#they pull the hurt from someone and either immediately transfer it to someone else or store it within themself for later transfer

[blackhawkcomics]

:eyes: not me tempted to make a new oc...

[writingforfishes]

Hicvember: Public

This is a fast and dirty (not sexually, just haphazardly created) fic. I'm writing it straight into the blog entry form instead of in a word processor.

I'm tired after work, but this is giving me something to focus on outside of...everything else.

And, yes, it's Otto. (This time sans Atticus, though!)

CW:

public hiccups

unwanted interaction

embarrassing hiccups

unwillingly being the center of attention

unwanted touch (non-sexual)

yoga mom

dude bro

STEVE

teasing (non-sexual)

He shouldn't have come to the bank on Friday, he realized. He knew better. People came to cash checks on Fridays. So now Otto was standing in a long winding line in front of 3 tellers who looked exhausted as they quickly shifted money into envelopes for waiting patrons.

Otto mostly took payments through online services nowadays. Even the older generation had become adept at using popular money transfer sites.

However, he still had a few customers, much older ones, who insisted on paying with checks. Even more frustrating were customers who paid in cash. Holding hundreds of dollars in your wallet as you walk to the car was always particularly nerve wracking for Otto. As if someone was immediately able to see through his pocket and wallet and would jump out and attack him. He knew it was an irrational fear but knowing didn't keep him from being nervous.

He could technically process checks through an app on his phone, but there was something about talking to a real person and physically passing on the slip of paper which made him feel more comfortable. He couldn't account for it. But he usually didn't plan so poorly as to attempt to deposit his money and checks on a Friday. To be honest, he hadn't even known what day of the week it was until he arrived at the bank.

It hadn't been a particularly hiccup-y day, so it surprised him as much as everyone around him when he suddenly, for no apparent reason, let out a sharp, "HUCK!"

He didn't even have time to process the startled giggles of the woman in front of him or hope that it was a single before he'd closed his mouth to several more hiccups in quick succession.

"Wow! Those came out of nowhere, huh?" the woman who giggled spoke up and he looked down at her.

She seemed either his age or a bit older. He couldn't tell. Her dyed blonde hair was pulled back in a sloppy bun. She was wearing athletic wear, perhaps yoga attire? She smiled up at him with mild amusement, though not without compassion.

He nodded at her with a smile, still working hard to muffle the enthusiastic fit. He already saw people glancing over in his direction. It's not like he was that hard to spot. He might not have been the tallest person ever, but 6'3 wasn't exactly a subtle height.

Add to it the jumping and sounds coming from his body despite closing his mouth and putting a hand over it and he had probably just become the most entertaining thing in the bank aside from whatever people were looking at on their phones.

"You get them bad, huh?"

It was the woman again. She was still looking at him. Obviously, he was now in a conversation, consent be damned for him having one. And blast his congenial nature (and literally being trapped in a line he couldn't escape unless he wanted to forgo depositing the wad of money in his hands), he didn't discourage the conversation for sake of friendliness.

"I hrmk! I do hmk!hmk!" he said, shortly. He swallowed as he resettled his hand on his chest. "I'm so-hermk!-sorry ab-mrk!-about these. Mk!hmpk! I know th--they've hmp!-herp'k! gotta be mk! be annoying to-erk! listen t--to!"

His throat was starting to hurt with how much he was trying to keep the hiccups clamped in. He really didn't want to cause a disturbance. He desperately didn't want the attention.

"Oh, it doesn't bother me, sweetie! I've got 3 kids. One set of twins. I'm pretty good at filtering out noises," she said in good humor.

Otto nodded with a smile. Maybe that was it, then. The line moved one person when she spoke up again, though.

"You know, my dad used to get really bad hiccups. One time he got them for a week! Can you imagine? Having them for a week?! Drove my mom and us crazy. Probably drove him crazier, huh? Anyway, nothing ever worked to cure his hiccups. Same thing for you?" she asked.

If Otto wasn't absolutely sure the other woman wasn't at all aroused, he would've wondered if she had the same kink Atticus had. Otto figured, instead, this was just a woman who perhaps wanted to talk to someone, and Otto had inadvertently given her a conversation starter. Well, his diaphragm had broken the ice, so to say.

"Yeah hmk! yeah, no--nothing re-himp'k!-really wor-erk!-s for hmp'k! for me," he said and intended on keeping it at that. But as embarrassed as he was, his desire for verbosity was apparently greater in the moment. "Exce--pt for hmk!hmk! for apple ci--ider hrmk! vinegar. Hlmk! or ta--taking hmk! a sp--spoonful of sug-ngk!-gar, then hmmk! salt and--and if that hmmp'k! that doesn't work mk! the-mk!-en lem--lemon juice!"

"Huh, really?"

Otto startled at the voice from behind him. He turned to see a man who was a couple of inches shorter than him. He swallowed hard again but didn't let the anxiety show on his face.

The clock maker nodded in response. Apparently, he'd garnered enough interest to be paid attention to even more. This was not ideal, but he'd faked confidence out of more embarrassing situations in his life.

"That always works for you?" the man asked.

Both of them were looking at him now and he found in his periphery they weren't the only ones who suddenly showed interest in the topic.

"Nine ti-imp!-imes out of ten. HUP'K! Oh, excuse me! hip'k!" Otto said and covered his mouth with his fist as his hiccups got a little harder with his nerves. He felt heat in his face on the back of his neck. "If one MMK! doesn't work MK!MK! the other o--one does. HUCK! Damn, sorry!"

Otto put his hand over his mouth again and another over his chest, money underneath the hand.

"I get the worst hiccups, too!" the man continued talking. Otto tried really hard not to roll his eyes in exasperation. "I might try one of those the next time I get them. What was that second one? Salt and a lemon?"

If Atticus had been there, they would have seen clearly the micro expression Otto was giving as he widened his eyes a fraction. Then again, if Atticus was here, he wouldn't have had to field the conversations at all. He really wished Atticus was here.

Otto shook his head to the man's incorrect recount.

"Sug--gar, salt, hmk! lemon," he said quickly, fingers still on his mouth.

"Sugar, salt, lemon! Alright! Thanks, man! You may have saved me over an hour of suffering!" the guy said patting Otto on the shoulder enthusiastically.

Otto took the sudden physical interaction stiffly and nodded just as stiffly.

"Gl--ad I could HRMK!-help," he said and hoped the guy didn't pick up on the thinly veiled sarcasm.

"I'm texting this to my dad!"

Otto turned a wide eye back to the lady in front of him. The line was moving a little faster now and he thanked whatever deity he didn't believe in for granting him at least that much.

He also gave a small thanks neither one of them had insisted on attempting to cure him. Normally he was completely okay with, even enthusiastic about, random social interaction. His hiccups, however, took away all of his control on the subject matter and forced any conversation to be about him and his involuntary disturbance.

"Well, I hope you're able to get rid of your hiccups soon, hon," said the woman. "They sound exhausting!"

No more exhausting than forced conversation, Otto thought. But outwardly he nodded.

"Th--anks," he said.

The bank teller was his last social hurdle, but he had no choice but to speak with her. He took as big of a breath as his diaphragm allowed and approached the window.

"Hey h--how can we," she started and paused again with a tell-tale movement of her head, "help you today?"

She had a sweet face. It was round and her eyes were dark. Her dark hair was pulled up in a ponytail. Her skin was medium brown, and she had a small mole on her top lip like Marilyn Monroe. And, it seemed, she had a pretty decent case of hiccups. Otto couldn't help but laugh.

"HUCK! 'Scuse me. I mk! need to m--make a deposit. Himp'k! Sorr--sorry about these. The ca-mmp!-ame out of no-hup!-nowhere when I HMMK! got into the--the line," he explained.

Admittedly, he felt a little less nervous when he'd seen her hiccup to have them in front of her.

"Oh, my gawd me--me too! As soon hip! as I got to--to the window! I thought I he--heard someone else wi--ith the hiccups, too! Hmp! I've been stru--ggling out here!" she said with obvious amusement and laughed.

Otto laughed, too.

"Well, you're no-HUP!-not alone! HMK!mk!" Otto reassured her with a grin and another sharp hiccup which threw his head back.

"Ev--eryone's been making fu-up!-fun of me," she said and covered her mouth when the last one came out a little louder and higher pitched than she'd expected.

"That's no--ot nice! HRMK!-uh, business ac-MK!-count," he informed her as he passed his paperwork and money to her.

"Was that a mouse I heard?" came a male voice from behind his teller.

"Sh--ut up, Ste-eep!-eve!" his teller yelled.

"Wait, does he have them too?" 'Steve' asked. "I think you're attracting more hiccups, Stace! Like a hiccup magnet!"

'Stace' growled in frustration. Otto, not being able to help himself, spoke up.

"Hey, Steve? HMK!" Otto said. Steve faced him. "Sh--shut up, man!"

Stace laughed in surprise and Steve had the decency to look humbled with a sheepish smile before he walked back to his window with whatever paperwork he'd printed off.

"I'm so--so sorry ab-mk!-out that!" she said.

"It's al-huck! all good! Us hilmpk! hiccup suf--ferers gotta sti-hic'mp!-ck together!" Otto said.

Otto left the bank feeling much less anxious than he had when the hiccups had started. He and Stace wished each other luck in ridding themselves of hiccups. But as soon he reached his car Otto stopped at the door.

"Mother fucker," he muttered under his breath. The hiccups were gone.

The clock maker took a moment to be very frustrated at the situation and timing of his hiccups before he drove away. At least he'd have an interesting, and possibly arousing, story to tell his spouse when he got home.

[detectivesebcas]

Promptober 2024 Day 32- RE Crossover (AU)

Thank you everyone who has submitted prompts and followed the stories this Promptober! It's been a lot of fun, and I am always so happy to see people still active in the fandom. Take care, and Happy November!

Prompt: RE Crossover

Warnings: canon typical violence, canon typical gore

Sebastian pulls his jeep into a Mizoil gas station just outside of Raccoon City.  He could probably make it to the police department on what he’s got left in the tank, but it never hurts to be prepared.  He runs his credit card and starts the gas flowing before staring off down the highway.

Everything was going fine until yesterday.  He’d passed all of the screenings, and they had finished processing his transfer from Krimson to the Raccoon City Police Department, but then all communication from the recruiter who hired him ceased abruptly.  At first, he figured there was some kind of problem with his email, but the phones at the department were also down, and when he tried to contact other local emergency services, no one picked up there either.

Now there’s a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.  Just yesterday he was so excited to start his new job, but he’s not even thinking about that anymore.  Something is very wrong in Raccoon City, and he’s going to find out what.

His thoughts are interrupted by a loud crash from inside the gas station convenience store.  He whips around to face it and realizes for the first time that the lights inside are off, which is weird, because it’s only 9:00 PM and this seems like the kind of place that’s open twenty-four hours anyway.

He starts to move toward the door, alert for any other movement or noises, but he’s only made it a few steps when a loud crack cuts through the air- the unmistakable sound of a gunshot.  It’s followed by several more, and Sebastian breaks into a jog, reaching the front door of the store at the same time as someone else hits it from the other side.

Sebastian quickly steps back, pulling the door open, and the other man stumbles out onto the pavement.  He’s a few inches shorter than Sebastian with black hair that flops into his face but doesn’t hide his panicked expression.  He’s dressed casually, in a black T-shirt, leather jacket, jeans, and motorcycle boots, but Sebastian’s eyes go immediately to the gun in his hand, mind racing as he tries to figure out if this is a threat.

The man shakes his head vigorously and points to the open door beside Sebastian, and when Sebastian turns his head he can see why.  Three figures are moving toward the open door, but their movements are stiff, jerky, and somehow inhuman.  They stagger forward, arms outstretched, and one of them emits a sort of forlorn wail as it shambles toward the door.

Sebastian stares, dumbfounded as it closes in on him, but he can’t make sense of what he’s seeing.  The man’s skin is pale, almost gray, and it’s peeling off in places, as though he’s decaying right in front of him.  His mouth hangs slack, and the odor is indescribable.

“Do something!” the man beside him shouts, and that jolts Sebastian out of his trance.

His hand goes to the pistol in his holster, and he draws it, aims, and pulls the trigger in one fluid motion, sending the first man careening onto the floor.  The other two are not dissuaded at all, and they continue forward, stumbling over the first man’s body as they reach for Sebastian.

He fires again and again, only stopping when they are both on the floor as well.  Adrenaline is surging through him, and his heart is pounding in his ears, almost as loud as the gunshots.  He slowly lowers his arm, hand shaking as he holsters his weapon.

“Nice shooting,” the man beside him says, sounding genuinely impressed.

“Thanks,” Sebastian replies, blinking slowly as he tries to process what just happened.  His relief that the threat is neutralized is tempered by horror at the bizarre scene in front of him and the dawning realization that he’s just shot three people.  “I guess-”

His words are cut off by a shout of warning from the other man, and he spins to see that there are more figures approaching from all sides.  They’re almost completely surrounded, and there are already several of them in between him and his jeep.

“Quick!” the man says, “This way!”

Sebastian turns to follow him as he sprints down the sidewalk, darting around the corner of the gas station to where a motorcycle is parked.

“Get on!” the man snaps, already throwing his leg over the seat.

Sebastian doesn’t ask any questions.  He straddles the motorcycle behind his new companion just as the engine roars to life and the bike lurches forward.  Sebastian has to throw an arm around the other man’s waist to keep from being unseated, but he manages to get his balance and find the footrests as they tear out of the parking lot.

“What happened back there?” he shouts as they race down the highway, weaving in and out between stopped cars and more of the strange, lurching figures.  “Was there some kind of disease outbreak?”

It doesn’t quite fit what he just saw, but it’s his best guess.

“No idea,” the man calls back.

“Who are you?”

“Stefano.”

“I’m Sebastian.  I was supposed to be starting at the police department tomorrow, but they went offline.  Now I don’t know what the hell is happening.”

He braces himself as Stefano aims for a very tight space between a car and the guardrail, but they shoot through without touching either of them.

“My sister’s a police officer in Raccoon City,” Stefano says.  “I haven’t been able to reach her either.”  There’s a long pause before he adds.  “It sounds like we both may find some answers at the police station.”

“Then that’s our next stop,” Sebastian agrees.

Stefano nods and accelerates down the highway.  The wind whips his hair back into Sebastian’s face, but Sebastian’s arm is locked around his waist.  He just manages to read the writing on a large, illuminated billboard as they fly by.

Welcome to Raccoon City

Home of Umbrella

[infamousbrad]

I don't often get C-PTSD flashbacks from reading ProPublica news articles. I'm going to have to spend some time breathing deliberately and/or take a sleeping pill and go back to bed.

I'm autistic. Job hunting was hell for me at the best of times because I've never met a Human Resources employee who wasn't bigoted against the mentally ill. "You're perfectly qualified for the job, but I just don't think you'd be a good fit." So every job hunt I've ever had, even in boom times, has taken me a year or more to find someone who knew me, personally or professionally from a previous job, who had an opening and could pull rank on H.R. to get me in. And every job ended the same way: I got transferred to a disability-hostile manager ("it's not fair to everyone else if I treat you differently") and almost immediately fired. So threatening to fire me is only one step down from threatening to try to kill me.

And I've been threatened with being fired way more times than I've actually been fired. I'm a naturally scrupulous person, especially when safety issues are involved because I can't not worry, but also I know I'm really bad at telling when the people around me think the rules matter and when they don't (and worse at caring about their feelings about it being okay to break the rules this time). And I have long-since lost track of how many times I've been confronted with the choice:

Either commit a crime that puts people in danger ...

Or else we'll fire you, and you'll have to explain to every human resources department you apply at that you were fired for disobeying an order.

God, I hate this species. "I don't care if it's unsafe or illegal, I need it done." "Everybody cheats, if you don't cheat you can't make money." "We've gotten away with it before, it'll be fine." And "if other people die, they die; it's more important to get the job done." Fuck fuck fuck, I hate it. 'Cause it's real cheap of them to say when they're not going to be the one who gets hurt, isn't it? It's not like their families are going to get killed when (not if) a train derails, so who cares?

Some outlet I read (I think it was the WaPo?) did a long series about whistleblowing a little while back and concluded that most of us won't even say we want more whistleblowers, and most of the people who say they do don't mean it, certainly not when it comes to their own misdeeds. In one of the articles in the series, they cited moral foundations theory and suggested that that's because almost half of us rank "loyalty" above most or all other virtues. As in yes honesty and safety are virtues, but loyalty to your employer, your team, whatever is a more important virtue.

Fuck that. If I've let myself get peer pressured or tricked or bullied into doing something (or worse, ordering something) illegal and unsafe, I want subordinates who'll call me on my bullshit, hold me accountable. I need backup, everybody needs backup! Retaliate against whistleblowers? Fuck that noise; if I were in a position to hire, I'd offer extra to hire people who'd blown the whistle on misconduct to the point where they got fired for it -- I may not be able to trust them to "have my back" (which I don't even want when I'm in the wrong!) but I can trust them to tell the truth and protect others.

Obviously this means I've never worked in H.R. And it probably overlaps heavily with why my last real, professional employer finally told me I'd never make management. And shortly thereafter fired me. In a straight-up case of whistleblower retaliation. And then went so far as to lie to every potential employer I applied to that I was fired for "making terroristic threats," a straight-up frame-up that guaranteed that I'd never work in my industry again.

[kitsunesakii]

Transparency

(Reuploaded)

"We think we are going to transfer you to the Oak Provence Region."

"Sir?" Core stood in the commander's- Superhero's - office for the third time this year, getting transferred again..... For the third time this year. And she was just settling into the Western Sector.

"The Super Villain has been moved up from a type D to a type A, but we are having problems getting evidence to arrest."

she blinked, mildly bored of the topic. Admittedly not extremely surprised that they were transferring her. letting her nest in a city just long enough to get all knowledge on the current baddie to expose them before they moved her to the next one.

