#swan dive and she met the stars
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theysaidhush · 10 months ago
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⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒
Chapter 1: Animal Farm
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Pairing: Stray Kids x 9th member!OFC
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Warnings:
I'll say this only once, this is the only warning you'll get. Future chapters will contain lot of smut (eventually) angst and fluff. Heavy topics will be discussed (idol life y'know) but I don't wanna spoil it. This story isn't for sensitive person? I don't know how to put it. Just don't read if you think you'll feel uncomfortable!
This is a x OC but will be tagged as a x Reader. I find it difficult to write properly about a character while worrying about making it inclusive and fitting my story. I don't really care about her name or physical apparence though so if you have any suggestion I'm up for it.
No pressure chill under the trees. Updates will not be regular as this story is solely for my entertainment and whenever I feel like writing it. Means that I'll keep on posting even if I don't have any feedbacks but also means that chapter lengths will vary to very short to more words. You can have many chapters the same day, depends on my life, but I don't really like short chapter so ill do my best.
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"I am not being a pain in the ass."
"Yes you are."
"You kinda are."
Minho sent a chilling glance to the boy who was curled up next to him on the living room's couch. It was enough for Jisung to shudder. But the topic was serious, he wasn't about to change his opinion just because his hyung was giving him that look.
"No seriously, you really are."
"Okay."
Minho smiled and kept on doing what he was doing on his phone, ignoring everyone's stare - Jisung's stare particularly. The younger boy was looking intently at him, he was waiting for something, something he was sure his hyung would do. And he did. Like three minutes after. He blew through his nose, still looking at his screen.
"Ah! I knew it!"
"I really don't understand what's the problem. Has she done anything to upset you? We can talk it out like adults."
The couple on the couch looked up from each other and Minho stared at Chan intently yet silently. The leader couldn't really tell what was on the dancer's mind, and it was upsetting him to no extent. Any other day he would have brushed it off as Minho being Minho. The latter was a great friend, he almost considered him his brother, despite not knowing on the tip of his fingers the boy's small quirks and habits. It was a Jisung thing. But now, more than never, he wished he could know him a bit more, he wished for the other boy to let him in.
"I don't want to talk it out with you."
"Minho..."
Jisung's hush whispers was not a warning, yet, it felt like one. He was not scolding his Hyung, he was just trying to appease the tension. Chan's face was contorted in what people would consider anger, but Jisung knew better. He was frustrated.
"This is about the whole group, not just me. I didn’t come to you as a friend, Minho, I'm here as a leader."
And it might have not been the right thing to say. Because Minho frowned, and retreated into silence.
"What a mess." was Jisung's thoughts, his eyes drifting toward his leader’s, whose head was turned toward a silhouette standing in the hallway.
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"No. You can't do this to us."
"You don't have a choice."
"We do! It's my group, our group, we've worked so hard to reach our goals and create the music that will fit us!"
Chan did not know what was more upsetting at the moment; the fact that he was having this conversation while he was sleep deprived - he would blame himself for that latter, saying that it was the reason he couldn't plead their case better - or the fact that he was even having this conversation.
"They've let you do your things, you know that Chan."
"No, they gave up on us, so we had to fight our way to the top! That's what happened."
The word 'top' was a far too big word for Chan, but one he had to use nonetheless to prove his case. They were enough. They were just fine.
"They..." his manager sighed and pinched his nose. The situation was getting out of hands and even he could not do a thing about it. But at the the end of the day, his job was on the line, and he had a family to feed. "They threatened to disband the group if you don't agree to the term."
"Just fine by then! We'll go elsewhere and keep on doing music together."
"You don't understand Chan, think it through! This is not a GOT7 type of situation, they'll take Stray Kids' name, your music, your brand and all that you've accomplished by yourself, and if you do try to prosecute them you'll lose. I've read the contracts, everyone's contract. You can't refuse."
"I can't - " Chan laughed and sat on his chair, running his hands on his face. "This is disgusting and despicable."
"I know, Chan, I'm sorry."
"They just want to make publicity, it'll bury us."
"I know..."
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It was a one in a life time opportunity, the young woman really and truly understood that. She was considered too old to even sit in that room, she was told countless times. Yet, it did not change the fact that she was sitting in that room. The room where all important decisions were made.
She felt uncomfortable, growing uneasy, fighting the urge to scratch her skin off - one bad old habit. Her choices, her decisions; all of those were flashing in her mind like a broken tape, image and pictures of the times she spent practicing to be here - not that much, if you ask her.
Those people stare - those important people's stare was making her fidget in her sit, avoid eye contact. Were they testing her? Waiting for a particular reaction, the one which could get her out of here in a matter of seconds? The room was feeling too warm, she will sweat buckets if she doesn't go out. Right now.
"There you go. Miss?"
They did not even knew her name. It was a bit disappointing, but then again, she was just another someone wandering between those halls, wasn't she?
"Athéna."
"A- Axina..?"
"More like, Ah-thé-nah." she corrected their pronunciation with a soft voice, continuing, "You can google it."
But their glare was enough for her to shut her mouth and look at the ceiling. It was a fool idea to correct them, they were older, knew much more things than her. It was a little unnerving, this whole elder situation was a lot to get accustomed to in South Korea.
"Axina. Have you read the terms and condition of the contract?"
"I have."
"Any reclamation?"
She wanted to laugh at their face, but she couldn't. She did not had it in her to do that. So she nodded, pretending to be genuinely interested by their answer, even if she quite knew what they would say.
"Regarding the whole part of you managing my...image. I'd like to know if it concerns my hair too?"
"Yes, obviously. And your weight too."
Freezing cold in her bones. Was it because the window was opened? Or was it their stares? It was chilling nonetheless. It was sending her back into a period of her life where she had looked at her reflection days and nights to get a glimpse of her ribs and be satisfied with the view.
"Oh."
"You'll have to work on your Korean too, your pronunciation isn't that good."
"What are you?" another one asked, shifting through the page of the contract she had signed.
What she was. Not who. Not her nationality. But what.
"I'm French, mister."
"Great, it'll help with publicity oversea. Are you fluent in English?"
Why was she having this discussion with them?Wasn't she supposed to talk to the manager and the team helping Stray Kids? Why was she sitting in front of JYP's shareholder.
"I'm almost fluent. I've learned while traveling."
"What a shame. If she was prettier we could have scored partnerships with French luxury brands such as Dior or Channel."
"She'll be perfect for the role that will be given to her."
"I guess so."
"We're done with you."
Was it an animal farm? She never felt that disturbed by a conversation in her whole life. She shuddered, getting up from her sit as she grabbed the hem of her sweatshirt to pull on the lose strands. She couldn't help herself but rock back and forth on her feet - another bad habit of her that some even called weird.
"And stop doing that it's weird."
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Chapter 2
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no1tolerateitfan · 5 months ago
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got lovestruck went straight to my head...
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welcome to my girlblog!
colette , fifteen (taylor's version) , january capricorn , she/her , american-french-spanish , tennis , soccer , estj , pinterest girlie , city girl , cabin 10 , ravenclaw , thought daughter , hector forts wife actually
im a girl who loves...
pasta , shoes , fancy dresses , swans , jane austen , fashion , affirmations , grwms , hector fort , fruit salads , history , rome , mason thames , christmas , picnics , brandy melville , spain , navy blue , pink , snow , music , reading , winter , ivy leagues , fc barcelona , evermore , romcoms , coffee , emma chamberlain , models , concerts , any march , period films , the idea of motherhood , adam brody , traveling , brunettes , vogue magazine , nyt games , staying in , autumn , birthday parties , rhode , my family , the sturniolo triplets , france , doing my hair , learning new words , making new friends , nara smith , daydreaming , piercings , my boyfriend , being on dnd , shopping , matcha , setting goals , vanilla everything , summer roberts , real estate , concerts , stuffed animals , girlbloggers , healthy lifestyle , makeup , flowers , animals , halloween , starbucks , early mornings , subdued<3
fangirl favorites
spotify deep dive;
gracie abrams , taylor swift , olivia rodrigo , sabrina carpenter , chappell roan , madison beer , lana del rey , clairo , billie eilish , lizzy mcalpine , noah kahan , maisie peters , laufey , role model , phoebe bridgers , harry styles , reneé rapp , mitski , tate mcrae , cas , paramore , boygenius , beabadoobee , niall horan , conan gray , billy joel , the neighbourhood , fleetwood mac , ethel cain , marley brown , arctic monkeys , abba , the cranberries , alessi rose , mazzy star , zach bryan , chris stapleton , ariana grande , avril lavigne , mckenna grace<3
film files;
little women , la la land , the princess diaries , lady bird , 10 things i hate about you , 13 going on 30 , pretty woman , 27 dresses , the devil wears prada , scream , when harry met sally , call me by your name , 500 days of summer , how to lose a guy in 10 days , notting hill , runaway bride , clueless , priscilla , a rainy day in new york , midnight in paris , corpse bride , the perks of being a wallflower , black swan , dead poets society , harry potter , narnia , enola holmes , beautiful boy , pride and prejudice , the notebook , the proposal , mamma mia , dirty dancing , grease , the parent trap , white chicks , ella enchanted , sixteen candles , she's the man , miss congeniality , my girl , the virgin suicides , the edge of seventeen , the amazing spiderman , mean girls , legally blonde , thirteen , breakfast at tiffany's , girl, interrupted , twilight , uptown girls , star wars , heathers , old disney<3
tv show archive;
grey's anatomy , gossip girl , gilmore girls , the oc , one tree hill , one day , friends , derry girls , baby , pretty little liars , anne with an e , how i met your mother , the office , criminal minds , supernatural , tsitp , bones , the flash , outer banks , suits , stranger things , you , the crown , emily in paris , satc , agggtm , jane the virgin , the vampire diaries , scream queens , supergirl , killing eve , glee , teen wolf , b99 , boy meets world , dawsons creek , smallville<3
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please please please reach out to me if we have the same interests , need to chat , or wanna be moots, i love meeting new ppl and being able to interact with you guys. my sideblog is @vani11alattes , if you wanna check it out! xoxo💗
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sanest-bsd-delegate · 1 year ago
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✫☼☾☁ | ARMED DETECTIVE AGENCY | ☁☾☼✫
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𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐒 (✫) & 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐒 (☾)
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[𝘿𝙖𝙯𝙖𝙞 𝙊𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙪]
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𝐀 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐟é (✫)
Guess its worth a shot, a shot of caffeine
𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬 (✫) [𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥]
Dazai finds Y/N under the Blossom trees.
𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 (✫) (𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥)
They swear as they see, she will be the last soul they will sacrifice for the battle.
Reunions with Blood and Tears (✫) (Requested)
Headcanon: Dazai is reunited with his lover after his escape
History hates lovers (✫)
You and him were something indescribable and sometimes you wish, you never met him
𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 ( ☾ )
Wishes could come true on shooting stars and they hoped theirs did too.
Swan dive (✫) [𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥]
Dazai was lowkey concerned. barely but yes
Little meets (✫) [𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥]
Life is interesting when you have someone to chase to.
Rain ( ☾ )
Drabble: Nothing can ever go wrong, right?
Just for a minute [✫]
Oneshot: For a minute, everything will be fine
𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗘𝗘𝗘 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗘 (✫)
Oneshot: Just one movie night with them [Dazai x reader x chuuya [pm era]]
𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 (✫)
Oneshot: Even after rejection, you still loved him.
Crown (✫)
Prompt: Even if he had to suffer for eternity, he would make you wear the crown.
By the bookstore (✫)
You met him after a long time at the bookstore, with your daughter
𝗣𝗢𝗣𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗥 (Headcanon)
Dazai with a Reader but she more handsome and popular than him
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[𝙍𝙖𝙣𝙥𝙤 𝙀𝙙𝙤𝙜𝙖𝙬𝙖]
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Oblivious in love (✫) (𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥)
No matter how smart they are, love makes them blind
Types of Affection [✫]
Them and how they show each type of Affection. Ft Dazai, Ranpo, Atsushi, Chuuya and Akutagawa
Bliss [star] (requested)
ranpo and y/n eating snickers
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[𝙆𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙠𝙞𝙙𝙖 𝘿𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤]
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𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐰𝐡𝐨'𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 (✫)
Where Kunikida reunites with his old friend, never expecting the events to turn out this way.
Coldshakes (✫) (𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥)
half slipped confessions because in the end we need to pay the bill
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[𝘼𝙩𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙞 𝙉𝙖𝙠𝙖𝙟𝙞𝙢𝙖]
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𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 ( ☾ )
Maybe in another reality, things work out normal
Types of Affection [✫]
Them and how they show each type of Affection. Ft Dazai, Ranpo, Atsushi, Chuuya and Akutagawa
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[𝙔𝙤𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙤 𝘼𝙠𝙞𝙠𝙤]
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𝗚𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝘀 ( ☾ )
Memories are for smiling, even if it pains you
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Back to MASTERLIST
★Taglist★
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pigeoncameras · 7 months ago
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Father, Cleanse me of my Inequity, Wash me from Sin.
As time and space rips itself apart, we come to a scene of a young Charlie Morningstar looking at a fallen angel.
Lucifer at his fall.
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A young girl watches the inferno ahead of her. Born, not condemned in the deepest layer of death. What was a child doing in a place like this?
Just like lightning, with the booming sound of fear, a man fell out of the sky.
Feathers created a circle around the girl, and suddenly, it started pouring. She looked around. What a mess. Is this hysteria?
She looked a little closer. They were angels.
The child walked to the man.
He had light, sepia-like hair that coiled up. Wings stuck out from his back, piercing through his skin. The man was tall, standing over the girl. He had a beautiful figure. Impressing those who looked in his direction. They met eyes.
He looked at her with wrath.
Then his gaze softened. What was a child doing in a place like this?
"Are you an angel?" The girl asked with a soft voice.
"Was." He replied.
She ran her small hands against his wings, slowly, and what was bird like feathers reduced to bare, raw flesh.
The man winced in pain, trying his best to look strong in front of the little girl.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Where does it hurt? I-I'll fix it I swear!" the girl panicked.
"Shh, shh, enough enough dear." he held her face.
She quickly took her hands off and looked down, covering her face. He rubbed her hair.
"It's okay." he forced a smile for her.
"My name is Charlie. C-H-A-R-L-I-E." She smiled, writing the letters in the air.
"You're a good speller, Charlie." he thought for a second. "Lucifer."
"That's a funny name, you're a funny man." Charlie giggled.
...
For a moment, Lucifer felt something he had never felt before. Was it hurt? No, he's used to hurt. But he deserved it, didn't he? Was it admiration? No, that's all he knew, To look up above God's stars, to serve.
Care.
It felt like just seconds ago when he wanted to swan dive to his demise. That's all he had to do.
Pure fucking evil. That's all he was.
...
Charlie walked over onto a cliff, where a little pink horse toy lay. "I think you'll like it here." she showed him her toy. "Do you like horseies? Will you play with me?"
Lucifer hesitated. "Yes, yes I do."
"Is it fun in Heaven? Is God really that bad?"
"I." Lucifer felt his kin crawl. "Bad? No, No."
"But why are you here?" Questions spewed from Charlie's mouth. "Are you visiting us?"
"No, I-" Tripping up like this? In front of a little girl?
You're not good enough, Lucifer.
"No, Charlie, I was cast down here." It felt humiliating, the words that came out of his mouth. "I just, God didn't want me to stay."
"Why?"
"I wasn't..."
Good enough?
Hated your own creator?
Too busy being selfish?
"I had trouble."
"Oh." Charlie snugged her head into Lucifer's chest. "You are a good person, right?"
Were you, Morning Star?
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a/n - first fic i ever posted plz give feedback i might continue this
it was originally for my bf but he said it was bad so im never going back to it sorry
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Nine part one
An hour later, there are several cartons of Chinese food and a PowerPoint cued up. The first slide says: SEXUAL EXPERIMENTATION WITH FOREIGN MONARCHS: A GRAY AREA. Alex wonders if it’s too late to swan dive off the roof.
The next slide is titled: EXPLORING YOUR SEXUALITY: HEALTHY, BUT DOES IT HAVE TO BE WITH THE PRINCE OF ENGLAND? She apologizes for not having time to come up with better titles. Alex actively wishes for the sweet release of death.
“Here’s the thing. I know I put a lot on you. But I do it because I trust you. You’re a dumbass, but I trust you, and I trust your judgment. I promised you years ago I would never tell you to be anything you’re not. So I’m not gonna be the president or the mother who forbids you from seeing him.”
She takes another breath, waiting for Alex to nod that he understands.
“But,” she goes on, “this is a really, really big fucking deal. This is not just some person from class or some intern. You need to think really long and hard because you are putting yourself and your career and, above all, this campaign and this entire administration, in danger here. I know you’re young, but this is a forever decision. Even if you don’t stay with him forever, if people find out, that sticks with you forever. So you need to figure out if you feel forever about him. And if you don’t, you need to cut it the fuck out.”
Anyway, I found this part of a letter he wrote to Laurens, and it made me think of you. And me, I guess:
The truth is I am an unlucky honest man, that speak my sentiments to all and with emphasis. I say this to you because you know it and will not charge me with vanity. I hate Congress―I hate the army―I hate the world―I hate myself. The whole is a mass of fools and knaves; I could almost except you …
Thinking about history makes me wonder how I’ll fit into it one day, I guess. And you too. I kinda wish people still wrote like that.
History, huh? Bet we could make some.
Or are you suggesting you’d rather exchange passionate letters by candlelight?
Should I tell you that when we’re apart, your body comes back to me in dreams? That when I sleep, I see you, the dip of your waist, the freckle above your hip, and when I wake up in the morning, it feels like I’ve just been with you, the phantom touch of your hand on the back of my neck fresh and not imagined? That I can feel your skin against mine, and it makes every bone in my body ache? That, for a few moments, I can hold my breath and be back there with you, in a dream, in a thousand rooms, nowhere at all?
I think perhaps Hamilton said it better in a letter to Eliza:
You engross my thoughts too entirely to allow me to think of any thing else―you not only employ my mind all day; but you intrude upon my sleep. I meet you in every dream―and when I wake I cannot close my eyes again for ruminating on your sweetness.
Even after all this, I still always feel like I want to know more of you. Does that sound crazy? I just sit here and wonder, who is this person who knows stuff about Hamilton and writes like this? Where does someone like that even come from? How was I so wrong?
It’s weird because I always know things about people, gut feelings that usually lead me in more or less the right direction. I do think I had a gut feeling with you, I just didn’t have what I needed in my head to understand it. But I kind of kept chasing it anyway, like I was just going blindly in a certain direction and hoping for the best. I guess that makes you the North Star?
I wanna see you again and soon. I keep reading that one paragraph over and over again s you know which one. I want you back here with me. I want your body and I want the rest of you too.
P.S. Allen Ginsberg to Peter Orlovsky―1958:
Tho I long for the actual sunlight contact between us I miss you like a home. Shine back honey & think of me.
If I’m north, I shudder to think where in God’s name we’re going.
So the Prince wore it, and for many years, he believed it was right.
Until he met the most devastatingly gorgeous peasant boy from a nearby village who said absolutely ghastly things to him that made him feel alive for the first time in years and who turned out to be the most mad sort of sorcerer, one who could conjure up things like gold and vodka shots and apricot tarts out of absolutely nothing, and the prince’s whole life went up in a puff of dazzling purple smoke, and the kingdom said, “I can’t believe we’re all so surprised.”
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ironclawallosaur · 2 years ago
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Glynn: Homecoming
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The night was dark, the wind cold and damp. Glynn stood on the rough stone of Cindercone’s newly-completed borderwall, facing north.
Closure was something of an alien concept to a tundra. She could remember before, pain fading into the murky depths of the past. Perhaps that was a sign that she really wasn’t a tundra anymore, at heart.
She could always return, she knew. The alchemy that had transformed her should be long-faded. But she would miss the power and agility of her banescale form. If that was going to be her going forward, she had to know.
The first step was the hardest. It took her many long minutes to finally work up the courage to drop from the wall and take flight.
Glynn flapped steadily, building speed and height until she could enter the jet stream headed north. She caught a glimpse of the misty form of an exalt to Windsinger, tending to the rapidly-moving road of wind. An omen? She shook her head. Of what?
Glynn’s flock lived in the deep waters where Tidelord’s domain lapsed into Shadowbinder’s. It hadn’t been a long swim to the Rogue’s Camp from there, but it was a long night’s journey even on the jet stream. There were no Arcane gates close by, however, and the running start of the long flight left her with time to try to think what to say to them.
The horizon over Glynn’s right wing was just beginning to lighten when she saw the lights of Flotsamtown below her. She began her descent not long after, transitioning seamlessly from air to water with a practiced dive.
Here the currents were cold, chilled by Shadowbinder’s gloomy influence. She dove, flapping at the water with half-closed wings. Her wings were beginning to burn with fatigue by the time she came within her blunted scenting-distance, and finally could be sure she was in the right place.
Downward, ever downward. The cold water was ripping at her lungs as she panted, but at long last she could see the entrance to the submerged cave.
Long ago—no precise records had been made—her flock had burrowed into soft side of the shore, digging a long, winding tunnel and enabling them to form a mixed air-and-water lair beneath the fringes of the Driftwood Strand. She emerged into a dimly-lit cavern carpeted in subterranean clover and star moss, walls draped in dark creepers and dusk jadevine. She coughed the water out of her lungs, and took a deep breath of the familiar scents. Mushrooms, driftwood, the low-light plants, tannic water. Home.
It took her a moment to register the startled chuffing noises as the tundras closest to the entrance-pool noticed the intruder.
Dread rose up in her heart. Glynn lingered in the pool, floating at the surface like an awkward, scaly swan. The muscles of her wings and back were trembling, creating ripples around her.
“Intruder!” one voice barked.
Then another. “Intruder!”
Another, “How did you come here!”
They were closing ranks, as more tundras awoke and came to block the entrance pool with a solid wall of fur and horn.
“Wait!” she called. “I’m Glynn! I’m from here!”
To her surprise and delight, the crowd paused. Questioning heads extended toward her before returning to a defensive bow.
“Glynn?” one asked.
“The name is familiar.” another said.
One small female pushed past the line, and sniffed Glynn carefully from the shore. “You smell like a friend.”
It was more than Glynn had really hoped. She really should have met them on the surface, she realized, when they came out to graze and harvest mushrooms.
The line remained, but they relaxed from battle stances to passive watchfulness. Glynn clambered out of the pool, though she stayed close by. Several of the flock gathered around her, looking curious. They concurred: she smelled like a friend, but they couldn’t really remember her.
Glynn bowed her head, then awkwardly recoiled, realizing it could easily be read as a threat.
“What’s going on here?”
That voice she could remember immediately. The patriarch pushed his way through the now-loose line. A huge male that looked to Glynn’s eyes almost to be a throwback to the gaolers, he had a growling, deep voice that could have belonged to a guardian, and stood taller at the shoulders than any of the others, though Glynn’s new form still towered over him.
