#some relative touched my head as a blessing and i don’t know if he washed his hands after eating so today i had to wash my hair to get rid

[ociels]

WHY am i so scared of food

[sub-hoshi-enthusiast]

Yeah in case everyone forgot, this is in fact a writing blog 😐 I'm sorry for not posting in so long, I was just in this weird writers block for a while 😔 anyways, enjoy :)

Monsta X reaction to somnophilia

Shownu

As the leader of a group of 5 rambunctious man-children (well, more like 4, kihyun isn't as much of a handful) he tends to be exhausted by the time he comes home but at the same time he wants to be able to get intimate with you so he finds himself in a lil bit of a conundrum. Once he stumbles upon somnophilia he honestly doesn't know why he hadn't thought of it sooner. So one night when he gets home, he finds you in the bedroom reading a book and flops down beside you. He starts to leave a trail of lazy kisses along your neck and talks about the new thing he learned. You don't need to be asked twice before you're palming the bulge in his pants as he slowly starts to doze off. His voice ends up getting higher in pitch as he falls asleep, his hips constantly jerking up into your touch. He's in the same boat as Wonho in the sense that he wants you to mark him up so he can see them the next morning. The soreness he feels in his bones when he drags himself out of bed in the morning makes him even crazier for you if that were even possible. All in all he loves you more than life itself and the fact you can use him whenever you want turns him on a lot. 

Wonho

You'd have to be crazy to think he wouldn't be into this. Wonho's is so sweet and pliant and just willing to do anything for you at the drop of a hat so you like to treat him sometimes without him having to worry about pleasuring you. The best way to do that is to take care of him when he's sleeping. He looks so cute with his lil cheek squished against his pillow, his shorts riding up to show off even more of his lovely thighs so you can't really stop yourself from being all over him. His favorite thing is when you leave marks all over him while he's sleeping; hickeys that cover his chest, thighs, and neck and well as red lines from your nails raking over his skin or small bruises from where you squeeze him particularly hard. He loves to wake up to the lovely ache all over his skin and he's pleasantly surprised when he looks in the mirror and sees how you've marked him as your own without his knowledge. He'll get all giddy and stare at the marks for hours if he can cause he loves them so much :,))

Minhyuk

Poor puppy can never seem to take his mind off of you, especially when he was sleeping apparently. Of course you loved having intimate time with your boyfriend but you were a little less than enthusiastic when it was at three am and you had to get up for work in four hours. You were suddenly reminded of the conversation you had had with Minhyuk last week, when he told you if he ended up bothering you when you were sleeping with his "problems" (since it happened more often than you would think) you could use him to tire his body out since that seems to be the only way his past partners had been able to solve it. That was what led you to edging his unconscious body four times before deciding to let him cum. It definitely helped diffuse the situation but you couldn't help yourself, he just looks and sounds so pretty moaning for you. It's not like he'd ever stop you from doing it. If the way he came as soon as he woke up to his cock in your mouth was any indication, you were certain he liked it too. Sometimes when he's just starting to wake up in the middle of a session you like to tease him because his brain is so fuzzy he can only chant one phrase over and over. Like if you say "You're my sweet lil puppy, aren't you baby? Such a whore, letting me use your body like this." He'll end up in an endless loop of saying "Your sweet puppy! Your slutty little puppy!" Over and over again until you finally let him cum. You'd be lying if you said you hadn't taken a picture or two before 👀

Kihyun

Not only does he enjoy it, he encourages you to. How can you possibly resist someone so pretty and pliant just waiting to be used?? On the days he gets home before you, he'll make sure to put on some pretty lingerie before falling asleep for you to find when you start running your hands all over his body. It really is impossible to resist him then. You also found out that you could make him start to cry even when he's asleep and you've made it your mission to watch him do it every time after that. His eyes will be closed, some pretty lace adorning his body as his body twitches and spasms in your grasp and after edging him for a little while you see the tears start to trail beautifully down his cheeks and you're certain you've never seen him look more beautiful. He'll be hella embarrassed when he wakes up and feels the tears on his face and he'll jerk his head to the side and bury it into the pillow so you can't see the beauty of his tears which is slightly disappointing but his embarrassed whines make up for it.

Hyungwon

Oh my god he's the biggest slut for somnophilia. There is nothing he wants more than to wake up to the feeling of your strap thrusting into him, his orgasm washing over him as he struggles to comprehend what's happening in the world around him. He loves when you use his body for your own pleasure so he encourages you to use it whenever you want. He also doesn't like being woken up in the middle of the night for anything so it's better for both parties if you just do what you want and let him sleep. And his little whines and whimpers when he's sleeping are even cuter somehow?? It's mostly because when he's awake he's embarrassed by his own noises so he tends to keep them down, but when he's sleeping he no longer has control over how vocal he is so he'll whimper and squirm with the lightest touch. You'll be lightly trailing your fingertips over his inner thighs, watching his breathing pick up before you rake your nails down the sensitive skin just to hear his sweet whimpers as his body jerks under you. He's the prettiest like that so who are you to pass up that opportunity?

Jooheon

I don't know why but I can imagine him being a lil bit of a sleep talker, like if you talk to him when he's sleeping he'll say something back even tho he isn't awake so when you start touching him when he's asleep he'll start babbling even tho he isn't really conscious. You could be touching him and he'll start whining and squirming and if you ask him "How does this feel baby? Knowing I can use your body like my own little toy whenever I want to, huh?" And he'll just start babbling about how good you feel and how much he likes it and it's all kinda slurred together because he isn't awake but it's super fucking cute so you love to do it. Jooheon does enjoy waking up to you playing with him, telling him what a sweet boy he is for you and praising him nonstop. And he already cums relatively quickly but he's so much more sensitive when he's asleep so by the time he wakes up you've already made him cum like three times but he doesn't mind. It's one of the first things he comprehends when he finally does wake up so he starts begging you to milk him of everything he has. It's even cuter if you get some of his cum on your fingers and shove them in his mouth cause he still can't fully comprehend what's happening so his head will flop to the side and the cum you had on your fingers just kinda drips from the corner of his mouth, covering both his cheek and the pillow beneath him. Overall, Jooheon + somnophilia is a true blessing to this world.

Changkyun

2nd biggest slut 😔✊. You can really do whatever you want with him when he's sleeping, he's given you full permission for everything. The only thing off limits is blindfolding cause obviously if he wakes up to being tied up and blindfolded he's gonna freak the fuck out, but everything else is on the table. That being said, however, no matter how many times you've made him cum, if he wakes up to you playing with him while he's tied to the bed he will become hard as a rock. If he doesn't wake up during (somehow) then he immediately gets turned on when he wakes up the next morning to the stinging red marks on his wrists so then you have another problem to deal with. Changkyun is such a sweetheart when he first wakes up as well (if your playing with him) so he'll just sit there with no complaints as you absolutely ravish his tired body. He's so much easier to deal with when he's sleeping cause he can't talk back to you so maybe you should savor the time you have before he fully wakes up, just saying-

[ihearthes]

Golden Rod

(inspired by Golden MV)

Author: @ihearthes Pairing: Harry x Reader Insert (2nd person) Rating: Smut (18+ only) Word Count: 2829

“Thanks for the ride, Ryan!” you call, waving at Lambert’s assistant as he drives away to the garages on the Vesta. “Ciao!” 

Excited to show Harry your new lingerie, you enter the villa where the team has been staying. “Is he done for the day, Ben?” The words are muffled behind the cloth mask you’ve insisted is essential despite the drop in Italy’s coronavirus cases. 

The Fulwell 73 producer points upstairs without a word before bending over the video footage he’s scouring with the director. The opulent surroundings have been modernized, and you grin while mounting the stairs to the top floor where the master suite consumes the entire space. From the expansive open windows, you view the Tyrrhenian Sea, causing you to literally pinch yourself. How had life blessed you in such a way? Giddy, you continue up the stone steps.

Kicking off your sandals, you curl your toes into the cool, smooth tile. Fuck. This had been the perfect day. Swimming in the infinity pool during the morning with endless fresh fruits at your fingertips whenever you stepped out of the water to feel the warm sun on your skin. A socially distanced lunch of Insalata Di Mare Campanese (Seafood Salad) with Molly in a local restaurant. A trip to the stores with the adorable stylist Ryan -- where he’d introduced you to a new designer of gloriously sexy lingerie! 

You’d bought four pieces. 

Harry was going to love all of them, and you couldn’t wait to showcase them in your own private fashion show on the secure top floor of the Italian villa. 

Stopping in the marbled bathroom, you draw in a deep breath at the chill on your heated feet. Quickly, you wash your hands, singing “Happy Birthday” twice like you’d been taught to ensure 20 seconds has elapsed. No way were you going to be responsible for inadvertently passing along the virus to your boyfriend during the Golden music video shoot. He’d end up missing out on filming the music video and the upcoming Don’t Worry Darling if he tested positive. Carefully removing your mask, you toss it into the laundry hamper before washing your hands a second time. 

Tiptoeing out of the bath, you wonder where the man of the hour might be. Napping? Nope. Not in the bed. On the loggia, you spy Harry settled in a chair, staring into space. 

“Can’t blame you, Styles. That’s one hell of a view.” Gazing over the colorful boats moored in the sea near the coast, your eyes feast on the sky with its tints of reds, pinks, yellows, and oranges as the sun begins to sink into the water. Honestly, you expect to hear a sizzle as the bright ball of gases descends into the blue serenity of the sea. 

“Indeed.” His quiet voice doesn’t sound normal for Harry, and you approach slowly, like one might a wounded deer. Wouldn’t want to frighten him away. 

“Harry!” The gasp leaves your throat, and you press your hand to your mouth to capture the sound too late as it has already escaped. “What the hell happened to your knee?”

He shrugs, finally glancing in your direction. “Skinned it. Hi, love. Did you have a good day?”

“I had a beautiful day, but what the fuck did you do to your knee?” Crouching down, you examine the spot where blood is flowing. It’s not an overwhelming amount, but enough that you want to clean it. “My poor baby,” you coo, “Let me clean that for you.”

Rising, you glide to the bathroom again. 

“Bring some ice too, love,” he requests, tacking on a “please” at the last minute. 

Stopping in the suite’s tiny kitchen, you search the small freezer for ice as requested. Ransacking the cabinets in the bathroom, you manage to locate cotton balls, an antiseptic, and a bandage. Returning to Harry, you kneel at his feet. “This might sting a bit.” Cautiously, you cover the cotton ball with the antiseptic and press it to his wound. 

He winces, but the only sound he releases is a mild hiss. 

“Sorry, baby.”

“It’s not a big deal, love.”

As the blood vanishes with its absorption into the cotton ball, you agree with him. The wound is relatively minor. Should form a scab in the next day or so. Carefully, you remove the adhesive from the bandage and press it over the small scratch. 

“Don’t worry, darling,” you tease, “you’ll heal soon enough.”

“Gonna run that one into the ground, aren’t you?” he jokes. 

“Might as well,” your shrug, grinning. “Don’t worry, H. You’re so golden.” His smile gives away his mirth at the pun. “Soon enough, you’ll be done filming, and moving on to something else. And I’ll give you hell about whatever the next thing is too.”

“I’d expect nothing less,” he confesses with intense eye contact, and your insides start to flutter. 

As an afterthought, you hold up a bag of frozen peas. “No ice, H. I’m so American that I forgot Europeans don’t do much ice. Will this do?”

“Sure.” Grabbing the bag of peas, he smirks before placing it on his crotch. 

You raise an eyebrow. “Your dick needs ice?”

His eyes rake over you. “Kind of went running without an athletic supporter today.” 

Planting your hands on your hips, you glare at him. “Why would you damage the goods like that?”

Raising his shoulders, he grins, “The fans will love it.”

Your lower lip juts out as you pout at him. “Does that mean it’s off limits to me?”

“It’s sore, love. Not broken.” Harry emphasizes, but that doesn’t make you feel any better. 

“But I’ve got lingerie,” you state clearly. 

He sits up quickly, shifting the bag of frozen peas on his crotch. “You do?”

“Yep.” You allow the ‘P’ to pop. “Ryan introduced me to a new designer. I bought four sets.”

“Fuck,” he breathes. 

“Not with your dick wounded,” you remind him with a tiny hitch in your breathy voice. 

“Fuck,” he repeats. 

“Should I model the first one or wait until tomorrow?” You’re definitely pushing the envelope here, yet how dare he give fans priority to his most precious bits?!

Eyes darkening, he sweeps his gaze over your light trousers and loose shirt. “Ummmm...now please.”

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t want you to hurt your dick more.”

The exasperated roll of his eyes makes you smile. “I wanna see, love.” 

Examining him, you come to the conclusion that he’s an adult and knows what he wants. With a nod, you grasp the handle of the bag from the designer. “Be right back!” Hurrying to the bedroom, you set the bag down before rummaging in it for the most sedate look: a white lacy baby doll bit that hits mid-thigh and comes with a long peignoir. Putting on frilly high heeled slipper with it, you strut in front of him with the robe tightly covering your body, watching as his eyes darken. 

“Like this one?”

“Shit, love. It’s…” 

When you part the edges to reveal the concoction underneath, Harry has to catch his breath, shifting in the seat as he adjusts the frozen peas. 

“Hot?” you taunt.

“Mhm. Come here, and check my temperature.” His voice is throaty, and you recognize the signs quite easily. 

“Nope. Three more to go before I get within touching distance, H. Sorry.”

“Dammit,” He mockingly shakes his head. “You know I could easily see all of them on separate nights. Let’s just start with this one.”

Purposely, you push your lip out in a pout. “But then the other lingerie would get jealous, and Ryan went to a lot of effort to get me a private viewing. After all, this stuff isn’t available to the general public.”

“No?” He sighs, and you catch the hitch in his comment. “Bring on the second one then.”

Confidently, you swagger from the room. With shaky hands, you withdraw the bright red lace camisole and boy short. Is this the appropriate one to wear next? The red might just push him over the edge. Best to stay out of his reach then. Smirking, you pull the outfit on and waltz onto the balcony with a twirl, your hair on pointe as its curls bounced with you. 

“Holy fuck. That’s the second one?” His strangled cry makes you laugh in joy. 

“How’s that cock feeling now?” you gesture in the direction of his crotch. 

“The peas have melted I believe.”

“Mhm. Maybe you should go get something else from the freezer then.”

“Nah. I’d rather you come get this bag for me. I might be too injured to walk inside.”

“Oh, you’re so funny. I know this game. I get close to you, and the other two lingerie outfits never see the light of day. Nope. You want more frozen food for your genitals, you can get it yourself.” Laughing, you smack your rounded ass as you amble into the bedroom again. 

“Fuck!” Harry yells behind you. 

The dialogue combined with the strutting has your pussy feeling damp as the waves of arousal rush over you. Sure you’d fucked last night, but today was a new day, and you wanted to feel that dick inside you -- regardless of the damage he did by jogging in the city for the video. 

The third one is pink -- and you’re well aware from experience how much Harry loves pink. The baby doll dress is silk and lands just at the top of your thighs with a black lace bodice that laces in the middle. Kind of laces anyway. Plenty of boob still visible. Or barely hidden. Whichever you prefer.

“Oh my god. You’re killing me!” Harry whines as you parade just out of his reach. When he starts to rise, you shake a finger at him. 

“No, no, H. You need to recuperate from running today. Better stay seated.”

He chokes as you twist around to show him all sides, including the g-string with its bare backside. 

“You’re evil!” he calls as you dance back into the bedroom. 

This is the final one, and you prepare carefully. It takes extra time to put on, and you smile as you observe your image in the room’s mirror. Deftly, you slip a couple of condoms in the bodice of the bralette. 

You find a playlist of romantic Italian music and set it to play on the Bluetooth speaker in the bedroom, ensuring the volume is high enough to be heard on the loggia. 

Harry gasps the moment he sees you. “You’re not wearing anything under that!”

Playfully you glance down at the last lingerie set. “Oh, damn. I guess when I put the garter skirt and stockings on, I must have forgotten the panties. Forgive me?”

His head bobs up and down as he gulps. 

“Now,” you murmur, approaching him. Grasping a pillow from a nearby chair, you plop it on the floor in front of him, settling on your knees there. “I think the best thing is if I take a look at this dick to make sure you didn’t do too much damage.”

Removing the no-longer-frozen peas, you toss the bag to the side. No one will be eating those. Ever. Silently, Harry waits while you carefully peel down the top of his elasticized shorts and remove his cock. You have to catch your breath every time you get to glimpse it, and today is no exception. 

Your mouth waters, and you lick your lips as you hold his rigid length in your hand, your eyes flickering up to his where he’s staring intently at you. Maintaining eye contact, you run your tongue over the tip of his cock, paying extra attention to the slit there. 

“Mmmm,” you murmur. “The tip seems to be okay. Let me check the length.”

Using your saliva as lubrication, you run your hands down his shaft to his balls. “Doesn’t appear to be broken,” you smirk, “In fact, seems pretty solid and firm to me.”

Harry raises an eyebrow, “Might want to apply some suction there, love, just in case.”

You don’t really care what he means by that last phrase. You’re more than happy to test out the equipment to ensure that it’s in full working order. Spreading his legs more firmly, you lean in, sliding his entire dick into your mouth until the tip hits the back of your throat. Harry grasps the hair at the back of your hand, bunching it in his hand as he guides you along his length. You hear him sigh, and you’re confident he’s tilted his head back and closed his eyes, but when you glance at him, you find that his eyes are still on your lips. 

Fuck. It turns you on even more, and you can feel your pussy dripping onto the pillow. You make a mental note to remove the cover and wash it before leaving the villa. 

As your lips glide along him, you’re frustrated at not having full access to him. As you apply suction to his tip, you pop off him with an audible sound. Both of your hands reach for the waistband of his shorts, and you gently encourage him -- “Lift your bum, H” -- so you can fully remove the garment, throwing it over your shoulder and hoping it doesn’t sail into the pool below. Harry smiles, adjusting his stance into the biggest man spread you’ve ever seen. 

Before you return to your ministrations on his cock, you grasps your chin, drawing your face forward and upwards until he can lock lips with you. 

“Not much longer, love, or I’ll explode.”

“I don’t mind,” you purr. 

“Mhm. But if we’re fully going to test the equipment, then that should include more than a bj.”

“Ah, I see,” you grin. “But of course. We want to be thorough.” 

First, though, you are compelled to play with his balls, so you take him into your mouth again, adding one hand to his length while the fingers on the other play with the balls underneath. Fuck. You could do this all day. Breathing through your nose, you deepthroat him and suck for a solid ten seconds before you release him completely. 

With a grin, you stand, kicking aside the pillow. “Hmmmmm...trying to decide the best way to do this.” Your voice has a catch in it, and you wipe your mouth before bending over and capturing his lips in a searing kiss. Tongue darting forward, you taste him, allowing him to suckle your tongue briefly. 

As you come up for air, Harry moves his legs together while slipping his hand between yours and nudging your legs apart. With one finger he teases your clit, flicking it from side to side as he watches your face and eases another digit inside you. Oh hell. This feels…

“Fuck, H.”

“You’re so tight, baby. Come sit here. Let’s test out the equipment. Make sure everything works properly.”

At his invitation, you step forward as he shifts his bum down on the chair a bit. 

“Shit. I forgot…”

With his words, you remove the first condom from your bralette where it has conveniently been nuzzling your nipple, the hard corner of the foil packet hardening your nip. 

Grasping his dick, he uses the tip to slap at your pussy a few times before using your internal juices to lubricate himself. Your eyes roll back into your head as the two of you work together so you can slide onto him without any additional moments wasted. 

When you’re fully seated on his dick, you grind just for a moment. 

“Hmmmm...seems sturdy enough,” you pant. 

“Oh, you’re so funny,” he drawls, but his eyes roll back in his head when you glide along his length, your stockinged thighs surrounded by his large hands. “Fuck, love.”

“Working on it,” you laugh breathlessly as the rhythm becomes easier. His hands move to your arse as he assists you in riding him. 

Draping your arms over his shoulders, you shake your tits in his face, and he grins as he bends his head to press a kiss at the juncture of your boobs. 

As your climax begins to arrive, your movements become less steady and more sporadic. Harry, knowing you as he does, reaches between your bodies to tease your clit as you throw your head back and cry out two thrusts before his seed spurts into the condom and his eyes roll back into his head. Spent, you collapse on his chest, still joined. 

“I think,” you whisper as you kiss his neck while playing with the curls at the nape of your neck, “we can agree that the equipment still works just fine. No damage here.” Picking up your head, you glare at him. “But no more, H! What’s mine is mine. The fans get enough of you.”

He laughs as his arms surround you, and he buries his head in your shoulder. 

“Of course, love. Whatever you say.”

A/N:  Reblogs are love, my readers.  If you liked this even just a little tiny bit, please take a second to reblog so that others might find it.  Getting likes is nice, but it doesn’t help me grow my readership.  Thanks for your consideration!

[sickofthistoxicshit]

Buddie 4x14 review - if you haven’t watched it yet don’t read.

The episode starts where we left it, once Buck was on the ground, it seems like he was thrust back into reality. I noticed two things here (connected with 4x13) Eddie didn’t close his eyes until Buck was safe behind the truck on the ground. And the second thing is that Buck was spurred into action the moment Eddie’s eyes closed.

And I mean this was some BAMF Buckley right there, that was SEALS trained Evan Buckley! 😱🤩 It’s like training and instinct kicked in and all that mattered was to get to Eddie and get him help as soon as possible, sniper’s bullets be damned. I gotta say it was executed to perfection❣

Big kudos to both Oliver and Ryan for delivering this whole sequence in a heart-wrenching, beautiful manner.

The shooting doesn’t stop and they get Eddie out of there under fire, I really like the 133 captain and crew, they worked so well with the members of the 118, it seemed effortless. (I’m not touching that subject, but let’s picture Buck lifting Eddie bodily up into his arms and in to the truck for just a second here. - I mean we wanted it but not under these circumstances)

Buck taking the role of medic when finally getting Eddie into the truck, is so amazing, he’s usually the one either in need for treatment or the one who stands back and let’s Hen, Chim and Eddie do the medic stuff, it is their jobs after all, but he doesn’t sit back and let the medics of the 133 to take over, he does it himself. 

He tore Eddie’s uniform’s buttons open (again, that’s not how any of us wished for this to happen), tore the pressure bandage wrap open and pressed it down on the wound, he did not step back from Eddie, until he absolutely has to, at the hospital. 😭

Eddie, my poor baby, was lying on the ground of the truck, bleeding and half conscious and the one thing he focused on was the blood on Buck’s shirt and he asked him if he’s hurt. I mean I could totally cry, because that’s Eddie. Best friend, combat medic, protective and caring, that never goes away even as he’s lying there bleeding. 🥺🥺

Eddie was legit ready to forget his injuries and try to get up and take care of Buck if he was hurt too. He loses consciousness only when Buck assures him that he’s not hurt.

Buck’s frantic litany of “Just hang on, we’re almost there.” and “I need you to hang on” (“I need you”, not we, not Christopher, “I need you”) was really hard to watch, because even though we all read and wrote it in fanfics thousands of times, watching it actually play out was heartbreaking, I totally teared up with Buck there.🥺🥺

For firefighters the job ends at the hospital doors, so Buck naturally, out of instinct stops from following. But that’s Eddie taken away from him and he looks frozen, at that moment he must have thousands of thoughts running around his head.

“You ok Buckley?”

Buck’s broken “No.” was maybe expected, but it was also earth shattering of sorts. This is Buck standing there, knowing (especially after the well incident) that when Eddie is not okay, he’s not either. 😭❤

I want to point out that I loved the fact that the 133 didn’t just drive away or waited outside for the cops, they went in after Eddie. And after trying to check in on Buck, the Captain of the 133 went in too.

I’m going to point out a parallel here between S3 Finale and S4 finale, in 3x18 Eddie asks Buck if he’s ok as his ex-girlfriend was taken in the ambulance with her new fiancé, Buck’s response was “What’s next?” and going back to work. He was okay, because Eddie was with him, and there was still work to be done.

