#this is me soft launching kind of a new style of some sorts…
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I did @pakhnokh’s challenge from twitter to draw this in your style! Here’s the original !
#mdzs fanart#mdzs#mo dao zu shi#wangxian#yiling laozu#hanguang jun#wei wuxian#lan wangji#grandmaster of demonic cultivation#jessbye#this is me soft launching kind of a new style of some sorts…#even tho its still in the trial stages#but doing this challenge was definitely a fun exercise!!#i made it more dramatic and angsty looking as i tend to do ksjvbsfdk#and ofc thank u to the amazing pakh for the beautiful original piece!
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Serendipity - Part IV. (Harry Styles)
a/n: can’t believe only one part left of this story! i personally love their journey and a lot more is to come, we have an emotional last part ahead of us, so brace yourself! as always, feedback is very much appreciated!!
pairing: Harry x OC (Annalise Lloyd)
word count: 9.4k
SERIES MASTERPOST ⚫️ my masterlist ⚫️ come and talk to me about Serendipity!
Serendipity (n.) Finding something good without looking for it.
Sometimes Harry finds himself way too caught up with everything around him. Work tends to pile up, meetings after meetings, urging deadlines and the demand to stay relevant in the industry. These past weeks he has tried his best to make London the epitome of his life and so far he has been successful in his attempt, dodging two trips away from his home, though he had to make a short visit to New York still.
Now, even though he is in London, he feels like he is far from home. He hasn’t been able to see Lis in three days, their schedules just didn’t line up well and he would never ask her to mess up her usual routine with Benji, but he has been missing her dearly. He has been missing them both. Harry found himself growing a liking to being around not just Lis, but her little boy as well. He loves playing around with him, joining the mother-son duo on their little outings on Sundays, or just simply stay in with them, watching whatever movie has caught Benji’s eyes recently. He has been spending all his free time with them, but this week has been too hectic and now Harry feels like it’s coming down crashing on him at once.
It’s past eight pm now and he just finished with a tiring meeting. He has had many creative differences with the team he is supposed to work together with for a photoshoot and it took all his energy and patience out of him to stay calm and respectful when they just wouldn’t let go of the things he clearly didn’t want to include. It didn’t matter what he or his manager was saying, the team seemed to be keen on putting their ideas through no matter what.
“We’ll come to terms, alright?” Jeff pats his shoulder as they walk out of the building. Harry nods, though he doesn’t feel comfortable in the project like he is supposed to.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Rest some. I pushed a little further your interview tomorrow. You have to be there at eleven.”
“Thanks,” he nods at the man and they say their goodbyes before parting ways and heading to their own cars.
Once he is seated behind the wheel, he takes a moment to himself, breathing deep to get his head sorted out, but he just knows this ache in his chest will grow if he doesn’t do something to ease it. Pulling his phone out of his pocket he closes his eyes as he starts a call to Lis.
“Hey! I was just thinking about you.” Her sweet voice immediately eases the tension in his muscles and he feels himself deflate at her words.
“Yeah?”
“Yes, Benji showed me his painting he made today and it has this nice guitar on it, I’m sure you’d like it,” she chuckles softly and he hears her shuffling around, she must be cleaning up the kitchen, at least that’s what she usually does around this time once they are finished with dinner.
“I bet it looks awesome,” he mumbles.
“Everything alright? You sound a little… distant,” she says, worry lacing through her words.
“I’m just… tired. Very tired. Just wanted to hear your voice. I miss you.”
“I miss you too,” she coos. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“It’s just work stuff. It’s been a hard week,” he admits, but doesn’t go into detail, not wanting to load out on her. She has enough on her plate without having to listen to his ranting.
“Are you at home?”
“No, I just got done at a meeting. It was shitty, some people just suck,” he sighs in frustration.
“Want to come over?” she asks softly, the question surprises him. It’s a weekday and they didn’t agree on meeting beforehand. “Go home, get the stuff you need and spend the night here, if you want.”
“You sure about it? I don’t want to bother and what about Benji?” Lis chuckles on the other end of the call.
“Benji would jump up the wall if he hears you are coming over. He has been missing you too, Harry. In fact, I think if you come over you won’t be able to get rid of him for a while.”
Harry chuckles lowly, the thought of having to play with Benji whatever imaginary game he just made up warms his chest. He doesn’t mind it, not even a bit.
“I can be there in like forty.”
“That’s perfect. We are starting Finding Nemo just now. Hurry so you can see the end. Spoiler, they find Nemo,” she laughs making him smile as well.
“Alright, see you in a bit.”
Annalise ends the call, smiling to herself. She still hasn’t gotten used to the feeling Harry brings to her. All the affection and appreciation he has been showing made her swoon and she has no doubt now that she made the right choice when she let him enter her life. She could tell he wasn’t in the best of moods and though he didn’t admit it, he couldn’t fool her entirely. She wanted to be there for him, comfort him just like he does every time she is feeling overwhelmed with life. Harry hasn’t failed to brighten her days whenever it was starting to feel a little too much all together and now she has the chance to do the same for him.
“Popcorn! Popcorn!” Benji chants as he runs into the kitchen, already in his pajamas, holding one of his dinosaurs in his hand.
“Alright, I’m making it now,” she chuckles grabbing a pack and tossing it into the microwave. “Harry will come over in a bit, is that alright?” she asks him and watches his eyes brighten up immediately.
“When is he arriving? Can I show him my painting?” he enthuses right away, making Lis chuckle.
“Of course, already told him about it. He’ll be over soon. Let’s start the movie, he’ll join when he arrives.”
The two of them settle on the couch once the popcorn is ready, she puts on the movie and tries her best to focus on the screen, but she keeps glancing out the window, checking if he has arrived. When she sees his headlights pull up in front of her house, she leaves the comfort of the couch and goes to meet him outside. Luckily, Benji is too invested in the movie to care about the absence of his mother just yet.
When she sees him emerge from the car, she can tell he isn’t his usual joyful self. His shoulders are hunched forward and she can tell he hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in a while from the circles under his eyes. Looking up his gaze meets hers and he breaks a soft smile at the sight of her in her comfy home clothes.
“Hey,” she greets him warmly and walking up she kisses him sweetly, running her fingers through his hair. He hums against her lips, hands finding her waist lazily.
“Hi. You sure I’m not bothering?” he asks as he grabs his bag for the night from the back of the car.
“Absolutely,” she smiles and taking his hand she pulls him inside from the crispy evening air.
Benji’s head snaps up hearing the front door shut and he immediately leaps out of his seat, launching at the man that just arrived.
“Harry! Come see my painting!” he begs immediately, smacking against him, wrapping his short arms around his waist. Harry chuckles lightly, rubbing his back gently.
“Alright, bud. Show me!”
The three of them move over to the kitchen so Harry can check out the painting on the fridge. Harry listens to everything he has to say, giving him his full attention and Annalise can’t ignore how her heart flutters in her chest at the sight of them. Harry squats down so he is on the level of the little boy who is standing between his legs, talking enthusiastically about the kind of paint his teacher let him use at school. He doesn’t seem to be just acting to be interested, it’s all genuine and that alone almost makes her cry.
Once the show and tell is done, Benji drags him into the living room so they can continue the movie.
“Slow down, Benji. Let me bring my stuff up to the bedroom,” Harry chuckles, but the boy has a strong grip on his hand.
“I’ll do it, just go watch the movie,” Lis offers smiling. Harry presses a kiss to her temple, mumbling a thank you as she takes the bag from him before he is taken by her son.
Bringing it into her bedroom she sets it beside the bed and gets him a clean towel, placing it to the edge of the bed in case he needs it. Once the lights are all turned off she heads back down to the living room, only to find a scene that immediately makes her swoon.
The movie is playing again and has both guys’ eyes fixed on the screen. Harry is sitting comfortable on the couch, slid down a little, Benji cuddled to his side, his little fingers playing with the buttons of his shirt. His head is laid on Harry’s chest while his long, tattooed arm is wrapped around the little boy’s frame. Just as she walked down the stairs Benji mumbled a question about sharks and Harry softly answered, earning a nod from the boy in his arm.
Lis finds herself grabbing her phone from the kitchen island, quietly sneaking up on them, taking a picture of the two from the side. She is more than sure it’s going to end up as her lockscreen sooner or later.
Harry lifts his head and turns towards her when she walks in, making her presence known this time. A soft smile tugs on his pink lips and Annalise can’t push down her wide smile even if she tried. Sitting beside the boys, she leans closer and presses a kiss to Harry’s lips before placing one on top of Benji’s head. This is her silent thank you to Harry for being such an amazing man and he can feel the seriousness behind this small gesture as well.
When Lis is all settled, Benji moves around until his head is still on Harry’s chest but his legs are across his mother’s lap. Harry and Lis exchange one last loving look over the head of the little boy before they both turn their attention back at the movie playing on the screen.
Benji is half asleep by the end of the movie. Harry offers to carry him up to bed, which Lis appreciates a lot. She hasn’t been able to carry him around that much since he has been growing like crazy. Once the boy is all settled in his bed the two of them head into her bedroom. First he takes a quick shower and then it’s her turn. When she returns to the room Harry is lying in bed already, reading something on his phone but he quickly puts it aside when she appears. She quickly gets under the covers and moves close to Harry, resting her head on his shoulder as he circles his arm around her frame.
“I’m sorry you had a shitty day,” she mumbles after a while, his fingers gently caressing her upper arm.
“It definitely got better at the end.” After a short silence, she is the one to speak up again.
“I like having you around like this.”
“Like what?”
Lifting her head she rests her chin on his chest so she can look him in the eyes.
“Domestically,” she answers and his heart starts thudding against his chest so wildly even she notices it.
“I love it too,” he tells her truthfully.
As he stares down at her in the dim lighting of the bedside lamp on her nightstand, he can feel three short words weighing down on him, burning to be said out loud, but he is not sure if it’s the right moment to let them slip. However, as the moments pass by and she is still looking up at him, he simply can’t make himself remain silent.
“And… I love you.”
She seems stunned upon hearing his words, lips parted as her eyes keep fixated on his green ones. Pushing herself up into a sitting position she lets the faintest smile tug on her lips, tasting the words that just rolled down his tongue. Cupping his face she leans down and kisses him blissfully, her cheeks blushing from the joy that spread in her body at his confession.
“I love you too,” she whispers against his lips and he breathes out shakily, a hand flying to the back of her head to pull her into another kiss.
“See? It wasn’t tha’ hard, right?” Harry smiles down at Benji who nods his head, admiring his math homework Harry just helped him finish.
“Thanks. I think I like math now,” the boy nods to himself, making both Harry and Lis chuckle.
“Your opinion about math seems to be changing quite often, Benji,” Lis teases him, but he just shrugs his shoulders. “Go pack your bag for tomorrow.”
Benji climbs off the stool, grabs his notebook and pencils before jolting upstairs. Annalise walks around the kitchen island until Harry can reach out and pull her closer to him, placing a chaste kiss to her lips.
“I wanted to ask you something,” she shyly blinks up at him.
“Go ahead,” he nods. Her hands wander to his stomach, curling the fabric of his shirt around her fingers before letting it go. Harry has been spending at least two nights at Annalise’s, he has his own drawer in her dresser, a toothbrush in the bathroom and even a mug only he uses when he drinks his morning coffee. Following the night he spent here after his shitty day, it slowly became a usual, they both found themselves craving to be with each other and Benji didn’t seem to mind having him over either. Now it’s stretching towards the end of May and they have fallen into a routine of some sort, that seems to be working well for all three of them.
“When school is going to be over I’ll be taking Benji to my parents’ and he’ll stay there for the first two weeks of summer vacation. I’m staying for a weekend as well before I leave him there and I was wondering if… you’d like to come, maybe.”
“You want me to meet your parents?” Harry asks, stunned at the sudden invitation, but it surely warms his heart, knowing that she is ready to take this next step.
“I mean, if you don’t think it’s too soon or something. We’ve been dating for only what, like two months?”
“Something like that,” he nods licking his lips.
“Don’t feel pressured, it’s just that I told my mum about you and she really wants to meet you. But I understand if you want to push it back a little.”
“You told your mum about me?”
“Of course,” she smiles shyly. “She is dying to meet this new, charming boyfriend of mine.” Her smile turns into a smirk that’s surely contagious. Harry mirrors her expression before pecking her lips softly.
“I would love to meet your parents, Lis.”
Her eyes light up and he knows he would do anything to see her happy. Meeting her parents feels a tad bit scary but he is also excited, knowing that she trusts him and counts on him on such level is comforting.
“Great. Then get ready to be questioned by my mum, she can be a pester sometimes, but I have no doubt you’ll pass,” she chuckles before kissing him fully.
“So Benji will be away for two weeks?” he asks, seemingly deep in his thoughts.
“Yeah.” Harry licks his lips, eyebrows furrowed and Lis can tell the gears are turning wildly in his head. “What’s on your mind?”
“It’s just an idea. You can say no if you don’t feel like you’re comfortable with it, but… I was thinking that you could stay at mine for those two weeks. Would be nice to come home to each other, start our days together and all. But it’s just an idea, you can absolutely tell me if yo—“
“I would love that,” she cuts him off smiling, her hands coming up to cup his cheeks. “I think it would be great.”
“Yeah?”
“Mhm,” she nods smirking, her thoughts already wandering off to how convenient it’s going to be to be around each other all the time when they are not working. No interruptions, no third parties, just the two of them in the comfort of Harry’s home. She would be crazy to say no to that.
“Great,” he smiles, eyes shining bright. “I’ll make you a copy of my keys then.”
Suzan and George Lloyd live in the outer skirt of Manchester, a place that almost feels like home for Harry as well. The cozy looking town house appears to be old, but it’s clear that it is well kept, thanks to all the hours the couple puts into it.
“Grams! Gramps!” Benji cheers in excitement once Harry parks down on the driveway. The red front door opens and a short, curvy woman appears, her chestnut hair in a short ponytail, a green apron covering her front.
“She is big on kisses,” Lis warns Harry before they all get out of the car.
Benji runs up to his grandmother happily, giving her a tight hug as the woman coos at him lovingly. Lis grabs Benji’s bag while Harry carries hers and his, walking up to the front door where Suzan is already waiting for them with open arms.
“Lisie! Come here!” she cheers, her laugh chiming sweetly as she wraps her arms around her daughter, kissing her cheek several times.
“Hi mum. How are you?”
“Fantastic now that I have my favorite grandson with me!” she cheekily answers winking at Benji, though they all know he is the only grandson she has.
“Mum, this is Harry, my boyfriend. Harry, this is my mother,” Lis introduces them to each other. Harry drops the bags to the ground with a wide grin on his face that brings out his dimples well. Suzan immediately falls in love with them.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Lloyd,” he politely greets her, though she waves in dismissal.
“Oh, call me Suzan. Come here, Dear!”
They share a warm hug and just as Lis warned him, he feels Suzan kissing both his cheeks welcomingly.
“You surely are more handsome than in the photos!” she exclaims, making Harry chuckle.