“My name is Glynn.” Glynn let her head droop as far as it could without pointing her horns or spines at anyone. “You probably don’t remember me—”
The patriarch snorted. “Of course I remember you, Glynn. You don’t smell that different.”
Glynn arched back, surprised. “How? I don’t even remember your name—”
“Matrachos.” He flicked his wings as if to sweep aside a wall of creepers. “And it’s irrelevant.”
The name sparked against his scent. Of course. Details began reemerging, though slowly.
“I just… wanted to see the home flock again.” she said. Even as the words left her mouth they sounded stupid. “I’ll go now.”
Matrachos snorted, and continued forward, pushing his head gently into her flank. “I’m not chasing you out, Glynn. Of course you’re welcome here.” He paused. “Though you’ll have to make your own scrape, no one’s sleeping-place will be big enough for you.” He shook his head, fluffing out his mane. “You are a daughter of our clan, no matter your form. You will always be welcome here.”
Overwhelmed, it was all Glynn could do not to break down crying on the spot.
Matrachos sniffed her over again. “You’re exhausted!” he said, and cuffed her gently on the side. “Were you flying all night? Come, go rest. We’ll talk once I’m back from dayforaging.”
*
Glynn awoke as the flock returned, chattering and enthusiastic. She barely remembered laying down in the dense clover mounds. She must have been more tired than she realized.
She sat up, shaking the grogginess out of her head.
A crowd quickly gathered, holding aloft cave jewel tails, gathered unicorn and cerdae dust, captured fairies, and foxfire mushrooms aloft.
“What kind of dragon are you, friend?” asked one.
“Where are your forefeet?” asked another.
Glynn awkwardly fielded questions, trying to explain what banescales were, that Flamecaller hadn’t made them with forefeet, and otherwise field dozens of more or less obvious questions.
At last the crowd dispersed, Patriarch Matrachos pushing aside the last few hatchlings. He sat down next to her, and for a very long time no words passed between them.
“You all right?” he asked at length, eyeing her.
“I think so.” Glynn heaved a sigh.
“I’m not really sure what you two-foot dragons eat.” Matrachos continued, pushing a package at her. “So I tried to find a little of everything. There are some geckos in here, too.”
Glynn teased the package open with her teeth to find a few land snails ensconced in their shells, a stunned hellbender, and a plump bluegill, as well as a selection of her favorite mushrooms. Touched, she stared down at the tundra, who must have traveled to Plague to get the snails. “I—thank you.”
“So what are two-foot dragons, anyway? Do you still answer to Tidelord? What sort of purpose do you serve?”
Glynn sighed. “Banescales were once mighty warriors made by Flamecaller, in the days of the great wars. They were almost wiped out by great tundra-like dragons called gaolers, made by Icewarden, but a few survived to hatch when a magma shift enlivened the nest. They are often employed as guards now, and scouts.”
“ ‘They’ .” Matrachos repeated, flicking an ear forward as if to better hear her words.
“Well, I’m not really one, am I?” Glynn grumbled. “I’m just a lost tundra dressing up as one.”
Matrachos put a forefoot against her flank, gently. “And I was hatched a mirror. What of it?”
She blinked back at him, taken aback. “You were?”
He nodded. “I was part of a shore-dwelling pack when I first saw this flock. At first I was curious, and then I fell in love.” He tilted his head back. “So I found a witch in the deep woods back there to turn me, so I could live among them.”
“Do you miss it?” Glynn asked.
Matrachos shrugged. “Of course I do, occasionally. It’s hard to tire after only an hour or two of running, and I can’t eat fish I used to enjoy very often, or see my old brothers most of the time. But I love my flock, and they love me.” He cleared his throat, and looked up toward the vague shape of the ceiling. “My point is, you become what you are. If you don’t want to turn back, you should learn to be a… ‘banescale’ did you say?”
Glynn nodded. “But I’ll miss you.” To her disgust, her voice shook with repressed tears.
Matrachos snorted, and cuffed her again. “You said the same thing when you left. I told you you’d always be welcome back. And you always came back… until you didn’t.” He sighed. “You didn’t stop being part of this flock, any more than my brothers stopped being related to me. We are blood, and we always will be.”
Glynn drew in a deep, ragged breath, full of the scents of home and family, and nodded. It was as if some snapper had finally left her back, and her skin seemed to fit a little better.
They sat in silence for a long time after that.
“So what do you do?” Matrachos asked at length.
Glynn waggled her head. “This and that. I’m on the border patrol, and I do a lot of fishing. Sometimes I sell my services as a raider.”
Matrachos mulled that over. “Sounds like the other two-foot dragons you talk about.”
She pulled back. “I started that when I left the clan. Not just now.”
Matrachos shrugged. “Not my point.” He ran a claw through the fur of his other forefoot, tugging out tangles. “None of us is really so different that it can’t be bridged, are we? There are tundras who run with the mirrors back in the Wasteland, and there are mirrors who live in enclaves like this fishing. All I’m saying is, you’ll do well as a two-foot, and the only thing separating you from this family is your own decision to leave.” He said the last part without any rancor, a plain statement.
Glynn nodded.
“So will we be seeing you every season again?” Matrachos pressed after a while.
“Count on it.” Glynn said, and she meant it wholeheartedly.
Author's Note: I originally pictured Glynn as coming from the southern Outer Ocean, but I couldn't find a good spot for her flock, and besides moving them up to Water/Shadow made Glynn's coming to the Rogue's Camp much more logical. So any old lore about her flock is outdated. They mostly produce Water tundras, but some are Shadow, and darker eyes like Glynn's are common.
One of a couple of short stories from during and after the Night of the Nocturne.
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ilovemesomekillianjones · 4 years ago
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In the Still of the Night
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Here is my contribution for the Captain Swan Neverland New Year event! You guys, I am so excited to be writing again!!!! Thank you @xhookswenchx for beta reading this baby for me.  Kudos to the mods of @neverlandnewyear for thinking up and putting together this treasure that is Captain Swan in Neverland. Tag list at the end, please let me know if you ever want to be removed or added. 
Summary: Set after Henry is safe (no Pan switch) but before the gang is able to leave Neverland. When Emma is woken in the still of the night, from dreams of a devilishly handsome pirate captain, she decides she needs a midnight swim to cool off. In which Hook and a daringly open Emma have a meeting of the mind, body, and soul. 
     Rated M          8K          ao3           ffnet          Story under the cut, promise
It was the middle of the night when Emma woke, a sweltering, sweaty mess. “Why is this island so fucking hot,” she muttered into the darkness. Having a lascivious dream about Hook had absolutely naught to do with her elevated temperature, it was undoubtedly this goddamn jungle. Now that Pan had been conquered, and Henry was safe, Emma found she was having an increasingly difficult time keeping the smoldering, blue-eyed pirate off of her mind. She needed to get back to Storybrooke, back to some semblance of normalcy... or whatever. She silently cursed Gold for not having found a way to get her father home safely yet. 
Ripping the covers from her body, she got up from her bunk below Henry’s and checked on him. Seeing that he was sound asleep, she headed topside. The deck of the Jolly Roger was blessedly deserted. Emma leaned against the railing, looking toward the vast jungle that was Neverland and she shuddered despite the hot, humid air that surrounded her. The shudder wasn’t due to the jungle itself. Since they’d defeated Pan, Hook had shown the group many of the island’s hidden beauties. He had stories for every spot he showed them, some hilarious, some melancholy, some quite ordinary, and others downright terrifying. There were quaint trails, refreshing springs and ponds, fascinating wildlife and vibrant plant life. It was actually quite a dream destination when a maniacal man-boy wasn’t playing psycho. 
No, it wasn’t the jungle causing that shudder. She couldn’t get that goddamn kiss off her mind. Emma bit her lip as she reminisced about the way his lips had caressed hers, the way his tongue had slipped into her mouth hungrily but also tenderly. A one-time thing, she’d told Hook. Now if she could just maintain that lie, because that’s what it had been. She really needed Gold to find a way to magic David’s health back so they could get off this god forsaken island already. 
She decided that the time for sleep was past, she was wide awake now, with thoughts of that damn pirate. A midnight dip would be ideal, especially while everyone was asleep. Emma left the Jolly Roger and headed toward the secluded pond that Hook had shown them. Once they’d no longer had to worry about being attacked, they’d created a regular schedule for bathing, so everyone had their own time. Luckily, no one’s time was right now.
Traversing quietly through the jungle, Emma admired the beauty around her. The greenery was lush, the effulgent dew made it seem more alive than any plants she’d ever been around. The blossoms surrounding the path were some of the largest she’d ever seen - they were dazzling pinks and oranges. She wondered if she had missed all this in her haste, fatigue, and desperation while finding Henry, or if the jungle had only come to life since the man-child was no more. 
She followed the trail Hook had shown them, until she came upon the pond that was shrouded below an overhang at the base of what Hook had referred to as Dead Man’s Peak. The name hadn’t initially inspired comfort in the group, but when David explained to them that the water at the top of the peak was what had cured him, their perspectives changed. Emma swore there must be some restorative properties here at the base because she always felt rejuvenated when emerging from the water.
Stripping as soon as she broke the tree line, she discarded her clothes beneath a tree along the sandy shoreline. Her flesh pebbled as it met the open air, and she felt a freeness as she walked to the water’s edge. She dipped her toes in tentatively, knowing the water would be agreeable as always. Emma was immersed thigh deep before diving down below the surface and swimming toward the middle. 
The water sluiced around her body soothingly while she held her breath as long as she could, before breaking the surface. Emma pushed her hair back then ran her hands over her face before opening her eyes. She enjoyed this spot, a sandbar of sorts, deep enough to cover her body, shallow enough that she could still reach, and far enough from all surrounding shore should anyone happen upon her.
The silence that enveloped her was serene and she looked up at the star filled sky. A shooting star floated across the heavens, but just as Emma was about to make a wish, the water beside her opened up as something emerged. The scream that started to bubble up from deep within her, as a hundred thoughts filled her mind on what unimaginable Never-beast this could be, was cut off by a voice she was not expecting to hear.
“Evening Swan!”
“Jesus Christ, Hook!” Emma gasped. Thank god she was in shoulder deep water. “Wait, did you… were you watching when I… you know,” she asked while motioning toward her body.
“Did I what?” Hook asked, genuine confusion furrowing his brow.
“Did you see me undressing?”
“You wound me, Swan… I would never!”
“Oh, tonight you’re the gentleman?”
“I told you, I am always a gentleman,” he claimed in a rich tone as he took a step closer to her. “Spying on a lady as she undresses would be unthinkably bad form.”
“Then where the hell were you?” 
“I was underwater.”
“For the whole time?” she asked disbelievingly. 
“Aye. I’m a pirate, love, when you live a life on the water, it’s best you be able to hold your breath for longer than the average landlubber. Never know when you might find yourself keelhauled.”
“Landlubber,” Emma scoffed, “I can hold my breath just fine.” 
“I’ve no doubt you can, just not as long as meself,” he smirked.
Emma narrowed her eyes at the challenge in his tone. What was it about this man that had her wanting to comply with his every whim? She’d held her breath for as long as she could when she dove into the water, if he’d been under from the time she’d stripped until he popped up to interrupt her wish, that had to be like two full minutes? No way, she thought, he must have come up for air while she was under.
“Bet I can,” she challenged back.
“Is that so?” Hook asked, crowding her a little more, eyebrow cocked in interest. “And just what are the terms of this bet?”
If ever asked under oath, Emma would swear his eyebrows spoke a language all their own. “If I win, I get the Captain’s quarters,” Emma replied, crossing her arms over her chest smugly - as if she’d already won.
“I told you before, Swan, you and the lad should have my quarters.”
“I don’t want it given to me, I want to take it from you.”
“Fine,” he sighed, “such a stubborn lass. And if I win?”
“You tell me,” Emma said with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Hmmmm,” he hummed, as the tip of his tongue swept along his bottom lip. “How about…” he continued, tapping his pointer finger to his lips.
Emma leaned toward him with anticipation as he pondered the terms to set. 
“I get to ask you any question I want.”
“Seriously?” Emma sputtered, head tilting to the side, it was rhetorical at best, not an actual question. “You’re taking this gentleman schtick a little over the top. I thought you’d want me to flash my tits or another kiss?”
“I told you, love, I am always a gentleman, and as such, I would never want to take a kiss from you in victory, I want it given to me, willingly. I want you to want it as much as I do.”
Emma blushed as he spoke, damn him for being a chivalrous pirate. “Whatever,” Emma muttered, “I’m winning this bet anyway.”
“So, we have an accord?” he questioned, holding out his hand for her to shake.
“Deal,” Emma said, shaking his hand. “How will we know no one cheated?”
“I do have a code, Swan,” Hook scoffed, “pillaging and plundering, yes; swashbuckling, yes; swindling beautiful maidens, never.” He held his hand over his heart as if he were making a pledge. 
Emma smiled at the actual drama queen standing before her, laughing lightly, it felt good. “Okay, so how are we doing this thing?” Hook held up his hand like he was about to take an actual oath, and Emma was half inclined to high-five him, though she was sure that was not his intent. 
“Take my hand then,” he prompted, nodding his head toward his hand. Once her fingers were laced with his, he explained that he would count to three and they’d both submerge to the bottom, first one up was the loser, and the winner would know, because the loser would release the winner’s hand to reach the surface for air. 
On three they submerged, and Emma could not see a thing. Hook was inches from her, and the only indication was his hand in hers. Feeling the comfort of his grasp in the eerily dark abyss, she pondered over the fact that she’d interlocked their fingers, instead of just holding hands palm in palm. She really needed off this island, she couldn’t be falling for him. Life was too hard for a relationship. Or was it really too hard, the rarely heard from, softer side of Emma Swan’s mind butted in. It could be so easy, this voice told her. 
When Hook had told her that he would win her heart without any trickery, Emma’s heart had beat a little stronger just for him, she’d wanted to pull him into her arms to make out right there. Alas, there had still been the issue of her beloved child to save.
Would it really be so bad to let Hook try to win her heart though? He truly was a gentleman, a pirate scoundrel sometimes too, but it was part of his charm. Plus, her lie detector said that everything he’d told her regarding how he felt about her, about what the kiss exposed, it was all true.
Emma’s mind wandered back to Storybrooke, to what it might be like to have someone who understood her, someone who was like her, to spend time with. The squeeze he gave her hand at that moment had her picturing what it might be like to walk through town with him, hand in hand. Was that even something she could still do, be that vulnerable, for the world to see her care for a man? She’d been on her own for so long, independent; free from any man who could hold her heart with the possibility of crushing it. 
Suddenly she felt dizzy, head spinning and heart pounding loudly in her ears. Had she held her breath too long, or were her outlandish imaginings too much for her stoic heart? Releasing Hook’s hand, Emma rose to the surface and gulped in the air. Pushing water and hair from her face, she panted deeply. She wondered how long they’d been down there already as Hook continued his underwater mission. Leave it to him to not only win, but really show her up. 
A full minute later, Emma began to worry. Unless she’d been down there an inordinately short amount of time, he’d been under for at least two and a half minutes. Was that even possible? Had he passed out in his endeavor to “best her”? She started to actually worry for his health when another thirty seconds passed. 
“Goddammit Hook, where are you?” she muttered.
“Miss me, love?” 
“Oh, goddammit!” she yelled as she flailed so hard, she was pretty sure she’d just flashed her breasts unwittingly. The bastard wasn’t even out of breath when he popped up right in front of her. “Stop doing that,” she laughed as she pushed his chest. “Why’d you stay down so long, you big showoff?” 
“On the contrary, I could feel you thinking down there, the amount of body language just in your hand told me you were contemplating some things. I merely wished to give you enough time to escape, should this game have become too much for you.”
“Escape?” she scoffed.
“Now, now, Swan - we both know of your affinity to run,” he said lightly, no accusations or contempt in his voice.
“Says the pirate who sailed away when asked to be a part of something,” Emma retorted. 
“I came back, didn’t I?” he questioned with a raised eyebrow. “You, on the other hand, left me to be eaten by a giant atop that beanstalk.”
“You’re so dramatic,” she laughed. “I made a deal with Anton to release you after ten hours, I just needed a head start, in case you…” Emma’s voice lowered to a whisper, not wanting to voice her early assumptions about his motives and intentions.
“In case I betrayed you,” Hook finished. 
“Sorry,” she whispered, looking straight into his eyes, imploring him to believe the sincerity of her words. Although she’d had her reasons at the time, it didn’t make her feel less terrible now. 
“Long forgiven, milady,” he whispered in turn. Then, in the next breath, he was back to the cocky pirate she knew. “Now, I do believe I won, and per our accord, you owe me the fee of one truth.”
“Congratulations,” Emma offered, extending her hand to shake, “you won, fair and square.” No trickery, she thought. Then she crossed her arms over her chest, which was still underwater, so it didn’t make her look menacing at all as she jutted out her chin and raised both eyebrows in a silent challenge to do his worst. 
“Why thank you, Swan. Hmmm, what shall I ask you?” he spoke, as if pondering his many choices. “There are truly so many things I wish to learn about you, I want to know everything, really.”
Emma’s eyebrows lowered as a shy smile crept over her face. It was stupid, she knew, but having this man before her, admit that he wants to know everything about her made her feel… cherished, adored, wanted. It was a foreign feeling after so many years of being alone. “Well, you only get one free question,” she said, trying to deflect the saccharine sweet feelings he was stirring within her.
"Pity, that, but I do remember the terms of our agreement. I do have one question picked out that I simply must know the answer to, before I endeavor to learn more. Fair warning, I may not have an Emma Swan internal lie detector,” he said as he leaned in closer to her, “but as I told you before, you are a bit of an open book, so I’ll know if you’re twisting the truth.” 
“I would never,” Emma objected dramatically, holding a hand over her heart as he had so often done when feigning injury to his pride.
“Good,” he replied, taking a step even closer. “Then tell me, love, when you said our kiss was a one time thing, did you mean it? And if you did mean it when you said it, do you feel the same now?”
 His close proximity was making her feel a little less confident than the facade she was putting on, but Emma didn’t break the heady eye contact he’d made, a beautiful shade of blue, looking into her, reading her. And how was the kohl that rimmed his eyes unaffected by the water? She might have to pillage some of that from him, it put her realm’s cosmetics to shame. God he was gorgeous as the moonlight shined down on them, she’d never noticed the hint of red to the scruff along his sharp jawline. “That’s two questions,” she murmured breathily as she thought of nibbling along that jawline. 
“Shall I rephrase?”
“Oh, the hell with it, I never meant it,” she confessed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her bare chest against his and kissing him soundly. 
As their lips collided hungrily, over and over, Emma was pretty sure she heard Hook mumbling thanks to the gods. She felt a little of that same relief, as she finally admitted that denying herself this thing that she wanted was ridiculous now that everyone was safe. Running her fingers through his thick hair, she gave it a little tug, angling his head so she could deepen the kiss. The groan he elicited was sinful and it kind of made Emma want to rub herself all over him. 
Instead she ran her other hand over his chest, deciding to take her time, she’d wanted to feel that chest hair since the first time she’d seen it proudly on display. It wasn’t quite what she expected since they were both wet and it was matted to his chest. She smirked when he jumped, his hand tightening involuntarily in her hair as she ran a thumb over his nipple. 
“A little sensitive, Captain?” she teased, looking up at him through her long lashes.
“Aye,” Hook chuckled, “‘s been awhile.”
It’d been a long dry spell for her as well. And it’d been even longer since feeling any true emotion when with a man. It had merely been scratching an itch for so long that she was a little scared what this all meant. The tingling, unadulterated want she felt in every nerve of her body far outweighed the fear though. “Touch me,” she whispered as she wrapped both arms around his waist.
 “Bloody Hell, you’ll be the death of me, woman,” he muttered as he kissed her once more. He wrapped his good arm around her and pulled her in close. Trailing a path from her mouth to her ear, he bit gently on her lobe, and it was his turn to smirk as a shiver ran through Emma’s entire body.  “Would you be opposed to taking this back on land?” 
“We just got clean, I don’t want sand in every crack and crevice,” she giggled while wrinkling her nose. 
“Aye, that would be less than optimal,” Hook agreed, “though the place I have in mind won’t get your nether regions sandy.”
“What’s wrong with right here, right now?” Emma challenged. She was pulled up short when Hook’s cheeks went pink and he scratched behind his ear as he did so often when he was feeling slightly unsure of himself. Truth be told, Emma found it cute, although she’d never tell him that, she doubted the fearsome pirate captain wanted cute to be correlated to his reputation. 
“It’s just, I’d rather…”
Brushing the hair from his forehead, Emma smoothed her thumb over the worry line that creased his brow.  “What’s wrong?” she asked. When he made no attempt to answer, Emma decided to employ his own tactics against him. “Try something new, Hook. It’s called trust.”
Emma internally cheered as one of Hook’s mega watt smiles overtook his face. The smile that showed those adorable (another word she was sure he would not want associated with him) dimples, and crinkled the corners of his eyes. 
“Touché lass,” he conceded, “I’d rather be able to have use of all my appendages.”
Emma raised an eyebrow, gazing very obviously in the direction of his most manly appendage. “Ummm, it felt like it was working just fine to me.” 
“Christ, Swan,” he chuckled, “I assure you, everything is ready, willing, and able in that department. I’d like my hook.”
Emma’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened as she thought, not for the first time, about what that hook would feel like against her heated skin. 
“It’s okay, love, if it repulses you, I can just wear the brace without the hook.” 
Emma shook her head, a frown downturning her brows and her lips, “Stop-”
“But I assure you,” Hook continued without letting Emma speak, “if the hook repulses you, the wound will surely-”
Emma’s hand over his mouth was more effective in shutting him up. “Stop it,” she demanded, “right now.” 
Hook was a little taken aback by being commanded by the fiery version of Emma, he’d seen her fiery side before, and he liked it, he liked every part of her. He wasn’t taken aback by her fire, rather he wasn’t used to being bossed around. He was the boss. But as he stood there, with her hand over his mouth, he realized he’d follow her orders any day. 
“Do you think I’m unaware that you don’t have a left hand?”
Hook shook his head in the negative, since her hand was still covering his mouth.
“Do you think I’m so shallow as to be repulsed by your hook or your brace or your wound?”
Hook took longer to answer this time, contemplating what he’d said and what she was asking. He supposed his words may have left room for misinterpretation. Slowly shaking his head no again, Emma removed her hand from his mouth.
“Good,” she stated simply, reaching for his left wrist before he even realized she'd made a move. 
His head spun when he felt Emma’s touch upon his scarred flesh and his knee-jerk reaction was to pull away from her grasp. He struggled to find the words through the haze. “It was not my intent to imply you are shallow, Emma. It is my own reticence.” 
“Trust me,” she whispered as she took his left wrist again. Wrapping both of her hands around his forearm and blunt wrist. Emma repeated the words comfortingly as she placed the arm he was so ashamed of between her breasts and held it there, where he could feel her heart beating. 
