#they better become a thing at some point or im tossing tables

[nerdyloverparadise]

IM DONE STARVING YOU GUYS!!

Pt.3 of Chuuya Fanfiction/Headcanons.

2.2k Words

Disclaimer: This is basically like a fanfiction to the Headcanons. Explaining the course of which the reader and Chuuya "nurtured" their relationship. This is only the first part of the story because I didn't want to continue starving the people for so long so please enjoy it. This scene was recommended by someone also to include so I did my best. It contains the following things: groping, harassment (not from Chuuya!), choking, cursing, unspoken tension. ENJOY!!

Months went by of working in the Port Mafia together and upon analyzing how well Chuuya mentored you, Mori decided to partner you both often on missions. Oftentimes it was you, Chuuya, and one other person who was a strategist. The partner hated tagging along due to you and Chuuyas banter but it's just a regular occurrence at this point.

JEALOUSY

Now that we’ve set the groundwork… How did you two end up falling for each other? It all started when Mori assigned you both to a mission—one that would reveal just how jealous Chuuya could be when someone else laid hands on you.

The mission involved seducing a big-shot gambler to draw him away from his table long enough for Chuuya to search his belongings and determine if he needed to be eliminated. The man might be innocent, but Mori’s philosophy was always better safe than sorry.

Mori: I have a task for both of you.

Chuuya and You: What is it?

Mori: This man might be in cahoots with a well-known gang around Yokohama. I need you to locate him and search him for any leads.

-

Chuuya: I could handle this by myself.

“As if, you always need me.” You nudge Chuuya’s shoulder, and he immediately wants to toss you out the window.

Chuuya: I do not NEED you!

You: Yeah, right. You need me like you need your next breath.

For some reason, this line struck a nerve with Chuuya. Not because it angered him, but because it sparked a twinge of desire. He enjoyed bantering with you, realizing that his days without you were a blur compared to the ones you spent together on missions. He grits his teeth and clenches his fists, his cheeks growing red as his breathing becomes shallow and jagged. Mori, of course, notices Chuuya's sudden silence, his hand raking through his hair to appear casual while his face flushes crimson.

Mori: I have an idea, Y/N. You’ll play an imperative role in this mission. I need you to seduce the gambler. It's a quick and easy way to ensure our success.

You: Alright, that's fine. Nothing difficult.

Chuuya’s eyes widen as he processes what Mori just said. Seduce? Seduce??

Mori: Unless… our fiery friend here has a problem with that. Huh, Chuuya?

Chuuya: Problem? No, there's no problem. Why would I have a problem, Boss?

Mori: Judging by the redness of your face, the sudden lack of aggression, and the sweaty palms… I just wanted to ensure you’d be okay with her seducing another man.

Chuuya didn’t quite know what he was feeling, so he vehemently rejected the suggestion.

Chuuya: What the… groans Let’s just find the guy, Y/N.

He's dragging you by the arm out of Mori’s office, his hat over his face to hide his flushed expression. He doesn't speak for a while, walking straight out of the PM with you stumbling behind, struggling to match his long strides. He must be really bugged by something; you didn’t know he could walk that fast.

Later, you both enter the casino, greeted by flashing lights and bustling aisles. Addicts play their hearts out, sending their money spiraling down the drain. You walk in front of Chuuya, your hips swaying fluidly with each step. Something clicks in Chuuya's head—his eyes are glued to the sleek motion of your backside instead of his surroundings. Shit… Why the hell am I so entranced by this? They've always worn this, what’s different today?

You’ve put on something more form-fitting for the mission, a little more business casual but not completely safe for work. Your curves are hugged in all the right places, and he can’t tear his eyes away. How your legs are so nice, toned, and thick, just like…

You continue to scan the area, and Chuuya makes his way to your side. “See anything, brat?”

“No, not yet, Chuus.”

“Chuus? Seriously, you're such a loser.”

“It’s just a nickname, don’t be a dick about it.”

As you both move through the casino, you spot a big, burly man at a table with a group of alcohol-reeking guys. He’s holding a deck of playing cards, spinning one on his fingertips. His chest hair peeks out over his half-buttoned shirt. Not only does he look like a big-shot gambler, but he also has a suspicious duffle bag under his chair.

Chuuya, that’s definitely our guy.” Before Chuuya can react, you’re already walking over and asking to sit on the man's lap. All part of the mission. Chuuya lingers in the distance, but his eyes are locked on you both. Watching as your hands grace the man's chest, seducing him into letting you sit in his lap. Your fingers trail down his neck, and you whisper compliments into his ear with your lips brushing the lobe as you speak. The man looks at you like you’re the hottest thing on earth, cards damn near spilling out of his hands as his friends watch in awe, and Chuuya is clenching his fist, trying to ignore the heat rising in his cheeks.

“I fuckin’ hate that brat. No way.”

The man's rough hands wrap around your arm and pull you onto his lap. He adjusts in his chair a little before continuing his game. Throughout the entirety of it, you can feel his pants tightening underneath you, the groin area of it pushing against the swell of your ass. You use it to your advantage and grind down into him causing his breath to hitch.

“Ya like that?” You whisper into his ear, catching a glimpse of Chuuya out of the corner of your eye. He looks fine.

“Don't start sumthin ya can't finish, sweetheart…” He responds, his voice husky and smooth, like how a villain would sound. A large hand comes down to rest on your thigh, pulsing between light squeezes and ones with more pressure.

Chuuya’s eyes are piercing your skin like bullets now. It feels like his clothing is tightening on his body, leaching to his flesh as it collects sweat. His eyes are glued to the hand on your thigh, his mind wandering as he watches it ripple with each touch. Anyone who was watching him right now would see him unballing his fist and latching his hand onto his own thigh, squeezing it tightly in his hand in tandem with what he was seeing. Suddenly the burly man stands up with you still in his arms, his big thighs scooting the chair back for him. You look no less than cocky with a big grin on your face. The man has you in his arms bridally, your upper body reclining against the crook of his arm, head suspended in the air, and hair cascading downward under the pull of gravity.

“Got sumn to take care of now, boys. I’ll catch ya later.” He steps out from between the chair and the poker table, leaving the duffle bag under his chair as planned. This was supposed to be Chuuya’s cue to collect it, to search the contents for anything suspicious, but his feet felt cemented in place by the weight of his envy. Why? They were always at each other's throats, so why the sudden concern? Not even he could answer that, but the pool of warmth forming in his pelvis could. He eventually snaps out of it when he sees your arm waving frantically, echoing the look on your face as you mouth, “Chuuya, grab the bag!” The man rounds the corner, disappearing along with his muscular frame and you in his arms.

You barely had half a second to scrutinize Chuuya's face, and all you could see was pure aggravation. That's the only detail you could fixate on as you were whisked away to the casino's backrooms. Then, Mori’s words echoed in your ears, emphasizing the flush on Chuuya's face when you mentioned how indispensable you were to him—like his next breath. Were you truly that indispensable? It was meant to be a joke, but Chuuya's intense scrutiny of the man's hands as they cradled your thigh with a fervor that mirrored his gaze during heated confrontations left you questioning. That same blazing passion, usually only unmasked when you were at intense odds, was being applied to this situation too. The realization dawned on you with startling clarity---was he starting to feel something for you?

Chuuya darts over to the table, his mouth deduced to a thin line, masking any trace of emotion. The men at the table didn't pay too much mind to the bag being stolen so it was simple enough. He tucks himself away into a corner and starts to search the bag. There was money, obviously stolen, artifacts, and documents of certain government information which was supposed to stay under lock and key. “Yeah… we definitely got our guy. Great for me, I'm itching ta-” His remarks were cut short by a throaty scream. “Get the hell off of me!”

Chuuya knew that yell like the back of his hand, he'd encountered it time and time again back at headquarters when he was screwing around. He dropped the items that were inside of the duffle and looked up, his eyes skimming to the side slightly as if the sound were right next to him. “Whattt? Thought ya liked me, sweetheart?” He was damn near ready to hurl at the commotion. He knew exactly what was going on but his body was frozen momentarily, his mouth slightly ajar as he crushed the handle of the bag in his hands. “Pretty collar ya got there. Let me show you a good time, little doll.” A smug grin plastered on his face from ear to ear. “Come on, you were damn near riding my thigh earlier, I know you're just ready for me down there, yeah?” His lips were grazing your ear as he spoke, his breath hot and rank with liquor. Your little frame was smashed into the wall by his hunky one and he wasn't relenting, not even when you started to sweat and squirm, a look of terror in your eyes that didn't betray the fear shooting through your body.

It was almost as if Chuuya could hear the leather of the choker burning into your skin as that man's hand came down on it tightly. The slight squeak and scrunch it made against your flesh as your chin flew up into the air, throat straining for oxygen it wasn't receiving. His rough hands were unyielding, merciless, as they pushed your back flush against the wall. Your head was thumping now, blood running through it like a riptide as it bumped the wall several times, but you couldn't blow your cover, not even when his hands started to wiggle their way down in between your bodies, trailing down your stomach like eerily soft trickles of rain.

“Nngh.. Ah-hach! CHUUYA--Goddamit! TODAY PLEASE!” The voices were very faint but Chuuya could hear them perfectly clear. His knees steadied as he got up from his squat quickly, using his gravity manipulation to make himself a bit lighter as he darted to the corner he'd seetn you get whirled around earlier. His body seemed to take initiative before his brain did. What was happening to you hadn't even had time to register properly before he was already halfway to where you resided chaotically.

You were starting to gasp for air as the man's hand tightened around your neck firmly. Coughs littering the air around you.

“Who’s Chuuya, hm? Some twink, sweetheart? Doesn't matter, no one's saving ya.”

“He'll kick your-!”

“Ah… watch your mouth, doll. You put yourself in this situation and now… I'm gonna get my fix outta you.”

His hands seemed to pulse, allowing you enough air to keep your vision from going out. It felt like he was about to break the choker you received from Chuuya and that made a wave of anxiety shoot through you. A pit of uneasiness settling right above your pelvis. Your feet were starting to lift from the floor slightly, onto the tips of your toes. Your teeth clenched together in a desperate attempt to wiggle free ever so slightly.

“How would your mother feel if she knew this was how you handled women?” A familiar raspy voice echoes from around the corner, followed by a blaze of orange and red light. His glare was deadly, barely any time had passed before he had the man crushed up against the wall, feet off the ground with drool dribbling down his chin. 'And just so were clear, I aint a twink.’

You’re watching the whole display from the ground, having fallen to the ground when the man released you, hacking and coughing for air while Chuuya handled the rest. When he’d apprehended the guy and freed you, he scowled at you with an intensity that rivaled a full on reprimand. His eyes were darkened and narrow, his lips stretched in a straight line. It’s like you could hear his thoughts, even in this half of a second. It wasn’t a normal seething rage, it was fueled by something deeper. Something so strong that his eyes seemed to talk on their own, like an “ill handle you later” type of glare.

[writingsofwesteros]

alright believe it or not but im once again at work (saturday night shift) and imma try my hand at the secretary thing. first person POV bc we're experimenting.

Just when has my life become so lame? It's saturday night, I should be out, checking out that newly opened club with my girlfriends. Instead I'm at work. Yep! Me! Blood of the Lannisters! At work. I know.

Last chance to do something with your life, my father said, as he pulled the strings to land me this position. You might know him as Robert Baratheon, the founder of Storm Industries.

You better be choking on his dick by the end of this month or else we're all screwed, my mother helpfully instructed me as to the extent of my duties. You may know her as Cersei, the self-appointed Queen Bee of Upper East.

The Queen suffers no competition, which is how I ended up as a secretary for Mr Stark, a.k.a. the Ice Wolf - the C.E.O. of Storm Industries and the hottest DILF of Wall Street, fuck him very much. My mother hates his wife with passion and having me seduce him is her idea of revenge.

I mean, I've done worse things.

It is saturday night, but if he's still working then that means I'm still working too. From my vantage point behind my desk I can see him clearly, as he's strolling around his office and tossing papers around. His form fitting suit is slightly disheveled at this hour, the white collar popped open. H's wearing designer glasses - he says they prevent his eyes from tiring when he's working late and I have no idea what the glasses actually do but they make him look sexy as hell. I mean he is that. Sexy as hell. I've been staring at him for the past hour, all secretary work long forgotten.

Unfortunately none of my seduction tactics seem to work on him. Three entire months of sky-high heels, skirts that would barely cover my underwear if I had any, and cleveages that ends somewhere around my navel. Excellent dress code, I know. I aim to please. Guess what?

He hasn't even looked once.

But yesterday I think my mother has finally outdone herself. We've all been to dinner at the Arryns'. A rich old politician who is meant to help father with something, no idea what they're about, but that's beside the point. The Starks were there: the Ice Wolf, his wife the Ice Queen, as we call her, and their two hot sons.

And get this: mother had me give him a footsie under the table. In front of his wife and sons and my own father and everything. Yeah. I wish I was joking.

The second my foot touched his thigh under the table, his eyes immediately shot to me, but... he said nothing. He's done nothing. He only watched me, as I massaged his crotch with my foot. Maybe his ears went a little red, but otherwise - nothing, nada. Null. His gaze was intense, and it was kinda hot, not gonna lie. But I couldn't tell what he was thinking or if he was even enjoying it. I mean, I could tell he was hard but who wouldn't be? Eventually I had to stop because the Arryn guy wanted to show everyone his new private jet and we had to move from the table.

Thanks for nothing, mom.

I feared I made an idiot of myself and I was sure Mr Stark would fire me the second I crossed the doorstep of our office today, but... nothing of the sort. He was all cool politeness, and his DILFy sexiness, as always. And he made me stay overtime.

I actually think I might go mad with blue balls. Blue vag? Is that a thing?

Uh-oh. He wants something. He's rang the bell. Nobody's around this late and it makes me a little jittery, but I gather my courage, stand up, push my boobs forward and march into his corner office with all the dignity that's left to me.

"I want to show you something," he says and he points to a pile of papers on his desk. I see thay are some kind of screenshots, but the lights are dimmed and I can't read the details.

I lean down over the desk to have a closer lookand my heart freezes several times over. Suddenly it's hard to breathe. On his desk lay printed screenshots of my conversations with my mother. Conversations regarding him and how best to seduce him.

I panic and immediately start planning my evacuation, but suddenly I feel his strong hand on my back, pressing me to the desk.

"And you thought you were so smart," he says, standing behind me. On this lucky cursed night I'm actually wearing underwear, but it's all lace and so thin it's practically not there. I feel the broad knuckles of his other hand brush over my snatch. You know, because my skirt does nothing to cover my privates.

"Smart girls should always remember to log out," Mr Stark informs me.

I am not a smart girl. Never have been.

HOT HOT HOT

Oh i love how involved Cersei is in this; just adds another layer !!

[aritamargarita]

ATTITUDE || 013

im sorry if this chapter is kinda shorter than expected. im sleepy and i would’ve put a timeskip to add the next show but it makes sense to wait on it. promise i’ll make it up to you, time out with [name] will return in the next chapter!

i feel like reader is getting sassier every time i write her—also i don’t even like jerry lawler but im going to deal with it for the sake of commentary.…

The match wasn’t too bad so far. You were already a bit in and you focus your attention to the ring. Currently, The Rock had just hit Kurt Angle with a Samoan drop.

You could feel the crowd becoming antsy, even chanting ‘Rocky!’ every second they got. ‘Wow.’ You begin, adjusting your headphones. ‘They’re really coming alive tonight, huh? Hey, Austin! Who’s side are you on tonight??’

It got to the point where both men were crawling over to their respective corners, reaching out their hands for a tag.

He looks over at you with a dumbfounded look. You should know better than to even ask. ‘No one’s side but my own.’

‘It sounds you’re supporting The Rock.’ You conclude. He starts to speak, but you quickly cut him off. ‘Hey, viewers at home! Austin’s supporting Rock! Can you belie—‘

‘Shut your damn yapper!’ It’s not like he denied it either. ‘I told ya’ who’s side I’m on. You need to be put in time out.’

‘Time out? What am I, 10?? You can’t put me on time out!’

The two of you go back and forth like that for a while, but as soon as The Rock makes his hot tag to Kane, it all went out the window. The crowd erupts in cheers at the Big Red Machine taking care of Kurt.

To the point where you kinda felt bad. Of course, just for him. There’s zero sympathy for Jericho. It’s why you smile with glee when Kane takes him down with a Big Boot after trying to interfere.

So this is Kane, huh? He was monstrous. A force of power. For some reason you felt captivated by his strength.

‘[Name], now you and Y2J have your issues. But there’s rumors that say you two are involved with each other.’ JR says. ‘How do you feel about that?’

You look over in disgust. ‘Ew, don’t ever assault my ears like that again. I should be the last person you should even be asking about being involved with Jericho.’ You gag, covering your mouth. ‘I almost threw up!’

Austin agrees with you. ‘I’m right behind ya’. Let loose right on this table here. There’s a stick so far up his ass I bet he can taste it. Between him, little Rocky, and Angle, I’m not sure who I hate more..’

You decide to piggyback off of him. ‘I don’t mind anyone in the ring besides Jericho. I hope he loses tonight. I’ll laugh in his face as soon as that bell rings. If you open a dictionary, he’d be the definition of egotistic.’

‘It really is the battle of egos in the ring!’ Jerry nods.

Back and forth, Jericho and Kurt tag each other in for a double team. The Rock has yet to be tagged in.

‘This isn’t looking too good,’ You say. ‘I don’t know—‘ As soon as you say that, Kane recovers and Irish whips Kurt into the corner. Kurt runs right back into him and Kane quickly power slams him into the mat.

Now, both men were crawling to get a tag. ‘I’ll eat my words!’ You chime. The both of them make their respective tags and they switch, with The Rock immediately getting the upperhand. ‘Wow! Rock’s on fire!’

Austin just rolls his eyes. ‘I hope he burns ta’ death.’

Completely dominating the competition, The Rock goes even further and flips Kurt into the ring, then tosses him out. He then hits Jericho with a Spinebuster.

But then, he starts trying to apply a Sharpshooter! You had to stand up out of your seat, excited to see it. It had to be one of your favorite submission moves. He could really win with this one.

Oops, nevermind. Kurt comes back and slams his forearm into the back of The Rock’s head. Kane was there to take care of things.

Kane picks Kurt up and tosses him out of the ring once more, the latter slamming onto the ground in front of color commentary. Kane then gets out of the ring, hopping onto the floor.

All you can do is stare, and as he’s about to deal more damage to Kurt, he turns his attention to the commentary table. He’s looking straight at you and you stare back.

You wave. He doesn’t do anything back. He just stares.

Austin somehow had mistaken that Kane was looking at him. ‘The hell are you lookin’ at, ya damn jobbernowl?!’ Just for extra measure, he gives him the middle finger. It’s like he WANTED to go to anger management, jeez.

The Rock finally hits Jericho with a DDT and pins him. And that’s it! That’s the match!

You give a round of applause. You’re elated that Jericho lost tonight, it’s what he deserves. You were so excited that you took your headphones off, hop out of your seat, and grab The Rock’s title.

‘The hell is she up to??’ Austin was confused by your actions, taking off his own headphones.

You reach the title through the ropes with a smile. The Rock looks at you warily, but slowly takes the title. You smile up at him. You could tell he’s confused.

Suddenly, a hand on your shoulder pulls you back.

“What’re ya’ doing givin’ him the title?!” Austin yells.

“Um?! I was just being nice!”

He’s already heard that excuse. “What a load of bologna!” He waved his hand at you. “We’re gettin’ outta here!”

Was it really time to go? You had one last thing to do before you left. “Hold on!” You wanted to rub Jericho’s loss in his face.

But before that, you could see the final stare off between Austin and The Rock. Everyone was definitely anticipating something happening between them, but you didn’t want to stay long enough to witness.

You quickly roll in the ring, leaning down so Jericho can hear you. “HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE A LOSER?! HUH?! HUH?!”

He flinched at your words, but before he could grab at your leg to pull you down, you jump back. No way he’d take you down that easy.

But, hey, you have to remember what Debra said. You couldn’t antagonize him. You had to be the bigger person..

And you damn sure would try your hardest. Maybe if you walked away now, she’d reconsider your classes!

You do so, rolling out of the opposite side of the ring and wait for Austin to meet you there. It’s time to get the hell out of here.

HOTEL ROOM // 8:23 PM

The phone rings, so you roll over in bed to pick it up. “Hello?”

“Hey.” Lita’s voice came from the other side of the line, her voice slightly tired. “What’re you up to?”

“Nothing.” You respond. “What, are you going to ask what I’m wearing next?”

Your words bring a laugh out of Lita. “Hilarious. I was just curious on how things went with Jeff yesterday?”

“Things got interesting. Promise to not tell anyone?”

“Of course.”

“Well, I kissed him when you guys left, but that’s all. We did nothing other than that.”

Lita gasps. “Really?? That’s why he was smiling like crazy the entire night...”

Thank god the room was a single suite. You weren’t sure what you’d do if this information got into the wrong hands. Your clothes were neatly folded once more, this time with no shaky hands! You were proud of yourself.

“Oh yeah? He was smiling the whole time?” It brought a smile to your own face. “That’s nice. But enough about me. What’s up with you and Team Extreme??”

Lita sighs. “Still unresolved. I don’t know what I’m going to do. All of us, all we’ve been doing is fighting and I don’t know how to fix it….’

“Hmm..” You go into thought for a minute. How would you approach a situation like that anyway? It’s hard to talk after all that yelling. You’ve witnessed one argument, and it’s safe to say you don’t want to see anymore. “You know, Debra is forcing me AND Austin into anger management. On that note, maybe you should look into couples therapy. You and Matt.”

Lita’s just starts to snicker. “Oh wow. I’m sorry—“ You could tell she was trying her hardest not to laugh. “You and none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin,” She says the name for a full effect, “..are going to anger management. That is something I never thought I’d hear.”

“It’s a shocker, isn’t it?” You say, rolling over to the nightstand. The cord had gotten stuck, so you had to untangle it. “We were forced, it’s not like we can go against Debra’s word.”

“She’s like your mom or something.”

“Definitely.”

“Hey, wait, you weren’t doing anything, right?“ Lita asks. You give her a “no”, and you could just tell there’s a smile on her face. “Good. We’re going to IHOP. What’s your room number?” A pancake addict in the making, it seems. “I still haven’t gotten any and I think it’d be a good way to talk. There’s a lot I need to tell you that I can’t say here.”

“And what better than doing it over a plate of pancakes, right? Sure, I’ll come with you.” You definitely had a lot to tell her, but you were pretty sure it was vice versa. Before you can talk with her anymore, the phone rings again. “Hold on, I’m getting another call.”

Momentarily trying to figure out what button was used to put someone on hold, you tap it quickly and hit the button to accept the next line. “Hello?”

“Evening, Nitro Girl.”

It’s Triple H. Or should you say Hunter? You were shocked to hear his voice again.

“Evening.” You greet back.

“Got anything new for me?”

“I don’t, unfortunately.” You sigh. “I’m surprised you’re calling me, what’s the deal?”

“I’m returning to the ring in about a week. I’ve already been making my rounds backstage. I’d like you to keep your eyes peeled and your ears open. I know there’ll be a lot of talk.” He said. “If Jericho or someone close to him has a blabber mouth, report back to me.”

You weren’t sure how you missed him tonight, but there’s always next time. “As if Jericho has any friends. His ego is so inflated I’m not sure there’s any room for them. But I’ll do what you ask.”

“Atta’ girl. That’s all I can ask for. Stephanie’s been acting….normal for the most part. Hasn’t talked about anyone else lately since I’ve mentioned coming back to wrestle. She seems excited.”

“That’s a given. You’re coming back to the ring. From what I’ve heard, you two were pretty unstoppable when it came to matches. She helped you out a lot.” It was true. Stephanie always interfered one way or another. You shrug slightly. “I’m sure business partners are out of the window.”

He’s silent for a minute, but before you can begin talking again, he goes first. “I’m still led to believe that she could be sleeping with someone else. You’d better get used to this, we’ll be calling very frequently from now on.”

Oh great! You’ll be talking to him for a while then. Especially if what he thinks turns out to be true.

“You know, I can think of maybe TWO people who definitely wouldn’t approve of this partnership…” You trail off, wrapping the phone cord around your finger.

“Then this is just our dirty little secret. I told you, nothing more, nothing less.”

“Well, what if there’s more?”

He seemed intrigued. “Go on.”

You’ll take your chances. You’ve already made your bed, it’s time to lie in it. Even if the accusations were false, you’d pretend like you never spoke to him. “You and I, how about we get even closer? I mean, if Stephanie’s possibly stepping out, why don’t you give her a taste of her own medicine? I mean, if your instincts are telling you the truth.”

“That’s cute. Listen, I’m only about business. I don’t normally stray past business relationships.”

“Unfortunate.”

“However, I may make an exc—“

Knocks at your door had made you get up out of bed. “Shoot. I’ve gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.” You don’t even give Hunter a chance to respond before you slam the phone onto the base. Getting up, you open the door.

Of course, It’s Lita that’s waiting for you, car keys in hand.

“You ready?”

You were in fact, not ready. Between having to throw something suitable on and haphazardly printing directions, you were a little off.

“[Name]?”

“Yeah?”

“…When you printed out those directions, are you sure they were to go to IHOP?” Lita asks. “Because right now, that looks like a Waffle House.”

“Waffle House?” You repeat. “What?” She stops the car momentarily, pulling over so she can read the directions herself. She points to the yellow sign first, then looks back to the paper.

“Yup. This says to Waffle House. What the hell did you do on the hotel computer? More importantly, how did you mess up?! International House of Pancakes and Waffle House aren’t the same thing!”

You just laugh. It’s all you can do. There’s always something getting in your way. No pancakes tonight!You two were already close to the end. “W-Why aren’t you laughing?”

“…Because it’s not funny.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know how that happened! I guess we’re eating waffles tonight. We’re already here.” You shrug, throwing your hands out defensively. Lita can only huff.

“Fine. But next time, I get to print the directions and you drive.” She pulls back into the street to enter the parking lot and all you can do is smile.

It’s only about 8:35. You’d probably be getting back to your room at a decent time! Not bad at all. You were pretty hungry, so you hoped they could cook fast.

You two entered the building and were seated quickly. It was sort of busy, but you liked hearing the chatter from nearby. It made you feel comfortable.

Lita takes a seat from across you. “I think me and Matt are done for a while…” She begins. “It’s just too much. I can’t deal with it right now. I feel like all he cares about is himself.”

“I told you, you’d better look into like, some type of therapy. It sounds like you guys are really going through it right now.”

Instead of laughing, she seems to mull over it. “Mmmm, I don’t know. I’m just tired of all the yelling. They’ve got another match coming up so I’m hoping this all goes away.”

“I could invite you to anger management.” Extending the offer to her could only make her scoff.

“Hell no.”

Once you two ordered your food, you felt like it was your turn to say what’s been on your mind. “You know remember who called on the hotel phone? You’ll never guess who it was.” You pause for dramatic effect. “..Triple H.”

“What??” Lita was definitely taken aback. She could remember it like it was yesterday. Funnily enough, it was him and Austin who had terrorized not only herself, but targeted both the Hardy Boys. Even Stephanie got in on it. And it’s not like you had a clue, you weren’t in the company yet. “Are you serious?”

You idly pick up your fork with a nod. “Yeah. Whole thing is, he thinks Stephanie is cheating or something. Now we’re like not-so-official business partners.”

Lita was all for taking Stephanie down. She was a thorn in her side last year for the Women’s Championship. The feud was mostly over, but she had a right to feel bitter. “Whatever you do, I’ll be supporting you.”

For some reason, you felt a bit surprised she didn’t protest. No doubts, no nothing. She just said she’ll support you. “Wow, okay.”

“And I’m sure Jeff will be right behind you.” She gives you a devilish smile, making you roll your eyes.

You weren’t entirely sure about that. “That was only a one time thing, I don’t think it’ll happen again. I’m sure Jeff was still pretty woozy from his last match and the one before.” You can only hope it’s the opposite.

Lita can only reply in a sing-song voice, mocking and mirroring yours from earlier that night. “I don’t think sooooo!”

Your food was set down on the table. After thanking the waiter, the only thing you could do was rub your forehead. “You’re a real piece of work.”

“I’m sure you love me anyway.“

reader + jeff is in fact, not a one time thing. *puts y’all in a tag team match*

i’ve always heard mapquest was used for directions back then…so staying true to the 2001 theme they had to use it LMAO

lita & reader are just fun to write together!! you gotta love team extreme. but im trying to think how to involve matt tbh he is a big meanie. and im sorry i have to say this but y’all gonna be like 😮 at one of the parts next chapter IM SOO SERIOUS it’s definitely in the works

[amoristt]

Grazing the Fire | IV

well hello. here i am, four years later, once again enamored with nathan enough to finally dust this baby off and pick up where i left it. im a little rusty so bear with me this chapter! much more to come <3

reblogs + tags and replies will make my entire day as i put a lot of effort into this :)! it also helps motivate me!

story continues beneath the read more. let me know if you can’t access it!

Warning: language, very vague s/a mentions

want to support me? heres my kofi!

__________________________

“Alright class, who can tell me,” A board stick clacks against the chalkboard. “Who can answer problem four?” 

A few hands raise in the corners of your eye, but yours remains atop your desk. Eyes far away, mind in a murky haze and almost completely unaware. All you could focus on were the memories playing on repeat within the confines of your tired, tired brain. Hours ago, you were warm, you were comfortable. Safe.

Cheeks heated to a dusting blush when you remind yourself just how you had awoken that morning. At some point in the night, an angel had blessed you. Allowed you to wake up wrapped around none other than big, bad, Nathan Prescott. Your face nuzzled into his chest, broad but wiry hands pressed firmly over your shoulder and his arm slung over your waist to keep you against him. Thankfully you had been the first to wake up, blinking away the morning sun blazing through his blinds and painting the room stripes of gold. At that moment, before your headache came crashing down onto your skull, you were astounded by him. 

Eye lashes brushing the top of his cheeks, his lips parted ever so slightly, chest rising and falling rhythmically. In that moment, there was no anger, no bitterness. Just a soft and peaceful slumber. It was like being the sole viewer of a magnificent painting- each stroke and detail placed just there just for you to pick out, to remember the curves and sharp edges down to the very foundation. From his unkempt hair down to the way his hand flattened onto the mattress where your indent still lived. Nathan was so beautiful like this. 

For a long time you stayed there. It was as though you were afraid to move- you couldn’t bear to disturb him. You had wondered, if he was always like this, so at peace, what would he be like? Likely soft voiced, mild mannered. He’d do his school assignments without hassle and donate to the charity board. He would wander the town with his friends and listen to music in a beat up truck flying down the stretch of highway overlooking the bold, blue, and beautiful ocean. An entirely different version of himself- carefree, and a fair blue as opposed to a burning flame of red. 

But, if that were the case, you’d never have gotten here. You’d never been both the outsider, and the only seeing eye. A lucky, albeit firstly unwilling witness to the display of depth before you. 

