#sorry for the long winded weird response

[bpdsiriusblack]

hi there!! happy late birthday!!!! i am an avid lover of your haunted house fic (i even have the playlist saved) and i saw your author’s note!! also: i hope things are getting easier for you bc it seems like you’ve had a rough time lately. sending u love !!!

so much of the time writing can be a lonely activity, and it can feel like you’re just hitting “post” and sending your words into the void.

so this means a lot that you a) read it b) read my silly notes and c) took time to go to a Separate Website to write this to me. it’s like five steps and you could’ve gotten lost at any point but you made it.

idk i’m being long winded (i’m a yapper) to say thank you for caring about a silly youtuber frat au fic that i started two years ago, abandoned, picked back up, then slightly abandoned again. i’m incredibly dan coded (see aforementioned yapper accusations)

all love right back to ya

(link to phan frat au fic if anyone is interested/didn’t know i have an ao3 with some dan and phil fics on it. one is about dan and phil crafts)

[sansaorgana]

— SISTER'S CHOICE

BROKEN OATH (AU)

PAIRING — Ser Gwayne Hightower x fem!Reader // Princess Elaena Targaryen (OC)

SUMMARY — You manage to escape Oldtown after fifteen years of marriage to Ser Gwayne Hightower in order to join your sister Rhaenyra in the upcoming war. Despite the oath given to Rhaenyra, you struggle to be away from your husband and children. Things complicate when you meet Gwayne in the battlefield.

AUTHOR’S NOTE — It’s written from the Reader’s perspective but she is a Targaryen and Rhaenyra's younger sister. I did not describe any of her body or face features except for that she has silver hair, lilac eyes and her name is Elaena. The story is quite long already so I haven't described the beginnings of Reader/Elaena with Gwayne or her childhood – you can find them in the "Broken Oath" fanfic (link above), which is an AU of this one (or this one is an AU of "Broken Oath" 🙈). Canon events are treated very loosely here for the purpose of the plot (Rook's Rest for example).

WARNINGS — Reader/Elaena is responsible for the deaths in the battlefield & if you're Team Black you might be unhappy about the ending (+ I don't like Daemon and it shows, sorry)

WORD COUNT — 9,930 (💀)

ENGLISH IS MY SECOND LANGUAGE.

SISTER'S CHOICE

It was quite a long trip from Oldtown to Dragonstone but you hadn’t made any stops and now both you and your dragon were exhausted. The sun was slowly rising when you arrived but you had a weird feeling deep in your guts – some sort of anxiety – before seeing your sister after fifteen years. How would you even greet her now? What would you say? That fear alone was stopping you from landing.

Eventually, you spotted a few people looking out for you from the castle. They had to be wondering what were you doing, circling around Dragonstone without clear intentions. After spotting your sister’s long silver hair in the wind, you decided to order Onyx to land on the sandy beach and you waited for someone to come out and greet you.

Sighing, you looked around and breathed in the fresh air. It felt so odd to be out of Oldtown – you hadn’t left it in fifteen years. Not even once. You had grown so used to it that you nearly missed it now. You certainly missed your children. They had to slowly wake up now and you wondered what your husband would tell them about your sudden absence.

Would they understand? Would they grow up to hate you? They were only children, you couldn’t expect them to comprehend the complicated situation of the upcoming war, the delicacy of your family’s relations. And what kind of mother abandoned her children like that? Perhaps it was true what they were saying about The Targaryens – just like dragons they rode, they were difficult to tame. Even an obedient and dutiful Princess like you still had fire and blood running through her veins.

Finally, you spotted your sister and a few of her guards walking towards you. You took off the hood of your cloak and petted nervous Onyx to calm her down. 

“Sister,” Rhaenyra greeted you and you hurried to her side, leaving your dragon behind you. You gave her an anxious smile as your eyes scanned hers carefully.

She had grown older those past fifteen years but you couldn’t help a feeling that she had grown sadder, too. Either way, she was still your sister but also your Queen now.

“You came, Elaena,” Rhaenyra smiled at you nervously.

“My Queen,” you bowed down and the hood of your cloak fell onto your head again. Rhaenyra chuckled at that and approached you to fix it.

“It is green,” she pointed out while caressing the fabric of your cloak when you two were face-to-face now. Then, her fingers moved down to the golden clasp, which was The Hightower emblem.

“Forgive me,” you unclasped the cloak and let it fall down on the sand. “I am here now, by my sister’s side,” you told her.

“Come, we’ll make space for Onyx in the dragonpit,” Rhaenyra smiled at your dragon and tilted her head a little. “She’s as big as Caraxes now, do you know?”

You were surprised. You had no idea that your young and small dragon had grown so big. It was also unexpected that it had happened in Oldtown where Onyx had been alone and you had not been flying on her often either. She had been spoiled with sheep and your affection but that would be it, really. Other than that, she had been pretty bored there.

“I am glad,” you smiled at your sister. You wanted to take her by her arm but something was stopping you – some invisible barrier between you two and it was not because she was The Queen, no. 

She had always been your father’s heir to you anyway. You had gotten used to the fact that Rhaenyra was your superior. The barrier was caused by the fifteen years apart. Despite knowing it was your sister, despite sharing the same blood, the same silver hair, the same lilac eyes – it was a stranger walking down the beach with you.

“Why did you come?” Rhaenyra asked, genuinely. The guards left you behind and watched Onyx fly up again to rest in the dragonpit after the long journey.

“You need dragons and dragonriders in the upcoming war with Aegon,” you answered, a little surprised as if you couldn’t understand why she had even asked that. It was obvious, after all.

“You loved him when he was a babe, did you not?” Rhaenyra smiled gently.

“I love him still, just like I love you – and to you I have sworn my loyalty,” you answered.

“Haven’t you sworn it to your husband, too, on your wedding day?” She kept inquiring and you grew uncomfortable with that. You didn’t want her to mention Gwayne because you were trying your hardest not to think of him.

“Are you suspecting I might be my father-in-law’s spy?” You suddenly turned your head around to look deep into her eyes. “If so, you hurt me deeply.”

“I would never suspect that!” Rhaenyra gasped and held your wrist to squeeze it assuringly. “You have been telling me in your letters that your marriage is a good one, that you love your children dearly. And now you are here, with me,” she pointed out.

“The war is coming,” you only shook your head.

Hadn’t she been expecting you to come and join her? In her letter, you had read that between the lines and now she was shocked to see you? When she had been asking for your loyalty and for remembering your oath… What had she been exactly expecting?

However, you had no opportunity to continue this conversation because you reached the castle and your uncle Daemon was waiting there with a very unpleasant expression on his face.

At first, your heart swelled in your chest at the sight of him. You wanted to run up to him and greet him like back in the old days when you had been a young girl and he would bounce you on his knee. But you froze at the sight of him eyeing you up and down as if you were an intruder.

“What does she want?” He asked Rhaenyra and you swallowed thickly at that tone of his voice.

“She is my sister, Daemon. She came to support me,” Rhaenyra explained.

“And you believe her?” Daemon whispered but you could hear him perfectly well.

“I can hear you, Uncle,” you nodded at him and he shot you a cold glance.

“That is King Consort to you. We don’t trust Hightower cunts here,” he drawled out.

“Daemon!” Rhaenyra scolded him and you were standing there, petrified.

You were not used to being treated this way. In Oldtown you were a Lady of the town – every man was bowing his head at you, they were showing you nothing but respect and your own Lord Husband would challenge Daemon this very moment if he had heard or seen the way you were treated.

But your Lord Husband was not here because you had abandoned him to join your sister. Your sister – not Daemon. So, you held your head high and clenched your jaw at him.

“I am Princess Elaena Targaryen,” you introduced yourself to him in case he had somehow forgotten. “Lady Hightower, to you, dear Uncle. Lady of Oldtown,” you added even though the last title was not technically yours yet as long as your father-in-law was alive but you had been ruling the city in his name alongside your husband for fifteen years now and everyone called you that.

Daemon, however, found your titles somehow funny. He chuckled at you.

“Onyx has grown, Daemon,” Rhaenyra informed him. There was a hint of harshness in her voice that made shivers go down your spine. Something deeply disturbing was going on between them and you had a feeling her marriage was not as wonderful as she had been describing it to you in her letters. “She’s as big as Caraxes now,” she added.

“But not as experienced,” Daemon dismissed that and laid his eyes on you again. He squinted them and looked you up and down before speaking to you again eventually. “Well, come in, Elaena. We are not in a position to refuse any dragonriders,” he said and turned around to walk away.

You looked at Rhaenyra, questioningly.

“Forgive him, he is nervous about the war and we have also lost our child recently… Our baby girl was born dead,” she sighed and caressed your arm.

“I am so sorry to hear that,” you whispered and gave her a hug. “Still, that gives him no right to speak to you in such a manner. You are his Queen, but, most importantly, his Lady Wife,” you explained. “Such manners are shocking to me.”

“It makes me glad,” Rhaenyra answered mysteriously and you furrowed your brow, “for it means that you had never experienced such treatment from your husband.”

You were given your own chambers in the part of the castle reserved for the royal family and you knew that it was the highest standard for Dragonstone but you missed your chambers in Oldtown dearly. The comfort was incomparable… The Hightower was cosier and warmer – it was full of wood and colours instead of the cold, grey stone. The Reach was warmer overall and the sound of the waves was soothing there, meanwhile in Dragonstone the stormy weather was keeping you up all night.

Not just the sound of the raging sea but also thoughts of your family. Each evening you were crying yourself to sleep, imagining the bedtime of your children, remembering all the rituals Gwayne was doing before going to sleep and you missed them dearly. You especially missed laying in your bed together and discussing your day – trying to work out some problems around Oldtown or with your children… Sometimes gossipping together. And now, you were squeezing your pillow tight and trying to communicate with your husband telepathically. Yet, you still had no idea what you would tell him if it was possible.

He hadn’t written you any letter and you couldn’t blame him since you left Oldtown without even a note on his desk. Yet, each time there were new letters coming to Dragonstone, you were expecting to see the familiar green envelope and your husband’s handwriting; begging you to come back. Gwayne, however, had his pride and you couldn’t be sad or angry about it now because you had always admired him for it.

Seeing Rhaenyra’s relationship with Daemon was only making you miss Gwayne more. He was a Lord Husband that so many women could only dream of – even The Queen of The Seven Kingdoms, apparently.

Daemon was not the only person treating you with a hint of mistrust. Your aunt Princess Rhaenys was by your side but even young Jacaerys was staring at you without a word most of the time even though you had been playing with him and bouncing him on your knee when he had been a babe.

It was not easy to get used to all of this – the coldness and emptiness of your chambers, the treatment of others. From the beloved Lady of Oldtown to a mistrusted Princess, a prodigal sister.

Your loyalty and surname that had been given to you through marriage was being brought up regularly, mostly by Daemon – especially during dinnertime or supper.

“It was not my choice to marry a Hightower and even if it was… I married Gwayne fifteen years ago. No one could have suspected this war…” You rolled your eyes at one more remark by the dinner table.

“Don’t be naive, Elaena!” Daemon snapped. “Everyone has suspected. That was the very reason why Otto Hightower sent you to his son in Oldtown.”

You didn’t answer and you felt the eyes of everyone staring at you and expecting some sort of remark. Daemon smirked at your silence, feeling like the winner.

“I am not used to being yelled at and treated in such a way. And I am certainly not used to dinnertime being a battle between the family members,” you stated calmly.

“Go back to Oldtown then,” Daemon scoffed. “If you find it so insufferable here, then go back to your husband. Do you think he is going to greet you with open arms after such betrayal?” He laughed and shook his head while taking a sip of the wine. “He is going to greet you with his sword instead, Princess,” he mocked your title and you swallowed your food thickly, feeling your stomach turning upside down.

Daemon had only voiced out the anxiety that you had been having for some time now – that Gwayne did not miss you at all. That he did not feel nothing but anger at you and that he would kill you at the very first opportunity. After all, you had hurt his pride and you had stained his honour and these things mattered to him more than anything else – except for your children, of course.

Your marriage had been good but it didn’t change the fact it was an arranged union and not a love match. Sometimes, though… Sometimes, laying in your bed, here, in Dragonstone, tossing and turning, you were quite sure that you had grown to love him, which was quite ironic to have such thoughts now when you had already ruined everything between you two. But you were sure he was not having the same thoughts about you anyway. 

“My sister is more than welcome here,” Rhaenyra gave her husband a scolding look and squeezed your hand. You smiled at her, gratefully.

But the thing with Rhaenyra was that despite being The Queen, no one really seemed to care about it. No one except for you, Rhaenys and Daemon’s daughters. All the men, though, were still doing everything their own way. And Rhaenyra herself could not find any solution to deal with that, which made you wonder if she would really be a good Queen…

Not that you had ever voiced that out for it would be treason. You loved your sister and you were obliged to serve her because of the oath you had sworn. But still, you sometimes couldn’t help feeling that she was not a strong leader. On the other hand, it was not that surprising because she had no real experience in such matters and when things had gotten difficult in King’s Landing, she had fled to Dragonstone instead of staying in The Red Keep and learning how to be a good ruler.

The death of Lucerys had shaken everyone. The very first victim of the conflict being such a young and innocent boy… You were speechless and you had no words of comfort to offer. You were a mother, too, and you just couldn’t imagine what Rhaenyra had to feel.

You locked yourself in your chambers instead and spent your whole day staring at the small portrait you had taken with yourself from Oldtown. It was a portrait in the size of a locket and it was of your own four children – twelve years old Steffon Hightower with silver hair and lilac eyes standing next to his nine years old brother Loras Hightower who was a copy of his father with his auburn hair and blue eyes. The girls were sitting on the carpet – six years old Lysa Hightower with her father’s auburn hair and your lilac eyes and three years old Roslin Hightower with silver hair and blue eyes. You felt the warm tears streaming down your cheeks and all you really wanted was to hold them and make sure they were alright.

Sometimes you regretted your decision to flee from Oldtown. Perhaps you should have been an obedient and loyal wife like your mother had always been teaching you to be. It would save you lots of trouble.

Fifteen years earlier, before your departure to marry Gwayne, Rhaenyra had confessed to you that she had wished to be more like you – less rebellious, less stubborn. Meanwhile, you had always wished to be more like her and now you kind of were but you finally understood the price for it, too.

It was Princess Rhaenys that came to your chambers on that day. She sighed at the sight of you and approached you with a soft smile. She took the small portrait from your hands and took a look at the faces of your children.

“How accurate is it?” She asked.

“Very,” you sniffled your tears back. “I sleep with it under my pillow every night. And by day, I have them close to my heart,” you confessed.

“They’re very beautiful children,” Rhaenys sat next to you on the edge of your bed and handed you the portrait back. “What are they like?”

You knew she was trying to help you. She wanted you to talk about your children and let out all the tears that no one else in the castle would want to see now. Not even Rhaenyra because she was grieving her own loss. Meanwhile, your children were safe and sound in Oldtown but your heart was in grief anyway. You were grateful that your aunt wanted to hear about them because you felt like it was expected from you to not express any feelings towards The Hightowers, Oldtown, your husband or your offspring at all. Each display of affection or a hint of the fact that you were missing them was perceived as an act of treason.

You had sacrificed so much for them but no one seemed to understand the significance of it. No one except for Rhaenys and Rhaenyra but they were only two and against many.

“You would like Steffon the most, I think,” you caressed his little face on your portrait. “A true Targaryen, look at him. And he is so…” you chuckled through the tears. “So brave and bold. He’s going to be a knight like his father and, somehow, I have a feeling he’s going to be a dragonrider, too. I don’t know how but he’s determined enough to claim one,” you assured her. “And then there’s Loras…” Your fingers moved to your second son. “He inherited all the kindness and goodness and gentleness from Gwayne. From me, too, I assume. There is not a mean bone in his body. And my girls…” You moved your hand down and sighed. “That is Lysa, the one with auburn hair. And the little one with silver hair is Roslin. They… They were spending their whole days following me around and clinging to my skirts… I have no idea how they are managing now…” You sobbed and hid your face in your hands.

Rhaenys put her arm around you and pulled you closer as she rubbed your back to soothe you. She leaned in to kiss your temple.

“Their mother is strong and brave. She is righteous,” she whispered. “One day, they will understand it and forgive you. You had this calling in you, the calling to join your sister for you are a Targaryen, you are a dragonrider. We are never only mothers and wives and proper ladies. We are wild creatures, Elaena. Just like our dragons,” she lifted your chin up, forcing you to look into her eyes.

“I thought of taking them with me but… But they’re safer in Oldtown, far away from here. And Gwayne… Well, he would hunt me down and kill me for that, I am sure. He is a devoted father,” you tried to explain yourself but no matter how much you were doing so, you still felt like a terrible mother.

“You were right to leave them with him then,” Rhaenys caressed your arms. “Your husband will protect them and of that you are sure, I can see. They are safe there.”

“When this war ends, when we win…” Your lower lip trembled. “I will be allowed to reunite with my family, right? Rhaenyra will allow me?” You asked, a little unsurely.

“I am rather convinced that after we win this war, you are going to remain the Lady of Oldtown,” Rhaenys nodded and kissed your forehead. “You’re going to raise your children there and watch them grow happily.”

“And… And my Lord Husband?” You sniffled, while Rhaenys tilted her head. “I mean… He has to die, right?”

“I highly doubt Daemon would allow it any other way,” Rhaenys told you.

“Whatever he might be saying, he is not The King,” you reminded her.

“That decision will not be Rhaenyra’s to make. Daemon and Gwayne will most likely meet on the battlefield sooner or later,” your aunt reminded you and fixed your hair delicately. “You must think of your husband as dead from now on if you want to survive this,” she added and stood up to leave your chambers.

You knew that she had meant that with the best intentions but it only made you sob even more. You took another look at the portrait of your children and your heart squeezed in your chest. What was giving you a guarantee that Daemon would not hurt your babies, too? He seemed to be filled with an ugly desire to wipe all Hightowers out from this world.

Weeks had passed and you had grown colder and sharper lately. Daemon was not around any longer for he had left for Harrenhal, which was helpful, but if he was still in Dragonstone, you would surely be ready to confront him each time now. You were confronting everyone else whenever they doubted you and on multiple occasions you had confronted them to defend your sister, too.

You still missed your family but all those lonely nights had made you turn pretty heartless sometimes. All those suppressed feelings and regrets had made you a woman who was holding her head high and who was more and more sure of her skills. You were flying Onyx every day now to strengthen your bond even more and it was giving you lots of confidence.

Despite the fondness you still felt towards your marriage, you knew aunt Rhaenys had been right and the marriage was over now. You also realised how much you had missed out in those past fifteen years. You had been living more like a Hightower than a Targaryen. Your husband was a good and kind man but still – he had been trying to tame the dragon blood inside of you. You had not been riding Onyx enough and your High Valyrian had become rusty. Now you were finding your old self back again and all the pain you were feeling because of missing your children only fueled you to be even colder and sharper towards all of those who were doubting you.

When you entered the hall where the council was gathered, everyone nodded their heads at you and you didn’t even bother to nod back. As the Lady of Oldtown you had been respected but you had always been kind in return, too. In Dragonstone everything seemed to be turned upside down.

But why would Princess Elaena Targaryen bow down to any of these men inside the castle that had belonged to her ancestors for centuries now? It was your home – perhaps not in the same domesticated way as The Hightower but Dragonstone was your blood’s home and you would not bow down to anyone inside of it except for the monarch.

The only person you bowed at was of course Rhaenyra herself – your Queen, your sister. Not a perfect Queen and only slightly better sister but you had sworn to her and you valued honour just like your Lord Husband did.

“The battle is coming,” she explained to you as she pointed at the table with the map of Westeros because you were late to the gathering after flying on Onyx for a little too long this evening. “Tomorrow, the armies will clash around Rook’s Rest,” she added and pointed at the place.

“That is close,” you tilted your head. “But the castle has no significance to us, does it?”

“We have already lost enough and we cannot lose more!” one of the Lords protested. “It’s about our honour, my Princess.”

“I want to send a dragon,” Rhaenyra moved one of the stone dragons on the map to put it alongside the Black Army. ���I do not intend to use it in battle. No burning, no crushing. I do not wish to be remembered as the first side of this conflict who used a dragon to kill her enemies because once we use them as weapons, the destruction from both sides will be unstoppable,” she explained and the Lords from her council sighed and rolled their eyes.

Those foolish, non-Targaryen men really wanted Rhaenyra’s dragons to cause slaughter, not understanding the possible consequences.

“The dragon will be there to patrol the battlefield – it will be there just in case the Greens send their own, too. And it will be there to intimidate the enemy. Intimidate only,” Rhaenyra pointed out.

“I shall go,” Baela spoke up and everyone laid their eyes on her but you spotted that Rhaenyra was unsure. Baela was like a daughter to her and even if the dragon was not supposed to actually participate in any fighting, it still was a risky business to go.

“I shall go,” you straightened your back and now everyone looked at you. Baela was visibly unhappy with that, too. She wanted to prove herself.

“But…” She started.

“Onyx is bigger than Moondancer,” you told her. “And I am older. This is far too dangerous for you.”

“But…” She sighed again and looked at Rhaenyra in a way that suggested she knew something you had no idea of. “Who is going to tell The Princess?”

“Who is going to tell me what?” You shook your head questioningly as you looked at all the gathered members of the council. The men clasped their hands and looked down or they tried to avoid your gaze in different ways; looking through or behind you, turning their heads away and clearing their throats. “Who is going to tell me what?” You repeated the question, irritated now.

“Elaena,” Rhaenys finally spoke up and you looked at her, “it is your husband who leads The Green army now, so we have been informed. Your father-in-law called for him and Ser Gwayne Hightower came all the way from Oldtown to lead the army of his nephew.”

You blinked a few times at that revelation, still not processing it fully.

“And Cole?” You asked.

“Aegon named him his new Hand,” Rhaenyra informed you. “He was summoned back to King’s Landing.”

“And Otto?” You furrowed your brow.

“Probably on his way back to Oldtown, Gods only know,” Rhaenyra scoffed. “It doesn’t matter now, Elaena. What matters is that your husband leads the enemy’s army.”

Short silence occurred and you knew that everyone was observing your reaction carefully as if they were inspecting you. But those past few weeks you had learnt how to keep a poker face on. Your jaw was clenched as you discretely wiped your sweaty hands in your skirts.

“I shall go,” you nodded, surely.

“Elaena…” Rhaenyra gave you a meaningful look as if she was scolding you. “I do not think this is a good idea.”

“It must be. It is my husband,” you explained.

“Do you think he might stop his army from attacking at the sight of you?” Jacaerys asked you but you spotted a hint of mockery in his voice.

“I do not know. It might motivate him further to attack, it might want him to stop or it might make him indifferent,” you admitted, truthfully. “But it must be me going there,” you insisted, looking deep into your sister’s eyes.

You desperately wanted her to understand that it was important for you to see him again – even if it would be under such circumstances.

Rhaenyra nodded and you cracked a smile although some men were whispering between each other about this decision but you decided to pretend not to hear it.

“You shall leave at dawn,” Rhaenyra told you. “But, Elaena, remember – do not attack, do you hear me? If The Greens bring their own dragon and they use it, only then you are allowed to join the fight,” she pointed her finger at you.

“I understand,” you nodded your head. It was the reason why you wanted to do it – because it meant patrolling and intimidating only, not the real fight.

“Good. I trust you, sister,” Rhaenyra smiled at you.

“Thank you, my Queen.”

In the morning, you didn’t even have breakfast, too nervous for the upcoming battle. You let your maids braid your hair according to the Valyrian customs and you wore an armour that had been made for you recently. It would be the first time you'd actually wear it outside.

The armour was made of black metal with the ornaments made of Valyrian steel. It was light and feminine but it was intimidating, too, and surely worthy of a dragonrider. You insisted on the black colour because of Onyx’s scales.

You hid the small portrait of your children inside your armour and you looked at yourself one more time in the mirror. You couldn’t help but smile although it was difficult to recognise yourself like this.

“I am a dragon,” you whispered to yourself and lifted your chin up. “I am a Targaryen Princess and I am a dragon blood, a dragon rider – a dragon myself,” you repeated, trying to motivate yourself and with a deep breath, you left the chambers as fast as possible to go to the dragonpit.

Onyx was already waiting for you and a brand new saddle had been placed upon her back – it was matching your black armour. She purred at the sight of you and you petted her nose the way she liked it.

“We have a job to do, my girl,” you told her. “We have to scare Gwayne a little,” you chuckled and she huffed in a way that resembled laughter, too.

With a smile, you jumped on her back and you flew out of Dragonstone. Onyx roared when you were up in the sky as if she was saying farewell.

It didn’t take long to get to Rook’s Rest on a dragonback but the closer you were to your destination, the more nervous you were becoming. You saw from a distance the banners of the two armies and you could hear the clinging sounds of their armours in the wind, the battlecries and the cannons.

They were starting the battle already when you arrived and Onyx announced you with a long and loud roar. You straightened yourself and looked down proudly, with a smirk on your face. Everything froze below you for a moment and then a thunderous cheer greeted you amongst the Black Army.

It was a powerful feeling, you had to admit. No experience of yours could match with it – no memory from when you had been The Royal Princess living in King’s Landing, no memory of your recent time now in Dragonstone and not even any memory of yours from Oldtown where you had been the Lady Hightower.

No amount of respect and power that had ever been shown towards you could match to what you were feeling now – you felt pretty invincible, in fact. And you knew it was bold of you and it was only caused by the sudden rush of adrenaline but in that moment you felt like The Queen yourself. Like you could challenge Rhaenyra and Aegon both – after all, you were their sister, too. Your father had been The King and you were a Targaryen. You had been born to rule over those people below you – those small figures that resembled ants in comparison to your Onyx and its fire.

It was scary how easy it was to forget that you were one of those ants, too.

You ignored the cheers of the Black Army and you looked down at The Greens, searching for one person only – obviously. And you spotted him as your heart skipped a beat.

