawings, carvings, and other such paraphernalia littered the shelves and the dressers. Beidou had once told you almost all of it was from current or former shipmates. The luxuries they stole had no use in her home.

“Captain Beidou?” You ventured. The captain was at her desk, scribbling out something, probably a plan. She loved to plan in her free time, whether or not the plan was something doable or a total fantasy. Now she looked up, setting her pen down and smiling her classic, cocky grin.

“Ah, my favorite shipmate. How’re we feeling today?”

“W-well!” You managed to get out, a bit distracted by the nickname. Ah, it seemed she had remembered at least part of it. “Um, captain, I was told you wanted to see me.”

“Yes, I did. I’ve been thinking since last night, thinking a great deal, and I was wondering, what would you think to becoming my partner, in a, well, romantic sort of sense.”

“So suddenly?” You replied, eyes widening but nevertheless cracking a smile. Beidou’s confession had been blunt, devoid of all the usual flourishes. And yet it was what you wanted, what you’d always wanted.

“Well why not?” Beidou shrugged nonchalantly. “After all considering how you’ve been acting towards me for the past few months, I figured why not become my partner. Unless I’ve been reading you wrong of course.”

“No!” You exclaimed. “I mean yes, I mean, well yes to the first and no to the second. I’d love to become your partner, and you haven’t been reading me wrong.” Your gaze dropped to the floor. “I just figured I wasn’t good enough. I mean you’re… you. And besides, you said we were all a family. I figured you wouldn’t want me as a partner.”

Beidou raised her eyebrow slightly as her smile melted into a smirk. Shaking her head slightly she approached you, raising your gaze every so slightly. “Well I can tell you right now I’m not too good for you. Not only are you good with a weapon, but you’re about as tough and fearless as they come. I don’t want to hear about how you’re secretly scared or whatnot. Everyone is that doesn’t matter. But you fight well and without second thought. And I admire that. And as for the speech about family, well a romantic partner is family of some kind. Besides the crew won’t mind, they’ve been talking about it for ages.”

“I guess they have.” You blushed; apparently Beidou hadn’t been as uninformed as you thought.

“Any last words before you’re my partner?” Beidou’s smile was as wide as you’d ever seen it and just as infectious; you grinned back.

“I love you.”

“Good. Now,” Beidou smiled, planting a soft kiss on your cheek and then a peck on your lips – something which left you grasping for coherent thought “let’s tell the others.”

 Keqing

Working with Keqing was an experience akin to slowly dying inside.

You’d become somewhat enamored with the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing ever since you’d first met her. Her brusque and honest manner was refreshing, and when listening to her talk about the archons, about Liyue, about how the past and the present tied together, you never really seemed to question her. She always gave off the impression of intelligence, and, unlike some others you’d met, she had the brains to back it up. And what could you say? Before you knew it you had a crush on her.

Yet working with her showed other sides of Keqing too. She was very self-conscious when it came to compliments. Not that she minded them per se, as one time you’d asked her if your constant praise was a bother. “I just never know how to respond.” She’d admitted, and to be fair you understood that. But as long as she told you she liked them you’d compliment her.

Of course you knew it could never go beyond that. Keqing was your coworker; she was your superior in almost every way, both in occupation and in character. She never lost her cool or found herself off guard when fighting treasure hoarders or when dealing with rowdy citizens. She was efficient, capable, and aware of her incredible abilities. And she didn’t feel the need for a partner, something she had told you every time someone else worked up the courage to ask her out. You couldn’t bring yourself to impose on her like they did, not when you knew what her answer would be.

It was a slightly disheartening existence, and indeed sometimes you wondered what the point of it was, wondered if you shouldn’t just quit. But that wouldn’t be fair, not to Liyue, and not to Keqing herself. She relied upon the other members of the Liyue Qixing  to work efficiently and without sudden disruption. And the sudden quitting of someone who was hardly at the bottom of the ranks would’ve certainly done just that.

Besides, Keqing was first and foremost your friend. It was a bit of a fragile friendship, yes, but it was friendship nonetheless; and you valued that friendship well above your own infatuation. If you had to bottle your feelings up so be it. You owed it to Keqing to keep it together, to not impose on her what she obviously didn’t want and to not punish her for it by drawing away. So it hurt, so what? A lot of things hurt, doesn’t mean they aren’t worth doing or experiencing. And this was certainly one of those things.

It was late evening, and most of the cubicles were dark. You sat, writing the last few sentences of a report, trying to ignore the headache that had been developing since earlier that day. A friend had attempted to set you up on a blind lunch date, and though you appreciated their motive the whole thing had been a chore, and now you were late on your work.

“Almost done?” Keqing’s voice broke through your mental grumblings. Looking up at her you nodded, and Keqing smiled in satisfaction. “Good. Can’t have one of our best workers getting sick on account of working too hard.”

“I won’t get sick.” You assured her. Finally stamping the paper you let out a sigh leaning back in your chair.

“A difficult day?”

“You could say that,” you admitted, “a friend went on a slightly appreciated but incredibly unnecessary mission to get me to go out on a date. Honestly, I’d rather her just treat me to lunch.”

“I can understand the feeling.” Keqing frowned in sympathy. “People are too obsessed with the idea of romance, so much so it blinds them. There are more important things in this world.”

“I’d say most people consider love pretty important.” You commented. Keqing shook her head in response.

“Perhaps, but aren’t ideals better than individual wishes? Romance may be fun, perhaps, but there are other things to consider. Besides, I find your company far more enjoyable than I would any date.”

“You do?” You responded, heart fluttering slightly; you hoped Keqing didn’t notice the blush spreading across the bridge of your nose and coloring your cheeks. Luckily it was slightly dark in the office.

“Oh certainly,” Keqing waved her hand dismissively, “you’re the best coworker and friend I’ve ever had. No significant other could give me advice like you do, or help me so much when I’m struggling with work or with my thoughts, and dates are so formal and boring and awkward compared to spending an afternoon with you. Really I’m perfectly content relationship wise with our friendship. Relationships are full of pitfalls, people keeping this little thing from their partner, or omitting that little act. No, better to have an open and supportive friendship like we do.”

“I’m glad you think so.” You replied, and really you did. You’d known since day one that a romantic relationship was off the table. So if you could stay by Keqing’s side and support her, if only a little longer, then you’d be perfectly content.

Even if a part of you still wished that things could’ve been different.

 Zhongli

To be fair to Zhongli you weren’t sure how much he understood of any type of human relationship. The fact that the Geo Archon had befriended you in the first place was an achievement in itself.

And yet he had befriended you, and soon you’d found yourself falling in love with the slightly aloof, slightly out of touch geo archon. Zhongli was much more than that of course. Surprisingly open, the ex-deity took to finding out information about humanity with zeal. Always eager to ask you questions and to hear about how your day had gone or how you felt after something particularly happy or sad or gratifying, Zhongli had morphed into a pseudo confidante for you. Someone you found yourself relying on more and more. His gentle nature didn’t hurt either, or his looks for that matter; all in all Zhongli seemed like the perfect sort of person, and though you knew that you’d never be able to measure up to an archon, you found yourself unable to suppress the overwhelming love you felt for him.

Zhongli didn’t seem to mind your openness at all, indeed he sort of relished it, or at least he seemed to. Every time you reached out to grab his hand he gladly slipped it into yours, and whenever you ran up and hugged him after a long period of not seeing one another he always hugged you back. He’d eat lunches with you, and sometimes dinners, and sometimes weekends were spent running around Liyue, or at home listening to one another’s stories or reading one another’s books. It’s truly a magical sort of feeling to share a book with someone. But then again with Zhongli everything seemed magical.

Of course affection aside the whole matter never crossed the line of friendship. You never told him of your affections, and in return Zhongli never initiated anything further than conversation. Not that it bothered you; you felt there was a bit of a gap between you and Zhongli. After all surely it was idealization which caused you to recognize that someone like Rex Lapis had no want or inclination towards engaging in a relationship with a mere mortal. Facts are facts, and there’s no changing them, no matter how much you wanted to.

And yet how odd fate is.

“What is being in love like?”

You looked up at Zhongli, trying desperately to act as if you hadn’t felt your heart rate spike to unhealthy levels.

“Uhm… what do you mean what is love like?”

“I’ve noticed mortals are very enamored with love. I have to admit, my experience with romance is minimal; archons and adepti seldom see romance as something that affects them. But I want to know, as a human, what is love like to you?” There was no mockery or sense of superiority in Zhongli’s face. Not that you expected there to be. Zhongli never looked down upon humans as unequal. Many times he’d told you he admired them. Taking a breath you thought of your answer.  

“Well… hmm. Love is very different for everyone. To some love is like an inferno; it’s very sudden and very intense. It sort of burns them up, it’s all they think about. I think that’s less love, more infatuation, but to some that is indeed love. To others love is sort of… staid. It’s being able to rely on them, to talk to them about anything and everything without feeling embarrassed or like you have to put on some sort of show. It’s knowing that there’s someone who will always side with you or help you realize what’s right, or be there when you feel terrible. To them love isn’t passionate, it’s comforting.”

“And to you?” Zhongli interrupted, a look of thoughtfulness on his face.

“Well to me it’s somewhere in the middle, I suppose to most people it’s somewhere in the middle. And this is only romantic love after all. Love is so big, so all encompassing, I think it’s hard to pin down. But to me romantic love is both; it is the passion that causes people to do crazy things and espouse crazy sorts of ideals, and it is the staid comfort of knowing there is someone who will always understand you, and always support you in that understanding.” You paused, realizing you’d been prattling on a bit. “Why, may I ask? Is there a reason you want to know.”

“Yes,” Zhongli admitted, voice slightly less calm than usual. “I, I’ve been thinking about my feelings towards someone a great deal recently; they’ve been alien, although not distressing per se. They feel as if I’m always on some sort of edge, but I don’t feel upset by it. Instead I want to approach it, want to be around the person who makes me feel that way. I wanted to understand that emotion more. I wondered if it was love. Thank you for answering my question, it was most enlightening.”

“That person must be very lucky.” You replied, keeping your tone as light as possible, trying to ignore your emotions, which had risen and dropped so very quickly. “I suppose I’ll have to lay off on the affection now. Part of love is sometimes being a little bit jealous, at least in the beginning, at least for some people. It’s silly, really, but I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that.” Zhongli’s tone was surprisingly wry, as if there was a joke somewhere you’d missed.

“Why?” You asked, brow furrowing slightly.

“Because the person whom I was enquiring about is you.”

Honestly you would’ve been less surprised if Zhongli had told you that he was going to run away from Liyue and join the circus. All you could manage to sputter out was: “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure!” Zhongli chuckled slightly. He raised his hand, gloved fingers ghosting your cheek as he tucked a lock of your hair behind your ear. “I’ve suspected it for some time, but I wanted to be sure. Are you alright with me telling you this?”

Alright? You were over the moon! Had you ever been this happy before? You weren’t sure, but you were happy now.

“Of course it’s alright. Zhongli, I’ve liked you for months now.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?” Zhongli tilted his head slightly in confusion. You stared down at your hands, slightly embarrassed.

“I thought I wasn’t good enough for you. I mean you’re an archon and I’m a mortal. I’m hardly different from the other people of Liyue, and I just, I don’t know, I was scared of rejection, I was scared you’d think I was overstepping and that our friendship would crumble. And I didn’t think I could stand that.”

At first Zhongli said nothing, instead he held out his hand. You gladly placed your palm in his, comforted by its warmth.

“You shouldn’t hold yourself so cheaply,” Zhongli spoke softly, “there are a great many extraordinary things about you. Your affectionate nature, your determination to live even when the world is dark and dangerous, your willingness to open your heart to some ancient archon who knows little of humans. If that’s not extraordinary, I don’t know what is. I don’t feel towards anyone as I do towards you, at least I haven’t in a long time. So don’t think of yourself that way anymore, please.”

“I won’t.” You replied. And it was true. You knew you wouldn’t be able to, not anymore. Zhongli would make sure of that, already you could tell.

To some love burns like fire in the mind, to other it wraps you up in a blanket of comfort. You felt incredibly lucky, for you despite yourself demanded both, and somehow fate had bestowed it upon you. And for that you would be forever grateful.

[dragon-kazansky]

Not worthy | Helmut Zemo

Requested by anon & @trelaney

I'm mashing together two requests I got that had the same prompt about each side not feeling deserving of the other.

Every single time you looked at him, you felt it. It came to you very suddenly, and you couldn't let it show you felt this way. He would be so disappointed if he knew how you felt.

Zemo treated you like no one else ever had. He showered you in love, spoilt you when ever he felt like it, would take you anywhere you wanted if you said the word.

It was more than you ever deserved. You were not worthy of the Baron. That's how you felt anyway.

Zemo was handsome, charming, a gentleman, talented. He was so far out of tour league it was insane, yet somehow you had him. He was yours. He would hold your hand, kiss your forehead, hold you at night. It was you he took to dinner, drove around in his fancy cars, made love to.

Zemo was yours.

Yet, you couldn't just accept that. It was too much. It was a constant mindset of, he could do better. He deserved better.

You had no idea what was going through his own head. Everytime Zemo looked at you, it was as of he was looking at the stars. He looked at you with such awe, it was almost impossible to put into words.

You could do so much better than him.

He wasn't worthy of your time. Every time you smiled made his heart want to explode from happiness. Every time you laughed he wanted to listen to that sound forever.

But he wasn't a good man.

You deserved someone who wasn't a target. Someone who wasn't tainted. Someone who didn't have blood on his hands. You were far too good for his broken soul.

There had been many nights where he would lie beside you and watch over you, thinking about letting you go. He could only feel like he was holding you back.

Why would stay with him?

The thought that he was perhaps pressuring you to stay with him crossed his kind, and boy did that make him feel guilty.

As in love with you he was, because he had fallen so hard for you, he couldn't help thinking this way.

He was looking at you now. A smile on his lips, eyes following you as you went about your business. He was so hopelessly in love with you.

"You're staring."

He focuses back into reality, lost in the thought of you for a moment. He smiles as you come over and sit with him. He can't help but notice how shy you appear to be.

"Apologies."

"It's fine."

You shuffle in your seat, avoiding his gaze. There was clearly something on your mind and he couldn't help wondering if this was it. Was he right all along? Did you want to leave?

"Is something the matter?" He asks, voice soft.

"I, uh... I want to ask you something?"

Zemo turns all his attention to you. On the outside he appears the same composed charming Baron he usually is, but on the inside, his mind is coming up with all sorts of scenarios. He couldn't help the idea that this conversation was going to end badly.

"What is it?" He asks.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking and I can't keep it to myself any more."

No matter how hard he tries, you can see his facade slipping. Now you're worried about him. Maybe you shouldn't have said anything, but at the same time you had to.

"Actually, so have I."

You stare at him. Maybe this was inevitable.

"I see."

"Allow me to say my peace," Zemo says, sitting upright. You nod. He clears his throat. "I've decided it's best we end things here. I cannot hold you back any longer. I am no good for you. I do not deserve your kindness, your loyalty, your love. I am a broken soul with blood on his hands, and you do not deserved to be tainted by that."

You stare wide eyed at him.

"Please understands I'm doing this for you own good. I have only loved someone like this twice in my life, and I cannot thank you enough for allowing me to love you so. I just cannot let you stay here when you could do so much better out there."

"Zemo... I didn't know you felt that way. That's exactly what I was going to say."

"You?"

"Yeah. I don't deserve you. You're far too out of my league. I'm the one holding you back. I can only imagine how much you could be doing, yet you're here with me. You're the perfect gentleman, you express your love so fully that it's wasted on little old me. I don't deserve the way you treat me, how you spoil me."

Now it's his time to stare.

"Nonsense, you deserve nothing less than what I can offer you," he says, softly.

You shake your head.

"I don't deserve your money, your gifts, your affection."

Zemo doesn't want to hear it any more. He wraps you up in his arms and holds you to him, kissing your temple.

"We are fools."

You chuckle. "Yes, we are."

"How dare you think yourself unworthy. You deserve only the best. I was more worried about you being with a man whose hands are stained red."

You sit up and take his hands in yours, kissing them over and over.

"I have not, and will not, let that stop me from being in love with you. Zemo, I adore you more than anything. I was concerned you would get bored of me and thought we should talk. I feel so silly for even letting it get to me. I know you love me, I know you do."

Zemo chuckles.

"Of course I do." He kisses your forehead affectionately.

"This conversation was pointless, wasn't it?"

"No entirely. I think it was better for us to speak out minds rather than stew on those thoughts. I hope, as long as you'll have me, that you know I have no intention of letting you. I'll be spoiling you rotten as I always have."

You smile brightly at him.

"You really don't have to, but I'm glad to hear that. I have no intention of leaving you, Helmut."

He kisses you.

There would always be doubt, but you were determined to show Zemo you loved him more than anything. For Zemo, he would continue to treat you the way you deserve.

You were both worthy of the other.