It never hit you like it had quite in that moment how lucky you were.

But- just then- an alarm disturbed what serendipity existed. You nearly leapt out of your skin, clutched your hands to your chest at the sudden sound. A headache wove its way into your once untouched temples. Nathan groaned, mumbled, ‘god damn it’, under his breath, and thus his body was reanimated into life. He rubbed his eyes and he stretched, that familiar scowl coming over his eyes and lips as he took in the sunlight damn near blinding him. A polar opposite to the being you’d appreciated just moments earlier.

“Ugh, fuck, how the fuck is it seven already.” He groaned. “I feel like shit.”

“Well good morning to you too,” You started, welcoming Nathan into the world. “‘I’m feeling pretty shitty as well.” 

You said that, but really… You were more than alright. Your head had hurt, slight nausea crept into the wells of your stomach, but other than that you’re sure you were phenomenally better than you’d have been waking up whereverTate would have left your ass.

“You need to get outta here, before everyone gets up.” Nathan drawled, but he didn’t sound as urgent as you expected him to be. You’d expected him to be angry that you were still in his room, but instead he just… accepted it. 

You snickered, climbing out of his throne of a bed. “Wow, you’re giving me the morning after treatment?” 

“Sure am. Get outta here, whore.”

“Oh fuck you.” 

You located your heels from last night, resting upright near his dorm room door. Heels didn’t sound like the most  practical to sneak out of a dorm with, so you instead opted to grappling them by the straps and carrying them at your side. Hair a mess, outfit riddled with wrinkles and makeup smudged under your eyes, you stood before Nathan in all your glory. He stared at you for a long, odd moment- and you for some reason felt exposed, or even, shy. 

“What?” You ask expectantly, placing a hand on your hip. 

His eyes trail to your line of vision. He shakes his head. “Just thinking about how now you really do look like my morning after.”

“Yeah?” You hummed. “Find it hard to believe you get a lot of those.”

Nathan shoots you a suggestive glance. “You’d be surprised. Everyone wants a piece of Prescott.”

Surely, he was joking, or maybe he wasn’t, but you… Didn’t like hearing that. It made your stomach feel odd, uncomfortably heavy.  As he stood up, reminding you how many inches he had over your size, you swallowed and cleared your throat to flush out that crappy feeling. “Well,” you started, mood having dropped. “I’m gonna go, then.” 

“What got your panties in a twist all the sudden?” He asked, raising a brow and pulling some clothes from his closet, tossing them onto the bed.

The bed you two had shared.

You hated the idea of his morning afters- whoever they may be. 

“Not feeling great. Probably a side effect of the roofies.” You mumbled.

Nathan breathed a laugh. “Probably.”

He seemed so calm, right now. Perhaps due to it being so early, before the outside world had a chance to remind him just why he was so uptight all the tight. Before he needed to be so uptight all the time. He really did have so many versions of himself- all of whom you were slowly becoming familiar with. Compared to the person you’d believed him to be before your run ins, you’d never have assumed someone so dangerous could be so soft as last night, as this morning. In the beginning, you’d feared him. Avoided him like a plague, or a wild animal. Even when you were enraptured in the existence of him, you still wanted to keep away. You’d never have believed someone like you could wake up clutched to his chest, as though he were afraid if he released you, you’d be gone long before he woke. 

Then, a sudden thought struck your mind. 

He’d held you so tight. He’d welcomed you in the morning. No anger, no annoyance. His soft laugh at your banter and taunts. How your heels were standing upright instead of tossed haphazardly into some random corner, where he’d watch your struggle to find. 

How he’d stayed awake to ensure your sleep.

“So are you just gonna stand there?” Nathan called you back to reality, hands gripping the hems of his shirt. “I gotta get ready and you need to wash up so you don’t look like a five dollar stripper.” Cruel words, but with absolutely no bite. You rolled your eyes.

“Yeah. But, hey,” You started. “Thank you for last night.” 

“Yeah, yeah. You gotta start learning to watch your own back.” He says. “There’s gonna be times I won’t be there to drag your ass out of the fire.”

If you’d been charged, if you’d been stricken with a strange defensiveness, you’d have retorted, ‘than stop helping me’, but… Instead you allowed yourself the comfort of protection. You allowed Nathan Prescott to watch you.  

“I know,” You reached for the door. “Thank you.”

With that, you bounded out of the dorm silent as a mouse. 

-----------

In hindsight, you should have left earlier. Class was merely 15 minutes away when you slipped out of Nathan's room and bounded towards the women's dorm. Albeit not exactly a long walk, by the time you discreetly snuck back into your own dorm, you had roughly twenty minutes to somehow pick an outfit from your countless unopened boxes and make yourself even slightly presentable. 

Wiping off whatever make-up you could get and reapplying it, brushing out the tangles of your hair and nearly tearing off your scalp in the process, scattering your nightclothes over your floor and managing to scrounge out a semi-decent outfit for the day… You still looked a mess. If the mirror could laugh, it would have. Black mascara smudges under your eyes and frizzy untreated hair. What a lovely look. 

You’d made it to class just five minutes late, but those five minutes were all it took for all eyes to be on you as you tried to slide into the classroom unnoticed. A couple classmates whispered to their table mates as you passed by, smelling of oversaturated cherry blossom perfume to hopefully cover the scent of alcohol. You sauntered to your seat and sank down with all your weight, suddenly exhausted. You’d made it with just five minutes tainting your record of attendance. The teacher greeted you with a disappointed sigh, and thus, the day began. 

But, it was so hard to focus. All you could think about was Nathan. 

“Alright class, who can tell me,” A board stick clacks against the chalkboard. “Who can answer problem four?” 

You lowered your head. 

“Ah, how about, ___?”

You snaked back into reality, blinking up at the chalk board that was somehow already riddled with math equations. Since you hadn’t been paying attention even in the slightest, your mouth gaped wide open, eyes scanning for something you understood even slightly so you didn’t look like a total idiot. 

Sadly, you were out of luck. The teacher shook his head. “I’m shocked,” He said. “You're normally so on top of things. Oh well.”

“Oh, I’m sure she was on top of things,” A female voice sniggered behind you “Last night.”

Your face flushed a red, hot, ruby. What the hell was she talking about? How had they found out you were with Nathan? You were so sure of being sneaky, there was no way-

“Her and Tate totally got it on last night.”

You whipped around in your seat, facing girls who looked to be clones of some sort. Both with the same dark eyes, short brown hair, and freckles. “What?”

“Alright-” Your teacher blurted. “That's enough. April, May, enough. Let’s not discuss things outside of the classroom.”

The two girls batted their eyes. “Sorry sir.” One spoke, twirling a hand through her hair. Her sister's wide toothy grin never fumbled. 

“Back to it then. Kate, can you help out __ with number four?” 

The small, blonde girl nodded quickly, brushing a lock of hair behind her eyes and offering an empathic nod. 

As you turned around in your seat, her answer fell on deaf ears. Your heart was racing in your chest, hands balled into fists while you stared ahead blankly.  

They couldn’t seriously think that you chose to leave with Tate, could they? Surely someone must have seen the state you were in. Someone other than Nathan.

The clock ticks forward but time feels like it's passing almost unnaturally slow. With just 10 minutes left, you feel your phone vibrate in your pocket.

‘Nathan: consider ur favor officially returned 

Your tongue poked from your lips, the tiniest of smiles taking over your once sullen features. Terrible thoughts and worries flew out the window while you type back, ‘damn. here i was gonna to ask you to do a backflip off the roof with me. there goes my plans.’

Nathan types for a moment. Typing, stopping, typing again. 

‘Nathan: soundz like a blast. where and when?’

A small blush heats your cheeks. ‘very funny. thanks to last night i have an entire 24 hour session of studying to catch up with.’

His response is almost instant. ‘Nathan: boringgg. txt me when ur fun.’

Rolling your eyes, you shove your phone back into your pocket. It seems you’ve been able to secure enough of a friendship with him for some mindless banter even outside your little visits. You smile. He’s… Fun to talk to. Surprisingly. 

Class comes to an end and you start to pack up the books and papers you’d hardly even glanced at the whole period. Whatever had been upsetting you before is lost in your mind while you think of the morning, the night before. All the things in-between. But, your happiness doesn’t last long. As you get up, you’re almost forced right back into your seat as a weight shoves into your shoulder. Your books scatter to the floor. April, the one who’d remarked about you earlier, glares at you in what looks to be disgust. 

“Careful April,” Her sister hums as she saunters past you, keeping distance and raising her already shrill tone of voice. “Might wanna watch where you’re walking- I’d hate for you to catch something from this slut.”

You absolutely gawk at her. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”

April scoffs. “Oh come on, like everyone doesn’t know what you were up to last night.”

“Sleeping around isn’t a good color on you.” May hikes her bag over her shoulder and snickers at you. They both leave the class together, sickeningly in sync. You’re left stunned where you stand, unsure how the hell your life came to this so quickly. How you’ve stooped so low that the daughters of the world's most uncreative parents are able to bully you based on something that didn’t even happen.

Next class goes no better. The person to your right, a jockey looking brunette guy, asks, ‘have you ever heard of a Tate?’. You say no, that that’s the dumbest name you’ve ever heard. The idiot grins and goes back to marking down likely wrong answers on his test sheet and you debate kicking the leg of his chair out- but you don’t to avoid even more eyes on you. It makes you sick to your stomach- even more than recovering from the roofies does. How can everyone believe it? You barely even knew the guy and you were clearly uncomfortable with his advances. No one saw that? 

After everything you’d worked for to build a reputation, trying so hard to not call out peoples shit for the sake of seeming friendly, tainted over something that didn’t even happen? And the kicker was that it hadn’t even been your fault! He’d drugged you, he’d have taken advantage of you! Yet you were the bad person? 

Class came and went in the blink of an eye this time. Your mind wrapped up in the situation, your stomach churning. You wanted the day to be over with but you still had 4 more classes to suffer through. Why was this happening to you? Was Tate being treated just as horribly, or was he getting pats on the backs of his unaware friends?

Wandering down the halls to your locker, you noticed Lance and Kaz hanging around one of the drinking fountains. Your nerves quelled- your friends would surely make you feel much better. Especially since they had witnessed how awful you were feeling as you left. You approach with a relieved smile, ready to say your truth and finally have someone on your side.

“Hey guys.” You smile, but Lance looks down at his feet while Kaz places her hands to his hips. Your smile fades.

“You could have told us you were gonna spend the night with Tate,” Kaz snaps. “You didn’t need to lie like that just to leave. We were all worried about you and it was for nothing.”

“What?” You feel like you could cry. “No, Kaz, I really did try to leave. Tate tried to drug me and take me home, and-”

“He wouldn’t do that.” Lance interrupts, with a frown. He looks back down at the floor with knitted brows. “I’ve known Tate since before time. He wouldn't do something like that, especially not to one of my best friends. Plus he told me he was really into you. Why would he even try?”

“Are you serious?” You sputter. “You think I’d lie about something like that?”

“You’ve been lying about all sorts of things!” Kaz huffs. “What’s going on with you lately? You’ve been so distant, and secretive. What are you hiding that’s making you lie like this? We’re supposed to be your friends and then you lie to our faces just to go and fuck the first guy that shows you attention.”

“What…?” It was like acid. It was like the rug had been pulled from your feet sending you spiraling down the unending cliff. Kaz, your best friend, all that venom. How could they turn against you like this? What the hell is going on? You felt your throat tighten. “Look, I’m sorry if I’ve been distant, but I’m not lying to you, I-”

“We gotta go.” Lance isn’t in the mood to hear it. “We’ll catch up to you.. Some other time.”

Kaz says nothing as she pushes past you. Lance, at least, spares a short glance over his shoulder. You stood there alone in the hallway, your bag falling off your shoulder and clattering onto the floor with a thud echoing off the walls. Everything you had, all gone at once. 

No one believed you.

---------

With nowhere to go where you felt like you could truly allow yourself to process the day's events, you went to the only place you knew. 

Just outside of campus, where rocks lined the edge of the boundary, overlooking the outskirts of the town and the ocean stretching as far as the eye could see. You settled yourself there, staring at the vast waters and wondering how this had all happened. Unlucky didn’t even begin to cover how it felt. Not only did you feel violated with Tate attempting to do unthinkable things with your unconscious body, but you also felt alone, and walked on. Your best friends hadn’t believed you. While Lance seemed saddened, Kaz was so… Angry. Her words cut like knives into your skin. 

It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair. You didn’t deserve this.

You want to talk to Nathan, but knowing him, he’d see your state and bounce instantly. After all, this isn’t exactly very fun of you.

As the sun began to fall, splaying orange and blues over the wide open sky, behind you, you could hear voices. A group of them, some male, some female. Memories of when your notebook had gotten snatched by those two horsed face assholes came flooding back and with all your alertness, you stood up, and decided that this sitting place was no longer safe. Nothing was.

Before you even made it ten feet away, the group had found their way to your spot and gotten comfortable, one of the girls cheering, ‘this’ll be our hangout! look at how pretty the view is!’

You took a short drive down the stretches of road and decided that if you were going to lament in your own sadness, you were at least going to do so in a place that had something to cover the sound of your tears. Plus a nice view.

The beach, littered with its picnic tables and the sounds of crashing waves would suffice just fine. So, you pulled in the desolate parking lot and wandered down the sandy shores until you stumbled upon a picnic table shaded by a large willow cascading lushious branches to block out the sun- a perfect canopy for you to wallow under. 

You had nothing at that moment. No friends, no reputation, no one to believe your tragic tale. And now, you’d just lost the one spot that made you feel comfortable when stress was building into your body like concrete. Tears pricked into the corners of your eyes and you bit your lip, dreading that feeling of a lump in your throat. Why you? Everything had been going so well. How could not even a single person believe that Tate had tried to hurt you?

Well, actually, there was one person.

Of course Nathan believed you. He’d been the one to rescue you, after all. Time and time again it seemed.  How was it that even the ones closest to you would turn their back so fast, yet Nathan seemed to be there even when you didn’t want him to be? Even when you yelled at him, and he yelled right back, fire and sparks falling into embers around the two of you. 

In that moment, you almost felt like you could finally relate to him. A reputation based on lies and things out of your control, paired with a hardheaded attitude to try and combat all the assumptions. 

No wonder he was so angry. 

“Hey bitch,” A voice suddenly called, and you had a split second moment where you were terrified of once again being the victim of a cruel prank or some classmates boredom. “How about next time you have a pity party you don’t fucking call me in the middle of it.”

You blinked away your tears and through the blurriness saw a figure coming towards you. All that sass, the tone...

“Nathan?” You breathed. It only takes moments before he’s in front of you, holding his phone in view, seeing that the call that had been running for nearly ten minute. You flush in embarrassment, pulling your phone from your back pocket. “How did that happen?”

“Well, can your ass dial numbers?” He taunts, ending the call. 

“Damn it, dumb phone must have butt-dialed you. I knew I should’ve gotten a different one.” You mentally kick yourself. “It must have unlocked in my pocket.”

“You don’t have a password on your phone?” He taunts. When you shake your head, he whistles. “You are just begging for a robbery. I’ll keep that in mind when I’m in the mood to send random messages to all your buddies.” 

“Fuck off.” You scowl, and he grins, hopping up on the picnic table next to you. The sun flatters his skin. He’s almost glowing. 

“Speaking of buddies, how the hell did it pick my number out of your sea of friends?”

You shrug. “Probably cuz’ it’s a priority contact.” 

“Oh lala, I’ve been upgraded to priority huh? Does it display a superman logo whenever you give it a ring?”

“Nope. When I press call it rings the nearest asshole in my vicinity. The fact that it’s you is your own problem.”

“Haha, fucking ha.” He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. He stares out at the water, watching waves pull and crash onto the beach. It’s almost beautiful, until he ruins it. “Yknow, you’re a really ugly crier.”

“Wow, thanks.” You shake your head. “That's exactly what I needed to hear right now. Why did you even stay on the line?.” Wiping your eyes, you start to forget your tears. “Couldn’t have been that wild of a conversation.”

Nathan shrugs. “Between the crying and the sound of the waves it was pretty nice.” He grins. “Very educational.” 

“Awesome. Glad I was able to make your day.” It doesn’t feel like your usual bitey remarks. You’re tired, you’re still a little hurt and you can’t stop thinking about how such an amazing morning had turned into such a horrible day.

“So what’s got you all fucked up? Never seen you act like this big of a baby before.”

“Nothing. You already paid off your debt to me per this morning, so feel free to resume our regularly scheduled mutual hatred.” You say, lying through your teeth. You know you’re both past the point of hatred, but you’re feeling jaded, you can’t help it. 

“Oh shut the fuck up,” He groans. “I didn’t drag my ass all the fucking way out to this shit hole of a beach just for you to give me that bullshit. What, did you fail a test? No one matched you on tinder?”

“Everyone thinks me and Tate slept together last night.” You blurt. “I think he’s telling people me and him had sex.”

Nathan tenses his shoulders and grimaces. “Fucking werido.”

“I told my best friends that he tried to take advantage of me and they don’t believe me. One of em’ even said he wouldn’t do something like that.”

“Fuck em’. Who needs best friends.”

“And to make everything so much better, these two bitches that I share four of my classes with harassed me all goddamn day. I mean, fucks sake, how the hell are girls named April and May of all things able to get to me. It’s bullshit. And to make matters worse, Tate is just… Getting away with it.”

“Yeah well, something tells me that Tate’s gonna get a real nice fucking taste of medicine eventually. I just gotta find him first. He’s got a lot of nerve spreading shit around given I knocked his ass onto the pavement.” Nathan brows knit at the memory.

You test the waters. “Why would you do that for me?”

He seems caught off guard, or maybe, surprised that you’d ask. Maybe he thinks you’re both beyond that point. He grumbles, “Why does it matter.”

“I’m just curious. We don’t owe each other anything, remember?”

“Yeah, well,” He huffs. “Don’t ask me questions to shit I don’t know the answer to.”

“You say that an awful lot.” You tease.

“Yeah well you ask dumbass questions an awful lot. Not everything I do has to have some weird ass motives behind it, ___. Maybe I’ve got beef with Tate that’s outside of you.”

“Uhuh. Sure.” You’re about to say something else, when your phone lights up with a text. The display makes your heart fall all over again. 

Unknown Number: you should just pack up and go somewhere else. no one wants std’s from breathing your air xoxo

You don’t even know who that is. Now absolute strangers are on your case. You want to throw your phone into the ocean and leave.

Nathan scoffs. “Don’t even bat a fucking eye for that bitch, whoever the hell they are. Half the hoes you’ve mentioned have slept with half the football team,” he pinches his jacket, “and I would know.”

“Ew, Nathan,” You grimace, that same feeling from the morning returning. It feels, oddly, like jealousy.  He nudges your arm with his elbow and grins playfully. It’s cute.

“Chill, I’m just fucking with you. You gotta know even I wouldn’t fuck girls that desperate. I’m a man of class.”

That last comment actually forces a laugh from you. It’s soft, but it’s real. The first laugh you’ve genuinely had all day. “That’s horrible.” You remark, giggling again.

It's almost like the slight restoration of your mood puts him at ease as well. He leans back on his hands and stares off into the ocean, those sparkling waters under the setting, orange sun. “I’m for real though. Those hoes aren’t worth your time. One day when we blow this shithole of a town they’re not even gonna matter.”

Your brows knit, eyes blinking up at him. Had you heard that right? 

“We?” You ask, perplexed, albeit a little… Hopeful.

Nathan sputters. “Well- Like, when everyone’s older and-”

“You know what, it's fine.” You interrupt. “Fuck it. You’re right. We’re gonna blow this town and they’re just gonna be some shitty memories.”

He sucks in a shaky breath. You’ve never heard him scramble like that, like he’s been unmasked. The look he casts you when you agree, when you don’t tease or patronize and finally hop on the idea that yeah, what if the two of you really didn’t have to deal with it anymore.

What if the two of you could just exist, without the anger. 

You look up at him. “Would you actually do that though?” You start. “With me, of all people?”

He swallows. His expression is tense, but he’s not upset. He appears nervous, caught off guard. Nathan tries, “I-”

Your phone rings. Shrill, piercing. Mood destroying. 

“Jesus Christ, it’s my mom.” You grab your phone and Nathan looks forward, stone faced and silent as you hop off the table and answer. It’s your mother, who all but shouts into the phone that her and your father are taking a surprising visit to Arcadia Bay while they’re traveling by on their vacation. She insists that you be ready in about an hour for dinner, and likely there will be family photos. 

Which means if you still look as wrecked as you did this morning, you’re gonna have a lot of washing up to do. With a quick goodbye, a short and sweet, ‘love you’, you hang up and sigh. 

“You still tell your mom you love her?” He teases. “What are you, five?”

You frown. “You don’t tell your parents you love them?”

Nathan side eyes you, and just shrugs. It is all the answer you need, really, and for his sake you decide it wouldn’t be best to press the issue. Not now. But- it still makes your heart hurt just a little. You wished that he’d had it better growing up. 

“Right… Do you want a ride home?”

“Fuck no, what am I,” He shoves his hands into his pockets. “a fucking girl scout?” 

“I was just offering, weirdo.” When he doesn't get up, you feel like you’re missing out. Like if you stayed, maybe, just maybe, you’d get to know him a little better. “Hey, if you want, I can stay for a bit longer.”

He rolls his eyes. “You’re needed elsewhere. But,” he shrugs. “I don’t know. Fuckin’... Text me or something. Or not, I don’t care either way.”

There’s a small warmth in your chest that rises to your cheeks. He wants you to text him. “Yeah,” You say. “If I’m feeling fun.”

And with that, you bid him farewell, beginning your descent to the parking lot. 

“Hey,” He calls, and you turn just in time to catch a small item he’s tossed right at you. A tiny key resides in the palm of your hand. “Spare. If shit hits the fan again-...” He shrugs, and actually looks away. “Just don’t be too fucking loud of I’ll kick your ass out myself. No Madison needed.”

The widest grin plays over your lips. “I’m gonna re-decorate your room while you’re gone.”

“Ah, you fucking better not.” He shouts. “Actually- you know what, give it back.” 

“No, no! I’m sorry.” You play with the key between your fingers. “Thanks for this.”

“Yeah, whatever. Don’t lose it and remember- emergencies only. I don’t need you watching me sleep like fucking freak. We’re past that stage.” 

“How many times will I have to say I was never watching you. Christ… But, alright. See ya, then.” The key is heavy in your palm. 

You place it into your pocket and give him one last glance before you take off, leaving him to enjoy the sound of waves, birds, and the absence of your tears.

[poisonedapples]

Patton’s Home For Traumatized Kids - Chapter Four

Self Care Day

Chapter Summary: Roman finally relaxes, and Virgil attempts to help.

First Chapter Previous Chapter Story Masterlist

Warnings: Anxiety, panic, mentions of past trauma and abuse, very minor self-injury (rubbing a little too hard with a loofah), food, and swearing

Chapter Word Count: 6,174

Taglist: @shade-romeo, @grayson-22, @pixelated-pineapple, @acrobaticcatfeline, @astrozei, @edupunkn00b, @princey-7258, @eternalmoonlight19, @remy-the-lemon-berry, @look-ma-im-on-tv, @mariniacipher, @bigwendymonster, @nonbinary-octopus

Notes: Thank you to Cornybird on Ao3 for betareading the chapter! You’re amazing and I appreciate you <3

It was one in the morning, and Roman was next to his bed pacing in circles so fast he was getting dizzy. It was officially the weekend and he was supposed to relax, but instead his mind was rushing a mile a minute and tormenting him. He was restless and exhausted, anxious and on the brink of tears, and Roman didn’t know what to do. He just wanted it to stop.

His head was spinning from all the pacing, so Roman sat on the foot of his bed and aggressively bounced his leg instead. He felt out of control, like danger was all around him and there was nothing to stop it. He felt like his heart was in his throat, sweat dripping down his face and making it hard to breathe. Roman gripped at his hair with both hands, physically recoiling at the feeling of grease and grime and-

…Oh. Wait. It made sense now. Roman hadn’t showered in a week.

He let out a deep breath, calming a little after finding a solution to his problem. He should’ve guessed, feeling dirty always made him anxious and stressed. He hadn’t had the energy to shower, but he was at a point where he had to force himself. If he didn’t, Roman would collapse from the stress.

He picked up his phone to look at the time again. 1:28 am, possibly the worst timing to sneak into the bathroom and try to shower without waking the house up. But he couldn’t wait any longer. He was exhausted and his brain was rushing through hundreds of thoughts. He needed some hot water to calm down.

Roman took the security bar off his door and slowly stepped into the hallway. He didn’t bother grabbing clothes to change into; his pajamas were clean and he could slip back into them after drying himself off well enough. He carefully turned the knob of the bathroom and snuck himself in.

It was very quiet in the house so early in the morning. Usually when Roman was in the bathroom, he could hear the TV downstairs or people talking outside the door, but now the only noise was the sound of his breathing and a slight buzz from the bathroom light. Roman stepped on the toilet to check for cameras inside of a vent high on the wall. Frustratingly, he found nothing. Patton’s camera-hiding ability was getting very annoying.

Regardless, he checked in the drawers and around the walls as well, flipping over shampoo bottles and toothbrushes just in case. He didn’t find anything, and Roman wanted to yell. Instead, he settled for clenching his fists and trying to move on with his task.

Fortunately, the shower had an opaque curtain that could make it harder for a camera to see, and Roman felt satisfied with that. Once he figured out how the shower worked and memorized where things were placed, Roman could also go back to showering in the dark again. He’d manage.

Roman wrapped himself in a towel in order to take his clothes off, folding them neatly on the toilet so that any water falling on the ground wouldn’t drench them. He skipped turning on the vent fan so he’d be quieter, stepping into the shower and tossing the towel outside the curtain on the floor for later. His legs clamped together subconsciously as he turned on the water.

Roman felt his shoulders relax a little when the hot water hit him. It helped the grease on his face and hair feel less gross, but the heat was also relaxing. He hugged himself and let the water fall down his face for a while.

…This is weird, Roman eventually thought, interrupting the rare silence in his head. He hadn’t felt this relaxed since he left the hospital. He thought after the trial that he’d be living on cloud nine for the rest of eternity, but the opposite was happening. His past and current situation was hitting him like a brick, filling him with constant anxiety and paranoia over the smallest things. It was getting unbearable.

Roman grabbed a shampoo bottle and squirted some out, slowly rubbing it into his hair and sighing. He was probably so on edge because he still hadn’t figured out Patton’s patterns. With his dad, Roman had lived with him for so long, he could guess his feelings by just a ten second conversation. He had detailed methods to work around him, how to sneak out of the house without getting noticed by cameras and how to delay the inevitable. But Roman didn’t know what Patton was thinking, what he even really wanted. Whatever it was certainly couldn’t be good, but at least if Roman knew, he could work around it. But here, there was no such luxury.

He stood back under the shower stream and felt the grease get cleaned out of his hair. Roman needed to change that uncertain feeling as soon as possible. He probably wasn’t going to sleep tonight anyway, so he could use this time to sneak around the house and at least find a hiding spot. At Roman’s old house, he had a little nook in a broken cabinet downstairs that his dad never opened, and he never found out where Roman’s hiding spot was. Patton didn’t have a basement, but maybe he had some place Roman could fit where Patton couldn't find him. It’d help him feel better if he found somewhere.

Roman ran his hands through his hair to check for extra suds and considered his hair clean now. Thank the heavens, there was nothing worse than feeling gross and exposed. Roman grabbed a bottle of body wash to clean the rest of himself next.

This was the tricky part. Roman had a habit of scrubbing too hard, and his aunt had a very long talk with him last time he came out of the shower redder than a lobster. He didn’t want Patton asking questions, so he had to watch himself. He couldn’t afford a spiral.

He poured some of the body wash on a loofah and tried to gently scrub. He didn’t realize how gross he felt, no wonder he was having panic attacks left and right. He was covered in grease and sweat and dirt that wasn’t even being rinsed, and Roman was getting more grossed out at the thought the more he realized. He really needed to start showering daily again, his hair was so thick and oily and teenager sweat stink smelled so bad, he couldn’t afford to miss a day-

…Shit, fuck, hang on, Roman thought, pulling away the loofah from his leg to observe the damage. He’d only realized what he was doing when he started to feel a stinging burn, looking away to see pink skin. Thankfully, he’d caught himself early enough where he’d be alright. He scooped some suds from the loofah onto his hand and gently rubbed the rest of the area so it wouldn’t be irritated, careful to focus on his movements from then on so it wouldn’t happen again.

He eventually finished without any further issues, rinsing off his body and turning off the shower. Roman dried most of himself as he stood in the shower, grabbing the towel off the floor and aggressively drying his hair with it. Usually he’d dry his hair with a hair dryer, but that would be too loud, so he settled with having a fluffy dog on his head for the night. Once he was dry enough, he grabbed his boxers and shirt to put on in the shower before stepping out to put back on his sweatpants. Despite the steam in the bathroom making it hard to breathe, Roman felt much better than before.

He turned off the light before he opened the bathroom door, stepping into the dark hallway wondering where to go. He still wasn’t tired, so he might as well look for that hiding spot. But where could he hide?

He slowly made his way downstairs, wincing every time a floorboard under him squeaked. The TV stand was an awful place since it was full of wires and CD cases, and behind the couch was far too obvious for a hiding spot. The entire kitchen was off limits since Patton spent most of his time there, he’d find Roman easily if he was hiding nearby. There was a small bathroom down here that barely fit a toilet and a sink, so maybe that could work?

Roman opened the bathroom door and looked inside, immediately becoming discouraged. There was no cabinet under the sink and everything was visible the moment you walked in, so that was a bust. He closed the door and looked around again.

The dining room off to the side of the kitchen was mostly bare, and hiding under the table wouldn’t work. Roman made a circle back to the stairs and looked around with his hands on his hips.

Suddenly, his eye was caught by a glass case display next to the stairs and it dawned on him. Underneath the stairs was a slight opening, but still too big to be a good hiding spot. But the display was pointed at a diagonal from the stairs, leaving a triangle opening that you couldn’t see by looking underneath the steps. Roman crawled under the stairs to see if he could fit in the hole.

It was a little cramped, but the cramped spots were always the best places. The only downside was that Roman was still visible from looking under the stairs, leaving his pants and shoes visible to anyone who could be looking for him. However, if he could get a box and paint it the same black color as the back of the glass display, he could rest on top of it and no one could see him. It could work!

Roman crawled out from the other end of the stairs and smiled. If he was quick and sneaky, he could hide under here and stay hidden for hours. Now he just needed a box he could paint black.

Roman opened the downstairs closet and looked inside, moving jackets and shoes around to look for what he needed. Nothing.

He walked into the kitchen to open the garage door and look inside, searching for any online shopping boxes Patton was planning to toss out. Nothing. Maybe he should sneak outside and check the recycling bin really quick-

“Roman?”

Roman froze like a deer in headlights at the sound of that voice. It was Patton, he didn’t need to look behind him to know that. To Patton, it must look like Roman was trying to sneak out through the garage door. He felt his breath stop.