Gwayne was sitting on his horse in his beautiful armour that you had always admired. Even from this great height you could see that he was looking up with fear in his eyes. You smirked and Onyx roared once again, more angrily this time. The Green Army was panicking as the men were shouting at each other and some were trying to hide.

All the time stopped for you for a short while, though. Your eyes were fixed on your Lord Husband only – it had been a few long weeks apart from him. You wondered what was going inside his head at the moment but most likely it was nothing but a paralysing fear. It was a painful death to die in the fire and he had been telling you about it a few times before that it was one of his fears whenever you had teased him about using Onyx against him. Now, it was no longer a banter between a married couple but reality.

You didn’t want to torment him any more. You ordered Onyx to fly away and leave The Greens alone for now as you went back higher in the skies to patrol the battle. Despite giving them a sign that you were not there to kill them, from the corner of your eye, you spotted that some of the cannons of the Green Army were now aimed at you and Onyx.

Gwayne, however, shaking out of his state of fear, ordered them to turn around and aim at the castle and The Blacks instead. You smiled to yourself and kept circling up in the air as Onyx roared.

Despite your strong bond with her, you could feel how uneasy she was, how impatient. It surprised you because Onyx was a young dragon and she had no experience in battle. In fact, you had suspected her to shy away or get scared at the sight the real fight. And now, your girl seemed to be pretty bold and angry as she huffed and puffed, while her muscles tensed.

“Lykirī, Onyx, lykirī,” you ordered as you patted her neck to calm her down but you had to admit that her restlessness was making you feel worried if you were even able to fully control her after all.

She roared and lowered herself. You squinted your eyes to observe the battle but you had to shout Lykirī! all the time at your dragon because she seemed to be more than eager to join the fight. The sight of her and the sounds she was making seemed to work, though. The Greens were terrified and kept looking up all the time to make sure she wouldn’t burn them all any second. Your intimidation plan seemed to be working better than you had expected.

A few times during the battle, you found Gwayne’s eyes somehow and he would look up back at you but then he would ride away on his horse. Each time, your heart clenched inside your chest and Onyx had to feel it because it was when she was growing the most uneasy.

So far, it was the Green Army that had been winning battle after battle but now they seemed to be too distracted by the dragon flying overhead. It was not the fault of your husband’s leadership – your knowledge of warfare was little but you could see even from up there that most of his orders and ideas were good. It was just simply not enough when a huge beast was a constant deathly treat. The morales were simply too low and you could see that some knights even tried to desert the battlefield in a desperate attempt to save themselves from your hypothetical dragonfire. Meanwhile, The Blacks were not as organised but they felt more confident than ever with The Targaryen Princess watching over them.

“Lykirī, Onyx!” You shouted at your dragon when you felt that her neck was tensing as if she was about to let out the fire. “What’s wrong with you, girl?” You hummed to yourself and leaned in to pat her neck and then you froze at the sight below you.

Gwayne was not wearing his helmet anymore and he was no longer in the saddle. You couldn’t spot his horse but he was surrounded by the Black Army knights. He was fighting them bravely but he was alone against four men and it was a hopeless struggle yet he refused to give up and become their prisoner. You looked around and spotted that most of the Green knights that remained in the battlefield were struggling in a similar way to your husband. You knew very well how it would end now. It would be the very first victory of your army and Rook’s Rest would be defended.

But at what price?

You could see Gwayne’s face more clearly now as Onyx lowered herself even further. He was exhausted and bruised, dirty from the mud and blood and his lip was cut. You had to fight an urge inside of you to just run into his arms, to hold him again, to kiss him, to be with him. 

But, so far, it looked like you would never be able to do it since he would lose soon. And you would continue your life with the image of him dying in the battlefield – you would continue your life with regret of leaving him and then doing absolutely nothing to help him in the battlefield.

Onyx groaned loudly and exposed her claws and teeth. You were about to calm her down again and then you noticed something that you had not noticed before – she was not trying to attack the Green Army but… the Black one.

You froze as you realised that her eyes were fixated on the knights carrying your sister’s banners. The fire forming in the depths of her throat was aimed at the men gathered near the castle walls and trying to stop the attack of Gwayne’s army.

Onyx was not loyal to Rhaenyra, after all. Onyx was your dragon and she was loyal to you only. You were her mistress and her rider. She knew you better than anyone else.

Some of the knights of the Black Army cheered at you and your dragon – so confident and sure of themselves that they hadn’t noticed that Onyx’s anger was aimed at them. You squinted your eyes at the black banners of Rhaenyra and then the few of the remaining green ones of Aegon.

Gods damn it, you thought. You loved them both – your sister and your brother. But you also did not really care about any of them being the ruler of Westeros because you were not close with any of them. You had been close to your sister but that was fifteen years ago and now she was like a stranger to you. Aegon had been a baby when you left to Oldtown. Your real family – the man you loved, the father of your children – he was down there, struggling, and surely about to die soon if you wouldn’t do anything to help him.

“Dracarys, Onyx,” you ordered after taking a deep breath in. You watched as if you were outside of your own body how her fire destroyed half of the Black Army in mere seconds. You blinked a few times, still detached physically and mentally from the scene that you were responsible for.

Your dragon seemed to have lots of fun, though. She landed on the ground, crushing a few Black knights on the way. The remaining ones were widening their eyes, too terrified to move or they were trying to run away. Onyx did not need your commands anymore, she just kept on burning them as her waving tail destroyed the castle’s tower, killing dozens of men in the process. You were sitting in the saddle with your back straightened and your chin high, looking over death and destruction with the poker face you had mastered the previous weeks.

You had just become the murderer and the destroyer – the very first person in this war who used her dragon as a weapon. And yet, you felt nothing. Perhaps the regret would come later but all that mattered to you now was that Gwayne was safe again. The remaining Green knights ran up to him and helped him to defeat his enemies and then they stood behind their commander while watching the scene in terror.

When the Black Army was defeated by Onyx nearly single-handedly, you turned her around to face the remaining knights by your husband’s side and Gwayne himself. Onyx roared at them and you could hear that she was happy to see them but they didn’t know her the way you did, therefore they remained terrified. After all, you could have been a maniac who would kill everyone, right?

You were a Targaryen, after all.

You enjoyed their fear for a short while and then you ordered Onyx to lay down and she did so, allowing you to dismount her. Your legs were a bit shaky from all the hours in the saddle and all the emotions but you managed to do it gracefully enough.

You turned around to look into Gwayne’s blue eyes. They were filled with shock and terror but you ignored that completely, finally doing something you had wanted to do for weeks now.

You ran up to him and straight into his arms, nearly knocking him off on the ground as your armours clashed loudly. The knights surrounding him were observing the scene carefully, too scared to react in any way since your Onyx had just given the show of what she was capable of.

Now, however, she looked pretty adorable and innocent as she seemed to take a small nap in the middle of the battlefield full of ashes and blood.

“My Lord,” you cupped your husband’s face and he looked into your eyes with a hint of sadness that you could had expected. However, you were glad that it was sadness instead of anger. “Will you ever forgive me for abandoning you?” You asked, nearly innocently, while biting on your lip as if you weren’t responsible for all this death and destruction below your feet.

Gwayne looked nervously at Onyx napping behind your back and cracked a sad smile at you.

“Do I have a choice, my Lady Wife?” He tried to make a joke as he put his hands on your waist. “If I say no, you will order your dragon to burn me.”

“Onyx would never burn you,” you shook your head with a chuckle as you sniffled your tears back. “That dragon is more difficult to manage than I expected.”

“She is just like you then, my Princess,” Gwayne raised one of his hands to caress your cheek. His touch was gentle like he could not believe that you were really there, standing in front of him.

“She is my dragon, after all. Onyx knows my heart – I could lie to myself but I could never lie to her,” you nodded and then you looked around. “What a mess I have caused.”

“Indeed,” Gwayne only nodded and took his hand away from you.

He turned around and ordered his men to look for the wounded knights and to go for the castle since it was practically left for the taking now. They had to put the new banners on the walls now. You kept standing there and waiting for him to finish so you would be left alone to talk now. When it happened, he looked at you with a sigh and you cracked a smile at his handsome face even though it was bruised and dirty.

“I had to leave. She is my sister, I have sworn to her, she needed me,” you explained.

“I know,” Gwayne nodded. “It broke my heart, Elaena, but I understood. At least some part of me did. I could not understand how you could leave our children like that,” he approached you and you looked away, too ashamed to meet his gaze.

“How are they? What have you told them?”

“They are safe,” Gwayne assured you. “They miss you…” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I have lied to them… Well, not really. I have told them that you went to visit your sister. That it was an urgent family matter and you had no time to say farewell but you would be back… Soon,” Gwayne explained. “They are too young to know about the war so they believed me.”

“I doubt Steffon did. He is ten and two now, of course he knows about the war,” you pointed out and shyly looked up. “I shall go to them, even today. I shall take Onyx and go back to Oldtown to hold my children and…” You stopped when you realised something painful. “Of course, that is, if you allow me,” you fixed yourself.

“You are the Lady of Oldtown, I would never forbid you from the city,” Gwayne shook his head. “And you are their mother, they need you.”

“Yes, but so do you. Especially now,” you explained. “After seeing our children, I shall come back to you. I shall accompany you in each battle from now on. I have started something you have no idea of… Now Rhaenyra will make sure to send her dragons to war, too. Her pain and anger will be great from my betrayal,” you pointed out.

“Why did you betray her?” Gwayne asked, raising his eyebrow. “You have sworn to her, haven’t you? What made you change your mind to support King Aegon instead?”

“Fuck Aegon!” You dismissed him and he widened his eyes. “And fuck Rhaenyra. I don’t care about any of them.”

“You shall not be heard saying such things,” Gwayne chuckled nervously.

“They are my siblings, I can speak whatever of them,” you shrugged your arms. “I am by your side only,” you confessed and you looked away.

You knew it was a bit stupid to confess such things when you were the one who had abandoned him without a word of a warning or any explanation. You should be grateful that he was talking to you instead of cutting your head off – as your Lord Husband he had every right to after your stunt and since you were technically a traitor to both of the sides, no one would even punish him for killing you.

But Gwayne moved even closer to you and grabbed your wrist to squeeze it, which made you look up at him shyly again.

“I love you, Elaena. And please, do forgive me that it took me losing you to finally say it out loud. And if it took you running away to realise the same about me, then I can be only grateful for this experience. You are a dragon, my Princess, and I am sorry for forgetting about that,” he whispered.

You couldn’t believe your ears… He was apologising to you?!

“Do not be too greedy, Lord Husband. Do you really expect me to admit out loud that I love you as if I haven’t just betrayed my own army for you? Is that not enough?” You chuckled and so did he, awkwardly. He leaned in to place a gentle kiss upon the palm of your hand and then he caressed it lovingly. You could feel the longing and yearning in those gestures. “I’ve missed you,” you confessed. “I’ve missed us.”

“So have I,” Gwayne kissed your forehead. It was not proper to exchange such affections in public but you were in the middle of the battlefield so you did not bother to care about it. “But it would be my greatest wish for you to stay in Oldtown after coming back there. I do not want you on the battlefield, Elaena.”

“You can’t stop me,” you shrugged your arms and squeezed his wrists lovingly.

“Haven’t you caused enough trouble already?” He tried a different approach as he smirked at you.

“Watch me,” you smirked back and gently kissed him on the lips.

You hurried through the halls of The Hightower while all the maids and servants were staring at you with widened eyes. They certainly had not expected to ever see you again but no one was trying to stop you. You rushed to the nursery room where all your children had been gathered after your arrival. You had changed from your armour into a comfortable dress and had ordered your maids that you wanted to see your sons and daughters.

You finally pushed the doors open and tears of joy streamed down your cheeks at the sight of their faces. Loras, Lysa and Roslin hurried to you with big smiles and hugged you tightly. You crouched down to squeeze them all lovingly.

“Mummy!” Little Roslin seemed to be the happiest and she was practically shaking at the sight of you. Your heart ached for her when you kissed her all over her tiny face.

“We’re so happy to see you again, Mother,” Loras greeted you like a big boy and you cracked a smile at him before kissing his forehead.

“I am so happy to see you again, too, my love. I’ve missed you terribly,” you confessed, looking at Steffon from the corner of your eye. The silver haired boy was keeping his distance from you and staring at you questioningly. “Steffon?” You called for him and he walked up to you reluctantly.

“Mother,” he only said and kissed your cheek before moving away. “Does father know that you’re here?”

“Of course,” you furrowed your brow at him. “I saw him yesterday,” you nodded at him but he didn’t look convinced.

“And how was the time with your sister?” Lysa asked and you kissed her cheeks.

“It was good,” you nodded with a sad smile. “But I regretted that I couldn’t be with you.”

“Will you stay now?” Loras asked and you caressed his head gently.

“I wish I could but I have to join your father,” you explained. “We will be back soon. Together,” you assured him.

“Father left for the war,” Steffon pointed out.

“And I must, too. I am a Targaryen and a dragonrider, my darling,” you tried to explain. “Either way, let’s not dwell on that now. We have a whole day to spend together,” you squeezed the hands of your girls.

You didn’t leave your children even for a second for the whole day and in the evening you allowed them to sleep with you in your chambers that you share with Gwayne. Since he was not in Oldtown, there was a lot of empty space in the bed. Steffon did not join you in the evening, though, and for the whole day he was roaming around but never actively spending his time with you either. It was hurting you deeply but you wanted to give him space and you were aware that he was old enough to realise more than you’d like him to. You could not blame him for being angry.

Watching your sweet babies sleep, you could not drift off to the land of dreams yourself. You had spent the previous night in the arms of your husband after weeks of being apart and it had surely helped you to fall asleep but now you were being haunted by the visions of what had happened in the battlefield and of what Rhaenyra’s reaction had to be after hearing about your betrayal.

You were laying on your back and staring at the ceiling when the doors creaked as they opened and you lifted yourself on your elbows to see the intruder. It was Steffon.

“Mother?” He whispered. “Are you asleep?”

“No, my love. Come in,” you whispered back and carefully left the bed, making sure not to wake up the rest of your children.

You approached your son and put your hands on his shoulders. The night was cold, therefore there was a fire burning in the fireplace. You brought him closer and you both sat on a fluffy carpet there. Steffon avoided your gaze but you could see he was dying to ask you something.

“What is it, my love?” You fixed his silver hair gently.

“I know what the war is about and that you left to see your sister…” He mumbled out quietly. “You chose her. Not us,” he pointed out and dared to look up, his lilac eyes meeting yours.

“No, I chose you. You have no idea what I have done, the choice I have made,” you nodded at him and caressed his cheek with your finger. “I left to see her, she is my sister, my blood. I grew up alongside her, we share the same father and the same mother. But there was a hole in my chest because I missed you and… And I missed your father, too,” you confessed.

“I have never seen him sadder,” Steffon said and your heart clenched inside your chest. “I knew it was not about you visiting your sister. I knew immediately you had abandoned us.”

“I know you are angry at me now and you have every right to be. And I know how much children hate it when they are being told that but one day you shall understand it. Because you are a Targaryen, perhaps the most out of all my children,” you smiled at him.

“Because of my hair and eyes?”

“No, my love. All of my children are as Targaryen as Hightower. But you have the spirit… The fire,” you told him. “I love all my children dearly but you are a dragon,” you nodded.

“Do you have to leave again?” He asked and his lilac eyes filled with tears.

“I’ll be back,” you promised. “But I’m a dragonrider and when the war calls, I am on the go,” you explained. “Your father needs me by his side and King Aegon needs more dragons.”

Steffon sniffed his tears back and he finally moved closer to hug you. You wrapped your arms around him and placed a kiss on the top of his head.

In the evening of the very next day you were already dismounting Onyx in King’s Landing. All that travelling had been exhausting for you and her but it was necessary. You patted her and allowed her to rest in the dragonpit as you were being escorted to The Red Keep by a few guards.

You were wearing your armour again even though it felt a bit wrong to wear the armour that Rhaenyra had requested to be made for you so you could fight the war for her.

Gwayne was waiting for you by the gates to the castle. You smiled widely at the sight of him and you ran up to your husband as he ordered the guards to walk away because he would escort you to The King himself.

“And how was it?” He asked you after kissing the palm of your hand.

“Only Steffon knew, just as I suspected,” you sighed. “But we have explained everything to each other. I believe he has forgiven me or at least he is no longer cross with me,” you nodded. “I miss them again but the pain is less when I know I am with you,” you smiled and Gwayne took you by your arm to lead you to the council meeting.

“You have become quite a controversial figure, my Princess,” he informed you and you chuckled nervously.

“I do wonder why,” you tried to joke.

The doors were opened in front of you and you were announced as Princess Elaena Targaryen, Lady Hightower while everyone was staring at you.

The man sitting right in front of you had to be your brother Aegon because he was taking your father’s seat by the table. You bowed down at him and after a short while of silence, he laughed and clapped his hands.

“Sister!” He greeted you so happily that you were nearly suspecting an ambush. He stood up and rushed to your side to wrap his arms tightly around you. “Sister Elaena! How good it is to see you again! Do you remember me?” He took a step back and looked deep into your eyes, hoping for a positive answer like an excited puppy.

You cracked a smile at him and dared to move your hand up to brush a single silver hair strand behind his ear in a motherly way.

“Of course I do, my King,” you nodded. “You were a small babe then but I remember it fondly,” you assured him and it was no lie. “You loved to sit on my lap by the table and eat all the sweets that I was spoiling you with despite our father’s scolding looks. It was always our secret how many cakes you ate,” you reminded him and Aegon grinned at you.

“This is my sister!” He pointed his finger at you after turning around to face his council. “My sister who has burnt Rhaenyra’s army for me. Her loyalty shall not be questioned,” he announced and walked away to sit on his chair again.

You didn’t want to correct him that you hadn’t burnt anyone for him because it would be a political suicide to do so. You only cracked a smile at your husband. You didn’t expect the greeting to go so smoothly. Aegon seemed to be very desperate for any sort of attention or affection.

“Princess Elaena’s loyalty shall still be proven,” the tall young man without one eye smirked at you. That had to be your brother Aemond, whom you hadn’t met.

You sighed and rolled your eyes at that. Each side had their Daemon, apparently.

“I will be proving my loyalty to The King, brother. I do not owe you anything for we are equals,” you reminded him with a smirk, too.

Suddenly, Queen Alicent stood up and approached you to give you a warm hug. You hugged her back even though you were surprised by that welcome from her.

“We are happy to have you back,” she said and you spotted honesty alongside the sadness in her big, brown eyes. You nodded your head at her.

“My Queen,” you greeted her.

“Queen Dowager,” she fixed you. “Helaena is The Queen now. Do you remember her?”

“Of course,” you smiled at the image of tiny Helaena from your memories. “I would love to see her.”

“After the meeting,” Queen Alicent nodded and pointed at the empty chair for you. Gwayne stood behind you as if he was your sworn guard.

Well, as your Lord Husband, he was.

After the meeting of King Aegon’s council, you went to Queen Helaena’s chambers with Queen Alicent.

“Helaena, you have a guest,” her mother opened the doors gently. “It is your sister, Princess Elaena.”

After that introduction, you walked inside and bowed your head in front of your younger sister. She was standing by the window and turned her head around as her eyes widened at the sight of you.

“An oath-breaker,” she greeted you in a mysterious way that made a chill go down your spine. “You bring death and destruction.”

You had no idea how to answer that and you looked at Alicent, searching for some sort of explanation but she only blushed and looked down, uncomfortably.

“Our Queen often speaks in riddles,” she told you.

“No, your majesty,” you shook your head, “I do know very well what our Queen means.”

MASTERLIST

[zepskies]

Hey could I please request headcanons for how Dean would react to reader texting him "she's busy" as a joke, yk kind of like

Dean: Hey baby

Reader: She's busy

I really hope this makes sense and isn't so confusing 😭😭

Ooh I think I know what you mean. 😏

Pairing: Dean Winchester x F. Reader Word Count: 850

Imagine: Texting Dean when he's on a hunt.

Once again, Dean sighed while he waited on his brother.

They were stopped at a 7-Eleven gas station after a hunt, but Dean had long ago filled up Baby's tank. Sam was inside, grabbing a few snacks for the road tomorrow. Supposedly.

Dean fished out his phone from his pocket and texted him.

Hey, Driving Miss Daisy. You good in there?

A couple of minutes later, Sam responded.

Yeah, just getting a few things.

Dean rolled his eyes. Right.

For half an hour? What, you taking a shit or something?

Sam's response was testy, just as Dean predicted.

Dean, give me a minute. Jesus.

Dean sighed, with a roll of his eyes. He scrolled back into his texts and found your name. He was a couple of states over from Lebanon, but still within the same timezone. You should still be awake back at the bunker.

He decided he wanted to hear your voice, let you know that he and Sam were going to catch one more night of rest here at the motel before they made the long drive back home.

But...you didn't answer when he called.

Weird. You were typically a night owl, either watching something or plugging away at your laptop. He tried texting you instead.

Hey, baby. You up?

He eventually saw the three gray dots pop up. You were typing...

She's busy.

Dean frowned. What the hell?

Had you invited someone over? Like Jody or Donna?

But neither of them would've replied like that...so he texted back.

Stop messing around.

Dean tried calling you again, but it went directly to voicemail this time. In came another text from "you."

She'll call you back, dude.

Dean's jaw ticked with annoyance. And despite himself, unease began to creep in and churn his stomach.

What the fuck is this?

She's in the shower. I'll tell her to call you back, no worries.

All right. WHO is this?

Ooh, are you the boyfriend? Yikes lol.

A deep, slow breath made it through Dean's nose. He closed his eyes, counted to ten, reminded himself that he did, in fact, love you.

Then he responded.

Babe, if you don't call me in the next 30 seconds, there's gonna be hell to pay when I get home.

Dean checked his watch and actually counted. About ten seconds passed before his phone rang with an incoming call...from you. He answered.

"Promise?" came your teasing voice. When it ended on a giggle, Dean rolled his eyes and rested his head back on the seat. He blew out a frustrated breath.

"Oh, trust and believe. You're gonna fuckin' get it this time," he said, though his lips curved on a reluctant smirk. You full on laughed at him then.

"You make it too easy," you replied.

He knew this. It wasn't the first time you'd teased him, and he knew it wouldn't be the last.

Still, he couldn't help being a bit irritated this time.

"You know, how would you like it if I did that to you?" he asked. "Wouldn't be so fucking funny then, would it?"

"...Okay. You're right. I'm sorry, baby," came your more contrite voice. But he could still hear your smile. Could imagine the way you might soothe a hand along his arm, if you were here.

"How about I make it up to you?" you offered.

That worked a slow smirk onto his face. "Yeah? What did you have in mind?"

For the next few minutes, you purred into his ear about all the things you'd been thinking of while he was gone. Daydreaming about the talents of his hands, lips, and tongue.

In particular, you reminded him about a certain birthday wish that he still hadn't claimed from a couple weeks ago, when he and Sam got wind of this hunt.

Two weeks really was too damn long, in your opinion. (He agreed with you.)

Now with a half-straining bulge in his jeans, Dean licked his lips and tightened his hand on the leather wheel of the car.

"All right. Sounds like a plan to me, sweetheart," he said, deceptively breezy. As if you'd just told him you planned to make tacos for dinner.

"When are you getting home?" you asked.

He heard the tone of your voice, like black silk. It sent a tendril of heat down his spine, raising the hairs on his forearms.

"Tonight," Dean said. Deeper, a note of gravel in his words. "I'll see you tonight."

"Good." Once again, he heard the smile in your voice. "I love you."

He sighed, and raised a hand to card through his hair.

"Love you too...even though you play too fucking much," he muttered the latter bit.

Your laughter once again reached his ears, reluctantly making him smile.

He hung up with you just before Sam finally opened the passenger seat door and climbed in with two hefty grocery bags. Did he do a whole damn shopping spree in there?

...Whatever. Dean shook his head and started the car.

"Change of plan," he said. "We're heading home."

"What? Thought we were gonna catch a few hours of sleep. It's a long drive, Dean," Sam said, earning his brother's gaze.

"Yeah, well, you'll live," Dean snarked. A more devious grin spread across his face. "I've got a date."

And she's about to get punished.

The Impala's tires screeched as Dean pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

AN: Ha! This one was fun. 😘 Thanks for the prompt!

Dean Winchester Imagines

Dean Winchester Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Dean W. Tag List:

@hobby27 @kazsrm67 @letheatheodore @agothwithheavysetmakeup @jacklesbrainworms @foxyjwls007 @wincastifer @iamsapphine @simpforbuckyb @vanillawhiskeyflavoredkisses @roseblue373 @this-is-me19 @emily-winchester @spnexploration @deans-spinster-witch @deans-baby-momma @iprobablyshipit91

@melancholictearz @nic-kolas @sleepyqueerenergy @wayward-lost-and-never-found @thewritersaddictions @just-levyy @samanddeaninatrenchcoat @deanwanddamons @antisocialcorrupt @lacilou @adoringanakin @theonlymaninthesky @teehxk @midnightmadwoman @brianochka @branj19

@agalliasi @venicesem @chriszgirl92 @lyarr24 @ladysparkles78 @solariklees @xsophianicolex @deansbbyx @candy-coated-misery0731 @curlycarley @sarahgracej @bagpussjocken @ultrahviolentart @chernayawidow @beskarfilms @mimaria420

[lady-of-tearshed]

Lost in translation

Cassian x Reader

Cassian Week 2024

Day 4: Lover

@cassianappreciationweek

A/N: Honestly, I think that Cassian, as a lover, is a big fan of physical touch. Massages, hugs, holding hands, cuddling, having sex… That’s exactly how I imagine this male’s love language. So I thought: What would happen if our Lord of Bloodshed's mate had a completely different love language? And here's how this little fic got written. Enjoy! 💕

Summary: Cassian is worried he's being too clingy since you don't seem to show him your love with physical touches... But maybe the two of you just got lost in translation.

Warnings: Mention of nudity, but nothing explicit. Miscommunication angst. Happy ending.

Word count: 1,236k words

Dividers by @tsunami-of-tears

And they lived happily ever after… The end.

