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atinylittlepain · 2 years ago

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Of Saints and Sinners - Chapter 6

Joel Miller x f!reader/f!oc

series masterlist

The team starts their journey home and things start to change between her and Joel. Will she finally start letting him in? Or will he have to forget about her and whatever they had shared?

warnings | 18+ angst, canon-typical descriptions of injuries, smut-adjacent (finally)

The group spends the rest of the night in the old gas station. In the morning she tells them she wants to get back to Jackson in one trip. Joel keeps his mouth shut after their conversation last night, and it’s agreed that they’ll all keep moving, five days until they’re back home.

Alex and Steve might be fooled by her confident attitude, but Joel can see the way she winces when she hoists herself up onto one of the horses, Steve swinging his legs over behind her. One night wasn’t going to heal the damage she had been dealt, and Joel can see she’s feeling it. Regardless, the group sets off on the highway back towards Wyoming.

The days start to pass languidly by, long stretches of squinting highway and nights spent hunkered down in withering buildings. She hasn’t been talking much to any of them, only sharing faint whispers with Steve that Joel pretends to not be curious about. He’s trying hard to not be such a guy about it, but honestly that’s never been an issue until her. For the first time since the world ended, Joel Miller is jealous.

He tries to hold onto what she had told him, that Steve wasn’t her man. And the further along the journey home they got, the more Joel was starting to understand their relationship. This was an intimacy past whatever Joel was getting worked up about. This was two people who had been through everything together. Something deeper than sharing love, or blood, or a name. They had shared life, or whatever there was left of it.

He was still trying to figure out how Alex fit into this equation. They treated him like a little brother almost. Someone a little less worn than them, but still dear. What Joel saw before him was a family, the only kind that could arise in a world like this.

They’re two days out from home, settling in for the night. Her and Joel stay up while Alex and Steve get some rest in the first leg of the night, hunkering down in another cleaned out gas station.

They sit shoulder to shoulder, backs against an old beer cooler.

For maybe the first time, she speaks up first, “what kinda records do you have?”

“Don’t have many, you’ll have to share whatever you’ve been stashing. A buggy Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Hank Snow.”

“A real country boy, huh?” She quirks up her mouth in a split grin at him. He thinks to himself, this is new.

“Well what would you prefer?” He’s playing along. It feels weird to him.

“I’m guessing you weren’t listening to much Mazzy Star before this all went down?” He looks at her blankly, she smiles.

“That’s one I did manage to find, their 1993 album, seemingly intact. I’m gonna play it until it’s worn out when we get back.” He likes the sound of that, the promise of her presence.

“Anything else?” She turns her head, resting her cheek on her shoulder as she looks up at him. “You know Elliott Smith?” Again, Joel’s got nothing. She lets out a short laugh. “How about the movie Good Will Hunting?”

“Robin Williams, right? A bunch of therapy talk.” He’s rewarded with a wide smile. “Yeah, Elliott Smith was the soundtrack to that.” Joel nods, afraid to admit he can barely remember the movie in the first place.

“He was big in Portland, where I was from, at least in the indie scene. My dad - he was a disc jockey, always on the up and up on music, always bringing home good shit for me to listen to. Elliott Smith was my favorite artist he showed me. You might like him, he’s folk-adjacent, lots of guitar.” He’s never heard her say so much at once, and even though he has no idea what indie or folk-adjacent means, all he wants is for her to keep talking. For just a second, Joel feels like he’s in a different world with her, a world in which none of this ever happened. Just two people talking about music on a normal night. And then he blinks back into reality, the still fading bruises on her neck, the bandage wrapped firmly around her arm, the way she talks in the past tense. She seems to snap back into this world at the same time, clearing her throat and looking down at her hands in her lap. He hates it, the sudden drop.

“Anyways, gotta get home first. But I’ve got one of his records too, I’ll play it for you.” Just like back in that field, Joel doesn’t know what he’s doing until he’s already done it. He reaches out, sliding his palm under her own, interlacing their fingers. Her lungs catch on an inhale, turning her face to look at him from under those damn eyelashes. His other hand ghosts over the hinge of her jaw, thumb brushing the arc of her chin. While his brain blares the what the fuck alarm, he’s leaning into her, twisting in until she does the rest, leaning up and forward into him, and it’s a kiss that could only be shared between two broken people. It’s a trembling brush, a frightened test. She squeezes his hand and he closes the gap this time. The second one is a little more certain. I want this. I want you. This is real. I’m terrified that this is real.

They freeze before slowly unfurling from each other, resting their heads back against the wall. He’s afraid to look back at her and see regret, but she breaks the silence first, “was that alright?” He thinks his head’s going to explode. She’s asking if that was alright for him?

Joel swallows, “uh-hum, yeah. Was that alright to you?” Neither of them have looked at each other yet, just glancing at each other out of the corners of their eyes. He sees the sliver of her smile. “Yeah, that was alright, Joel Miller.”

…

Over the next two days of travel, she gets quiet again. Joel thinks he royally fucked up, that maybe the more she thought about what they shared, the less alright it became to her. He feels selfish, downright ridiculous, that this is what he’s worrying about. He can see that she’s still in a decent amount of pain in how she moves, sudden, wincing jerks. She won’t let any of them look at her ribs again.

Mercifully, it’s an uneventful return home. They make it back through the mountains, and their appearance on the edge of town causes a serious stir, people gathering to watch the ragged crew ride in. They dismount, and Maria is quick to take her under her arm and out of the crowd to a former doctor’s house. Joel can hear hushed whispers regarding “the saint’s” return. Back home, back to all her secrets he still doesn’t know.

Steve and Alex look at Joel, both nodding to him, before walking off towards their home. The job is over, and Joel heads home too.

Ellie is begrudgingly happy to see him return, asking too many questions that he refuses to answer. He wonders if things will return to the way they had been, an icy distance, Steve’s warning. He hopes they won’t.

…

That night, there’s a knock at Joel’s door. It’s Alex. Joel steps out, sitting with the man on the porch.

“Thought you’d wanna know, she’s doing alright. Doc did a full checkup. No broken ribs, just some serious bruising, have her taking freezing cold baths to reduce the swelling. She’s at home now, sleeping like the dead. Think she’s already feeling a lot better just being back.”

Joel nods at this, not realizing he needed so badly to know how she was doing.

Alex takes a sharper inhale, “Steve also told me to tell you he was sorry for being a dick. He’s a hard one to get an apology out of, just a little too proud.” Joel huffs at that.

“Don’t have to apologize. I get that, wanting to keep someone safe. I was happy to help you do that.” Alex rubs his palms on his thighs before standing up, turning to leave before thinking twice and looking back at Joel.

“Don’t tell her I told you this, but she told me she likes you, Miller. That’s a high compliment. Thinks you’re one of the good ones. Please don’t prove her wrong.” Before Joel can respond to this, Alex is already shuffling off his porch, walking out into the dimming night.

…

Joel tries hard to get back to business as usual. Picking patrol shifts back up, working with Tommy. He doesn’t see her around at all that first week back, figures they have her laying low while she’s still recovering. He sees Steve at the bar one night and the man nods at Joel, a silent extension of peace, a thank you.

He wonders to himself if it’s better to just forget what happened, that it’d be best to let it lay dormant, to stop thinking about her. But he can’t, the feeling of her hand in his is what he falls asleep to and wakes up with.

Joel certainly isn’t a romantic now, nor was he before. He learned not to be the hard way, with Sarah’s mom, who left him and his babygirl before he knew love was capable of hurting, of destroying. And then he lost Sarah, and with her, whatever he thought was left of his heart.

Something seemed to slide back into that space with Ellie, but now, he can feel it filling out to the brim with her, this wild, strange, dangerous woman that he still doesn’t know, not really. He tries to tamp it down, drown it out, but the thoughts of her keep pouring in. She’s ten years younger than him, and while Joel knows time doesn’t count for much in this world, it feels like a chasm, one big enough for her to not want him at all. But then he remembers that night, that shared moment, and he has to believe he’s not being a fool for feeling this way.

His mind rolls like the tide with these wonderings, these worries as he moves through the days. And then, it’s two weeks since they’ve returned, and he gets another knock on his door on a Tuesday night.

She’s wearing the same thing he saw her in that day at the childcare center, soft, faded t-shirt, grubby jean shorts, and duct-taped sneakers, a zip-up hoodie hanging loosely over her frame. He can see that she’s got two vinyls tucked under her arm.

“You owe me a turn with your record player, Miller.” A ghost of a smile in the corners of her lips. He opens the door wider, letting her slip inside.

“Yes ma’am. Was wondering when you’d be coming for a listen.” Joel can handle patrol shifts, clickers, raiders, general danger, without much anxiety. But having her here, in his space, is making him nervous in an embarrassing way.

“Doc finally cleared me for daily activities. First day of freedom since we got back. Been thinking about this the whole time though.” He knows she means the record player, but something in him still flips over at her words.

She holds up both records for Joel to see, “I brought Mazzy Star and Elliott Smith, the ones I told you about, think we can listen to both tonight?”

He nods, “Ellie’s out wreaking havoc with some other kids, won’t be around to give us any grief. We can listen to whatever you want.” She gives him one of those rare, cracking smiles. He thinks that’s all he really wants these days.

She lets him lead her upstairs, and he only now starts to realize he keeps the record player in his bedroom. Jesus christ, man, calm down. She lets out a sigh when she sees the player set up, tentatively walking over and thumbing through the sparse crate of records Joel has.

“Man, feels like Christmas morning,” she murmurs, mostly to herself. The record player is set up on an old end table, Joel sits down in the armchair next to it, elbows on his knees, watching her carefully kneel in front of the player. She lays her two records down on the floor, seemingly trying to decide which to play first.

“I think I have to go with Elliott Smith first. Haven’t heard him in twenty fucking years.” She slips the record onto the table, letting the needle catch. The opening chords of “Speed Trials” kick up and she smiles until her cheeks are rounding up under her eyelashes, eyes closed.

Joel’s only half paying attention to the music, his focus more intently on the seeming ecstasy she’s in, nodding her head with the drums, letting out a sigh as each new track begins. She opens her eyes a squint, catching him staring and he looks away, trying to listen closer to the music.

She just keeps smiling, “ah man, this last track is so good.”

I'm in love with the world

Through the eyes of a girl

Who's still around the morning after…

She’s mouthing along to the lyrics, Joel feels like he’s going to combust.

I could be another fool

Or an exception to the rule

You tell me the morning after…

She looks at him, her smile slackening as she slowly stands. She shuffles over in front of him and offers out her open palm, he takes it and squeezes lightly.

Crooked spin can't come to rest

I'm damaged bad at best

She'll decide what she wants

I'll probably be the last to know

No one says until it shows, see how it is

They want you or they don't

Say yes…

Joel stands, his and her feet shuffling until the toes of their shoes skim. She splays her other palm over his chest, fingers grazing just below his collarbone. He lets his hand furl around the curve of her neck, thumb resting on the aching roundness of her cheek.

They both jump when the needle catches the end of the record, warbling off. She huffs a laugh, eyes still caught with Joel’s.

He swears he hears his voice crack when he asks her if this is ok but he doesn’t care because she’s smiling and then she’s nodding and then she’s leaning up and in and the first kiss is soft, a remembering, a test. The second is a bit firmer, more confident. The third, she slides her palm up from his chest, to his jaw, drawing into him a bit closer. The fourth, they untangle their hands, his going to the hilt of her spine, hers draping over the tops of his shoulder blades. The fifth, he lets his palm rest heavy on her back, pressing her body fully against his. She swipes her tongue across his lips and he’s already letting her in, tasting into him. They can feel their battering heart beats where their chests press against each other, shaky and unsure of where they’re going next until Joel is cupping her hips in both his hands and gently walking her back towards the end of his bed. The backs of her knees hit the sheets and she’s stumbling back onto the bed, taking him with her as he awkwardly tries to hold himself up. She lays back and he’s hovering over her with his knee between her legs and his palm beside her temple and he laughs, really truly laughs. She brings her hand up, thumb brushing over his lips.

“What is it?” He sighs, “it’s nothing, it’s just — kinda feel like I’m back in highschool right now.” She giggles and Joel thinks it might kill him, “Joel Miller, are you blushing?”

“Mm, shut up,” and with that he’s diving back down to meet her and this kiss is different. It’s desperate, licking into each other, teeth bumping, huffed breaths, and the clicks of spit. She starts to work at the buttons of his shirt and once he catches on, he sits up for a moment, yanking the thing off over his head by the collar before settling back into her. He shivers as her palms run over his bare skin, nails grazing his back, his sides, up his chest. He dips his head into her neck, leaving nips along her throat as she gasps under his touch. She lets out a strangled whine when he brushes his lips at the hinge of her jaw. He presses back, pulling her hands with him to bring them both standing. His hands grasp at the edges of her hoodie, he sees a flicker of something in her eyes, but she still lets him shrug the jacket off her shoulders. Joel runs his fingertips down her bare arms and she shudders. He stops at the bandage around her left forearm, she looks down at the floor.

“Almost all healed now. You still gonna like me with another scar added to the list?” He frowns at that, dipping his head to meet her gaze, swooping in for a swift, hard peck. “Don’t even say shit like that,” he murmurs, bringing his attention back to the task at hand, fingers ghosting along the hem of her shirt. He doesn’t miss her flinch this time.

“I just – well, you’ve seen my back. Kinda a mood killer,” she laughs lamely at this, swallowing hard around an ache in her throat.

“Hey, no. I — I want you, however you are, however you let me.” Joel feels like his mouth is full of cotton and he speaks before he can even think, “you’re – you’re wild, you know that? Make me feel like my head is gonna explode everytime I look at you.” She lets a small smile spread at that, still gazing down at her shoes. He brings his palm to her jaw, coaxing her face up towards him.

“Don’t gotta do anything you don’t want to, but you gotta know I want all of you, if you’ll let me have it.” She nods slightly, eyes a bit teary as she catches Joel’s gaze. What she says comes out as a hoarse whisper, “Think I need some time. I know you’ve seen them. I’m just not ready, but I want to be. That ok?” Joel takes hold of her hand, squeezing. She squeezes back.

“It’s ok, darlin. Give you all the time I got.”

#joel miller angst #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller #joel miller x you #joel miller x reader #tlou fanfiction #the last of us #tlou #joel miller fluff

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steelthroat · 10 months ago

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My Transformers ocs and their origins:

1) Flange: he is a gladiator, he was born to romance Megatron in a silly fic of mine (which I'm still writing) he's the only one I've drawn lol. He exists in his own AU and doesn't have a faction in the regular timeline he's kind of paired off with my next oc and is a Decepticon.

2) Abode or Wheelpad (I'm still deciding): he's an Autobot, he's got a worried-dad kind of personality, his alt-mode is a yellow Fiat Doblò, he's very kind, he is primarily a courier and he takes his job very seriously. He rarely rests and is very responsible, but he's also prone to cracking dad jokes and can be awkward and shy. Flange likes him a lot and finds him cute, but Abode/Wheelpad thinks he's trouble. He still looks out for the reckless Decepticon because if he doesn't, who else will? They ended up living together after the war because they couldn't afford to live alone due to "the incident". Chaos ensues, I have a lot more to say about him.

3) Rocker: (he/they) still deciding on his alt-mode, but he's a grounder either 2 or 4 wheeler. Punk, likes racing, youthful personality but he knows how to be serious. He's an Autobot but he didn't fight in the war because he was unconscious for most of it after almost being blown up... he woke up during the last years of it and he was very out of touch with everything. He's still fighting with his grief, survivor guilt and his trust issue after his friend Starship became a Seeker but they're the only friend left/who is willing to take care of him and stay with him during the hardest time of his life

He and Starship were born after listening to "we built this city" by Starship, I have a mental animation about them...

4) Starship: flyer, met Rocker before the war and they were inseparable. They are a lively mech, with big dreams and hopes for the future. They became a Decepticon hoping to change society for the better, they don't believe they would have fared any better with the Autobots, but they regret separating from Rocker. They didn't fight for most of the war since their fighting skills were... huh... well they were better off as a courier or whatever else they could do, but not fighting, they were a disgrace as a Seeker and his time under Starscream's command was short-lived. After the war they found Rocker again during the worst moment of his life, he didn't initially want anything to do with them but Starship would rather die than separate from him again... they have come a long way since then, but there's still a lot of work and therapy waiting for the 2 of them.

5) Recoil(idk probably gonna change her name): she is a grounder, she is still a wip and I'm still working on her storyline since but I have a blurry vision of a design in mind for her! She's very cool and composed, but she also has a lot of anger inside of her which she uses when she has to fight(she goes apeshit). She's a decepticon and I'm still deciding if she's gonna defect or not. She I a natural born commander, very authoritative, she doesn't have problems working under pressure, she IS the pressure. I have a lot to say about her but for now this is gonna be it ;)

#transformers #maccadam #steel rambles #transformers oc

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squirrelno2 · 2 years ago

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I did threaten to do some jatp oc posting sooooo

(I'm thinking about a series of small pieces about Willie meeting various HGC ghosts - let me know if you're into this?)

Willie met Genevieve when he decided to experiment with trampolines. He was disappointed to find that he couldn't jump on them, not without a lot more effort than was worthwhile, but when he emerged from underneath the trampoline he saw a woman sitting at the top of the silks hanging on the other end of the circus's rehearsal space like she did it all the time. He paused, hoping he was about to see a show.

Then she turned her head and saw him, and he realised that she was probably dealing with the same issue he'd found with the trampoline.

"Let me guess," Willie called. "You're falling through."

She scowled, slipping into the silks and falling a few feet before she caught herself.

"Go away," she said.

"Have you been dead long?" Willie couldn't help but ask. It was a familiar kind of stubbornness on her face. Lots of new ghosts looked like that when they tried to cling to life.

"I'm not dead!" she snapped, struggling to climb back up.

"Are you like a superhero, then? There's only so many options."

She appeared on the floor, face bright pink with fury. With an angry swipe of her wrist across her eyes, she turned towards Willie.

"You shouldn't be here."

"Maybe. But who's gonna stop me?" He raised his arms gleefully. He wasn't about to touch the whole "I'm not dead" thing, but maybe he could ease her into understanding that death wasn't the end of the world.

"What if you mess with something here? People can get hurt on this equipment!"

Willie looked up at the silks, then at the ghost in front of him.

"I'm always careful," he said. "No bouncing or climbing when lifers are here. I know that."

"Lifers," she repeated. She looked steadier now, though her eyes were still bright and watery. "What are you, the circus ghost?"

Willie resisted the urge to say that was probably her.

"Just visiting," he said. "But I know a place where the silks won't let you down."

The woman rubbed the back of her neck.

"Really," she said flatly.

"Yeah, this guy Caleb has a fancy nightclub - old style, where they put on shows and do jazz dance. I never used to know anything about shows before him, but it's pretty cool."

She looked him up and down, frowning.

"You're just a kid," she said. Willie stood a little taller. "How long have you been -"

She didn't finish the sentence.

"Dead? Yeah, it's been a couple decades. You're really new to this, huh?"

She reached up, pulling her hair out of its ponytail and retying it.

"I guess telling you I'm not dead was a giveaway," she said when she'd finished.

"Hey, we all have moments like that," Willie said. "But it's easier to get used to it all when you're not alone. Wanna come check it out?"

She turned, looking behind her at the silks she couldn't use. She rubbed her neck again.

"I guess it couldn't hurt."

Willie grinned and spun, flinging his arms wide.

"Just wait," he said. "Caleb knows everything there is to know about the afterlife. You'll be back up there in no time."

She laughed softly.

"What's your name?" she asked. "Are you... Alone?"

"I'm Willie," he said. He knew the look on her face pretty well, and decided to head her off at the pass. "And it's not like it would be a good thing if a ghost like me had any family around, you know? That's the thing about all this, you kinda have to make a new one. And not look at us teenagers like we're kids."

"Right," she said. "Decades."

Willie nodded, glad she understood. He wanted to make sure all the ghosts at the club felt like family, but that didn't mean he was looking for some kind of parent.

"I'm Genevieve," she said. "Thanks for this."

"Hey," Willie said. "We gotta stick together."

Genevieve smiled.

"I guess death is like performing that way," she said. "Just... Tell me the need for unions isn't so pressing."

"Don't worry," Willie laughed. "You'll be fine."

#julie and the phantoms #willie jatp #fun fact: genevieve broke her neck on the silks when she died. so uh. all that neck rubbing... yeah #snippets and sneak peeks #fanfic #technically not exclusive to phantom singular but #the irony is delicious if youve read it so #phantom singular #anyway this is fun bc i get to poke around these ocs i havent touched since phantom singular and continue my 'let willie be loved' agenda

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jestiamy · 1 year ago

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for context (separate links) / tagging @p1nkp0nkk since they are the one that. made me post this so like in this hypothetical au canon needs to be. canon ish. since the premise is "okay but what would V do in a canon timeline." ; but also with the general end goal of "become an antagonist, probably."