“Roman, come back here. Right now.” Yeah, that was definitely what Patton thought was going on. His voice wasn’t angry, but it was firm and demanding, the voice a parent puts on when they refuse to be pushed around by you. If Roman didn’t think fast, he’d be fucked.

I can’t tell the truth, Roman thought. He can’t know I’m looking for hiding spots. But what can I do? Come on, Roman, make an idea! It’s the one thing you do so often!

…But there was that idea. An idea he used very rarely, but had yet to fail him.

Okay then, he decided, it’s go time. Lights, camera, action.

“Roman, I’m not joking. Come here.”

Roman deliberately ignored him, instead slowly closing the garage door and fumbling with the knob like he was stuck in a task. He kept his movements delayed and repetitive, just like people always told him he acted like in the stories.

Patton hesitated, like Roman’s reaction had confused him. “Roman, now.”

“Wait, wait, wait a minute.” Roman mumbled. “It’s gotta break.”

“…What’s gotta break?”

Roman opened the door and stood there looking out at the garage. He didn’t respond to Patton’s question, instead he stood there without moving. He heard Patton step closer.

“Roman?” He asked, his voice becoming softer as he realized what was happening. “Are you awake?”

“That’s a lot off.”

Roman could see Patton smile in the corner of his eye. His plan was a success. “I think you need to go to bed, kiddo. You can break things tomorrow.”

Patton took a hold of Roman’s hand, a grip that was so gentle it was less of a grip and more of Patton holding the tips of his fingers. Roman tensed his toes to prevent himself from jerking away from the touch, letting Patton lead him back up the stairs and to his bedroom. Patton went slowly so as to not lose Roman behind him, but he eventually led Roman back to bed while Roman kept up his sleepwalking ruse. It was a trick that always worked on his dad late at night, and it was good to know it worked on Patton too.

Patton brought Roman’s hand to touch the sheets on his own bed, and Roman reacted by slowly crawling back into bed and relaxing. He felt Patton cover him up with the blanket and tried not to squirm away from him.

“Goodnight, sleepy prince.” Patton whispered. Roman heard his footsteps head toward the door before his door slowly clicked closed, leaving Roman back in his room.

Roman waited until the coast was completely clear to jump back up and put the security bar under his door knob again. He was officially stuck in his room for the rest of the night, but at least he felt more in control now. Maybe he could try to sleep now.

Roman shoved his face in his pillow and tried to drift off, breathing deeply to keep his mind from spiraling again.

Yeah. After all he’d been through recently, tomorrow had to be a relaxation day.

***

“So…” Patton said to Roman with a smirk, handing him a plate with pancakes and blueberries during breakfast that morning. “Roman, I didn’t know you were a sleepwalker.”

Virgil and Logan both looked at Roman for his response. Roman feigned surprise. “…How’d you find out?”

“Last night I caught you walking around the house. I also heard the shower running for a while. Strange thing to wake up to!”

Crap, Roman thought, gonna have to remember that for next time. “Well, yes, I sleepwalk when I’m stressed. So, quite often.”

Patton’s smile seemed to drop a little. “Do you always try to sneak out of the house?”

“Sometimes. It’s not very often, though.” That’s what Roman always told adults. In reality, Roman had never heard a sleepwalking story of him trying to sneak out other than the times he was faking it after being caught. He didn’t even think Sleepwalking Roman had figured out how to take the security bar off the door yet, let alone try to walk into the street. But adults didn't need to know that. It was more convenient that way.

“Well, I might have to see about getting some sleepwalk-Roman-proof locks on the door, then. I don’t want you walking into oncoming traffic or something.”

Roman shrugged, taking a bite of his pancakes. “You can try. Can’t guarantee it’ll work, though.”

“Why do you sleepwalk?” Logan asked, leaning in closer to where Roman was sitting. “Do you know?”

“It ran in my family.”

Logan’s eyes lit up. “That’s quite interesting. I don’t know much about the science behind sleepwalking, but perhaps it’d be an interesting topic to research on. Brain functions during sleep can be quite bizarre.”

“You have fun with that, John Darling.” Roman finished the last bite from his pancake and stood up. “However, I have a nice date with the living room TV, so I’ll be busy.”

“…You consider that being busy?” Logan teased.

“Yes. Disney marathons are self care, and you can’t complain because I haven’t had the TV at all since I got here.”

“You do gotta share sometimes, Logan.” Patton mentioned.

Logan huffed. “Fine.”

Virgil stood up from the table to put his dishes away, placing his cup on top of his plate and balancing it. “He’s a little TV hog, some of us also wanna play games, dude.”

“All you have to do is ask!”

“And face confrontation? No way am I- fuck!”

Everyone jumped at Virgil’s sudden loud swear followed by the loud bang of a cup hitting the floor. Virgil’s balancing act showed to be a failure, with orange juice spilt all over the kitchen floor. Virgil stood deathly still and stared at the mess in horror, practically shaking with his knuckles turning white as he clenched at the plate in his hand. Roman cringed, subconsciously scooting as far back in his chair as possible and tensing. All the kids were silent. Virgil looked ready to cry.

“Oops!” Patton’s cheery voice is what broke the tense silence, crouching down at the mess and picking up the dropped cup. He looked it over. “Well, thankfully this cup isn’t glass, so it’s not broken! I’ll put it in the dishwasher and it’ll be okay, an easy fix. Could you get some paper towels and clean this up, kiddo?”

Virgil still seemed shaken, digging his nails into the metal plate and nodding. He slowly moved to grab the paper towels on the counter and drop them to the floor to dry the mess. Logan didn’t seem bothered anymore, but Roman felt himself prepare to book it upstairs in case things went south. But Patton didn’t scream or throw a fit, just put the cup in the dishwasher and stepped back to let Virgil do his thing.

Once Virgil wiped up the mess, he set his plate in the dishwasher and ran upstairs. Roman and Logan both watched helplessly, but Patton just smiled to himself. “I’ll check on him in a second. I think he just needs space now.”

Roman tensed at the idea of Patton checking on Virgil on his own, still not certain what he did to them behind closed doors. Roman put his own dishes away and ran upstairs to his bedroom. He closed the door and locked it like usual, but he didn’t put the security bar under the knob. Instead, he sat against the door and listened for the sound of Patton’s footsteps.

Eventually, the footsteps did come. Roman heard him knock on Virgil’s door and announce himself, asking if he could come in before the door opened. He heard the door softly close again, and that’s when Roman took his chance. He snuck out of his room and crept his way to the door to listen to what was going on. If Virgil was in pain, he could at least hear it.

“-Mad?” Virgil asked, his voice sounding higher and shaky. Roman clenched his fist in preparation.

“Of course not, kiddo,” He heard Patton say, “I’d never be mad at you. It was just a little cup, and everything’s okay.”

“…Sorry I swore, too.”

Patton laughed. “It’s okay. Sometimes it slips out, just don’t make it a habit.” There was a pause for a long moment. Roman felt something ride in his throat when he heard the bed creak a little. “Can I have a hug?”

Roman didn’t hear a verbal response, but Patton didn’t get angry afterwards, so he assumed that Virgil agreed. The bed creaked a little more, but it was silent. Way too silent, and that creaking was making Roman’s skin crawl. He didn’t trust it. He didn’t trust it at all.

Despite his better judgment, Roman swung the door open to catch him. He was breathing heavily and staring daggers, ready to throw a man twice his age across the room, but Roman froze when he processed the reality. Instead of whatever Roman was expecting to find, Patton had Virgil wrapped up in a tight hug as Virgil looked spooked from the sudden intrusion. Roman just stared, wishing more than anything now that he could reverse time. Oops, too soon.

“…Kiddo,” Patton eventually said in a confused tone, “You gotta knock before you enter.”

“…Yeah.” This didn’t make any sense. His dad had never gone this long being nice, so how hadn’t he caught Patton yet? What was he doing differently that made Roman not notice?

Patton rubbed Virgil’s back to help him ease up again. “How about you close the door and give us some privacy, then?”

“…No.” It was a trap. Roman was convinced it was a trap, and he refused to fall for it. He wouldn’t leave Virgil alone with him.

Patton seemed confused. “Why no?”

Roman was shaking. “Because.”

“Roman, I can only help if you tell me why you don’t wanna leave.” Patton’s face was still soft, rubbing Virgil’s back and letting him hide in the crook of Patton’s neck. If he was angry, he wasn’t showing it. “Can you tell me more than because?”

“Because.” Roman kept his voice sharp, remembering Patton’s ‘no yelling’ rule and trying not to push his boundaries more. But there was no way he was telling Patton his plans if he still hadn’t picked up on it.

Instead of exploding at Roman for being a brat, Patton seemed to focus intently and consider his options. Eventually, his eyes widened, and he smiled softly again at Roman. “What if you gave Virgil and I some space, but kept the door open? Would that be easier?”

Roman’s chest felt strange. Heavy, but like electricity was running through him around his heart. “Why do you want space so bad?”

“Because Virgil deserves privacy when he wants it, just like everybody does. Right?”

Roman looked at Virgil, who was peeking out from his hiding spot in Patton’s neck. He looked tired, but that wasn’t the only thing Roman noticed. He looked… Annoyed. Staring right at Roman with a death glare saying do you mind?, and Roman’s heart sank. Fuck.

Without saying a word, Roman ran off with the door still open and locked himself in the bathroom. He sat on the floor and put his head in his hands, still listening carefully for any concerning noises that might come from Virgil’s room, but he knew it was ridiculous. He was being ridiculous.

What the hell was wrong with him recently? He told himself last night he was going to spend today relaxing, instead he was freaking out and speeding up the process until Patton realized Roman knew what he was doing. Maybe that’s why Virgil seemed mad at him. He’s being an idiot and speeding up the inevitable for everyone, taking away the points of ignorant bliss between the horror. Roman should understand that. He was also guilty of wanting to pretend his dad loved him, and he was being a prick. He was going to get everyone in trouble if he kept this up.

Roman went limp on the floor, leaning his head against the door and sighing. He needed to leave them alone for a second and stop freaking out over everything. It seemed like Patton was in a good mood since Roman came along, it’d be bad news to ruin that. He wasn’t going to be the reason Virgil got hurt.

Roman shakily stood up off the bathroom floor and left, making his way downstairs to the TV. Logan still hadn’t turned it on, so he took this as his chance to claim it. He sat on the couch with his knees tucked close and pulled up a streaming service to look for some Disney movies, his eyes lighting up when he found one of his favorites as he switched the language to French and hit play.

He used to watch Beauty and the Beast all the time as a kid. It took place in France, so his mom would always say the movie should be played in French too, and Roman agreed. Now the English version sounded too weird for him to enjoy it the same.

Roman curled into himself as the intro played, the familiar prologue story of the beast’s curse that Roman could recite from memory by now. He slowly moved to rest his head on the couch’s armrest with his arms still wrapped around his own legs, keeping him tightly curled up. Maybe later he could make himself some tea, too.

Roman got through a good portion of the movie without interruptions, up to the point where Belle first came into the castle. Then, Virgil suddenly stood in front of the TV with his arms crossed.

Roman grabbed the remote to pause the movie, taking a moment to respond as his brain tried to remember English again. “What?”

“First off, why are you watching Disney in French?”

“I speak French, next question.”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Come with me.”

Roman sat up and raised an eyebrow at Virgil. Virgil didn’t respond, just made his way up the stairs and expected Roman to follow. His curiosity got the better of him, so Roman did what he was told.

When he made his way up the stairs, Virgil was waiting in the doorframe of his bedroom. He motioned for Roman to follow him inside, so Roman did.

When Roman walked inside, Virgil moved to close the door behind them. “Don’t,” Roman warned.

Virgil gave him a look. “Don’t what?”

“Don’t close it. At least, not all the way.”

Virgil didn’t question further, just kept the door cracked open and wandered over to sit on his bed. Roman didn’t follow, just waited for Virgil to tell him what was happening.

“I wanted to talk to you.” Virgil said.

“I gathered.”

“Sleepwalker, huh?” Virgil teased. “That’s a load of shit.”

“I am a sleepwalker. It happens sometimes!”

“I was downstairs the same time you were, dude. You definitely weren’t fucking sleepwalking until Patton caught you.” Virgil smirked as Roman’s face dropped. “I’m impressed by the acting though, not gonna lie.”

Roman tried to think of a convincing lie, but he sighed and gave up, crossing his arms as he looked at the floor. “…Alright, it was an act. But I do sleepwalk. I just…wasn’t sleepwalking at that exact moment. But regardless, what were you doing awake? And why didn’t I see you?”

Virgil shrugged. “I’m a master at hiding. Every time you came around the corner, I just moved. I haven’t been caught by Patton in a long ass time.”

“Did you call me here just to boast then?”

“Nope.” Virgil popped the p, then smirked. “I called you here to teach you how to do the same.”

Roman seemed taken aback. “…Why?”

“You’re struggling a lot, I figured I might be able to put you out of your misery.”

“Wow, how kind.” Roman deadpanned. “I don’t need your help, for the record. I know I haven’t been in the system long, but this isn’t my first rodeo.”

Virgil sighed. “Look, I’m not good with emotional shit, we’ve been over this. But when Logan first came around, I had a lot of chances to help him out and I just didn’t, and it was a dick move that I regret now. I want to do different with you, so don’t think too deep into it and just accept it. Deal?”

“Um…alright?”

Virgil walked past Roman and opened his door all the way again, looking out into the hallway before speaking. “Alright, ready for lesson one?”

Roman thought about it. “…Answer something for me first.”

“Shoot.”

“Are you okay?”

Virgil made a face at him. “What do you mean?”

Roman could feel his chest aching. “You were alone with Patton.”

“Patton’s chill, dude. He hasn’t smacked me once in the two years I’ve been here, which I didn’t know was possible. He was just worried about me after my freak-out, but I’m good.”

“The bed was creaking.”

Virgil seemed confused. “Beds do that when you move on them. There might be a loose joint or something I gotta fix, though.”

Roman wasn’t convinced. “He didn’t do anything at all?”

“Patton’s never laid a hand on me.”

“…That’s not true.”

“Why would I lie about that?”

“So that I won’t be scared so much.”

Virgil sighed and rubbed his palms into his eyes. “Whatever, believe what you want, you’ll get there eventually. You want my help or not?”

“…Yes.”

Virgil stepped out of the room and gestured for Roman to follow him, just going to the hallway in front of Roman’s room. Once Roman moved to stand in Virgil’s doorway, Virgil motioned for him to stop. Roman stayed right where he was.

“Alright, lesson one, making it downstairs without being a loud ass.” Virgil pressed his foot on a specific part of the carpet where the floorboard squeaked underneath. “The upstairs has a lot of squeaky floorboards, no clue why. But there’s a way to dodge it. When leaving my bedroom, you take one step, skip a step, take two steps, turn left, skip a step, take one step, go right, then just don’t step on the first step of the staircase at all, the whole thing squeaks. You can try it if you want.”

Roman’s curiosity got the better of him, so he did what Virgil suggested, keeping his steps close together so his heel was touching his toe and followed Virgil’s pattern. He skipped all the places Virgil told him to and made it to the stairs without squeaking the floor for the first time since he came here.

“I have a pattern for a trip to the bathroom and to the stairs. Our rooms are pretty close together, so your pattern probably wouldn’t be much different than mine.” Virgil put one foot forward and tested the floor methodically, seeing which areas squeaked and which ones didn’t. He slowly made his way to the stairs where he stopped on the second step, seemingly satisfied with himself. “Skip a step, take two steps, skip another one, turn right, skip a step, then one more step. Though your feet are bigger than mine, so your pattern might be different.”

“Awww, you’re a shorty.” Roman teased.

“Shut the fuck up.” Virgil deadpanned. “Okay, next lesson. Follow me.”

Roman followed Virgil down the stairs, noticing the way Virgil stepped down them. He stepped in specific areas on each step and skipped some entirely as he made his way downstairs, effectively making a lot less noise than Roman did just walking normally. Though, Virgil did say he’d been living here for two years, so it’d make sense that he knows all the tricks to get around Patton. Maybe him and this stormy night could be partners in crime.

Virgil motioned for Roman to follow him into the kitchen and around where the garage door was, pointing to a window once Roman caught up to him. “Lesson number two, this window is your best friend.”

“How so?” Roman asked.

“Well, first off, it’ll help you sneak out without getting caught like an idiot. You know, like last night.”

Roman put an offended hand to his chest. “I was not trying to sneak out!”

“What were you doing then?”

“I was looking for something, and no, you don’t get to know what.”

Virgil gave him a look. “Right. Well, for when you do sneak out, this exit is the way to go. Patton has security cameras pointed at the back, front, and garage doors of the house. This is the only window out of the sight of all of them. Then, you sneak your way around the side of the house and go on your merry way until sunrise.”

Roman crossed his arms at Virgil. “And how often do you use this?”

“Like, twice a week.”

“Twice a week!? Not even I sneak out that often!”

Virgil shrugged. “I don’t go far, usually just to the park down the road. I haven’t gotten kidnapped yet, so it’s whatever.”

“You scare me.”

“Good.” Virgil motioned for Roman to follow him again. “Back upstairs.”

Roman scoffed. “We were just there.”

“And we’re going back up there again.” Virgil smirked mercilessly and walked back to the staircase. Roman rolled his eyes, but he was enjoying Virgil’s tips too much to not follow him. He went up the stairs and met with Virgil next to the closet.

Virgil pointed to the closet door. “This thing right here? Lesson number three, this place is your best friend.”

“It already is my best friend. I use all the paints up there.”

“More than that.” Virgil opened the closet door and turned on the light, motioning for Roman to come inside with him. Roman wasn’t very inclined to because of the cramped space, but his curiosity was greater than his fear for once, so he stepped inside and closed the door behind them while Virgil turned on the light.

“The attic makes a great hiding spot. There’s a lot of drawers and small spaces up there where it’s easy to hide. Granted, it’s easy to tell when someone is up there because you can’t pull the stairs back up when you’re in the attic. But that’s where this comes in.” Virgil grabbed a rope off one of the closet shelves. “Tie it around the doorknob and tie the other end to the stairs. No one can open the door if you do that.”

“Sounds like a great way to give away where you’re hiding if no one can open the door.” Roman pointed out.

Virgil shrugged. “Patton doesn’t try very hard. He might test the handle, but he gives up if the door won’t open. He’ll ask you if you’re okay once you leave, though.”

Roman liked his hiding spot better. It was enough in the open that no one would check it, and there was no indication that Roman might be hiding behind the cabinet. This could be a good temporary spot, though. At least until he could get a black box that could support his weight.

Virgil pulled down the stairs to the attic, grabbing the rope and tying its ends to the stairs and doorknob like he described. He then went up into the attic as Roman followed behind. When Roman peeked his head up into the attic, Virgil was crouched beside a box full of Christmas decorations. Roman walked over to where he was.

“Lesson four, keep your mouth shut about this or else.” Virgil reached behind the box into the corner of the room and pulled out a smaller box that had been hidden behind it. When he opened the small one, he let Roman take a good look at what was inside. Granola bars, a container of salted peanuts, water bottles and chip bags. Roman grabbed a granola bar and a water bottle as he gave Virgil a questioning look.

“Having a spot with hidden food just makes me feel better.” Virgil explained. “I’ve never had to use it, Patton feeds us like he’s four grandmas fucking combined. But if you’re hiding up here and you get hungry, I stash it regularly.”

“Does Logan know about all this?” Roman asked, opening his water bottle to take a sip.

Virgil shook his head. “Like I said, I didn’t show Logan jack shit when he first came. And it’s too late now, and it’s not like Logan would ever use it anyway. Lucky son of a bitch never feels the need to hide.”

Roman laughed. “Lucky is one word for it.”

Virgil didn’t respond, just took the container of peanuts and hid the box back in it’s hiding spot. The two ate in silence for a while; a kind of silence that wasn’t awkward or tense, but wasn’t exactly comfortable either. Maybe because Virgil still felt like a stranger to him.

After a while of them both relaxing next to each other, Virgil finally spoke up. “Tell me your trauma and I’ll tell you mine.”

Roman raised an eyebrow at him, “And knowing your trauma benefits me how?”

“You feel a little less alone. Also solidarity and shit.”

Roman rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m not spilling. Share whatever you want, but it won’t be reciprocated.”

“Can’t say I didn’t try.” Virgil ate a mouthful of peanuts. “I have a theory, you know. Less of a theory and more of the truth, but still. Patton purposely fosters abused kids.”

Roman snorted. “Sounds about right. Easy targets.”

“I think it’s more about him wanting to help us.”

“Believe whatever you want, Hot Topic.”

Virgil smirked. “Hot Topic?”

“Am I wrong?”

Virgil rolled his eyes, but he still smiled a little. “Whatever.”

They didn’t talk much after that, only enjoying the silence together in their own world trapped away in the attic. It wasn’t exactly Roman’s plan, but he still felt safe. He sipped on his water and thought a lot about Virgil’s lessons, trying to ensure they were deep in his memory. But he didn’t need them now. Instead, he sat in the corner of the attic, comforted by the knowledge of the door being locked underneath them, with a silent acquaintance a good distance from him.

It wasn’t the self-care day Roman had planned, but he wasn’t complaining. It worked.

[mxvladdy]

heyy i just read your fic Case of the Munchies on ao3 and im Loving it!!!! its amazing!! i was wonder if youre accepting requests and if you haven’t done it could you write the same for the rest: mammon, levi, satan, belphi, dia, barbatos and smth for simeon and luke (ofc platonic) like how angles have a true form and that means they can never relax around mc and how solomon has so much power at his fingertips he can just snap and end them or smth like that? pretty please and thank you!!!!

A/N: Of Course! Of Course! I already did Mammon and Levi HERE so I’ll do the other four in this request! You sent me a lot of good ideas and I’ll sprinkle them out into other requests soon!

Hope you like it!!

Case of the Munchies prt 3!

Word Count: 4.2k

Characters: Satan, Belphie, Diavolo, Barbatos

TW: Mentions of eating and cook humans, very mild gore

Satan

As the only full-blooded demon of the seven, he has thought about it...just hypothetically of course. When you were new to the Devildom he did find your scent more appetizing than the others. It’s a good thing he has the most restraint and control of all his kin, especially when it comes to his more base urges.

He doesn’t hide this knowledge from you. It’s readily available in the library and his own room in the history books. He just won’t bring it up. So if you don’t say anything, he won’t either. What would he say anyway? “Yes, I’ve thought about it, up until it was outlawed it was a staple of our diet after all…” Ye, probably not the best thing to say.

When you finally brought it up he was exasperated. Did you have to bring it up during the few hours he had alone with himself? He wasn’t going to lie but the thought of hurting your feelings would just about do him in.

He will alleviate your worries if you have any. If Satan was anything, he was genuine.

Mini Fic

His wine curdles in his stomach, turning sour along with the take-out he had nabbed for the two of you to enjoy tonight. Drinks and dinner were becoming a staple in your T.V. night tradition. If one of you had had a rough day you would drop by your favorite shop of the hour and pick up a meal to share while you vent.

Today in particular had been a shit day for him. Failed experiment after failed experiment, and one bottle that didn’t explode on impact with the potion he dropped. Sigh. At least your comforting words soothed his wounded pride a little. You chuckle at his escapades glad to see he is not hurt at least. It was nice to have someone to see the humor in something that normally would have dampened his mood.

“You’re a pest.” He laughs at you while snapping his takeout chopsticks in half to use. “I need sympathy-hours of work wasted.” You snort into your own bowl of udon.

“You need words of praise like Beel needs another stomach.” Satan gasps in mock insult pointing a sauce stained chopstick at you.

“How dare you insult your host! After I toiled over this meal of-” What did he get exactly? Honestly, when he placed the order he was near boiling with rage at his careless fumble. It was to be a surprise for you, something to give you a bit of magic while supervised by himself. He knew how frustrated you were with your lack of magical ability in class so he wanted to gift you something grand. Now he has to wait months to try again.

Ah, well...nothing ventured nothing gained as they say.

You watch him sulk over his soup dumplings, his mile away from the comfort of your company and his room. “Come on blondie.” You poke him with your foot before burying them under his pajama-clad thighs on the couch. “Eat your ‘hard earned’ meal before I do.” You snatch up his D.D.D forgetting your own food for a moment to set up your favorite streaming service to cast to his small T.V. “Want to watch a bunch of humans fail miserably at baking?”

"I thought you would never ask."

Satan feels you stiffen in his arms two hours into your bake-off marathon. Your takeout boxes are cold and forgotten on his coffee table, a bottle of wine gone between the two of you. He glances down at you curious.

You were transfixed on the screen. The novice baker on screen was struggling to keep his monstrosity of a cake upright. It was the annual Halloween episode and this fool went for a Silence of the Lambs inspired cake. A good concept really, but very poorly executed. The fake body parts and sugar blood weighted the pastry down dangerously. If he were, to be frank, the cake was also tacky as hell. Heh, he'd have to try to make this for Lucifer.

"Does his abuse of the piping gun offend you that much?" He jokes wrapping an arm around you.

Your laugh is breathy and lacks its usual warmth. "It is excessive isn't it?" You look up at him. "Hey, Satan-have you ever eaten people before?"

"Uhh…" Great, how eloquent. This came out of nowhere, did Lucifer set you up to this? No-no you wouldn’t. Would you hate him if you knew? “I have.” He admits through clenched teeth waiting for your reaction.

“Didn’t Diavolo ban it?” He can tell you are doing the mental math in your head.

He chuckles dryly. “Well, you never asked if I did it legally.” You move away from his touch and pause the show. “I mean...I did it legally! ” His mouth runs freely, his brain screaming at him to shut up.

“Satan.” You cross your arms unimpressed.

“It was a new law and I never meant to eat it for the most part. It was at a time where I was still struggling to control myself.” Young and stupid as Lucifer had said defending him every step of the way when he would slip up. Was it sold on the black market now? Yes. Did he know how to get it? Sure, but he would never nor would he tell you about it either.

You nod thinking about his words. “I can empathize.” Oh, thank the Devil. “Have you thought of eating me?”Ahhh. “Oh my God, you have.” You chuck a pillow at him with a laugh.

He catches the pillow and clutches it to his fiery hot face. “Everyone did at first!” If he was going down then he was going to take every one of his brothers down with him. “I wasn’t going to act on it! It was a spur of the moment-why are you laughing!”

“Sorry, sorry.” You wipe at the tears in your eyes wishing you had your phone to take a picture of his blushing face. “I kind of figured you did.”

Satan looks at you incredulously. “Shouldn’t you be a bit more torn up over this?”

You shrug. “After everything we’ve been through? I admit it was a shock to think at first but I mean, you would have done it by now right?”

“Well, thank you?” He flops back on the couch, still clutching the pillow to act as a barrier between you two. He’ll take it as a compliment.

You scoot close, nudging his knee with yours. “You ok?” He nods. “Can I touch you?” He nods again eagerly. You wrap your arms around his shoulders and squeeze. “Sorry, I made you uncomfortable.”

Satan chuckled, dropping the pillow to hug you back. “It’s ok.” He peaks your forehead. “Now, with that out of the way. Shall we finish this?” He swipes up his phone to hit play. You nod, flinging your legs over him to snuggle closer. “Good, I’m dying to know how he tries to save that thing. I’m putting money on icing.”

“You know.” You break the silence once more, unable to stop yourself. “I wouldn’t be opposed to being eaten...in some ways.”

Belphegor

After your first *ahem* encounter, he doesn’t bring up the whole food thing. He is afraid that if you learned about it, it would be the last strike for you and his relationship. Perhaps it’s paranoia on his part but better safe than sorry.

In all honesty, he didn’t eat it that much anyway. Killing humans was something he did often in his youth as a demon. A stupid attempt at revenge on his part. It filled the holes in his hearts to hurt those he believed killed his sister.

But to eat their flesh? Disgusting. He tried it a few times and it turned his stomach with every mouthful. He just hated them too much to even stomach them. He’s mellowed out with time but still never got a taste for it.

When you asked it was a shock but welcomed in a way. Like he could finally get this weight off his shoulders every time he looked at you.

Mini Fic

“It’s gross.” Belphie yawns, jumping up to sit on the high garden wall. He bends down to help you up placing you gently next to himself. The wind catches you by surprise threatening to topple you back from the wall before he rights you. He tosses his sweater over you with a nod of satisfaction.

You snuggle into the fleece lining burying your nose into the fabric. It smelled of elderberries and honeysuckles. Belphie watches you curl up into his side with a fond smile. “Seriously, you all are nasty.”

“Ouch!” You push his shoulder with a grin. “I feel like I should be offended on behalf of all humans.”

Belphie snorts, looking up into the bright colors of the night sky. “Good. Be offended. You, humans, are slimy.” You squawk indignantly. “It’s true, never in all my years would I willingly ingest it.” He shudders theatrically.

“Rude.”

“Shouldn’t you be happy? Lest I eat you?” He growls playfully, taking a swipe at you. He pulls you close to kiss the pout off your face. He stops only when your face is hot and your smile threatens to pull a muscle. “I’ll keep you safe, always.” He vows resting his chin on your head.

“Do you think other demons would try to eat me?”

“Have you met my twin?” He teases. He takes your jab to his ribs with a smile. “But if one of those lesser demons even tries to breathe in your direction I’ll kill them.”

“Ok, Mister sleeps till dinner.” You joke. His vow warms your heart a little, chasing away the small bit of fear that had rested itself in your chest. You saw how some demons looked at you at R.A.D, the longing and hungry looks got to be a bit much sometimes. A few older demons would discuss it loudly when they knew you were close by. Apparently, it was a long standing tradition of demons eating humans both body and soul when a pact was concluded.

Imagine what those brothers would do to them…

You shake your head hugging Belphie closer. You had nothing but his word that he would keep you safe, yet that was enough for you. Besides, he wasn’t one to follow the rules even at the best of times.

“I’m serious. You're off limits for everyone.”

You nod into his shirt, closing your eyes to enjoy the peace of the moment. “I’ll hold you to it.”

Diavolo

It is so far from his mind that when you say something it is like a rug was taken out from under him. He could be diplomatic about it, but you deserve better than a half-truth.

He was a wild child in his youth. Sometimes he would overindulge in his father’s heritage and gorge himself on his newfound powers and privilege. He would dine with the elders and eat with abandon under their proud eyes.

He regrets it now, in your company it brings up a slurry of emotions. Sometimes when he looks at you he sees flashes of his past behavior.

The urge is stronger in him than the brothers, a constant nagging tug in his guts, but he is strong. Stronger both in willpower and sheer physical prowess than them so the pull is more of an annoyance than a burning need. He can temper the hunger in other ways if need be *wink*

He fears what you might think of him if you ever found out the truth, but however you take it he will handle it in stride. He loves you too much not to.

Mini Fic

Dinners, when Diavolo could eat alone, were a rare and special treat. The solace of just being allowed to exist without constantly checking his posture or presentation was a blessing, just him, his thoughts, and a good meal. It was nice to have no paperwork to worry about staining this time or a tedious meeting where he couldn’t savor his meal. No, no this was good. He looks down at his heavily laden plate and smiles. Well, almost… Pulling out his phone he snaps a quick picture and sends it to you with a simple question. Join me?