You snap the book close in your hands and groan. You slide the back of the book onto the nightstand, right beside your empty mug of tea, and stretch your arms above your head. You sigh at the feeling of your numb muscles stretching out after a long time stuck in the same position. You look up at the clock to check how long exactly you’ve been reading, and the realization hits you full force.

Seven whole hours. Mother above… More like “Mother’s tits”, as your mate would so graciously say.

Speaking of him, you haven’t heard much of him in a while, which was weird, since he would always be tucked at your side at any given time of the day. He would usually burrow his face in the middle of your breasts, and start kissing them sneakily once he has enough of waiting for you to finish reading. He would become insufferable if you have the misfortune to read a relatively steamy part of your book and become all hot and bothered. Cassian would always manage to make you even more flustered or aroused when this happens. 

But the General hasn't shown up for seven whole hours. Tendrils of guilt swirls around your stomach, squeezing it uncomfortably as you come to the realization that you have failed to notice Cassian’s absence until just now. You softly tug on the golden bond that shone permanently in your chest, connecting your soul with the male of your every desire, but you receive no response, as if he had blocked you out. 

You slide your cold feets into your slippers, and pick up the mug on the nightstand, bringing it with you on your quest to find the General. The house of the wind is silent, save from the fire soothingly dancing in the hearth. Your eyes scan the living room, then the kitchen… No sign of Cassian. You walk toward the sink, washing your mug and placing it down into the drying rack, all while thinking where your mate can possibly be at this time of the night. 

Your eyes move to the front door, and you notice that there still was a thin layer of snow melting under the sole of his boots. He must’ve been training until late, which means…

Just as you start to make a connection of where your mate is most likely to be, the sound of water running from the bathroom confirms your theory. You tiptoe to the bathroom, trying to be sneaky, but Cassian’s gaze is already set on you when you walk in the bathroom. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up.” He says, turning his back to you.

The water is pouring down on him, soaking his hair, droplets of water sliding down the waves of his hair, following the uneven black lines tattooed on his shoulders, sliding all the way down his back, finishing their course by caressing his muscled ass… “I wasn’t sleeping.” You admit, starting to undress, not minding at all that your mate can smell the shift in your scent. 

Cassian shoulder’s tense slightly as you walk closer to the foggy glass door, naked. You raise a brow, halting your hand on the doorknob of the shower, about to question him but he’s quicker to speak. “Y/N, don’t come in here just because you pity me.” All hints of arousal leave your body at his words, your brain blurry from trying to understand where Cassian's insecurity comes from.  

“Alright, then,” You say, stepping inside the shower, standing right behind the General's massive shoulders, hands on your hips. “Mind telling me where such thoughts come from?” Your finger taps on the back of his head slightly, insisting that he turns around to face you, to face what’s on his mind and open up to you. 

Cassian’s shoulders drop, his wings so low that they brush the shower tiles on the floor. “Cassie… My love…” You stroke the spot in between his wings in a comforting manner, and you feel his wards crumble, his emotions pouring through the bond. 

Self-loathing, pain, loneliness… 

His feelings make your own heart sting, and your face crumbles at how much pain your mate seems to suffer from. You lift his wing, and carefully slip underneath it to sneak between the wall and his face. He turns his face away from you, facing the wall. You can’t tell if it’s tears, or water that’s rolling down his cheeks. “I need you to be honest with me,” He sighs, as if trying to gather the strength to speak his next words. “Do you…” His eyebrows knit, and your eyes glance to his fists, clenching, unclenching. He was nervous. “Do you find me annoying?”

“No, Cass-”

“Too clingy maybe?”

You frown, and wrap your fingers around his wrist. “No… My love-”

“Then why is it everytime I touch you, you…” His eyes snap to yours, and you hold your breath at how bloodshot they look. From crying. “You…” His voice softens, and he has to bite his lip to keep it from trembling. “Do you like it when I touch you?” He asks in a whisper, his head tilting to the side. Pain was written all over his face.

“Oh, Cassian…” You smile sadly, opening your arms to offer him a hug. He swings you into his arms, both of you now standing under the warm water. He buries his face in the crook of your neck. “I love it when you touch me. What made you think otherwise?” You comfort him, kissing the side of his head lovingly. 

“It almost looks like you avoid touching me. I just… I don't know. It made me wonder if perhaps I was the one being too touchy.” He confesses, still hiding his face in the safety of your neck. 

“Hey… look at me.” You move back to cup his cheek, forcing his eyes to meet yours. “If I didn't like you touching me, I would've told you so. I promise,” You kiss the tip of his nose. “Now, if I made you feel like I was avoiding touching you, I'm sorry. It's just…” You chuckle softly, shaking your head. “I'm just… I just like to express my love differently, I guess. Like, I usually express my love with little acts of services, or words of affirmation…” 

Cassian nods slowly, and scratches the back of his head, chuckling too. “Oh…” 

There's a moment of silence where the both of you just stand naked in the shower, your hands caressing Cassian’s cheeks, the stubbles scratching your digits softly. 

Cassian’s hands wrap delicately around your wrists, and he brings one of them to his lips, pampering the soft skin of it with kisses. “I'm so sorry I didn't notice all of this… I was too focused on my own love language. And since you weren't so… Gods, I'm such an idiot…”

“You're not an idiot,” You reassure him. “You're allowed to be worried about things, Cass. I'm happy we talked about it.” 

His lips leave your wrist, and hover over your mouth, softly brushing against yours. He tucks a strand of wet hair behind your ear, and whispers against your lips. “Yeah… I'm glad we talked about it too…” Then he kisses you, his lips feeling so light against yours. So was his heart, now that you've communicated.

Acotar Taglist: @lilah-asteria @mybestfriendmademe

Cassian Taglist: @ladybookstan @acotar-lover

[harbinger-of-enmity]

Delicate . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

Trans Sunday x GN Reader 🪽

✒︎ Notes; Transmale Sunday (usage of words p-ssy, c-nt and c-it), gender neutral reader, dom reader, sub Sunday, face sitting, hint of overstimulation, short work… Let me know if I missed anything!

✒︎ Vincent’s Ramblings; Repost because Tumblrs being weird and hid this for a bit on my other accoubt, lawl. sorry if the endings poor, i never know how to end my works 🫶😭

Sunday felt you press your hands into his hips, pulling him closer to your face, a shrill cry escaping him when your thumb dragged over his swollen clit.

Here you had Sunday, the powerful head of the Oak Family, sitting on your face, crying as you bullied his pussy with your mouth. You didn’t quite know how you ended up with Sunday riding your face, but you did know the sweet sounds the man released were like a drug.

Your hands squeezed the supple flesh of Sunday’s thighs, his pale skin taking on a red hue as you did. Sunday moaned, hands pawing at anything he could reach, “[Name]- ‘S too much! Ahh ha—“ Sunday uttered these words but pressed himself further against your face, gasping as your tongue sunk deeper into him.

His thighs squeezed your face, Sunday’s knuckles turning white from how tightly he balled his fists. Sunday’s wings flapped as you pulled your tongue in and out of his body, frame trembling like a leaf in the wind.

“I’m gonna cum! I— Oh, Aeons!” Sunday’s hands curled around his headboard, back arching. You felt his cunt squeeze around your tongue, and you purposely pressed it against his walls, ripping a cry from him.

You felt the bitter, almost sour, taste of Sunday’s fluids on your tongue but couldn’t help the need for more, more of Sunday on your tongue. Pulling your tongue along his most sensitive places, hearing a sweet mewl escape his lips.

Sunday felt that familiar pain bubbling up in his belly, lips parting in a gasp at the feeling, “Ffhh— [Name],” He croaked out, lifting his hips off your face. Your gaze met Sunday’s, the hazy look in his eyes barely processing your face, “Thank you..” Sunday murmured weakly, sitting himself atop your chest.,

The little wings on the sides of his face puffed a bit when you grunted at the feeling of his weight landing atop your body. He squeaked out a quick apology, still within his pleasured haze, too dumb to process the world around him completely.

You reached up to cup Sunday’s face, chuckling as he leaned into your touch, “You okay, birdie?” You asked softly, Sunday nodding against your hand in response. He shifted off your torso, laying beside you, tucking his face into your neck. You could only laugh in response, running your hand through his soft hair.

It wasn’t long until you heard his snoring in your ear, the soft rasp filling the quiet room. You continued to pet Sunday’s head until you yourself fell asleep, holding the Halovian close to your chest.

[del-thetiredwriter]

Mafia Au/Good luck while running away from mafia part 5

İntro, Part 0.5 , Part1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , part 4

Warnings: yandere stuff, my not too good English, mentions of death , fighting stuff, too long?..

Tags: @hrhqueenfox , @hasty-desert , @oceanside-pixie , @lianreine , @h3apm3ch4n151m , @cecilebutcher , @ayachansan , @roseapov , @randomlyappearingartist , @serenity-loves-red , @wonderlandcrown , @nightw-izhu , @moonlight-nightwing , @lorkai , @lucid-stories , @morokumi, @lloyura , @juliechi , @noemiaaomi , @eternal-ways @stingywiththeirusername , @00hellohello00 , @bougrell , @akumo-shioki , @beutifulthingsiadore, @kchan3s , @aryuunachigiri , @literallyangy , @sxftiebee

The sound of hard and fast footsteps echoed in the hallway. You suddenly opened the wooden door. The dark-skinned man sitting in the room was startled by your sudden opening of the door. However, he grinned when he saw that it was you who entered.

“Oh my little imp~ what wind brought you here?”

He opened his arms affectionately. However, you did not answer. You closed the circuit breaker of the room. Then you drew the curtains.

“Uh Y/n?”

After looking around for a while, you sat on the chair across from him.

“Please give me your phone.” You said coldly.

“Uh Y/n, you are acting really weird right now-“

You cut him off.

“Please give me your phone and any recording device you have, otherwise I am not responsible for what happens Sam-san.”

He gave you his phone in confusion. After closing up his phone , you threw the file in your hand on the table between the two of you.

“This?”

“I will be frank. We both know you sent this, Sam-san. The seal gives you away, I think you used it. To get me to come to you. Explain. Is what it says here true?”

The dark skinned man grinned. He leaned back in his chair.

“Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about-“

You pulled a check from your pocket and placed it on the table.

“Talk.”

The man’s eyes lit up when he saw the check.

“Oh, they really pay you well, huh? Okay, let’s talk then. Yes, I sent it and you know I do my job well, everything it says there is true.”

You clenched your teeth . You tensed up because you heard something you didn’t want to hear, but you had to stay calm.

“Someone must have asked you to send me these documents, otherwise I don’t think you would send me this just to do me a favor. Tell me, who was the client who asked you to look into these documents and send them to me?”

“Oh, my little devil, please you’re breaking my heart. I’m not that bad of a person, but yes, a client of mine asked me to look into this, but I can’t tell you who it is.”

“How much do you want?”

“Oh sweetie, I can’t answer this question even if you give me your entire bank account, I’m sorry. Another question?”

“Why? Why would they do something like that? The executives… why would they frame me? What have I ever done to them?” You were trying to control your voice.

“Well, I don’t know. No one knows what’s going through those maniacs minds. But it’s not a complete lie, I mean I’m talking about your blood relationship with that man-“

“I eliminated that man, and as my first duty! I didn’t even know about that man… until I got my hands on these documents. But I never betrayed the organization. Why?.. so who knows about the current situation?”

“So as far as I know, the executives naturally. Me, you and my Client.”

“So are you and your client on my side?”

“I don’t know about my client, but I only care about my money and of course it depends on the risk involved.”

You stood up. You adjusted your suit.

“You won’t tell anyone about our conversation today, Sam-san. Also, I have a job for you. I want you to report to me every step the executives take. Understood? if you do anything wrong-“

You took out your voice recorder from your pocket.

“I’ll drag you with me. Understood? Good. If anyone asks, I was here for the tea.”

You walked towards the door. Sam stood up at your words.

“Hey, how am I supposed to follow all of them at the same time? Hey Y/n!”

He tried to protest. You turned around before leaving.

“That’s your problem. And I’ll pay you as much as I can, don’t worry.”

And you left the information dealer alone in the room.

-

As you walked towards your office, you noticed that the door wasn’t locked. When you opened the door, you were met with Deuce. The moment you entered, the navy-haired Heartslabyul boy turned to you.

“Deuce? Why are you here?”

“Oh, hello Y/n. Trey-san made a strawberry cake. He asked me to bring it to you.”

“I see. Thank you…”

Your eyes drifted to the potted plant behind Deuce. He was busy with it until he noticed you had entered.

“By the way, how did you get in?”

“Oh, the door was unlocked.”

The door was unlocked , you thought to yourself.

“I see. If there’s nothing else, I’ll see you off. Don’t make Riddle-san mad with your absence, hmm?”

You tried to send him off.

“Oh, yeah…Right. See you then, Y/n.”

After sending the navy-haired boy away, you slowly walked towards the potted plant. You slowly started to water the plant.

You found the small black device you were looking for among the leaves. I found it, you said to yourself. Apparently there was an extra camera in your office. An unwanted camera…

- Current Timeline

“Look at the state of yourself . You’re a complete mess .” The black-haired beautiful boy criticized you.

“As if I care that much.” You replied indifferently. You were checking the cables of the machines while eating your sandwich.

“By the way, it was almost impossible to get into the city. I would like to point out that they have posted men at all the entrances and exits. How do you plan on getting out?”

The black-haired boy spoke again.

“That’s my problem Neige, just focus on your job.”

“…what exactly did you do that the entire mafia is after you right now? You’re the most talked topic in the underworld right now.”

You didn’t answer. You just focused on your job.

“Hey, I provided you with all that food, water, clothes, weapons and vehicle. Can I at least get a proper answer?”

Neige whined. But you just ignored him.

“By the way, this is an old abandoned place? What are we doing in this amusement park?”

The black-haired assassin asked.

“We’ll hunt.” You replied. You had completed the final checks by now.

“We’ll hunt? Aren’t you the one being hunted? Besides, you’re injured.”

“Just do what I said. I’ve already paid you and your boss owes me. Besides I thought you wanted to see Vil-san.”

The young assassin opened his mouth to say something but chose to remain silent.

“Whatever. Look, the plan is that either Ignihyde or Pomefiore will most likely attack. Diasomnia usually prefers to be the last one to show up . Your job is to help me escape from Vil-san, okay? It’s that simple.”

You explained your plan to him.

“They will catch you anyway. Why are you running away? Nonsense.”

You took a deep breath.

“I wish your mouth was as pretty as your face… Just do what I say, you understand.”

The young assassin shrugged and you two started to wait.

“Here they come.” You said as you watched the footage of the camera you had repaired

“You’re lucky. Vil-san came too.” You said as you cut the cable of the camera you had repaired earlier.

“Uh, why did you only fix one camera and then cut the cable again?”

Neige pointed to the cable you had cut.

“There’s a good chance they’ll split up and someone will come here to check. Anyway, let’s get to work.”

-

“So, they are hiding here?”

The Rookie assassin asked as he got out of the car.

“Mmh. According to the road records we got, yes.” The blonde sniper confirmed.

“Anyway, there’s only one entrance and exit to this place, and that’s here. Rook, you stay here. Epel, you’re coming with me.”

The Pomefiore executive said.

“I can do this job on my own-“

Epel tried to object.

“Are you stupid? Even though they are injured, Y/n was trained by Divus Crewel himself. If you go one-on-one with them, your chances of winning are very low.”

Vil stopped him.

“I don’t think there’ll be any problems. If there’s a problem, we’ll notice it through our communication devices. Let him do what he wants.”

The sniper intervened. The blonde manager sighed.

“Okay. But your communication device will always be on, is that clear?”

-

The young assassin walked forward with confident steps. What a big amusement park, he thought. He headed towards a tent that looked like a large circus tent that caught his eye up ahead. Perhaps the person he was looking for was here.

Y/n L/n is the right-hand man of Boss Crowley, the apple of eye of the executives, and according to some rumors, Crowley's heir. Before Epel met them. he found them annoying. He thought it was ridiculous that all executives were circling around one person, but after meeting them , he understood why. Y/n wasn't perfect, but there was something about them that drew people to them, something he couldn't quite put his finger on...

Y/n was affectionate, they would intervene whenever Vil would scold him or punish him. Sometimes they would bring him gifts from their business trips. They would have regular movie nights with the other rookies…but everything was ruined. Y/n ruined everything. They betrayed them...

When Epel entered the big tent, he was sure that it was an old circus tent. He started looking around… I guess they are not here, he thought to himself. He had just turned around when something fell on him from above. Someone.

The young assassin jumped back reflexively.

He was speechless when he saw the person in front of him.

“Oh, it’s just you. I thought it was Vil-san and got excited. Anyway, let’s finish this quickly.”

Neige LeBlanche. The best assassin in the underworld outside of Vil. The assassin who was always compared to Vil by many people. Just like Vil’s nickname was Poisoned Apple, Neige’s was Snow White. He was also the assassin of the rival mafia.

“So Y/n really did betray us, huh?” Epel said nervously.

The black-haired assassin didn’t answer. He just smiled…

-

Vil walked forward with firm and confident steps. For some reason, he had a feeling that the person he was looking for would be here, in the mirror maze. He stopped and focused. There were faint footsteps…they are here, he thought to himself.

He focused on where the footsteps were coming from…Clank!

“Oh, I broke the wrong mirror.” And again, and again…

The sound of mirrors breaking echoed through the maze.

And again, Clank!

You jumped back.

“Oh, I found you!” He grinned mischievously, like a child who had finally gotten a toy he had wanted for a long time.

He swung his dagger at your injured shoulder, but you managed to dodge.

“Bastard.” You said.

He grinned. You dodged as he attacked.

You could have attacked him if you wanted, but no. Vil’s goal was to distract you. You had to focus on and avoid his attacks . At least until Neige came.

Vil’s nickname wasn’t poisoned apple for nothing. He would kill his victims by poisoning them. He would also poison most of the weapons he used. So that dagger should never touch you.

You jumped back again. But suddenly Vil stopped.

“Look at you, nch nch nch… you are a mess. How much can you resist me, hmm? Besides, you are injured. If you surrender, even though you are a traitor, I can help you with your punishment. ”

“Traitor? Oh no, you are the one who betrayed. You betrayed me! All of you! I am only saving myself.” You said harshly.

Vil’s face tightened when he heard the word betrayal.

“We didn’t betray you. We just took precautions.”

You laughed unwillingly at his words.

“Precautions? Who do you think you are kidding? I heard those conversations with my own ears. Whether you accept it or not. You stabbed me from my back . I was going to be declared a traitor one way or another.”

Vil started to attack aggressively again, and you got defensive.

Where was Neige?..

Vil tried to hit his injured shoulder again, and just as you were about to retreat, a voice came.

“Vil-san!”

Neige LeBlance had finally arrived.

You backed away while Vil was distracted by the voice.

The black-haired assassin quickly attacked the blonde assassin.

“You’re late,” you said.

“Sorry, I ran into a little rookie on the way. Well, the rest is up to me. You can leave.” Neige replied.

“So you’re working with RSA, huh? And you’re saying you didn’t betray us!” Neige’s presence was more than enough to drive Vil crazy. You knew that very well. That was one of the reasons you wanted Neige. He was Vil’s greatest enemy.

You grinned and ran away from the mirror maze.

-

As you expected, you saw the blonde sniper at the entrance. He was waiting cross-legged.

He must have noticed your arrival because he stood up and smiled. There were only a few meters between you.

“It’s been a long time, huh? You have no idea how much I missed you.”

“I suggest you run, Rook. Vil obviously placed you here just in case, but I advise you not to waste time with me. I don’t know how your little rookie Epel is doing right now.”

The blonde man’s eyebrow rose at your words.

“What do you mean by ‘I don’t know’?”

You grinned to break the sniper’s composure.

“It’s true that I can’t ‘harm’ him, but who knows what an enemy assassin might do to him? If I were you, I’d hurry up and find him, otherwise…” you didn’t finish the sentence. Your words were enough to make the sniper nervous.

He looked at you one last time.

“You’ll get caught sooner or later, you know that.”

He said and walked away to find the young rookie as soon as possible.

And as for you, You got into the car you asked Neige to provide for you and drove away.

-

“Agh! You’ve got to be kidding me!” Ashton Vargos, once again frustrated, took the money from his losing bet out of his wallet and reluctantly handed it to Sam.

“It’s going pretty well so far, huh? But some people seem to be in a bad mood.” Crowley sipped his tea.

“Stop messing with Crewel, Crowley.”

Mozus Trein said.

“Trein-sensei, I didn’t do anything.” Crowley said mischievously.

“ You are truly the devil himself .” Trein sighed.

“You’re breaking my heart, Trein-sensei. I’m a real gentleman. Everyone knows that.” Crowley said, his voice wasn’t like the voice of someone who was upset, but rather a mocking tone.

“Of course, whatever you say. It's not like you killed the previous Boss and framed Ramshackle, who was the biggest threat to your seat. Now you're doing the same to them ... are you having fun?" Mozus Trein said. His voice was calm, perhaps because of his age.

"Very much. I'm having so much fun."

[jji-lee]

maybe it was jeno’s ‘good luck’ or the 3 shots of tequila that he had just downed with haechan, but mark was feeling very optimistic about finding you. he wandered around the frat house, stopping to greet some sexy wonder womans, just in case meeting you doesn’t go as planned, until he was led out onto the house’s patio.

it was mainly men back there, the march winds much too cold for any girl’s skimpy costume. just as he was about to leave he spotted an attractive looking girl with cat ears, well, mark couldn’t see her face per se… but her ass looked attractive. he prayed that this kitty was his mystery girl, because he might just leave this party with her and not you, not like you really knew who he was anyways.

as he approached you, he noticed the empty drink in your hand, eyes roaming the patio, hopefully looking for him.

“hey… kento girl?”

he saw your eyes widen slightly, pink cheeks peeking out from under your mask. score.

“uh yeah, you’re long lee? god that name sounds stupid when you say it out loud.”

you both chuckled at the mention of his dirty username. since when did his mask start feeling so hot? his hands reached towards your mask-

“nuh uh, we said we’d keep our masks on remember?”

mark would have to fuck you without seeing your face first, and to be honest, with a body like yours he didn’t really mind. he thought of his wise friend haechan’s words worst case scenario, just put her in doggy style and problem solved.

“sooo this is weird right, meeting officially but not knowing who we are.”

his mask muffled his speech, blaring music making it even harder to hear him, you reached towards his neck softly pulling his face down to meet yours, smiling before turning your ear towards him.

“sorry i can’t really hear you that well, what did you say?”

ok yes, you had heard his question, but what’s the harm in a little flirting? and clearly it was working as he stuttered his response out.

“um i was saying uh that it’s weird right you know like meeting but still not knowing who we are.”

mark was losing his mind. first of all he’s never met a girl to make the first move on him, you’re not slick, and second why did that noob level flirting actually do something to him. your cheeky smile was proof that you were proud at the fact you managed to fluster him,

“hmm i guess it is, but at least you know what half of my face looks like now, it’s only fair if you let me see half of yours.”

mark wasn’t even thinking before he pulled up his mask to reveal his lips and the bottom of his nose, feeling strangely naked in front of you (this was the most clothed he’d ever been near a girl he’s speaking to) he prayed you didn’t recognize him, what if you were a mark lee fanatic that knew him by his birthmark and you could-

“nice mustache.”

you snorted reaching up to touch his facial hair. he had forgotten to shave so caught up in the idea of meeting you tonight he had forgotten to shave. did he think that he’d keep the mask on all night? that he’d be balls deep in you, bare ass naked with a spiderman mask on? mark refuses to let a girl see him with facial hair. call it a silly superstition, but since that night drunk jisung told him that his chinese roommate had mentioned something about mustaches being bad sexual luck, mark has stayed clean shaven.

“sorry was that a bad joke, it actually does look good on you, well, looks good on half of your face.”

you smiled up at him, and suddenly he felt like maybe his luck wouldn’t be so bad tonight.

“i don’t usually go out much so shaving isn’t necessary, most girls hate it.”

lies. but he thinks so far the loser totally not frat boy thing is kinda working for him.

“i thought you didn’t talk to girls huh, are you a secret player my sweet romeo?”

this loser gets no girls thing was totally working for him. how did you get lucky enough to get matched with a nice guy who isn’t just interested in sex and (from seeing half his face) doesn’t seem to be completely unattractive? flirting didn’t come so easy for you, but those jello shots you had taken with chenle at the entrance seemed to finally be soaking into your blood stream. he chuckled nervously,

“yeah and what if i am?”

“then you’d have to go talk to another sexy cat woman tonight, sorry.”

you both knew you weren’t going anywhere as tension started to build. the cool air seemed to fade away as heat grew between the two of you. playful banter was always your favorite type of foreplay and spiderman’s nervous reactions to your flirting was only making you more excited.

“but if you reallyyy want me to stay i may need some convincing, maybe a little hmmm”

you pointed at your lips, slightly puckering them as you pretended to think.

“oh yeah?”

you didn’t even have to look up to hear the smirk in his tone. you smiled wide,

“only if that’s okay with you of course, i know you’re not too good with girls.”

his hands came out to grab your waist and slightly tug you towards him, your chest meeting his. a small gasp escaped you making him smile. he brought his face down to yours, breath fanning against your lips.

“you sure about this my juliet?”

you nodded slowly causing your lips to brush, and that seemed to be what finally broke the tension. his lips pressed against yours a soft groan coming from him. your arms came up to wrap around his neck pulling him impossibly closer. you slightly parted your lips allowing him access to your mouth, which of course he happily accepted, his tongue came out quickly to interlock with yours both of your mouths moving is sync. his sneaky hands came down to grab your ass slowly massaging the muscle. damn when was the last time you got laid? definitely not long enough to make you take this mystery man home with you, that’s for sure. you pulled away from him making sure to unstick his hands from your latex covered ass, if he had kept his hands there any longer you have no idea what you would’ve done.

“you’re a pretty good kisser mr. romeo.”

“not so bad yourself my juliet”

his hands reached out again to grab your waist again,

“we can take this somewhere more private if you want.”

oh if only he knew how much you wanted to.