“Apologies, she is a big Google user,” Lis huffs, but Suzan ignores the comment, tugging her family inside.
George appears from the kitchen, chewing on something as Benji jumps into his arms.
“Gramps, we will go fishing, right?” he asks in excitement.
“Of course, Benji. Next weekend?”
“Yay!”
“Lisie!” George cheers and envelopes his daughter in a hug after he has put Benji down. “You look stunning.”
“Thank you, Dad,” she smiled. “This is Harry. Harry, this is my dad.”
“Nice to meet your, Sir,” Harry smiles at him as they shake hands and luckily, George returns his smile with a gentle pat on his shoulder.
“Call me George. Nice to meet you too.”
Soon enough Lis goes upstairs to help Benji get settled in the room that used to be hers but now mostly used by the boy when he is staying over, leaving Harry alone with Suzan and George. Suzan has brought some tea and biscuits into the living room and she joins the two men as George is already asking him about what he really does for a living.
“Lisie said you are some kind of celebrity?” George explains, looking a little puzzled at the information though.
“Kind of,” Harry nods. “I’m a singer and song writer.”
“George, I showed you his song the other day!” Suzan chimes in, sitting in the armchair.
“Which one? You show me so many things a day, I can’t remember all of them!”
“The one with the video about the fish!”
“Fish?” George grimaces, trying to find his memory of what his wife showed him, but then it pops in and his expression smoothes out. “Oh! That one! That’s a nice song!”
“Of course it is!” Suzan exclaims. Harry finds the conversation rather endearing. It’s always so relieving to meet people who are not so caught up in the world of fame, having trouble to even remember his full name. Though Suzan has done her homework digging online, it’s still clear that she hasn’t heard much about him beforehand and Harry prefers it this way, not having to worry about and secondhand judgment from the media.
Suzan turns to Harry and her eyes give it away that she is about to have a few serious words with him.
“Harry, I’m so glad you could make it this weekend. Lis talked so fondly about you on the phone.”
“Wouldn’t have missed it for anything.”
“It seems like Benji likes you a lot too.”
“He is an amazing little boy.” Suzan lets out a long breath and he knows this is where the real talk begins.
“I can tell your intentions are the best with her, but please be extra careful with them. She has had enough trouble with Austin, she doesn’t need another heartbreak, yeah?”
“I completely understand your concerns and I can assure you, I’m always doing everything in their favor.”
“That I know, Harry,” she smiles. “But sometimes things just get harder and people tend to forget you have to fight for what you thought was already fully yours.”
Harry holds his gaze on hers as he savors the meaning behind her rather wise words. He knows it was no thread, but a reminder that they won’t be always this happy.
“Will try my best,” he nods, meaning every single word.
It’s a silent agreement between the two of them that Harry will hope to keep forever. Benji comes running down the stairs, Lis following behind him as they join the three of them in the living room. Benji sits on Suzan’s lap, rambling about his last fieldtrip he had with his class as Lis sits beside Harry on the sofa. She places a hand to his knee, squeezing it softly and his palm covers her hand instantly.
“You alright?” she quietly asks him.
“Yeah,” he smiles and leaning closer he pecks her lips shortly before they both turn towards Benji and Suzan.
Monday morning, when Annalise’s alarm goes off on her phone, she can’t tell where she really is for a moment, it is until she hears Harry groan behind her, an arm lazily thrown over her stomach. They arrived back from Manchester the previous night and after a quick trip to Annalise’s house, they both moved over to Harry’s place where they are set to spend the next two weeks, something they both have been looking forward to.
Harry places a soft kiss to her shoulder before rolling to his back, blinking the sleep away from his tired eyes. Though they both knew they would have to wake up early in the morning, it didn’t keep them away from using their alone time for their satisfaction.
“Mm, I know you love your job, but right now I wish you would just quit it,” Harry mumbles, eyes still closed as he is trying to gain strength to get up. Lis chuckles softly, cuddling to his side.
“You know… I forgot I don’t need to get Benji ready now so we are about half an hour early,” she inquires, hoping Harry would get the real meaning behind her words, however he is too tired to do much thinking about what she truly meant.
“Great, 30 more minutes of sleep,” he exhales.
“Or…” Lis pushes herself up and swings a leg over Harry, getting on top of him and the position surely makes his eyes pop open. “We could use our time wisely,” she suggests with a coy smile.
“Rise and shine, baby,” he sings, his hands grabbing onto her hips as he turns them over, getting on top of her while she laughs at how quickly she could get the sleep out of his eyes.
After they have successfully used their extra time wisely, Harry convinces her to let him drive her to work.
“Then you’ll have to pick me up too.”
“Well of course. We could go grocery shopping together on our way home. Want to cook you something nice,” he smirks at her, finishing up his morning coffee.
“Sounds good,” she nods, accepting his offer at last.
The two of them get ready to leave and though it’s still a bit strange to spend their morning together at such a peaceful and private manner, they can’t deny how much they love being alone. Harry loved having her around, see her brushing her hair while he was getting dressed, move around each other in the kitchen while making breakfast. His home has never felt better than at that very morning with Annalise there with him.
“I’ll be here at four,” he smiles at her once they arrive to Golden Sunshine. Leaning over the shifting gear she pulls him in for a quick goodbye kiss.
“Don’t be late,” she smirks playfully before getting out of the car and heading inside. She turns back before entering the building, seeing that Harry is still watching her. She smiles and waves at him before walking inside.
Eloise and Bart are right there as always, the old lady’s eyes immediately lighting up when she sees Lis arrive.
“Darling! You look stunning!” she gasps looking at her.
“Thank you. You look nice as well. Is that a new cardigan?”
“Well, yes! My granddaughter bought it for me!”
“Looks amazing.”
“Thank you. Now tell me, what is it that got you all bright this morning? I don’t tend to see people this happy on Monday mornings.”
Lis stops in her way, her eyes wandering over to the front door. Harry is gone, but the thought of him still lingers in her mind, making her smile with every bit of it.
“It’s love, Eloise,” she answers shortly before making her way into the changing room.
Before starting her shift she drops by her boss’ office to sign her attendance sheet for last month. As she puts her hair in a low ponytail she walks into the room that’s used as a waiting area in front of Mark, her boss’ office. Immediately, she is greeted by Grace, the assistant there.
“Good morning, Annalise!” she nods in her way smiling. “Good thing you dropped by, Mark wants to talk to you.”
“Am I in trouble?” she asks right away, but Grace shakes her head.
“Don’t think so.”
Just as it’s said, Mark rushes through the door with a pile of papers in his hands, his colorful tie a little crooked, but he looks just as nice as every day.
“Oh! Lis, so happy you are here so I don’t have to hunt you down,” he jokes. “Come into my office, will you?”
Lis follows the man inside and sits in one of the plush armchairs in front of his desk. He stacks the papers on the side of the desk before taking his seat behind it.
“Benji gone already?” he asks nicely. Mark knows Benji very well, the boy loves him and Lis is thankful Mark is so understanding about her role as a mother first and foremost.
“Yes, dropped him off this weekend.”
“Great,” he nods, a hint of worry in his eyes.
“Mark, what is it you wanted to talk about? You are starting to worry me.”
“I wouldn’t want that, but I need to tell you about something. You know the new assistant I hired for the weekends, right?”
“Yes, I met Violet the other week,” she nods, cautiously waiting for him to finally make sense.
“She is still learning her ways around and I swear she didn’t mean to bring trouble upon you,” he explains, clearly worried about the situation on hand that Lis is dying to finally unfold.
“Mark, just tell me what it is about!” she begs.
“We got a call this weekend from a man. He was asking around about you. Wanted to know if you are working here. Violet didn’t think anything of it and told him that you in fact work here. She said he started asking when your shifts are and how often you are in, that’s when she found it suspicious and told him she can’t provide any more information. She didn’t find out his intentions, but she indeed got his name.”
Though it hasn’t been said out, Lis has a strong guess who it must have been and the eerie gut feeling inside her stomach is more painful than ever.
“Who was it?” she asks, voice barely more than just a whisper.
“He said his name was Austin.”
“Thank you so much, Mr. Styles,” the woman behind the cash register smiles as she hands Harry his receipt along with the two hard paper bags, the well-known name GUCCI printed over them neatly.
“Thank you,” he smiles in his way, sliding his wallet into his back pocket before grabbing the bags and heading out of the store he just spent an hour trying on outfits. He is always highly welcomed in any of their stores and judging from the amount of money he usually leaves after a spree, it won’t be any different anytime soon.
“Gucci should change its name to Styles, man,” Mitch jokes as the two men approach the exit.
“That would be cool, right?” Harry smirks.
There are three photographers already waiting for them near his car and the moment they set their feet outside the questions start, flashes are ticking every second, all of them trying to get a good shot of him. He doesn’t blame them, he hasn’t served anything mentionable lately, he was barely even seen out in public since he has started going out with Lis and he was kind of getting used to the quiet and peace, however he hasn’t forgotten what his life is really like.
Ignoring all questions thrown in his way, the two men simply get into the car and drive away, luckily, they don’t get followed. It only happened a handful of times to Harry, but he definitely didn’t like it.
“Can you drop me off at Sarah’s?” Mitch asks after checking his phone.
“Sure. Everything alright?”
“Yeah, she just asked if I could help her put together her new coffee table.”
“Didn’t she buy one just last month?”
“She did, but… it wasn’t too durable,” Mitch mumbles under his breath, making Harry gasp at his comment.
“Oh shit!” he laughs. “I’m not sure if I wanted to know this detail, but anyway, congrats man,” he teases him, Mitch only smirking shyly.
“Don’t pretend like you haven’t ruined anything ever while having sex.”
“Never said that,” he smirks smugly.
“I’m not gonna ask what you and Lis broke, I have too much respect for her,” Mitch laughs and Harry pays him a playful smirk. To be honest, they haven’t broken anything, but his headboard was creaking quite vigorously this morning for sure. He knows it’s just a matter of time and chances that they destroy something at either his or her place.
“How is living together working out so far?” Mitch asks, changing the topic.
“It’s been not even a whole day,” Harry chuckles. “But I love it so far. For the first time in so long, I finally feel like everything is just heading right.”
“That’s amazing. I’m happy for you,” Mitch smiles genuinely at him. “You really should bring her around sometime, we are all dying to meet her. Sarah wouldn’t shut up about it,” he adds chuckling.
“I know, she’s been hinting it to me as well,” Harry smirks. “Will try to make it happen. Maybe this weekend? It’s a little easier without having to worry about Benji. Not that he is a burden, of course.”
After dropping Mitch off Harry heads to Golden Sunshine, since it’s nearing five. This week, Lis agreed to work a usual shift so she’ll have the whole weekend off. He arrives a little earlier so he starts to write a quick list what they would need to pick up at Tesco on their way home. Just a few minutes after five, the door opens and Lis walks out, a wary look on her beautiful face as she roams around stepping outside, her eyes landing on the car and the man inside waiting for her.
“Hey,” Harry beams, kissing her quickly when she gets in the car.
“Hi,” she greets him, a little out of breath, looking a tad bit on the edge.
“Everything alright?” he asks, starting the car and leaving.
“Yeah, I just… had a tiring day,” she breathes out, flashing a weak smile at him.
Walking around Tesco they quite forget about themselves, holding hands and simply acting like any other couples as they fill up the cart with everything they need at home. They both notice that people recognize him and she can’t ignore the stares they are getting, but it’s not like they can do anything about it. Earlier, they’ve had a talk about this side of Harry’s career, if they would want to keep out of public or simply not care about it at all. They uniformly agreed to choose the latter. Harry wouldn’t talk about her and they would just simply pretend not to care about the curious eyes and talks. Sooner or later, it will all die down and it’s not like they could hide forever.
But after all, this is the first time they are caught, undeniably together with their hands intertwined and though they try to stay low, people notice them. Pictures of the two of them slowly but surely make their way around the internet and the first headlines appear about Harry’s new romance.
Saturday has finally brought the first time Lis is meeting Harry’s band. The lot is heading out for a simple dinner, but his friends can’t wait to finally meet the woman who has Harry on his knees since day one.
It’s been a tiring, but wholesome week for the pair, spending so much time together, they’ve been quite enjoying the comfort of being alone.
However, the wariness Harry has noticed on Lis earlier the week didn’t seem to fade. He asked her several times if everything was fine, but she assured it was all good and he told himself she must just be feeling a little lost without Benji around. He knows, because he has found himself feeling the same. He has gotten so used to him being around it was starting to feel weird not hearing his curious questions every time they were watching a movie.
Following a lazy day at home they get ready for dinner and head out to meet the band. Lis has been paying extra attention to her looks since their pictures got out from their grocery shopping trip. When Harry told her she didn’t have to worry about looking so spotless all the time she simply answered: “Can’t have them talk about you dating an uggo, right?”
To which Harry replied: “That can never be the case when it comes to you.”
It surely warmed her heart to know he finds her pretty regardless of what she is wearing, but she still feels the need to look presentable, especially when Harry is always dressed so nicely.
Tonight, she is wearing wide-legged checkered pants and a sleeveless turtleneck tucked in it, paired with silver hoop earrings. Emerging from the bedroom Harry takes her in smiling.
“You look so serious yet fun at the same time,” he hums, eyes still roaming her body.
“Is that good?” she chuckles lightly.
“Definitely,” he nods. “Ready to leave?”
“Yeah.”
On the way to the restaurant, Harry notices how she’s been checking her phone more frequently than usually and it’s been like this for a few days now. When he asked she said she was just texting with her mum, getting updates about Benji and he didn’t have any reason not to believe her.
“There she is!” Sarah cheers as soon as the pair walks into the place. Jumping from her seat she rushes over and pulls Lis into a tight hug, making her chuckle. “I’m so happy we can finally meet you! I’m Sarah,” she grins widely, giving her two kisses on the cheeks.
“Hi, Nice to meet you. I’m Annalise, but I guess you already know that,” she jokes with an airy laugh.
“There was no other way with this dude always talking about you,” Sarah chuckles giving a look to Harry, who just shrugs his shoulders, not even trying to mask his affection towards Lis. “Come on, only Charlotte is missing, but she is always running late.”
Arriving to their table Lis is greeted by the rest of the band and everyone warmly introduces themselves to her, Charlotte arriving just when Harry and Lis take their seats at the table. Though Harry had no doubts Lis would get along well with his friends, it’s still relieving to see her get settled so easily with the band. He can sense her restraint at the beginning, but soon enough she is talking and telling stories as if she knew them all for years.
“How do you make summer vacation work with Benji? Harry said he is spending time with his grandparents now,” Sarah questions over the main course and Lis seems a little taken aback, which Sarah immediately recognizes. “Oh, I’m sorry, should I not ask about him?”
“No, it’s alright. I just… I guess I didn’t think Harry shared much about him.” Her eyes wander over to the man in question who is deep in conversation with Mitch, didn’t even hear what Sarah asked.
“Oh please, he wouldn’t stop telling us about him every time we are at the studio,” she chuckles.
“Really?”
“Yeah. He really likes the boy.” Lis just packs it all up in her head, labeling it as another reason why she loves Harry so much.