@ajeff855 @moonstuffsteve @sky-writes-stuff @lieutenantn @lostghostgirl94 @friday18eo @yaskna @my-blood-is-maple-syrup @gingerwriter97 @lunamooney2406

[bookstantrash]

A/N: Huge shoutout to the lovely @perseusannabeth​ who obsess over Pride & Prejudice as much as me. After very politely threatening asking  me to write more of Nessian as P&P (I’m so glad Sarah made it canon that Nessian’s relationship is Darcy and Lizzie’s) she told me about THE lake scene in the BBC version. I watched all six episodes and fell in love, so I highly suggest you all watch it too.

Also, huge shoutout to @firebirdofscythia​ (I stole your Azriel line lmao) and the rest of the gc for being so supportive!! Enjoy

Pemberley’s Lake

Cassian was so tired it was a wonder he had not fallen from his horse, which made him realise that Azriel may have been partially right in telling him to take a break and go back to his state to rest.

Although he suspected that Azriel kicking him out of his office and practically throwing him in a carriage to Pemberley had more to do with the fact that Azriel had gotten sick of his mopey mood more than anything else.

“I shall never show my face in society again” Cassian had told a bored looking Azriel one afternoon, laying on his office’s floor as if it was the end of the world “I shall work until my eyes grow tired and my beard and hair are so long they reach the ground.”

“Stop with the theatrics brother. It is not becoming of you.” Azriel had answered as he shuffled a deck of cards.

“Theatrics!! Azriel for Cauldron’ sake I have no idea how I can keep on living after that refusal” he sighed from his place on the carpeted floor “There is not another woman alive who could hold my heart. It's lost forever. And now I shall live in regret and shame of not being enough for her.”

Azriel rolled his eyes so hard at his brother’s words it was a wonder they did not stay permanently like that.

“I shall grow old and drown my sorrows in the finest beers and wines, turning fat and bald. And after I have passed, my cursed ghost shall roam our country crying in despair over my terrible life”

That had been enough to make Azriel pack Cassian’s belongings and get his brother the fastest horse available.

“If it were not for the laws of this land” Azriel had mumbled after he had bid his brother farewell, wishing a good trip and forbidding him to appear in his office again until he had fixed that mood of his.

Breathing in the clear and fresh air of his home, Cassian was able to momentarily forget his troubled heart. But one look at the blue sky and he was reminded of the gray-blue eyes belonging to the lady who had made him, General Commander of the British Army, who had enough condecorations to fill his whole coat and who had made enemies tremble in fear when faced against him, wallow in self pity and misery.

Lady Nesta Archeron.

Her name alone was enough to make his chest tighten in longing.

Feyre’s oldest and most notorious sister, if not by her breathtaking beauty and intellect but by her ruthless and dismissive regard to the oposite sex. Whereas Feyre had surprised society by marrying before her older sisters  — and securing herself the best of matches of the season at that with his brother Rhysand, which was nothing but a Duke  — and Elain had enough suitors to fill a ballroom, the oldest Archeron did not seem inclined to marry at all. Oh she did catch the eyes of more than one gentleman  —  Cassian could vaguely reckon that she had had a long courting with Sir Thomas Mandray, although it had ended rather abruptly — but no one had been able to snare her heart.

That had been what had initially peaked his interest. He had briefly seen her at Rhysand’s wedding, attempting some small talk that was easily and diplomatically dismissed by her. He had then relentlessly engaged in conversation with her in any opportunity he could find, being it from the few occasions in which she frequented Feyre’ small reunions over tea or when he coincidentally met her during her daily walks around town to visit Lady Emerie, a modice whose popularity was raising tremendously after Feyre’s bridal trousseau and wedding dress were all designed by her.

It was not until Feyre’s first official gathering as Duchess that Cassian realised the depths of his feelings for the sharp eyed lady.

He had been watching the ballroom from the sidelines, trying to escape the mob of scary mamas who wanted to throw their daughters at him, a glass of champagne in his hand.

Rhysand and Feyre had already danced the opening song, so the floor was now free to hold more partners. Both Cassian and Azriel had danced once with Morrigan — Rhysand’s cousin and a dear friend of theirs — and Elain had enough names on her card that they’d have to wait a fortnight to dance with her. Nesta on the other hand…. she had refused all invitations, although one could not help but wonder why by the way she seemed to glow whenever a new song was played.

“Lady Archeron” Cassian had greeted, bowing deeply and throwing at her his best smile, one that usually had young ladies fainting and old ones blushing.

But not Nesta Archeron. No, she had only deigned to make a polite bow and look ahead.

“I could not help but take notice of how entranced by the music you appear to be, my Lady” he had offered her his hand “Would you do me the honour of allowing one dance?”

That had caught Nesta’s attention, and she turned towards him, her gray-blue eyes finally meeting his hazel ones.

“I do not think why I should. I am perfectly satisfied to watch from the sidelines” she raised a perfect manicured eyebrow, glancing in the corner where the mamas and their daughters were “I am sure many other young ladies would rather have my place”

Cassian knew she was lying. Knew she desperately wanted to dance, but something was holding her back.

“It is said that dancing is the best way to encourage affection. Even if one’s partner is barely tolerable” he had nonchalantly said

“I beg your pardon” Nesta had exclaimed

“The lady has nothing to fear. I will not let you suffer ridicule because of your poor dancing” he had said in a patronizing tone, if only to see that fire in her eyes ignite.

And to see her accepting his offer with a murderous intent.

They had moved to the center of the ballroom, shocked faces all around them, both from the fact that Nesta was joining the dance floor and her partner being him of all gentlemen.

Cassian had never been proved more wrong once the first string from the violin was drawn and Nesta moved. He had been sure she knew how to dance, had only said those words to get a rise from her. But to see Nesta Archeron actually dancing… it was something straight out of a dream.

Cassian knew the waltz. His mother had insisted that all three sons have the same education, even though only Rhysand was set to inherit the duchy.

However, when paired with Nesta Archeron one could not be called nothing but a simple object to display her talents. Even the most notorious dancer would pale in comparison to her.

And Cauldron, she knew that. Nesta knew she was Terpsikhore, greek Muse of music, song and dance.

What a fool he had been, what a complete and utter fool he had made of himself. His only consolation was that some good had come out of his childish behaviour.

Nesta Archeron was dancing, and when she danced she threatened to bring empires to their knees, for her beauty got inhumanly enhanced, her delighted smile sending an arrow straight to his chest.

Cassian realised he had fallen hopelessly in love with Nesta Archeron. If he was to be true with himself, he had been for quite some time, since their first exchange of words when she had all but dismissed him as a pesky bug.

And as the last note was drawn, as the whole ballroom breathlessly took in Nesta, in complete awe of her, Cassian decided he was going to marry her.

Was going to propose to Nesta Archeron right at that moment.

Using the excuse of getting some fresh air after the tiring dance, he walked them to Rhysand’s extensive and well lit garden, quiet enough that they would not be interrupted but not so isolated as to risk her reputation.

They had walked only a few minutes in the garden when Cassian declared his feelings. He all but tripped with his words, hoping Nesta could see past his fool’s act.

She had not.

She had refused his hand in the most brutal way, her words so articulately poisoned that Cassian felt himself a young boy again, desperately trying to achieve perfection so his father would dare to spare him more than a passing glance. Would not regret having adopted him into his household and given him a home.

He had uttered an apology, saying how sorry he was that his feelings had caused her such pain and disgust, reigning his temper enough to walk her back to the ballroom.

Cassian left town the same night, and had stayed in his office and headquarters training the new milicia since then, burying himself with work until Azriel grew tired of his awful mood.

Sighing, Cassian brushed his horse’s neck, eyeing the lake.

Maybe a dive in the cold waters of Pemperley would help clear his mind.

~•~

Pemberley was, in Nesta’s opinion, the most beautiful state she had ever seen. Even more than her newly married sister’s dukedom.

“However this house’s lady is, she sure is happy” Emerie commented as the head maid showed them to the music room.

“As if someone could be unhappy with this much money” Gwyn whispered back, eyeing the grand piano.

Nesta was inclined to agree, even more after having seen the library. She could not help but envy the lady. Her husband must be a very cultured gentleman.

“May I show you the external grounds? I am sure the gentleman will find it quite delightful” the head maid said, looking at Balthazar, the only men among their group of four.

“I am most grateful for your hospitality” he answered, and they promptly moved outdoors.

Their party of four had been travelling through the countryside for almost two weeks. It was as much as a vacation for Emerie and Balthazar — with Emerie’s shop the season’s current sensation and Balthazar being her current business partner  — as a time out from the ton, which Gwyn — the most required opera singer of the season — had announced to be in desperately need of a vacation from.

As for Nesta, she had always wanted to travel, but as a single woman of marriageable age without a male relative to escort her, it would have been a nearly impossible feat to accomplish.

When Balthazar had offered to escort both her and her friends Nesta had wanted to shout in delight.

Secretly, she also wished to avoid a certain gentleman, one whose heart she had mercilessly and regretfully broken.

Nesta shook her head as she walked through the garden, distancing herself from her party to think and remember.

Remember how she had enjoyed dancing with Lord Cassian.

How her body had sung and heated where his skin touched hers.

How she had found herself smiling and agreeing to take a stroll with him, using the excuse of feeling overwhelmed in the crowded ballroom.

How his smile had faded once she tore at him, throwing every hateful word his way to refuse his proposal.

Nesta had not seen Cassian since her sister’s ball, but she did not want to risk an encounter.

That trip could not have been more well timed.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she did not notice her hair getting caught in a low tree branch, ruining her intricate updo.

“No one is around” she muttered to herself as she took off the pins holding it in place “A few minutes with my hair down will not hurt”

So Nesta took each pin off, massaging her scalp as she walked in the direction of the state’s lake, the sun shining over its  clear waters.

And that is when she spotted him.

Cassian.

Cassian was at the lake.

Cassian was shirtless, dripping wet by the lake’ shore.

Nesta knew she should turn around and forget what she was currently seeing.

But she could not take her eyes off of him.

Seeing a shirtless man in person was indeed a far cry from what her imagination conjured when reading romance novels.

Especially the way the water was running down Cassian’s tanned and hard torso, all the way down his pecs and stomach — was that a six pack or were her eyes playing tricks on her? — until it collided with his pants, which were hanging so low on his hips that Nesta could not help but feel a weird sensation low in her stomach.

Her legs stopped obeying her, and she swore her knees got weak when Cassian noticed he had company.

“Lady Archeron?” he exclaimed, as if he could not believe his eyes.

“Sir!” was all she could say, feeling her cheeks warming.

Cauldron what was wrong with her? It was just a body. A very nice, very wet muscled body and—

“What may you be doing here?” Nesta quickly inquired, cutting her errand thoughts.

“I am the owner” he simply answered

“Of the lake?”

She wanted to smack herself. How could have she blurted such a stupid and rude question?

“Yes, of the lake. And of Pemberley” he answered, amusement lacing his words.

“I didn’t know. The head maid said all the family was not home— we should not have presumed—”

“I returned without prior notice”

“Excuse me, are you and your sisters in good health?” Cassian added, and Nesta dared to think that he sounded a bit nervous.

“Yes. Yes they are. Thank you, sir” she managed to answer, her eyes firmly placed upon his face and not anywhere else.

“I am glad to hear that” he licked his lips and Nesta could not help but wonder if they would be cold due to the lake’s water or if Cassian’s unbothered face meant he was not cold at all.

Was she really inquiring of how his lips would feel against hers? Against her skin? If kissing Cassian would feel as dreamily as her novel's kiss appeared to be?

Nesta hated him.

Did she not?

“I had never seen you with your hair down”

Cassian’s words took her out of her reverie, and Nesta suddenly felt self conscious.

“Do excuse me for showing myself in front of you with such an unsightly appearance” she felt mortified. To have Cassian of all people seeing her like that, hair in complete disarray….

Nesta quickly turned around, fumbling with the hair pins in a vain and desperately attempt of redoing her hair.

“It’s beautiful” she heard Cassian saying in a breathless voice, and thanked the Cauldron her back was turned so he would not see how her face warmed considerably, a small smile gracing her lips.

“Let me help you” he quietly added, and she gasped at the proximity of wet, shirtless Cassian, who touched her hair softly.

“How come a gentleman such as you knows how to hairstyle a lady’s hair?” Nesta asked, feeling his warmth on her back, a tingly sensation between her legs when his fingers brushed her neck.

“I frequently helped my younger sister, Georgiana, fix her own hair in the occasions she played a little too far from what would be deemed proper for a young lady” she felt his hot breath against her neck as Cassian laughed “She favours outdoors activities such as horseback riding, although she’s quite accomplished in arts and music.”

“Your sister sounds lovely” Nesta said, turning to face him once she felt he was done fixing her hair.

“She is my brothers’ and mine whole world. There’s nothing we would not do for Georgiana”

Nesta felt her heart warming at his words, at his devotion and love towards his family. She wondered if he would do the same with his wife.

If he would have acted the same way towards her had she accepted his proposal.

Unbeknown to her, Cassian was imagining the same thing.

He was picturing how he could have helped her every morning with her hair if she had agreed to marry him. Instead, he would have to live with this one memory forever.

He was lost in her eyes, their bodies so close they were sharing breaths and Cassian was holding back by a sliver thread of self control to not hold her against him.

If it were not for the appearance of three people — Cassian supposed them to be Nesta’s companions — he very well could have done that.

“Excuse me” Cassian abruptly said, bowing deeply and leaving Nesta alone.

Although soon her friends joined her, Gywn and Emerie bombarding her with questions seeing her ruffled state.

Their party was getting ready to depart when Cassian appeared again, having ran inside to get changed and appropriate.

“Lady Nesta!” he called before she could get inside the carriage “Please allow me to apologise for not receiving you properly just now. You are not leaving?”

“We were, sir. We have already imposed too much” she said, spine straight and looking every bit the regal queen she was.

What he did not know was that was her way of maintaining a cool exterior and not blush remembering his naked figure.

“You are not displeased with Pemberley, are you?” Cassian asked, anxiously brushing his hair back.

“No. Not at all”

“And you approve of it?”

“Very much” Nesta said softly, a dreamy smile on her face as she remembered the library “A few would not approve”

“But your good opinion is rarely bestowed and therefore more worth earning” he said, and his smile was enough to make Nesta’s heart skip a beat.

Why was she feeling in such a way, she wondered. Why did her body feel hot and strange all over whenever Cassian was involved?

“Thank you. That is very kind of you”

“I shall not hold you back any longer” he said, helping her in the carriage, his calloused hand a stark contrast against her soft one “I will call on you and I hope you can introduce me to your companions. Perhaps we may go fishing tomorrow? My property is blessed with an abundance of them”

“We would be delighted to. Thank you, sir’

After the farewells were bid and Nesta’s carriage was only a distant dot in the horizon, Cassian got inside, smiling broadly at his head maid and butler.

“You are very chipper, sir'' the old woman said with a knowing smile, the butler agreeing with her. Their lord had been mopey for quite some time now, so it brought joy to their hearts to see his mood so high.

“I had a very good evening Mrs.Pots” he declared, thinking about how he should swim more frequently in the lake.

A few miles from Pemberley, Nesta stared at the scenery lost in thought, Cassian’s touch lingering in her hand all the way back to the inn.

•

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[honeymooneyy]

Valentine’s Day

context: Remus has been out since the beginning of the year, Sirius realized he likes Remus over winter break, it’s now valentine’s day 

James knew it was silly to be upset that Lily had a date for Valentine’s day. 

They weren’t dating - they were barely even friends. But watching Benjy Fenwick give Lily a box of pink chocolates during breakfast pulled at his heartstrings and he couldn’t help but sigh. Remus glanced at him before following his gaze towards Lily who was now laughing at something Benjy said. 

“Lily didn’t say anything to me about liking Benjy, it might just be a date because it’s Valentine’s day,” Remus comforted, bumping his shoulder against James’. “I can ask her about it later?” 

James smiled weakly, “It doesn’t matter, she wouldn’t like me either way.” 

“She’s warming up to you!” Peter weighed in from across the table. “She’s your partner in Potions.” 

“That was in the beginning of the year, not much has happened since.” 

“Maybe next year, mate.” Sirius just shrugged, glancing back at Benjy once more. “I thought he way gay.” 

“Sirius!” Remus hissed, glancing around to see if anyone heard. “You can’t just say that!” 

Sirius turned to him with wide eyes, “But I thought he was! ‘S not a bad thing, I didn’t know he wasn’t.” 

James snorted at their exchange, thankful for their antics as it improved his mood just a touch. Though he had been kidding around, Sirius caught James’ eye in a silent question and he offered him a smile in return. 

And though he tried to convince himself he doesn’t really care that much, James couldn’t help but watch as Lily left the Great Hall, her long red hair swishing with every step she took. Benjy was still next to her, and they seemed to be in some sort of intense conversation, but James decided to ignore him, instead focusing on her bright smile. As long as she was happy. 

Thankfully, Valentine’s day had fallen on a Saturday this year - so James could go to his dorm and not sulk instead of watching couples make out in every class. Deep down, he was glad none of his friends had dates, they could all be lonely together. 