“mmm i don’t think so, not tonight at least, we just met, and i have no idea who you are-“

he went to pull the rest of his mask off but you grabbed his hands stopping him.

“no! i mean not in a bad way just, no i don’t wanna know just yet!”

he let out a sigh, you could see his cheeks burn red from embarrassment.

“i’m gonna go meet up with my friends now okay? don’t follow me! until we meet again my romeo.”

you gave him a quick peck on the cheek before disappearing into the house.

“what the fuck just happened”

mark looked down at his now tight spiderman suit, did you just blue ball him?

𖦹 .ᐣ.ᐟ₊ ⊹ cryptic crush — [6] zoo wee mama

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notes : surpriseee i’m posting this early cause i feel bad for making you wait 😔 plot twist chenle’s roommate is jisung that’s how jisung knew she was hot earlier in the smau!!!

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[blerb-f1]

"Documents" - Max Verstappen x NB!Reader

Max finds himself working on Documents for someone.

For more FanFiction, find my Masterlist here

A loud Yawn escaped from Max Verstappens Throat as he pushed open the doors to the Red Bull Hospitality. He was supposed to meet his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, Short GP to talk about some Ideas the Team had regarding the Car’s Performance.

Apparently his frequent complaints had finally gotten on everyones nerves, motivating them to finally get working. Simply Lovely.

As his Eyes passed over the long dining room, he spotted GP carrying mugs. Three specifically. ‘Why Three?’, Max wondered but not too long, as the question answered itself immediately afterwards.

The Table GP was carrying the mugs too, also seated a third person. Their head was hung low over the table, cheeks touching a stack of big folders. He approached the Table with another yawn escaping his throat.

“Good Morning Max”, GP called out cheerfully. Way too cheerfully for such an early morning. (It was 11AM). He placed the Mug on a little paper towel to prevent marks forming on the table while trying to navigate around the third person. Max just gave them a confused look before blowing at the coffee to cool down.

As if reading his mind, GP spoke:” Ah, I totally forgot to inform you, Max. That’s Y/N, our Intern. They’ll be here for a few races.” He wanted to continue speaking but a short check of his watch alarmed him. “Sorry Max, I got a meeting! Please entertain Y/N for a bit!”. If this were an Anime, a big gust of wind would be left behind, with the speed he fled in.

Y/N flipped their head to the other side, bloodshot eyes staring in his. A quiet voice escaped:” Hi Max. As GP said, I’m Y/N.”

He gave their mug a push, shoving it close to their nose. “What got you so tired, Y/N?”

“Coffee!”, they exclaimed like a Zombie, quickly drowning some of the steaming, way too hot, liquid. After trying to cool off their burned tongue for a moment, they continued speaking.

“My internship stuff, the usual. I didn’t do my reports of the last few weeks so I spent the night doing them, Ugh…”

The driver just looked them up and down while mustering the stacked folders. “Aren’t interns  younger, normally?”

Y/N sighed. “Nope, this is not a school internship. I go to university, getting my Bacherlor’s in Sport Science and Management. Just didn’t expect to get this spot so I kept lazing around. Suddenly, Boom. E-Mail from Red Bull telling me I got accepted.”

His Team was doing Internships? That was pretty new to Max. He didn’t remember ever being told about that or seeing young, overly excited people scurry behind Team members. But apparently this one was fully endorsed since GP accompanied them. Was accompanying them. Weird.

“And now? URGH”, their groan was louder than before. “Why do all these tasks need me to write endless reports. Can’t even concentrate on my shiny Internship now…”

“If you had done your work earlier, you would have been able to concentrate on it…”

“Shush, as if anyone does their work early.”

“True.” Mental images of still to be paid pills, car maintenance and appointments fluttered through his mind. “No big difference here.”

“See?”, they asked, fully sitting up now. “Who even does that?”

Max chuckled. “Definitly not GP. He’s always late with everything. Like telling someone about the new Intern.”

Y/N led out a Gasp. “That’s why nobody expected me!”

They scurried to fling open their folder of work. “What got you so tired though? I don’t expect it to be paperwork.”

A sense of guilt overcame his mind.

Max loved Racing. A lot. The strategy, the mind games, the Developmental parts. But the marketing and whatnot? He’d be glad if they weren’t a thing but was aware they were a major part. He knew how to behave unlike some other driver when faced with Media Responsibilities. At least most of the time. He knew, Angry Max wasn’t nice-to-be-around Max.

That’s what got him into SimRacing. Spending all night in front of the screen, in a Call with his Mates. And just this evening, a large competition had held him up. Maybe 3 hours of sleep were trying their best to keep him standing. 

Y/N waited for him to answer, yet no response came. They laughed. “Don’t say it was Gaming. Really?”

Max stayed silent. 

“Media keeps saying that the simulators got your ass hooked, line and sinker. Didn’t expect that to this degree. Well, you do you.” They fumbled around their pencil case. “Because i gotta finish, really now.”

As they procured a little IKEA Pencil, Max just lost it. The sleep deprivation had lowered his limits and the visual of this teeny tiny pen had gotten him belly laughing and table with fist smacking. His tablemate just pouted at that, trying their hardest to work through the loud laughs. As he finally came to stop, little tears were streaming down his face. 

Wiping them away, an Offer came: “I could help you”

That’s how GP, tired of a large meeting with major Red Bull Staff, returned to the dining room to find his new intern and his driver seated at a round table holding little Ikea pencils. Mugs upon mugs were stacked in towers next to them, akin to the neatly stacked towers of paper and folders that they had their faces planted on. Both were sleeping deeply, lips curled into smiles. He wondered, how exactly should he report that to the Intern’s supervisor? Maybe just not at all. That sounded more tiring than lying through gritted teeth.

Instead, he tried to clean up around them and pretend nothing of the sort had happened. GP was well aware that Helmut Marko would not be approving of his talent working with those lower than him, so no need to unnecessarily awake a sleeping dragon. If he could call a guy that age a dragon at all…

While trying to carry away the stack of mugs, however, the porcelain let out a loud, high pitched noise as it collided with another. GP reacted with gentil shock, causing everything to come tumbling down.

Loud shattering noises sounded out, awakening the driver and the Intern from their slumber. Max slowly laid his eyes open, blinking once, blinking twice. He would not be hurried, who even would dare to do so, knowing his temper? Taking the time of his life, he yawned loudly. Both arms stretched high, his legs low, just akin to a cat as he finally awoke, blinking at GP. The intern meanwhile, did not awake that softly. With the loud noise, they immediately jumped into the air like a scared crow. This speedy move caused the sorted papers to fly in the air, fluttering around in a manner that was sure to mix up everything as much as physically possible. As last ditch effort to even topple this, they managed to bang their knee against the table, yelping out in pain. They slowly fell to the ground, holding their brused knee in an ocean of broken mugs, mixed papers and coffee stains.

Max didn't say anything, there clearly was no need to do so. Instead, he also got on the ground, slowly helping to collect the flung about pages to sort into neat little stacks while the intern was wiggling about like a worm. Their wide sleeved shirt looked like fluffy antenna's as they managed to now smash their head against the table, holding it in pain. Max pushed the table aside, grabbing the Intern by their arm and helping them up. Gently, he placed them on their previously occupied chair, crossing his arms.

Gianpiero Lambiase stood aside, his chin just dipping lower and lower. What had he done?

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

That evening, Max Verstappen found himself seated in his hotel room, staring at the computer he'd brought with him. The monitor was flickering in it's usual blue light, slightly off colours that had him feel more at home. Yet, he didn't feel the urge to start up a game. To play another round of Asetto Corsa with his mates or to join a competition in iRacing. This confused him. His normal routine was broken, occupied by thoughts of that Intern. Their voice as they screamed out in pain, their scrunched up face while wiggling about. He sadly didn't have the time to look after them as GP, obviously too late once again, informed him that the FIA wanted to brief the driver's on something. As one would expect, the meeting was not very fruitful. It was a stark reminder by the FIA to not engage with sponsors or media accounts talking about things the FIA didn't like. The usual, therefore. Max decided to catch up on sleep during it, which is why he was so awake now. He dreamt off warnings about politics, ongoings military conflicts and people bumping their head against tables. 

…

People bumping their head against tables?

‘Maybe Y/N is awake still?’, he asked himself. He was pretty sure the Intern still had a lot of work to do, if not just sorting through the files they had filled out after the stacks fell from the table. Propably also had to read them over, to check if everything was fine. Maybe also to make sure they knew what was written, if asked about it. At least, that's what Max was told Internships were like, not that he'd have Experience with them. His future was been designated before his birth, nothing to choose on his own. Well, maybe the colour of his first racing helmet?

He reclined on the armchair, drinking some of the overpriced Hotel water.

Did Y/N have to worry about the Water's Price? Most likely, he'd heard GP complain about it. They were sure to earn much less than him. But they could pick their own lane, he realised. He absolutely loved racing to his bones but sometimes he wondered. Would Life have different directions for him? He wasn't sure if that was something he should be thinking off, at all. Racing was his life now, nothing would change that. Afterall, not everyone even had the luck to get into racing since the sport is so expensive.

He sighed again, looking through the contacts on his phone. While he was sure not to have Y/Ns Number, GP definitely must have it.

Max dialed.

GP answered, sounding very tired. He could picture the tired, red eyes staring at the phone.

“Max, it's 2AM, what do you need?”

“Y/Ns phone number, please.”

GP sighed before rattling it off. As he read out the last digit, Max could hear his blanket rustle. He was already tucked in, not even saying goodbye as the call ended.

‘Man’s pretty tired’ Max thought to himself as he typed Y/N’s number into his phone.

It rang. Once. Twice. It didn't get to the third time as a wary voice rang through the speaker.

“Who's there?”, they sounded a little drowsy and careful.

“Hi, it's me, Max Verstappen. Sorry to call you this late… Or early?”

A fragmented chuckle rang through.

“Good Evening Max, I'm still working.”

As he thought.

“The document's?”

“Pretty much. I was about to head to the Convenience Store to get some food, you want to join me?”

“Sure.” He felt a bit Hungry. What even was the last time he ate? 

Shortly after, he found himself standing in front of a Convenienve Store, fiddling with his room keys. He forgot his phone in the hotel room, so that left him with no clue of when Y/N was sure to approach.

Their arrival announced itself, however. Y/N walked in the distance, the hood of their sweater pulled onto their head. They spoke, sounding very agitated. 

Max stared at the person next to them, quite startled as he heard them scream something. The person, a man about his height, stretched their arm out as if to touch Y/N and grab their bag but did not succeed. Before he could even touch them, Y/N had somehow grabbed him and flung over his shoulder. He landed face first on the ground, Y/N pressing their knee into his back.

“Don't you dare try something like that again!”, they called out. Their line of sight swept over to Max, spotting him. “Could you call the police?”

He was startled again. “Sorry forgot my phone.”

Quickly fishing around in their pocket, Y/N produced their phone and flung it to Max, Hands holding the man’s shoulder down.

It didn't take long for the police to arrive, Siren's blaring. Max pulled the cap he quickly bought it the convenience store deeper, trying to hide his appearance from curious onlookers. Meanwhile Y/N had handed the guy over to the police. The police man was surprised as he arrived, not even questioning how they could do this. “He tried to grab my Butt on the Bus!”, they exclaimed. “Then attempted to pull off my hood. I told him, the camera's on the bus were recording and that I'd Inform the police. He followed me from there”

The Policeman nodded again, taking their identity information before looking at Max shortly, clearly recognising him. “I presume we should keep this silent?”

Max nodded, watching the car drive off with one less creep running free.

Y/N stood next to him, dusting their clothes off. Max offered them a tissue to clean their hands which they gladly took. 

“That was impressive.”, he stated. “I've never seen a guy go flying like that.”

Y/N grinned. “Thanks, I do a lot of combat sports. Never thought I'd be able to use them in public though…”

“Good you trained then”. Max chuckled. “Remind me to not anger you again. I don't want to get punched.”

Y/N shook their head. “I don't unnecessarily touch people. You don't have to be scared. Not stopping you if you want to be, though!”

They silently entered the convenience store, browsing. Max had picked some instant noodles which he prepared with the provided hot water, Y/N had gotten some sandwiches and snacks. Something green? Papery looking. 

“That's Seaweed”, Y/N mouthed before hungrily biting down.

He not-do-silently slurped the instant noodles, warmth hitting his stomach. He felt content, like a cat. He wanted to stretch himself and lay on the soft carpet that you'd find before a fireplace. The perfect life.

As Y/N finished stuffing themselves with food, they also stretched out. With their foot hitting the table, they let out a losu yelp.

Max looked downy seeing them hold their foot.

“I sprained my foot yesterday in my room.” They exclaimed, face contorned as they remembered the stinging pain.

“You keep getting hurt or hurting yourself.”, he realised. 

They let out a sad sounding laugh. “Kinda, yeah..”

“You should stop that. Have you tried not hurting yourself?”

Now they were pouting. “Thanks, Doctor. That's real helpful advice here. Anything else?”

Max pondered that. “Maybe drink some water if you're feeling thirsty?”

Y/N reclined on their chair. “WOW, Live-changing. Thank you so much!”

As they got up to chuck the food wrappers in the trash, Max blurted out his thoughts: “I brought my computer with me. Interested to play a round of Asetto Corso?”

“Is that how you invite people to your Room? You should work on your pick-up lines then.”

He scowled. “No I-”

‘He’s quite awkward’, Y/N thought.

“I get what you're trying to say. Gotta finish my work though, Sorry Max. I'll see you tomorrow?”

Max was quite breathless now. “..Yeah. Till Tomorrow!”

As Y/N left, they turned around a last time. “Nice hat you got there! Suits you, Mate!”

He quickly fumbled the hat off, staring at what the hell he'd bought. It said “I'm a saucy boy!”

What the hell did that even mean?

[moamidzyism]

awkward (c.yj)

ʚ♡⃛ɞ you let your best friend see your body, and now it's awkward

☆。.:*·ﾟwc 5251 angst + suggestive ౨ৎ // repost ୨୧ yeonjun x fem!reader, college!au, best friends to lovers to ??? [masterlist • reblogs + feedback appreciated]

of all the friends you have at college, you’ve known yeonjun the longest. your mothers grew up together and were those best friends that dreamed of raising their kids together. you saw each other through snotty noses and scraped knees in elementary school and through first heartbreaks and senior prom dates. he was even the one who convinced your parents to let you move from your small suburban town to the big city for college.

tonight, you’re sitting on the couch in one of his friend’s apartment, nursing another red solo cup, watching him suck the face off of some random girl.

you feel a pit in your stomach.

anyone would think that because you had known each other for so long, seen each other at your absolute worst, there would be no way your relationship would ever cross that platonic-romantic line. but as you watched yeonjun become the confident man that he was today, the image of that bratty little kid who always tried to get you into trouble faded away, and you just couldn’t help but develop these weird feelings about your best friend.

there have been many times where you have actually brought up the idea of you guys getting together. jokingly, of course. because lord knows that you would never seriously tell him how much you wanted his soft lips against yours. especially not after he laughs whenever you bring it up.

so now, you just watch him, as he leaves you in a corner at the house parties he drags you along to, flight with other people.

you chug the remainder of the drink in your hand, wincing at the warm taste. you hate the taste of beer but it’s the only thing they have at these stupid parties. you get up a little too fast, and the wind almost knocks you back down. you didn't think you were that drunk, but then again this was your third drink in the last hour.

you walk over to the kitchen and tap the black haired boy on the shoulder. he moans against her lips, not even acknowledging the fact that you were right next to him. you feel the blood rush up to your cheeks as you tap him again. this time, the girl pulls away from him. “can i help you?” she asks.

you don’t even look at her, just at your best friend, who looked annoyed at the fact that you just interrupted him. his arm was still wrapped around her waist.

“jun, i want to go home.” he looked between the two of you, hesitant in his response.

“right now?”

“yeah, i’m kind of tired.” you looked at the rest of the party. “i don’t really want to be here right now.”

“do you want me to call you a car?” he ran his fingers through his hair. are you really trying to cockblock him right now?

“i think i’m going to throw up.” you lied.

“fuck,” he mumbled, “seriously?” you slowly nodded in response. “okay, shit,” he turned to the girl, his arm still around her waist. “i’ve gotta go.”

“you’re seriously leaving me right now?”

“i need to take her home.” his voice sounded sad. “but, uh… i’ll see you around?” it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself that he would ever speak to this girl again. she pushed him away from her and walked out of the kitchen.

his arm supports your back as he walks you to your apartment. his friend’s place was already small, but the fact that it was packed like a can of sardines made you feel a little claustrophobic. the night air definitely sobered you up. but you still feel a little woozy as you make your way into your apartment. yeonjun carefully walks you over to your room and lays you on the bed.

“do you want to stay the night?” you ask him in a small voice.

“no,” he is already halfway to the bedroom door now. “i have to work in the morning.”

“i’m sorry.”

“for what?” he walks back to your bed. 

“for making you leave early.”

“it’s all good. you should go to bed though.”

“can you please stay?” you ask again, a little more desperately this time.

“i’ll see you later, y/n.” he bends down to kiss your forehead. “good night.”

it was the last day of finals and you and yeonjun were celebrating together in his apartment. “i can’t believe we’re finally done. this semester was rough.” he was double majoring in music business and dance and he had a lot of final projects to complete in those last few weeks of school and this was the first time you had seen each other since last month. “how should we celebrate?” he asks you with a smile on his face. you missed him.

“i think,” you begin, an evil grin appearing on your face. “we should play truth or truth.”

“that’s not a real game.” he interjects.

“yes, it is. and we are going to play it, but every time you do a truth, you have to take a shot of this.” you pull out a bottle of fireball from your bag.

“that sounds like a recipe for disaster.”

“true.” you shrug. “but c’mon. it will be fun.”

and he agrees.

you are both three rounds into the game now and your throat is already starting to burn. the questions started out easy and light but now your head is starting to feel a little fuzzy and the air is starting to get a little tense. you sit cross-legged on the couch opposite yeonjun, the bottle of fireball between your two bodies. maybe it was the way he was looking at you or the fact that you had been drinking knowing that the last meal you ate was a nutella sandwich before your last exam five hours ago. whatever it was, it was making your stomach do flips.

“it’s your turn now.” you giggle.

“ok… when was the last time you made out with anyone?” he asks you.

fuck. why did he have to ask you that? you were a little embarrassed that it had been a minute since you had been remotely intimate with anyone. “i don’t know…” your voice trails off sheepishly, you try to hide your face with one of the cushions on the couch.

“what do you mean “you don’t know?”” he is surprised. he always had friends asking him to set them up with you. “what about that guy from that party we went to?”

“what guy at what party?”

“the one guy who you were talking to all night. i thought you guys hooked up.”

“well, we didn’t.” you pour your shot and immediately drink it. “can we move on? please?”

“well, would you make out with me?”

“it’s my turn to ask the question, yeonjun.” you feel the blood rush up to your face.

“okay, but would you?” he moves the bottle to the coffee table, and inches closer to you. he was right; this game was a recipe for disaster.

“i can’t believe you had sex with yeonjun.”

“yell it out for the whole world to know.” it is a week later and you are having lunch with one of your friends. you told her what happened with yeonjun and she cheered, gleefully, saying that she was happy it finally happened. it seemed like all your other friends had an ongoing bet about your relationship with your best friend, and she just made twenty dollars.

“so are you guys finally together now?” she leans forward, her palms supporting her chin, invested in your love life.

“god, no.” you sigh. “i haven’t talked to him since then. i actually left when he went to the bathroom and he’s been texting me but i don’t know what to say.”

“you left when he was in the bathroom?” she exclaims, causing you to groan.

“i made things so awkward now. i don’t even know what to do.”

“so you’re ghosting him? and i thought he was the fuckboy.”

“i’m not ghosting him. i just don’t know what to say to him.”

“so you’re ignoring his text. y/n, that is literally the textbook definition of ghosting.”

“what do you want me to say to him? “i’m sorry i’ve been ignoring you after i snuck out of your place after we fucked?” and through text? i sound like such a fucking asshole.” a woman passing with her child glares at you. you groan again.

“you kind of are an asshole, y/n.” her phone vibrates on the table and she looks at it, a smile forming on her face. “looks like you don’t have to say that through text?”

“what?”

“yeonjun is throwing a party to mark the end of the school year. his friend just invited me and you’re my plus one.”

“he didn’t tell me about that.”

“well, how do you expect him to tell you that when you’re ghosting him?”

“i’m not ghosting him!” you try to defend yourself. “and i don’t think i’m going to go. what if he doesn’t want to see me?”

“if he didn’t want to see you, i would not have been invited. and besides, i don’t want to go by myself.”

with one final groan, you put your head against the cold diner table.

you and your friend arrive at the party and thank goodness, you hadn’t seen yeonjun yet. she promised that she would stay by your side all night and you’re very grateful that so far she has kept her promise. the two of you walk into the kitchen.

you’re making small talk with some mutual friends when someone comes in and asks if you know where yeonjun is. right then, he comes into the kitchen laughing with his friend. his smile drops when he sees you. you wave at him, with a small smile. he turns the other way to answer the person who asked if he wants to play beer pong.

“well, that was embarrassing.” you say to your friend, trying to push your tears back.

“y/n we can leave if you want to.” she tells you, rubbing my arm.

“no it’s fine. i’m fine. besides, we just got here and you promised me we would have fun.”

“okay, but if you want to leave, let me know.”

you couldn’t even try to have fun that evening because you spent the entire party trying to avoid yeonjun. when he was in the living room, you were in the kitchen. when he was in the kitchen, you were on the balcony. when you were sure he was on the balcony, you escaped to the bathroom.

this is so ridiculous. you think, staring at your face in the mirror. you sit on the toilet scrolling through your phone until you hear faint voices outside the door.

“did you know y/n was going to be here?” you could recognize that voice anywhere.

“no, but she’s always at these things. aren’t you guys best friends?”

“uh… yeah, i mean.” you can hear him groan. “something happened and she ghosted me and now she’s at my fucking party.”

why does everyone think i ghosted him?

“what is “something”?”

“if i tell you this, you have to promise not to tell anyone.”

“damn, did you guys fuck or something?” there is a pregnant pause on the other end of this conversation. “fuck!”

“and she fucking ghosts me. complete fucking radio silence for a whole fucking week and then she shows up at my place again.”

“maybe she’s just scared. i mean, your relationship changed overnight.”

“then send an emoji or something. don’t just ghost your best friend.” he stops for a second, sighing. “and, our relationship wasn’t supposed to change. we know each other. we don’t judge each other.”

“do you regret it?”

“regret having sex with y/n? no. i just wish we were still friends now.”

 me too.

you clear your throat and take a look in the mirror. he’s still outside the door but it is starting to dawn on you that camping out in his bathroom all night is neither sustainable nor serious. also, why are you trying to avoid him? it’s better to talk it out once and for all than have him hate you forever. you walk out of the bathroom and see him standing there with his friend. when they hear the door click, they both turn to look at you and his friend makes a face at him. yeonjun grimaces back and they begin walking back to the living room to join the rest of the party.

fuck, okay maybe that’s why you were avoiding him?

your heart is racing now and something in the back of your mind is telling you to just walk back into the bathroom and save yourself from further embarrassment that evening. but then you remember that this is your best friend. he couldn’t really be that mad at you, could he?

“hey, yeonjun.” you call after him and he turns around with a groan. “can we talk, please?” his friend pats his back in encouragement and yeonjun walks towards you.

“now you want to talk to me?” he spits at you.

you feel a chill down your spine at his tone. only he could make you feel so small with such a simple comment. “i was never ignoring you.” you reply. your voice is quieter and more strained than you wanted it to be. you clear your throat and repeat yourself.

he laughs at your attempt to gain confidence. “really, because i was this close to sending a carrier pigeon to your house to get you to talk to me.”

“i’ve just been busy.”

“busy?” he raises his eyebrows in disbelief, his voice dripping in sarcasm.

“yeah, i was busy. i have a life, you know?” you cringe internally at how defensive you sounded. why are you getting so riled up?

“you don’t have to try and convince me. i believe you.” you are standing against the bathroom door and he is still at the end of the hallway. silence fills the gap between the two of you, until he clears his throat and begins to speak again. “so, what did you want to talk about?”

“seriously?” you scoff. “there’s a massive elephant in the room, jun.”

“i mean, what exactly do you want to say y/n?” he looks behind him to the rest of the party. you feel like you were wasting his time.

“i wanted to say i’m sorry for leaving, but–” you begin but you couldn’t get far because he chuckles. “is something funny?” you ask.

“you know when people apologize, like give a sincere apology, there are usually no buts.”

you run your hands through your hair in frustration. you’re trying to clear the air and he’s interrupting you. seriously? “i am apologizing, but–”

“you’re doing it again.” he smirk. he always did enjoy getting you flustered.

“it was awkward.” you blurt out, not giving him a chance to interrupt you again.

“not to me,” he says under his breath, quiet enough for you to almost miss it. but you don’t.

“c’mon jun, we’re friends.” you reply, plainly.

“you and i both know that we aren’t just friends.” he moves closer to you and your breath hitches in your throat.

“yes, we are,” your voice cracks. “ you’re my best friend.” you’re lying through your teeth, trying harder to convince yourself that your feelings for him were made up and he most definitely did not reciprocate them.

“so, why did you leave?” he asks, arms crossed, completely unmoved by the fact that you were about to burst into tears.

“because,” you push back your tears. “because, we’re friends and friends don’t fuck. but we did and i felt so awkward. i made it awkward.” you’d humiliated yourself in front of him too many times in the past week and you were determined to not cry in front of him and have him pity you.

“now what?” he asks, his arms folded in front of his chest.

“what?” you look up at his face, really examining his eyes. the eyes that looked at you fondly and made your stomach do flips were gone.

“you left my house right after we had sex and then you ignored me for a week. you show up to my party uninvited with your “apology” so what now? what do you want from me?” he never raises his voice at you, but he can still manage to make you feel stupid and small.

“i want us to go back to normal.”