Private meals were wonderful, but with you, they were perfect.

You arrive faster than he expected, flushed face and clutching a stitch in your side from rushing over. He almost felt bad before he saw the eager look in your eyes. Barbatos helps you with your school bags and coat before placing another plate of food across from the young lord. He winks at the prince before disappearing back through the door.

“Thank you for the invite!” You beam taking your seat across from him. “I hope you don’t mind that I'm not dressed for the occasion. I was just wrapping up a study session with the boys.” You look down at your rumpled lounge clothes.

Diavolo waved his hand disregarding your concerns. “I would emulate you if I had the time.” He looks at his own pressed school uniform. He had another meeting this evening, much to his distaste. “You look rather comfortable.” You smile in delight before tucking into your own plate.

You eat in a comfortable silence reading the room well enough to tell that he wished for some company but not needless chitter-chatter. Barbatos arrived moments after you put your fork down and left with the plate leaving behind a delicious smelling hot drink. You couldn’t put your finger on the flavor but it tastes spicy like cinnamon and coats your throat like warm honey.

Whatever was in the drink seemed to work some magic on the prince. His shoulder droop, his back sinking into the chair as his legs stretch out till they are close to brushing against yours. He starts talking over the drink, eyes slowly lighting up with delight. You drink, nodding along with him as he builds up steam. It was nice to see him so unguarded and light. You listen to him talk about simple innocent topics. You knew how he tried to have these conversations with the others to no avail. The brother’s always tried to stay clear of him, and Lucifer simply dismissed these things most days. Barbatos and the angels were a bit better but still listened mostly to placate him.

“Ah!” Diavolo stops mid-sentence as his door opens once more Barbatos holding a small platter in his gloved hand. Dia claps his hands in delight. “I’ve been wanting to have you try this with me for forever. The human palate is so different, but I hope this is tasty.”

“What is it?” You eye the covered plate curiously.

Dia says a word in infernal. It is harsh and guttural in his throat but his delight was evident in his tone. “It is like...a roasted nut? Sorry, it is difficult to explain but it has been a favorite treat of mine since I was a boy. I hope you like it too.” He opens the lid with little ceremony and tilts the bowl to you. Inside were several golfball sized pods piled on top of each other. Even from across the table you could feel the molten heat radiating from the porous black shell. It looked...ugly. Like a hunk of dried lava. You eye it suspiciously as Diavolo picks one up with his bare hands and bits it. The shell cracks under his sharp teeth, a fang catching in a weak spot with a noise that makes you shiver. Underneath the thick casing, you could see a dark red and fleshy core. He hums in delight pulling put the meat of the seed and discard the shell pieces onto an empty plate. He makes quick work of the innards already reaching for another by the time you casually pick up a seed.

The seed itself was dense and warm to the touch. You squeeze it, noting that the porous coating felt like a mass of steel in your hand. “Dia-how do I open it?” No way you could bite it, not without breaking your jaw in the process.

“Allow me.” He takes it from you and effortlessly cracks it. “It is a tradition to break them with teeth, instead of hands or utensils. Something about a show of strength. I just find it fun.” He shrugs, handing you the broken seed.

“Fun!” You marvel at his pearly fangs. “Those are some big chompers.”

“All the better to eat you with my dear.” He chuckles.

You blink in shock, eyes widening. “Would you? Eat me?”

Diavolo’s smile drops. “No.” He lies on reflex, his political nature kicking in. “No-no wait.” He shakes his head. “I...at a time would have without hesitation.” He feels you recoil. “It was common practice back in the day. To the common demon it was a great meal and for the ruling class a show. He looks down at the broken fragments of shell on his plate. Breaking the shell was far too reminiscent of other things. He squashes the unwanted wave of memories coming up. Instead, he looks up at you.

You sit quietly mulling over his words. You haven’t run yet. “Why did you stop?”

He leans back with a loud exhale. Why did he stop? There were many reasons, none he wished to divulge into at the moment, but he had to say something. “I grew up, and began to resent and regret it.” He used to read human stories of demons and his kind. They hurt their characterizations of him and his people. Yet, they had all been scarily accurate. He wanted to prove that they weren’t stagnating beasts, slaves to their desires. Even if it wasn't a popular opinion.

“I see.” You pick up the seed again. “Thank you for telling me. You didn’t have to.”

“But I wanted to, and to apologize… such admissions must have ruined your appetite. If you wish to retire-”

“Is it weird if it didn’t?” You cut him off. You felt-not apathetic to the knowledge but close to it. It confirmed a lot of things for you and put certain things in perspective. You still felt safe with him even with this new bit of knowledge. Without a second thought, you pop the treat into your mouth. You gasp in delight. The flavor and texture were not what you were expecting, but was delicious all the same. “Can you open another for me?” You push your plate over to him.

“Of course!”

The food was as wonderful as his company.

Barbatos

You knew he cooked it. He probably knows a million different ways to prepare a human. He is also very blunt about his dabblings in the market.

He doesn’t eat it, hasn’t ever. He sees no reason to, especially since he doesn’t need to eat anyway there is no temptation. He did find the meals he created beautiful though.

Once he lived for the praises of the courts and his young lord. He was a master at all mediums he cared to work with. Time, decorum, or of the flesh.

He is 100% unashamed of his past with the dark side of the Devildom’s history. In fact, he is damn near proud of it. He is a demon and it was a part of his life, if that frightens you, well there is nothing he can do about it.

He’ll entertain your questions and will try to put any lingering worries at ease. Just don’t expect to be coddled when he does.

Mini Fic

Barbatos had very few personal pleasures in his life. His schedule simply didn’t have the space for such things. So why even bother looking for a pastime. It wasn’t until Diavolo gifted him with an old worn cookbook did he find it.

Cooking was a necessity for his prince, but with that little book, it became something he looked forward to doing. Slowly, he began to seek them out, filling his growing quarters with cookbooks and loose-leaf slips of paper. He enjoys reading them. Each book was a little time capsule into the cook's life and memories. Could a mix of spices really remind someone of the arid heat of their motherland? Or does following a certain way of aging meat really honor the writer's late grandfather’s memory? He tries them all, each recipe a little invasion to a happier time.

He wrote his fair share of cookbooks too in his day. Simple modifications to things the young lord liked to the odd machinations of his own imagination. He got good at experimenting with flavors and textures over the years, mastering certain cooking techniques and flavors just for fun. He didn’t share many of them, a lot of his recipes were just too complicated for most. Luke was allowed to look at his pastry books only. The little cherub was enamored with his techniques and wanted to learn as much as he could in the short amount of time he was in the Devildom. Admirable, but he made sure to keep some of his...less savory books away from the boy. He shudders to think what Simeon would do if he scarred the young angel.

You are the only one who has full access to his collections. Whether you liked to cook was inconsequential to him. He simply enjoyed sharing this interest with you. Some nights you would take it upon yourself to be his “sous-chef”. Which meant you sat in the corner of the kitchen and read out the ingredients and steps for a recipe he knew by heart. Sometimes you would add in extra steps in an attempt to stump it. Cute...but ultimately failed each time. So, most nights when you tagged along to the kitchens you just flip through his collection, reading his immaculate scribblings crammed into the corners of the pages or where he scratched out certain ingredients for more demon-appropriate foods and more sustainable options.

You had gone through many beautiful books before you found it. The cookbook was small and inconspicuous compared to most. Just a simple black cover with a well-worn spine. What made you take notice of it was just how dusty it was. That wasn’t like him to do. Barbatos would never let something get so dirty. You wished you never had opened it. You weren’t stupid by any means, but after reading a few pretty graphic recipes it had unsettled you. So you withdrew from Barbatos trying to forget about the book tucked away deep in the bowels of your school bag.

“You’ve been distant.” You choke, hand flying up to your chest as you swear your heart skipped a beat. Damn demon. Should put a bell on him. “What’s wrong?” His eyes are piercing, cutting away at your feeble defenses.

“Nothing…” You fiddle with your bag’s strap. Your eyes drop to the floor taking in the differences between his polished shoes and your scuffed boots.

“Of course not…” You could hear the skepticism in his voice. “I trust that if there was something wrong you would feel safe enough to confide in me.” His words hit like a ton of bricks on your shoulders. He sighs seeing that his words got no reaction. “Please?”

Wordlessly you rummage in your bag and thrust the book into his chest. “Sorry. It shook me up more than I thought it would.”

Ah. He knew this book all too well. For a time it had been his favorite, one to pull out with Diavolo had guests or a deal that needed to be sealed. He accepts the book, noting how much your hands shook. “I understand.” He slips the book into his breast pocket making a mental note to hide it in one of his lesser used rooms. “Would you like to discuss this? In my room perhaps?” You follow with a timid nod.

“Where shall we begin?” Barbatos asks the moment he closes the door to his room.

“You don’t seem perturbed.” You frown. Barbatos shrugs, pulling the book out and opening it. He had a lot of good memories stored here. Some of these were still considered signature dishes, oftentimes a visiting dignitary would lament to him about the good old days when he could show off his craft when flesh was plentiful. He takes pride in that still to this day even. For as much as he loved you, he would not be ashamed of this.

“I didn’t mean it like that.” You shake your head when he says as much. “It just confused me. Do-do you see me as food?”

“I never saw humans as food, no more than I see demons or angels as it.” He picks at an imaginary bit of lent from his pant leg. “As for seeing you as food no. No matter how sweet your lips are, or how honeyed your words can be.” He smiles, taking impish delight in your squirming. “I merely did my job as a butler for my lord.”

“Oh- sorry for not coming to you sooner.” You felt foolish now. Barbatos waves it off, pleased to have this issue put aside so quickly and cleanly. “Wait-" You gasp as his words finally sink in. “Have you prepared angels before?”

He flashes you a mischievous smile putting a single finger up to his lips. “Perhaps~ do you wish to read that too?”

[haneybun123]

Twice’s S/O Giving Them a Massage After Work (some smut)

A/N: thank you anon for the request! hope I did it justice.

this is a long post so it’ll be under the cut.

masterlist

Nayeon / Im Nayeon

- Nayeon loved things like this. bringing scenes into your sex life always made things more interesting. this time, she had texted to ask you to prepare your dining table for a massage. you had covered the table with a cloth, lit some candles to surround the table with, you had even gone out of your way to buy some massage oil. she knocked the door, thanking you for doing this for her. 

- she undressed, got herself on the table, and you casually flirted with her as you began to oil her down. as your scene continued you began to get more flirty, commenting on how soft her skin was and how you rarely get clients as beautiful as her as she moaned at your touch.

“fuck, you’re good at this.” she exclaimed as you reached her lower back, “it feels so good there.” at this point, Nayeon was saying exactly what she did in bed to see if she could get you to crack. you could see her inner thighs at this angle and it was clear she was incredibly wet. but, you decided to carry on anyway.

as you moved to massage her thighs, she begins to start whimpering. at this point it was really getting to you. so, you moved your hands to between her legs, “Miss Im, do you want me to carry on with your massage or would you rather I just touch you here?”

Jeongyeon / Yoo Jeongyeon

- Jeongyeon, whilst she really appreciated the break, was clearly missing being with her members. everyday she tuned into their promotions with you, sending videos of herself cheering them on to the groupchat. she loved being at home with you of course but she clearly loves the stage. you decided, to make her feel better, you would have a day where you could spoil her. 

- you started by going shopping together, you ate out at some greasy food place she usually isn’t allowed to eat at, modelled everything you bought, watched some TV over some food. then, you had an idea.

“let me give you a massage.” you said, looking over at her shoked face, “it will help you feel relaxed! I know you’re just waiting for TWICE to show up on TV.” you read her like a book and her face showed she knew she’d been caught.

“you’re right... I suppose that could help.” she put her plate down and turned so her back was to you, lifting her hair out of the way. as you began to work at her muscles you could see her becoming more relaxed by the second. you chuckled smugly to yourself. you both knew each other way too well. “ok, it’s working, don’t get so smug.” she laughed.

“thank you, y/n. you always know what to do to cheer me up.”

Momo / Hirai Momo

- as the women who invented dancing, her muscles can get very sore. she works hard to give ONCE beautiful choreography so she can get some sore muscles sometimes but she’s always been too shy to ask you to do something like that.

- after practicing a pretty demanding choreography (something like Cry For Me or More and More) she was feeling pretty sore. she was rubbing her thigh muscles when you asked if she wanted a massage. literal heart eyes for you right there and then.

you had both moved to the bedroom, turned the lights down low, and lit some candles so she could properly relax. “This one move is insane, babe, I had to practice it for ages and now my leg hurts.” Momo sighs, relaxing her shoulders as you worked away one intense knot. 

“If I know you, Momo, you can pull off anything.” you smiled down at her, happy she was finally starting to relax a little. she gently breathed out a thank you as you worked. 

once she felt better she gave you a kiss as thank you, “I appreciate your help, y/n. thank you.” 

Sana / Minatozaki Sana

- Sana had woken up in the morning having slept weird. she had tossed and turned all night and, at some point, pulled her shoulder. she had been holding it all morning, asking you to get a mug out of the cupboard because raising her arm too high hurt and struggling to brush her teeth properly. it was starting to hurt you watching her walk around like this because her usual happy demeanour was gone. 

- eventually, you sat down together on the couch to eat cereal and watch morning tv. watching her struggle with the spoon broke your heart a little bit. it clearly hadn’t gotten any better from the morning. You set your bowl of cereal down, turned to her, and asked to help.

“I can’t look at you walking around like this and I’m sure the girls won’t be happy if you can’t practice properly. let me massage it better?” you looked at her wincing while putting her bowl down and grimaced.

“please?” she asked, turning away from you and pulling her sweater off whilst you settled behind her. as you began to rub at her shoulder being faced with a topless Sana began to get to you more. her back was so pretty and the little whimpers she let out as you rubbed away her knot began to get to you. as she began to relax under her touch you slowly began to kiss down her neck.

“is your knot gone, Sana? because I'd like to hear you whimper more.”

Jihyo / Park Jihyo

- Jihyo had been working really hard recently. with a comeback coming up and the girls getting stressed her job as a leader was starting to get to her. you wanted to help her so you decided to plan a sweet evening for her. you cooked her favourite meal, got Netflix queued with all her favourite films, lit some candles on the dinner table, and waited for her to come home.

- Jihyo couldn’t imagine anything better to come back to. she fell into your arms, so grateful for the support she gets from you. it took all her self restrain to not cry from happiness. you both had a beautiful evening- you could see the stress melting off of her shoulders. as you finished the evening, you cuddled onto the couch with Netflix playing behind you.

“this was such a perfect evening. Thank you, y/n.” Jihyo said, looking up at you from between your legs. you planted a kiss onto her head, telling her not to worry about it as your hands idly rubbed her shoulder. “that.. feels really nice. can you carry on doing that, darling?” she asked, sitting up so you could better reach her shoulders.

with the romantic atmosphere, the low lighting, and the perfect evening you just had, a tension began to build as you moved your hands further down. slowly, you moved your hands around to go nearer to her breasts, gently grouping her breasts between your hands. with a sharp gasp, Jihyo spoke: 

“the perfect way to end a perfect evening.”

Mina / Myoui Mina

- Mina had been practising her ballet to get ready for ISACs on top of normal twice work, which is bad enough. though she is really flexible anyway, she hasn’t spent a day doing just ballet in a long time. she came home wobbling through the door just ready to take a bath and go to bed. that is, until you opened her arms to her on the couch.

- you asked about her day and how practice went. you noticed her constantly rubbing her thighs and replaced her hands with yours. she was more than happy to just lean into you and listen to you talk- she was way too tired after her day and was more than happy to just sit. 

“honestly, with all this preparation, I’m just ready to take a break. there's so much going on.. I wish I could just sit all day like this with you.” she confessed. she did look exhausted. her eyebags had gotten worse, she looked pale, and she was struggling to keep her eyes open. the more you rubbed her thighs the more she was starting to fall asleep.

“Mina, you’re doing amazing. Twice is doing amazing. you make so many people happy, including myself of course.” you giggled amongst each other. “I do love once” she mumbles, clearly falling asleep in your arms. “how about we move this to a bath so you can at least get clean before you fall asleep.” 

Dahyun / Kim Dahyun

- you and Dahyun were watching films on one of her days off. currently, you were both watching a romantic film and she was absolutely engrossed. her hand gripped yours tightly, desperate to see what would happen next. her popcorn was long forgotten as she only thought about the characters in front of her.

- then, it was the massage scene. the male lead was above the women, gently dripping massage oil onto her naked, dainty form. you watched as a faint blush spread across her cheeks whilst the man ran his hands over the women body. you couldn’t help but grin at her- no matter how far you got into your relationship with her she would always get flustered when scenes like this came on with you around. but, she couldn’t help wanting to try it with you.

“hey, y/n? you want to try something like that when the film’s over?” she asked you, not looking away from the screen, “I think it would be really sweet.” Dahyun couldn’t help but blush. the scene was so intimate and, whilst you have done some things together, you had never done anything like that. you agreed, of course.

when you were above her she looked so small. like in the film, she was shirtless. you dripped oil onto her and she couldn’t hold back the small moan that came out. the oil was so cold and gentle against her skin, not unlike your touch. as you rubbed it into her back she couldn’t help how turned on she was getting.. but you enjoyed the tease. you inched closer to where she needed you but never close enough until she snapped- “babe please just touch me. you’re killing me.” 

you laughed but gave in.

Chaeyoung / Son Chaeyoung

- Chaeyoung had wondered about asking you to do this for a while. she thought it would be really cute if you could do this for each other, especially after watching some romantic movies with you. she asked if you could do it for each other one morning she had off.

- you said you would go first because of her intense practice. you laid her down on her front and straddled her waist, leaning down to massage down her spine. as you moved down though, her breathing started to pick up a little bit. you could feel her getting hotter under your hands as her heart began to race.

“Chae, you alright? you’re getting pretty hot.” you asked, beginning to add some more oil to the muscles of her lower back and rubbing small little circles in. she had taken off her clothes, leaving herself in just her panties and her bra, so it would be easier to give her a massage. as you asked she let out a staggered breath.

“if I’m honest, sweetheart...” she hesitated, leaning up on her elbows to look over at you with a bright blush covering her cheeks. her pupils were completely blown and her eyes drifted down to your shirtless body, “this is turning me on a lot more than I thought it would...”

”do you mind if we quit this and do.. something else?”

Tzuyu / Chou Tzuyu

- Tzuyu had come home late from practice looking like she could sleep for 12 years. you had honestly never seen her look that worn out from a practice before- her shoulders were slumped, her eyes looked dull, and she couldn’t help but slump down onto the couch. she had definitely had a hard day.

- when you asked so, she looked up at you with a tired gaze and nodded. you brought in her dinner that you had left to heat in the oven and let her rant about her day while she ate. turns out, she fucked one of the moves and hurt one of her shoulders. so when she finished, you asked her if she needed a massage.

“y/n, dear, you’re an angel.” she looked over at you with a wide grin, seeming more awake than she had all evening, and spun around so her back was to you.

you started with her shoulders- being gentle so you don’t hurt her too much. slowly her shoulders began to sink down and, after a few minutes, she was putty in your hands. by the time you finished she had fallen asleep. you wrapped your cute girlfriend in a blanket, pulled her into your chest, and slept on the couch.

[simpsiren]

about the roommate

park seonghwa x reader

main masterlist

description. you talk about your weird relationship with the roommate you’ve been with for so long yet still dont know much about

genre. roommates au, fluff, seonghwa hinting at reader that they like them

warnings. nonee

a/n. hihii so i wanted to try writing for ateez since ive been doing a lot of nct ff already. its my first time so i doubt that it’ll be accurate but i got the idea from this post by @darling-akaashi so i hope it will be decent. i never thought that it would be this long but oh well HAHA enjoyy :D

how did you even become roommates with someone like him? you dont even know. all you knew was that you were finding someone to share the apartment rent with and it just so happens that your friend at college, wooyoung, has a friend who was looking for an apartment.

and now here you are. a year and a half of sharing an apartment with seonghwa yet the two of you are in your separate rooms. the only interaction you ever made today was at breakfast where seonghwa cooked for you scrambled eggs and toasted bread.

there’s wasn’t much you knew about him at first. but as you slowly but surely try to accomplish your mission of getting to know seonghwa (since you didn’t like being awkward with people all the time), you start to learn a thing or two about him.

you were glad that after a year and a half of staying with him, you got to know more about him, despite the fact that the interaction between the two of you still needed some work.

[ONE] : he’s a clean freak.

you were feeling tired from a long day of school and all you thought of doing while walking home was to sit on the couch and resume your anime marathon.

you unlock your door to find seonghwa mopping the floor. you nod your head slowly as you close the door and take off your shoes before taking any step further.

“didnt you mop the floor yesterday?” you ask, placing your keys on the kitchen counter along with your bag on the chair of the dining table.

“yeah.” was all you heard from seonghwa as you pour yourself a glass of grape juice. “you dont have to mop again-“

“its a habit.” seonghwa replies simply. with your cup in hand, you make your way to the living room, where seonghwa is currently mopping. you take a seat on the couch and grab the controller to turn on the tv. “hey wanna watch attack on titans with me?” seonghwa was mopping the floor in between the couch you’re sitting on and the coffee table and stops in front of you, raising an eyebrow.

“i dont watch anime?” you furrow your eyebrows and frown. “come on its fun! stop your cleaning and at least watch one episode.” you grab seonghwa’s arm and pull him down to sit next to you, making him flinch a little and quickly placing the mop beside the couch.

“how am i suppose to watch when i dont know what happened before?” you roll your eyes.

“if you find this episode good then you can watch it from the start in your free time.”

seonghwa sighs and and stands up, walking away to keep the mop before taking a seat beside you again and getting comfortable. “this better be worth it. im suppose to clean the toilet right now.”

“that can wait.” you nudge your arm into his chest, making him let out another long sigh before watching the show silently.

[ONE.2]

it was a saturday morning as you went to sleep at 4am. hence, making you wake up at 11am in the morning. however, you have always been laying around in your bed for about an hour or so before getting out of your room. when the clock striked 12, you thought that it would be a good idea to get out of your room and have lunch. gathering up all your energy, you brought yourself out of bed and lazily walk out of your room.

as you walked down the hallway, the first thing you saw was seonghwa cleaning the counter top of the kitchen. you clicked your tongue and walked over to where seonghwa was.

“did you make lunch yet?”

seonghwa looks up at you and shakes his head. “its a saturday so im spring cleaning the house.” you rolled your eyes and shake your head.

“you do that every single day!” you whine. seonghwa raises his eyebrow. “i like to keep the house neat unlike you.” you let out a soft ‘tsk’.

you have to admit, you were not a clean person at all. the only reason why the apartment is clean is because of seonghwa’s habit of being well organised and meticulous. basically everything in the apartment but your room is squeaky clean. although you see seonghwa staring at your room and looked like he’s holding back the strong urge to clean it for you, he doesn’t really do anything about the fact that you are the complete opposite of him. you dont know why but you only shrug it off.

“ill help you today, alright? then you can quickly cook something up for us. im hella hungry right now.”

seonghwa lifts his head up from the table and scoffs with a slight smile. you furrow your eyebrows and frown. “what’s that face for, huh?”

“this is the first time you offered to help. id say thank you but i know you’re only doing it because we both know im the only one that can cook.” seonghwa says confidently. you purse your lips and nodded your head.

“you’re right. but i’ll still help. so, what should i do?” seonghwa tosses the cloth that he was using to clean the kitchen counter. you took a step back as you quickly got a hold of it.

“wash it and wipe the bookshelf.” you let out a long sigh before flashing him a bright smile and headed over to the bookshelf. while you were wiping the sides of the bookshelf, you could have sworn that you saw seonghwa looking at you with a smile and a light blush of pink on his cheeks. you pretended not to notice though, and shrug it off.

[TWO] : he’s a great cook.

you still remember the first day you came to the apartment. the first thing you see your new roommate doing was cleaning. like intense cleaning. it was late at night and you didn’t bother to even greet the stranger since you felt awkward and wanted to rest for the night.

however, at about two in the morning, you were laying down in your room when you felt the need to have a night snack. you stepped out of your room and went to the kitchen. the whole apartment was dark except for the dimly lit lamp at the kitchen. you jumped a little when you hear seonghwa’s voice coming from the living room.

“y/n?” you turn around to see seonghwa chilling on the couch with his phone. the living room was completely dark and you could only see his face from the light illuminating from his phone.

“i was just getting a snack to eat.” you said as you opened the fridge to look for something to eat. unfortunately, there wasnt anything that looked like it would fill your midnight appetite. you hear seonghwa standing up from the couch at the back and walking towards you. you tilted your head to the back and see seonghwa standing behinf you. you tale a step back.

“i can cook something if you want.”

“no no its fine i just need a simple snack.” seonghwa kept quiet for a moment as you went back to the fridge to look for food again, as if something might magically pop up. but of course nothing did.

“well i didnt think of getting any snacks when i moved in. ill make something.” seonghwa walks over to the fridge and nudges your arm, making you move to the kitcen counter and leaning your hip against it as you watch seonghwa get to work.

you were looking through your phone, distracted when you heard the noise of two bowls being olaced on the table. you lift your head up and noticed that seonghwa made yoghurt with cherries and raspberries. it wasnt your idea of a midnight snack but at this point, anything could go in your stomach.

“thanks.” you whisper softly as you drag the bowl near to you. seonghwa only hums in response as the two of you take a bite at the same time. your mouth gapes open as your head slowly tilts up from your bowl to look at seonghwa. he was casually eating when his raises an eyebrow at your weird expression.

“how.. how does this taste so good? what did you do it? did you poison it?!” seonghwa blinks at you a few times and shakes his head slowly. your forehead creases as you look at him suspiciously. “i never really liked yoghurt but holy shit.” you quickly take another bite.

“i think you’re just hungry. it tastes fine to me.” seonghwa says in a monotoned lazy manner and grabs the bowl and taking a seat at the dining table. you purse your lips into a straight line and grab your bowl as well and walking down the hallway to your room. before you open your door to go in, you quickly turn your head to the dining table.

“thanks for the yoghurt! ill wash the bowl later.” seonghwa doesnt react, keeping his eyes on his phone. you gave a weird look before heading inside. you sigh.

he’s going to be hard to talk to.

[TWO.2]

“its your birthday, right?” your jumped in your seat when seonghwa suddenly appeared beside you on the couch. “uhuh.. how’d you know?” you say softly, nodding your head.

“wooyoung told me. lll make you a cake or something. anything you want to eat?” you blink at him a few times, your mouth still gaping open as you were shocked about a few things. 1. he talking to you in a more open matter and 2. he actually want to make you something for your birthday.

“make me mac and cheese, please! i love the way you cook it!” you smiled brightly. seonghwa smiled back and coughed, only to return to his monotoned face. you laugh softly. you found it cute somehow.

“i wouldn’t have allowed it since its unhealthy but since its your birthday-”

“thank you!” you leaned in to hug seonghwa. the didnt hug you back, so you quickly pulled away. you noticed him blushing again, this time it was more obvious. you shook it off, despite knowing you felt butterflies in your stomach. “ill go out to get groceries then.” seonghwa stands up from the couch and heads inside his room to get ready.

you smiled to yourself constantly as you waited for seonghwa to finish making the mac and cheese. you sigh in satisfaction as the smell of the delicious food fills the air in the apartment. you tapped your feet excitedly as you had your eyes glued onto seonghwa with the pan in his hands. your face lit up the moment the starts walking towards you. you clap your hands as he places it down on the dining table.

“fuck it smells and looks to good.” you moan out. seonghwa lets out a soft laugh, making you blush just from hearing him do that. “if i made this any other day, i would’ve asked you to pay for the groceries.” you roll your eyes.

“come on dont be rude to me.” you grab a fork and spoon, bringing your plate near the pan and cutting out a slice for yourself. “thanks for the mac and cheese.” seonghwa only nods his head and took a slice for himself before the two of you ate together slowly, indulging the savoury and amazing taste of one of seonghwa’s best dishes he has ever made dor you.

you appreciated times like thae with seonghwa. alrhough not much interaction was made during meal times, you really felt that he cared for you. making meals you like on special occasions, and he’s always asking you what you want to eat, despite the fact that he might not be comfortable with the idea, he doesn’t fail to whip up a great meal. you liked that about seonghwa.

[THREE] : he’s a great listener.

you basically the worse day that day. for some reason, everything just had to go wrong. the only thing you felt the whole day were anger and sadness, more so towards anger. it was late at night yet you were still fuming in anger, only wanting to let it all out the moment you stepped into the apartment.

you unlocked the door and dropped your bag beside you and slammed the door shut. of course the piercing sound of the door made seonghwa lift his head up in an instant. you notice him laying down on the couch with his phone and usual.

stomping over to the kitchen, you pour yourself a glass of cold water. you chugged the whole cup of water fast and forcefully place the cup on the counter. you clearly felt seonghwa’s eyes on you. you look up from your cup and notice him looking shocked, his mouth gaping open slightly.

“what?” you said, running your hand through your hair in frustration.

“you okay...?” you hear seonghwa ask. “does it look like im okay? today felt as if i entered a shit hole.” you huff. you made your way over to the couch, leaving your empty cup on the counter.

“move your ass.” you hiss at seonghwa. he raises an eyebrow and gets up from his laying position, proceeding to sit up and let you take a seat beside him.

you sit down and let your body sink into the couch, laying your head back as you sigh to calm yourself down. “what happened?” seonghwa whispers, putting away his phone and turning his attention to you.

you purse your lips into a thin line and slowly looked up at him. his eyes were filled with concern and his voice was gentle too. he hasn’t been this concerned about you before.

“apparently i got my best friend to dress up all cute and fancy so that she can have a date with my boyfriend behind my back.” you scoff in disbelief, shaking your head. you see seonghwa licking his lips nervously as he nodded his head.

“a shit show if you ask me. i saw him waiting for her in front of the shop i was working at.” you grab the pillow behind you and hug it close to your chest with you digging your face into it. “just how cruel can people get?” your voice was muffled but you knew seonghwa heard you loud and clear. you felt his hand resting on your back, patting it gently.

“its fine. rant all you want.” you took a deep breath and slammed the pillow onto your lap. you felt that it made seonghwa jump a little but he never fails to keep his composure in check. you could never be like him.

the night, all you did was talk, cried and screamed your heart out. and seonghwa was there to just listen to you. he didn’t react much, but he did nod a few times hear and there to let you know that he understood what you were saying. he wasnt so affectionate that he would hug you when you cried, but it felt good to just have him sit there with you while you let out all your anger and frustration. you figured that having him as your listener was his way of showing comfort for you.

[THREE.2]

it was 4am. you and seonghwa have been drinking since 2am. why? you had a bad day and you felt rhe need to destress with some alcohol. seonghwa wouldn’t have allowed you to get drunk but he was apparently having a bad day too and felt like he wanted to get a little drunk to forget everything that day.