Even though Sirius and Remus had been hopelessly pining, he knew they wouldn’t resort to making out in the dorm, so he was safe. And Peter, he knew he could always count on Peter to be mindful about stuff like that, even if he had no one to kiss. 

He had totally not been moping on his bed after dinner when Peter plopped down on the foot of his bed with a grin. 

When Peter didn’t say anything he asked, “What’s up, Pete?” 

“I know you’re sad, or not sad, or whatever. But that doesn’t mean we have to do nothing today! Remus had an idea, wanna hear it?” Peter asked hopefully, blue eyes twinkling. 

James couldn’t say no to him. “What is it?” 

“So you know that passageway that leads to Honeydukes? We were thinking of sneaking out and getting some fun stuff!” Peter waggled his eyebrows. “Like firewhiskey fun?” 

James brightened at the idea, “I like the direction this is going in. We going now?” 

Peter shrugged, “It only really takes two of us to make the trip. It’s easy for me to sneak in and get what we need, and someone to help carry it back. Remus volunteered.” 

James narrowed his eyes at this, leaning back to rest on his palms. “Why are you even asking me, sounds like you’ve got it all figured out?” 

“We knew you’d agree,” Peter assured, patting his shoulder and scrambling off the bed. “I think Sirius is heading back, we’ll be back soon!” 

True to his word, as Peter left the dorm, Sirius slipped in. In his arms were various different snacks for the night, and James smiled at the sight of his favorites. He helped Sirius lay them out on the floor, almost like a little picnic, sorting them out by each item. 

“Is this all because Lily has a date with someone else? I promise I’m not that hung up over it, we’re barely friends and it’s just a silly crush.” 

Sirius just laughed, tossing his dark hair over his shoulder. “Nah, we wanted to have some fun. Who knows what we’ll be doing for Valentine’s day next year. We ought to spend it with each other while we still can.” 

“And?” 

“Okay, and you looked downright miserable. Merlin, you’re whipped for Lily,” Sirius caved in despite the smile playing at his lips. He went back to arranging the snacks, shaking the hair out of his eyes. 

“Says you,” James prodded back at him. “Oh Moony, I love your vinyls, of course I’ll sing to you.” 

Sirius cheeks burned red at his words, “I thought you were asleep, you wanker. He was sad and tired and in pain, I was being a good friend.” 

“Right, because I sing to you in French when you’re sad?” 

“Why are we talking about me, what happened to Lily? You never had a problem talking about her for hours and hours and hours before.” 

“Exactly, we’ve heard enough about Lily. Anything new about Remus?” James propped up his face on his palm, watching Sirius. 

“I dunno. He’s still gay, I think that’s good,” Sirius started, obviously uncomfortable with where the conversation was going. “He’s not hanging out with a guy for Valentine’s day.” 

“You are so bad at this,” James groans at the lack of juicy information.  

“I’m sorry I don’t want to talk to you about boys!” Sirius exclaims. “Can’t exactly tell you about his looks and stuff.” 

“I have eyes. Remus is attractive,” James nods motivatingly. “C’mon, just tell me, I wanna know.” 

“Fine.” Sirius pauses, collecting his thoughts before chewing on his lower lip. “This is weird, but he’s gotten a lot more attractive since I realized I liked him. Like, he’s always been hot, ugh it’s so weird to say that out loud, but I dunno it’s different now. Maybe he’s always been like this and I just didn’t think about it?” 

“Mmhm.” 

“I noticed he blushes a lot nowadays. I can’t tell if it’s because of me or if it’s just something he always used to do and I didn’t realize,” Sirius murmured before mirroring James and leaning his face against his palms. “It’s really cute though.” 

“He doesn’t blush around me,” James smiled suggestively. “Maybe it’s something he only does around you.” 

Sirius didn’t really know what to say to that and kind of just stared at him before shrugging. “Blushing doesn’t mean he likes me. I mean, in the end, he’s my best friend. Anything I look into could be normal. I mean, you and I sleep in the same bed a lot, so what’s different about Remus and I doing it.” 

“I don’t sing to you in french, and he doesn’t read to me when I can’t sleep,” James reminds him with a pointed stare. 

“Oh my god, back at it with the singing? He said he liked it and it was after the moon, it wasn’t like that.” 

“You were in his bed with him and were singing to him.” James enunciates every word. “Are you blind?” 

Sirius swiped at his glasses, effectively knocking them off his head. “Says you!” 

Huffing, James grabs for his glasses and puts them back on, pushing back his dark hair. “Not fair. That was dirty.” 

“Oh hush, you drama queen.” Sirius rolls his eyes but it’s all in good fun. “Okay, I talked about Remus, now you tell me whatever it is about Lily that’s bugging you.” 

James finally gave in to his best friend. “Okay fine. I thought things were going okay, y’know? Like, she wanted to be my Potions partner at the beginning of the year. And I tried not to be overbearing or anything and I dunno, I thought we were kinda friends? And then she kind of just stopped?”

“Stopped?” 

“Like, she doesn’t ignore me. But she doesn’t seem much interested anymore. In being friends, I gave up on the whole dating thing for now. And then Benjy just comes in and they hit it off like right away. Kind of hurt, I dunno.” 

Sirius ponders what he said, nodding a bit. “I’m not sure, honestly, girls are kind of confusing. Moony’s really good with it, Peter too, his advice is the best. Maybe you can ask them when they’re back? There’s gotta be a reason, I don’t think she’d just shut you out for no reason.” 

“I guess,” James agrees, but he doubts they can say anything to make this situation better. Either way she doesn’t want to be his friend. 

Remus and Peter worked fast, because soon enough they were back with armfuls of drinks. Not all of them were alcohol, and James spotted a couple butterbeers in the mix. The weirdest though was this bright pink bottle Remus had tucked in the fold of his arm. 

“Did you get a love potion?” Sirius questioned, jumping to his feet to inspect the bottle. 

“No, it’s just a normal drink.” 

“But it’s pink!” Peter chipped in, enthusiastically. “Isn’t the bottle cool?” 

James smiled at his excitement, “Yeah, it’s cool, Pete.” 

Soon enough they had all sorted out the drinks and food and were lounging about the floor. A game of truth or dare had started up only to be shot down because there wasn’t much the boys wanted to know about one another for the truths. This time, there was more than one bottle of firewhiskey so the boys each had one, and it was working wonders. 

Peter had been telling some story when he ended up mentioning Lily, before turning to James with a sheepish smile, “Sorry, mate.” 

“You guys are horrible,” James groaned. “Acting like we just got divorced or something. I’m fine!” 

Remus shrugged, “It’s okay not to be fine. You’ve liked her forever, it hurts.” 

James felt as if he wasn’t just talking about Lily but didn’t say much about it. Instead he spilled the thought that’s nagging at him for the past couple days. 

“Do you think it’s because I’m-” James gestured to his face. 

The boys exchanged looks, ones filled with clear confusion. 

“You’re not ugly,” Peter finally spoke up, though his statement sounded more like a question.” 

“No, I know I’m not ugly,” James blew a breath out, dropping his head back against the footboard of the bed he was leaning against. “I meant that I’m not white.” 

A hush fell over the group at his words.

“I’m not saying she’s racist, or something,” James rushed to add in. “But I dunno, sometimes I think she’d give me a chance if I wasn’t brown.” 

“I don’t think it’s your race, more you being a prat,” Remus assured him. “I don’t think Lily cares about that sort of stuff.” 

James’ voice seemed small when he spoke, “Every guy she’s ever liked or been with was white. It doesn’t matter how attractive I am.” 

Sirius had scooted over next to him and threw an arm over his shoulder, squeezing his arm. “I think you’re overthinking this a bit. I mean, Mary’s black and they’re friends!” 

“Yeah, well she’s not going to date Mary, is she?” James shrugged off Sirius’ arm. “I’m not overthinking this. Tons of people don’t like people like me, it’s just a fact. I can’t ignore it.” 

Peter who had been quiet this whole time finally spoke up. “If she doesn’t like you because of your skin color, then you’re not missing out. Lily’s awesome, but she doesn’t deserve you, if that’s why.”

“See! Peter always has good advice about stuff like this!” Sirius points out, bumping his shoulder against James’. 

“I guess.” James just shrugged, eager to change the subject. “Anything new with you, Peter?” 

He began another story about something he overheard some fourth years talking about, and while James tried his hardest to listen, the alcohol and time weren’t on his side. At first, he decided that lying down and listening to Peter might make it easier, but it did the opposite. WIthin minutes his eyes had slid shut, face nestled in the crook of his arm. 

“Did he just fall asleep in the middle of my story?” Peter asked, thoroughly baffled. He leaned forward and was about to prod his forehead when Remus smacked his hand away. 

“Let him be. He’s having his own problems, let him sleep.” 

Peter agreed wordlessly, and Sirius scooted further away to not wake him up while talking. 

“Remus, you got an eye on anyone?” Peter asked, turning his attention towards him. “I haven’t heard you mention anyone.” 

Remus just shrugged wordlessly, and Sirius scanned his face for any signs of him lying. 

“No one?” Sirius questioned, his eyes zeroing in on the way Remus was fidgeting with the edge of his sweater. 

“Nah, no one. I promise,” Remus assured, raising his eyes to Sirius’. Sirius didn’t pull his away, silently challenging him. They stared for a solid thirty seconds before Remus broke it off, instead glancing at Peter. 

“What about you Peter? How’s your love life going?” 

Sirius tried his best to look at Peter but everytime he closed his eyes he could envision Remus’ warm eyes boring into his one, an eyebrow raised challengingly. Drunk Remus had a lot more confidence than sober Remus. As Peter began talking, Remus shimmied around before ending up lying on the floor with an arm behind his head, eyes trained on Peter. 

“Sometimes, I think I’ll never get my first kiss,” Peter sighed, pursing his lips. “It’s already fifth year, and I’ve never kissed anyone. I feel like it’s even more embarrassing the longer I go without it.” 

“James didn’t kiss anyone till Halloween,” Sirius supplied, trying to comfort him but it had no effect. “I don’t think it matters.” 

“But he kissed someone! What if I never kiss anyone, ever?” Peter covered his face with his hands with a groan. “I’m going to be seventy and still waiting for my first kiss.” 

“I’ll kiss you,” Remus offered nonchalantly, sitting up. “I’m good at kissing.” 

Peter’s eyes widened and he shook his head furiously, “N-no. Gay people are cool and all, but I’m not gay. No offense.” 

Remus snorted at the fact that he was apologizing for being straight. “Kissing a boy doesn’t make you gay. Think of it as practice so you don’t embarrass yourself when you kiss a girl you like.” 

Sirius looked between the two of them incredulously, “Peter, you’re not actually considering this are you?” 

Peter chewed on his bottom lip, contemplating it. “Er, I mean, it would be fast right? And no one would really know…” 

“That’s the spirit!” Remus grinned, seeming way too happy to help. He sat up properly, shifting around to perch on his heels. 

“No tongue, okay?” Peter looked awfully scared, but he crawled closer to Remus. “And do it really fast.” 

“Quit acting like you’re getting a shot,” Remus rolled his eyes before leaning in to place his lips on Peter’s. 

Remus didn’t touch Peter’s face or anything, but he did put a hand on his shoulder to keep him steady. He didn’t use tongue, but it definitely wasn’t a quick kiss. Sirius hated the way he couldn’t look away from the two of them, and honestly wasn’t quite sure what to feel - on one hand, it was the hottest thing he’s ever seen, on the other hand, he wished it was him who Remus was kissing. 

When Remus pulled away, he was smirking, looking very proud of himself. Peter was bright red and he leaned back with wide eyes, before returning back to his spot on the floor. He rubbed his lips against each other before shooting Remus a scared look again.

“I think some of his gay rubbed off on me,” Peter whispered, a blush still painting his cheeks. 

Even Sirius had to laugh at this. 

“What, was it that good?” Remus quirked an eyebrow, and his whole composure about it was so attractive - the way he had been so confident about his skills and how he had taken charge and, Merlin, the way he smirked afterward. Sirius couldn’t pull his eyes away, and then Remus was turning to look at him, catching his gaze. “You want one too?” 

Sirius immediately shook his head, cheeks heating up. “I’m good.” 

“Suit yourself. See, Pete, am I not a good kisser?” Remus turned his attention back to Peter who wasn’t quite as red anymore. 

“Well, I have nothing to compare it to,” Peter began but at Remus’ glare he shook his head, “Er, yeah. You are.” 

Remus grinned triumphantly, lying down on his back again with his hands crossed behind his head. The position flexed his arms and Sirius was once again staring. He knew he was being painfully obvious, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. Remus was so attractive he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t think, he couldn’t do this. 

Peter broke the silence, “I think I’m going to bed. Should we just leave James there?” 

The three glanced at James who was sprawled on the floor snoring. 

“Yeah, I don’t wanna carry him into his bed,” Sirius decided, leaning over to pluck James’ glasses off his face. He folded them up and set them on the nearest table. 

“Cool, night guys,” Peter mumbled, stumbling over to his bed and shutting the curtains as the boys echoed him.

Remus made no move to get up so Sirius nudged his leg with his foot. When he didn’t reply, Sirius crawled over to his side, “Hellooo.” 

This time Remus just hummed sleepily so Sirius layed down onto the floor next to him, stretching out to stretch a bit. The plush carpet of the floor welcomed Sirius and he let out a content sigh at how comfortable the position was, no wonder Remus didn’t want to get up. Barely a minute passed before he grew bored, and turned on his side to face Remus, propping up his head on his hand. His dark hair fell into his eyes and he wrinkled his nose at it, as if it would help. 

“Stop staring at me,” Remus mumbled without opening an eye. 

Sirius scowled at this. “You can’t even see me. How do you know if I’m staring or not?” 

“Magic.” 

“Oh, shove off,” Sirius groaned, smacking Remus’ shoulder causing him to laugh. 

His laugh was soft as to not wake up the others, including James who was barely feet away from them, but was still joyful and it made Sirius smile. Remus’ face relaxed as he quieted down and he looked so utterly content that Sirius wished he could take a photo. It wasn’t often that he got to witness Remus so carefree and just simply existing, and Sirius reveled in it. 

“You’re still staring,” Remus reminded, a cocky smile pulling at his lips that made Sirius’ stomach flip. “Something on my face?” 

Sirius couldn’t be bothered to deny it, instead he brushed a finger against Remus’ cheekbone. “Freckles.” 

Usually Remus’ freckles faded as the cold crept in and would’ve been long gone by a normal February. Yet somehow, they had reappeared, lighter than in summer but still present, dusting his cheeks and nose. 

Remus hummed, “We took a trip to Spain over winter break and I found a spell to stop the fading.” 

At his words Sirius realized that he hadn’t been this close to Remus since long before winter break and that it had taken him a month and half to notice. Despite the fact that it took him so long, he loved them. Remus’ freckles were one of his favorite features about him, and to have them all year long made his smile grow. 

“They’re like constellations,” Sirius mused, letting his finger drift from Remus’ nose to his temple. Though the effects of the firewhiskey were fading, it still gave him a small confidence boost to even think of reaching out and touching Remus like that. He knew that Remus wouldn’t be so willing to be studied if it wasn’t for the alcohol. 

“See yourself?” Remus still had his eyes shut and the dull lighting of the room cast shadows of his eyelashes onto his cheekbones. 

Sirius squinted his eyes at the freckles, mentally going through every constellation he knew. He finally arrived at one and traced it out, “There’s Cepheus.” 

Remus didn’t flinch back but his eyes fluttered open and he looked up at Sirius, pupils blown out to adjust to the lack of light. Sirius realized with a start that his finger was absentmindedly tracing Remus’ face still and retracted his hand sheepishly. 

“Er, I should get to bed.” Sirius stood abruptly, turning towards his bed to avoid Remus’ eyes. “Night.” 

He had just sat down onto his bed and was about to pull the curtains shut when Remus called out his name, having stood up from the floor and hovering near his own bed. But when Sirius turned his questioning stare towards Remus he just swallowed. 

“Never mind. Goodnight.” 

The exchange was weird and Sirius wanted to ask what he was going to say but decided against it. Something about Remus’ gaze was unnerving, he seemed almost scared? 

What could Remus possibly be scared of?

[something-fanfiction-ie]

24 Hours

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Warnings: You get buried alive and uhm... I think a curse word or two?

A/N: So, before you notice, yes this is largely based on season two episode nine of Bones, Aliens in the Spaceship. Also, yes this is a criminal minds imagine and yes I’ve hopelessly and irrevocably fallen in love with Matthew Gray Gubler. Please like, comment, reblog, and send me asks, I love that shit. Also, if you’ve never seen criminal minds, you should watch it. Even if only for Dr. Spencer Reid aka Matthew Gray Gubler. You’re welcome in advance.

___

“Hey Spenny, I’m going out to get some coffee. Do you want anything?” Your voice echoed around in Spencer’s head, the image of you waving at him from the door as you walked away imprinted into his mind. Would it be the last time he would ever see you?