Here in 4x14, Eddie is taken from him to the hospital, and Buck doesn’t know if he’ll live, so Buck’s obvious answer here is ‘No’.

Later we see Buck exiting the hospital, in his firefighter uniform. I’m a little disappointed we don’t see him cleaning up, I know that could have made for a hell of a scene, Oliver would have killed it, and us in my opinion.

Taylor is coming to the hospital, not as a reporter but as a friend. She was worried. I like that side of her, when she knows to put away the reporter and to make sure her friend is in one piece. Her character development is shown beautifully in this scene. 

Buck, in no condition to pretend and speak to the press, turns away from her, he doesn’t trust her at that moment and he doesn’t trust himself not to break down there. He’s teary, still in shock and his hands are shaking like crazy. (in complete contrast to the usual Buck, where he can be in danger or wrap up a crazy rescue and he is normally completely steady.)

Taylor, offered to take Buck to Eddie’s house to see Christopher, telling him he can’t go see Chris looking like he does now. “You can’t got see his son like that.” - At first hear and several others it sounded like “Your son.” - of course it’s not but either way it would have been true too, because in a way Buck has been co-parenting Christopher for a very long time now. And indeed later when Buck gets to Eddie’s house he is washed and dressed in civilian clothes.

The scene with Oli and Gavin killed me! I thought for sure the breaking down will be done in private, but Buck couldn’t hold it together in front of Christopher once he found out Eddie is going to be ok, and Christopher comforting Buck was so so sweet.

Christopher’s “like the ones who fixed you?” Kind of gives us a certain idea as to the conversation Eddie had to have with Christopher when Buck was hurt. His sweet “Then he’s going to be ok,” he says it with such conviction, only adding “right?” only as an afterthought.

And as if he manifested it himself Buck then gets a text from Bobby that tells him that Eddie pulled through surgery and it looks good.

Buck actually dropped the phone from the relief and he started to cry, and sweet, adorable, national treasure Christopher puts an arm around him and tells him that Eddie is going to be okay. I definitely cried with Buck here. It was such a powerful scene and it was portrayed so well by Oliver and Gavin. 

The “it’s going to be okay Buck” was kind of a call back to 3x01 - when Christopher reassures Buck and tells him “You’re going to be okay kid.” - I love these two together so much! ❤❤

When Bobby gives them the talk in the firehouse about how they proceed from there, Buck is standing with his arms crossed, looking completely dejected. And when Hen asks about the safety of their families, Bobby says there's no reason to believe they are in danger, Buck pipes in with “We didn’t have a reason to believe Eddie will get shot helping a kid either.” Buck is traumatized, and worried, he sleeps at Eddie’s house looking after Christopher.

I loved Christopher waking Buck up, and them having cereal breakfast together, a call back to Eddie and Christopher having breakfast together in 2x04. Buck doesn’t sit next to Chris, but across from him - to me it says that the seat between them is usually reserved to Eddie when they’re together at the house.

I love how Christopher’s teasing Buck about him snoring. And Buck is later confused because he’s unsure of whether or not Chris really understands what’s happening, but Carla assures him that he already lost his mother, unfortunately he understands better than he or she thinks. Which again should give people a new appreciation for Christopher’s sunshine child attitude.🥺❤

Carla showing up to take Christopher to school, is showing relief that Buck could finally sleep, which means that he didn’t for at least a couple of nights. She’s also asking him how it feels to go to work, Buck doesn’t even think about the sniper, for him all that matters is that Eddie is not out there with him and it feels off. (call back to 2x18 when Eddie seemed pensive about being back at work but Buck was not with them.)

Carla, bless her, retorts that that is not what she was asking - obviously she meant, she was worried about the sniper, but that is not Buck’s main worry, his head and his heart are somewhere else.

The crane scene was insane! I laughed when Chimney looked to Bobby and asked him “Can you blame him cap?” and Bobby flat out responded “Yeah!” 😂

The rescue was really impressive. However if Eddie ever found out about this he would probably hit Buck over the head with something heavy. It just goes to show that Eddie is Buck’s impulse control and vice-versa.

Bobby and Buck’s interaction wasn’t one of anger, Bobby was terrified and Buck was guilty but unapologetic, because he couldn’t protect Eddie but he could protect the rest of his family, so he did just that. Bobby didn’t have anything to say other than give him the same response Eddie did in Monsters - “Don’t do it again.” - Because for one, in my opinion, Bobby knows where Buck is coming from and also Bobby knows, he knows Eddie is Buck’s impulse control, knows he’s his anchor, he knows that Buck will only be his relatively normal self when Eddie comes back.

I’m not even going to touch the Taylor scene, yes she was worried, and yes she scolded him in a friendly way, but that kiss felt so out of left field for me, especially since Buck was just packing a bag to go stay with Christopher and Eddie was still unconscious at the hospital.

Also she freaking friendzoned him last episode, how fickle do male writers think women are? She gets a little scared and kisses the guy? Lucky they didn’t write in a sex scene! That was an insult to women everywhere in my opinion. It could have been set in so many better opportunities, why now? And if she’s scared now what’s to say that won’t make her leave like Ali did? I have a whole tirade about it but I will let it go for now.

Now I know ya’ll are like - Eddie woke up because his spidey senses told him someone was kissing his Buck (and I do not negate that point lol), but he just woke up and he asked for Buck. I find it so deliriously endearing that I need a moment even as I’m writing this.🤗🤗

I have to point out that there is no scene of Buck, Eddie and she who will not be name together other than the second when Buck walks in (read ran through the hospital corridors) and Eddie has only eyes for his partner. 👀❤

Afterwards it just the two of them, with a brief facetime to Christopher. I love that Eddie thanks Buck for staying with Chris, and Buck pretty much breaks down the logic behind the decision, like a true parent. - Christopher’s comfort came first in Buck’s eyes, and really that just demanded a hug right there.

“Is he doing ok?” 

Buck’s response here, was very honest, a lot more honest than I expected, “better than me.” He said. Buck openly admits to Eddie, “I kinda lost it when I told him you got shot. I’m sorry I should have held it together.” To be honest, I’m very curious as to the ins and outs of Buck and Eddie’s friendship, especially during quarantine, they seem so much closer, a lot more open. More honest than you'd expect two male, straight, lead characters to be with their friends.

Buck would have played it down and shared only the essentials when it’s anybody else. With Eddie he openly saying here, in his own way, ‘I was terrified, and heartbroken, and ‘couldn’t imagine my world without you.’ - ‘I couldn’t function with a clear head.’ - ‘all my masks were shattered.’ 

“You were there for him when I couldn’t be, that’s what matters.” Eddie knows, buck, he understands him better than anyone, he’s telling him here in his own way that it’s okay, and he loves him just the way he is - it was his way to reassure Buck that he was doing just fine.

But Buck’s “Still I think it might have been better for him if I was the one who got shot.” - Eddie looked like he was ready to get up and smack some sense into Buck. 

I want to point out that Buck’s response to Eddie being hurt or in danger is nowhere near the same as his response to anyone else in danger. Case in point in 4x14 is Bobby, he is inside, probably injured, in a fire with a gunman - if it was Eddie, Buck would have waited 0.1 seconds before he disappeared back into the flames to help Eddie. 

With Bobby, he was calm, cool, calculated, he knew what Athena would do because that’s exactly what he would have done if it had been Eddie and he is ready with helpful details and a plan. He wants to go with her, but doesn’t argue when she says no. 

Eddie is Buck’s Bobby, and it reflects all throughout this episode, and I think I had some parallels pointed out in 4x13 too. So I don’t know what scripts Tim reads or if we’re all watching the same show but buddie exists and thriving as far as I’m concerned.

Buck is also the one to pick Eddie up at the hospital - he tells him that the nurse is getting his meds and discharge papers ready, which means that Buck did all that process, he was busy getting Eddie discharged. (Take a moment to soak it in.)😌

Eddie sits Buck down to talk, to be honest this talk went pretty much the way I expected it. 

Eddie explains why he had his will updated, and that Buck is Christopher’s legal guardian if anything happens to Eddie. - I love that after all this time, sweet Buck is still surprised. 

He asks if Eddie didn’t need his consent for this and Eddie’s reply is: “My attorney said you could refuse.”  

I also love, that even shell-shocked, Buck knows that Eddie knows him “You know I wouldn’t.”

And Eddie assures him that he does in fact know Buck, and he knows that Buck loves Christopher as much as Eddie does “I know you wouldn’t.” 

(”I had to do it.” - “Yeah, I know you did.” this was a call back to 4x05 where Eddie understood why Buck did what he did. And knowing what we know now, I can assume that even though Eddie understood and forgave Buck, he didn’t have to like it.)

“No one will ever fight for my son as hard as you.” - call back to 3x03 anyone? 

“There’s no one I trust with my son more than you.” - and Eddie proves it time and again.

And here he is basically giving Buck permission to give hell to his parents or anyone who tries to take Christopher away from His Buck. - And I love it!! 🤗❤

Buck, smart, handsome guy that he is, asks the right question again - “Why are you just telling me now?”

“Because Evan.” That first name that even took Buck by surprise, because Eddie only ever called him Buck, to our knowledge anyway. - Eddie was talking to Evan Buckley, not Buck, and yes they are two separate entities living inside one hunky firefighter. - This is Eddie saying, I know you’re frayed around the edges, I know I’m asking for a lot right now but I need you to hear me.

“You came in here the other day and you said it would have been better if you who were the one who was shot,” and I think for Eddie, who was lying on that firetruck floor bleeding out, and his only concern was that Buck may have been hurt, that was the worst thing Buck could have said. 

“you act like you’re expandable but you’re wrong.” 

Eddie has been where Buck is at that moment, losing his wife, watching his best friend nearly die time and again. - Really at this point Eddie just wants him safe, and if telling him about Christopher is what will do the trick, then he is not above playing dirty.

Eddie is telling Buck, you are my partner, you are Christopher's second parent, I love you, Christopher loves you, I don’t know what I’d do without you. - Because Eddie has been without Buck before and he was completely lost. - And that’s before they became even more intertwined as they are now. 

I love the second before Buck and Eddie enter, Eddie’s house, before Buck opens the door, Eddie looks like he’s steeling himself to get in and Buck has a knowing grin on his face, somewhere between ‘ready?’ and ‘they’re happy you’re back be nice.’ 👀😂

I hated the jump forward, but everyone standing on the roof looking good and Eddie with those sunglasses? wow!! 🥵🤩

This was an all out buddie episode, and I was totally there for it!! I really hope for many more, because these two give me life!!

[strawberryvanillablast]

Nobody Rejects You! (Josuke Higashikata X Yandere!Female!Reader)

Please help this poor baby boy. He needs it. 

TW: Blood, Possessiveness, Drugging, Possible Death?

“Ah man,” Okuyasu looked at him sympathetically. “She rejected you, bro?” 

Josuke could only let out a bitter chuckle. Rejection was actually the biggest and most nuanced understatement. She specifically told him that she hated guys like him. It was a definite shock to the system, since all he was used to was affection and fawning from most of the girls but it was a first time for everything. 

Besides, he wasn’t going to hold it against her or anything even if it did sting. By a landslide. He was going to pout for a couple of days and then it would go back to normal. And also, he had Okuyasu and Koichi with him for supportive comfort. It was no skin off his nose at all. 

.

She didn’t show up for class after that day. The teacher explained that she had a prolonged illness, which seemed to be satisfactory for the time being. And yet, in Josuke’s mind, there was an alarm bell going off in his head. It was telling him to run from this place and just go back home so that he could be safe. Josuke gave a frown. What was there need to be scared of? It was just school, right? 

Later in the day, he realized he’d forgotten something in one of the school rooms in the upper floors. Cursing his bad luck, he climbed up the steps. The feeling as he approached just churned uneasily in his gut. Shaking his head to dispel all his worries, he opened the door to the room and got the item. That was when he just noticed the closet door opened ajar sinisterly. He frowned as he moved closer on seeing what it could be hiding. 

When he found out, his heart plummeted to his stomach. 

It was the girl that rejected him, bound and gagged in both her eyes and mouth. There were rivers of tears sliding down her face and she was weakly struggling. Josuke felt an ocean of guilt wash over him as he used Crazy Diamond. Why on Earth would somebody do this, to another human being no less? He untied both gags on the girl- Tamami-san- and she glared at him fearfully. 

“Easy, easy,” Josuke held out his hands to pacify her. “Who did this to you?” He looked around the room for any potential assailants. 

“I...I...I don’t need any help from someone like you!” She sniffed, looking away. 

Josuke had to raise an eyebrow. Was this one of Rohan’s distant relatives? Well, that explained the attitude. Shaking his head, his arm instinctively shot out as his eyes scanned for any potential Stand users on the prowl. Suddenly, he turned to see a cloaked figure standing menacingly on the windowsill of the school. With a swift kick, the glass of the window shattered. Josuke took most of the brunt while the girl cowered behind him. 

“Hey, you,” Josuke glared. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” 

“Punishing someone who deserves it.” 

Josuke’s eyes widened for he recognized the voice of this person. This was one of his classmates, [Y/N]. He always figured [Y/N] to be a shy, cute type of girl. At the look on [Y/N]’s face, he briefly wondered if this was a wrong assumption. For the girl behind him, he could hear a scoff. He turned around as Crazy Diamond’s summoned to stall [Y/N]. 

“You’re such a loser, [Y/N]. Why on Earth would you fall for Higashikata?” 

“...Shut up,” [Y/N] glared. “How dare you speak about him that way, you horrible witch!” 

In a moment, [Y/N] summoned her stand which looked like an octopus with large needles attached. Before Josuke could even react, one of the needles stuck into his neck. He winced in pain, scratching the wound. Suddenly, he felt dizzy, really dizzy. He stumbled back and fell to his knees. 

“Sorry, Higashikata-senpai,” [Y/N] gently caressed his cheek. “I know it feels real awful, but I promise you that it won’t feel as bad when you wake up.” 

Josuke’s vision was blurring really fast and he fell to the floor. He was trying but failing to keep his focus but everything was moving too fast. He felt his eyes just close involuntarily, fists clenched and shaking. And then, nothing. 

. 

[Y/N] managed to get both students unconscious and on the floor. She threw the girl known as Tamami back into the closet, all bound and gagged. There was not a chance in Hell that she would be allowed to live, especially since she hurt poor Josuke like that. 

As for Josuke...

She smiled as she carried Josuke all the way to the nurse’s office. Bless him, he would probably never remember a thing about this. Heck, he’d probably forget in about three minutes or so when he woke up. She chuckled. Tamami was horribly wrong about Josuke. 

Josuke was sweet, kind, and handsome. He was a pure soul that touched her to her core. And she wasn’t about to give him to some prissy, bossy shrew like that horrible Tamami. Never, never, never! 

“Oh, Josuke-kun,” She whispered in the unconscious boy’s ear. “You are the one who can purify my tainted soul. I am never giving you up for anyone. Never.”

[saltpepperbeard]

Fighting the Rain ~An Everlark One-Shot~

A/N: Oh? What’s this? *Cough hacks CHOKES on cobwebs* A one-shot after almost two years of inactivity? Who knew that over-caffeinating was the true key to motivation after all this time! But hello hello everyone! So very happy to be back. I come bearing a bit of Reverent Sweetness™ as a small exercise to hop back into things! I really wish for this energy to continue, and so I’ll be attempting to push myself into getting back into the swing of things.

For the record, I completely and wholeheartedly blame Andy and Cate for such an idea. And I do believe I’ve seen another tub-related piece that was also hanging around in my mind as I thought this up. Whatever the case, thank y’all; your talks and creations fINALLY FUELED ME lmao!

But for now, enjoy some simple Everlark rubadubdub, and without further adoooooo...

Fighting the Rain

No two days are the same, and no two hunts are created equal. Some glow with warmth and yield a plentiful harvest, while others fall into a category of melancholy and disappointment. Unfortunately, as the clouds build relentlessly overheard, my efforts seem to be leaning towards the latter.

My arrows drive into a frustrating nothingness. My pray scurry as if they have an oddly heightened sense of awareness. My attitude grows all the more frustrated and downtrodden. And almost as if to directly mock me, the sky cackles and booms before releasing an onslaught of cold moisture.

Great. I’m quite a ways from home, but close enough to hopefully beat a deluge should it chose to erupt. I hate departing emptyhanded, but don’t feel keen on pushing my luck further. Not when a kindling of annoyance burns within my chest, and the clouds answer back with further rumbling.

I sling my bag over my shoulder and dart with bow in hand, the various unused arrows clinking against my backside. The rain is chilling, biting my skin and hissing against the internal fire. Water is normally apt at putting out flames, but it only serves to amplify mine. My scowl deepens as I continue on, growing damper and colder by the minute.

Aside from the fire roaring in irritation, perhaps it burns for another reason. Perhaps it presents itself now as a yearn for warmth, for the feeling only he can provide. His arms have always been there to chase away the deepest of stings, so of course I would want him like nothing else now.

My step inadvertently quickens, the mental image of his embrace fueling me. A blessing and a curse; the sky groans above and opens up to completion, sending buckets of rain upon me. My desperate speed of course, points to an even extremer drenching effect, my scowl deepening something terrible as I’m quickly soaked to the bone. But in moving faster, in practically flying across the land, the entrance to the back porch quickly appears through the falling sheets.

I waste no time in careening up the steps, practically throwing myself into the house with a hissing groan. But I’m sure such sourness will be short-lived. Such dampness will likely turn anew. Such chilling sensations will be burned off, the embodiment of the sun coming forth to bestow his touch.

Or not.

On the contrary, I’m met with emptiness. Silence. Nothing more than the shivers coursing through my form, and the soft drips of water rolling off my soaked clothes.

My scowl, though now painted with confusion, deepens all the more. Was I too presumptuous? Knowing my current luck, he’s likely elsewhere: wrapped up in the Bakery, next door with Haymitch, or deep in the throes of a painting upstairs.

I shed my father’s hunting jacket, hanging the damp leather to dry before shrugging off my equally-wet bag. My arms come to lace across my chest, crossing in both self-comfort and simmering frustration. Though, my lungs are quick to rattle with a sigh. He’s not responsible for my happiness, and I know so. And I can manage well enough alone when I need to; I’m no stranger to the empty cold.

But God, he definitely helps. He’s everything and more on a rainy, relentless day. And with every hour, with every moment spent with him, it gets harder and harder to deny the growing draw. So used to solitude and survival, and yet now do I find myself wishing for warm company more often than not. How Spring has warmed the deepest reaches of my soul.

I’m about to let my hair down and poke my head out the door to wring it out, when the day continues to prove me wrong. Or maybe, my mental call is answered by the only one who can hear it. Whatever the case, cold limbs run warm and angered heart beats ginger as his voice unexpectedly manifests.

“Katniss?”

My sigh shifts to something of tender relief, blowing out a quivering breath as I feel the instant effects.

“Down here,” I call back.

My chest seems to pound in unison with his footsteps on the stairs. He has no idea, the effect he has. It’s like the dissatisfaction towards the day’s events instantly drains, washing away like the billowing spout outside. Made even more intense, of course, by him rounding the corner.

I should be used to this. This is something of normalcy now. And yet, my breath still manages to hitch, coupled with the stutter of my heart. As usual, he beats me to talking, grinning his endearing smile as his blue eyes lay upon me.

“Hi, my love-” His voice and the expression are short-lived; he must have gotten a proper look at my state. Yes, the widening and wandering of his eyes confirm it, as does the speed in which he reaches me.

“Oh...God, you’re soaked!”

“That obvious?” I grumble through the hairs plastered to my face, though twinges of amusement exist therein.

“A bit!” he softly chuckles, reaching up to brush said strands away. An action which, is unsurprisingly topped off with a kiss, a very tender one against my glistening forehead. In missing him, in wanting the mellowness from my flower, I move for more. I chase after his lips as they depart, quickly bringing forth my own. The tender connection causes me to contently sigh, particularly when I can feel him smiling. We hold each other in the gentle lock for a few ginger beats, before he pulls free- oddly looking sheepish.

I cock a brow at him, which seems to be enough to pry an explanation.

“Didn’t know it was supposed to rain today. Really ah...puts a damper on my plans.”

I roll my eyes at what appears to be a pun, and he laughs a bit before grabbing the back of his neck. I cannot help but pry further.

“Plans?”

“Yeah...”

He puts on the shy smile which likely stole my heart all those years ago, and looks down in the direction of our feet.

“I ah...Drew you a bath. Thought you would like it after a long morning of hunting. Seems kind of counterintuitive now though.”

There it goes, the departure of every ounce of cold, of negativity. Akin to Spring melting the deepest reaches of Winter, easing the snow into the Earth and drawing forth blooms. I’m sure his thoughtfulness will never cease to soften me into awe. And, though it seemed impossible years ago, what with all the roadblocks and challenges that stood in our way, I’m sure my love will never stop heightening.

I find myself hushed into an affectionate silence, my cheeks blushing all the while. Before he can doubt the validity of his decision though, or doubt himself to any other degree, I leap back to him once more. My mouth dusts across his tender cheek first, before selfishly seeking out another caress of his lips.

“No,” I assure when we finally break, “No. That sounds nice.”

“Really? Fighting dampness with dampness?”

“Well, yeah. One is awful, cold, and from rain, and the other is inviting, warm, and from you.”

I’m surprised, though absolutely not, to see a glint flash through his shyness, his smile turning a bit more crooked to match.

“Hmm. Not yet it’s not.”

I roll my eyes and give his chest a playful shove. He of course laughs, and softly grabs my wrists, pulling me close for yet another kiss. I sigh against him, falling all the more into a state of contentment. Unsurprisingly, a trio of relatively new words present themselves on my tongue. Though, in yearning for Peeta, in having my heart beat deeper and faster for him day by day, their utterance feels more and more natural.

“I love you...” I whisper for him to capture, “Thank you.”

He grins so hard our connection breaks, and I can practically feel the heat from his blush, effectively triggering mine all the same.

“I love you too. Now go ahead- can’t have the bathwater turning into sitting rainwater.”

I let out a huff of mirth, and give one last parting kiss before taking him up on his offer. There’s a small bit of apprehension towards leaving him so soon, but I remind myself that this was his doing. The warm water will carry his essence, surely, ushering me away from all the troubles of the morning.

And so I walk up the stairs towards our bathroom, humming softly as I envision what awaits. Dampness to fight dampness indeed; I’m met with a plume of steam when I open the door. But quite quickly, it proves to be a far better option than that of outside.

Unlike the rain which chased me away, this draws me deeper into the bathroom. The steam is like a warm blanket, or a hug from Peeta, wrapping around my slightly shivering form. When I inhale deep enough, it seems like I catch notes of something floral- lavender, maybe? All the more thoughtful of him to doctor it up so.

My cheeks flush, and I quickly rid myself of my soaked garments, plopping them into a wet heap on the tile. My skin is quick to pimple from the biting air, so I’m even faster to slip into the beckoning tub.

And I cannot hush the contented moan that slips from my lips. It’s wonderful. Heated just so, smelling so sweet. My eyes roll shut with a sigh, and I poise myself to slip deeper into the watery embrace. That is, until the day continues on with its ever-changing events. That is, until a jostling of the doorknob halts my movements and breaks the relaxed trance.

Out of pure reflex, I draw my knees up towards my chest, hugging myself and hiding my body away. An action birthed from years of apprehension, and one that immediately unravels at the sight to follow.

Because it’s Peeta, of course it’s Peeta.

But the unexpected element is that he too, stands completely bare, all of him on displayed for my stunned, flustered eyes. I find his own first, and though he’s grinning, I can see that same shyness playing across his features. Much to my blushing dismay, my gaze cannot help but drift to the space I’ve become recently acquainted with. It’s still so new to the both of us that the hitch of my breath is answered by one in return. Warmth seems to travel to more than one place as I gaze at him, though my grey stare wanders to where it’s most prominent, his cheeks utterly rosy with red.

He shifts himself a bit then, looking down and snickering softly before catching my eye once more.

“Too much?”

A shiver rolls down my spine. I’m not sure what he has planned, but I have a feeling I won’t be opposed to anything he brings forth. Thus, I’m entirely earnest as I shake my head, releasing my knees fully.