“you want us to go back to normal?” he chuckles, not so much in a mean way but more in a confused way. like you just told him that the sky is actually green and grass is blue.

“is that so much to ask for?”

“y/n, you left.”

“but i’m here now.” your voice cracks again.

“and that’s supposed to mean something.”

“yes, yeonjun. it means that i’m here and i’m trying. i want us to be friends again, okay?” you plead. “i’m sorry for leaving and i’m sorry for ghosting you after but i’m here now. i’m trying.”

he sighs and massages his forehead before looking at you. he’s never had a great poker face, but right now his face is blank and you can’t read him at all. “i don’t think we can be friends anymore. not the way we used to.”

“we can try, please.”

“no, we can’t. you were right. it’s awkward now. you made it awkward now.” he starts leaving but turns around. “you shouldn’t have come.” and with that he disappears back into the party.

you sit on the floor for a minute before you feel your phone vibrate in your back pocket.

where did you go????

you look at the time. it had been almost thirty minutes since you told your friend that you needed to go to the bathroom.

im by the bathroom can we leave now

you took a week to mourn the end of your longest friendship and then you spent the rest of the summer pretending that you had accepted it and distracted yourself with work. you didn’t see a lot of people over break because many of your friends were actually yeonjun’s friends and he got them in the quasi custody battle. now you weren’t getting invites to all the parties you once did, you had to find a distraction in being a straight-a student.

you’re working on a homework assignment when your parents call, asking what your plans for the holidays are.

“i’ve just been really busy, mom.” you tell her when she asks why they haven’t seen you in months. the truth is, you knew yeonjun was going home for summer break and as much as you tried to convince yourself that you were completely over everything that happened between the two of you, you really weren’t. and the last thing you wanted to do was see him everyday for two months.

“you always say that honey.” you roll your eyes at your mom’s passive aggressive comment. “but we will see you in a few weeks, right?”

“you will?” you rack your brain to see if you forgot whether or not you invited your parents to come visit you at your university or something.

“it’s winter break honey.” you had been stuck in a routine of going to work, going to class, and doing your homework in your room. you had completely forgotten that the semester was coming to an end and you couldn’t avoid going home anymore.

“oh, right.” you reply before your mom proceeds to drone on about the annual dinner your family has with your neighbors, which you absentmindedly listen to. “i don’t think i will be able to make that.”

“what? why not? we do it every year!”

she gives you half a second to come up with an excuse. you couldn’t just outright tell her that you didn’t want to see yeonjun and that’s why you haven’t come home since last winter and why you did not want to come home. because that would just be absurd. “i probably have to work on christmas eve. i’m not sure i can make it back home.” not very effective but you’re internally praying to the universe that she believes you and doesn’t push it any further.

but, alas, the universe has not been on your side lately.

“it’s the holidays! i’m sure you can call out.”

“mom, i still have a lot of work to do for school so i still might not make it even if i can get out of work.”

“honey, you know we have this christmas eve dinner every year. and your dad and i have already started planning this year. you can’t say you just can’t make it.”

you sigh. she’s so annoying when she’s trying to persuade you. “i know mom but it’s just that i hate being the youngest person at these things. it’s so boring for me.”

“that won’t be a problem this year. you won’t be the youngest because a new family moved in over the summer, i think in june. they have kids around your age.” she perks up. “and yeonjun is going to be there too.”

“oh, right.” as if you could forget about that.

“we were wondering why you didn’t come home because he was home for a month over the summer.” your mom broke you away from your train of thought.

“i had to work mom.” you respond, dryly. since you told her that you weren’t coming home at the end of last summer. she’s been bringing it up everytime she talks to you. “and i still have to work so i’ll let you know if i can come home for the dinner.”

“oh, you’re coming home.”

“i’ll see, mom.” you’re trying to quickly get off the phone. “i have a lot of homework to catch up on so i’ll call you later. love you! bye!” you hang up.

you know she’s right and you are going to go home.

from being your mother’s daughter you have learnt two fundamental truths: the salad fork goes on the outside of a plate setting and you need to learn how to lie. you have been at your childhood home since nine in the morning, trailing behind your mom as she prepares for the annual dinner. she made you stay with her the entire day, save for the two hours she allowed you to get ready before the guests arrived. even afterwards, she stayed by your side, forcing you to mingle with guests.

right now, you are in the kitchen with your mom as she gives you a quick rundown on what had been going on in the neighborhood since the last time you were there. other than your family and yeonjun’s, there was a new family at this dinner. according to your mom, they had moved in over the summer and they had a daughter your age who was going to the local university in your town. “it would be nice to have another friend in the neighborhood.” she says, prompting you to talk to her.

rolling your eyes at your mom, you move over to where the girl was with her little brother in the living room. before you could get to her, the front door opens and yeonjun and his mother step into the house. your mom rushes to greet her old friend, as if they didn’t see each other just the other day. you greet her too before escaping to the bathroom under the guise of freshening up before dinner actually begins. you had made plans to avoid yeonjun by any means necessary.

by the time you return downstairs and dinner actually starts, you realize once again that fate (or your mom) had other plans for you. when you get to the table, you see that the only empty seat at the table was between yeonjun and the girl your mother so desperately wanted you to be friends with.

this is just perfect.

you try not to make eye contact with him as you engage in small talk with the girl beside you. you find out that she’s a freshman at the local university and she’s majoring in english literature. you tell her about your major and your classes.

“what about you?” she speaks over you, to ask yeonjun. “do you also go to the same school?”

you turn to face him for the first time that evening. “yeah, i do.” he answers, coolly.

“are the two of you studying the same thing?”

“no.” you answer quickly, trying to keep him out of this conversation.

“i can speak for myself.” his tone shifts when he talks to you. “i’m doing a double major in music business and dance,” he replies to her.

“whatever,” you scoff.

“is there a problem, y/n?” he asks you, snarkily. the girl beside you turned away to play with the food on her plate. it seemed to her that she might have pulled a little too hard on a sensitive trigger.

“oh, you’re talking to me now?” you parrot the words he said to you that night outside his bathroom. the last time you saw him.

“i never said that i wasn’t taking you.”

“then what exactly did you say?” even though the two of you are not having the loudest conversation at the table, you are sure that the other people at the table can feel the tension rising.

“i said that i didn’t know if we could be friends the same as before.”

“so stop trying to act like everything is fine.” you say a little too loudly. the other conversations at the table stop.

“i’m not–” yeonjun begins but someone clears their throat and you both look up to see your mothers glaring at the two of you.

“maybe you two should have this conversation on your own time?” his mother suggests. you feel him shrink in his seat beside you, quietly apologizing.

after dinner, your mom drags you into your childhood bedroom. your room was adorned with discount furniture, an old bookcase you took from your grandparent’s house in high school, and lots of fairy lights. 

“i don’t know what’s going on with you but your behavior tonight is completely unacceptable.” your mother scolds you. you are sitting on the edge of the bed and she is standing across from you with her hands on her hips.

“my behavior?” you respond.

“you’re being rude to your friend and the rest of my guests, arguing at the dinner table, embarrassing yourself. what is wrong with you?”

“i wasn’t arguing with anyone.” you mutter, rolling your eyes.

“so what exactly was going on then?”

“god, mom! this is like the last thing i want to talk about right now.”

“suit yourself.” she gives you one more look. “but i need you to calm down before you come back out there.” and with that she walks out of the room. you flop on the bed and groan.

how did everything turn to shit? you are so engrossed in your thoughts that you didn’t even notice that yeonjun walked into the room until he spoke. “can we talk?”

you quickly sit up on the bed, adjusting your dress, and looking at him before scoffing. “you want to talk now?”

“why are you being weird?” he is leaning against the door frame, not knowing whether or not he was welcome to walk in.

“i’m not being weird.”

“why didn’t you come home this summer?”

you look him in the eyes for what felt like five minutes. “why are you pretending like nothing happened between us?”

he takes your response as an invitation to enter your room. he moves to sit on the bed next to you. “i know that i was really mean to you the last time we saw each other but i don’t hate you and i don’t want you to hate me.” you scoff. “what?”

“i don’t think i could hate you even if i tried.” you reply, quietly. the two of you fall into a silence. you took in your room and the man sitting beside you. you two had spent many nights in this room, but tonight you both felt out of place. the fairy lights that surrounded your bed and windows highlight how aged he looks. the once comfortable silence between you two was now a gap, a liminal space. not quite what it used to be before, but not quite awkward.

“i’m–”

“i think–”

you both begin talking at the same time but stop. “you can go first,” you concede.

“i’m sorry for that night at my party.” he begins, not making eye contact with you while you are eyeing him intently. “i think i was more embarrassed than angry and i shouldn’t have talked to you like that.”

“i’m sorry too. for showing up unannounced.”

“what were you going to say?” he quickly changes the subject, feeling that the silence was threatening to return.

“i was saying, i think you were right.”

“right about what?”

“about us not being able to be friends again.”

“i didn’t say that exactly.” he reminds you.

“yeah, whatever, i know.” you roll your eyes. “but i’ve been thinking about it a lot – our friendship. and i don’t think we were ever really friends.”

“what do you mean?”

“i mean our moms are friends and they kind of shoved us together. i feel like we never got to know each other outside of growing up together.” you feel blood rush to your face when you notice how attentively he is listening to you, taking in all your words. you look down at your hands, like a child being scolded by their parents. “i guess i don’t want to go back to what our friendship was. i want to get to know you as you are now. i also had a massive crush on you.”

“wait, had? like past tense?” he jokes.

“yeah, past tense.” you lightly punch his shoulder. “i think when we moved for college, i was really insecure about our friendship, because we had no true bond, you know? i think i convinced myself that i had a crush on you, when in reality, i just knew you were slipping away from me.”

“or maybe you were swept away by my good looks and charming personality?”

“actually, i think it was the former.”

“i mean it’s just a possibility.”

“now i’m definitely sure it was the former.” you smile, thinking about how you were falling back into your old banter.

“okay, ouch.” the silence came again, but this time it was comfortable – something you hadn’t felt in a long time. “i wish you told me sooner.” he says after a while.

“why does it matter?”

“i would have never let us get to this point if i knew how you felt before. i felt us drifting apart and after you left i was really embarrassed. it was easier to blame you and push you away. i really miss you and i want us to be friends.” you look into his eyes and you can tell that he was being genuine; not just saying what you wanted to hear. “truly friends; not just childhood friends.”

"i want that too."

taglist: @boba-beom @atinyniki @dearlyjun

fill out this form to join my taglist! author's note :: my first ever post!!

[thornnii]

⎯ ☆ calico critters

genre: fluff wordcount: 1.4k pairing: percy jackson x fem!reader tags: daughter of hypnos!reader (she/her), same au as ‘my girlfriend’, established relationship, technology doesn’t attract monsters, tw for talk of food & eating summary: percy knew she didn't really like the cold but he was hoping that a little gift would help bring a smile to her face. notes: I'm english so it felt weird to write calico critters, but it just felt more appropriate for the story for some reason ?

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a chill wind permeated throughout camp as the various demigods that braved the outdoors found ways to keep themselves warm and moving. however most, those [reader] deemed sensible or sane - as sane as anyone at this camp could be, were tucked away inside. [reader] herself was in her cabin watching different video essays from youtube that piqued her interest. it was growing close to the end of lunch time and clovis was still gone, [reader] however had expressed that she wasn’t hungry and although clovis had attempted to convince her to join him, he knew it would be a waste of time trying to convince his stubborn sister.

[reader] had barely noticed the passing of time, her noise-cancelling headphones allowing her to block out everything around her and immerse herself in the video she was watching. that was why she never noticed the knocking that came from the door of cabin 15. it may have only just begun or it may have been going on for a minute.

percy felt like cursing his innate need to be polite for his girlfriend. it was cold and windy, and he’d forgotten a jacket when he left his own cabin earlier. after a minute or so of intermittently knocking on the door, percy decided he was going to have just open the door himself. he opened the door slowly, calling out [reader]’s name as he entered. it didn’t take him long to see why his knocks had gone unanswered from the headphones, to [reader]’s hunched posture over her laptop.

cautiously, percy stepped round to be in front of [reader], not wanting to startle her from behind. the movement in her peripherals caused [reader] to look away from her laptop, the sudden, to her, presence of her boyfriend causing her to jump slightly, blinking owlishly at something that wasn’t a pixelated screen after hours of being on youtube. “w-what are you doing here?” her voice was hoarse after not really speaking since she’d woken up, stumbling as she threaded the words together.

“you missed lunch,” percy said matter-of-factly. “so I brought you something.” percy pulled out a small tupperware container containing a sandwich and a bunch of grapes. upon seeing the food, [reader] began to feel hunger grabbing at her. she took the container from percy with a quiet mutter of thanks, taking small bites of the sandwich.

“how are you doing?” percy asked, only receiving shrugged shoulders as a response.

“I dunno, alright I guess. been watching video essays.” [reader] gestured to laptop screen which showed a youtube playlist of video essays on a multitude of different topics; the video that had been paused upon percy’s surprise appearance was titled ‘The Internet is Turning its Back on True Crime’ by Shanspeare.

“true crime?” percy raised an eyebrow.

“it’s interesting.” [reader] countered.

percy just shook his head with a sigh. he’d experienced [reader]’s stubbornness the hard way before and knew how fruitless it was to try and further the dispute. instead he reached into the big front pocket of his slightly baggy hoodie. “got something else for you too.” he eased a hand through his curls.

that caught [reader]’s interest. ‘what else could percy have?’

slowly he pulled out a little plastic bag, the ‘Calico Critters’ logo printed at the top and a group of the baby characters gathered at the bottom. the top was already slightly ripped open, and [reader] eyed it suspiciously. percy noticed the look and explained: “yeah, sorry about that. I wanted to get you a specific one so I had to check what was in there. took a couple of tries to get the right one.” (actually percy bought roughly $30 worth of the blind bags and definitely got some looks from the cashier and his mom, but if it ended up making [reader] happy percy was willing to spend his entire allowance.)

[reader] took the bag from percy’s hands, opening the gap at the top slightly wider and tipping the critter out into her awaiting palm. from the bag, a small black cat baby slid out. it fell face first into [reader]’s hand and she was quick to toss the now empty bag onto the bed beside her before gently picking up the tiny baby figure. soft black fur was wrapped up in a pastel yellow smock, the inside of its ears were pink under the black fuzz. at this point [reader] couldn’t hide her smile as she carefully stroked the baby's cheek with the back of her finger.

all percy could do was look on admiringly; at how [reader]’s eyes shone as she inspected the tiny animal, at how sweet her rare smile was, at how she cradled the baby in her hands. percy was getting lost in thoughts as he sat on the floor, lovingly gazing up at his girlfriend. it was [reader] that abruptly broke the silence.

“this means we’re parents now.”

now it was percy’s turn to look confused, until [reader] continued; “this is our baby.” she held the little black cat out to him, and now understanding her words, percy smiled along with his girlfriend.

“yeah. but if this is our baby that means we need to name it, any ideas?” [reader] took a moment to think before announcing decidedly: “star.”

“star?” percy parroted back, testing out the name.

“yeah, she’s got black fur like the void of space, and yellow is associated with the colour of stars.” [reader] explained.

“star it is then.” percy agreed.

standing up, percy stretched his limbs, sighing in satisfaction when he heard several cracks of his joints. choosing to ignore the muttered ‘ew’ that came from his girlfriend at the noises, he planted a quick kiss to her head and moved over to the cabin window just after the end of her bed. pulling back the thin cream curtains, percy craned his neck to look up at the sky above the camp. the dark skies from earlier in the day seemed to have mostly cleared and the winds had slowed down. “do you want to go outside for a walk?” percy asked, turning back to face [reader], stifling a snort of laughter at her disapproving expression. “c’mon.” percy came back over to her, taking the hand that didn’t hold star in his own, pulling her off the bed and leading her to the window. “the weather has cleared a bit and we could use it as an opportunity to show star around camp.”

“okay.” [reader] agreed, still not totally sold on the idea but enjoying the thought of spending more time with percy and their new child. [reader] was still in her pyjama trousers and camp top, so she handed star over to percy and went on the hunt for a jacket. she found an oversized jumper in the pile of clothes at the end of her bed and slung it on. percy held an arm out for [reader] and with a giggle she took hold of his forearm, resting her arm in the crook of his elbow.

stepping out of the cabin into the brisk afternoon air, the pair started off on their slow stroll, pointing out the different landmarks of camp to star as the passed each one. as they continued to walk, the skies continued to clear up, the weather warming up even as the wind continued to nip at their cheeks. the two walked aimlessly around for about an hour before they headed back to cabin 15. percy sat down on the bed first before pulling [reader] to sit with him. [reader] pulled her laptop into her lap like before and disconnected her headphones from it, playing the video so they could finish watching it together. having missed the beginning of the video, percy whispered multiple questions in her ear about what was going on, [reader] whispering answers back as if they were at a cinema and didn’t want to disturb the people around them, even if the only other one with them was star.

in percy’s warm embrace, it didn’t take long until [reader] began to feel tired, slumping in his arms and resting her head on his shoulder. the sight of his girlfriend being able to fall asleep so easily in his embrace made his heart swell and a blush creep onto his cheeks. pressing a gentle kiss to the crown of her head, percy moved carefully to close [reader]’s laptop and move it to the end of the bed, then carefully placing star onto [reader]’s bedside table before shifting to sit more comfortably against the headboard of her bed, making sure that [reader] was still laying comfortably on his chest.

[skyward-floored]

Whumptober day 15 - Moment of clarity, (childhood trauma)

I know I know, I’m late 😔 I had a tiring day yesterday and this fic wasn’t behaving and I was just staring at it and making ZERO progress, so I threw in the towel for the night. But it’s here now, in all its messy glory. sorry again.

Anyway, another prompt that only sorta fits, and having fun with an AU-ish thing. It’s not even that whumpy. Idk. also twilight princess freezards are awful and I hate them

Warnings: brief violence, hypothermia

Ao3 link

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“I’m not a child.”

Wind had heard those words from Four several times on their journey, often said with an eye roll, a casual snort, genuine annoyance on occasion. Some of them were skeptical about the truth of that statement when they’d first met Four, but after hearing he’d been through three journeys and seeing just how responsible he could be, they eased off the incredulity. The short jokes kept up of course, but Four always ignored them, and never seemed terribly bothered at the fact that he was the smallest of them all.

And because of his repeated insistence that he wasn’t a child, nobody ever thought to ask what age Four considered children to be.

Wind certainly never thought to ask. There was something... about Four though, something that sometimes gave him pause and made him look a little harder at the little smithy. Something that ignited the big brother part of him, and reminded him of Aryll, for some reason.

But that was silly, since Four was several years older than Wind.

And at the moment, talking about ages or children or really much of anything was currently far from Wind’s mind as he and Four plodded through the icy cave they’d been dropped in, icicles on every available surface.

Sudden portal switches were no fun. Especially when they involved being separated from the others and dumped in a cold cave. Wind was lucky he’d happened to have stolen Warriors’ scarf right before they were all separated, but it was still awfully cold in here; he was shivering a little, and could see Four doing the same.

This cave was confusing too, twisting tunnels, long icy stretches, big blocks that they had to push. Wind had figured it was some kind of mini dungeon, but they hadn’t seen a single bad guy yet.

Which made him especially suspicious.

The open area they were walking through began to narrow, another twisting passageway up ahead. Wind and Four exchanged looks, then decided to take a quick break before heading that way, leaning against the wall and catching their breath from the icy slope they’d just walked up.

Wind looked up at the pale blue crystals on the ceiling, admiring the shapes while they paused, and glanced over at Four. The smithy had pulled his hood up, and looked much cozier than Wind felt. And small.

That feeling in the back of Wind’s mind itched again, but Wind ignored it as Four straightened, sufficiently rested.

“You ready?” Wind said, and Four hummed.

“Yeah, I think so. We’ve got to be near the end of this thing,” he said, and Wind agreed with a nod.

“I wonder if there’ll be a boss or anything,” Wind said as they plunged into the tunnel, following the bluish walls and shape of the stone. He thought the cave seemed a little colder this way, but maybe it only seemed like it because the tunnel was smaller. “It’s weird that this place has just had puzzles and nothing else.”

“Yeah, I know,” Four frowned, stepping over a rock. “But maybe somebody else cleared it out and the puzzles just reset.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Wind kept his sword in his hand just in case, though.

Four did the same, and they walked carefully through the tunnel, avoiding some loose icicles and small pits. Still no enemies came though, and Wind wasn’t sure if he should be concerned or relieved.

He and Four turned a corner and the tunnel opened up, leading to the top of a steep slope shining with ice. Daylight shone below them, and Wind grinned, nudging Four’s arm.

“There’s the exit! Looks like there’s no boss,” Wind observed, peering over the edge.

"Well that's nice, a break is always good," Four smiled, and Wind's grin changed to a smirk as he looked down at the slope again.

“...Race you down.”

“Hey!” Four protested as Wind jumped, and Wind cackled as he slid, crouching to increase his speed.

Four jumped down behind him, and the two whooped as they rushed down the icy slope, wind rushing past their faces. There were some small rocks and things to avoid, but it was mostly smooth sailing, and Wind laughed as he hit a small bump and caught some air.

Four edged ahead as they neared the bottom, Wind could only guess because of his pegasus boots, and he shouted as Four stuck his tongue out at him. That little miniblin!

Wind knew he had no chance of catching up, but he crouched down even more anyways, barreling towards the light at the bottom. Four was just too far ahead of him though, and reached the bottom first with a victorious cheer.

Which was why when the blast of icy air shot out, only Four was frozen solid.

“Smithy!” Wind yelped in alarm, and just barely managed to swerve away from the last bits of icy air. He careened towards the exit as he hit the bottom of the slope, but managed to stab his sword into the ground, halting his slide.

He yanked it back out as he whirled around, and came face to face with a huge icy beast, at least six red eyes scattered across its face, more ice blasting out of its jaws.

Four lay frozen right next to it, and alarm clutched at Wind's heart as he scrambled away from the cloud of ice. He quickly thumbed through his pouch for the item he needed, but it took him twice as long since he had to keep rolling out of the way of the icy monster.

It looked like it couldn’t really move, only swivel around, but because of that Wind couldn’t dart in and grab Four without getting frozen himself. The monster only paused to occasionally gather its breath for more ice, and Wind’s fingers finally closed around his bow.

Four still hadn't moved, too close to the frigid monster to unfreeze, and Wind bit his lip as the monster’s red eyes glared at him. It revealed a gaping maw full of icicle-like teeth and blasted more ice towards Wind, but he was just out of range.

Hold on Four!

Wind drew on his magic and pulled back a fire arrow, loosing it through a cloud of ice into the monster’s face. It roared, and Wind hurriedly loosed another, and then yet another when the monster kept roaring.

It took another three arrows for the beast to finally disappear, and Wind gasped in relief, scrambling forward and sliding beside Four. The smithy’s eyes were frozen wide open, his body encased in a solid sheen of ice, but right as Wind joined his side, the ice around him shattered.

Four collapsed, Wind’s heart skipping a beat when the smithy didn’t move.

“Oh geez— Four? Can you hear me?” Wind asked frantically, pulling Four up into his arms. The smithy was blisteringly cold in his lap, lips blue and skin frostbitten. He didn’t move when Wind gave him a cautious shake, and Wind’s stomach sank. Four hadn’t been frozen all that long.

Though... he had been right next to that monster’s ice breath for while.

Wind pressed his fingers over Four’s wrist like Warriors had shown him to do, and felt desperately for any sort of pulse. Right when he was about to despair, he felt a soft beat against the pad of his fingers, and gasped in relief.

“Oh Four, okay, okay,” Wind breathed, his breath coming fast. His eyes began to sting as he wrapped Warriors’ scarf around Four, and he hurriedly blinked back the tears trying to form. Oh come on, not now tears! I need to focus.

He quickly tugged Four up onto his back and stood up, surprised at how light he was. Four was small, but he was still a teenager, and Wind had expected more muscle. He was mostly a bit gangly, and Wind had to adjust him so he was actually secure on his back.

Wind then tugged Four out into the sunshine, pleasantly surprised at how warm it was outside of the cave. That monster must have been lowering the temperature. Wind had emerged into a forest that was just starting to turn into fall, the edges of the trees dipped in orange, lit brightly by the sun. It didn’t take Wind long to quickly find a safe enough looking spot beside a large tree, and he set Four down, hugging him close.

The smithy seemed so small like this, tight in Wind's arms.

Wind swallowed, and held Four tight, his stomach rolling. He didn’t really have any other way to warm Four up, aside from pulling out his and Four’s blankets, so he just kept hugging him, making sure the blankets and Warriors’ scarf were wrapped warmly across his shoulders.

Worry still clutched at his heart as he held Four, the smithy's head freezing where it was tucked in Wind's neck, and Wind held him even tighter. So tight in fact, that he almost missed it when Four abruptly stirred.

"Smithy?" Wind asked when Four groaned, and he sighed in relief as Four's eyes twitched open. "Whew, I didn't know when you were gonna wake up."

"...Wake..? What happen..." Four murmured, his brows scrunching.

Wind squeezed him a bit. "A big ice monster ambushed us, basically. You got frozen for a little longer then you probably should have."

Four slowly blinked, then shivered a little, his face suddenly paling.

"Oh. Right... I remember now," he whispered, his voice small. "Ice."

Four swallowed, and Wind frowned, unused to seeing the smithy so visibly shaken. "...Don't like ice, huh?"

"Don't like being e-encased in it, no," Four said, voice a little choked. "I was... my third quest..."

His voice began to shake too much for him to speak, and Wind felt a pang run through his chest, hugging Four tighter again. Four shrank into his hold, and Wind began gently petting Four's head, just like he always did for Aryll after she had a nightmare.

...Why was that my first response?

Wind shook aside the thought as Four leaned into it, and neither of them spoke for several minutes.

"Sorry," Four whispered after a while, taking in a shaky breath. Then he let out a wavering laugh. "I'm... ugh. It was months ago, but I’m still... sometimes it's hard to... y'know."