“Your hook, your brace, or just this,” she squeezed his wrist, “has no bearing on how I feel about you. I care about you, Hook.” Her voice sounded shaky, even in her own ears. “You came back for me, you helped save my son, you make me feel wanted, you make me feel good about being me.” Removing one hand from his damaged skin, Emma wrapped it around the back of his neck and pulled his forehead to hers before closing her eyes and continuing. “I’m not ready for this part, and I apologize, because that is my hang up.”
“Hang up?” he questions.
“A simpleton’s way of saying reticence,” she answers with a small smile before continuing. “I hate words, they make things real, and messy, and although I mean everything I’m saying, that’s all I can handle right now. Please just…” she inhaled sharply as she tried to articulate her plea to let this be enough. 
“I understand,” he whispered, voice just as shaky as Emma’s. He placed his hand on her cheek, lovingly caressing the softness of her lower lip. “And I do trust you, love.” He pecked her lips once before continuing. “I know you don’t like words, that much was clear from the start,” he said with a knowing smile and another peck to her lips, “but I’d like to respond, if you’re amenable?”
Emma nodded her head, eyes still closed, still reeling from her own confessions. 
Hook kissed her gently again before prodding her to open her eyes. “I want you to see the truth of my words.” 
Emma inhaled deeply, then opened her eyes to look at him. She bit her lip, a nervous habit from her teen years, as she waited for his words.
“I want to be the one to bite this lip,” Hook growled, as he used his thumb to massage her lip from her teeth.
“Truth,” Emma giggled despite herself, nodding to let him know her lie detector was working.
Hook waggled his eyebrows and smirked at her, before resuming his more resolute demeanor. “I have never felt more naturally drawn to a woman than I do with you. Your fire and passion brought my dormant heart back to life, and for the first time in decades upon decades, I want to be a better version of myself, a version that has been long forgotten, the old Killian Jones who was an honorable man, with good intentions, and hope in his heart, not revenge.”
“You may have lost your way for a time, but you’re still an honorable man, Killian.”
“Gods above,” Hook murmured as he wrapped both arms around Emma and pulled her into nothing more than a loving embrace. He was in love with her, but now was not the time. Emma would undoubtedly run if any grand declarations were made. He hadn’t felt this vulnerable maybe ever and he longed to hear her call him by his given name again. 
“Emma? Hook?! What the hell?”
Emma froze in Hook’s embrace as the familiar, and annoying, and currently very judgmental voice sounded from the shore.
“Bollocks,” Hook cursed. “How shall we handle this, darling?”
“Can we just pretend he’s not there,” she deadpanned, face still buried in her neck, trying to keep reality at bay.
“Somehow I doubt that will work, but you are The Savior, you could give it a go.”
Emma sighed deeply before turning around in Hook’s arms, her back to his chest, so she could face their interloper. She placed her hands over his hand and wrist where they were wrapped around her waist. It was still dark as she faced Neal, so hopefully he wouldn’t see the eyeroll she’d just given him when she saw this silhouette of his hands on his hips like some outraged father. 
“Good morning, Neal,” she called to the shore cheerfully. “I must have lost track of time, I didn’t realize it was already your shift for bathing.”
“It’s not,” he muttered, “it’s still the middle- not the fucking point,” he interrupted himself. “It’s not your shift either, what the hell are you doing out here?”
As much as Emma wanted to tell Neal that she and Hook were doing exactly what he assumed they were doing, she abstained.  “I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” she snapped. 
“It is my business,” he snarled back, “we’re supposed to be here for Henry.”
“Don’t you dare!” Emma started, voice rising with rightfully earned indignation. “We came here to save Henry who is now safe and sound aboard the Jolly, but the reason we are here is because your deranged fiancée dragged him through a portal to sacrifice him to a madman.” 
“So you’re just going to throw away any chance of rekindling what we had, of being a family with Henry; so you can get laid by a dirty pirate.”
Emma pulled Hook’s arms around her tighter, keeping him anchored to her when she felt him start to pull away. She didn’t need these two getting into it again. 
“Oi! I bathe quite frequently, mate,” Hook quipped. “I was doing so when Swan and I happened upon each other.”
“Shut up, Hook,” Neal retorted.
“The one good thing that came from us, was Henry, but our relationship is long over. There is nothing to rekindle,” Emma sighed. She didn’t want to be mean, but she needed Neal to understand that she wanted nothing to do with him romantically. And she was not going to be lectured by the man who’d already blown up her life once. “Maybe one day, you and I can be friends for Henry’s sake, but that is the most we will ever be.”
“Ems, you don’t mean that. You’re under his thrall, it’s not real.”
Emma completely ignored the bait, choosing instead to stop this exchange in its tracks. “Hook and I are kind of busy,” she said with a lighthearted tone, while turning back around to face Hook. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she called over her shoulder, ”If there’s nothing else, we’ll see you later.”
“You mark my words Emma, when he abandons you after taking what he wants, you’re going to look back and regret this moment.”
“He’s stuck around through more shit than you ever did,” she called back, looking straight into Hook’s eyes.
Properly dismissed, Neal stormed off, muttering curses the whole way.
Emma dropped her head to Hook’s chest, exhaling with relief. “That felt good,” she said. 
“Well done, lass, though I’ve yet to see you fail, so I am not surprised Baelfire is no match for you. But perhaps we should make our way back as well,” Hook suggested. “I do believe he will be stirring the pot, come morning. You may want to be there to head off the storm.”
“I don’t care if he goes back to tell everyone, it’s not like it’s a lie, and at least this way, they will know we’re safe, and not missing. With any luck, we’ll be left alone for a bit,” she purred.
“Are you sure your parents will approve of you spending time with a dirty, one-handed pirate with a drinking problem?”
Emma’s head jerked up and she eyed him scrutinously. “First, you need to get Pan and Neal out of your head. Second, the only person who gets to decide who I spend my time with, or how I spend it, is me. And third, how do you know I don’t want you to be dirty,” she teased as she took command of his mouth with her own. 
Not giving him a chance to think further, Emma quickly kissed him again. She slid her tongue past his lips, rolling it against Hook’s, who was quick to reciprocate. She wrapped her lips around his tongue and sucked on it, eliciting one of the sexiest noises she’d ever heard. It was half growling and half begging for more. The buoyancy helped him to easily lift her and she instinctively surrounded his body with her legs.
Hook broke the kiss, in favor of exploration. His hot mouth trailed down Emma’s neck, licking here and nibbling there, never too rough, he didn’t wish to mark her, at least not where it would be visible. He palmed one of her breasts with his hand while running his thumb over her already pebbled peak. “Gods you are perfect,” he murmured before taking her other breast in his mouth and alternating between gently suckling and the graze of his teeth. 
Emma moaned softly in pleasure and torment as Hook worked her up, her clit throbbed and she longed to feel his hand or his mouth between her legs. Grabbing a fistful of his hair, she pulled his head back and gazed into his eyes, want and desire evident in her pupils which were blown wide and the way her tongue licked salaciously over her bottom lip before she bit down on it. 
She unwrapped her legs from around Hook’s torso, in favor of standing again. Sliding her hands down his back, she squeezed his ass cheeks before pressing her body against his. “I want you,” she whispered when she felt his hardness against her stomach. Emma reached between them to wrap her hand around his thick length.
“Swan,” Hook choked out, pulling her hand gently away from his overly eager cock. “I really don’t want this to be over before it starts.”
Emma smiled knowingly, the very thought of making him come early amping up her need. “Okay, you lead,” she agreed.
“Come with me.” Hook led her toward the far end of the pond, which was actually far larger than she’d realized. They rounded a large looming rock which cloaked the entrance to a small cave by the shore.
“You just know all the secret spots, don’t you?”
“I discovered many hiding spots over the years I spent on this cursed island,” Hook acknowledged. “I usually walk to this side of the water’s edge to deposit all my belongings before bathing. One can never be too safe with the keeping of his hook.” Extending his hand to Emma, he led her out of the water and into the shelter. 
They entered far enough to have a little privacy, but not so far as to be pitched in blackness. Hook pulled her over to a natural, rock-formed shelf. “Do you want a towel, milady? Perhaps my shirt?”
“I want you,” Emma growled, yanking on his hand and pulling him flush against her body and attacking his mouth again.
“Mmmm, as you wish,” he uttered between ardent kisses. 
Emma whined when he broke away from her again, “Hook!”
“Patience, darling,” he teased. Then he quickly grabbed his jacket and his towel, laying first the jacket down on the cave floor, followed by the towel. “So you don’t get sand in every crack and crevice,” he advised with a mock bow. 
Emma laughed at his naked bow before tackling him to the makeshift bed and straddling his hips. She wove the fingers of her left hand with his right, and wrapped her other hand around his wrist before pinning them above his head. 
She didn’t miss the way he jumped when she embraced his wrist, a fleeting look of helplessness crossing over his face. She kissed him softly, tenderly, wanting to calm his nerves about his perceived flaw. When she felt his body relax against hers, she started to trail kisses across the line of his jaw before veering back up to his ear. “Has anyone ever told you, you are beyond gorgeous?” she whispered before sucking his earlobe into her mouth.
“I tell myself this all the time, but it does sound much lovelier on your luscious lips.”
“These lips?” Emma asked, sitting up just slightly and running her tongue along her bottom lip.
“Aye, the very ones,” Hook struggled to get out of her hold, as he tried leaning up to taste her lips.
Emma kept a firm hold on him though, enjoying this little bit of control. She could feel his cock against her ass, hard for her, twitching each time she nibbled and sucked at his skin. She continued to trail kisses downward, along his neck, across his pecs. His hips thrusted upwards when she bit down on his nipple and flicked her tongue over the sensitive flesh. “Patience,” she mimicked his earlier command. 
Hook’s melodramatic exhale made her giggle as she scooted further down his body, gently rubbing her wet core along his cock. “Bloody hell!” Hook cursed while deftly flipping them over.
“Don’t you want to see what else these luscious lips can do?” she asked with a wicked grin. 
“Gods above, I do. But I swear you will unman me the moment you wrap your lips around me.”
Emma smirked at him, eyes alight with lust.
“You little minx, you like that idea don’t you?” 
“Maybe,” she admitted, a confession really, despite the ambiguity of the answer. She’d already resumed stroking him.
“Fuck,” Hook hissed at her touch. He was torn between his ego needing to pleasure her first and his baser instincts demanding he let her do her worst. 
Emma watched Hook, saw him struggle with the decision, his eyes squeezing shut when she ran her thumb over his tip. Without waiting for his answer, Emma rolled them back over and licked from his base to his tip before sucking the head of his cock into her mouth while continuing to pump him.
  Her clit ached as she reveled in the wrecked expression on his face, Hook was watching her every move, lip pinned between his teeth as he struggled to hold out. She knew he was close when his hand balled into a white knuckled fist on his stomach and she gently cupped his balls to massage them. The sound that left his mouth was positively feral as he came hard, warm and wet in her mouth.
She savored the moment, he hadn’t lasted long, and she’d been the one to do that to him. But that was all she had, a fleeting moment before she was being rolled to her back. 
Hook held her in his blunted arm and dove in for a kiss, not caring at all that his taste was still on her tongue. He smiled against her lips when he felt her spreading her legs beneath him. “Eager, are we?” he asked between kisses.
“Don’t tease,” she panted into his mouth.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Hook slowly caressed his hand down her neck, stopping to play with her breasts for just a moment before continuing down to where he knew she was desperate to be touched. He parted her lips with two fingers and slid his middle finger into the warm wetness waiting for him. “Gods, Swan, you’re soaked.” His cock was already coming back to life as he thought about sliding into her wet heat.
Emma’s eyes rolled shut as Hook massaged her clit with her slippery wetness and any response she could’ve made was forgotten. Her mouth parted with an involuntary whimper when he switched it up, suddenly, but oh so easily slipping two fingers deep inside her. She contracted around his fingers, then pushed down, welcoming the penetration. 
Hook fucked her with his fingers, circling his thumb over her clit, while watching her cheeks flush pink and her breasts bounce as she rode his hand. Longing to taste her, he repositioned himself between her legs, chuckling at her whine of protest when he had to stop for a moment. 
“Oh fuck,” she panted when he resumed loving her clit, this time with his tongue. He alternated between licks and flicks and sucking. Emma’s head spun dizzily, she’d experienced oral sex, but apparently she had never experienced mind blowing oral sex. She threaded both hands into his hair and tried desperately not to be too rough. “Oh my god, I’m gonna… I’m gonna…”
Hook chose that moment to thrust his fingers back inside her and Emma was gone, she came harder than she ever had, warm and tingly and wet as Hook continued to thrust his fingers into her and suck on her clit. She saw stars or dots or something behind her eyelids and there was a rush of waves nearby, or maybe that was just the adrenaline coursing in her ears. The little aftershocks pulsing and throbbing in her clit were heavenly and oh my god, that was fucking amazing, she thought.
“Get up here,” she purred, pulling on his hair.
“It seems someone was just as primed as I was,” Hook smirked as he slid back up the length of her body.
Emma silenced his smugness by wrapping her legs around waist and flipping him to his back. The rush of air that left Hook’s chest made her chuckle as she placed her hands on his cheeks and whispered to him between kisses. “Well, you’re very, very skilled,” she praised.
“You set the bar very high, love.”
Emma beamed at his compliment, her cheeks warming. She wasn’t sure what it was about this man that made her feel unlike she’d ever felt with another man. Like she was special and desired, it made her feel sexually free in a way she never had. Sitting astride Hook’s solid body, she caressed her hands along his chest, exploring his now dry chest hair, it was just as thick and glorious as she’d imagined. 
Emma could see the scars littering his flesh and she’d felt more when they’d been in the water and her hands had explored the expanse of his back. She wondered how rough his life had been to have this many physical scars. Her heart constricted a bit at that thought, especially already knowing he had just as many emotional scars as she did. She was both taken aback and a little frightened when she realized she wanted to know so much more about Hook. Maybe it was time to stop running from good things, Emma thought, her mind once again weighing the pros and cons of a relationship. Her train of thought was lewdly interrupted by a thrust of Hook’s hips, his hardness tapping at her back.
“Ready so soon, pirate,” she said in a husky tone while rising up on her knees and guiding him to her core. She ran the tip of his cock through her wet folds, both of them moaning with unadulterated lust. 
“Fuck yes,” he growled, thrusting his hips upward again. 
Emma cried out as his tip slipped inside her, a wave of arousal pooling and her belly tightening with want. She slid down his generous length, slowly savoring the drag against her slippery walls. She planted both hands on his chest and stilled her movements when he was fully seated, adjusting to his size. 
“You alright, love?” Hook asked, squeezing her hip gently while he circled his thumb over her hip bone.
She nodded her head and opened her eyes, which she didn’t realize she’d shut, to gaze down at the gorgeous man below her. “You feel good,” she praised, lifting her hips and sinking back down on to him. Emma set a languid pace, delighting in the sensation of fucking, the drag along her walls, angling herself so he hit that spot.
“That’s it, lass, take what you want,” Hook encouraged as Emma rode him; slowly at first, then building in pace as her cheeks flushed and a light sheen of sweat broke out across her forehead. He wished, not for the first time tonight, to be able to touch her with two hands. He encouraged her to touch her breasts as he changed course to play with her clit. 
Emma’s thighs began to burn as she worked to bring them both to that sweet edge of release, and the delicious friction between them built higher and higher. She palmed her breasts, tweaking her nipples and watched as Hook thumbed her clit in time with her thrusts. His hooded eyes roamed her body, and he bit down on his lip as he watched his cock disappear inside her heat over and over. She liked watching him watch her and the small grunts he gave each time she impaled herself and ground against him were hot. Emma found herself at the edge of bliss again and she whimpered as Hook began thrusting up into her.
Hook was having a hard time controlling his ardor, he wanted to flip them and plunge deeply into her. She was a vision, flushed pink, sweaty, breasts bouncing as she rode him to the edge. And then he heard her...
“Come with me, Killian,” she panted.
...and he was undone. The plea in her tone as she said his name and the massage of her walls against his cock as she began to come, ended him. He came hard and hot with a cry of her name, filling her with his seed until it began to spill as she continued to ride him through both of their releases. 
As euphoria traveled throughout her body, Emma slumped into Hook’s body. She’d never felt so gratified as her entire being thrummed with bliss. Hook turned them to their sides and kissed her fervently. Wrapping both her arms around him, Emma gave as good as she got, their tongues and lips engaging lovingly. She lost track of all time as they lay together, parting only when they needed breath. “That was-”
Hook covered her mouth much as she had covered his earlier. “Don’t,” he whispered with a pleading look in his eyes.
Emma wrapped her fingers around his palm and removed his hand, giggling quietly. “I didn’t mean it the first time, and I damn sure wouldn’t mean it this time,” she assured him, noting how his shoulders sagged in relief. “I was going to say that was amazing… brilliant,” she murmured into his ear. 
Hook chuckled, remembering the time he’d said those words to her. “Aye, Swan, we still make quite the team.”
Emma could only smile at the seamless harmony that flowed between them. And she kissed him once more before snuggling into him. 
As a sated exhaustion made itself known in her body, Emma rejoiced that it was still dark outside of the cave. A vigorous yawn and stretch wracked her body, and Killian chuckled lightly again.
“Did I wear you out?” 
Emma laughed as the same yawn tore through Hook, no sooner had he spoken his teasing words. “I think we wore each other out,” she snickered. 
“Aye lass, I believe you’re right. How about we get washed up and head back to the Jolly? I’ll give you the captain’s quarters, even though you lost.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Brag much?”
“What is the fun in winning a wager if I cannot gloat?”
“Such a pirate,” she muttered before rolling him to his back again. “How about we share the captain’s quarters?”
“Deal,” Hook accepted without hesitation. 
A half hour later, they were standing in the cave, bathed, and mostly dressed, Hook had gone to get Emma’s clothes for her from the opposite shoreline. 
“Shall we?” Hook asked, offering Emma his hand. He frowned when she made no attempt to move.
“I’d rather…” she started, a blush coloring her cheeks.
“Ah, I understand,” Hook said, quickly understanding. “Shall we head back in separate directions? Or perhaps, I’ll just stay here for a bit and come back later in the morning.”
Emma rolled her eyes again, this time with a bit of frustration, as she placed her hands on her hips. “That is not what I was going to say.”
Hook raised an eyebrow in question, waiting for her to explain.
“Has nothing I’ve said tonight gotten through to you? Or did that mind blowing sex make you forget?” She took his heavier than expected leather duster from where he had it draped over his arm and turned around to lay it out on the cave floor. 
Turning to face Hook again, she cupped his face in both hands. “Let’s recap, I like how you make me feel, I’m not worried about everyone finding out, best oral ever, sensational sex, no running away. I fancy you, Killian.” Emma finished her statement with a gentle kiss.
The gobsmacked look on Hook’s face made her laugh out loud. “I was going to say I’d rather spend the rest of the night here with you. We already know everyone else will know we’re safe. Even if Neal doesn’t outright blab; if Mary Margaret and David start to worry, he won’t hesitate to spill what he knows.” 
“You fancy me, love?”
Despite heavily stroking his ego by admitting he was the best she’d ever been with, it figured the part he’d pick up on was the closest she’d get to any kind of outright confession of feelings. Emma smacked her hand to her forehead. “Yes, Killian, I fancy you. Don’t get all cocky about it.”
“On my honor, I’ll not get cocky,” he promised before leaning in to kiss her, “as I quite fancy you as well. But you already know that.”  
Laying down on his jacket, the two snuggled together, Emma in panties and Hook’s shirt and Hook in his birthday suit.
“You needed to get naked again to go to sleep?” Emma asked with a little sarcasm in her tone.
“I’ll have you know that style and comfort do not go hand in hand, Swan. Those leathers, though appealing to the eye, do not make for great sleep clothes. Besides, all pirate’s know the only way to sleep when there’s a lovely lass in his bed, is in the nude. You know… easy access.”
“Why am I not surprised by that, Killian?”
“I’ll never tire of hearing you call me that,” he answered. 
“Killian,” she whispered.
“Aye, love?”
“Nothing, I just wanted you to hear me say it again.”
A boyish smile broke out over Killian’s face as he pulled her in tighter to his side. “Good night, Swan.”
“Goodnight, Killian.”
The End
Tagging some lovely shipmates - please let me know if you don’t want to be tagged - or if you’re reading and want me to tag you. 
@laschatzi @qualitycoffeethings @hookedonapirate @wordsmith-storyweaver @kmomof4 @winterbaby89 @hollyethecurious @wyntereyez @hooklineandswan @teamhook @let-it-raines @whimsicallyenchantedrose @spartanguard  @tiganasummertree@apromisednightcap  @xemmaloveskillianx @elizabeethan @cocohook38 @optomisticgirl @darkcolinodonorgasm @jennjenn615 @timeless-love-story @girl-in-a-tiny-box @thesschesthair @galadriel26 @ultraluckycatnd @lifeinahole27 @therooksshiningknight @kday426 @djlbg @superchocovian @itsfabianadocarmo @lfh1226-linda @delightfully-difficult-pirate @thejollyswan @csalltheway @xarandomdreamx @vvbooklady1256 @withheartfulloflove @resident-of-storybrooke @mcakers @gingerchangeling @searchingwardrobes​
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cheri-translates · 4 years ago
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[CN]  Kiro’s Original Intention Date (Eng Translation)
🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date (and Season 2) which has not been released in English servers! 🍒
Knowing the basics of Season 2 is necessary to understand what’s going on in this date. Do read this post if you don’t know anything about it!
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Parallel World Dates Collection: Gavin // Shaw // Victor
Check out @skyholders​‘ translation of Lucien’s date here!
“When popular star Kiro returned to the country yesterday, there were hints of a new collaboration?”
The name “Kiro” has taken over several hot topics. Kiro received a short and sudden interview at the airport, attracting countless discussions and guesses. 
Reporter: I heard you signed a contract with a well-known music company in the period before this. Is your return to the country due to any special plans?
Kiro: There’s nothing special. I could be returning just to take my guitar? 
Reporter: ...we know you’ve taken on the role of a lead singer and are about to embark on a world tour. There must be some special reason for you to return to the country, right? 
Kiro: For this, it’s better to ask my agent.
Kiro smiles and pushes a bespectacled uncle in front of the camera. He playfully sticks out his head from behind the uncle, and pats his shoulder.
Kiro: I’m leaving it to you.
Once the words are out of his mouth, he runs off. 
~
My phone screen displays a photo of Kiro’s smiling face as he turns back. His golden hair plates his entire body in a generously brilliant and blazing splendour. 
I brush his face gently with my fingertips, my heart feeling heavy.
Like a raging wave, unspeakable longing and sadness knead together, fiercely slapping onto the shore.
Kiro has returned to Loveland City. 
However, this meeting doesn’t give me much time to feel low. 
Dad is standing in front of the projector in the conference room, orderly explaining the upcoming work arrangement for the company.
Dad: ...these are all the materials on Kiro. Everyone, please confirm the content on hand, and ensure that we are all on the same page. We’ve recently signed a contract with Kiro’s company. Kiro has received his Admission Letter and will continue pursuing his studies in the music academy. After he finishes his world tour, he will officially sign the contract to return to the country and develop. The contract this time is the very beginning of the collaboration, to work with Kiro’s upcoming tour. All departments have to make preparations. That’s all.