“Well, he is going to go out to camp for a week, but other than that, he usually comes to work with me.”
“That’s so amazing!”
The evening carries on and Harry can’t not notice how Lis keeps glancing down at her phone every five minutes. One time, when she reaches for the phone his hand grabs hers, stopping her from grabbing the device.
“You sure everything is alright? You keep looking at your phone.” He tries to find a hint, anything in her eyes that gives away why she is acting different, but she cautiously keeping her gaze diverted from his.
“I’m good, don’t worry,” she answers, but when her phone lights up, an incoming call from her mom, she immediately snatches it from the table and excusing herself she walks out to the street to answer the call.
Harry clenches his jaw, looking after her, knowing well something is not right, but he doesn’t know why she wouldn’t tell him what it is about. He tries to stay still, to let her get it sorted out as she wishes, but he just can’t.
“I’ll be right back,” he mumbles to the group before going after Lis.
Walking out he stops at the entrance, looking both ways before she spots her at the corner of the building, her back facing him as she holds the phone to her ear, leaning against the brick wall. He has a fleeting thought about not eavesdropping on a conversation that wasn’t meant for his ears, but his curiosity and worry brings him forward.
“But you didn’t tell him right?” her voice is heard when he is a few steps away from her. “Maybe I should bring him home earlier… But mum, what if he just turns up there? He knows you live there, I can’t have him just waltz in… No, I get it, but there’s little you can do when he is there… I really don’t know… He hasn’t, but it’s a matter of time, I think. He already knows I work there and God knows why he was asking around about me.”
Harry soon realizes what the conversation must be about and he is definitely not impressed by several reasons. Standing there with his jaw clenched, he waits for her to end the call and realize his presence. When she finally says her goodbye, pushing herself away from the brick wall, Harry watches her turn around and jump at the sight of him.
“Harry, you—“
“What’s going on?” he cuts her off right away, eyes burning down on her.
“I, uhh—Can we… Can we have this conversation at home?” she pleads quietly.
“Just tell me what it’s about, because I thought I was seeing things when I noticed that you’ve been acting weird, but I was clearly right. There is something and I want to know what it is.” “Harry, I really don’t want to ruin the evening with it now.”
“Nonsense, because there’s no way I can just act like everything is fine until we get home.”
Exhaling shakily, Lis realizes she can’t push it back any further, she has to come clear.
“Last weekend, when we were away, Austin called Golden Sunshine, he was asking about me and the girl who works on the weekend accidentally told him that it’s in fact my workplace. He wanted to know stuff about me, but didn’t get much. Then today my mum noticed a car waiting across the street for about an hour. Someone was sitting in it or that’s how she saw. Mum thinks it was him.”
Harry feels his rage build up with each passing moment for two reasons: one being that Annalise wanted to keep it away from him that her ex is suddenly looking for her. Second is that Austin has the nerve to pop up out of nowhere after abandoning his family and creep the Hell out of Lis and basically everyone in her family probably.
“And why didn’t you tell me this? You think I wouldn’t want to know if your ex is suddenly looking for you? That’s pretty major, Lis,” he snaps, having a hard time to contain himself as much as he would like to.
“I didn’t want to worry you, hoped the call was nothing, but the whole car thing is now stressing me out. I would have told you, I just…” exhaling sharply she runs her fingers through her hair. “I don’t know, I guess it feels weird to talk about him with you.”
“It’s not like you are sharing with me your sex life with him, this is stuff that I want to know about, this concerns your and Benji’s safety as well and I feel like I have a saying in those things.” “I know, I’m sorry. It was stupid of me to not tell. Please don’t be mad at me,” she begs, desperate to somehow make it right though she knows she messed up.
She can tell Harry is fuming, his piercing green eyes are filled with the mixture of worry, rage and anger for many reasons, all of them valid in her opinion. She wishes she could go back in time and tell him about it in a different way, but there’s nothing to do now.
“Harry, please say something,” she breathes out, wanting nothing else than to finally hear what he is thinking about. However, he is not letting her in that easily now.
“Let’s get back inside. We’ll talk when we are alone.”
Though Lis wants to protest, she knows it’s what should happen. Nodding shortly the two of them head back inside and push everything down until the end of dinner. It’s hard to focus on their group once they return, they both feel far away from the dinner table.
The evening drags longer than they would have liked, or that’s just how they feel. They try their best to mask their feelings, not wanting to bring their friends into this upsetting situation. However, when they are sitting in the car on their way home, they both notice that they could cut the tension for sure. Lis is chewing on her bottom lip nervously, afraid of what’s been going on in Harry’s head and cursing herself out at the same time for not telling him the first moment.
“I can stay at home tonight if you don’t want me over,” she finds herself saying, voice quiet and reserved. Harry glances in her direction for a split second.
“Is that what you want? You want to go home?”
“No. I just figured you might want some… space.”
“Well, I don’t. So unless you want to go home yourself, I want you at mine.”
It’s relieving, though still not enough to ease her anxiety that’s been clawing on her chest all evening. But at least he still wants her around.
The silence is painful for the both of them and it’s something that hasn’t happened between them since they’ve met. Lis keeps glancing in his way, trying to figure out what he must be thinking about, but it seems like Harry keeps his emotions so much at bay, nothing gives away where his thoughts are lying. She is forced to wait until they can finally talk.
Walking inside Lis feels out of place, for the first time ever since she has started seeing Harry. She watches him drop off his belongings in the bedroom before returning to the living room, a hard look on his handsome face. It seems like he is trying hard to find the right words to start this conversation. Hands on his hips he stands in front of her, eyes fixed on the floor before they finally meet her desperate ones.
“Okay, first of all, is Benji alright? Do you want us to go and bring him home?” he asks with a tired sigh.
“I-I think he is fine for now. Mum says she is keeping a close eye on him.”
“Alright. Just let me know if you change your mind and want him here.”
“Thank you,” she nods shortly and through the bitterness of the situation, she is thankful he still takes the time to think about her boy.
“Okay and now let’s talk about why you kept it from me that Austin has been looking for you. Any specific reason, something I did? Did I make you feel like you couldn’t talk to me about it?”
“No! Not at all!” she shakes her head right away. Taking his hand softly she pulls him down to the couch so they sit turned towards each other, her knee brushing against his thigh. Though his hand is a deadweight in her hold, as if he doesn’t want her to hold it, she still doesn’t let go of it. “Harry, I know I can tell you anything and I always do that. I just felt like you’ve had enough to worry about and didn’t want to add to it. I always…” Her voice dies down as she is now fighting with her tears. She’s been putting away these thoughts ever since their first lunch date, when she realized she can’t let go of him and he won’t either.
Harry notices her struggle and pulls his hand out of her hold, bringing it up to her face to cup her cheek. His thumb runs across her soft skin, his eyes falling down at her trembling lips.
“I always feel like a burden to you. I’m not easy to be with because I’m not living the usual life people my age have. It would be hard for a normal guy, but you are not one! I just don’t want to hold you back in any way, but there are things that I can’t change. When I found out that Austin was asking about me I thought this is something I can handle on my own and don’t have to worry you with it.”
“Lis…” he breathes out, starting to finally put together her train of thoughts and though he is still mad, now he is more heartbroken that she is still feeling like she has to be so considerate about him in some cases. “You are not a burden, never was and I can assure you that you’ll never be. I chose to be with you, and not just part of you, all of it. The good, the bad, all of it. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t count on me always, because you can. I want to be there for you no matter what it’s about.”
“I know!” she breathes out shakily, the tears already building up in her eyes. “But I can’t help thinking that one day… you won’t feel the same. Like you’ll be fed up with all the baggage that I come with!”
“What baggage, baby? Your fucker ex? That’s not your fault.”
“Him and… Benji?” she adds.
“Benji is not a baggage, Lis. I love him, would easily do anything for him, he is not a burden in any way. I’m so happy I got to meet him because of you and I’m happy that you are letting me have a part in his life. I already told you, but I’ll never stop telling you that I look up at you so much for everything you do for yourself and for Benji.”
Now she is crying. Hard. The way his eyes filled with nothing but love when he is talking about Benji, it’s all she ever wished for in a man and he is so much more than that. To think that she didn’t even want to let him into her life is a sickening thought, how she didn’t trust him enough to see what an amazing man he is.
Moving forward she climbs to his lap and he circles his welcoming arms around her, holding her close to his chest as she starts sobbing, completely touched by his words.
“I’m sorry I’m so emotional,” she mumbles between sobs. “I just… It’s still so hard for me to understand why…”
She doesn’t finish the sentence, but he knows exactly what she was thinking about: It’s still so hard for her to understand why he is with her. And it’s heartbreaking to know it’s how she feels, but it also makes him determined to change her way of seeing him for once and for all.
“It’s alright. I just want you to talk to me, okay? I want to know everything that’s important to you, good or bad, doesn’t matter.”
She just nods, holding onto him for dear life. They stay like that for what feels like hours, her crying slowly dies down and he patiently waits for her to breathe normally again, continuously pressing soft kisses to her forehead and the top of her head. When she finally lifts her head up, a small smile plays on her lips and though her eyes are red and puffy from the crying, he still thinks she is the most beautiful man he has ever seen.
“Feeling better?” he murmurs softly and she nods again. “Okay. So what do you want to do about Austin?”
“I haven’t figured it out,” she huffs tiredly. “I don’t even know for sure if it was really him in the car my mum saw and other than the call to my work place, nothing else happened.”
“Is there any reason why you should be afraid of him? Like, has he ever…” Harry doesn’t even get himself to say the word, just thinking about it rages him.
“No,” she shakes her head. “But I haven’t seen him in ages, God knows what he is like now.”
“If you want to move here with Benji, if that would make you feel safer, I’m perfectly okay with that. I have plenty of space for the both of you.”
“You’d let us come here just like that?” she asks, stunned at how easily he is talking about such a major step.
“Of course,” he nods confidently. A soft smile tugs on her lips as she kisses him gently, as a way of saying thank you.
“I think we are fine for now,” she then replies. “But thank you.”
A short silence sets in, both of them are deep in their thoughts, processing everything that happened tonight and there’s one more question stuck on Harry’s mind that he needs to ask.
“So… what happens if he reaches out? If he wants to meet you and Benji?”
Lis sighs heavily, the thought has been haunting her as well all week and she hasn’t come up with a solid answer to this just yet.
“It depends on what he really wants. It’s not like I want him back in my life, but if he wants to see Benji… I don’t think I can tell him no. Legally, he is allowed to see him. It’s a whole different story that I don’t want him to though.”
Her answer was valid and reasonable, though it still brought some uneasiness to Harry. Just thinking about Austin meeting Benji makes him want to scream. The man left his family so easily, like they meant absolutely nothing to him and he is the reason why Lis had to build up her whole life alone. Not that Harry would have liked it better if he was still in the picture, but in his beliefs, a man who abandons his family is simply not a man. Even if he didn’t want to be with Lis anymore, he should have made sure to support her in raising Benji and not just disappear into thin air.
However Harry knows he doesn’t have a say in it and that what Lis said is relevant. The man might have walked out of their lives, but legally he still has the right to see Benji, nothing is stopping him.
Harry keeps his doubts and fears to himself, he needs to be the person Lis can rely on now, whatever is about to happen. It’s all secondary what he thinks or feels right now.
The two of them stay on the couch for another hour, just talking and sharing and they both feel like it was what they needed. Their relationship was going smooth, but they had to realize they still have a lot to work on and tonight was a step forward. They then have a hot shower together and this time they don’t get carried away, it’s all about the gentle touches, the hot water washing away their worries for a short time, keeping it just an intimate but not sexual moment.
Lying in bed Harry pulls her close, her head lies on his chest as she is drawing little patterns on his chest, her fingers delicately following the lines of his tattoos. Her thoughts are wandering, jumping from one thought to the other until something makes her come to a halt, a soft, ironic chuckle escaping her lips.
“Wha’s so funny?” Harry asks quietly.
Lifting her head, she rests her chin on his chest, her arms spread out over his ribs. It’s not even that funny, more ironic seeing the timeline of their relationship.
“I just think it’s pretty hilarious how I was the one to warn you several times not to make me regret my decisions about you and then I end up being the one thinking that you regretted getting together with me.”
She laughs some more, a smile tugging on Harry’s lips as well, seeing that it’s indeed a little funny, if he thinks about it.
“Oh how the tables have turned,” he grins, kissing her forehead.
“But on a serious note,” she starts, clearing her throat. “Do you have any regrets?”
“None,” he answers right away without hesitation.
“Not even one tiny bit?”
“Absolutely none,” he confirms and pulls his arms tighter around her. She smiles widely, pushing herself up a bit so her lips can meet his.
“Hope it stays this way.”
-
NEXT PART
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pirate king (7) || atz
“So, you're saying you heard the voice of the sea monster.”
“Yes…” You say hesitantly, Seonghwa nodding encouragingly at you as you spill the beans to San. The healer's face is unreadable, inscrutable as he eyes you silently, fingers drumming over the side of his mug of tea.
“I can vouch for him.” Seonghwa speaks up but San shakes his head, setting down his drink with a thunk.
“It's not that I don't believe you, apprentice.” San's eyes are unnaturally sharp for such a soft person. He straightens his back, before giving you a pensive glance. “But for you to be able to hear the voice of a sea monster… what could it possibly mean?”
“Perhaps he is blessed similarly to Hongjoong?” Seonghwa suggests. The healer nods thoughtfully.
“That could be the case. We don't know who you were before you lost your memories, so that could well be the answer.” San explains, and you frown. You, blessed by a sea god?
“But I can't do that thing captain can… like making the ship move faster.” You try to get your point across. Apart from having heard the monstrous beast once, you're not much special anyway else. You have no voodoo magic thing about you, or any control over the wind. Hell, you can barely use a kitchen knife the right side up.
The cook ponders this thoughtfully. “Different people may be blessed different ways. It’s always a possibility you can consider-”
“Stowaway?” You jerk to your feet as a new voice comes from the door. There are two men standing in the doorway, much to your surprise. One you recognize, the lookout, Yunho, and the other seems vaguely familiar.
He’s at least half a head taller than you, with a rounded face and serious, deep brown eyes. He can’t be very old, but the way he carries himself is endearing, like a young boy trying to match up to his older peers.
“Are we interrupting anything, hyungs?” He asks, so seriously that you’re almost impressed for a moment. His face is stoic, waiting for a reply so earnestly you immediately feel an almost irrepressible urge to wrap him up in a massive hug and squish his cheeks. He’s dressed simply in a sky blue shirt with white strips over a white tee, tucked into black trousers. This seems to be standard clothing for most of the crew.
Ah, you remember where you’ve seen him before.
When you had been tied up on deck, you’d seen seen him working out on deck, doing an insane number of push ups, lifts, running back and forth the bow and stern until you had gotten tired just from watching him. He didn’t seem to exist within normal human limitations, doing sit ups with entire tree trunks or squats with other members of the crew twice his size on his back.