“dont you know how fucking stupid that is? it only happens to me. why?!” you groan as you take down another shot. seonghwa fills up your cup again.

“just forget them. they’re being idiots.” seonghwa whispers. you gap your mouth open and roll your eyes. “how can i forgot something like that?!” you shout angrily, slamming your hand on the table. seonghwa laughs in a lazy manner.

“you’re cute when you’re mad.”

“excuse me?” you tilt your head to the side, wondering if you heard seonghwa’s words clearly.

“nothing.” you shrug it off and shake your head.

“by the way..” you started off. seonghwa lifts his head up from the table and lets out a ‘hm?’

“why arent you telling me why you’re drinking? you don’t normally do this. you dont even let me drink unless its a special occasion. i rarely see you drunk.”

seonghwa raises both his eyebrows and sigh. “i had a bad day. but yours sounds worse so ill let you do all the ranting.” seonghwa starts playing with his shot glass, circling his index finger around its rim.

you clicked your tongue. “but its always been about me. you cook me my favourite meals, you do all the cleaning and you’re always here for me when im pissed. i feel bad about it..” you quickly glance at seonghwa. its the blushing again. you started to accept the fact that you had an effect on him, instead of avoiding the fact that he might have feelings for you.

“i guess im always doing those things because...” he leans forward over the table, getting close to your face. you start to grow nervous and your heart started beating quickly. you held a fist to your chest, breathing slowly to calm you down, but it failed. its the first time you’ve seem seonghwa like this. he looked... hot?

“do you know the answer?” seonghwa asks, tilting his head to the side as you watch his eyes glaze over you whole face as if he’s admiring every inch of it.

“no?” your breathing stopped for a moment when seonghwa gets even closer. this time, your noses were touching. seonghwa chuckles lowly. why did that sound so good all of a sudden?

“i know that you know. i wonder why you’re shying away.” seonghwa’s lips immediately connected with yours. you blinked your eyes rapidly as you tried to process the situation. you couldn’t hold back. his lips felt great against yours. its like all the worries that have been piling up in you have been washed away from a simple kiss.

who knew you’d get this close to your mysterious roommate? its a drastic start to a good relationship nonetheless.

[elentiyawhitethorn]

Sneaking Around | Chapter Six

Aelin clicked on Rowan’s contact. want to get out of here? She made sure to keep her phone angled away from Manon, who was smirking next to her.

A moment later, he responded. I thought you’d never ask.

you’re not still pissy about me judo flipping you?

I’ve come to terms with the fact I’ll just have to get you back for it. Aelin blushed at the implications.

“What, is your sweet boyfriend sexting you?” Aelin had almost forgotten Manon was there.

“Shut up.” we’ll see about that

I’ll leave now. You come in a few minutes.

alright

You sure you remember where I live?

yeah, i think so

Aelin heard Rowan’s voice distantly saying he was off. Not wanting Manon to put it together, she started speaking. “So, you don’t mind if I ditch you?”

“And have you spend the night lusting after some dude? No thanks.”

“You’re one to talk. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve gone to gay bars as your wingwoman.”

“That was only a few times and I am grateful, but I still get to tease you. It’s my job. Shouldn’t you be leaving now?”

“So anxious to lose my delightful presence?” Manon rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m off now.”

They walked into the living room to find Rowan already gone and Vaughan on his way out. Good, that would be a little less suspicious if several people were leaving. Aedion and Lysandra had rejoined the group. Manon said, “Aelin’s headed out to her secret boyfriend’s place, so looks like I’m stuck with you losers.” Yes, Manon was very genteel.

Everyone tried to get her to spill, but Aelin just said, “See you Monday.” Then she flipped them off as she walked out the door.

The drive was short, but Aelin was jittery, desperate to get her hands on Rowan. And she had unintentionally memorized his address.

She walked up the stairs to the second floor quickly. Aelin lacked the patience for an elevator ride right now.

Upon reaching the landing, she caught sight of Rowan leaning against the wall next to his open door. “You certainly got here quickly. So eager to-”

Aelin cut him off with a hungry kiss. His lips began to move against hers and he grabbed her, pulling her into his apartment. Rowan kicked the door closed, then pinned her to it. He used one hand to lock the door and the other to unzip her jeans. She grinded against his hand, bucking her hips forward.

Rowan pulled down her jeans, waited for Aelin to step out of them, then picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. Aelin shrieked as he carried her to his bedroom.

“That’s what you get for judo flipping me.” The damned bastard was chuckling.

He tossed her on the bed, then swiftly unclothed himself. Rowan looked up to find Aelin had done the same, and was now lying seductively on his bed. She let her legs spread.

Rowan, panting now, climbed on top of her. She moaned as his hips pressed against hers. Neither one of them could get enough of the other. Both of their hands were roving accross the other’s body. Aelin’s tongue parted his lips.

Her hand drifted down to caress him, and Rowan groaned. He let Aelin push him off of her then move down to take him in her mouth. Rowan moaned Aelin’s name. Yes, she could get used to this.

-

Light was streaming through the curtained window. Aelin awoke to find Rowan’s arm around her. She was pressed into his side, fitting like a glove.

Aelin gently slid out of his grasp, then put on his shirt from the night before. It was so large, she nearly drowned in it.

Then she walked out to the kitchen. If he was going to carry her around like a sack of meat, she would feel no qualms about raiding his fridge.

Rowan walked out ten minutes later in another pair of sweatpants to find Aelin dressed in his t-shirt, devouring a bowl of cereal. “Make yourself at home, why don’t you,” he said sarcastically.

“Thank you, I will,” replied Aelin. “Though I’m rather disappointed to find all this health junk. You need to buy some Fruit Loops.”

Rowan smirked. “Planning on eating breakfast here often?”

Aelin blushed. “Just in case.”

Rowan poured himself a bowl of the “health junk.” “Well, I wouldn’t mind if you did.”

Aelin blinked, then smiled.

“Did you ladies really sign up for mixed martial arts?” he asked.

Aelin laughed. “Yes. Lys and I had been taking it for a while, and we convinced the others to join. And I still can’t believe you bet against me!”

“How was I supposed to know you’re a fucking ninja?”

Aelin laughed again, louder this time. “I like that almost as much as fire-breathing bitch-queen.”

“That was meant to be an insult when I came up with it.”

“That makes it even better.”

Aelin hadn’t felt so happy in a long while. They finished breakfast, then Aelin said she should leave.

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?” Aelin asked.

“You should stay. It’s still the weekend.”

Aelin’s heart raced. “And if I were to stay, what would we be doing?”

Rowan’s sultry smile was answer enough.

-

Aelin pulled up at her apartment just past six o’clock. She had totally lost track of time, though she didn’t regret it. Rowan had spent the better part of the afternoon coaxing noises from her she didn’t even know she could make.

Upon entering, Aelin found Ansel at the table eating Chinese takeout. “I wasn’t sure you were coming back,��� she said with a raised brow. “I got extra in case you did.” Ansel gestured to the other container of Chinese.

Aelin replied, “Thanks. I need to change first.” She was still wearing last night’s outfit. Again. This was becoming a habit.

When Aelin came back out in a t-shirt and yoga pants and sat at the table, Ansel just looked at her. Stared, like she was seeing deep into her soul.

“Okay, you’re going to have to stop that. It’s freaky,” Aelin stated.

Ansel sighed. “I’m working on my tell-me-all-of-your-secrets stare. Ugh, just fess up, will you?”

Aelin tried not to laugh. “No. Stop prying.”

“I know I blab a lot, but if I swear not to tell a soul, will you at least answer, like, some minor questions? I have nothing else to do with my life.”

Ansel looked so pathetic that Aelin hesitated. “If you won’t tell anyone, you may ask some things. I might not answer, though.”

Ansel immediately brightened. “Great. Okay, I’m assuming his name is a no. Mm, do you like like him?”

Aelin could only imagine if Ansel went and told the others, including Rowan, that she liked the dude. That would be humiliating. Ansel wouldn’t break her word, though. “Yes,” she answered firmly, surprising herself. She realized she did like Rowan a lot, though.

Ansel smiled. “Interesting. I can only assume he works at the office because of your secrecy, not to mention hooking up with him at an office party. Do I know him?”

Most everyone from the office went to the bar; this wasn’t a revealing question. “Probably.” Okay, definitely, but whatever.

“Is he good in bed?”

“Gods, Manon asked the same question. You perverts. Yes, he is very good in bed.” Aelin was tiring of the interrogation and also started to get nervous she might reveal something. “I’m done with the probing now. Want to watch Grease?” The two of them lived for old movies. They had seen Grease about a dozen times already. She knew the offer would be enough to get Ansel off her back.

“Sure. I’m not done with you, though.”

Aelin rolled her eyes. Then they spent the evening watching movies and gossiping about their friends. Luckily, Ansel seemed to have dropped the subject of the secret boyfriend for the night.

Yes, it could be troublesome to deal with her friends’ inclination to snoop, but she and Rowan would tell them if it got serious. Was it heading in that direction? At first Aelin had thought the attraction was purely sexual, but then they talked and laughed he made her heart flutter and Aelin wasn’t so sure anymore. The only question was whether Rowan felt the same about her.

Out of pure desperation, Aelin pulled out her phone. help im bored.

If Rowan was the type to use emojis, he surely would have sent an eye roll. He wasn’t though, and he annoyingly wouldn’t stop using correct grammar and punctuation. Prick. Only a minute after Aelin texted him, Rowan replied, What’s Ansel doing? Is she still at Fenrys’?

she’s currently laying on my lap sound asleep. not before finishing the fried rice though

Poor thing. Aelin could feel the sarcasm oozing out of that text. What do you want me to do about it?

be entertaining. tell a joke or something. im lonely

You’re a very needy person.

i am not

You certainly were today. Aelin blushed at that.

tell me rowan whitethorn is not sending me dirty texts! i should block you or something

Needy and overdramatic. No surprise there.

you need to work on your flattery skills

Fine, then, Your Majesty. You are the most genteel, sensitive, kind, and respectful person I have ever met. Please accept my sincerest apologies. Aelin snorted at this.

*sigh* you could at least try to say something accurate like awesome or fascinating or something. we all know im not nice

How true.

stop bullying me. ask me on a date

Is that an order?

yes

Would you like to go on a date with me?

hmm... i’ll have to think about it

Why do I even bother?

because im irresistible

I’m going to sleep now. Work tomorrow. You should too.

night

Goodnight.

Rowan was right; she should get some sleep. Even if she wanted to text him all night.

“Ansel, up.” Aelin poked her on the forehead. “I can’t get up with you snoring on my lap.”

Ansel was nearly impossible to rouse. Aelin settled the matter by shoving her off onto the floor, which earned her a severe scolding.

In bed, Aelin couldn’t stop thinking about Rowan. It got to the point where she couldn’t help but shove her hand under the waistband of her yoga pants, getting off with the help of the thought of his capable fingers.

Great. Now Aelin was just praying she wasn’t going to start blushing and batting her eyelashes at him. She wondered if he was thinking about her as he touched himself. Probably not. He was probably asleep, untroubled by thoughts of her.

Rowan Whitethorn was distracting Aelin from... well... everything. Maybe if she tried thinking about when they hated each other. Or when she judo flipped him. Yes, think of beating him up.

How was Aelin going to handle work tomorrow, being able to see him but not touch him? Rowan Whitethorn. Damn him.

[burningupp-replies]

Sleepless | Zuko x reader

A/N: this was requested like a week ago, i know :( school is kicking my proverbial butt at the moment, but i promise im working whenever i can to get new content for you all! i hope you will forgive me :( (also yes, i am working on another part for Teamwork, no need to worry)

Prompts:

13: I always sleep best when you’re next to me.

44: Why are you still awake?

Pairing: Zuko x reader

Word count: 3k

Warnings: there is a pretty steamy kiss at the end, but other than that, just tooth-rotting fluff :)

The fire nation palace felt so… big and cold, especially at night. It made you feel small and alone, and you usually found yourself clutching your pillow to your chest for dear life. You had been with the others during the war, helping the cause in any way you could, and even six months later, you couldn’t shake the feeling of general uneasiness you got when seeing anything related to the fire nation – especially when you were trying to sleep.

When the war ended, Zuko had asked you to remain behind in the fire nation with him. He needed help understanding cultures other than his own, since his nation and culture had been romanticized for him his entire upbringing. He knew very little of rituals, rites of passage, linguistic differences, and so on. Even the question of climate could be difficult for him to grasp at times, which made you laugh.

When the fire prince first suggested for you to stay, you were hesitant at first; leave your family behind, get used to this new idea of the nation which had haunted your nightmares for so long, and being mostly alone in your situation hadn’t sounded appealing at all. However, once Aang agreed that you really could do some good by staying, you begrudgingly agreed – you hadn’t spent all that time trying to help the world just to back out now.

So now, two months since your move to the fire nation and since taking up your new position at the fire lord’s side, you were staying in a palace which gave you nightmares. Zuko had been very kind to you, doing his best to accommodate you in a way which made you comfortable and happy, but the general unease you felt was far from his fault – he was more or less the reason you were there to begin with.

Of course, the crush you had been harboring on the boy since he first joined you in the western airtemple had aided in your decision to stay; not that anyone other than Katara knew the truth. He was just so… cute. Spirits, he would kill you for even thinking that about him, but you honestly couldn’t help it. He was awkward, but not in a creepy kind of way. He was really sweet and caring, and extremely understanding. He did his best to keep the mood light, without going overboard (cough Sokka cough). He had taught you so many things, seen so many things with you and you could just feel your heart yearning for his whenever he crossed your mind.

So, staring up at the ceiling – completely sleepless – you huffed out a sigh and a groan. You tossed your pillow aside and sat up in bed, putting your head in your hands. If you didn’t start catching up on your sleep soon, you were going to lose your mind. You groaned out loud, sighing again, and staring at the ceiling again.

“Damn it, I need to do something,” you muttered to yourself, getting out of bed. You slipped into a red silk robe and a pair of red slippers to aid your feet in not falling off, and started tip-toeing out of your room towards the kitchens.

Since you couldn’t sleep while you were here, you  had made a habit for yourself to go to the kitchens and make a cup of tea during the night. You usually then brought your cup with you into the library, where you could read up more on fire nation culture, so as to aid the fire lord better in his quest to make peace.

You were so used to your routine at that point, you didn’t even need to look for anything; it all just flowed smoothly, and you didn’t even make a sound throughout the entire process. Heating up the tea would have been difficult if some of the servants hadn’t been non-benders who needed some assistance to heat the tea up without bending, but you were in luck. Grabbing the jar with the jasmine tea, you prepared a pot and grabbed a mug, placing everything on a tray before sneaking the rest of the way to the library.

The doors were big and heavy, so you had to turn around to push with your back, since your hands were occupied. Once the door had slid open, you turned around to walk in, only to find Zuko already in there, pouring over a book on the sofa. You stilled, not really knowing what to do. Had he heard you enter? You had become quite proficient at sneaking the past few weeks, but you knew the man had excellent hearing, so him not noticing your entrance seemed unlikely.

Just as you were going to turn around and leave, Zuko’s head snapped up and his gaze met yours. Your body immediately came alive, blood rushing to your face and ears, and your stomach erupting with butterflies. You smiled bashfully at him, and opened your mouth to speak.

“I-I’m sorry, Lord Zuko. I did not know you would be in here at so late an hour,” you stuttered. You wanted to facepalm, but both your hands were occupied, so you just stood there awkwardly. “Uhm, I can leave.”

“N-no! I…” he started, sucking in a deep breath before smiling and continuing. “I really don’t mind your company. And please, just call me Zuko.”

You grinned at him, and he grinned back. “Sorry I went all formal and weird, I know we know each other, I just… haven’t seen you since you became fire lord, I guess.”

There hadn’t been any meetings regarding other nations’ cultures yet, and so you hadn’t seen Zuko since moving in; he had sent you a few notes, just telling you that you could come to him if you had any issues. It had been very sweet, and you had always sent a ‘thank you’ right back. Still, you had been a bit unsure of how to act in front of him.

“Oh, yeah,” he laughed a little as you set your tray down on a table and went to shut the door. “I guess you haven’t, huh? I’m still not used to it, if I’m honest,” he grimaced, and you smiled.

“I hope it’s okay that I raided the kitchen for jasmine tea?” you inquired, and the boy smiled at you fondly.

“No problems at all, Y/N. I remember you used to drink a lot of tea, you said it was ‘good for your nerves’,” he teased, and you blushed again. “The staff informed me that a lot of tea seemed to be missing, I was suspecting uncle.”

You started apologizing again, but he just laughed and waved you off. After that, you both fell silent, and you decided to get up and find the book you had started reading earlier that week, but had never gotten to finish. You opened the pages delicately, searching for your place before finding it and settling into your usual armchair by the fireplace, which was lit for once. The entire time, you could feel Zuko’s gaze on you, studying your every move.

When you paused to pour some tea into your mug, you looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. “What?”

The boy blinked at you a few times, before shaking his head. “Oh, uh, nothing,” he mumbled, and you smiled back at him. “I was just wondering… why are you still awake?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” you shrugged. For a moment he looked as though he was going to inquire further, but then he seemed to let it go, and no more words were spoken until he had to leave so he could get some sleep.

The whole interaction had been weird at first, but incredibly soothing once all the awkwardness had dissipated. His presence reminded you of… not simpler times, per se, but happier ones. Ones spent laughing with the first friends you had ever really had, friends who you were now missing so dearly. But having the comfort of one of them calmed you down enough that once you finally went back to your own room, you slept more peacefully than you had in a long time.

After that night, the two of you met up in the library at night at least three times a week. He was a busy man, but he wanted to make time for one of his dearest friends – and long-time crush, but he still maintained that part was irrelevant. He never thought you would like him back, like ever. It was a concept he didn’t even dare think about, for fear of getting his hopes up only to get them crushed later.

Three more months later, you had met up in the library during sleepless nights countless times. It had become a routine of sorts; he was usually there before you, since you were busy making a pot of tea to bring (now with two mugs, of course), and once you arrived, you would exchange a few words before settling down with a book each in comfortable silence.

The more times you met up, the more comfortable you became with each other. The first night had been spent with him on the couch, and you in an armchair – two weeks later and you were both on the couch. At this point, you tended to lean back against him on the couch as he played with your hair, still silently reading your own books. It was the highlight of your time in the palace, for sure.

This particular night, you were very tired. You even contemplated skipping the library, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it, no matter how much your mind screamed at you for some rest. So as you sank down against Zuko’s form, his fingers running through your hair, your eyelids started drooping. You tried to fight against it, you really did, but it was no use; five minutes later, and you were out like a light.

It took a while for the fire lord to recognize that you were asleep – you were a very peaceful sleeper, no snoring or movement, and he was so content with you against his chest as he turned the pages of his book. Still, once he realized, he kind of panicked.

You were sleeping against his chest. He wanted to move you, carry you to your room or something, but he was scared to wake you. So for a while, he just stayed there, frozen. He didn’t even dare turn the page of his book for fear of stirring you from your – much needed – sleep.

After around 30 minutes, though, he realized staying like that wasn’t doing anyone any good. Your neck was at an awkward angle, his back was getting stiff, and honestly? The sound of your breathing was lulling him to sleep as well. He sighed, but carefully extracted himself from you before picking you up in his arms as though you weighed nothing. He decided to leave the tray with the mugs and kettle; you were more important. You slept soundly the entire way to your room, and only woke when Zuko carefully placed you on top of your soft bed. You didn’t open your eyes though, just stretched a hand out to get him to join you.

The gesture made Zuko freeze where he stood – were you really insinuating what he thought you were, or was it a dream? A hallucination born from the desire to be near you, perhaps? But when you sleepily whimpered his name, it was confirmed for him; you wanted him to stay and sleep in your bed with you.

“Are you sure, sweetheart?” he asked carefully, and at your huff combined with an intense nod of your head, he smiled.

Had he been less tired, he might have been able to resist. However, he was tired, and longed for your warm, soft curves to be pressed up against him. Maybe in your embrace, he could escape the nightmares that plagued him so. As soon as he was next to you and you both were under the covers, your tiny frame wrapped around his tall, muscular one, and you found sleep with a sigh.

He managed to kiss your forehead and wrap his arms around you before the darkness overtook him, his mind more at peace than it had been since early childhood.

In the early hours of the morning, the sky just burgeoning on a light pink, you suddenly woke. You were unbelievably warm, and even more comfortable. You were surrounded by the smell of firewood and pure manliness, which comforted you greatly. A few moments later, however, you found yourself nearly panicked; you were sleeping in the same bed as Zuko. How in the entire world had that happened?!

Of course you weren’t upset that he was there – if anything, it was like all your dreams coming true – but you had no idea if anyone had noticed his absence, if there was widespread panic, or, worst of all, what if he didn’t want to be there with you?  What if he was annoyed with you for falling asleep in the library?

You were broken out of your panic when the man in question groaned and stretched, automatically grabbing you and pulling him into you. You stiffened even further, not knowing how to react to the sudden affection he was showing towards you.

Once he realized he wasn’t dreaming, Zuko stiffened too. In his defense, this exact situation was very often part of his dreams; dreams where you were his wife, you had children together, and everything was more than perfect. It still felt that way when he had woken up, just as perfect as a dream, if not better.

“G-good morning,” you stuttered, deciding to break the silence.

“Morning,” he answered hesitantly, and the sound of his gravelly voice first in the morning damn near made you swoon.

After that, neither one of you really knew what to say. The sky was slowly brightening to include red, then orange, before yellow and white tones joined in, creating a beautiful gradient that signaled the start of yet another day. He didn’t want to break the silence, and neither did you. It was a thick kind of silence, and he was scared that breaking it would break the spell of just being together. Alone.

You both realized that you couldn’t stay like that forever, though, and after a while, you decided to bite the bullet.

“I’m so sorry I fell asleep yesterday.” Your voice was hardly above a whisper, but he heard you loud and clear nonetheless.

“It was really not a problem, Y/N. I’m just glad you finally got some rest, is all.”

His voice was still gravelly, but somehow felt smooth at the same time. He didn’t seem annoyed or angry, in fact he seemed perfectly content to remain exactly where he was. And he was.

“Well, I’m sorry you slept here. I didn’t mean to intrude on your resting time…” you mumbled, and he exhaled a breath.

“Y/N…”

You interrupted him immediately. “I mean I had no intention of falling asleep like that, especially on top of you! I just kind of, I don’t know, felt comfortable, and I’d had a really tiring day, and-“

“Y/N, I sleep better with you next to me,” he decided to inform you, interrupting your ramblings. When you gave him an incredulous stare, he laughed a little. “We used to sleep next to each other all the time. Granted, those were stressful times, but I think I got used to it. Even when the others weren’t exactly accepting of my presence, you always treated me with kindness. I guess I’m… comfortable around you. And I think… It may be because I like you. A lot.”

His words stunned you into silence. How could this perfect man, with more power than anyone would ever need, like you? He had always treated you kindly, and that was part of his appeal. Even when he was supposedly trying to capture the avatar, he had seemed a bit on edge, almost like he wanted to hold back. A few times he had held back, even though you could see how much it hurt him to do so. When he joined you, he’d had no issues carrying his own weight, even helping relieve some of the others’ burden. He had been so patient with Aang while teaching him firebending, and with all of you when it came to your slightly odd humor and hijinks.

In short, you loved this man, and in an effort to show him, you decided to kiss him.

Your lips seemed to meld with his perfectly. He took it slow and steady, caressing your cheek as he kissed you. Your arms seemed to have a mind of their own as they curled around the back of his neck, playing with the locks of hair at the nape of his neck and pulling him a little bit closer.

The kiss was everything you had ever wanted and dreamt of; he was everything you had ever wanted and dreamt of, and he was more. His lips were soft and pillowy, he responded so beautifully to your kisses and caresses, tugging you closer and grunting with pleasure.

Zuko himself felt like he was dying. Spirits how he loved to kiss you, touch you, make you feel good. The way you played with his hair drove him absolutely crazy, and the feel of your lips was the most exquisite thing he had ever felt in his entire life. You were everything to him, and now that he knew what you tasted like, he could never go back.

Unfortunately, you had to pull apart eventually. You were both gasping for breath, lungs burning from the lack of oxygen, but you were both smiling like idiots. Everything was about to change, but neither one of you minded in the slightest.

Being sleepless had never resulted in anything better.

[calpops]

breathless | c.h.

In which living with Calum presents difficulties of adjustment that leave you both a little bit breathless.

@outerspaceisbetterthannothing: Okay, but what if at some point after moving in together they start suffocating? not in a bad way, just it's one thing to just date, but spending all the time with a person can be tough. esp after long time living alone. and it takes a lot of effort to learn to live with somebody again. so at some point, having a rough day at work/studio they just have that irritation come out?

Word Count: 1k

***

Calum can sense a shift in the mood between you two made by three small moments. There’s a snap of tension that fills the air and keeps him on edge. Little things that don’t usually bother you both seem to be piling into each other and adding weight that has a force Calum doesn’t like. He can see the change in your eyes, written on your face, in the tight frown that draws across your lips and the sigh that escapes you as you run into another one of Calum’s habits. A remote to the back as you tried to lay down on the couch after a long day. You sit back up and toss the remote to the coffee table; head going to your hands as you rub at your temples. Usually you just laugh and remind him to put the remote anywhere but the couch. That is moment one.

In another moment he’s stumbling over your shoes and cursing out as he catches himself on the corner of the bed. Irritation builds and a want to kick the shoes out of his way comes with it. But he deflates and grumbles as he moves them aside. Usually he would make a joke with a sweetheart attached.

The last moment comes in a swift surprise. It’s a clatter of pots and pans that fall to the floor and on your toes. A painful and shocked gasp leaves your lips and Calum’s rushing to your side. He sees the accusation in your eyes and he knows it’s deserved. He’d left the cabinet in peril; the organization system you were so used to from living alone turning into havoc the night before when Calum did dishes and put them away so haphazardly opening the door sent them crashing. He hadn’t meant to, wasn’t really thinking about it, went through the motions he usually went through when he himself lived alone. It never bothered him to have chaos in the kitchen and he knew better than to open the doors without being cautious. But you were both still adjusting and trying to find middle ground for your differences. Usually it was easy. Sometimes it came to a crashing head that left you both suffocating.

“Are you alright?” Calum asks, voice wearing thin as you huff and shove kitchenware back into the cabinet.

“I’m fine,” you answer and lapse into silence as you go to work reorganizing everything. It stays silent with a thin veil of tension until Calum reaches out to help and you snap, breaking the moment with a harsh tone. “I’ve got it, okay?”

He backs off immediately, knowing you need a moment to breathe and cool down. The past few days had been simmering and seemingly that moment made it reach its boiling point. Calum stands and walks off, Duke trails him. He feels bad leaving you in the mess but it’s clear his presence was making things worse. He could use a moment to himself as well. He winds up in the bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed with Duke by his side. He can hear you in the kitchen, the clatter of pots and pans ringing through his ears. He doesn’t know when it will be best to approach. He waits until the noise dies down. And then waits some more. When he’s almost on his feet to go to you; knowing he can’t stand the silence—it’s just as suffocating as the boiling point—the door opens and you peek in.

You’re hesitant at first, just as he is. A moment of pause captures you both. In that moment Calum notes your shiny eyes and the way your hands tug at your shirt and the slight downturn of your lips. It’s all signs of something more than just the incident in the kitchen. Finally, finally, you go to him, slow steps and unsure movements as you approach. He welcomes you with open arms as you settle on his lap and bury your face against his chest.

“I’m sorry,” you mumble against him and Calum knows the words are sincere.

“So am I,” he responds.

He’s sorry that he left the cabinets in such a state. He’s sorry that the adjustment period of living together has become so overwhelming for the both of you. He’s sorry he hasn’t spoken up sooner to help work out the tension. He’s sorry about a lot of things and he’s sure you are too. But neither of you need say all of that. Just one apology says and does enough to help bring you back together and ease the ache that’s been building.

“It’s just been a lot,” you say and Calum nods in understanding though he knows you can’t see it. “It’s so different. I just haven’t gotten used to not being alone yet.”

Calum runs a hand down your back and shifts, you look up at him, getting the memo of his body language. He wants to talk to you; eye to eye.

“I know, sweetheart. I haven’t quite got it down yet either. Maybe sometimes…” Calum starts and feels the words sitting heavy in the back of his throat. “We just need to give each other a little time to be alone.”

You give a tiny nod in response, eyes uncertain and eyebrows furrowing. “Maybe.”

Calum sighs and purses his lip. A question enters his mind and he can’t help but ask. “I can sleep in the guest room tonight. If you want some space?”

You’re quick to shake your head and calm the fear that’s rising in Calum. He knows alone time is vital. That living your lives together doesn’t mean you have to live your lives so completely intertwined day in and day out. But nighttime is special. It’s the common factor of bringing you together; even after a day of being around each other constantly. It’s what keeps you truly connected.

“No, I don’t want to be alone like that,” you explain and Calum is glad to hear it. “But maybe tomorrow we should both go be with our friends. I don’t think we’ve seen much of anyone else since moving in.”

Calum agrees. And promises to try to remember to keep the kitchen a little more organized. And you promise to try to remember to put your shoes away. And you both promise to remember to talk to each other before it ever ends up feeling like you’re breathless and running out of air again. Usually you are each other’s breath of fresh air. You both want it to stay that way.

***

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[superspookywombat]

falling {j.h} chapter four

Warnings: oops i forgot there was a sexual innuendo 

Taglist: sleepy-whoregeekysimmerthingsmauvette268treestarrrrrrrrkaleigh404krazykatkay456meganlikesfandomsdarknacademiahi-my-name-is-rileyvdtwsupernaturalselmeuuhraindancer2004wondersandtempestsroyale-trash-slytherinim-hella-brightbootylimpicslivfgit-is-rebel-owl-ma-dudes

You grip the beige food tray in your hands so tight that your knuckles pale. Your eyes frantically search the large cafeteria for any sign of Bella- or Edward. The clock on the wall tells you that you arrived a few minutes early, mostly because you had nothing to put in your locker. At your old school, no one used their lockers. You just managed to fit everything in your backpack that clung tightly to your burdend shoulders. You set your tray down at an empty table, the apple loose on the plastic threatening to fall over the raised sides. Before you have the chance to catch it, it jumps over the barrier and falls over the edge of the table. A flash of white comes from behind you and you see someone catch the runaway in the corner of your eye. 

“I believe this is yours?” A harmonical, masculine voice asks. You turn your head and you’re met with Bella’s boyfriend, Edward. Behind him stands three other people, two you recognize, the blond from English, and your sister. A small, pixie-like girl stands in between them, her hair dark and her eyes large. You reach out for the apple, your gaze fixed to the ground and your mouth agape.

“I’m Alice, and this is Jasper.” The girl speaks out. You can’t find yourself thinking more about her though, because all of a sudden your senses are invaded by Jasper. Jasper. You speak the name silently, only a small noise coming from your lips as you pronounce the ‘sp’. You glance back up and see Alice holding Jasper’s hand, but his body is rigid as his eyebrows furrow and his intense caramel eyes burn holes through your warm cheeks. There’s something familiar about him. You clear your throat and smile, shaking off the thoughts that plague your mind.