“No,” I murmur, giving my lips a quick lick.

“Mind if I join you then?”

“Already seem pretty prepped to do so.”

He laughs his beautiful laugh, before blue interlocks tightly with grey. In knowing he’s silently asking for permission, a nodding gesture of my head brings him forward. I watch as he walks towards my backside, and I believe I’ve placed his intention. I slide forward a bit then, allowing him space to slip in behind me, should he choose to do so.

Sure enough, he does, momentarily sitting on the tub’s lip to unclasp his prosthetic before sliding in, the water sloshing a bit and rising from the introduction of another body. And, of course, it seemingly grows warmer, his form, his raw form, utterly reaching the depths of my being.

It’s ridiculous, considering he’s gone where no one else has, but I find myself somewhat timid. Maybe because it’s yet another new form of intimacy. I never really considered so many existing aside from the more carnal ones, but Peeta continues to surprise me. And where I find myself unsure, he also is there to softly guide me.

His warm hands gently slip to grasp my shoulders, and with a gentle tug, he ushers me to lean back against him. I don’t protest in the slightest, venturing back with his grasp and gasping ever so slightly when skin meets skin.

It’s different. Our bodies have been unified before of course, tangled and messy and desperate. But this is...different. It’s vulnerable, it’s tender, and it’s...comforting.

It’s everything. Just as he is.

My thoughts momentarily blip back to the former however, when I feel...him wedged between us. I squirm a bit, my breath hitching as more intense thoughts threaten to invade. But the more I feel, the more I lay against him, the more I realize that he’s relaxed.

And that it’s simply us. All that we are, together.

The thought settles me, and I sigh as I fully melt against him. Every bit of tension saps from my body, and my form seems to meld perfectly into his. His head comes forward to nestle against mine, and I can feel him smiling, the heat evident as he nuzzles and offers the occasional kiss.

I’m back to humming, back to closing my eyes, utterly slipping away like he intended, like I wanted. I had felt almost selfish before, wanting this so badly. But then again, it was nigh impossible not to; it does exactly the intended purpose. I’m ushered to plane where it’s just he and I, where nothing bad exists. I’m taken to a place of pure warmth, of pure love, everything else falling away.

As blissfully lost as I am, I of course have no choice but to vocalize once more.

“I love you so much...”

His turn to hum, as if he’s absorbing and ingesting such sacred words. But all the same, he presses a kiss to my cheek before returning the sentiments.

“And I love you...”

I’m prepped to simply drift away, waiting for my body to become so relaxed that I doze off against his chest. He denies me the opportunity though, but I don’t complain, his fingers coming up to nestle into my messy braid.

“May I?”

When I nod, he begins to softly unravel the intertwined strands. An easier task than usual, as the rain and running left it loose. I give my head a gentle shake when I feel it entirely unwind, fully freeing the waves of darkened ebony.

“Beautiful...” I hear him whisper, and before I have a chance to respond, before I can really even process, his fingers venture in further, sifting through swaths of black to dance atop my scalp.

Any crinkle of my nose towards his compliment instantly dies with such an action. He rubs, massages, the pads of his fingers driving me into an entirely different state of bliss. How is he able to do this? How can he affect me so? How can he drive my body and soul to places unthinkable?

I guess if anyone could be able to do it, it would definitely be Peeta. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I fall even deeper, my skin sliding against his as I descend a bit into the water. He snickers softly, but continues on with the massage. Or wash, perhaps? I think I can smell even stronger notes of flora and sweetness. Whatever the case, I can barely think, barely process, utterly mollified and melting.

So much so that I think my chin eventually brushes the water’s surface, effectively snapping me back into reality. With it, comes a hint of something else. Further selfishness? Guilt? Desire to return? Either way, my whisper breaks through the gentle steam.

“Peeta?”

“Yeah?”

“I feel like...We need to switch places. Take turns.”

His fingers momentarily halt, before he laughs and continues on.

“No. No no- this is more than enough for me. It’s perfect.”

“But-”

“Just enjoy it, love,” he murmurs, “Really. I’m just...happy to be here with you.”

So sweet, sugary sweet, sweeter than the confectionaries he specializes in. Surely something that would have earned a tense scowl years ago; now it draws forth a ghost of a smile. It makes me want to consider the journey, the steps we’ve taken to come to this very moment. But in the delightful erasure, all the pain and hurt is numbed, cast aside in the eyes of our affection.

What it fails to erase however, is my want to be stubborn, my need to please in return. Though blips of meekness still linger, shyness still evident amidst my cheeks, the former drives me and overrides. With a bit of difficulty in the porcelain space, I pivot around to face Peeta, connecting our stares with my smile running to a playful scowl.

Though there’s a slightly confused lift to his brows, he’s grinning immensely, an expression that acts as magnetism between our mouths. I kiss him for just a moment before carrying on with the intended plan. Just as he had done with me, I reach up with both hands, curling my fingers through his ashy blonde locks. I hear him shakily sigh, though the silence it what truly drives me onward; no argument is being made.

My pads nestle deep into his hair, softly rubbing and massaging like he had done for me. It’s lovely, returning the sentiments, returning the newly found intimacy. Unfortunately though, in doing so, I fail to recognize the more prominent form, the more familiar.

Perhaps it’s Peeta’s shaky hand that comes to rest at the small of my back, or the realization that such a position has put him directly at eyelevel with a more than desirable part of me- at least to him. I subsequently bite my lip, blush, and halt at the thought, slipping back to my previous perch.

Sure enough, when I pull away to get a look at his face, the flush to his cheeks and flare to his nostrils paint the correct picture.

“Too much?” I ask, parroting his opening question from earlier.

“Hmm, uh, a test of will perhaps, yes,” he replies with a shaky laugh.

It’s my turn to snicker, reaching to gently cup his face with a hand.

“Sorry. Might make this take a different turn.”

“I mean, it could, if you wanted,” Peeta murmurs, his grin turning crooked once more.

I let out a huff of mirth, softly shaking my head.

“Seems inevitable. But I dunno...I do like this.”

Peeta’s smile shifts back to a warmer tonality, pivoting his face to kiss my hand a kiss before responding.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Like you said, I’m just...happy to be here with you. Always.”

His words repeated off my tongue are perhaps more loving and beneficial than the stroke of my fingers; he lights up like the sun, burning away the fog between us as his sapphire eyes sparkle.

“Always,” he reaffirms with a whisper, giving my hand another kiss before continuing, “Whatever you’d like then. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Whether I nestle up against his chest, lay back against him once again, or get ravished atop towels on the bathroom floor, the thick clouds of steam refuse to reveal. Whether they remain entirely chaste and grey, or heated and dripping, they encapsulate us, locking us away from the morning, from the bad.

Just as he does for me, and how I hopefully do in turn. 

Oh, how life is simpler, more bearable. How the negatives turn into things so much more desirable. And how humorous is it that I find myself longing to get caught out in the rain once more.

[lady-amethyst18]

The Best Known Treatment

Leo was walking home from school. The teachers noticed he wasn't feeling well and sent him to the nurse, to which the nurse told him to go home. Despite being warm out today, Leo felt cold, so he wore a jacket and a scarf around his neck. His throat felt like it was on fire, and he felt tired. He lost his voice too. He would never understand why his parents sent him to school today when he wasn't feeling his best.

He felt another coughing fit coming. He hunched over and covered his mouth with his fist as he coughed. It felt like he was getting punched in the gut every time he coughed. When the coughing fit was over, he pulled out a packet of tissues he brought with him. He pulled one out and spat out the phlegm he coughed up into the material. There were no trashcans nearby, so he had no choice but to stuff the tissue into his other pocket. He just wanted to go home and go to sleep in his warm comfy bed at this point. He didn't want to do anything else.

His stomach was growling. He didn't eat breakfast and he refused to eat his lunch. Every time he swallowed, it felt prickly going down his throat. He would rather go hungry than have to endure the pain again. Just a couple blocks away from his home now, he noticed one of the tims were wandering the streets. Which meant that Balan was nearby. Curiosity took over, and he turned a corner to see. Sure enough, the theater was just across the way. The fuzzball turned around to see if Leo was still following it. But he stopped in place. "I would like to say hello, but I don't feel well... Maybe I'll drop by another time." He said in his head. His throat hurt too much for him to say anything out loud. He started walking away until his stomach gurgled again. The door to the theater opened, and Leo heard a warm and inviting voice. "I heard that." It said.

Balan was at the door, smiling as usual. "I thought you'd be out here. Why don't you come inside, Leo? You sound awfully hungry." He gestured for the boy to come inside. What he really wanted was to just go home and lie down. But the maestro's look of generosity was too much for him. So he decided to walk inside.

The warmth of the theater felt refreshing, even though it was warm outside anyway. Leo took off his jacket but kept the scarf on. He still felt mildly chilled. "I can tell you've had a rough day. Long day at school, I assume?" Balan tried striking up a conversation with the boy. Leo shrugged his shoulders, not knowing how to respond as his throat hurt too much. "You're out relatively early. Is there a special occasion going on? If it is, is it that special for you to skip lunch?" He continued to ask questions only to have no answer. At that point, Balan was starting to get confused and concerned. He turned around and knelt down to his level. "Leo? What's the matter? Why aren't you talking to me?" Leo opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue while pointing at his gaping maw. He also rubbed his throat in discomfort, trying to tell Balan what was wrong.

It finally hit him. "Oh! I get it now! Your throat hurts." He exclaimed. Leo nodded in response. "Well, it's no wonder you haven't eaten anything. It's painful going down, isn't it? That would also explain why you're out of school early." Leo nodded again. Balan pulled him closer as he held him under his arm. "Aw, I'm sorry, Leo. I know how much sore throat sucks. Have you tried gargling warm saltwater?" He recommended. Leo stuck out his tongue and shook his face in disgust. "Oh, it's not that bad. It's very helpful, in fact! Have you ever even tried?" Leo looked away from Balan's gaze and just barely shrugged his shoulders. He guessed the boy never tried.

"I'm sure it will make you feel a bit better, Leo. Come on, let's give it a try." He guided Leo to the bathroom, where he grabbed a small cup and filled it with warm water. With a snap of his fingers, a salt shaker appeared in his hand and sprinkled it into the water while grabbing a little stirrer to mix up the solution. "Here you go, Leo. Try it." Said Balan as he offered the glass to him. Leo covered his mouth and shook his head while holding out his hand. He didn't want to drink it. "Come on now, my boy. It's not like you're swallowing it. You just gargle with it and spit it back out when you're done. Sure, it might not taste great, but it'll help relieve some of the pain. I promise." Leo still refused to do it.

Looks like Leo was one of those picky patients that refused to take their medicine. Balan tried to think of a way to get him to take the solution. "Tell you what, Leo." He started. "If you take this solution just this once, I'll give you a treat in the end. Be it a popsicle or hot chocolate. How does that sound?" Balan found Leo's weakness when he mentioned hot chocolate. He remembered his mom saying something about how warm liquids often soothed a sore throat. Plus, how could he turn down hot chocolate? Leo sighed heavily and took the glass. "Very good," Balan said. "I'll go see if there's anything in the kitchen for you to eat. Preferably something warm and soft. Does that sound good to you?" Leo nodded his head. He forgot he was starving as he hasn't eaten anything recently.

One of the tims hopped up on the table, chirping. "Make sure he actually takes it, alright?" Balan told the critter. It nodded in response and started looking at Leo. "Meet me in the dining room when you're done. Ok? You just have to do it once." Leo rolled his eyes but gave a thumbs up anyway. With that, Balan disappeared.

Leo looked at the glass of warm saltwater. The thought of him drinking saltwater disgusted him. But he wanted this sore throat to go away. Besides, Balan never steered him wrong, right? He took a deep breath a took a large slurp from the glass. He gargled as he was supposed to and spat it out into the sink at the end. He admitted it wasn't as bad as he thought it was. The warm water felt lubricating almost, despite it being salty. Oddly enough, it did help. Leo cleared his throat as he was trying to get his voice back. "One... Two... One... Two." He counted. The closest he could get to speaking was at a whisper. Not much progress, but at least he could talk somewhat again.

Leo looked for the dining room around the theater. The tim that was with him guided him through the hallways to find the right room. When Leo finally arrived, Balan brought in a jar with some golden, gooey, viscous liquid inside. "Ah, there you are, Leo. Did you gargle with the solution?" Leo tried to muster whatever words could come out. "Yeah. I did." He whispered. "Sure sounds like you did. Now before you get your treat, I want you to do one more thing for me." He opened the jar and scooped out the liquid with a spoon. "What's that? Cough syrup?" Leo asked, his voice still raspy and sore. Balan chuckled. "Somewhat, yes. It's just honey. It's perfect for sore throat. Just take a spoonful of this, and it will help make your throat less scratchy." He knelt down to Leo's level with the spoonful of honey in his hand. With no other choice, Leo opened his mouth and Balan spoonfed him the honey. After gargling the saltwater solution, it felt good to eat something sweet.

Eating the honey made his throat feel a little better. It felt a little less prickly when he swallowed, and he could raise his voice a tiny bit louder. "There now. How do you feel?' Balan asked. Leo cleared his throat. "That does help. Thanks." Before he could get another word in, Balan stuck a thermometer in Leo's mouth and grabbed a stethoscope to listen to his chest. "Tell me, Leo, when did you start feeling bad?" He asked. Although the sudden checkup caught him by surprise, he answered anyway. "Uh... This morning." He replied. "How do you think you caught this?" Balan took a magnifying glass and looked through his eyes. "I think I caught it from my parents. One of my dad's co-workers got him sick. And then my mom got sick, and now I'm sick. They sent me to school anyway. But the nurse told me to go home." "It didn't really hit you until later in the day, did it?" Leo cocked his head to the side, a sign of saying yes.

Balan took the thermometer out of Leo's mouth and examined it. "Well, the good news is you don't have a fever. Seems to me you've got a touch of laryngitis. But don't worry. It's easily treated." He assured. "Yeah, Balan. This brings me to the question." Leo spoke up. "How did you know saltwater and honey help a sore throat?" Balan chuckled again. "Oh, Leo, I'm no stranger to a sore throat. I've had it before." He paused. "... Uh... Grant it, I can't really remember the last time I've had it, but I know it's a pain in the rear. Plus, I have a friend who's an expert in home remedies. They told me that honey can work wonders for laryngitis." Leo smiled at him.

His stomach growled again, and Balan laughed in response. "Oh my, we can't forget about that, can we? Come, sit down at the table. Do you like macaroni and cheese?" He asked. Leo smiled and nodded his head. It was both warm and soft and wouldn't feel as prickly when going down his throat. He was about to sit at the table until his nose felt itchy. As if the sore throat wasn't bad enough, now he felt the sneezing coming back. He reached into his pocket for his packet of tissues only to find them empty. He used them all up after spitting up so much phlegm at school. Leo held a finger to his nose, trying to prevent the sneeze. Noticing this, Balan pulled out a handkerchief from his sleeve and held it out in front of Leo. "Here, my boy. Sneeze into this." He said. Leo pulled his finger away from his nose and flung himself forward into the rag as he sneezed. "ACHOO!"

"Bless you." Balan said, wiping Leo's nose. Leo took the handkerchief from Balan to clean himself up. "Thanks. Sorry about that. I'll wash it when I get home." He said. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Leo. I have plenty more. You can keep that one if you like." Balan gently said. Leo shrugged and stuffed the handkerchief in his pocket. Finally, he sat at the table.

One of Balan's clones came in with the pot of mac and cheese. It ladled some into both bowls and handed Leo a mug that was topped with whipped cream. "This is your reward for gargling with the saltwater, Leo. I kept my end of the bargain, and now you get your treat. I know how much you like hot chocolate. Plus, this will help with your sore throat." Balan said. Leo licked his lips, practically salivating over the beverage. He took the mug and immediately began guzzling it down. Balan couldn't help but laugh as Leo chugged the drink. "Does that feel better?" He asked. Leo stopped chugging his drink and sighed in delight. "Much, thank you. I didn't know how much I needed that." Balan smiled. "That's good to hear. Now eat up before it gets cold. It's a good idea to eat a little when you're feeling sick." He advised. Leo nodded and started eating the pasta.

Balan was surprised by how fast the boy was eating, despite his throat hurting. He was practically shoveling the food in his gullet and not stopping while drinking his mug of hot chocolate as well. The maestro took it as a sign that he was starting to feel better now that his throat hurt a little less. The poor boy was starving because of his ailment. Leo finished his bowl of mac and cheese and his mug of hot chocolate in no time at all. He sighed in relief now that his belly was full. "My, my. You indeed WERE hungry. Need seconds?" Balan asked. Leo just pushed the bowl away from him. "I would love some more, but I really gotta get home. I just want to go to bed at this point." He cleared his throat to help his still raspy voice. Balan nodded and stood from the table. "That sounds like a good idea. I'll escort you to the door." He warmly said.

Leo grabbed his jacket from the coak rack as the maestro lead him to the door. He knelt down to his level and adjusted Leo's scarf. "You take care of yourself, Leo." He said. "Remember to drink plenty of fluids, take the medicine your parents give you, and get lots of rest. Gargle warm salt water and take a spoonful of honey if you need to. It'll help take away the pain for a little bit. I hope your laryngitis will go away and you get well soon." Leo smiled and hugged the maestro before walking out the door. "Thanks, Balan. Who would've thought you were the best doctor." He said. Balan hugged him back. "Not a doctor. Just experienced. Now you go home and relax, ok?" Leo nodded his head as he walked out the door of the theater.

As Leo was about to turn a corner, he stopped a moment to cough and felt his nose itch again. He groped around in his pocket and pulled out the handkerchief Balan gave him. "ACHOO!" He sneezed. "Bless you!" Balan called at the other end. Leo smiled and waved at him as a way of saying thank you as he headed back home to rest.

[anime-academix]

Natural Hair

A/N: Ah, here’s my first scenario! This was actually a lot longer than I thought it would be...but you know, it is what it is. I’m still relatively new to writing these so I hope you all enjoy these and I will be doing my best! This scenario was kind of personal...and to all my black girls out there who have gone through this, please know that our hair is beautiful; no matter what anyone says, we are beautiful and unique! Anywho, enjoy this scenario! (DON’T FORGET TO MESSAGE ME IF YOU HAVE ANY REQUESTS, I WILL TRY MY BEST TO GET TO THEM AS SOON AS I CAN ❤️)

Bakugo:

Though you loved wearing your protective hairstyles, you were insecure about your natural hair. However, growing up in Japan, you were all too familiar with the beauty standards in the country, especially when it came to hair. It was always difficult to find hair products to match your hair texture--that in which you almost always had to order them from international stores-- not to mention the random strangers who were always touching your hair, and some students would poking fun at it.

To Bakugo, he had no idea you were insecure about your hair, because it was something you never brought up. Truth be told, the boy loved your hair. He always found it fascinating to watch you do your hair in the dorm on weekend nights. Even everytime you came to school with a new hairstyle, Bakugo would always find a way to compliment your hair, always adding that you were beautiful.

It was very rare that you wore your natural afro to school, but today, you wanted to try something different.

You poofed up your afro a few more times before adjusting your uniform. A small smile appeared on your lips, impressed with your hair’s ability to cooperate this morning. The last time you had worn your afro natural was this past summer when your grandparents came to visit, but then it was only for the weekend.

A loud knock could be heard at your door.

“Hey, hurry your ass up! Just ‘cause we live on campus doesn’t mean we can take our time to get to class,” Bakugo said on the other side of your door. You rolled your eyes and grabbed your backpack, putting your arms through the loops. Walking over to the door, you paused and felt your cheeks heat up. This would be the first time he would be seeing you wear your natural hair to school.

What if he hated it? Or thought it was goofy looking? You thought to yourself before pausing and shaking your head. You turned the knob to your door, pulling it open to reveal your spiky haired boyfriend. He was leaning against the door frame when you opened the door.

His eyes widen at your sudden change of appearance. “Holy shit,” he breathed out. It caught you off guard and you felt your face heat up even more. “It’s something different, I just wanted to try this style...oh god, do you not like it?” You began ranting, before you could finish he tsked.

“Hey, don't speak for me,” he growled, lifting himself from off the door frame. “You look beautiful. I always love seeing the many things you can do with your hair,” Bakugo told you, snaking his arm around your waist, pressing a kiss to your cheek. 

Call it cheesy or whatever, but you couldn't help the flood of butterflies that invaded your stomach at his sweet words. “Suki...” you said softly, looking at him.

“But if you tell anybody I told you that, I’ll kill you,” he defended, removing his arm from around your waist and fitting his hand in yours as you both head off to class.

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

By the time you got into your homeroom class, all of Class 1A was gawking in awe at your hair. Your other classmates were practically toppling over each other to get a closer look at your hair, some even asking if they could touch your afro. 

“Girl, your hair has so much volume! Did you try that new curl cream? See, I told you, you gotta get rid of that Cantu stuff and your hair will thank you!” Mina squeaked. Bakugo looked at you then at Mina with an obvious look of confusion written on her face. 

“It looks so soft!” Ochaco commented.

“It’s so pretty! How long does it take for you to get that style?” Momo questioned, placing her hands on her hips. Others nodding in agreement with Momo’s question.

You smiled at your classmates, blinking at the sudden bombardment of comments and questions. 

Bakugo scoffed and leaned against your chair. “Alright. Back up you damn nerds,” He muttered, shooing them away. Bakugo began heading back to his seat, sneaking in a wink which made you blush. 

There was an unanimous “awe” as they all began to disperse. All except for one. Mineta. 

“Why are you all so obsessed with her hair? I mean come on, it just looks...what the word...oh! Nappy...” Mineta announced, which caused you to stiffen. Everyone paused and exchanged uncomfortable glances at each other. “I’m serious, guys! It looks so distracting and messy.” 

“Dude, stop it,” Kaminari interjected.

He stepped closer to you and pressed his hand into your hair, grabbing a handful of curls. “But hey, it’s okay. Your hair may be ugly, but at least it doesn't distract me from your nice rack,” he added, smirking. 

Before anyone could even respond, there was a low rumble filling the room. The students all stiffened, and turned their attention to the source of the noise. It was none other than your boyfriend. He had gotten up from his seat, walking towards your desk, setting off small explosions in his hands. His face was painted with a never before seen look of anger, rage pooling his eyes. It was enough to send goosebumps down your spine.

“You want to fucking say that again, you waste of space?” Bakugo challenged through gritted teeth.

“Hey! You two, we cannot resort to violence! Let’s sit down and talk this out!” Iida offered. Bless his heart for his attempts but it would be rendered useless. The ash-blond spiky haired boy, hated Mineta deeply. He hated the sexual comments he made about you and even suggestive gestures in front of you. There were several times where he’s gotten close to sending Mineta to the emergency room, but you and Mr. Aizawa always came in just in time to put a stop to it. Calming down Bakugo was like trying to stop an already erupting volcano. 

Mineta released his grasp from your hair and begin backing up, fear reeking his whole body. “I...uh...heh...it was...” He stuttered.

“Katsuki...no, leave it alone, it’s fine,” you told him, standing up from your seat.

“Don’t worry, Y/N. I’m not gonna send him to a funeral home...I’d think, it’s been a while since you’ve visited Recovery Girl, HUH?!” He growled, lunging towards him which evoked a loud scream from Mineta.

“Katsuki, no!” You yelled, stepping in front of him quickly. You pressed your hands against his chest and attempted to hold him back. “Please, just leave it alone. Don’t start anything, please...for me?” You said softly, moving your hand to rest on his arm, then eventually down to his hand.

He would be lying if he said that your voice and even touch alone didn’t calm him down. You’re one of the rare individuals in his life who can pull him out of rage fit and even a soon to be crime scene, and this time was no different.

His eyes stared into yours as you watched the rage in his eyes dissipate and his tense body loosen. You offered him a small smile, giving his hands a soft squeeze, receiving a growl in response. He pulled his hand from yours with a huff and went back to his seat.

You turned to Iida who mouthed a relieved ‘Thank You’ then turned your eyes to Mineta who was standing there engulfed in fear and...pee? Oh my...the boy peed himself, you thought in disbelief as you sat back down in your chair.