Charlie was part of the Intelligence Agency, a select group of supers that put their powers into stealth, gathering info on gangs and hierarchy. The pillars that kept the peace, even if it didn't seem like it.

"Jane? Are you here with me?"

"Yeah." she answered flatly. "So when's the transfer?"

"We already took the liberty of packing your bags, you leave tonight."

A small bitter scoff squeaked through her lips, doubt he heard it. Of course they already packed her stuff, she only had the illusion of control. Silly, since they couldn't touch her.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Charlie entered her new apartment in Oak Provence Region, Hero Branch complex 5. These were the apartments that were constructed to the likes and needs of the superheroes of the city, no matter what Agency they were a part of.

Her's was an anti-gravity chamber. She had an interesting ability. It was more of a curse.

Her parents worked in the Radiation Agency, a not-so-well-named facility that helped the A-B class heroes with training. When she was 8, she was in the facility when an explosion went off. It wasn't your average explosion either, the Hero Division was working with test subjects on a radiation fusion that let them faze through matter.

The Hero Division told the media that it was a harmless blast. They failed to mention the 8 year old that's powers fused with the experiment making her incorporeal, ghost-like.

It was nice at first. She was able to walk through walls and slip through ceilings. Until she realized that it took a lot of energy to keep her feet on the ground. Or build enough matter in her hands to shake someone else's. Hence the anti-gravity chamber.

It looked like a normal apartment, except for the reinforced steel walls and no furniture. And the red button on the wall. The only type of furnishing was just a rope that hung loosely in case she wanted to pull herself around.

She entered the apartment and firmly closed the door, dropping her bag and immediately pressing the button.

There was no sound to it, just a small pop in her ears and then.... she was floating.

A small sigh escaped her as she untensed all her muscles, the soundless, weightless feeling flooding over her in the sweet euphoria of sleep.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Charlie opened her eyes. Blinking a few times as she stretched out her arms and breathed. A 100,000 thoughts rushing through her head.

she didn't need to be told her assignment, it was already clear. she was useful since you couldn't really hurt her. Locks didn't stop her. Acid or poison can't connect to skin that isn't sold. Mind control can't penetrate a brain that fades in and out. The perfect weapon.

She dragged her hands through her hair, slipping into an oversized hoodie, and exiting her apartment.

Because she needed zero gravity she couldn't have windows, that didn't shorten her surprise to walk outside and see that it was still dark out. And she didn't own a watch.

The city was seemingly alive with energy. Cars and buses roared by on roads, kicking up mud and sewage that collected on corners of pavement.

Skyscrapers challenged each other in sky high lengths, making even the clouds glow a little.

The scene made her take an extra second to realize that she wasn't walking alone.

she glanced at the person beside her, walking in tangent with her steps.

"It's early for a stroll, don't you think?" she chuckled at his words.

"Nope, just enjoying the scenery, just got here last night."

"New hero are we?"

“Something like that" she answered, some bitter expression coming over her face and leaving just as fast. "Are you one as well?" she guessed you'd have too be to be in this part of town, no sensible villain would roam around these areas unless they were stupid, powerful or a combination of the both. And while civilians loved to promote the different heroes, there was always an intimidating factor that kept them away from these areas. Of any city.

His face shaped into a humored smirk. "Something like that."

Right.

"So are you here on assignment or supervising?"

"Assignment, say, what time is it?"

He pulled his hand out of his pocket, revealing a couple gold rings and a nice watch.

"Its 4:30,"

The small look of horror must have shown on her face because his amused grin returned. Did she sleep at all last night?!?

"Assignment huh? I didn't know they were bringing others from other cities."

"They aren't, I'm a special case." It was dawning on her that maybe she shouldn't be sharing some of this information, not that it mattered. It never mattered.

"Well, I should head out. It was nice to meet you Ms?"

"You can just call me Charlie, I don't use my last name. And you are?"

He laughed, some fragment of sadness flashing through his eyes as he spoke, "Oh dearest, you'll find out soon enough." And with that he turned the corner.

"People and their riddles," she muttered as she headed to the complex. Maybe someone will be up as early as she is.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Well Ms. Jane you certainly got here early, when did you say you got in?"

"A little after 5. Please don't call me that, I'd much rather go by Charlie." It was already 1 pm.

He chuckled lightly. Ignoring her last comment. "Alright then, here is your assignment. We just want you to find something noteworthy on Mr. Avery, the newly found supervillain of the area." He pulled out a folder. "As you know this happened quite unexpectedly due to the fact that the whole publicity was an after effect, leading to disaster."

she raised an eyebrow, he pushed the file in her direction, "that's one way to say accident."

"Well, he was supposedly just a class D with teleportation within a 3 mile radius."

she opened the file, skimming the contents until her eyes landed on a picture.

"But yesterday-"

"Is this him?"

"Yea, he's the owner of a company-"

"Wait, but he's the guy in the picture?"

her supervisor stared at her with a quizzical expression, "yes?"

That was him. He was a villain.

"What's his power?"

"Well..."

She made eye contact with her superior.

"You don't know?"

"That's what you are here for!" they responded cheerfully. "Although we are aware that it has something to do with the gravitational field."

Yeah, that didn't help her. It wasn't an anomaly to meet the person that she was supposed to meet within the first week. But not on the first day, let alone so casually. Normally the villain that she was assigned too very quickly grew hatred towards her. Sad. she quite enjoyed the little talk they shared that morning.

"Ok, is that all?"

"Yeah, keep it under wraps, I don't want any more drama about this circling the media."

“Yeah, yeah.”

She didn't take the folder, too much of a hassle to hold. she was already feeling strained and the day had barely started.

She headed out and back to her apartment. Charlie thought about everything that she needed to figure out. The moment she got to her apartment she took out her crappy laptop and searched up the city.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

2 hours later fueled the foundation of a couple major things. Firstly, the whole situation was supposed to stay underwraps. Apparently, the daughter of the Mayor was being blackmailed by some third party because she was a part of an underground crime unit.

Cool.

This Unit supposedly was controlled by "Vincent Vallery." The assumed surname of Mr. Pine Avery. Seems that things were already rumored to be happening. Articles titled "Mr.Avery's secret love?" And "Mayor invested in underground crime." The list went on.

Also cool.

She learned that last month the girl was busted sending letters. News broke out like the plague. In the crossfire Vincent Vallery was exposed as a class A. Although all the information is foggy on that front. Witnesses say they saw something, but no one could pinpoint what. Not only that but in the incident there were at least over 60 people, and no one was able to confirm Vincent Vallery as Mr. Avery.

Not as cool.

This is why she was brought on. While the public was dealing with politics, and the Mayor was under arrest as a suspect, she was supposed to get real evidence against Mr. Avery, clear the Mayor's name, and bring an end to the rumors.

Great.

Just great.

She looked at the time, it was already almost 5:45 and the sun was starting to set.

She turned off the anti-gravity and headed into the city. Any off-the-corner sausage shop would work for food, the Agency didn't pay her much, always saying that, "If we didn't have to house you with such extreme amenities then you would get more out of your paycheck."

She was sure that they said the same thing to just about everyone.

After paying an arm and a leg for something that appeared to be constructed out of a lab she headed aimlessly up the street.

Charlie noticed that in the cracks of cobble and corners of streets were little bits of foliage. It spread gently up the sides of buildings and edged itself out onto pavement. Alleyways were really just spaced out parking spots for deep rooted trees and densely packed overgrowth. The parks were shaped organically like a river, swerving in and out against the backs of buildings and skyscrapers. Dipping into small ponds and back out into the city. And every tree you could see was an oak. Dark, strong, stems with beautifully, wide spread leaves.

It was much nicer than her old city, where rats had taken over old, forgotten, and unused trash cans. The pavement there was dry and you always felt like one wrong breeze and the buildings would topple over each other. The air didn't have the fresh light quality that it had here.

She drew in a deep breath, holding it out an extra second before exhaling in tangent with the breeze.

For a city riddled with crime and villains it seemed awfully peaceful.

"How wonderful to stumble upon you once again."

Her neck snapped left, now extremely aware that she was, in fact, not alone. It only took her a second before she broke out into short laughter.

"You're one to talk, by what I've heard you really shouldn't be in this part of town."

He shrugged, a lax smile setting his whole posture. "They have nothing."

"I see," she took another bite of her food.

"Well, have you learned what your assignment is?"

A small smirk spread across her face, "yes, although, sadly it's no good news for you."

A cautious smile quirked on his features, a million words hidden in his eyes.

"Oh?"

"I'm supposed to find the 'something' in your supposed 'nothing'." No reason to hide it, if they were to be enemies she didn't want to postpone the inevitable.

"Interesting," he hummed, "I guess that means I'll be seeing you more frequently."

she blinked at him. He hadn't even acknowledged the meaning in her words.

"Although," he continued, "I guess it would be interesting, since you don't seem worried about how dangerous they've labeled me as."

"I have no reason to fear you."

He hummed in agreement, his brow lifting as he spoke. "You're right, but most people don't jump to that conclusion right off the bat."

"I'm not most people."

"I can see that, Well, since we are destined to bump into each other again, how about I make things simple with coffee. I know a really good hidden spot that has amazing cookies. And coffee of course."

She frowned, "You do realize I have been given the task to out you, right?"

"Has it occurred to you dearest that I have nothing to hide?"

Obviously. "I don't get assigned to people that have 'nothing to hide'."

"Then you should have plenty of reasons to ask questions over coffee." He smiled again. Holding the same energy as if they were talking about the weather. "And maybe I'll ask a few questions myself."

"Right, well, I do like cookies. And coffee"

"Brilliant," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper. "Alright then," he handed her a business card. "Contact me and we shall set something up."

"Ok" she pocketed the paper.

"Until then dearest," And with a tilt of his hat he was gone with the night.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The next morning didn't yield the same tranquility as the day before. She didn't sleep much. The stupid anti-gravity jammed. Which meant that she woke up in the bottom level basement by the washer and dryer. And she had been half submerged in cement.

Earth was denser than most concrete buildings, providing just enough support to hold her up naturally. The cement on the bottom level was just thin enough for her to wake up half covered. As if she was sitting in shallow water.

Ticked didn't even come close to the feeling that was crashing through her. Like a built up hurricane it only got worse when she asked the apartment landlord and he basically just brushed her off. Some comment about;

"It'll get fixed eventually, but it isn't top priority so you will have to be patient."

She walked to the main office where her superior was. Everything hurt. her joints felt raw and strained and she swore she could feel every individually bruised muscle.

They gave her the same answer.

"You know," he had said, "we could fix you up in a better apartment if you did your job better."

She just stared at him.

3 major cities. she basically owned top headlines : HERO COMMITTEE TAKES DOWN VILLAIN OF 70 YEARS, and IN SHOCKING TURN OF EVENTS UNNAMED HERO TAKES DOWN SUPER VILLAIN, and so many more.

Even if she didn't get the credit directly she was still their hidden secret. The hinges that held the door.

If you did your job better.

Yeah right.

She decided against murder and chose to just leave. They were always like this. She was too tired to fight back. It was the same argument every time. she could leave but... she had nowhere to go. It wasn't like she could work a normal job. Have a normal life. They knew that. And so instead she walked along the sidewalk.

Watching the sea of people, she saw couples that smiled and laughed. Girls and boys alike shyly take up their companions' hands as unsaid promises.

People holding each other. Touching each other. she looked towards the ground, balling her hands into fists and shoving them deep in the pockets of her hoodie.

Her fingers brushed against something. she blinked, pulling out a business card. His business card.

"Contact me and we shall set something up."

Maybe this wasn't the best idea. she really wasn't in the mood to ask a bunch of questions. the chance that he would grow to hate her was a good reason to cut contact. Plus, making friends apparently wasn't a part of her love language. Not that she had one.

She was really starting to tire of all this. Maybe she just needed sleep. On a good day she could push aside her annoyance for the committee's complete and utter disrespect for her. But today....

She just need sleep

But where would she get that? With the anti-gravity down the chances of her awaking in a different place was too real of a concept. So instead she kept walking.

She followed the cracked pavement along the city, following its pattern through parks and under bridges. Following it across alleys and besides skyscrapers. Watching the foliage build into grass patches before turning into tattered carpet, then finally back into small lines in the cobble.

She listened to the white noise that hummed in the air. Courtyards held little cafes with outdoor seating. Small lights weaved between the tall oaks, making it seem like string blowing in the breeze. People chatted amongst themselves. Filling the air with rumors and secrets. Cute talk and building friendships were only recognized by the rivers that carried all the sound in rhythm with the symphony of the creek.

she blew out another breath, sitting down on the grass by a small koi pond. she felt a little better. It was extraordinarily calm for how big of a city it was.

While she had walked, the sky had gone from bubbly, bright blue to a shy, auburn orange before blushing a deep red that faded into a cotton candy pink. Before it settled into a sleepy, soundless, bluish-black. Sparkling pockets of white scattered across its face like freckles.

Sometimes she wondered what It would be like up there, weightlessly carried amongst the sea of stars. Not held captive by the gravity wrapped like chains around her body. Maybe up there I'd meet someone just as weightless.

She shoved the thought aside, instead she pulled out the small slip of paper once more.

She should call him... Explain that she can't do coffee. It didn't seem right to simply blow him off, especially since he's been so seemingly kind to me. Maybe it was a ploy. Some cruel trap to lock her up. It wouldn't be the first time something of that sort was tried. He still couldn't touch me. Nothing would change that.

She stood up from her grass sanctuary and walked over towards the payphone.

Amusingly, they were scattered around the city like wildflowers, sprouting out of the ground in odd, out of place areas that, at a glance, just seemed to work. Which was nice since she didn't own a phone, and she basically pulled her laptop out of a dumpster just so she could keep tabs on the outside world.

she really was paid next to nothing. And what little she did make was normally taken as "taxes" from the landlord. Another detail that every city had in common.

she dialed the number that was printed in elegant, gold print that shone in the glow of the street lamp. Idley rubbing circles into her arm, and trying to put extra weight on her feet, feeling the solid ground under her for any sort of comfort.

"Hello?"

"Hi this is Charlie? We spoke earlier today... "

"Yes! Hello again, You know I was just thinking, over on the south side of the city there is a little place called 'The Firefly's Corner'. I think you'd like it there."

she bit gently into her lip, starting to feel dizzy from the energy of holding the phone. "About that, I don't think this is such a great idea... " she paused. She didn't have an excuse. she didn't want to dump her problems onto a stranger either.

"Ah, I see."

"I'm sorry." The words took away her breath. And she realized how hollow her voice sounded and how shakey her hands were. she couldn't shake how tired she felt. How loud her thoughts were. she wasn't at her best and she didn't know how to handle herself, let alone try to talk with someone over coffee.

"Dearest? Do you need something?"

Yes "No," It hit her that if she didn't establish any sort of contact they might never fix her apartment. "I just have other things planned tonight, how about tomorrow?"

"Ok."

The genuine tone is what did it. What caused tired tears to roll down her cheek. She let her feet fold on the ground, and she rested her head under a large oak. she didn't plan on trying to head back. It was much more comfortable out here. Listening to the sounds of the koi pond.

[sxypigeon]

Torment Deserved - Wenclair fic

After a night of trauma induced dreams, Wednesday and Enid become each other's heroes.

Wednesday also confronts feelings for her bestie.

---

In the deepest, darkest hours of the night, when one’s subconscious is free to run amuck, horror often lurks.  Waking in terror and confusion, cortisol and adrenaline flooding the body, elevating blood pressure and heart rate, no other feeling better encapsulates life, mortality.  For obvious reasons, this is my favorite time of day . . . usually.  

Tonight, not so much.

A sharp gasp reverberated through Wednesday’s shared bedroom as she shot up in bed.  

My first therapist said my love of fear was a type of excitation transfer response - a type of physical and psychological excitement from fright; that hasn’t changed.  I’m no stranger to night terrors or bad dreams, but I learned at an early age to embrace the feelings they caused and turn them into something almost pleasurable.

Dark eyes scanned the quiet room as sweat beaded at her hairline and lower back.

Over time, my hellish, night time visions became comforting, a constant I could rely  on.  Now, the dreams have changed into something else.  

Flashes of her dream raced through Wednesday’s mind in the dark - Enid dying at Tyler’s feet, Enid poisoned by Gates, Enid stabbed through the gut by a psychotic ghost.

I will always love the feelings fear invokes - not so much the cause anymore.

Heart rate slowing, Wednesday sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees and pulled them to her chest.  A bit of PTSD seemed to be a small price to pay for remaining part of the living after the last few months.

It’s also in times like these that I can feel the other soul inhabiting my body.  True to her word, Goody hasn’t reappeared, but that doesn’t mean she’s staying silent and in the shadows.  

The familiar wave of post-terror dopamine crested and nearly drowned the seer.  Eyes rolling back, goose-bumps rising on her flesh, Wednesday let her limbs relax and fell heavily back onto the bed.  She . . . felt the other soul, not in a concrete way, but Wednesday knew Goody was there trying to comfort her anxious mind.  

I’ve spent most of my life relying only on myself, not trusting anyone else.  It’s been a bit of an adjustment learning to accept the spirit’s presence to say the least.

Wednesday looked to the other side of the room.  Under the pastel colored sheets, Enid was little more than a small, quivering lump on the bed.  

Unfortunately, I am not the only one plagued with nightmares.

Kicking off her blankets, Wednesday crept to her feet towards her nearly gently  whimpering roommate.  

Enid suffers because of what I put her through.  Her dreams are the result of knowing me.  I am toxic and hurt everyone I care for.

Wednesday stopped beside Enid’s bed and whispered, “Enid . . . Enid, it’s just a dream.  It’s okay.”

It’s not okay, but that’s what people say when they comfort others, right?  I can feel Goody coaxing me closer to my best friend, trying to smother my self-hatred with action.

A black nailed hand gently gripped Enid’s shoulder and shook it.  “Enid, wake up.”