Wind smiled at that. "Yeah, I know. Sometimes it just... stinks."

Four snorted thickly, and curled a little tighter into Wind's arms. "Well, it's b-been better then my l-last birthday at least."

Wind froze, and stared down at Four in disbelief.

"What?"

Four stilled, and Wind could almost hear him thinking oops.

"Four, it's your birthday? Why didn't you tell me?!" Wind said indignantly, and Four shrugged, barely noticeable with how bundled up he was.

"I don't know. Not a big deal. It's not like eleven is an important age."

If the previous sentences had hit Wind like a brick, that next one hit him like an entire wall.

He stared at Four, the smithy lying very still all of a sudden, and repeated the words he'd just heard in his head a few times just to be sure he hadn't been mistaken.

"What?" he finally whispered, and Four swallowed, curling into a tighter ball.

"Never mind," Four said, muffled by the blanket he turned his head into.

"No, no not 'never mind', Four you... are you... I’m older than you?” Wind choked out.

Four gave him a tiny nod.

“Are you really eleven?” Wind asked, and Four didn’t say anything for a few long moments.

“Yeah,” he finally whispered.

Wind stared, flabbergasted, and Four stayed quietly huddled in his blanket, still faintly shivering.

He quickly reevaluated every single piece of information he had about Four, thinking back to conversations, random moments where Four had acted oddly childish that he'd brushed off, discussions of age that Four had always avoided. The way Wind’s big brother instincts always seemed to sharpen around Four more so then any of the other Links.

"Eleven?" Wind repeated in disbelief, and Four looked mildly annoyed.

“Yes. But I’m not a kid,” Four insisted, huddling tighter in his blanket. “Once you’re past ten you’re an adult in my Hyrule. Or at least, not a kid anymore. Young adult.”

“At ten?” Wind said in disbelief, and Four glared at him.

"You've said you become an adult at twelve on your island!"

"Not like a real adult!" Wind spluttered, beyond shocked. "Four how are you— you've been on three quests!" he gasped. "How old were you when you started?!"

"I was almost ten, stop yelling," Four grumbled, and Wind couldn't help noticing how childish he sounded. "Weren't you and Time just talking about being underestimated because of your ages?"

“Well yeah, but—”

“It’s not any different!” Four said fiercely, then was wracked by a violent shiver.

Wind watched him shake, then breathed out, holding Four closer again. Four didn’t snuggle up quite as tightly as he had been, but he didn’t pull away either, and the two sat in silence for a bit, sunshine warming their faces.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Wind asked after a bit. “Everyone thinks I’m the youngest, why...”

Four looked away. “I... I didn’t want to. When I saw how everyone treated you, even after you told them off, how they kept underestimating you and treating you more like someone to protect rather than a teammate, I... I didn’t want all that to shift to me... I’m sorry,” he whispered. “It was cowardly of me.”

“No, it wasn’t, I... get it,” Wind sighed. “I probably would do the same. I can only image how they’d all react with the news that you were ten all this time.” Twilight would probably explode or something.

Four grimaced. “Yeah. They’d be insufferable.” He hesitated then, and looked up at Wind, grey eyes looking silvery in the sunshine. “Could you... not tell them?”

“What?” Wind startled, staring at him. “But...”

“Please?” Four pleaded, eyes wide, and he looked so much like Aryll in that moment that Wind found himself physically incapable of saying no.

“Okay, okay,” he grumbled, visions of finally not being treated like the youngest abruptly silenced. “I won’t say anything. But you can’t keep this a secret forever, Four.”

“I know,” Four said quietly, and set his head against Wind’s shoulder again. “It’s just... nice being treated like I’m capable for once.”

Wind sighed, and leaned back against the tree. “Yeah. I get it.”

Silence fell over them again, and Wind watched a few orangey leaves drift by, catching the sunlight and glowing like embers from a fire. Four’s shivering was easing more and more, and Wind had to resist the urge to begin petting his head again.

“Can we at least tell Wild it’s your birthday? Even if we don’t tell him what age,” Wind said after a bit, still watching the leaves. “Maybe he’d make you a cake.”

Four perked up at that, and Wind laughed at the expression on his face.

“I take it that’s a yes.”

“Absolutely,” Four nodded, smiling brightly. “I’ll risk dozens of age questions for some of Wild’s cake.”

Wind and Four both laughed, Four’s a little weak still, but hearty enough that Wind wasn’t too worried. But as Four curled up again with a yawn, Wind looked down at him, and made a promise.

Wind would look out for him. Subtly, and he wouldn’t be overbearing like Twilight or anything, but... he would keep an eye on him. Stick a little closer. Watch out for the smithy.

After all, he had a feeling Four would do the same for him if their roles were reversed.

[ellieslittleburrow]

requested by : @skyhighwriter : Yeet what if Sam and Dean had a sibling who chose to leave to California with Sam for her music career. When Dean goes to get Sam he finds out she is playing a show soon. (Probably plays rock music similar to halestorm of the pretty reckless)

Warnings : Swearing, some family angst nothing big.

A/N : sorry you had to notify my dumbass for me to finally post it. i've been having this weird anxiety whenever i write something that pulls me miles back. Anyways, enough with the excuses-enjoy!

------

"Whoa, easy tiger."

Sam is pinned under his brother. Whom he just recognized-"Dean?" The oldest triumphantly sneers. 'You scared the crap out of me."

"That's 'cause you're out of practice."

A few moves, and Dean finds himself pinned beneath Sam's clutch.

"Or not-" The older brother breathes a laugh. "Get off me."

Sam gets up and pulls Dean with him. "Dean, what the hell are you doing here?"

...

As the conversation went on, Dean found himself out of words, yet still not ready to speak of the main subject. Finally, he locks eyes with Sam.

'Where is...where is she?" Dean's eyes discreetly search for you but little does he know..

"she.." A nervous cough escapes Sam's throat- unfortunately for him, Dean recognizes it. "She's not here"

"Okay. " The older one nods. "Where is she then?"

Sam sighs and darts his eyes around. "Not here."

Dean rolls his eyes in response. "Okay smartass. Take me to her-come on." Before the future lawyer gets to objectify-he finds himself being nudged toward the door.

Not long after that...interaction, the car comes to a stop at a bar parking lot. And Dean's body stiffens. It's quite late. So his sister is either :

working here(bad)

Drinking her brain off(bad bad)

Working here(very bad)

All three of these send Dean into a very silent fury and Sam is quick to pick up on that. So he rests his hand on his brother's thigh.

"Don't worry Dean, it's none of what you think." The words might've sounded reassuring but Sam's voice stank of a mockery. Toned with the kind of lightness you'd use when reassuring a small child. And so Dean fully ignores it , leaving the car without a word.

As the bar doors swing behind him, he scans the room for that familiar figure he'd seen grow up. But it was nowhere to be found.

He spins around, searching for Sam. "W..Where is she?"

Sam's features soften when he notices the worry etched across Dean's face. "She'll...." Drums suddenly pierce the greenly lit space and Sam's head swings up. The hunter's eyes follow- locking onto the stage. There-There's that figure, that of his little sister.

------

Shoulders burdened by the sacrifice

O' the promises the boy and his father pledged.

But the others fought and fled. Just as the father lost his head

And the boy turned into a man, shoulders heavier as that was always the plan

And he alone he hunted, like a big dark wolf,

No vows, no voices, no one to run to.

----

Cheerfully applause fills the room as the instruments quiet down. You wipe the sweat off your cheeks as you glance around the room, your intestines tightening the more you look around. You saw someone-or you think you saw someone?

As you step off stage, you softly push through the crowd as they congratulate you until you find yourself face to face with Dean.

His face is as easy to read as a children's reading book. As emotions ripple through his face, his chest heaves. And so does yours-just when you think about it. A lump winds up at your throat and you come to a halt.

"Dean."

His name betrays you- It almost feel foreign as you haven't said it out loud in a while. Between you and poor Sam, it's usually him or he. Phrases like where is...he? And is...is he doing okay? are his only chances to exist in your world-or so you think- Always accompanied by that hesitant silence. But not this time-this tim-

Dean leaps forward and before your body gets to jerk back, you find yourself locked in his embrace. And for a moment, the silence over on your left ear sends warmth down your body-and it's almost like you're whole again, but the outside world quickly returns, causing you to push back against your brother's chest.

You're still angry at him. for what reason? not sure. Maybe because he stopped calling? Maybe because he's not supportive enough. Maybe it's simply because he gave up on you.

"What are you doing here, Dean?" You ask coldly. And Dean quickly responds with a retort, earning a disappointed head shake from you.

"I should be asking you the same question, kid, what are you doing here?"

You turn your back to the crowd and to the stage, raising your hand in defiance. "I'm where i belong, Dean. I'm where i want to be."

Your older brother scoffs and you exhale. My god is this man tired. And this conversation too, like we haven't had it a million t-

"This? You don't belong here, kid-"

"Oh i belong with you? In a fucked up world full of injustice and death, Dean? Is that where i belong?" You raise your voice, attempting to bore through the noise-and to yell at him-simply. "In nasty motels and no life?"

"You belong with us-hunting- making the world a better place- actually doing something useful-"

Your heart stings as you process his words-which he himself weighs-later than he should have-and before he continues, you tsk. "No no"

You shake your head again. "I'm not having this conversation-Not until you tell me why you're here- if it's to get me back-Dean- get out-" You violently point at the door. "Get out because it's not happenin-"

"That's not why i'm he-"

"You could've called-You could've texted, man." You cut him off. "You could've asked about how i was doing-what i was doing. But you were simply too much of a coward to reach out-"

"i had nobody-honey-i had no one left. Not you- not Sam- Not dad.You left me just as i let go of you." Dean leans in and you step back. "Do not put this on me, kid." He tilts his head menacingly and you squint your eyes at him in response. "You chose this over me. There was nothing for me to do about th-"

"So it's my fault?! Is that what-"

"THAT'S NOT-" As he's about to lose his temper, the man runs a hand through his hair. "That's not why I'm here." He lowers his voice. "Please-let's talk outside." Your brother holds his hand out, his eyes pleading but you cross your arms over your chest, looking for Sam's eyes-searching for an answer from him. He won't answer, though. He had held his head down the whole time, he wouldn't break that now.

Your cheeks puff as you blow a breath out, brushing past both of them and heading for the door.

---

Outside, you sit down on the side walk and pull out a pack of cigarettes, taking one before pointing the pack at Dean, motioning for him to make himself comfortable. Instead, he narrows his eyes at you and glares in a disdainful manner.

"Oh and you smoke too?" His voice is not so bitter but- you want to be-

"I don't recall you participating in the birth of me, Dean. You might've raised me but you sure are not my dad, so back off."

Dean purses his lips before taking a leap towards you. "That's not what i meant-dumbass." Towering over you, he pinches at the cigarette resting in between your lips. "These are not good for your vocal chords." He snatches it and tosses it to the ground and your mouth falls open. Pure disbelief!

"Oh so now you're worried for them? but earlier-" Anger resurges and you get off the cemented floor. "You said they weren't useful."

"I-" Dean starts but quickly subdues, bringing his arms down to his hips. "I didn't mean what i said, okay?"

You falter, calming down before you're even conscious of it. And something itches at you-curiosity, causing you to stare at the man-hopeful and impatient.

"I didn't mean what i said-I....I like..." He hesitates. "I like that i can very easily notice my influence on your music taste. I mean those solos and that makeup and those lyrics." Dean snorts a laugh. "That's totally me."

A tiny chuckle leaves your lips. Though the answer is not the one you wanted, it is one you expected. You glance around, away from Dean.

"I don't have..much time left before my next song, so...." You swing your foot unattentively, shifting in place. You feel Dean straighten up.

"Are you happy here?"

The question sends a shiver up your spine and for some reason, your stomach tightens again. Because yes. yes you are. But before you get to answer that. Dean speaks.

"Of course you are-what a silly question." He mumbles and you sigh, guilt suddenly creeping in.

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"No..No-of course not-I just-" He chuckles, though it sounds sad. "I...I actually don't know what to say, kid."

"Maybe be happy for me?" The words are barely audible as you're too hesitant, eyes still avoidant.

"I am-I really am. I just-I just don't understand why you left-" Dean takes a step closer to you.

"Dean-i'm actually-i matter here-"

"But you also matter when you hunt, kid-"

You finally snap-gently-firmly grabbing his arms. "But you don't need to hunt to make the world a better place." You finally find the courage to meet his eyes. And the frown shaping his forehead makes your heart ache but you continue- "As silly as this may sound to you-i too am making a change in the world-You know what- a week ago I met a little girl who told me my music saved her-Dean-do you realize how amazing that sounds?" Your words come out faster and faster. "I am doing something-I didn't leave just for the music and the crowds. I left because i knew that i belonged elsewhere-I belong somewhere on a stage- with a mic a few inches away from my lips-I-"

As Dean lowers his head to the ground and nods, a sense of sinking-doom settles within you. And you find yourself taking a step back, unable to hold the whimpers in.

"So this is it, huh?"

You step back even further as tears gather at your eyes. "It..It doesn't necessarily have to be?!"

One more try.

"Why can't i have both of you?! The music and you? Why is that so hard to accept, huh?"

You walk back to the door, swallowing the lump in your throat. "You know what-If you still can't have that-leave right now-Dean and i mean it-do not come anywhere near this door." A tear slips down your cheek and you quickly wipe it away. "But if there's a chance for us to be a family again, stay. This place holds many more secrets than you think. You never know what you might find here."

----

Hurrying inside and over to the stage, you blast a forced smile as applause fills the room again. You'd look at the far back b-you can't-you can't-the reality of the situation is too harsh-it would break you. But as the song begins and the instruments pound your eardrums, a familiar silhouette you've grown up seeing keeps stepping closer and closer to the stage, to you. And just as the lights flash white-

Your eyes are met with your brother's.

-----

so so so so sorry for that delay, again 👀 i am my worst enemy when it comes to writing. Alsooooo, I wrote that little stupid verse hehe I love being extra. Please let me know if yall enjoyed this and see you next tiime! 🌹🌹🌹🖤🖤🖤

[reanniee]

the moon

shigaraki x reader

notes: angst, death, violence word count: 8.5k

˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

"...hey... are you alright?"

"..."

"...hello?"

"...w-what do you want..."

"...you're not okay... are you?"

"..."

"...what's your name?"

"why are you e-even out here... someone like you shouldn't be in a dump of a place like this..."

"...the moon..."

"w-what?"

"the moon... its beautiful... isn't it?"

".... what is wrong with you... you came out to a random dark alleyway just to see some stup-"

"the moon isn't stupid... it-its beautiful.."

"...you're crazy! the moon isn't worth coming out here-"

"so then, why are you here…?"

"......t-that's none of your business... now go home and leave me alone!"

"then come home with me..."

silence. pure silence.

in a dark alleyway, the most dangerous place for young children, sat a scrawny black haired boy sitting down in a corner, hiding himself from the world, and a young girl facing him.

".. go away.."

"...i'm not leaving without you. i'll stay here as long as it takes..."

the scrawny child looked up at her for a second.

"...you're an idiot! i'm not worth it! just leave!"

she shook her head in response.

"...there's no way I'm leaving you alone..."

"...tch... d-don't blame me if you get kidnapped idiot..."

she smiled.

"...[name]..."

"huh?"

"[name] [last name]."

"..."

there was a moment of silence.

"tenko shimura..."

 ˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

"...hey... idiot..."

"...eh?"

"why won't you leave... why do you keep coming back..."

“because i wanna be here with you…”

“bu-but why! you have a home to go back to! why would you come here instead!”

"...why don't you come home with me?"

"..."

“tenko?”

“i…i can’t... i’ll only ruin it… i’ll only ruin your life…”

“tenko...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

"...the moon... it's really beautiful..."

“i… i can die happ-”

"hello? ma'am?"

"eh?"

the [hair color] haired female shook her head, coming out of her little daydream.

"s-sorry!"

the man who woke her up smiled.

"now, what would you like to buy, miss?"

"i'll take-"

˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

she was walking back to her home at night through the crowded city, returning from a grand adventure of finding a convenience store for groceries. a beautiful evening. a beautiful night. a beautiful sky. a beautiful city.

she carried three plastic bags on her hand as she walked in the beautiful and bright city. a new city. a new environment. a new life. a new start.

new?

she came to a stop at a crosswalk; waiting for the light to signify when she was able to continue her path. the cars flew by her, sending a slight gust of wind her way. 

"so weird..."

she said to herself as she reached into her grocery bag to grab a juice box. she opened the juice box and started drinking it.

"i've been having those weird day dreams recently..."

the memories she had been seeing had begun affecting her everyday life. distracted at work and distracting whilst shopping. the memories causing her to zone out.

memories?

"is he someone i used to know?"

she just assumed that when she was younger, she probably knew the kid in her little day dreams.

“does this have to do with this city?”

the walking sign lit up. she crossed the busy street. cars stopping at her sides and cars flying past her.

"how come i can't remember him...?"

him?

she glanced towards the sky, her head hurting as she tried to remember who the mysterious boy was, when she saw the moon.

a new moon, huh?

"the moon... it's beautiful tonight."

she shook her head. strangely enough, the day dreams she had were all about the moon.

"...the moon?"

she looked up at the moon, admiring its beauty as she walked. a mistake she made constantly.

"is he... is he really re- ack!-"

she was too busy staring at the moon and talking that she failed to notice the people around her. she ended up bumping into someone else and falling down onto the ground.

"oh no! i'm sorry!" a female voice shouted out.

"n-no worries!" [name] said as the other female helped her up. a short and blonde girl whos hair was tied into the style of two buns. she was wearing a school uniform and seemed to be in a hurry.

"you're okay, right?" the other female asked.

"...y-yeah! i'm fine." [name] answered.

"i'm really, really sorry!" the other female apologized once again.

[name] smiled.

"it's alright! i'm [name], what's your name?"

"my names himiko toga!"

"it's really nice to meet you toga, but I've got to get going." [name] said politely.

"yeah! it's really late at night and I've got a place to go to as well! bye [name]!!"

"bye, toga!"

the two waved goodbye at each other and headed their own ways.

˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

[name] looked out at the moon once again.

"the moon... it's beautiful.."

a fresh start. today, is a fresh start.

 ˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

"...what're you staring at?"

"...n-nothing..."

"...were you.... admiring the.... the moon...?"

"..."

"you were! ....weren't you!"

"..tch, so.... its not that big of a deal..."

"....it truly is beautiful isn't it..."

"... what's with you and the moon?"

"... i just think that the moon is beautiful..."

"why do you mention it every single night?"

"because the moon.... it only comes out at night.."

"yeah? and the sun only comes out at day, idiot..."

"...not many people... they don't really get to admire the moon."

*beep beep! beep beep!*

"eh? ack!"

the same daydreams again. the endearing memories have recently begun to flood the poor secretary’s mind, distracting her from her daily tasks.

she looked towards the hanging cat calendar on her wall. may.

 it’s almost been 15 years exactly.

*beep beep! beep beep!*

“ah man... forced to eat burnt toast again..”

it was the morning and she was getting prepared for the day. her first day, kind of. after she scraped the burnt pieces off of her ruined breakfast, she continued her morning routine. after rushing to get ready, she waited near her door till she heard a familiar knock.

"hey, [name]!"

"hello sir! thanks for giving me a ride today"

the two walked towards the black car awaiting outside the secretary’s house.

"no worries [name]. first day back on the job, exciting isn’t it?”

he opened the passenger door for her.

“it sure is exciting”

“the building is almost fully done. today will just be us moving in and getting situated. area here's completely different from back home”

the two buckled their seatbelts and the elder male began to drive.

“i’m glad i was transferred here to work alongside you here, sir. thank you again”

“how flattering. don’t sweat it, kid"

"still!!! it’s nice of you to bring me to work"

"it beats walking, doesn’t it?”

“yeahhh you’re right i guess. walking is pretty fun though”

“...you should really be more careful [name].”

“huh?”

“you haven’t heard? there’s a lot more criminal activity in this area. walking alone– especially at night– is dangerous for someone like you.”

someone like me, huh?

“calling me weak since im a woman? hm! not very professional of you, sir. you know in this day and age, you’re gonna get canceled for saying something like that!”

he stared at you.

“that’s not what i’m talking about…”

 ˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

she was walking home at night from the main office building.

the boss was right. an exciting day. the building was still being rebuilt. a quick and easy day of moving. a nice day, ended with a nice night.

a nice night.

…

he likes the moon too.

the day dreams continued to plague her mind all day. the thoughts causing her to be distracted whilst at work. what was causing these recent memories? 

memories? are these my memories?

she looked up at the night sky, admiring the brightly glowing stars and the shining moon.

a waxing crescent moon.

she smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the peace that the night gave her.

well, she was, until she bumped into someone.

"watch where you're going."

"oh, s-sorry!"

she helped herself up and stared at the guy she had bumped into. he was shrouded in a black hoodie covering his entire figure. black hair peeked out of his hoodie and he wore a mask covering his face.

"...t-tenko...?" she said quietly, but loud enough for the guy to hear.

tenko? who… who is tenko?

"not my name sweetheart."

"o-oh! sorry about that! you just reminded me of someone... someone that I used to know!"

someone that i used to know?

"names' dabi."

"[name] [last name]."

"you should be heading home. it's not safe around these parts at night."

"right! yes sir!"

"cya around, [name]."

he started walking away.

"goodnight, sir!”

she continued on her walk home.

"why do i keep bumping into people... "

 ˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

the rest of the journey home was quiet and peaceful. the secretary arrived at her home safe and intact.

“how beautiful”

she looked at the moon again. admiring the wonderful glow it provided. 

"he loved the moon too..."

loved?

a loud beep interrupted her thoughts. her phone lit up. a notification

reminder: sleep well!!!! no work tomorrow.

oh yeah. the office is still being rebuilt. no work tomorrow, i guess. i should probably try to relax.

˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

"..."

"..."

"...w-wh-"

"..hm?"

"..."

"tenko?"

"...what?"

"you sounded like you wanted to say something..."

"...it-it's nothing.."

"..you sure?"

"...yeah..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"the moon sure is beautiful isn't it?"

"..tch... you and the moon again.."

"its beautiful! especially tonight"

"it's just the first stage of the moon… nothing special about it"

"huh?"

"what?"

"you… you know moon phases?"

"...yeah? and? "

"it’s special because its the first stage! its a new moon!” 

“a new moon?”

“mhm! it symbolizes a fresh start!”

“...”

“the moon is very interesting, yeah?"

"... i mean... i guess..."

"every phase of the moon is beautiful... it still glows, no matter what." 

“...”

“...”

"..why did you come out here in the first place?"

"the moon wa-"

"d-don't give me that!"

"eh? what do you mean?"

"why did you come out here? why in this specific place! you could have easily seen the moon from your bedroom window, or even outside your house! why'd you come out here! why in this exact alleyway!" 

"...it's way too crowded where i live... this place is the only place where i can ignore everything and just enjoy my time... with you..."

"excuse me! miss [last name]! are you in there!"

she blinked repeatedly, shaking her head, waking herself up.

"y-yes! you can come inside!"

a female with light blonde hair came inside. it was a co-worker of hers.

"you have this letter for the boss. its a proposal for another uprising business."

"thank you."

she took the letter from the blonde woman. the letter was enclosed with a fancy wax seal.

“y’know you reallyyy shouldn’t be daydreaming at work.”

“sorryyy! just been a bit distracted is all”

“well, i’ll be taking my leave! goodluck on the rest of your work miss [name]!”

she opened the letter and started to read it.

"quirk erasing bullets...?"

 ˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

what is going on?

a busy night of work, cars, and pro heroes. as she waited for the walking light, she stared up at the bright moon.

a first quarter moon.

the stars chose to hide themselves tonight. their light too dull to be seen by the naked eye.

what a weird time of my life, huh? i really need to stop daydreaming.

as the walking light turned on, she crossed the street, finding her way into a barely illuminated park. a detour; the longer route home. a nice walk in nature to clear her mind so she can focus on work.

the park filled with rich green trees and greenery, only illuminated by the sight of the bright moon. what a beautiful sight. a beautiful night and evening to-

"help me please! no, stay away!" she heard a voice say quietly.

"n-no! shut up! why don't you!" the voice seemed to be arguing with.... himself?

"h-hello?" she asked, coming to a stop.

there was no response.

she looked around, and saw a man, crouched into a tree and covering his head.

"h-hey, are you okay?" she asked.

"...n-no!" he yelled out. he sounded as if he were trying to hold something in.

"c-co-cover- please!" he yelled.

"cover?"

"face!"

[name] looked at him, she squinted her eyes and saw a scar in the middle of his face.

she took her jacket off and tossed it to him.

"here, sir."

he immediately grabbed the jacket and wrapped it around his face, tightly.

"are you alright, sir?"

"th-thank you.."

"you’re welcome mister...?"

she paused, hoping for the male to answer with his name.

he remained quiet

"im [name] [last name]. have a nice night"

he looked up at her and she smiled.

"i've got to get going home, have a good night sir"

she turned around and started walking home, cutting her detour short and returning to her usual route. enough chaos for the evening. now, alone, she pondered her peculiar situation once again.

"was he even real...? or was he just apart of my imagination... to escape from this world”

she looked up towards the night sky. bright as ever. a few stars revealed themselves.

he made me happy, didn't he?

a sudden shiver ran down her body. cold.

guess i need to buy a new jacket.

she wrapped her hands around herself and continued her way home. once again, left to her thoughts in the lonely night.

ah, that letter. guess i won’t be getting much sleep tonight. boss is gonna see a tough decision tomorrow.

 ˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

“..."

"..."

"...hey..."

"..."

"..."

"yes?"

"..what?"

"you sounded like you wanted to say something."

"..."

"you can say it.... i'm not gonna judge you."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...the moon sure is beautiful.."

"..."

"..."

"..what- what's your q-quirk..."

"my quirk…?"

“[name]... you can tell me anything.“

“...”

“...”

“i can heal people"

"...huh?"

"...what?"

"what's wrong with that?"

"..."

"..."

"it wasn't enough"

"..."

“...sniff…”

“i hate my quirk.”