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

Walking back to the school dorm, your head was full of thoughts. Throughout the school day, you’d be lying if you said what Mineta said didn't bother you. You knew his words out of everyone should matter the least, but you couldn't help but ponder on those words: Nappy, Distracting, Ugly. Ugh, it was like primary school all over again. How could you forget all those days when the other students would make fun of your hair, sticking school supplies in your afro and even grabbing your hair when you asked them to stop. And of course all the boys you had crushes on but they turned you down because they thought your hair was too ugly and weird. 

What if Bakugo actually thought the same thing? That your hair was ugly and messy and he was just trying his best to be nice about it. You thought to yourself.

By the time you reached your dorm room, you had tears threatening to fall from your eyes. You turned the knob, pushing open the door. As soon as the door closed, locking it behind you, you dropped down to your knees, letting the tears fall down your cheeks. Broken sobs left your lips as you doubled over on the ground. 

Truly, you didn’t understand. Why people would waste their time bullying someone because of their differences--and even something they cannot change. You didn’t have straight hair like Tsuyu and Ochaco. You didn’t have luscious hair like Momo and manageable hair is Mina. You hated the fact that you had much thicker hair which took you hours to just wash and detangle. You hated that your hair would shrink when you washed it. Truth be told, you couldn’t help but think that maybe Bakugo hated the fact that he couldn’t run his fingers through your hair when you cuddled late at night. 

You had finally gotten the strength to stand to your feet, tossing your book bag aside and taking off your shoes. You collapsed on your bed, attempting to silence your sobs into your pillow. You had thought you had done a pretty decent job being quiet until you heard a faint knock on your door. Immediately, your breathing hitched. Oh no...who is that? Did they hear me? You thought to yourself. Slowly, you lifted your head from your pillow and turned to the door. As useless as it probably was going to turn out, you decided you try to remain quiet in hopes that whoever knocked would just walk away.

Despite your hopes, the person knocked again. “Y/N...it’s me...will you please let me in.” Instantly, you recognized that voice. It belonged to your boyfriend, Bakugo. Oh no...okay, he couldn't have heard me crying. Shit, what if he did? He’s gonna ask why I’m crying...If I tell him, he’d probably think I’m being stupid and--

“I know you’re in there, Y/N. Just open the damn door! Please...” He added pulling you from your thoughts, knocking again. There was a brief moment of silence and stillness. You heard him let out a sigh.

“Please...did I do something?” he questioned, a slight pang could be heard in his voice. “If I did, I’m sorry...will you please let me in so we can talk.” His fist unraveled as he pressed his palm against the door. Truth be told, Bakugo had no idea what he had done. He tried to think back to the past couple of days to see if there was something he said that caused you to cry. It couldn't have been the usual banter between the two of you because you could tell when it was all just jokes and he knew when not to cross the line. 

Your heart broke hearing his words. It wasn't him, not at all. How were you going to tell him it was because of your hair. He’d laugh at you and think you were being childish. But he didn’t deserve to be shut out. A soft sigh left your lips as you pushed yourself off the bed and headed to the door. You unlocked it and opened it just slightly. He pushed open the door and before you could react, he engulfed you in his arms. You were completely taken by surprise.

Bakugo closed the door behind him with his foot before pulling away, his hands remaining on your shoulders. Concern washed over his face seeing the current state you were in. Your eyes were red, dried tear stains streaked down your puffy face. “Y/N...” He started. “It’s not you, Bakugo,” You choked out, feeling the tears cloud your vision yet again. In a blink of a moment, his face softened as he wiped away a tear that had fallen with his thumb.

“Then why are you crying?” He asked softly. Your eyes shifted down as you remained silent. You couldn’t help but chuckle in your head because it was humorous almost. Bakugo was always so loud and aggressive around other people but it’s moments like these when you got to see this softer side of him. 

He took note of your silence and scowled slightly. “Why aren’t you telling me what’s going on? Did I hurt you?” He paused and dropped his hands immediately. “Do you not trust me, Y/N?” He questioned, not missing the slight crack in his voice.

You shook your head, as your eyes remained glued down to the floor. “No, Katsuki. I do trust you...it’s just...” A sigh left your lips as you hugged yourself. “If you trust me then tell me what’s going on. We promised not to hide things from each other!”

“I can’t...” You whispered. “What?!” He argued back, both of you knowing full well he heard you. “I said I can’t, Katsuki!” You said, raising your voice. His brow furrowed at the use of his full name coming from your mouth. You rarely called him Katsuki. Whenever you did, it would indicate that you were serious. He hated hearing you call him that. Yes, that was his name, but even if he didn’t admit it, it always warmed his heart when you called him pet names, especially Suki. 

“That’s not my name, dammit! And why the hell not?!” Bakugo yelled back. 

“Because it’s stupid! I’m sitting in my room crying because I think my hair is ugly and a fucking mess and I don’t have luscious beautiful hair like all those other girls in this school! I c-can’t...just wake up in the morning, brush my hair and go out looking beautiful! I have to...to...go through fucking hell just to look presentable, every single day, just to be dragged down and treated like shit because my hair texture is different! Do you know how many days I came home and cried to my mom because the kids in my class would bully me because of my hair?! God, I sound so stupid!” By now you were crying your heart out. As your sobs filled the room, you pressed your palms onto your eyes, crying into your hands. 

Bakugo said nothing in response. He had no idea you felt this way about your hair. If anything, he was obsessed with your hair and impressed with the many things you could do with it. He truly believed that your hair added to your beauty. His heart broke seeing your fragile state. In this moment, he didn’t care how he looked, he didn’t waste another second and wrapped his arms around you. Once you felt his embrace, you collapsed your weight into his body and he held onto you, eventually dropping to the floor, holding you close against his chest, pressing a few soft kisses in your hair.

After a while, you finally calmed down, sniffling and playing with the cuff of his sleeve. “You’re such a dumbass, you know?” Bakugo finally said. You were taken by surprise. “Because you convinced yourself that you sound stupid telling me about your problems. How many times have I told you that you can always come to me to talk about what you’re going, no matter how big or small.” He said to you as he continued to rock you in his arms. “And how many times do I have to tell you that you are beautiful. Your hair is beautiful and everyone else’s shitty opinion is stupid and irrelevant. I don’t care that you don’t have stupid straight hair, I love YOUR curls, Y/N. I love that you go to sleep wearing your bonnet at night and that you contribute so much time to take care of your hair and can do all those fancy smiles. I’d take your hair texture over anyone else’s in a heartbeat and I want you to always remember that. You’re no match for those damn extras out there, ya hear?” 

You looked up to meet his eyes which were already on you, nodding softly in response. “Good. And if you ever feel like that again, you better come to me and talk about it. I know you can handle your own, but if any of these damn nerds are making fun of you, you come tell me and I’ll deal with them.” He growled. You stared up at him, smiling. Oh you were so in love with this boy. 

“What?” Bakugo questioned. Your smile turned into a grin before you pressed a soft kiss on his lips. “Thank you, Suki,’ you said softly. A faint blush painted his cheeks as he tsked, “Yeah, yeah.” He smirked slightly and took the opportunity to kiss your lips before pulling away.

“I’m still gonna kill that damn grape,” he muttered. “Hey, no no. It’s fine. I’ll deal with him. Plus...you already made him wet himself. This is the third time this month, give him a break, love. If he says something, I’ll handle it.” Bakugo scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Tch. Fine. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop watching his and everyone else’s every move,” He told you.

“Oh, I’m counting on it. But for now, cuddles, please” you pouted, shifting to wrap your arms around his neck and legs around his waist. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he tightened his grip around you before standing up to his feet and walking the two of you over to your bed. 

[doctorwhoandfairytaillover]

El de Ojos Azules - Ivar x Latina Reader

Summary: Invited to celebrate the holidays with his girlfriends large family, Ivar and his brothers are quickly brought into the mix

Pairing: Ivar x Latina reader (romantic), Ragnarssons x reader (platonic)   

A/N: This was very much inspired by the time my brother brought his ex-girlfriend for Christmas and I wondered how it would be for Ivar to join in. Tag list is very much open. 

Nervously Ivar fidgeted with the zipper of his coat as he and his brothers stood in front of the brick house that was sparsely decorated with Christmas lights. He could faintly hear the music that played in the house and could make out the figures of various people inside. He jumped in surprise when Hvitserk gave him a nudge forward.

           “What’s wrong with you?” Hvitserk asked. “You have met many of them before and the majority like you, don’t they?”

           “It will be my first time meeting her parents and grandparents” Ivar murmured. “It’s them I have to impress tonight, especially since they’re the ones that invited us to join them.”

           “Then see brother, if they’re the ones that insisted we all come then you will be fine” Ubbe reassured him as he knocked on the door.

           On the other side of the door, they could faintly hear the music be turned down, people scrambling around, and someone shouting Te dije que iban a llegar a tiempo. A bit more noise followed and finally (Y/N), Ivar’s girlfriend of two years opened the door excitedly.

           “You made it!” she cheered, greeting each of the brother’s with a hug and pressed numerous kisses to Ivar’s cheeks. “My family was doubting that you would all arrive on time since we usually have to give an earlier start time for them to get here when we want them.”

           “Is that normal?” Sigurd asked, as he adjusted his guitar that he brought.

           “Yeah, it is” she shrugged. “It’s a good thing you all brought more food, we can have a good recalentado tomorrow.”

           Quickly she ushered in Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd, and Ivar into the house. The smell of meats and spices cooking washed over them as they stepped into the home. Wrapping her arm around Ivar’s waist affectionately, she called out “No sean malcriados y vengan a saludar!”

           Almost immediately a large number of people came to greet the four brothers, there were hugs, handshakes, kisses, and a variety of greetings from those that came to see them at the door.

           “Is one of these guys your güerito, (Y/N)?” one of the cousins asked.

           “No es obvio menso?” (Y/N) asked sarcastically,  “El barbudo is Ubbe, el cacheton is Hvitserk, y el pelirrojo is Sigurd. El de ojos azules is my boyfriend Ivar and you know that.”  

           Looking amongst her relatives, she could find neither her parents or grandparents.

           “Where did my parents go?” she asked “Y mis abuelos?”

           One of her brothers pointed to the living room, “Dad went to set up the speakers for dancing later. Mami and Abuelita are in the kitchen…. and I think our Abuelo’s on Facebook right now.”

           “Come on Ivar, let’s go find my parents and (B/N) watch over his brothers. Don’t get into the alcohol until dinner, got it?”

           Conceding to his older sister, (B/N) had Ivar’s brothers follow him to the dining room to meet more of their family that hadn’t come to greet them at the door. (Y/N) and Ivar found her father in the living room doing exactly what her younger brother had said he would be doing.

           “Apa! Ivar and his brother’s are here!”

           The older man looked up from his speakers to look at the young couple and a smile broke out on his face. “Miralos! I wondered when the boy would join us.”

           “It’s nice to meet you sir” Ivar said politely, which (Y/N) would have teased him but chose not to.  

           Rather than accept the young man’s handshake, her father brought Ivar into a bone – crushing hug. “None of that sir business, I’ll be your suegro soon enough. Do you think that you could help me with these speakers?”

           Ivar nodded and before (Y/N) could say anything, she was called from the kitchen to come help. Kissing Ivar on the cheek, she rushed to go see what they needed her to help with. As soon as she was out the door, her father was quick to finish setting up his speakers without Ivar’s help.

           “I’m not out of touch with technology yet mijo, I know how to work the speakers. But you want to ask for my blessing, don’t you?” (Y/N)’s father chuckled at the dumbfounded expression on Ivar’s face. “I was nervous asking my own suegro about marrying my wife, but I was much younger than you and had gotten her pregnant.”  

           “I didn’t think that I would be this obvious, (Y/N) and I have talked about marriage before but I was hoping to propose with everyone she loves present” Ivar said.

           “Then now is a good time as any mijo, and don’t worry. From what (Y/N) has told us about you, we know that she will be loved by a good man” the man said while good naturedly ruffling Ivar’s hair. “Just know that you will be marrying into a crazy family and tonight will be a taste of that. Now let’s go eat, I’m sure that they will be serving the food soon.”

           (F/N) was right about his family being a bit crazy, but Ivar thought they were crazy in the best possible way. Some of the women danced around the kitchen serving plates of food and passing it off to the boys to pass around. His brothers were seated near (Y/N)’s tios, all of them making teasing remarks to one another. (Y/N) was helping a few cousins wrangle the younger kids to sit down and avoid any possible spills of food or drink.

           (Y/N) smiled at him breathlessly and ran off to get the more rambunctious of the kids to sit with their parents. (F/N) pulled Ivar along to sit at the head of the table and soon enough, a plate of food was placed in front of him and everyone began to settle down to start eating. (Y/N) took the seat beside him and whispered, “He didn’t intimidate you, did he?”

           “Don’t worry, he didn’t. It was a nice chat” Ivar said, digging into his piping hot tamales.

           Just as he expected, there was a lot of chaotic noise going around as everyone talked amongst themselves and making sure to include their guests into the conversation. There was much laughter as Sigurd made the mistake of putting too much salsa on some of his food and cheers when they found Hvitserk could his own with their level of spice. Ubbe was doted on by some of the tias that complained that he was too skinny and needed to eat more, and there was some light teasing to Ivar that he wasn’t afraid to give back. Dinner was ultimately a success and eventually everyone moved to the living room.

           Sigurd managed to redeem his honor after being able to handle his spice very well when he brought out his guitar and many of the older couples got up to dance. (Y/N) and Ivar happily watched from the sidelines as both Hvitserk and Ubbe struggled to keep up with the numerous twirls and steps, although (Y/N) told Ivar it was because they couldn’t seem to find the rhythm. When Ivar asked her to prove that she could dance, (Y/N) and a cousin although not as fantastic at dancing as the older relatives, were a whole lot better than Ivar’s brothers. Someone at some point handed Ivar a glass of tequila and the night got even better when the younger kids, huddled around Ivar to hear him tell stories of the Norse gods.

           It was a fantastic night with (Y/N)’s family.

           But it was even better when Ivar managed to get a moment alone with (Y/N) and asked her to marry him. And there were many more fun moments, holidays, and get togethers in the years to come. Especially when their trilingual children were born.   

All my Works Tag List (Open): 

[writing-fool]

mlqc | sunday morning

I recently (well~like three months ago) got into this game called Mr Love: Queen’s Choice, and after doing some ‘research’ aka gaming, I felt confident enough to write something. So, here’s a little headcanon about a blissful Sunday morning with the boys~

Warning(s): ever so slightly NSFW (insinuations of a dirty-minded author), profanity/swearwords

Victor

Victor’s quite the workaholic, as we all know

like this man will be working 60-70 hours a week, often bringing work home with him 

you’ll be on the couch in pajamas and acting like a total bum while he’s literally next to you wearing glasses and breezing through 50 reports and documents

you steal his laptop and glasses when he starts criticising your report 

“Victor noooooooo~work mode OFF!” as you zoom past him with his prescription glasses (he got them fancy glasses with the blue light filter because he’s A WORKAHOLIC and he’s always staring at a computer)

needless to say, this man doesn’t usually have time to spare

sunday mornings are yours though

Victor doesn’t necessarily take the entire day off, but after a certain dummy’s whining, he has agreed to try and have a lie-in on sundays

he *usually* still wakes up before you, because he functions on like 5 hours of sleep (lemme tell y’all, it’s a curse and a blessing in one) 

Vic’s a total tsundere, but these moments definitely show off his #SoftCEO side

his little lovebug is sleeping peacefully, wearing one of his pyjama shirts (I bless you with the headcanon that Victor sleeps in silk pyjama pants sans shirt because he runs HOT)

actually, you’re drooling a little bit but even though Victor’s going to pretend he’s annoyed, he never is

oOOhh, also canon that this man is the big spoon in sleeping positions. he naturally gravitates towards you and holds you tight because he’s NEEDY

sometimes you’ll sleep facing each other. Victor holds you against his chest and just cradles your body in his like his life depends on it

100% will entangle his long ass legs with yours

strokes your hair and presses kisses on the crown of your head to wake you up in a gentle way (despite his demeanour, he’s actually remarkably gentle y’all see why i call him #SoftCEO?)

as you wake up, he’ll mock your bedhead with this incredibly fond look in his eyes baby boy these words don’t match your actions

you guys actually get up rather soon after, cos you are both busy people...

fun times in the bathroom not like tHAT well actually kinda~ but for legal reasons everything you do is PG, please spare author-nim who’s still ~barely~ underage

you take a shower and belt your favourite song that’s playing from the built-in speaker (did Victor get a built-in speaker because you thought it was cool? yep. did you ask? nope. did he do it anyways? yehep.) while he goes through his simple morning routine

you probably have more steps in your skincare routine, but he uses a serum, cleanser, moisturizer and some eye cream on the daily

has given you permission to do his skincare at night whenever you both have time

to reciprocate, he dries your hair after your shower you guys HAVE listened to the Right Beside You ASMR, right? ...it’s on YT for free because we’re poor, i know

also canon, blowing raspberries on Victor’s bare back while he’s brushing his teeth will make him choke on toothpaste. tested and approved by MC

“Dummy. What on earth are you doing?”

he hangs around and waits for you to get ready if he’s already done, you do the same. time is something Victor knows all too well, so the precious time he has, he wants to spend with you.

you guys DON’T shower together in the morning because really you’re not getting cleaner ahhh author-nim should really stop

afterwards, you get dressed in some relatively casual clothes (i’m talking a dress shirt without a tie or a polo shirt because no way that this man owns actual t-shirts) and have a simple breakfast

he cooks, obviously. 

always makes a balanced, Chinese breakfast (congee or wonton, noodles, tofu pudding, etc.) because he wants you two to start the day well, even on a slow sunday

also, he travels a lot, so he likes eating Chinese food whenever he’s home

ahh...waking up with Victor just sounds like a dream

Lucien

i’m a bit biased on this bitch because he was my first favourite in the game so this might get long. might not. just,,,we’ll see

Lucien is a bit like Victor, where he doesn’t sleep much and works a lot

On the other hand, his work is...ehem...shadier, so he usually works in his office when he’s at home

you’ll both have your own space to do whatever you need to do

days off for Lucien are rare. he usually powers through until he drops

for someone who constantly reminds you to take care of yourself, he’s mediocre at doing exactly that

after getting to know him better, which wasn’t an easy feat because damn this man has more layers than an onion he’ll also make you cry more bUUT we’re not ready to unpack that suitcase, you start noticing when he needs a day off. often even before he notices

you lock his office door and force him to take the FULL day off at least

he could technically open his office again, but he loves you and he’ll humour your attempts

Lucien wakes up before you. always. you’ve seen him asleep like 3 times in your entire relationship. 

Luci sleeps like 8 hours,,,a week.

he watches you sleep i feel like that makes too much sense for his character. we love a creepy boy. and wholeheartedly feels at rest with your sleeping figure by his side

in his sleep, Lucien lies on his back, holding you by the waist as you sleep on top of him. your leg is often slung around his middle, so you’re enveloping him. he likes the weight of you on top of him; it keeps him grounded and he likes feeling like he’s yours as much as you are his.

on another note, Lucifer—ah whoops—sleeps butt naked. i honestly can’t imagine him wearing clothes in bed. he’s not shy about his body and feels absolutely no need to cover up for his significant other. 

you, however, don’t usually sleep naked. well...nowadays you end up sleeping naked more often than not because alright author-nim’s horrible. can’t help it, he’s a fucking scorpio?

because you guys take a day off, Lucien’s content with waiting and watching until you wake up

he feels you stir on his chest and honestly your drowsy eyes make him swoon

“Already awake, my beautiful butterfly?”

his slightly husky morning voice *really* does things to a person tbh

you guys stay in bed for a good half hour after you wake up, just cuddling and talking, also sneaking in a kiss here and there

you have the same habit of tracing each other’s bodies with your fingertips

his fingers flutter over your waist, you trace his chest or hands with your index again, it’s a very grounding experience to Lucien

when you do get up and head to the bathroom, first thing you do is shower together

he likes washing your hair

bathroom bits might happen, but surprisingly, it’s not a thing that happens a lot so don’t come at me. we’re being wholesome

Lucien’s incredibly intimate and his love language is touch. Yes, he has a way with words but he’s also a really good manipulator

he’s used his words for evil too often and therefore can’t trust words anymore. so he uses physical intimacy as a way to show love.

Lucien has a skincare routine of dermatologically approved products. a double cleanse, serum, essence and moisturizer. he uses anti-age sometimes to prevent later wrinkles.

they’re also one of the reasons why he smells clean and fresh

will tickle you when you’re rinsing your mouth. you’ve sprayed water all over the bathroom mirror before. he loves the reaction. 

if you’re having a day off, you’ll probably just wear sweatpants and a t-shirt or a sweater. Lucien’s closet is relatively plain but clean. he has the best cable-knit sweaters/cardigans though.

your breakfast consists of western things like yogurt or oatmeal. Lucien likes having fruit at the start of the day

the rest of the day is spent relaxing and lounging, walking in the park, biking, reading, drawing, whatever you’d like

maaan...i wish i had more days off

Gavin

Gavin’s actually a decently laid-back person on weekends

like, sure he has to work a lot, but his job doesn’t necessarily force him to work from home, so you pretty much have his full attention at home but also he can’t bear to not give you his full attention so what are we expecting

the nasty thing about Gavin being a police officer is that sometimes, he gets called up and needs to work at unconventional hours

also, he gets injured. most of his injuries are minor, but that doesn’t stop you from worrying.

but anyways, he’s not a total busy bee when he’s at home, and relaxing isn’t exceptional

sunday mornings are...well...active. Birdcop goes on a run/hits the gym every morning, so he’s awake by 6am. what did y’all think i was going to write

afterwards, he takes a quick shower and joins you in bed again. 

Gavin sleeps in a pair of basketball shorts and a singlet. he’s somewhat shy about sleeping shirtless, and god forbid he sleep naked. but it’s all good and he respects your boundaries. besides, he’s comfortable in his sleep and that’s all that matters.

you spoon in your sleep. sometimes, he’s the big spoon because he likes being able to ‘protect’ you in his sleep. other times, he relishes in the comfort of being the little spoon and feeling you pressed up against his back. 

very important headcanon! you’ve learnt to sleep with the bedroom window open. on workdays, Gavin gets home late and jumps right into the bedroom. it’s become a typical habit for you two, although you used to be grumpy about not being able to sleep with the noises of traffic. 

you’re usually awoken by the sound of the shower and Gavin’s humming it’s canon that he hums now, bitches. also I bet his singing voice is amazing

so it’s less ‘sleeping in’ and more ‘lounging in bed like the lazy bastards you are’ i’m kiDDING

if he’s able to, Gavin might convince you to go on a run with him....but let’s be honest, you rarely agree

Gavin’s a total cuddlebug though, so be prepared to spend the next forty-five minutes in the tightest hug ever (to be fair, you’re not complaining)

he’s completely soft for you and you’ll have to wrestle out of his grip to get to the bathroom

you don’t shower in the morning, so everything’s pretty quick

Gavin doesn’t actually have a good skincare regiment tbh...he’ll slap on some cream and that’s it. probably washes his face in the shower with body wash...AND HIS SKIN STILL LOOKS AMAZING

you like making funny faces in the mirror while brushing your teeth and making Gavin laugh while he’s watching you in the doorway. he loves how you just make his day with the smallest things.

you guys both dress in really casual clothing, like hoodies and shorts/sweatpants/pj pants unless you’re going somewhere

Gavin has them grey sweatpants, if you know what I mean okay I’ll chill, sorry~

you wear his shirts a lot because they’re super big on you and Gavin secretly not-so-secretly thinks you’re adorable in them (a good thing about Gavin is that he’s easy to read; he blushes rather quickly)

“Ahh...it’s just—you look so tiny and cute.” guess he’s not the only one blushing now

i see Gavin as a ‘bun for breakfast’ kind of person. he picks them up at the stall a couple of miles away when he heads home. sometimes he does so running, other times...well he’s not called Birdcop for nothing

you guys have 2 buns each for breakfast because they’re delicious 

lounge time is often spent gaming or cleaning the house (you’re both busy people and Gavin tends to get messy because he just chucks clothes on the floor after a hard workday)

you make the most out of your sunday, hoping Gavin doesn’t get called in

who wouldn’t like being domestic with Gavin?