This isn’t the first time either of us has woken the other like this.  Enid usually tosses a stuffed animal at me - I pulled a knife on her the first time she pulled me from a dream.  I still approach Enid, much to her annoyance.

Enid’s claws weren’t fully extended when she took a swipe at Wednesday.  It’s expected and the seer simply took a step out of range.  “Enid, it’s just a dream.  You’re safe.”

“Shit, sorry.”  Enid breathed heavily for a moment and retracted.  The bags under her eyes almost rivaled Wednesday’s.  “You can’t keep doing this.  One of these times I’m going to hurt you.”

It would be no less than I deserve.

Taking a step toward the bed, Wednesday placed a hand on Enid’s knee that the werewolf immediately clutched in both of hers.  “That’s what makes it fun.”

The old me would never have initiated physical contact let alone wake someone from a nightmare.  It’s still uncomfortable, foreign even, but I’m trying to think of Enid’s needs too.

Enid sighed and rolled her eyes, “Idiot.”  

“Your idiot.”

I’m trying my best to distract her and some deep, dark part of me enjoys the sound of Enid’s laugh.

“My tiny, lethal idiot.”

I’m too tired to be insulted - weeks of interrupted sleep are making me sluggish.

Wednesday squeezed her hand.  “Do you want to talk about the dream?”

That’s what people are supposed to ask, right?

Enid shook her head.  “Nothing new.  Did I wake you?”

I’m trying not to deflect, but the urge is strong.  

“No, I was already awake.”

The look on Enid’s face tells me my half truth has been extrapolated into the full.

“Are you able to stay?”

I am convinced Enid is the single most patient person I’ve ever met.  I will never ask to share a bed, but Enid knows it helps both of us on nights like this.  

Though unable to meet her eyes, Wednesday nodded.

Shared trauma has a way of forging bonds deeper than I had ever expected - I don’t dread climbing into Enid’s bed and arms.  She is safety and care personified and I fear I’ve become dependent.

Warm breath caressed Wednesday’s ear once she settled onto her back, “Still freezing, I see.”

I’m not afraid of many things, but the warmth that settles low in my guts at Enid’s nearness is damn near terrifying.

“Someone has to cool you down, you furry furnace,”  Wednesday mutters as she wraps her arm around her roommate and pulls her closer until Enid is half laying on top of her.

“You love it.”

The small, fragile part of my psyche I��ve had under lock and key for so many years nearly escapes.  It stains through the bars of its cell, reaching for Enid.  I’m too exhausted to beat it back.

“I wouldn’t be here if I detested it,” Wednesday admits.  She turns her head enough to bury her nose in Enid’s hair.  “It must be some evolutionary response I have no hope of ignoring.” 

I suspect Goody may be partly to blame for my emotional confession.  She must be controlling the amount of dopamine I feel when I hold my ”bestie.”

Enid’s sigh isn’t without mirth.  “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you’ve succumbed to something as pedestrian as cuddles .”

I’m horrified at how much I would readily “succumb” to in the name of Enid’s comfort and happiness.  I am my father’s daughter and it sickens me enormously.

“I owe you a blood debt.  Only you will ever receive my cuddles.”  Wednesday’s arm around Enid’s back tightens before relaxing again.  “You have until I’ve repaid my debt.”

I don’t tell her the truth of course - she will always receive whatever she wants from me, debt repaid or not.

“I better make the most of this then.”  Enid exhales slowly and becomes boneless.  “G’night, Wends.”

“Good night, Pup.”

Of all the different types of torment I’ve endured over my short life, Enid is easily the greatest.  I will protect this woman with my life, but can’t ensure her happiness and it’s killing me.  She loves another and I . . . am not fit for such a precious gift.  Her companionship is more than I deserve and I accept it greedily.  She is in my arms tonight and that is enough.

***

Wednesday wakes the next morning with a start.  Not as violent as last night’s nightmare, but enough that she’s nearly high off the adrenaline.  Wild eyes dart as she takes in the pressure on her chest and legs.  

Enid has almost climbed on top of her in her sleep.  The arm around Wednesday’s waist has drifted up and the werewolf’s hand now rests just below the startled girl’s breast.  Twitching unconsciously, Enid’s thumb grazes the underside of Wednesday’s chest.

“ Shit,” Wednesday mouths wordlessly.  Heat is flooding her face and chest and it’s taking all of her concentration to keep her respiration even.  

I am undone by the slightest of touches.  

A hand raises to cup the werewolf’s wandering hand, but hesitates, then falls back to Wednesday’s side.  The smallest of smiles infects her lips.

Torture without malice - Enid is truly gifted.  Who am I to end such exquisite torment?  

Bonus:

Enid wakes to Thing tapping the back of head and opens her eyes to pale collar bones and a soft black shirt. She and Wednesday are sharing her bed again and Enid can't ignore the warm feeling of triumph. Distant, seemingly emotionless Wednesday Addams is cuddling with her.

Before she can revel too long, Enid realizes why Thing woke her - she's nearly copping a feel of her sleeping roommate. She freezes and does her best not to wake Wednesday.

What the f?! What the fuck?! Okay, stay calm- wow, this must be the only part of her that's warm. No, focus. Take it slow.

Moving at glacial speeds, Enid slides her hand to a much safer spot lower on Wednesday's rib cage. Thing slinks quietly into view by her roommate's shoulder as Enid feels her panic subside. He's smiling and rolling his non-existent eyes, she's pretty sure anyway. She fixes him with a glare and signs, "Not a word."

As Thing shrugs and hops off the bed, Enid closes her eyes and tries to drift off to sleep again - a bit of a challenge with the butterflies fluttering her stomach.

[animeomegas]

I read the Naruto Omega request with the alpha commenting about how their kid is just like their Omega (and I loved it so much) but what if the kid is just like their Alpha parent? Like the Alpha hit copy/paste of their kid and it's obvious to everyone, especially their Omega parent.

(Hehe, the reverse, interesting! I got a bit carried away in some places, but this was really fun to write! Enjoy~)

Naruto - Naruto knows his pup looks a lot like his alpha, but they're also like him!! He can see it just fine! You see the way they don't like reading kanji? He didn't like reading kanji when he was their age! You see the way they scratch their head sometimes? He does that too! As far as he's concerned there is lots of him in his child and he doesn't know why no one else seems to see it. He will definitely dress them in the worst orange clothes and style their hair like his to try and get everyone else to notice the similarities.

"No, Kakashi sensei, you don't get it! I had to walk past Ichiraku's the other day and my pup started to cry because we were in too much of a rush to go in. They have great taste, just like me, believe it!"

Sasuke - Sasuke didn't think he was the sort to care that much, but he's honestly a little shocked. Uchiha genes are crazy strong, and he's surprised that his alpha's genes are apparently stronger. He also gets kinda embarrassed because he spent his whole pregnancy telling you that the pup was probably going to look a lot like him and he was very obviously wrong about that. But in the end, he honestly kind of likes it. He doesn't have the best self-esteem and he definitely holds a somewhat subconscious belief that the Uchiha bloodline is cursed, so he finds it relaxing for his pup to look so much like his alpha. It makes him feel like they have a chance at a good life, something he didn't even realise he was worried about beforehand. He prefers his pup to look as much like his alpha as possible.

"Huh," said Naruto, giving Sasuke's pup a glance. "If you were an alpha, I'd say your mate cheated on you, but I guess the pup came out of you, so I suppose you're all good."

"Tch, idiot," Sasuke scoffed, gently brushing his child's hair (his alpha's hair that he loved so much) from her eyes. "Don't be so crude."

Shino - He doesn't really notice, not at first, too enamoured by the fact that his pup is beautiful and amazing and someone him and his mate created together. But after a few comments from others, he starts to realise how little of him seemed to be part of that creation, and he gets a bit melancholic about it. Don't get him wrong, he thinks his alpha has amazing genetics and he loves them both but... he's been excluded from a lot in his life and the fact that he appears to have been excluded from this as well. It hurts. Thankfully, as soon as the pup is old enough to start dressing in the Aburame clan clothes, everyone immediately starts calling them a mini-Shino, telling him how much like their father they are etc. He always puffs up in pride and it doesn’t take long for his friends to notice and they make sure to say that as much as possible to him. I imagine his alpha also picks up on it and goes out of their way to point out the similarities.

"I had to pull him away from exploring in the woods today," you inform Shino, having just walked in from a walk with your pup to allow Shino some peace to clean the kitchen. "He didn't like being told he wasn't old enough yet. Much like someone else I used to know~"

"Is that so?" Shino felt like his heart might burst from happiness that his child loved looking for bugs in the woods as much as he did. "I'll have to take him there tomorrow. Why? Because I want him to be happy."

Shikamaru - If his child doesn't learn to appreciate the beauty of a nap soon, Shikamaru may just have to disown him. He's joking, of course, but he's another one who firmly believed in the dominant genes in his clan, so he is shocked to find that there is now a tiny clone of his alpha running around their house. His pup and his mate gang up on him all the time… poor long suffering Shikamaru. Apart from missing valuable napping/cloud gazing time, Shikamaru doesn't care that much, although he finds it distantly amusing that the future clan head looks nothing like a Nara. Maybe they’ll gain more of his traits as they get older, maybe they won’t, they’re his precious little pup either way.

“If I promise to give you some chocolate later, will you come and take a nap with daddy?”

“No, no, no! Don’t want to! Want to play!”

Shikamaru just let out a long-suffering sigh and resigned himself to being awake for the whole day. Troublesome.

Neji – Neji is so fucking over the moon, he can’t even put it into words. The second he sees his child’s eyes for the first time, Neji starts to cry. They have your eyes. In other words, they have no chance of developing the Byakugan and therefore no need to be given the caged bird seal. The weight that lifts off his shoulders is massive. He has no room in his emotions for any sadness that his pup doesn’t look like him, because he knows how unbelievably lucky he got with this.

You sat by Neji’s bedside, pup cradled in their arms, as you waited for him to come to after the c-section surgery.

When Neji’s eyes finally fluttered open, he immediately focused on the bundle in your arms.

“It’s a little girl,” you answered, understanding his silent question. “Either a beta or an omega.”

Neji didn’t speak, simply holding out his arms to take his daughter from his mate. But just as they transferred him his pup, they whispered something in his ear.

“She has my eyes.”

An unremarkable statement to most, but Neji startled and checked immediately. You were right. She had your eyes.

Exhausted, Neji burst into tears, leaning on his alpha for support and mentally thanking every power that may be for this miracle.

Iruka – Iruka doesn’t have any strong feelings either way. He just wanted someone to love and nurture, what they look like doesn’t mean anything to him. In fact, he’s pretty happy that his pup and his alpha are so similar because it makes him feel like he knows how to parent successfully. He knows his alpha better than anyone after all, so a pup who has the same personality and motivations should be easier for him to parent. He acknowledges every comment about how much his pup looks like you with a laugh. It’s true and it is a little amusing how similar the two of you are. (Also, does Iruka take all your baby photos and then stage matching ones with your pup because he thinks it’s cute how similar you are? Absolutely.)

“Here, if you eat all your vegetables, you can have some of this afterwards,” Iruka promised to his pup, brandishing a plate of both his mate’s and his pup’s favourite food. Without even a moment of consideration, his pup started to eat his vegetables.

Iruka smiled to himself. Works every time. (On both the most important people in his life.)

Itachi – Much like Neji, he’s very relieved that his child is unlikely to be able to unlock the Sharigan. The sharigan has brought Itachi very little good and so much suffering, so knowing his child can avoid that makes him extremely happy. Not to mention, the elders pretty much discard his pup as unimportant immediately, just how Itachi likes it, and while they do start harassing him about having more children, he would much rather that they were bothering him than his baby. He doesn’t let himself be disappointed that his child doesn’t look much like him. He has a healthy and happy pup that he loves with all his heart, and who is free from the perpetual harassment from the Uchiha elders. That’s the best situation he could have asked for.

“They don’t look like an Uchiha,” a blunt twelve-year-old Sasuke said, tilting his head at the bundle in his brother’s arms like he’d never seen a baby before.

Itachi didn’t take any offence and laughed softly, still very weak from the birth.

“Well, technically they are only half-Uchiha,” Itachi answered, absently stroking his pup’s head. “And I think they’re perfect.”

[multifandomimagines]

Let Me Show You - A Theo Raeken Imagine

Characters: Theo Raeken x Reader

Word Count: 3469

Summary: Reader is feeling stressed and insecure, so Theo wants to be there for her and make her feel perfect.

Warnings: Smut (female-receiving oral and vaginal), insecurity, mentions of IED

Written by: Josie

A/N: Keep reading after the cut 👀

Disclaimer: GIF isn’t ours - credit to who it belongs to

Y/N sighed as the puffy red eyes of her reflection stared back at her through the mirror. This week had been… different. Every little thing had been going wrong, and each day brought more and more emotion, stress and insecurity. Her under-eyes were dark with exhaustion and her smile wasn’t as bright as it usually was - that is, when it showed itself anyway.

She didn’t even hear when her bedroom door opened and closed softly, didn’t register the light footsteps across her carpet moving toward her; not until the eyes of her boyfriend met hers in the mirror, round with concern. Seeing him so suddenly would usually have elicited a wide grin from Y/N, and she would jump into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. Yet, in the state she was in, his arrival made her feel as if she could finally let it all out. Her emotions overwhelmed her like a tidal wave, and her eyes prickled with tears.

“Theo,” she whispered, her voice cracking, and hurriedly turned around to bury her head in his neck. Almost like a reflex, Theo held her tightly to his chest as she cried, his hand rubbing up and down her trembling back. He slowly walked them backward until his legs hit the edge of her bed, and pulled her shaking body onto his lap.

“Shh, baby,” Theo hushed her sobs tenderly. “It’s okay.” Her head had made its way back to his neck, Y/N couldn’t even look up at him. He wouldn’t show it, because he had to be strong for her, but seeing his girl like this broke him to pieces inside. She was the only person who saw the good in him when everyone else tossed him aside as either a failure or a villain. Either way, he was a lost cause in the eyes of most people. Everyone really… well, everyone except her. Out of all of the people Theo had met in his life, he knew Y/N deserved to be happy more than anyone. She deserved to be cared for, celebrated, loved. As someone who dragged him out of his darkest places, Theo wanted nothing more than to help her out of hers.

Y/N sniffled, and slowly lifted her head from Theo’s shoulder, her eyes staring downward and avoiding the gaze of her boyfriend. She knew it hurt him to see her like this and she wished she could just… stop.

“Hey,” she heard him say. “Look at me Y/N.” His voice was rich with worry for the girl he loved, and she flinched at the thought of causing him grief. It was quick, but Theo saw it, and his heart snapped once again. Slowly, he raised his hand to her cheek, running his thumb along her cheekbone softly, collecting the tears that were slowly drying on her face. She subtly leaned into his touch without even realising she did it, it was like her body moved off it’s own accord, drawn to him. Gently, Theo moved his hand to Y/N’s chin and turned her head to face him.

For the first time since he’d arrived, Y/N finally let Theo see the pain in her eyes. They were glossy and slightly bloodshot, and Theo’s gaze softened at the sight of her vulnerability. “What’s wrong?” He asked a simply question, not wanting to overwhelm her.

“Everything,” she breathed. Theo’s fingers ran themselves through her hair, encouraging her to keep going. Initially she wanted to shrug him off and succumb to her feelings again, but she let him comfort her. “I’m just feeling everything all at once. Theo, I can’t-“

“It’s okay baby, it’s okay,” He held her cheeks delicately, scared to break her fragile form. “Breathe with me.”

It was something Theo had learned over the months. Sometimes Y/N really needed to calm down and just breathe slowly, in and out, exhaling the intensity of her feelings as much as her brain would allow. Though she hadn’t admitted it, Y/N realised that the method worked better when Theo led her through it.

After a minute or so of long, deep breaths, Y/N was no longer jolting with the ghosts of sobs from earlier. Theo continued to hold her close, remaining gentle but tight enough to always remind her that he was there for her. No matter what.

“This week has been so bad,” She began, and Theo stayed silent, realising that she was finally feeling comfortable enough to talk. He felt a small surge of pride flow through him at this, knowing that it was hard for her at times. “I’m stressed. I still have so much work to do, and deadlines are creeping up on me like a freakin’ predator. I’m worried for my brother, he’s struggling with his IED and he’s even been taking his meds, but they keep needing to up the dose and it kills me to see him in the state he gets. I keep screwing up too, like earlier I kept stalling the car, and I broke a photo frame yesterday morning, and I forgot to submit an assignment for grading at the beginning of the week. And I can’t sleep at night… Theo, I’m so tired.”

“Hey, come here,” Theo whispered, pulling her into another hug. “Okay, first of all, you are so smart and every time you get stressed about an assessment, you always go and smash it, don’t you?”

A smile threatened to pull at her lips at his confidence in her, and she nodded.

“Right,” Theo grinned. “Next thing, Liam is resilient, just like you. He won’t let one little setback get him down, and his meds will be sorted before you know it. Plus, he’s lucky to have you as a sister, you know that? You’re always there for him, everyone sees it.”

Y/N shifted on Theo’s lap, looking into his eyes as he spoke. “And,” He continued. “Everyone has weeks where they feel like they mess everything up, even super cool badasses like me.” Y/N giggled, spurring Theo on. “Someone as perfect as you doesn’t need to worry about a few little mistakes. They’re nothing, okay? Not important.” His hand moved soothingly up and down her arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “Is that everything?”

“Um, yeah…” Y/N trailed off quietly, suddenly avoiding her boyfriend’s eyes and sinking into herself. Theo knew her so well at this point that not a single subtle movement would go unnoticed, so he raised his eyebrows at her response. He knew she was holding back, and she knew that he knew. Sighing, Y/N gave in a little. “It’s stupid.”

“What have I always told you?” He said, smiling at her. “You can tell me anything. Anything at all. I’ll be there for you no matter what. You know that, don’t you?”