After the meeting is dismissed, Dad sits at my side. 
Dad: Suddenly calling you back from school - am I giving you too much stress? 
MC: I’m just a little surprised. I never thought the company... that Dad would make such an arrangement. 
Dad: This isn’t just Dad’s arrangement. You’ll know the specifics next time.
Dad pauses. When he speaks again, his tone seems to have a certain depth to it. I blink, making secret guesses in my heart. 
This means... it could be Black Swan’s arrangement. 
Dad: You once told Dad you wanted to be an outstanding producer. Of course, I’ll support my daughter in doing what she wants. This time, I’m just letting you get used to the tasks. Don’t be too nervous. Dad can’t bear to let you to dive into work so quickly!
MC: Hahaha, thank you Dad! I’ll learn seriously! I definitely wouldn’t cause trouble for everyone. 
Dad: The contract for the collaboration will happen three days later, so we can do some preparations before that. 
~
After greeting my father, I walk out of the building and turn back to look at it. With complex emotions, I head towards the convenience store.
The world proceeds forward slowly, but there are some differences from back then.
In my memory, Black Swan used B.S. Entertainment to lead public opinion. In an accident arising from multiple causes, it was replaced by my company.
As a similar media body, Dad has been expanding the company’s scope of influence since several years ago. 
In a way, we’ve already met Black Swan’s requirements and purposes. 
From some imperceptible moment, the entire world has moved towards a familiar yet unknown future.
However, there are coincidences that are either heaven’s tricks, or destiny. 
This time, my father’s sufficiently powerful company has replaced B.S. Entertainment, and has become Kiro’s future home. 
Without realising it, I’ve walked into that small convenience store. 
I stand in front of the shelves, staring dazedly at the final bag of chips.
I think about that person’s “warning” --
“Your unintentional actions may lead to irretrievable consequences.”
As though I’m deep in a black swamp, I’m trapped in place. My lips are sealed, and I sink into the darkness. 
After a long time, I pat my face fiercely with both hands, letting out a hard breath. 
MC: This time, I’ll be the one searching for you...
When I reach out for the bag of chips, a beautiful and slender hand appears in front of me - we’ve grabbed the same bag of potato chips. 
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I turn my head, and the person beside me turns to look at me as well.
He is standing against the light, and a smile brims in his eyes. He gives the bag of chips a gentle tug, pulling me a step closer to him in the process. 
It’s as though he’s pulling me, who’s continuously sinking. 
A heavy feeling rising up from my chest and up my throat. I blink hard and clench my teeth. Even then, I can’t stop the redness in my eyes. 
MC: Kiiii... mmph!
Kiro suddenly covers my mouth with his hand and glances around. 
His smiling eyes tell me that he’s not angry at all about my rudeness. 
Kiro: Shhh... I don’t want to get noticed. 
I nod. 
Our little scene seems to have drawn attention, so we squat down in hiding.
We crouch together next to the shelf, shoulders nearly touching. Looking at the bag of chips in my hands, I suddenly laugh.
Kiro: You’ve smiled. 
MC: Hm? 
Kiro: You looked like you were going to cry just now. I even thought I frightened you!
MC: How can that be? I... I was just too excited. I didn’t think the big celebrity I saw on the screen would appear in front of me. Now, we’re squatting here like little kids in kindergarten. 
Everything is too similar to how we once met. The words involuntarily leave my lips. It’s as though in front of him, no matter how many times the scene repeats, I’m still the me of back then. 
Kiro: If I were still in kindergarten, I definitely wouldn’t let you have the last bag of chips. 
I turn around and find Kiro looking at the chips in my hand, seemingly not willing to give up.
A breeze enters the convenience store, lifting strands of his golden hair. Eighteen-year-old Kiro is beside me, looking as though he’s emitting light. 
MC: The Kiro now is already a mature Kiro!
Kiro: You’re right.
Even though I said that, Kiro still looks unwilling. His eyes are crinkled, and his mouth slants to a side. 
I look at him and think of a time long ago. Making a silent prayer that this bag of chips contains the Batman AR card, I tear the bag open slowly. 
MC: It’s a Batman AR card!!
Kiro: Eh, how are you even more excited than I am. 
MC: Haha. 
There’s a twinge in my heart, and I'm unsure if it’s longing or sadness. I try to shoot Kiro a smile, though it probably doesn't look good. 
MC: This is for you. 
Kiro takes the card and smiles, his eyes becoming even brighter. 
Kiro: How did you know that I'm collecting these? 
MC: ...I-I guessed it! Because...
Kiro: Because I look like the type who would collect these? 
MC: Yes yes yes, that’s it. 
Kiro: And I also look like I’m just missing this card? 
MC: ...y-yes, I guess? 
Kiro: Mm! I think so too!
Those blue eyes are filled with smiles, not containing a shred of impurity or suspicion. I release a relieved sigh in my heart. 
Kiro: But... I think we’ve forgotten to pay.
MC: Ah, you’re right. So sorry, ma’am. I’ll buy ten bags later! Sorry!
Kiro: Sorry!
We look at each other and burst out laughing. 
This time, our eighteen-year-old selves still share this tiny secret.
~
After walking out of the convenience store, I suddenly wonder why Kiro has appeared here and at this point of time. 
Kiro looks towards my father’s company and starts whistling playfully.
Kiro: So this is [-MC’s company name-].
His tone is light, not carrying the same anticipation he has on his face. 
Kiro: Are you an employee of this company too? 
MC: ...
The light of spring is in his bright eyes. Kiro looks at me quietly. This simple question seems to have a meaning behind it.
MC: I am. I just learnt that you’d be coming to the company after three days to sign the contract. But I came here to buy some things for myself...
Kiro: I see. 
His eyes crinkle, as though accepting my explanation. 
MC: You’re here to take a look beforehand? 
Kiro: Actually...
Just as Kiro starts speaking, my phone suddenly rings. Kiro smiles and signals for me to answer the phone first, then takes a few steps away. 
MC: Hello? Dad? 
Dad: It’s a little sudden, but come to the conference room in 15 minutes to prepare. The collaboration contract with Kiro has been brought forward to today.
On the other end of the line, I can hear faint sounds of various departments busily preparing for the various contract-related issues. 
Their conversations reveal the importance of the contract which is about to commence. 
Once this collaboration succeeds, it will herald a new phase of the company’s future development in the aspect of acting. 
??: Kiro hasn’t reached the office...
Father: Savin, don’t worry. MC, I’ll hang up now. Hurry back soon.
MC: All right. 
MC: [to Kiro] You brought the contract signing forward to today? 
Seeing that I’ve put down the phone, Kiro stuffs both hands into his pocket and bounces over to me. 
Kiro: Something cropped up, so I communicated it to the company. I hope I didn’t cause trouble for everyone. 
He retrieves a pair of sunglasses from his pocket, putting them on confidently.
Thinking about something, he tugs his sunglasses downwards lightly, revealing his smiling blue eyes. 
Kiro: I tend to get lost easily. Could you show me the way?
MC: Isn’t it just in front?!
Kiro: A person who lacks a sense of direction wouldn’t be able to find the entrance even if the building is right in front of him.
He squints. Tickled by his odd logic, I burst into laughter, then give him a mock bow.
MC: Follow me then, big celebrity.
Kiro puts his sunglasses on properly, then does a thumbs-up gesture contentedly.
~
They reach the office, and Kiro apologises for the trouble caused
He looks over the contract meticulously and voices his opinions on certain terms, providing suggestions on how they can be mutually beneficial
He signs the contract and the employees leave the conference room
MC is surprised at how anti-climatic the whole thing was, and in her distracted state, forgets to change the settings on the photocopier (which is set to printing small cards)
As a result, the photocopying machine only prints Kiro’s signature on an A4 sheet
Kiro: Is that gentleman your father?
MC: Mm.
Kiro: I see... doesn’t that make you my future boss?
MC: Eh?!
I’m momentarily startled by his words, my brain slowing down and my eyes blinking continuously.
Tickled by my expression, Kiro smiles and crinkles his eyes. 
Kiro: Am I wrong? 
His tone is sincere, and embeds within it a sort of curiosity and probing.
I lower my head, looking at that sheet of invalid A4 paper, and lift my head with a deep sigh. 
MC: You’re not wrong. It’s just that... I’m still very lacking right now. I’m not outstanding enough, and there are many things I can’t do. But I won’t stop here. I’ll make you believe that joining this company is something to be proud of.
I’ll continue running along this path that you’re shining on, and be like you, to become the light.
Kiro’s eyes slowly grow darker. I instinctively tighten my grip on my pen, but am unable to avert my eyes from his. 
These seconds of silence feel like I’m being examined. Gradually, he lifts the corners of his lips.
Kiro: Will you be participating in my upcoming world tour? 
MC: Probably not... I’m a newbie, so Savin should be going with you.
Kiro: Shall we practice then? 
MC: Practice? 
Saying this, Kiro leans forward. With a blink, he places his hand on the back of mine.
Kiro: Practice for when you become my future boss. 
The sweet scent of the young man brushes the tip of my nose, reminiscent of a person secretly pouring melted hot chocolate into the cup of someone he likes. 
He grins and tightens his grip on my hand. On the right side of the invalid A4 sheet, he writes his name crookedly.
Kiro: Your turn.
MC: ...I can really do that?
Kiro: I already said that this is a rehearsal for our future. 
MC: But your hand...
Kiro: Hm? 
My ears feel warm. Kiro’s eyes flash with the light of a prankster, waiting for me to finish.
His hand remains on the back of mine. He doesn’t exert any force. It feels like a catkin fluttering gently in my heart - ticklish, and can be flicked away with a light touch.
But I can’t bear to.
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MC: Nothing!
My face is flushed. With his hand over mine, I leave a crooked “MC” on the left side. 
These two names are left on the invalid A4 paper - like a starting point of a certain dream. 
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Kiro takes up the A4 sheet. Turning his palm, he entwines my fingers with his. 
Kiro: We’ve made an agreement. I’ll definitely stand on a higher platform, and let even more people see Kiro, and hear Kiro’s songs. I’ll make the name “Kiro” appear in every corner of the world. 
Gorgeous spots of light appear behind the young man, like the most brilliant and pure parts of youth. Still, they can’t compare to the brilliant light in his eyes. 
My heart is beating rapidly, and it feels as though a piping heat is coursing through my bloodstream. A faint heat grows where our fingertips meet.
MC: Mm, we have an agreement. I’ll also keep learn learning, and will use my strength and abilities to better develop this company. In the future, this company will be one that’s worthy to collaborate with the “International Superstar” Kiro.
Kiro: Can I do it? 
Kiro tilts his head, the glinting light in his eyes wavering slightly. It’s as though a tiny bit of doubt has appeared from its depths. 
MC: Do you think I can do it? 
Kiro: I think you can.
MC: Then you’ll naturally have no problem either!
I feel his shallow breaths on my fingertips. He leans his head lightly on our entwined hands. 
Kiro: Our agreement is complete. If one of us doesn’t reach our goal, there’ll be a punishment. 
MC: I won’t give you that chance!
Light soaks in through the window and covers our fingers. Kiro hops down from the table and gently lifts me to my feet, pulling me into the sunlit area. 
Just as he did countless times before. 
Kiro: Before the future arrives, please guide me. Miss Chips.
~
While MC is driving Kiro home, he suddenly asks:
Kiro: Is Miss Chips also from Black Swan? 
Kiro pipes up, his eyes not leaving the screen of his laptop. There is a smile on his lips, but it looks like a natural-looking mask. 
His casual-sounding question startles me. Although it’s a surprise that he would be so upfront about this, my fingers on the steering wheel tighten.
The green light makes its countdown, and I slow down, stopping before the zebra crossing. 
MC: I’m not. Although... I might be in the future. I don’t want to lie to you.
Kiro: Is that so.
His tone is light, as though he isn’t paying attention. As though it could be swallowed up by a flower blowing in the spring breeze. 
MC: Also, do you... remember what happened when you were young? 
Kiro: Bits and pieces. I don’t remember much. 
My heart grows heavy. Does Kiro not remember what happened in the orphanage? 
MC: I... have something that I definitely have to do. No matter how difficult it is, I have to accomplish it. There’s also someone I want to meet. I’ve waited a very, very long time. It’s been so long that I’m about to give up. But once I think about how he’s working hard in some corner of the world, I’m filled with motivation. 
I turn my head and meet Kiro’s eyes. His eyes are filled with an incomprehensible emotion. 
MC: I want to protect him, and want... to meet him again. No matter what misunderstandings this path would bring, I’ll continue walking bravely. 
Kiro blinks his eyes slowly, and finally reveals an unobstructed smile. 
Kiro: Miss Chips, you’ll definitely have no problem. 
~
After Kiro returns home, the smile he kept up in front of the girl finally collapses in a second.
In the pitch black living room, the sunlight outside the window has been kept outside by a thick and heavy curtain. 
He clenches his teeth and sits in front of the laptop, the continuously dancing search results on the screen making him cast his eyes downwards. 
Kiro: ...still no results. 
In the end, he drags himself to the sofa, his pale face almost transparent under the glow of the screen. 
A stubbornness appears on his lips, and dots of sweat appear on his forehead, as though he’s enduring a great agony. 
Kiro: At least... it’s only acting up now. 
At this moment, a call from a foreign number appears on his phone. 
Kiro: It’s me. 
??: You finally picked up.
Kiro: Tell me the results directly. 
??: The test results and your predictions are almost the same. 
Kiro: Mm.
Darkness has swallowed his face, but his eyes are flashing with light. Even though the world has plunged into a deep darkness, there’s still a scorching, blooming light.
Kiro: Let’s meet then.
He throws his phone aside, a look of self-deprecation on his face. Even though he’s curled up, he can’t suppress his trembling. The colour of an abyss is in his eyes. 
Kiro: [groaning]
The young man’s painful groans resound in the dark, and black markings appear on his arm.
The hands supporting the young man’s body allow him to look at the other corner, into the mirror in the darkness.
The hair of the person in the mirror has gradually faded into a silvery grey, and there is a dazzling golden light in his originally blue eyes--
Overlapping with the image in his mind. 
Kiro: ...I, command you--
The young man’s soft voice lingers in the dark.
-
🌸 MOMENTS 🌸
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Kiro’s Post: Now that I think about it, did I sign an unfair contract back then?
MC: Is it the fastest contract you’ve signed in your life?
Kiro: It’s also the most important contract in my life ^_^
-
Kiro’s Post: Now that I think about it, did I sign an unfair contract back then?
MC: Written in black and white - behave and call me boss~
Kiro: As compared to “boss”, I’ve always preferred “Miss Chips” as a form of address.
-
Kiro’s Post: Now that I think about it, did I sign an unfair contract back then?
MC: Did I treat you badly?!
Kiro: Does this mean you’re going to treat me to potato chips next time?
-
Phone call: here
121 notes · View notes
shiftynightshade · 4 years ago
Text
TW// Suicide Ideation/thoughts, suicide baiting, mentions of self-harm, intrusive thoughts/ bullying/ feeling numb.
Soulmates, everyone has one.
 For Izuku Midoriya, he watches his soulmate's percentages and wonders how his appears to them.
 (Would They Even Want A Quirkless Soulmate?)
 As he stands on the edge of the roof, Kacc- no Bakugou's words float around in his brain. 'Take a swan dive and hope for a quirk in your next life’, the jeers of his classmates (tormentors), All Might’s jaded stare as he crushed his dreams moments before, the heroes cruel glares as they berated him for playing hero.
(He feels a slow numbness enter his body as he stares at the pavement hundreds of feet below him. Maybe the blond was right.)
Just one more step and he'd be free-
Slow warmth erupted on his arm, phantom sensations of ink and a pen scrawling across his arm made his skin tingle.
 Clumsily jerking at his sleeve, he stared in wonder as five shades of ink spread across his skin and danced around his scars, (once stained a coppery red shining in the moonlight), green, pink, blue, and a mix of red and white appearing on his skin and lining silvery skin.
‘Please don’t, we want to meet you, please.’
(Izuku had been told stories of soulmates, how the power of been tied to another being through the galaxy, how it had saved so many other from tipped over the edge. Oh how much he had longed to reach out to his pairs-)
And it has happened, for the first time in months, Izuku felt hope.
He jerked from the edge, breath shaky. Izuku clutched his wrist, a wobbly smile spreading across his face as his skin was covered in a multitude of colours. Izuku scrabbled for his bag, grabbing the first pen he could and quickly pressed it to his skin, hastily writing whatever he coulf.
‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,’
Pink, glowing in a way that looked like a supernova, crawled along his skin.
‘Are you okay? There’s no reason to apologise.’
Blue sped its way alongside the pink, shining silvery blue when the light hit it.
‘Would you like to meet up?’
His answer was instant. ‘Yes’
Five minutes later and five phone number drawn from his skin and into his phone, Izuku carefully left the roof, clutching his phone like a lifeline.
****
Things changed very quickly after that.
He learned his soulmates names, where they lived and their quirks.
He gently wrote their names and quirks down in a new notebook, a little pricier, sure, but as he filled the pages, he found that he didn’t mind.
Each page with a different coloured pen, easily matching the ink on his arms. (So what if he spent forever looking for a blue that shimmered an ethereal silver, or a pink pen that glittered like the stars?)
On Friday night he had stayed up late, gently tracing each name as he counted down the hours until they met the next day.
Ochako, Zero Gravity.
(What will happen when they learn that you’re Quirkless? They’re going to leave you like Bakugou did, like dad did.)
‘Shut up’
Tenya, Engine.
(Do you want to risk it?)
‘They won’t leave me.’
Tsuyu, Frog.
(Like Bakugou promised that you two would become heroes together, and look how that turned out.)
‘It won’t be like that, no empty promises.’
Shoto, Half-Hot Half-Cold.
‘How about you shut the fuck up for once in my damn life!’
It was quiet after that.
****
Izuku waved his mother good-bye as he walked outside the door, her face filled with excitement.
They had agreed to meet up at a café close to the train station, and Tsuyu had sent a picture of the table number into their quickly filling group chat.
And oddly enough, they had not asked Izuku once what his quirk was.
He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
The sun shone and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. Many people roamed around, smiles on their faces as the day went on. Izuku found the café with little trouble, the fairy lights and vines dangling in lieu of a canopy adding a fairy-tale like feel to it.
Glancing around Izuku felt anticipation bubble up under his skin. ‘Am I the first one here?’
Soft laughter reached over from a corner table, easily drawing his attention to a group of three. His eyes met the number of the table. 5.
The brunette girl met his eyes and they stared at each other for a few seconds before a large smile crossed her face and she waved enthusiastically. “Izuku!”
Izuku squeaked as her shout drew the other two’s attention, their eyes each widening before smiling brightly and waving him over.
Drawing in a deep breath Izuku walked to the table, giving his own meek wave, sitting in the chair that was between the brunette and boy.
The girl with green hair smiled. “Good to see you for the first time Izuku.” He blushed, but smiled anyways. “Likewise, Tsuyu?”
Tsuyu grinned. “Call me Tsu.”
Izuku nodded, letting out a squeak when the other girl grabbed his hand and gave a positively blinding smile.
“I’m Ochako! It’s great to finally meet you!”
Izuku could feel his face burning. God the energy here was infectious.
The boy next to him smiled. “Please, call me Tenya!”
Izuku mumbled out a breathy “uh-huh” but mostly stared at his eyes. They kept shining different colours whenever the light hit them, first black, the blue, then red, then gold.
‘Like a really pretty version of an oil spill.’
Tenya sent him a questioning glance. “Is there something on my face?”
“Your eyes are really pretty.” Izuku blurted out, stammering out an apology when Tenya‘s face burned a bright red and he buried his face in his hands.
Ochako laughed. “We said the same thing!”
Tsu hummed. “Where is Shoto? He said he would be here.”
A quiet voice piped up from behind them. “Right here.”
Izuku looked up from where he had begun to look through his bag, eyes widening in surprise.
The two-toned hair and scar immediately gave away who he was, even under the hoodie he was wearing. ‘Shoto Todoroki, holy shit.’
Tenya smiled brightly. “Hello Shoto!”
Shoto gave a small nod and sat in the remaining chair, though a ghost of a smile played on his lips.
He let out a small breath. “I’m not going to lie, I’m glad that none of you have freaked out.”
He glared at the table. “I’m not exactly on the best terms with my old man.”
Surprisingly Tenya was the first to speak up. “Fair enough, personally I never really liked Endeavour either.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Even when I was younger he wasn’t a courteous person, even at Hero Gala’s.”
 “Hero Gala’s?”
Tenya froze before letting out a frustrated huff.
“Dammit, not that I’m ashamed of my family or anything, but I don’t exactly like to broadcast it.”
Ochako shook her hands excitedly. “C’mon Tenya! Spill!”
Tenya sighed. “My family has been filled with pro-heroes for generations, it runs in our blood.”
A more proud expression fill his face. “You know the Turbo Hero Ingenium?”
At their nods he grinned proudly. “He’s my elder brother!”
Izuku gasped. “Really?!”  
Ochako laughed. “That’s awesome!”
Shoto stared then cleared his throat. “Where you the five year old that slapped him and told him that he was being mean, and heroes shouldn’t be mean?”
Tsu’s ribbit was startled. “Really?
Tenya chuckled. “Yes, that was me.”
Ochako cackled. “That’s awesome!” Her face turned thoughtful. “Hey Izuku, you said that Endeavour wasn’t the greatest hero, is it because of hoe aggressive he is?”
Izuku nodded rapidly. “Practicality wise he’s a good hero, though theoretically at the same time he’s not the best when it comes to personality and he does have the most damage done when it comes to property, civilians and villains.”  
Looking up from where he had crossed his arms into his ‘thinking pose’, as his mother had described it, one hand cradling his elbow and the other clutching his chin. He quickly realised that his soulmates were staring at him.
“S-sorry, I was rambling again, wasn’t I?”
Ochako smiled. “Yeah, you were. But that’s okay! Kinda cool honestly.”
Izuku let out a small breath, blushing when he noticed Shoto staring at him with wide eyes.
“Izuku, do you happen to be on any hero forums?”
Izuku laughed. “Yup! I like to think that I’m pretty well known on a few forums.”
Shoto leaned forward. “What’s your user?”
Izuku rubbed the back of his head. “The Analyst.”
Shoto let out a wheezy squeak. “You’re joking.”
Ochako looked between them like there was a tennis match. “Wait I’m confused.”
Shoto shook his head incredulously. “The Analyst is an extremely popular user on many hero forums, very well known for his essays and both popular and controversial opinions when it comes to both heroes and how society discriminates based on quirks and gender.”
Shoto inhaled. “And, is considered to be a veteran amongst most users, very respected in the community.”
Tenya chuckled. “You seem to be very well versed in the community yourself Shoto.”
Tsu nodded. “How do you know all this?