But it was his voice that left an impact on you the most. You had been battling a raging fever, agonizing pain and a terrible loneliness. One night, you had been in despair once again, wondering if you were going to be thrown to the sharks the next day or whether the captain would simply shoot you dead, when you had heard a voice singing.
“Born on the wrong side of the ocean With all the tides against you You never thought you'd be much good for anyone But that's so far from the truth I know there's pain in your heart And you're covered in scars Wish you could see what I do…”
Until now, you still don’t know what song it was, but it had lulled you out of your self pity and that night you had slept with a calm mind. Of course, the apple breaking had also helped to amuse you greatly, but the way he had sung, so soulful and with so much emotion, was something you couldn’t forget.
You wanted to thank him, but how?
“No, we were just chatting about how our stowaway’s cooking is getting better.” San smiles, and you whip around to stare at your master in shock so fast it almost gives you whiplash.
“You said my cooking tastes like raw fish innards!” You cry in protest, but the healer simply shrugs. Seonghwa tries to encourage you.
“You have gotten better at using a knife…” He says, smiling so genuinely it almost lifts your spirits for a moment. Then you remember Seonghwa is inherently good and literally not one bad thing can come out of his mouth.
“Your cooking used to taste like rotten fish innards, apprentice.” San says with a completely straight face, dodging the roll of bandage that comes sailing at his head with ease. But Yunho chuckles, and you see the teasing smile pulling at the side of your master’s mouth.
He’s playing with you again. You puff out your cheeks in annoyance, but San merely laughs at you.
“What do you need him for, Yunho?” Seonghwa asks, getting to his feet. The lookout gestures in your direction.
“Hongjoongie-hyung wanted us to teach the stowaway a little combat skill. Hate to break it to you, but no one can live a pirate without at least knowing how to defend yourself.” Yunho tosses you a short knife. You barely catch it, fumbling with the leather before gripping it tightly in your hands. You’re lucky the blade is wrapped in a sheath, or you’d have chopped off your own fingers.
You turn to San and the healer simply makes a shooing motion with his hands. You give him a dry look.
No touching words of wisdom or encouragement?
He shakes his head.
Nope.
You sulk and turn back to your new teachers. “I’ll be in your hands then.”
“Do your best!” Seonghwa calls from behind you as the pair lead you to the main deck. Some of the crew give you strange looks, undoubtedly wondering why their stowaway turned healer is with the lookout and their resident opera singer(?), but you ignore them.
“So, stowaway.” Yunho begins in some sort of introduction. “I’m Yunho, the lookout and a battlemaster. This kid here,” he jerks a thumb at the young man next to him, who immediately eyes his older crewmate with a scowl, “is Jongho, our resident maknae and the other battlemaster of the ship.”
“Nice to meet you.” Jongho says rather indifferently, looking at everywhere but you. You frown a little at his cold reception.
“Don’t worry about Jongho, he’s just a little shy around new people.” Yunho explains while dodging his junior’s fist, as if this is a common occurrence. “He’s also the youngest, so he’s never really been around anyone younger than him.”
You don’t really know what your age is, with your lost memories and all, but you are shorter than him, so you suppose that’s a fair assumption to make.
“Any questions before we begin?” The lookout asks, pulling a short knife from his belt and twirling it so effortlessly you’re already impressed. But you do have a question. Two, actually.
“What’s a battlemaster? And why are there two of you?”
“A battlemaster is a person who leads a fighting party during raids. We also train the crew in combat.” Yunho tells you. “Jongho is in charge of more… blunt weaponry, while I handle swords and pistols.”
“We’ll be starting off with determining which combat style you’re more suited to.” Jongho adds on quietly, reaching for the hem of his shirt, Yunho following suit. You’re confused for a moment, until you see the two of them starting to strip their clothes off.
Wait.
Wait.
“Wait!” You screech, shielding your eyes from the sight with your hands. “What are the two of you doing?”
“We’re going to be sparring with you, so we don’t want our clothes to get dirty from sweat.” Yunho sounds a little bewildered, and you hear him moving forward to remove your hand from your eyes. Before he can, you scoot backwards away from his voice…
...only to end up pressing against someone’s bare chest.
Help me.
“If it bothers you so much, we’ll put our shirts back on.” Jongho says gruffly from behind you, and gods help you because his voice is right at your ear and you can feel his chest thrumming against your back with every word he says. He steadies you with his hands before mercifully moving back from you, giving you some much need space and time to remove the flush from your cheeks. You hear the rustle of fabric and sighs from the two men, before Jongho finally gives you the cue to remove your hands.
“We’re decent.”
Hesitantly, you peek out from between the cracks of your fingers. Both men are dressed in their tees and trousers, overshirts slung over their shoulders.
“Honestly, stowaway, you scream like a woman.” Yunho chuckles. All you manage is a weak, little laugh, but you can’t help but think how true that statement is.
“Try to lift this.” Jongho passes you a wooden club with one hand, and fooled by the ease with which he carries the weapon, you accept it gratefully.
It's heavy.
It also almost smashes your recently healed foot into smithereens.
“Watch out for the club!” The younger battlemaster yelps, snatching the blunt weapon back from you in alarm. You’re wheezing, half in fear from your near foot crushing experience and the other half because your arms are screaming in pain.
How on earth did Jongho carry that? It's so heavy that your arms simply could not keep it off the ground. You’re still staring at Jongho in wide eyed open awe when he notices you.
“What?” He scowls fiercely, turning away. But you catch the red tinge on his cheeks.
“I would say you are not at all suited to Jongho’s usual style of fighting.” Yunho smiles amicably, throwing Jongho a sword. To your awe once more, Jongho easily catches it by the handle, flipping it over in his hand as if it is second nature to him. “Jongho will demonstrate a few moves with the cutlass.”
Jongho pauses to give his senior a dark look.
“I will?”
“Yes, you will.” Yunho eyes his junior with an excited smile and some kind of unspoken argument seems to happen between the two of them. In the end, Jongho sighs in exasperation, a long, heavy exhale and raises the sword.
“I hate the apple trick, so I’m only doing this once, alright?”
You barely have time to ask what the apple trick is before he launches into movement.
The tip of the blade pierces air, a whistling sound as the weapon scythes across mere inches from your nose. He’s barely completed a swing before he effortlessly reverses the action, twirling the blade and stabbing forward. Stepping forward, he spins the weapon in hand, executing a perfect downstroke, wielding the cutlass as if it is a natural extension of his own arm. You continue to watch, completely awestruck, as he finishes his demonstration with a final move, leaping high and twirling in midair, before bringing the blade right down on Yunho’s head.
You almost scream in shock, but then you see the razor sharp edge slice through an apple that Yunho must have placed on his head during the demonstration. The red fruit splits all the way in half, but the blade stops merely a hair’s breadth from Yunho’s head.
There’s silence for a moment, then a smattering round of applause from the crew that have been watching in respect of Jongho’s unparalleled skill.
“So that’s all you have to do.” Yunho is completely unruffled, tossing you a half of the apple while taking a munch of the other. You stare at him like he’s just slapped you in the face.
“That’s all?” You repeat incredulously. “That’s all?” Your voice starts rising in pitch uncontrollably. “I can’t do that! That’s crazy! Jongho is too talented!”
The maknae coughs lightly behind his hand, but he sounds pleased.
“I believe in you!” Yunho chirrups, taking another bite of his apple. “I don’t think anyone could quite reach Jongho’s level, but you should at least try to reach some level of proficiency to defend yourself and your crew mates during battles.”
“I know…” You gulp, and Jongho passes you a wooden sword. It’s longer than you expected, and slightly heavy. Its handle is modeled after the distinctive hand piece of the cutlass that seem to be standard issue on the pirate ship. You try lifting it. “So… Like this?”
“No, you’re holding it the wrong way round, dumbass.” Jongho groans, moving to correct your grip while Yunho looks up at the sky for some kind of divine help.
“This might take a while.” He mutters to himself with a serene smile.
The rest of your day is spent mastering your grip on the sword, learning a few basic swings and as Yunho loves to say, “Practice, practice, practice.” You drill the same movements over and over into your muscles with that single wooden stick so diligently that when night falls and Yunho spares you any more torture, you stumble to the galley with some strange urge in your arms to continue.
“Are you alright?” Seonghwa peers at you as you slump over at the table that he uses to prepare the rations, completely exhausted.
“No.” Your words are muffled against the counter top.
The cook gives you a sympathetic smile as he reaches for a bowl, scooping noodles into it. “Yunho and Jongho are hard taskmasters, but they do want the best for you. I’m sure you’ll improve by leaps and bounds with their guidance.”
“Like I am with cooking?” You offer weakly as Seonghwa sets the noodles and a cup of steaming green tea next to you. The cook pauses to consider that.
“Perhaps not as much.” He smiles at you gently and you snort, grabbing the fork.
“Do you fight, Seonghwa-hyung?”
The older man thinks about this for a moment. “Enough to defend myself.” He replies thoughtfully, tapping his spoon against his mouth. “I usually use a cutlass if I’m in close combat, but I prefer these.”
He points to the cooking knives hanging from his belt and your mouth falls open.
“Hello, hello.” Yeosang slides into the kitchen with a spring in his step, a book tucked under his arm and a smile on his face. He must be in a good mood. “Hyung, captain’s dinner, please.”
“Coming right up.”
“Wait… hyung, you mean you use the kitchen knives to prepare food with… to kill people? Isn’t that kind of unhygienic?” You babble on, a little grossed out by the fact you may have been eating dried human blood. Seonghwa laughs at your shock as he ladles more noodles into a bowl.
“Don’t be silly.” He shakes his head, reaching for the seasoning. “I clean my knives very well after every battle.”
You turn to the navigator, who’s sitting at the table opposite you, reading a thick book with several dog eared pages intently. You peer curiously at the cover.
“A Complete Sum of Names Commonly used in the East and Their Meaning.” You read aloud curiously. Yeosang turns to stare at you in surprise.
“You read?”
You don’t know whether to be insulted or flattered, so you decided to go with flattered and twist a little smile on your face. “Yes?”
Yeosang must have seen the sour look, because he rushes to explain his words in a more polite manner. “I didn’t mean it that way, so I apologise if you feel insulted. It’s simply uncommon for most folk to know their letters, so I rather impressed that you could read.”
Oh, now you feel a little flattered.
“Well, thanks.” You’re sure your cheeks are a faint shade of red, but you clap your hands to them to hide it. Yeosang catches sight of it and merely laughs gently.
Seonghwa comes over to the two of you, holding the bowl of noodles in one hand and two slender pieces of wood in the other, passing them to Yeosang. The navigator beams at the two of you and turns to leave, but just as he does, there’s a sound of a massive thunderclap and the ship momentarily heels to the right.
Agile and surefooted, Yeosang manages to keep his balance and Seonghwa even saves your bowl of noodles from toppling to the ground.
The three of you stare at each other in wide eyed shock. There’s a moment of silence… and then the frantic ringing of a bell breaks the calm of the night.
Seonghwa and Yeosang react immediately, the navigator slamming the bowl of noodles down on the table as the two rise to their feet with an urgency so different from their usual calm selves. They remind you of hawks in the moment, eyes narrowed and every muscle tensed for action. The tension is palpable.
You don’t know what the alarm is about, but it can’t be good if they reacted this way. You glance at the two men worriedly.
“What’s happening?”
Yeosang flinches and opens his mouth to speak, but your question is answered by Mingi’s bellow from the main deck, echoing all the way into the kitchen.
“Royal Navy! Royal Navy to the south!”
#ateez#ateez fanfic#ateez fanfiction#ateez hongjoong#ateez seonghwa#ateez yunho#ateez yeosang#ateez san#ateez mingi#ateez jongho#ateez wooyoung#ateez pirate king#hongjoong#seonghwa#yunho#yeosang#san#mingi#jongho#wooyoung#w; ot8#w; fanfiction#w; pirate king
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Midnight City AU
this is an au where the main characters are all young adults!! (or millennials ig? they’re in their 20s basically) i gave a rundown of what’s what on a diff post,, i’m also splitting it up into diff chapters,, so this is gonna take a looooong time to finish. i’m posting this before i nitpick my writing to the max
it’s basically a lot of references to that point in time, artists, pop culture etc. all the chapters are named after songs from that era (including the name of this au bc i love midnight city and what better way to describe LS ‼️), and the lyrics r usually connected to what the chapter’s about, or about a character dynamic :D i hope this isn’t too cheesy, or sounds off ig. any typos in this were probably over looked bc i constantly reread my writing and rearrange stuff and make sure it sounds good 🥳 hope y’all enjoy !!! i’m also including a tag to find the chapters under :)
//Chapter 1: Crimewave
Trevor would never, ever admit it, but he had fallen into the category known as “post-hipster”. This was a strange era that began culminating, taking LS by storm. Whether he liked it or not, he could never avoid it. Even if he swore up and down he wasn’t like them, it was practically a paradox. Saying he wasn’t like them just made him a branched off version of the thing he denounced. Each aesthetic that was churned out as the 2010s rolled in were tied to a style, a sound, and Trevor couldn’t care less. It’s not like people liked what he liked. He didn’t belong to anything in particular, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t like them. If anything, he just became another obscure genre in the mix.
One of his favorite music groups was a Canadian duo called Crystal Castles. He enjoyed a good number of their songs, developing an interest for electropunk and pop punk. There was something unique about the sound, and it made Trevor feel special, like he discovered some sort of hidden treasure. He was into pop punk groups like Paramore too, but it was something about them that was just different. People knew Paramore. He often lingered around Sterling Lake, where other post-irony hipsters and classic hipsters resided, careful not to fully associate with them. After all, he apparently despised them, even though he participated in their strange… “culture”. If you could even call it that. From time to time he would find himself discussing his favorite artists with whatever semi-normal person was there, making a couple friends himself who weren’t the snooty kind he’d grown used to.
They all loved talking about how exceptional their taste in music was, a wide variety of people hanging around with their own cliques. Some liked Fall Out Boy, while others liked Blink-182, and then there were the weirdos who liked groups like Radiohead. Most of those guys were whiny, proclaiming how misunderstood they were. He knew maybe one Radiohead song at most (he definitely, definitely never cried to “Creep” and even if he did, so what) but never found himself willingly getting into their music. Then you had the nosedivr crowd, which consisted of mostly girls, and the occasional hipster guy that defected. Their taste was.. alright. Consisted of artists like Lana Del Ray and Marina and the Diamonds, who were their idols. He found almost everyone there besides the few friends he made kind of edgy, and not in the cool way. But he figured all hipsters and guys like them were kind of uncool. Don’t even get him started on those other indie rock types. God. He still came back as often as he could though, establishing some kind of routine. Most people there avoided him anyway, which he preferred. He had enough troubles with them in the past. There was one day he grew tired of the people gawking at him, and he launched a hipster right into the lake. So yeah, nobody within their right mind so much as looked in his direction. That was just how he rolled.