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N) has been buried alive,” Hotchner stood in the front of the room with Spencer’s phone on speaker. The whole team sat around the table with varying degrees of horror displayed on their faces as the realization dawned on them, “Wire transfer five million dollars to the following Grand Cayman account.” Spencer buried his head in his hands, his fingers tangling into his hair.

Your eyes were on him as you waved over your shoulder, stepping through the door with just a glance and a smile. He kept playing it through his mind in slow motion. Now you were underground, running out of air and running out of time.

“Upon receipt of the wire transfer, I will provide you with Agent (Y/L/N)’s GPS coordinates. You have 24 hours. This will be my last communication.” The BAU jumped into action, people pulling the files from the previous abductions and swapping theories.

“Where in the hell are we going to get five million dollars? The FBI has a strict policy about not paying ransoms.” Morgan slammed a fist on the table, gritting his teeth as his mind raced.

“Her parents.” Spencer looked up, pulling himself out of his head. He needed to be actively helping. They had twenty four hours and sitting at the table with his head in his hands wouldn’t help anything.

Pushing away from the table, the young doctor stood up to look at Agent Hotchner.

“When her parents died they left everything to her. She’s never touched it, said it felt too much like blood money.” Hotchner nodded, looking across the room to Garcia who looked as shell shocked as Spencer felt. Not only had her dear friend been abducted and buried alive, but she had been telling secrets about her parents to Reid and not her?!

“Garcia I need you to find out who she banks with, JJ get them on the phone and see what you can do. If we can pay the ransom we will. If not, we’ll have to figure where she is.” Both women nodded, rushing back to Garcia’s office. The remaining agents started to map the location of every burial site.

“Well, at least we know she’s in Virginia.”

...

When you woke up, rolling into the leather backseat in you car, your brain felt like it was exploding. Your entire body ached, and for a minute, too focused on the pain, you didn’t realize where you were.

It hurt to sit up, to breathe, to look around, and when your brain connected every dot it hurt to think.

“I’ve been buried alive.” You said it aloud, staring at the rocks and dirt that pressed against every window. Thinking felt like walking through sludge, but why?

You’d been working on a case. Four victims in four months, all buried alive, all coming from wealthy backgrounds. Every victim varied in age, race, and sex. It appeared you were number five. There would be a call, maybe two hours after you’d been buried. It would be the only means of communication, there would be a high ransom.

None of this information could help you though. You were underground, what is around you, (Y/N)?

In your glove compartment was a small digital camera, a pen, and some napkins. In your center console was a bottle of water, a small tube of sunscreen, and some loose change. Your phone was on the floor but the battery had been taken out, and sitting in the backseat was a box with a book delicately placed inside.

A first edition copy of Sonnets from the Portuguese, the pages yellowed with age. To just anyone, it was an old book with some poems inside, but you knew that Spencer would understand the moment he opened the box. Elizabeth Barrett Browning had written the series of sonnets to her husband as they were courting. Inside was a poem you had confessed to Spencer was your absolute favorite.

“I’m kind of a cliche hopeless romantic,” you laughed, afraid to look at him for the fear that he would think you were just a silly girl. “But my favorite poem is How Do I Love Thee?”

“By Elizabeth Barrett Browning?” When you looked at him, his expression hadn’t changed from that of a simple curiosity. You relaxed a little, glad to reveal the intimate detail about yourself without backlash.

You had spent such a long time trying to bury the persona of a teenage hopeless romantic underneath the facade that you were only concerned for logic, knowledge, and psychology. You’d never understood why wanting to love and be loved made you any less intelligent.

“I’ve dedicated that poem to the man I hope to marry one day.” A small smile twitched at the edges of his lips as you looked down at your nails, picking at the dirt underneath them. Your face felt like it was on fire. Why had you told him that?

In an uncharacteristic display of affection, Spencer reached across the divide between your desks and put his hand over yours. He squeezed, his expression gentle when you met his gaze.

“He will be a lucky man.”

Tears pricked at the back of your eyes at the thought of Spencer. Would you ever see him again? Would you even be alive in twenty-four hours?

Panic seemed to take control, propelling forward. You screamed, crying hysterically as you pounded against the windows.

“Help me! I’m in here! Please!” You didn’t stop until your hands were bruised, not caring about the amount of oxygen it had taken from your already limited supply. After the panic came a numbness that spread through your body and mind. You weren’t sure how long you stayed staring into your hands, sitting cross-legged in the front seat, but when you finally came back to yourself you knew you had to truly fight.

Gathering everything you’d found in your car, you started to think of what you could do. A camera, a phone, a pen, a napkin, some change, a book, sunscreen, a bottle of water.

Think, (Y/N), think. What is around you?

“Dirt.” Then you gasped, scrambling back to the front of the car. Using the window crank, you let bits of the dirt fall inside before rolling the window back up and grabbing a handful.

Just by looking you could tell there was ash, a couple of sniffs told you there was nitrogen and sulfur. You spit into the dirt. Coal rich soil. But that was all of Virginia, that didn’t tell you anything.

Think, (Y/N), think.

A camera, a phone, a pen, a napkin, some change, a book, sunscreen, a bottle of water. A camera, a phone, a pen, a napkin, some change, a book, sunscreen, a bottle of water.

“That’s it!” Carefully, you shifted the dirt to the top of the center console. Mixing a dab of sunscreen into the dirt, you powered on the camera and grabbed the pen which, conveniently, had a laser on the end.

Just like that you knew where you were. You just had to find a way to tell the others.

...

“We can’t get the money from the bank, she has it completely closed off from anyone touching any of that money. They won’t even tell us how much she has.” JJ ran her fingers through her hair, turned in her chair to face the team that had gathered into Garcia’s office.

“It was a long shot anyways, you typically have to have your name on the bank account to be able to withdraw any money.” Hotchner looks to the rest of the agents clustered next to him, hoping that one of them would have something.

“Did we get anything from the geographic profile?” He made direct eye contact with Reid, watching as he stepped forward and nodded for Garcia to pull up a map. Red lines popped up at each of the four crime scenes, connecting to the location the victim lived. Salem to Lovingston. Stuart to Winchester. Boydton to Marion. Louisa to Yorktown.

“Each of the burial sites is two to four hours away from where the victims lived which would put (Y/N) in this general vicinity.” Using his finger, Reid circles an area on the map around Quantico. No one mentions the shaking of his hand.

“There’s nothing else to narrow down the search.” His voice cracks at the end and no one can meet his eyes. JJ flinches at the sound, tightening her hand around the edge of the desk. It isn’t until Hotch goes to send the team back to work that a chime breaks the silence in the room.

Reid scrambles for his phone, fishing it out of his pocket and flipping it open.

“Who is it from? The Gravedigger? What did he say?” Everyone crowds around him, trying to get a peak at the message.

“It’s from (Y/N).”

6 7 16 M1.4

“What the hell does that mean?” Penelope says.

...

You’re not sure how long its been, but you can feel the oxygen getting low. Your eyes feel heavy, like you’re tired, and if you move just a little too fast the world shifts and sways like you’re on a boat.

After hot wiring the phone to the car, you’d leaned against the horn and typed the shortest message you could as fast as possible. When the phone sparked and died, you weren’t even sure if the messsge had gone through. You could only hope.

For now, you’ve crawled into the back, opening the book to read through it. If you’re going to die, at least you can read your favorite poems one more time. With every sonnet comes a memory of Spencer.

“Actually,” Spencer begins, stepping forward to point out something no one had even thought of, gesturing between pictures and referencing something only he could see in his mind. You’d worked a couple of cases with the team at this point, getting to know each individual who sat at this table with you.

Spencer turned back to the group and there it was, for just a fraction of a second he looked at all the older people at the table like a little boy looking for acceptance and recognition. Looking for approval. Your heart flipped over itself and your crossed your arms, hoping this wasn’t the start of a silly crush.

You flip to the next sonnet, reading it in a whisper as another memory hits you.

“I’m scared, Spencer.” You met his eyes, heart hammering in your chest as JJ strapped a mic to your bra strap. You were going undercover in an attempt to lure out the unsub, and although you knew every single one of your team members would be ready to have your back at a moments notice, you couldn’t shake the fear.

“Why?” It wasn’t harsh the way he said it, looking at you from the desk he was sitting on as JJ stepped away and out of the room to give the two of you some privacy. You started to button up your shirt, trying to breathe away the shaking of your hands.

“I’m afraid something is going to go wrong. That I’ll say or do something that will tip him off and he’ll kill me.” Spencer stepped forward, not touching you but looking into your eyes as you smoothed your hands down your sides.

“I’ll be there before he has the chance. I’ll take that shot. But I don’t believe I’ll have to do that because I know you have the ability to do this without a hitch. You’ve got this.” He raised his eyebrows, waiting for you to be okay. He wouldn’t let them send you in if you didn’t give him the okay. You could see that in the way he positioned himself between you and the door, ready to take the brunt of any frustration in order for you to feel safe.

“Okay. I trust you.”

And you did trust him. That’s why you were saving your last trick, waiting for him to put together the last of the puzzle piece he needed in order to save you. Spencer was going to find you, you had no doubt.

You just weren’t sure if you would survive the trick or not.

...

“Six, seven, sixteen, M, one point four.” Spencer stood staring at the board where they had copied the text, going over every possible meaning he could think of.

A book? No.

A math problem? No.

Coordinates? No.

Theories were being thrown across the room at rapid fire, everyone trying to think of the meaning to the cryptic message. They were all still huddled into Garcia’s office, so the voices echoed and bounced around the room.

“She’s been down there for fourteen hours, we’ve got nothing! She’s already running out of oxygen, I’m honestly starting to doubt it means anything.” Derek passed a hand over his face, patting at his cheeks as his eyes grew heavy.

“No. She’s highly intelligent and extremely resourceful, the message means something but wh-” Reid froze. In his mind he could see the periodic table.

“What is it, Reid?” Gideon looked at him, watching as his brain started to fly.

“Garcia pull up a map of Virginia.” She did as she was told, pulling up the map with one point in Quantico.

“Six on the periodic table is carbon, seven is nitrogen, sulfur is sixteen. She’s telling us the dirt she’s in.” Quick to catch on, Garcia zoomed the map onto coal rich soil in Virginia. It wasn’t enough.

“Coal can’t be distinguished by mineral composition, it’s all the same. However, macerals are unique in that they flouresce at different levels. In this case, 1.4, which is rare. It only occurs when there are high concentrations of inertinite.” The map zoomed, Penelope’s fingers flying across the keys as Spencer spoke.

“Got her.”

...

Settling your napkin letter atop the book, you nestled the lid to the gift box back on top. You tied the bow tight before tucking the whole thing into the waistband of your jeans. There was no guarantee it would make it, there was no guarantee you would make it, but you had waited long enough.

Grabbing both ends of the wires you’d stripped, you climbed into the back, hands shaking at the thought of what you were about to do.

“I’m scared.” You said. You heard Spencer, saw him leaning against a window seal in your mind. He looked at you from behind those glasses that always reminded you of a 60’s NASA engineer. His hair was pushed back, the ends curling around his ears in a way that made you itch to loop them around a finger.

Why?

“What if I never see you again?” Tears you hadn’t even known were in your eyes spilled over onto your cheeks, dripping onto the thighs of your pants. He changed now, taking on various Spencer’s from your past.

Spencer looking up from paperwork to listen to a question, eyebrows raised and eyes wide. His lips parted ever so slightly while a piece of his hair dangled out of place on his forehead.

Spencer leaned against the bar, waving down the bartender mid laugh. His tie is loose and his shirt is untucked, his hair is adorably disheveled and his eyes are crinkled around the edges.

Spencer asleep on the jet home, his cheek cradled in one hand, his elbow propped on the armrest. His long legs are stretched out, his other hand splayed on top of his chest which rose and fell with each breath.

Spencer standing in the elevator, the surprise of someone calling his name turning into a small smile when he recognizes you racing to the doors. He reaches out to press a button before using both hands to grab onto the strap of his bag. He looks down at you as you enter with a look in his eyes you’ve never been able to identify.

And the Spencer you’ve only ever dreamed about.

His eyes fluttering open after a long night spent proving his love, the sun filtering through the window and reflecting on him in such a way that it makes you wish you could paint. The sheets are bunched around his waist, his chest is bare, and his smile is so sleepy that it swells your heart to ten times it’s normal size.

We’ll see each other soon. You’ve got this.

“Okay,” you say it with conviction, forcing your hands to stop shaking, “I trust you.” And then without a moments hesitation, tears still running down your face, you touch the wires together.

The world explodes.

“There!” Spencer races for the place he saw the puff of dirt, nearly tripping over himself as he runs faster than he’s ever run before. Everyone follows, dropping to there knees with Spencer as he starts to push at the stone and sand at his feet.

“Please be here. Please be here.” He keeps saying, his heart climbing into his throat with every passing second he doesn’t find you. That is, until his fingers brush across an arm. He shoves down into the dirt, ignoring every instinct that tells him to stay clean. It’s you, it’s your arm. Then it’s your head, your shoulders and chest, your stomach, your legs, and then it’s you.

He pulls you on top of him, laying in the dirt with you pulled so close that you could meld into one person. You groan into his ear, pushing up just a little to get a better look at the man under you.

“I forgot your coffee.” He laughs, tears spilling onto the sides of his face as he wraps his arms back around you.

...

It’s late by the time you’ve been seen by what feels like every doctor and psychologist in the state. There’s bruises on your wrists and ankles you hadn’t noticed during your time underground and a cut on the back of your head where you’d been hit in order to be knocked unconscious. Not to mention the tiny cuts all over your arms and face from crawling through a shattered windshield and up through rocks and dirt.

You stood in the conference room, arms crossed as you leaned against the table and stared. Staring back at you was your own face, tacked to the evidence board with four other victims.

“I tried going to your apartment, but nobody answered the door.” Spencer is standing in the doorway of the conference room, holding a box in his hands. You look down at it before looking back at him. Try as you might, you can’t tell if he’s opened it or not, either you aren’t a good profiler or you were just really tired.

“You left this at the hospital. I figured it was important if you brought it up with you from the car.” Moving into the room, he holds the box out for you to take from him. The ribbon you tied around it is still tightly knotted, the ends shredded from being dragged above ground. There’s specks of dirt that you reach out to brush to the floor before looking back at Spencer.

“It’s yours.” You reply, scooting back to sit on the table, watching curiously as he looks back down. Pulling the box back to his chest, he slips the ribbon off in one fluid motion. The lid is next and you watch as he reaches in to pull out what you had believed to be your last words.

It isn’t much, and there’s a possibility you don’t feel the same way, but I’ve realized that I’m hopelessly and irrevocably in love with you. I trust you with my life and my heart. I’m only scared now of losing you. -(Y/I)

He doesn’t look up at you and he doesn’t set the napkin aside, only moves his hand so the note is out of his line of sight as he sees the book inside.

“‘I love thee with all the breath, smiles, tears of all my life.’” He says it almost in a whisper before setting the note back in the box, and the box on the table.

“How long have you been waiting to give this to me?” When he looks at you, finally, there is wonder in his eyes, amazement.

“I bought the book last month, but I’ve known how I felt about you for six months.” You pick at the edge of the table, swinging your legs ever so slightly. Spencer moves in front of you, blocking your view of the evidence board.

“I don’t believe in love at first sight. Robert Sternberg developed the theory that love is made of three components; intimacy, passion, and commitment. None of which can be present during a first meeting. But I think I knew that I would love you. I knew from the very first time you walked in those doors and you bumped into me.” He reaches his hand out, only hesitating for just a moment before he takes you cheek in his hand.

“Can I kiss you?” He leaned so close that if he were just a hair closer, you lips would brush together as he spoke. You’ve already closed your eyes, every nerve lit up like the Fourth of July in anticipation.

“Yes.” You barely get it out before his lips collide with yours, you can feel every emotion from the last twenty four hours being poured into this kiss; fear, anxiety, sadness, confusion, anger, relief, love, safety.

You reach out to loop your arms around his neck, the kiss deepening as he grabs your hips to slide you closer. When he finally breaks the kiss, his chest heaving and his cheeks flushed, it takes him a minute to open his eyes.

“Why aren’t you at home?”

“I’m scared.”

“Why?” You loop the hair that curls against his neck around your index finger, licking your lips before responding.

“Because I’m afraid this will all be a dream and I’ll wake up back in that car.” Your breath hitches in your throat, the panic grabbing at your heart and lungs and barely leaving you anytime to process the plethora of things that have happened to you in the last thirty minutes.

“Come sleep at my place, that way you wake up with me by your side.” He steps away from the table, reaching out a hand for you to take. It takes you no time at all to make your decision, grabbing his hand and sliding off the table.

“Okay, I trust you.”

[unloved-cadillac]

All Over Again(Levi x Reader)

After regaining his memories, Levi is in high school searching for Y/n, his past Queen in which he served under. But after he does, she doesn’t remember him nor her past. Can Levi make her remember or will he make her fall in love with him again?