Y/N nodded and breathed in, slightly shakily. “I feel ugly, Theo.”

“What?” Theo whispered in disbelief, his eyes the size of saucers. He didn’t know what he’d expected, but it wasn’t that. “Baby-“

“I told you it was stupid-“

“No, it’s not that, it’s just-“ Theo searched for the words in his brain. He never thought he’d have to convince the most beautiful girl in the world that that’s what she was. He thought it was just common knowledge, really. “You and ‘ugly’ would never even fit in the same category. Not even in the same universe.”

“That’s just not true though,” Y/N stated, shaking her head, her eyes tired. “I can’t even look in the mirror at the moment. I feel like when I look, I’m not looking back at me. And it makes me cry. I’d rather not see myself at all than to look at that reflection.”

If Theo’s heart wasn’t broken before, the damage was definitely done now. Hearing Y/N, his girl, say that she wasn’t pretty, but ugly, made him feel all kinds of lost and confused, but more so sad, because he wished he could take away her pain and make it all disappear. Unfortunately, his powers of pain transference only worked on physical pain, and he silently cursed that fact.

“How can you not see what I see…” He whispered, almost more to himself than to her. “You know, the first time I saw you Y/N, even from a distance I knew I’d never see anyone as beautiful as you. And now I’m looking at you, months later, and I still think you’re just as stunning. You are gorgeous. You hear me? The most gorgeous ever.” Theo placed kisses on her nose, her cheeks, her forehead as he spoke, causing Y/N’s heart to flutter. His words stirred something in her, and the intensity of his eyes boring into hers made her forget about everything she was worried about. A wave of adoration for her boyfriend washed over her, and she cupped his cheeks delicately, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

Y/N didn’t have the words at that moment, all the emotion was caught in her throat, so she did what she felt conveyed her feelings best. She leaned forward and kissed him, Theo’s lips moving against hers immediately, as if by instinct. It was so soft, so pure, light as a feather. She pulled away from him all too soon, their eyes meeting each other once again, but Theo didn’t feel like stopping. “I want to show you how beautiful you really are,” He spoke lowly, holding her hand and giving a gentle squeeze. “Please baby. Let me show you.”

He didn’t have to explicitly say what he really meant by that for both of them to know, and his request sent warm shivers through her body. She spoke only one word: “Okay.”

Theo connected their lips again, harder this time. Even with just a kiss, he wanted to pour every ounce of love he had for her in it. He would make sure that he made her feel exactly how she deserves to feel. Her hands had moved to the back of his neck, plucking at the hairs on his head, while Theo held her as close as their bodies would allow.

His fingers slid up her t-shirt slightly, brushing the skin underneath. Theo’s fingers were so cold that Y/N gasped against his lips, so her boyfriend took the chance to slip his tongue into her mouth and explore. Slowly, he lifted her shirt up further and further until they were forced to pull away so Theo could tug it over her head and toss it on her bedroom floor.

Of course, Theo wanted to marvel her brilliance as best he could, so he gripped her by the waist and moved her carefully so she was laying flat on her bed, looking up at him. “So beautiful,” he murmured, and waisted no time in resuming their kiss. His hands travelled down her sides as their lips moved in sync like a perfectly choreographed dance, and his hips ground into hers - gently still, yet hard enough to give Y/N friction where she needed it the most.

He dragged his lips to her neck, sucking and biting on the skin to create dark marks to decorate her already perfect body. Theo considered it his finishing touch to her, as he knew she needed him as much as he needed her, which was what made them so perfect. Y/N’s hands roamed his back, one leg secured over his hip to keep him close, and Theo reached around to unclip her bra. His eyes widened - he would never get used to seeing her body like this, and she wasn’t even fully exposed to him yet.

“I love these so much,” He said, lowering his head to one breast and closing his mouth over her nipple, his tongue sliding across her sensitive skin. Y/N moaned as he simultaneously kneaded her other breast with his hand. “I love this one,” He said, moving away from the one he was playing with. “And I love this one.” Theo reattached his lips to her other breast, her rapidly increasing breaths spurring him on.

Y/N’s hips involuntarily bucked up at Theo’s, and he chuckled lightly against her skin at the movement. He trailed his lips back up to her collarbone, her neck, her jaw, all while dragging her leggings and her panties down her legs as far as he could. He pulled away from Y/N’s lips to crawl down the bed until he could completely reveal her entire body. Her leggings and panties discarded on the floor, Theo looked his girl in the eyes as he placed his hands on her thighs and lightly encouraged her legs apart.

Shivering with anticipation, Y/N watched her boyfriend wide-eyed as he licked one long stripe up her centre. Her eyelids fluttered, but she couldn’t bring herself to break the intense eye contact she held with Theo, until he began to flick his tongue against her clit. Her head fell back onto her pillow, arms flying down to grab onto Theo’s hair, feeling his head moving between her legs. She moaned as he licked and sucked at her clit, doing everything in his power to make her feel good, and it was music to his ears. He soon replaced his tongue with his fingers, rubbing her clit quickly, and started licking along her core, like it was his whole life’s purpose to do so.

“Fuck, Theo,” She whimpered, and Theo groaned against her at the sound of her saying his name in such a situation. Her voice held so much vulnerability yet so much excitement, so much feeling, so much love. The vibrations against her core sent waves of pleasure racing through her, and Theo watched through his eyelashes as her back arched off the bed.

Theo removed his mouth from her core, and her head whipped up briefly at the loss of contact, her eyes wide and pleading for something, anything. Barely moment after, Theo pushed two fingers inside her, pumping them at a quick pace. Y/N moaned louder, and Theo pulled himself up so his head was level with hers, staring directly into her eyes as his fingers worked their magic. “How good does this feel Princess?”

“So good,” Y/N breathed, barely being able to find it in herself to speak. She gripped onto his biceps as he continued his work between her legs, moaning with every thrust of his fingers. “It feels amazing.”

Theo smirked slightly, content that he was getting exactly the reaction from her that he set out to get, and leaned down to capture her lips with his once again. He added another finger and picked up the pace of his actions, his mouth drowning her voice as she cried out. He kissed her hard, drawing the breath out of her almost completely, and she could taste herself on his tongue which only brought her closer to the edge.

Feeling her walls clench around his fingers, Theo moved his lips around to her ear. “Are you gonna cum?” He said, his voice rough with his own arousal. He knew the answer, but he also knew that Y/N loved to hear his voice, and it somehow turned her on even more. All she could do at this point was nod frantically, her moans and whimpers making it impossible to get the words out. Theo sped up his actions even further, trying with everything he had to send her over the edge. “Cum for me baby.”

The words uttered into her ear sent her into ecstasy, and she let go screaming Theo’s name. He watched with his mouth hung open as her body pulsed and jolted as her orgasm washed over her in waves, her cries slowing into whimpers and her contorted face relaxing into one of sheer bliss.

A few moments later when Y/N had caught her breath, she reached down and palmed Theo’s bulge through his joggers, eyes widening when she realised how hard he already was. He groaned, dropping his head to her shoulder and tensing at her touch. “N- no, baby,” He stuttered out, voice rough from the feeling. Y/N was confused as he slowly moved her hand away, tilting her head to the side in a silent question. “Tonight is about you.”

Usually she would protest and say that they both need to be pleasured equally, but she wanted him so badly that she didn’t have it in her to argue. Frantically, she yanked his head down and smashed her lips against his, tongue and teeth clashing in desperation. All she wanted was him, and she didn’t want to wait any longer.

She pulled his shirt up his body, almost ripping the fabric with her speed, and he pulled away so she could pull it over his head. She loved to admire Theo’s toned chest and stomach, so she reached her hand down to feel up his abs. She tried to look, but Theo was adamant on her being the one who was worshipped, so he dipped his head and began sucking on her neck once again, causing her head to fall back and a moan to fall from her lips.

As he painted her neck with purple bruises, Y/N reached down and played with the waistband of his joggers, fiddling with the drawstrings. Theo felt her fingers brush him and growled against her neck, hurriedly standing up to yank them and his boxers to the ground, completely exposed before her.

Y/N whimpered at the sight of him, naked and ready for her, and he crawled back over her just as quickly as he’d stood up. Theo looked at her with dark eyes, wordlessly asking for permission to treat her to just what she deserved. “Please, Theo,” She whispered, and of course, Theo didn’t want to deny her anything she wanted, especially when she asked so nicely.

The two of them moaned in harmony, jaws dropped open, as Theo pushed himself inside her, easily sliding in due to her wetness. He moved all the way in until he felt like he was inside Y/N’s stomach, pausing there as they both breathed heavily from the sensation. “Feeling better?” Theo spoke thinly, smiling at his girlfriend’s expression of pure pleasure.

“Miles better,” She replied, thrusting her hips up at Theo, making it known that she wanted more. The chimera began to move, pushing in and out of her at an ever-increasing pace, making sure she felt every single inch of him to give her the best sex possible. Y/N hands roamed his back, nails scratching at it and breaking the skin as she moaned and cursed into his ear.

“Always so tight and wet for me,” Theo groaned, his hair falling messily over his forehead as he moved. “So perfect. Every inch of you is perfect.” He sped up his movements, making sure to hit the spot that gets her screaming, and grabbed at her breast with one hand and delicately stroking her cheek with the other. “I love you.”

Theo was going so deep and fast now, Y/N was so close. Her nails dug into his back as her release approached, unable to tear her eyes away from his as they glowed yellow from the adrenaline. “I love you too,” She spoke shakily, so nearly there, when Theo kissed her hard, knowing she was reaching her orgasm from her clenching walls.

“Now,” He spoke against her lips, and as soon as the word had left his lips, Y/N screamed out Theo’s name at the most euphoric feeling she had ever experienced, shaking and quivering around him. Moments later, as she was still feeling the high, she felt Theo slow his movements as he spilled into her, his own release washing through him like a tidal wave.

After coming down from their high, Theo flopped down next to her in bed, immediately pulling her close to rest her head on his chest, which was still rising and falling. He kissed her head lightly, stroking her hair affectionately, and then pulled the covers over their bodies. He knew Y/N was exhausted, not just from their activities but from her whole week. Her breathing had slowed and he realised she had already fallen into a relaxed slumber.

Theo smiled to himself - seeing his girl finally calm with no stress lines pulling at her face made his heart soar. He hated seeing her so upset, in fact it was his least favourite thing to see in the world, so he vowed to always be the one to lift her back up again.

Theo would always be there for her: rain or shine, any day, any time. And one day it’ll be ‘til death do them part. His smile lingered on his lips as he let his own eyelids closed and he joined her in her slumber, meeting her in her dream.

[willow-tree-writes]

❀Bet {4}❀

JJ Maybank x Reader

Summary: The bad boy realizes how stupid he was and tries to get the good girl back. Will the good girl listen, or is she forever stained by his wrongdoing?

Request: N/A

Author’s Note: It’s finally here! I’m so sorry this took so long and some of you have been waiting months! But I wanted to get it out today for all of you! And thank you so much for over 100 followers! This series is what brought a lot of you in, so I hope I’m doing you justice with this last part! I’m thinking about making a prompt list to help me get back into writing more, so if you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them.

Word Count: 3.6k

Warnings: Cursing, Angst, Fluff, 

Part 1 ♥ Part 2  ♥ Part 3 ♥

!I don’t own this gif!

JJ laughed in your face. “You’re a real fucking idiot, you know?”

You took a step back from him, shaking your head. 

He wasn’t real. This wasn’t real.

He came closer as you tried to move away. “Why would I like you? Why would anyone like you?”

He wasn’t real. This wasn’t real.

“You should have quit while you were ahead. If you could consider anything you did being ‘ahead.’”

He wasn’t real! This wasn’t real!

----

“Y/N, please. You have to get up at some point.” Kelly’s voice drifted through the door as you closed your eyes for the tenth time within a minute.

You didn’t trust yourself to speak properly as you tried desperately to wipe any memory of your dreams. Nightmares, more like it.

Your door creaked open and you simply turned so that your back was facing it.

“Y/N…” You mom walked in slowly, sitting down on your bed softly right behind you. “Please talk to me, sweetie.”

It had maybe been a week since you had been to the boneyard. It had been a week since you saw your friends. Since you saw him. It had been a week since you entered your room and decided to not come out.

You threw off your blanket abruptly and turned to your mom. “What is there to talk about?” You didn’t mean to snap, but you couldn’t hold back. Not anymore. “He never wanted to date me. It was all some stupid joke so he could get paid.”

No tears could leave your eyes anymore. You were just so sick and tired of crying.

Without letting her say a word, you turned your back back on you mom and laid down.

You could hear her sigh, as if what she wanted to say wasn’t what she should say. “That can’t be true, Y/N/N.” But she said it anyway.

How could your own mother be defending the boy that broke her daughter’s heart?

You let out a scoff, and that was it. Anything else said or asked fell on deaf ears.

----

Di yanked your arm, pulling you out the front. “You’re up and dressed, you’re not turning back on me now.”

“You sat on me until I agreed to get up…” You muttered in a grumbly manner. If it was up to you, you’d spend your dying breath lying in bed.

She rolled her eyes and glanced back at you as she unlocked her car. “That’s because I know what’s good for you. Moping around like Tom Holland will come and make you feel better if you wait long enough is not good for you.” She brought you around to the passengers side of the car and forced you in like a mother forces her child into a car seat.

You were going to grumble some half-baked comeback, but your mind couldn’t even think of how to start a response. You were just going to go along with everything Di said until you could go back to your bed.

“Where are we going?” You asked after Di pulled away from your house.

“You’ll see.” The smile that creeped onto her face was hard to miss.

You groaned, complying in a slow manner - you took your time putting your seatbelt on. When Di pulled up to the boneyard, you took even longer to get out of the car.

“I don’t want to be here…” You whispered, eyeing the place like a monster was going to creep out and attack you.

Di rolled her eyes as she got out. “You don’t want to be anywhere but your bed.”

“Di.” You gave her a look.

She sighed and lightly pulled your arm. “Look, Y/N, I know. But you this is the only place we could think of coming.”

“I-” You started before pausing. “We?”

The smile reappeared on Di’s face. “Yes, we.”

Just then, the chatter of two girls came closer to you. You could just barely grasp what it was about.

“That’s not very reasonable.”

“Hey, it wasn’t my idea.”

“But you’re the one who agreed with it.”

“So did you.”

“I can’t believe we’re doing this for him…”

“Kie, Sarah? What are you two doing here?” It was a stupid question, as the boneyard was free for anyone to go to.

They both smiled, completely discarding their previous conversation.

“Di said you could use some girl time.” Sarah answered, lifting up an eight-pack of beer.

Kie nodded, lifting up a cooler. “And what better way to enjoy ourselves than a little picnic?”

The smile that was slowly creeping around her lips vanished completely at that one word. 

The three girls exchanged looks, having a mini conversation within their eyes before any of them tried to diffuse you.

“Come on, Y/N/N. Let’s drink and have some fun for once.” Di says as Kie starts handing everyone beers, starting with you.

----

“This isn’t going to work.” JJ muttered as John B peeked out the van’s back door. 

John B rolled his eyes and looked towards his friend. “When did you turn all lovey-dovey?”

“I could ask you the same.” JJ shot back, deflecting the question.

“But you didn’t,” Pope entered, turning around to look at JJ from the front seat. “So spill.”

With a sigh, JJ slumped back against the van’s sliding door. “I don’t know, man. I didn’t even know who she was until Gavin…” Trailing off, he shuddered. “I’m such a fuck up…”

“No doubt about that one…” Pope muttered, only to be hit by John B. “Okay, sorry.”

John B pushes JJ to the side so he can open the sliding door. “Look, dude, you gotta confront her and tell her the truth.” He hopped out of the van.

JJ groaned as Pope followed John B out, hitting JJ on the shoulder. “She’s not going to listen to me.”

“Yeah, she won’t if you sit on your ass all day moping around.” John B said, banging on the side of the van.

JJ groaned again and practically fell out of the van.

----

Sand collected in your shoes as you and the girls walked down the boneyard, full up on food.

Sarah stopped at one point and looked towards the horizon. “It’s getting late…”

There was something in her voice like she was expecting something. Like something hasn’t happened that was supposed to. And that made you nervous.

“Well, I really did have a good time, but I should get going… Di?”

You looked towards your best friend, who’s face seemed to resemble that of how Sarah’s voice sounded.

“Di?” You asked again.

She gave you a sheepish smile. “Let’s just wait a moment more.”

A moment more? Did they plan something else?

You opened your mouth to ask Kie something when you heard a boy’s voice.

“We’re already late, dude. I wouldn’t be surprised if they left.”

It took you a moment to connect the voice to a face. John B. AKA, J’s best friend. If John B was here, JJ couldn’t be far behind.

You turn you back towards where the voice came from, looking directly at your friends. “I have to go. Now.” 

You just had the first decent day in a little while - you couldn’t have that ruined.

No one made an attempt to leave. To usher you away. They all just gave you apologetic smiles, looking at a presence that stumbled behind you.

The urge to just walk away was almost too strong. But you pushed past it to turn around.

The boy before you didn’t look the greatest. The blonde hair that could never get messy was completely unkempt. The blue eyes that were always shining were dull and looked like they couldn’t shed a tear, even if in desperate need to. 

You stumbled back. You couldn’t decide if it was because he was standing in front of you, or because he looked so different.

“Y/N…” His voice was quiet, as if afraid of breaking something if he raised it. “Can we please talk?” There was something shaking within his being that transferred through his voice.

You shook your head. And shook your head. And shook your head. 

You couldn’t do this. Not here, not now.

“Red, please.”

He took a step towards you and you immediately stumbled back again, tripping over your own feet.

He moved to help you up, but someone you couldn’t see stopped him.

You scrambled to your feet, moving backwards. “No…” You shake your head, trying to string together your words. “No. You don’t… You don’t get to do that…”

He tried to reach out to you.