Today, he sat on a nearby bench in Sterling Lake’s park, watching some ducks float on water. His usual friends had been there too, seeing his clowncore buddy Wade with his cousin Floyd. Wade was extremely different than the pretentious fucks around them. He had a shit ton of piercings, and ICP was his favorite music group. Floyd on the other hand, fit right in. Almost too much, like it was something he was forced to do. But he did genuinely enjoy Weezer, of all things you could enjoy. Wade started waving at Trevor, while Floyd hid behind him. All he did was awkwardly wave back, turning his attention back to the lake. He liked Wade, but the clown stuff he wore sometimes spooked him. He didn’t pay much mind to his relative. Looking back across the water, he saw someone new, observing the area. Some dude a little above the average height, hands in his pockets walking around. He seemed a bit lost, and Trevor figured he should help if he was. After all, what was this guy doing here? New people didn’t show up often.
“Hey bud, you lost or something?”
“Oh uh, nah not really. I’m just looking for this girl I met a while ago, said she hangs out around here?”
“What she look like? I’m here pretty often.”
“Uhh kinda short, dark brownish hair? Wears fishnet stockings, high waisted shorts or whatever those grunge people are into.”
“Let me guess, she into the Neighborhood?”
“How’d you know?”
“Yeah, that’s Amanda, she’s a bit of a regular. Not too fond of me I must say.”
“How come?”
“She’s just petty towards me.” He said with a shrug. He didn’t feel like relaying his encounters with her if the guy was dating her or something.
“Oh… well d’ya think you could help me find her? I don’t really know anybody else here. I could actually use the help, since you know her.”
“Eh sure, why not.”
It’s not like he had anything better to do. The two began to walk around the park, gravel and dirt crunching beneath their feet.
“So.. what’s this place about?” The strange guy asked.
“Hm? Oh, it’s just one of those places the hipster folks meet up I guess. Don’t understand it much myself, nor do I really like them.”
“Then why do you come here?”
“Dunno. It’s relatively peaceful, those freaks keep to themselves.”
The man, who was only a smidge shorter than Trevor, glared up at him.
“Hey man, don’t call my girl a freak.”
“Ehh I don’t really count her in with the generic skinny jean wearing hipsters. More of a.. what is it called.. nosedivr type. Whatever that stupid website’s called. Why do you think she dresses like that?”
“Huh.. Never really thought to ask her.”
As he thought about the stuff Amanda wore, he took note of how the man next to him was dressed. He sported an olive jacket with a black turtle neck, and a plain pair of jeans. He wore beat up black converse to top it off, and a pair of Rimmers sunglasses sat upon his head. He looked simple, yet distinguished with the way he presented himself, hair neatly combed back. He figured the two would look nice standing next to one another. They would’ve made an attractive couple, if they weren’t dating already, the kind that turns heads. Trevor wasn’t like them. He wore a black beanie over his mullet, and his favorite pair of red Dix sunglasses rested on the bridge of his nose. The rest of his fit looked disheveled. He had thrown on a wrinkled top, solid black with little surf boards and cars along the bottom- he was a sucker for Hawaiian shirts. His pants were tan colored but had some bleach stains, with old combat boots on his feet.
“Yeah, we may not like each other but I don’t really consider her a freak like those guys.”
He jutted a thumb in the direction of a circle of guys huddled around a phone. The man holding the phone had strawberry blonde hair and a clean outfit on. An expensive looking outfit.
“Who are they?”
“The people here I absolutely cannot fucking stand. The genuine hipsters.”
“Oh.. and you’re..?”
“I’m my own kind. I’m not like these losers, all uppity and shit.”
“Right. Gotcha.”
They walked around a bit more before finding the group Amanda was with. She sat on a bench, chatting with a few girls who dressed similarly to her. All of them had black incorporated into their style. She herself had a black jumper on, tucked neatly into the front of her jean shorts. Just like the guy described, she had fishnets on under them, skater shoes to match. Loose braids fell on her shoulders, and a small black choker was wrapped around her neck.
“Oh, there he is now! Babe! Over here!”
She narrowed her eyes upon seeing Trevor standing next to him.
“Hello, Trevor.” She huffed.
“Relax, I was helping your boyfriend or whatever look for you.”
Her face softened slightly, but still kept a small glare in his direction. She pressed her lips together tight before replying.
“Thanks, I guess.”
“Yup.”
The man turned to face Trevor, sticking out a hand.
“Hey, thanks for showing me around. Trevor, is it?”
“Don’t wear it out.”
He shook his hand, noticing how soft it was. It was in stark contrast to his own, which was rough and calloused.
“Name’s Michael. I’ll see you around most likely? Thanks again.”
“Yeah, no problem.”
Amanda huffed again, nudging Michael’s shoulder.
“Let’s go hun, Bean Machine closes soon!”
“I’m comin’ I’m comin’!”
The two sauntered off, hand in hand. Trevor stood dumbly, watching them walk away. He was right. They did look good together. He wondered if he would actually see this Michael again, kicking a rock. He went back to the bench he originally sat at, putting his earbuds in, listening to some Crystal Castles again to pass the time. The beat thumped in his ears, and all he could think was how much better this shit was compared to that club music shit that played on every radio station in a 5 foot radius. He sat there, scrolling through his own secret nosedivr account, reblogging some photo of a lit cigarette. Right before a hand touched his shoulder causing him to jump.
“What the fuck- Oh. Ron.”
Ron was another friend of Trevor’s, a guy he had met outside one of the iFruit stores talking about how “they’re tapping the phones they sell in there!” and all that conspiracy nonsense. He was a paranoid guy, but Trevor kind of liked that about him. Those were the kind of freaks he liked. He was shorter than Trevor, sort of frail in stature. He wore a bright red windbreaker over a faded tourist tee that read “I went to Liberty City and all I got was this lousy t-shirt!”, along with khaki colored cargo shorts. It didn’t help that he wore some goofy looking bucket hat, and socks with sandals. He dressed like someone’s middle aged father.
“Trevor! Have you seen Wade around anywhere?”
“Last I checked, he was with Floyd.”
“Did he say where he was going?”
“Uh no, but my best bet is they went to that vinyl shop Floyd’s girlfriend works at.”
“Will ya come with me to find him?”
“Now why the fuck would I do that? What do you need him for?”
“Well I- I uh- um..”
“I uh! I uh! Spit it out Ron!”
“It’s about the Merryweather Night Club.”
Merryweather was a big organization that had a wide range of private clubs all over the country, and complimentary body guards to suit. They were all expensive as fuck, and anywhere they settled jacked up the prices of everything else. A lot of neighborhoods became gentrified as a result, and people actually considered it a good thing. What a fucking joke. Trevor of course couldn’t stand it. He hated bullies, and Merryweather was no exception. He’d been wanting to dismantle the club since they settled in LS, seeing as they only amplified the fake feel of the city. Let’s just say he’s gotten into more than a few scuffles with the club. And let’s just say it ended with someone getting stabbed as a result. The guy had it coming to him anyway. Between bouncers and the clubbers, they didn’t like Trevor or his kind loitering around the joint. It didn’t stop him from plotting some sort of revenge though. Ron per usual was on board, his reason being Merryweather’s violent history that had been swept under the rug. They were rather forceful relocating people who had lived in certain neighborhoods for years, Ron being one of their victims. Wade only decided to tag along because he wanted to be included.
“Ah fuck, what’d those bastards do now?”
“They’re throwing some big party!”
“…What fucking for?”
“All I know some guy’s coming to visit, somebody they labeled important and he’s-“
“Woah woah woah wait, Ron. Who?”
“Steve Haines.” He breathed out, careful not to be overheard.
Trevor’s eyes widened, his gaze shooting over to the posse he had poked fun of before. Steve was talking to the group, all of them doing that fake laugh they always did. God, even their humor was pretentious.
“Those fucking hipsters!” He hissed.
“I abhor them, you know that-“
“I know. I know. But, that Weston guy’s gonna be there with him-“
“Weston? Devin Weston?”
If Trevor hated hipsters, then he utterly loathed rich daddy’s money boys like Devin Weston. He had only gotten that stupid fucking night club because his father paid Don Percival enough money to let Devin do whatever he pleased with the Merryweather body guards. It was an elitist club, and they only allowed the best of the best in there.
“What the fuck’s going on there?”
“Something to do with those guys he hangs out with. I think they’re doing something major, expansion maybe-”
“And him and Devin are working together or..?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t hear much after that, that’s why I wanted to grab you and Wade and-”
“Then let’s fucking go get him, Ron!”
The two rushed out of there, heading for the vinyl store to look for Wade. Trevor knew a shit storm was coming, and he absolutely couldn’t wait.
//the next chapter’s gonna be longer i promise lolz
#gta v#grand theft auto v#michael de santa#trevor philips#young trikey#franklin clinton#lamar davis#lester crest#amanda de santa#steve haines#midnight city au
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The bois tell MC how proud they are of your hardwork and they see you giving your all!!
𝚨𝖇𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝖒𝖞 𝖜𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌: ✨ ALL my writing prompts are gender inclusive and promote love, kindness and fun for all!
✨I know that each and every one of our boys would love and support each and everyone of you and I hope that my readings portray that comforting, accepting and loving nature through and through~
✨And with that I hope you Spookies enjoy~~
☪ 𝕱𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖔𝖒: Mr. Love Queen’s Choice
☪ 𝕽𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌:13+ No Warnings, Fluff, Encouraging, A Pick Me Up.
☪ 𝕱𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖆𝖙 : Quick Read, bullet points
𝚨𝖚𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖗'𝖘 𝚴𝖔𝖙𝖊: I have been feeling kind of low and crummy these past few days trying really hard to put myself out there to chase after a dream of mine and I wasn’t expecting to be really hit hard with so many highs and lows and when it seems like you are stepping out of your comfort zone and facing your biggest fears at 90 to nothing there are a lot of times that you just need to crawl into someone's arms and to just let them tell you that you are good enough and that they see you working hard.
So for anyone else who has been trenching through this tough year and trying out new things that may scare you half to death, I want you to know that your favorite boy see’s you kicking ass and that he’s well, proud of you.
Even if you have one particular boy as your go to I suggest checking them all out since each of them have different types of encouragement of different types of situations. Or at least read the one you feel like fits what you need to hear the most right now (and well, of course your fav.)
VICTOR | CH03 | 0 : 00 : 01
✨For those who are struggling with reaching their dreams✨
Hell knows when was the last time you have had a good night's sleep.
You couldn’t help but to be on your toes now glued to your computer screen in your darkened bedroom.
Completely unaware of the sun slowly creeping its way through the blinds.
This project was something you had only dreamed about producing years ago,
and in 3 days it was going to be launched to the public. You have done plenty of projects before but never something as passionate and as close to home as this one was.
This project was taking out a deeper side of you that you have never shown before and deep down you knew that it was time for you to express it. But that doesn’t mean you didn’t spend the last 4 months terrified of the outcome.
Your tired eyes reread the entry over and over again as each time you only feel your heart grow more and more anxious and your eyes fill up with tears. Can I really share this with the world? What if people think that this is all fake? Will I really be able to accept the criticism?
With your mind running on it’s own you missed your phone vibrating next to you. You had already received 3 miss calls from Victor in just the last 30 minutes.
It wasn’t until the ding of the voicemail that you snapped back to reality.
Sliding your lock screen open and taking in a deep breath, ready for whatever lecture Victor was going to throw at you next.
In the Voicemail Victor’s voice opened with a deep sigh. “You better not be asleep, especially after you promised to have breakfast with me this morning. I’ll be arriving at your apartment in 20 minutes, you better be ready du-”
His words were cut off when you were startled by your phone ringing again, seeing victor’s name pop up on the caller ID. You quickly glanced down at the time on the voicemail that was sent 23 minutes ago?! Why did your phone just now decide to remind you?! You knew now from Victor’s call that it meant that he had arrived and you, racoon eyed, sleep deprived and still in your clothes from the day before felt a rush of tears swell up in your throat.
You were so focused on this project that you completely forgot about something that you were looking forward to so excitedly just a few months ago.
You answered Victor’s call and brought the phone to your ear. “Dummy, don’t tell me that you just now woke up?” Victor said in his usual stern and playful tone. You choked on your tears before letting out a little hic. “I-I’m sorry…” You said brokenly as you heard the sound of shuffling, the click of Victor’s seat belt unbuckling and the slam of his car door followed by a soft beep indicating him locking it. “Why are you crying?” His voice instantly became concerned as he was quickly heading into your apartment complex.
“I-I don’t want to talk about it...it’s silly.”
“Nothing is silly if it’s making you cry so early in the morning. When I get to your apartment, tell me what is bothering you.” He said bluntly, leaving you no room to make excuses like always. Even in times like this Victor was sure that he was going to effectively fix your problem.
When he arrived at your apartment you slowly opened the door with your head hung down low as you looked just like you did moments before, sniffling softly.
Victor gently put his hand on yours causing you to open the door quickly before embracing you in a hug as his soft, deep voice tickled your ear. “Dummy, don’t tell me you stayed up all night working?” He said as you hugged his suit jacket tightly, feeling his heartbeat against yours, his was a bit more fast paced. He must have been really worried, you thought before he let out a large sigh. “You always do this,” his soft voice continued. “Working all day and all night when your projects are close to the end. I know that you want to make sure that everything is right...but i've told you this before, there is no need to bear all of this on your own. Let me know when you are stressed.”
You squeezed his jacket lightly as you looked up at him, tears streaming down his face. “You don’t get it Victor. “Someday I want to be just as great as you. I want to be hardworking, successful, a-and I want to be proud of what I do. I want you to be proud of me too.” Your voice sunk as your hands slipped off his large back to rub your tired eyes.
Victor let out a deep sigh before lifting your face up to his.
“Dummy, you think I got to become this successful overnight? And just because I am good at handling my money doesn’t mean that I am good at everything. After all, I didn’t check up on you enough or tell you how great you really are.”
“What do you mean?” You questioned before getting cut off by a smooth and minty kiss as Victor’s lips warmed yours. He pulled away slowly as his silvered eyes observed yours intensely. “You are already great ____. And the only way for you to get better is to have confidence in yourself. As long as you are doing everything in your power to succeed, then you will. That and I am already very proud of you dummy, so you should be proud of you too.”
Your eyes lit up widely as you were left at a loss for words. Victor was complimenting you! “I-” You didn’t have much time to speak before you were swept up into his arms and led over to your bed as your cheeks flushed red. “U-um Victor?” You said.
“We're not doing that this early in the morning.” He said with a sigh before placing you on your bed lightly. “Get some rest.” He added pulling back the covers on your bed.
“But what about our breakfast date?” You stuttered out as you didn’t want to miss this opportunity.
“We can go another time. And I’ll just cook you something here while you catch up on a bit of sleep.” He said with a soft smile.
“Ah...Okay...but…” You trailed off as his smile faded away.
“What?” He said with his arms crossed.
“Well, it’s just that I really wanted to eat at that restaurant...since you talked so highly of it last time. N-not that I don’t like your cooking I like it a lot it is just that-”
Victor then let out a deep chuckle as your cheeks flustered up.
“Dummy, I know someone who cooks as bad as you isn’t criticizing my cooking. And we will eat at the restaurant next week, as a celebration for you completing your project.”