"e-eh? why?"

"because i hate my quirk."

"what is your quirk?"

"..."

"...you can tell me anything too, tenko."

"..."

"..."

"de-decay.... my-my qu-quirk is called decay... anything i touch with all five of my fingers.... it… it will disintegrate......"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..i-i knew I shouldn't have told you! your scared of me now... yo-you'll-you'll hate me!"

"..."

"h-huh! h-hey! get off of me! wh-what are you doing! do-don't touch me!"

"..it's called a hug."

"..did-did you not hear what i said! if i touch you with all my fingers i could kill you!"

"i know you wouldn't."

"..hu-huh?"

"you won't try to push me off... i trust you.."

"...please..."

"..huh?"

"..i-i don't want to hurt you..."

"..you won't."

"...you idiot! j-just get off! I-i'm go-gonna hu-"

"it's your quirk. you can control. i believe in you.."

"...you-you idiot.... you're gonna die because of your stupidity... you-you know that?"

"...as long as I'm with you."

"miss [last name]!"

"h-huh? oh..."

"miss [last name], did you hear what I said?"

"my apologies.."

"are you alright miss [last name]? the whole office has been noticing that you've been spacing out recently..."

"it’s nothing! my apologies for worrying everyone. i've just been having a few flashbacks ever since I started an office in this area.”

flashbacks?

"has this area brought back a few memories?"

"huh?"

"maybe something in this area is reminding you of something in your childhood."

"i used to live in this area as a child."

"is there a common topic in your flashbacks? or a person?"

"huh? why?"

"i read somewhere that if all of a sudden, you start getting flashbacks of a certain person in your childhood that you haven't seen in a while, are nearby!”

“...”

“... or it could also be that you are nearby the place where you had met them or a place where you used to visit a lot with them."

"yeah... its about one of my old childhood friends.... we're always in one spot, the spot where we would always talk"

my childhood friend?

"have you thought of visiting that place? that might stop your little daydreams."

her eyes widened at the suggestion.

“thank you ma’am.”

"you’re welcome."

"anyways, what was it that you were saying before?"

"oh right- did you read the letter that I gave you the other day?"

"yes, of course. i created a report and forwarded it to the boss"

“what’d he think of it?”

“said he was interested.”

“it is quite interesting, huh?”

“i guess.”

“do you think we should get involved?”

“i’m unsure. its up to whatever the boss wants to do, i guess.”

"well, the leader has requested a meeting with the boss. discussing the bullets, that is."

"alright. i'll take a look into that."

 ˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

"where even was that place…"

she asked herself. the night alike every other recently. the venture home after a long day of work infected with the meaning of her daydreams.

"every day... the day dreams are getting longer... more real. im getting more information on him at least..."

why did i forget in the first place?

she looked up to the night sky, wishing to see the warming embrace of the moon.

a waxing gibbous moon.

"his quirk... it was decay..."

her head started to hurt. she stopped walking and clutched onto her head, the immense pain was stressing her out.

a sudden headache. a migraine.

why did she get a migraine? why now? why at this exact moment…?

"...aah...man oh man”

she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. but, the pain only got worse. she fell onto the floor

"ah!"

she desperately clutched her head harshly, begging for the pain to go away.

"excuse me ma'am. are you alright?"

a gentle, male voice spoke out.

"...my-my head...ah!"

she couldn't look up to see the male, but she could tell that he immediately knew what to do as he led her towards a nearby bench and told her to calm down, take a deep breath, and relax.

as she did so, she felt the pain in her head slowly fade away. as soon as it disappeared, she looked up at the male.

his body seemed to be formed of purple mist.

"thank you, sir."

"your welcome. and no need for anything in return."

she looked at him for a minute.

"are you weirded out by my appearance? if so, then-"

"no. it's not that. just...- you look familiar- or-er the purple... mist.."

"...you aren't weirded out by my appearance? you don't think I'm weird?"

"not at all. your quirk doesn't define you as a person."

the male was about to respond until a loud beep interrupted him.

"my apologies, but I must head home now."

"understood. thank you and goodnight, sir."

"goodbye ma’am"

she started to walk away.

 ˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

"why-why did I react like that when I thought back to tenko..."

react?

did… did that happen because of tenko? but why?

she arrived home, sat at her desk. a glass of water rested on her desk alongside a bottle of tylenol pills.

she looked out to the bright night sky. the stars looked back at her.

what’s the point in thinking about old memories?

what use is there in reminiscing about an old life?

˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

"..."

"you seem like you want to say something again."

"..."

"you can talk to me about anything tenko."

"..."

"..."

"h-hey.."

"yeah?"

"..yo-you said that I could talk to you about anything right?"

"yep!"

"w-well..."

"...go on... im listening."

"...there... there is this one person... they are always there for me... they always act so happy... but.. I just have a feeling that... that something is going on with them too..."

"...why do you feel this way?"

"..well, they told me themselves that some people hide their true emotions behind a smile.... and i've been through a lot so... i recognize that look in their eyes... what do I do? they have helped me... they made me happy- they made me smile... how do I help them?"

"well, just talk to them about it. people feel better when they can just let all their emotions out..."

"..o-okay..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"the moon is-"

"hey... listen...."

"huh?.... eh?"

"i-i really.. l-... appreciate you..."

"you do?"

"t-than- thank you... for everything.... I want to let you know that I'm here for you too... okay?"

"you don't have to, tenko."

"but i want to. w-we'll help each other, together."

"together forever!"

"[name]."

“huh?”

“what do you think of all this?”

“oh.”

“sorry boss, but you can’t seriously be thinking about accepting their deal. are you?” the blonde co-worker chimed in.

the boss and his secretary were situated in the building’s main office, discussing the proposal offered to them by the shie hassakai as the blonde worker entered the room. the boss laughed.

“it is quite the proposal.”

“hey [name], you did more research on the shie hassaikai, right?” the blonde turned to the secretary.

“ah, yes. the shie hassaikai is a yakuza group. or well, the revival of one.” the secretary informed.

“well, they sure are intriguing, aren't they?”

“they’re dangerous, that’s what they are.” the blonde spoke.

“well, a dangerous idea and an interesting one are the same. isn’t that right, [name]?”

the secretary perked up, the conversation directing back towards her.

“in a way, i guess you are right sir.” she responded.

the blonde sighed.

“well, anyways i came over here to drop off another report. enjoy the rest of your day [name] and boss.” she spoke as she handed the secretary a file and left the room.

“well?”

“hm?”

“you never answered my question.”

“did i not?”

she opened the file given to her.

“the shie hassakai is… rumored to have dealings with the league of villains?”

 ˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

the female suddenly came to a stop. she blinked, trying to process what just happened. she had zoned out.

she shifted her gaze towards the night sky.

it’s a full moon tonight, how lucky.

she redirected her gaze forwards, slightly confused on where she currently was.

in front of her stood incoming traffic, and a familiar road.

a familiar sign. a familiar road. a familiar life.

she looked down into the street. dark, abandoned, and empty. the road seemingly called out to her, inviting her. she walked forward, as if her legs were moving on their own. familiar with the path which they were taking. not enough time to think.

she followed the dark and barely lit road as she was led to an abandoned neighborhood.

her legs. she came to a stop. she lifted her head up. in front of her stood an empty plot of land. a former family home turned to dust. cracks filled the land. the grass had grown back

the tombstone of an old life.

the snap of a twig woke up her.

her head darted around her, eyes searching around for the culprit.

“hello? whos… whos there?”

she spoke aloud, shaking.

what have you gotten yourself into now, [name]

“hello!” she shouted

to her right. footsteps approached. she quickly turned her head.

a strange man with a crazed look on his face. he was covered in blood, laughing.

is this where i die?

the man came closer, a knife in hand. she took a step backwards, her heart racing and her body shaking.

she was frozen in fear.

he was seconds away.

is this the end?

his eyes glared into hers, smiling as he rose his arm.

tenko… please

a gunshot.

a man wearing a white hood appeared in front of her. his face not visible from the distance.

she was shaking. this man had saved her. he was now slowly approaching her. her eyes widened.

“tenko? is that you?”

she whispered. frozen in place as the man came closer.

he was now a few feet in front of her, able to get a closer view. he was a strange man wearing a mask, similar to that of a plague doctor.

“my name is kurono. are you alright, miss [name]?”

“i… i am alright. thank you. thank you so much” she was shaking as she bowed her head towards her savior.

“it is rather dangerous around these parts, miss [name]. especially at night. you should really be more careful.”

“i know… my apologies.”

“what are you doing at a place like this, anyways?”

what am i doing here?

she glanced to her right, looking at the former house.

“i… i don’t really know”

his eyes resembled a soft smile.

“let me assist you home, then. it is dangerous this late at night. especially for a quirkless in the superpower world.”

 ˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

kurono had walked her home. he had stopped on her street and waved her goodbye. it was already so late. what an interesting day.

he was a savior. kurono. she had gone and gotten herself into some trouble again. all because of these daydreams. but kurono… how had he known her name?

she came to stop. a beep from her phone interrupted her thoughts. It was midnight already. she looked up into the sky.

a full moon.

tenko. hes… he’s not alive anymore, is he?

where are you now? how could you leave me?together forever you said, huh? i want to know more about you, mister mystery man…

 ˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

"..."

"..."

"h-hey, idiot... you haven't spoken at all tonight, I-is something wrong?"

"no, nothings wrong."

"why are you being quiet?"

"..."

"... i'm going to help you too. aft-after everything that you've done for me, i-w want... i want to help you. you- ... you can tell me anything, [name]."

"t-tenko… haha!"

"hey! why are you laughing and smiling like that all of a sudden?"

"you called me by my first name!"

"... huh? that's it?!?!?"

"the truth is, something has been on my mind."

"you can tell me, idiot."

"aww, I miss the '[name]'!"

"shut up and let me help you for once, idiot."

"well, can you tell me more about... more about your past. the truth on why you're here every night...."

"... only if you do as well..."

"huh?"

"i want the truth."

"i-...."

“that’s absurd!”

the gruff voice spoke as he slammed his fists into the desks.

“he had followed you on your way home?”

the secretary casted her gaze to her hands on her lap.

“well, yes. i was on my way home”

a small lie. it doesn’t matter, though.

“this city is quite dangerous. im glad you are alright, [name]. or else i’d be forced to find a new secretary.”

she laughed in response.

“im glad that you’re safe though. thank god a hero was there. who was it even? did you get his name?” her boss questioned

she fiddled with her hands.

“ah, well. im unsure if he was a hero. though i remember his appearance. he was wearing a weird mask. you know the masks that plague doctors used to wear? and he-”

“the shie hassaikai.” her blonde female cut in. “a member of the shie hassaikai had saved you.”

her eyes widened.

“ah, really? he was a member of the shie hassaikai? i guess they aren’t so bad afterall.”

the boss laughed.

“well, s’pose i should reward them, hm? for saving my dear secretary i’ll provide them with a meeting and some funds.”

“don’t,” the blonde spoke sternly.

the secretary perked up.

“rather suspicious, aren’t they?”

“how so?” the boss questioned.

“maybe instead of saving your secretary, they were following her?”

“a dangerous, but possible assumption. what an interesting spot we’ve gotten ourselves in.”

“you can’t forget the league of villain dealings as well.”

“that is true.” he turned his gaze to the secretary. “[name]. be a little more careful now, won’t you?”

“ah, yes, sir.”

 ˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

she was walking home like always, her and her thoughts on the way home. lectured by the boss and her co-worker about safety. she made sure to take the quickest route home tonight to avoid being scolded once again. and to avoid another incident.

she looked up to the moon.

a waning gibbous moon.

"should i find him again?" she said to herself. "would he remember me? how would i even find him?"

she continued to ask herself questions. but one question ended her thoughts, leaving her shocked.

"is he even alive...?"

she shook her head and sighed.

she continued to walk until she saw a flash of white in the corner of her eye out of a dark alleyway. she stopped walking and stared into the alleyway.

after a minute or so, a strange little girl with white hair and a horn came running out and clung onto her.

the little girl had a terrified expression on her face as she desperately clutched onto the legs of the [hair color] haired female. she buried herself, shaking and wiping her tears.

"hello? are you alright, sweetie?" she asked the little girl.

"pl-please... he-help me."

she kneeled down to the little girl’s height and looked at her in her eyes, trying to calm her down with a reassuring smile.

"what is your name, sweetie?" she asked.

"e-eri... please... he-help me..." the little girl spoke.

"here, grab my hand and I'll take you to the police." she said as she stood up and reached her hand out for the girl to grab.

the little girl's eyes widened. terrified, she took a step back. the look of terror in her eyes grew.

"i won't hurt you, sweetie." she assured the girl.

the little girl slowly approached her, and just as she was about to take her hand, a voice interrupted her.

"eri." a stern and cold voice called out.

eri's eyes widened as she stood in place, frozen in fear.

the [hair color] haired female looked into the dark alleyway seeing a tall man with brown hair and a bird mask that looked as if it were inspired by that of a plague doctor. similar to the one of that guy that had saved her that night. he had also worn white gloves. quite an interesting aesthetic.

the strange man began to approached the two

"hello miss. such a lovely night, isn’t it? my apologies for her" the male said.

"and you are?" she questioned as she nodded.

“i am the father of that girl there. she is quite the trouble maker, though. i apologize if she has caused you trouble miss.” he sighed

the man began to near where the two stood.

"why is she so scared?" she answered, glancing between the terrified little girl and the intimidating man. both suspicious and concerned.

he paused.

"she's afraid of the dark." he simply answered.

she looked down at the strange girl. contemplating on what to do.

should i save her? take her to the police?

the man was now closer

no… what can i even do against him?

what can someone like me even do to save her?

he paused.

"lets hurry, its midnight already and you should be in bed." overhaul stated and eri came rushing by his side. 

she stared as she watched the strange pair disappear into the darkness of the alleyway.

 ˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

small pebbles flung into the empty road. the powerless secretary’s mind tore at itself for not intervening. the two sides of her arguing with each other.

just a small girl with the inability to save anyone.

save? anyone?

she looked up towards the night sky. 

a waning gibbous moon.

"the truth... i want to know it... tenko."

 ˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

“i can’t go back. not now… not ever”

“why?”

“i…”

“tenko, you can tell me. i’m here for you. i’ll always be here for you.”

“they are gone.”

“...they?”

“my… my family… they are all gone.”

“what… what happened to them…?”

“...”

“tenko…”

“...[name]”

“tenko… it’s okay tenko. dont worry. i’m here. i’m here for you. i’m here with you. i’m here for you forever”

“-following report states that the yakuza group, the shie hassakai has been defeated and taken down. the leader ‘overhaul’ has been captured and detained. the villain will be transported to a secure facility where he is unable to harm people again. this supervillain has been defeated with the help of-”

“enough of that.” a gruff voice spoke as he shut off the television.

“that’s got you upset, boss?” the secretary questioned.

the secretary and ceo were stationed together in the main office. the two stayed together overtime, organizing paperwork and discussing future business adventures. the news played on the television caught the attention of the two.

“seems like a money opportunity gone. sucks to be us. could’ve used the deal too.”

“you thought about accepting it?”

he nodded and sighed.

“it would’ve been risky but an interesting business adventure”

“you took too long to make a decision anyways. that’s for the better, i guess.”

he laughed.

“she would’ve yelled at both of us if i’d accepted the deal. me for agreeing and you for following my order”

the two shared a laugh, then, silence. he let out a deep breath.

“quirk erasing bullets. can’t say that isn't intriguing” 

“i guess i can see it that way boss.”

“good thing you talked me out of it. huh, [name]?”

“could say we dodged a bullet there”

“get back to work, idiot”

˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

“nice work today [name]. thanks for accompanying me today”

“no problem! its not that much of a hassle to do anyways.”

“dont worry kid, i’ll be sure to pay you overtime”

the two shut down the office for the night, turning off lights and locking the doors. they walked together out of the building.

“hey kid”

“hm?”

“let me give you a ride home tonight, yeah? it’s rather late”

she looked up to the moon.

a last quarter moon.

“no shie hassaikai to save you if some big bad villain approaches” he jokes, referencing the incident that had happened to her a couple days ago.

she laughed in response

˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

it was a quiet car ride. the duo too tired to converse after a long day of paperwork. the secretary stared out the side window, admiring the night sky.

no stars tonight. just the beautiful moon accompanied by the deep night sky. a beautiful last quarter moon. the moon cycle is nearing its end.

i’m here for you, huh? 

how ironic. he was nowhere to be seen. she had not a clue where he was. perhaps she should give up. cleanse herself of these meaningless daydreams. cleanse herself of the memories that plagued her mind.

“the road is so empty tonight. how weird.”

her boss spoke, interrupting her thoughts. she shifted her gaze to the front window. he was right. no cars were on the road. the only vehicles on the road were the two trucks and the police car right in front of her.

she turned back to the side mirror.

“what the hell is… [name]! shit! watc-”

a piece of metal debris came flying towards the boss and his secretary. the metal had shattered the front window and stabbed itself into the backseat of the car, between the two. glass shards from the window had covered the two.

their car came to a stop. the alarm going off.

“what the hell. [name]! you alright?” the boss asked, he was only able to catch a glimpse of her face. she was in complete shock, frozen at the sight. her eyes widened and glued to the view in front of her.

“shit. [name]. are you-” he was cut off by a sudden impact. the police car previously in front of them was now flying towards their car.

the vehicle had flipped over, landing behind the car which the boss was in.

another loud impact. the truck directly in front of them had crashed, flipped over as the truck had opened, causing a man who was tied up to fall out onto the road. he was directly in front of the boss and the secretary. fire engulfed the road as the second truck had come to a stop.

shit. what is going on? is the boss alright? what is-

she looked in front of her. her eyes widened. on top of the truck resided a man dressed in a black coat and covered in white hands. he had light blue hair.

tenko?

the man had jumped down from the truck, now slowly approaching where the tied up man laid, and where the secretary resided.

tenko… is that really you?

“[name]! we need to get out of here”

tenko… please

“name!”

the man, hearing the cry of the man, quickly darted his head towards the car. his gray orbs widened as he scanned the vehicle and he met eyes with the secretary.

“tenko.”

˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

“tenko! tenko! tenko, is that you!”

“[name]... you’re so loud…”

“tenko! where have you been! it’s been so long… you-you were gone for so long! i’ve come here every night to look for you but… are you okay? where did you go? are you hurt? how are you feeling?”

“...”

“...tenko?”

“...”

“hey…”

“...it’s not… it’s not tenko anymore”

“h-huh?”

“its… shigaraki now… i have a new name… my master gave it to me… tomura shigaraki”

*beep beep*

“-awake! get the doctor! she’s awake!”

a familiar voice shouted

tenko?

“shit, [name]... you had me worried for a bit”

her vision cleared. in front of her stood her boss. he had a concerned look on his face.

she was at the hospital, laid down on the bed dressed with a hospital gown and a tube connected to her arm. “aw shit. what happened. where am i, boss?”

“you passed out kid. glad you’re awake now, though.” the boss spoke, relieved. “you remember? anything?”

her eyes softened as she directed her gaze to her hands resting in her lap.

“no, sir. i do not”

˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

“her injuries are minor. we did not sense any brain damage. the only damage caused to her was from the glass shards on the window. the cuts will not take long to heal” the doctor informed the two.

“we good to leave then, doc?”

“i’d like for her to stay a couple hours longer. it is already very late into the night. plus. You are still yet to be treated, sir.” the doctor spoke sternly, glaring at the elder male.

“yeah yeah, fine. can’t we go home after i’m done?”

“sleeping here until morning would be her best option for faster recovery. you are welcome to stay if you would like, sir.” the doctor spoke, clearly tired from the long night.

“yeah, whatever. just bring me a blanket please, doc”

˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

she was discharged from the hospital in the morning. her boss had covered the fees and had driven her home. the ride was silent. the boss deciding whether to bring up the incident that had happened last night or not.

instead, he opted to lecture and scold her, on behalf of their fellow coworker. he thought, what would she do. he yelled at her, warning her to be careful. the blonde would be proud, he thought.

she merely laughed at him. her boss’ poor attempt to switch the atmosphere. it is the effort that counts, after all. she was excused from work for the day, leading her to enjoy a three day weekend. 

he spoke of the break as an end of month break. a celebration of sorts. the first month of working in this new city. this new building. this new environment. though, she knew he was trying to play off his concerned thoughts.

she waved him off as she exited his car, broken windows and all. the two waved goodbye at each other until she reached her door.

as she arrived home and closed the door, she immediately fell to the ground, her hands darting to cover her face. tears fell from between her fingers. she wept on the floor of her home. 

why was she crying?

˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

a boring day. though, perhaps that is for the better. 

a relaxing day, her boss told her to get.

before departing for the weekend, her boss told her to enjoy herself and relax. for it was the end of the moon cycle, no better time than to treat yourself to some joy.

the boss is a great person when he tries. a real and utter softie at heart. work was manageable with a kind man such as the boss as her leader. despite his attempts to seem intimidating, it was quite easy to see his real persona. stern but caring, almost like a father figure.

work, huh? working at that company is not so bad. the pay is nice. the work is average. her coworkers were fun. when she returned, she was sure she would be lectured by the blonde. always acting as her guardian. her mother, almost.

how ironic

*beep beep*

her phone went off, interrupting her thoughts. attachment: an image. a message of her dear blonde coworker, sending her an image of the moon. 

a waning crescent moon.

the end of the moon cycle already? but i just got here when it began.

she looked towards the hanging cat calendar on her wall. june.

june already? in two days it’ll be…

15 years exactly

she looked out her window

“tenko... what happened to you?”

˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

her boss told her to take it easy. her boss told her to not get into anymore trouble. her boss told her to get some inner peace ‘for once.’ her boss told her to relax. it’s a shame how her form of relaxation is going on a night stroll.

she made a mental note to never inform her coworkers about this, lest she want to get scolded and yelled at for an hour.

the secretary couldn’t help herself, though. it was a beautiful evening. the end of the moon phase is always a beautiful time. she came to a stop, waiting for the light to signify her time to cross the street. she cast her gaze upwards at the night sky.

a waning crescent moon.

the star was filled with stars. such a beautiful moon. a beautiful night. and a beautiful sky.

the walking light lit up. she crossed the street, approaching her local convenience store. entering the small stop, she smiled and waved at the cashier. she approached the soft drink isle, pondering on what to get.

staring at the large array of choices, she felt a pair of eyes glare into her. the eyes had been continuously looking at her for a while now.

it was a public store. she mustered enough courage to quickly look left. as she turned, there was a man? a person was staring at her.

the man wore a gray hoodie with the hood pulled up, shielding his face. though, the secretary was able to catch a glimpse. his skin seems to consist of green scales, almost like that of a reptile.

as she met her gaze, the man’s eyes widened and he quickly turned away, seemingly shocked that she had caught him staring.

she rose a brow and turned back to the fridge, opening the cooler and taking two drinks.

as she walked to the cash register, preparing to pay, she felt the same eyes on her again. she turned around, meeting the red eyes of the green heteromorph who seemed insistent on staring at her.

shocked that he was caught, again, caused the man to seeming panic and leave the convenience store, buying nothing.

the secretary sighed. she paid for the two drinks and chased after the heteromorph.

“hey! you there! stop!”

she shouted as she walked after the man who was rushing away. he paused, and turned back to her.

“you! what do you want?” he stopped as she caught up to him.

“me? what do i want?” she sounded offended. “what do you want? whats with you staring at me?”

at hearing her response, he seemed taken aback. he paused, then, he turned around once again and began speed walking away.

“hey! come back here!” she yelled again, walking after him.

he paused, turned around and waited for her to catch up. “what.” he spoke

she caught up to him, then she reached into her plastic bag, picking up one of the two drinks she had bought. she held the drink out to him. he seemed confused.

“you didn’t buy anything, so. i’m [name]”

he uncovered his hood a bit as he took the drink, nodded at the girl, then proceeded to walk away.

shit.

she watched as he walked away, while she remained still. her body began to shake.

he was there. he’s part of the league of villains.

a small pain began forming in her head.

i need to find tenko. i need to.

she looked up into the moon. a waning crescent moon. the end of the moon phase. 

in two days… it’ll have been 15 years already. since the day you changed my life forever.

please… tenko, where are you? i’m so sorry tenko. i’m sorry for not being there for you.

˚⭒. ☾ .⭒˚

“...tenko?”

“...”

“hey?”

“that’s not my name anymore… you know it [name].”

“i’m s-sorry ten-... i’m sorry. it’s just been… ever since you came back… you’ve been different”

“...”

“what… what happened to you, tenko?”

“i already told you! nothing happened! i found my place in the world! i-i found someone who wants me. i found someone who actually cares for me!”

“tenko… i care for you”

“...”

silence. pure silence.

in a dark alleyway, the most dangerous place for young children, sat a [hair color] haired girl and a boy with light blue hair facing her. 

“tenko…”

“...m-master says you’re… useless”

“t-tenko?” she stood up

“he tells me… to stop seeing you… t-that you don’t r-really care for me… h-he tells me that you’re like everyone else!” 

“that’s not true! tenk-”

“its tomura. shi-shigaraki tomura.”

“please, tenk-”

the boy came closer to her. her eyes widened as she froze. her gaze directed to his hands. the same hands that could cause destruction. the same hands that did. the same hands that inevitably would.

“...[name]?”

“ten-to-tomura… i-i didn’t mean it like tha-”

“master’s right…! you’re just like the others… you… you…”

“tenko please” she shouted in desperation

“why can’t anyone just love me… why did i have to be like this… why was i give this quirk…”

“tenko! i’m here for you!”

“you don’t really love me… why can’t you love me... why… it’s because of this quirk…”

“your quirk… it doesn’t mean anything! it doesn’t resem-”

“then why are you scared of me right now”

she froze. silence. pure silence.

“tenko… please… i lov-”

the words never finished. she was cut off. her mouth refused speak what her heart so desperately wanted to say. her body refused to listen to her. it seemingly acted on it’s own. almost as if she were forced to.

the young girl ran. she left the dark alleyway. leaving the boy to live on his own.