“No!” You snapped, balling your fists and biting the inside of your cheek to bite back tears. “I woke every morning wondering what you saw in me. Wondering why suddenly, one day, the guy every girl at school wanted asked me out. Gave me the time of day. I couldn’t sleep some nights because all I could think about was you, JJ!”

You didn’t know if it was your blurry vision, but it almost looked like he was breaking as much as you were.

“You’re a real jerk, thinking you can toy with someone’s feelings like that, JJ Maybank. A jerk I would do anything to go back in time to stop myself from falling in love with.”

When you felt a sob suffocating you, you turned your back on JJ. You wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing you this way. That’s why jerks did this right? Hurt people? To see them upset?

Everyone, not just JJ, seemed stunned by the mention of love. You couldn’t blame them. If you had been told you’d fall in love with the bad boy only for him to break your heart, you wouldn’t believe it either.

But the mention of love seemed to make him more determined. “You have to let me explain…”

“No, I don’t,” you couldn’t stop your voice from shaking. “I don’t.”

You couldn’t turn to even give him a look or say goodbye to anyone as you started to walk away.

You didn’t care if Di was following you or not. You’d walk home if you had to. They had to have orchestrated this on purpose.

----

You hadn’t talked to anyone since then. You had your mom drive you to school and home everyday. As much as you could, you made sure to either be alone or away from the participants that made your heart hurt more.

They seemed to get the hint after a day or two, leaving you alone. For the most part.

Every now and then, you could catch a glimpse of Di and Kie looking your way in the hallways or in class.

At lunch, you either sat alone or went off to the library. When you were in the cafeteria, you noticed that Di seemed to replace an empty seat.

It had now been two weeks. Maybe three. You couldn’t tell anymore. Every day just blended in at this point.

At your locker, on the Monday of the third week, you opened it to find a note fall out on the floor. Looking around, you couldn’t tell if anyone stood out in the crowded hallway.

You stooped down and picked it up, looking around once more before you read it.

“I’ll use you as a warning sign.”

With furrowed eyebrows, you looked around once again. This had to be in the wrong locker.

You sighed and shook your head, placing the note in your book and walking off to your next class.

The next day, when you went to your locker at the end of school, another note slipped out to your feet.

“That if you talk enough sense then you’ll lose your mind.”

This note left you even more confused than the last.

The next day, you got two notes in one day.

“And I’ll use you as a focal point.”

“So I don’t lose sight of what I want.”

A feeling started in your stomach after reading Wednesday’s notes. The lines felt familiar, and you felt like you knew who they were coming from.

Again, the next day, there were two notes.

“And I’ve moved further than I thought I could.”

“But I missed you more than I thought I would.”

The last note had hit you hard. Harder than you thought a note could.

You knew who was giving you these notes. You knew who, but you couldn’t figure out why. You knew who, but you couldn’t bring yourself to throw them away.

On Friday, you walked to school. You were going to have to walk home too.

You went through the whole school day like normal. Each time you stopped at your locker, which was almost after every period for some reason, there was never a note.

You wouldn’t admit there was a sinking feeling replacing the other feeling in your stomach.

When the bell rang to signal the end of eighth period, a glimmer of hope tapped you on the shoulder. Asked to be seen. Heard. But you ignored it.

Once at your locker, you froze for a moment. You didn’t know why. If there was another note, then there was another note. If there wasn’t one, why should it matter?

You opened it slower than you wanted, messes up on the combination three times.

There was a moment's pause before you flung the piece of metal open. Nothing came out. There was just no note today.

Why should you even care? It was just the lyrics to a song, written on a post-it note. Of all the kinds of paper he could have used, he chose post-it notes. That has to mean he doesn’t care.

Why do you even care? It was him who was the jerk, only dating you for a quick buck. Of all the kinds of ways he could have gotten money, he chose to break a girl’s heart. That has to mean he doesn’t care.

You put away the books you don’t need and grab the ones you have to take home. It was going to be another long weekend, and you knew you couldn’t do it without some distraction.

You closed your locker, only to jump at the sudden appearance of someone behind it.

“I’m really really really sorry, Y/N, but not being able to talk to you has been killing me!” Di did look upset - her usual complete peppy personality was obviously crooked. Like something was tipping it off to the side.

She spoke again before you could start anything. “I know we shouldn’t have gone behind your back like that. We - I thought it would be a good idea and it was the total opposite.”

You sighed a little and shook your head, throwing your backpack on. “I just wasn’t ready to face him like that...”

“I know, and I should’ve known then too.”

“Promise me one thing, Di.”

Di nods. “I’ll promise you almost anything.”

You couldn’t help but smile a little bit, as you knew what she couldn’t promise you. “Promise me you’ll stop intervening with my love life. That’s something that should be just my business.”

She looked to be thinking it over for a second before nodding again. “I can promise you that.”

You smiled as she hooked her arm in yours, dragging you outside to her car like she used to. 

As soon as you got to the parking lot, feet away from Di’s car. You froze. 

There was a path laid out right in front of you. A path of ripped up pieces of paper. Each piece of paper had something written on, but you’d have to stoop down to see it all. 

The back of Di’s car had a giant piece of paper taped to it. It was the note you didn’t receive today.

“I found love where it wasn’t supposed to be.

Right in front of me.”

“Before you say anything,” Di started to whisper as she walked off to the side. “This was already put into place before I made that promise.”

She was completely out of your line of sight, but you didn’t care. You were too caught up in the boy that was walking into your sight, right next to the note.

You didn’t know what to say. Seems like JJ didn’t know either.

Biting the inside of your cheek, you said, “Who picked out the song?” 

Lame first question to ask him after everything that’s happened.

He was a little caught off guard you spoke first. “Kie…”

“She has good taste…” You trailed off, biting your cheek harder as your vision threatened to block off JJ’s image.

He simply nodded, as there isn’t much else you could say about that.

“So you were the one leaving the notes in my locker…” It wasn’t a question, as after the third note you knew who it was.

He nodded. “I didn’t want to get you upset again…”

“JJ-”

“Y/N, look,” he took a step away from the car. “Please just let me explain my side. Then you can yell at me as much as you want. But I just need to tell you my truth.”

You shut your mouth and nodded. You might have been a little bit of a bitch for the past couple weeks to him, but you had good reasoning. Nonetheless, you thought he still deserved to explain everything to you. You deserved it.

He took another step, this time towards you. You didn’t move away.

“This kid named Gavin came up to our lunch table a couple months ago, wanting one of us to do his dirty work. None of us were going to do it. Even me. But I took it. That was the day I came up to you at the kegger.” He paused, running a hand through his hair. “I never thought any of this bullshit was gonna happen. On our first date, I was going to tell you everything. I really was.”

He paused again, so you asked a question. “Why didn’t you then?” Your voice was quieter than it had been minutes prior.

He took a second step towards you. You didn’t move away.

“It was like when I took the stupid bet. I looked at you, and it felt like John B was going to shoot me in the gut with a paintball gun if I ever ruined that glint in your eyes when you just smile.”

You couldn’t look at him, so you tried to read as many of the notes on the ground as you could. “You’ve done worse than that…”

JJ sighed. There was more in that sigh than just, “oh well,” or anything like that. It was shaky. “I know… I’ve been beating myself up everyday about it…”

“As much as I hate admitting this, I was scared. Scared of this way you made me feel. That’s why I kept pushing back telling you the truth. Because I was afraid, if I did, you would leave.”

This is when you decided to look at him again. But not just look at him. Really look at him. And he looked how he did at the boneyard, yet somehow worse. There was a sense of vulnerability in the way he stood and the way he looked at you and the way he talked to you.

He was opening up.

You took a step towards him as he began to speak again.

“I don’t expect you to forgive me. I don’t expect you to ever want to talk to me again. But I needed to tell you this. Because I…” He couldn’t find the right words. “Fuck it,” he muttered his breath. “Because I love you. I fucking love you, even when I didn’t mean to.”

You froze in your spot.

JJ loved you.

And that look on his face told you he couldn’t be lying. He really loved you.

A new wave started to wet your ankles - guilt. You had yelled and screamed at him. You had used loving him as a grievance while he used loving you as a defense.

There was still validation behind your acts, but your heart doesn’t always care about that.

You took another step, forgetting to keep in mind the shakiness of your legs. The notes cluttered around your feet didn’t help either - you almost tripped. And you kept note of the way JJ flinched, as if going to catch you.

“Talk some sense to me…” You whispered, mustering a small sad smile as you felt your cheeks grow wet.

He chuckled weakly, but it was a weakness that was slowly getting stronger. “I’ll do more than talk some sense to you…”

You laugh was something caught between a laugh and a sob. “Just not in front of everyone.”

That comment brought attention to the crowd of teenagers that had found itself in the parking lot.

“Ignore us!” Di called out from beside Kie.

“Just kiss already!” Sarah called out from John B’s side, who was next to Kie. Pope was behind her.

You blushed a little and JJ set his hand on your chin, making you look at him. “I can’t say no to that bet, Red.”

You laughed and rolled your eyes. “The next time you bet something, I’m going to make sure you lose.”

“Well, I’ll just have to consider the win to be you.”

He leaned down and captured your lips before you could interject.

This kiss was explosive. There were no fireworks. It was comforting. Soft. Like a warm fire gracing your lips. It was a kiss you had missed.

Who would have thought the good girl, so caught up in her practical ways, could make the bad boy, who sleeps around and doesn’t listen to anyone, fall in love with her?

---- ----

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[hawksugarbaby]

Shinso x reader - Burning sensation

Fluff

Every morning at 7:00 you would meet shinso outside your dorm to head to school "Hey Hitoshi how ya doin this mornin" you asked sideling up to the boy who you had gotten to know quite well through your walks too and from school, and your time in class, and lunch, and training after school, you were never really away from each other actually. He took comfort in the time you spent together and you enjoyed talking to him and being his friend. It was pretty understandable why he didn't want to be friends, to begin with, but there was no way in hell you were letting the boy go through 3 years of school without any friends! So you made it your own personal mission to change his mind about you, and you were pretty chuffed when he actually stopped pushing you away yep this boat was firmly tied to the dock now. "I'm fine just tired" he was always tired.

The gleaming white windows of your school came into view lighting up the area around it like a child shining a magnifying glass on a bunch of tiny ants swarming to their colony. You nudged his side with your elbow getting his attention "SO I heard someone is getting transferred into the hero course next year!" you were so proud of him! This was his dream come true and he was finally getting his big opportunity "yeah it's pretty crazy" it was true he was more than thrilled to be joining the hero course but he felt like he was betraying you in some way, you should be in there with him! You were just as powerful if not more than he was. It didn't feel right leaving you "I can't believe it Hitoshi! I'm so happy for you, we should go get ice cream later to celebrate!" you walked through the door together weaving through the other people dotted around the corridor to reach your own classroom tucked away at the end . the thought hadn't even crossed your mind about how lonely you would be without Hitoshi, and it was coming up for the end of the year, you would have to cherish your time more than ever. "Ice cream sounds nice."

Th day went on rather uneventfully, thankfully it was lunch now so food was on the top of your mind "what should I get today?" you asked your lavender friend, you were determined to have everything on the menu at least once before you left school, you had quite a few options to go "what about a cappuccino and the udon?" it was pretty lucky he was keeping track of what you had and hadn't got yet otherwise you would never get close to finishing the challenge "you just want my cappuccino huh" you stepped up to the counter and ordered your food and drink which was ready in a flash thanks to lunch rush (give the dude some credit he does lunch for that entire school every day!) "maybe" he gave a lopsided grin and you rolled your eyes.

you both set off for a table near the back where you usually sat when a green-haired boy waving his arm caught your eye "hey Hitoshi is that one of your new classmates" you questioned gesturing to the freckled boy who was frantically trying to get his attention "oh yeah that's midoriya" he brushed off the topic and continued off to your table "hey wait you should go sit with them!" you called after the boy who groaned and span round his purple locks dangled in front of his eyes blocking his view fully but he could tell you weren't gonna let him leave. "but... why?" "because they're your classmates silly come on" you pulled him over to the table much to his dismay "h-hey shinso do you want to sit with us?" midoriya asked and everyone else at the table eyed him up like a flock of vultures inspecting there pray "can (y/n) sit too?" wait no what you weren't in that class why would you sit there? That was like... the top dog table right? "Of course!" oh well oh kay then guess you were one with the big leagues now. "Hi it's nice to meet you, I'm ururaka" she introduced herself with a big grin, you noticed she was holding her juice with 4 fingers and had pink pads in the middle of her fingertips "I'm (l/n) nice to meet you too" you sat down next to Hitoshi excited to make some new friends, maybe if you liked them he would like them more.

"So you and shinso are really good friends huh?" you nodded as you took a sip of your cappuccino and ultimately decided it was one of the less amazing things on the menu "yeah he's like my best friend and I'm pretty much his emotional support dog" you giggled and handed off the warm, bitter drink to him which he was more than happy to take off your hands "in all honesty she should be the one joining your class, daughter of the number 2 hero couldn't cut the hero programme" he teased and everyone else gasped "YOUR DAD IS HAWKS!" yep it was true you were the daughter of the number 2 hero hawks and someone else?? Mum didn't stick around long, your quirk was a little HOT TO HANDLE (roll with it) "what's your quirk! Can you show us!" midoriya begged from across the table which Hitoshi was not happy about he didn't like it when people gave you more attention than he did "um no I definitely cannot show you! But I can tell you what it iss" you sang and the boy grabbed a pencil and notepad out his bag "uh it's called Pheonix I have retractable wings... made of blue fire... and I can fly and shoot the feathers and I have the feather blades like dad and all that jazz" "she also has the same dumb personality" Hitoshi added and you gasped looking at him hurt "don't talk about my dad like that he loves you" he did actually like Hitoshi a surprising amount and you were pretty convinced he shipped you like a 15-year-old girl watching 2 boys in an anime about superheroes (-_-)

"But if your dad is the number 2 hero how come you aren't in the hero course" ouch. You gripped your chopsticks harshly "some bitch thought it would be funny to knock me out during the entrance exam and it was too late to get me in by recommendation" the chopsticks snapped splintering off into a bunch of smaller pieces. The lively nature of the cafe suddenly turned to one of concern when 2 mini puffs of thick smoke filtered out from the back of your blazer blanketing the roof and the smell of burning fabric infiltrated your noses "your burning" Hitoshi said from beside you "OH sorry sorry I didn't notice" you said and started to calm yourself down by stealing Hitoshi's lemonade "you must be upset about having to be in different classes after the new year" the boy with the bird head said. Well yeah but he wouldn't be leaving you completely, you opened your mouth to speak but before you could start Hitoshi started "I don't intend on letting her go half a year alone in that class, either she moves up or I go back down" he grit his teeth at the thought of you being alone in that class by yourself, and if it meant he had to give up his dream of being in the hero course he would. You smiled and then sighed when you realised you couldn't finish your udon since your chopsticks had transformed into toothpicks.

Ah yes, finally the end of the day. You and Hitoshi walked out of the nicely air-conditioned school into the dry blistering heat of the outside world "oh god whyyy" you cried and shook your fist at the sun then immediately regretted it as a bunch of white spots danced around in your eyes (FUN FACT THOSE ARE CALLED PHOSPHENES. Y'know, like phosphor) "so ice cream" you stumbled around trying to your friends and jumped when he put his hands on the back of your shoulders "just keep walking dummy" he said and you did so until you gained your sight back. "It's such a hot day this is evil" you crossed your arms angrily as you made your way to your house since you had decided to get changed before you got ice cream so that the sweltering heat didn't melt you both to a puddle of sweat and ew (THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING WITH OKAY).

"HEY DAD ARE YOU HOME?" you shouted into the house and a little red feather shot down to where you were standing "I'LL TAKE THAT AS A YES THEN" you and shinso wandered up to your room dumping your bags with an audible thud "crop top and jeans?" you asked holding up your clothes and showing them off to Hitoshi "sure why not," he said and pulled out the bag of clothes in the bottom of your wardrobe that you kept there for him. "Vest and shorts?" he held up the clothes and you nodded and he descended down the hall to the bathroom waving to your dad as he went past. It was such a perfect day, it was too good to be overthinking little things like clothes or how lonely you would be without Hitoshi or what he meant when he said when he wasn't leaving you behind or how he really felt about you or- "how's my chicklet?" (hawk's most defining personality trait is that he likes chicken don't @me) your dad asked ruffling your hair "it is too hot to exist right now but Hitoshi and I are gonna get ice cream" you grinned and cracked open your window hoping a breeze would come through and cool you down a smidge. "Like a date?" "No dad it's not a date" "finneee have fun" he pouted and left you alone to get changed.

"Hey, Hitoshi what ice cream do you want?" you asked looking over the menu on the side of the truck that was parked in the park... "it's a vanilla day I think," you stepped up to the counter ordering your ice creams both with a flake obviously and sat on a cool metal bench which was hidden by the big weeping willow tree, it was your favourite spot in the whole park because it was always shady and the big tree made you feel like little kids again, you were so small in comparison and when the wind picked up the branches whipped around like a carousel and tangled together like a curtain to hide behind.

"hey you'll be okay in the class by yourself for a while right?" he asked and took a pit off his ice cream "I'll have to be won't I. I'm really proud of you you know that" you stole the flake that he was about to bite into and took a bite out of it letting the chocolate bit's fall off and land on your crop top melting almost instantly "I know. But I promise I'm gonna get you up there with me. You won the sports festival I don't know why they're taking me" (ROLL WITH IT) he stole your flake in retaliation and started eating his ice cream "because you deserve it stop doubting yourself" you preached. You listened to the cars drive by and the angry drivers honking at each other, in all fairness there were indicators for a reason. The bustling life of the city drowned out by the calm bubble surrounding the 2 of you "well you deserve it too (y/n)" he argued and you both burst into a fit of laughter knowing that it was almost impossible to be mad at each other and this wasn't even close to a reason.