Shot/o blushed. “I- Well I have a theory account, on YoTube.”
Ochako leaned over. “Oh really?”
Shoto smirked. “Cryptid Theory.”
Izuku nearly slammed into the table with how quickly he leaned over. “Holy shit, really!?”
Shoto nodded.
“I’ve been subscribed to you forever!”
Shoto opened his mouth only for a waiter to walk up to their table. “Are you lot ready to order?”
Five milkshakes later and Ochako brought up the dreaded question.
“Oh by the way Izuku, you never told us your quirk. Is it analysing or something?”
The rest of the table looked to him, and Izuku sank into his seat to hide behind his glass.
“Uh- I well.”
He cleared his throat, wringing his hands together.
“That’s the thing. I- I don’t have a quirk.”
The four of them stared. Stomach starting to churn, Izuku dug his fingers into his wrist. ‘Shitshitshitshitshit-‘
“Oh, ok.”
Snapping his head up Izuku stared at their expressions, all supportive.
Tenya grabbed his hands gently. “We don’t care that you’re Quirkless Izuku, quirk or no quirk, that’s not your defining trait of who you are.”
The rest of them nodded.
Izuku could easily feel the tell-tale burn of tears gathering along his water line.
He smiled at his soulmates as they quietly panicked at his tears.
“T-thanks.” He sniffled.
Ochako smiled. “Of course.”
Tenya handed him a napkin which he accepted with a small thank-you.
Izuku blew his nose, smiling brightly. “Thanks, I’m okay though, just… overwhelmed I guess.”
Tsu gave a sad ribbit. “I’m going to guess that being Quirkless is really hard, isn’t it?”
Izuku nodded hesitantly. “Other than my mum, you guys are the only ones that haven’t been physically or emotionally abusive.”
Ochako honest to god growled. “Want me to suplex them?”
Tenya nodded. “Plus I’m quite sure that Quirkless discrimination is illegal so you could technically sue the school.”
Izuku frowned. “They always delete the footage though.”
Tenya grinned. “Not if you know the right people!”
He reached into his bag and pulled out a slim laptop with a mischievous smirk. “What’s your school name?”
“Aldera Middle School, why?”
Tenya motioned for them to gather around his laptop, which had already booted up and was giving off a dark blue glow.
Tenya smirked. “Well when your family agency is based around communication and technology, you pick up on a few things.”
As Tenya’s fingers flew over the keyboard Izuku watched in awe as the code for the schools security main frame appeared on screen. “My older brother allows me to help out at the agency most days, so I help run the comms and all Iida’s know how to hack. Sometimes when pursuing a villain we need all out access to doors and security feed, and we also help out with investigations.”
“This is like something straight out of a spy movie!”
Tenya chuckled. “Something like that.”
Seconds later and the security feed was all over Tenya’s screen. “Now all I need to do is a little reversing and…”
Tenya reached into his bag and pulled out a USB, plugging it in and downloading all the footage, both visual and audio files. Once the download was complete Tenya handed the USB to Izuku. “Just in case.”
Izuku nearly burst into tears again. “Thanks Tenya.”
He shook his head. “No problem.”
As Ochako fawned over the whole incident Izuku drew back and smiled, gently thumbing the USB drive.
‘Things might just turn out for the better’
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terreisa · 4 years ago
Text
Love Down the Line: Chapter 10
The last thing Indie musician Emma Swan needs is a gigantic wrench thrown in the workings of her biggest tour to date weeks before its launch.  When her backing guitarist that caused the problem says she has the perfect solution Emma is skeptical but left with little choice but to accept.  Unfortunately she isn’t really prepared for said solution to be former Rock Star and leading man of Emma’s teenage fantasies, Killian Jones.  With no other options and a month of performing across the country ahead of her Emma just hopes she doesn’t come to regret letting Killian onto her stage and into her life.
Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9, AO3
~*CS*~
On the road between Oakland and Portland, May 27th
Emma felt the mattress dip slightly behind her.  She curled in on herself but there wasn’t much room in the bunks of the bus for her to completely avoid whomever it was.  It didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try though, stubbornly keeping her gaze fixed on the wall and not making a peep.
“I’m not going away until you tell me something,” Ruby sighed.  She shifted and Emma felt her stretch out next to her, “You can’t avoid it forever.  It might help to talk about it.”
“What’s there to say?” She asked dully. “It’s all over the internet.”
From the moment she’d stormed out of the office building she’d been hounded by paparazzi.  Her Instagram was full of comments that ran the gamut from cussing her out for kicking Killian off the tour to cussing her out over the leaked, and very edited, audio from her ranting at Walsh.  Will had informed her with an impressed grin that she’d been trending on Twitter for two days along with the hashtag MissHighandMighty.  The only good thing that had happened was Regina was too busy putting out fires to rail at her in person over what she probably saw as her failings and shortcomings.  Instead she’d received and ignored multiple texts that clearly communicated Regina’s increasing frustration with her.  She’d blocked Killian’s number completely.
“You know that’s not what I meant,” Ruby chided.  She paused, “He’s been calling me, asking what happened.  I’ve been letting them go to voicemail, mostly because I don’t know if you want me to answer or what really happened actually, but even if I did I wouldn’t say anything.  Chicks before dicks and all.”
Emma felt herself smile, her first real one in three days, “Yeah, but that’s how you like it.  Dorothy okay with you being out here?”
“Eh-” she could feel Ruby’s shoulders lift behind her in a shrug, “She knew I’d be touring when we first hooked up.  We just got a few extra weeks before it actually happened.  She wasn’t too happy with the drop everything and catch a red eye to LA part of it all, though.  We were about to go on a date, by the way, so thanks for that.”
“Sorry,” she whispered, feeling a bit guilty.
“You can make it up to us later,” Ruby said matter of factly. “Nice attempt at a deflection by the way.”
“Thought I’d try,” she muttered.
“And if I was Tink it might have worked but I’m not so it didn’t.  Time to spill.”
She closed her eyes.  It was just one of the many moments she’d been dreading since seemingly everything in her life had imploded.  In a sort of grim twist of luck it was going to be one of the easier of the conversations she knew needed to happen.  With a resigned sigh she opened her eyes and turned onto her back, though she kept her gaze trained on the underside of the bunk above her.
“How much did you know?” She asked, trying and failing to keep the accusation out of her voice. “Did Regina tell you I’d only go for it if you were the one to bring him in?  Did he flirt and flatter his way into getting you to agree to helping him re-jumpstart his career through me?”
Ruby let out a harsh burst of air, clearly surprised by her question.  She could almost feel the glare aimed at her but kept her eyes focused upward.
“If you really thought that you wouldn’t have made me fly all the way out here to replace him,” Ruby said harshly.  Then she sighed, “I didn’t know what plans Regina had for him or his career but I did know that he’d signed with her.  It’s why she didn’t put up a fight when I suggested he take my place on the tour.  I thought you knew that.”
“No.  I clearly didn’t,” she said shortly.
Ruby sighed again, “Okay, but to be fair it also wasn’t this big secret.  He was just a substitute guitarist, you even told him that.”
“Yeah, well, he turned out to be more,” Emma muttered, hating the catch in her throat.
“Emma-” Ruby lifted herself up on her elbow and hovered over her, her eyes wide, “Did you fall for him?”
“No. We were just…”
She couldn’t force the words ‘having fun’ off her tongue.  Instead she gave a one shoulder shrug, hoping Ruby would get the idea.  That Ruby’s first instinct was dead on wasn’t something Emma wanted to dive into.
Ruby narrowed her eyes and studied her before smirking and flopping back down beside her, “Whatever you two were ‘just’ doing it definitely wasn’t ‘just’ fucking.”
Emma couldn’t help twitching at Ruby’s matter of fact statement.  She hadn’t known that Ruby was a goddamn psychic.  Looking over at her suspiciously she was annoyed to see Ruby looking like a cat that got the canary.
“What did Tink tell you?”
“Oh, it wasn’t Tink,” Ruby said with a sing-song tone, “Will has been complaining non-stop about having to share a room with Tink.  Apparently glitter ruins a man’s reputation.”
“He’s with Belle, he shouldn’t be worrying about his reputation,” Emma grumbled.  Then she sobered, “He’s not telling everyone about that is he?”
Ruby’s grin faded, “You know he wouldn’t do that.”
“I don’t know what anyone wouldn’t do anymore,” she whispered.
“Emma-” Ruby turned onto her side and grabbed her hand, squeezing it, “I’m on your side, always, but you haven’t even given Killian the chance to explain himself.”
She scoffed, “You haven’t heard what Walsh actually told me.  He said that Regina was the one that told him to bring up Killian getting back into music.  She had to have planned it all out with Killian at that goddamn lunch, gotten his okay to do it that way.  There’s fucking pictures of them shaking on it right before Regina came to the studios.”
That had been the final blow.  She had been in line at a grocery store the day after the disastrous interview, waiting to buy emergency Milk Duds and microwave popcorn.  Killian had been calling and texting her with increased frequency and she’d ignored them all.  Her phone had started buzzing in her hand again and in her fumbling to pull it out of her pocket she’d dropped the Milk Duds.  When she’d bent to pick them up her gaze had caught on a tabloid with a blown up picture of Killian, Regina and Robin seated on the patio of a restaurant, the remains of their meal strewn across the table.  Killian and Robin had been shaking hands while Regina looked on in satisfaction.  Emma had dumped the candy and popcorn into a basket of french bread and fled the store, blocking Killian’s number as she did.
“There’s pictures of them sharing a meal,” Ruby said, being annoyingly pragmatic, “And that was a paparazzi shot, so you don’t know that they were plotting anything.”
“He never told me Regina was going to be there,” she said harshly. “I was almost willing to hear Killian out, eventually.  He kept calling and texting and I thought maybe I should give him a chance to explain.  Then I saw that fucking picture.  I asked him what he was going to do that day and he lied straight to my face.  He said he was hanging out with Robin and his son.  No mention of Regina or lunch meetings or that he had even started recording again.  He’s lied to me at least twice that I know of and I have no idea how many more he’s told me since we met.”
She was breathing heavily and as much as she wanted to yell, scream out her frustrations and heartbreak, she was all too aware of the others on the bus waiting for her to do just that.  Tink and Will had been watching her closely for days and while deep down she knew they’d never blab to reporters or post anything on social media they also weren’t the ones she wanted to talk to.  Ruby had been her friend the longest and should have been the perfect person to unload on but Emma still felt like a powder keg, ready to explode.  With a heavy heart she realized that the one person she wanted to vent to was the one person she wanted absolutely nothing to do with.
“So you’re just going to ignore him?  You never want to know what was really going on?” Ruby asked incredulously.
“I can find that out from Regina.  She’s underhanded and does things on her own terms but she never lies about it.  At least not when you ask her straight up,” she said bitterly.
“And don’t you think Killian would too?”
A week earlier she would have been absolutely sure how she would have answered.  Instead she felt as though the rug had been pulled out from beneath her and she’d yet to find her footing.
“I’m just not ready to talk to him yet,” she hedged, knowing Ruby would keep at her like a dog with a bone. “Can we just… not talk about it at all anymore?”
“Okay,” Ruby acquiesced after a small pause where she’d merely looked at her, “but can I ask one more thing?”
Emma rolled her eyes and huffed, “Fine.  What?”
“Were you happy?”
Her breath hitched in her throat and her heart clenched in her chest.  She thought back to the couple of times that she’d woken up before him, able to look at him without a suggestive wag of his eyebrows or salacious twinkle in his eye.  There were the nights they stayed up too late, either on the bus or in their room, talking about everything and nothing.  He’d made soundchecks less of a chore as he joked around with Will or teased Tink about the romance novel that was always sitting on top of whatever flat surface was nearest.  Then there’d been the moments when she’d look at him only to find him already watching her with a soft smile that she was helpless to return.
The memories only made the sting of his betrayal hurt all the more.
“I really, really was.”
For the first time since her world came crumbling down she let herself cry.  She’d held herself together with nothing more than stubborn will and ignoring everything that didn’t have to do with the next show.  As she curled into Ruby’s arms with heaving sobs she vaguely realized it might not have been the best strategy.
Slowly, and nearly a whole box of tissues later, Emma regained control of herself.  Ruby was still curled around her, gently rubbing her back.  She was vaguely aware that at some point Ruby had been whispering to her but she had no idea what she’d been saying.  It didn’t matter much, not when just being there meant more to her than anything Ruby could have said.
“I’m sorry,” Emma murmured, her voice wavering and her nose sounding stuffed.
“Nothing to be sorry for,” Ruby said, tugging on a lock of her hair, “You’re just lucky this was a tour shirt you ruined with all your snot and tears.”
Emma snorted and pulled back but only got an inch away before Ruby crushed her back to her.  She sighed in annoyance even though she hadn’t really wanted to leave the comfort of her embrace.
“You’re going to have to let me go eventually,” she said, even as she relaxed.
“Eh, there’s still a few hours until it’s absolutely necessary,” Ruby said, squeezing her harder.
“What if I have to pee?”
“Babe, you just cried out all of your bodily fluids.  If anything you’ll need a Gatorade but I’ll just yell at Will until he brings it to us-” Ruby scoffed.  Emma felt her tense slightly before she asked quietly, “Do you want me to block Killian’s number?”
Her knee jerk reaction was to say yes.  She felt like she should want to cut Killian out of her life completely.  To make him feel even a sliver of the hurt and uncertainty she was feeling.  However there was something deep inside her that recoiled from that idea, that despite the hell she was going through she still cared enough about him to want to minimize his pain.
“No,” she sniffled, “He’s your friend too.”
“Not right now he’s not.  I mean, I still think you should hear him out but maybe he kinda deserves the cold shoulder for a week or two.”
She shrugged, knowing that Ruby would probably ice Killian out for a month instead.  Which, of course, meant that after that she would most likely put all her energy in encouraging him not to give up.  Then Ruby would simultaneously be wearing her down to get her to call him.  Even thinking about that probable future had her wanting to delete Killian’s number completely, if only to stave off the inevitable.
She fished her phone out from under the tangle of blankets.  While she hadn’t turned it off completely she’d put it on silent and had pretty much ignored every text and email notification since the Walsh audio had leaked.  Regina had told her she’d take care of it and Emma trusted her just enough to believe that she would.
After unlocking it she was greeted with the continued barrage of messages she’d been expecting.  Unable to hold back her frustrated sigh she gave up the pretense of trying to hide what she was doing and pulled out of Ruby’s arms to prop herself up to deal with the never ending tidal wave of texts and emails.  She could feel Ruby’s gaze over her shoulder but made no move to hide her screen, even in the best of times it was hard to keep her from snooping.
Scanning through the emails first she was glad to see that most of it was spam.  A few were from Mary Margaret or David and she suspected that half the texts would be from them too.  There was only one from Regina, though it had been sent at the beginning of the shit hitting the fan telling her to keep a low profile while everything was dealt with.  With grim satisfaction she proceeded to delete the spam, glanced over the ones from Mary Margaret and David with a touch of guilt at their concern and her lack of communication with them.
The texts were another matter completely.  She had been right in thinking that half were from Mary Margaret and David, reiterations of the support and concern from their emails but a touch more frantic as they progressed.  After sending them a quick message that she was alive and would call them once they got to the hotel she grimaced at the ten unread messages from Regina.  Having one message go unread from her was bad enough and Emma knew that when she finally responded Regina would probably reach through the phone and rip her heart out.
The first couple were innocuous, more warnings for her to lie low and to ignore whatever reporters might show up at her hotel or the venue.  Several were updates on how things weren’t progressing with the fight against Walsh.  Then there were the admonishments and disappointment at her continued insistence to keep Killian off the tour.  The final text was a directive: Answer your goddamn phone, that had Emma wincing and noticing for the first time the little indicator that she had voicemails to listen to.  Throwing Ruby a worried glance she tapped on the icon and prepared for the worst.
You have six new voice messages.  To listen to your messages press one- 
Message one:
“It doesn’t look like we’ll need to take legal action but be prepared for the possibility that we will.  We also need to discuss the Jones fiasco.”
End of message. To erase this message press seven.  To listen to your messages press one-  
Message two:
“I don’t appreciate having to leave another voicemail along with the unanswered texts.  Walsh has agreed to issue an apology and his employer is sending him on an unpaid leave of absence for a month.  I would have preferred a firing but they will be generously donating to a charity of your choice and will be giving you final say in your future interviewers if we ever decide to return.  We still need to discuss the Jones fiasco.”
End of message. To erase this message press seven.  To listen to your messages press one- 
Message three:
“Reviews for last night’s show could have been better.  This wouldn’t have been an issue if Ms. Lucas had more than twenty-four hours notice to begin rehearsing.  I am still waiting to hear what happened with Jones.”
End of message. To erase this message press seven.  To listen to your messages press one-
Message four:
“Emma, sweetheart, I just want you to know that David and I both love you very much and we’re here for you.  Call either of us back when you can.”
End of message. To erase this message press seven.  To listen to your messages press one-
Message five:
“I am beginning to lose my patience with you, Miss Swan.  You are not my only client and neither is Mr. Jones.  I cannot do my job if you do not answer your phone.”
End of message. To erase this message press seven.  To listen to your messages press one-
Message six:
“I will be flying up to Portland to discuss matters with you in person.”
End of message. To erase this message press-
Emma hung up and dropped her hand to her lap.  She was screwed.  Regina was a nightmare to deal with when she was irritated but still in a forgiving mood.  In the last message she had sounded beyond pissed and was likely to be even more so by the time they were in the same room together.  Especially since she had told her that she wasn’t intending to rejoin the tour until the final show in Vancouver.
“From the look on your face you probably didn’t hear any good news,” Ruby said cautiously.
“Sorta,” she murmured, “Walsh is going to publicly apologize but he’s really only getting a slap on the wrist as punishment.”
“Asshole,” Ruby snarled.
Humming her agreement she turned her phone over and over in her hands.  She contemplated calling Regina to try and get some of the yelling that was bound to happen over with.  The only problem was if Regina was meeting them in Portland then she was most likely on a flight and wouldn’t be able to answer her phone.  There was no way she was going to play phone tag and end up pissing her off even more than she already was.
“There’s something else, isn’t there?” Ruby was watching her with narrowed eyes. “Is it Killian?”
“Blocked his number, remember?” She sighed tiredly. “I’m pretty sure Regina’s going to murder me when we get to Portland.”
“Regina’s going to be in Portland?  I thought her royal ass wasn’t going to be around until Vancouver.”
“Well, looks like I’ve made her mad enough to change her plans.”
“Shit,” Ruby breathed, “Sucks to be you.”
She huffed out a half-amused laugh, “Thanks.”
“Welcome,” she chirped, gleefully. “So, you’ve got at least a few more hours left to live.  Wanna see how much money we can take Will for?”
“Blackjack or Hold-Em?” She asked, already crawling over her to get out of the bunk.
“Hold-Em,” Ruby said with a devious grin, following her, “He has the most obvious tell I’ve ever seen.  Someone should really tell him.”
A few hours, a couple of hundred miles and one pissed off Will Scarlet later the bus pulled up to their hotel in Portland.  For the most part Emma was able to keep her mind off of everything that had been dragging her down.  It helped that her focus had to stay on her cards while ensuring that Will’s boasting morphed into irritated grumbling until he’d finally thrown down his final hand in disgust and stomped off to his bunk a few more dollars poorer.
As she tallied up her half of the take she warily eyed the front entrance of the hotel.  She’d almost convinced herself that Regina would have been waiting for her, pacing like a caged tiger, ready to strike.  Instead she found herself looking at a couple of bored valet attendants and a few of the other guests entering and leaving, some slowing to gape at the bus as it came to a stop.  To her great relief there were no reporters or paparazzi in sight, unlike their hotel in Oakland.
“I’ll let the front desk know we’re here,” Tink volunteered, popping out of her bunk like a jack in the box.
Before Emma could thank her she had already skipped down the stairs and was making her way into the hotel.  Shaking her head at Tink’s boundless energy she stood herself, stretching out her road weary muscles.  Just as she was about to move to gather up her stuff to take up to the room she caught sight of Regina striding out of the hotel’s entrance.  The furious look on her face made Emma’s stomach drop to her toes.
“Uh, you guys should go,” she called out, keeping her eyes on the advancing Regina.
“You already drained me dry and now you’re makin’ demands?  I’ll go when I’m good and ready,” Will scoffed, his voice muted.
She felt Ruby come up behind her, “I’ll just wait for- oh.  Will, let’s go!”
“What the bleedin’ hell for?” He growled, she heard him drop from his bunk and stomp towards them, “It’ll take Tink at least twenty minutes to get everythin’ all sorted out and since I’m bunkin’ with the crew, thanks to you and that wanker havin’ a row-”
“If your accommodations aren’t to your liking Mr. Scarlet-” Regina said icily as she ascended the stairs into the bus, “I can arrange for something more suitable, a Triple A recommended motel perhaps?”
Looking over at Will she saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard before grinning cheekily, “Ah, won’t be necessary, luv, seein’ as motels never have a decent bar.  Shall we, Red?”
Ruby looked torn.  Emma nodded, giving her the okay to leave even though she desperately wanted her to stay.  Unfortunately she knew that Regina would lay into her no matter who was there to witness it.  Regina had already made it clear that she was annoyed that Ruby had replaced Killian.  If Ruby stuck around she’d most likely fight on Emma’s behalf and get sent back to Maine for her trouble.  The last thing she wanted was to give Regina the opportunity to bring Killian back on.
Will had already left the bus and Ruby followed reluctantly, her gaze narrowed at Regina’s back until she disappeared out the door.  Steeling herself Emma waited for the oncoming tirade.
“Have a seat Miss Swan,” Regina said icily, brushing past her and sitting down at the bus’ small table.
“A please would be nice,” she muttered, low enough to not be heard while doing as she was told.
Regina watched her silently.  Emma fought against the urge to fidget, feeling a lot like she was an unruly student about to be reprimanded by the principal.
“Mr. Hoakley’s apology has been released-” Regina began without preamble, “His producer and the company have also issued their statements.  Unfortunately, the edited audio is still being circulated despite the original recording and a transcript being released and you’re still trending negatively on Twitter.  We haven’t seen any major drop in overall sales or requests for ticket refunds but there has been a dip.  Enough of one that the label is insisting that you release a statement of your own.”
“What?  I-”
“I am talking Miss Swan, you will only listen,” Regina said sharply.  She paused, clearly waiting for her to try and argue.  When she didn’t she continued, “I have already written the response which will be posted to your Instagram today along with a photo from the tour.  You will also be doing a live session tomorrow morning to answer fan questions.  The questions will be chosen and looked over beforehand to prevent any more mishaps.  If everything goes well we should see a solid bounce back by the time we reach Vancouver.
“Now, concerning Mr. Jones-”
“I could have kicked him off the tour at any time, we put it in the fucking contract,” she said hotly, annoyed at having been dressed down and feeling defensive over the decision she still wasn’t sure about.
Regina’s brown eyes flashed, “Yes, which saved you from being dropped from the label entirely.”