I don't really talk about it but my ocs actually do a lot in the background of canon. specifically in the tang dynasty and before (jttw era). to fix all of that meddling to make an au closer to canon we get ;

Ch'en, Gongdai, and Hong are all not around.

maybe they're dead, maybe they chose a difference form, maybe they never existed - none of that matters. as long as 'ch'en'/'gongdai'/'hong' are gone, this timeline can be achieved

This comic goes a lot less "entire comic+ after this everyone screamed" and more "V was just people watching -no form stuff intended since. they don't know they're meant to do that. they accidentally make eye contact. they're both really confused and also v is in a lot of sudden and confusing pain and freaking out really bad + after this V hides right away as every memory up until that moment macaque has ever had starts flooding over into their brain and instinct is all like. dude what the fuck you're gonna die!!! leave!!! hide!!! go away!!!"

Macaque dies, V takes a long long long long time to settle into their skin as a person that is distinctly Not Macaque without their shapeshifter seniors around to explain how it's meant to work. It's a lot of shock and hiding in caves. They come to accept that yeah, my best friend who I also don't know at all tried to kill me except I wasn't me I was someone else until I saw me and then I became me? But not. because I'm dead. They eventually work out a name (Venera) but it took a few hundred years more then it would otherwise and they're definitely a lot more macaque then they would have been if they knew what was happening

macaque comes to life and while he's gaining back his former strength and distinctly not doing whatever it is that weird bone lady wanted, he tries to find out if that person he saw before dying was like. actually a person. and not a hallucination. good side quest, very achievable, and definitely not a subconscious way to avoid confronting his issues by going on a fools errand.

he somehow actually finds the person. they both scream. great introduction

they work out some stuff. hey you're like, sort of me. yeah I guess. talk out their feelings. get eachother in loop on what their revenge scheme is if there is any at all. that stuff. after the conversation tapers off they go their other ways though, mostly because they both think the other is kind of weird. not like, a bad weird, but not really a good weird either.

they keep in brief contact. sort of. macaque just wonders back sometimes, and v doesn't really have anywhere else to go. the instinct of "hide like your life depends on it" was definitely one they didn't kick after the first time it showed up. so they kind of just hang out. in the same cave. forever.

macaque keeps coming back mostly because it's. kind of sad. like huh, if I managed to escape this is what I'd be. mostly just sees young macaque in v, takes pity on that, and comes back to try and be a friend when he has the time. he isn't exactly good at the friendship thing, but he hasn't tried to kill them yet, and that's better then v's last friend right ???

from there I have no idea but I'd imagine v's kind of like. this is My Friend, and macaque is the kind of guy to see no ethical or moral issues in asking his highly secluded friend who has no one else but him to help him out with evil stuff (he is slow and does not realize that is how it is framed) and so if given time and macaque thinking he should enough, they'd probably become macaque's like. in reserve evil henchman. highly in reserve though. he's no lady bone demon okay, he does not vibe well with "menacing person following me around as I do evil."

and so the au from there depends on how bad of a person I let macaque be because. v here is very loyal and macaque is the only person alive with that loyalty. this could go literally so many different ways depending on macaque's general reaction/feelings/plans regarding V

#oh my god I think I just wrote a pseudo. fanfiction #sighing so hard right now #I write sometimes #that's. that's the fanfiction tag everyone. be glad it isn't just hashtag fanfiction #venera.#oc stuff #altered universes and the fallout #that's two entire new tags oh my god #(au tag is the altered one by the way) (if it wasn't clear)#macaque the. ever #fallout: canon aligned venera #look I made pairing tags. altered universes and the fallout. fallout: canon aligned venera. I'm so clever right.#sorry for being a writer on main I tend to forget I do that #lmk

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translytherins · 3 years ago

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Saiki's What Now?!?

Pairings: Saiki Kusuo x Male! Calm! Slightly Clingy! Fiance! Reader

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A/n: I got this idea from a story on Wattpad about their male oc being Saiki's fiance and I thought that It was adorable and I wanted to write one myself. Hope you enjoy!!

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It was the end of the school day and all Saiki wanted was to go home right away because his parents said that they had a suprise for him and that he has to back home right away after school and he couldn't tell what is was through his parents minds because all of their thoughts were either 'Kusuo's gonna be so happy!' and 'I can't wait to see his reaction!' he was secretly hoping it was a lifetime supply of coffee jelly.

"Hey Saiki! Wanna go get ramen?"

"He's not getting ramen with you because he's helping me track down Dark Reunion! Right Saiki?"

"I'm not going with either of you"

"Aww... Why?"

"Because my parents need me home"

And with that Saiki left his "friends" and went straight home to see what his parents had in store.

As Saiki approached his house, not only could he hear his parents thoughts but he could feel another person's presence coming from his house. He was slightly confused about who it was but as he comes closer to his house he felt a familiar aura that made his eyes widen slightly. He picked up his pace his heart beating rapidly, silently hoping it was who he thought it was. He opened the door to his house and saw a familiar male with [hair coloured] hair sitting and talking with his parents at the dining table. In a blink of an eye he had his arms wrapped around the [hair coloured] male whom jumped slightly before the male smiled softly and pecked Saiki's lips making said male smile. Who's the male you might ask? It's Saiki's fiance, (M/n) (L/n). Now you might be wondering why they're already engaged? Well... That a story for another day and if you want it please drop a request.

"Hey Ku... Welcome back... I missed you so much..." (M/n) said softly which made Saiki smile before he buried his face into (M/n)'s neck.

"I missed you too..." Saiki spoke out loud instead of telepathically because most of his powers doesn't work on (M/n) which Saiki was happy about.

They just stayed in that position while ignoring the fact that Saiki's parents were cooing and taking pictures of them until Saiki's mom cleared her throat to catch the couples attention which worked.

"I'm happy that you both are reunited again after a year of being away from each other! You both make such a cute couple! Also Kusuo... Little (M/n) over here Hey! I'm not little! will be joining you're class tomorrow!"

As Saiki heard that, Saiki was absolutely ecstatic before he realised that he had to share his (M/n) with his "friends" but that went unnoticed by his family and fiance as Saiki's mom continued to talk excitedly.

The next day came earlier thank Saiki would have liked because he would rather stay in bed and cuddle with (M/n) in his bed but (M/n) managed to convince threatened him that they had to get out of bed and get ready for school or no more cuddles for him :(. And with that Saiki reluctantly got out of bed and started to get ready for school.

Saiki and (M/n) were making their way towards PK Academy with their arms intertwined and (M/n) laying his head on Saiki's shoulder. Saiki was feeling very content right now. Just him and (M/n) and no one interrupting their mome-

"Hey Saiki!"

An annoying voice called out to Saiki which turned his content mood very sour. Him and (M/n) stopped turned their heads towards where the voice came from, arms still intertwined, and Saiki saw his "friends" Toritsuka, Kaidou, Aren and Nendou..

"Woah Saiki! Who's this hottie!" Toritsuka said, whistling slightly What the f*ck did I just write😂 before he was smacked upside the head by Aren.

"That's no way to treat someone Toritsuka!"

"I'm sorry! I was just stating facts!" Toritsuka whined before he got hit by Aren again.

Saiki just glared at them before wrapping his arms around (M/n)'s waist and pulled him closer towards him making (M/n) giggle slightly before he decided to introduced himself.

"Hey there. I'm (M/n) (L/n). You must be Ku's friends. *Saiki pinched (M/n)' s waist slightly* Hey! Stop that Ku. I'm talking to you're friends. Anyways... It's nice to meet you" (M/n) said and gave them a dazzling smile which left them slightly breathless and blushing.

He was so pretty! Maybe even prettier than Teruhashi!

Saiki glared at them before he unwrapped his arms from (M/n)'s waist before he picked (M/n) up bridal style, which earned an adorable squeal from (M/n), and continued walking to school which made his friends snap out of their thoughts and they started fast walking to try and catch up with them as Toritsuka and Kaidou were yelling at Saiki to slow down which only made Saiki walk faster with (M/n) in his arms as (M/n)'s arms around wrapped Saiki's neck and he snuggled up to Saiki's chest which made Saiki coo at him internally.

As Saiki and (M/n) were walking through the hallway, with (M/n) still being carried by Saiki, Saiki felt everyone staring at them and Saiki heard their thoughts ranged from 'Their so cute!', 'Eww... Disgusting gays' well f*ck you too or 'Is that the new student? He's pretty sexy ;)' the last one made Saiki slightly bitter but he just ignored them as they made their way towards their classroom. Usually Saiki tried to avoid attention from his peers and schoolmates but he couldn't find himself to care as he just focused on (M/n) who was still cuddled up to his chest. That was until he heard a familiar annoying voice that belonged to a certain glowing blueberry.

'Is that Saiku? It's Saiki. When are you going to get it right? Maybe I should go up and say hi to him! Surely today is my lucky day and he'll finally say oh wow to me'

And with that Saiki started walking faster to try to avoid her.

'Why is he walking so fast!?'

Saiki and (M/n) reached their classroom, losing the glowing blueberry along the way, and entered before Saiki placed (M/n) in a seat much to his (M/n)'s annoyance which he expressed with a quiet groan. Saiki chuckled lightly before he kissed (M/n)'s forehead and sitting down in the seat in front of him, facing (M/n) and grabbing his hand and intertwined their fingers. (M/n) smiled towards Saiki before he placed light kisses on Saiki's face which made Saiki's face heat up slightly but it wasn't noticeable. He continued to ignore the eyes on them and the thoughts running through everyone's heads and just focused on (M/n).

'There he i- Huh!?! Who's he and why is he kissing Sako!?! It's Saiki'

"Good morning Saiki! 'Huh... She finally got my name right'. Who's this cutie?"

'He might be pretty and handsome but I'm much better than him because I'm perfect inside and out!'

'(M/n) will always be 10 times better than you'

(M/n) stopped placing light kisses on Saiki's face and turned his attention towards her. He just stared at her for a few seconds before looking at Saiki, silently asking if he wanted him to awnser. Saiki nodded his head before (M/n) turned his head towards the blueberry again.

'Huh?! No 'Oh wow' from him!? Maybe he's shy just like Saiki? Yeah! That's probably it because no one can resist the perfect pretty girl! Alright! You're on shy guy!'

'Please leave us alone' Saiki thought to himself before (M/n) awnsered her.

"I'm (M/n) (L/n). I just transferred from [country name]. It's a pleasure to meet you" (M/n) said before giving he gave her his smile that always left everyone breathless including the glowing blueberry.

As she was about to speak, the teacher entered which made the students who weren't sitting, sit down in their seats and Saiki turned around ro pay attention to the teacher.

"Good morning everyone! As you all know today we have a new student so I want you all to welcome him to the class! Can you please come up here and tell us you're name?"

(M/n) nodded his head before he got up from his seat, made his way to the front and stood next to the teacher.

"My names (M/n) (L/n). I transferred from [country name]. It's a pleasure to meet you all and I hope we can all get along without an issue"

(M/n) said before smiling at them taking away everyone's breath as always.

"Is there any questions that you want to ask (M/n)-san?"

Almost most of the class had their hands raised and (M/n) calmly awnsered them.

"What's you're relationship with Saiki?" Teruhashi asked.

"I'm his fiance" (M/n) said happily while shooting Saiki a soft smile.

"WHAT!?!"

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A/n: There was supposed to be more but I got tired of typing. Request or comment if you want a part 2 about the wedding! Have a good day everyone!

Edited: Part 2 is already out! Go check it out! Just Got Married!

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#anime #male reader #gay #saiki x male reader #saiki no psi nan #saiki k #saiki kusuo #the disaster of psi kusuo saiki #saiki kusuo x male reader #shun kaidou #toritsuka reita #nendou riki #aren kuboyasu

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scarlettriot · 3 years ago

Text

Along for the Ride PT 5

Pairing: KirishimaxF!Reader

Summary: Lack of sleep leads to fucks not being given.

Contains: Kirishima and Reader both come from very well-off families. Plus-Sized Reader. Fluff. Hurt/Comfort. Angst. Anxiety Break. Kiri gets hard… and I don’t mean using his quirk. NB OC.

Warnings: TW: Manipulative Family Relationships. TW: Body Image Issues. TW: Anxiety Problems & Self-Doubt. 18+ ONLY, minors, leave.

A/N: Hey! I'm back! Sorry, this took me a while to update but I offer you a cute banner to hopefully make up for it :D Enjoy some hot tub fun times.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

Tags: @lastroseofspring @black-bhabie-2000 @meadow-arts @sarahschance @thepuckishrogue @otomesunshine @mistyfoxsong @lil-pine-mha-drabbles @georgettesand @sleepynaya - THANK ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE <3

Word Count: 3,141

There was something about the night. Not just when it got dark but, when the world grew quiet, when it appeared everyone had gone to sleep, it usually brought you peace but instead you were wide awake with worry and dread.

Sleep should have come easy since you only got a few hours of sleep here and there on the plane but you were past the point of exhaustion, your mind was racing. Unable to discern where one thought ended and another began, everything morphing together into one big blog of stress and anxiety. Lying awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling as if it held all the answers.

Avery promised when you carried them back down to their room that they wouldn't say anything to the rest of the family about you getting in already. They knew better than most the stress your family brought on and they'd let you deal with it on your own time. Still just a kid but you couldn't believe how wise they were.

But, even with the promise made, it all still loomed overhead. All the comments you heard growing up, how you'd never fit it, never amount to anything, just have to settle if you were only lucky enough to find someone who could tolerate you; would they still think that of you? You'd become a hero for crying out loud, you've actually saved people's lives... you made a difference but would it ever be enough?

Tears welled in your eyes, hot and angry because you knew they were wrong. You had people you fit in with, a place you belonged, and you sure as hell weren't settling for a damn thing! There was even a chance you'd found someone who not only tolerated you but actually liked you! But, their opinions still got under your skin, clawed their way through you until they were embedded into your heart and set up shop inside your brain.

You kicked the blankets off you, happy you and Eijiro opted for separate beds, trying to keep things as easy as possible until Sunday rolled around, but now you were just thankful you wouldn't wake him when you crawled out of your bed.

It didn't take you long to change into the swimsuit you'd packed on a whim, to creep out the sliding door and slip into the warmth of the hot tub. The rumbling sound of the jets filled your ears and you let the night swallow your unwelcomed thoughts, the water collect your unwanted tears.

Your heart still hammered in your chest, mad and confused. If it wouldn't have gotten you kicked out of the hotel you would have screamed from the top of your lungs.

"If I come over there," You hadn't even heard the door open but knew you had nothing to fear when you heard Eijiro's tired voice, "and find you upset, crying in a damn hot tub rather than waking my ass up..."

"What're you gonna do, big guy? Huh?"

He'd walked up behind you and lifted himself over the edge, right into the water, sweats and all.

"Eijiro!"

"I got other pairs."

His arm went around your shoulders, pulling you against his side not even bothering to ask what you were crying about. "You need to sleep. Staying awake through this whole trip isn't going to help anything."

"You think I don't know that? I just can't. My brain won't turn off."

He pressed his lips to the crown of your head, a soft kiss before whispering, "Hey brain, go the fuck to sleep."

Oh, he'd reached a special level of tiredness. One that made him more blunt than usual.

"I, eh, don't think she's listening."

"She better start listening." He grumbled and sank lower into the water, his arm dipping beneath the surface and settling around your back. The ends of his hair floated out when his head rested against the ledge, eyes closed.

"Eiji, you should go to bed."

"Are you coming with me?"

"We agreed that since we have two beds we should-"

"Screw that."

"What?"

"Yeah, screw that. Only way I'm going to bed is if you come with me."

"That's not fair."

His eyes squinted open, almost glowing in the hazy light the tub gave off, "What's not fair is you keeping yourself awake. I told you last night, I know you sleep better when you've got someone in the same bed, so, don't be stubborn 'bout it and lemme take you to bed."

You chewed your lip, mulling it over when Eijiro grew tired of waiting for your answer.

He had promptly picked you up and set you on him, your legs straddling his lap. Despite your gasp and the water sloshing over the tub, he remained completely un-phased, looking up, his lower lip jutting out ever so slightly, "For me?"

"I hate when you do that."

It was entirely unfair, his sleepy ruby eyes and that perfect pout.

The bastard even pretended like he didn't know exactly what he was doing. "When I do what?"

"This." Thumb ghosting over his lip, pulling it down just so before it wobbled back.

His fingers pressed a little harder into the skin of your thighs, hardly noticeable with the way his mouth moved. "Why?" That sleepy smirk on his face was something too dangerous. Mixed with hooded eyes and soothing water... he had a fire churning low in your belly.

The honest truth was because it made you want to kiss him. Every single time he puffed his stupid lip he looked so very kissable and, the words slipped out.

"Oh?" You nodded only making that smirk grow, "Well if you want to kiss me, I'm not stopping you."

Your hands locked behind his neck. "What happened to you behaving?"

"Oh, well, it's uh exhausted Eijiro's shift now. See, he's got a lot less sense than well-rested Eijiro." Slowly under the water, you could feel his hands traveling up to your hips, his thumbs catching the straps of your suit before continuing. "Exhausted Eijiro really just wants to take what you're willing to give." Water dripped down his arms when he gently held your face. "But, I've got enough common sense to say if you just wanna give me the peace of mind that you'll go the fuck to sleep, I'll happily take that too."

Your eyes flicked from his eyes back to his lips for a moment. "Just what I give?"

"Do you really think I'd take anything more?" Absolutely not. "Y/N, whatever this is, where ever it's going, you set the pace."

"Can- could I just kiss you for a bit?"

"Please."

He was so damn sweet, brushing his lips against yours, letting you toy with his lower lip as if he knew exactly what you'd been wanting to do.

Minutes slipped by while you got lost in the other. He remained perfectly respectful, almost to the point you didn't want him to be. His fingers would trace your spine, halting right at your tailbone or his thumbs would graze the sides of your breast, was he teasing you on purpose? Or was he really too tired to notice what he was doing?

Your lips were still against his, puffy from all the attention. "Take me to bed, Eijiro."

He didn't have to be told twice.

Large hands made sure you were secure before hoisting you both up out of the water. He didn't falter when he carried you out, sure-footed walking down the stairs, the both of you sopping wet, trotting back into the house leaving puddles in your wake.

Kisses were traded for warm laughter, smiling against each other's lips, taking you up to the master. The lamp at the bedside was on and you expected him to plop you right down on the bed but he instead went for the bathroom, setting you atop the large counter in between the two sinks.

Eijiro kissed your nose, moving quickly when you asked what he was doing. "Chlorine always gives you headaches. You need to wash it off."

It'd been years since you told him that.

"I'll grab you a shirt and shorts and be just out there when you're done."

A part of you wanted to ask him to stay. A large part. To strip your suit off and press you against the glass wall but he was walking away. "Why not make a move? You literally had me in your lap, why not take it further?"

He stopped at slowly turned back to you, fuck, you'd asked it out loud.

His smile was soft, his eyelids heavy, "'Cause you deserve better. I've fucked you once when I was drunk and there are parts I can't even remember of that night, to be honest," He stepped back in front of you, "So if I get the chance to fuck you again I wanna be wide awake, completely present, and I want you to be too." One long finger tapped your temple. "You're not all here right now and I get why." He tilted your chin up and kissed you deeply. "I want you but I wouldn't feel right screwing you now."

"I thought exhausted Eijiro lacked sense, you said." But, of course, he had a point. You couldn't remember everything about that night either and, you wanted him to be more than just a temporary distraction from your family. You wanted something more than physical even if physical was so very tempting.

"Well, you don't make it easy on me, that's for sure." His low chuckle didn't make it easy on you either, "I wanna do this right and I think you do too. I don't wanna rush it."

You pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you."

He nodded, "Now, I'm gonna go get you those clothes before I lose the willpower to walk away from you." And this time, you let him go.

Eijiro dug around the drawers he'd put his clothes in, finding something suitable for you to wear and not think about how very naked you were just a few feet awake, not think about how hard he'd gotten with you in his lap.

You were too important, he had to keep reminding himself that. He couldn't risk you waking up again in the morning and sneaking off, he'd do his best to make sure you were happy and comfortable, hoping you never felt like you had to do that again. And that meant behaving.

Not getting horny thoughts the moment he finds you in a swimsuit!

Eijiro found a hoodie, you'd always liked sleeping in them, and a pair of athletic shorts that were going to be way too big on you but he didn't think you'd mind. He knocked briefly and waited for the okay to enter, simultaneously thankful and absolutely fucking hating the beautifully tiled wall that hid you from view.

"I'm gonna change real quick so the carpet in the bedroom doesn't get wet. Is that okay?"

"Of course."

He let his wet clothes fall to the floor, exchanging them for ones that were warm and dry hanging up over the edge of the bathtub, and then promptly left before doing something entirely stupid.

He listened to the water raining down from your shower when he laid back against the pillows, absentmindedly scrolling through his phone. Sending off a text to Katsuki letting him and the rest of your friends know you'd arrived safely, something you should have done hours ago but he'd been far too tired to remember.