𝖶𝗈𝗋𝖽𝗌: 3.4𝗄

Reincarnation was the norm in the new world. After many lives lost, they were found a lifetime later. Many got lucky in the sense of finding their other half from their previous life. Either it’s by accident or glimpses of their face in dreams that drove a person to find them. Although, not everyone remembers their past lives. And, boy, does it suck for their friends who do.

In Levi’s case, it was his previous queen who didn’t remember him. Who also happens to be his lover.

His dreams were filled with her ever since he can remember. Her beautiful h/c hair flowing in the wind while they rode on their horses, her sparkling eyes when she spoke of her new book. Her plump rosy lips that made him want to kiss her forever. What he gathered from his memories, he was some kind of knight that was under an oath to protect the L/n family who was the royal family at that time. Levi also found out that he had fallen hopelessly in love with the princess. Y/n L/n. Well, at the time she was a princess when he fell for her. Levi was a mere soldier when he was picked to be one of the royal guards sent to protect Sina’s flower.

“Hey! Levi! You’re daydreaming again!” Hange yells out while tapping his shoulder. “Huh? Oh. Sorry.” Levi snaps back to reality. He was in class. English to be precise. He hated English. But he remembered Y/n telling him that she was very fond of writing and reading so he tried for her. “Thinking of her again?” Hange asks with a broad smile on her face. Hange was also part of that era with them. As a matter of fact, she was the closest friend apart from Levi since Hange helped in the castle’s science field. “Shut up, Shitty Glasses.” Levi groans and wipes his face. “I have a new memory of her.” Hange tells him and he looks back up at her. “What was it?” “Well, we were in the lab and I spilled some kind of solute on her and it burned her left hand by a mistake. Even though she was hurting she laughed which in turn made me laugh. You even slapped my head. Ouch.” Hange tells Levi and chuckles. “But that was also the moment that she kissed you.” Levi’s eyes widened and a faint blush formed on his cheeks. “Yeah. I remember spying on the two of you and she kissed your cheek while you dressed her wound. It was cute.” Hange continues and smiles.

As Levi was about to say something, their school bell rang, indicating the end of the school day. They packed their bags and walked out together. “How am I gonna find her, Hange?” Levi asks and Hange sighs. “I don’t know, Levi. It was by pure luck we found each other. Maybe in time she’ll turn up.” She pats his back as they walk home. Yeah. In time.

~~~~

The following day, Levi was in his home room class with Hange when their teacher came. “Alright, kids. Today I bring some good news! We have a new student joining us today!” He exclaims making Levi groan at his loudness. Pixis was always so damn enthusiastic about everything and it was a pain in the ass sometimes. As this man spoke, Levi thought of Y/n. He was willing to walk out this damn school and the life he had here just to find her. She had his heart for so long and all he wanted to do was hold her on his arms again.

“Ok, kiddo. You can come in now.” Pixis says and the door opens. Levi had his head on his table, trying to catch a few winks before 1st period but that was disturbed when Hange shoved him awake. “Jesus, shitty glasses. The fuck you want?” He questions her and Hange had her mouth agape and her eyes wide. So wide, her eyes were for sure going to pop out of her skull in a few moments. “Oi, Hange. What’s wrong?” All she does is point to the front of the class and he turns his head to look at what his friend pointed at. That was where he almost started crying.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Y/n L/n. I’m glad to be part of your class!” Y/n says and smiles a bright smile. Levi almost fainted from what he was seeing and hearing. She was here. This wasn’t a dream nor a memory. She was right in front of him, smiling a smile he hadn’t seen in forever. “Y/n, there’s a seat right there by the window. Go on.” Pixis tells her and she walks to the table and sits herself on the seat. She sat in the third seat from the front in the row next to Levi’s. But he sat right in the back with Hange so they couldn’t speak to her. Hange and Levi shared a look before the bell rang. As everyone started to leave, Levi and Hange walked up to her. Levi’s heart was beating a million miles per hour. This was it. He was finally going to hear her voice after so long and he will have her again. “Uhm, Y/n?” Hange called to her and Y/n turned around and smiled. “Hello.” She says. Hange looked at Levi and Levi looked at Y/n. “Hi, Y/n.” He says and she smiles. “Hello.” She says again and Hange launches herself onto her making Y/n almost fall over. “Oh, Y/n! I’m so happy that we found you! You have no idea how long we waited for you! I’ve missed you so much!” Hange cries out and all Y/n does is pay her back. Hange could feel her resistance and pulls away to look at Y/n’s confused face. “Y/n?” “I’m sorry. Do we know each other?” She asks and Levi’s heart just drops. Hange looks at her then Levi. “What?” Hange asks Levi and he doesn’t say a word. “I’m gonna be late to my first class. Goodbye.” Y/n says pulling away from the awkward scene and walks out the class, leaving Levi and Hange with a broken heart.

“What the fuck, Levi?!” Hange yells out while they sit in the cafeteria. Levi’s eyes were trained on Y/n while she spoke with some people. Y/n stopped and looked at him. He blinked and continued to look at her. She blushed and looked away. He smirks knowing that even if she doesn’t remember them, he still could do that to her. “Guys!” A friendly voice calls out to them. Turning around they see Armin walking up to them with a book. “Armin! Hi.” Hange says and Levi greets him with a “hey.” Armin sits next to them and places the book in front of them. “So, I read up on your little situation with Y/n and I might have a solution.” Armin says and Levi looks at him sharply. “Explain.” Levi says and Armin opens the book. It’s old, with a brown cover that was filled with little designs. “I found this book in the library. It was written by someone who was always reincarnated and in this page,” he points to the book, “it explains what he experienced when his friends couldn’t remember him.” Levi grabs the book and starts reading it.

..and man was I bummed. The four closest people to me couldn’t remember each other and me. Funny how I did but they didn’t. I kept on trying, for almost two months, to speak to them. To tell them about the adventures we had in our lives. But none of them budged. I was getting really impatient. Not only did I feel alone, two of them were destined to be together and they never even looked at each other. So I stayed up for countless nights, trying to find a way to jolt their memories. Something must’ve happened that was a constant in our lives. I’m sure previous life me is laughing at my face now. Anyway, I wrote everything down from what I could remember. Four lives. I wrote everything for four lives worth. And there was a thing that was a bit constant.

In my first life, we were in the times of mythical creatures. Maria and I were playing with a small dragon and it burned her arm. All of us laughed and helped her treat it. In my second life, we were in medieval times and a horse bit her hand. In my third, we were in a forest and Maria didn’t know the three of us. But when my cat scratched her, she gasped and fell down. Then she leaped into my arms telling me about our lives. In my fourth, I was a soldier and Maria had been shot. The five of us smiled at each other and then we died.

After coming up with the conclusion that Maria had to be injured in some way for her to remember, I set a plan. Since I wasn’t the cause of any of her injuries, it was something that did it. A creature or animal. The next day, I went to Maria and told her to meet me behind our school yard. She was hesitant, of course. But she showed up anyway. I told the others and they all showed up. Mostly because I used their interests to lure them there. When they showed, I had a dog. Tim was my big Saint Bernard who could never harm anyone unless I said so. When I pointed to Maria, he ran up to her and pushed her on the ground. His claws mistakenly scratched her and I quickly pulled him away. No one did anything. They all just stared at each other. Maria looked at her arm and then up at me. Tears filled her eyes and she leaped into my arms. She whispered to me that she remembers. I smiled and hugged her back while the others joined in. When we pulled away, the two that were destined to be together kissed. We were back together and that’s all I wanted.

Levi sighed and handed the book back to Armin. “So, we need to find a constant. Something that happened before that will jolt her memory.” Levi says and Armin nods. “Yup. Is there anything that might work?” He asks. “There is one. But here’s the thing: we only remember our one past life. For what we know, this is our first time being like this. So how can we be sure it will work? What if we fuck it up?” Hange asks with a worry. “Then we start fresh.” Levi answers while still looking at Y/n. “Ok. Well, let’s meet up at the cafe later and we can talk about it.” Hange proposes and Levi hums in agreement. “Oh! Armin! How is Annie?” Hange asks and Armin blushes. “She’s good. Her school is far away so we hardly see each other. But we Skype and stuff so I guess we’re okay.” He replies. “Your past life is so cool, dude. Being a merchant and falling for a soldier. You must tell me more one day,” Hange excitedly says and Armin smiles. “Of course.” Those two ramble on while Levi thinks of how he could win his queen’s memories back.

~~~~

At the cafe, Levi and Hange talk over coffee and tea. They were brainstorming and Hange speaks. “Levi, maybe we should try that burning thing on her.” “I hate having to hurt her. Isn’t there something else?” Levi asks while sipping his tea. “The thing is, I can’t remember anything else that might work.” Hange explains and he sighs. They continued to speak when Levi heard the cafe bell ring. Out of curiosity, he looks at who entered and he quickly slapped Hange to look. “Ow, Levi! Not so hard. Oh.” She stops and looks at Y/n. She was with some girl and it looked like she didn’t know they were here either. Hange groans and looks back at Levi. “I miss her. That should be me dragging her everywhere,” she says. Y/n and her friend order drinks and it looks like they weren’t staying. Since their drinks were in take-away cups. A man stood behind the pair and Levi narrowed his eyes. The man leaned down in between the girls, making them startle. “Hey ladies.” Levi heard the man speak but the rest was soft. Levi saw the man’s hand making its way to Y/n’s back. “Uhm, I’ll appreciate it if you kept your hands off of me and my friend, sir.” Y/n says and Levi smirks. Yup, definitely his Queen. “Oh, come on doll. I know you like having a man holding you.” He replies and his hand was going to grab her ass when Levi stepped in and grabbed his wrist. “What the..?” “You heard her. Keep your hands off of them,” he says sternly and Y/n looks at him. Suddenly, Y/n flinches and holds her head.

“This prince doesn’t seem to understand that I do not want to marry him,” Y/n whispers to herself while the prince continued to babble on and on about how rich his father was and how good they would be together. “So, princess,” he leans towards her, “what do you say we go up to your massive chambers and have some fun?” He moves his hand to grab her waist when another arm grabs his. “Levi!” Y/n says and Levi twists the prince’s arm. “Keep your hands off of her,” he says and throws the prince on the floor. He looks at Y/n and cups her cheek. “Are you okay?”

“Are you okay?” Y/n snaps out of her memory and looks around her. What was that? She looks at Levi who was eyeing her carefully. “Did he hurt you?” He asks and she shakes her head. “I..I need to go.” She goes past Levi and walks out. “Thanks Levi. I owe you one,” the girl says and walks out with the drinks to Y/n. “Hey.” Levi turns to the barista. “Levi, right? Thank you. For saving them. You’re welcome here anytime for free.” He says and Levi nods. He goes to sit back down with Hange and looks at her. “What?” He questions her smug face. “She remembered something,” she replies and Levi scoffs. “Sure.” “Really, Levi! She did. If she didn’t she wouldn’t have held her head or would’ve thanked you! We’re getting close.”

~~~~

“Oh my god. What was that?” Y/n whispers to herself as she gets ready for bed. She remembers her faint dreams that she had. All of them were of this boy. He looked just like Levi. Now that she saw him in real life, her heart fluttered all the time and the sense of pure love radiates from him. She knows the whole story about reincarnation. Her friend told her of her past life and how she and her girlfriend were there together. “Why can’t I remember?” She holds her head and groans. “He means something to me! I know he does! Shit.” She says and falls into her bed. Maybe her dreams will give her some answers.

Back at the palace, Y/n was reading her book while Levi stood guard by her door. Looking up from the book, she catches Levi looking at her but he quickly looks ahead when she does. Closing her book, she sets it on the table and walks up to him. “Levi.” She calls his name. “Yes, your majesty?” He responds. She wraps her arms around his neck forcing him to look at her. “You know you don’t have to be so stern when you're with me alone, right?” She asks and he looks down at her. “I hated those men looking at you today,” he suddenly says and she gasps. “Was my knight, perhaps jealous of said men?” She slyly asks while he scoffs but doesn’t answer. “Is that a yes?! Oh I knew it!” She giggles and he looks at her. Y/n calms down and cups his cheek. “Your Queen orders you to give her a kiss.” She says. “I don’t need to be ordered to do that,” he responds and places his lips on hers for a soft, loving kiss.

Levi wakes up after his dream. “Another memory. Fuck,” he sighs as he runs his hand through his hair. “Y/n. Remember me. Please.”

“Y/N! RUN! GO AWAY FROM HERE!” “NOT WITHOUT YOU, IDIOT!” “FOR GOD’S SAKE Y/N LISTEN TO ME!” Levi yells back at her. He swings his sword back and forth fighting the enemy while guarding his Queen. He turns to look at her and sees an arrow flying towards her. He runs in front of her with the intention to block it from piercing through her. Instead it pierced him. He saw her eyes widen and looked down at the arrow. “L-Levi,” she whispers to him as her tears fall. He couldn’t hold on for much longer. So he quickly kisses her and he leans on her. “I love you, Y/n.”

“LEVI! NO!” Y/n yells out, springing up from her bed. She pants and tries to catch her breath. She feels her cheeks which were now soaked with tears. Her hands were shaking. It felt so real. “Levi. Queen. It all makes sense now.” She whispers to herself and wakes up to go to her bathroom to wash her face. As the water hit her face, another memory ran through her mind. His funeral. It was pouring down and Y/n looked up to feel the rain hit her face. “I love you, Levi.” Y/n looks at herself in the mirror and smiles. “Finally.”

~~~~

Levi and Hange walk to their class while Hange goes over their plan. “Ok. So, I’m gonna take Y/n to our science lab, okay? You will be outside watching like how you did back then. I’m gonna show her some cool experiments and I’m gonna accidentally hurt her. When she yells out or like cusses at me or something, you come in and ask me what happened. You will take her hand and look at it while she looks at you. Then, you take her to the nurses office and help her wound and get all lovey dovey. Then you look at her, staring into her eyes oh so lovingly and then you will lean in and she will then you both will..-“ “ALRIGHT, HANGE! I get the idea!” Levi puts a hand over her mouth to shut her up and she chuckles. She looks ahead and sees the person they were just speaking about. Hange points to her and Levi looks. There Y/n stood. With an apple and caramel muffins.

Levi and Hange stop dead in their tracks and look at her. Y/n smiles and walks up to them. “Hange.” She says and Hange smiles. “I remember you telling me once that you loved the caramel muffins I got for you. So here,” she hands her the container. Hange eyes sparkle and take the box. She looks at Y/n and brings her in a bear hug. “Oh Y/n! Y/n! I’m so happy you remember me! I’m so happy!” Hange yells out and Y/n laughs at her long lost friend. Setting her down, Hange looks at Levi who had his own smile on his face. “I’ll leave you two be, your majesty.” Hange says softly and Y/n giggles at the name. Levi looks at Y/n with adoration in his eyes and Y/n smiles while holding out the apple. “And my knight told me that his favorite fruit was an apple.” Y/n says as some happy tears fall down her bright face. Levi moves to her and wipes her tears away. “You remember me?” Levi asks and she nods. “I remember. I remember us. Levi, last night I, I saw how you died. You died protecting me. You saved me, Levi. You saved me, baby,” she whispers and holds his face. “Yeah. I told you. I’ll always protect you.” Levi replies with tears falling down his face and Y/n crashes her lips with his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and twirled her around. He settled her back down but kept her in his arms.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he whispers into her lips. “And I’ve missed you.” She says and hugs him. He pulls away and looks at her. “Just know, that I’ll do it all over again for you.”

[alyasgf]

Everything Is Gonna Be Okay

mlb fic master list || part 2

Summary- Adrien has known Ladybug’s identity since kwamibuster, but she worked so hard who was he to ruin it?

Or alternatively kwamibuster but Adrien isn’t fooled, realizes who Ladybug is but doesn’t say anything. He helps her by becoming her close friend. He may have also accidentally fallen in love with her. Oops? Ft. Ladynoir, Adrinette, and Marichat (mostly Adrinette )

Notes- Getting to all the prompts I have building up that I haven’t had time for so enjoy! I might come back to this for another chapter with Ladrien and possibly a full reveal we’ll see.

Word Count- 1660

AO3

Begin

Adrien knew it was Marinette. Common sense was that if she had all the miraculous on, she’d probably have the fox. She would’ve gotten away with it, but Chat Noir could clearly the difference. After the Volpina scandal he’d noticed how flat the illusions could look, so when the tiny Multimouse seemed just a bit lackluster, he simply connected the dots.

Still, she’d put so much effort into the whole thing, so who was he to ruin it for her? He’d simply play along.

Ever since he found out Ladybug’s identity, he tried to get closer to Marinette, but she always seemed to be uncomfortable around Adrien. It disappointed him, but he understood. Adrien came with high expectations, while Chat Noir was free of these standards.

He’d visit Marinette as Chat Noir every chance he got. At first, he was worried Ladybug might reprimand him, but Marinette seemed to enjoy the company.