“Nice to meet you, Alice. And I think you’re in my English class, Jasper.” Your throat becomes dry as you say his name aloud. 

“Yes, Ms. Garcia is a delightful teacher.” He answers in a southern drawl. You’re taken aback for a second, but then you understand his choice of shoes- or boots, actually. You smile, but don’t say anything in response. You nod to the table you’re sat at, and they take it as an invitation to sit down alongside you. Edward holds Bella close to him, almost in a protective nature. You look down at the smooth apple in your hand, and you bring it to your lips. The sharp edge of your teeth rips through the skin as if it were paper, and the juice drips down your chin. You pull the apple away from your mouth, satisfied in the chunk you took out of it, the imprints of your teeth left in the fruit like a crispy fossil. You place it back on your tray and wipe the juices from around your mouth with the back of your hand. Your eyes wander over the group that sit by you. Alice reminds you of a fairy, her hair dark, twirly, and quirky. She smiles at you, her teeth whiter than white, and her lips a blushed pink. Under the table, it seems that Alice and Jasper’s legs are touching. Are they a thing? You shake the thought from your head. They’re siblings. That’d be gross. Bella sits next to Edward, of course. He has an arm wrapped protectively around her. You turn back to Alice.

“Your dad’s a pretty cool guy. Super sweet.” You say, twirling your thumbs beneath the table. Alice glances at Edward.

“He’s a great man. We couldn’t have been luckier.” Edward cuts in. You give a small smile. Turning your attention back to the plate in front of you, you push some cold pasta around with your fork. Bleh. Alice, Edward, and Bella engage in a conversation as Edward sips slowly out of a water bottle- something about hiking- as you steal quick glances up at Jasper. Your eyes swiftly scan his pale frame, a curtain of blond locks falling over his eyes. He looks up and you briefly make eye contact. You stare at each other for a second before you look away. 

“So... Jasper,” You say, burning holes into your apple sitting on the table with your eyes. “Cowboy boots, southern accent, good posture... Did Doctor Cullen take you from the cowboy life?” 

“Something like that.” He says with a sly smile. You can’t stop the thought that pops into your mind. Save a horse, ride a cowboy. A choking noise comes from your right, and your peripheral vision catches Edward spewing out a spray of water, hitting both you and Bella. 

“Oh- Edward!” Bella whines. Frozen droplets run down your cheek, and you reach a hand up to wipe them off. This water is so cold.. The water bottles they hand out here are always grossly warm. You ignore the churning feeling in your stomach, and watch as Alice laughs at the incident. The bell rings from somewhere behind you, and everyone says their goodbyes as you part ways. 

Bella walks with you to gym class, and you try to ignore the thick, tense air between you. Entering the locker rooms, you place your backpack in front of a vacant locker and grab your gym clothes. You take off your shirt, then you peel off your pants. After slipping on some shorts, you shove your shoes back on and pick up the standard issued gym shirt. You glance around the room full of half-naked women, your sister among them. You pull the shirt over your head and exit the room, ready to start the class. 

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

Weeks flew by as you settled into your new routine. Soon after the first day, Edward started picking up Bella before school. You had the choice to either ride with them, or drive Bella’s truck. You chose the latter. 

The truck didn’t run too smoothly, but it worked fine as long as you stayed mostly in Forks. You pull into the school parking lot and spot Bella and Edward over by a tall figure standing by a motorcycle. You park and walk over to them.

“Is this your bike?” You ask the guy. He looks familiar, his tan skin and dark hair striking some resemblance. He finally acknowledges you, his eyes rake down your body, then back to your face. 

“Does she-” He starts to say. 

“No.” Bella cuts him off. She turns to you, “Y/n, this is Jacob, Charlie’s friend Billy’s son. Jacob.. y/n, my sister.” 

He sticks out his hand, and you take it. His hand is hot- like he has a fever. It’s also twice the size of yours. “Oh! Y/n.. you got hot.” 

“Jacob!” Bella warns, he steps back and throws his hands up in a mock surrender. You chuckle awkwardly, your ears burning from the male attention. 

“Sorry, sorry.” He responds. “But back to the more pressing matters at hand..” He stares pointedly at you.

“I was just leaving anyway. Nice to see you, Jacob.” You give him a thin smile and walk to class. 

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

Senior year goes by fast, and you are quick to make friends with Alice and Edward. Jasper doesn’t like to be around you. Well, okay. He never said that, at least verbally. But it always seemed he’d hold his breath around you, or just get a pained look on his face. Graduation was about a month away, and you’d already applied to multiple schools. The plan was University of Washington, to be close to Charlie.

You and Bella sat on your bedroom floor, talking about school. “So you’re good on UW, then?” 

“Yeah, I think that’s my number one choice. What about you? Mom’s pushing for Florida.” You answer. Things were much better between the two of you, but you still felt that she was holding back on you in some areas. 

“I don’t want to live in Florida. Too sunny.” She sighs. You look at her, raising an eyebrow. 

“Who are you and what have you done with Bella?” You ask. She loves the sun! She’s basically a meerkat. Popped out her head anytime the sun shone. 

“Change of heart, I guess.” She shrugs. “Hey.. how do you feel about marriage? Like, is it totally ruined for you because of what happened with Renee and Charlie?” 

“What happened with mom and dad happens sometimes. But if I let bad experiences ruin things for me all the time, then there’d be no point in anything anymore.” 

She bites her lip. “What about.. Marriage right out of high school..?” She looks up at you after saying it, eager to catch your expression.

“What are you implying, Bella? If this is about you and Edward, then I think you shouldn’t worry. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, like you’re his whole world. You’re lucky to have him and he’s even luckier to have you. Not to mention his body? God, Bells, you gotta lock that down.” You answer. You find it easier to give advice if you sandwich it with a teasing tone. Bella chuckles and tosses a pillow at you. You swat it back at her and you both fall over in a fit of giggles. “But seriously, if you truly love him, if you know deep down in your bones that he’s your forever, then you should do it.” 

“Yeah.. yeah.” She says. “Look, I, uh, gotta go meet Jake. I’ll see you later.” She gets up and pulls on some shoes. 

“Okay, yeah. Have fun.” You watch her walk out the door. 

[missdawnandherdusk]

Something Old

Draco X Gryffindor!Reader

Part One    Part Two    Part Three    Part Four    

Part Five    Part Six    Part Seven    Part Eight

Part Nine

Summary: Now that winter break was upon you, you finally had time to look into what your mother told you about as well as confront the other parent in the situation, the one you dread to think about and the one Draco had to live with.

A/N: Hello my darling loves! We’re finally getting somewhere with plot! And lore! And Latin! ((Seriously, something is lost when you know Latin and can translate the spells on the top of your head... it’s less... magical. But funny because the spells mean exactly what they’re doing and I don’t know if that a cheap lazy move or brilliant.)) Let me know what you guys think! Also I’m toying with the idea of uploading this to AO3... would you guys want that? Love you guys, stay safe. 

Tags: @un-limiteddd @geekysimmerthings @coffee-addicti @ilikestuffproductions @msmcsmutt @ravn-87 @artemismohr18 @whygz @crazywritingbug @dolphincommander @bisexualbumblebeesstuff @fuzzy-panda @bitemebro522 @zombiesnips-blog @jillanaholland @shookyungsoo @savingdraco @welcometomyworldwithoutrules @akari180 @slytherin-emerald @chaotic-good-gemini @memalfoy-spidey @theres-a-dog-outside-omg​ @queenfeatherwings​ @fanficflaneuse​ @go-whovian-universe​ @spicyshenanigans @darling-im-not-okay-i-promise​ @dietkiwi​ @katsukink​ @takemetothekingdom​ @strangerr-things​ @tmnt-queen​ @mccloudchloe​

Snape eyed me as I smiled through my exam, on cloud none the entire way. I had gotten through my History of Magic exam no problem and now Snape wanted us to recreate our Bellum Amoris antidotes. Weeks of worrying and I was finished with the second fastest time.

Draco beat me by a few minutes—he was allowed to the ingredients first—and we walked out of the exam hand in hand, not caring much about anyone who decided to gawk at us.

I was in too good of a mood. The term was done for the winter, I had finished all of my exams, and I wouldn’t be alone for the holidays when I remained at Hogwarts this year as I had the years before.

“I told you, you had nothing to worry about,” Draco nudged my shoulder. “Except beating my time of course.” A grin stretched across his face. “Which you couldn’t of course,”

I rolled my eyes and let out a laugh.

“I think I’ll be okay missing one point because I wasn’t as fast as you,” I drawled.

“Oh, I’m sure you’re dreading the fact,” He teased back as we made our way to the Great Hall. “Have you heard anything from your mother?” His voice lowered.

“Not yet, thought I suppose she’s waiting to hear from me,” I mumbled. 

“You didn’t answer her!?” Draco grew agitated.

“I did,” I reaffirmed, giving him a look. “But I said that I would talk about it later when we had time to... figure things out? I didn’t know what to say...”

“We’re gonna figure this out,” He reassured as we entered the Great Hall that was really magical with the Christmas decorations and warmth from the people within.

“Y/n! Draco!”

We both tensed until we saw Hermione waving at us along with the four Weasleys and Harry. No one was glaring at us—Draco—so I took that as a good sign as we sat down for dinner.

It was easy to sink into the familiarity and safety of the school, but with the Yule Ball coming, worry nagged at my mind. It was a big deal and an even bigger deal to pure-bloods. Another occasion to show off and “be better” than everyone else. My mother wouldn’t care, and I knew that... but Draco’s parents—father—had to have something to say about it and it worried me.

“Have you heard from your father?” I asked in a soft voice during dinner when the others were concerned with the upcoming task for the tournament.

His expression darkened as he glared at his plate.

So, yes then.

“Dray,” I whispered softly, rubbing his arm softly. “What happened?”

“Not here,” He said curtly, his eyes dancing around the merry scene around us.

I nodded and we both put on masks of calm and ease through dinner. His hand held mine throughout and we both lost our appetites. Maybe I should have written my mother a bit more than the vague note I gave. She would know what to do.

____________________________

Draco had gotten the letter last night, before he sent you the invitation to dinner. It what prompted him to send it in the first place. He knew that you could take away the depressing cloud that hovered whenever his father spoke to him.

And you did, almost easily. When he was with you, it was easy to focus on your smile, the way your hair fell into and out of place constantly, the way you almost danced down the hallways because you always gave off the demeanor of not having a care or fear in the world. It rubbed off on him. He’d rather be frustrated with the simple secrets that you kept than frustrated with the conflict about family and legacies.

And you were exactly what he needed last night. Your warmth, and comfort, the games you played and gentle touched you gave and small sounds that were his now to hold. But there were

still dark moments of the night that he couldn’t escape when his father’s words weighed him down.

Draco would never understand how you managed to pick up on the fact that his father had sent him something. Maybe he hadn’t given it away and you were just worrying again.

After dinner the two of you split up for some time, to drop off books and changed from school uniforms and in your case hopefully to find something warmer to wear.

Draco almost didn’t want to take you up to the Astronomy Tower because it was so frigid outside. He racked his brain for anywhere else to go in the school that offered solidarity and warmth. He could sneak you into the Slytherin dorms... but it might pose a danger to you as his house wasn’t as welcoming as yours had been to his relationship with you. The library seemed to be the best place at the moment to finally start looking into what was going on.

He met you outside you Common Room, as always and the two of you walk together. he had taken your books from you the moment you stepped out and though you gave him a curt you, you said nothing.

“I was thinking maybe we go to the library,” He offered. “It’s too cold for you in the Tower.” You hummed in agreement, silent in your thoughts again.

“It’ll probably be empty because of the end of term,” You mused, nodding as if you had settled on the idea.

“You’re quiet again,” He noted, the notion bothering him more than he thought.

“Thinking,”

“Now there’s an idea.” He teased as the two of you sat in a back table in the vacant library. 

__________________________

It wasn’t the same as being alone with him in the Astronomy Tower, but it was much warmer being surrounded by lit fires and a million books.

“Where do you want to start?” The question slipped through as I pulled out parchment and quill to take notes.

I knew the last thing he wanted to talk about was his father, but that’s what worried me the most. It was all for naught if his father could get between us and make whatever this had become into a tragedy. As if he knew this, he slid a folded parchment over to me, not meeting my eyes.

Taking it, I took a breath in and opened it: 

~

Draco,

I have heard many rumors about you, and I pray that none of them are true. You have been raised better than to fraternize a Lupine let alone allow her to kiss you. It is atrocious behavior and it will stop immediately.

They are a disgrace to pure bloods everywhere and are almost worse than the Weasleys. I have raised you with higher standards than this. I am appalled to even hear that these things might be going on.

I do not want you to go near her. I want to hear nothing of you being with her or the people she considers friends. Do not believe her lies or the things that she tells you. It is what the Lupines do. They lie and bend the truth into something that is horrendous. It is what they have always done, and you know this.

She is nothing more than a she-demon come to ruin everything that I have built for you and to steal everything that I have worked all my life to give you.

You are a Malfoy. Do not forget that.

I am beyond disappointed to hear this. Correct what has been done��immediately. 

Your Father,

Lucius Malfoy

~

I frowned at the letter as I read it a few more times, trying to figure out what I wanted to address first. At the moment, I just wanted to send this to my mother and see what she would do knowing the fire in her was stronger than mine. But I didn’t do any of that.

Instead, I placed the letter down and looked up to wary blue eyes. “Well,” I whispered. “What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean what am I going to do?” He snapped; a soft look from me and he took a deep breath, calming.

“If... I know that I’ve dragged you into this. And that you didn’t have much of a choice. So, if you want to... I...” My gaze fell to my lap as I tried to find the right words to tell him... to let him go.

“Why would you think—”

“Because I don’t want you to get talked down to like this by someone who’s supposed to love you!” I threw the letter on the table. “I’m... I’m not worth ruining... You shouldn’t be treated like an errant child because you’re talking to me,”

“I’m always treated like an errant child Y/n,” He scoffed. “Now at least I have a good reason.” 

“What?” I looked up, the frown returning to my face.

“Nothing I ever did for my father has been good enough. I think landing in Slytherin was the last time he was actually proud of something that I did.” Draco picked up the letter and rolled his eyes, tearing it in half.

“What are you doing?” I demanded.

“What I should have done when I got this letter,” He muttered, tossing it into the nearest fireplace.

I marveled at him, a small smile playing at my lips. I had hoped he would choose me, but now that he had, something heavy was lifted from my shoulders. Though I still wasn’t quite taken with how his father talked to him, but I knew it wasn’t my place to go against Lucius no matter how much of a...

Never mind.

“Now, to the books?” He sat back down, picking up the book I had taken from him not too long ago and he leafed through the pages.

I smiled and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly for a moment and whispering a small thanks before we settled in to read. Taking another book—The Nature of a Soul— from the stack, we got to work. My eyes scanned the table of contents and then the pages.

...Every person has a soul created of the either stars, or earth. Those who have earthen souls are born without magic, but those with Souls of The Stars will grow to be wizards. It is not genetics that decides but the universe itself...

I scribbled down notes as I read, leafing through pages.

...Souls born of the same matter bond to another. It is rare for a Soul of The Stars to bond, but when it does happen it is the work of the universe and no man or magic can break it. This was known as the Consentire Animi Pace. Seers of our kind have often prophesied about Great Darkness that would take hold before these Animi came to unite what was unraveled by generations past. Millenia has passed since this foretelling and it is doubted to exist...

I nudged Draco and showed him the page, watching the way his eyebrows furrowed slightly and he gnawed on his lip when he read something due to concentration. It made me smile.

“Great Darkness?” He muttered softly.

“You know as well as I do who it could be,” My voice was soft and hesitant.

I knew that Draco’s father had fought alongside Voldemort in the first war and I wondered what happened if it came down to it, what would Draco choose? With what I knew from Harry’s

adventures and life story, the threat of Voldemort loomed now more than ever. Was that the Great Darkness that the text referred to?

“This talks about a prophecy,” He murmured, pulling the book that he was reading. “That might be what this is, I can only make out some of it...”

He showed me the carpet page filled with intricate designs and detailed lettering. Some of the page was burned away, leaving half in its wake. I ran my hand softly over the artwork before reading the script:

Nox defluet et malum surget. 

Dos Animī consentiens

Eō die, nox non vincet

Cum illī ...

I stared at the text, grabbing my parchment and slowly translating.

“What do you know?” I asked softly. “What could you translate?”

“Nox is night, malum, evil...” His brow furrowed again.

“Night... falls—will fall and evil will rise. Two souls... joining?” I wrote down what I could. “On that day, night will not conquer, because these souls...”

“You can read this?” He was baffled.

I shrugged. “Just some Latin. Mother taught it to me. That’s why spells are so easy for me... it’s just Latin all I have to do is translate.”

“Bloody hell that’s genius,” He muttered.

“But some of the prophecy is missing... I think most of it probably.” I mused, leafing through the book to see if I could find anything else.

“Do you really think that this is about is though?” He asked softly, timid. “Even if it’s not... it’s still something to know. And it might be important.”

“The only person who would see this as important is Trelawney.” Draco scoffed, leaning back in his chair.

“Maybe she’s the one we really need to talk to if prophecies are caught up in all of this.” I thought aloud. “Did you find anything else?” I looked up from my notes.

“Nothing of use. You?”

“Souls apparently are made from either stars or earth and magic or muggle has nothing to do with genetics,” I shrugged, reading over my notes. “So that’s new I guess.”

“What do you mean it has nothing to do with blood?” He snapped.

“I read it; I didn’t say that it was law. And what does it matter anyway? Magic is magic, no matter who uses it or doesn’t.” I defended, narrowing my eyes.

He grumbled and folded his arms sulking.

“Draco,” I chided, but gave up the notion.

I knew it would take time to undo what his father had engrained in him. Maybe this was step one.

Soon after finding nothing more about the prophecy or soul matter, Pince said that she was closing the library for the night and that we should head to bed before curfew. Returning the books to their proper places, Draco and I walked quietly along the halls.

“I didn’t mean to snap at you.” Draco sighed, taking my hand. “Forgive me?” 

I nodded and offered a small smile.

“We grew up in different worlds, it was bound to clash eventually.”

“Doesn’t make it right for me to take it out on you,”

I raised an eyebrow at him, a smug smile finding its way to my face.

“Yeah, yeah shut up.” He muttered.

“One step at a time,”

We walked along in thought, no words needing to be spoken. Pausing outside the Gryffindor portrait, Draco leaned down and pressed a soft and gentle kiss to my lips.

“Goodnight Y/n,” 

“Goodnight Draco,”

There were words stuck on the tips of our tongue that neither of us dare to utter but felt all the same:

I love you.

.

.

Part 11?

[aries-writingblog]

Atlas (1)

Summary: After years of being imprisoned on the Raft, Tony negotiates freedom for his sister Tessa. When she’s free- so is her past, and it will never stop hunting her.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x OC(Stark)

Chapter Word count: 1,666

Warnings: PTSD (subtle ish), trauma, torture (in later parts), suicidal behaviors and thoughts, mentions of death, character death, injury, violence, angst, and a lil bit of fluff in there

Disclaimer: Atlas is my own, original work with characters belonging to Marvel (except Tessa and Dr. Clifton). Plagiarism is not cool kids.

A/N: this is my first work Im posting to this platform and I’m really excited and nervous about it. Hope you enjoy- constructive criticism is always helpful as well!!

The Avengers Tower. Former Stark Tower. 93 floors of office space, labs- people carrying out their business. People going about their day. At the top of all of them is Tony Stark. Waiting. Waiting in silence. Typically, he isn’t one to wait on anything or anyone but today... today is different. Today is special. Finally, the silence is broken by a shrill ring of his phone. Tony snaps it up, immediately accepting the call.

“Mr. Stark? Reid Kerrings.” The man’s voice carried through the phone, introducing himself. “Listen, I hear you’re trying to to negotiate a prisoners freedom?”

“She shouldn’t even be a prisoner,” Tony grumbled before plastering on a thick business tone. “Yes, that’s what I’m trying to do here. Thing is, I have a plan that I ran by Fury and Coulson and they seem to think it’s a great idea. Only thing is- that prisoner of yours is apparently ‘dangerous’ and she’d need stipulations on if she were to be released into my care.”

Tony hated this- speaking about her as if she were a terrorist. He hated that she’d been in maximum security prisons for six years. He hated that she was on the raft now. But, if he wanted to play ball, he had to agree to the terms. And unfortunately, that was one of the terms. He’d tried it his way two years ago and it got shut down. Several times.

“Well... you’re a damn maniac- prisoner 067112 is a psycho-“

“Her name is Tessa and that’s my sister you’re talking about so if you’d like to see your job another day I’d keep quiet.” Tony snapped, clenching his jaw. The phone fell silent before Kerrings cleared his throat.

“She would have to meet with an appointed therapist three days a week. She would also have to have a check in twice a week with a parole officer. If there is any flare up of her enhancement that is not accounted for by a member of your team, she comes back here and is no longer allowed parole. She is to be on a tight leash.” Kerrings read through the conditions of the agreement that Tony and Fury had worked out. “She must agree to these terms before her release. If she does, she will be escorted to your property tomorrow at 10:00 AM. Do you agree to these statements made today?”

“Yes.” Tony felt an excited, nervous bubble form in his stomach. He was doing it. His sister was almost free.

“Excellent. The escort team will run a security check on the building and perimeter.”

“Oh, well, not to brag or anything but- it’s the Avengers Tower. I ’m pretty sure this is the best it gets in terms of security.” Tony scoffed, turning when he heard the door opening. Steve Rogers stepped into the room, intending on speaking with Tony about another comm unit. He broke his. Again. He stopped short, hearing the man on the phone.

“This woman shouldn’t even be out of her cell here- she’s dangerous, I don’t care if shes your sister or not. The power of this woman is something that should be contained. not roaming around New York on a Thursday afternoon.”

“She’s a human being. No telling what you freaks have put her through in the raft- that’s probably why she’s going insane. You don’t even allow sunlight in that dingy of a prison. You treat someone like an animal, that’s what they become. Now, if you’ll excuse me, i’m going to run my own safety diagnostics on my own tower.” Tony quickly ended the call and lifted his eyes to meet Steve’s. “Can I help you, o wise elder of the yonder village?”

“Just... a new comm piece.” Steve stepped forward and tossed the broken pieces to the desk before meeting Tony’s eyes again. “What was that all about?”

“That is a surprise for the team I’m arranging.” Tony sat down at his desk, pulling up an image of a new weapon system, one that they’d encountered a few weeks ago on a mission. “These thugs were dealing with now... they’re sophisticated. They’re playing on a new ball field. So... I’m leveling it.”

“You can’t just do that without consulting the team first.” Steve scolded, his arms crossing over his chest. “What are you doing?”

“You’ll see- tomorrow morning at ten, have the team all meet in the conference room. I’ll bring my surprise to you.” Tony grinned, feeling strangely optimistic for once. Steve only sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to get anywhere with Tony.

“Fine- I’ll call a meeting.” Steve spun on his heel and marched out of the office. Tony sank further into his chair, spinning it to look out of the window.

“Friday, make sure floor ninety two is fireproof.” Tony called out, a twinge of doubt forming in his mind. He was quick to shake the thought from his mind, funneling all his belief into his sister. It had to work. For her sake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting at the oval conference table, Bucky felt an impatience he hadn’t felt in months. Steve had let it slip- more like Bucky could tell there was something and kept prying- that Tony was on the phone with someone, talking about a prisoner. A woman prisoner. Bucky wasn’t sure what to expect and that caused a great deal of anxiety to pit in his chest. He didn’t like being kept in the dark.

Beside him, Steve sighed heavily, leaning his head on his fist, resting on the table. Being roommates with the guy, he knew Steve hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep last night, like most nights. He knew this because he himself was also up, roaming the apartment, watching tv and staring off the balcony.

“Anyone know what this surprise it stark mentioned?” Natasha pressed, becoming quite impatient herself. They’d all been sitting at the table for fifteen minutes. Waiting.

“No clue- I hope it’s better than the last surprise- the one that exploded while in use on the field.” Sam commented, scrolling absentmindedly on his phone.

Finally, the door to the room burst open, revealing Tony Stark marching in with purpose. Behind him, a woman in heavy chains, with metal cylinders encasing her hands, was being escorted in by two men in fire retardant kevlar uniforms. Her head was bowed, dark brown hair shifting to cover her face. Bucky sat up, seeing the woman marched in, heavily restrained. Tony clapped his hands, rubbing them together afterward. He gave the crowd a large smile and nodded once.

“Surprise, Avengers! This is my favorite sister, Tessa Stark, Tess, this is everyone. I’m sure you were given the brochure.” He turned to the two men. “You fulfilled your duties, you can go now.”

The men unclipped the chains and then pressed their thumbprints to the pads on the cylinders. They released with a hiss of steam, Tessa rubbing her wrists once they were free.

“I know you.” Sam’s voice broke into the conversation. Tessa’s jaw clenched and her eyes stared into the floor. She swallowed harshly, keeping her back ramrod straight and her hands in front of her. “Stark... oh, shit- where have I seen you...”

“Anyways folks, she is here to help out on our new group of rogues... she has a, ah... particular set of skills. Mostly explosives and fire. And since that’s what we’re dealing with, I’ve brought in the big guns.” Tony explained, settling in his chair and gesturing for Tessa to take a seat as well. She seemed wary of sitting beside Wanda but did it anyways, sitting barely on the edge of the chair. “Now, we’re gonna need a new plan of attack with-“

“Atlas!” Sam snapped his fingers, pointing at her. Tessa stiffened, caught off guard by the level of his voice. “That’s it! Code Name Atlas, Operation Dry Sands! You served in the army- I’m Sam Wilson, I flew with-“

“Riley...” her voice was raspy and low, rusted with disuse. “I remember you.” Bucky watched as she seemingly tried to melt into the chair, trying to hide herself.

“You were baller, man! She cleared missions like it was nothing!” Sam praised her, excited to finally meet her. “There was talk of her all over camps- everywhere!”

“Atlas?” Natasha asked, a brow raising. “That’s a peculiar code name- sounds... specific.” Tessa didn’t respond, keeping her head low. When the room fell silent, Steve took control.

“Right, well, Tony you mentioned a new plan of attack?” He expertly guided the topic over to a new path. Bucky couldn’t help but let his attention drift back to the new mystery in the room. He allowed his eyes to scan over her, stopping on her forearm where there was black ink. A tattoo of the army symbol, numbers below it. Maybe her squad number? Her arm shifted and Bucky looked up, meeting her eyes. He knew he’d fucked up.

Her dark brown eyes smoldered- a red tint glowing under her irises. Her lips were pulled into a scowl. He quickly lowered his gaze, catching a glance of her veins in her arms. glowing lightly orange. Bucky clenched his jaw and leaned back into his chair, a fierce scowl building on his lips. He didn’t like this woman, She seemed... violent. closed off. Hell- maybe she was just too much like him. And maybe he shouldn’t make a snap assumption but for some reason...

“Alright well, that’s all for now, Tessa- welcome to the team, please make yourself comfortable and if there’s anything we can do to help out- let us know.” Steve nodded as he stood up.

Tessa only nodded, stood up and spun on her heel- leaving the room without a word. Everyone glanced to Tony. He only shrugged and stood up.

“I’m gonna go make her feel at home- just got out of prison and all, see you around.” Tony gave a small wave over his shoulder and walked out, trailing out after his explosive sister.

[pokeexehasstoppedworking]

Love Doesn’t Do Encores Ch4 The First Battle

You were alseep. Deeply fast asleep. Which is why when something violently shook you awake you snorted and sort of panicked sitting up as whoever was still shaking you kept going. For a moment you were back home. Back with your mother shaking you violently awake to get ready for school so you got up before she could scold you- but those conclusions were dashed out the window when the normal sight of Gloria came into your view. Your sobble had been spooked with a squeal and clambered onto the back of the couch in front from the rude awakening Gloria gave you both.

"Y/N!! WAKE UP!! Today's the big day!," she shouted in your ear which made you wake fully and blink at her.

"Gloria??....Wha-"

"Leon's supervising my first pokemon battle today! C'mon!! You don't want to miss it do you!?"

...OH! Right. The memories of last night came flooding back to you as you yawned and stretched out your body tiredly. So you were still here. Food smells wafted in from the kitchen and you were encouraged to get up more from that alone.

"Gloria!" The teen stopped and looked up towards the kitchen where the voice came from. You guessed Gloria's Mum must've been cooking breakfast for the two of you. "Now don't you go shaking her around like a ragdoll. If you want to do something, come in here and feed Munchy and your new pokemon. They're making a racket in here begging to be fed."

Gloria blinked. "Oh! Right!" Before running off towards the kitchen and it gave you time to wake up. Tiredly, you gathered your old bag and clothes and shuffled towards the bathroom. Sprucing yourself up and coming out in the clothes Gloria's mother had given you previously much more awake, but now with the added weight of the pokeball in your overalls' pocket. Must've been for your Sobble. Once you got back to sit back to the coach and sat down a plate of two pancakes covered in syurp and Gloria already eating a plate of the same thing was waiting for you. At her feet was your sobble and her scorbunny already eating more of that kibble stuff from their bowls. She waved a fork at you as you sat back down. "Hey! Mum left you breakfast. She wanted us to eat before we left anyways."

"Oh. That was nice of her." You smiled as you took the food from the small coffee table. "Where is she now?"

She pointed over her shoulder towards a door. "In the back garden with Munchlax. She wanted to finish planting some more lettace and try to see if she could catch the Bedew that likes to hang out around there."

Your mind went back to the bedew you saw when you first left Gloria's house and wondered if they were the same one for a moment. As you ate Gloria and the pokemon finished long before you did and by the time you did finish, the three were ready to go. And you guessed you were too considering you had a feeling Gloria was going to drag you along with her whether you like it or not. And she did. Rushing you out of the house and down the steps towards the road towards Hop's home again. And guess who was already waiting for you two outside. Hop seemed excited to see Gloria again and waved hi to her and Leon seemed Surprised but happy to see you too with her, but greeted you none the less when you approuched.

"Hey Glory! Y/n! What a nice surprise seeing you too."

"Uh, thanks! Good morning," You replied watching as the two teens and their pokemon chatted a bit.

"And I see your new friend is settling in nicely," he replied pointing to your shoulder where the tiny sobble chittered at him.

"Oh!" You hadn't even noticed he had climbed on you before the two of you left the house. But nodded. "Yeah. He seems to be well behaved thanks."

He nodded. "Well it's nice to you see you two getting along well." He turned back to the two children in front of him next and they instantly perked up as he placed his hands on his hips and gave a 'im going to win this' smile. "Now then. Down to business. You spent the whole night with that new partner of yours, right, Hop? You two getting on all right? Understanding one another? Maybe even built up a bit of love?"

"Course I have, Lee!," Hop confirmed proudly, "Gloria's made fast friends with her scorbunny, too!"