The shower dripped to a stop and it wasn't long before the door opened, illuminating the room briefly with a single beam of warm yellow light. He'd abandoned his phone, watching your silhouette walk to the bed in his hoodie that practically swallowed you whole.

The blankets were already pulled back for you, his arms wide and waiting for you to settle between. You found your spot, tucked under his chin, legs winding together. "What're you gonna do if you can't sleep?"

"Lay here, trapped in a cuddle."

"Try again."

"I'll wake you up, Eiji."

"Good girl."

He felt your breathing stutter, did your thighs just clamp around his? No. He was just imagining that... damn, he really needed sleep.

There was a particularly pesky ray of sunlight shining in through a high window, shining directly into your face.

You groaned and rolled... smack into Eijiro's broad chest, perfect. He was still asleep and an outstanding shield. You buried your face under his chin again. "No sneaking off this time."

His voice was rough with sleep and his arms ensnared you.

"I wasn't planning on it. It's too bright out there."

He yanked the comforter up above both your heads. "You'd sleep in a fort if you could."

"You're damn right I would."

Much like he'd done on the plane, Eijiro rolled you on top of him, brushing hair back off your face. "Does that mean you don't want to go anywhere today?"

You were at a resort for Gods sake, there was so much you could be doing, not to mention the little town nearby, the touristy things you could take him to, even go back to the city for the day if you hadn't slept it away. But, all those things involved leaving the room and therefore you risked running into family prematurely.

"Don't be scared." You looked down at him and couldn't help but smile. One pointed tooth, hanging over his lip. "Tell me. We'll find a way to make it happen."

"There's this little village about a twenty-minute drive south. They've got these shops, all handmade goods, candles that smell delicious..."

"Sounds nice."

"But, we'd have to leave the room and my family is probably in the lobby or in the elevator or in the dining room-"

"Yes, and you have a quirk that can avoid all that."

You blinked, he was right. Obviously, you had a quirk to avoid all that! Or most of it. "I don't know where the car is, the valet took it last night. I still have the ticket in my bag."

His lips scrunched while he plotted. "Your family doesn't know me. Well, besides Avery but they said they wouldn't out us for being here yet. Why don't I just go down and get the car and swing around to where you can see the car? You could just teleport in?"

"That's a good idea."

"I have those every now and then." You playfully smacked his chest, "That does mean we've gotta leave the fort though."

Your hands wiggled and burrowed under his back, smooshing your face down into him, "'M not ready."

It didn't help that those calloused fingers found their way into your hair and rubbed your scalp. "Take your time."

The plan was just as he'd said, once you guys finally left the bed, you parted ways to get changed for the day ahead. Settling on jeans, sneakers, and a light jacket, one with a hood just in case you spotted anyone you wanted to hide from.

Meeting him in front of the elevator, Eijiro went with a similar look but rather than a jacket he wore a black and grey button-down over a fitted shirt. He had his bright hair pulled back again and grinned wide when he saw you, "Ready to do this?"

"As I'll ever be. Thanks for doing this, by the way, I know it's silly but-"

He kissed your cheek, "Yeah, it's a little silly but, if it makes your feel even just a little more relaxed then I'm happy to do it." You squeezed his hand, "You do owe me breakfast though when we get outta here. Best place around. Whatever it is."

"I've got a couple ideas."

The elevator dinged and he stepped in, "Can't wait to hear, em."

You had time, of course, but you still made your way out to the balcony. Peering over the railing at the people below in the pool. They were all too far away but you wondered if you knew any of them. Some of your cousin's children would be teens by now. How many of them would be here?

Laughter filled the air, even reaching you high above where everything was okay. Safe.

Your eyes tracked over to the parking lot, wondering when you'd see the jeep pull up where you and Eijiro had discussed. There weren't many people walking to the cars back there. Just one or two people, that was all you counted and it dawned on you as you saw a cherry red jeep pull out of a spot, this was the valet lot.

There were no other lots within eyesight and you didn't know the area well enough to teleport outside on your own. Sure enough, your phone rang, "Hey Ei."

"Yeah, we've got a problem."

"Can't drive back to that lot, can you?"

"Nope."

"Fuck."

"How busy was the lobby?"

"Decently. But, I didn't know anyone. Not that I'd know your family members if I saw them."

You pulled the zipper up on your jacket. "Can you drive back to the entrance? I'll just teleport right out front."

"I'm already here. Even got the door open for ya."

With a deep breath, you threw your hood up and blinked.

In an instant, the distant laughter was now up close chatter. There was a disgruntled woman, huffing about the youth using their quirks whenever they wanted but you didn't hear the end of her complaints.

You saw the jeep, Eijiro with his phone still to his ear looking right at you. You also saw a woman step out of the black town car right behind him and your heart sank.

It'd been nearly seven years since you'd seen her. Seven years and she still looked the same with her perfect haircut, eyes hidden behind thick sunglasses, and her perfectly tailored coat. Gods, you hated all of it.

You didn't chance running to the car and her seeing you, another blink had you in the passenger's side, pulling the door closed behind you while Eijiro started to drive and you released your breath.

He took one look at your face, "Who?"

"My mother."

He weaved around stationary cars, until he was out of the resort area, just driving down the road with a hand on your knee and your mind spinning. "Hey, look at me." You did, "I don't know where the hell I'm going."

A laugh bubbled from you and a smile spread across his face, "And you owe me breakfast."

You did. And if your mother was at the hotel, that meant she wasn't going to be at any of the places you wanted to go. There was a silver lining.

"Right. So, breakfast burritos or eggs benedict?"

"Um, both?”

#mha #bnha #mha fluff #mha smut #bnha smut #bnha fluff #kirishima #kirishima x reader #kirishima x y/n #kirishima fluff #kirishima smut #it's not super smutty but I wanna be safe #sorry #not sorry

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homoose · 4 years ago

Text

Love Has a Learning Curve: Part VII (x OC)

Summary: Maggie tries to make things right, with a little push from her mama.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x OC

Category: hurt/comfort

Warnings/Includes: none

Word count: 5.8k

a/n: I know, I know— please just let our babies be happy ♥️ and so it was. Also, big ups to my tumblr gf @idmakeitbehave for being my beta the last two chapters.

Series Masterlist

———

One week.

That’s how long it had been since their argument. Spencer had driven back to his apartment in silence, absolutely stunned by the way things had blown up.

They’d gotten back from the case in Utah on the fifth of January, and he’d driven straight to Maggie’s, ready to give her a belated New Year’s kiss. Immediately upon entering her apartment, he knew something was wrong. Her hug was stiff, her kiss brief, her eye contact minimal. He’d spent the night, but they barely touched, and she left early for work without waking him. He’d let himself out and texted her later in the day to invite her over for dinner.

Dinner hadn’t been any less awkward, and when he felt awkward, he knew it was bad. He finally couldn’t ignore it any longer, and he’d called it out. He had expected some resistance, but he hadn’t expected that. Maggie never spoke to him with any malice at all, even when he was actually doing something that irritated her. She was the queen of healthy communication. So for her to speak to him like that meant that the underlying issue was much, much worse than he’d originally thought.

He’d gone over their conversations a thousand times, looking desperately for the moment that it went wrong. After some deep consideration, he was certain that something had happened on New Year’s Eve. He just wasn’t sure what. Maggie was insistent that she wasn’t bothered by the declined call, but he still wished he could go back in time and answer it. He was pretty sure the seeds of their argument had sprouted in that moment, regardless of what she said.

Spencer knew she was a creature of habit, and that sometimes she needed space to process and experience her emotions. And if he was being honest, he needed some space after the argument, too. But usually she would have at least texted him by now.

He sighed and set down his newspaper, realizing he’d read the same page four times and hadn’t retained any of it. It was Friday, and he knew she was working. But still his fingers itched to dial her number. He picked up the phone, pressing a key to light up the screen yet again.

No new messages.

He dropped the phone back to the table with a little more force than was necessary. He decided he’d give her the rest of the weekend. If he didn’t hear from her by Sunday, he’d have to do something.

…

Maggie dropped her bag on the floor inside the door and turned to lock the deadbolt. She had managed to sneak out of the building without being stopped by Anita, and she thanked the universe for small miracles.

She didn’t want to have to explain herself. She didn’t want anyone to know what an absolute troll she’d been. Considering that Sam and Spencer had practically become attached at the hip since they’d started hanging out more, Anita was bound to ask about him.

She showered and ordered Thai food, snuggling down on the couch to watch a movie with Roald. She settled on Dumplin’— a favorite for the body positivity, the southern drawls, and the Dolly Parton drag.

And then she came to the argument outside of Harpy’s and lost what little emotional stability she had left.

“Never took you for the type that cares much what people think.”

“I can’t, Bo. And that might make me a coward, but—”

“It does. Willowdean Dixon, I think you’re beautiful. To hell with anyone who’s ever made you feel less than that.”

She didn’t realize she was crying until Roald meowed in distress. She choked out a sob and stroked over his ears, closing her eyes in defeat. “I really fucked this up, huh?”

It had only been one week, but it felt like years since Spencer walked out of her apartment. She’d stayed in bed for the entire weekend, crying on and off. She knew she had no one to blame but herself. Owen had knocked over the first domino, but she’d done nothing to stop the rest from falling.

Spencer had done everything right. He’d done everything she asked, and she’d thrown it all back in his face. He had made the comparison to Mitchell Park, and he was absolutely right. She’d done the exact same thing, only she had almost a year’s worth of ammunition, and she cut a hell of a lot deeper.

Roald nuzzled against her, but she nudged him away— she didn’t even deserve the comfort. Instead, she fumbled in the couch cushions for her phone, swiping open the screen and tapping her favorites list, thumb hovering over Spencer’s name. Then she tapped on the name right above it and blew out a breath.

The line connected and rang three times before she picked up. “Hey, sugar! Your ears must be ringin’, ‘cause I was just thinkin’ about callin’ you.”

“Hey, mama,” Maggie breathed.

Her mother’s tone changed from chipper to concerned in an instant. “What’s wrong, baby?”

She leaned forward to the coffee table to grab Spencer’s scarf— somehow left behind in her apartment— rubbing it between her fingers. “I— I really messed up.”

“Oh, Lord. You need bail money?”

Despite herself, Maggie laughed wetly. “Oh my god, mama. No, I don’t need bail money.”

“Well, if you made bail it can’t be that bad,” Rose insisted.

“I didn’t— I’m not in jail, for Christ’s sake.” Maggie ran a hand over her face. “I messed things up with Spencer.”

“Well, we can fix that,” Rose responded matter of factly. “What happened?”

“We were fighting, and I said some really, really awful things,” Maggie admitted, tears spilling over her lash line.

Rose scoffed. “Honey, I say awful things to your father all the time, and we’ve been married almost forty years.”

Maggie heaved a long sigh. “Not like this, mama.”

Her mother hummed in consideration. “Well, what were y’all fightin’ about?”

“It’s complicated,” Maggie hedged, toying with the fringe of the scarf.

Rose clicked her tongue. “Do ya want my help or not?”

Maggie dropped her head back against the couch. “I ran into Owen on New Year’s Eve—”

“Well, I hope you told him to stick it where the sun don’t shine,” Rose practically growled.

Maggie closed her eyes as the tears tracked hot down her cheeks. “I didn’t. I— I let him get under my skin, and then I didn’t want to tell Spencer about it because it’s embarrassing, but he knew something was wrong, and he wouldn’t stop asking about it.” She had to pause and suck in a hiccuping breath, releasing it on a sob. “So I yelled at him and said all kinds of terrible things, and then he left, and now I think maybe we broke up, and I’ve literally never been so sad in my whole life.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone, and then she heard Rose sniffling. “Really shoulda had your brothers knock the mess out of that son of bitch when we had the chance. He's been gone five years, and he’s still hurtin’ you every chance he gets.”

Maggie swiped uselessly at the tear tracks on her cheeks, sniffling pathetically. “And now I hurt the person who’s spent the last year singlehandedly undoing all of his awful handiwork.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Rose cooed. Maggie could hear the creak of the floorboards as her mother walked through her childhood home. “You said he knew somethin’ was wrong, right? I can almost guarantee that he’s still just wonderin’ what’s goin’ on. I know he’s supposed to be a genius, but he’s still a man. And men are dumb, sugar. You gotta spell it out for ‘em. Have you talked to him since?”

“No.” Fresh tears spilled over Maggie’s lashes as the thoughts that had kept her from calling him spilled out of her mouth. “What if it was too far? What if I ruined everything? What if he never wants to speak to me again?”

Ross heaved out a long breath. “That’s a lot of what ifs, Maggie Mae.”

“What if I’m right?” she whispered.

“And what if you’re not?” Rose countered. “That boy loves you. Anyone could see that, clear as day. He’d do just about anything for you.” Rose paused, and Maggie heard the springs of the bed squeak as she sat. “But you gotta let him, sweetheart. Right now you’re takin’ away his chance to do that. You’re makin’ the decision for him.”

Maggie listened as her mother’s advice crackled over the line, and for the first time in a week, she felt a tiny sliver of hope.

“If he doesn’t want to be with you anymore, you need to let him tell you that. Don’t settle for a what if. Find out for sure, or you're gonna spend the rest of your life worryin’ and wonderin’, sugar.”

…

That evening found Spencer in his usual spot on the couch, reclined against the arm with a book in hand. He’d promised himself he’d give Maggie the weekend to herself— that he’d let her come to him. That didn’t stop him from checking his phone obsessively; it never buzzed with any new calls or messages, but he still looked every seven minutes.

The sound of the buzzer jolted his body to attention. He checked his watch and drew his brows together before closing his book and scrambling to cross to the intercom, a tiny seed of hope beginning to germinate. He pressed the button to talk, calling, “Yes?” into the speaker box and then listening for the response.

“Hi.”

Her voice was so quiet that he could barely hear it over the crackle of the speaker. He buzzed her in without hesitation, crossing to the door and opening it immediately. She made her way slowly up the stairs, turning at the top of the landing and pausing.

His heart broke at the sight of her. She looked utterly exhausted, dressed in black sweatpants and a soft purple sweater, a black puffer jacket over top. She was holding his scarf, wringing it in between her hands. Her eyes were ringed red, and the bags under them were worse than his.

He watched as she crossed the landing, coming to stand quietly in front of him. He’d known something was wrong, but the way she looked now made him wonder just how long she’d been battling whatever private demons she wouldn’t let him in on.

“I, um.” She cleared her throat, and it was clear she’d been crying from the thickness of her voice. “I have a lot to say— again. But since I was such an asshole, I wanted to give you the opportunity to say anything you need to say first.”

He’d imagined this conversation countless times over the last week, and never once had he thought it would start like this. “Um. Well. You— you really hurt me.”

She could barely look at him. “I know.”

He swallowed. “Please don’t do that again.”

She shook her head, finally meeting his eyes. “I won’t. I won’t ever again.”

Spencer tucked his hands into the pockets of his lounge pants. “I know I may not be the best at social cues, but I’m a pretty good profiler. And I can tell when something’s wrong.” He raised his eyebrows. “You don’t have to tell me everything. I’m just asking you to tell me when I do something that makes you upset.”

“You— you didn’t do anything wrong. I—” He watched her squeeze her eyes shut. “God, I’m so sorry, Spencer. I’m just— I’m sorry for so many things. For lying about being fine, for being up on my high horse about communicating and then not actually doing it, for being an absolute bitch.”

He wanted to argue— she wasn’t a bitch— but he could tell she was far from done.

“I— I thought therapy was supposed to teach me how to talk about things, but this still feels… impossible to say out loud,” she admitted, fingers fumbling with the fabric of the scarf. “It’s embarrassing and ridiculous. But I— I have deep-seated insecurities. That I’m not really that smart or interesting or particularly special.”

He thought back to that night in Mitchell Park and felt the guilt all over again. He’d practically said those exact words to her— it was no wonder she was feeling this way.

“And every person that I’ve ever been with has— really reinforced those ideas, so for a long time they were just… a set part of my self-image,” she explained, dragging a hand over her messy hair. “I thought— I thought that I was over it, but I— I don’t know. Maybe you never really are.”

His brain sorted through every moment of their year together, pinging off the countless examples of her self-doubt and insecurity. She was easily the most wonderful person he knew, but he could clearly see the cracks in the facade if he looked close enough. How had he missed it for so long?

“And then I met you, and you…” Maggie let out a wry laugh. “You’re easily the most interesting person I’ve ever met, but you made me feel like… I don’t know, like I’m interesting, too. Like I’m worthy of being with you, like I’m— like I’m good enough.”

He felt his heart splintering into a thousand tiny shards— good enough?

“But I can’t— I still have a hard time believing it sometimes. And I— I’ve been letting myself keep you at arms length. Letting you see parts of me, but… never giving you everything,” she admitted.

He watched her struggle to get the words out, her voice thick with the act of holding back sobs. He hadn’t realized she was carrying all of this. She was so good at supporting him and loving him through all of his trauma and issues, he hadn’t stopped to consider just how much she needed him, too.

She continued, “It’s why I took so long to say I love you… why I couldn’t talk to you last week. Because I just—” She shrugged as the tears rolled down her cheeks. “I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. For you to realize that I’m really nothing special. That you’re getting bored, or there’s someone who’s a better fit for you, or one million other things. That I’m needy, and annoying, and too much work.”

A fresh tear tracked down her cheek, and he felt his own eyes filling. She never failed to put a stop to his own insecurities— reminding him that she liked his rambling, that he wasn’t irritating, that he was just the right amount. In his eyes, she was perfect. He would have never guessed she felt this way about herself.

She continued, “That’s what happened before, and none of those guys were even half as wonderful as you are.” She swiped a hand haphazardly over her cheeks, looking at him sheepishly. “And then I was hurtful and awful, and I realized that I was just creating a self-fulfilling prophecy and I don’t— I don’t want to do that.”

Her hand shook a little as she brought it back down to twist in his scarf. “Because it’s never— I’ve never felt like this. I've never been this happy with anyone else, and I don’t want to give that up. I don’t want to give you up. Even if sometimes I feel like I’ll never be enough.”

Her voice cracked on a stifled cry, and his chest physically ached. “And if you never want to see me again, I completely understand, and I’ll leave you alone, but I— I’m just so sorry. And I love you so much, and I’m trying so hard to be better.” She sucked in a ragged breath and let it out on an exhausted sigh. “And that’s, um— that’s it. If you want me to go, I—”

“I don’t want you to go,” he interrupted.

Her eyes went wide. “You don’t?”

“Of course not.” Spencer stepped forward and reached for her. “Of course not. C’mere.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, she was tumbling into his arms with a choked off sob. He pulled her inside and closed the door behind them, walking her to the couch and sitting them both down. She clung to him like she was afraid he’d disappear into thin air.

“Maggie, I’m right here,” he assured her. “I’m right here, baby. I’m not going anywhere.”

“But if you n-need space, I understand,” she sobbed.

“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t need space. I think a week was long enough, don’t you?” he asked, pressing a kiss into her hair.

She pulled back out of the hug, head down. “But I really hurt you.”

He held her hand. “Yeah. And I really hurt you, too.”

She huffed out a breath. “That’s not how this works. I don’t get to hurt you just because you hurt me.”

“I know that.” He almost laughed at how indignant she sounded. “I’m not saying that we should hurt each other. I’m saying that sometimes it happens. And when it does, we apologize, and we forgive, and we move forward. And it’s okay if you need space. But I don’t.”

“What if you change your mind?” she whispered.

“Then I promise I’ll tell you.” Spencer tilted her chin up so he could meet her eyes. “I promise I’ll tell you what I need, as long as you tell me, too. We’ve gotta use all those communication skills we learn in therapy.”

Maggie nodded, and he pulled her into another hug. He closed his eyes, letting out a sigh of relief. “If I hadn’t heard from you by Sunday, I was planning to bother you until you talked to me.”

He could feel the beginning of a smile turning up the corner of her mouth where it was pressed to his shoulder. “You never bother me,” she mumbled. She held him for a moment longer and then released him from the hug and sat back, fidgeting with her hands and letting out a breath.

“Sometimes I need to be told that my worst fears about myself aren’t true,” she admitted. “I know that’s so annoying, but—”

“It’s not annoying,” he interrupted, putting an immediate stop to that line of thought. “Telling you how amazing you are isn’t the chore that you think it is. I’m sorry that anyone ever convinced you that it was.”

He covered her hands with his own, rubbing his thumbs softly along her skin. He couldn’t stop thinking about her dealing with all of this by herself. He hated that she’d ever felt anything less than adored. More than anything, he hated that he hadn’t been able to help her through it. And he wanted to make sure that he never made that mistake again.

“A wise man told me once... that love is helping someone navigate their storms,” he murmured, squeezing her hand. She looked at him then, and he continued, “You’ve been my lighthouse for a long time, Maggie. And I— I’m trying desperately to be yours… But you have to let me.”