Unlike Ladybug, sometimes Marinette would entertain Chat’s antics (probably because they weren’t in the middle of battling an akuma.)

They’d play video games, watch anime on her terrace, and eat goodies he wasn’t allowed at home. He considered her his best friend, in and out of the suit.

Unfortunately, he let this slip while hanging out with Alya, Nino and Marinette.

“Surely your friend Marinette will help you with the notes you missed.” Alya said, raising her eyebrows and directing a look towards Marinette.

“You mean best friend Marinette.” Adrien replied lightheartedly.

Marinette turned bright red, while Nino gasped in offense.

“Well who am I then? I thought you and I were closer!” Nino pouted.

“I- uh,” Adrien was at a loss, before deciding to play it off. “I can have more than one best friend Nino don’t get too jealous.” He laughed.

Marinette was still red as she handed Adrien her notes to take a picture of. They were all in the park after school, as they did sometimes when Adrien’s schedule would allow it.

Alya whispered something into Marinette’s ear that made her blush harder. Adrien couldn’t help but notice how cute she looked. He couldn’t believe the girl that threw herself at akumas with no fear could hardly look him in the eye without stuttering. He couldn’t help but tease her.

“Everything ok Marinette?” He leaned closer and put his hand on her forehead. She froze and looked up, cross eyed at his hand. “You look like you’re heating up.”

She practically fell backwards trying to scoot away from his hand. “Yeah yeah! You feel great.” She said in a daze. “I mean I feel great!”

Adrien let out a laugh, and everyone joined in. Marinette even seemed to giggle a little. Adrien took that as a win.

————————————

He kept up this rouse for months, visiting her at nights after patrols or whenever he missed her. As he did this, he began to fall in love with her as Marinette. It wasn’t all at once though. At first when he’d discovered her identity he had trouble seeing the two as one person. But as he spent more time with Marinette he could see all of Ladybug’s characteristics in her, and in turn, Marinette characteristics in Ladybug.

Anytime Ladybug would doubt her plans, she’d get the same face Marinette would make when she proposed something to Adrien. The determination Marinette had when it came to her friends was the same attitude Ladybug had toward all Parisians.

And with that Adrien was hopelessly in love with her. Still, there was Luka.

She mentioned there was an other guy as Ladybug, and before he knew who she was he assumed she and Luka already had a thing. Before, he could accept this, but after knowing everything it hurt a little more.

He put this all aside though, because Marinette was his friend and partner first (and romantic interest second.)

But as he got lost in her eyes one night while talking and sharing snacks he had to ask, had to hope maybe he was wrong.

“So I hear a certain boy has caught your heart Marinette, care to share?” He asked casually, looking away after a particularly vulnerable moment.

“Yeah he has.” Marinette said with a sigh as she started off into the distance, lovestruck.

Adrien couldn’t help but feel disappointed. “What’s he like?”

“God Chat, he’s just perfect. He cares so much about everyone, and despite everything the world had thrown at him, he’s still so kind.” Marinette gushed.

Adrien had heard about how Luka’s father had abandoned him and Juleka when they were younger. He knew how it felt to feel like there was a piece of your family missing, but not ever knowing them must be unbearable. He could tell Marinette thought the world of Luka.

“How do you feel about Ladybug?” Marinette ventured.

Adrien laughed, knowing who she was, it was funny when Marinette asked about herself. She did it often, as though she couldn’t believe anyone could think so highly of her.

“Well, what can I say that isn’t already obvious? She’s determined, kind, funny, and a bit of a klutz.”

Marinette pouted. “No one calls Ladybug a klutz.”

“Well no one else spends as much time with her as I do. At least in costume anyway.”

Marinette begrudgingly agreed.

“Although she could entertain my amazing puns.” Chat teased.

Marinette laughed. “In your dreams kitty.”

If Chat hadn’t already known she was Ladybug, the way she delivered that line would’ve gave it away. There was a certain fondness to it that only his partner could use with him.

————————————

At some point after Marinette became the guardian, something changed.

They communicated if he could come over by her leaving out a cup of milk or her sitting outside around 9. Lately that came less and less.

Ladybug started to miss more and more patrols. She said she was busy, and with the way Marinette no longer had time to hang out with her friends he could tell that was true.

He tried to distract himself and change targets, but that blew up in his face. Kagami was starting to believe his excuses less and less. It was no suprise when she broke off whatever they had.

What was surprising however, was when he heard from Nino, who heard from Alya, who heard from Juleka, that Marinette and Luka had broken up.

She was always tired, and this was evident through her red eyes with dark bags beneath them. Adrien felt so helpless. He wasn’t sure how he could help without telling her what he knew.

He started with little things, like giving her notes she missed without her asking, letting her know it was really okay if she had to miss a patrol here and there, and leaving her little treats on her terrace to find whenever she went up.

One night as he passed by her room to leave a gift, he found the trapdoor cracked open and could hear her crying in her bed. He could hear the kwamis trying to comfort her, but it wasn’t working.

He made a show of dropping down so she’d have time to hide the kwamis before he knocked on the edge of the open trapdoor.

“You ok Marinette?”

When she lifted the trapdoor fully open a minute later he could tell she had tried to make herself look better. Her eyes looked freshly wiped and she had a forced smile on her face.

“Hey Chat. I’m fine just a little busy. Sorry we haven’t hung out in a while.”

Chat could still hear the sobs in his head that had been coming from her not even 5 minutes ago.

He threw his arms around her and she pulled herself into the ledge before crumbling into him.

She sobbed so hard, he was worried she’d break.

They stayed like that for at least half an hour. Chat rubbed her back and whispered affirmations into her ear.

“Shhh, it’ll be okay. You’re okay. You’re doing great.”

He didn’t know how she hadn’t been akumatized, but with him there, there was no way he’d let that happen.

When she finally calmed down, she pulled from him to look him in the eyes.

Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, there was a bit of snot coming from her nose. Still, she looked beautiful in the moonlight.

“I’m sorry Chat. Sometimes it’s just too hard to hold it in.” She said with a hiccup.

Chat pulled her back in. “Everyone needs to let it out every once in a while Marinette. There’s nothing to be sorry for, I’m just glad you chose me to be here for you. Do you wanna talk about it?”

Marinette shook her head. Chat sighed. He wouldn’t push her to say anything, no matter how much he wished she’d tell him.

“What can I do?” He asked.

“Stay with me until I fall asleep?” She whispered into his shoulder.

Chat nodded and she got up and climbed into her bed. Chat followed and left the trapdoor open.

There he laid, her head on his chest until her breathing evened out. He really didn’t want to leave. She was so warm and vulnerable. He was so in love with her.

But he knew he couldn’t stay, so ever so reluctantly, he lifted her from him softly and he left.

��———————————

The next day when he saw her, he could see for the first time in what felt like forever she looked like she got some rest.

He ran up to her and hugged her tightly. She stiffened before relaxing into his touch.

“Marinette, I know if I ask you’re gonna tell me you’re okay, but I want you to know I can tell you aren’t. I’m here for you. We’re all here for you. Please don’t push us away.” He said into her hair. It smelled like strawberries and sweets, like always. It was comforting.

“O-okay.” She stuttered out. “Thank you Adrien.” She said softly. He felt her hold on a little tighter.

End Notes- Feel free to send in prompts! Also I wanna write more reveals where only one of them knows so look out for that. Reply your favorite part and leave a like and reblog if you liked this it makes my day ;)

[liddolwhynot2000]

Leaving

____________________________________

Summary: And even if the two of you were friends, she told herself, it hardly mattered. He was, despite his very vocal protests, friends with Hange, another woman. So one more to the list was no matter of concern.

____________________________________

Pairings: Levi/Reader, Levi/Petra

Genre: Angsty, One Sided Love, Levi ends up happy for once

____________________________________

Levi sat in his office, glaring down at the table full of paperwork. Usually he had a better work ethic then this, completing his work neatly and on time. Today, however, his mind was rather jumbled up. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to fully focus on the words sprawled on the paper infront of him.

Instead, all he could think about was how, a few days back, Petra had confessed her undying love and devotion to him. He had awkwardly tried to turn her down, only for her to beg him to actually think about it before making a decision. She had insisted that she could break down his walls, if only he would give her a chance.

That had been before they had faced an attack from Marley, so he hadn't bothered to give her offer more then a moments notice, dismissing any notions of romance and too busy with trying to keep his brats alive. But now, he was seriously considering her words. Not the idea of being with her, but the idea of just having someone.

He had spent so much of his life alone. He hadn't felt a warm embrace since the loss of his mother. But maybe, maybe he could actually have a companion. Someone to settle down with, someone who could support him.

Petra would be easy to settle down with, if he was willing to abandon everything that made the idea of being with her uncomfortable. Like the age difference. He was in his early thirties and Petra had just turned twenty. Even though she was the one pushing for the relationship, it still made him feel like a creep. And he knew everyone would point fingers at him, especially since he was her superior officer and she was directly in his squad. Even if he decided to not give a flying fuck about that, the idea of opening his heart to someone who he would probably send to their death at one point was uncomfortable for him.

Sighing, he decided he would turn her down firmly the next time he saw her. There was no reason for him to indulge her, he harboured no romantic feelings for her and it was best she got over her little crush as soon as possible. He would try to be nice as he could about it.

Mind made up, he went back to work.

____________________________________

Petra stood infront of her captain's office door, wanting nothing more then to go inside, but too scared to. She had confessed to him in the spur of the moment and was now afraid of facing rejection from him. Although a part of her, the part that was hopelessly in love with him, refused to give up.

It was well known that Captain Levi wasn't the type to take any sort of lover. In fact, someone had even passed a rumour that during his health inspection, he had checked the box for sexual partners as none. Of course, that rumour had also been promptly strangled to a graceless death once he got wind of it and made the entire survey corps run till they dropped. Everyday. For a week.

She knew he was hardly what one considered attractive, and that the attention and admiration he got from his title often withered away because of his stone cold personality. But she neither cared for his looks, nor his rank.

She was one of the few people who had noticed his kindness. The way he went out of his way to help his comrades, whether it was on the battlefield or giving advice. The fact that he gathered momentos of their fallen cormades. How he often carried expeditions on his back to lower the death rate. All those little things that others failed to notice, she had. And all of it made her fall hopelessly in love with him.

She could tell he thought that spending the rest of his life on his own and dying on the battlefield was his fate, but she would do everything possible to convince him otherwise.

Resolving herself to convince him, she knocked. The door creaked open, and peering in, she realized he wasn't in his office. Suddenly she remembered that most of the soldiers had gone out to drink, she figured he must have gone along with them.

Shrugging, she decided it would be best to approach him the next day and decided to go to sleep early rather then seek him out right now.

She had no idea how much she would regret not going to the bar that night.

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

The bar was packed. Levi scrunched up his nose in disgust at the sight before him. Rowdy soldiers laughed and sang together. The smell of booze wreaked in the air and someone was playing the guitar.

He had been dragged into this filthy place by Hanji. All the soldiers had the night off and wanted to enjoy it to the fullest. The only reason Levi had allowed Hanji to drag him in here was because he refused to let the 104th cadets drink. It was entertaining to snatch the glass of alcohol out of their hands, watch them fume, turn around and then falter at the sight of their captain being the culprit.

Once Eren and his little group left the bar, Levi decided his job of torturing the brats was done, and left a little while after them. He had initially wanted to leave the moment they had, but Hanji had decided to play her usual game of pointing out random, pretty girls in hopes of inticing him to 'getting some'. Once she got desperate at his constant rejection and started highlighting men, he tripped her and left at the speed of lightning.

Walking slowly in the darkness, he let himself enjoy the peace and quiet. The Survey Corps headquarters were always loud. Something was always going on. Whether it was training, mission plans, Hanji, the brats wreaking havoc or Eren accidentally transforming for the unteempth time, he could never enjoy any genuine quietness.

The sound of a struggle broke him out of his thoughts, eyes narrowing as he turned to the source.

'Let go of me-I said let mph GO-'

'Come on we just wanna have some fun-'

He inched closer to the alleyway. Spotting three men surrounding a struggling woman, pulling at her clothes, the sight had his blood boiling. The image of another woman, older, being pulled at by men too strong for her, just like this, flashed through his mind.

Without a second thought, he lunged.

____________________________________

The next day, the Survey Corps headquarters was rather quiet. Over half the soldiers nursed hangovers and pretty much died at anything louder then a whisper. The former 104th cadets, who had been upset at not getting to drink, suddenly felt glad. The faces of their superior officers gave away exactly how horrible they felt.

Petra chuckled at the sight of her cormades and their pathetic state, relieved that she hadn't gone out, sothe newbies wouldn't see her in this less-then-decent condition as well.

'Umm, excuse me?'

Almost half the room turned towards the door. A woman stood there, her long hair tied in a braid and holding a basket full of goodies in her hand.

'I'm here to visit someone. I was hoping someone could guide me to him. '

Armin, closest to the door, smiled pleasantly and approached her. The rest of the room returned to their business of trying to look alive despite feeling the opposite inside. No one else bothered hearing what was going on, although Petra couldn't help taking note of their visitor.

You were clearly a civilian and, Petra had to admit, quite the beauty. Wearing a white button up shirt with a light green vest on top and a long brown skirt. A rather plain look, but it suited you nonetheless.

Armin began leading you away, and Petra realised she hadn't learned who you were visiting. Oh well, it was almost time to give the captain his tea. The mystery could be solved later.

.....................

Holding a tray with tea, some biscuits and two cups, she knocked on the door. She could hear muffled noises, it was probably Commander Erwin or Hange inside with him. She smiled to herself, glad that she had brought more then one cup.

Once given permission, she entered, and found herself rather startled by the sight infront of her.

For once, the captain wasn't seated at his desk. He sat on the couch, casually leaning back, one leg crossed over the other, an arm splayed on the top right of the sofa. On his left, sat the pretty woman who Armin had led away. The basket she had brought with her had been opened, and its contents, which included cookies and box's of tea, were strewn about on the table infront of them.

'Oi put the tea down already.'

Snapping out of her thoughts at the Captain's voice, Petra swallowed roughly, trying to keep her expression neutral and set the tray down. She began to reach for the kettle to pour it for him, all the while trying to not give into curiousity and the ugly feeling in her gut by looking at the woman occupying the other end of the couch. A part of her sorely wished she had only brought one cup instead of two.

'There's no need to pour it for me. You can leave now'

'B-but captain I always-'

'There's no time. We have patrol in the afternoon, go tell the others and prepare accordingly. If I find anyone slacking off because of last night, I'll kick the shit out of them'

There was no room to even think about disobeying that tone, so, with a clear 'Yes sir!', she stiffly saluted him and left the room. Each step felt strangely heavier then the last.

..................................................

When Petra had joined the Survey Corps, one of her favorite activities had easily been horse riding. It was relaxing for her, even on patrol. The light breeze that accompanied it made her feel fresh and it was good excercise too. She often got lost in her thoughts during this time. Although, not for the first time, her thoughts were centered around the man leading the patrol.

She didn't contemplate how strangely handsome he looked with his hair swishing back and forth like that. Nor did she think of ways to get him to accept her. Today, she could only mentally question him.

Who were you? How long had you known each other? Were you a friend? Or a fan? Wait no, Captain Levi didn't entertain fans, no matter how attractive. The two of you had clearly met before. Were you his lov-

Petra slammed the brakes on that thought before it could finish, calming herself. She was getting too out of hand and wild with her assumptions. You had likely been an aquantince of some sort. Nothing more.

And even if the two of you were friends, she told herself, it hardly mattered. He was, despite his very vocal protests, friends with Hange, another woman. So one more to the list was no matter of concern.

Determined to shut out the voice in her head that alluded to that you being something more then a friend, Petra nudged her horse fiercely. She simply wasn't use to him being even slightly friendly towards other women. That's all.

The strange burning in her chest never quite left.

____________________________________

Later, she learned that you had come to thank him. Captain Levi had saved you from some thugs last night. Relieved, she told herself to not think about you anymore. Clearly, your visit had been a one time thing and Captain had just been polite. She doubted she would see you again. And so, she carried on with her life, dismissing all her thoughts about you.

Three months later, they had returned from a mission and stopped for a while in the civillian district that came before their headquarters. Everyone dispersed, with Eld dragging Gunther away to the flower shop to buy something for his fiance and Eren and his group heading to a food stall. After Olou made another attempt at hitting on her and bit his tongue, Petra promptly went looking for the Captain.

She figured he was probably at some tea stall, trying different tea's. Or maybe buying cleaning products. Humming, she strolled along the road, eyes scanning the crowd. He had turned her confession down, but she was still determined to let him know that she cared. Maybe spending some time with him would reassure him that she was serious? She was willing to wait for him as long as necessary.

When she finally found the person she had been looking for, her heart dropped in her stomach.

Captain Levi was sitting at a little cafe, drinking tea, just like she had thought he would be. However, he wasn't alone. You, dressed smartly in a knee length yellow dress, sat next to him. The two of you appeared to be peacefully chatting and sipping tea, clearly interacting with more familiarity then two strangers were supposed to possess towards each other. An indication that this wasn't a just a coincidental second meeting. Or third.