"Naturally I would!"

"Then listen up, new Trainers! Believe in yourself and your pokemon! If you trust in one another and carry on battling side by side long enough, then someday you might even become worthy rivals for me, the undefeatable Champion!" His bright gold eyes turned to Gloria looking her over for a moment and Hop caught on quick.

"What're you looking at her for, Lee?," Hop asked raising a brow, "I'm the one who'll be coming to challenge you!" But a soon reaization came over him before he snapped a challenging smile to Gloria. "If you think Gloria might be able to challenge you, then I guess she's my first rival!" Gloria blinked in surprise at her friend. "But I'm not planning to lose to her and miss out on my chance to beat the unbeatable champion!"

"NO WAY!! SO I DO GET A RIVAL BEFORE MY JOURNEY TOO!! SWEET!!" She cheered with an equally challenging smile before pointing at Hop. "But don't get your head too big yet Hoppy. You may have more pokemon but that doesn't mean I can't catch up to you!" Scorbunny let out a squeak agreeing with it's master.

"Heh. Just having a pokemon with you doesn't make you a real trainer, you know. Proper trainers raise their pokemon up to be First-rate in battle, too!"

"Oh, and you think you're worthy of calling yourself a 'proper trainer' already, Hop?," Leon hummed and Hop froze under his older brother's smile, losing that challenging smile he had earlier. "Guess I'll be the judge of that. Let's see how you handle a battle against your friend, if she's up for it." He turned back to Gloria. "What do you say? Willing and ready to take Hop on in the first ever Pokemon battle of your life?"

"HECK YEAH I AM!!" Gloria confirmed loudly and holding her fists high.

"So am I! Don't think I'll back cuz you're a 'pretty girl'!"

"HA! The only thing that Im pretty at is pretty good at kicking your butt!!"

"Then it's settled!" Leon pointed to the battle area a few yards away from them. "Everyone to the field! Believe in your partner pokemon! And care for them, too, with all your heart! Do those two things and I'm certain you'll learn to chose the moves that suit your pokemon. And most importantly...to have a champion time battling with them!'' The two kids, with Hop getting his challenging spirit back took off towards the trainer area and you couldn't help but chuckle and Leon turned back to you. "Oh hey, Y/N. Did you want to try and battle too? Might come in handy with that Sobble of yours."

You waved a hand. "Nah. I'd much rather just watch. That's what Im here to do anyways, besides I think those two don't need me stealing their thunder today."

Leon smiled and chuckled. "Alright. But the offer still stands if you change your mind." He turned cape waving behind him, "In the mean time I better be the ref for those two. You might want to stand back by the grill as you watch in case of any misfires with their pokemon. This is they're first battle after all."

"Noted."

You walked back towards the grill and watched as Leon made his way over to the two already stationed there with the scorbunny and grookey and also watching as the Champion went right over and stopped midway between them. "RIGHT! Looks like everyone's on board, pokemon and trainers alike? Then's let's do this!" His hands went back to his hips.

"I've watched every match that Lee's ever had! I've read every book and magazine he left behind at home, too!," Hop bragged challengly at Gloria doing his famous stance that looked very similar to Raihan's but had both his fists up, "I know exactly what to do in order to win!"

"Heh! We'll see about that!"

"This will be a one on one battle!'' Leon shouted. "The first one to make their opponent faint or knocked out of bounds wins! Let's begin you two!"

Scorbunny hopped flames at it's feet in challenge waiting for the grookey to- Hop pumped a fist at Gloria. "A pokemon battle it is, then! I've got two partners with me!" The same hand pulled back and tossed a pokeball to the arena to your surprise. "LET'S WIN WOOLOO!!" In a flash of light the sheep pokemon appeared before you all and baaed in challenge towards the scorbunny. You guess he wasn't starting with his Grookey like you thought.

"By now your pokemon should only know one or two moves at best being starter pokemon before your journies! So let's see how creative you two can be!" Leon pointed up. "BATTLE BEGIN!!''

You couldn't keep your eyes off them as you sat down nearly tripping over one of the green chairs before sitting down in one.

"SCORBUNNY!! USE GROWL TO PULL THE WOOL OVER THEIR EYES!!," Gloria yelled and pointed at their target as soon as those words left Leon's mouth. With lightning speed the scorbunny obeyed the command given to it and with a loud squeak it sent the move out in a flash of white and loud echo making Hop and his wooloo flinch from the sudden attack. He must've not expected the first move of Gloria's to be that quick you thought.

But he recovered quick with a scowl, pointing back. "WOOLOO USE TACKLE ON THE ENEMY!!" With a baa towards Scorbunny the wooloo curled into a ball and-

"REV YOUR FEET ON THE GROUND AND COUNTER THAT WITH TACKLE TOO USING YOUR FEET TO HIT IT!!," Gloria demanded in the middle of the command from Hop. And the scorbunny made a scowl and some kind of squeaky growl. You watched wide eyed as it stamped it's feet on the ground as fast as it could causing flames to rise from it. Leon hummed and rose a brow surprised and both you and Hop could only watch wide eyed as it generated enough flames by stomping to completely cover it's feet so when it squealed a battle cry and charged, it's feet were completely covered in flames.

"WOOLOO WAIT!! DODGE IT INSTEAD!!", he desperately shouted but by then it was too late to stop the on coming attack. With a squeal Scorbunny jumped at the very last second and used the force of the tackle to counter the force from it's opponents- Flames instantly engulfed the wooloo's wool as it was knocked back a few feet onto it's legs. ...Well it seemed to notice the flames on itself real quick. It baaed loudly in panic and began to run itself in a fennzy back and forth with the flames on itself. Hop seeming to panic too seeing the flames on his poor friend. All the while Leon watching calmly. "WOOLO-"

"SCORBUNNY USE GROWL AGAIN!! INTIMIDATE YOUR FOE!!" Another loud squeal noise came from the fire pokemon which only seemed to put the wooloo in an even crazier frenzy.

Hop gritted his teeth scowling and growl. "Rrrr!! Wooloo!! Stop, drop, and use tackle on them to put out the flames!!" Despite being in a panicked frenzy, you had to give credit when the baaing pokemon rolled instelf into a ball and finally managed to deliver a successful hit to his opponent. But because of it's defense being lowered by two growls, all it did to the Scorbunny was harmlessly knock it back a few feet unharmed. But it did sucessfully put out any flames on the wooloo's wool leaving only teeny tiny black markings where they once were calming it down. "That was a cheap trick, Glory!"

Gloria flipped her hair in victory. "What was so cheap about it? We came up with a unique way to use the fire generated from Scorbunny's feet to our advantage! The lesser the moves, the more creative you have to get-"

"WOOLOO TACKLE!!" Scorbunny squeaked in surprised and was actually sent head over heels a few feet away from a finally full on attack from the wooloo. Hop taking the moment in Gloria's talking to make a move. And though surprised at first she also scowled back at Hop's smiling face. "What? You said it yourself. The lesser the moves, the more creative you have to get."

"Tch. Yeah well jokes on you cuz Scorbunny knows a third move!!" She pointed. "SCORBUNNY USE EMBER!!"

"YOU CAN ALREADY USE THAT?!" Hop looked wide eyed and scared as the scorbunny took a breath and released it-...only for a puff of smoke to fall out and Gloria froze jaw dropped......."USE TACKLE!!" Scorbunny squeaked again as it was again hit with the brunt of another spinning wooloo and Hop chuckled. "Don't you remember that a beginner's pokemon only learns that move after a lot of practice?"

"RRR!! Good thing Leon got us the best starter pokemon then, because Scorbunny does know how to use Ember! He just needs practice- AH!!" She flinched as her pokemon as tackled for a third time, hop smiling and ordering one last tackle! but with fire in her own eyes she pointed at the wooloo! "EMBER AGAIN!! GIVE IT YOUR STRENGTH THIS TIME!!" The scorbunny sucked in enough breath to bloat out it's chest and cheeks. Holding it in as the wooloo approuched, before releasing a bright orange-red blur from the inside of it's mouth and hit the wooloo straight on! It let out a loud 'BAA!!' as it as engulfed by smoke left behind from the attack and Hop reached a hand out towards his companion with a worried look.

"WOOLOO!!" As the smoke cleared he saw the wooloo laid upon the ground. Spirals for it's eyes as it lay unconcious on the concrete battle area. And Leon held up a hand. "UH!?"

"Scorbunny and Gloria win the first match!," he smiled over Gloria's way. "Nice job you two. Gotta say, that trick you did with the flames and tackle took me off guard for your first battle. And perfecting Ember too? Not bad."

Gloria stood proud hand on her hips and Scorbunny mimicked her pose. "Well I got the idea from your move with Charizard! You once made charizard to a flip in mid air and light a flame to one of your opponents unexpectedly using the flames from it's tail! I simply just used the same method in a slightly different way."

Even you were a little impressed at that the fast, even though Hop claimed to use Leon's battling ways for fighting, it was in fact Gloria who'd end up beating him....Well you knew this would happen. the player usually won against both Hop's wooloo and other pokemon in their first battle in this game. And since Gloria was the living persona of her alternate game self, it came as no surprise she would win the first round. But who knows? Maybe Hop would have better luck this next round. But you still felt a little sorry for him, watching as he held his pokeball out as wooloo returned inside.

Hop gave it a sad look for a moment before closing his eyes and seeming to collect himself before he inhaled and smiled again. Steeling Gloria with another look. "Nice job! But it's not over yet! I've added another trusty ally to my team! GET IN THERE GROOKEY!!" Hop pointed and you were surprised when Leon didn't stop the two from having a second match, but from his calm smile towards his little brother you guessed he wanted to give Hop another chance. Not that you minded either. So far the story was progressing just how it did in game with Gloria(or Victor) battling Hop a second time and if the game goes as correctly as you remembered, minus a few minor differences. If you remembered right, and hopefully so, she should win. "Time to see what opposite pokemon types can do!"

"You're on! Use growl again-"

"Grookey jump over them and use scratch!" Hop ordered and you all watched as the grass pokemon dodged the growl attack by completely jumping over it and with a fast swipe of it's hand, delivered a hard scratch across the scorbunny's face! The poor fire type squealed out from surprise and the pain from the scratch across it's face and you cringed. Having had an outside cat, you knew that it felt to leave scratches on you.

"EMBER!!", Gloria countered and using the advantage that the grookey was within close range from jumping at them, Scorbunny managed to shoot out a ball of orange-red energy from it's mouth and hit the poor grass type directly head on. Grookey chittered in pain and rolled head over heels backwards away from the firetype, but by some miracle managed to land back up onto it's feet giving a scowl. But noticable black marks were left from it's opponents attack.

Hop seemed a little impresses tho. "Did you already know about type advantages?!"

"EMBER!!" That's all it took. another fast inhale and shoot of fire towards the grookey and in a puff of smoke, it was over. The grookey gave a loud chitter as the force collided with it and sent it skidding along the pavement and past Hop who followed it with his head.

"GROOKEY!!" The pokemon stopped half way between you and where Hop was, spiraled eyed landing on it's stomach in the same state Wooloo was it.

"Grookey is unable to battle and out of bounds!" With a flutter of his cape Leon pointed to Gloria and Scorbunny standing tall and determined. "Gloria wins the match!"

You smiled and clapped your hands for Gloria who squealed in delight and ran towards her scorbunny. The pokemon chittering as the girl brough him up into her hands and twirled him around! "OMG!! YOU WERE SO TOTALLY AMAZING AND COOL!! YOU TOTALLY GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO BE CHAMPION POKEMON!!" She turned towards you and waved. "Y/N! DID YOU SEE THAT!? I WON MY FIRST TWO MATCHES!!"

You gave her a thumbs up and smile. "Great job! I knew you could do it!"

Hop had returned the down grookey to his pokeball before reaching a hand to his head and looking at Gloria. "You beat my two pokemon with your one?! You and that scorbunny are too much!" he slumped down and frowned. "Well that was a shock. Guess I know now why Lee thought he should give you a pokemon, too."

"Hop." Gloria came walking over and reached out to grab his shoulder making the boy look back up at her in surprise when she smiled at him. "You shouldn't feel bad. This was just our first battle after all and you still managed to get some good hits on us." The Scorbunny held in Gloria's other arm squeaked in agreement at Hop who blinked. "If you're going to be my rival, then as your rival and best friend it's my job to make sure you grow strong together with me. I'm not going to leave you hanging like that. Ok?"

Hop stared at her a moment before looking away with a small pink hue to his cheeks nodding and you rose a brow at it. Wait a second. Was Hop...being shy? You didn't really have a chance to answer before Leon interrupted the two smiling.

"You and your pokemon all fought hard," he nodded towards them complimenting them, "Made me almost want to let out Charizard and join in on all the fun! Good effort out there, Scorbunny!" Gloria smiled as the pokemon in her arms chittered in approval. "Why don't I get you all sorted?" Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a small candy like object and handed it to Gloria. "Here. Have him eat this. It should help the aching muscles from the battle. And, Gloria, you've got real promise!" Gloria stopped and blinked up at Leon in the middle of handing her pokemon the small candy. To which the scorbunny grabbed it from her and popped it into his mouth. "In fact, I've got a favor to ask you. Be a real rival to Hop, would you?" Both teens seemed to be surprised he would say that, but with memory coming back, you smiled and nodded. Knowing this would happen. "Push him, and make both of you stronger!"

...Gloria smiled. "Trust me. I'm WAY ahead of you."

"I already want to get stronger and stronger!," Hop pleaded quickly catching his brother's attention, "You've seen me battle now, Lee, so come on! You've gotta let me take on the Pokemon Gyms!"

"You? Join the Gym Challenge?," he asked arms crossed and brow raised tho the smile remained, "You think you're ready for the single greatest competition in the Galar Region? Not putting the cat before the Rapidash there, Little Brother?" Hop paused for a moment. "If that's what you really want to do, you two have a whole lot you need to learn about pokemon." He turned to Gloria for a moment. "Especially your friend, Gloria. Before you think about getting Gym Badges, Best to think about getting a Pokedex. A trainer's pokedex helps them learn lots of things about all the pokemon out there, including their strenghs." Leon explained to the two children. "But it's more than just a collection of data, you know. It's a record of a trainer's love and passion for pokemon training."

"Right, Right. We get it.," Hop waved a hand, "Pokedexes then! We're on it! Looks like it's off to the Pokemon Research Lab for you and me, Gloria!"

Leon smiled and nodded at his brother. "That's the kind of enthusiasm a trainer needs! I'll let the professor know to expect you."

"I'm going to be the next Champion, so completeing a simple pokedex will be nothing! Just another page in the tale of my legend!" Hop turned to Gloria for a moment. "You'd probably go tell your mum that we're heading out, though."

A shocked face suddenly came over her. "....OMG!! I forgot to tell her I even left for our battle!!" She looked over at you. "Y/n! I gotta go run over and tell Mum where I we are before she worries! Meet us there ok!" You opened your mouth to speak- She snapped back to Hop. "Go tell your mum and then meet me in front of my house, k!?" Hop quickly nodded and you watched as both children turned and skidaddled off. Hop towards his home and a door slamming indicating he rushed inside and Gloria rushing off down the path towards her own house. Leaving you standing there next to Leon.

After a few seconds he chuckled, and shook his head turning to you who blinked up at him. "Well, it looks like the both of us are stuck meeting those two at the research lab. Since we're heading the same way how's about you be my traveling buddy for a bit. I doubt I these two would be happy if I suddenly go missing in the middle of them receiving their first pokedex." He gestured a hand behind him towards the road.

The professor- OH RIGHT!! After the player managed to defeat Hop in both battles the player then would get a pokedex from the Professor and the Professor's granddaughter! Although you couldn't exactly remember her name. You guess it'd be the best thing to do considering the kids would be heading there anyways after they told their parents, so you nodded smiling and he smiled back.

"Great!" He nodded towards the road. "It's the building with the purple roof by the train station. I haven't seen Sonia yet since I arrived here anyways, so she should be surprised to see me too!"

SONIA!! Of course! That was her name! The granddaughter of the town's professor was Sonia! You wracked your brain as he turned and you followed him. You felt like you were forgetting something, but you couldn't put your finger on it even as the two of you went walking down the road and towards the hill towards the train station you first met him at. By the time you two were half way down the hill you had shrugged it off and continued to walk with him towards the train station. Must've have been that important if you forgot anyways. Probably just a random battle or gameplay thing. You could already see the research lab right next to someone's assumed home and you smiled. Well, in this town it must've been convienyet to just have everything within walking distance.

"So, how do you know Sonia?,'' you asked to keep up conversation as you two walked over the bridge leading to the train station.

He was happy to answer. "Oh me and her go way back. Actually she was my rival when I first started my journey to become the Champion I am today. I think you'll like her actually. She's really smart and a great cook to boot! Not to shame my mom's cooking, but if I had to chose between her's and Sonia's dishes, I think I'd have to go with Sonia's." He chuckled smiling widely and reaching a hand up to rub the back of his neck.

You chuckled along as you both turned right at the train station and kept walking towards the research lab. Walking past you heard and noticed a lot of people stopping to stare at Leon as he passed with you pointing, and he just smiled and waved to them. A few women swooning and giggling like fangirls as he walked past with you.

"Heh. You must be pretty popular with the ladies," you teased and you were surprised when he got a bashful look over his face.

"Yeah..Well I don't really have much time for really thinking about dating or anything. Being the Champion means more responsibility for me to handle. I'm lucky the Chairman gave me a few days off to sponsor the kids. Now a days you need a sponsorship by one of the main benefactors to compete in the Gym Challenge, and I wanted to help those two when I had the chance." You blinked vaugely remembering Gloria mentioning that and in the game some of the trainers were sponsored. But you supposed you shouldn't interfere with the game's progression if you wanted it to go accordingly so you should get back, so you nodded reaching a hand up to scratch the happily chittering sobble on your shoulder- before you bumped into Leon from not watching where you were going. But he seemed to dismiss it as he pointed up in front of the building. "AH! Here we go! Looks like I remembered the right way after all!" You blinked and looked up to the building in front of you. A pokeball was painted above the doorway and it looked like a fancy old cottage home with a purple roof, and a few leafy plants hanging off of it. OH! The Lab! You must've not been paying attention while thinking, Leon grabbed the door without hesitation and smiled. "Let's head on in then."

Before you could protest, he had already walked into the home and left the door wide open for you to follow. You looked at your sobble for a brief moment and it made an unsure face. Ultimately you decided to follow him in since after all you had been there before in game, so it couldn't have been much different in person right? On instinct, you closed the door behind you with your foot and ended up finding Leon standing a few feet away looking around at the place. So you looked around too and slowly got a sense of the area. Next to the door was a small kitchen like area with a sink, table with chairs, coffee pot, and a tea set sitting on said table. The walls and floors was a simple white, with a few table and desks covered in books, equipment, and what you guessed was whatever 'research' they were doing here with all the books on the shelves. Literally. There was a LOT of books with a staircase leading up to even more, and of course a few houseplants here and there. A lot more like a library than a lab to you really. You looked back to Leon as he whistled.

"I've got to give it to Professor Magnolia. Everything in here looks fascinating."

You had to agree. It didn't look like much, but it was a cozy place you could calmly read in. Maybe chill and listen to your favorite movies. You went to walk to stand beside Leon until you jumped back with a yelp as a yellow blue jumped out from right in front of you and barked like a dog. The sobble on your shoulder also let out a chirp in surprise ducking itself behind your head startled by the-.....Yellow dog??? What looked like a small yellow yorkie dog stood before you two panting happily and barking again at you excitedly.

"Hey there lil buddy!," Leon exclaimed kneeling down and reaching out to pet the small pokemon who gladly accepted his affection with a couple yips. "It's Sonia's Yapper. Which means she's in here somewhere."

And close she was. "What is it today, Leon?" You both looked up at the voice and the small Yapper turned around and barked happily seeing it's master. You blinked at the sight of an orange haired blue eyed woman standing above you on the upstairs level. Her orange hair was mostly tied in a side ponytail with a few heart clippies in it, a tan jacket, and aquamarine-lightblue clothes, and a pair of glasses sitting on her forehead. And a black bag around one of her shoulders. Hands on her hips looking down at you two. "Looking for info on another never-before-seen, superstrong pokemon? I wish you'd stop with these outlandish requests."

He opened his mouth to say something- "ACK!!" He turned his head away as the yamper jumped up and licked his cheek like a dog, causing Leon to laugh and stand back up shaking his head. "Good to see you, too, Yamper!" He turned his head as the orange haired lady came walking down the steps. "Yamper here is a real champ when it comes to helping you find your way around." He pointed to the pokemon who barked. "He came to my rescue plenty of times back in the day, when I got lost on the road. Oh yeah, and that's his trainer, Sonia!" He pointed to the lady who by now was at the bottom of the stairs and walking towards you two. The small pokemon barking and running over to her feet. "What can I say about Sonia? Well I like the way she cooks. She makes food you can gobble down in a flash."

"Tsk." He turned back to the woman with a smile as she suddenly stood before him arms crossed. "What kind of an introduction is that? Did you forget we were rivals during our Gym Challenge? It wasn't just Yamper helping you out. I did, too! "

He chuckled and reached a hand up to sheepishly rub his neck. "Yeah. Can't forget how many times you had to drag me to the right gyms for my battles?"

She rolled her eyes. "I still for the life of me how you end up in the most random of places. Seriously. The only place you never get lost to is the kitchen for a snack."

"Oh come on, Sonia. You don't have to be so mean." he pointed to you. "I even brought a friend to wait while we get the pokedexes."

Sonia looked over at you and the Sobble on your shoulder peeking out from it's last spook. "Are you one of the trainers Leon's sponsoring?"

"Wha- Oh no! This is Y/n. She's actually going to be traveling with one of the trainers I'm sponsoring. She just tagged along to wait for them...aaand to make sure I didn't get lost on the way here. Ahehe."

"Oh I see." ...A smile came back onto her face. "Anyway, nice to meet you!" She pointed a hand at herself. "Name's Sonia. I'm the professor's assisstant. It's very nice to meet you."

You smiled and waved a hand. "Hello. It's nice to meet you too." Your head did another look around the place ultimately landing on the glassed off area with plants. "This is an interesting lab you've got here.." You pointed at the area. "What's that?"

"Oh that?" She glanced to it quick before looking back to you. "That's the terrarium my grandmother and I sometimes conduct small environmental study tests with although it's not being used for anything at the moment." She pointed back to your Sobble. "Oh what a little cutie. It reminds me of the starter Sobble Leon was given by my grandmother for the trainers he's sponsoring."

The sobble chirped and Leon gave her a nervous chuckle. "Actually that IS the same Sobble Professor Magnolia gave me."

Sonia blinked to him faster than lightning and he gave an even nervous smile holding up his hands. "WHAT?! Lee! What's it doing back here then? Grandmother made sure you had the starter pokemon for three trainers!"

"Take it easy, Sonia. I'm not returning it." He held up a finger. "I-It's actually a pretty funny story."

She hummed. "Uh huh. I'm going to LOVE hearing about this." She started walking and you stepped aside as she passed one hand reaching up to rub her temples as the other one motioned for you to follow her Yamper at her heels. "Come on. I'll make you two some tea." You watched her go before looking to Leon who shrugged with that nervous grin and turned to begin walking towards where Sonia went, you following. "So. Mind telling me why the sobble we gave you is back here?" She asked grabbing the coffee pot and placing it on the small oven by the sink and reaching over to click it on as Leon and you came over.

"Well you see." He gave that nervous smile as she turned around to him brow raised. "Those three kids I told you about was reduced to two when one decided to go on a seperate journey instead of doing the Gym Challenge with the others. So Sobble was kind of an extra." He took a seat across from her as she went to sit down, and pointed to you and the sobble. "But luckily Y/n here was in need of one too so it kinda worked out for the best."

The sobble chirped happily as you took a seat opposite of both of them and shrugged. "I mean...It's better to have one now just in case right? Still kinda getting used to it."

"Oh that's right. Hop mentioned you never had a pokemon before like Gloria."

Sonia rose a brow to you. "You've seriously never had a pokemon before?"

You quickly shrugged and used the same lie as before as an excuse. "I had more interest in traveling really. New to the region."

Sonia hummed but nodded. "Well I think you'll find the pokemon here very interesting. Especially the dynamaxing battles?"

"......Dynamaxing?," you asked confused. That did sound familar tho. "What's that?"

"You DON'T know what dynamaxing is?," Sonia asked eyes wide.

"Oh boy. Here comes the professional speech," Leon smiled good naturedly and leaned back in his seat. Arms and legs crossed. You looked to him and was about to ask what he meant...only to get interrupted by a speech of intel by Sonia.

"It's known as the Dynamax Phenomenon. This phenomenon, in which pokemon take on gigantic forms, has only been obserbed in the Galar Region. Moreover, it only seems to occur in specific locations and under set conditions." You opened your mouth- "On the gigantification of pokemon, while the general principal holds that pokemon grow stronger and larger by evolving, it is also true that simply making oneself appear larger is another survival strategy with merit." You raised a hand- "But regarding the changes pokemon can ungergo. Pokemon do not only change in appearance when they level up. They can also do so through the use of certain items or under the influence of the area they live in, in some cases. It is hypothesized that some factor within the pokemon itself is what allows for these changes to their form and biology, but thus far, conclusive evidence of such a factor has not been found by researchers."

She finished with a smile content with her eyes closed and arms crossed, her Yamper not understanding but barking in total agreement anyways as you just....stared. Leon seemed to be the only one to make a noise as he chuckled in amusement at himself for Sonia seeming to break you for a long moment of silence.

".....So basically dynamax-whatchamacallit stuff is just pokemon Super evolving for a hot minute?..Cool," you finally replied seeming to make some kind of sense of what she just spewed out to you. Sonia stopped and stared at you. Leon however snorted and quickly covered his mouth, turning away to shake as snickers escaped his body as you blinked. "Was it something I said?"

Sonia gave her laughing friend an annoyed frown before clearing her throat professionally and looking back calmly to you. "Oh no. But trust me when I say that Dynamaxing in the Galar Region is more than just pokemon with super evolving. We're the only region in the world who's pokemon is able to do so. We still don't know why, but it's one reason why our pokemon battles are so popular around the world."

"So you guys like to brag about your region of super hero pokemon evolving into bigger super hero pokemon to gain viewers??"

"PFFFT!! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Leon couldn't contain himself anymore. Arms coming to hug his middle as he half leaned over the table laughing his lungs out. Sonia back to glaring at him annoyed and you raising a brow. What was so funny? Isn't this basically what is was?...Well from you're point of veiw yes, but now that you're seeing these two, maybe it's just that serious to Sonia. "I-I-..." He wheezed. "I-I-I'm so-o-orry! Ahahaha! I've just never heard anyone say something like that especially to Sonia! M-Most d-d-don't even question what she says. Hahaha!" He coughed a few times covering his mouth as he started to come down from his laughing high Sonia still scowling.

"OH!" You held up your hands catching Sonia's attention. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad I swear."

Sonia huffed but shook her head. " Nevermind. It's fine. Some people." She side eyed Leon with the stink eye as he wiped his eyes coming back from laughing. "Just don't get how scientific research is."

"So what is it exactly that you two do here?," you asked trying to lighten the tension. Luckily it seemed to work as Sonia smiled back towards you.

"Oh. Leon's a right amazing Champion, and I'm basically just an assistant. I'm not even Gran's official assistant, either." She looked down to the table with an almost sad look, "I've just been calling myself one. Somehow, it makes me feel a little restless. ...But to really answer your question." She pointed back towards the desks and tables covered in books, papers, etc. "We do research on ancient history of the pokemon and dynamaxing phemnonenon. We also supply starting trainers in this town with their first starter pokemon, although this is the first time Lee's delivering them personally. I just hope that whoever he decided to give them too aren't reckless. No offense."

"None taken," you replied, "But don't worry. I think they'll be in good hands with the new trainers." You smiled.

"Speaking of those two, where are they?" Leon hummed and gave the door a curious look as if Hop and Gloria would burst through it any moment, before looking behind him at the clock on the wall. ".....It's been almost a whole hour. Telling Mum can't take that long, and surely they couldn't have gotten lost. That's my thing."

Yeah...That was kinda strange now that you noticed it. You mirrored Leon's expression with a raised brow and nearly jumped out of your chair when the teapot whistled. Making Sonia excuse herself to stand up and get it for the three of you. Hm. They SHOULDN'T have been taking this long to get here. Gloria was too excited, and Hop didn't have the patience to wait this long to get here....Something wasn't right. A heavy feeling settled on your guts as you thought long and hard. After the battle with Leon, the player and Hop were to receive their pokedexes from the Professor's granddaughter which was obviously Sonia but...you're mind went blank. There was something ...missing. Something you were forgetting. There was something that happened between these two events-...You're mind went back to the other day. A wooloo using tackle on the fence over and over- Your chair made a scrape sound startling Leon and Sonia as you shot up to your feet making the table shake a bit. Sobble chirping in surprise and clinging to your shoulder. Oh NO!! How could you have forgotten!? In the game the wooloo manages to break open the fence and then the player and Hop would venture into the Slumbering Weild to try and retrieve it, also encountering their first Lengendary Pokemon sighting of the game!!! But luckily Leon ends up finding them and escorting them back home but-..Your startled eyes cut to Leon who was confused looking at your panicked f/c eyes. Leon didn't know they were in there right now! This major difference in events right now could change the game and your chances to get back home and worse! THOSE KIDS WERE IN DANGER!!

Your hands slammed on the table and you desperately looked at Leon. "WE HAVE TO GO! THE KIDS ARE IN THE SLUMBERING WEILD!!"

"WHAT!?" Leon asked eyes wider than dinner plates as if you were far away and he didn't hear you.

You nodded. "They went there after this wooloo knocked over the fence leading to it by Gloria's house! We have to leave right now or else they could get seriously hurt!"

Leon didn't have to be told twice at the mention of his baby brother being in potential danger, only a panicked look in his eyes and he adbruptly stood and even you blinked as he raced to the door. Startling you into freezing for a few seconds before adreneline kicked in and you were right behind him. The door was already thrown open by the time you got to it, so you just followed he purple haired blur of Leon as he raced away from the house with you not so far behind. Sonia shouted something after you both but neither of you two noticed. How could you be so dumb enough to forget such a crucial detail!? Because of you those two could get lost or hurt in there! If a flock of giant bird pokemon wasn't bad enough then there was the gigantic legendary pokemon!!! You couldn't even remember what it was just that it was a legendary one! Dummy!! Sweat began to pour from your forehead as you raced after him away from Sonia's lab, past the train station, over the bridge, and up the path back towards the two kids' homes right after Leon who was must faster than you so of course no surprise the scared older brother would get there before you did. The sobble chirped and chittered in protest into your ears as it young onto you going past. Some people gave you both confused looks as you passed them but you didn't care. You just had to get to them and making sure they didn't get hurt. In fact you were so focused on running you hadn't even noticed Leon stopped until you nearly ran into him when he stopped by where the paths split up between the paths to both kids' houses. Instead you stumbled from the sudden stop and nearly collasped to your hands and knees. Panting, worried, heart beating against your ribcage, and looking up from your leaned over form to Leon who stood there and stared in stunned silence. What? Why had he stopped!? You looked towards where he was looking and froze upon realizing what he was looking at. I mean...you knew it was there and you knew it would happen, but you still froze seeing the open fence there. Leading down into a grassy field which lead into a fogging wooded area. More intimidating than the sunny fields behind you where the wooloos grazed.