Her eyes filled with fresh tears, but she nodded. He let out a long breath and pulled her hands into his lap. “I understand that sometimes you need space, and that’s fine. I’m happy to give you whatever you need.”

He shook his head. “Just— please don’t try to weather the storm by yourself. You can’t do it all alone; no one can.” He smiled ruefully. “I can tell you from experience that’s pretty much a guaranteed way to capsize your boat.”

His voice cracked a little at the end, and he felt a tear slip over his lash line. “I’ll help you repair your boat, or build a new one, or you can just float on mine for a while. It’s not perfect but it’s pretty sturdy, I think.”

She brought her fingers up to brush at his damp cheeks, and he met her eyes. “What I’m not going to do is let you float out on the ocean by yourself. I love you too much.”

She was quiet for a long moment, sniffling a little and just watching him— almost like she couldn’t believe he was there. She brought her hand back to his and laced their fingers together, rubbing her thumb along his. “I love you the most.”

“Agree to disagree.” He gave her a small smile and leaned forward to press his lips to her forehead. “Want some tea?”

She was frowning when he pulled back, her brows drawn together. “I need to tell you about Owen.”

The conversation he’d had with Anita was suddenly on replay in Spencer’s head.

… a real piece of shit… telling her lies about herself… isolating her… destroying her from the inside out...

He squeezed her hand. “You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready. You don’t have to tell me at all if you don’t want to.”

She shook her head. “Talking about him takes away his power. I have to stop letting him have so much sway over my emotions.” She looked at him then. “I do things I regret and hurt people I love.”

He brought their joined hands up his lips. “Well, I’m here either way. And I’m still going to make you some tea.”

He stood and pulled her up with him, bringing her into the kitchen and refusing to let go of her hand. He filled the kettle and turned it on, found a bag of her favorite tea and ripped it open with his teeth. He dropped the bag into her favorite mug, and then made a mug up for himself.

“You know, it’d be a lot easier if you’d let go,” she said, the hint of a smile in her voice.

“Mhm,” he agreed, but he made no move to release her hand. In fact, once he’d fumbled a spoonful of honey into each of the cups, he dropped the spoon into her mug and turned to pull her into another hug. He hooked his chin over her shoulder and closed his eyes as she brought her arms around his waist. “I missed you,” he whispered.

She squeezed him tight. “I missed you, too. I’m so sorry.”

She buried her face in his neck, and he felt her breathe him in. He pressed a kiss into her shoulder and then settled his chin again. “Apology accepted, in case it wasn’t clear.”

They stood like that until the kettle began to whistle, and then Spencer kept her tucked underneath his arm as he turned to shut it off and pour the water into the mugs. They each grabbed a mug, making their way back to the couch and setting them on the coffee table to steep. Spencer kept their fingers intertwined and stayed quiet, letting her set the pace of the conversation.

Maggie took a deep breath and let it out on a long sigh. “I guess I should start at the beginning. I, um— I had my first boyfriend in high-school: Cal Cunningham. He was older and cooler, and so I felt— I don’t know… special when he picked me.” She rolled her eyes. “In reality, he was rude, and arrogant, and kind of a misogynist. We didn’t date for very long, but it kind of… set me up on this path of dating guys who weren’t very nice.”

Spencer ran his thumb soothingly along hers, waiting for her to continue. “When I started college, I dated this guy Adam for a few months. He was nice enough but really self-centered and a little immature. When we broke up I just wanted to be on my own for a while.”

“I was single for two years after that, just kind of… finding myself and whatever.” Her eyes watched the path his thumb traced along her skin. “So when I started dating Owen at the end of junior year, it felt like my first real relationship. Like— we were both adults, and he dressed up for our dates, and he paid for things and bought me flowers and fit all the cliches.”

“And it was great at first,” she admitted. “We had a lot of the same friends, so we’d been hanging out for a while before we got together. He was a perfect gentleman, and he was smart, accomplished, and ambitious. I fell fast and I fell hard, and we were sort of— it feels so stupid to say this, but it felt like we were an it couple.

“A few of us made plans to move to DC after graduation— my friend Jess and her boyfriend Chris, Sam and Anita,” she explained. “And Owen and I, obviously. We moved in together in an apartment downtown. And that’s when everything changed.”

She drew her brows together. “It was little things at first. Like he’d jokingly call me stupid for forgetting something, or he’d complain about one of my friends being annoying. But it snowballed pretty quickly. He’d tell me I was stupid, and he wasn’t joking. All of my friends irritated him to the point where we couldn’t hang out anymore— even our former mutual friends. He thought that teaching kindergarten was a mindless, pointless job.”

Spencer tried to keep his heart rate steady, his facial expressions neutral, but his blood pressure was on the rise. No one deserved to be spoken to like that, least of all Maggie.

She continued, “We spent the holidays at my parents’ the second year we were dating, and he spent the entire car ride home explaining, in detail, how ridiculous and low-class he thought everything was.”

She shook her head and rubbed her free hand over her face. “I know it’s insane to think that I stayed with him for so long, but I— he did a really good job of convincing me that I was— that I was nothing. That he was doing me a favor by loving me. That he could have anyone, but he chose me. No one else was going to, so I should be grateful.”

He balled his free hand into a fist to avoid squeezing her to death. When Anita had said Owen was a piece of shit… he hadn’t realized just how deeply she meant it.

She picked at the fabric of her sweatpants, staring intently at the tiny pills. “When someone says all of that to you on a daily basis, and you’re not hearing otherwise from anyone else— because no one knew what was going on… you start to believe it.”

Spencer relaxed his fist to bring his fingers up to her face, gently cupping her cheek. She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes for a long moment. He didn’t know what to say. Instead, he pressed his lips to her forehead in a voiceless assurance that she was, in fact, everything. He felt her relax under the warm pressure of his lips, and he hoped that was enough for now.

He sat back to let her continue. “We were together for five years, and we only broke up because he cheated on me. It was a long term affair; they were sleeping together for almost a year before I found out. And… a lot of people knew. Almost all of his friends knew. But I didn’t. I was still being this ridiculous, desperate little Suzy Homemaker trying to make him happy, even though he was still treating me like shit.”

She laughed, but there wasn’t an ounce of humor in it. “When I found out, I wasn’t even hurt. I was… embarrassed, I guess. But I was so relieved. I was so fucking relieved that I had a way out.”

He watched as her shoulders settled, almost like an actual weight had been lifted off of them. “I got a therapist and dropped all of the friends that were still hanging around with him. I moved to a new neighborhood, started hanging out with Anita and Sam, and just— started fresh. And I was doing really well. I had my moments of insecurity here and there, but for the most part, I was been able to recognize the moments when I was falling back into old thought patterns.”

She looked at him then, and her eyes were so soft and lovely that his heart ached. “You’re a big reason for that. You’re so open with how you feel about me, and… it makes things a lot easier.” She dropped her gaze with a sigh. “But I— he was at the party on New Year's. And I didn’t know he was going to be there until I was already there, and then it felt stupid to leave. I thought I could handle it—”

“And then I didn’t answer your call.”

“No, no.” She shook her head and reached her free hand out to grasp his arm. “That’s— Spencer, none of this is your fault.” She furrowed her brow, and the crease between them was practically an abyss. “He sort of— cornered me on the patio. I hadn’t seen him in like, four years? And he was complimenting me, and asking about you, and then he tried to— well, he did kiss me actually. I shoved him off, and he didn’t like that, and he did his whole Owen thing. Told me that he’d cheated because I was uninteresting and worthless. That eventually you’d get bored of me, too. Just, um— generally awful shit.”

She took a deep breath, and the rest steamrolled off her tongue and crushed his heart. “And then he just— left. And he’d absolutely demolished my self-image in less than ten minutes, and I was embarrassed and angry at myself, and then you didn’t answer, but I was kind of glad you didn’t because I didn’t actually want to talk about it. And I thought I could just move on, but then I was being weird, and you knew something was wrong. And I just wanted to pretend like it never happened, but you kept pressing me on it, and I just— I didn’t want to have to explain it all to you because I was afraid that— that maybe he was right.”

Maggie dissolved back into the couch, an indication of the emotional exhaustion that came with reliving personal trauma. Spencer moved closer and mirrored the position of her body against the cushions, bringing his face close enough to bump their noses together. They breathed the same air for one noiseless minute before she finally met his eyes.

“I need you to understand that not one single thing he said to you— on New Year’s or ever— was right, in either sense of the word. None of it was factual, and none of it was acceptable.”

She nodded, and he continued, “You are the single best person that I know. You’re kind, brilliant, talented, and driven. You’re interesting, and wonderful, and lovely. You’re my absolute favorite person on the planet, and I will never get bored of you.”

He let his eyes trace over all the angles and curves of her face, and then raised his eyebrows. “He’s lucky that I respect you enough not to go over your head, because what I’d like to do is run a full background check, find any and every possible transgression that could be legally investigated, and then use that information to ruin his life.” He tilted his head in thought. “That or— get really jacked and then beat the shit out of him.”

“God, please don’t. As much as I’d love to watch that unfold,” she cupped his face in her hand, “you’re better than that. And he’s not worth either of our energies… I already wasted enough time dwelling on it and hurt you in the process.” She dropped her hand back to her lap with a sigh. “I spent so much time in that relationship that my brain didn’t know what to do with this good, healthy one.”

He took both of her hands in his, squeezing them tight and then pressing a kiss to the back of each. He wouldn’t commit assault, since she’d asked him not to. But he wasn’t going to let Owen taint any part of his life with Maggie.

“I’m so sorry that someone you loved made you think it was hard to love you. Because loving you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.” He pressed his lips together and mused, “But I think maybe love has a learning curve. Especially when you’re used to being hurt. You have to unlearn all the bullshit. People will have you thinking that you have to water yourself down, or change who you are, or make yourself more palatable. I thought that, too.”

He brushed her hair back away from her face and waited for her to meet his eyes. “And then I met you. And you love all of it— all of me. All the rambling, all the quirks, and— even the dark parts, too.”

She sniffled a little, but really smiled for the first time that night. “What’s not to love about you?”

He smiled back. “I’m not sure if you realize that I fully reciprocate that feeling. What’s not to love about you? I have a hard time thinking of even one thing about you that I don’t absolutely adore.”

“Even when I act like a horrid bitch?” she mumbled, only half joking.

He leaned his head against the couch cushion. “A year ago, you stood on my doorstep and gave me forgiveness— after I’d been a complete asshole to you… I told you then that I wanted to learn how to love with you. I still do. In all the wonderful, and the weird, and the terrible. Even when we get it wrong.”

He shrugged, and then ran a soft fingertip down the bridge of her nose. “There is no one else I’d rather get it wrong with. Because when we get it right… it’s the closest I’ve ever felt to magic.”

Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears, and she brought both hands up to his face, holding him with an adoration that made his own eyes burn. “You can believe that you love me the most,” she whispered, “but just know that you’re wrong.”

He leaned forward to close the distance between them, pressing a kiss to her lips with a reverence that felt technicolor and devout and more magical than any trick he’d ever mastered.

“Agree to disagree.”

———

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mae-gi-writes · 4 years ago

Text

Obtuse | Bang Chan (Stray Kids) - PART ONE

Summary ☆ "I don't know. I want to be his friend but then again, I don't. I mean, how can you simply be friends with someone when every time you look at them, you're thinking about how much more you really want?"

Genre ☆ bestfriends to lovers au, angst, slowburn, suggestive themes, college au, fluff, soft Chan x oc (Micha)

Word count ☆ 6k ish

. ° ☆ ° .

PART ONE

. ° ☆ ° .

Micha hated being wrong.

Her fingers tapped an unsteady rhythm over her notebook as she stared at the block of text she had been supposedly studying for the past hour, her desk lamp casting a yellowish hue over her page as if the book itself was a sickly entity with the sole goal of rendering her mad. Attached to her ceiling, her fan kept on whirring in a noisy hum which -- while she normally managed to tune it out -- grated at her nerves. The world bustled outside, cars honking in the distance while soft rain splattered over her bedroom window as she sighed for what must’ve been the nth time that evening, slowly lifting her arms up in a stretch.

It wasn’t in her nature to be so scatter-brained, for once she set her mind to something, there could be little to stop her. That was one of the qualities she could pride herself on considering that there was hardly any skill she could flaunt to the world -- surely there were far more interesting things than reciting off a long list of human body parts and their required functions?

But this recent issue popping up in her brain was doing a great job at knocking her off her feet. Dear god, she felt the same sense of unbalance as when she was five and her mom had enrolled her into ballerina lessons.

Long story short, it hadn’t ended well.

Micha’s eyes darted to her phone that she’d tossed onto her bed a few minutes ago. The cause of her restlessness, the cause of unease stirring inside her stomach like an angry beast prowling back and forth.

The words from his earlier message felt like they were etched into her memory:

Chan: SHE SAID YES

Just three words. Three little stings that made her wince every time she thought of them. Three little needles that pierced at her heartstrings.

Why?

Her grip tightened onto her pen. So hard her knuckles turned the colour of chalk.

Why didn’t she feel happy for him as she was supposed to?

Micha’s tongue poked at her cheek.

Why did it feel so wrong? Why did she feel wronged when she’d done nothing of the sort?

Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that she had spurred Chan's obvious interest, urging him to hustle a little closer to that particular girl in question when she had caught the said young man casting her quick, shy glances over the rim of his drink?

"Just ask her," Micha told him when he'd sought her out looking like a lost puppy amidst the heavy bass of the music. It had been the summer right before their final year of University and on this special occasion, Minho had thrown a small party to which every high school classmate of their year had been invited.

"You know I can't. I don't know how...you know," he scratched the back of his head, dark locks ruffling as the summer wind. It was in those small, stolen moments -- where Chan was the most vulnerable, where he let down his guard to deploy his array of unspoken feelings -- that she remembered the young man for who he was: the familiar fullness of his full lips, the curve of his nose, the simplicity of his monolids.

"You won't know till you try," she took a sip of her rum and coke.

Truthfully speaking, Chan had never been in a serious relationship. He was friends with everyone, the kind of person that was easy-going and who could engage in any kind of conversation with anyone and everyone. The only consequence was that Chan was thrust into the friendzone without even trying.

But then again, he was a nice guy. And nice guys finished last.

“What’s the worst that can happen anyway?” Micha joked as she downed the rest of her drink, “she’s been eyeing you since we got here.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

He leaned closer with squinted eyes as he tried to find the lie in her words, “you’re not just saying that to be nice?”

He was so close she got a whiff of his scent. Reaching up with her index finger to push him away, Micha proceeded to roll her eyes, “I don’t do nice, Chan. We both know that.”

She shouldn’t have been surprised to see him slip away a few minutes later to seek her out. Ayeong was her name. Beauty, in Korean. And which suited her perfectly, what with her tiny waist and her big set of doe eyes that could make any man weak at the knees, her supple legs that seemed to go on and on forever and that cupid bow’s mouth that was always puckered in that innocently cute, yet sensual way of hers.

And if not for her physique, Ayeong was known for her kindness and for her outgoing, free-natured and confident spirit. That was the killer blow for any man that sought her out.

Micha had known her since high school, hung out with the same friends and admittedly could classify her as one too, even though college life had pulled them apart like boats that had left the harbour only to find each other after a year.

Memories of Micha’s last night flickered behind her open lids and leaning back into her chair with a sigh, she gave way to the sudden urge of homesickness suddenly flowing through her heart.

Their last movie night had ended and despite Micha’s frantic eye movements towards Ayeong’s figure, Chan had immediately volunteered to walk her back home.

Micha kept her gaze forward, noticing how the golden glow of the street lamps did little to light their way. She turned her head to the right, where the road gave way to the landscape littered with golden lights, now bathed in deep hues of blue as light slowly slithered from behind the mountains.

“So this is it huh?” Chan’s murmur sliced through with a hint of sadness in his deep alto, “you sure you’re not going to come back home for Christmas?”

It was tradition after all. They had made it adamant to travel back at least every three months and up until now, they had kept that promise.

Now though, with Micha’s piling workload and with Chan’s busy thesis schedule, this year might be the one exception.

“I can’t, Chan. I have my internship,” Micha didn’t dare look at him, fighting the tightness winding in her chest, “you can always drop by. My university is just a train ride away I suppose.”

"You’re not gonna kick me out if I turn up at your door one day?”

“I can’t promise that.”

He gasped, grabbing onto his chest in mock hurt, “Ouch. Okay, what if I turn up with your favourite bubble tea?”

"Then we might have a deal.”

They both laughed softly, pushing each other with their elbows as they walked up Micha’s street. At one point, Chan had looped his arm around hers before shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets and as they talked about their recent adventures and all the dumb things they’d done, it was clear that he was avoiding the pain of saying goodbye right until he stopped at her front door.

She turned to him and forced down the tears burning at the edges of her eyes. The morning light had slithered through the landscape now and hit the side of Chan’s face in a scarlet shade of golden, reflecting the caramel of his orbs pinning her down with a sadness that made her throat choke up.

“Stop it,” the words flew from her mouth without warning and Chan blinked, head tilting with confusion, “What? Stop what?”

“Stop...looking at me like that,” she finished her sentence in a mumble while she averted her eyes in growing embarrassment.

“Like what?”

“Like you’re going to cry.”

“I’m not!”

“There are tears in your eyes!”

“N-No there aren’t!” And he quickly wiped at his face before angling his head to the side, “why would I cry for you?”

“You tell me.”

“Well I’m not!” He turned away to walk down the driveway in a huff, “bye now!”

“Ugh bye loser!”

Micha turned so quickly she almost smacked her face onto her front door, hurriedly trying to erase the image of Chan’s back walking away from her before she broke down into a pool of hot tears.

She didn't want to think about that. Didn't want to linger upon the way her throat seemed to choke up as she fought the emotion--

"Micha?”

Chan’s voice. It floated between them, a lingering question. The said girl felt rooted in place, fighting the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.

And when she turned, she was met with his arms lacing around her middle to pull her close.

His chin on her shoulder, head pressed against hers. Holding her tight.

“Video calls every week,” he murmured, “at least one text per day.”

"What are you? My boyfriend?”

“Micha.”

“Fine, fine.”

Chan's warmth felt like sunshine on her back. If she closed her eyes hard enough she could travel back to that very moment she allowed herself to be swayed back and forth in those strong arms of his.

In the weeks following the start of their final year Micha had plunged headfirst into her studies to avoid the slow build-up of homesickness crawling through her heart. And the more work piled up, the less she found time to update Chan on her life. What with her endless hours spent in the library and the small bursts of freedom that she spent with her course mates, it made it close to impossible to sit down and have a proper talk.

So when Chan video-called her one day, her burst of excitement was soon rendered to something akin to annoyance when the only reason was to tell her about Ayeong’s visit to his campus. She couldn’t ignore the slight sting of jealousy coating the back of her tongue as he blabbered off like an excited child, eyes shining and all.

“I think I might ask her out at the end of this week,” he grinned with dreamy eyes, “I think there’s definitely something.”

“Good for you.”

He’d noticed her irritation, as if there was an itch under her skin she couldn’t quite reach, “You okay, Mi? I didn’t even get to ask--”

“I’m fine,” she snapped and softened almost instantly when hurt flashed through his face, “I’m sorry,...just stressed out.”

“Hey,” concern immediately clouded his features over, “you gotta take care of yourself too. Are you eating well? Sleeping well?”

A sigh of frustration escaped his lips when she’d shook her head reluctantly, “Don’t make me come over. You know I can do that.”

“That would be nice,” came her mumble which didn’t reach his ears, for he asked, “What?”

“Nothing,” she sighed, brushing off the wistful thoughts swimming inside her head and focusing back on Chan’s face at the other end of the screen, “keep me updated with the Ayeong thing.”

She’s not right for you, her brain seemed to scream.

But Ayeong did. She did say yes.

And Micha wasn’t sure why she was feeling so bitter about it.

. ° ☆ ° .

"Please sign here, miss.”

Micha’s surprised orbs quickly flitted up from the large cardboard box to the postman’s clipboard being shoved in her face, “Uh--sure.”

She scrawled her initials, gave back the clipboard with a muttered ‘thanks’ before the postman shoved the box in her arms and walked away without even giving her a second glance.

Had she ordered something online by accident? That wouldn’t be surprising. Since midterm season, time had been irrelevant to Micha, flowing like a ticking time bomb the more the days approached towards her final deadlines.

To say that she was a walking corpse on campus was not an understatement.

She got her answer a few minutes later when she answered the phone from a very excited, puppy-like Chan.

“Did you get it?!” he bellowed with barely contained excitement. Still wrapped up in his blankets with his hair dishevelled and his eyes barely open, Micha couldn’t help but grin at the comical picture he presented, “did you get the package?”

“By package, you mean this big-ass box?” Micha turned the camera to the floor, causing him to squeal like a child who got his Christmas presents early.

“Oh nice! Open it, come on!”

“Chan, I swear if it’s something like one of those scary muppets you like so much--”

“You have so little faith in me.”