Petra hadn't cried since her first expedition, something she was proud of. She had faced deathly situations on a mothly basis since then and had refused to shed a single tear. But right now, as she turned on her heel and walked away with as much dignity as she could muster up, she really wanted nothing more then to sob into her pillow.

____________________________________

The next time she saw you again was about nine months after the 'Cafe Incident'. The Survey Corps had returned from a deadly mission. They had accomplished their goal, but some had sustained some injuries, fortunately incurring no loss of life. The biggest one of the injuries was captain Levi. He had gotten wounded while protecting Mikasa. The girl had gone off on her own again and nearly gotten killed.

After the doctor had looked him over and bandaged his wounds, he had been put on a week of bed rest. He had tried to vehemently argue against it, but Commander Erwin had put his foot down and ordered him to do nothing for the entire week or be suspended.

All the members of squad Levi had taken turns bringing him food and changing his bandages. Even a guilty Mikasa had helped out, shamefully apologising to Captain Levi.

Of course, it was only when it was Petra's turn, that you chose to visit captain. Entering the room, with a tray of bread, soup and some water, she could only feel relieved that the Captain was asleep and that you were sitting far away from him on the couch while reading a book. Food containers were neatly set on the table, filled with stew and boiled vegetables.

When the door opened, you looked up and then smiled at her. The smile faded when Petra set the tray down and began talking.

'You shouldn't be here'

'Excuse me?'

Maybe it was because she was feeling petty, or jealous, or both really. But she couldn't stop herself from misusing the rules to make you go away.

'Civillians aren't allowed here on work days. And they certainly aren't allowed to bring food here. You need permission from the commander or the Captain'

It was a lie really, the entire week after a mission like this was usually considered unofficially off, hence there was no need to get permission. Several soldiers often recieved visits from concerned family members during this time. Petra knew that well. You, however, did not, and looked confused.

'I-Levi never mentioned that- He told me I'm listed as his emergency contact and that means I don't need permi-

'I checked the list. There's no name there'

Another big, fat lie. Your name had been discreetly added to his file a month ago. Petra had bitterly discovered it while delivering the file to Commander Erwin and had accidentally opened it beforehand.

'Are you sure? I signed the form, if you could please check agai-'

'I'm sorry but there's no name there. Please leave and take your things with you. You need specific permission and an actual relation to the soldier to visit'

Okay, she was officially a petty bitch. The part of her that felt ashamed at her own behaviour was easily overcome by the part of her that was sick and tired of being indirectly rejected by Captain Levi for this- this woman. She couldn't help feeling victorious as you made to gather your things.

'She doesn't need to go anywhere'

Petra's eyes widened, while you stopped your movements and immediately rushed to his side, asking him how he was feeling. He answered lowly, voice hoarse from sleep, assuring you that he was fine.

Like a thief caught stealing, Petra made to leave the room as silently as possible. As she shut the door, she briefly made eye contact with Captain Levi, whose usually emotionless eyes had morphed into a dark glare. He obviously hadn't missed out on what she had tried to do and if that last look had been anything to go by, she was in some major trouble.

____________________________________

Levi calmly ate his stew, enjoying the fresh and rich flavour. You had made it for him, hence why he couldn't help savouring it even more. You had left a while ago, after he had made you leave. You ou couldn't stay overnight and he wasn't comfortable with you walking in the dark by yourself.

With a slight smile, he mulled over your existence. You had been a part of his life for a year now and he honestly hadn't expected things to turn out the way they had when he first you.

You, the crying, shivering girl he had walked home that night, had now become the most important person in his life.

And, Levi scowled, you had just been majorly disrespected by one of his subordinates. He had expected better from Petra. She had allowed her personal feelings to get in the way of being a professional comrade and had misquoted official guidelines.

He had initially been furious and had wanted to punish her immediately. However, you had insisted on finding out what the matter was and had stopped him from acting out in anger. It was solely because he had you calming him down that he hadn't taken any drastic steps.

You had been the voice of reason, pointing out to him about how young Petra was, and how to her, she had watched her first love pretty much fall into the arms of another woman. She was just a young girl who couldn't bottle up her feelings properly yet. Professionally punishing her now would only lead to more outlandish behaviour. Her feelings were something she would grow out of, or at least learn to control. Any official repercussions would lead to a bad mark on her record and would probably make the matter worse. His usual style of dealing with brats just wouldn't work this time.

With a heavy sigh, he leaned into the pillows, wondering where he had gone wrong. He had rejected Petra firmly when had found the chance, which had been a day after meeting you. He had tried to be gentle about it, not wanting to hurt his comrade and had thought she was mature enough to not take it too personally. Obviously, he had been wrong.

While Petra hadn't approached him with any more confessions, he had caught her looking at him with that weird, longing expression more times then he was comfortable admitting. Her feelings had begun to interfere with her behaviour, and that was intolerable. No matter what you said, he would have to do something about this sooner or later.

The solution came to him a week later.

____________________________________

Petra stood in Commander Erwin's office, shoulders straight, arms in a firm salute. She could hardly believe her ears.

'I-I'm being promoted sir?'

'Eventually, yes. You and the rest of the senior members of Levi squad will support Section Commander Hange and train new squads formed from the 105th and 106th cadet corps. The end result will be four squads, each led by one of you, giving you the rank of Captain in about a year. The rest have already been informed.'

She stared in awe, not sure if this was real. She had walked in here, nervous, expecting an official warning for her behaviour with the woman whose-name-she-refused-to-even-say-in-her-mind. It had been four months since then, and captain Levi hadn't said a word to her about it, only assigning Sasha in her place to bring him tea in the morning. She had figured her punishment had been the unnaturally long wait for it and that the Commander would rip her a new one for making the Survey Corps soldiers look disgraceful in front of civillians. After all, the Military Police and the Garrisons were the ones lacking discipline, while the Survey Corps was reknown for being the prim and proper gorup.

With a determined smile, she profusely thanked the Commander, feeling genuinely grateful and excited at the prospect of leading the next batch of soldiers.

'The Special operation Squad has been officially disbanded. All four of you will head to the Northern Survey Corps headquarters with the cadets-'

Her eyes widened, heart plummeting.

'-and train them to respond to severe situations in that area. The military there was far too unprepared for Rod Reiss's Titan attack. It Marley attacked from there, we wouldn't be able to withstand it'

'Sir the northern branch..?'

She hadn't mean to interrupt him, but the words had left her mouth before she could stop them. Erwin raised an eyebrow at her, his expression cool and tone even, but still sharp enough to make her wince.

'Is there a problem officer Ral?'

'No sir!'

'Good. Prepare to head out in a week's time. After a year, they give soldiers the oppurtunity to settle their family in the civillian areas. So make sure to fill out the paperwork for it.'

With one last salute, Petra made to leave, only to stop dead at the Commanders voice. This time it was dry and toneless, but the threat was clear in it.

'One last thing, Officer Ral. Do try to behave respectfully and professionally around the family members of the higher ups there. Not everyone is as forgiving as Captain Levi. Some would end your career in minutes.'

Unable to look him in the eye, she bowed her head in agreement.

'Dismissed, Officer Ral. Have a safe trip and work hard. '

____________________________________

After fleeing to the safety of female barracks and finally finding herself alone, she let go of her somber demeanour and let the tears of humiliation loose.

Her promotion wasn't about her doing a good job so far. In fact, it was a way of saying that she wasn't doing her current job well enough. She had known that some soldiers would be sent to the Northern areas to improve the military there, but had figured Captain Miche and his squad would take on that responsibility.

The only way she and the rest of her squad had been nominated for it would be if Captain Levi had suggested them. And for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why. Besides the incident with you, she had still been dutiful as ever. Everything done on time and as efficiently as possible. So why had Captain decided to punish her like this. Sending her away from all her cormades, uprooting her career so carelessly. Just why.

Wiping her eyes, she realized she would just have to ask him herself.

____________________________________

'This isn't punishment Petra'

'But Captain, it feels like it is-'

'No, you dumb brat. If this was punishment, why would the rest of the squad be going with you? Why the hell are they so happy, frolicking around like little high-as-fuck shits huh? It's because it's a fucking honour. All of you are being assigned to build and lead the Northern military forces. A military that hardly exists, you shit heads are going to built it from scratch. And here you are whining in front of me, like a petulant little brat'

She gazed at him, wide eyed. Opening her mouth to talk, she immediately shut up as he glared fiercely at her.

'Stop holding yourself back because of your...'feelings' for me. You're more then this. You've done a damn good job on the field and this is your reward. Now get out of my office, go pack and then fucking celebrate your promotion with the rest of those hormonal brats. Understood? Good. '

With a wave of his hand, he dismissed her. He could only hope his words had gotten through to her and that she understood that he truly hadn't meant to punish her.

Shoulders slumped, she walked down the hallway to her room. Captain Levi's words had cleared her head, however, Petra thought to herself sadly, the sight of you nursing your swollen, clearly pregnant stomach, while Armin and Mikasa helped you up the stairs, had made a far stronger impact.

It really was a good thing she was leaving.

____________________________________

A/N: I read too many fanfics about Levi breaking the readers heart for Petra 😤😤. So, I decided I would (realistically) break Petra's heart. Not for the reader. But, for reasons that make sense, rather then Levi rejecting Petra specifically for the reader. Also, Levi is in his mid thirties and reader is at least 27. I kinda wanna make a part that explores the hints of Levi and Readers relationship I gave in this, but I don't know if anyone would want to read that. My asks are open, so please ask away. I hope y'all enjoyed this!

[babypinkhearts]

Hello again! I know you said that you're comfortable writing for any of the anime characters. So, could I request dating/crushing hc's for Shalnark? With a gn reader

shalnark! ahh, baby! underrated king 🥺

i’ll be very happy to do this - thank you so much for requesting! <3

pairing: shalnark + gn reader

warnings: slight mention of crimes (he’s a criminal - what do you expect 😳) overall, fluff!

- now, i think the story of how you two came to be a couple is quite entertaining

- both of you knew each other from being members of the phantom troupe

- you had recently joined - given the position from the death of a previous member

- immediately, you caught shalnark’s interest

- he was around the troupe pretty much 24/7 - he had grown used to their remarks

- but you were an interesting addition to their team

- you were witty and entertaining to be around. you were polite - it was refreshing in comparison with everyone else

- shalnark isn’t stupid - he knew he had fallen for you the second you introduced yourself

- the two of you got along rather quickly

- in fact, it only took about three weeks for the two of you to become inseparable

- his innocent appearance intrigued you. you knew he was capable of killing everything in sight.

- yet, he was one of the sweetest people you had ever met

- missions were mere breezes

- chrollo would send the both of you out together because even he knew how well you two worked with each other

- being the villians you are, you’d compete with him in dumb challenges like “whoever sneaks through security first wins!”

- he’s glad he finally has someone to joke around with

- nobody else in the troupe matches his energy 🥺

- sometimes you two get on the other’s nerves, but since the rules say they can’t kill you, they simply learn to live with it

- shalnark adores watching you in combat

- if you ever need help, he’s quick to be right by your side and assist you

- one time, you weren’t paying attention and injured your arm pretty badly

- ever since then, he refuses to leave your side in battle

- he knows you’re strong on your own (i mean, you ARE in the phantom troupe) but nonetheless, he worries for you

- throughout your whole recovery, he’s with you like a lovesick puppy

- the troupe finds it hilarious

- he’s hopelessly in love with you, but you’re too oblivious to see it

- vice versa

- you quickly start developing a crush on him, but get too nervous to act on it

- even chrollo wants to bang his head into a wall with how clueless you both are

- unsurprisingly, shalnark was the one who ultimately confessed

- you two were on a mission together - your objective was to obtain a pricey artifact in a museum

- the job was simple - security didn’t stand a chance

- it wasn’t until the two of you were walking back that shalnark decided to finally tell you

- it was night, the only thing lighting up your way was the street lights across the sidewalk

- you had the artifact in your backpack, casually walking beside him as you two talked about the mission

- “that alarm almost made me deaf!” you exclaimed, throwing your hands in the air. “it was so loud - and for what? there were like four guys that ran in. couldn’t they at least get a bigger group? security gets more and more dumb, i swear.”

- shalnark listened to you with a smile on his face.

- he was admiring you as you spoke, watching the way your eyes lit up as you recalled the slight adrenaline you felt while running out of the museum

- then, he stopped walking

- confused, you looked at him, tilting your head

- “shal, we gotta get back by midnight. i want to get some sleep in before we go-“

- your words were cut short as he stepped foward, gently pressing his lips to yours

- shocked, you didn’t do anything but grip his shirt tightly

- it was a short kiss - one that hardly gave you time to react

- when he pulled away, your face was burning a dark red

- “y-you-“

- you stuttered on your words, flustered as you stared at the blonde

- though he seemed unfazed, he was internally freaking out, over-joyed by your reaction

- you hadn’t pushed him away - maybe, just maybe you felt the same

- “i like you. a lot.” shalnark was blunt, wanting to hear your response as quickly as possible. “probably more than i should, if i’m being honest.”

- you blinked, slowly registering his words in your head

- he likes you

- you searched his eyes

- maybe it was a joke?

- no, shalnark doesn’t mess around like that

- once you determined he was serious, a smile began to form on your face.

- “shal, i like you too.”

- the joy shalnark felt at that moment was merely incomparable to anything else

- the biggest grin appeared on his face

- he didn’t hesitate to bring you in a tight hug

- from that day foward, you had become an actual power couple

- the troupe was relieved that the two of you were now together - they wouldn’t have to deal with your helpless idiocracies anymore

- but to be honest, the two of you becoming a couple didn’t really change much

- you were already extremely close with one another, though now you two would kiss and hug

- of course, in your own privacy

- the heavens know the troupe would forget about the rules and end up killing you on the spot if they saw pda

[kyber-crystal]

pop the question || s.r.

summary: steve goes to his old love to ask her for advice on making the most important decision of his life. 

words: ~2.5k

warnings: really nothing, just fluff and cheesy steve as always :)

a/n: this was an old oneshot and it’s poorly written i’m so sorry. post civil war au where everyone is happy and peggy is still alive hehehehe let’s keep in mind this is unedited so there’s a lot of errors. 

Upon hearing that your boyfriend was going to go visit Peggy, you immediately jumped at the opportunity and begged him to let you tag along. Hearing countless stories about the fearless woman who helped found the very organization that you had been a part of for so long made you want to see her in person. So after several days of convincing, he finally caved in and allowed you to come with him.

The room she was staying in was brightly lit and minimalistic, mostly uncluttered with the only thing on the wall being a framed black-and-white photo of her back in the 40's. A grey-haired woman lay peacefully in the middle of the bed and as you took a step forward, she stirred slightly and for a moment you were afraid you'd woken her up in the middle of her sleep.

Her eyes opened and a bright smile lit up her face, softening immediately upon seeing the two of you side by side. "Oh, do come in...And who is this beautiful lady you've brought along with you, Steve?"

"I'm Y/N. Former SHIELD agent, currently an Avenger," you explained as you made your way over to her. She reached out and gave your hand a quick squeeze, returning your warm smile. "It's so nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you."

"And I've heard plenty about you as well," she replied kindly, "You're even lovelier in person."

You laughed nervously and rubbed the back of your neck. "I don't think so."

"I've always wanted to get to know the woman he's fallen so hopelessly in love with."

"Peggy..." Steve felt his cheeks heat up at her statement. "stop, you're embarrassing me—"

"I can tell why he chose you," Peggy smiled, "He's a good man...I know he loves you more than anything."

"Actually, I beg to differ, he loves Bucky more than me," you raised an eyebrow in suspicion at the super-soldier. "He wouldn't pay attention to me after he got roped into an Uno deathmatch last night."

"Classic Rogers," she laughed, shaking her head in disbelief as he pulled up a chair to sit next to you, by her bedside, "a true child at heart. I see you haven't changed much over the years."

Steve took your hand in his, intertwining your fingers together and soothingly rubbing circles across your palm with his thumb. Peggy noticed the softened look in his eyes when he glanced over at you and you felt your face grow warm.

"So how long have you been together for?"

"Almost two years," Steve replied, with a light pink shade tinting his cheeks. "Our second anniversary will be on..."

"May 20th. Two weeks from now," you finished his sentence.

"That's wonderful," Peggy laughed again, "I wish you two the best in your relationship."

"You're too kind," you thanked her, "I've been a huge fan of yours for so long."

"And I, you. He always talks about you every time he visits. He never shuts up about you, so I was dying to meet you from the moment he first mentioned your name."

"What did he say?" you looked over at your boyfriend to see that he was now flushing a bright tomato red, much to both yours and her amusement. "It was all good things, I assume?"

"Of course. He tells me he's never been this happy in his life until he met you...I honestly couldn’t be more proud."

"Aww, Steve," you nudged him in the side as he grew an even deeper shade of red, "you're so sweet."