You blinked softly in shock before brushing your hair back. “Isn’t it a bit early to be making a promise like that?” You said softly.
“Not at all. Because I know that you will finish it, AND I know that you will do well.” He said with a handsome smile as you felt your confidence slowly start to build back up.
Victor was right, you are great and you just need to have faith in yourself that things are going to work out for you in so many beautiful ways.
After all if it wasn’t for your assertiveness and strength you wouldn’t be where you are today.
You pulled the covers close to you falling asleep almost instantly.
When 30 minutes had passed you were woken up to the song of birds greeting the sun and the lavish smell of a french styled breakfast.
After a quick shower and a change of clothes you join Victor in your small quiet kitchen surrounded by an array of foods that you are completely in awe of. You can’t believe that you had all the ingredients in your kitchen to make this?!
Crepes cooked to perfection with your topping of choice sat neatly on your plate with a summer colored mimosa delectly placed beside it. In the center of your small table was an arrangement of different types of bread, each piece carefully sliced next to small glass bowls of butter, honey, and two hand made jams. One sweet and strawberry while the other was citrusy and tangy.
“You made all this?” You said to Victor as you slowly sat down.
“Of course, I wanted to make a breakfast that suits you individually. It would have been grander. But given the time and limited space. This was all I could do. I hope you like it.” He added.
“Yes...Yes I do! It is very lovely Victor…” You say calmly while your heart beats with excitement.
“You truly are worth something this luxurious.” Victor’s calm and creamy voice says to you amongst your meal as you can’t help but to smile and nod softly in agreement, for he was absolutely right.
SHAW | CH03 | 0 : 00 : 02
✨For those who failed and need to pick themselves back up✨
This is it, you finally decided to try to go back to college.
You figured that having some sort of title might help you gain some more rep when you go off to meetings with other executives andddd it wouldn’t hurt to learn a new skill or two that might help you with your growing career.
But who would have known that an entrance exam and thousand word essay would be so fucking hard to write?!
You already reread the prompt question a hundred times and were still facing the devil of writer's block. Staring at the blank page for hours and hours as your mind just kept wondering off to the chorus of the last song you heard.
Normally back in high school you would have just stepped away and tried to start writing it tomorrow...or the day after...or maybe the night of (usually the night of) but now you really didn’t have any other time to write this paper unless it was right now!
Because you still had a job to do. There is absolutely no other time that you can squeeze in to write this paper unless you are writing it right the F now!!
You ruffle up your hair in frustration and stomp your feet Come on stupid brain!!! Just give me something to fucking write!!! You curse at yourself only to find that it slumps you into a cycle of self depreciation.
Am I really so dumb that I can’t even easily pass a college eterance exam? Even Shaw makes straight A’s and he spends all of his time running from the cops in alley ways or playing hooky at the bar all night long.
You lay your head down on the keyboard of your laptop as the letter h just types itself quickly across the pages where your essay should be. You let out a long sigh, laying there in silence as not a single thought floats by.
You soon sit back up, convincing yourself that if you start writing out nonsense then maybe something will come to mind. You then take a long stretch before tapping your hand down lightly on the keyboard. Then you hear the dreadful click of your mouse.
Your eyes watch in doom as the essay page filled with the letter H soon disappears and a happy “Thank you for submitting your application to Loveland University.” pops up.
Your heart then sinks to your ass. No way...no way!...NO WAY!!
You quickly rise up from your chair as your breathing grows heavier and heavier. You feel your eyes foaming up with tears. Your one last opportunity is now completely screwed up all because your hand slipped?!?
Covering your mouth you begin to sob uncontrollably. Everything about today was going wrong and this was just the cherry on top.
As you stood there crying Shaw had walked into the apartment with his skateboard and backpack in hand, sitting them down at the front entrance.
“Hey, Babe. I’m home.” His charming voice startles you. Oh great, you thought nowhere near ready to approach him about this.
“Hey?” He says again as he makes his way through the apartment. “Where are you at?”
Once he finds you sobbing in your office his expression turned forgien with concern.
Shaw is the WORST when it comes to comforting you but you knew that he tried his best to make you feel better.
“Woah, woah...Babe...baby, why are we crying? What’s goin’ on?” He walks over to you, his arms open and ready to embrace you in a tight hug.
The coolness of his leather jacket chills your heated face as you sob on his shoulder. He lets out a calming sigh as his hand rubs up and down your back, letting you get out all of your much needed cry.
When you reach your composure enough to talk you explain to him between sniffles what had happened. Your self deprecation building up more and more before Shaw shakes his head no.
“Hey now, stop talking shit about my girlfriend okay, only I can do that.” He said as you blink at him confused.
“W-what?” You stumble on your word as Shaw leans over to wipe a tear off your eye.
“Well I think that you’re really cool, and smart. And if someone like me can pass that entrance exam you can too ___.” He said.
“B-But I submitted my essay by accident already.” You lower your head defeated, ready to cry again as Shaw lets out a light chuckle before ruffling your hair.
“You know that we can call the administration and let them know what happened. They will see that it was an accident and let you submit it again. Mistakes happen babe but the longer you sit on them the longer it will take to get over them. The school doesn’t close until 8. So you have 4 hours to call them and get it fixed.” He said calmly as you nodded quietly.
Shaw was right, this was a mistake yes, and also a bit embarrassing. But it is human to make them, and everyone does. And when you make a mistake like this, dwelling on it is only holding you back from achieving your goals.
You raised your head and clenched your fists confidently. “You’re right! For once.” You said to him.
“Hey!” Shaw laughs as he pushes you lightly causing you to giggle as well. You two playfully push one another back, poking at each other and slipping out silly names before Shaw’s arms wrap around your waist.
He kisses you lightly on the lips before smiling sweetly. “You got this, I know you do.” He said as you couldn’t help but to agree with him.
And sure enough the university understood your dilemma and sent you a new registration.
GAVIN | CH03 | 0 : 00 : 03
✨For those who struggle to let go of the past✨
You knew how this was going to play out. After all you have seen it time and time before.
And now you can’t help but to get a little discouraged at the disappointment that this was going to bring you.
The past already proved it to be true after all.
Countless failed outcomes have led you only to conclude one thing.
That this dream of yours was going to end up in complete and total failure.
But even if that was the only logical outcome you could think of you still couldn’t fight the feeling in your heart that was telling you that this WAS right.
Yet, now here you were, stuck in limbo and unable to move forward.
You sighed looking at your notes, you had always dreamed of one day that you would get to start your own business. Now not to read you wrong, you did love working as the CEO of your fathers company but it was seeing him build his business from the ground up that inspired you to one day do the same.
You have spent as long as you can think back to. Brainstorming ideas, doodling logo designs and daydreaming about something that you could call your own.
And now here they come, those heart-wrenching thoughts from the past ready to quiz you and make you think, am I really good enough to have this dream? Do I deserve it?
All those past experiences of people questioning your skills, telling you that you aren’t prepared enough and that you’d never be able to be the person you dreamed of just makes you want to curl up into a ball and give up.
Even for a moment the thought of maybe they ARE right, floods in and you feel yourself wanting to cry, believing in it just for a moment as your ego tries to back up the negativity with ‘facts’ to prove it.
You crawl your way back into bed heartbroken and honestly just wishing that all your thoughts, good and bad, would just fade away.
You pull the covers over your face as you begin to sniffle as your throat clumps up, ready for the tears to fall from your eyes.
And right on que they do. You bundle up closer and closer to yourself, sitting in silence with the haunting memories of the past.
You soon feel the bed sink down a bit before a warm hand runs it’s way up and down your side.
You choke on your tears more, knowing that it is Gavin and there was no hiding your tears from him now.
You felt the warmness of his body tower over you as his lips pecked the top of your head through the covers.
“When you are ready to talk about it, I’m here okay.” He said to you quietly.
Gavin continued to rub your back in the silence of your room waiting patiently for you to collect yourself enough to talk to him.
And after a good 30 minute cry session you slowly sat up before pulling Gavin into a warm embrace. Sniffling into his neck as he just gently pressed his lips to your shoulder. “You know ___, when you are hurting like this...I don’t want you to keep it from me okay? I’ll help you through this.” He spoke to you in a gentle voice.
You slowly pulled from your hug as you wiped your eyes and began spilling out your heart to him. Telling him about everything. Every past encounter that has left you hurt and how you like to think that you have grown and gotten over the pain but it is moments like this that it just all comes back up again and you feel like you are right back to where you started.
Gavin’s caramel eyes watched you quietly as he listened to you greatly, taking in your pain as if it was his own. You could tell that he truly understood and got you and that he really knew how badly it was hurting you.
And after a moment he spoke up.
“The past can be painful sometimes, but it’s there to help us learn and grow. And you can’t ever know how something is really going to play out in the future either.” He said calmly. “All you really can do is take little steps now to lead you to the future you want. Don’t let it get the best of you okay? I know that you will do great. And I will be here to support you through it all.”
He was right, all those times that people told you that you weren't enough, or looked at you like you were crazy. All those failed attempts and embarrassing moments, they were all there to teach you that you are great! And that you are very much worthy of your hopes and dreams!
Gavin leaned over to pick your notes up off of your nightstand as he studied them closely, a sweet smile on his lips.
“I might not know much on how to start your own business, but just seeing this idea, I know that it is going to help so many people. You should go through with it.”
“B-but what if it fails?” You say with your head down.
“Well then we will just figure out the root of the problem, fix it, and move forward.” He said as you quickly looked up to see Gavin’s handsome smile as your eyes started to water again, but this time with happy tears.
Because now here you were, taking on your dreams, with someone who has always believed in you, and who has never once questioned just how amazing you truly are.
LUCIEN | CH03 | 0 : 00 : 04
✨For those who rob themselves of fun✨
You were so excited to sit in at an exclusive lecture that you have been begging Lucien to take you to for months now. It was an introduction class to understanding Quantum Mechanics. A subject that racked your brain,but in a good way.
And even though Lucien’s undergraduate degree was in biochemistry;he was still fairly knowledgeable and greatly enjoyed physics, and with that happily obliged to accompany you.
You were filled with anticipation and the utmost excitement. Swaying your feet beneath your seat with anticipation as the instructure took his place at the podium.
He was an older gentleman with a rustic and well uniformed style. His caramel colored suit complemented his toffee skin. His visible laugh lines and crow's feet along with his brightly colored red bow tie,symbolized a man who lived a full and prosperous life. And even now with no head of hair and whispers of grey singing through his beard expressed that same song of legacy and abundance through him.
You were thoroughly impressed by the wise looking man whose hands were clasped behind his back patiently waiting for students to fill the seats before glancing at Lucien’s young and smooth features. Only to notice that he had been watching you the entire time, lips curled with his hand pressed closely against them.
You panic for a moment waving your hands and covering your face. “S-stop looking so intensely at me.” You say as Lucien’s princely chuckle caused your heart to ache.
“I can’t help it...You just look so excited. Like a silly little kid in a candy store.” he said before letting out a teasing sigh. “I am a bit upset that you never look this excited when you come to see my lectures.” He said crossing his arms and looking away from you with a sorrow filled expression.
“T-That’s not true! I love going to your lectures Lucien.” You said proudly. “It’s just that..well...sometimes it’s hard to understand...since you teach such an advanced class.” You say admitting defeat as you lower your head.
“I see…” Lucien said softly looking at you once more. “Then next time I’ll be sure to explain them to you in a way that you can enjoy and understand.” He said before lightly brushing your hair behind your ear.
You glanced up for a moment to see Lucien’s gentle smile but before you could say anything the professor at the stand began his lesson.
The first 30 minutes of the lesson went by in a breeze as the professor recapped on the basic understanding of quantum mechanics and the movement of an electron. These were all things that you have heard from Lucien before and even information you yourself have researched and understood. You happily listened, jotting down notes between cute doodles of bunnies and flowers as Lucien would occasionally add a cute butterfly or heart to your scribbles.
“Hey.” You said in a soft whisper swatting his hand away playfully. “You of all people should know better. Don’t draw in class.” You teased him as Lucien couldn’t help but to laugh.
“Your bunny looked lonely. I wanted them to have a friend.” He said in a soft voice, amongst the lecture it was almost too hard to hear, as you glanced over to see that Lucien had his notes displayed as well.
You weren’t surprised to see how minimal and organized they were. His tablet was exposed with a series of information already written out as he was just adding to pre existing notes he had already written before the lecture started.
They were all neatly organized with his straight lined handwriting and not a single ounce of color or doodle was on them. Just a simple shade of light where certain words were ‘highlighted’ as important.
They look so professional. You thought as Lucien picked up his stylist and calmly added a bit of information to them. You watched him in awe for a moment, the way he was resting his hand on his chin,the engagement in his eyes and the way he quickly jotted down the information in tune with the professor's quick voice. It was clear that he had done this for a while and that he was good at his routined way of note taking.
When you finally snapped out of your trance you noticed how quickly the professor was on a new topic from the last thing you had written down and glancing at your notes once more than the black board ahead of you. You realized that you were so far behind that the information you had written wasn’t even on the board anymore!
For a moment you were ready to panic until you realized your position. You weren't in school anymore so taking notes wasn’t essential.
And with that you began to zone off again, letting your egotistical thoughts build up and up. The elder man before you had spent his whole life, in your opinion, becoming something great. He went off to college, got a degree, became an educator and he knew so much!! Even Lucien who just at the age of 26 became a well renowned neuroscientist! Yet here you were...the one who took over their fathers business. You started thinking about all the times an episode idea didn’t even make it past the first meeting with Victor and how you almost lost the entire funding of your show! You sunk down in your seat, spinning the ink of your pen over one of the cute bunnies...Was I ever good at anything? You wallowed to yourself unaware that Lucien’s soft glances were reading you like a book.
He knew instantly that you were down. The way you were slouching, the unconscious pout on your lips, your eyes shining;trying to hold back tears, and the way your feet stopped patting with excitement from under the table.
After the lecture was over and you and Lucien were walking hand in hand down the halls he spoke up. “Was the lecture too hard for you to follow? You suddenly looked sad?” He said as his eyes were stuck on you.
You groaned before slouching your head on Lucien’s shoulder, furrowing your brow. “Nothing ever gets past you huh?” You mumble as Lucien brushes back your hair, waiting for you to speak out your worries.
You began your rant, talking about how amazing he is and the professor and how you enjoy learning about science and sitting in on all these cool lectures but you aren’t the expert and that you feel it is pointless to learn something that you are not good at. It then lead you to feeling that you are not the best at anything. Lucien listened to every ins and outs of your problems, holding your hand tightly in his. Once you finished with a long sigh he spoke up.