“Can you blame me when you were the one who put salt in my coffee?”

“It was just to experiment.”

“That coffee was of good quality!”

“Just open it."

She tore open the package while grumbling under her breath at how bossy he was being, cracked open the box to blink at the different flavours of tea filling it up to the brim.

“You--” she couldn’t help the laughter from bubbling up her throat, “you got me tea?”

“Wait--unless I got this wrong -- you like tea right?”

His panicked tone made her burst out in even more laughter, “Oh my god Chan!”

“You always tell me to spill the tea--I was just trying to be punny.”

“It’s--Oh my god--” she doubled over laughing and Chan joined in with giggles of his own, “Chan, you’re so bad.”

“Admit it, it’s funny.”

“It’s lame!”

She grinned back at her phone as warmth spread through her middle. It was admittedly in moments like these that she missed Chan the most. The longing to see him suddenly surged through her with such ferocity in the form of tears slowly brimming at the corner of her eyes and she had to turn away while changing the subject.

“Got any plans this weekend?” she asked while looking over the various flavours of tea.

“Oh didn’t I tell you? Ayeong’s coming.”

She almost choked on her own spit. Right. She’d forgotten about the whole Ayeon situation and Chan hadn’t updated her since then.

"We’re spending the weekend together, I think I might bring her to the aquarium. Oh, I was gonna ask you -- what do girls like on their first dates?” his face was now alight with such a joyful glow, a spark in his eyes, that it almost hurt to look at him.

“Does Ayeong like aquariums to start with?” Micha asked even if she secretly adored going to aquariums herself. It was admittedly a very romantic notion, to hold hands in the darkened rooms as you would watch the fish swim about.

Chan shrugged on the other side of the screen, “dunno, thought it might be romantic.”

You thought right, Micha’s subconscious responded, “what about just dinner?” she proposed, “maybe Ayeong wants to spend time talking. You know, getting to know each other.”

"Hm, true. Yeah, I might look up a good restaurant. Girls don't like fast foods do they? Or anything that makes them gain weight?"

The angry creature was slowly rousing in her stomach, growling, "how would I know?"

"Well, you're a girl."

"That's exactly what the lame redheaded sidekick in Harry Potter said."

"FYI, his name is Ron and he’s not lame."

"That's not the point I was trying to make."

"Michaaaa~" Chan whined, wriggling his shoulders with a pout, "I gave you tea, stop being mean to me."

But it was useless. All the giddiness that had erupted through her at his sweet gesture was eaten up by a bitter taste on her tongue and with that she hurriedly made up a petty excuse about having class before quickly cutting off the call.

She brought her phone to her chest as she looked down at the tea boxes with growing tiredness. That was probably it right? She was in a bad mood because she was tired.

Right?

. ° ☆ ° .

"I still don't get why we have to watch it with you," Micha grumbled, plopping down beside Felix's lanky frame on the couch and careful not to jostle the bowl of salted caramel popcorn in her hands.

"Because I can't be the only one who can't sleep tonight," Changbin stated dryly like that statement totally made sense. He plopped down on her other side while Jisung settled himself against Micha's legs, "if I go down, you go down with me."

Felix snorted, "that's just a nice way to say that he likes bullying us."

Midterms were over, meaning that reading week would be a pleasurable moment of calm and serenity before assignments picked up again. It was a liminal space between deadlines, a gap that Micha and the rest of her course mates had gladly welcomed with open arms. Being the movie fanatic that he was, Changbin had jumped at the chance of hosting movie night, much to the group's displeasure for they knew that his taste in entertainment was rather jarring. Sometimes violent. And sometimes, brought about nightmares that lasted a week.

"What are we watching again?" Jisung twisted his head to look at the trio, causing both Micha and Felix to shoot Changbin accusatory looks.

"The nun," Changbin replied.

Felix whistled as Jisung jumped up crying, "Do you want me to die?!"

"No. But do you mind if we sleep in the same room tonight?"

"Fuck you I'm out of here," Jisung was already scrambling to his feet when Micha's hand shot out, clamping down on his forearm, "oh no no no, you're going down with the rest of us, Han."

"Do you know how scary that movie is?!"

"Yes, which is precisely why we're going to murder Changbin once it's ov--"

Felix's phone sprang to life amidst the conversation, "oh Chan's calling!"

The group wasted no time squishing up, limbs entangling and elbows pushing onto ribs as they all crowded around Felix's small smartphone that he held at arm's distance before sliding his finger over the green button.

"Hey mate!" Felix's Australian accent slipped out the moment Chan's face appeared onscreen and Micha would've lied to say it didn't sting a little seeing her best friend's face after so long.

"What's up Felix? Oh you're all here?" Chan's grin widened.

" Changbin's forcing us to watch the Nun with him," Micha said.

" Tattletale," muttered the said hooded-eyed man as he shoved her head. Micha laughed.

" And you? What are you up to?" Felix asked while Jisung was struggling to push Changbin's arm to get into the camera frame, " Bin, fucking move."

"Language."

" Oh I'm with Ayeong right now. Hyunjin and Minho are playing FIFA," Chan moved the camera around until Ayeong's petite face came into view, causing a knot to form in Micha's abdomen.

"Hello!"

" Ayeong! Lookin' good!"

" How's Channie treating you?"

" Has he farted in front of you yet?"

" Guys!" Chan's checks proceeded to flood with colour while the said young woman giggled in the background.

" As a matter of fact, he's been nothing but respectful."

Ugh. She was so sweet that it made Micha feel sick in her stomach. But as though Ayeong had read her mind, she immediately asked, "Micha, are the guys treating you well? How's your thesis coming along? Chan tells me you practically live in the library."

" What?” Jisung snorted, “that's not true, she--"

Micha elbowed him before he could splutter out the truth when she had been lying to Chan all along and blabbered out, “Yeah I've been trying to finish my thesis in time because the first deadline is in two weeks. And you? How’s your internship at the hotel going?”

Micha was thankful when Ayeong chatted on about her experience as a hotel management trainee at one of the best hotel chains in the country. It was a close call and she smacked Jisung some more for good measure, throwing him a narrow-eyed glare which he returned with a scowl of his own, rubbing the sore spot on his arm.

As the conversation moved on to the topic of the holidays, Micha’s eyes automatically drifted to the diminished space between Chan and Ayeong’s shoulders, noticed the way he kept leaning back with his arm slowly crawling its way to Ayeong’s backside. Something tugged at her heartstrings, caused her to swallow hard. It was clear from the obvious grin on her best friend’s face that he was the happiest he’d ever been since...well, since.

All Micha wanted was to be happy for Chan. Genuinely happy.

Not the kind of happiness that made her wish she was miles away and blind, not the kind that made her chest ache and her heart hurt as though someone had just gutted her insides out.

At some point, she excused herself and walked out into the backyard, hands shoved in the pockets of her hoodie as she looked up into the murky, cloudy sky above. How long had it been since they’d last spoken? There was no one to blame for that. They were both sprinting at a hundred miles an hour and she couldn’t blame Chan for falling so hard, so quickly, too quickly for a girl that was so easy, so loveable. Ayeong was the perfect match for him, now that Micha thought about it.

And plus, Chan had been talking about her for ages.

But she still didn’t get it. Still didn’t understand why it constantly felt as though someone was slapping reality in her face.

Over and over again.

“Micha!”

Felix’s head popping out from the kitchen doorway made the said young woman swivel around, quickly rearranging her features in a cold mask of indifference, “Chan wants to talk to you.”

“Why?”

Even in the dark she saw Felix’s eyebrow quirk up, “you’re asking?”

That was stupid, Micha’s subconscious rolled her eyes as she reluctantly trudged to the kitchen door and grabbed the phone from Felix’s hold. She waited for the door to close behind her before lifting the camera to her face.

“What?”

Chan’s arms were crossed in an attempt to appear mad, though they both knew it would take a lot more to ignite that anger in him, “ Well hello there, stranger. Nice of you to show your face after weeks of going off radar. No messages, no phone calls. We were supposed to call every week. What have you got to say for yourself?”

In any normal circumstances Micha would’ve shot back with a witty comeback without thinking as she usually did. That was the nature of their relationship after all; that endless bickering, that back and forth sibling relationship that made her feel so at ease in her skin that she sometimes forgot Chan wasn’t even part of her family.

Right now though, she felt her free hand twitch, index finger pressing onto her thumb as she nervously grated at her skin.

Biting onto her bottom lip, the only thing she managed to muster out was, “sorry.”

Surprise flashed through Chan’s face. There was a heavy silence for a minute.

“Micha,” Chan murmured, “what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

" Sure. Care to tell me what 'nothing' is about?"

"Chan, please," She rubbed a tired hand over her face, " I'm just not feeling it today."

He stared at her for a whole minute. Micha felt herself starting to squirm.

" Okay," he mumbled out, " Okay."

Regret instantly bit at her subconscious. She loathed the slight disappointment on his face and in a half- hearted attempt to lighten the mood, she quickly veered into another subject and ignored the poignant stare he kept sending her way. She'd rather be oblivious than try and extort some coherent sense out of the tangled ball of feelings in her stomach.

When they said goodbye though, Chan leaned a little closer to the screen, an undecipherable expression on his face, " call me when you feel better."

Micha nodded and swallowed thickly.

" I mean it Micha," his voice was stern, " call me."

Maybe it was the guilt whispering at the back of her conscience, maybe it was the way she saw a flash of his face in a stranger's every time she walked the streets that made her reach out to Chan once more in the next few days after that, willing herself to make as much effort as he did. Because Chan deserved that much.

They would text in-between classes, a mixture of casual jokes and an exchange of anime-related jokes that he kept sending her and causing her to burst out laughing in the middle of her classes. But while she was glad to see that Chan had no grudges to her lack of response, she still tried to steer clear of mentioning Ayeong.

That was starting to become more and more problematic.

Chan: Ayeong is allergic to crab. Did you know that?!

Micha: No

Chan: we went to eat at that snack stand, the one near the skate park we used to go to. She blew up like a goldfish.

Micha would've given anything to see that ridiculous sight. That was quickly overtaken by the stubborn pang of jealousy at the thought of them going to places she visited so frequently with Chan.

It didn’t stop there.

A few days later, Chan had texted her about their dinner to his parents' house and her stomach dropped like she'd just fallen down an elevator shaft.

Chan: They loved her. They actually loved her. I think my heart is gonna explode.

Micha had to force out a reply:

Micha: what did your mum cook?

Chan: guess.

Micha: pork ribs and braised beef?

Chan: yess omg! You actually remember. Ayeong loved it. She eats a lot for her size. And dad sat her down after dinner to show off his chess awards. The nerd.

Micha: cool.

Thankfully, her internship started a few weeks later, which meant that it was easier to ignore the glow of happiness in Chan's face and the way he seemed to be drifting away from her arms, slipping through her fingers no matter how much she tried to grasp at the strings of their relationship -- or what seemed to be left of it.

"You sure you don't want to come back home for Winter Break?" Felix asked once when he'd turned up at her shared flat uninvited just as she was closing the door to hurry for her night shift. He’d followed her down the staircase, long legs easily matching her pace as she took two steps at a time.

“I can’t,” Micha replied breathlessly through her scarf, “I’ve got my internship.”

“Surely you can ask for a few days off? Just for Christmas?”

"Nope."

Beside her, Felix grumbled, "You're no fun."

"Never said I was."

Micha had to admit that the reason why it hadn't been as hard to ignore the growing hole in her heart where Chan was supposed to be was all due to the three young men standing by her side. As childish as they were, they all had good intentions and it made Micha's heart fill with warmth whenever they did make it obvious that they cared.

Her phone buzzed suddenly just as the pair reached the bus stop. She quickly fished it out of her bag, eyebrows pinching in a frown upon seeing her father's name flashing across the screen.

"Hello?" She gave Felix a shrug when he mouthed whether everything was okay from her side. Nothing.

She repeated, "hello? Pa? You there?"

"Micha."

Her frown deepened at the sound of her father's voice. He sounded breathless, a tone higher than his usual alto.

"Pa, what's wrong?"

"It's your mother. There was an accident."

. ° ☆ ° .

"What happened?"

Less than six hours later, Micha sat in the hospital corridor right outside her mother's room. She still had on her nurse uniform, completely dismissing all of her responsibilities and obligations the moment her father had informed her of her mother's accident.

If she were to be honest, she wasn't entirely sure how she'd managed to make it back without her knees giving away. But Felix had been there, a silent stone figure at her side as she'd thrown a bunch of clothes in a carry-on suitcase and grabbing the laptop from her shaky hands to book the earliest flight which was to depart in merely two hours.

Nothing had mattered then. Nothing but the need to see her mother and make sure that everything was fine. She didn't remember going through security, didn't even remember the plane taking off while gazing out of the window with a glazed look in her eyes and forcing down all the tears strangling her throat.

Micha's brain only came into focus the moment she was greeted by none other than her father’s face, heavy bags under his eyes and the tip of his nose red.

Multiple lacerations. A broken femur. Heavy concussion that might result in potential brain damage. Words that Micha knew off by heart, could recite them in her sleep if she wanted to. Words that she’d spent months and endless sleepless nights poring over.

Words that shot bullets through her, each one leaving an open wound.

“She was waiting for the bus.”

Her father’s voice, old and gravelled and shattered, brought her back to the reality of the hospital. His alto strung through the air of the corridor like a tightly coiled string about to snap.

Micha took a shaky breath.

“I...I was late. At the restaurant. Too many people,” all the time that her father spoke, his gaze was glued to the operation door where Micha’s mother laid as if he could will her back to good health if he stared at it hard enough, “So she went back home first because she had to feed the cat. That stupid cat...If it weren’t--If it weren’t for him she wouldn’t have gotten hit--” he choked on his words, “--by the bus.”

Cold dread threaded through Micha’s stomach and squeezed so tight she thought she would pass out. Her brain was already trying to put two and two together; finding the solution, figuring out the case, the damage. The solution, the--

“They said there’s little chance that she’ll wake up.”

Reality struck like cold ice.

“What...” her mouth was dry, “...percentage?”

“fifty-fifty.”

Her eyes slipped closed, squeezed tight. Silence trailed on with only the bustling sound of medical equipment and a hushed flurry of voices in the distance.

Do something, her brain screamed at her, just do something!

There was nothing she could do. Nothing. Her hands clamped into fists so hard her nails stung her palms. All she could do was wait.

So she did.

She must’ve dozed off at some point. Time seemed endless as the hours ticked by and by the time her mother was wheeled out, exhaustion was pulsating through her every muscle, her every limb. She stayed awake long enough to listen to the doctor’s statement, only to storm out in frustration upon realizing that there was no real answer and that the only thing that had been possible to do was stitch up her mother’s wounds as best as they could.

In short, the doctor himself didn’t know when she’d wake up.

Micha was so intent on walking out for some fresh air that she barely processed a familiar alto calling her name in the distance, until a pair of arms snatched her shoulders back.

She whipped around, “What?!--”

Her eyes fell upon Chan.

Time stopped. Her mouth parted.

Red-faced and with his beanie all the way down to cover himself from the cold, she would’ve barely recognized him if they were passerby’s on the street. But as he stood there with his runny nose and eyes that looked like they’d just cracked open, a wave of emotion hit Micha with such intensity that tears brimmed through her eyes.

“Felix told me what happened. I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner, I--”

And that was when Micha broke down into ugly sobs, legs giving away only to be saved by Chan’s arms wounding around her middle to pull her against his chest.

Amidst it all, she swore she heard her heart breaking.

She wasn’t sure whether it was because of her mother. Or because throughout it all, even in the worst of times, she had come to a realization that knocked the breath out of her.

She loved Chan.

. ° ☆ ° .

Tagging: @elysianxshepherd @maedesculpaeusoubi @missskzbiased @freckledquokka @allyg-onz

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wiypt-writes · 3 years ago

Text

Stark Spangled Banner

One Shot: Ask Questions, Throw Shield Later.

Intro: Steve and Katie have an unwelcome late night visitor…

Warnings: “Language!” Smut (NSFW, 18+)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

W/C: 1.9k

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

A/N: The first of two (yes, two) special 29th May Birthday One shots. Happy Birthday Tony! Man, I missed writing for these guys in this timeline! This fits into SSB within “I Told You I Said Yes”.

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

“Fuck, Steve...” Katie groaned, her head tilting backwards as Steve gave another deep thrust upwards, “right there... Jesus.”

“Good?” Steve panted as his hands grabbed her waist, finger tips digging into the flesh that covered her hipbones.

She nodded, grinding on him faster, his hands pulling her down making sure he hit as deep as he could.

Their soft, intimate sounds filled the room and, wanting to be as close to her as he could get, Steve sat up drawing a gasp from Katie as he did so. His hands moved to her back. One splayed half way up her spine, the other cupped the back of her head. His fingers tangled in her long, silky hair as he pulled her face to his. He kissed her, hard, his tongue dominating hers as he swallowed her moan, one that rumbled in her throat as if it came from the depths of her belly.

They’d already danced this tango once already that night. After a few beers with the team in anticipation of Tony’s birthday (minus Natasha as she was still on something Fury was running), they’d retired and gotten a little frisky some two hours prior. But then Steve had woken, his super sharp hearing alerting himself to some form of ransom noise deep in the floors below them and, well, he couldn’t get back to sleep. So he’d hugged Katie close.

Too close.

As ever he was unable to control his reactions to his girl and had ended up with a boner. Meaning she’d woken with him basically rutting up against her back, feigning innocence when she’d given him a grumble at the fact he’d dragged her from her slumber.

She hadn’t been grumbling for long.

“Stevie... I’m gonna...” Katie’s forehead pressed into his, her mouth open as her lips hovered over his, and he thrust upwards again, his nose brushing hers softly, like the touch of a butterfly.

“Let go. Doll,” he panted, actively fighting his own high, “cum for me.”

Her chest heaved, pert nipples brushing his bare skin and her movements stuttered. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, which cracked into a half grunt, half moan as she felt herself go, her body positively floating from her high.

By the time she came round, Steve had also finished, his broad shoulders rising and falling as he gathered his breath. Katie collapsed forward with a soft chuckle, her forehead pressing into his collar bone as he fell backwards, taking her with him.

They lay still for a moment, the only sounds being their heavy breathing and the soft rustle of sheets as Steve pulled the bedding up around them. The smooth cotton brushing over her sensitive skin made Katie shudder a little. Steve smiled and pressed a kiss to her temple, his large hands running up and down her spine.

“Am I forgiven for waking you up?” He asked and she shrugged, not even bothering to try and find the strength to sit up. “It’s three AM. I’ll think about it.”

Steve chuckled and she sat up slightly, leaning down to give him a slow kiss.

“Love you.” she pulled back a little, her eyes shining in the dim light, and Steve smiled.

“Love you too.”

Fifteen minutes later they were both settled down and on the verge of sleep once more when a loud crashing in the apartment made them both sit bolt upright.

“What the...” Steve was out of bed in a flash, wrenching the door to their room open.

Katie was seconds behind him, stopping only to grab Steve’s shirt from the chair at the vanity. As she shrugged it on, she ran into the hallway and heard a familiar metallic whoosh. There was the squealing of metal on metal and Katie flicked on the light just in time to see a flash of blue, red and white as Steve’s shield flew back to his hand. He looked over to Katie as she stepped towards him, her mouth falling.

“Is that...” she glanced down at what looked like a version of one of Tony’s suits. It lay motionless on the floor in two pieces, Steve’s shield having severed it at the waist. The failing electrics sparked as the various boards and cogs died, before it fell silent.

Steve nudged it with his foot. It didn’t move. He turned to Katie, a frown on his handsome face.

“Did he tell you he was making them autonomous?”

“That’s nothing new, JARVIS has always been able to control them remotely.” Katie shook her head as she crouched down, her hand gently touching the helmet. She tried to move the face plate but it didn’t open. Rapping her knuckles on the skull, she was met with a solid sound, not the usual hollow echo. “JARVIS?”

There was no reply.

“Why isn’t he answering?” Steve looked at her.

“Tony might have him down.” Katie answered. “He runs the updates at night some times. I do know one thing though.”

“What?” Steve asked as she stood up.

“That couldn’t have gotten in here without Tony letting it in one way or another.” She glanced at Steve, her pretty face full of annoyance. “Imma kill him, fucking idiot.”

She turned to leave and Steve gently caught her arm. “Honey...”

“Seriously? You want me to let this go?”

“Hell, no.” He shook his head, “I want you to wait for me to put some clothes on.”

Despite herself, Katie grinned as her eyes scanned Steve’s naked body, his shield still on his arm. He rolled his eyes and nodded to the suit on the floor, “I’m going to give him his property back, along with a piece of my mind.” **** Tony spun round, his brow arching as Steve and Katie walked into the lab. But whatever smart quip he had been about to come out with died as he spotted what was slung over the super soldier’s broad shoulders. With a loud slam, Steve threw the two parts of the robot down on the desk.

“What did you do to it?” Tony moaned.