Kiro

Kiro, unsurprisingly, has an incredibly busy schedule

one that, similar to Gavin, isn’t really decided by himself

i suppose his situation is a tad bit worse than Birdcop’s, since his workdays don’t even actually end when he gets home. he constantly practices choreos, singing, etc. at home

so, full days off are few and very, very far between

this makes them extra precious

it helps to have a lazy morning once in a while though (in Kiro’s case, lazy sundays are most likely a bi-weekly thing)

you wake up first! Kiro needs his beauty sleep, and damn this boy can knock in 16 hours of sleep if need be

you’ll probably lay in bed for a while and then attempt to get up and ready for the day

until...you feel Kiro’s arm tugging you back

for a skinny, lithe boy, he’s remarkably strong. he pulls you back to bed with the groggiest, cutest sleep-laced voice EVER 

“Mmm, Miss Chips, it’s not time to wake up yet, is it?” 

he snuggles into you and refuses to wake up unless you give him kisses

during the night, Kiro sleeps in actual pyjamas with cute characters on them. when he feels lazy, he’ll probably just slip on a t-shirt and some boxer shorts, but he likes putting in the effort to wear matching couple pyjamas

Kiro cuddles with you 24/7, and sleep makes little difference here. he’s often the little spoon because he does like feeling your presence and your grip on him. he moves around when sleeping, so you might end up out of each other’s embrace, but Kiro subconsciously always touches you in some way or form, like holding hands or intertwining legs. he’s a man with many identities and needs your presence as a reassurance that he’s still the man that you love

he loves to pepper your face with kisses after getting home from rehearsals/concerts, claiming that it gives him energy

you do the same in the morning, anything to hear that sweet giggle of his

he’s deceptively cute though, and innocent morning kisses tend to spiral into...something more let’s just be honest, his stamina is something else entirely i’M SORRY 

morning exercise? check. Hotel? Trivago. non-sponsored~

you guys don’t shower in the morning. Kiro’s used to showering after practice, which is late at night, and you shower in the evenings to help you relax

however, on a rare occasion, you’ll draw a nice bath together and play around with bubbles and scented bath bombs so fun and relaxing

Kiro totally has a 14-step skincare regiment. you don’t get that beautiful baby-smooth skin without some effort.

he has the best ‘mid-range to high-end’ products on the market, and loves sweet and floral scents for his skincare and makeup. you guys try to line up each other’s routines to be able to do them together every morning.

Kiro also has a huge bedhead in the morning! it’s your job to get this sleepyhead styled for a fun day

even Kiro’s casual loungewear is top-notch hip and trendy. he has fun sweatpants with chains, belts, patches, you name it. he likes holding a little fashion show with you, no matter what you two are wearing

old jeans? strut it. thrifted shirt? vogue, honey.

Kiro’s on a strict diet, so usually he has a smoothie and some tofu pudding for breakfast. on occasion, you’ll indulge him in something decadent, like French toast or pancakes. on moments like these, you swear he loves you juuuuuust a little more but don’t tell Savin!

you guys are a relatively active couple, so unless you’re inside gaming or busy working, you’ll spend some time in thrift stores or karaoke bars, arcades, fun fairs,...

just thinking about Kiro brightens my day...

As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this! I’ll try to bring out more content for K-Pop idols, otome characters and anime characters during the holidays. Requests are still open, so don’t be afraid to send a little message in my ask-box!

Love,

R.

[messymessyml]

Sometimes a premonition is destined to happen

Hi all, 

This is the craziest thing I’ve written in a long while and the strangest part about it is that my top three oddest pieces of writing have all had a Greek Mythology worldbuild. It’s what the ancient Greeks would have wanted.

This is my Secret Santa 2020 gift for @bunathebunny and my prompts were ‘Percy Jackson AU’, ‘turning into cats’, ‘no soulmate AU’,  ‘Jason x Luka’, and ‘Stephanie x Marinette’. There were a few other requested ‘fors’ and ‘against’s’ I was able to include here, but I have to say, this was the most reader-specific thing I think I’ve ever tailored. I hope you like it!

FYI: “~~” indicate POV changes, and while I ended up breaking this into chapters, this is essentially a oneshot. I curse when Jason is the narrator since I can’t see Jason as Jason without it so if that’s not your thing be forewarned. This is also cross posted on AO3.

@maribat-secret-santa-2020

Chapter 1

The camp was noisy, with people’s inner songs reaching out to the treeline in a mess of chaotic synergy. Word had arrived that Artemis and her hunters had just reached the outer edges of the barrier around the camp and the camp-goers who were not busy with sentry duties or away from camp were frantically working to put the finishing touches on the new lodgehouse erected for Artemis’s feast. Artemis was one of the more frequent godly visitors to Camp Half-Blood, but it was rare that she deigned to make the visit official, much preferring to conceal herself as another half-blood or a visiting instructor under a different guise. As son of Apollo, Luka was aware of a more mischievous side of his father’s twin sister, and the grating cacophony of sound combined with the foreboding feeling he felt down to his bones stemming from this impending visit was just on the edge of overwhelming for him. 

Finding a quiet area was relatively easy, all told, though his senses tried to disagree with him as they quailed from the near sensory overload all he had to do was move to the outskirts of the lake as he followed a very familiar and well worn path. As Luka approached his boyfriend’s House, that marrow-ache he always felt from prophesy tightened in tandem with the relief that enveloped him as blessed silence cloaked him in it's comforting embrace. It seemed that the adventures of today wouldn’t be as easy to dodge as he’d hoped, but it was comforting to know that his boyfriend would be along with him for the ride.

~~

Jason was having a no-good gods-be-damned day. 

He’d been woken by Emma and Darcy who had managed to get into what appeared to be no holds barred fight to the death a four in the fucking morning. Emma, the eastern screech owl he’d found a few years before making his way to Camp Half-Blood, was hooting up a storm and fluffed to Elysium while Darcy, the mustard-bellied snake Luka had given him about a year and a half into their relationship lunged at Emma’s clawed legs with his teeth extended. Suffice to say, he wasn’t happy to wake up like that, and it served them both right that they were now separated on either ends of his lodge by a verifiable army of skeletal mice. It made a sort of macabre justice to see them cornered and policed by their own undead meals as he had left his lodge after breaking up the fight. 

He was currently in the mess hall grabbing food, but it wasn’t much of an improvement over his living quarters. The raucous environment grated on his ears after a less than full night’s sleep and the fact that it was mostly the higher pitches of the girls making most of the noise didn’t help matters. The porridge he’d grabbed was looking less appetizing by the minute. 

He’d just decided to give up on his breakfast when Jason heard a familiar voice call out “Hey bozo, whatcha up to this fine morning!” at the same moment another body hit his side. Jason faintly registered the girl who hit him let out an “oops'' as this action pushed his hand into his spoon and sent mush into his face. Miraculously, not a drop landed on the perpetrator, which gave Jason enough of a clue to know the identity of both the girl hanging from his shoulders as well as the girl still approaching from behind him. 

“What. The. Fuck.”, Jason deadpanned. Taking a napkin from the center of the table, he did his best to wipe up the mess even with his tag-along making the stretch all that more difficult.

“Aww, don’t be like that, Jay. Marinette didn’t mean to do it, you know that.” Saying that, Stephanie slid on to the bench on his other side, leaving Marinette to cage him in from the right.

“Sorry, Jason. Next time I’ll check my landing!” Marinette added with a cheeky little grin.

The nerve. Jason couldn’t really say this minor level of chaos was out of the norm for his friends, but after his early wake-up call Marinette’s clumsiness wasn’t appreciated. 

“Why the fuck are you two so energetic today? For that matter, why are all the girls acting like Eros came for a visit?” Jason asked. 

Marinette piped up stating, “Artemis and her hunt are set to arrive today! Steph and I aren’t on sentry duty so we won’t get to join the welcoming party, but that just means everyone who isn’t on duty can join Artemis on her hunt later today!”

“I think she’s looking to recruit some new huntresses, and after her last visit to the Amazons, this is the next spot scheduled.” Stephanie confided. “Obviously everyone only means all the girls, so that’s why you’re hearing mostly girls talking about Artemis’s visit.”

“Knowing your luck, you’ll be offered a spot and rope Steph here into joining too.” Jason directed to Marinette with a raised eyebrow. 

“I may have luck on my side, but I doubt Steph or I will actually join.” Marinette responded, continuing over his head with a smile, “I’m too happy with you to give all this up.” 

Jason could see Steph smile from the corner of his eye as he wiped the last of the oatmeal from his face as she replied, “Babe you and me both.” 

“Not that this isn’t exactly what I want to hear before eight in the fucking morning, but I need to get back to my cabin; I left Emma and Darcy in time-out and I need to re-up the power behind the undead mice keeping them away from each other.” Jason reluctantly got out.

“Ha, what the fuck? I thought those two got along, did they decide to wake you up, Mister Grumpypants?” Stephanie teased him even as Marinette relinquished her vice hold and scooted to the side to let him up. 

“Sure as the Underworld, they decided 4AM was the best time for it. I swear, good ole pops must have remembered I existed for once and decided to have E and D play messenger or somethin’.” Jason grumbled as he got up and grabbed his tray. 

“Don’t be a stranger! You won’t like the consequences, Jay!” Stephanie called out.

“Yeah-yeah-yeah, I got it. See you guys.” Jason said as he waved over his shoulder and dropped his bowl off at the clean up station on the way out.

Jason made his way back home, not in a hurry to arrive but not making any stops on the way. His father didn’t do him any favors in the PR department, and most camp-goers avoided him on principle. It wasn’t like there were many demigods with Hades as a father, and most avoided children of the Big Three out of practicality if not fear. Jason soon found himself entering his cabin, pleasantly surprised to see his boyfriend Luka calmly sitting waiting for him on the bed, gently strumming his guitar. Less pleasantly, it seemed his broken concentration at breakfast cost him a few skeleton mice enforcers whose bones were strewn across the floor and a clear path of destruction was shown leading from the corners each animal were previously penned into to the center of the room. He couldn’t see any blood and it looked like Luka had been able to calm them down as Emma and Darcy were now perched on his shoulder and leg, respectively, but it didn’t take a genius to see that they both weren’t done fighting.

“Hey love, I didn’t expect to see you until later today, what had you up so early?” Jason queried.

Giving one last strum to his instrument, Luka pulled a hand away to capture Emma in one hand, preventing her from diving down to the snake anklet just visible from under Luka’s pant leg. Darcy seemed content to stay where he was curled around Luka’s warmth. Sometimes it was eerie watching his boyfriend’s knack for precognition in action. Mostly, it got him hot.

“There were too many conflicting songs near Apollo’s cabin this morning so I woke up early. I came over here for some peace and to see you.” Luka calmly replied.

Nodding, Jason moved over to the washbasin, washing his face and hands, a simple “wait a sec” enough for the time being. He wanted to hug his boyfriend, gods dammit, but he didn’t want to do it with porridge on his body. 

“Marinette struck again.” Jason complained, “She managed to land on me without me hearing her or her shadow reaching me first and got me covered in my breakfast. Not a drop landed on her, Luka! Luck shouldn’t be that powerful, babe.”

Luka’s eyes twinkled as he grinned and said, “What did you expect, mon beau, she is the daughter of Tyche.”

“The minute she and Steph got together it seemed they were a match made specifically to punish me. I swear, if Steph uses her powers on me one more time to rig another prank in her girlfriends favor, I will fill her bed with dancing bones.” he said as emphatically (read: dramatically) as he could.

“Sounds like a plan.” Luka full-out grinned, hardly able to get the words out. Once he’d gotten a bit of a handle on his response, Luka continued, “What do you say about joining me on our date a little early? Since we’re both up, let’s try to get to the river fort a little early; we might be able to watch the hunt from that vantage without incurring Artemis’s wrath.”

“Ugh, yeah, lemme just…” Jason said as he pulled power from the ground, focused on the mice bones scattered around his cabin. Commanding the dead to do his bidding wasn’t all that hard, but he wanted to make sure both Emma and Darcy stayed away from each other so he also instructed the shadows to form a barricade, making sure that the shadows understood that they needed to remain opaque and in between his companions while he was gone. That done, he turned to Luka and caught the tail end of his softened expression which never failed to soften his own brow in return. 

“Ready, love?” Jason asked.

“With you? Always.” Luka replied.

Chapter 2

Jason found himself following after Luka as he moved through the forest like he belonged. Most of the time, he found himself bringing up the rear as it was easier for him to keep in contact with the shadows a step or two away from his child-of-the-sun boyfriend. Jason felt more secure being able to keep in touch with his shadows as they acted as an early warning system for any ambush. His time on the run while he made his way to Camp Half-Blood gave him a healthy dose of fear for the unknown and a respect for the utility of his powers to keep himself and others safe. With how distracted people had been that morning, there was no telling what might have slipped past the sentries divided attention. 

Luka was up ahead, likely channeling the song of the forest as he usually did on these hiking dates of theirs. Today’s melody was a bit more playful, with individual notes that rang out loudly every few chords. With one last set of instructions to the shadows, Jason left them and pulled abreast of his boyfriend.

“Were you able to eat before you made your way to my cabin, Luka? I didn’t see you in the mess hall.” Jason began.

Still strumming, Luka responded, “No, I had a feeling that we should stay together today and try to get to the fort by the waterfall as quickly as possible. It feels like one of those omen-filled days.”

Small chills went down his spine as Jason digested that information. The fort was pretty far away from the residences and probably the furthest training ground in Camp Half-Blood. They would sometimes go to it on their days off since the location was hardly ever visited so he hadn’t thought much when the spot was originally proposed, but Luka’s intuition was never to be taken lightly. Even though they’d been walking for an hour or so, talking or enjoying each other’s presence, there was still a way to go to reach the fort. Time to get a move on, then.

“In that case, babe, let’s get moving.” saying that, he placed his hand on Luka’s hand holding the guitar, making eye contact, and after a gentle squeeze he let go.

~~

Luka knew that the music would have helped, but he was weak. They’d been dating for over three years at this point and friends for almost five and he was still weak to those eyes.  Sometimes Jason seemed to reach inside his chest and squeeze his heart to pulp, the only thing left the breath in his lungs calling him to sing. Sing his feelings and leave all else to the wayside. 

It meant he wasn’t paying attention to where he was going.

It meant he didn’t feel fate grab hold.

Jason with laser focus on the path ahead and him with his head in the clouds, it meant they stumbled upon the hunt in progress without realizing it. 

~~

Chaos. Stephanie couldn’t have stopped the trainwreck that just happened to save her life. Unfortunately, her friend’s lives might be at stake at this point, so that just wasn’t gonna cut it. Time for damage control.

Stephanie and Marinette had joined the hunt after Artemis called for volunteers for the day stating that a training session was in order. They’d been tracking the golden buck that was the star of the hunt for almost two hours at this point and it was getting close to midday. The sun was shining almost directly down on the buck as it paused in a clearing where the animal trail intersected with one of the paths more commonly used by camp-goers. Stephanie and Marinette were shadowing Artemis while Artemis’s third-in-command waved three other girls to fan out to surround the clearing, both groups moving in tandem to corner the buck and lead him on a chase to the river. The purpose of the training exercise was to learn how to pursue large prey and tactically block all escape rather than a simple kill the buck, otherwise their team of demigods and goddesses would have finished the hunt over an hour ago.

Unfortunately, it seemed her dumbass friends didn’t get the memo and stumbled directly on the clearing, obscured from view until they were directly in the sunlight. As they came into view, the buck stiffened and the game was up; the buck’s nostrils flared and the animal ran in the exact opposite direction as intended, straight for Artemis. 

Artemis swiftly shifted from the red-haired youth she had chosen for the hunt to a body with an Amazonian stature, her hair shifting to a sleek brown and her features shaping into an adult countenance. The buck, startled, reared up and attempted to hit the goddess, hooves aimed to cut and bruise. Artemis swiftly moved around the buck’s shoulder, pulled a knife from its sheath at the base of her spine and slit the buck's throat as it’s feet came down, spasming as it fell to the ground.

Sternly, moving to face her friends, Artemis’s booming voice could be heard: “What nonsense goes here? Who are you to dare ruin this hunt?”

Stephanie bit her tongue to avoid speaking on their behalf. Her own powers beat with Artemis’s thirst to mete out her comeuppance on the boys. 

Her eyes cut from Artemis’s back to Jason’s as he straightened his spine and stepped further into the clearing to state: “Apologies, Artemis, we didn’t intend to interrupt your hunt. I was hiding myself and my partner in the shadows to avoid startling your prey, but it seems luck wasn’t on our side today.” 

“Son of Hades…” Artemis said thoughtfully. “Your father has been kind to my children lately. I may be lenient on your punishment because of this. However,” here, Steph could see Artemis’s head tilt to fully view Luka, “Apollo has been quite impertinent lately. You, I do not feel so kind toward. You, I may turn into a boar for today’s hunt and I might not guarantee your safe return to humanity.”

The threat hung in the air. Stephanie so badly wanted to intervene. Perhaps...her eyes cut to Marinette’s and a moment passed between the two. Darting her gaze to Jason’s, she mouthed the word ‘luck’ and ‘Tyche’ to her girlfriend, hoping Marinette would be able to pick up her plan.

“Artemis,” Stephanie spoke. “Perhaps a middle-ground would be satisfactory. Marinette over there is the daughter of Tyche and I am the daughter of Nemesis; perhaps she could help you verify their claim about luck and I could propose a suitable punishment?”

Artemis half-turned around to view her as she contemplated the offer, her eyes piercing as their color shifted with her thoughts. Stephanie could feel her breath catch in her throat as she waited for Artemis’s response. 

“Hmm, I suppose you all are still young, perhaps my usual punishments for men who interrupt a hunt can be bent.” Artemis’s gaze turned in Marinette’s direction. “What say you, daughter of Tyche? Are your powers strong enough to judge their statement true?”

Stephanie could see her girlfriend straighten her spine and tuck her chin determinedly before she replied, “Yes, I can do that.”

“And you will answer truthfully? You know I will know if you lie.” Artemis warned.

“Yes.” Marinette swore. 

“Hmm. Very well, show me your skills.” 

Marinette stepped forward, circling around the fallen buck and towards the boys. Jason was leaning just the slightest bit forward, while Luka seemed at ease. Stephanie’s eyes caught Luka’s and the amount of Zen in them was calming. Hopefully, he was calm because he had foreseen this gamble pay off. Stephanie could see Marinette’s hand raise to face their friends and a light pink glow started to emit from her hands, forming the Greek words for ‘ominous end’ over Jason’s head and ‘bright mayhem’ over Luka’s. Below, a timer formed, showing Luka’s current luck to have started at sunrise that morning, while Jason’s was marked in years, days, and hours. It wasn’t clear from what Stephanie could see whether Jason’s timer was moving backward or forward. It gave her chills either way.

Marinette’s voice rang out with her verdict: “Their luck was at fault today. It appears the Muses found these two to be fun to play with. Chance was at play.”

Shaking herself out of it, Stephanie stepped forward and pulled that sense of vengeance and judgement to the forefront of her mind as she spoke, “Since the hunt was not interrupted maliciously and was due to bad luck shared between the two, a shared punishment would be best. I propose the boy’s take the place of the buck in the hunt, but ask that they fall to no harm and their punishment ends at sundown. Do you agree this punishment is fitting, Artemis?” 

A mirthful chuckle left the goddess’s lips while a yelp exited Jason’s. Stephanie kept her eyes on the goddess’s; the boys were on their own if Stephanie let on she wasn’t as impartial as she wished to appear to be to the goddess.

“If a time limit is what’s called for, daughter of Nemesis, then so be it.” Artemis said. “I agree to your proposed punishment and am willing to ensure no permanent harm befalls them so long as they stay within the boundaries of Camp Half-Blood, but if we only have until sundown, they’d better work hard to keep the hunt challenging. You two won’t be prey animals, oh no, let’s see what predator’s you’ll be.” 

Artemis didn’t wait to hear from any of the campers present, including the boys, waving her hands in their direction even as Jason opened his mouth to argue. Jason’s comically open mouth shifted along with the rest of his body into the form of a mountain lion, leaving a large cat with a panting mouth in his place. Luka’s form shifted to that of a European lynx, even that unflappable friend of hers looking ungainly and awkward from the suddenness of the change. 

Both boy’s clothes and bags had disappeared in the shift and Stephanie couldn’t help hoping that they’d return with the boy’s human forms when they were changed back at sundown. She shuddered at the thought of leading two whining toddlers back to camp in nothing but their birthday suits, and if Luka lost that guitar he wouldn’t be able to play for her anniversary dinner with Marinette. There’s no way she’d be able to propose to Marinette without Luka’s musical help. Stephanie sent a prayer for continued good luck towards her soon-to-be mother-in-law, stepping back as Artemis said, “Let the hunt recommence!”

Chapter 3

This was worse than any stint he’d pulled in the Underworld. He’d lost Luka a while back when another hunting party found them. Luka had bounded for the trees and he’d headed in the direction of the river. His powers weren’t working in this form and it bit him pretty deep as it felt like an entire sense of his was missing. Since he’d ‘woken’ back up from his near perma-death after his mom had died and learned to access his control over the shadows and bones around him, he’d come to rely on them pretty heavily without realizing it. 

That was probably why he’d gotten Luka and himself into this mess in the first place; he didn’t realize that the clearing was entirely devoid of shadows and it was too close to midsummer for the clearing to allow him to hide in the shadows like he was used to. He’d managed to escape the hunting party on his tail but he was worried for his partner; moving in a new body and effectively becoming prey wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.

~~

Luka could tell that this series of events was what his intuition was telling him would happen when he woke up this morning. All told, it wasn’t the worst thing he’d ever gotten himself into, and it was kinda cool to be able to leap from tree to tree and traverse the forest at this pace. It seems like most of the hunters had moved towards the river, as he hadn’t encountered any other hunters after losing his tail near the cliff face further inland. He was currently making his way towards the fort, figuring Jason would manage to follow the river to their intended destination without too much worry. For now, he’d enjoy this new body and feel the new rhythm he could feel through his paws and his nose while he waited for sundown. 

~~

Fuck.

Fuckity fuck fuck. 

Claws were not for him. Whoever (read: himself and most definitely Steph) got him into this mess, they’d pay. That was the fourth hunting party he’d encountered and the second time he’d had to cross the river and backtrack to hide his tracks and he was sooo not down for the feel of wet fur. This just went to show how feathers and scales were so much better and why Emma and Darcy were the only pets for him; he could tell he wouldn’t want to pet an animal with fur for months after this.

Currently, he was hiding in a tree, taking a page out of his boyfriend’s book and hiding in the trees rather than at ground level. He could see Marinette and another girl from a different hunting party conversing about 10 yards away; there was no way he was getting down or giving away his position anywhere near where Artemis’s party could be found. That psycho goddess had it out for him, lenient his ass.

~~

Marinette could tell Jason was hiding in that tree, the water puddle slowly forming underneath him was a dead giveaway. She loved the goofball too much to actually hunt him though which was about the only bit of luck he’d seen today (she could tell). Honestly, he’d have been caught at least seven times by now if she hadn’t miraculously shifted the tides of luck surrounding him or redirected other hunters like she was doing now. Mirabelle was a nice girl, but a little too vicious to let her in on the game she was playing, so she was focused on sending her off on a wild goose (or cat) chase as soon as possible. 

“If we pincer attack, we can pin him down. “ a branch broke off from Jason’s direction and fell on the ground, causing Marinette to pause and do her best not to glare and give away the game. “...does that makes sense?”

“Yeah, I think the best bet would be for me to go down and try to pick up the trail, and run him back to you. Sounds good?” Mirabelle said.

“Yep, let’s do this!” Marinette sweetly smiled in reply.