“You think that I’m the best neuroscientist in the world?” He said softly as you nod. “Of course, your 26 and you own your own research center, you travel the world, who wouldn’t think that you are-”
“But I’m not.” he said softly as the two fo you stopped walking. You glanced up at him as the same calm and sweet smile stayed on his face. “If not now someone better will come along and do greater than me but even then they won’t be the best...because someone will come along and become greater than they are. After all Science is built on advancement. When something is deemed as a fact that is helpful yes, but people are much more complex. Personally I think that if you choose to see life as becoming the best at something then you are viewing everyone and everything around you as competition. But your idea of greatness is not the same as someone else's, what you may see as failure and a fault someone else sees as empowering and inspiring, and that includes how people see you. I think that you are the best at what you do but that shouldn’t matter...since you know yourself better than anyone else. I think that you should be more proud of how much you've grown. Being the best only brings temporary happiness. While growth is ever changing and there's no limit to how it should happen and what needs to be done in order to grow.” Your face softened as Lucien spoke. You felt your thoughts lighten as a soft voice in your head kept telling you that he was right. I see Lucien as the greatest and most amazing person in the world but he doesn’t… he sees. “You.” his princely voice said softly. “If I had to choose who the greatest person in the world is to me...it’s you.” He added before kissing your forehead.
You could feel the soft rise and fall of his chest as his warm lips laid gently on your skin. His rainy scent engulfing you while your hands slowly pulled him into an embrace. He hugged you back before brushing your hair lightly through his fingertips.
Even in this moment with Lucien you have learned so much, you have grown...a sweet smile fluttered across your lips as your heart grew with pride. “I am so proud of me, and how much I have grown.” You whispered.
KIRO | CH03 | 0 : 00 : 05
✨For those who are feeling lonely amongst hard times.✨
You slouched at the front door of your apartment. Bags in your hands, coat slung between your arms, hair a mess and dark circles slowly morphing you into a racoon.
You kicked off your shoes to see your red and slightly swollen feet. An emergency had happened that caused you to stop and change every course of your life for the next month and a half. Having to make phone calls between friends, family, and companies ensuring the safety and calmness of everyone around you.
You had already spent hours reassuring worried hearts that you had forgotten to give yourself a moment to breathe and process everything. And now with this short time to finally be with yourself the stress, anxiety, worry and guilt flooded through you like a river as your eyes dropped like a waterfall.
You had been trying so hard to remain optimistic for everyone else that your own feelings were casted aside and now here you were, alone and finally able to feel them. Only for the idea of being alone to make it worse. Sliding your way down and onto the floor beginning your crying session. Soon the buzzing of your phone scared you half to death. The handsome face of Kiro and his bright golden smile popped up on your screen. Oh great. You thought seeing the FaceTime message as you quickly dried your face and answered the call.
“OHHH My (Miss) Chip(s)!!~” Kiro’s voice sang. “Hey,” he pouted. “Why can’t I see your face? It’s so dark. And you’re sniffling...Don’t tell me you caught a cold again?” he said.
“Ah-s-sorry. I’ll turn on the lights.” Your voice cracked as Kiro’s playful expression quickly turned to worry. You flicked on the lights and turned the screen to your face, rubbing your nose with your sleeve. Seeing yourself on the small screen of your phone, there was no way for you to deny that you were crying. Your eyes a puffy red mess (and makeup smeared down your cheeks).
“Ah...I was um..” You try to explain as You watched Kiro already up and heading for his jacket.
“Don’t worry ____. I’m on my way, you can tell me when I get there. Have you been crying for long?” he said as his cute voice now had a alert and serious tone.
“N-No...not too long. I just got home.” You say softly.
“Don’t hang up. I don’t want you to cry by yourself. Next time you are feeling sad, let me know.”
“Y-You don’t have to come over.” you say feeling like you were about to cry again.
“Don’t say that. Of course I do. It is a hero’s job to help those in need. Especially when it’s someone they love.” Kiro said as you bit your lip softly, you couldn’t deny him of this.
When he finally arrived at your place you cleaned up a bit as you opened the door to an tight embrace. His hug was warm and inviting as your hand tightening on his back the moment Kiro pressed your head to his shoulder. You began to cry again. “It’s okay...I am here...you can cry now.” He said in a low voice. With that you spilled out your heart as kiro held you closely, his blonde hair tickling the edge of your ear.
Once you had calmed down enough to talk the two of you sat beside one another on the loveseat in your living room.
You expressed all of your pain that you had been repressing about the situation and although you didn’t mind that people were using you for support, you never realized how tough it would be to take on everyone's pain and have no one to help you through yours. Kiro held your hand quietly, hearing out all your worries as the rings on his fingers were slowly starting to warm up by the embrace of yours.
Once you had finished what you needed to say Kiro gently pressed your head to his chest, his arms holding you in a loving embrace.
“Thank you...for sharing with me your worries. I know that it’s not easy having to take on other people's burdens but you aren’t alone...and I will always listen to you and I will always be here when things get tough. I want to be that someone you rely on to lift your spirits. You are the person that I want to make the happiest. Even when you feel like no one sees or hears you struggling, just remember that I do see you.” Kiro said in a soft voice as your eyes watered once again. You hugged him tightly, nodding your head as you felt like a large weight was just lifted off your shoulders.
Kiro reminded you that you belong and that there is so much value in how hardworking and kind you are.
And that this strength wasn’t something you need to burden through alone.
✨Thank you for reading and I hope that this helped any of you guys going through a tough time who just needs a bit of encouragement.
My DM’s are always open too and I’ll gladly hear anyone out. 🖤
Sometimes all we need is just someone to vent to. 🖤
✨Check out more of my writings on my ✨master list✨
✨ If you like my blog and want to see more of me check out my other social’s, it would mean a lot to me~~ https://linktr.ee/Yvainegeline
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Descent Pt. 1
I told myself I was gonna take a break. I lied. I wanted to write a whole bin of Sin for Simeon. I’m sorry, not sorry at all. Let me know if you want to be a part of the tag list: Chapter Masterlist: Here Crossposted on Ao3: here Part [1] Part [2] Part [3] Part 4: [4] Part [5] Part [6] Part [7] Part [8] Part [9] Part [10]
Paring: Simeon x Reader Wordcount: 4,900 ish Genre: Smut Tags: Masturbation, Voyeurism, hints of dirty talk? Summary: Sent from the Celestial realm to observe and study humans; Simeon made a name for himself as the illustrious author of The Tales of the Seven Lords. After reaching acclaim for his first series, he's having trouble writing his next great hit. Good thing you're there for him as his manager and editor to help him work out the... kinks in writing.
Trip
The most dangerous aspect of humans was their innate ability to tempt even the most stalwart and steadfast of angels into a world of sin. Simeon was not immune to their ways, no matter how reclusive he became. It was easy to study them from afar, learning about them through numbers and sales numbers. The masses were easy to sway with a few pretty words. Blending in with humans was a trivial task for him. All he had to do was make a few public appearances for book signings and some launch parties for a new series; otherwise he was free to observe and study from afar.
After the international success of The Tale of The Seven Lords, Simeon found himself feeling rather empty. He needed a new project to keep him entertained in the human realm. However, no matter what he started to work on, it didn’t inspire the same sort of passion he had for his older series. He needed a new genre, a new style of writing to refresh his passion for words. If he was going to make it in an ever changing market, he would need to adapt as well. Yet, no matter what genre he tried, every draft he came up with seemed too mundane and overdone.
Everything except, for the temptation of writing something much more salacious than his last work.
Just entertaining the thought had him on a slippery slope of falling from the grace of the Celestial realm. Sure, the strict protocols of olde had been loosened over the centuries. Many angels realized that enforcing perfect adherence to the standards of purity set so long ago no longer applied to modern times. Rules had been loosened and enforcement had relaxed to the point where Simeon was almost positive if he wrote an absolutely obscene novel, he didn’t risk losing his Celestial powers.
The only problem was that he had no experience in the genre at all. He threw together a vague plot and outline, thinking it would be all he needed to inspire him. Surprisingly enough, the publishing house allowed for the drastic change in genre, confident that he would be able to create another best seller. Just having that much trust put in him made him want to succeed even more with the haphazard novel idea.
But, despite his determination to make his new manuscripts lewd, he was at a complete loss as to what, and how to write them properly. The outline he presented to you seemed excellent on paper. Even if it had a few plot holes, you knew he could patch them up with a little work. So, it was natural that you would push the approval and leave him to his own devices to work on the manuscript. You were sure that an author of his caliber would be able to break into a new branch of the literary market without any issues.
But, after several months of waiting, you had no contact at all from him regarding the progress of his new book. The industry needed proof of his work in order to justify their investment in him. Being so renowned, the pressure was on him to create something magnificent. You could only imagine the kind of stress he was going through and as his manager and editor, you were responsible for making sure he met deadlines. You hated to rush his process, but there was no way he could meet the dates set by the publisher if he didn’t give you something to work with soon.
After trying to reach out to him several times by phone and email with little to no response, the only option left was to go to his abode and see just what he was hiding from. No other outline he submitted had passed so this was his one and only chance to continue his writing career. You patiently waited after knocking on his door, hoping he would answer and wasn’t going to ignore you any further. You knew how serious writer’s block could be; but you hoped he wouldn’t let that get in the way of being a professional.
Luckily, the door opened soon enough and you were ushered in by an extremely tired and frazzled looking Simeon. He lead you to his office after you had taken off your shoes and changed into the guest slippers he offered. Simeon didn’t speak to you during the whole exchange, a shell of the soft spoken and attentive author you had come to know after so many years of working with him. He shuffled into his office, an obvious slouch in his posture and slumped behind his desk before gesturing at the empty chair across from him.
“I’m guessing you know why I’m here.” You said and he sighed in resignation, burrowing his head in his hands and running them through his hair. You felt terrible adding stress onto him, he looked ragged, like he hadn’t slept in days. The bags under his eyes were so dark, they almost looked like deep bruises.
“Yes… You want a manuscript…” his normally soft voice sounded hoarse and you wondered if he had eaten or drunken anything at all that day. “I’m almost done with the first draft… would you like to come and see?” He turned his laptop towards you and you started reading what he had so far.
All seemed well and good at first. The characters were believable and the premise, though a bit cheesy, was definitely acceptable for the genre. The further you read, the more you noticed large gaps in his writing. Whole paragraphs seemed to be missing and sentences ended midway. Dialog was left unfinished and by the time you reached the end of the first chapter, it was a mess. You could already feel the inevitable headache you were going to get from editing for him.
“Uhm…”
“Yeah, I know. It’s not my best work.”
He tried to smile, but the emotion didn’t reach his eyes. You reached out to him and held his hand, rubbing your thumb in reassuring circles on his palm. “You’ve worked hard on it, still. What’s got you so hung up though?”
He got a little flustered at your question, nervously running his hand through his hair and looking to the side. Writing such a topic with no experience in it was proving to be difficult for him. He could research all he wanted and consume all the media he could to aid him, but there was just something missing. His lack of knowledge was showing and he wasn’t sure how he could keep being composed about his failure so far. He gestured at the screen and shrugged, trying to get his message across without using words; but, when he saw your confused expression, he had to speak. “I don’t know what I’m doing.” he finally admitted. “I want to write this so badly, but I don’t know how to… describe the scenes the way I want to.”
You sat back in the chair, crossing your arms over your chest and nodding. You could only imagine the difficulty he was having in producing the quality content you were sure he was used to coming up with. With deadlines looming above your head, you needed at least a chapter to submit to the publishing house so they knew actual work was being done. You sighed, trying to think of ways to jump start his creativity. The gloomy atmosphere of his office didn’t seem help. The lights were dim and the curtains were all drawn. It didn’t feel like a place that could invoke the imagery he was going for. “Let’s move somewhere.” you suggested finally. “Do you have a room with lots of sunlight? Maybe a change of mood will help.”
“Ah… there’s the sunroom..” he said. “But I don’t know if just changing where I am writing will help the situation. If it hasn’t gotten done here, I doubt it will anywhere else.”
“Just try it.” you encouraged, already unplugging his laptop and taking it with you. “It’s so gloomy in here, even I’m getting depressed just sitting around. Come on, which way is it?”
“Ah… this way.” He said, shamefully shuffling out from behind his desk and showing you the way to the sunroom which overlooked a rather well manicured garden with a variety of flowers in full bloom. You marveled at the bright, airy feel of the room and took a second to really appreciate his choice in decor.
“Wow, would have never pegged you as the kind of guy who gardens.” You teased, flopping onto the couch he had in there and lounged in its plush confines. Looking through the glass ceiling, you watched a few clouds drift by while Simeon got comfortable in a recliner in the corner of the room. You could tell he was still a bit frustrated, but you knew getting him some sun would do him good.
“Well, when I don’t have any pressing deadlines, being with the plants helps relieve stress. It’s unfortunate that I cannot give you a tour this time.”
“There’s plenty of opportunities in the future. They’re not going anywhere, and neither am I. You know I’m going to keep hounding you until your manuscript is finished.”
He chuckled, nodding and opening up his laptop. You let silence pass between the two of you, going back to watching the clouds while the sound of his fingers flying across the keyboard lulled you into a daydream like state. You grabbed onto one of the large, decorative pillows he had on the couch, clutching it against your chest while you made up stories in your head about the clouds above. If you weren’t so stressed about turning something into the publishing house so soon; it would have been a perfect, calming afternoon.
The clack of the keyboard stopped after a little bit. Whatever inspiration Simeon had when he entered the room seemed to have fizzled out and he was stuck in yet another rut, writing one word and deleting it over and over again. You sighed, turning to watch him as he gnawed on his thumb, mumbling to himself.
“What’s not working?” You asked, your curiosity piqued.
“Just… this scene… it’s not working. I can’t envision it.” He grumbled. Looking up at where you were laying on his couch, clutching onto the pillow, he was suddenly struck by a brilliant plan. The worry lines on his forehead disappeared and he broke out into a slight smile when he realized how he could get his creative juices flowing. “Help me… I need inspiration.”
You sat up straight, ready to assist in any way you could. “Okay, what do you want me to do?” You asked.
Simeon squinted, in the right light, you looked similar to the main character he had written. His plan could work if you reenacted the scene he had in mind. The issue was actually explaining the scene to you in a way that didn’t make his body feel overheated. He was already playing with fire by writing such a lewd book, pushing his limits further felt like he was sliding right down a slope heading towards a great fall. There was no other way, he reasoned. As long as I do not defile her, it’ll be fine. Taking a deep breath, he got up from where he was and walked over to you.
“I need you to…. Uhm… Well.. how do I say this… I’m having trouble writing a love making scene and I need some… visual aids.” You blinked, processing his request and then looked him up and down, feeling your whole body heat up at once. You were sure you had kept your crush on him a secret. To have him ask you so suddenly to provide visual aid for an explicit novel felt like too big of a jump for you to comprehend. “Oh… Oh no, no, no. You don’t have to do anything with me.” He said, gesturing wildly when he saw you pointedly stare at his crotch. “You can just pretend that this is the ‘lover.’” He took the pillow from your arms and laid it on the couch.
You didn’t know if you should have felt relived or disappointed that he wanted you to reenact a sex scene with a pillow and not him. It was all quite a bit to take in, but the desperate pout on his face was something you couldn’t ignore. And both your jobs were on the line. You sighed in resignation. “Okay, okay… But only because we have deadlines coming up.” You said. “You’re lucky you’re cute. I wouldn’t do this for anyone else.”