“Threw my shield at it.” Steve folded his arms over his chest, the sleeves of the white ribbed Tee he had shrugged on straining over his thick biceps.

Tony was that distracted by his destroyed robot that he failed to notice Katie stomping towards him. She drew her right fist back and punched him hard on the shoulder.

“Ow, Kiddo!”

“You dick!” She yelled. “What the hell were you doing sending that into our apartment?”

“Wanted to test your reaction to it.” Tony shrugged. “See how it came across.”

“How it ca- Tony, it’s half past 3 in the morning!” She shrieked.

“Exactly.” Tony scratched his beard. “Total element of surprise. I thought you guys would give me a base of how people would react to them. Can’t have been that well if Spangles felt the need to cut it in half with his frisbee.”

“We had no idea what or who it was.” Steve felt his anger beginning to rise, “what was I supposed to do?”

“I’ve told you before, big guy. Ask questions, throw shield later.” Tony shrugged, “I can’t believe you killed Iron Kid.”

“Iron Kid?” Katie blinked.

“Yeah, the name’s a working progress.”

“Tony, what is it?” Steve pressed.

“It’s a prototype.” Tony informed them. “I had the idea last week. The Avengers exploded after New York. You should see the piles of fan mail that the guys downstairs sort each day.”

“Less bragging, more explaining.” Katie narrowed her eyes.

“The point is, we attract attention. So I had a thought about something that could help keep the public at bay,” Tony gestured to the pile of metal, “we can use them to issue instructions, help aid the emergency services. Keep civilians out of the way.”

Katie and Steve looked at one another, and Steve hated to admit it but the idea made sense.

Sorta.

“Clearly I need to rethink a little.” Tony mused. “I mean if they freaked you out then...” “It freaked us out because it was in. our. apartment!” Katie groaned. “In the middle of the night.”

“That’s the point, it was supposed to have the element of surprise, wake you up.”

“Well there’s your first fuck up!” She hissed. “We were already awake-“

“Why?” Tony frowned

“Because we just finished a great, sweaty sex session.” She shot back and Steve groaned, feeling the heat in his neck as he looked down, his bare toes flexing against the cool floor of the lab. “And you wanna be grateful we had finished because if we hadn’t I’d be really, really mad. You get me?”

“That’s.. disgusting.” Tony wrinkled his nose.

“And you’re an asshole.” Katie shot back.

With a shudder, Tony moved and picked up a screwdriver. He turned the helmet up aside down and opened a small hatch at the back. Stooping slightly, he prodded and poked at something inside.

“Huh, least the main board wasn’t damaged.” He straightened up and turned to face them both. “So, other than scaring the shit out of you what was it like? Voice interface okay? Too much me or not enough me or-“

“There was no voice interface.” Steve replied.

“What?” Tony frowned, “JARVIS was supposed to be controlling it. It should have told you why it was there and-“

“Well he didn’t.” Steve rolled his eyes, his already stretched patience wearing dangerously thin.

“He didn’t...huh?” Tony frowned and Katie moved past him to a computer.

“Oh for the... he’s on mute you dumbass!” She tapped a few buttons and JARVIS’ voice rang out.

“Thank you Miss Stark.”

“Shit.” Tony gave a sheepish grin. “Sorry, buddy. Forgot I turned you off.”

“Mr Stark, may I suggest you call it a night, Sir? It is rather late and you’ve been awake for almost twenty-one hours. Miss Potts instructed me to ensure you-“ “And that is precisely why I did.” Tony rolled his eyes and Katie let out a growl of annoyance

“I’m done. Come on, Steve.”

She stalked towards the door and Tony looked up. “You not gonna wish me happy birthday?”

In response she raised the middle fingers on both her hands, flipping him off over her shoulders as she stomped out of the door.

Steve watched her go before she turned to Tony. “You know, I think you’re onto something. Keeping civilians away would make things a lot easier.”

“Wouldn’t it?” Tony nodded, eagerly. “We’d need a fleet of them, an Iron Fleet, no that’s... like i said, the names a work in progress.”

“We can discuss this tomorrow. Give it some proper though.” Steve took a deep breath. “Just don’t send any more into the apartment, please?”

Tony saluted him and Steve rolled his eyes. He turned to go before he stopped, and looked back at his friend.

“Happy birthday, pal.”

Tony snorted. “Cheers, Spangles.”

Tony watched Steve walk out of the lab, before he glanced back at the destroyed robot.

“Mr Stark... Miss Potts is awake...”

“Ahh shit.” Tony groaned. “How much trouble am I in?”

“I don’t think a Roman Legion would protect you.” JARVIS replied and Tony stilled, a huge grin spreading across his face.

“Iron Legion.” He tossed the screwdriver up in the air and caught it, chuckling. “JARVIS, you are a genius.”

“Why thank you, sir. And now I really must insist you go to bed.”

“Yeah, okay, I’m going. Lock everything down will you? Oh, and order us all breakfast from the diner on the corner of fifth.”

“Of course. The usual?”

“Yeah. Have it delivered about 10:30. Should be enough to calm Kiddo down.”

“Very wise Sir. I’ll ensure there’s extra bacon, just in case.”

“Yeah, who doesn’t love extra bacon?”

#stark spangled banner #steve rogers #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers x original female character #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fic #chris evans #chris evans characters

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mishkakagehishka · 3 years ago

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A Twisted Crossover | Twisted Wonderland Collab

!! I'm very excited to post this! A Twisted Wonderland collab with the wonderful @sammo-writes-whatever, featuring her OC Yumeko Amane, and my own Jure Bodulić :D I hope reading this will be as fun as it was for me to work on it, and be sure to check Sammy's blog for the Yumeko POV <3

Word count: 3852 Concept: The prologue of Twisted Wonderland, up until chapter 5, but instead of a solitary Yuu finding themselves alone in a new world, the twist comes from two people who'd never even met beforehand being isekai'd into the world of Twisted Wonderland

"So," as early summer doves sang, three high schoolers were sitting in a park, on short stone walls, able to finally relax after the final exam of the year. "Some exam that was, huh?" The tallest of the group, a lively boy appropriately nicknamed Vrcko, opened the conversation. "Stop it. It's over, I don't wanna think about it until the results come out." Taking a swig of some soda, the gloomy one of the bunch answered. "It's over now, anyway. If we pass, we pass, and if we fail…" "Lighten up, Roko. I thought the exam went just fine." The third, a mop-haired brunette with a lopsided smile, chided. "Don't say that, Jure, you'll curse yourself," Vrcko said. "Curses don't exist, stupid." "No, no, they do," Vrcko refused to be silenced, "My cousin's friend had a classmate who said she aced the essay, but ended up failing it. You'll curse yourself if you say it went fine." "You're an idiot. What else do you believe in? Magic? Is there a spell to make you see reality?" "There's a science to these things, bro!" "Anecdotal evidence is not real evidence." "There he goes again! Why do we even hang out with him, eh, Roko?"

Jure merely rolled his eyes, but still chuckled at the usual silliness. He looked out at the sky. Not a single cloud in sight, but the Sun was as merciless as always. It almost made him feel faint. The soda was cooling enough, but the clothes they had to wear to stay in line with the hellish dress code did very little to help keep him cool. Actually, he started to feel really faint.

Roko was the first to notice - the way Jure's eyes seemed to fade in and out of focus. He was swaying ever so slightly, as if he was moments away from fainting. "Hey? Jure, you okay?" He inquired. "Uh? Yeah, fine, just a little… this heat, you know? I'm feeling kinda… sick to my stomach." "Better you get sick after the exam than during, right?" Vrcko, true to his character, tried to lighten the mood, but took initiative by looping an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Lie down here for a moment." He guided Jure to lay properly on the wall, fanning him with his hand. "I'm gonna go buy some water, I don't think soda'll do him good now. Roko, watch him!" "Yessir," Roko responded unenthusiastically. "That's an older brother for ya, huh?" "Yeah… you can really tell he's got an army of little sisters." "You're making jokes. Good to know you're not dying." "Shut up, man. I've no idea what's happening, I feel like…"

He felt like he was hallucinating. Every time he closed his eyes to give them a rest, visions of a large building covered in darkness and a starless night sky arching over it invaded his mind. It was unlike anything he had seen before. It resembled a gothic castle, appearing both welcoming and intimidating all at once. And he could hear a voice, someone talking about a mirror. To a mirror? He saw a mirror. A young man was reflected in it, but it wasn't himself. An outstretched hand, inviting to be taken, and the voice repeating not to let go of it. Jure felt as if he was being invited, called. As if he was being told to follow the person in the mirror. Vocalising those thoughts to Roko, he only received a hum in response. "It's not a heatstroke, is it?" "If you got a heatstroke in the fifteen minutes we were sitting here, you probably have other issues. I'd look into those voices talking about mirrors, too." A pause. "Roko." Jure's voice now sounded alarmed. He was still laying on his back, his forearm shielding his forehead from the Sun and Roko sitting by his feet. Both were facing the road. Both were staring with eyes as wide as saucers, breaths stuck in their throats. "Yeah?" "You see the carriage and the devil-horse, too, right?" "... yeah. Yeah, I see it." "What the fuck?"

That's the moment where Jure's memories turn fuzzy. There is a large gap, there must be a large gap, between seeing that carriage, and where he found himself now. Standing in robes that looked fancier than anything he's ever worn, face-to-face with the angriest talking raccoon he's ever seen, and the most horrible gut feeling he's ever had.

A headache that grinds out at the bones of the skull, and a deafening ringing in the ears. That's what Jure registered first as he regained conscience. But his eyes open to darkness, and he realises he's enclosed in a tight space of sorts. As he felt around, trying to find a way out, he noticed how constricted his movements were. He was no longer wearing the simple t-shirt and jeans he remembers wearing moments prior - he was wearing some sort of robes. "What the…" he mumbled, pushing against the wooden walls of his cage. The space wasn't even big enough for him to spread his arms, but the boy tried his best to push his entire weight on the panel before him, the one he had felt budge during his feeling around, but it was as if it was locked with a chain.

There was some commotion outside, he could hear a high-pitched voice talking about becoming a great magician… and then there was the crackling and flowing sound of flames. Was there a fire? Jure, once more, shoved his entire weight on the front panel, managing to finally break it. He fell face first, but he finally felt as if he could take a deep breath, his lungs aching for oxygen he hadn't even noticed he was missing. As his eyes adjusted, he looked around - he was in a large, dark room, with a mirror in its centre, and right in his field of vision were a short girl with silver hair and a… cat with flaming ears? The cat was also talking. "Did I pass out? Am I dreaming?" He mumbled to himself. The girl was wearing odd clothes, he noticed, which reminded him of his own feeling of constriction earlier. Looking down, he confirmed to himself that he was indeed wearing robes. They seemed to have been made from quality material, but he was just as confused about them as he was about the rest of the situation.

"Dreaming about getting roasted by a raccoon with a European boy, that’s a new one!” the girl giggled when she noticed him, a hand demurely placed on her mouth. And Jure frowned, shooting her a weird look with a raised eyebrow. He thought he was the only one confused here, but as it seems, this was dreamlike to the girl, as well. It's not as if he can deny the possibility of this being just a dream himself though, it's the far more realistic option, even if it was quite the vivid dream "Well, keep dreaming! 'Cause I ain't no raccoon!" the cat responded. The cat responded? "The cat talks?" Jure said to no one in particular. "Not a cat either!" it protested.

The girl went on to comment how this must have been the weirdest dream she'd ever had, and Jure couldn't help but agree. He's had his fair share of odd dreams here and there, but none this weird, and certainly not all this vivid. His friends would get a kick out of hearing the details about it, though.

As he was thinking about it, however, he saw the girl seemed to have been considering something. He was about to ask, before the creature spewed more flames, and she ran towards him. Grabbing his hand, the girl pulled him as she ran through the corridors and hallways. Her hand was small, as was the rest of her, but he was taken aback by the contrasting boldness she held in just grabbing him and running like that. Still, he followed.

He couldn't deny that she was intriguing, and he may as well try to make a friend with someone as equally new to the situation as he was, even if it were a dream. He looked at their surroundings as they ran. He's never seen an interior this fancy, but by the signs, he reckoned it must have been a school. Maybe a boarding school for some sort of rich kids. How he'd got there was anyone's guess.

After some time of running, which felt like hours to him, they arrived at a library. At least, Jure thought it was a library. Bent over, hands leaned on his knees, he panted trying to catch his breath. "If this is a dream," he lamented between breaths, "I wanna wake up." Nothing quite like aimlessly complaining. Taking another raspy breath, he stood upright again, scanning their surroundings. It was a fairly large and open room, books strewn everywhere and some even floating. He didn't want to think about the logistics of flying books any more than about the talking, flame-spewing creature they saw. But he then looked at the girl again. As he was about to try and introduce himself, he only managed to open his mouth before that creature burst in, breathing flames left and right haphazardly. The girl tensed and seemed to have hidden herself behind Jure, who, perhaps on instinct, spread his arms in a protective manner, attempting to shield her. "Oi, what the hell do you want, you… you freak of nature?" he asked the creature. “Freak of- how dare you?! Foolish humans! Did you really think that you could get away from ME? Now, unless you wanna get burnt to a crisp, take off that-”

But before it could finish its tirade, the sound of a whip echoed through the library, and Jure closed his eyes, wincing at the sound. That must have hurt - but he's thankful it wasn't him in its place. He lowered his hands slightly, expecting whoever saved them from the creature to be on their side. "You okay?" He whispered to the girl, before bringing his attention back to the newcomer.

And boy, was it a newcomer that demanded attention. An adult man around Jure's height, wearing a suit with blue details, keys and mirror fragments dangling from his vest, and the most peculiar mask sitting atop his face. Crow-like. The mask concealed his eyes, leaving only glowing yellow dots in their place. Jure couldn't tell if he was wrong to lower his guard around the man or not, but, surely, if he wanted to harm them, he would have already done so. Regardless, he didn't move from his spot in front of the girl. For some reason, he couldn't fully trust the man in front of them. "Ah, I've found you at last," the man started talking, his voice almost melodic, "Splendid! I trust you two are this year's new students?" "Students? But I just finished-" "My, were you ever eager to make your debut. And even bringing along an untrained familiar…" "As if I'd ever listen to some human! Let go of the Great-" the creature's voice was muffled by the man, who constricted further the whip. He seemed to hold no care for others' input, from the way he was ignoring both the creature and Jure. "Yes, yes, rebellious familiars always say that. Do be quiet, will you?" The man continued to talk about a student orientation, gateways and coffins, on and on. Mere nonsense to Jure, who was too busy trying to figure out whether he was sleeping, or dying and in some weird limbo between life and death in which he was seeing hallucinations and visions.

Jure found it wiser to keep his mouth shut, given he was in the most unknown situation of his life to date. What was he to do, but listen to the man speak, try and take it all in without losing his mind? It was a dream, or a vision anyway. Either way, he'll wake up, and his friends will make fun of him for passing out in the middle of a park. Maybe even get chided by a granny who'd think they got drunk at three in the afternoon. The girl was the one who interrupted the man, however.

Jure was surprised, for a mere moment, but this girl also grabbed him and ran minutes ago, her boldness is something he'd already noted about her. It was commendable, he thought, but it might get her hurt. He tried to motion to her to be quiet, but decided against it. The man didn't seem to want to hurt them, in fact, he thought of them as students. She'd seem disrespectful at worst. But it was a moment between that thought and realising the man's attention was suddenly on him. He'd asked Jure something, this man, but the boy wasn't paying attention. "Umm…" he trailed off, bringing his hand to the back of his neck in a defensive stance and looking away, "Sorry…" he added, quietly, hoping whatever it was that he was asked was answerable with an apology. “No matter. I will explain while we walk. For I am gracious!” The way he emphasised the word "gracious" made shivers run down Jure's spine. For some reason, he couldn't imagine the man was being honest. But explain he did.

"This," He motioned around them, a grand wave of his hands trying to emphasise the grandeur of their surroundings, "is Night Raven College. A school of great history and even greater prestige. We have been operating for well over a century, and you are both immensely lucky to have been chosen by the black carriage - by this very institution! Indeed, for potential mages of such great luck, you sure are an impulsive pair," though he muttered the last part. "Ahem! In any case. And I am this proud school's current headmaster, Dire Crowley. At your service." "Um, mages? Like, magic? Magical mages?" Jure repeated, the cogs in his brain hitting a snag on that specific word. "Well, yes, that is why you are here, is it not? Night Raven College, after all, is one of the most prestigious magic schools." "Magic...?!"

To say Jure was at a loss of words was an understatement. He was skirting the edges of disbelief and the aching knowledge of this being far too vivid for a mere dream. But magic? That was a step too far. "But magic doesn't- it's not real…" he muttered under his breath, his sight suddenly turning fuzzy. But how else would he explain the happenings of the past day? Have 24 hours even passed already? It was midday when he was whisked away, yet now it was already night-time. The loss of an entire day, the demonic horse and night-black carriage; the awakening in a coffin to a cat that huffs and puffs flames; and this man. Dire Crowley. Even Jure knew there was something odd about him, about his pointed ears and hidden - yet reflective - eyes. It wasn't quite human and, if such non-human yet sentient beings existed, beings like that damned cat, as well, then why is magic a step too far? Perhaps, Jure pondered, because magic was easier to deny. He hadn't seen any yet, not any real magic.

He hadn't even noticed when he'd squatted down, desperate to feel grounded, hands pressed against the cold stone below them, until Crowley spoke once more, urging them to leave for an orientation. Gravity felt stronger at that moment and he felt as if his whole body was resisting his attempt at straightening up.

Said orientation took place in a room dripping in opulence, an aura of ceremony and importance, yet thickly veiled in darkness. The room in which he woke up, that he could only now fully take in. Looking around, the entire room was in the colours of the night, with the most prominent source of light being the large ornate mirror in the centre of the room. The room was filled to the brim with youngsters Jure deemed to be close in age to himself, all dressed in the same weird robes. Almost like a uniform of sorts. He watched the youngest-looking of the sort stepping up to the mirror, proclaiming their names, and promptly being told by a face in the mirror where their "soul belongs" - it's wrong to assume that Jure had come to terms with the existence of magic, he merely stopped questioning it for a moment. He felt if he continued, he’d have a total breakdown, after all. Looks-wise, he’d assumed the people who surrounded him were all students, at a high school age. There were a couple of those students who stood out, those who, as he understood, were heads of the dorms the mirror was pointing the students to. All peculiar in their own ways, to be sure.

Yet, at the same time, the one who stood out the most was the girl who seemed to be in the same situation as Jure. She was the first other human he saw after waking up, and she seemed just as new to this whole thing as he was, so, naturally, he felt intrigued. Still cautious, knowing he'd just barely met her that day and didn't even learn her name yet, he observed her from the corner of his eye. Hair a vibrant silver, not unlike a few other students he saw there, and striking blue eyes. But above all, he noted how young she looked. Not just because of her height, but her face, and even the way she carried herself, in a way, made Jure question if she was even at an age to be accepted into a high school. Of course, that only made this whole situation even weirder to him. He'd have thought she might have been a gifted child, a prodigy who skipped a few grades, if not for the few glaring details. The most important of which, being that they were both strangers here. Nobody was as confused or as lost as they seemed to be, that much was obvious. It would be unwise to let their guards down.

He kept an eye on the girl as they were called to approach the mirror, realising her age and stature might make her a target for any ne'er-do-wells. While he couldn't say he would be overly eager to protect a stranger whom he has no connections to, he felt responsible for her. He carried an ideal of an older brother, despite not having any younger siblings himself, and the idea of a child like her getting hurt while he was in the vicinity simply did not sit right with him. Besides, they both were in unknown and new situations, a school unlike any other, with supposed mages all around them. They were already allies through that, is what he thought, so it would only be right to watch her back.

The mirror asked for his name, and he felt eyes prodding at his back as he whispered the answer out. A quiet, "Jure Bodulić," his head bent down. The mirror, rather, the face in the mirror was almost grotesque, resembling a painted theatrical mask. It moved in emphasised, almost animated, motions, mouth widening and cheekbones pulling apart as it hummed and thought, pondering the response. Jure himself had no idea what the response could be; he had no idea what constituted the colour of a soul, or what that had to do with school dorms. But maybe that's why the mirror was there, perhaps nobody knew? Perhaps not. The mask scrunched its non-existent nose up in faux disgust - before stating that the colour of his soul was unclear to it. "I sense no magical powers from these two. Soundless. Colourless. Shapeless. Utterly vacant," it began. "Well, okay, I don't think we deserve the name-calling," Jure protested. "Therefore," it continued as if it wasn't even interrupted, "no dorm would be appropriate."

The rest of the night was a ride. That talking cat-creature made a mess of the rest of the ceremony, before getting collared, quite literally, by a boy with hair as red as his temper. It was a show, a good one as far as Jure was concerned, but it hardly made him overlook the problem that arose. The mirror, and the school itself through it, rejected them. They were told they had no way back home because neither the girl's nor his home countries even existed in this place. This place, as Jure was enlightened to, being a completely new world. A separate plane. An alternative dimension. Something to that tune, something that he was way too tired to think about. As he thought - the girl and he were strangers here.