“Wh-” Emma could feel the blood draining from her face, “What?”
“Despite what you may think you are not as indispensable to them as to take the liberties you already have.  The fiasco with Mr. Hoakley was bad enough and while you were in the right the label saw your combativeness as a strike against you.  Dropping Mr. Jones from the tour at the same time was a misstep that jeopardized both your careers.  Yours more so than his.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?  How is that fair?” She asked in disbelief, feeling irate heat crawling up her neck.
“It isn’t, but that’s how this industry works, Miss Swan,” Regina said flatly. “Mr. Jones is an established artist with a built in fan base and therefore guaranteed record sales.  His past troubles are well documented and any misstep he could make wouldn’t come as a surprise even with his turnaround and the years spent in reclusivity.  You, on the other hand, have only begun to bring in returns on the investments the label has made.  Having Mr. Jones on the tour was his tacit endorsement of you and could have drawn a new demographic of listeners to your music.  Instead you’ve made it appear as though you were doing him some great favor instead of the other way around.”
“I don’t need his or anyone’s help,” she growled. “I’ve already made it this far on my own.”
“You made it to open mic nights and small bookings at bars on your own.  A world you are closer to returning to than you think,” Regina warned. “I suggest addressing how thankful you are that the label has been supporting you during this time.  It’ll be a step towards getting back in their good graces.”
“This is ridiculous-” she threw up her arms in frustration, “I did nothing wrong and I’m getting punished for it.”
“Again, this is how things work and you are not the only one being reprimanded for your behavior,” Regina snapped.
She frowned, “What do you mean?”
“I have been in meetings and taking phone calls for the past three days fighting on solely your behalf-” for the first time Regina seemed to soften, a wry twist to her lips. “There is nothing worse than trying to convince a group of old, out of touch, decidedly male record executives to consider for a moment what a young woman in the industry has to deal with on a daily basis.  Let alone trying to explain the capriciousness of social media trends.  Regardless what you may think, I am on your side Emma.”
“Wait, I’m confused-” she sat back, crossing her arms over her chest, “You just spent the last fifteen minutes chewing me out.”
“And you spent the last three days ignoring my calls-” Regina said pointedly. “If you’d actually answered any of them I might have been more patient in explaining everything to you.”
“So if I’d answered you would have been less of a bitch?” She asked sardonically.
Regina pursed her lips and glared at her, “Seeing as I’m the one currently keeping your ass out of the fire I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”
“So, I post my statement and do an awkward live thingy to get things back on track,” she said in lieu of apologizing.  There was no way in hell she was going to give Regina the satisfaction. “Anything else?”
“We still need to discuss what happened with Jones,” Regina said with a raised eyebrow, folding her hands together on the table.
“Jesus,” she muttered under her breath.  Dropping her head back she sighed, “Do we really or can we pretend we did and go get drunk at the bar instead?”
There was a pregnant pause before Emma heard Regina shifting in her seat, as though she were uncomfortable.  Curious she swung her head back down and was surprised to see an almost concerned look on Regina’s face.  She must have let her confusion show because Regina rolled her eyes.
“We may not exactly be friends, Emma, but I do have your best interests at heart.  What happened with Jones the day of the interview? You were eager to be done with the day and back with him as soon as possible, then a few hours later you dropped him from the tour and cut off all communication.  As your manager I need to know if there’s going to be any issues in the future that can be quietly dealt with now-” the concerned look returned, “As someone who worries about you I want to know that he hasn’t done anything to hurt you.”
Emma burst into laughter, unable to help herself.  She should have known that Regina would have no clue why she’d practically fallen apart.  In Regina’s mind she was merely doing her job of getting her clients’ careers to the next level.  It wouldn’t have occurred to her that she might have been the reason for it all going to shit.
Catching sight of Regina’s bewildered stare threw Emma into a fresh gale of laughter.  As tears of mirth streamed down her face she fought to catch her breath and wondered almost idly if she’d finally lost her damn mind.  Several minutes passed before she was finally able to get ahold of herself and look Regina in the eye.
“Are you quite finished?” Regina asked, clearly exasperated.  At her nod she leaned forward, “Now, will you please tell me what it is I said that had you laughing like a madwoman?”
“Do you worry about me or my career?” She said instead of answering, quirking her lips in a wry smile.  Regina’s brows drew down in consternation and Emma sighed, knowing they were only heading towards a fight, “Killian didn’t do anything.  He got what he wanted out of touring with me so it was time for him to go.  End of story.”
“That sounds more like the middle of the story-” Regina leaned forward, “Explain.”
“There’s nothing to explain,” she sighed, completely over the conversation. “Being on tour got him back in the saddle or taking that first giant leap or whatever.  He’s working on new, amazing stuff with the hit-maker Robin Locksley, which is what you want from a new client.  Right?  So I let him go and we’re both moving onto bigger and better things.  Everyone’s a winner.  Can I please go get a drink now?”
Regina had slowly straightened in her seat during her small tirade.  She was sitting rigidly, looking at her with an unreadable expression.  After a moment she shook her head, Emma somehow felt it was in disappointment, and stood from the table.
“I’ll send you the statement to post and options for the photo to go along with it.  The live Q and A needs to happen before nine tomorrow morning, I will be sending along the pre-approved questions as well.  Stick to those and hopefully you’ll come out of this relatively unscathed.”
Emma stared up at her, almost annoyed she hadn’t pushed the Killian issue further, “Okay…”
“Have a good evening, Miss Swan.” With that Regina strode off.  Emma watched her go, flabbergasted by the abrupt departure when Regina stopped at the top of the stairs leading off the bus and turned back, “Just so you know, Mr. Jones is refusing to do any work on the album the label has him on contract for.  Mr. Locksley, a close, personal friend of his I believe, is having difficulties convincing him to even pretend to work on it to appease the label.  He is perilously close to being in breach of contract with them and is refusing to answer my calls as I try to salvage what’s left of his career.  But everyone's a winner, right?”
Regina didn’t wait for her to answer, stepping down off the bus without any further acknowledgement.  Emma sat there with a growing sense of unease, staring blankly at the spot that Regina had been standing.  The part of her that hadn’t wanted to see Killian in pain was trying to twist Regina’s words into lies, make everything she’d said another ploy to boost sales or something, anything to keep her mind clear of the idea that Killian was sabotaging himself for her.  Yet the longer she sat there the more her unease grew, knowing that what Regina had said was exactly something that Killian would do.
Antsy she got up from the table and paced between it and her bunk.  She no longer wanted a drink, just the thought of drowning her sorrows and problems had her remembering Killian’s hard fought for sobriety to face his own issues head on.  With each pass she made in the small space she teetered back and forth between believing Regina and vilifying her, both of which would have her making decisions she wasn’t ready to make.
Groaning in frustration she dove into her bunk, wanting nothing more than to hide away there and hope that everything would just fix itself.  Her self pitying was interrupted by a phone buzzing at her hip.  Reaching underneath her she pulled it out, expecting to see her old, battered but still functional phone and instead found her fingers wrapped around Ruby’s practically new iPhone in its protective red case.  Surprised that she’d left it behind Emma flipped the phone over to see who was calling.  When she saw Killian’s name on the screen she nearly threw it across the bus.
She eyed the still buzzing phone like it was a snake about to strike.  There were a million reasons for her to ignore it, to let it go to voicemail and have Ruby give her the gist of the message.  There was only one reason for her to answer and it was that that had her swiping up and pressing the phone to her ear before she could think better of it.
“Thank god,” Killian sighed in relief, the sound shooting straight to Emma’s heart, “Ruby, lass, I don’t know what’s going on and I won’t ask but please, just tell me that Emma’s alright.  I’ll stop calling, anything, I just... please, I just need to know.”
Her breath had backed up in her throat at the plea in Killian’s voice.  He also sounded exhausted, his accent dragging across the words much like they had when they’d stayed up too late, nose to nose talking the night away.  The memory had her breath hiccuping out of her in a half sob.
“What’s wrong?  Is it Emma?  Ruby, is she okay?”
His panicked questions had her biting her cheek to get a hold of herself.  She closed her eyes and gripped the phone as though her life depended on it.
“I’m okay, Killian.”
“Swan?” He breathed and she could hear his unfolding hope in the single word, “Love, is that you?”
“It’s me,” she whispered.
“Swan, Emma, I…” he huffed in either frustration or disbelief she wasn’t sure, “Dammit, love, I had so many things I wanted to say and now I can’t think of a single thing.”
She took in a shuddering breath, “Just tell me why.”
“Why?  Why what?”
“Why didn’t you just tell me that you were trying to get your big comeback?  That’s all this was, wasn’t it?  You could have just told me that.  You didn’t have to lie to me,” she had tried to keep her tone even, unaffected, but had ended on a growl nonetheless.
“I never lied,” he said vehemently.  She scoffed and he made a strangled noise, “Emma, listen to me, when have I lied?  Yes, I admit, being on the tour may have begun as a stepping off point but it became more than that.  We became more than that.”
“A lie by omission is still a lie, Killian,” she said emphatically.  She couldn’t focus on how heartfelt he’d sounded when talking about them, not when he’d also confirmed everything she’d been worrying about. “It’s not like it matters anyway, you got what you want.  Your name’s back out there, people are interested.  Congrats on the record contract by the way.”
“None of that bloody matters to me,” he snapped. “If you’d just listen-”
“No,” she said, cutting him off, “You had your chance to explain when you first auditioned.”
“Emma-” his voice cracked, “please.”
“I- I can’t take the chance that I’m wrong about you-” her voice wavered, tears lodged in her throat, “I’m sorry.”
She cut off the call but not before she heard him say her name once more.  The phone immediately began buzzing in her hand but she swiped to ignore the call, quickly shutting off the phone completely to resist the temptation to answer.  She then curled into a ball and gave into her tears.
23 notes · View notes
theysaidhush · 10 months ago
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Chapter 3: Stars
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The talk with Chan went pretty well, if not for the fact that Athéna was now very much aware that her being in Stray Kids was a surprise for the leader of said group. She was confused. It was his group, and even if the agency was allowed to manage the band as it pleases them, she did expected the leader to be aware of a thing that important - such as a freakin new member, for example?
She was now anxiously waiting behind the closed door of the studio, fighting the urge to pace back and forth down the corridor. Her thoughts were a mess and her hands were shaking even if she was trying really hard to clutch them together - those itches were a pain in the ass, especially when it was because of those stupid, dumb thoughts running in circles in her head.
Breathe.
Being on the receiving end of his stare was enough for her smile to waver and her determination to dampen, and she was hating it. She couldn't let herself down, not after all that she went through - not that she spent years in here, like some trainees did and still do. In fact, she had only been here for nine months - which was more than enough in her opinion. But now, meeting people that were here before her, knowing that she would debut before them? It was embarrassing.
Athéna tried really hard to tell herself that if they allowed her to debut, it was because she was good - or at least good enough. But even she couldn't fool herself, her dance skills were nowhere impressive and her rapping wasn't making head bob. And she was being fair, not humble, or full of self pity. She admired those who worked hard, so it wasn't a surprise if she lowered her head every time a person who had been training for years crossed her path in the building.
Everything's gonna be fine.
Now she had to cope with the fact that she was in a band who could very much not like her. What a good new! But as long as she was her usual self, she would slash could slash try to befriend them. Even if at some point of her life she was having trouble making friends, let alone talk to people, now, Athéna was more capable than doing that. She was - well, she was not popular in college but only because she lacked looks! But she was pretty much acquainted with everyone. Like those funny guys in movies. Those who have a few friends but that everyone knows - and that somehow always die first in horror movies, like come on run, are you trying to befriend a psychopath serial killer?! Athéna would. Years ago she would not think that she could be capable of this, she would never have believed it. But now that she was the person who always die first in horror movie, she was going to try her best to prove them that despite being a not so polyvalent idol, she still was a good person!
"Hi?"
Oh God that deep voice.
It took the French girl a few seconds to actually realize that someone was talking to her - she was a bit lost in her head, or, she brushed it off as someone talking to someone else. Blinking, still facing the studio's door, she closed her eyes and ignored the person who was standing behind her. For some reasons, she likes acting that sometimes, just ignoring the world.
"Excuse me?"
She can easily pretend that she doesn't speak Korean, can't she?
"Madam?"
Oh, this person really wants to talk to her. Too bad, she is not in the mood! Plus, his voice was far too attractive to end this conversation right now. If only he could talk a bit more, a bit longer, maybe even deeper-
But as she was making the most of the situation, listening to that sweet, deep, deep voice, a hand grabbed her shoulder, making her jump slightly at the contact. She spun on her heels, facing the owner of that unforgettable voice who retracted his hands like lava was dripping from her body - she would appreciate the compliment as it meant that she was hot. She really wants someone to say that she is hot.
Lights. Freckles. Ethereal.
"Oh! English?"
"Y - Yes..?"
Athéna blinked - again. The words spilled out of her mouths in a rush. Maybe it was because he was asking her. Maybe because she wanted him to talk in English because God his voice was even deeper. She who'd have chastised him for assuming that she was not Korean just because she was not asian, but he was pretty. And that's how, upon meeting Lee Felix, Athéna swore that she would never judge people who was allowing things because of 'beauty privileges' anymore. Now that she was facing a goddamn statue craved by God itself, a piece of art who belong in the Louvre's corridors, she was sure that she would allow the man to spit and step on her, and she would thank him for it.
But Athéna's thoughts should remain hidden to the public, as the author is still trying to present her as someone remotely fair and unbiased.
She sputtered a few more incomprehensible words, her eyes gazing at his sweet freckles, not even able to tear her gaze from the constellation on his cheeks.
"You're like, really pretty!" she waved at his face before remembering that it might have been impolite "Like, your face - No, your freckles! You might hear that a lot. I mean - obviously. Who wouldn't want to compliment someone like you?"
She was embarrassing, she knew it. If the way the boy before her was blinking profusely, clutching his shirt in his oh! so tiny head - which mas making her wonder if his fingers were too small, or just small enough- Right, the author is trying really hard. The main idea of the paragraph is that she was making him uncomfortable - or so she thought.
Dang it, get a hold of yourself.
"Thank you?"
It was question. Not a real, conventional thanks.
"It's like...a galaxy you know? Like small little stars. I once read that God invented freckles because he wanted the mankind to think about the stars when the night was too dark. Or...something along that way."
The boy before her smile brightly at that fact, and Athéna narrowed her eyes. The boy was shining - and she wasn't being her dramatic self!
"You have freckles too." The blonde boy pointed out, scanning her face and her attire, his eyes stopping on the small little brown freckles littering her cheeks and her nose bridge. It was so prettily scattered all over her face that it was reminding him of those manga characters. He smiled once again at that thought, tilting his head to have a better look at those small stars, as she named it.
"Yes I do. I like them, they're pretty, aren't they? Not prettier than yours though."
"What - Of course they are prettier than mine!"
"No they're not! Yours are a real reminder starry nights, for real! I bet that I can trace them - Overstepping, sorry."
He wanted to laugh but argue, his mouth opening yet closing, thought swirling in his head. She was cute, and Felix likes cute things. On top of that, she seemed to be the kind of person who likes themselves. She was confident, and Felix likes confident people, they are attractive.
So he wanted to tell her that her freckles were just as pretty as his, if not more. But the sudden hotness creeping up his face surprised him. That reaction was unusual. He couldn't tell yet if he was flattered or embarrassed - but a good kind of embarrassment, like sitting in the middle of people singing happy birthday on fifty shades of wrong notes.
And seriously, Athéna knew that she could be overwhelming at times, but she somehow never knew when to stop. Nevertheless, when her words caused that kind of reaction to the other person, it was a good reminder for her to just keep her mouth shut.
"I'm sorry I'm rambling. I tend to do that a lot. Not just because you're pretty - or handsome? Do you feel offended when I say 'pretty'? People tend to say that this word shouldn't be used to describe a man. I mean - maybe I just learned the wrong English, but still... Oh, I'm doing it again, aren't I?"
Th boy just chuckled and shrugged, and now, Athéna was even more hyper aware of what was going on around her. Super conscious about herself.
"It's fine, really. I do it too, whenever I'm excited, so I understand."
"Thank you!" she said, putting the emphasize on the word 'you', gesturing with her hands all over the place, "People think that I'm talkative, which isn't true at all, I'm actually quite silent when I'm with my comfort people. It's just that I don't know what to do when I meet new people. No need to tell you that it's even worse when they're pretty."
The boy's smile was getting wider, so much that the hall's lights were getting duller in comparison with the glow radiating from him. Sweet, warm and comforting. He was a good distraction from whatever was going on behind the door. Or so she thought.
"Felix? What are you doing here?"
"Oh!"
The young woman never knew that someone could shine like that. Could shine more than how Felix was shining seconds ago, with his cute rosy cheeks and tiny hands still clutching his far too big sweatshirt while he was talking to her - she was making most of the talking but who cares? The point was that the blonde was obviously delighted with the sight of his leader, Chan. Athéna knew it was him, she could now recognized the owner of that voice anyplace and anytime. He had a great...impact on her.
Felix went past her, head up, no hesitation in his steps - he was walking like model, how was he daring to be so him, so pretty for the world to admire? She wasn't even jealous, she was just glad to be able to admire him like that, barefaced, in all his naked-face glory. But she felt that pang of jealousy, that ugly green monster snickering inside her head as she watched the personification of the sun hug the man behind her. The small leader, who greeted him with his arms opened, a smile stretching is tired features as he engulfed him in his arms. If only she could be Chan, she was yearning for a hug like that...
"I was checking on you. We finished with the dance practice and figured that we would take you out of the studio to grab something to eat. You aren't on a diet, are you?"
Even if the corridor was empty and the doors making a good job at keeping the sound inside the rooms, the place suddenly felt all too silent. It was just a feeling - a mood, according to her friends, even though then French woman tended to say that it was a spell. It might be true, though. Whatever it was, whatever its name was, it was happening right now. As if the world and the words were underwater, as if she couldn't move her gaze from the thing she was looking at even if people were calling her name. She was disconnected, unplugged, missing in reality, and so on. Sometimes, it was just happening, out of nowhere, for no reason at all. She would stare at something, not blinking once, until her eyes were watery because of dryness. But sometimes - like now, it was happening because of a trigger. Nothing too explicit or dangerous. In that case, it was Chan - depending on who you ask, Chan is exactly that: explicit and dangerous, but it was clues that the young woman wasn't so good at picking up. She had other concerns such as what's the synonym of synonym? what was the last name of Captain Hook before he lost his hand? Such existential questions with no answers...
The man she was facing a dozen of minutes ago was not the same person who was facing Felix. No. He disappeared somewhere because he really wanted to beat his own poor record at flappy bird and he left his twin in charge. His sweet and loving twin, who was looking at Felix like he hung the moon, who was delicately stroking the boy's arm, nodding each time the latter was explaining something with far too grand gestures for the simplicity of the things that actually happened. He was avoiding blinking, taking in all Felix's beauty, listening to him, not only seeing him but watching him. He couldn't be the man who looked at her as if she said that he could never realize his dreams, could he?
"And he fell, on is ass. He's fine though!"
He was looking at Felix like one look at a full moon, with hope, admiration and longing.
"Oh! And she was - Oh, I never asked what your name is! I'm so sorry..."
But he was looking at her like one look at a new moon, with sorrow, deception and disinterest. Because there was nothing to look at.
He was looking at her right now, with that look.
Brighter than the sun yet deeper than the sea, I'll show you what everyone wants to see.
"Pardon?" She snapped - not that anyone noticed that she was digging holes in the leader's face - then chuckled, then shrugged, probably embarrassed as her gaze was flickering between the three man in front of her.
Felix mirrored her laugh, amused at her antics - even if she wasn't trying to be funny. He was used to being around loud people. He was in Stray Kids, for God's sake. He was in the noisiest group of the 4th generation and even he admitted it - people who said otherwise could respectfully argue with the wall. But she wasn't just loud. She was a breath of fresh air, a boost of serotonin! Damn, he only met her a few minutes ago but if someone came to him and told him that fifty percent of her body was made of compacted hormones slash cells of dopamine he would believe them - and it meant a lot, regarding the fact that he was friend with the Han Jisung, aka the funniest and nicest people in his 'call a friend' joker. Who needed chocolate when they were friend with that bundle of... joy? nerves?
"Axina, right?"
Brighter than the sun yet deeper than the sea, I'll show you what everyone wants to see.
"More like Ah-thé-nah, you can google it!"
Gazes.
"If you want to..."
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elizabeethan · 4 years ago
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14!
Hanging Up Mistletoe
This took a turn... so enjoy some smutty crack on this lovely Monday afternoon
Takes place in the My Hands, Your Hands universe!
Send me a Holiday Prompt!
Killian won’t stop humming It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.
It’s been eight weeks since their first date, just one night after their first kiss, and everything has been perfect. She’s never been so happy, day in and day out, and Killian has been a wonderful and respectful partner to her. The only problem is that they still haven’t told their friends, and he won’t stop humming.
“Did you know Michael Buble covered this song, Swan?” He asked her as he messed with a piece of tape, and she rolled her eyes.
It’s not as if they’re trying to keep it a secret. Both of them have been in relationships that have ended badly, and they agreed that it might be nice to keep things to themselves for the first little while, but they weren’t purposely not telling anyone. It’s just that no one has asked.
They all celebrated Thanksgiving together in the loft a few weeks ago and still no one noticed. It isn’t like Killian’s being shy with the way he flirts with her, and she certainly isn’t shy about returning it, but no one seems to give them a second glance. Perhaps that’s why they’ve gotten so comfortable with publicly and excessively flirting with each other and then sneaking off to bump uglies in his bedroom.
Perhaps that’s why hanging the mistletoe in the living room has led to Emma waiting for him in his room wearing nothing but her festive apron.
She sneaks across the hall into his room almost every night. Some nights it’s not for sex, but most nights it is. It’s just that he’s really good at it. She tries to brush from her mind the amount of practice he may or may not have had throughout his life, because she honestly doesn't care. Whatever it took for him to get like that is good enough for her.
She sees that her text has been read, then hears a slight commotion outside the door before it swings open much too quickly and she’s met with her grinning, already-slightly-hard boyfriend. She giggles. “That didn’t take long,” she says playfully.
“Well, when I get a distress call from a fair maiden, I’m on the spot.”
“I’m not distressed.”
“No? I thought you needed help with untying these…” he says, suggestively trailing his fingers along the bow tied at the front of the apron, just under her breasts. “Isn’t that what the photo you sent me was supposed to convey?”
She hums out a giggle again, tugging on the collar of his shirt and dragging him onto the bed on top of her. “I needed help hanging some more mistletoe,” she mumbles between kisses, “in here.”
“Over this?” He asks, pressing a kiss to the side of her breast exposed to the chilly air. “Or perhaps we should hang it a bit… lower…”
He trails his fingers down the front of the apron, tugging the bow undone and letting the ties fall to her side. “How low?” She asks breathlessly as he drags his mouth down, down, down.