“tomura.” a deep voice uttered.

“she left you. you have no use for her. she does not care for you. only i do, tomura”

the poor boy turned around and looked up, tears threatening to poor from his red eyes.

“...y-yes… master”

“shit! ow”

the secretary woke up breathing heavily as sweat ran down her skin. a nightmare, seemingly. it was no nightmare.

it was the cold, hard truth.

the woman jumped out of bed. she rushed outside and ran. it was the middle of the night. a beautiful evening. a beautiful night. a bright sky. a beautiful city.

she ran as fast as she could. that place. that important place. how could i forget it? how could i forget the place i met you.

forced to come to a stop, the same light staring at her, signifying her turn to cross the street. she was impatient. she needed to get there. quickly. before he left. before he was gone again. before he left her. before she left him

she looked up into the night sky. the sky was a beautiful deep blue. the stars shone brightly tonight.

a new moon.

the light switched, and the secretary quickly ran across the street. she passed the welcoming convenience store. she passed the dimly lit park. she passed the dark neighborhood. she passed her new building, her new life.

please.

please be there. 

tenko. please.

i love you

her running came to a stop. she breathed harshly, tired from the exertion she forced upon herself.

her head began to hurt. the scenery became familiar. all too familiar. the same sign. the same street. the same path. the same buildings. the same alleyway.

she approached the same alleyway. that same alleyway where no child should ever venture into. she is no longer a child.

the pain throbbed in her head. a deep voice warning her, telling her to get away and run away.

how could she ever run away. not again. not ever.

please.

please be there.

tenko. please.

i love you

she entered the alleyway. the same boxes. the same feral cats. the same stench. the same scary atmosphere. the same darkness. the same alleyway.

please

she was engulfed by the darkness. seemingly walking into nothing, hoping to see him. she aimlessly walked into that same alleyway, all those years ago.

near the end of the alleyway allowed for a patch of the moon to shine into the dark alley. the darkest alley was also the brightest, in times like this. she stood on the edge of the darkness.

he turned his back to her. he had messy mid-length light blue hair. the same as that day. he wore all black. the same as that day. he seemed as if he wanted to disappear from the world entirely. the same as that day.

he was watching the moon.

she stepped onto the moonlight, and then, he turned around.

deep red orbs stared into her own. his mouth slightly open. his eyes widened. he did not move.

a new moon

she walked forwards, continuing to stare into his eyes.

a new moon

she settled in front of him. the moonlight shining on the two of them. the stars intently watched the two.

she shifted her gaze to the night sky, admiring the moon.

a new moon

at the break of eye contact, his eyes followed hers. a beautiful evening. a beautiful night. a beautiful sky. a beautiful city.

“hey…” she spoke softly.

silence. pure silence.

“the moon is beautiful… don’t you think so, tenko?”

he glanced at her, then looked at the moon once again.

“i can die happy”

her mouth opened to speak. nothing came out.

questions flooded her mind. she had so many. so many things to ask. so many things to say, but the words couldn’t leave her mouth. she wanted to ask him so many things. are you okay? where did you go? are you hurt? but she was unable to utter out any of them.

“...tenko?”

“[name]...”

silence. pure silence.

“i’m not tenko anymore. [name]. my name is shigaraki tomura.”

the two turned to each other. their eyes met.

a new moon. a new night. a new start. a new time.

the same place. the same confession. the same day. the same moon.

the same girl and a new boy.

[thescarletnargacuga]

ehehhe- *COUGH* aha, okay-

A showtime one shot with good ol' DIGITAL HALLUCINATIONS! (I was wondering what Caine had meant by this in the pilot, and what if it wasn't just a cover up for the door?)

Pomni finds herself in an unknown part of the area/game, and- well, hallucinates! She re-experiences her worst memories, even seeing alternative scenarios that went bad.

Caine eventually finds her, but she can't tell if he's real or not.

Looks like you're stuck in the fog...

-Fowl Anon

A/N: poor Pomni...

DIGITAL HALLUCINATIONS

A SHOWTIME ONESHOT

WARNING: trauma, nightmare imagery, body horror, angst, hurt/comfort

~~~

Pomni wasn't looking for trouble. She was in her room tossing a ball against the wall when it collided weird with her bed and it violently catapulted her to places unknown. She fell hundreds of feet below the map, bracing for the all too familiar impact.

SMACK!!

She laid face up, the wind knocked out of her. "....ow..." She wheezed. It took a minute for her to find her footing, but she eventually stood and looked around. She was out of bounds again. The blank, gridded walls went on for miles in every direction. She has no idea where she could go or even find game assets to use to get back up like last time, so she just started walking.

"Caine..? Hello? CAINE! ...for crying out loud. I wonder how long I'll be down here before he realizes I'm missing. Maybe I can find a void access point again. That seemed to get his attention in a hurry." She walked for what felt like hours, going deeper and deeper into the unseen bowels of the game. It was like a maze. At one point, she was convinced she was going in circles.

The longer she was down there alone, the more stressed she became. She started running to find something, anything that looked familiar. "Caine! Caine, please!" She called, but no one came.

She stopped in her tracks when something out of the corner of her eye moved around a corner. "HELLO!?" She panted and waited for a response.

Nothing. The out of bounds area was eerily quiet.

She ran after what she thought she saw. Rounding the corner, the gridded walls changed to brick. The vaulted ceiling became a night sky. A light post illuminated a rainy alley. Pmi spun around, the out of bounds was gone. "What the-!? Did I accidentally walk into a world Caine's made?"

Everything was so real. The rain, the damp alley smell, the sounds of cars beyond her line of sight. She stood in the flickering cone of the street light, unsure what to do, when a hooded figure with their hands in the large front pocket started aggressively walking right at her.

"Who are you? Hello? What's going on??" Pomni asked as she backed up, but the figure pulled a gun on her.

"Give me all your fucking money!!"

"I- What!? I don't-!?"

The mugger cocked the gun, pressing it to Pomni's head. "You think I'm playin'!? Give me the money, NOW!!"

Pomni backed up against the brick wall behind her, but it crumbled as she leaned her weight against it. She fell through. Suddenly, she was on the floor of a hospital room. No rain or brick walls or muggers. She got up quickly, seeing another unknown person in the bed in front of her.

"What is happening??" Pomni begging the person, but they seemed to be asleep. Pomni got a little closer. It was a middle aged woman, but she was sick beyond her years. Whatever she was in the hospital for, it was terminal. "Hello?"

The sick woman opened her eyes and smiled at Pomni. She opened her mouth to speak, but only coughed.

"Don't- don't stress yourself, uh...I can find help elsewhere." Pomni started to back up but the woman held her hand out pleadingly. "I'm sorry, I don't, uh.... Let me get someone for you."

The sick woman closed her sad eyes. The heart monitor she was connected to flatlined.

Pomni ran out of the room and down the hall. "This isn't real. None of this is real." She told herself over and over, and yet her heart hurt for a woman she didn't even recognize. It could've been an NPC for all she knew.

The hospital halls became a school hall. Dozens of eyes peered through the small windows on the classroom doors. Pomni kept running. The doors behind her opened one after another. A horse of children piled out and scampered across the floor and walls like hell-spawns, jeering and screaming at her.

Tears streaked down Pomni's face. Her conscious mind has no idea what was happening, but subconsciously she knew this place. The bullying, the loss, the fear, all of it was clawing at the back of her mind.

She got to the end of the hall and threw herself through the door. She slammed it behind her, and now she was in an area she recognized. An office. A very plain but uncanny liminal space. "CAAAAAINE! CAINE, HELP ME!!" She begged for him to hear her, but no one came.

After catching her breath, she kept going. Staying in one spot was never going to help. The offices repeated, feeling less and less real the further she went. Then she saw it. The computer. The headset.

Maybe that was the way back. She picked up the headset and looked into it. Blackness. She tried turning on the computer. Nothing. "Come on! What do I do!?"

"Useless girl."

Pomni just about jumpedout of her skin. She spun to see a man in business casual loom in the doorframe. He was so tall, he had to duck to step inside the office space. His limbs were unnaturally long. His hands were thin and gangly, with yellow unkept fingernails. The worst part, he has no face. Only a hole, lined with rows and rows of needle like teeth.

"YOU DON'T BELONG HERE!" The monster boomed and rushed Pomni.

Pomni did the only thing she could think of and jumped out the window. She fell and fell and fell down into darkness. Voices surrounded her. They screeched and screamed and called and laughed. She felt like she knew all of them, but could tell from where or when.

Circus music gradually drowned out the voices and she landed on top of a yellow and red striped tent. She rolled down the roof and landed hard on the ground. It was the digital circus tent but the grounds looked off. "CAINE! CAINE!!!" she screamed her voice hoarse, but no one came.

She was too scared to keep going. She didn't want to know how this nightmare could get worse, but it gave her no choice. The nightmare came to her. The entrance to the tent opened on its own and five familiar voices tried to call her inside. The distorted and echoing voices of Ragatha, Gangle, Zooble, Jax and Kinger became louder the more she ignored them. She had to cover her ears.

She could hear through her hands that the voices were getting closer to the entrance and she backed away. A massive glitching claw came out of the darkness and slammed into the ground in front of her. Then another. And another. The largest abstraction Pomni has ever seen emerged, carrying static features and voices of the entire circus cast.

"THIS YOUR FATE! THIS IS YOUR FATE! THIS IS YOUR FATE!" The abstraction repeated over and over as it got closer.

Pomni couldn't run no matter how hard she tried. It was like her feet were made of cement. She got only two steps in when the abstraction was upon her, it's digital body splitting open to consume her whole.

Pomni's broken voice couldn't scream as she felt something wrap around her middle. She kicked and flailed, but the hold was strong. Her digital body felt useless for fighting back.

"POMNI! POMNI, IT'S ME!! STOP- OW!" Caine held his eye that she just threw her elbow into.

Pomni hyperventilated against Caine. She death gripped his arms and blinked several times as she looked around in panic. She was still out of bounds, but everything was blank again. No monsters, no liminal spaces, no people with weapons.

"Pomni, you're okay. Everything is okay." Caine soothed. "What happened? How did you get back here?"

"Monsters." Pomni's voice was weak.

"Monsters? There are no monsters here. Well, none active, at least."

"I saw people. Real people. And places. And monsters. Everything wanted to hurt me."

"Real...? Oh no. Digital hallucinations-"

"I KNOW WHAT I SAW!!" Pomni screeched and coughed from the strain on her voice.

"I know, dear. You're not crazy. It's a real thing. This place has unforeseen effects on the human mind. It's why I don't let anyone back here. You go deep enough and you start...seeing things. People and places your mind knows, but you don't. I understand it's a very frightening experience." Caine gently pulled her close and ran a hand soothingly across her back. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. Everything is okay. None of it was real. You aren't in any danger."

Pomni slowly calmed, loosening her grip and hugging Caine back. "I want to get out of here."

Caine teleported to Pomni's room. The bed is completely fine. The ball she'd been throwing was on her nightstand. Pomni was still trembling, refusing to let go of Caine.

He sat on the bed and cradled Pomni, her head resting on his shoulder. "You don't need to tell me what you saw. It must have been terrible to make you react like this."

Pomni could only give a pathetic whimper in response.

"You're safe now. I'll.... I'll figure out a way for you to contact my watch. I won't let this happen to you again. I promise."

[cressidagrey]

Romance is not dead if you keep it just yours- Chapter 5: Hyacinth, Florist

Summary:

5 Times Cassian thought that Azriel had feelings for somebody and then 1 time he finally met the girl his brother was in love with.

Warnings:

Rhys Bashing

Notes:

I put a lot of world building into this. If you don't recognise it from canon, I probably invented. Or I forgot that canon existed.

(thanks to @firefly-graphics for the super pretty dividers!)

Azriel showed up bright and early the day after his break ended. For a week Cassian had heard not even a peep from Azriel. 

And then Azriel walked into the House of Wind, looking none the worse for wear.

“How was your break?” Cassian asked him, taking him in. Looking no different than he ever had before. Though not relaxed. The exact opposite to be honest. 

“Can we spar?” Azriel asked in response and Cassian’s brows rose. 

Ouch. That break had seemingly not gone that well. 

“That bad, hm?” he asked, though just nodded towards the sparring ring. “How’s your Ma?” he asked and Azriel just stared at him. 

“She’s as good as she can get,” he snapped back. Right.

His expression must have shown his shock, because Azriel held still for a moment, seemingly forcing himself to take a deep breath, closing his eyes for just a moment...

“ I am in a mood,” Azriel warned him, finally. “Don’t go easy on me.”

“I wasn’t aware that I ever did,” Cassian quipped. 

He should have probably taken that warning more seriously. 

He didn’t. 

Azriel nearly had him tapping out within the first few minutes. 

There was an aggression behind his fighting that Cassian had only seen very rarely. An aggression that belied Azriel just “being in a mood”. 

This wasn’t just being in a mood. 

This was feral levels of aggression. This was being so upset that Azriel needed to hit something to get it out and clearly Cassian was that something of choice that day. 

Azriel won. Of course, he did. he wanted it far more than Cassian did. 

“You broke my fucking nose,” he complained afterwards, spitting out the blood. The nose was thankfully the only broken bone. Though he was definitely gonna feel the bruises for a few days. 

Azriel seemed on a more even keel though, so Cassian would gladly take the broken nose. 

 “I am sorry,” Azriel apologised earnestly. 

And that was that. 

Az seemed back to his usual levels of weirdness, no longer randomly wanting his first break after 500 years, no more comments about table linens…and sometimes Cassian even thought that he caught his brother smiling softly, pleased at something.

He didn’t say anything but he couldn’t help but wonder.

Still, Cassian had more pressing problems. Like what he should buy Nesta for her birthday…Mor decided to tag along which was decisively unhelpful. How could a female who clearly liked shopping for herself be so completely horrible at choosing gifts for her family? 

“Wait, is that Az?” Mor said suddenly as they left another shop empty-handed. Cassian’s head swivelled around. 

And it was indeed Az, standing around at a flower cart, clearly chatting to the owner. 

By the cauldron, had Cassian been right all along?!?

Mor and him exchanged a glance, both of them narrowing down to their brother just a few feet away from him. 

“Which flowers?” Azriel asked at that moment, clearly contemplating two different bouquets. The female on the other side of the card was pretty, delicate with fluttering wings resembling a butterfly, and bright blue hair that was cropped close to her head. 

A Palote Fairy. Clearly far from home in the summer court. 

Maybe that was why Azriel had been keeping her a secret. Maybe it was some unfounded worry of her being a lesser fairie. 

Did Az and her take long leisurely flights over Velaris and go picnicking? Somehow that seemed like the kind of thing she would enjoy. Their children would probably end up being the most magical thing that Cassian had ever seen. He wondered what wings would turn out to be the dominant ones. The idea of an Illyrian with butterfly wings was definitely something, that much was certain. 

“Jasmine these days. She hasn’t talked about anything since you bought them the first time,” said butterfly girl told Azriel, smiling prettily at him. 

Cassian held back a noise that Mor would have never let him life down. Something akin to a squeal threatened to come out of his throat. 

Was this the female Azriel was stupidly in love with? 

She clearly seemed to be nice enough not to turn down his advances flat out, instead both of them happily chatting. 

“Thank you, Hyacinth,” Azriel thanked her as Hyacinth , which must be her name started wrapping a bundle of dark blooming jasmines for him. He handed her a couple of coins, as she gave him the flowers, not for one moment flinching away from his scars. 

“Will you be there on Friday?” Hyacinth asked him, excitement apparent in her voice. 

Where are they going to have a date? 

“I have been told that my attendance is mandatory. Because I need to learn how to swing my hips like a proper male,” Azriel responded, his usual dry humour apparent. Cassian could still only stare. 

They were going to have a date!

“You’ll have a fantastic teacher,” Hyacinth said with a wink. 

“Oh, I expect nothing less,” Azriel agreed.

A fantastic teacher. Was Hyacinth going to be the teacher? 

Mor dragged Cassian along with a hand on his arm, calling for Azriel. “Az!”

“Mor. Cassian,” Azriel greeted them, not seeming surprised at all at their sudden appearance. Nor particularly displeased about it or hesitant. 

“Don’t you want to introduce us to your girlfriend?” Mor said, sounding giddy as they arrived at Azriel’s side. 

Yes, Azriel, introduce us to your girlfriend, Cass mentally agreed unable to keep the bright grin off his face. 

What he hadn’t expected was for the blue-haired female to burst into laughter. 

“ Hyacinth is married,” Azriel said drily. “And definitely not my girlfriend.”

And Cassian’s hopes were shattered once again. 

“I am very much spoken for. He is too,” Hyacinth responded, still trying to starve down the laughter, and failing horribly. 

Damnit. 

“What brings you two here?” Azriel asked, still holding onto his flower bouquet.  

“Well, Cassian needs help with a gift for Nesta,” Mor said brightly. “I offered my help.”

Azriel stared at him like Cassian had grown a second head. 

Quite frankly, it was understandable.

But Mor had offered her input and he hadn’t been able to politely turn her down. 

“What’s in that bag?” Azriel asked, nodding to the one lone shopping back that Cassian held, sounding like he didn’t want to know. 

“Well…” Cassian started but Azriel just shook his head. 

“You know what, I don’t want to know. Come on,” he said drily, the flowers disappearing from his hand, being whisked away by his shadows somewhere. “I’ll see you on Friday, Hyacinth!” He called over his shoulder, Hyacinth waving them off the ring to the next customer. 

“Where are we going?” He dared to ask, trailing after Azriel, who walked around the Rainbow like he knew every cobblestone personally. Maybe he did. Goodness knew what Azriel’s shadows got up to when they weren’t busy spying for Rhys. 

“We’ll buy Nesta a proper birthday gift,” Azriel said with a roll of his eyes. 

Mor stopped at a clothing store, staring at a dress in the window. “I’ll catch up with you!” she said brightly and off she went, leaving Cassian with this gift debacle.

 “Mor, really?” Azriel asked with a sigh as soon as she had entered the store.  

“Who else was I supposed to ask?” Cassian gave back defensively.

“Feyre? Elain? Emerie? Gwyn? Rhys?” Azriel suggested drily. “Hell, Amren would have been better.” He muttered under his breath. 

Azriel stopped at a smaller store, the dark blue signage proclaiming it an understated “ The Goldmine”. 

He had never even noticed the shop when he had been in the Rainbow, though a giggling group of young High Faes was leaving it. 

Clearly, it was well-liked in the community. 

Azriel pushed open the door, waving him through.   

“Good Morning,” Azriel greeted the High Fae at the counter, a rounded female with green eyes, a pale complexion, and curly light brown hair. She was very pretty in an unassuming way and greeted Azriel wide-eyed. 

The Goldmine was clearly a jewellery shop, with merchandise laid out in the glass cases on the walls and in the middle of the room. 

Cassian was already feeling slightly overwhelmed and he hadn’t even been asked to pick out anything yet. 

“Oh, I am so sorry, she isn’t there currently,” the High Fae blurted out, blushing as soon as she saw Azriel.  

“I know,” Azriel agreed, looking not surprised in the least. Cassian wondered who they were talking about. “She’s out shopping with Briony. But that’s not why I am here.” That also didn’t answer any of the questions he was having. “Cassian, that’s Penelope,” Azriel introduced Cassian.  “Penelope, Cassian, my brother. Cassian needs a birthday gift for his mate,” Azriel explained patiently. Cassian approached the counter that Azriel was leaning against with some trepidation. 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Penelope greeted him. “What does your mate like to wear as jewellery?” She asked, all business and Cassian drew a blank. 

He could write whole books about what Nesta liked and disliked. He could. 

But right now, he had no idea. 

“Hairpins that double as Stiletto Blades,” he blurted out. Penelope stared at him, green eyes wide. 

“We…We don’t really sell that?” she offered up hesitantly, while Azriel next to him was silently shaking with laughter before he swallowed it down and decided to be helpful. 

“You had new hair combs coming in, didn’t you?” Azriel asked and for one moment Cassian wondered why Azriel knew what kind of new shipments a jewellery store got. 

“We did!” Penelope agreed immediately, pulling out a tray from behind the counter. 

Cassian heard the bell ring behind him, and Azriel waved off Penelope apologising as she started to take care of the newest customer. 

Instead, he took the tray and pushed it in Cassian’s direction. 

“How am I supposed to pick?” he asked with no small amount of trepidation at the dozen choices laid out before him. Every style imagination, in gold and silver and whatever other metal there were there. 

“Pick one that reminds you of Nesta,” Azriel said easily. “And if you only like the shape of one, the gems can be easily changed out,” Azriel assured him, as he picked up one comb, turning it around in scarred hands. 

Cassian went back to staring at the hair combs. 

Every single one of them was a separate work of art. Some more intricate than others. Some with careful engravings, some set with stones, others letting the metal do the talking. He didn’t dare to touch them, even when Azriel carefully turned them in his hands and checked them over. 

“This is moonstone and yellow gold,” Azriel explained softly as he pointed out one with a row of milky-white stones set in yellow gold. “This is amber. Probably from the beaches of Summer Court…This is white opal,” he said as he pointed out another two. 

Cassian’s gaze kept being pulled back to intricate designs with swirls set in diamonds and some kind of red stone, too dark to be ruby. Azriel followed his gaze. 

“You could have the garnets replaced with your siphons,” he suggested evenly. 

“They can do that?” Cassian asked surprised and Azriel gave a soft smile.

“Of course.”

“How did you find this place?” Cassian asked curiously. This wasn’t…Azriel had never worn any kind of jewellery. or at least none that Cassian had ever seen…Azriel picked out the comb that Cassian had picked, turning it over in his hands…and for the first time Cassian saw a thin bracelet stretching over his wrist. It was so black that it would would easily sink into the black of his fighting leathers, so of course that would have made sure that Cassian didn’t notice it. But right now Az wasn’t wearing fighting leathers but a simple dark shirt, and so it stood out more against his skin. 

“I know the owner,” Azriel answered the question, his voice quiet. His scent changed suddenly, to Cassian’s surprise from contentment to happiness. 

“Did you ever buy anything from here?” he asked and Azriel hummed. 

“Of sorts.”

“How can you buy something from sorts?” Cassian wondered. How did that even work? 

“If the person doesn’t let you pay in money, does that count as buying?” Azriel gave back with a shrug. 

What? “How else would you pay?” Cassian asked. How? 

“I get a special discount,” Azriel told him sagely. 

“For what?” Cassian asked and then his jaw dropped when…suddenly it…Was Azriel paying for whatever he bought with sex? 

His brother hit him on the back of his head with zero hesitation. 

“Not that ,” Azriel told him drily. 

“I didn’t say anything!” Cassian snapped. 

"It was written all over your face," Azriel replied, rolling his eyes. “I know the owner. That’s why I get a special discount.”

Fine. 

Still, the hair comb was a way better gift than anything that anything he had come up with lately, so he thanked his brother for that. 

“Thank you.”

“Of course,” Azriel responded easily.

Cassian should just really give up trying to figure out who was Azriel’s special somebody. He was never going to get it right.

[wonijinjin]

THE WEEKND SERIES: CALL OUT MY NAME - CHOI SEUNGCHEOL

author’s note: the first work of the series! i am all for strangers to more tropes so i hope you guys will have fun reading it! take care<3

synopsis: will shared fate with a stranger turn into something more, something you had never expected?

word count: 0.6k | genre: fluff, hurt/comfort, dark themes (apocalypse) | pairing: cheol x gn! reader | warnings: mentions of injury, doctors, apocalypse, death

the masterpost to this series can be found here.

the wind was blowing coldly as you reached the deserted capital, body tired from dragging it all day, not finding anyone near who could help you out. in the distance you could spot a silhouette, a human’s to be exact. “wait!” you shouted from the top of your lungs, taking all of your energy and putting it into a final call before you saw the figure turning around, running in your direction. the pain in your injured leg became unbearable and forced your knees to buckle; luckily the stranger who had arrived by your side just at that moment had caught you, laying you down on the muddy ground. “hi.” you smiled at him while his eyes widened in surprise seeing another human alive. there were not many people who survived the earthquakes or the tsunamis after the collision of the meteor. “nice to meet you.” he smiled back at you, inspecting the wound on your foot. “i guess you got this while trying to escape from the storm.” you wheezed. “good guess, sherlock.” his movements halted and he got a roll of surgical tape and bandaids out from his pocket. “so, do you want me to fix you up? you are not doing so well as i can see.” you nodded immediately, thanking him several times. “i have been searching for signs of life for days, but have seen noone so far.” he shook his head in agreement. “because there is almost no human here as of today. i’m surprised to see you here, never thought i would cross paths with someone here. everyone i know is at the same place, the mall. they gathered there, but they are starting to go crazy so i left.” he explained what he knew about the situation happening. your lack of response and the way you stared into nothing alarmed him and he pulled your body towards his so he could see your eyes. “you with me?” he swung his hand in front of your face. you nodded slowly to ensure that you heard and understood him. “good.” he thought for a moment. “must be shock which got you so quiet all of a sudden.” he finished wrapping up your leg, patting it for good measure. “can you stand?” he questioned with a warm look, one which you missed so much, after so long of not being in contact with others. “hello? i asked if you can stand up and walk.” he was crouching next to you, grabbing your chin to check your eyes again. you assumed that he must’ve been a doctor since he was looking for signs of head injury for sure, you knew this much of first aid. you leaned in without thinking, kissing him quickly. this caught him off guard, but it was so quick and sudden that it was over before he could register what was happening. “sorry, i just needed to check if you were real. i’ve been alone for a while, i wasn’t sure if it was just in my head or not.” he had a weird expression but only for a moment, then caught your wrist and lifted your finger to his face, poking it. “you could’ve just done this, you know.” he laughed sweetly, another thing you had been missing from your life. “you are right…” you whispered shyly, a bit embarrassed. “anyways, i see that you are quite lonely. you can accompany me for the time being if you want to. at least i can make sure your leg actually gets better.” you grinned tiredly. “if i’m gonna be your companion i gotta know your name at least though.” he extended his arm towards you. “just call me seungcheol.”