Crowley told them not to worry (a paradox if Jure ever saw one, the man was as trustworthy as the town's gossip, and he knew him for a mere hour at that point), that he was far too gracious to kick them out when they had no way home, nor money to care for themselves. That he would give them a place to stay in exchange for labour. Fair enough. While he was laying out those terms, Jure let his mind wander again. The girl seemed shaken. Of course she did - he reprimanded himself - anyone would be. He was also shaken, he wasn't going to deny it, this whole evening was just one thing after another. In a somewhat awkward show of support, he reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly and giving her a reassuring smile. Or, as reassuring as he could make it considering he was worried and tired himself. He hoped the gesture would make her feel, if anything, as if she had an ally by her side; someone she could count on.

They both agreed to the headmaster's terms, for what other choice did they have, and followed him outside. Jure immediately noted how cold it was. The nip in the air wasn't freezing by any means, but it was uncomfortable. He can't imagine it was still early summer, as it was before he was transported here (still a reality that will take getting used to). When he looked over to the girl, checking to see how she was faring, their eyes met. Hers were so big and bright, and he hoped it was truly a reflection of her soul. At that moment, he remembered he still didn't know her name. "I'm Jure Bodulić," he offered with the friendliest smile he could muster. "What's your name?" He might as well attempt to befriend her, between it seeming like they'll be stuck here for a while and not to mention living under the same roof, it seemed like a smart idea to form an allyship with the other "new kid". "I'm Yumeko," she answered. "Yumeko Amane." "Good, good. Nice to meet you, Yumeko. Guess we'll be roomies from now on." He mused. Off to a good start, he thought. He hoped.

#lol i didn't give too much thought to naming jure's pals but they only show up for like that one scene so <3 #anyway this was so fun!! be sure to check Sammy's blog for Yumeko's POV!!!!#twisted wonderland #fanfiction #yuusona #oc: jure bodulić #yumeko amane #sammy-writes-whatever #my writing

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likeshipsonthesea · 4 years ago

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dex, team bicycle

the following bullet fic has been in my drafts for over a year now and tonight i remembered it existed, read it, and decided to post it. why? who knows. don’t ask questions. just ~enjoy~

so i got an ask about how anon trusts me implicitly when it comes to writing bc they believe that dex is the team bicycle and eventually ends up with nursey and thinks i’m down with that too and tbh they ain’t wrong so like

here’s a bullet fic instead of me doing any of the work i SHOULD REALLY FUCKING BE DOING okie

first things first here’s the dealio this is crack-ish but also not so crackish that my dumbass couldn’t see it happening so let’s just suspend some disbelief and have a good time

first time dex hooks up with a teammate it’s not at a kegster

maybe a little later he’s a little too tipsy at a kegster not really knowing his own tolerance for tub juice yet and he’s dancing, a little more white boy than maybe one would like but he’s having fun with it and that’s half the game, and he’s sweaty and maybe some glitter from other dancers has rubbed off on him and he’s glittery and shining and he catches someone’s eye across the room (holster, i’m thinking holster) and holster sees him and thinks fuck and dex is maybe really into how big holster is and just like follows him up to the attic when holster grabs his wrist and pulls because why not--

but this is not about that (at least not yet) this is about how dex, new to samwell and ncaa hockey and everything, wants to be the best he can be in everything so naturally he goes to the best person to help him with every thing (for school he gets tutors and goes to tutorials and goes to all the profs’ office hours, for social stuff maybe he trails ransom around idk (that’s for later)) but for hockey he obviously goes to the person you go to when you need help with hockey

jack

LOOK OKAY I GET IT ZIMBITS FOR LIFE BUT HEAR ME OUT

jack likes hockey. jack likes people who like hockey. jack likes when people are really into hockey

so when the little angery frog that seemed real appreciative of his butt on hazeapalooza comes to him with this frowny face determination asking how he can be the best player he can be, a part of jack’s brain that’s very quiet and seldom acknowledged goes “huh.”

and maybe they start meeting up for their own practices, practicing drills and plays so dex can get his speed up and reaction time down and just get better and jack’s benefiting from it too in a way, like trying to help a defensive player makes him have to switch up his thinking about things a bit and it’s helping his defensive play on the ice

and so this goes on for a bit and maybe they build up some inside jokes in between all the intensity and maybe there’s some playful moments in the locker room when they bump arms or throw a few chirps around and it’s cute okay and not too serious, jack isn’t in love with the kid (he’s a kid, lord, okay a lil problematic but if y’all know anything about my oc luke dex has Problems with Authority figures so whatever)

but the truth is jack doesn’t really have many people he’d be comfortable “relieving some stress” with, like there’s shitty but he’s ridiculously straight, and Camila went and got herself a girlfriend so that’s no longer a thing, and dex is there and eager and fun and

and long story short they end up fucking in the locker room oops

it doesn’t happen too many times after that, maybe once on a roadie, a few times at the haus. it’s fun, not in a laughing way or whatever, but it’s casual and it’s nice to get off and it doesn’t make jack any more anxious and dex is probably working through some issues he has with tall dark haired captains and they both get something good out of it, which is the point, anyway

and it ends maybe before winter break, either jack decides to focus on the nhl and his thesis and dex totally understands or dex realizes that maybe his thing with dark haired captains isn’t completely healthy and ends things but either way it’s nbd and no one on the team ever really knows, though it’s not like they lie about it either but who’s gonna ask, right?

and so dex and jack were fuckbuddies. for a time. noice.

now let’s return to that kegster scene, hmm?

so the way i picture it is dex hooks up with holster at a kegster, realizes it probably wasn’t the smartest idea he’s ever had but doesn’t completely freak out because holster’s a relaxed kind of guy, dex is sure it won’t get nuts

meanwhile holster wakes up freaking out because he just fucked ransom’s frog and that is so not cool so then he panics and avoids ransom and dex for like a week and then decides okay okay it’s not a big deal he just won’t tell anyone, it won;t happen again, it’s fine

and then he walks in on dex hooking up with ransom and he’s like Wow Okay So the Fine Thing Didn’t Work Out Huh

turns out while holster was freaking out ransom was really mopey about it and dex, not really knowing how to fix it, tried to comfort him and ended up... in bed

look this version of dex is a little thotty and knows like two ways of comforting people and he didn’t think getting drunk in the middle of the day was a good idea

and so long story short after some brief HUHs going around dex ends up hooking up with both ransom and holster for a bit (sometimes both at once!) and eventually the both-at-once-stuff makes ransom and holster actually acknowledge the feelings they’ve mostly been ignoring since their frog year and they explain this to dex who’s like okie bc he’s really only there bc they’re both hot and so ransom and holster get together and dex sometimes helps them out on date nights and that’s about it

lbr tho they never tell anyone how they actually got together bc they would never live it down so they say nothing and dex doesn’t either bc it’s not his relationship and the world goes on never knowing

so now we’re getting into the middle of spring term dex’s frog year and he’s kind of maybe sort of acknowledged that he has some kind of emotions about nursey that aren’t helpful so he’s attempting to repress real hard, but he’s also learning to repress less about other things, specifically his enjoyment of baking.

yup. you guessed it.

Bitty.

so he starts helping bitty in the kitchen A Lot, and sometimes they talk and sometimes they don’t and sometimes they talk about important things but most of the time they don’t, but at this stage in bitty’s life he is crushing very hard on a certain dark haired captain and that’s kind of really apparent in, like, everything he does so it takes dex maybe two weeks to realize what’s going on

and okay so it’s a little awkward bc 1-the fuckbuddies thing but also bc 2-dex knows how it feels to have feelings for a friend and it kind of sucks like a lot and he wants to make bitty feel better and yeah maybe this is another case of dex being bad at comforting people with his clothes on

but maybe also one day they’re talking about relationships/being gay idk something and bitty maybe casually (southern euphemistically) mentions that he’s never, erm, never quite, uh, never done the dirty with a boy and maybe he sounds a lil embarassed about it idk and dex’s I Can Fix That brain switches on and he says, “I can help.”

and bitty’s like. what.

dex blushes and clears his throat and says it again. “i can help. i’ve, uh, done it before, and i can, like. show you.” then he pauses and, very uncasually, says, “casually.”

bitty, also pink at his point because he’s a sweet southern boy who doesn’t speak of such things, asks, “you’d be willing to do that?”

dex nods. he does not say that he’s done something like that before. he very pointedly does not say that.

and bitty, well, he’s pining and he’s been at college for a year and a half and the most action he’s ever gotten was with that boy who puked on his shoes and, you know, he came to samwell so that he could be who he is and maybe this is a way he can prove to himself that he is being true to himself.

it also doesn’t hurt that dex is v pretty, okay, bitty loves a boy with big shoulders and freckles.

and so dex and bitty start hooking up.

it’s somewhat like my The Arrangement fic where dex is sort of “showing bitty the ropes” but bitty, lbr, he’s a quick learner and he did his research so it very quickly just becomes hooking up for the sake of it

and it’s good. like. really good and both of them are benefiting from having someone to escape from their ~feelings~ in and bitty’s more comfortable in sexuality (like, his sexuality not his gayness ya feel me?) and everyone’s having a great time

then they lose the playoffs and emotions run high and bitty realizes how decimated he’s going to be by jack leaving and they don’t really have a conversation about it (let’s be real, neither of these boys talk about their feelings, at least not at this point) but dex goes home that summer with the understanding that he and bitty are no longer doing the thing, and that’s okay with him, really, because maybe now his feelings for nursey are becoming More of A Thing Than He Was Hoping They Would

of course bitty gets with jack at this time, so he’s kind of through the roof, and if, maybe, they have a conversation about their ex’s/past lovers and find they have.. more things in common than expected, well, at the least it’s a bit of a laugh and at the most well. let’s just say sometimes a ginger is mentioned in their bed WHATEVER OKAY MOVING ON

dex comes back in the fall ready to suppress the fuck out of his emotions and play some damn good hockey and who appears but this super eager tadpole

this now plays out as the first two chapters of my The Arrangement fic, though i guess now for canonical reasons whiskey ends up with lax bro and not tango, but that’s alright, we’re good at working on our feet here

for those who haven’t read the fic, dex shows whiskey how to gay sex while simultaneously gaining his trust and encouraging him to bond with the team and for personal reasons whiskey is a little shit but not as much of an asshole as he was in canon (look i love the guy but he’s a dick) and anyway go read my fic it’s good i promise #selfspon moving on

the latter half of dex’s sophomore year is spent mostly Not Pining for nursey and getting closer to him, friend wise, until the whole dib-flip, living together situation occurs, dex has a Freak Out, and ruins things a little

..this is getting off track, but long story short, his captains kiss each other on live tv and dex’s family starts to suspect that all those rumors that drifted around him in high school may have more truth to them than they’d been hoping and dex has a less than great summer break, coming back to school in the opposite of a good mindset

nursey also has a not great break (his parents are fighting, then he comes to school and breaks his wrist and can’t play hockey) and well we all know where this ends up

this leaves dex in a very mopey gross state and who to help someone feel better in their time of need than the sweetest little waffle you’ve ever seen in your life?

yes, it’s time for Hops.

now, this is a rather short lived affair, but over thanksgiving break, the entirety of the haus goes home to their families except for dex (who says he can’t deal with bus fare, and begs off any offers of help) and hops, who technically isn’t in the Haus, but stays there for the break while his parents are on a work trip during the holiday

dex ends up finding out just exactly how College Hockey Boy hops is when he almost burns the kitchen down trying to make a grilled cheese and dex decides then that he has to help this boy learn how to human, so they spend the first two days together with dex teaching hops all the basic skills dex thinks someone should know

this is included but not limited to: how to cook without making fire, how to change the oil in your car, how to hotwire a car, how to fix various different appliances, how to take the optimal notes, how to basic code, and how to sort and do your laundry

hops is enjoying the crash course (kid is just grateful to finally know where the detergent goes in a washer) but also, like, lbr. watching someone be competent in a thing--esp a thing you are yourself not good at--is a giant turn on, and so after two days of watching dex be really good at adulting, they settle onto the couch after doing the dishes and hops just gets on his knees and--

we aren’t smutting here on good christian tumblr but boy. hops is an eager kid.

anyway they spend a week fucking and then stop because hops falls in love with a girl in his intro class and then spends the next two months asking dex for advice on how to woo her, even though obviously chowder would be a better bet.

then comes the playoffs and everything is heating up and they’re on roadies nearly every weekend, still keeping up with their coursework, and it’s A Lot, and dex is really feeling it this year, especially with all the shit bitty’s been getting, and one night, on a roadie, he and bully get back to their room and dex collapses with a groan on the bed and bully, chill as anything, is like. “you seem pretty stressed. wanna fuck?”

and, you know what? dex is still his thotty (though more mature) self and he’s like, life sucks a little right now, why not get off

and so he does.

he and bully hook up through the playoffs and into the post-season (that post-final game sex is A Lot my dudes lemme tell you) but then dex gets elected captain and something twisty in his chest tells him that he should not be fucking someone on the team, especially not an underclassman, when he’s got that authority over him, and so he breaks it off with bully

who is pretty chill about it, since he’s bully, though he does miss the sex. the sex was p good.

and, to be quite honest, that’s it. dex wouldn’t fuck any of the baby frogs for the same reason he broke it off with bully (also ngl the senior-freshman thing doesn’t do it for him anymore) and so dex goes through his senior year of college without having any fuckbuddies--his first year of college so far, actually, where he doesn;t

the end

lol jk he and nursey start hooking up and it’s a Whole Bundle of emotions

in keeping with the rest of the fuck buddies, dex thinks that this is just like all the other times and nursey has no reason to think dex wants anything more and like. the sex is good, like very good, and neither of them are complaining per se but they’re also in love and haven’t said anything, and i imagine there are some ill-timed confessions prior to the final game of the playoffs and then they win another ncaa championship title and have sex in a janitor’s closet (but like,, emotional sex) and they live happily (thottily) ever after

i also like to imagine that there’s a point somewhere down the line when they all meet up for a reunion and something happens-- probably ransom and holster get a lil tipsy and finally tell the truth of how they got together-- and everyone basically does the spider-man meme but with “wait-you had sex with dex? i had sex with dex” and nursey--who knows bc dex told him when they finally got together-- is just sitting there all smug with his arm around a steadily reddening dex bc he’s fucking proud of the fact that everyone knows exactly how good his boyfriend is in bed

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dawn-of-tomorrow · 3 years ago

Text

PGR COMMANDANT Q & A

FINALLY TOOK THE TIME TO ANSWER THIS-- ssdsjdlksd

link to OG post here! (made by @punishing-gray-raven-ocs)

1) How do you feel about being a Commandant? Are you proud of your job? Terrified of failing at your job?

Higetsu: Honestly speaking, it's nothing new compared to what I went through in the past-- just that now I've become an authority figure that has to lead people. ...Truthfully, however, a little unnerving, but it has to be done, and I knew what I was getting into when I decided to become one.

Yoko: Mhhmm... it's tough, I'm not gonna lie. Sometimes I have to make decisions I personally don't like but the situation demands it, and it ends up not sitting right with me. ...That's why an occasional loophole exploitation here and there is fine in spare amounts, ain't it~?

(Higetsu: Who the hell taught you to think like that-- you know what, never mind, I'd be shooting myself in the foot if I finished that sentence. // Yoko: *giggles, does a victory pose*)

2) Why did you become Commandant in the first place? How did you become a Commandant?

Yoko: Brother and I decided to become a Commandant to honor mom's memory. It sounds kinda childish to have that as a reason to take up a career as dangerous as this, but, at least to me (though I'm sure brother shares the same sentiment as I do), mom was everything to us, so we wanted to experience what she did, see the sights she did-- all the good and bad.

Higetsu: "That person", huh... Speaking of which, the relatively-fresh flowers at that grave--... No, it's nothing. In any case, "that person" took us in as her children after finding us in the remnants of our old home, bringing us back to Babylonia, to her home and husband. Well, things went as you can see, no?

3) How do your Constructs feel about your leadership skills? Are they comfortable with you? Do they fear you?

Higetsu: There's no issues at the moment with either Strike Hawk or Gray Raven. After all, if there was any problem, either Chrome or Lucia would've told me. ...Leading isn't my strongest skill, though, and sometimes they worry me. Actually, scratch that, not sometimes, FREQUENTLY. Haaaahh.

Yoko: Hrmm~... honestly, I'm not entirely too confident with my leadership skills, and the others often say that I'm a bit too lenient when it comes to dealing with Gray Raven, but... they're still people, you know? I don't want them to get hurt too much, but they don't seem to value their own lives as much as I'd wish they do...

4) Do you think the war against the Corrupted will ever come to an end?

Yoko: It will certainly come, I know it. As long as everyone continues to fight for a future, a future where we can all live in peace, then I believe that this war will come to an end. Be it in our lifetime, or the next generation.

Higetsu: ... Honestly speaking, I'm not as optimistic as Yoko. This war has been going on for a century at this point, and we are still barely scratching the surface of our objectives; that and it would seem like a bunch of rats managed to infiltrate the higher-ups. ...In any case, while I do think that the odds are stacked against us, it doesn't mean I don't believe that, one day, this entire hell will come to an end.

5) Are you in love with anyone? What drew you to them?

Higetsu: ....No comment.

Yoko: Brother~~!! It's no fun if you don't answer a harmless question like this~~!! Or do you want me to talk about your ex-penpal--

Higetsu: I evoke my right to remain silent, and DON'T YOU DARE- LIKE I KEEP SAYING, WE WERE ONLY FRIENDS-- Don't make me not let you come to the Oasis with me next time.

Yoko: Hrrmph...! Fiiine~. In any case, I'll answer here right now. I--

Higetsu: It's Lee. We all know it, you're way too obvious in your affections for him.

Yoko: Ehehe... E-Ehem--! I-In any case~~ the things I like about Lee, gosh, there's so many I might not be able to tell everything (and it would take too long)--!

Higetsu: Then just list off the top 3 things you like about him (to shorten the exposition).

Yoko: Hmmm, top 3 things about Lee, huh.... well, for starters, I like his caring nature; it's not that obvious at first glance, but he really does care about the people around him, so much so that while he may gripe and verbally snark at others, in the end he chooses to do good by them and will protect them. Secondly, I like his focus and determination; he's a man of his word, and he doesn't make promises lightly, seeing them as something that must be upheld in sincerity-- ehe, his face whenever he's working on his tools and machinery is something I can't ever not look at. Thirdly, I like him; he's equally easily flustered and annoyed by a lot of things, but at the same time, he's also very serious and earnest in what he sets out to do; he's not honest with himself, but his actions speak for itself. ....That got long, didn't it?

Higetsu: Very much so.

Yoko: Ehe~.

6) If you had to choose between saving your squad, or saving yourself to make sure you would fight on in their honor, which would you choose?

Yoko: Both. I would save myself and my squad. I won't accept any other option; rather, if there's no other option, then I WILL force that third option in!

Higetsu: Logically speaking, both of my squads would tell me to survive and live another day, and I would agree with that. ...However, such a thing doesn't sit well with me. Even if there's only the tiniest sliver of a possibility that I could save them, no matter how reckless or dangerous it may be, then I'd save the Strike Hawks and Gray Ravens.

7) You have to make a difficult choice that will affect your squad and another squad. Which squad do you prioritize? Why?

Higetsu: We can't always save people from out of our reach, so it's best to protect the ones closest to you.

Yoko: But if there's a chance that we could help them, then--

Higetsu: ...I know. ...In the end, it's your choice to do what you think is right, Yoko.

Yoko: ...Yeah. I get it. Brother wants to protect me, Gray Raven, and Strike Hawk, even at the cost of other's lives.... that's why I wish to save the others too.

8) Who is your least favorite Construct/person to be around? Why?

Higetsu: Nanami.

Yoko: EEEHHH!??! Why?! Nanami's fun to be around!!

Higetsu: Shall I list off the reasons?

Yoko: ....Ok you have a point, but she's not at all that bad--!!

Higetsu: True, but the amount of headaches she causes us is just... haaaah.

Yoko: Ah, you're starting to sound like Watanabe. Is Brother becoming an uncle now? (laughs)

Higetsu: ...I'm leaving.

Yoko: Wait I was just kidding-- brother-- BROTHER--!!! (We're not even finished with answering the questions yet~!!)

Higetsu: Just kidding.

Yoko: Really--!! (pout)

Higetsu: (amused chuckle) What about you, Yoko?

Yoko: Eh? Me? Hmm.... I suppose... it would have to be Gabriel. It's a first that I'm saying this but, I really do hate him.

Higetsu: ... Don't worry, I can say the same thing.

9) What other Commandants would you like to meet? (a clear invitation for you to involve any of my Commandants lol, because I'm always up for interacting with others)

Yoko: I'm always happy to meet other Commandants~. It's always nice to meet your colleagues whenever, especially during off-work hours.