"No.." It came out so quietly you weren't sure if Leon even spoke but you looked to him regardless. A look of horror, panic, and absolute FEAR on his face. "No...NONONONO!!" He suddenly darted forward again and stopped right at the fence entrance darting his hands up to cup his mouth. "HOP!! GLORIA!!"

His only answer back was the echoes of his own voice which eerily and spookily echoed back to him slowly fading out into the woods before them and even tho breathing heavily for breath you forced yourself to walk up next to him and in an urgent voice said. "We HAVE to go after them! They could be hurt!"

"NO!" He turned to you a determined scowl on his face. "I'm going after them! I need you to stay here in case they come back before I get out or in case I get lost and can't find them! I can't risk you coming with me and getting lost too! And if they come back and notice Im gone they might just come right back in looking for me!"

"WHAT?!," you blurted out, "But won't two of us searching make it easier to find them!?"

"I CANT RISK THEIR LIVES OR YOURS, Y/N!" He gave you a desperately look and you paused. In the game Leon's able to find both the missing children and runaway wooloo. Since everything thus far has been going accordingly then this should work out fine too, but if you go along and interfere-...They could all be in danger. So..it was safer for all of you if you stayed out of this. As much as it pained you, you nodded to him and he nodded. "Don't worry about me! I'll get charizard to fly me out if I need to! If none of us are back within an hour I NEED you to run back to Sonia and tell her what happened! She knows where to get the proper help!"

One finally nod was what he gave you before facing back towards the fence and darting off in a speed you thought no human could have. You only stood there and watched. As the thudding of his footsteps faded, and the figure of his body running away, soon being swallowed up by the fog of the Slumbering Weild. And you could only stand there and watch...How could've you had forgotten this? I mean, yeah you were pretty sure they WERE supposed to go in there and yes you WERE sure Leon was supposed to go after them in order for the game to be set on the right path-...But still, you probably would've liked to give Leon a head's up for this. In the game you had never seen him sport such a look of...fear. The champion in the game, even when he found the kids in there, always wore the 'Champion's Smile' because that's what he was programmed to do. Heck. In the game you never even saw how Leon discovered the two kids went into the Slumbering Wield. To you it wasn't a big deal because at the end of the day it was just a game you were following the story too...You never thought...you'd ever see the confident happy-go-lucky jokster older brother so wracked with fear. Fear you might have prevented. You weren't sure when you did it. But you ended up sitting on the ground, back leaned against the fence post with your eyes closed just-....sitting there for the longest time. Your sobble had long since gotten off your shoulders and chittered at you in question. Moving around the area but staying close to where you were sitting.

At one point it made a very OUD chirp and jumped onto your lap. "OOF!?" You opened your eyes to the blue pokemon and slowly blinked. "Hey! What was that for? Wasn't very nice of you!" It chirped again loudly and pointed past you and the gate glancing at something. Raising a brow tiredly, you slowly turned your head to see what in the world it was pointing a- Your sobble chirped a loud squabble when it tumbled out of your lap as you jumped up eyes wide and overwhelming relief washing over you. "LEON!"

Yep! It was the champion alright. His face a mixture of slight annoyance and extreme exhaustion. In front of him was Hop and Gloria to your surprise and relief. Both were avoiding eye contact looking extremely embarrassed, and....a wooloo trotting along with them. To think that all this commotion was started by one runaway wooloo. You shook your head, glancing to the chirping Sobble starting to clambor up your leg and towards your shoulder for a moment, before glancing back towards the Champion who sighed tiredly at you. Making your relief even more validated.

"What were you two thinking!?," was the first thing out of your mouth once the two children were close enough. I mean yeah this was supposed to happen, but it was still incredibly wreckless of them! Both children winced from your question and you were stopped when Leon held up a hand calmly.

"Now, now, Y/n. *sigh*" He sighed and reached a hand up to rub his face. "Everything's fine now. These two are safely back. The lost wooloo is found. And they know better than to go in there again." He rose a brow down at them, "right you two?" They instantly nodded mumbling some form of sorry as he nodded. "You both had your hearts in the right place, but the best thing to do was to come tell someone. If Y/n hadn't figured out where you two went, who knows what might've happened?" The two teens(mostly Hop) looked ashamed of themselves. "I'm not angry at you two." Both(again mostly Hop) blinked up surprised at Leon but he folded his arms with a frown. "But that doesn't mean I wasn't nearly scared half to death knowing two kids were running around a highly dangerous area by themselves. Now you two promise to never EVER go back in there again especially without telling someone again, no matter what reason."

"We promise, Lee!" "Yeah. I'm real sorry." The two agreed.

After continuing to stare at them with the frown for a moment, he sighed again and shook his head. "It's fine. As long as it doesn't happen again." Holding his arms out, he herded the two kids and wooloo out past the fence and looked to you. "I'm going to make sure these two get to Sonia. There's a limited amount of time they have for earning my endoursment and they still need their pokedexes...besides." he looked back to the wooloo who baaed at him. "Someone has to make sure this little guy gets returned to farmer Harry down town. Hopefully he'll keep this one from causing anymore trouble. In the meantime, could you close the fence?" He asked looking to you. "I can talk to professor Magnolia into issuing a stronger lock and chain for the gate."

You nodded thinking that was best. "Sounds good. I'll meet you guys there."

Smiling, Leon nodded and turned back to the kids placing one arm on each their shoulders before pushing them forward. "Come on you two. Let's drop this little troublemaker off and then get two a pokedex. The day's still early so you should have plenty of time to change my mind." As they began walking off he shook his head. "Boy Sonia's not going to believe this."

The kids didn't protest when Leon shuffled them away and you sighed. A hand coming to your chest, as you completely calmed. That could've gone a lot worse, but thankfully it all went according to plan and game. Sobble chirped having clambored back onto your shoulder and you reached up a hand to scratch it's head, to which it smiled and chirped happily at the affection. Now..for the fence. From the rush of adreneline eariler, you just decided to take your sweet time in grunting and pulling the heavy fence gate closed. That wooloo must've been stronger than Hop's if it was able to use tackle enough times to make this heavy wooded fence open all the way. The lock or whatever it was last used to keep it closed was no where to be found, so what you did was take a decently big rock and roll it towards the fence, it took all the strength you had to lift the fence up enough to shove the rock under the gate and lodge it enough to make sure it wouldn't move before letting go and observing your handy work. It...wasn't the best. If someone pushed hard enough or rammed their body against it, it would open, but at least it should stay closed for now until Leon could get the Professor to fix it again. Satisfied, you turned around and slowly began making your way slowly back towards the lab. Sobble on your shoulder as it lazily yawned. Whelp. Good to know someone was having a relaxed time at least. The walk all the way back there wasn't too bad. It was actually kinda peaceful listening to the wind and passing by field of wooloo baaing like sheep, and the streams of the two bridges you walked over to get to the lab. A few people gave you a curious or confused look as you passed but you paid them no mind, and wouldn't you know it, Leon was standing their waiting for you.

He smiled upon noticing you and when you got close enough waved. "Well done! You reached the goal and managed to find the Pokemon Research Lab! You did a far sight better than I did my first time. I'm hopeless with directions. I know I'm sure glad I got Charizard with me...to keep me from getting lost all the time."

You chuckled but stopped in front of him raising a brow. "I think I figured that out by now." You looked back towards the lab. "Are they inside?"

He figured you meant the two kids and shook his head. "Nah. They went up the road to Professor Magnolia's house. I just decided to wait for you so you'd know where to go...and so I wouldn't get lost either. ehehe...heh."

You blinked as he gestured with a hand and started walking and you followed beside him. OH YEAH! It was starting to come back to you. The player and Hop raced towards the Professor's home, catching a few new pokemon and battling one last time to convince Leon to sponsor them before the opening ceremony for the Gym Challenge! So far so good. "How was Sonia after you explained what happened?"

He groaned leaning his head back and crossing his arms, giving a closed eyed grimace as you two walked. "Not too good. She yelled at me about how rude it was to just run out like that without giving her a heads up, and then she got even more annoyed she's going to have to fix that fence. Hopefully no other wooloos get the idea to enter Slumbering Weild...." His eyes popped open for a moment before he turned to you with a look. "Speaking of which, how'd you know they went in there?"

"Um..." Your face was frozen. Great. Now you have to think of even MORE excuses. You shrugged. "Well like you said. I saw the wooloo earlier with the other two when it was trying to bust down the fence yesterday, and your little brother must really love wooloos by how much he talks about them....So it was just a lucky guess based off..wooloos??" Good gosh that was the lamest excuse ever-

"I see..." He smiled. "Well that was a pretty good guess. I can't say how grateful I am for helping Hop and his friend."

He waved a hand with a bashful smile. "Think nothing of it. I'm just glad I could help...So do you think they'll catch any pokemon on the way there?" You asked changing the subject. Thank goodness that was good enough to work.

"Probably. Lots of wild pokemon live near Route 2 in this town. They'll probably have to end up putting a few of them in Rotomi boxes."

".....Rotomi..boxes?"

"Oh right. I guess they don't have those over in the Kalos Region huh? Rotomi boxes are a sort of storage system for your pokemon when you can't carry them all around, "Leon explained, "You can find them in any pokemon Center. In fact you can find one in the center in town here. You recieve your pokemon from your boxes at any Rotomi you visit, too!"

"Oh. I guess that's how Pokemon storage works around here," you mumbled to yourself but Leon nodded with a hum.

"Yep! It was developed a long time ago when Professer Magnolia was just starting out as this town's professor. She's been a genius from the very beginning, Sonia's a lot like her."

"Oh wow. She sounds smart."

"heh. You're not wrong. It's going to be nice to see her again after so long."

Yo two walked peacefully down the cobblestone road, passing by lots of people who waved or took photos of Leon as he smiled and waved to them, and you guys had to stop a few times for a few little kids who either wanted a picture or autograph from the famous celeberty. Sheesh. It was sweet but you didn't think you'd be able to stand all the attention after a bit. You always much rather jam out to music or play video games....that was until your mother kept shoving studying and schoolwork into your face and most of that joy was replaced with visits to the lirbrary or studying quietly at home...Oh well. That was the reality of it of life, And you wanted to help pay your mum back for all the hard work she put into raising you without- You jumped when Leon suddenly pointed ahead of you and you silently nodded to his directions as he lead you. Hopefully he wouldn't be getting the both of you lost. You two were just coming over another bridge when you saw and heard the two teens again. Right next to the tall Route 2 sign. Both didn't notice you and had their backs towards you, so they didn't notice the two of you walking up from behind them.

"Over here, Gloria!," Hop suddenly pointed to the tall patch of grass in front of them on the road excitedly and Gloria looked just as excited seeing the small blurs running around in it. "All right, Glory! It's time to fill our teams a bit!"

"And I'm here to teach you how!," Leon exclaimed loudly from right behind the two. Both kids yelped and whipped behind them startled from you two walking up to them, "You'll need to catch pokemon if you've got any hope of filling in that pokedex."

"Lee!? Where'd you come from!?," Hop asked calming down upon realizing who it was.

Leon smiled wider as you smiled. "Well I thought I'd might as well meet you two at the Professor's while you two try catching some wild pokemon of your own, and wait for Y/n. It would've been unfair if she was left behind to bear the brunt of Sonia's anger." Leon then looked over at Gloria and as if reading her mind asked. "Only...look at you, Little Glory! You've already caught some on your own!" Hop's eyes widened and turned to Gloria who smiled proudly and nodded asking 'You did?!' "Your mum gave you those poke balls, did she?" She nodded again and Leon hummed....Before reaching behind him under his cape where you couldn't see. "I'll give you two some more poke balls. In return, I'll only ask that you catch plenty of pokemon."

''REALLY!?" Hop's eyes widened when Leon pulled out three pokeballs in each hand and held them out to the wide eyed teens who obviously took them. As soon as the smooth metal catching pokemon devices were in Hop's hands, his smile widened and began starry eyed at his brother. "THANKS! YOU'RE THE BEST LEE!!"

You couldn't help but smile at the sweet exchange between the three of them, and Leon chuckled before looking at the tall grass. "The pokemon around here seem easy to catch. Almost like they're itching to join some Trainer's team, wouldn't you say? But don't forget. Pokemon and Trainers alike gain experience from battling. Like how Gloria's Scorbunny learnt to improve it's Ember Move after your first battle. So this should be good practice for the two of you. Your teams will keep on changing and growing as you get stronger together, no doubt. But even I don't know exactly yet."

"WE WONT LET YOU DOWN, LEE!," Gloria exclaimed thrusting a pokeball into the air, "You're going to flip seeing what I caught on the way there!"

"Not unless I catch more than you, Glor."

Gloria gave Hop a challenging smile to rival his own. "Oh? Hm. Ill accept that challenge then dear rival!"

Leon chuckled again before waving a hand to catch their attention. "Well make sure you make it to the Professor's house before nightfall. " He jabbed a thumb behind him at you. "Ill just take Y/N here with me and meet the both of you there. Show your Champion something good, all right?"

"Sure, Lee!" "Aright!"

Both children agreed immediately before turning back to the tall grassy area in front of them and Hop pointed off towards the tall grassy area a few yards away from them. Gloria eagerly nodding before she took off after Hop when he ran for it pokeballs in hand. You couldn't help but smile. This was good. Gloria and Hop would have the chance to collect some more pokemon on the way to the professor's house like in the game and in turn you can relax now that you know they probably won't get in trouble from catching a few wild pokemon for themselves. You jumped when Leon cleared his throat and you looked to his smiling face as he gestured down the pathway as if questioning for your permission and you nodded at him. Matching Leon's pace as he set off down the path towards the Professor's home.

"Sorry if I ruined the chance for you to tag along with 'em,'' he apologized to you with an apologetic look to match, "But I really want to see how they can do on their own without any distractions or anyone holding them back. No offense."

You waved him off. "None taken. It's fine actually." In truth you didn't mind that at all. "You were happy to wait for them to capture pokemon instead of walking around after them all the way there after you were nearly scared half to death by the Slumbering Weild incident. And you didn't mind just waiting to see what they would catch. "In fact I'm interested in seeing the Professor. I don't think I met a Professor before."

He chuckled. "Then you're in for a treat! Follow me. If we don't end up lost, then it should be just down this road."

You chuckled and continued to follow him down the dirt path. Passing taller grassy areas and a few more trees showing the Professor's house was a little more far back into the wild life than the town. Must be a hassle to go to and from the Lab all the time you thought, even if it was within walking distance. At one point you were watching a small squirel pokemon with massive chuuby cheeks skittering past when your attention was once again caught by Leon. You looked towards him in question and he pointed ahead of him. Yo looked down the path and blinked. There was a small bridge with a white fence running along it over a river, a concrete battle area like the one at Hop's house was standing before the house which was also by a decent sized lake. The house itself was pretty lovely looking. It was a dark purple all over with green vines all over itself. You followed Leon all the way to the door of the home as it's shadow loomed over you. Without any hesitation Leon knocked rather loudly on the door and waited. A few seconds went by before there was finally an answer.

"Whoever it is come on in!," it sounded like an older lady's voice, like the kind you'd expect a grandmother to have, "The door's open!"

Without missing a beat Leon opened the door with a creak and threw a smile over his shoulder nodded towards the inside. "Follow me. You're going to really like Ms. Magnolia! She's a super nice woman!" You nodded and went ahead and walked inside. You followed right after him into a small space. Coats and shoes were placed by the door, with a stairway in front and a couple houseplants. "HELLO!" leon called as you slowly closed the door behind you. "Professor Magnolia! Are you in here?"

"Leon! Is that you, you old troublemaker?,'' came the elderly woman's voice happily from the left and you two turned your gazes past what looked like a kitchen area into a different doorway which lead to a blue room.

"Yeah! And I brought a friend if you don't mind!" He started walking towards the blue room and after a few seconds you slowly followed.

"Oh no. Not at all, dear,'' the old voice said as you two entered into the kitchen area and made your way closer and closer to the voice, "Any friend of yours is welcome, Young Lee." Yo continued to Follow Leon until he stopped in the doorway to the blue room and you stopped beside him blinking inside. The room was rather homey. The walls, ceiling, carpet, and some of the furniture was a blue. White cabinets lined the walls and they all either had some plants or some other decorative object set upon it. A few paintings hung off the walls, and against the far wall was a brick fireplace. And on one of the blue couches sat an elderly woman who could've been old enough to be your granny, calmly looking back at the two of you. She had grey hair held back by a purple-grey band, gold earrings, a gold necklace with a purple pendant, white lab coat and shoes, and a plain really light yellow dress. She held a cane that had some carved creature on the end you gripped, glasses, and green eyes. "Well if my glasses don't decieve me, I'd say that the Champion himself was standing in my living room."

"Professor Magnolia!,'' Leon greeted coming right in and over to her, she didn't even have to get up and reached a hand out for him to shake, which he did happily. "I haven't seen you in ages! HAHA!!" He let go of her hand and plopped down in the blue couch in front of her. "So have you unraveled all the secrets of the Dynamax Phenomenon yet?"

"Oh goodness no. The whole thing is still full of questions." the professor chuckled and sat back into her comfy couch. "And I'm very close to retiring too. So, so close. I'd hoped that my granddaughter would take over my research but..." She trailed off and looked away- "Hm?" And noticed you still standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Oh my goodness! Dear me, I'm sorry. I didn't even notice my guests! Please come in and have a seat young lady." She smiled gesturing to the spot next to Leon on the couch and you smiled politely taking her up on her offer. Walking in slowly and going next to Leon who scooted over to allow you some room. "My name is Magnolia." She greeted you with a smile that made you think of a grandmotherly vibe. "Welcome, young trainer."

"Thank you," you smiled politely. "My name's Y/N. Nice to meet ya!...But I'm not a trainer." You explained with a sheepish smile as your Sobble chittered and moved to plop inself ontop of your own head. "I'm more of a....traveler."

She hummed still smiling. "I see. We'll I'm sure you'll find lots of interesting things around here if you look hard enough. That's why I love my job so much." She chuckled. "Never know what you're going to find among the rest of the dust."

You chuckled too. "So what kind of work do you do? Leon told me Sonia and you work at the lab in town."

She shrugged. "Oh the usual. Pokemon anthropology and development. Medical research a bit. But I've mostly looked into dynamaxing."

"Oh yeah!" You jumped at Leon's loud voice startling the Sobble on your head enough for it to tumble off your head and into your lap with a loud squabble of protest. He didn't seem to notice as turned brightly smiling to you. "You must already know about Dynamaxing right, Y/n?" You nodded. " The Champion nodded towards the smiling woman. "Professor Magnolia's been doing research into the Dynamax Phenomenon for years and years. And it takes proper understanding of the thing if you plan to use dynamaxing to the fullest!"

Magnolia chuckled and shook her head at Leon. "There you go again, Leon, always talking about pokemon. There are other things that are worth knowing about, too, you know. Like how many different types of teas there are. "

"Ha! Says the Pokemon Professor?," he teased back.

She gave a sly smile. "Hmhmhm. Touche, Champion. But there are other things you enjoy too besides pokemon, aren't there?"

He let out a hum. "Yeah. Sonia's cooking."

"Well they say the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach." She teased. "Getting a crush are we, boy?"

"Hey! C'mon, Professor! Any one likes a good dish!" He paused when his stomach let out a small rumble. "....Heh. Sorry." His smile became bashful. "Guess running around all day all over the place made me forget about lunch and dinner."

"You, Lee? Forget about food? My. How shocking." She chuckled at his grumbling pouting face before she grabbed the couch and, with the help of her cane, stood right up. "Well then. I guess we can get some tea to help pass the time."

"Oh wait!" You held out your hand as she started walking past you. "You don't have to do that, Professor. I'm fine really." You threw a look back over your shoulder as Leon gently grabbed you. "I've learnt that Ms. Magnolia is even more stubborn than Sonia. If she wants to do something, not even a million Dynamaxed pokemon working together could stop her! It's best we let her."

You went to argue-....But sighed and sat back down. Leon was right. You didn't know this woman outside the game you played as a teenager which was a long time ago, so it was best to let things be for now.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!

All three of you turned your head towards the door as loud fast knocks pounded from the other side of it making the professor hum. "Oh? More guests? I wonder they could be?" She started towards the door but you knew who it was already.

The Trainers had arrived.

[yeoldontknow]

Kissing Vermilion: Teaser

aslkdjal i am so much more late with this than i intended to be. getting the pace right on this is proving to be a challenge BUT! heres a small sample of what im trying to have completed by next weekend. this was meant to be up yesterday for joons BD but i was busy and couldnt write as much as i wanted to :((( you can all thank @jamaisjoons for the utter filth that this will become. happy birthday namjoon im sorry im late and will continue to be late *tosses confetti* (sorry theres no graphic im saving it for the full thing eep)

↠ Pairing: Namjoon x Reader ↠ Full Story Summary: It was never your intention to sleep with your brother’s best friend, but it happened. It was never your intention to fall in love with him, but it happened. It was never his intention to fall in love with you, either, but it’s happening. Against his better judgement, Namjoon just can’t seem to stay away from you. ↠ Genre: fwb!au; smut; angst; the full story is going to be the most filth ive ever written im so sorry ↠ Rating (teaser): R ↠ Warnings (teaser): nothing terribly smutty but she thinks about it...a lot...theres a lot of mature concepts here ↠ Tentative post date: 9/19

March, 2013

You really must remember to thank your roommate.

As the condensation rolls down the chilled glass of your vodka lemonade, the eyes of the man beside you do their best to stay focused on the lush crimson of your lipstick. Every now and then, at the end of a sentence or at the end of a joke that does not necessarily land, his brows narrow, ensuring his gaze does not fall, lower and lower still, to the provocative shape of the red dress that hugs your body. For the moment, he is nameless, an unintroduced stranger whose eye you caught just by standing next him and ordering a drink. You have not let him go, even as your mind wanders. Or, rather, it's the red that refuses to let him go, red and the way the shade kisses you with reverence.

All your life red has been your dearest companion, your first of many experiences and your best of even more. Red was your first lipstick, a scarlet transgression against your mother at twelve years old. It was sacred only because it was forbidden, the cream from the bullet now a fleeting memory of cracked concrete behind your middle school and the wide eyes of boys passing by, likely wondering if they should tell your brother. Red was your first Solo cup, and the first you’d crushed beneath your spine as you lost your virginity sophomore year. 

Red was not your first hickey, and also not your first scarf to cover the evidence, but it was your best one, your most favourite one. It was small, and it burned against your skin for days, the same way your nails ripped scarlet down your boyfriend’s back, the scratches stinging beneath all his shirts. He’d said he loved you, and you believed him, giving him red as a promise of your loyalty. Red was the wine you poured in his bed and the flush against your chest when you found him with another woman, her legs too slow in the effort of unwinding from his hips. Red was his lies, your slap against his cheek, and the paint of Yoongi's car, which you'd borrowed to not lose your campus parking spot.

Red has always been yours, oftentimes the only thing you trust, the only thing that has never let you down. Now, it sits on your skin like you belong to it. You chose the dress for the shade, your roommate made you buy it because of the shape. You don't usually toy with such a deep cut against your back, a low swoop as alluring as the moon and turning the line of your spine into a promise of treasure or victory. But this red turns you into something special, something dangerous.

And now, with his eyes on you, you really must remember to thank her.

The man beside you flashes you a smile he thinks he is dazzling, rolling the base of his whiskey neat in slow circles against the bar top. He waits for you to flush, anticipating a rush of blood to your cheeks or your lips, but you merely offer him a thin lipped smile, remembering to be polite. His eyes dart from your face to the seductive contour of your hips, and back again, and he tries to be respectful, tries to play it off like he's positively twitterpatted, but you can tell. You can always tell.

As his eyes flick away once more, admiring the supple skin of your shoulder, you wonder if you would be interested. Your mind starts to wander for a moment, and you envision yourself leaning close and letting him have his fill. It would be so terribly easy, and you'd let him feel like he'd won even if you had no intention of it going any further than this. If it was just you and just him, you'd be good. At the end of all his jokes, you would laugh and peer at him through the thick curtain of your lashes. At all the right places, you'd rest your hand on his arm and make him believe he mattered. For one night, you would be so good.

But his eyes are on you, the searing heat of Namjoon's intense and focused stare kisses at the small of your back from across the room. He sits at a table with your large group of friends, expression entirely neutral except for the power that lurks ominously in his jaw and dark irises. His gaze has walked from the small of your back to settle at the warm highlight of your cheekbone, and, now, you are aching. Feeling him all over you is just the same as feeling his hands at your throat, your heartbeat rattling in your chest as though lingering on a knife's edge. There's something different about it tonight, about him. There's something different about the way you feel under his unwavering attention, and somewhere amidst the laughing and the talking and the indiscernible number of drinks you have convinced this stranger to buy you, you have started to learn you want Namjoon to stay.

Tonight, you are learning that his attention makes a kingdom bloom beneath your skin, amongst your blood, and you are asking, silently willing, him to claim it.

You should not want him here. You should not want him nestling into crevices long untouched, and long unnoticed. Namjoon unfurls in the spaces between your bones and your joints, curling into the gaps between your ribs, and you wonder if he can feel it. Have you done the same to him, just by standing, and talking, and quietly wanting? If you're being honest, you've always wanted him, at least a little. If you're honest, you can distantly remember the time your brother brought him over their final year of high school and he had grown into the baby fat of his cheeks, his white shirt somehow battling the muscles of his chest for dominance, and his smile, and the dimples he so often kept a secret, felt sweeter to you than honey.

If you're honest, it was your family, the proximity of your relationship to him that decided he was not for you. There’s something forbidden about craving a person you’ve known all your life, someone your brother has spent his whole life calling his best friend. It was your family, and it was Yoongi, who made you turn away from your infatuation. You were eighteen when you finally swallowed your crush on Namjoon whole, convinced you had rid yourself of it while taking the appropriate lesson you were meant to learn: you no longer wanted a boy, you deserved a man, your hunger to be touched deserving of confident, unyielding hands. 

So you set your attention on other guys learning how to grow into their adulthood - even if they had never mastered the strength or dominance of it, even if they never tasted quite right against your tongue. It’s been a long time since you have wanted him to look at you like this, even longer since someone has done so without demanding you witness them, without expecting you to bend for them.

Namjoon looks at you like you matter, like you're something worth keeping. He watches you intently, refusing to look away until you are certain he could devour the very flesh of you, and still find away to take more, still find ways to keep all your lonely parts begging for him. He looks at you like he needs you, simultaneously uncovering the terrifying truth that you have always needed him, and as the man beside you slides his phone number over to you on a napkin, a number you know you will lose or forget as soon as it is out of your line of sight, you are certain you are toeing a line that, once crossed, offers no point of return.

'You should come see it.’ Abruptly, your thoughts are broken by the gruff voice of your conversation partner. Raising his voice slightly, he regards you knowingly, silently insisting your attention return to him. 'I think you'd like it.'

Ever since he started speaking to you the conversation has been mundane, likely because every topic of discussion has somehow revolved around or worked its way back to him. There’s an edge of pride in his voice, the sort that expects respect alongside awe for his, ultimately banal, accomplishments. Offering him a small, lopsided smile, you tilt your head to the side and feign interest, exposing more of your smooth skin. 

'Oh?' you hum, amused that even something as simple and unaffected as this noise of inquiry will provide him a sense of self-security. 

'Yeah, I can show you around.’ He takes a long, slow sip of his whiskey, as if his statement is a promise of something meaningful. ‘You can bring some friends, too, if you want. I admit, the frat is a mess but it's still a good time.'

You’ve forgotten which university he goes to, where he’s from, his name. Idly, you wonder if he’s a member of Namjoon’s friend group, though you doubt it. Over time, your college friends have merged together, Sunhee’s interest in Jackson bringing them together since she met him at the gym. You’re meant to be celebrating her birthday at the table, beside your friends and beside Namjoon. Removing yourself from his orbit has proven to be a test, but, at this angle, Namjoon sees all of you, keeps you rooted to this position at the bar just so he can have his fill, and this, you think, is hardly a sacrifice.

Having nothing to say, you simply nod, offering yet another generic question that will keep him talking and keep Namjoon watching you. 'All frat houses are a mess,' you shrug amiably. 'Do you like the campus?'

Immediately, he begins nodding, lips flattening into a sly grin. 'Yeah, it's a nice place. A little cloistered at times. If you stay too long you feel like you're in a bubble, you know? But I chose it because the law program...'

Tuning his voice out, your focus returns to the raised hair and gooseflesh that dimples along your arms. It’s been months of this, of your friend groups coming together to play matchmaker in the effort of being supportive, and through all of this you have become acquainted with who Namjoon really is when he’s liberated from the influence of childhood. Without your hometown, Yoongi’s deep laugh, or the distant chatter of your parents in the other room, Namoon’s identity has stretched and morphed into something almost unrecognizable in its alluring temptation.

Yoongi makes him warm, soft, a voice of wisdom and reason that has, more often not, left you feeling comforted and protected. At home, he is clumsy, sheepishly so, endearing in the way he trips over his own feet or drops things even if he’s being careful. Namjoon laughs first, even if his laugh is not always the easiest. He is the most curious and, simultaneously, the most distant, miles away in his thoughts even as he considers every word you say. And even tonight, he still is this way, the rich texture of his voice ringing out above the din when he laughs, genuine and encouraging, doing his best to make sure everyone feels comfortable. 

But the more you’ve seen him with friends he’s made by choice and by interest, university friends who both challenge and offer a mode of relating to his own adulthood, the more you have watched him separate from the things that made him Joonie. He has become someone who carries eroticism in their bones, his smile no longer just a comfort, but one that is altogether too full of temptation even in its patient inertia. 

The confidence in him has your tongue feeling heavy in your mouth every time he's with you, your walls clenching around nothing every time he looks at one of your friends with more than a little interest. Joonie has abandoned the childhood endearment in favor of his whole name, Namjoon a word that gets pressed against his neck and shoulders like a brand. He’s become fluent in more than one language and also in the destructive language of ruin, a single look from him and you feel naked all the way down to your nerves.

Reclining in his seat, his hand moves languidly up and down the glass of his cold beer while he remains poised in his consideration of you, your round ass, and the way you lick your lips to keep them moist when you presume no one is watching. His broad shoulders are rolled back and even when you aren’t looking at him, even when he is not directly in your line of sight, you still toy with the idea of getting on your knees and begging him. For what, you are not certain, but you think it is likely the simple request to stay with him, wherever your feet, your finger, or your bones rest.

You’d like him to invade you like that. You’re certain he’d excel at such a carnal delight.