"Hey I need to tell you something" he whispered taking a bite out of the sugary cone "oooh~ are you going to profess your undying love for me" you giggled not knowing what you were getting into in the next few minutes "yes... I am" ".....WHAT!" WELL, THIS TOOK A TURN "I like you. Like in a girlfriend type of way" he sighed when a big flake of his cone cracked and fell into the dirt under him "oh. This is unexpected" you whispered taking a bite out of your own cone getting crumbs down your top "if you don't feel the same it's okay I just wanted you to know" he pursed his lips and drew little circles in the dry dirt "no I do, I do feel the same I guess I just didn't realise I felt the same... does that make sense?" it probably didn't.

Of course, you felt the same, he had been your best friend for a while now so obviously you caught some feelings but you had never given them a title like, a crush or love or anything like that, they were just there. They would either go away or they wouldn't and now you were here. You were glad they hadn't "yeah it does" he smiled and the wind picked up a bit lacing the branches together to create th perfect veil as he leaned down and kissed you softly, it was nice and filled with love and admiration and your face turned soft pink and matched the heat of the sun beating down right now.

It didn't last long unfortunately as 2 pillars of smoke started coming out of your shirt and burning fabric once again took over your senses "NO NO NO NOT NOW COME ON" you shouted feeling the fabric separating on your back and you held the front of your crop top on your front "okay well we're gonna not do that for now" Hitoshi said calmy and you shot him a panicked glance gesturing to your unfortunate situation with your other hand. The back of your top fell off and you arched your back when it came into contact with the cold rugged bark of the willow tree "OKAY WELL NOT WALKING HOME LIKE THAT" he shouted and took off his vest throwing it to you and turning away.

You put it on quickly after you calmed down a bit and you weren't burning anything. "Okay you can turn around," you instructed focusing only on the branches in front of you "what not gonna look at me?" "nope" "why not?" you cleared your throat and clicked your tongue "because if I do this shirt will just burn off too and then we'll have to phone dad and get him to bring me a shirt and then he'll ask how I managed to burn two of my shirts off and then I have to listen to him go on and on like a 15-year-old girl about how he totally called that we would get together and then-" "alright I get it," he said putting his hand over your mouth 'well you just set yourself up for failure' you thought and licked his hand which he pulled back and wiped on your jeans "your gross" he chuckled and stood up wiping the dirt off his jeans and standing directly in your eye line putting his hand out to help you up. Which you didn't accept since you were rather busy ogling those goddamn washboard abs "well your not burning yet but you might be brain dead" he flicked your forehead and you shook your head slightly accepting his help up.

You started to walk home as the bright blue sky turned to a medley of tangerine and lavenders with pink brush strokes in between. "We should get ice cream more often," he said his honeyed voice cutting the silence held between you "I agree, we train so much we deserve it!" you exclaimed "you just wanna see me shirtless" he teased. It took every ounce of willpower you had to not burn the shirt off by accident but thankfully you didn't "pfft no. I want ice cream the shirtless thing doesn't have to be exclusively an ice cream thing" you pointed out nudging his shoulder with yours as your house got closer and he rolled his eyes wrapping his arm around your waist pulling you next to him like 2 magnets sticking to each other.

"Well I'll see you tomorrow Hitoshi," you said once you reached your door "yeah see you tomorrow," he said pecking your cheek and walking off down the road leaving you astonished at your door. "DAD YOUR NOT GONNA BELIEVE THIS" you screamed as you entered the house.

4 weeks later

"We have another student joining the hero course" the grumpy teacher announced and you bust into the 1-A classroom with your wings outstretched behind you "PUT THE GREMLIN BACK" shinso shouted from the back of the classroom "GO BACK UNDER THE BRIDGE YOU CAME FROM" you shouted back and took your seat next to him "dad wants to know if you're staying for dinner after training" you whispered, "yeah what are we having?" "chicken" 

[shinsorokiri]

S/o Loses Memory and Quirk

Kaminari Denki HCs

Genre: Angst

Warnings: Language, violence, mentions broken bones, a panic attack, panic attack symptoms, sad Denki

A/N: Ngl writing angst for Denki did something to my little heart. He only deserves happiness and I’m mad at myself for giving him sadness lol. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! I’ll be writing one like this for All Might next so keep your eyes peeled for that one!

Shinsou, Aizawa, Hawks, and Dabi

Todoroki, Bakugou, and Kirishima

Kaminari Denki | Chargebolt

You are his partner in crime

You’re the one who is always there to take care of him when he goes dumb

You’re the one who is always there to comfort him when he feels like an idiot

You’re always the one who is there for him

And he’s always the one who is there for you

It’s been that way for years

Ever since you transferred to UA your second year of high school

The two of you became fast friends

Best friends even

And his flirty nature made it so it wasn’t too long before the two of you entered a real relationship

The two of you EXUDE the most chaotic good energy that even Bakugou finds it kind of endearing

But unbeknownst to his friends

Denki can get really fucking serious when it comes to you

It lowkey shocked you the first time you saw him act like that

And it was all because you were sparring with him and you tripped over your own damn foot and face planted 

You figured he’d just point and laugh at you but he ran over and checked you EVERYWHERE to make sure you weren’t hurt

mans even SCOLDED you

YOU WERE SCOLDED BY DENKI KAMINARI

But you lowkey LOVED it because like

Wow

He does like me !!!

Of course that was in your final year at UA

The two of you are now pro-heroes at separate agencies

And boy oh boy does Denki worry about you

He can’t help it

He has seen you run into a wall because you were trying to rely on scent instead of sight “in case you get stuck in a dark room with a villain”

He worries

But he also knows you are strong

And also a hot badass who can take on anyone

Well

Almost anyone

Midoriya could probably kick your ass but that’s just because it’s Midoriya

But in all seriousness

He isn’t even patrolling today

He has the day off actually

And Denki has never baked anything before in his life

But

He knows that there’s been this mysterious villain giving your agency some trouble recently

So he wants to make you some of your favorite cookies

Or at least try to

And then have a lil movie night

He’s a clingy little shit

And he wants to destress you so

He will refuse to let go of you for the rest of the night goddamnit!

So there he is

Taking the semi-burnt but still edible cookies out of the oven

His favorite program on in the background

When suddenly

His show gets interrupted

And the hero scanner the two of you have goes off in your living room

He immediately turns his attention to the television

Stopping in the middle of the kitchen 

Still holding the cookies

When he sees live footage of you falling from a 3 story building

Onto concrete

He drops the pan

And literally sprints out of the door

He doesn’t even have shoes on

But he doesn’t give a single Fuck™

He rushes down the stairs of the apartment building the two of you live in

And gets to his car in record time

Mans be speeding to the hospital he knows you’re gonna be at

You two had a plan in place with each other and your agencies that if anything would happen to either of you

You would both go to this specific hospital so you two could know where the other was at all times

Of course he was crying while speeding

And his heart rate was way too fast for him to be functioning

But he had to get to you

He had to

And he did

He pulled into a parking spot reserved for pro-heroes and ran inside the emergency room

When he asked about you the nurse told him you were currently in surgery for some severe bone breaks

He got a nasty taste in his mouth

But he just nodded

She told him he could wait in the waiting room

And he did

He sat down in a chair

And he was trying so hard to keep it together

So 

SO

Hard

But eventually Kirishima, Mina, Sero, and even Bakugou showed up

To be fair

Mina and you did work at the same agency

So she saw everything that happened

They immediately went over to him

And he looked up at Mina

And deadass this is the first time any of them see how genuinely serious Denki can get

He asks Mina what happened

And she hesitates

But his face is dead serious

There are obviously tears leaking out of his eyes

But his stare is wildly intense

And Mina knows that if she says no he’ll just keep asking or ask someone else at the agency

So she tells him

“Well… we were patrolling, like usual, when that villain that’s been keeping us on our toes showed up. They’ve never… done anything other than rob people and knock them out so we thought hey this should be easy. Especially since (Y/n) was there. When they saw us they ran into a building and we chased after them and when we had them cornered on the roof they did this weird… sneak attack? But not really? I don’t know it was… odd, they had this like patterned fight technique and they hit (Y/n) in a few different places, and she went to use her quirk to fight back but… nothing happened… and then they hit her like at the bottom of her skull and she just… fell down unconscious. And then they… threw her… off…”

She started trailing off at the end because a sob tore through Denki’s throat

And then he started hyperventilating

Luckily Bakugou and Kirishima were there to help him out

They get panic attacks frequently, so they managed to calm him down and get him to breathe again

And they stayed with him for as long as they had to

Eventually after hours 

A doctor came out and approached Denki

“Pro Hero Chargebolt?”

He stands up very fast

He’s informed that you are out of surgery

And that the surgery went well

However they noticed something odd in your MRI results

It seemed that a portion of your brain was damaged?

But not quite 

It was still functioning

But something about it was off

And they had never seen anything like it before

It was like certain parts of your brain were blocked but everything else was fine

Upon hearing this Denki’s heart broke

And then after hearing the part of your brain that was impacted was the part that contained long term memories

His heart shattered

“We’re afraid she may have severe amnesia. We’re going to keep running tests to see just what is going on, we think it’s the quirk of that villain. A lot of the victims of their crimes have blockages in their muscle groups, but we’ve never seen a blockage in the brain from them.”

Denki is quiet

He literally doesn’t say anything

Until he whispers

“Can i see her?”

The doctor nods

And he leads him to your room

You’re still asleep 

And you’re covered in bandages and casts

It breaks his heart

His friends texted him to tell him they went home but if he needs them at any minute that they will be on their way to the hospital in ten seconds flat

He appreciates it

But right now he really just wanted to be alone with you

He just sat next to you

Holding your hand

He was even moving your pointer finger to trace the Lichtenberg Figures trailing up and down his arms

You always do it when the two of you are cuddling at night 

It helps him sleep

And reminds him that you love him regardless of his faults

And right now he just

He really needs you

This goes on for an hour before he feels you start to move

And he freezes

“(Y/n?”

You open your eyes

And squint at him

“Uh… h-hi… aren’t you that guy in my new class…?”

He stares at you

Completely deadpan

Before laughing a bit

But it isn’t a happy laugh

It’s very much a sad laugh

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.”

“Cool, but um… how did you know my name already?… Are you crying?”

Yes

He was

He was laughing and crying at the same time

He probably looked like he was losing his mind

But he really did just lose his whole world so

It’s a prompted reaction

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.”

His voice was more strained this time

“Are you… are you okay?”

“Yeah, but you’re not. And I didn’t save you, and now you don’t know who I am, and I’m just… I’m so sorry, babe. I’m so sorry.”

The laughing stopped

Now he’s just sobbing

In your mind

You’d seen him a few times while touring the school

And he was always laughing and smiling

Always

So this was shocking

And you’d be lying if you said it didn’t tug on your heart strings

You instinctively reach out to grab his hand

And he grips onto it so tight

Almost like he’s afraid of letting go

“…You called me babe?”

He tries to even his breathing

But he nods

“I don’t… I don’t even know you, I-”

“You do. You do, but… you don’t. It’s… it’s complicated and I’m a literal dumbass so… I’ll call a doctor. They’ll explain.”

And that he does

And the doctor does in fact explain

And after the doctor leaves

You ask him to tell you about your relationship

And he does

He tells you even the smallest details

From the time that you painted the nail on his right hand middle finger pink because he lost a bet and he ended up liking it and buying nail polish for himself

To the time that you two told everyone you break danced all night to break in your new apartment when in reality he turned on Lover by Taylor Swift and the two of you slow danced in your living room

All of it

And he even managed to slip in the fact that you’d remember all of this after he caught the villain who did this to you

And he will catch them.

[arvandus]

Hi☺️ congratulations on the 500 followers! Please could I have number 27 with Shouto Todoroki and Fluffy ending?

Hope you have an amazing day!

Okay, so I SO APOLOGIZE for how late this is. Also, I've never written Shouto before and I was ✨nervous.✨ For some reason he's a hard one for me to pin down, but hopefully I'll get better with practice!

Anyway I hope you like this! It's got a little angst, but nothing heavy and definitely gets that fluffy ending. 🥰

Word Count: 2052

Pairing: Shouto Todoroki x GN!Reader

27. “I can’t think straight when I’m around you.”

You had thought that you’d enjoy working with Shouto Todoroki. Everything you’d ever heard about him was that he was calm, intelligent, and kind. And when you’d first started working at his father’s agency, those things were all true. He was always helpful, giving tips, answering questions, and offering to help with the paperwork that had quickly piled up. In fact, your first couple of months were made significantly easier by Shouto’s constant support and helped offset the sternness of his father who still ran the agency.

Everything had been going fine. More than fine, even. Shouto and you had become increasingly friendly, meeting up for your lunch breaks and pairing up for the patrol routes together. But something started to change. It was like a subtle shift in the air, a stillness between the two of you that wasn’t there before. You weren’t sure what started it.

Was it the time your fingers had brushed his when you’d handed him some paperwork? He’d frozen like a deer in headlights...

Or was it that one time during lunch where you offered part of your food and he’d turned it down with averted eyes and flushed cheeks? Maybe you’d offended him...

Or was it that time you’d just captured a particularly difficult villain and flashed him a glowing, excited smile as the public swarmed you for photos? Perhaps he thought you were gloating...

Whatever it was, you desperately wanted to undo it. Shouto began to pull away from you, a little bit at a time. His eye seemed to avoid yours more and his small, familiar smiles vanished. Gradually, he became less and less available. Wanted to meet up for lunch? Oh, he had a stack of paperwork to take care of. Offer to help him with said paperwork? Can’t do that, it’s “classified.” Meet up for drinks afterward? Couldn’t do that either; he had to get his rest for the next day. His answers and explanations were never mean; his still handled you with kindness. But there was a wall there suddenly that you couldn’t see past. He only let you see as much as he wanted you to see.

But the worst part was when he changed his daily patrol routes. Once again, he was kind about it, flushing slightly and avoiding your eyes as he explained that he had to pair up with a less experienced newbie who needed help in the field. It made sense, of course it did. Still, his response had left you unsatisfied. It felt incomplete, a half-truth meant to divert your attention from the real reason, whatever that was. You wanted to prod for more, to silently showcase the skepticism that you felt with a hard look. But you couldn’t bring yourself to. His reason was sound enough, and to accuse him of otherwise might make things worse. So, you bit your tongue and tried to let it go.

Tried, but failed. You missed him. You missed his smiles, your conversations... your days felt a little bit greyer, and a lot lonelier. You’d chalked it up to missing your friend – after all, you were still friends... right?

But one day you saw him on patrol with another hero, a smile on his face as he talked to them. They stood a little too close to him for your liking, the light in their eyes as they looked at him a little too bright. That part wasn’t surprising. It was pretty unanimous in the popularity polls that Shouto was a beautiful man. What did surprise was the sharp sting of jealousy that shot through you.

That was when you realized. You liked him.

The feelings had crept up on quiet feet, through a forest of gentle of smiles and the low rumble of laughter. Through shared lunches and bad jokes (some of which went over his head). In such a short time, he’d helped you grow as a hero and celebrated in your successes from the sidelines. He’d been there for you so much and so perfectly that no longer having him with you left you feeling empty.

You felt like such a fool.

Was that why he’d started to distance himself? Did he see it before you did and immediately make his decision before you were even aware of it? It was like you’d received the rejection before you’d ever even thought of the question. The entire situation felt backwards and upside down, leaving you feeling confused and embarrassed.

You wanted to run away from the entire situation, to transfer to another agency without a single word shared. But your heart wouldn’t let you. Not without answers. You deserved answers. There were still too many questions.

It was late in the evening, with most of they daytime staff gone and the nightshift heroes out on patrol. Shouto had just finished his shift and changed back into his civilian clothes when he came out into the hall from the locker rooms. You were there, leaning quietly against the wall as if you were waiting for someone, your presence taking him by surprise.

“Y/N!” he exclaimed as his eyes locked with yours. His unruly heart skipped at the sight of you.

Your eyes met his, a silent hurt swimming in their depths. That’s when he realized... the person you were waiting for was him.

“Hi...” you mumbled quietly. You broke eye contact and stared at the floor. “Um... could I talk to you for a minute?”

Shouto stared at you for a moment, taking in your averted eyes and hunched shoulders, and his chest tightened. You looked... sad. Upset, even. Your smile that had given him butterflies before was gone now, and your body language screamed of hurt even as you tried to hide it from him with arms crossed over your chest. There was no doubt that he was the cause of it, that he was seeing this part of you because you were in his presence. He knew he’d grown distant from you, a panicked decision that he’d committed himself to because he didn’t know what else to do.

But looking at you now, he hated it and he hated himself. He did this; he made you feel this way. Shouto inwardly cursed his own cowardice. You had every right to be hurt, and you had every right to be mad at him.

He had to make this right.

“Yeah.” He finally replied with a sigh.

Shouto joined you against the wall with his hands shoved into his pockets, his arm a few inches from yours. He joined you in staring at the floor, his eyes focusing on a piece of dried gum stuck to the tile.

“Did I do something wrong?” you asked finally, your voice tight.

Shouto’s eyes snapped up to look at you in shock. That wasn’t the question he’d thought you were going to ask. Why would you assume that you’re the one who did something wrong??

“What?” he asked, stunned.

“I just... we used to work together a lot, and talk, and go on lunches... and I thought we were becoming really good friends, you know? But then it just... stopped. You got busy, and then you stopped working with me, and... I can’t help but feel like there’s a reason for it all.” Your eyes finally met his just and he could see the tears being held back by the curve of your lashes. “Did I... do something to make you uncomfortable?”

You words were like a punch to the gut. Make him uncomfortable? If anything, he made himself uncomfortable when he began to realize what the pounding in his heart meant every time he was with you. Every time you smiled, or touched him...

“No.” he replied emphatically. The emotion in his tone took you by surprise and he softened his voice as he returned his eyes to the floor. “No. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Your face scrunched up in confusion. “Then why-”

“I can’t think straight when I’m around you.” He blurted out.