Mirabelle nodded, turned, and Marinette watched her go, waiting until she was out of earshot to say, “You are the absolute worst human-in-cat-form I have ever seen.” 

Marinette marched over to Jason, seeing him freeze and look her dead in the eye. It wasn’t exactly easy to tell what Jason wanted to say, but she could fill in the gaps for him.

“You, monsieur, are going to give yourself away at this rate. I’d like to keep you in one piece if it’s all the same to you, so here’s what you’re going to do: head inland and away from the river. We were driving our prey towards the river to trap it, so any hunting party worth their salt will be crawling along the riverbed. You are going to head to the fort upstream and hide; not many other camp-goers go there as frequently as you and Luka do and it’s your best chance to stay out of Artemis’s sight. Stephanie and I will continue to run interference, but you are acting like a teenager going through a growth spurt with how clumsy you’ve been, and that’s saying something coming from me!”

The big cat scoffed at her, but leapt to the next tree, struggling a bit to land gracefully but not with too much trouble and continued on like that further inland as directed. Marinette didn’t watch for too long; she had a job to do.

~~

Luka ends up outpacing most of the hunters he’s encountered, but one is hot on his tail, following him at forest level as he makes his way through rocky outcrops to the fort. He’s not sure if it’s an official member of the hunt or another camp-goer, but he tries his best to wind his way  around boulders and choose outcroppings that blend in with his fur color to avoid his pursuer. 

Taking a small break, he waits in the shadow of an outcropping, watching. His pursuer is good; that he can tell, and he doesn’t want to lead them directly into the fort and make it even hard on him and Jason to get through this debacle. It seems, it’s time to call for help.

“Apollo, hear me please. Your companions the Muses have struck a game between Artemis and I, and I need your help. Grant me aid avoiding my pursuer.”

“Luka, son of mine.” Apollo’s amused tone filtered through his mind. “You’ve gotten yourself trapped by one of Artemis’s hunter’s I see. Very well, I will help you this once, but I will be joining as a spectator for this one. Artemis’s main trouble is with me, after all, and I’d like to see her face when she realizes you’re under my direct protection.”

Soon after, a flash of light appeared, blinding his pursuer, and Luka moved onward while she was distracted. 

~~

It was close to sundown, and Jason was finally in reach of the fort by the waterfall. After his encounter with Marinette, he’d seen evidence that Stephanie was also redirecting heat away from his passage through the forest, but it was still slow going. His bulk had almost ratted him out more than a few times, and he’d taken to any groundcover he could when possible as it was almost impossible for him to figure out how to move through the trees without sound. He was stealthy enough on two legs to give assassins a run for their money, but put him on four legs and he was worse than a toddler was at stealth. He hadn’t seen Artemis since the beginning, but knowing his normally catastrophic luck, that was only due to Marinette’s aid. 

Crawling forward, he inched his way around the watering hole below the waterfall in the direction of the fort, when suddenly an arrow passed in front of his paw and hit the stump he was crouched by….Clearly, Marinette’s blessing was wearing thin. Taking his chances, Jason bolted.

Arrows pelted behind him, and the aim they held was mocking in its accuracy. Just close enough to scare but not close enough to injure. The direction they came from was just as confusing as they seemed to originate from the water. 

Diving behind another tree, this time close enough to the fort to see his boyfriend peering from the battlements, he peered out in the direction of the water to see none other than Artemis hovering in place, this time in a blended form that combined the youthfulness and agelessness of the two forms he encountered her in earlier. She was also holding a really fucking scary recurve bow, so there’s that. 

“Come out and play, kitties. You know you know a good hunt is part of your deal with me.” Artemis crooned.

Jason wasn’t fucking moving, dying was not part of the deal. Unfortunately, it seems his slow arrival also allowed Artemis to set up an ambush as two women lept at him from the shadows (the traitors, he was going to train so much to overcome this dependency he’s built on them), forcing him to emerge. Jason kept his eyes pinned to Artemis, even as he heard others leave their hiding places to encircle the clearing at the base of the waterfall. 

He was trapped.

~~

Luka watched as his boyfriend was driven into the open. He was also being ushered out of the protection of the fort and into the open himself.

“Now would be a good time, dad.” he whispered his prayer.

~~

Marinette was about to lose the game she’d decided to play, and she was NOT happy. Nothing she could really do about it; she could see that the balance of luck and fortune were too stable to shift. 

She was so focused on trying to parse the threads of fate that she almost missed the flash of light that signaled Apollo’s arrival. Marinette did see Artemis whirling around to glare at the newcomer, though, a bright man in a Hawaiian shirt and chacos. Apparently, being a deity did not automatically give you god-tier fashion sense. 

“Artemis, dearest, what’s this I hear about a grudge against my son and his partner? I thought you left the animal transformations back in the Hellenistic period.” Apollo drawled. 

“You! I can’t believe you have the audacity to show up now of all times! Where have you been?” Artemis yelled.

“Sometimes a god has to go on vacation too;  you — of all of us — leave Olympus the most, dearest, so I assumed you’d understand.”

“Sometimes?! Sometimes doesn’t happen midway through a war council when you’ve promised to share a prophecy pertinent to the fight at hand! Ares about had my head about wasting the council’s time on petty matters because you flaked out to — where, Tahiti???”

“What can I say? Sometimes the sun in this hemisphere just isn’t it. I’ve got to share the light with everyone.”

“Apollo, you — !” screeching, Artemis brought her bow to bear on Apollo, shooting faster than even the demi-gods present could see.

Apollo was shifting around, using the last rays of the day’s light to bend away from her arrows, periodically reminding her “This is Camp Half-Blood, dearest.” and “You don’t want to hit one of your precious hunters, do you?”

Giving one last yell of frustration, Artemis released her quiver and lowered her bow and arrow, pinched her brow and said through gritted teeth, “Apollo, you insufferable child. You. Are. Coming. To. Olympus. With. Me.”

With a brief glance at the sky and a one-handed vice grip on Apollos bicep, Artemis stated, “A fine hunt, your debt is repaid.” Then she waived her hand towards the big cats seemingly frozen in place and teleported away. 

~~

Stephanie was closest to Jason and saw as his form crumpled to the ground, shifting back into human form. Stephanie ran to help him up even with the shadows swarming around him as his powers returned in a sudden influx. She grabbed him and hoisted him up onto his feet, keeping her hands firm and grounding while he readjusted to his normal form again.

Stephanie just thanked the gods that her friends weren’t naked after returning to normal.

“You two need to stop getting into so much trouble; you’re lucky Marinette and I were there to help.” Stephanie commented, finally releasing her hold on Jason to let him stand under his own power.

“Yeah, fuck you too.” Jason growled out.

~~

Luka picked himself off the ground, checking his guitar for any damage. He saw Marinette approach from the corner of his eye with her palm facing him, granting him good fortune, so he wasn’t too surprised that he couldn’t find any damage to his instrument on close inspection.

Luka glanced up at her and said, “Thank you, Melody. This day would have turned out much worse without your help.” 

Marinette just smiled softly at him in return. “Let’s go home.”

[desperationandgin]

Deep in My Soul: The Cellist Series Part 4

Rating: General Audiences

Also Read On: Ao3

Summary: Jamie and Claire are separated, but Claire finds a way to cope.

A/N: So, the Cellist series began in December, as part of the Winter of Want collection. Because I needed something Christmas based and it was Jamie and Claire's first meeting, it just happened to work out that each month was happening in real time. Therefore, it's currently April 2020 in this series. Which means Jamie and Claire are having to detail with COVID-19 just like everyone else. I know, I know.

ALSO, this is very belated birthday gift to @missclairebelle. I first brainstormed these beautiful babies in a group chat with you and @smashing-teacups. You keep me smutty and honest, K ♥️ 

Deep in my Soul: Cellist Series Part 4

Claire hasn’t seen Jamie in twenty days. Not face-to-face, not for an embrace or a kiss. When the virus began to spread, and Scotland issued shelter-in-place orders, it was Jamie who’d had to continue doing his job. Rescue personnel would always be essential, and because of the risks, Jamie made the decision for both of them to stay at the firehouse until further notice. They spoke every day, multiple times, and FaceTime was a blessing, but that didn’t make up for the fact that neither of them had the other to collapse with.

He’d only moved in with her on the first of March, and they’d managed two weeks of finding their new normal only to have it turned upside down. Claire had no idea how the apartment she’d lived in for years by herself could suddenly feel so empty without him.

The daylight hours have been filled easily enough; moving his things in forced her to purge some of her own and organize the closets. She works on the balcony garden and finally gets around to cleaning all of the cupboards. There are books to read and television shows to binge (the trashier things she only watches with Sesh as her witness). On the morning of the twentieth day, she begins teaching herself how to knit, but it comes to a stop once Sesh runs off with the end of her yarn. There are plenty of things to keep her busy during the day, but at night, after supper for one and something mindless on Youtube, all she can do is count down the minutes until Jamie’s call before bed.

Sesh arrives in the living room from down the hall, arching her back in a stretch before jumping gracefully onto the couch. Rather than go to Claire, the black cat plops down on top of a blanket Jamie brought when he moved in.

“Traitor,” Claire murmurs, but there’s an unmistakable lump in her throat. “I miss him too.”

As soon as the phone vibrates in her hand, she swipes to answer, greeted by an extreme close up of Jamie’s… she blinks, squints and, as he pulls back, realizes it’s only his finger accidentally in front of the camera.

“I thought Sesh and I were about to be scandalized,” she quips with a grin as his face finally comes into view.

“Wha?” he asks, clearly distracted as he nods at someone she can’t see, and a door closes somewhere behind him.

“Nothing, love,” she replies, smile fading a bit. “Is everything alright?”

The endearment is all he needs to fully focus on her, feeling the warmth of her even through the phone. Jamie gives her an apologetic smile. “Do ye ken how restless people are getting, Sassenach? ‘Tis only busier by the day, and I’ve agreed to pick up another shift.”

“You look exhausted.” She squints at his features on the screen. “When’s the last time you slept?”

“Only just woke. I’m no’ even sure what day it is anymore. Is it mornin’ or night?” He asks his question in half-jest with a sleepy smile. “I rolled over and called ye, that’s all I ken.”

“It’s a quarter to ten at night. You go on at midnight, then?” she asks, her heart still catching up to the knowledge that he’s essentially started his day with her.

Checking a piece of paper he pulls out of his pocket, he nods. “Aye. Which means I have a bit of time wi’ ye. How was day infinity of yer self-isolation?”

“I’ve given up on knitting indefinitely. Sesh supports this decision, just so you know.”

Jamie grins. “Fine wi’ me. I like being the knitter in the family.”

With one sentence, her heart leaps at the promise of endless days with Jamie coming home to her, his family. It makes their separation now seem small, an obstacle to overcome together and look back on as the time they knew forever was certain.

“As long as you promise to knit me a blanket in your spare time. Whenever that may be,” Claire adds with sympathy in her voice.

“Technically, I have some time now, but I would rather spend it speaking wi’ ye, mo nighean donn. Unless ye go to sleep on me.” He calls her after every shift - her rule, even if they only speak for a few moments, and she’s fallen asleep often enough that he now has a folder on his phone entirely of screenshots as proof.

“I’m not falling asleep,” she promises. “I miss you too much.”

His face softens as he leans forward, sitting on the edge of the bed with his arms resting on his thighs. “I ken. Christ, I miss ye, too. To kiss ye right now, Sassenach, would be heaven.”

“I would settle for your arms around me.” She never was someone who appreciated the value of a good hug. Not until Jamie wrapped her in his arms for the first time and she’d pressed in against the solid warmth of him. There was no going back then, and without him, there’s been a gnawing hollowness growing around her heart.

Everything she feels passes on her face, and Jamie feels frustration tug at him, recklessness and duty warring with one another as if the angel and devil were on his shoulders. “I promise, when this is over, I’m putting in for the time away and you and I are going somewhere verra remote and verra beachy.”

That pulls a smile from her, and Claire settles in on the couch. “So far, I’m very much enjoying this idea. Beaches and the ocean do sound appealing.” She hums. “The Maldives?”

“Aye, that sounds obnoxious enough to brag about when we’re home,” he agrees, enjoying the way she tosses her head back and laughs.

“I’ll start looking into it,” she promises once she’s recovered. “How have you been feeling?”

“Och, fine. Ready to sleep in my own bed again. Ready to stay in it wi’ ye for at least three days.”

“Don’t tease,” Claire groans, sighing softly as Sesh, who has apparently had enough of the conversation, jumps gracefully to the floor. For a moment, Claire’s eyes follow her cat all the way to the cello case in the corner. Jamie is saying something she’s missing as an idea slowly comes to her.

“Are you going to be busy in half an hour?” she interrupts, looking at him.

He squints at the camera. “I figured I would still be talking to ye in half an hour, Sassenach.” Confusion etches his features as he watches the wheels turn on her face. “Why?”

“I’ll call you back. Half hour,” she promises.

The video cuts off before he can get another word in, and Jamie stares at his phone, confused but not worried as he stands and stretches. He takes the time to wash up and eat something, and he’s finishing a sandwich she dropped off for him earlier in the week when she calls back. But it isn’t video this time, and he brings the phone to his ear. He doesn’t even have a chance to speak.

“Come outside.”

He doesn’t move as his mind tries to process what it is she’s asking. “Do what?”

“Jamie, come outside.”

The smile in her voice and the realization of what she’s saying both hit at the same time, and he’s on his feet, phone still stupidly to his ear. Leaving the building, he walks out into the car park, and there she is. She’s wearing the same black dress she always wears for concerts, but she’s makeup-free, curls loose and tumbling over her shoulders. Cello between her thighs, the light from the quarter moon is enough to make her glow, ethereal in the dark. There’s the space of a small vehicle between them - not close enough to touch, but near enough to see her face.

Claire smiles at him, takes in the look of sheer shock on his face, and begins to play. It’s a relatively known piece, at least the beginning - a Bach suite in G. She closes her eyes, the memorized piece falling away from the Prelude and segueing into Allermande.

As Jamie watches, he slips his phone into his pocket, and when she doesn’t stop playing, one hand moves over his mouth in shock and surprise. To play for him at home is one thing, but as the music swells and echoes in the night, his colleagues wander out in curiosity to watch and listen. She sways with the music, moves her body as if she’s the instrument and the cello is merely a tool for the notes to pour out of. She plays and the audience grows, but when she opens her eyes before beginning Courante, she only looks at him.

There may be others watching, but this moment is only for the two of them.

Vaguely, Claire is aware of the crowd, but her focus is intently on Jamie. She misses the nights after making love, curled on her side and tangled with him as they take one another in. His eyes are never so blue as they are after he’s spilled into her, loving her with every fiber of his being. Her eyes drift to his lips, missing the way he deftly and delicately moves over breasts, missing the way he claims her, strokes her.

She continues to play, and he continues to look right at her, moonlight catching the glint of burning gold in her eyes. He’s never wanted someone so badly and been denied it. His gaze finally drifts from hers to the long line of her leg, then up to watch the muscles of her bare arms, her nimble fingers moving as easily over the strings as they do along his body. By the time he reaches her face again, her eyes are closed once more. He realizes that she’s playing the entire piece, a full twenty minutes, and he brings a hand over his chest. The overwhelming love he has for her causes a tightness in his throat that he tries to swallow back, attempting to keep his emotions in check. He never did understand it, when people were moved to tears by music, but now he knows the feeling intimately, wiping away the dampness on his cheeks.

When the last note is carried off into the night, Claire finishes with her eyes closed and head bowed a bit. The applause snaps her out of it, smiling softly, almost shyly, as she stands and curtseys to Jamie’s co-workers.

“Alright, all of ye, go,” Jamie finally says, turning to usher everyone back inside, though he doesn’t miss the soft smooching sounds coming from Angus, shoving him in the back jovially as he walks inside. Once he and Claire are finally alone again, he stands with his back to her for a moment, eyes trained on the door as he waits to be sure no one will return.

“Did you like it?”

When he turns, she’s already placed her cello and bow carefully in their case, and she’s watching him. She’s pulled her jacket from the back of the chair, arms loosely wrapped around herself, looking at him as if he holds the answer to every question she’s ever wondered in her life.

“What in God’s name sort of question is that?” he asks, a tone of amusement making a smile break wide on her face.

“Just checking.” She steps as close as she dares to and studies his face. “I miss you, Jamie Fraser.”

It goes against every instinct he has not to reach out and touch her, to kiss the longing right off her lips. “Aye. I miss ye too, Claire Randall.”

“This is better than FaceTime, but it still isn’t enough.”

“Anything less than being able to take ye in my arms isna enough,” he agrees.

They lapse into silence, studying one another’s full bodies for the first time in days. It’s a quiet appraisal that ends when she speaks again.

“When this is over, I would very much like for you to spend one of those three days off doing nothing but holding me while we plan our future vacation.”

He smiles easily, despite hating that he can’t reach out and pull her into a very thorough and appreciative kiss. “I can arrange that,” he promises. “For now, all I have is the promise of days spent doing nothing but sunbathing and making love to ye.”

Just the thought of him over her, loving her, is enough to make her skin flush with warmth. “You are a man of your word. I’m holding you to that.” Her voice suspiciously wavers, the longing for him turning into an emotional note in her voice.

“I swear it, a nighean,” he vows. “I’ll never stop loving ye.”

“I never doubted that.”

For a few heartbeats, they stand in one another’s orbit in shared silence before a gust of wind makes her wrap her arms tighter around herself.

“Ye should go, Sassenach. Go, be warm and cozy wi’ a cup of tea before bed,” he urges. “I’ll call ye when my shift is over, aye?” His voice is gentle, wishing he could reach out and push a curl behind her ear.

“I love you. I’ll cook tomorrow and bring a few nights’ worth of suppers. Any other requests?”

“Only to have ye, so home-cooked meals will have to do.” He pauses, studying her again and once more feeling emotion swell in his chest. “Thank ye. For coming here, for barin’ yerself.”

“No one could see me but you,” she says with conviction, eyes on him, unblinking. “That was only for you.”

Those times she’s played nude, when he could kiss along the supple curves of one side of her body in an attempt to drive her to distraction - those were the moments she conjured with her music, and he understands her immediately. “Soon, Sassenach. No’ tomorrow, but soon.”

“Until then, feel free to send me salacious text messages,” she quips, moving to gather the folding chair up, putting it in the boot of her car.

“Oh, aye? How salacious are we talking, Sassenach?”

Claire contemplates it as she puts her cello in the back seat, then turns to face him. “I wouldn’t mind a photo or two.”

He raises an eyebrow. “That could possibly be arranged.” Christ, this woman.

“I’ll see what I can do for you in return, Mr. Fraser,” she practically purrs. Then, with more seriousness, she blows him a kiss. “The best I can do for now.”

“I’ll take it,” Jamie says sincerely, his smile warm and tender. “Text me when ye get home?”

“I will.” She stands there, then takes a breath, huffing it out. “You have to go inside, or I can’t leave.”

Ducking his head, he smiles softly, then nods, accepting the burden of strength this time, knowing it will be her turn the next. “Goodnight, Sassenach. I love ye.”

“I love you. Be careful.”

Jamie turns to go, finally reciprocating her blown kiss.

“Always am.”

[tigers-eyes-26]

My Theory of Huey, Louie, and Dewey’s Father

Disclaimer: In college I had an Oceania literature class. One of those books was Potiki by Patricia Grace. Really good book about indigenous peoples struggles. One of Potiki’s main character Toko has a mysterious conception. It made me think of the boy’s father being such an unexplained mystery. I am not Maori. IF you are Maori you can Correct anything in this fiction just add your comment. This is a work of fanfiction and is just for fun. Also, I can’t write accents, just know all the Maori people are talking in a Aotearoa accent, and Scrooge has Scottish Accent. Also Trigger Warning there is a rape scene, but it is not explicit. Also, thoughts of abortion, mentions of getting drugged. 

“Who is our father?”

 “Oh no one needed to be remembered.”

Aotearoa in the 2000s

Della wasn’t allowed in the men’s meeting house, where her brother and uncle were. The other women invited her to hang out with them, but she ended up hanging out with the kids of the community.  They played tricks on her and let her play their games. Della stepped aside to “catch her breath” but she really wanted to see if she could hear was the men were talking about. She wasn’t going to go inside the house, but it was made of wood, so hopefully she could hear from the outside. She put her ear to the back of the meeting house.

“Oi!” Della jumped she looked for the voice that called. A child around ten years old smiled up at her. she had seen him around the community. “What you doing?”

Her eyes darted around, “nothing just… just admiring these….carvings.”

The child was unconvinced but continued with the topic. “If you really want to see a carving there is one in the sea caves over there.” the kid pointed off to the rocky cliffs that waves roughly crashed against.

Della saw the challenge. “Why is it in a cave?”

The kid shrugged. “No one will tell me.”

Now her curiosity was peaked. “Well let’s go look at it.”  

Della gathered a wetsuit and some supplies from their boat. The kid pointed to a little arch that was just barely above the water. “Under there is a large cave with the Tekoteko in it.”

Della hummed she looked at the waves timing them. “This carving better be good.”

“Some say it is the most handsome Tekoteko in the entire world.” He made a circular motion with his arms and stood on his tip toes.

“Why would they put a ‘handsome’ carving in a cave?”

He shrugged.

“One last question before I jump in.” Della squirmed a little, “Do ya think there will be fish?”

the kid gave her a look like she was crazy. “it’s the ocean lady! Its where fish live!”

“I know but with the waves do…. Do you think they will touch me?”

The kid sighed. “I don’t think the fish can follow you into the cave.”

Della took a deep breath to stele her nerves. “Ok I have a mystery to solve.” Put in her respirator in and dove into the sea.

Don’t think about it, don’t think about it, don’t think about the fish below you. She tried to focus on her goal. She got to the arch and dove under it. There really was a cave!

She got out her flashlight it was a really deep cave. she treaded onward. Why keep a carving this hidden?

She was expecting booby traps but there was none. Just a cave. how bor…. Wait was that a sound? Della stopped her inner monolog to listen carefully. There was a rushing of the ocean. She darted around to see if there was water coming into the cave. noth.. oh! There it was again.

“Hello?” she called.

“Eh” a voice answered

“Show yourself!” she prepped herself for a fight.

There was a cough. “Sorry… I don’t….like…light.” the voice was a young man’s but sounded unused.

Della wasn’t going to turn off her light, that a perfect excuse to ambush her in the dark.  “Who are you!?”

“I…guard the…Tekoteko…”

A Guard? Down here? for long time? in the dark? Whoever he was he wasn’t human.

“Well sense you guard it, you’re going to tell me to turn around and ever come back.”

“no….come….look.”

“It’s going to put a curse on me isn’t it?”

“some say….curse…. some say blessing……”

Mmmmm was this reverse psychology? “Why was it put down in this cave?”

“It’s their….magic….used…by….outsider. He….wished….for….eternal life…..”

“He became the carving, didn’t he?”

There was a chuckle. “intuitive…..”

“And if I break him out of the carving I get caught in the statue as he lives free?”

“He….needs….only….to be…..remembered.”

ah they put him down here to be out of sight out of mind. “Ok so just give me his name and I can write it in my journal and he will be remembered.”

“His name….its written….on…the….Tekoteko.”

“Nope this is a trap.”  She turned on her heel to leave. She took one step down into WATER! The tides! The water was rising. She had stayed in the cave too long. “Awwww Phooey!”

“continue….forward…higher… ground.”

Della sighed the voice was right she had been heading up a slope. Might as well keep going.

She came to an opening to an alcove. Ok just don’t look or touch the carving. She looked down at the ground it had some soft moss so that was good. She turned around to look at the ocean water.

“the….ocean….can’t…..reach…here.”

She realized the voice came from the back of the alcove probably from the carving itself. She just needed to wait until the tides lowered.  She heard wood creaking. She turned around trying to only look at the feet eh? stump? “Stay back!” She held her flashlight in front of her.

“I….need…only…to be…..remembered.”

“ya a creepy talking walking wooden statue that trapped me in a cave, hard to forget.”

“you’ll….. forget.”