"He is a hopeless romantic," she added on. "Captain America is great with the ladies."

"Peggy!" Steve exclaimed.

"Aw, you're making him blush," you giggled.

"He is the easily flustered type, if I'm being completely honest with myself here, though one might not see that right away when they first meet him," she agreed, but then her face fell. "Y/N, would you be a dear and get me a glass of water and some yogurt from the cafeteria? You just have to head straight down the hall, then turn right. You'll know it when you see it."

"Yeah, of course," you nodded as you stood up. "Just a minute."

Once you were out of earshot, Peggy gestured for Steve to come closer so he could hear her speak better.

"I'm glad you found a woman like her to stick by your side," she said quietly, "All these years, I waited for you, and I was completely, utterly heartbroken at the idea of not being with you ever again. But after hearing you talk about her frequently and seeing your face light up every time her name was mentioned...I didn't want to take that away from you. You're still that good man with heart from Brooklyn I met so long ago, Steve, and I hope you'll continue to treat her well. She’s a real keeper. Promise me you'll keep her close."

"I will," he promised, reaching over to gently squeeze her hand. "I love her more than anything, and there's nothing I wouldn't do to make her happy."

"Good," she nodded with a smile, "you make the perfect pair with her."

After you returned with Peggy's yogurt and water, you stayed for about an hour and a half longer before a buzzing sound from your phone indicated a new text message.

Natasha: Hey, love. I'm in the parking lot right now, where do you want to go for lunch? I kicked Bucky out before he dragged us to shawarma for the third time this week, so it's your pick today. Thank me later.

You: I'll be out in a sec. Meet you outside.

Natasha: See you in a bit.

You looked back up at Peggy after sliding your phone in your purse, giving her an apologetic look. "I'm afraid I have to go now. I have a lunch date. Natasha doesn't like to be kept waiting, especially when there's food on the line."

"It's okay," she reassured you as you stood up and shook her hand again. "It was absolutely wonderful meeting you. I hope you can come and visit again soon."

"Of course."

After exchanging one last round of goodbyes with her and Steve, you slung your purse over your shoulder and pushed the doors open to head outside, where Natasha was awaiting you in Tony's Audi.

"Hey, girlfriend," Natasha sent you a flirty wink and wave. "Get in."

You slid into the passenger's seat, buckling on your seatbelt as she stepped on the gas pedal. "Hey."

"So, how'd it go?"

"It was pretty nice. She seemed to ship it pretty eagerly," you chuckled. "Oh, also, Thai food."

"Got it." She typed in the directions to the restaurant into the GPS. "That's cute, having another person who's an avid shipper of Y/N x Steve. You guys have any plans for your anniversary?"

You shook your head, "I have no idea. Usually, it's him who makes the move and goes all out for the night, but I'm not sure what either of us have in mind this year."

Oh, he definitely had something in mind.

There was a burning question sitting in the back of his head and had been doing so for as long as he could remember. Right as he was prepared to leave half an hour later, he decided to ask Peggy and get it off his chest.

"Could I ask you something important?"

"Of course."

"I, uh..." he fiddled with his thumbs nervously for a few seconds before reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a tiny, cubic box encasing a gorgeous diamond ring inside. "Because our anniversary is coming up soon...I wanted to pop the question. How should I do it?"

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Peggy clasped her hands together excitedly. "Well...I'd suggest you go over-the-top for this occasion, it's a big, life-changing moment so why not? Don't be afraid to go all out, be romantic."

"What should I do, then?"

"Hmm. What are some things she enjoys?"

"Laser tag, crushing her opponents and beating them to a pulp in fights, Tom Cruise, Italian food, and Taylor Swift. She’s a popular pop singer these days."

"Ah, I see," she laughed, "She's a woman who enjoys variety."

"Exactly."

"A nice candlelit dinner would help set the mood very well, but if you're not wanting to pop the question in front of a crowd, you could always set that dinner up at home. Are any of you good cooks?"

"Bruce makes good pasta, and Vision's the baker of the compound."

"Back when my husband and I were still dating, he'd always surprise me with nice little fancy dinners at home. I believe that is the way to a girl's heart; sometimes you do not need to be extravagant to win her over. And you said she likes Taylor Swift, yes?”

“Yeah...”

“Take her to a concert! I heard from my niece that she’s in town right around the time of your anniversary...so you’re in luck. Get tickets, and take her there.”

"Thank you so much, Peggy. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Anytime, Steve."

...

"So," Natasha spoke up as you were on your way back to the compound after lunch, "it's been two years since you finally got off your asses and admitted you were in love with each other, how do you feel?"

"I honestly don't know," you shrugged, "but I guess I have you to thank, right?"

"Damn right you do," she smirked, "I've been rooting for you two since we were called in to take down SHIELD, and I started suspecting things during the Battle of New York."

"That was three years ago! And New York was five!"

"I know!"

You let out a long sigh, a wistful look appearing on your face. "I wish Mom and Dad were here to see where I am right now. You know, they always pushed me to get back into the dating game once I got over my nasty breakup in college...before I got my level 8 SHIELD promotion."

"Didn't they always tell you that they wished you'd date Cap?"

"They did, actually," you chuckled, "and here I am now. Their dream has become my reality."

"I always loved your mom. Remember when we were having dinner at their house? She snuck me extra cookies under the table. Being your best friend for over six years has its perks, you know."

"And she'd fangirl over Thor."

"Ho, boy. Yup," she shook her head as she thought back to that chaotic family dinner.

Two weeks went by in a flash, and before you knew it, it was the day of yours and Steve's anniversary. Strangely enough you'd been prevented from seeing him all day, with the team making extra efforts to keep you separated.

After a fancy home-cooked dinner, you found yourselves curled up together on the couch as you absentmindedly watched Tangled - one of your favorite Disney movies of all time. Your head was resting on Steve’s broad shoulder as he traced patterns on your arm, feeling his breath gently  fanning over your head. 

But partway through the movie, you noticed he seemed to be fidgeting a bit as well, glancing between you and his pockets frequently.

"Hey," you placed a gentle hand on top of his, still staring ahead, "are you okay?"

"Huh? What? Yeah, I'm fine," he blinked a couple times before snapping out of his daze.

"Okay..."

Several more minutes passed in silence before he decided to speak up again. “...If I recall, you’re into Taylor Swift.”

“Oh yeah! Why do you ask?”

“An insider told me she’s going to be in Brooklyn this weekend for a throwback tour. I managed to snag last-minute tickets for the two of us...what do you say?”

“YES,” you practically squealed, jumping out of your seat and throwing your arms around him. “You’re the best! I love you.”

“I know, darling, I love you too,” he laughed, one hand rubbing your back as the other was absentmindedly fiddling with the box in his pocket. You blew it, Rogers...

...

You were nearly bombarded by paparazzi as soon as you stepped out of your Audi with Steve by your side, reporters flooding your path. The guards at the main entrance were quick to notice, however, and led you aside so you could enter through a different route. 

“This feels so surreal,” your voice echoed across the walls as you made your way down the hall hand-in-hand. “I’ve been dreaming about this moment ever since I was a kid.”

“I’m glad I was able to make that dream come to life.”

“This is why you’re the best person ever.”

“Not because I always have your back during missions?” he raised a brow.

“That too, but also because of the fact that you got me tickets to the concert of one of my favorite artists ever.”

He chuckled. “I get that.”

You ended up standing right in front of the stage - so you had not only a close-up view, but could hear everything beyond fantastically. As Taylor came out on stage and began to sing, Steve couldn’t help the look of adoration that crossed over his features at the sight of your brightened eyes and glowing complexion. You truly looked like an angel - and he knew for sure in that very moment, you were the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. 

His train of thought was interrupted at one point by you grabbing his hand and squealing excitedly. “My favorite!”

Steve recognized the familiar, soothing tune as Love Story. He recalled you and Natasha drunkenly dancing around on karaoke night to this very tune - heads thrown back in laughter as you exaggerated your movements, making everyone laugh. You’d explained that the reason why you were so attached was because listening to it made you long for a happy ever after - a perfect future. A girl could dream. 

Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone I keep waiting for you, but you never come Is this in my head? I don't know what to think He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring And said, 

You were too busy jumping around and singing your heart out to notice the spotlight was now shining down on you, and it was only when the crowd started shrieking in excitement that you turned around to see-

Steve was down on one knee, holding up a tiny velvet box with a beautiful diamond ring nestled in the very center. Taylor was grinning down at you two as she continued to sing, the audience chanting for you to say something.

"Marry me, Juliet You'll never have to be alone I love you and that's all I really know I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"

“Yes! Yes,” you nodded, choking on a happy sob as you put a hand over your mouth, letting him slide the ring on your finger. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

He stood back up and wound his arms around your waist, pulling you in for a passionate kiss to your lips. 

Oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh 'Cause we were both young when I first saw you

...

if your name is striked out, that means i couldn’t tag you for some reason

general tags: @yoomum @captainchrisstan @sandystoriess @naomiiiiiiiiiii04 @patzammit @rynhaswritersblock @capcapcapsicle @wheresmyjae @thinkingofbuckybarnes @carryonmywaywardbucky @musicalkeys @buckybarnesthehotshot @zaddychris @optimistic-dinosaur-nacho @sylvie-writes @sis-it-dont-add-up @tonystankschild 

permanent tags: @sandwitch-god @renaissancecherub 

steve/chris tags: @marvelfanatic16 @angrybirdcr @speechlessxx @epiphanybucky @smokeandnailz

[wonderwomanfantasy]

Creeper

I’m writing more hikyuu to prove that you actually should request Haikyuu stuff when requests open and also just to flex. 

Tenou x reader

word count: 1,600 (about)

warnings: none, this is pretty sweet and fluffy. 

Summary: Tendou is uncharitbly called a Stalker when it comes to his crush.  I mean what you spend half your time stareing at one person and suddenly you’re a a stalker? Guess that means you’re a stalker too...

Tendou knew he was a bit of a creep and that you probably hated him, if you even thought of him at all. But he was okay with it, he had been dealing with people being scared for a while so he shouldn’t care. Even if the person scared of him was drop dead gorgeous. 

You came to watch volleyball practice nearly every day after school. Lots of people did but you were the only one who caught his eye. He made sure his blocks were mega impressive if he knew you were watching, but it wasn’t enough. your attention always seemed to be on someone else. 

Not that he wasn’t used to that either. But it took him a couple of days to figure out why it was bothering him now all of a sudden. 

Tendou seriously considered asking you to transfer out of  Shiratorizawa when he realized he had accidently started crushing on you.  He simply couldn’t have it, it was too distracting. He tried to way the pros and cons but in the end he scrapped the “50 reasons why (y/n) should leave Shiratorizawa.” Essay. Besides if you actually did leave Shiratorizawa, then he wouldn’t be able to see your cute face everyday. 

“you’re staring again,” Reon said, Tendou frowned. 

“I don’t know what you mean, I wasn’t even looking in your direction,” He shot back with a smile. He really was such a creep, always sitting at the right angel so he could look at you, but as long as you didn’t notice him then it he wasn’t hurting anyone. 

“you should just ask her out,” Shirabu said through a mouth full of pork. Tendou went stiff just thinking about it. 

“Nah she’s not my type, wayyy to pretty for my tastes and she’s even nice and smart from what I heard, who’d want to be with a girl like that?” he fake gagged finally tearing his eyes away from where you were sitting with your friends. he picked at the rice on his plate slowly forming a rice snowman. 

“sure, whatever,” Shirabu. the subject changed and Tendou looked up again watching you laugh, you were cute, he wouldn’t mind dating you, it would be nice to see you in his large sweatshirt or cuddle with him while you did homework together. Even just to hold you would be nice, he knew that you would probably flinch from his touch if he tried anything in real life, but his fantasies didn’t have to adhere to the real world. it would be sweet if you weren’t so incredibly out of his league. 

You came to the Shiritorizawa match early, as you always did, you wished the volleyball team wasn’t quite so popular, it might be easier to get a good seat then. Normally you would go up to the stands to watch from a safe distance. 

Today you weren’t so lucky. 

“Hey! you girl,” Coach Washijō snapped at you making you jump. 

“u-uhm Yes sir?” he pointed at a bag at his feet. 

“Fill up these water bottles for the game,” He barked. you squeaked and scampered to do as he asked. 

“Hustle! Show some school spirit!” he shouted as you struggled to fill the bottles as fast as possible 

You had thought about becoming the manager for the team but this interaction made you glad you hadn’t  Washijō was biting at your heals as you dragged the water to the courtside. you were almost in tears as he yelled at you. 

“I-I-I,” you couldn’t even force a simple ‘I’m sorry’ with out tripping over yourself you were so flustered.

“ah thank you for helping (y/n) we’re going to extra luck thanks to you,” you looked up to see who had saved you, and weren’t surprised to see tendou there. Of course he would be the one to save you. you felt your heart melt a little seeing him. 

You never got the chance to see satori up close, you almost forgot how tall he was. and now that he was so close you couldn’t help but flush with embarrassment. Now that the Coaches attention was off of you, you could speak again.

“It’s uh no proplem coach and g-good luck with the game Tendou,” you squeaked before darting off the court and up to the stands. Of course all the good seats were taken so you were relegated to the back of the stands. 

Still, it was a pretty good game, the other team up good fight you won in straight sets. If you were right, Tendou didn’t miss a single block. 

You really only came to the games for the cute red-headed middle blocker. You didn’t speak to Tendou often, it was rare you found an excuse too, but you still had fallen for him hopelessly.

you sighed dreamily to yourself as you walked out with a mass of people. You still couldn’t belive you’d talked to him today. 

Tendou was buzzing with excitement. It had been a really good game and it was all thanks to you. No way he could have done without you sweet words to him before the match. It probably also helped that you had touched his already lucky water bottle. 

He was on cloud nine as he hummed happily walking off the court, his team mates couldn’t help but notice.

You were watching the practice like you always did, save for the fact that you were alone today. Most of the time your friends would join you to giggle about how handsome Ushijima was, but none of them could make it today. 

“Hey you’re (y/n) right?” semi asked, stopping you before you could even enter the gym. 

“uh yeah?” you sounded unsure of yourself, but this was the first time Semi had ever bothered talking to you and you had no idea why. 

“cool, I saw you at the game the other day, you should come to more of our games-”  you were more confused than anything. Was he hitting on you?

“uh okay?” you said awkwardly, not wanting to tell him that you already went to all the games. 

“you know Tendou likes to see you there,” he added raising his eyebrows you felt your face flush with embarrassment. so he wasn’t hitting on you, but playing wingman for tendou

“oh, did Tendou tell you that?”

“nah, but we can all just sort of tell he’s into you,”

“That’s kind of a jump don’t you think? I mean just ‘cus he wanted to see me doesn’t mean he likes me,” you argued nervously messing with your fingers. 

“Trust me, He’s into you, He’s probably pissed I’m even talking to you, He’s just... kinda weird, so ask him out sometime,” Semi encouraged. 

As it happened, Tendou was pissed that Eita was talking to you. How dare he try and steal Tendou’s little good luck charm. Tendou usually stared at you as much as he liked, but he couldn’t stomach watching you blush at whatever semi was saying to you. 

was that why you came to every practice and every game? because you were in love with him? he though about you clinging to Eita the way he wanted to hold you and his heart lurched. he wondered if he could finger tape his heart back together again. Not that he would do anything to break the two of you up, if you were happy then he couldn’t stop that right? and if you were dating Semi then he’d definitely see you more...

He was leaving the gym lost in his own thoughts when he heard his own name called  “Tendou, do you think you could walk with me back to the dorms?” Tendou almost jumped. How the fuck were you so quiet?

“Awe does the is the cute little Junior scared of the dark? You need your big strong Senpai to walk with you?” he teased automatically before mentally kicking himself. he really hated himself. you laughed politely and started walking with him 

“Actually I wanted to talk to you, Semi said you liked me,”

Tendou wanted to through himself into the ocean. or maybe a really big hole in the ground that could swallow him up entirely. anything really to get out of this situation. 

“oh? is that what you two were talking about?”

“yeah he said that I should ask you out,”

“oh,” maybe he’s just kill Semi instead, that would work too. 

“I really like you Tendou, I want to ask you out,” you admitted stopping in the middle of the walkway. he was glad you did because he froze instantly. this had to be a joke right? Semi put you up to this and they were all laughing at him right now. but as he looked around him, he was alone, no one even hiding in the bushes and you didn’t look like you were pulling a prank. you looked almost as nervous as he felt. fuck it. he learned forward kissing you quickly, barely brushing his lips with yours before pulling back, not wanting to press his luck. 

You were left completely breathless, you touched your lips feeling them buzz. Tendou laughed. 

“is that why you come to all the games and practices? you’re stalking me or something?” he cupped your cheek and kissed you again, this time he let the kiss linger long enough for you to kiss him back before he had to pull away, you're soft lips were making his head spin.

“you’re lucky you’re so cute (y/n) otherwise you’d be a total creep.”