The two of you froze, him staring at the floor as his face turned bright red and you staring at him, watching it happen.

“...what?” you finally whispered, your pulse racing.

Shouto averted his face from your wide eyes in shame. “I... I can’t think straight when I’m around you.” He repeated.

Your mind felt numb as the words tried to sink in. But it was a struggle; Shouto’s words didn’t fit at all what you’d concocted in your head. It was like trying to fit a round block into a square hole.

You cleared your throat. “What do you mean?”

“I mean...” Shouto took a shaky breath before returning his gaze to the floor in front of him, still unable to look at you, “something happened, and I just... whenever I was around you, I couldn’t focus. On anything. Not on my job. Not on my paperwork. Not on my food...”

“Wha... why not?” you asked, your mind still reeling as hurt slowly gave way to the weightless sensation of hope.

Shouto finally looked at you through his soft bangs, his bicolored eyes locking with yours for the first time in weeks. “Because...” he replied. “All I could think about was you.”

It was as if someone had pulled you out of freezing, murky water. You gasped for air, the weight of your worries evaporating off of your skin under the sunshine of his confession.

“Me??” you breathed.

Shouto looked back at the floor again, the shame still in his eyes. “Silly, huh? So unprofessional of me. I figured... I didn’t...” he took a breath and tried again. “I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.” A slight grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “And I needed to be able to focus on my job. But...” – he looked back at you – “really... more than anything, I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m not...”

Shouto’s eyes finally met yours, wide with surprise. “What?”

A small smile blossomed on your lips. “I’m not uncomfortable.” You replied softly.

A warmth spread through his veins. “You’re not?”

You shook your head as you bit your lower lip with barely contained happiness. Shouto’s eyes glanced down at the action as his arm gently found its way around your waist of its own volition. Your body felt warm beneath his touch, and it sent goosebumps across his skin in excitement.

“You sure?” he whispered, as he stared into your eyes. His other hand came up to gently brush the old tears from your lashes with his thumb.

You began to lean into him and nodded. “I’m sure. Really sure.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” He whispered with a small smile. His hold guided you closer, closing the small distance left between you.

Your lips finally met, warm and gentle as Shouto pulled you flush against him. You could feel it – that painful knot that you’d been caring in your chest began to unfurl with the gentleness of rose petals. It softened everything – your mind, your heart, your kiss, your touch. It made a bed of warmth to nestle into, a special, secret place that was only big enough for two. Your arms wound their way around Shouto’s neck as a happy hum found its way to the back of your throat.

Your kiss was cut short by the sound a familiar, angry voice.

“GET A FUCKIN’ ROOM, YOU TWO!! DON’T DO THAT SHIT IN THE HALLWAY!!”

You quickly pulled away from Shouto, your body hot with embarrassment to see Bakugou standing there, his face red with anger. Deku was with him of course, his face red as well, but more for embarrassment.

You self-consciously rubbed your lips together bashfully. “Um... sorry.” You mumbled.

“Y/N! Uhh...” Midoriya scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Congrats?”

You stifled a chuckled. “Thanks, Midoriya.”

Bakugou huffed in disgust and went into the locker rooms, dragging a blushing Midoriya after him. “Don’t stare, ya fuckin’ weirdo...”

After they were gone, you turned and looked back at Shouto with a chuckle. “Well, we’re never gonna hear the end of that, are we?”

He gave a small smile. “Probably not.” His thumb traced along your cheekbone, gentle and cool as he admired you, and you shivered beneath his gaze. “Worth it though...” he smirked.

[myonepiece]

Hiya! I hope your days have been well and that you’re being safe 💖 I’ve had a really...really bad day these oadt few days and I saw that your writing was open and um- I was wondering, if it’s alright, that you could do a h/c with Shanks, Ace, & Law with an S/O who is consistently (but not intentionally) clumsy and has the worst luck, and they try their best to make sure not to get into the crew’s way cause they know they they’re gonna mess it up for everyone?? I hope it’s not too specific but not too vague as well. Please have a lovely day 🥺💖 (and if you’re wondering...I spilled tea over my laptop and litterally left me in shambles (no pun intended))

Shanks, Ace, Law with an S/O who is unintentionally clumsy

Shanks x Reader, Ace x Reader, Law x Reader

Description: Shanks, Ace, & Law (seperate) HCs with an S/O who is unintentionally clumsy and unlucky, always trying to stay out of everyone’s way

Warnings: none

A/N: I’m so sorry you’ve been having a bad day :( I tried to get this out asap 💕 I hope tomorrow is better 💐 (also that sucks about your laptop 🙁)

Shanks can actually be pretty clumsy himself, I mean with one arm and all bell occasionally drop something of forget he only has one arm when he tries to grab something to steady himself- then he ends up falling

he thinks your clumsiness is amusing (only when it doesn’t result in you getting seriously hurt), he’ll often tease you about it, but he does know limits and when he sees you actually get hurt by his words he stops right away and brings up something embarrassing about his crew or sometimes himself

he does like to keep an eye on you, especially on rough terrain, in crowds, or when the races are rough/storms. he uses your clumsiness as an excuse to hold you more, telling you he’s only holding onto you so tightly in case you fall, always pulling you into him and blaming it on you almost tripping over something (he just wanted a hug)

his reaction to your awful luck is the same as to your general incoordination, except with less teasing. he can’t exactly stop you from experiencing bad luck, but he’s there to cheer you up, sometimes doing something to himself on purpose and blaming it on his own bad luck

he’s the type to find any kind of lucky charm snd give it to you, he’s even made one himself- you (and him) like to think it works

he doesn’t like that you try to stay away from the crew, him included, he understands why you do it but he thinks it’s sort of foolish- your clumsiness and unfortunate luck doesn’t seem to be rubbing off on any of the crew and he tries to assure you that it’s completely okay to be around them

the crew doesn’t seem irritated by your actions either, not just because their Captain has warned them against being rude about it, but because they knows it’s not your fault and they can handle themselves anyway

never once has he seriously judged you or bullied you about your unhelpful quirks, he’s incredibly supportive and uplifting, he always has a funny story about someone else’s stumbles to tell you when you feel bad (it makes him laugh as well)

very similar to Shanks

he is also quite clumsy, and he has no shame in it so he doesn’t see why you do. he thinks it’s cute and funny and when you stumble or fall- as long as you aren’t hurt- and after he has a little chuckle he runs right over to pick you up and check if you’re okay

he insists on holding your hand and carrying you everywhere (and he won’t let you say no just because you think he’ll be affected by your bad luck)

one of his nicknames for you is “clumsy” but he always says it lovingly or in a joking manner, snd he’s more than ready to yell at anyone who actually teases you (with ill-intent)

he laughs at your bad luck as well, but he assures you it’s just natural and nothing to be ashamed of- some of the crew members don’t have the best luck either and he makes sure to tell you stories about their similar incidents

he doesn’t understand why you avoid the crew and him when they’re working or all together, you have to explain it to him and even then he doesn’t really understand and tells you not to worry because the crew doesn’t have any problems with you or your unluckiness/clumsiness

lots of feel-better cuddles where he just attatched himself to you and whispers about how amazing and perfect you are (this man uses every fall of yours as an excuse to kiss you and carry you and hug you, and don’t try to run from his affection because he will find you- that’s a threat)

probably the only one to get a bit irritated by your clumsiness, but when it happens, and that’s rarely, it’s only the slightest bit- he doesn’t blame you for knocking over anything of his and he can immediately tell your self-conscious about your fumbles

he bluntly assures you however many times you need that there’s nothing wrong with you and you don’t need to worry about getting in his way because you’re more important than whatever he’s doing (that last part he doesn’t say out loud)

the whole crew holds nothing against you, especially because they’re clumsy themselves, but they all keep an eye on you per Law’s request

Law’s medical knowledge comes in handy with you always slipping and hurting yourself, he’ll scold you while he bandages you up but he makes sure you know that he’s not mad or annoyed- he always has bandages and ointment somewhere in his pocket(s) just in case you hurt yourself

he fins your extremely bad luck peculiar, he knows he nor you can’t do anything and/so obviously he doesn’t hold it against you or tease you (unlike Ace and Shanks)

he’ll true to offer help or simply a hug when you feel down about your luck, but don’t try to distance yourself from him and/or his crew just because you think they’ll get hurt because of you- that’s when Law gets annoyed

he knows bad luck doesn’t transfer or rub off on other people and he assures you that over and over again

he doesn’t really pay much attention to your constant accidents unless you get hurt, he just views them as normal no matter how often they happen- because he knows it’s normal

[boldlyanxious]

Tenuous Trust

Jasonette July prompts 6: trust

References to Birds of Prey

Mentions of torture and murder

Canon-typical and not graphic

Possibly still disturbing

This is absolutely not what I was writing when I started. The idea was very different but it is what happened so it's what I offer

Not a typical meet cute Monday

My masterlist

Red Hood rushed down the hall away from the confrontation in the lobby. He had planned to sneak in and disrupt the meeting but that was no longer necessary. Things were going bad all on their own. Sionis was trying to find new contacts to deal with but recent interruptions in his business made an already turbulent arrangement turn volatile. Hood kept on down the hall looking for any other things he could tamper with in case they resolved their differences without guns.

He saw a woman step out of one of the former offices before the warehouse had been abandoned. He wasn’t sure who she was but she had been seen with Sionis or Zsasz a few times, but she usually never left their side so she would likely have information about their operation. He moved over to her quickly and pushed her back into the room, possibly more roughly than was necessary but for this it was likely better if she was a bit on edge.

She looked startled at him pushing her around but her eyes dropped down when she realized who he was. She said nothing. She waited for instructions, flinching a little when he reached out for her again.

“You are coming with me. Do you have anything of yours here that you need?”

She shook her head instead of responding, still looking down.

“Quickly out that window and hold on tight.”

She didn’t move. Well, she did but it was to back away and look around for an escape route. He grabbed her by the arm and pushed her a little to get her walking. Shouts were starting to echo down the hall. He expected bullets would be heard next.

“You are going to have to trust me. You have no reason to, but it is your only option.”

He pushed her until she had to either climb out the window or pull out of his grip. The decision became easier for her when the first gun fired followed immediately by several others. She climbed out the window and he followed. She was holding on to the side, looking very nervous about the possibility of a 3 story fall but he pulled her to him when he cleared the window.

Red Hood swung away from the building and landed on a low roof. He pulled her behind him, holding her hand to force her to keep up. They crossed several other roofs and he never saw anyone else nearby so he circled back around and found a vehicle to use. She was hesitating again when it came time for her to get in the car. She didn’t want to go back but she was not very thrilled about going with him.

“I meant what I said. You have to trust me. You have no other choice.”

She stared at him for one more moment before climbing into the car and putting on a seatbelt. They were silent as they drove through Gotham. He could feel the nervousness rolling off her but there was very little he could do about it. He did the one thing he could think of to ease her mind when he pulled off the road and into the drive thru at a Bat burger. It was a little thing. He was hungry. She probably was too, and it was an easy way for her to be more certain he wasn’t planning to just kill her.

He took her to his personal safehouse rather than the base. He didn’t want her spooked by the militia or all the guns and activity. Very few actually knew where the safehouse was. He didn't trust many to know where he slept, but he had a feeling that she could be trusted with the information.

He set the food at the table inside and the scene felt very domestic as they sat across from each other at his small table. It was better light in here so he was able to get a good look at her as she finished her food. She ate slowly and made no sudden movements. Her entire persona was meek, but it felt forced. He finished before her and pushed his back against the chair back as he stretched himself out. He stood and threw his paper wrappers in the trash and pulled out 2 beers from the fridge, offering one to her.

“So who are you?” he asked. “You don’t really seem like a career criminal.”

“I'm not, or I wasn't."

"Very vague explanation."

"I had dreams and plans before. I had a business and had just gotten an incredible contract. I went out with friends to celebrate.”

Red Hood kept watching and waited for her to finish but that seemed to be all of the story he was going to get out of her without more questions.

“How did that lead you to working for Sionis?”

“My friends and I didn’t know the area well. I had just moved here. But we found club Roman listed and that is where we went.”

“That is a well known cover for his business.”

“That is more clear to me now, but I didn’t know it at the time. It was purported to have a great singer and a dance show. That part was true.”

“Gonna need more of how you got involved with Sionis, Sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me that,” she said vehemently.

He was taken aback and raised his hands in a surrender motion. She appeared to be working on calming her breathing, eyes wide in terror. But she took a deep breath and continued.

“My friends and I all piled into an uber to get home. We checked the driver and everything was correct. He was very polite and dropped them off first. My place was only a little further away but I never made it home. He was working for Sionis and brought me to see him. He told me I worked for him now. He wanted my new contract as a way to do his business and work against the other company.”

“How long ago was this?”

“I signed the Wayne contract in March.”

“And you have been working for him since?”

“I guess so. I don’t really think of it that way though.”

“You don't think of it that way? Is there a more eloquent way to say you are working for a mob boss?”

"You know a lot about his organization. You are familiar with Mr Zsasz?" Hood nodded without interrupting her. "He is covered in scars. It's very off putting before you know the reason. Then it is horrifying. He kills people, and for each person he kills he makes a mark."

"So you did what they said or he would kill you?"

"I tried to resist or escape at first. But Mr Zsasz had driven my friends home. He didn't only threaten me." She took a shaky breath. "Nor was I the only person they tried to convince to work with Black Mask. There was another man, he was brought in with his wife and daughter. They made me watch--"

Hood followed her out of the room when she suddenly stopped talking and bolted out of the room. He stood by the bathroom door for several minutes until she finished and then ran the water for several minutes cleaning herself up. When she came back out he offered a water. He said he didn't have ginger ale or crackers but he could make toast. She shook her head but took the water from him. Then she continued telling her story.

"The threats were always there. Usually they would just smack me around a bit if I didn't want to do something or possibly if they were bored. They would threaten my friends or tell me they had given up trying to find me." She wiped away tears. "If I gave in too quickly after a beating Mr Zsasz would show me his scars. He has a spot picked out for me. Once told me he wanted me to fight them because he wanted to fill my spot. He dragged me up by my hair and made me kiss it."

"He did what?" Red Hood could barely contain his anger. The whole story was making him irrationally angry.

"It wasn't about me, or anything like that. He wasn't interested in anything but torment and he was very good at that. He did it for the bit if blood that transferred from my bloody lip to the spot. He says he couldn't wait for his own blood to show in my spot." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she added. "He always called me Sweetheart because I didn't like it and he refused to use my name. Everyone did. I wasn't even a person to them."

"What is your name?"

"Marinette," she said quietly.

"Marinette, you are safe now. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Last time I tried to escape he said there was nowhere to run. He would find me no matter what and make his mark."

He paused for a moment, thinking. He knew the best option but he didn't really want to use it. But it was the best option for Marinette.

"I can't protect you." Her face fell at that. "What I mean is I'm dismantling the entire organization. I can't keep you safe but I know of people who can. Do you trust me?"

"You said I have to trust you."

"But you would actually have to rely on the trust for this. You would have to trust that you will be safe with the people I take you to."

"It doesn't seem like there is another option."

"Getting you out of town with a new identity could work. But you may always be on the run. This life you have would never be yours again."

"Okay. I will trust you."

They left after that. He took her across many rooftops and around town. He seemed to be waiting for something but Marinette didn't know what until someone else landed. It was Batman, a known enemy of Red Hood and Black Mask. Marinette really hoped there wasn't going to be a fight.

"Took you long enough, old man."

"It was clear you were trying to draw me out. I wasn't going to jump into a trap."

"You are known for holding back, whether the situation calls for it or not. I'm proposing a temporary truce."

"How temporary is this truce?"

"One hour."

"That is very temporary. You clearly need me out of your plans right now. That sounds like the worst time for me to agree to a truce."

"I'm not making any moves. I need help or she does." He stood aside so Batman could see Marinette. "She was taken by Black Mask after securing a contract with Wayne Enterprises. Your connection to Bruce Wayne and Wayne Enterprises is well known."

He watched Bruce under the mask. His Batman mask slipped off his facial features while the cowl stayed firm. He knew Bruce was looking at his helmet and seeing Jason. He thought he was finally reaching the boy and Red Hood had no interest in correcting the misconception now. He would still complete his plan.

Black Mask had just become a higher priority and surprisingly he wanted to keep Marinette safe. He also had plans for Zsasz. He wanted to take him out personally. He shocked himself by reaching up to Marinette's chin and tilting it. She looked up at him as if he could tell their eyes were meeting even thought he had his helmet on. His thumb brushed against her jaw briefly before he dropped his hand.

"Keep her safe," he said without looking back at Batman. He couldn't stand to see Bruce looking at Jason again right now. He flipped off the roof and away before anyone else says anything but he crept back to a higher vantage point to watch as Batman took Marinette with him. She would be fine now.

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@jasonette-july-event | @theymakeupfairies | @emjrabbitwolf | @vixen-uchiha | @trythisagainlove | @trippingovermyfeet | @tbehartoo | @adrestar | @zynna

[sequinsmile-x]

Defence

They can’t stop each other from being hurt by the past so they do what they can now. They protect each other, their love fierce and soft in equal measure.

Words: 2.5k 

Warnings: Canon typical violence 

Thanks to @aubreyprc for reading this for me to ensure it made sense because I wrote 98% of it in a sleep deprived state. You’re the best, bestie <3 

Read over on ao3 or below the cut.

Let me know what you think!

Emily was sure she had never been so grateful for a case to be over. Eight days in a small town, with almost as many dead young boys. Lost at the hands of a man who was taking out his anger at losing his own son out on innocent local families.

She had watched as the man she loved struggled with it, the similarity between the dead children and his own son not lost on anyone in the team. She knew she’d hovered, stayed maybe a little too close, but she missed Jack too. She kept thinking about the homework she had been helping him with before they were called away, how it was probably still spread out on their dining room table.