He hums a throaty laugh into her skin and it makes her shiver. She lets her eyes slip closed as he drags his hand up her thigh, stopping to squeeze her ass firmly then moving swiftly to bury his head under the fabric of the apron and nip at her exposed flesh. She doesn’t hesitate to lift her knees, opening herself up to him easily and planting her heels on his back as he dives in with little preamble.
Did she mention that he’s good at this?
So good, in fact, that she has to grab his pillow and shove it over her own face to keep from shouting and alerting the others of their activities as he dives two fingers into her and curls them just right.
The only thing keeping the apron from falling off of her is the straps tied around her neck, and she’s about to tug them open so that she can remove it and see his dark hair between her legs, moving her hand from the pillow to behind her neck, when the door flies open.
“Killian, have you seen Em— ooooh, shit.” He stills under the apron. Emma stills under the pillow. She pushes it harder to her face in hopes that it suffocates her so that she doesn't have to face Ruby. “I see. I won’t tell her I saw you and… whoever this is,” she says pointedly, aggressively, and slams the door.
He hums in thought against her sensitive clit and she squeezes her thighs around his head. “Dammit, Killian,” she says exasperatedly. She expects him to stop and to pop his cocky face up from between her thighs, but he doesn't. She tosses the pillow aside so that she can look down at him, though he’s still hiding below the apron as he continues his ministrations against her. “You should,” she starts, but she can’t finish. Well, actually she can, and she likely will if he doesn't stop, but he really should stop, shouldn’t he?
He doesn't stop. He continues to curl his thick fingers against her just so, sucking and nipping at her clit until she’s putty in his hands. She presses her heels harder into his back to hold him in place, begging him not to move from exactly the spot that he’s in, then shoves the apron away so that she can grip his hair. “Fuck,” she breathes out. “Don’t sto—” He doesn’t stop until she’s seeing stars. Or maybe they’re silver bells. Whatever.
He laughs lightly as he crawls up her body, sucking on his fingers and licking his lips because he absolutely wants to drive her completely insane. When he reaches her head, he presses a soft kiss to her lips and runs his weakened left hand along the side of her face as best he can. “How the hell did she not know it was you?”
“Because I had my face shoved into a pillow to keep quiet.”
He laughs again, kissing her temple as he settles next to her and drapes his arm over the waist. “Well, it didn’t work very well in the end there.”
“I didn’t notice.”
“I’m sure the others did, love.”
She shrugs, snuggling into his side and biting against his collarbone. “Maybe we should go out there. Although I did lose my clothes, and I’m pretty sure Ruby’s probably waiting in my room.”
“You lost them, did you? Is that what’s happened here, you minx?” She giggles softly against his chest, the breath coming from her nose moving the hair just slightly. “Are you alright with them knowing?”
“Yeah. Are you?”
“Yeah.”
~~~~
Ruby isn’t waiting in her room, so she’s able to safely get dressed and join the small party after applying a bit of concealer to the side of her neck. Killian isn’t there, but she assumes that he’ll be on his way.
“There you are, sweetie,” Mary Margaret says as she re-enters and is tugged into the kitchen. “Ruby and I need to talk to you.”
“Emma!” Ruby calls once she’s in the kitchen, and she rushes over to her friend and takes her hands. “You okay?”
“Fine, why?”
Ruby sighs and Mary Margaret runs a hand comfortingly up Emma’s arm. Emma smirks slightly but holds it together as Ruby says, “I don’t want you to freak out, but I just walked in on Killian and the girl he’s been boning. I’m so sorry.”
“Ruby—”
“We really didn’t want you to find out like this, Emma. We know you’ve had feelings for him and you’ve seemed so happy lately, but he’s been sleeping around with some woman. David and Will say they hear them almost every night.”
They both look so concerned for their friend, and Emma finds it sweet aside from the fact that they’re completely off base. “It’s alright,” she says with a soft smile.
“No it isn’t, it’s completely insensitive. That’s why we sent David in to talk to him.”
Emma laughs and shakes her head as she makes her way to the fridge for some eggnog. “I’m sure that’s not necessary.”
“We just want what’s best for you, Emma. Ruby told me about a few weeks ago when you almost kissed, and if the two of you didn’t work out, that’s fine, but he shouldn’t be rubbing it in your face.”
“I think I’m the one rubbing it in his face,” she deadpans, and Ruby scrunches her thick, perfect brows together in confusion.
“What, the fact that you’re single?”
She laughs, then hears David’s booming voice coming from down the hall as he makes his way towards the living area and she knows that he’s pissed.
“Would it kill you to take this seriously, Jones? This is my sister we’re talking about here.”
“Aye, mate, I’m well aware. I believe I’m taking things very seriously.”
“Then at least have the decency to be discreet!” He shouts.
“David,” Emma tries.
“No, Emma, I’m tired of Killian being a huge asshole to you and having no regard for how you might be feeling. It’s not a secret how you felt that night the last time we played that stupid game.”
“I know it isn’t.”
“So don’t you want him to quit flaunting his new fling when he knows you live across the hall?”
“David, I’m his new fling.”
His face falls. He goes from angry to irate in a matter of seconds as he absorbs Emma’s meaning, turning slowly towards her with his eyes the size of saucers then back around to Killian. “My sister?!”
“Mate—”
“Don’t you mate me! You think you can get away with defiling my sister? My best friend and my sister?!”
“David, honey, just calm down,” Mary Margaret says, making her way around the counter.
“My best friend and my sister!”
“David, he isn’t defiling me! We’ve been dating for two months!”
He freezes. He turns back towards her and she can see the red flush fading as he seems to relax. “Dating?”
“Yes, dating. Like, we’re in a relationship.”
He turns towards Killian again, who looks to Emma and grins. “Relationship?”
“Aye, mate.”
“My best friend and my sister…” he says, as if trying it on for size now, rather than using it as an excuse for second degree murder.
“Right. Dating.”
“You two are dating?” Ruby asks from behind her, and she spins around and smirks.
“Yep.”
“So earlier… when I busted into Killian’s room…”
“Yeah, thanks for that.”
“Oh my god…”
“You guys need to learn to keep it down, then, bloody hell,” Will says from the couch.
Christmas goes off without another hitch.
They try really, really hard to keep it down later on when they pick up where they left off, honest.
Some things just don’t always go to plan.
~~~~
~~~~
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krysavium-blog · 5 years ago
Text
Hiraeth
(n.) a homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places in the past.
~•~
You will never realize how important a person is until they had left you already. And the moment you try to hold on to them, they let you go.
~•~
Katsuki knew that the moment he started to hold on, Izuku had already let it go.
~~~~~
Midoriya Izuku had always dreamt to be a hero. To be someone who save others. He wanted to bring justice to the poor and love to the discriminated. He wanted to be their savior.
Yet...
Instead of being the one who will save others, he became the one who needed to be saved. Saved from the insults. Saved from the loneliness. Saved from himself.
Life has never been easy on him.
In the age of two, his father left them with nothing.
In the age of four, he was tested as quirkless.
In the age of five, he was bullied by his old best friend.
In the age of seven, he had no friends.
In the age of ten, he was scolded for trying to save someone.
In the age of fourteen, his favorite hero told him that he couldn't be a hero.
He tried his best to achieve his goals but he was caught up in the thorns planted by the society. He was made fun of, insulted, looked down and hated. Why?! Why was it him? What did he do wrong? All he wanted was to be hero but why is it that people are against him?
He cried and cried. He cried until there's no tears left to cry. He screamed out loud until the his voice went out. He called for help until he was scolded by the world.
Life is so cruel.
"Why don't you swan dive from the roof and wished that you'll a quirk on your next life."
...
Izuku considered the suggestion.
~•~
It was their graduation when Izuku stood on the top of the roof. Bandages warped around his broken body. He was tired. Tired of everything that he suffered. What's the point? He had already lost his will to survive.
It was already in the afternoon and the graduation ceremony had just ended. Students were scattered at the gate of the campus, talking to friends and congratulating each other. How he wished to be just like them. To be normal but he was not normal. He was different.
He looked at the beautiful flowers that bloomed into the world. How he wished to be as beautiful as them. To be lovely but he wss not pretty. He was an ugly weed.
He looked at the sky and stared at the birds that sung gracefully. How he wished to be as talented as them. To be able to show a skill but he was not skillful enough. He was useless.
Closing his eyes, he remembered his life. He wished to have happy memories but he never had one. He could only remember the sad ones.
He really lived a pitiful life.
Izuku wished to have at least one reason to lived but except for his mother, he had nothing. He was a waste of space. He had no contribution to the world, all he did was being a worthless being always admiring and always being unwanted.
After a deep breath, he screamed "I wished to live happy in my next life!"
Taking a step forward, he fell. With people witnessing his action.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
But before he could even hit the ground, someone saved his sorry excuse of a body.
~•~
Bakugou Katsuki was gifted with a wealthy family and a powerful quirk. He was beloved by others that he became confident of himself. He see himself above everyone else. He see himself as the king. He was too focus on himself that he forgot his old bestfriend. He forgot the promises he made with him.
Instead, he bullied his old friend.
For years, he never stopped his discrimination against the boy. He kept on doing it until he broke him apart.
Katsuki had became someone he doesn't want to be. Instead of being a hero that saves people, he became the villains that antagonizing others.
The worst thing is that, he never realized this not until it happened.
"I wished to live happy in my next life!"
He saw his old best friend fall in front of him. He was scared yet nonetheless, used his quirk to caught him. He was looking for answers why would the boy do that. Why would Izuku kill himself but then he remembered.
Was it not him who said those words? To jump and wish to have quirk on the next life.
He suddenly feel disgusted of himself. Why did he do that? Why in the world did he do that? When did he started to changed? When did he became evil?
When did it all go wrong?
He was supposed to protect him. He was supposed to be his hero. But the past is the past. His actions had already been done. All he could do was to apologize.
Do he even have the right to apologize?
He could only wait. Wait for the right time.
~•~
Its been a month since Izuku's suicide attempt and has been confined in his room ever since. His mother was devasted when she heard about the news. She never expected that his son that shines brighter than the sun would try to end his life.
His eyes that reflects hope was now dull as if there's no life in it. His smile that could be compared to gold was nowhere to be seen.
He was just like a robot, unable to feel anything.
How did he became like this?
"Auntie Inko..."
Her train of thoughts was interrupted by a voice she heard for years.
"Katsuki, don't worry about Izuku. He'll be fine for sure."
She tried to lighten up the mode which made Katsuki more guilty.
"No- Its not about that.... I have a confession to made."
Inko was confused. What confession?
"Auntie.. The reason why De- Izuku attempt to suicide was because of me..."
What? What does he mean?
"I have been bullying Izuku since our childhood days."
Say what? Inko never knew about this, rather, Izuku never told her about this. She actually never knew what Izuku had suffered all these years. The boy whom she thought as her son's friend was actually the reason why all of this happened. Just how an airhead is she?
"You?..... You did this to my Izuku?"
Tears started to flow from her eyes as she cried.
"Why? Why did you do it?"
Katsuki felt helpless at the situation. He only looked down and whispered.
"I'm sorry. Auntie, I'm sorry."
Inko closed her eyes in anger, trying to stop the tears from falling. She put a hand on Katsuki's chest and push him away.
"Just go."
The boy could only stare at her and nod.
"And never let me see your face ever again."
Katsuki was horrified at her words but what can he do? He did this.
He turned away and left.
~•~
Todoroki Shouto was the fourth child of the Pro Hero Endeavor. He was the child who had both quirks of his parents. Others may see it as blessing but he sees it as a curse. To have both means to be the perfect child his father had always wanted.
He had always hated his father. For forcing him to be perfect. For abusing his family. For scaring his mother until she went crazy.
But she was not crazy at all.
He touched his scar at the upper left part of his face. He could still remember the fear he saw at the face of his parent. How scared she was of his other side.
He sighed before grabbing the doorknob and entered. He expected his mother to be there, sitting in the bed but to his surprised, it was another patient.
The patient was a young boy with green curly hair. Freckles scattered on his face like stars and his skin looked so soft. He was beautiful but his eyes..... his eyes looked so dead.
Shouto just stared at the boy when a voice wake him up.
"Excuse me, you are?"
He was flustered and looked down.
"Oh sorry. I'm Todoroki Shouto."
He apologized but the other only chuckled softly.
"Its fine. My name is Midoriya Izuku."
Izuku replied.
Shouto explained why he was there for his mother and how he accidentally went to this room instead.
They were so focus at the conversation when Inko arrived all of a sudden. Shouto was startled before going out to visit his mother.
"Shouto, what are you thinking about? You have a big smile in your face." his mother asked, shocked at how her youngest son expressed such expression.
"Its nothing, mother. I just met someone."
~•~
Katsuki held on the notebook tightly. It was not just a normal notebook but the notebook that he burned. It was Izuku's.
Sighing at his actions, he went to the hospital. He heard from his mother that Inko was not around today since she will be doing an overnight work.
Its not that he did not respect the woman but he just can't stand there and do nothing. It was his fault after all. Even an apology could do.
Looking at the door, he raised his hand to knock but then he heard some voices inside. One was talking and one was laughing. Curious, he took a peek inside and it broke his heart.
Izuku was finally laughing... But it was not with him. It was with another boy with a dual hair color. He could feel the happiness that his old friend expressed. He could also see the love in the eyes of the stranger.
The heck?!
Katsuki crumpled the notebook in anger before realizing that he don't have the right to feel this way.
No matter how jealous he is, he can't ruin the joy of Izuku.
Not again.
He closed the door quietly before walking away.
How he wished to return to the start. To change his ways. To be the hero he had always wanted to be.
He wanted to hold on the promises they both made before. But he knew.
Katsuki knew that the moment he started to hold on, Izuku already had let it go.
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black-streak · 5 years ago
Text
Waiting for the Worms - The Trial
Part 18
I've just been staring at this completed chapter for thirty minutes. I've been working up to this moment for so long and to see it finally written is just. Insane. (No this is not the last chapter. There is much more to come)
By the way!!!! This chapter was not suppose to end this way! Y'all influenced this shit! Goading me into it, I swear.
CLOSED List of Beggarts I regularly feed (I'm running out of names to call you): @northernbluetongue @thethirdwheelfriend @shizukiryuu @theatreandcomicfreak @michellemagic @karategirl119 @moonlightstar64 @my-name-is-michell @mystery-5-5 @zalladane @queen-of-the-trash-planet-tm @miraculousdisapointment @dorkus-minimus @jardimazul @allthebooksandcrannies @g-arya @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @persephonescat @mycupisbroken @luciferge @18-fandoms-unite-08 @dawnwave16 @alwaysreblogneverpost @kris-pines04 @emjrabbitwolf @mysteriouslyswimmingfan-blo-blog @weird-pale-blonde-person @you-will-never-know-how-i-think @kokotaru @naclychilli @slytherinhquinn @clumsy-owl-4178 @ladybug-182 @darkthunder1589 @evil-elf16 @dast218 @lysslovsanime @emilytopaz @naoryllis @iloontjeboontje @thepeacetea @danielslilangel @finallyaniguana @i-like-fairytail-and-stuff @vixen-uchiha @yuulxd @bleeding-heart-romantic @magic-inthe-stars @st0rmy-w1th1n
~---~
He'll be after Jason seeing as the new Robin described him and he definitely knows about Joker's death.
They watched as the shadow took off across the rooftops, occasionally tossing out a grapple or swan diving off a ledge. Four blocks off, another figure, much brighter and attention grabbing, took a similar route, small body taking to the sky seemingly not taking notice of the eyes on him. Or perhaps used to it.
You'll watch the bird, keep him distracted. Nothing extreme enough to catch the other's attention. Just hold off any interference.
A dozen mice ran along the sides of gutters and along the alleyways below, awaiting their signal. They kept the brighter figure in their sights, drawing his attention with slight rustles and squeaks from unexpected places. Just loud and weird enough to avoid interest in any other movement in the area, drawing out a natural curiosity and investigative need in their target.
You'll play as backup. As soon as we instigate our target, I expect you to help keep the Replacement within ear range but incapable of assisting.
A fox dashed across the streets, keeping a close eye on the game between the bright figure and the mice scattered about. Any time the bird snuck up on where one hid, she hid the mouse in illusions, sometimes a real rat, other times a startled, hissing cat. 
Tail swishing in a twitchy dance behind her, she awaited the main event from her perch.
You two will take to the sidelines, backup if it should come to blows. Otherwise, keep everyone updated on the others' positions and monitor the situation.
A cat slinking around corners kept an eye on all of the players, including the two unseen by the rest, coordinating positions and ensuring no one moved off course, uncomfortable in knowing a double agent held eyes in the sky and taking precautions to avoid cameras as she whispered soft directions into a comm, made by their miraculouses and impossible to hack due to the ancient magic encasing it.
By her side, a dragon crossed with a horse hovered in a tense side to side sway, awaiting her command. The other kept on tiptoe, knowing the call to assist could come at any point and from any direction. In the end, their disappearance back into the night at the end of all of this relied on her. Waiting too long differentiated between success and potential capture.
We'll take on the Bat. After all, I think it's high time he met my soulmate.
With baited breath, they watched as a shrouded man dropped in front of the Bat, making the figure twist at the last second to avoid a headlong collision. Batman turned back on the spot, dropping into a crouch and launching towards the man. The man dropped onto his back, kicking upward into a stomach and using the momentum to launch Batman across the roof while rolling back to a stand. He stayed facing away, though they saw his head tilt, listening to the almost silence behind him. As a flash of silver flung towards his back, he easily spun off to the side, dodging a barrage of batarangs as Batman methodically tossed them while placing himself closer and closer to the other before moving in to initiate hand to hand combat. The man seemed to take this in stride, shifting into the new pattern.
Across the rooftops, Robin took note of the fight and moved to aid. He made it three blocks before a fox dropped in front of him, growling. Taken aback, but knowing not to allow the distraction, he attempted to grapple upwards, only to find the grapple gone, in the teeth of a mouse like figure, taking off away from him, other mice figures crawling about his feet, holding him in place as the fox watched on, teeth bared in a silent warning. Keeping an eye on the strange creatures about him, he looked back to Batman, startling at the realization that he recognized his attacker. Jason. Suddenly he remembered the strange abilities of the lady from the night before and realized the creatures holding him captive where meant to keep him from interfering. As he made to move anyways, a voice in his ear on a private channel spoke up, asking him to stay still. Agent A.
"What's going on, A?"
"You'll see."
The figures continued on until the Bat begin to advance harder, looking to restrain his opponent, calling out to him, having deducted whom the figure is by this point.
"Jason stop!" Right as a fist went too fast to block, aimed straight to the man's nose, a cord wrapped around his fist, yanking in back. As Batman began to turn towards the source, a punch came to his face, bringing him back front and center. A possible second cord wrapped around his other wrist and the backs of his knees were kicked out from under him.
The others watched as a Ladybug held a yoyo taut, strings in a Y formation, the focal point centered between the Bat's shoulder blades to evenly distribute the tension. The Ladybug looped the yoyo over a pipe and pulled up until his arm bent back and upwards without tipping his torso down. If he tried anything, the bug could simply yank him airborne. The Bat choose to focus onto the man in front of him for the moment.
"Jason-"
"I'm not Jason."
We should switch. I have more experience with the Pit Madness than you. If I'm in your body, I can hold the entirety of it while you get a reprieve to focus on the mission. To have a clear mind while confronting him.
"What?" He demanded.
A sharp, feminine voice spoke up behind him, loud enough for the others to hear.
"I am."
Batman froze in his spot on his knees as the figure that looked like Jason sat down in front of him.
"Hello Bruce. It's good to meet you officially. Though I suppose I've known you much longer than you've known me." The lower, masculine voice was offset by its' soft lilting tone.
Despite his brain whirling with the information, he shoved it aside, firmly refusing to put it together himself.
"You're lying."
"She's not," the voice from behind moved closer, the yoyo secured on their hip to prevent his movement but free up the hands and gripped his shoulders in a crushing grip, "You see, Bruce, I hadn't been with you long enough to trust you with the secret of my having a soulmate. And you never knew me well enough to tell when we switched. Some detective you are, hmm?"
"So what, that makes this okay?" He growled.
"Patience," the figure in front of him smirked softly.
"Getting caught by the Joker at that moment, that was my own dumbass fault. You not arriving on time isn't your fault. I could live with that, but that isn't the end. I want you to look into the eyes in front of you, feel how small the presence behind you is. How tiny and young, despite being seventeen. I want you to look her in the eyes and know that she was only fourteen when she was launched into my body where she was beaten to a pulp by the Joker. Blown up. The connection broke. Then because it wasn't her body, she sat in my corpse for months before the resurrection. Had to crawl her way out of a grave and to a hospital."
The team tensed in the distance, having not heard the full story before now. Robin's eyes blew wide behind the mask, the tension in his body going slack in horror.
"Do you see that swirl of green in my blue eyes? How they look almost teal? That's from when the League threw her into the Lazarus Pits. She's combating insanity as we speak. And yet even with the healing effect it had, you can see the scars all over. There's an autopsy mark as well."
The shoulders in Jason's hands shook with his words and he looked up at Mari who seemed calm, letting the man stare at her and take in her reality.
"And none of that is truly your fault. But you know what is?" Marinette spoke up now, "That a fifteen and fourteen year old were ever put into that kind of danger to begin with. What's the likelihood of either of us ever falling onto Joker's radar without your placing us in the costume? Without making us Robin? Do you think Jason would've become a target had you not decided it was perfectly acceptable to allow children to fight criminals?"
"Jason was troubled, he needed someplace to put that anger. Something to let out-"
"Many children are troubled or angry. Do you know what other parents don't do? Allow that teen angst to turn into taking on the adult underworld. But sure, we'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Explain then why you couldn't care enough for Jason, for any potential child's life enough to create a permanent solution to our murderer? How many people, how many innocent kids is the Joker's life worth to you?"
"You obviously care more for the clown than us," Jason added.
"That's not true!"
"Then why? Why was my grave barely marked?"
"Two sentences in the Tuesday local obituaries."
"Swept under the rug to be forgotten."
"While you hunt us down for killing the clown. We deserve to be hunted down for avenging our own death."
"Meanwhile you do no such thing to the one who killed your supposed precious Robin. Did we mean so little to you? I wonder if the newest Robin means anymore than we did."
"So you're angry you were replaced?" Batman barked out, overwhelmed by their constant barrage of accusations.
Mari reached forward, forcing the man to look into the teal of those eyes swirling in front of him, watching him flinch away at knowing who she was, "You misunderstand us purposefully. It's not that we were replaced. It's that you know a child died for your cause and you still insist on placing another in harm's way. You take broken children desperate for guidance, for connection, for anything and abuse that position over them. You as their guardian are meant to keep them from harm's way. To protect them from the horrors of the world until they're old enough to face it in their own way. Not throw them in a costume, train them into weapons and then let them fight the most dangerous criminals the city could offer. Yes, we made some stupid choices of our own, but you set us up to even have those choices presented to us. Does it even occur to you that had we not shown up to save the little bird, another child would have died under your care? Does that mean nothing to you?"