Della felt hands on her arms. She struggled but the grip tightened. “Let go of me! You big palooka!” she tried to keep the flashlight on the statue.  She kicked at the wooden body, it didn’t seem to effect it. She banged her flashlight against his arms in hopes that she would splinter them. She pushed her feet against his body in hopes that she could slip out of his grip. The fingers started to grow long slender and slink down into her hand causing her to drop the flashlight.

“Look…..” his wooden arms slithered like a vine around her arms up to her face. She struggled more biting at the crawling wood. it got purchase of her head to hold it still.

“NO!” She grit her eyes closed. She could feel some splinters slithering into the corners of her eyes. “No!” Her eye lids were forcibly pried open. She saw the face of the Tekoteko. The eyes open on the carving. Underneath the wooden lids were shiny iridescent orbs. She had seen this on the other figures in village, but these eyes weren’t just shying with sunlight but with magic. Her mind started to fog. No! she couldn’t move her eyes. Her mind started to feel numb. She couldn’t open her mouth she figured the wood had wound itself around her beak.

“I need descendants.” This statement didn’t come from the statue it echoed around in her head. She felt her consciousness slipping.

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

Della gasped jolting up. What…. What happened? The flashlight was still on. She picked it up and did a sweep of the alcove. She jumped when she saw the still carving. She waited. It didn’t move. Its eyes were open but there were no shiny part anymore just empty holes. She looked down at herself did she absorb his soul? Was he living in her mind now? She needed to know what kind of magic that was.

She zipped up her wet suit tighter around her neck. She found her oxygen tanks they had been unstrapped on thrown to the side. They still worked thank goodness. She started down though the sea cave. The tide had subdued. How long had she been out? She managed to make it out of the sea cave and into the waves. Her body felt weak.  

“Della!” she looked up at the cliff. Her brother dove into the ocean and her uncle was surrounded by the rest of the tribe. Donald wrapped a rope around her so the tribe could haul them out of the ocean.

 Della was chanted over and washed. So, she could enter the village again. The chief’s wife and several other ladies with tattoos on their chins. Gathered Della into a women’s house. Gave her regular clothes back. Once she was dressed, she was invited to sit among the women.

“I am so sorry for what has happened to you.” Lamented the Chief’s wife.

“What exactly happened to me?”

The ladies looked at each other. “Did you not….see?”

Della felt uncomfortable. “I was in some sort of hypnotic state…...”

There was a breath let out. “That may be a blessing.”  

Della only raised an eyebrow.

The lady continued, “Our statues that are carved are of relatives long gone. It is forbidden to carve people who are living. The purpose of the Tekoteko’s is for us to remember our ancestor’s stories. We keep our ancestors alive though us. The one that made that carving thought this meant he would be kept alive forever. A misinterpretation. No one is meant to carve unless they are set a part to do so. He was an outsider dealing with things he didn’t know.” The Chief lady rubbed her head irritated. “By carving that Tekoteko and having no descendants to keep his stories. He tied his soul to the Tekoteko….” Everyone now looked at Della. “Until he has descendants to release his soul from the wood.

Della started to sweat.

“We put that Tekoteko in that cave so that none of our girls would be…. harmed by him.”

Della felt like she would pass out. She took some deep breaths. “What should I do?”

“That is up to you.”

“What if I don’t have his…. descendants?”

“Our priest has some theories. But none of them are pleasant for your afterlife.”

Della frowned. “what if I… go through with it?”

“Our priest tells us his soul will move on. They will be the ones to continue his memory. They are his gate to being released from this world.”  

“I need to think.” she jogged out of the house.

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

Donald’s hands were broken for sure. He didn’t care. He wanted to demolish the one that had done this to his sister.  He had was laying on the grass, Tribes people were picking up the scraps of wood Donald had punched off the trees around him. Someone was going to get a new canoe from the tree he had downed. Della found him. She scooped up his body and hugged him. He started to huff and puff again.

“Dumbella!”

“WHAT!” she dropped his lame body back on the ground.

He hopped up at once, “You shouldn’t have gone in that dumb cave alone!” He squawked at her.  

She stood with her hands clenched. “I’m 25-year-old adventurer!  I don’t need an escort every where I go!”

“Well maybe you do!”

“What about you? 20 year old college student going off to South America with your band and getting drugged and beaten!”

They huff and puffed at each other, but the huffing and puffing turned into cries. They both cared about each other and just wanted to protect each other. They hugged again.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I want to go home.” She looked around the grove of trees. “Where is Uncle Scrooge?” Donald looked around too. They heard a snuffling behind a tree.

They approached their uncle’s hiding spot. Della gave a knock to the side of the tree. Scrooge quickly rubbed his handkerchief over his eyes. He looked up at the twins. “What am I going to tell Hortense?” his voice still shaky.

Della looked at Donald for some assistance. He just blinked at her. She took a deep breath. “Whatever we tell them, we’ll tell them together.”

[jeonqukie]

OUT OF LOVE / 03.

SYNOPSIS / You’re adjusting to your life without your ex-boyfriend and your new found routine with your roommate. However, after a girl’s night in, you refuse to address your obvious affection for Jungkook.

FEATURING / Jeon Jungkook.

GENRES / Jungkook being the biggest gamer & best friend ever, lots of angst and secret feelings, lots of fluff especially from our soft bunny, and eventual smut.

WARNINGS / This part will contain mentions of blood, alcohol, and graphic language. There will be mature themes mentioned throughout the series.

WORD COUNT / 3k+

TABLE OF CONTENTS / To be redirected and get the latest on the story, click on the table of contents.

NOTES / I apologize for the delay on this part. Real life has been difficult to adjust to, but all is well. But I hope everyone enjoys this part. I’m so sorry if this is too slow burn for some people, but I promise it’ll get so much better in the next part. Things will get much spicier, I promise. Feedback is always welcome! But reading my work is more than enough to me. Thank you so much for loving the past two parts. Please stay safe and healthy. ( ´ ω ` )

© All rights reserved to jeonqukie. All or portions of my work may not be reproduced, distributed, modified, or used in any way whatsoever without my permission.

Jungkook couldn’t have been more in love with you.

He doesn’t realize that he has fallen head over heels for you, but he is.

It finally hit him when he found himself wandering to the open door of your bedroom. He leans against the door frame as you sat there with knitted brows and the messiest of buns in your matching pajamas. You had been skimming through the Ikea building manual for the new bed frame you had just bought.

Your bedroom was so empty. All you had was your mattress on the floor and the desk you had asked Eunwoo to drop off. It was all you really wanted because you needed it to study and for work. All that was needed was a bed frame to keep your mattress in its perfect form.

He woke up to the loud sounds of your excited footsteps after being buzzed that there had been a delivery awaiting for your approval. He was half asleep when he had caught you dragging large boxes into your room, breathing laboriously as you can barely lift one of the boxes to yourself.

“Kookie!” You exclaimed when you’re startled to see him standing across the other side of the hallway. “Oh no, did I wake you up?”

“Why didn’t you wake me up? I could’ve helped you bring all these up.”

“It’s fine. I got it. Go back to sleep. I’m sorry if I woke you.” Your apologies are quick and breathy as you successfully balanced one out of three boxes against the entrance of your bedroom.

He chuckles at your persistence of doing it yourself. Actually, he finds it quite entertaining to see you try to assemble such a complicated piece of furniture. His hear swells at the sight of you attempting to figure out the task at hand. He notices how you had laid out all of the compartments of the furniture into different categories and a basic toolkit laid right next to your sitting frame with the tools scattered. But he can see the clear confusion in your face when you’re skimming through the manual.

“You need a hand?”

Startled to hear his voice, your eyes shoot towards his leaning figure on the door frame. A stretched grin is immediately tattooed on your mouth and you shake your head. “I know it says it needs two people to build this, but I saw a video on YouTube that you can do it by yourself.”

“YN, those are experienced builders. They know what they’re doing.” He sighs before he ambles over to where you’re sat and he sits close to look through the manual assembly once more before he searches through the room.

With that, Jungkook begins assembling the pieces together while you stood close by him offering him the necessary tools and items needed to build the bed frame. He was patient with you when you had mistakenly given him the wrong item. You were already a step ahead of him when he is busy working on one compartment of the bed frame.

“Okay, Kook-ah, we need this one piece and we need to attach it right next to —“ Your sentence has been interrupted when you had initially grabbed a metal component of the bed frame has sliced through your skin. There had been an evident wound on palm when you had reached for the component that had a hazardous edge to it. “Fu — ouch!”

When he sees the short gash right across your palm, Jungkook drops everything in his hands and rushes over to your pale face.

You hated the sight of blood.

The rusty smell of it and the bright red, liquid appearance of it was enough to make you vomit in disgust. On top of that, there had been light traces of your blood on the metal component as well and Jungkook could see you nearly faint. However, you merely close your eyes shut tight to rid of the sight.

“You have to be more careful next time, YN.” Jungkook scolds and you remain frozen to the wooden floors of your bedroom. “Come on, let’s go to the bathroom and wash this off, okay?” His large palm meets your unwounded palm and guides you to the only bathroom in the apartment.

His thumb, you realized, would circle over the back of your hand as he carefully guides you through the apartment. Just managing to keep your eyes shut, you can feel your racing heartbeat slow to the rhythm of his comforting touch; the warmth of his palm felt so soft on yours, his digits lacing through your slender ones, and his thumb just caressing the softness of your skin.

He runs a relatively cold temperature when you hear the water running and he guides your wounded palm over to the sink. He watches the blood rush down the drain. Thankfully, the wound isn’t that deep but it would continue to stain your palm. Searching through the medicine cabinet, he hastily searches for something to patch it all up. Finding a large bandage, he dries your hand with a face towel he’d throw out later and sealing the wound in place.

“There; you can open your eyes now, YN.” He says soothingly and you open your eyes hesitantly. There had been tears in your eyes and you didn’t realize it until you had opened them and he reaches forward to stroke you hear to reassure you that you were fine. “I’ll finish up the bed frame, alright?”

“But —“

“I don’t want you getting hurt again.” He sighed and your lips remained sealed at his sternness.

“You’re doing everything for me, Kookie. I don’t want to keep being a burden —“

“Don’t.” You’ve never heard him scold you like this. His tone was stern — as if he had been disciplining you and there is a flood of heat on your cheeks that forces you to look away from him. “You’re… not a burden to me, YN. Let me take care of you, okay?”

You are silent at his request and your eyes are so wide as you allow the words to sink in. It brought a swell to your chest and you swallow hard at his bold yet tender statement. Your heart was racing as his words echoed in your head and his large palm stops stroking your head and it falls to your cheek where a single tear falls and he wipes it off with his thumb.

“What about this; I go finish up your bed frame and you can make breakfast or… do the laundry or something.” Jungkook realizes the tense silence filling the room, so he chooses to propose a new idea to ease the sudden density in the atmosphere.

“Alright, deal!” You acquiesced to his proposal and he merely pats your head before he exits over to your bedroom where he would continue building your bed frame. But you stood there still at a loss of words.

Let me take care of you.

Eunwoo would not even say that.

Suddenly, you are scolding yourself for even feeling this way about Jungkook and you choose to ignore the feeling and get started on making breakfast for the both of you.

Jungkook worked late that evening, so you asked if you can have some of your friends over for a quick movie night. He'd remind you that this was your apartment as well, but he appreciated the fact that you asked if it was okay to have a couple of friends over.

So that evening you invited Jisoo and Rose to check out the new apartment and, quite frankly, you needed some time with your girl friends. As much as you appreciated Jungkook being your primary source of emotional support, you didn't want to exhaust his efforts and you were afraid he'd get fed up with hear you say the same things.

After completing the first and second movie of the Twilight series, the three of you had managed to empty two bottles of cheap moscato wine. But it did the job; the wine sneaked up on the three of you in a matter of an hour and the warmth in your cheeks was all you can focus on.

"I can't fucking believe Eunwoo. I mean, I knew he was an asshole, but he didn't even try hiding the fact that he moved on that quickly." Jisoo's words came at lightning speed and it took some time for you to process what she had said.

"I told you not to mention that name in this household. Jungkook and I were at an all time record of nine days straight." Sipping very slowly on the rest of the moscato in your wine glass, you hiccuped when you emptied it all. "Now, I gotta tell him that we're back to zero."

At the mention of your new roommate, Rose's ears perked up and she began pouring each glass with cold wine. "Speaking of Jungkook, I'm surprised he's still single. I mean,  I bet you see him shirtless everyday or something and —"

Jisoo's eyes widen at the image painted by Rose but you can feel the temperature of your cheeks heat up further. "Oh my god, you are truly blessed to have him as a roommate. But aren't guy roommates like the shittiest thing ever?"

You ignored their comments of Jungkook's appearance because you can't... think of him that way — no, he's your best friend.

"I mean, he's clean, for the most part. He knows how to cook, clean up after himself, and he does his own laundry — he does it better than me, if anything." You list out all of the advantages of having Jungkook as your roommate. As a matter of fact, it was difficult to think of a single con of having Jungkook as your roommate. “The only thing that sucks is that he gets pretty loud when he plays video games, but I’ve gotten used to it."

"Oh, yum, hot and he's domestic." Jisoo swoons as she gulps down her wine as you tried your best to ignore their ludicrous comments, so you pay attention to the television right in front of you. "Oh, c'mon, YN. Quit rolling your eyes, you have to admit that Jungkook is hot as fuck."

You hadn't even realized you rolled your eyes at their comments but you were... consciously ignoring it. "He's alright. It's just... weird to call him that, you know?" As if right on cue, the rattling of the front door has put your conversation to a halt and when it swings open, Jungkook brings in a bag of groceries along with his backpack.

Wide eyed at the sight of Jisoo and Rose sat on the couch, they kept their lips sealed as you stood up straight, wobbling in place as you tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear.

"You're home early." You state simply, trying to hide your slur.

"And you're drunk." He chuckles before he sets the grocery bag on the kitchen counter where it overlooks the living room and he searches through the plastic bag and he captures the large bag of Hot Cheetos Puffs and white cheddar popcorn; two of your favorite snacks. "Thankfully, a co-worker of mine stayed a little later than I did to get some side projects done and I'm home early. Figured it'd be a good thing considering someone needs to be sober around you just in case you get too hammered and I got your favorite snacks."

"How sweet." Jisoo sighs blissfully as you toss the snacks over to your two drunk friends and they begin scarfing down the snacks greedily.

"I'm not interrupting your movie night, am I?" Jungkook whispers before he pours himself a glass of water.

"No, not all! You can join us if you want to!" You offer and he looks at the screen where he clearly sees that you had been rewatching the Twilight series and his nose scrunches at your movie choice.

"I'll pass on this one. I'll be in my room playing with my friends." He informs you and you nod once before he passes right by you where you hold onto the counter. Unaware of your own actions, Jungkook immediately notices the way your not so subtle eyes. You're shamelessly examining him from head to toe and you hated that Rose and Jisoo's voice are in your head; their stupid comments about him being too hot were true.

You hated to admit it to yourself but you admired what he wore to work; his navy blue button t-shirt rolled up to his elbows — just enough to get a glimpse of his sleeved tattoo and the dark skinny khakis, complemented with a black belt. Your imagination is running wild as he begins to unbutton the first two buttons of his shirt and your eyes snap away from his nimble digits.

"YN?" He calls your name and you blink at him quickly, confused as to why he had called you. "You okay?"

“I — uh, yeah."

"Did you hear me?"

"Uh, no, sorry. What'd you say?"

"I said if you needed me, just knock on my door." Jungkook nods over to his bedroom door and you nod once before he grins and you scurry back to where your friends are seated at.

"God, how can you not like him, YN?" Jisoo whispers as you sit right next to her and you shove your hands into the bag of popcorn before you start shoveling them into your mouth one by one. "And how is he single?"

You shrug again at their question, not wanting to dwell much on this complicated dilemma you have found yourself in.

“Is he single?" Rose's questions ensues you to turn to look at her.

“I — uh, why are you asking?" You didn't want to sound so defensive. Perhaps it was your inebriated state of mind.

"Just curious, I may have a friend who's single and needs a distraction." Her answer is simple and straightforward but, out of the corner of Jisoo's eyes, she can see the green eyed monster on your face momentarily before you shake your head and pay attention to the movie again.

"I'm not so sure. All I know is that... he doesn't do hook-ups, so good luck trying to convince him to go see somebody for a —"

"Well, her name is Lisa and I can give you her number and you should give it to him." You stared blankly at the television screen before you begin biting your cheek anxiously. "You'll give it to him, right?"

Both your friends are very much aware of your reaction and it gave them confirmation that you, as a matter of fact, have strong feeling for your best friend.

When you unclench your jaw and nod, you turn to Rose and offer her a weak grin. “Yeah, whatever, like you’d remember this conversation at all.”

"Ah, fuck, we're all out of moscato." Jisoo pouts and you're grateful that's enough alcohol for the night because, for some reason, you could not get Jungkook for the next few hours.

When you had managed to sober up a bit, you had already called an Uber to send Rose and Jisoo back to their respective homes. When you reentered your apartment, you are greeted with a trashed living room.

Three empty wine bottles sat at the coffee table and empty chip bags and wrappers of chocolate bars scattered on the carpeted floors while the final installment of the Twilight series remained paused on the screen. You can't help but feel exhausted knowing you need to clean this all up by yourself.

With a sigh, you began gathering up all of the scattered trash, shoving them down the garbage bin by the kitchen and you can hear the sounds of the door creaking open which then ensues you to turn towards where the source of the sound had been.

Jungkook had changed out of his work clothes earlier into something far more comfortable. Replacing his khakis, he substituted it with grey sweatpants and his button shirt into... nothing.

He greeted you shirtless as he came out with his empty glass.

"Rose and Jisoo left already?" He queries and you nod once, trying to avoid your eyes dropping towards his muscular physique. Your cheeks burn bright when you glance down and examine the tattoos that had been inked on his flawless skin.

"Mhm," You clear your throat when you walk back to the living room to grab the wine bottles to set them aside for recycling later. "Thanks for the snacks earlier, by the way. I wasn’t able to enjoy them, but I’m sure Rose and Jisoo were grateful that there was extra snacks." He laughs as you inform him and you smile at him endearingly.

When Jungkook opens the fridge to fill up his glass, he offers it to you and you look at him confused. "So you don't end up with a hangover. Try to drink as much water right now and, if you think water isn't enough, then drink some aspirin."

You grab the glass of water in his hands and begin take slow gulps out of it and he quietly helps you clean up the mess you and your friends had made in the living room. A soft sound can be heard on the couch and you see your phone lights up with a notification saying you had received a message from Rose.

[12:37] Rose: heyyyy. thanks for calling an uber for us. i'm sending you lisa's number for jk.😉

There is a grimace across your face and Jungkook observes the way your face contorts in confusion at the text message sent to you.

"Who is it?" Jungkook curiously asks and you shake your head, giving him a weak smile.

"It's just Rose telling me that they got home safely." When you look away and put your phone into the pocket of your hoodie, he latches his bottom lip onto his pearly white teeth at your reaction. He can only assume that it was Rose sending over that girl's number for you to give to him.

As you rearrange the cushions on the couch, he can see your tired expression right across your face and he pokes his tongue on the inside of his cheek because he knows. The smug expression immediately disappears from his face when you turned to offer him the widest of grins as you inspected every square foot of the living room.

“Thanks for helping me clean, Guk. Fingers crossed I don’t regret drinking a wine bottle all to myself tomorrow morning.” With a single wave, you yawn and journey back to your bedroom door where you wave a goodnight to him and click the door shut behind you.

He had heard your conversation about him earlier with your friends. He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop but he heard his name drop into the conversation and he can't help but listen on. He remembered how you were so silent during those conversations. But he is intrigued and, ultimately, curious as to how you would react to Rose's proposition of setting him up with another girl.

Other girls, he thought, would never catch his attention.

It had always been you.

This would be a sign for him; if you had given him the number then perhaps you only viewed him merely as a best friend. However, if you chose not to give him the number then, perhaps, he had a chance.

It'll only be a matter of time before he confesses his feelings for you.

Because deep down, one way or another, there is a small part of him that believes you feel the exact same way too.

↪ Please stay tuned for the next part!

[serararku]

Where the Wild Things Are Pt 3

<Theme>

The pool beneath Valhaas Barrow came from a subterranean river said to stretch all the way from the Black Shroud. The source of nearly every oasis in Thanalan, it remained the sole reason why the Miqo'te and various beast tribes could even survive in the dust-swept wastes. This water was as precious as it was sacred, reserved only for those closest resembling the divine image of Azeyma. The punishment for any Tia, slave, or outsider in this holy place was death.

The walls were painted by the many hands of women who came before. Some told tales of legendary heroes, others of harrowing tragedies; but the space along the ground was reserved for the kittens, who doodled rough paintings of flowers, or the sun, or even each other. Era wanted to place her mark in this place too one day, but she wanted to make it count- she wanted it to mean something.

“Well?” Her mother asked, catching her attention. She stood with two aunts, and all three stared at the woman expectantly. “We can’t get you clean if you’re not naked.”

Era was hesitant, but begrudgingly obeyed, starting with her boots before working her way up. When she first left her family to search for Tage, she had only a few scrapes on her hands from pulling feisty rodents from their tunnels and homes; but the more skin she revealed now, the paler her mother became. Era had her shirt halfway over her head when she was swarmed by her and her aunts.

“Were you stabbed?! Beaten?!” Yuun traced a few scars on Era’s stomach with her finger. “Gunshot wounds… did the shelled men do this?”

Era was barely able to get a word out when their hands began poking and prodding at all of her past injuries; something about this made her feel more vulnerable and ashamed now more than ever. “Y-yes, the Garleans-”

“What happened to your arm?!” Her mother grabbed her by the elbow and held her forearm close to her face. “Is this a burn?! How did this happen?!”

“Mom, please!” Era yanked her arm back and slinked away from their incessant touching. “It’s a long story… all of it is…” Telling them about how ‘Had-rel’ commanded her to stick her hand into a crackling fireplace was the last thing on her mind. Or the time she was shot during her ambush against that Garlean century. Or the time she got smacked in the side of the head and lost consciousness for a minute. Or all the times she was beaten during her many training lessons.

She aptly decided to change the subject before they continued to pelt her with questions.

“Do I have to do this? I don’t… I don’t want to mate with him, mom…”

Her mother’s face was still flushed with worry, but a reassuring smile began to creep along the corners of her lips. “Leave us.” She commanded, sending the grumbling women back upstairs to give them the space they needed. Era flinched and looked away when she casually pulled off her clothes; she knew she would have to be naked, but she wasn’t expecting her mother to do the same. Her skin was like polished porcelain, with her rich brown hair ending in small curls that almost reached to her knees once she let it all down. Even after giving birth seven times, her body remained a work of art. It was hard not to stare, harder still not to be envious; Era could only hope to have half a body like her mothers in twenty years. “We used to bathe all the time naked together, dear. Why are you so nervous now? All that time in those tribeless cities has affected you.” She reached over and gently took her daughter by the hand. “Come come, into the water while it’s still warm.”

Getting washed by her mother made her feel like a kitten all over again- a recurring theme since returning to her home. The water was warmed by dropping smoldering rocks heated by the bonfire into the depths, but the pool itself was surprisingly shallow- barely reaching over her hips while sitting down. Era definitely remembered being able to float in this exact pool when she was just a little younger. Did she really grow so fast? Or has the pool been shrinking since she departed? 

Her mother started with her hair, massaging raw honey into her scalp until it ran down her chest, shoulders, and back. “You need to grow out your hair. Keeping it short is cute... but there isn’t a Nunh alive that wouldn’t kill to gaze upon your body with hair that reaches the floor.”

“Mmmn…” Was all Era could mumble in between licking at the honey dripping too close to her mouth; the little bit of boar she ate from her mother’s helping wasn’t nearly enough.

“Era…?” Her mother started, causing her ears to perk. “You have been mating in the cities?” She did her best to conceal her startled shock, but her flattening ears and her tail thrashing about in the water beside her mother gave away the truth. Era’s mind frantically raced as she tried to conjure up a convincing lie, but her sudden silence only further proved her guilt.

“W-what are you t-talking about…?”