Higetsu: Except Vanessa though. I'd rather not deal with her again.

Yoko: Ehehe... Brother, you're making a scary face right now~. In any case, I've always wanted to meet Qiu, Ash, Xiao, Kyrie, and Noir!

Higetsu: Aaaah, them. They're interesting people, not gonna lie.

10) What will you do once the war is over? Will you miss leading your squad, or will you be happy that the war is over?

Higetsu: What will I do after the war is over? ...I haven't actually put any thought into what I would do after this is all over. What about you, Yoko?

Yoko: Hmmm... honestly, I wanna join the Association of Arts, specifically the Archaeological team! Because, you know, by then, there would be no more worry of the Punishing attacking, and we could finally be able to recover in peace the remnants of the Golden Age. I want to see it all-- what other stuff left have we not unearthed from the sands of time, what potential wonders are there left from the past. ...And of course, I wanna settle down with Lee someday too, ehe.

Higetsu: I see. You've really thought about this through, huh.

Yoko: Only a little, and just fairly recently. ...Not gonna lie, I'm gonna end up missing these days; where we're all together, even through pain and suffering, because there are still a lot of good moments to cherish.

Higetsu: But it doesn't mean that you have to cut off your connections, now does it. So long as you still value them wholeheartedly and sincerely, those bonds you hold close to you will never die out.

Yoko: Aaawww, brother, you're being finally honest~! (pokes)

Higetsu: ....Shut it. (pout)

Yoko: What about you, brother? What're you gonna do after the war ends?

Higetsu: Like I said, I don't know, since I haven't thought of it yet. ...But, I suppose quietly settling down somewhere would be nice.

Yoko: Oh, right, speaking of which-- didn't Watanabe extend an offer for us to join the Oasis? ...Don't tell me, brother is thinking--

Higetsu: No, I am not.

Yoko: But you ARE thinking about it, yes?

Higetsu: ....

Yoko: Hehe~. To be fair, the Oasis isn't so bad. The people there are really nice and warm. They really do seem to be people just trying to live and get by, helping and supporting each other.

#punishing gray raven #pgr #战双帕弥什 #パニシング #戰雙帕彌什 #パニシンググレイレイヴン #ocs #pgr ocs #pgr yoko #pgr higetsu #pgr commandant #oc asks

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fandomrewrites · 3 years ago

Text

We Are Grounders Pt. 2

Hello all! Finally the last part of season 1! Constructive criticism is always appreciated. If you want to be added to the taglist let me know. Also let me know if I missed any warnings.

Season 1; Episode 13 Pairings: OC x OC best friends, no love interests yet Warnings: Death, war Word Count: 2,503

Elara and Clarke sat beside each other working on stopping Raven's bleeding. Finn, Bellamy, and Nova stood around them. Raven screams in pain as the two girls work. Finally she stops, "That should stop the external bleeding." Clarke says.

"I don't understand. How did Murphy get a gun?" Finn asks the group.

"Long story." Bellamy quickly answers.

"We got lucky. If Murphy hit the fuel tank instead of me, we'd all be dead." Raven says.

"Wait, there's rocket fuel down there? Enough to build a bomb?" Clarke asks.

"Enough to build 100 bombs. If we had any gunpowder left."

"Let's get back to the reapers. Maybe they'll help us. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?" Bellamy asks.

"Not this enemy." Clarke quickly denies.

Nova opens her mouth to ask another question about them but Finn shakes his head, "We saw them. Trust me, it's not an option." He then looks at Clarke and Elara, "Can she walk or not?"

"Definitely not. We need to carry her." Elara replies.

"The hell you will. I'm good to go." Raven says, trying to shove her way to her feet.

"No." Elara scolds, "The bullet is still inside of you. If you move too much it will cause a bigger issue."

"Elara's right. If by some miracle, there's no internal bleeding, it might hold until we get somewhere safe. So no walking, is that clear?" Clarke says.

"I'll get the stretcher." Finn says as he begins to walk away.

"Can't run away fast enough, huh? Real brave." Bellamy antagonizes.

"Dying in a fight you can't win isn't brave, Bellamy. It's stupid."

"Spoken like every coward who's ever run from a fight."

"All right, that's enough. It's time to go." Clarke says, stopping the arguing.

"If they follow? It's a 120 mile walk to the ocean."

"Look, we're wasting time. If he wants to stay, he can stay." Finn says.

"No he can't! We can't do this without you, Bell. So complain all you want but there's no way you're staying behind." Elara says, fire in her eyes as she looks up at the older boy.

"What do you guys want me to say?" Bellamy asks.

"I want you to say that you're with us. Those kids out there, they listen to you." Clarke answers.

"They're lining up to go. They listen to you and Nova more."

"It was two against one, plus we gave them an easy choice." Nova replies.

Clarke continues, "5 minutes ago, they were willing to fight and die for you. You inspire them. I'm afraid we're gonna need that again before this day is through."

The group quickly starts through the front gates, "Okay, here we go! Keep your eyes open!" Atlas calls out, gun in hand.

Clarke, Nova, and Bellamy stand behind the rest of the group. They turn to look at the camp one last time, "You did good here, Bellamy." Clarke says.

"18 dead." Bellamy states.

"82 alive. You did good."

"We all did." Nova adds. "We couldn't have done it without each other and we'll do it again at the next place."

The group talks as they walk with each other, keeping their eyes out for any signs of danger.

Nova and Elara stay towards the end of the group, not bothering to talk with each other but rather taking comfort in the other's presence. "What is it?" Jasper calls out.

"Why are we stopping?" Raven asks from her stretcher.

"I don't know. I don't see anything." Finn replies.

Then, out of seemingly nowhere, a spear flies into Drew's chest, killing him instantly. "Move, move, move!" Bellamy calls out, ushering the group back into the camp.

"Shut the gates! Shut the gates!" Finn calls to the last people to enter.

The delinquents move into place to try and find the Grounders. "Where are they? Why aren't they attacking?" Bellamy questions.

"Because we're doing exactly what they wanted us to do." Clarke answers.

"What do you mean?" Nova asks.

"Lincoln said the scouts would be the first to arrive."

Octavia quickly replies, "If it's just scouts, we can fight our way out. That's what Lincoln would do."

"We're done doing what that Grounder would do." Bellamy snaps, "We tried it and now Drew is dead, you want to be next?"

"That Grounder saved our lives." Finn says, "I agree with Octavia. For all we know, there's one scout out there."

"One scout with insanely good aim." Jasper replies.

"I doubt it would just be one. The Grounders are smart, we can't underestimate them." Nova pauses, "If I can just find them, I could probably take them out from here."

"We can still do this." Octavia says.

"Looking to you, Princess. What's it gonna be? Run and get picked off out in the open, or stand and fight back?" Bellamy asks.

"Clarke, if we're still here when Tristan gets here..." Finn trails off.

"Lincoln said scouts. More than one. He said, 'get home before the scouts arrive.' Finn, they're already here." Clarke then turns to Bellamy, "Looks like you've got your fight."

"Ok then." Bellamy nods then turns to address the rest of the group, "This is what we've been preparing for. Kill them before they kill us. Gunners, to your posts. Use the tunnels to get in and out. From now on, the gate stays closed."

The delinquents start to move. Octavia tries to run by, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're not a gunner." Bellamy tries to stop his sister.

"No. I'm not. Like you said... I'm a Grounder." She replies.

Bellamy nods, allowing her to continue. Nova runs after her with both her bow and a gun. Clarke turns to Bellamy, "So, how the hell do we do this?"

"We've got 25 rifles with 20 rounds each, give or take. Roughly 500 rounds of ammo. While you two were gone, we made some improvements. Thanks to Raven, the gully is mined." Bellamy answers.

"Partially mined." Raven corrects. "Thanks to Murphy."

"Still, it's the main route in. If the Grounders use it, we'll know. She also built grenades." Bellamy says, showing the grenade stash.

"It's not many." Clarke says.

"Again, thank you, Murphy." Raven replies.

"We'll make them count. If the Grounders make it through the front gate, guns and grenades should force them back." Bellamy states.

"And then?" Clarke questions.

"Then we close the door and pray." Raven bluntly says.

"And pray what? That the ship keeps them out? Because it won't." Clarke states.

"Then let's not let them get through the gate." Bellamy then gets on a radio, "All foxholes, listen up. Keep your eyes and ears open. Inflict casualties, as many as possible. You can hold them off long enough to make them turn back. That's the plan."

Finn rolls his eyes, "That's always your plan, just like the bomb at the bridge."

"Damn right. You got a better idea?"

"Don't argue right now, we need to work together." Elara says.

"It can't be that simple. You said there's fuel in those rockets, right? Enough to build 100 bombs?" Clarke asks Raven.

"I also said we've got no gunpowder left." Raven answers.

"I don't want to build a bomb. I want to blast off."

"Draw them in close. Fire the rockets. A ring of fire."

"Barbecued Grounders. I like it." Bellamy says.

"Will it work?" Finn questions.

"You give me enough time, I'll cook them real good." Raven replies with a smile.

*_*_*_*_*_*

Bellamy looks towards Elara, "You're sticking with me. If anything happens to you, I'm not going to be worried about the Grounders. Nova will have my head."

Elara laughs, "Yeah, you're not wrong. Honestly, I think I'd rather take on a Grounder than an angry Nova."

"Honestly, me too. She's terrifying." Bellamy answers. "But you better not tell her I said that."

"Hmm, no promises." Elara smirks.

The two make their way towards Miller. "Where's Octavia?" Bellamy questions, wondering where his sister went.

"And Nova?" Elara asks, not noticing her either.

"They both left 5 minutes ago. Didn't say where to. They think they're damn samurai." Miller answers, eyes still trained outside.

"You see anything?" Bellamy asks.

"No. What the hell are they waiting for?" Monroe questions, wanting to get this fight over with.

"The longer they wait, the better. This is about buying time for Raven."

Before anyone can answer, Sterling is heard over the radio, "I see them. They're moving! I count 2, 3, no wait, there's more. I don't know, man. There's too many of them."

Then there was gunfire. "Was that Sterling? South foxhole. South foxhole, report now." Bellamy calls over the radio.

"Yeah, yeah. We're ok. They didn't attack. It's like... It's like shooting at ghosts." Sterling says.

More gunfire is heard as more Grounders are spotted. Bellamy is heard over the radio, "Stop! Stop. Hold your fire! Reload. Now." He then says to the group with him, "Those were our last clips."

"We should fall back." Monroe says, scared of what's to come.

"No. If this position falls, they'll walk right to the front door." Bellamy replies.

Then Jasper is heard over the radio, "They're everywhere! Harper, get down! We need backup! Raven, our mines actually worked!"

Clarke replies, "Jasper, we need you in the dropship right now."

"Negative." Bellamy states, "We can't give up the west woods."

"The west woods are mined, Bellamy." Clarke says, "The Grounders just figured that out. Jasper, get in here."

"I see one! There!" Harper yells out.

"Wait! Stop!" Nova calls through the radio. "They're drawing our fire. They want us to run out of Ammo. All gunners, listen up. The Grounders are not attacking. They're making us waste bullets. Don't shoot when they're running laterally."

"Nova's right." Bellamy replies, "Don't fire until you're sure it's an attack. Repeat, do not fire until you are sure."

Not too long after Bellamy's comment, the Grounders began to attack. Nova took aim and stayed down in the foxhole, taking out Grounder's one by one until she was out of ammo.

Elara on the other hand stayed behind Bellamy not using her bow and arrow until he ran out of Ammo. "I'm out." Bellamy states.

Elara immediately began aiming her bow at Grounders. Running by and pulling the bow back out when she took a kill shot. Nova, too, has deposited her gun and moved on to her bow.

One after another bodies fell to the ground, both enemy and friend. Elara slowly took the chance to retreat knowing she'd be better off treating the wounded who made their way away from the fighting.

Nova moved towards hand to hand combat, picking up discarded Grounder weapons. Blood of the enemies was now coating her clothes. As she fights one Grounder, using their body as a human shield when she notices an arrow flying towards her, she hears Miller call out, "There are too many! Everybody to dropship now!"

Then Clarke yells back, "No! We need more time. Gunners, stay at your post. The rest of you, inside. Come on, move."

Elara stays at the dropship door, watching as delinquents climb inside. As she goes to grab her bow one more time, a loud explosion is heard causing everyone to look into the sky. "Is that from the Ark?" Fox asks.

"That is the Ark." Clarke answers.

Anya, the Grounder the girls met with, says to the man beside her, "Reinforcements."

The man replies, "When they get here, they won't find anyone alive. Take down the gate!" But before the Grounders can move to bring the gate down, yelling is heard from behind them. "Reapers!"

Finn brought the Reapers to the battle to buy the delinquents some time. As the Grounders and Reapers fight, the delinquents catch their breath and get ready for a second round.

Most of the group are inside the dropship, only the gunner's are outside. Elara now has her bow in hand, ready to use the last 10 arrows from her spot on the dropship ramp.

Once the Grounders beat the Reapers, the lead Grounder calls to the others, "Now to the wall!"

"Clarke, they're taking down the gate." Miller says.

"Good. Because I did it. I think" Jasper says, slightly unsure of himself.

"I'm closing that door." Miller replies.

"Wait! They're are still people out there. Bellamy, Nova, and Atlas are all out there." Elara says, making him stop.

Elara takes the last few shots with her arrows. Right after she runs out she turns her head to see Atlas get stabbed through the stomach, "ATLAS!" She yells out. Instinctively, she goes to run and help him, but Miller holds her back.

"It's too late for him, Elara." Miller says.

"No! No, I can help. Let me help." Elara replies, tears streaming down her face.

"You can't! I'm sorry." Miller tells her, keeping an arm around her to stop her from leaving the dropship.

Elara's eyes quickly scan the area around her trying to find Nova. She needed to make sure her best friend was alright. She makes eye contact with her just as a Grounder cuts Nova' stomach.

Nova retaliates, quickly slashing the Grounder throat. She knows she's too late though and she won't be able to make it to the dropship in time. So instead she backs away, working her way to the south foxhole.

Miller drags Elara inside the dropship, cutting off her view from everyone else. Nova is still outside fighting, not sure if everyone else has made it in but knowing that Elara is at least safe.

A Grounder sneaks up to her, not turning in enough time, the Grounder takes her down. Nova hears a snap and lets out an ear piercing scream. She may not be medically trained but she knows her ankle is broken. The two roll around a bit before Nova gets the upper hand, taking the Grounders own weapon and turning it against him.

Inside the dropship, the doors begin to shut. Anya jumps in at the last moment. The group looks at her as she eyes them. "Jasper, now." Clarke calls. Then addressing Anya, "Anya, you can't win."

The delinquents begin to attack Anya, beating her when she's already down. "No. Stop! She's already down. We are not Grounders." Clarke calls out.

Finally the ship launches. Nova is far enough away to not get scorched but close enough to feel the heat from the flames. She's disoriented from the pain in her ankle and the blood she's losing from her stomach wound. Her vision begins to become black as she passes out.

Once the dropship doors open, the delinquents and Anya slowly exit. The group looks around at the charred remains, not being able to identify those who were once friends or enemies.

Out of nowhere, a red smoke starts filling up the area, "What the hell?" Jasper asks.

"Mountain men." Anya speaks through gritted teeth. The group starts coughing as the smoke enters their lungs. One by one they fall to the Grounder.

#the 100 rewrite #The 100 #the 100 imagine #the 100 oc #elara sinclair #nova kane

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celticrune · 3 years ago

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I forgot to send an ask but I'm here now!! Can I get some, hmm. 7 on the usual criminals + Althea? 20 to be nice and 21 to be mean? :3c

i love you but curse you for making me do fashion

7: How they like to dress Keiji: Already answered! You cannot trap me!

Val: They live at this intersection I've just coined called formal biker fashion. They have a beat-up biker jacket that's their comfort jacket and they like dressing to match it, in sturdy boots and a black skinny jean or a cargo pant so they have room for more knives. They wear a lot of scarves when it's cool enough for it, because they like the face hiding potential and it makes them feel less exposed.

Then on the other end there's a nice fitted waistcoat, slacks, and leather boots for when they're at work or school or just want to look professional. or a proper suit, with levels of formality depending on the occasion. It depends on where they are between "Perceive me as professional and capable" and "Do Not Perceive Me"

Tanwen: Colours, florals, and all the dresses and skirts. Also wears hairbands cause they're cute. Her bodytype's changed a bit since i made this but it's still v accurate to her fashion sense, so here she is in the Sims 4

Jay: Boring. Plain and functional, favouring clothes with a lotta pockets because he's a magpie when it comes to collecting rocks. Also usually on the more worn-out side because he wears clothes until they're literally falling apart

Althea: Slut, but make it classy. She likes to regularly go shopping and keep an eye on what's in fashion, with bonus points for good cleavage or a boob window. She's got the money for big brands and likes to spend it, though she fortunately does have enough taste to not buy clothes just for the logo. She's got a strong sense of style, even though I don't really know how to describe it other than 'when i see a fun femme outfit and think oh fuck that's hot'

Oh! Also heels, she's a monster about wearing heels. Which is fun cause she's already 180cm, so she's the tall gf dream

20: Their reaction to a mystery love letter Keiji: Laughter because this has got to be a joke, then mounting confusion and disbelief when he actually reads it and it's. not?? a joke???? He is that anime guy who laughs at the confession letter while the confessor is just around the corner so their poor heart is broken and then later realises oh

He'll make a big ol' deal about not caring and roasting anyone else for thinking he's a good target to confess to, but also? he's keeping it and hiding it, not that he'll ever admit to that or ever act on it

Val: *concern.jpg*. They are quite wary about relationships (they know they're a handful), and someone who would write a letter seems like someone admiring them from afar, who therefore... would not have an accurate image of them and who they actually are. They will take it as the compliment it is but, if they know or find out who it's from, with a gentle rejection.

Tanwen: A letter?? For her?? Oh gosh that's so sweet but who could it be that's so strange oh gosh oh no it's really sweet and really really flustering why did they not sign it?? Now she's going to have no idea who it is?? It could be anyone!!

Aka she's going to be so flustered and awkward the next time she's at school/where she got the letter and she's gonna try to be a very clumsy detective and find out who sent it. And probably only end up flustering more in the process, but fortunately that's nothing new.

Jay: ".......Huh."

Althea: :3 Someone has a cruuuuush~~ :3. She's going to have so much fun playing detective and trying to figure out who it was (and then probably flirting with said person and flustering them terribly but never actually doing more than stringing them along, because she doesn't do relationships and emotional vulnerability is scary, and anyone shy or romantic enough to write a letter instead of saying something is likely not someone she'd actually take note of)

21: How they react to pain [physical pain edition, cause emotional pain is too variable to give one easy answer] Keiji: ;)))))))). Boy's a) stubborn b) usually pretty used to pain c) really really bad at letting himself be vulnerable and d) a masochist.

He only admits or shows something hurts when he stops being able to hide it, which means by then it's bad. He's very much like a cat in that sense, you gotta keep an eye on him or he'll hide every injury until it goes away on its own or he physically cannot hide it anymore.

Then there's the [NSFW] part of him being a masochist and kink being a good way to get at his issues and to force him to let his guard down, and especially pain being a good way to overload his senses til he's proper down and vulnerable. But that is a whole separate conversation, and not so much purely about how he deals with physical pain.

Val: They're not as tough as Keiji, but they do tend to have experience handling pain and maintaining their calm throughout. They recognise when injuries would be or become debilitating and make sure they receive medical treatment before that point, but if there is important work to be done they do have a tendency to push past their pain or discomfort to get said things done. They are at least sensible enough to follow doctor's orders though, so that puts them decently high up in the list of self-care capable OC's

Tanwen: She doesn't like pain!! She doesn't get Val or Keiji!! She will easily ignore her own discomfort while there are other people hurting, but she's a crybaby when it comes to her own pain. She tries to play it tough but it doesn't take a lot to get her eyes watering, or to actually make her cry

Jay: A tank. Similar to when it comes to illness, he's so used to being the caretaker and the one that others rely on that he forgets he sometimes needs to be taken care of, too. He'll wrap a bandage around it when he remembers too, but it's definitely not a priority. He's also gotten a pretty good pain tolerance from working the forge, and the accidents that inevitably happened there

He is the guy that will stagger on his feet well after the battle is done and touch a hand to his stomach so it comes away stained with blood, and he just manages a surprised/exasperated curse before he stumbles back against a nearby wall. It's tasty

Althea: Does not like pain 2.0. Also the least experience with first aid, she knows how to stick on a bandaid and vaguely knows cuts need to be cleaned?? That's about it, she's a sensible regular human being who just goes to the doctor when something's wrong. She won't easily cry from pain, but she will complain a lot and demand attention for her terrible suffering

#keiji #val #tanwen #jay #althea #asks #ocs #there we gooo #last one done #this was a fun one #fashion complaining aside #ty babe <3

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