The Bat growled, trying to break free of his binds. The two hid grins, knowing him unaware of the young eyes listening desperately for his answer.
"You certainly haven't thanked us for keeping him alive. Does it mean less to you that he is alive then it does that Joker is dead."
"You know the rules! We don't kill!"
He fell for it. He might as well have told the new Robin his life was forfeit to his cause. The mice scurried off Robin's feet from where he stayed, a rooftop over as the fox curved around his calves in an almost apologetic movement.
"Jason swore to abide by your rules. I never did. I was fourteen when I died due to your negligence. I was innocent. I was a happy little girl with dreams of becoming a fashion designer. Now I can't even keep the voices in my head from screaming in my ears at all hours of the day. But the only thing you truly care about in the end is yourself. I fear for any child that gets dragged into your mess. And I will do whatever it takes to protect them from the inevitability of your cruelty."
With that, she stood from her spot and took off into the shadows, a cat, dragon and mice following out of sight. The fox looked at the boy who stood broken on the rooftop and nudged him, dropping the illusion of an animal and holding her hand out in offerance. He looked back at the thrashing Bat.
Jason, taking hold of the yoyo once more and tightening his grip, leant closer, "I don't blame the Joker for our death. I blame you."
With that, he used the yoyo to fling Batman in the opposite direction, taking off in an off kilter path towards the others. Looking back at the patient fox figure, hand still waiting for his choice, he hesitated.
"The choice is yours, Timothy. I'll support you no matter what," A's voice spoke softly through the comms.
Exhaling slowly, he took her hand.
She lead him to their rendezvous point where he saw the mice form into one person, the two from the roof and two other unknown figures. As he looked at them, each gave a soft nod in turn before the one opened up a blue portal before them, the fox letting go of his hand to follow the others through. Eventually only him and the ladybug themed one remained. Jason.
"Come on, replacement. You can stay with us however long you like."
With the smallest smile of gratitude and the encouraging words of Alfred in mind, he followed the other through, the portal closing behind them.
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ghost-thot69 · 3 years ago
Text
This is a old fic I made I think about a month or so back and it’s pretty much self indulgence so don’t mind me as I casually slide this here
A Proposal (June Marie Heisenberg x Jeff The Killer)
Warnings: none really, except for the occasional swear and some fluff
“Ow! Son of a—“ Jeff groaned, him accidentally poking his finger with the pin he was going to put on his suit jacket. This was never his thing, dressing up fancy, doing all sorts of fanciful things. He was more laid back and casual, however there was one thing on his mind that kept him from absolutely loathing looking like some sort of mafia boss in the white tuxedo Trender made for him. His girlfriend, the only reason he’s still alive today, June. She loved this sort of crap, looking like a Princess in fancy dresses, dancing, running around the halls of the mansion barefoot while wearing said flouncy dresses. Normally, thinking about this would make Jeff sick, but not tonight. Tonight all he had on his mind was her. And for good reasons, he specifically had planned for this day 5 months into their relationship.
Brushing off those thoughts for now, he placed the pin on the flap of his jacket and tied his hair back into a slightly messy ponytail. He looked at himself in the mirror before scoffing.
“Nope, god this is so stupid.” He hissed, before undoing the ponytail and just letting his hair down. He thought it looked slightly better than whatever it was before.
“God I hope things go as planned. Months and months of saving up money and it all comes down to this.” He muttered, turning his attention to a picture of him and June, their arms wrapped around each other while in a photo booth. He smiled, picking it up and staring at it some more. “It’ll all be worth it tonight.”
Smile has bust the door open, him barking out excited yelps and spinning around to get his attention.
“Time to go dad!” He barked, gently tugging on his pant leg gently.
Jeff laughed and walked outside his room to the ballroom, him quick to notice that it was decorated head to toe in all sorts of frivolous looking things. Splendor and Gifters work no doubt. The others were already there, eating, drinking, talking and dancing. Ben, thinking it funny the basically rig the dance floor to look like some sort of rave.
He sighed, not interested in it all. He was about to take a seat at one of the tables all decked out in white tablecloths and intricately placed confetti that looked like stars and odd spirals. Jeff played with them uninterested until he had heard the faint sound of heels tapping the ground. For some reason this alerted him to look up at the stairs. And there she was, his beloved little Junebug, holding onto the railing as she slowly made her way down the stairs. She was breathtaking, dressed up in a black and blue asymmetrical dress that was adorned in blue roses and crystals. Jeff was literally holding his breath as he gazed up at her.
June had caught him staring at her from across the room before perking up instantly, her now bolting it down the stairs, her heels clapping fast and loud as she did. She had made her way to him, instantly wrapping her arms around him in a hug. “Jeffo!” She purred, nuzzling her face into his neck and his chest playfully.
Her cute little nose nuzzling against his neck tickled him instantly, but in a good way. He laughed softly before gently pushing her away, hands placed on his shoulder lovingly. “Princess.” He teased, hugging her again even tighter.
June was definitely in a good mood, her eyes were sparkling as she stared up all the decorations. “It’s so pretty!” She mused, her face beaming.
Jeff just had a goofy grin on his face, admiring her up and down. “Yes you are-“ he muttered.
“Huh?”
“Wh- I mean! Yeah it is-“ he said with an awkward laugh. He shook his head before sighing, tenderly placing an hand on her waist.
June smiled up at him, noticing he was being more gentlemanly than usual. “Do you wanna dance?” She asked him, bumping his side with her elbow lightly.
Jeff snapped out of whatever daze he was in before nodding and taking her hand In his and leading her to the dance floor. June smiled at him, admiring everything about him. His eyes, his face, his fluffy black hair. Even the way he would awkwardly shuffle away when he was trying to be nicer to people. Being with her changed him for the better and he wanted her to recognize that everything she does, every little kiss and hug means more than the world to him.
They got to a comfortable spot on the floor and turned around to face each other.
“Damn, even with heels you’re really short-“ Jeff laughed, causing june to blush. She playfully hit him on his arm and rolled her eyes.
“Yeah alright whatever.” She huffed.
Jeff smiled and grabbed her by her waist and held her close to him, making her stand on his feet so she could at least reach his shoulder. “Better?”
“Yeah, much actually. You’re now in kissing range~” June mused, smothering his cheeks in small pecks.
He laughed and gently nuzzled her nose into her cheek. The music had started, the two smiling at each other before slowly swaying side to side with each other. It felt like, in that moment they felt like they were the only two there. When he looked into her eyes, everything melted away, all the fear he’s known, all the regret, it was all washed away with a feeling of comfort.
He was snapped out of his daydream by June gripping onto his shirt lightly, her looking away, blush staining her face.
“S-sorry I thought I was gonna slip.” She laughed.
Jeff grinned before lightly leaning over her, bending her over, the two face to face. “You know I’ll never let you fall~” he purred, inching his face closer to her, making her cheeks flush a darker shade of pink. This always amused him, he loved to make her all flustered.
June closed her eyes as he laid his lips on hers, her being washed away with a instant feeling of bliss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers though his hair.
They pulled away after a while, then taking in deep breaths while looking at each other lovingly before giggling to themselves.
Jeff helped her back up before taking her hand and tilting his head to the side, telling her to follow him to the balcony.
She furrowed her brows some in confusion as to why he’s taking her out there, but she shrugged it off, them making their way out.
“What’s up panda bear?” June asked, tilting her head.
Jeff couldn’t look at her at the moment, he knew damn well that he it took one look at those big blues and that sweet smile, he’d crack. Instead he took in a deep breath and gripped the railing.
“Do you…remember the time when we first met? I threw a knife at your head and you hit me in my kneecaps and almost crippled me?” He asked, him not bothering to turn around to face her.
June laughed, raised a brow and then smirked. “Pfff, yeah how could I forget?” She the rubbed her arm, now looking more concerned. “Jeff what’s this about?” She asked in a worried tone.
Jeff took in another deep breath before speaking again. “Ever since that day, I honestly hated you. I couldn’t stand how you just went against everything I stood for. You were loud, obnoxious, too playful for my taste,”
June looked down at her feet, tears began to well up in her eyes. “O-oh.. I see…” she muttered.
“The more I began to spend time with you, the more I honestly wanted to either kill you or shove a dirty sock in your mouth.” He said, shaking her head. “That’s why-“
“Look Jeff, I get it. I understand why you wanna break up with someone like me-“
“WAIT WHAT NO!” He squealed, him rushing towards her to grab her hand before tripping on his own shoes, a jewel incrusted small box falling out of the inside of his jacket. “Ah fuck-“
June had saw the box and drew in a long breath, her eyes staring at it widely.
The both of them had be bright idea to reach for the box at the same time.
“I got it!” They both chimed in, them swan diving to grab the box and the bumped their foreheads together.
“Ow!” They huffed, then looking up to each other to see if they’re alright, the box slipping from junes fingers. They both reached for it again, hitting their heads together once more. They stumbled over each other, shaking their heads and giggling softly to each other. Jeff took the box from her hands before rubbing his forehead. “Sorry lemme just-“ he laughed, getting on one knee and taking her hand in his.
“That’s another thing about you, you never did let people ever finish their sentences.” He laughed, his smile causing June to laugh as well.
“As I was going to say, the more I spent time with you, the more I wanted to either kill you or gag you. But, that was until I got to know you, ACTUALLY know you. And what was underneath that goofy and vulgar persona was a girl who just wanted to care for people and wanted to be cared for but she didn’t understand why people did stick around because they never lasted long. When you opened up to me that day in that smelly old abandoned house, I actually got the see you. I got to know you. You had helped me through a lot of things, overcoming and accepting what had happened to my family when I was still in denial, you understood me what it was like to be bullied and you..well you just changed me.” He said, those moments of them together flashing through his mind.
“And so, I want to keep changing, for you, and for me. Cuz if there is a future without you in it, well, I wouldn’t want to keep on going on.”
June was already speechless, her eyes watering. “I-“
“June Marie, will you..will you marry me?” He asked, him smiling as bright as ever, opening the ring box to reveal a beautiful sapphire and Ruby ring inside.
June didn’t even need to think twice about answering, she already had him tackled to the ground and kissing his face and neck all over. “Yes!! Yes!! Literally a thousand times yes!” She squealed, her barely containing the happy laughter.
Jeff was ecstatic, him throwing his arms around her and kissing her back. The two shared a romantic and passionate moment on the balcony before June had broken up the kiss.
“Alright, how about we get out of this stuffy ballroom, get to your room and you can show me the meaning of getting ‘deflowered’ if you know what I mean~”
Jeff grinned, him picking her up bridal style and planted a long loving kiss on her collarbone.
“Sounds good to me, sunflower~”
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Hi!! So I’m a really big fan of both your quirkless!izuku fics and was wondering if you had any recommendations for similar stories? I dont have a preference for either villain or hero Izuku, or any particular pairing, I’m just looking for well written multi-chapter fix’s to see me through the apocalypse.
So, I have taken this ask as a challenge!
Quirkless Apocalypse (Over 50,000 words)
*WIP
Sorry most of these are WIPs, but I just went through my bookmarks and picked out some of my favorites. 
Entropy*
Maybe it was All Might's betrayal that finally broke him. Maybe it was the torment from his friends, day in and day out, or the crushing weight of society's collective dismissal of his existence. The reason isn't important anymore- only the consequences. Two years after he and three other students vanished from U.A., Midoriya Izuku is the leader of the fastest-growing group of villains in Japan, and no one is left to stand in his way- no one aside from All Might's successor, the next Symbol of Peace.
All orderly systems descend into chaos. No one is immune to entropy, heroes least of all.
One of my favorite villain fics, basically Izuku becoming worse than the league of villains ever was. 
Four Makes One Team*
“Kacchan,” Izuku said, getting the attention of the boy beside him. “What if I don’t want to be a hero?”
Izuku spoke as if he was setting the world on fire. As if he’d broken time in half and let the fabric of the universe collapse like a folding chair.
Katsuki twitched. “Then what else do you want to be?” There was a tinge of anger in Katsuki’s words, the hint of a shout tipping each consonant.
“Well,” Izuku scratched his neck, eyes locked on the stars attached to the ceiling that shown an odd neon yellow in the afternoon light. “Well, what if I wanted to help heroes or something instead.”
(Where Izuku decides he wants to be hero support, learns computer code, and digs way to deep into a villain case all for the sake of teamwork.)
Basically, Izuku and Katsuki meet some other canon characters as kids and basically become genius vigilantes.
Subject: A Comprehensive Report*
Izuku decides early on that heroics is not the only path to heroism.
I did not know that I needed parental Nighteye, but I definitely did. 
Finding Abandoned Hope*
Nothing in life was fair. Some people just had more luck than others. Midoriya Izuku was not one of those people. He learned that the hard way.
Not everyone gets good quirks. Not every quirk is accepted by people. This was a cruel and unforgiving world and Shinso Hitoshi knew that quite well.
Together, maybe they can have the life they both want.
Runaways, Vigilantes, Dadzawa. What else could you ask for?
Ripples on Deep Water*
Midoriya Izuku didn’t expect much from life. He knew it expected everything of him, and he was always trying to rise up and meet that challenge.Except for one little mutation in his genes that made all the difference.Except for one little change in the route home after a pretty depressing day.Or:When All Might crushes Izuku’s dreams, he crosses the path of someone who rebuilds them. Izuku’s going to be a hero... even if it won’t be exactly as planned.Or:How the tiniest wingbeat of a butterfly over the still ocean brings tsunamis to distant lands.
Izuku meets Mei at the right moment and basically keeps his dream alive. Support!Deku with an eye toward the hero course. 
Black Rabbit*
For most people, waking up in the secret base of one of Japan's most wanted vigilantes would probably be terrifying. For Shouto Todoroki it ends up being first stroke of luck he's ever had. Black Rabbit is nothing like the rumors and ends up being his first real friend. For once in his life Todoroki feels like someone actually cares about and supports him, Black rabbit going as far as to get him a new identity so he wouldn't have to go back to Endeavor. It also helps that, on top of being the embodiment of sunshine personality wise, under the mask Black Rabbit is the gosh darn cutest boy Todoroki has ever laid eyes on.
Izuku Midoriya is the vigilante known as Black Rabbit. Pros all over Japan have tried to catch him but all have failed. Nothing is known about him and he's been doing this for years, living in his secret base alone. He never had a friend until he rescued Todoroki. It's a relief and a blessing to finally have someone who knows him out of the mask and likes him as a person. There's a personal connection and closeness between them that he's never had before and he'll follow it as far as it takes him.
Now if they can only keep their respective identities a secret while attending UA
Vigilante!Deku with a healthy helping of Dadzawa and some sweet TodoDeku on the side. 
Who said the only thing green about him is his hair?*
All Might isn't able to get away from the reporters after saving Bakugou and Midoriya during the sludge incident.
Midoriya Izuku, without motivation, Bakugou's words of suicide ringing through his head. He makes a decision, something that wouldn't ruin Bakuguou's chances of becoming a hero, something where he could get away from everything that was hurting.
Izuku decides to run away. Impulsive and hasty, desperate and in shock, he decides that running away and surviving would hurt less than any other option when reality hits him full force.
Runaway!Deku, enough said.
Swan Dive*
The Slime Villain Incident, and the events leading up to it happen one year earlier. Izuku, broken and lost in the face of All Might's words, decides to take Kacchan's advice. But a familiar Underground Hero won't let a young life end so quickly. How will a simple right-place-right time scenario change things?
OR:
Aizawa Shouta saves the life of Midoriya Izuku and finds himself with a new apprentice and surrounded by a quickly growing family circle. What has he gotten himself into? Heavy Dadzawa and Dadmic. Auntie Nemuri and eventual redeemed Bakugo.
The sweetness! The trauma! This fic will definitely punch you in the heart in more ways than one. 
I’m Here*
What if All Might never dropped that bottle...? There was never a chance to prove himself. Midoriya never became a hero. Take a dive off the roof of the building, that's what Bakugo wanted, right? But a stranger stops him and gives him a new dream for the future. A boy's descent into madness and obsession but not without finding a family amongst a number of misfits. To kill some major league heroes. It's all they want to do and change society. What's the cost?
Insane!Villain!Deku. Literal chills, seriously. It definatly gets dark, so be ready for that. Also the league of villains as family and obsessive TodoDeku. 
I’m Doing This For Them*
Izuku always wanted to be a hero, but without a quirk almost everyone he met said that was impossible, but Izuku's stubborn and he never took no for an answer. So he decides to take his dream into his own hands and do the impossible. Even if he can't legally become a hero what's to stop him from doing it illegally?
A lie-detecting detective, a purple-haired kid, and an insomniac pro hero, that's who.
Or
Izuku decides to try his luck at becoming a vigilante and subsequently annoys the shit out of everyone he meets.
Sassy Viligante!Deku, EraserMic with Shinso, basically so much family!
The Yakuza isn’t that bad*
After Izuku was told by his idol that he can't be a hero without a quirk, he realized something. This world, where the quirked do whatever they want, and the quirkless are treated as less than human, is flawed. And what better way to repair a flawed world than returning it to when it wasn't?
Do you want Mafia!Deku? Very unique fic about Izuku taking over Overhaul’s operation (don’t worry about Eri, she’ll be fine) and pursuing a quirkless world.
Independence*
All Might is the number one hero, and has a beautiful wife, they are a beautiful, loving family. What no one knows is they have a quirkless son. When telling he him he can’t be a hero, Midoriya Izuku takes fate into his own hands, and tries to warn his parents he isn’t going to listen is the silliest of ways. He is still planning to be the best hero, even if he has to tear apart the society norms around him.
Bad bio-dadmight. Izuku is basically running on sheer spite at this point and it’s working. 
Nii-Chan! Nii-Chan!*
Aizawa Shouta is a teen who lives by the rules of logic and rationality, in his second year of Yuuei. When his parents kick him out when discovering he has a boyfriend, he finds himself alone on the street.
Midoriya Inko lives in a small flat with her young and only son after her ex-husband ran learning she was pregnant. With Mother and Son sharing a huge heart with un-measurable amounts of love, they find and help Aizawa.
With a new Mom and a little Brother, Aizawa finally has a family to be proud of.
How much found family can we incorporate into one story? The answer is a lot more than you’d think. Basically once Izuku adopts someone, they are family. Lots of fluff. 
Erased Potential*
Midoriya Izuku, determined to become a hero before ever meeting All Might, looks for another way. He might not have a quirk, but that can’t be all that being a hero is about. He has the intelligence, the drive, the determination. All he needs now is to know how to use it. Enter Aizawa Shouta.
Pretty much my favorite Dadzawa fic. 
Net Neutrality (series)
I feel like this should be included even if each fic isn’t over 50,000 words. Info Broker!Deku and Vigilante!Deku with Eri getting the love she deserves. This inspired some parts of Mastermind, actually. 
One-Choice: Vigilante*
Time is a funny thing, the way even a single choice can change the world forever. Every single choice can turn the course of fate in unexpected directions.
Midoriya Izuku always wanted to be a hero. Ever since he was a child, he wanted to be someone who saves other with a fearless smile. But when his world comes crashing down around him, when even the tiniest spark of hope is crashed, what would he do?
This entire series is really good. It’s basically another take on what I’m doing with my For the Want of a Nail series. 
Secondary Colors*
"You got pushed down the stairs... and you're apologizing for it," he stated blandly. "That seems counterintuitive.""Um... sorry?" Izuku whispered. He was starting to shake a little, adrenaline flooding his veins and leaving him cold. He had no idea what Purple was going for with his blunt statements and the hand reaching toward his shoulder as if to steady him, but apologizing was generally safe."You don't have to apologize, dude. I don't know your name, but I doubt it's actually Deku.""Um. Midoriya." Izuku peered sideways at Purple as they rounded the corner. "Izuku Midoriya. Deku is just, um, just what my... friends call me." He winced."Sounds real friendly."
Izuku and Shinso are best friends with a lot of Dadzawa and Dadmic.
Pied Piper*
If they wouldn’t give him a chance then the solution seemed simple, he’d give himself one. He’d force the world to see him, force them to recognize his hard work. He wasn’t missing a quirk, it was simply that everyone else had been given an advantage. He wasn’t broken, or useless, or incapable, and he’d prove it by outrunning all of them, he who was quirkless, he who had started in last.
One of my favorite Vigilante!Deku fics, hands down. Izuku is an absolute mad lad in this. 
We Don’t Need No Fuckin’ Heroes* 
Almost half a year before Izuku's fated meeting with the Slime Villain, our protagonist finds himself running away from his fears.But instead of letting his fears overtake him and drag him back down to the darkness where they think he belongs, he finds friendship in the most unusual places and with the help of his friends they all claw their way up into the light where they want to be and where they truly belong.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if Izuku met Dabi and Toga before they could join the league of villains? Amazing Vigilante!Deku
Detective Midoriya*
After the sludge incident, Izuku Midoriya's dream was officially crushed. However, a later experience takes the boy in a new direction. Izuku had never really contemplated being a detective, but his whole life he'd only ever wanted to help people with a smile on his face. Thanks to some luck and an entire police station, Izuku's dream is reborn.
Izuku joins the police force and basically proves that he’s as amazing as we all know he is. 
There is No Such Thing as Competely Forgiven
Deku doesn't become a hero, though he might be considered one to people that have been rejected by society. He can be petty, twisted, and is loyal to a fault. That hardly makes him evil. No, he just knows the worlds got to change and he can't do that from a side that praises people like Bakagou Katsuki and All Might. He also would love nothing better than to get even with a few people that ruined his life...
Katsuki knows that he is the reason that Deku is dead. He just can hope one day he can forgive himself and that others can as well for the role he played in it. He needs to make the world a better place, one that Izuku would have wanted. He needs to be a hero that does more than punch villains in the face. But its really hard to be a needed change when he can't trust most of his own decisions are the right ones.
One of my favorite villian!Deku fics of all time, mostly because of the found family stuff it’s got going on with the league. It’s also got a sequel if you want more. 
A Deadman’s Gun
“I—“ Izuku hesitated, gaping wordlessly, before admitting softly. “I don’t know. I just don’t want to go home. There’s nothing for me, there.”
“So you filled this hole by playing detective— And how long is that going to last, I wonder?” Stain replied, still massaging his chin. “But you— You have potential.”
Izuku blinked at Stain’s chest, before looking up. “Excuse me?”
“What a waste would it be, to let you become a red splatter on the sidewalk.” Stain continued, almost contemplating. “No. No, kid, what you need is a new purpose. Your old one is gone? Well, time to get off your ass and find something else—“
Ok, there need to be more parental Stain fics in this fandom, because this is absolutely amazing!
Hero Class Civil Warfare
Heroes lead by Bakugo.Villains lead by Midoriya.Seven days prep time.Three days for Izuku Midoriya to show why they should be glad he's not a real villain.
Ok! Ok! I know this isn’t Quirkless!Deku but I have to include it because it’s a classic and it’s pretty similar to my fics, so I know you’ll love it anyway. It focuses on Izuku’s intelligence rather than his quirk. 
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