“I know bite marks when I see them.” She gave her daughter’s shoulder a few sharp pinches. “These ones look recent… very recent. You were supposed to save your first time for your Nunh.”

“W-well, I… I figured… w-why not practice…? F-for when I’m with my Nunh, I mean…” Era didn’t dare turn to look her mother in the eyes; the heat searing her face, neck, and now shoulders, was enough to boil this water. “That makes sense… r-right…?”

“A man has patience for a maiden.” She started, with the tone of her voice darkening. “Don’t tell Vahli about your ‘practice’, I don’t know how he will react.” Her mother paused to gather her hair in her hands to expose Era’s shoulders and back. She then plucked a lump of cactuar flesh out of the water to rub against her skin; with luck, the rejuvenating flesh would help conceal her more recent love marks. “What is his name?”

“Zevi…” For some reason she decided against revealing his tribe, not that it mattered; he cut all ties with them long ago.

“A Tia from the tribeless cities.” Yuun mused, working down one of Era’s arms. “He must be quite something for you to abandon your duties to the tribe. What is he like? Is he handsome? Strong?”

Era bit her lip for a moment in silence, but the silence did only last for a moment. “Brown skin burned by the sun. Black hair like raven feathers… and looking into his eyes is like staring up at the bright blue sky. Is he handsome…? Mom, he’s gorgeous…” She blinked a few times before clearing her throat. “And um… he’s strong enough to punch a deeproot tree out of the ground with a single punch. He was with me when I stormed that castrum to avenge Tage’s dea-...” Mentioning his name again put a dull ache in her heart; she thought she was over his death, but being here… where her journey all began… and it almost felt like she was right back in her apartment, staring at his ruined corpse all over again.

“I’m so sorry, honey…” Her mother leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her. “I know you wanted him. But he is with Azeyma now… hunting in Her endless fields of eternal sunlight.”

Era leaned into her mother’s embrace and closed her eyes. “Mom… I… I don’t want to lose Zevi. But if I defy the Nunh… I’ll lose my family…” Slowly she turned to look her mother in the eyes. “What do I do…?”

She planted a wet kiss on Era’s temple before sitting upright to continue scrubbing her daughter’s skin. “When your father became the tribe’s Nunh, he had to kill my father to do it. I was… I was so angry that this overgrown brute murdered my father and expected me to have his children in return… like I should be thanking him for taking my father away from me. I planned on killing him before it was my turn to pleasure him, you know. I almost went through with it.”

“What stopped you…?”

“My mother did. Killing him wouldn’t bring my father back… and it would only put the entire tribe in terrible danger. Any Tia could walk in and claim us as their wives without having to fight for it. No… instead of that, my mother suggested a better way. I learned Rarku’s secrets, memorized what made him tick, and discovered his deepest desires. I did my duty as his wife, and eventually had him eating out of the palm of my hand. Men are simple creatures… and easy to please. I guess what I’m saying is…”

“To do my duty and stop complaining?” Era groaned. “I don’t know if that’s something I wa-ow! Ow ow ow!” Yuun gave her daughter a warm smile as she continued to pinch and twist her ear.

“Let me finish.” She firmly spoke, eventually releasing her. “You can’t have your family and your forbidden love if you don’t have his favor. Do what us wives do best, dear… turn your will into law.” She took Era by the chin and turned her head toward her. “If you’re successful, you may even be able to convince him to let you visit the tribeless cities every few years or so.”

They remained quiet for the rest of the bath. Yuun washed the honey from Era’s hair thrice over, until her locks shimmered in the flickering torchlight. She ran a bison-hair comb through the fur on her tail until it glided effortlessly from base to tip, and lastly she scrubbed Era’s face with hardened animal fat and spearmint leaves. As soon as her mother rinsed her face, she shot up to her feet in a hurry. "What-?! Where do you think you are going without your clothes?!"

"There’s only two things I can do that shouldn’t be done with clothes on." Era called back, turning to look down at her mother. “If I want Vahli to do what I want… I need to leave an impression. Goodbye, mother, and thank you for the bath.” Without another word she spun on her heel and began marching to the exit, foregoing her clothes and leaving her mother and her dignity behind.

Walking among tribekin topless or wearing little more than war paint and boots wasn’t an uncommon sight for this sect. The concept of modesty was a little more ambiguous around here, with many kittens running around butt-naked during the summer migrations. But for a fully grown woman strutting her stuff and soaked from bathing in the blessed waters was, well, just strange enough to garner attention. 

Era held her breath and stepped beyond the curtain dividing the sacred pools from the rest of Valhaas Barrow. The searing heat returned to her face and shoulders the moment she saw familiar faces down the hall, but it was too late to turn back now; she was in deep, and if her confidence wavered now, she wouldn’t be capable of seducing Vahli, and her chance of keeping both her tribe and Zevi in her life would blow up in her face. “If I refuse Vahli, and return to Ul’dah, I would never see my mother and family again. If I fail to impress Vahli, I wouldn’t be able to be with Zevi.” Era had to focus on organizing her thoughts to distract her from the gawking stares. Most of the slaves averted their gazes when she strode into view, while many of the warrior women nodding approvingly. “I need to blow his mind to keep both my tribe and my love. Gods… I hope he’s not worrying about me…” She caught a glimpse of Denoh sitting alone in the corner with his boar scraps in his grasp, but she looked away before their eyes met. Despite the audible gasps or faint whispers, Era found herself handling this situation quite well; at the very least, nobody was trying to stop her, or call her out by her name-

“Yeah-hahah! Errraaaa!” Chaje Koss hollered and shouted when she briskly marched by, holding a half-empty skin; with three empty skins littered around her staggering feet. She was as sloppy drunk as you could get on fermented goat’s milk without also getting food poisoning. “Go get you some! Hahaha- yeeeeaaaahhhh!” Soon others joined in, giving the ‘champion of Azeyma’ a round of applause. Era wanted to wither away and die, but she couldn’t stop herself from smiling at her aunt’s slurred encouragement. She awkwardly waved at them before reaching the bottom of the incline, and the spiraling tunnel that led to her destination.

Era stormed into his personal chambers by nearly ripping the leather curtain from the ceiling. Vahli was hunched over the stone table with Auntie Shepka, the Lady of War, at his shoulder when they both looked up at the same time to witness her and all her splendor. She stood there in silence as she caught her breath, letting her Nunh’s gaze follow the beads of water trickle down her shapely form. Era could feel his eyes on the bullet scars dotted on her stomach, the discoloration from the old burn halfway up her forearm, and the deep scratches covering her fingers. Judging by his ears flattening against his head and his thick tail twitching under the table, he clearly liked what he saw. Yet she couldn’t tell if he was speechless or not; he wasn’t exactly a chatterbox when they first met out by the bonfire. 

Fortunately Shepka was willing to break the awkward silence. “Ahem… you should tend to this…” She reached over and rolled the leather up before tucking it under her arm. “We’ll discuss our plans later when you have more time.” Vahli still didn’t speak- he simply nodded in her direction, but his gaze never left Era. In fact they kept their staring contest going as Shepka walked past her on her way to leave, and the naked woman didn’t blink until the two were alone at last.

Vahli pushed off the table and stood up straight. His pointed ears were only a fulm and a quarter away from brushing against the ceiling. “Your scars… you’ve seen many battles…?” Era caught on to the tone of his voice almost immediately; he was distracted… surprised… nervous. She could use this. It felt like that time she seduced that Lalafell in the Gold Saucer, but she knew he wasn't lonely enough for her to come on that strong. She closed her eyes, took a few deep and steady breaths, and relaxed; the rest came naturally.

“I didn’t come all this way to talk.” Era stepped back and reached behind her to make sure the curtain was fully closed. A shy smile spread across her face once she began walking along the wall, plucking each torch up and blowing them out like candles; one by one she dimmed the room, until only a single torch resting on the table beside Vahli remained.

Era emerged from the dark, her blue eyes reflecting the only light source left in this chamber. There were no chocobo down beds, and no cotton pillows or wool blankets for them to rest on; only the loose dirt floor and the hard stone table. "I will return to you…" She reached up and grabbed her Nunh by the bone necklace, and pulled him down into her awaiting kiss.

"Whatever the price… I'll pay it!"

---

Mentions: @rzevi-tia-ffxiv​

[pokemagines]

by any other name. (lif x summoner)

a/n: the people asked for h*rny lif. the people will get h*rny lif !!! uhh very vanilla spice as always... lif cries -- mod touko

   The palace at night is the only time that the place seemed still, most of the heroes having retired to their own private dorms. A few stragglers were left awake, most of them in the library reading as if to calm themselves down before turning in for the night. Lif was one of those few -- though he didn’t remain to read, but because he followed this routine every night, making sure those he held dearest wouldn’t be attacked late at night. Despite the relative safety of the Askran palace, he could never ditch the paranoia that seemed to haunt most of his waking thoughts. If he lost any of you again, he was sure he wouldn’t be able to live through that pain.

   Part of the horrors of being undead was realizing he really didn’t need sleep. He could, but it wasn’t necessary for him to live. Sometimes he found himself sleeping just because there was nothing else to do, but mostly because the Summoner was so insistent on him getting rest. He found it mostly a blessing, however, because it allowed him to stay up and patrol the grounds. Besides, when he did sleep, he had horrible nightmares, though he would never burden anyone with that information.

   Rounding past your room again, he’s tempted to peak in and see if you were actually awake. You had a tendency to stay up later than most, plotting out maps and reading books on battle strategy to better prepare the army for the days to come. It reminded him so much of his own Summoner, who he often had to carry back to their room after they would pass out asleep in one of the hallways. A sad smile grows on his face, but he doesn’t open the door, instead turning back around to do another once-over of the castle grounds.

   A creaking of a door opening stops him in his tracks. “Lif? What are you doing out here?” He could never forget that voice.

   “I’m on patrol,” he mutters, turning to face you. If he had a heart, he’s sure it’d flutter wildly in his chest at seeing you in your nightgown, eyes droopy and cheeks flushed from just having woken up. “Go back to bed.”

   “Only if you do.” You cross your arms over your chest, “even if you don’t need sleep to live, it’ll still be good for you! C’mon.” You hold your hand out, waiting for him to stalk over and take it.

   “No, I will go back to my room, if you insist.” Lif turns his head away from you, “it would be improper if--”. You roll your eyes, striding over to him and grabbing his hand, pulling on him lightly. 

   “I’m not going to force you but… you’re my S-Support, it’s okay if you rest in my room.” Lif lets you tug him along.

   “I-I’m your what?” 

   “Don’t worry about it!”

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

   The door shuts behind the two of you, Lif standing awkwardly to the side, not knowing what to do with himself. It’s not that he had never been in your room before, he had, but at night time there were much different implications. 

   “Sorry, it’s kind of messy,” he hadn’t even noticed, focused mainly on watching you, but now that he looks around he can see the books scattered around, notes you had taken messily sticking out of the pages. Lif holds back a laugh, this was too like his Summoner.

   His Summoner… No, he needed to stop comparing you to them. It wasn’t fair to you or them, the you here was the person he loved, the person he would protect with his life.

   You notice that he’s spacing out, so you pipe up: “You can rest with me if you’d like to, otherwise I can sleep on the floor… I do it most nights anyway.” You mutter the last part under your breath so Lif doesn’t hear. “What’ll it be?”

   “I…” For once he isn’t certain. Sleeping in the same bed as you is no doubt what he wanted, your touch is something that he longs for. Your hand had brushed up against his chest once on accident and he hadn’t been able to get the feeling out of his head for days. He had been too much of a coward to ask for more, and you were accepting of his boundaries. “I would like to… rest with you.” 

   You look shocked, but the look quickly shifts to a happy smile, heart skipping a beat as he accepts your proposal. “R-right! Well first you should take off your coat and all that armor… I think I have some of Alfie’s spare clothes in here you can borrow…”. Lif shakes his head.

   “You don’t want to see me like that,” his eyes narrow, “I’m a monster.”

   “That’s not true at all, I don’t care what you look like.” You stand up to start rooting through your drawers, intent on finding the clothes Alfonse let you wear that one time, “Ah! Here you go, they might be a little small but… they should do.” Lif takes them into his hands, blinking down at them.

   “I’m fine with sleeping in my armor.” He states simply, setting the clothes down on the dresser. He shrugs off his belt and leans his sword on the wall. His cape comes off next, it stopping its radiation once it leaves his body. 

   “Are you sure it’s comfortable? I mean, you’re still wearing your mask and boots. At least take those off.” Lif hesitates again, the thought of you seeing more of him concerned him. Surely you would think him frightening and run away.

   ...No that wasn’t right. You cared about him. Truly. But was that love enough to accept him despite how utterly horrifying he looked? Now was a time as ever to find out.

   “Damn you,” he mutters under his breath, and you creep closer. “If you want to see the creature I have become, then so be it.” He leans down, allowing you to touch his mask. He finds himself leaning into your touch, despite not being able to feel your hands. He wondered if they would be as warm as he remembered. 

   Slowly, you pull it up and off his face, the blue steam it radiated increasing as you set it beside his cape. He looks at you, unblinking trying to desperately read your emotions. This time he doesn’t wait for you to say a word, instead pulling your hands up to his face so he could feel your touch against his skin.

   “You’re beautiful, Lif,” you laugh, stroking his face tenderly. The bottom half of his face was made of the same clear blue jelly most of the rest of his body was made of. You wondered if he could feel you, but the way he closes his eyes and nuzzles into your hand you assume he could. It didn’t feel like normal human skin, instead it felt cold and squishy, but still very firm. It wasn’t cold in the way a human would be, more like you could feel the warmth leave your own hand and transfer into him. “I-I…”.

   His eyes widen disbelief, and he stares you down as if searching for the truth in your eyes. Your eyes convey nothing but sincerity, and he finds himself unable to deal with the truth that he longs to voice to you day after day. He loves you. 

   Unable to hold himself back anymore, he pulls you in by the waist, lips pressing against your desperately, as if all the affection he’s held back for years is trying to be conveyed at once. It’s messy, you can tell he has no experience, but he still manages to be gentle, like some part of him is still holding something back. You quickly reciprocate, holding your hands on the side of his cheeks.

   As quickly as the kiss starts, it ends once again, “I-I’m sorry,” he pushes himself off of you, “I shouldn’t have--”.

   “It’s okay, Lif.” You grab his hand. 

   “But it’s not,” he counters, “you shouldn’t be with me, I’m a failure… I shouldn’t even be here. You… You belong with Alfonse.”

   “You are Alfonse,” you frown, “Can I not love you both? We’ve talked about this before and--”.

   “I let you die, [name].” His red eyes shine, holding back tears, “I don’t deserve this. I’m going to leave. Goodnight.”

   “Do I not get a say in this?” You raise your voice, releasing him from his grasp. “Lif, do you think I would be with anyone that I thought was a failure? You can’t keep pushing yourself away from me, it’s only going to make things worse.” He lets you step closer to him, not backing up this time.

   “You’re too kind for your own good,” he huffs, “you should hate me.”

   “I’m not the one who died,” you grab his hand, putting it on your side. “I’m alive. So is Sharena. You’ve protected me countless times in battle, that should count for something.” Lif shakes his head. “The only thing that matters is that I love you. I don’t care about what you’ve done, I will love you no matter what.”

   Lif can’t believe the words that leave your mouth. No one should treat him like this, and yet here you are, your hand stroking his cheek like he was a fragile object. He feels a sob rise in his throat, and closes his eyes. He didn’t think it was possible for him to cry, but he’s proven wrong when a tear rolls down his cheek. 

   You pull his face down into your neck, letting him cry into you. Your arms envelop his body, bringing him over to your bed where you could much easier reach him. He sits down beside you, pulling you into his lap where he could hold you, feel that you were real in his arms and not some hallucination his mind had dreamed up. 

   “You… you are much too good to me,” he sniffles, “I don’t think I’ll ever feel like I deserve you but… Perhaps I will allow myself to be selfish.”

   “And I’ll be here to remind you everyday that you do deserve this.” You kiss his cheek sweetly, “that you deserve love.” 

   “You are foolish,” he chuckles, arms holding onto your hips, steadying you in place. He leans down to plant a sweeter kiss to your lips, you melting into him slowly. His lips are so cold you feel a shiver run down your spine. 

   He traces his hands down your back, as if unsure what to do next. Instead, he allows you to take the lead, you pushing yourself up against him, your chest is touching his own. You run your hands through his hair, marveling at how soft it was. It makes you giggle.

   “What do you find so funny?” His cheeks seem to flush a light shade of blue.

   “I didn’t expect your hair to be so soft,” you kiss him on the cheek once again, “you’ll have to let me wash it sometime.” 

   With a grumble from Lif, his lips are back on yours, passionate and open-mouthed, and you feel his tongue meet your own. The inside of his mouth is much colder than the outside, and it makes you shiver against him once again. His grip tightens on your waist.

   “...Don’t do that again,” he says it as if a warning, voice low and breathy against your cheek.

   “Why not?” You blink at him innocently.

   “I don’t know if I can… control myself,” he whispers. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

   “I’m tougher than I look, you know. I’m more worried if you can handle me!” Lif smiles a truly amused smile, locking his lips with yours once again. You were sure you looked thoroughly kissed by now, with swollen lips and lust-clouded eyes. You wanted him. “Can I…?” It’s a silent question, as you point at the armor on his neck. 

   “Leave it.” He gently moves you off his lap, letting you lie down on the bed. “You do not want to see the rest of me…”.

   “Líf,” you coo, stroking his cheek, “I do, I won’t force you to show yourself to me but… no matter what you look like, I want you.” His eyes widen, an indiscernible emotion flickering through them. He nuzzles his nose against your cheek. 

   “Thank you,” he kisses your neck gently, “I...I don’t know what I’m doing, so… tell me what you want me to do.” His cheeks flush blue. 

   “I want you to touch me,” you link your hand with his. As if magic (and surely, it was), his clawed gauntlets retract, revealing his hands. For a moment, they seem to glow blue like his mask does, before the fog settles down and reveal that they look much like the rest of him — clear and blue. He’s gentle as he places them on your exposed legs, unsure of what to do. 

   “Your skin is so soft,” his raspy voice is gentle as he rubs his hands on your thighs. Every where he touches, goosebumps form, and you shiver once again. They were so cold, but not unpleasantly so. “And warm… I…” he is unable to finish his sentence. You lean up to kiss his cheek:

   “You can touch me in other places, you know,” you pull your sheer nightgown over your head and off your body, leaving you in nothing but underwear and socks. Líf’s eyes widen, blue blush darkening as he looks over your body, committing it to memory. Many times had he imagined this moment, back in his Askr, and occasionally in his own room here. It always led him to feel insanely guilty, like he was defiling you somehow, but seeing you here? His dreams and fantasies pale in comparison. He could look at you like this for the rest of his life and be satisfied. 

   “More beautiful than I could have ever…” he kisses your lips hard, moving down to your throat. His hands move up to your sides, gently pulling you closer to his body.

   “I love you, Líf,” his kisses grow more fervent, cold and sloppy as they trail down your sternum and to your chest. He squeezes your breasts lightly, wondering what he should do next. It was a bit overwhelming, he hadn’t touched human skin since… well, since he had been transformed by Hel. And never had he touched someone so intimately like this, it makes his unbeating heart flutter. It didn’t help that you had just admitted you loved him, he wanted to hear you say it again and again. 

   His lips meet your nipple, and he closes his eyes, sucking on it gently. You gasp, back arching a bit and Lif takes this as a sign to continue, his hand working at your other breast, always taking extra caution to be gentle. His eyes flicker up to you, momentarily stopping. He wanted to savor every look, every bit of praise that you would give him, but you seem to have other plans, tugging at his hair gently and moving his mouth over to your other breast. He moans against you as you tug his hair sharply, a soft gasp of his name leaving your lips.

   You feel his hands wander lower, mouth still occupied by your chest. “Can I...?” His voice rumbles against your skin. You tug at his hair, making him look up at you so he can see you nodding. With the silent affirmation, he slips his fingers underneath. He hesitates for a moment, not really knowing what to do now that he was here. It would be far too embarrassing for him to ask, and so he figures he can find out by listening to you. With his free hand, he pulls your panties up and off of you, throwing them on the ground. You spread you legs, eyes hiding a coyness behind them and goddess above does he feel himself grow weak. By now, his erection was painful against his plated armor, but he suppresses his want. His only priority was pleasing you.

   The moment his cold fingers meet your wetness, you bite your lip. It was like a sensation you had never felt before, but it felt good. His fingers explore you, trying to find where to touch to make you the most happy. When he brushes up against your clit, you whine out his name, and Lif’s eyes look at you hungrily. He needed to hear it again, so he rubs at it experimentally, your legs clamping around his arm. 

   “Lif, Lif...” You whine pathetically as he increases the speed of his thumb. It wasn’t enough for him, he wanted you to be louder. He feels how wet you were, all this just for him, and he slowly pushes a finger inside of you. Curiously, he moves it in and out, gauging your reactions the whole time. “D-don’t tease me, you can add another.” You tug at his hair again as if goading him on. He obeys, adding another finger and scissoring it inside you. 

   You’re loud as you call out his name, no doubt alerting your neighbors Anna and Sharena as to what is happening in your room. At this point, you’re far too gone to care, moans and praise leaving your lips in a long string of hazy babble. You feel heat start to build in your stomach, muscles tightening as his thumb rubs at your clit at the same time he works his fingers in and out of you. He picks up the pace, grinding himself against your thigh as you gasp out a loud mention of his name, head thrown back as your orgasm washes over you.

   Your body feels numb, everything slowly coming back down as he continues to thrust his fingers lazily into you, you push his hand back, insistent on helping him reach his peak now. You wanted him inside you, wanted him to fill you up and call him yours. 

   “Lif, can you...?” Rolling him off of you, you tug at the armor just above his hips. “I want you inside me.” You straddle his lap, and Lif shakes his head.

   “It’s alright,” he kisses you sweetly, “I can take care of myself.”

   “But I want you,” you brush his long hair out of his face, “won’t you let me see you? Please?” Lif doesn’t know why he acted as if he could ever resist you. Once your words sink in, the armor from the waist down starts to disappear. You let out a gasp, from the looks of it, it seems that his whole body from his nose down was completely made out of the thick jello. Getting nervous under your gaze, he tilts you chin back up to look at him.

   “Even now... do I not frighten you?” He whispers, “I am not even close to being human.”

   “No, I still find you beautiful,” you smile, giving his dick a few strokes. Lif bites down on your shoulder to keep from gasping. He had never felt so alive. 

   Slowly, you sink down on him. Lif can already feel himself so close, your walls impossibly tight around him. He rasps out your name quietly, his hands finding their way to your hips. 

   You set a slow pace, his dick a bit thicker than you were used to. Alfonse was longer, but Lif was definitely thicker. Your nails dig into the armor on his back, it was too much too soon, the high of your previous orgasm still washing over you. 

   “Alfonse,” you cry out, and Lif’s eyes open to meet yours. For a moment, you think he’s mad at you, but when his hips start snapping up to meet yours, you know you’ve set something off in him.

   “S-say it again,” he says through gritted teeth, trying to hold out for just a bit longer. 

   “Alfonse,” you say it louder this time, grinding your hips down against his. Lif cums with a shudder, holding your hips down so he could fill you up all the way. He wasn’t sure if he was even fertile, but even the thought of you being with his child was enough to make his head spin. He spends himself, and then gives another few weak thrusts, before pulling himself out of you, you both falling into the bed. Lif watches the way his clear blue cum spills out of you with a flush on his cheeks.

   His summons his armor back everywhere except for his hands, as he still wanted to feel your soft skin. 

   “Thank you,” Lif is the first one to break the silence after a long moment of basking in the afterglow, your head resting against his chest. Maybe it was a good thing he didn’t feel like a normal human, his chest was firm but squishy, perfect for sleeping on. “I-I love you...”. 

   It’s then he realizes that you’ve fallen asleep already and lets out a chuckle. You were so impossibly cute that he couldn’t wake you. He places a kiss to your forehead before closing his eyes himself.

   For the first night in a long, long time, he dreams a peaceful dream.