She couldn’t help but imagine how it would feel to never finish it, to walk back into a home that only had memories of the boy she loved as her own. They finished the case a little too late to fly home that evening. Aaron’s disappointment was sharp, his frustration coming out in barbed shouts at the team and the local cops as they packed away, broke down the room they had called home for more than a week. Some work needed finishing in the morning, the finilalsing of interviews that Aaron had said they would help with before they headed back to DC.

Dave had given her a silent look, asked her to work her magic. Emily led Aaron down a small, quiet, hallway and she gently assured him they’d see Jack the following day, that they’d pick him up from school and take him to see the movie he’d been raving about for weeks. It drew a smile out of him, and she had squeezed his hand, quipping that he owed everyone a drink.

It’s how they found themselves in a local dive bar, all crowded around a table. Aaron had his arm around her, slung over her shoulders, and she had hers around his waist. Any discomfort of public displays of affection in front of the team had melted away years ago. She could feel some eyes on them, cops they had worked with over the last week casting curious gazes in their direction, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. The case was over, they were heading home in the morning. They could allow themselves to act like a normal couple.

Emily looks up at him and smiles when he looks back at her. She reaches up to press a quick kiss to his lips, her hand coming to rest on his cheek.

“I’m going to the bathroom, I’ll be back in a sec.” She kisses him again, and flips Derek off as she walks away when she hears him making a fake gagging noise.

As she enters the hallway she sees two of the officers from the case. Officer Peters, a difficult man who had looked at them all with contempt since they arrived, and his partner Officer Hayes. Peters was clearly a misogynist, his defiance towards her when they’d been partnered up on a couple of interviews over the last few weeks made that clear. She gets closer to them and stops, their conversation loud enough for her to hear.

“I looked him up, you know?” Officer Peters says, taking a sip of his drink, leaning in towards his partner like he was about to tell some grand secret, but not lowering his voice. “Do you remember The Boston Reaper?” He waits for a nod. “The suit killed him. With his bare hands.”

The mention of Foyet always made her blood run cold even all these years later. Haley’s last words echoing around her head as she remembers them finding Aaron with Foyet’s body, still beating him as if the man wasn’t long dead. She lived with a little boy who had very few memories of his mother now, who would still sometimes find his way into her and Aaron’s bed. Nightmares fused with half remembered moments of the worst day of his life. The things he had overheard, but could not understand, twisting into something that was somehow worse than reality.

“Wouldn’t think he had it in him.” Officer Hayes says in disbelief.

“There's got to be something interesting about him to bag Agent Prentiss. You know she's a wild one just by looking at her.” Officer Peters takes another swig of his drink. “He’s a stern bastard, didn’t crack a smile the whole time they were here.”

She knows it’s true, she makes fun of Aaron for it herself often enough. Good natured jibes to make him relax a little, to remind him that they were all there too. Hearing someone else say it, someone who didn’t know them, set her on edge. She knew how Aaron wore his stoicism like an armour, something to protect himself from the things they saw, from the responsibilities he carried. She was there when it all fell away, when he became her Aaron, not Hotch, and it made her protective of him. Something fierce building in her chest.

She clears her throat before she can stop herself, and the officers both turn to look at her.

“Excuse me, gentlemen.” She says, an eyebrow raised. “I’ve got to get past you.” She nods down the hallway towards the bathrooms, indicating the amount of room they were taking up.

Officer Hayes has the decency to look caught out, and he steps back almost immediately. Officer Peters, however, stands in her way. Purposely blocking her with a defiant look on his face.

“The case is closed.” He says, and she can smell the alcohol on his breath. Emily wonders how long they had been here, if they had been drinking since the unsub was brought in several hours ago. “Your team can’t tell us what to do anymore.”

Emily rolls her eyes and walks past him, easily getting by, and he grabs her arm, yanks her back towards him. She tries to pull her arm free, but he holds on tighter, squeezing her skin in a way that hurts. She doesn’t let it show.

“Let go of me.”

“Terry-” Officer Hayes tries to warn his partner, cut off before he can get beyond the man's given name.

“What are you going to do?” He asks, getting closer to her, making rage as opposed to the fear she was sure he was after rising in her chest. “Tell your boyfriend.”

When she looks back on it in the weeks to come Emily isn’t sure what made her say something. What made her push past the voice in her head, that sounded suspiciously like her boyfriend, telling her to leave it. To walk away. She thinks it’s down to the brutality of the case, the way she knew it had impacted Aaron much more than he would let anyone other than her know. His facade cracking when their hotel room door closed at the end of a long day, too many hours worked behind them and too few hours of sleep ahead.

Emily had watched as he loosened his tie every night, the stoicism on his face giving way to sadness and something too close to guilt for her liking. She had held him tightly in her embrace, trying to transfer some of her strength to him, kisses and words of love pressed against his skin. A loan she gave freely but knew he would pay back, and then some, the next time it was her turn to fall apart behind closed doors.

“I don’t need to tell him anything.” She smiles at him, and it pisses Officer Peters off more. “I’m a federal agent, this is assault. I’d think long and hard before making me involve him. It won't end well for you.” She tears her arm free, holds back the wince when she can feel her skin bruise. She starts to walk away, forgoing the bathroom altogether to walk back to the team, to Aaron.

“Is that a threat, bitch?”

Emily doesn’t exactly know what happens next, Officer Hayes and Peters move at the same time. She’s sure the former is trying to stop his partner, but she ends up getting a blow to her left cheek either way. She cries out, her hand coming up to her face, pain spreading from the point of impact. She hears Derek yelling from across the bar and she sighs.

All hell was about to break loose. _______________

Emily finds herself grateful that Aaron is not there when everything happened, that he’d stepped out to call Jessica and speak to Jack before he went to bed for the night. When he walks back into the bar she can tell he immediately knows something has happened. She watches as he pauses in the doorway, the relative silence in the bar deafening in comparison to the noise he had left behind.

Aaron looks over and sees Derek and Dave talking to a couple of officers from the case, Officer Hayes included, and then he looks over at where she is sitting, JJ holding ice wrapped in a towel the barman had given them against her cheek.

He’s by her side in seconds, JJ handing over the makeshift ice pack silently, linking arms with Spencer to lead him away to give them some privacy

“What happened to your face?” He cups her jaw gently, his thumb ghosting over the swelling already appearing under her skin, bruising blooming on her cheek.

“It’s ok.” She says, her self deprecating laugh turning into a wince as he presses the wrapped ice to her cheek. “It’s nothing. You should see the other guy. Derek did a number on him.”

“Em.” Aaron says, grabbing her hand with his spare one, gently squeezing it. “Please.”

She sighs and closes her eyes. “Ok.” She swallows and looks at him again, attempting a smile to reassure him. “But you’ve got to understand it is not your fault.”

His face falls, eyebrows furrowing enough that the crease she loves to soothe with her thumb appears on his forehead.

“A couple of the officers from the case were over by the bathroom, I heard them talking about you.” It riles her up again, frustration burning in her chest. “I let them know I was there. One of them was pretty drunk and he grabbed me. I got away and he managed to get a good punch in whilst his partner tried to stop him.”

“Where?” He grits out.

“What?”

“Where did he grab you?” He asks, his voice dangerous. She sighs, rolls the sleeve up on her sweater to show where the finger shaped bruises were forming on her arm. She sees him clench his jaw, the hand not gently holding ice against her cheek forming a fist.

“Honey-”

“I’ll kill him.”

Emily stops him from moving, wrapping her hand around his fist. “Aaron, just breathe. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine, Emily.” He seethes, anger vibrating off of him in a way she couldn’t remember seeing in years. “He hurt you.”

“Come on, love. I can take a punch just as well as the rest of you.” She says, smiling at him. “Probably better actually.”

“Em.”

“It’s not worth it. He’ll already be losing his badge for this. I’d rather you didn’t go to prison for killing him.” She reaches out and cups his cheek, tries to coax a smile out of him. “I don’t think I could keep up with the mortgage payments by myself and it would be a shame to move.” She presses her forehead to his. “I love the bay window too much.”

Aaron does laugh at that. It’s cracked, catching in his chest, but it’s something and it relieves the tension. “I always knew that’s why you agreed to move in with me. The house.”

“You’ll do too, I suppose.” She kisses him, and becomes serious when she pulls away. “Let’s just get out of here, ok? I’d like to go climb into that tiny excuse for a bath in our hotel room with you.”

She doesn’t have to ask twice, their goodbyes to the team short as they leave the bar. When they get outside Officer Peters is there, his superior officer having arrived once the incident had called through.

Emily has to physically pull Aaron in the opposite direction, she feels the tension in him build again as they take a couple steps away.

“She threatened me first, you know.” Officer Peters yells after them, his anger at Emily still clear. “This is what happens when you let women do this kind of work.”

Aaron rarely used his strength against her, unless she asked him to, but he was out of her grasp before she even knew what was happening.

“Aaron.” She calls after him, catching up with him and grabbing his arm again, her fingers digging into his bicep. “It’s not worth it.”

“She is better at her job than you could ever hope to be.” Aaron spits out, anger flowing from him. “When I’m done with you they won’t even let you direct traffic.” He turns to the detective in charge of the case. “We won’t be back in the morning as discussed, we will be leaving first thing. My team will liaise with you on anything you need.”

He walks away, pulling her with him, before there is any chance of a response. _______________

She wants to distract him, his fingers grazing gently over the bruising on her arm as they sit in the bath together. She was on his lap, crushed up against him so they could both fit. Emily could feel how delicately he was treating her. Even though she couldn’t see his face she knew he was frowning, on a downward spiral, blaming himself for not protecting her.

She links her fingers through his, drags his arm around her so he’s no longer focused on her injuries. “That was pretty hot, you know.” She turns her head to press a kiss into his throat, her fingers dancing across his skin. “What was?” He asks, and she turns her whole body to look at him, settling herself back over his thighs. She bites her lip before she kisses him so he can’t focus too much on her bruised cheek.

“You wanting to go all caveman like that.” She says, moving her lips to his ear lobe, nipping at the delicate skin. “However unnecessary it was.”

His hands grip her hips, pulling her closer to him, and she knows she’s achieved what she had set out to.

“Oh really?” He asks as his hands trail up her back.

“Really.”

She kisses him, and all other thoughts are lost.

[sturchling]

Salt-Fic September Day 26: Abandoned

Marinette was numb as she realized what had happened. This was horrible. The class had abandoned her in Gotham, alone. To think everything had been going well. The class had been nicer to her, and Lila wasn’t actively trying to ruin her time on the trip. In retrospect, that should have been Marinette’s first clue that something was wrong. She couldn’t believe this, and it had all happened in the course of two days.

The class was trying to come up with a place to go for the end of the year trip. Lila had become the class representative a few months back, when the class had started to believe the worst in Marinette. Lila had turned this into a class discussion in the guise of including the whole class in the decision. In reality, she didn’t have any good ideas and just wanted to steal someone’s idea to avoid the class’ irritation. But no one in the class had any good ideas either. Marinette sat in the back of the room just listening to the chaos of the class’ discussion.

 While she may not be the class rep anymore, she still doesn’t want her friends to be disappointed by the class trip. She had found an amazing opportunity for the class. The Wayne family was sponsoring a trip to Gotham for the class who submitted the best video essay about their collective accomplishments. Marinette spent several weeks on it, but she was able to submit a video to the contest.

 A few weeks passed and Marinette received an email from the contest. Her submission had won the contest! She was thrilled. She was excited to tell everyone, but then she realized that she shouldn’t. With the way the class thought of her now, they would likely immediately reject the idea purely because she suggested it. Instead she sent the information to Mrs. Bustier and asked her not to say who won the contest. Surprisingly, she agreed to her request and didn’t say anything.

 Lila had no idea who won the contest, but she didn’t care. This was perfect. Lila immediately claimed the credit for winning the contest. “It was hard to write the essay through the pain from my sprained wrist, but I did it for you guys.” The class fawned over Lila, thanking her for her dedication. Meanwhile, Marinette just rolled her eyes. The information Mrs. Bustier sent the class specifically said that it was a video essay contest, not a writing contest. How could the class not realize this was a lie? They had the proof right in front of them. But that wasn’t important, at least the class would have a nice trip.

 That was how the class had ended up in Gotham. The trip had been going surprisingly well. Marinette had expected that Lila would hog all the attention and the class would treat her as coldly as they had back in Paris. But instead, Lila was quieter than normal and the class was chatting with her again. Marinette had hoped that meant that they had realized that Lila was a liar and were willing to be her friends again.

 Marinette was having a great time on the trip, when she met him. He had tan skin and dark hair. He was sitting in one of the halls of the Wayne Enterprises building the class was touring. He was sitting on a bench and reading a book. Marinette had been looking for a quiet place to sketch while the class ate lunch and decided to sit next to him. When she sat down, he gave her an incredulous look, as though he couldn’t believe she sat there. Then he just turned back to his book, and ignored her.

 Time went by, and the two just kept reading and sketching in quiet. Eventually though, the boy’s eyes found Marinette’s sketchbook again. He stared at the sketch which appeared to be an outfit based off Robin’s costume. “Your work is exquisite. Very detailed.” Marinette was startled by the sudden noise. “Thank you. That is kind of you to say.” “Is it based on Robin’s costume? Why did you choose that costume?” Marinette went on to discuss her process for this design. The conversations continued until the end of the lunch for the class. When the class gathered outside of the cafeteria, Marinette had to leave. But before she did, the boy, who she now knew was called Damian, asked her, “I apologize if this is too forward, but would you care to have dinner with me tomorrow night?” Marinette agreed eagerly and was looking forward to seeing Damian again.

 Marinette had no idea who exactly Damian was until later that night while speaking with Alya. “Girl, you scored a date with Damian Wayne. So, its tomorrow night? What time?” The girls spent several hours discussing the date. Alya wanted all the details. It felt like old times, before Lila ever appeared. Marinette enjoyed this time with her best friend. Alya even helped her get ready for the date, choosing an outfit and how she should do her hair and makeup. Marinette had no idea what Alya and the rest of the class was really planning.

 The next night was one of the best nights in Marinette’s life. Damian had arrived early and endured some teasing from Alya and the class as Marinette finished getting ready. They left and had a wonderful dinner. Damian even took Marinette for a walk in a nearby park, while his brothers watched from the roof tops to make sure no rouges got any funny ideas. Marinette had a wonderful time. Damian dropped her off back at the hotel, and even walked her to the door to her room. Marinette was in such a happy mood. That was until she opened the door to her room after Damian left. The room was empty. All of Alya’s things were gone. They had been sharing a room. Marinette’s things were still there, but Alya’s things were gone.

 Marinette searched the whole hotel, but didn’t find anyone from class. She went to the front desk and asked about her class. The person working the desk looked at her in shock. “You are still here? Your class already left, said there was some emergency in Paris.” Marinette panicked, expecting a bad akuma and checked for news on her phone. But there wasn’t anything. Instead, there was an unread text.

You shouldn’t have messed with Lila. Maybe this will teach you a lesson. Have a good time getting home.-Alya

Marinette couldn’t believe it. The class had abandoned her in Gotham.

 She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know how to get home. She didn’t have money to get a plane ticket, and the class must have done something to her original ticket. She called her parents and they got her a ticket for the first available flight, which wouldn’t be until tomorrow evening. Marinette spoke with the hotel staff member at the desk, to see about staying in her room one more night. But they told her that someone else had already checked into the room for the night. Her stuff was brought to her from the room and she didn’t know what to do now. She had no where to stay for the night.

 Marinette realized she had only one option. She gathered her stuff and went to the Wayne Manor. When she arrived, she was greeted by an older man who stared at her inquisitively. “Good evening. I was having dinner with Damian earlier tonight. Something has happened and I didn’t know where else to go, may I please speak with him?” The butler looked at her warily, but did let her in the manor. He led her to a parlor and went to fetch Damian.

 A few minutes passed and he returned with Damian following with a confused look on his face. “Marinette? What happened? Why are you here?” Marinette explained everything that had happened since Damian dropped her off. “So, they just abandoned me here. I already have a flight booked for tomorrow night thanks to my parents. But I don’t have anywhere to stay tonight. I’m sorry to impose, but I didn’t have anywhere else to turn.” Damian was furious. How dare the class do this to her?

 Alfred had gone to get Bruce and fill him in on the situation. Bruce came into the parlor as well, to see Damian comforting an upset Marinette. Bruce approached the young couple, “Of course you may stay here tonight Marinette. After all, my family sponsored your class’ trip. That makes you my responsibility until you return to Paris. Make yourself at home. Now, I think I will go call your parents and tell them you are staying here with me.”  Marinette felt at ease, knowing that things were being handled.

 Marinette was returned to Paris in the morning, but she never returned to Francois Dupont. Her parents pulled her out of that school immediately after they learned their daughter had been left behind. She was now enrolled in an arts school that Chloe and Adrien had transferred to before everything in Gotham had happened. She also spent a lot of time in Gotham when she was on a break from school. She had to visit her boyfriend obviously. While Damian wished she had transferred to Gotham, he was happy that Marinette was in a better school. Marinette was happier than she had been in a long time.

  Lila ended up being exposed a few months after the Gotham incident. Marinette never got the details of how it happened, she only found out because the class showed up to try and apologize to her. Marinette stopped them, “I accept your apology, but I can’t fully forgive you. You abandoned me in one of the most dangerous cities in the world. You didn’t care at all what happened to me. I had no where to stay that night and no way home. I could have been really hurt. I’m sorry but we can’t be friends anymore, I can’t be friends with people that would do that to me.” The class didn’t like it, but they accepted it. They knew what they did was unforgiveable.

 While Marinette had been beyond hurt by what the class had done, she wouldn’t have changed anything about the trip. She learned who her true friends were and who wasn’t. She had also met Damian, who she had grown much closer to over the months after the trip. She was the happiest she had ever been and was glad that everything had happened the way it did. She was living an amazing life, with friends and family that cared for her and a boyfriend who truly loved her.

Hope you guys liked it! @maribat-central-official