Simeon smiled for the first time that day, hurriedly moving back to his computer and preparing to take notes on what you were doing. “I’m ready when you are.” he announced once he opened up a separate document.
“You sure you don’t want me to just, you know… do you?” You asked, cocking an eyebrow as you started to undress. It was embarrassing for sure; but part of you relished in seeing Simeon so flustered when it came to the nature of lewd things. You wondered why he had bothered submitting such an outline at all when he wasn’t familiar with how to write erotica; but his determination to branch out to other genres had won you over in the end. It just fell upon your shoulders to show this man how it was done.
“I… No… I can’t. I need to write.” He stuttered. Do not defile her, do not defile her. Her womb is sacred and not something you can toy with… Even if he wanted the first hand experience, he still had rules to abide by.
“Alright, whatever you say. You’re the boss.” You shrugged, unbuttoning your blouse. “Don’t forget, part of the sexiness is in the tease.” You explained, taking your time to sway your hips side to side as each button came undone. Trying to seduce a pillow was so much more boring than trying to seduce Simeon. The things I do for this job…
You made sure to waggle your ass as you peeled off your pants, tossing them to the side along with your blouse. There was something thrilling about being in a room made of glass. Any woodland creature that decided to come visit his garden at that moment would also get an eyeful of your progressively bare body. The rush of having Simeon watch you as you stripped had your heart racing.
At the very least, you knew your efforts weren’t in vain. You could hear the furious clacking of the keyboard as you gave the pillow in front of you a sultry look. As lame as it all was, it was still rather arousing to know you were being watched by the man who you had crushed on for so long now. “Alright… sir. I’m going to need you to lay down. You have a problem that only I can take care of.” You said to the pillow. You tried hard not to laugh at how ridiculous the scenario was. It wouldn’t do to break the mood, especially when you could tell Simeon was definitely getting some writing done.
You got back onto the couch, straddling the pillow between your legs once you were in nothing but your underthings. Licking your lips, you pretended that Simeon was under you and not the decorative cushion. If you closed your eyes, you could almost feel his lean body under your own, squirming in discomfort as you took control of the scenario. There was just something about how gentle and soft spoken he was that made your heart flutter with the need to dominate him until he was a flushed, moaning mess.
Using that fantasy in your mind, you slowly started to gyrate your hips onto the pillow, throwing your head back and moaning. “Oh yes…” You breathed, pleasantly surprised at the stimulation you got from the friction of your panties rubbing against your spread core. You hummed, content with the thought of Simeon holding onto your hips to keep your steady. If he wanted to watch, then you were going to give him the best show available.
You grasped at your breasts, teasing your nipples through the fabric of your bra until they were sensitive little buds that made you gasp. As you continued to grind against the pillow, you could feel your essence starting to flow, no doubt you were going to leave quite a substantial wet mark on the pillow if you continued. You wanted to pause and warn Simeon of what was about to happen; but when you turned and saw the look of concentration on his face, you didn’t dare break his focus.
He’ll just have to deal with it later… You figured going back to that happy place in your mind where the writer in front of you was actually under you. Closing your eyes, you imagined what it would be like to hear him moan as you pressed your heat against his cock. Surely he must sound absolutely angelic when he cums. Pushing slipping your hands under your bra, you pushed the fabric away, peeled it off your skin and threw it into a random corner to pick up later. “You have no idea how hot you look right now.” You purred, looking down at the cushions below you, wishing you had something sexier to talk dirty to; but you would have to make do with what you had.
Leaning down, you grabbed a pillow to act as your ‘lovers’ head and started to kiss it. It was so hard to ignore just how disappointing it was to make out with a lump of fabric and not the beautiful man in the corner who was so engrossed with his writing, you might as well have been invisible to him. You could only use your imagination to fantasize about how soft Simeon’s lips must be. He always took such good care of his skin and he had an ethereal glow about him, as if he was blessed by the sun itself. You moaned into the pillow, hating the rough canvas you were pressed up against, but at least your pussy was getting something out of how much you were humping the pillow.
You came up, gasping for air after having half smothered yourself with a pillow and glanced over at Simeon again. Even as he was furiously typing, you could see that he was at least a little affected by the show you were putting on. Good, I would have hated myself if he’s not even a smidgen turned on by this. You smirked, looking down at your ‘lover’ and pretended to whisper sweet nothings to them before getting off the couch.
Simeon made a small sound of protest when he saw that you were no longer straddling the pillow, but he quickly shut up when he saw that you were divesting yourself of your panties. “Oh… carry on.” He mumbled, going back to his document, though his eyes continuously flicked up towards you to make sure he was capturing the moment properly.
Feeling your bare pussy rub against the rough fabric of the pillow sent shivers of pleasure up and down your body and you moaned, riding it harder than before. The stimulation was great, but it wasn’t enough. Really, you wanted to have Simeon buried balls deep in you and not at his computer. However, your priority was your job and that meant sticking to what you had to work with. “Fuck…” You groaned, clenching your inner walls around nothing and wishing that you had at least a toy to fill you up and give you something to ride.
You ground against the pillow, your essence soaking the fabric and leaving a sizable wet mark, but you didn’t care. It was all the stimulation you could get and you were going to work it for all it was worth. One hand went back up to your breast, rolling your pert nipple between your thumb and forefinger, whining at the mixture of pain and pleasure you were giving yourself. “Yeah… you like watching me touch myself, babe?” You asked no one in particular; but truthfully, you hoped Simeon was really enjoying what he saw and heard..
His fingers on the keyboard never ceased moving as he vividly described the scene before him. He was so wrapped up in his work, he didn’t even notice himself getting hard. There was too much to write and no time to think about the attention the rest of his body was asking for. He licked his lips, his gaze constantly going back and forth from the document to your body. You were acting out the scene so well, he couldn’t stop writing; he needed to record every detail. You were everything he had imagined his main character to be; effortlessly confident, commanding in the bedroom and dripping with sex appeal. Even if it was a spur of the moment suggestion, he had no regrets considering he was getting so much more writing done in the last half hour than he had in the past two months.
Your breathing came out in short little pants as you tried to chase a release that just wouldn’t come with so little to work with. You reached between your legs to fondle your sensitive clit, groaning loudly as you made love to yourself. You didn’t know how long the scene was supposed to be, but your thighs were getting tired of riding an inanimate object and you just wanted to get off now.
“Mm fuck.. You feel so good…” You breathed, closing your eyes and imagining Simeon sliding inside of you. The first pass must feel so good. You fantasized about lowering yourself onto his cock slowly letting him savor every inch that entered you. In your head, his bright blue eyes glittered in lust, watching his dick disappear into you until your hips met and he would moan at the feeling of being completely buried in you. “Yeah… just like that…” You moaned, rubbing circles at your clit while your inner walls clenched rhythmically at air.
You went back to dragging your pussy across the fabric of the pillow smearing your essence all over to get as much out of the scenario as you could. Your fingers rubbed your clit harder, pushing you ever closer and closer to release. “Oh… Oh… I’m so close…” You whined, announcing your climax mere seconds before it happened. The last push you needed was looking over at Simeon and seeing him completely engrossed in what you were doing. His fingers frozen on the keyboard and his comfortable pants with a rather impressive tent in them.
“Fuck. Simeon.” you cursed, cumming all over the pillow. Your fingers slowed their pace around your clit, rubbing your labia back and forth as you rode out the orgasm. You fell forward onto the pillows beneath you, still slowly humping them while you let the initial high pass and the afterglow set in. It wasn’t until the haze of pleasure passed that you realized you had called his name while getting off on his couch in front of him.
Simeon swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way you called his name. Everything had gone smoothly until you had cried out for him while in the throes of your climax. He had stopped everything he was doing just mere moments before you did that; and now, he didn’t know if he had the mental capacity to continue with what he was writing.
For once, he was tempted to throw away whatever celestial blessings he had to take you and be the real reason why you screamed his name.
Shoving the indecent thoughts to the back of his head, he turned back to his document, writing a sentence and erasing it, repeating the action over and over again while his brain looped the beautiful image of you as you came on his couch. Now, he noticed the tightness in his pants, the obvious boner he sported as a result of such an experiment. But, he couldn’t be mad at it. He had achieved a groove in writing and he was sure he could finish the draft you needed in time.
Simeon let you rest a bit and gather yourself together on the couch. No doubt both of you were aware of the slip, but he could pretend it didn’t affect him as much as it did. Eventually, you had the courage to look back up at him, only to find him busily typing away at his computer. Sighing, and running your hand through your hair amused that he could stay so calm, you got up and started to get dressed. “So, I’m guessing moving somewhere else worked?” you asked, keeping your tone light.
“Hmm… yes.” He agreed, half paying attention to what you were doing. He couldn’t bear to look at you while you were exposed and waited patiently until you were fully clothed until he made eye contact and spoke to you again. “I definitely got some good notes in. I’ll just need a little more time to flesh out some of the filler scenes and I’ll email you the draft in a couple of days.”
You let out a laugh, surprised that he was able to focus on work still after what he had just witnessed. He truly was as innocent as he presented himself to be sometimes. “Alright, well. I’ll look forward to reading it.”
“Will you be back?” he asked, looking at you with hopeful eyes. “You were so helpful, I think I might need more help for the rest of the book.” Not, like I want to see something like that again… No, I just need it for research purposes…
“You know I’ll be back.” You laughed heartily, ruffling his hair. “I have to bother you at least once a month to make sure you’re on schedule to finish.”
Simeon slouched into his chair and let out a soft laugh in relief. “Of course, how could I forget.” In his mind, he was already planning new scenarios for you to play out. There would be much more research to be done, and supplies to be obtained before your next visit. But, all those things could wait. For now, he closed his laptop, noticing how low on battery it had gotten.Time had slipped by him, the sun already well on its way past the horizon. “It’s getting late…” He commented, trying to change the subject to something a little safer than the masturbation session you just had in front of him.
“Yeah… I’ll get going and let you work in peace.” In a moment of bold recklessness, you stepped forward and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. “See you next time, babe. Can’t wait to see what you’re gonna make me do for you.” you teased, giving him a coy wink before showing yourself out.
As soon as the door was firmly shut, Simeon let out a deep sigh, laughing out loud at the predicament he had put himself into. He wanted to quit everything and dissolve into the ground. He wanted to continue writing and see your body writhe in pleasure. He wanted to also defile you and sate himself inside of you. Most of all though, there was a growing darkness within him, one he didn’t even notice just yet; and that part of him craved to see you put in your place to beg for him like the god he knew he was.
Pushing all his desires down and curbing his lust for the time being, he moved his computer back to his office and let it charge for the rest of the evening. His mind still swirled with the image of your exposed body riding that pillow in the sunroom. The early evening sunset made your body glow with an almost angelic light; and for once, he felt jealous of an inanimate object.
Quietly padding back into the sunroom, he looked at the soiled cushion; feeling a surge of heat rush through him when he saw the wet spot you had left behind. Licking his lips, he approached it like it was a wild animal, tentatively poking at it. If he closed his eyes, he could pretend to still feel your warmth lingering on the fabric. He could feel shame rising up in him as he laid down on the couch, rested his head on the pillow and took a deep breath, memorizing the scent of your arousal.
His hand reached down between his legs, slipping past his pants and to his hard length that needed his attention. Turning his head to smother his moans and to surround himself with your unique smell, he teased and pleased himself, putting himself in the scenario you had played out just mere moments ago.
“Oh… oh fuck…” He groaned surprised at how little effort it took to make him cum and ruin his pants to the thought of you bouncing on his cock and calling his name. He was quickly falling down the deep end of temptation and he could feel the darkness of sin encroaching.
The scariest part was the fact that he didn’t care at all.
#Obey me#obey me smut#Simeon x Reader#Obey me fanfiction#Obey Me!#I just want to give this angel all the love and sex he deserves#11 planned chapters so far#Please enjoy the sin#my writing#obey me simeon
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We Need to Talk
Summary: Alfred’s girlfriend isn’t usually one for cryptic messages. So, when he gets a text that they need to have a ‘talk,’ he can’t help but worry. USUK. //
Alfred, we need to talk.
That was the only text message that Alfred’s girlfriend, Alice, sent him. He gulped as he read it, running a hand through his hair as he wondered what it could mean. He didn’t think he’d done anything wrong recently, and besides, when he messed up Alice was usually a lot more open about it, and they talked it through. Cryptic messages definitely weren’t her style, but, hell, that just made Alfred more nervous.
Though they were in their college years now, Alfred had met Alice when they were thirteen. A new student from another country, well, Alice got all the attention, with her fancy accent and her prim and proper clothes and demeanor. Not all of it was good attention- she was teased mercilessly by some, but she gave as good as she got. And honestly, that was what had drawn Alfred to her. She was composed, sure, but there was a fire burning in those eyes that was more than ready to flare up against anyone that would do her harm. She was smart, sharp, and witty, but also gentle and kind, and on her birthday, she brought in cupcakes she’d made herself. And god, they were delicious.
Alfred’s quiet admiration had turned into a soft infatuation once they got into high school. Everything Alice did was amazing, and he didn’t care what anyone else thought. People whispered when she switched out tartan dresses and white blouses for baggy jeans and hoodies, and they stared when she came into school with her hair cut to the base of her neck rather than in a long, flowing ponytail or braid. But to be honest, Alfred didn’t give an ounce of care to what she looked like- she was always gorgeous, as long as her eyes remained a sharp, refreshing lime green, as long as she snorted when she laughed, and as long as her blush brought out her face full of freckles.
Alfred went to prom with her in junior year. He’d planned out a big love confession, with roses and sparklers and confetti and anything his Hollywood-saturated brain could think of. But, one day Alice simply turned to him, looked him over, and said “Hey, do you want to go to prom with me?” and Alfred had melted.
Now, years later, they were still going steady. They’d dated leading up to and after junior prom, and they stayed together throughout high school and their freshman year of college. Every day spent with Alice was like being in Eden- everything she said and did commanded his attention, and as far as Alfred was concerned, she had hung the sun and the moon and all the stars in the sky.
And, evidently, she wanted to have a talk. Nervously, he tacked his message out on his phone’s keyboard. He sent it, adding a little smiley face to try and diffuse the tension he felt through the screen.
Sure thing, baby! :) Is everything okay?
He got a response right away.
That will depend on you. I’ll be at your apartment tonight.
Mysteries, mysteries...whatever this was, Alice wasn’t ready to divulge it just yet. Alfred’s stomach was doing flips, and it was hard not to think of the worst possible outcome. Alice wasn’t going to break up with him...right? Of course, he wouldn’t stop her, he’d never do anything to hurt her, but...he thought they were happy. She told him she loved him every day, they laughed and joked around and could sit comfortably in perfect silence for hours- not that that happened often, since Alfred was by his own admission a chatterbox. Still, she loved listening to him, and would actually pay attention and ask questions when he launched into his long and aimless tangents about everything that happened in his day. Had he been annoying her? This whole time? She’d have said something, wouldn’t she?
Alfred spent the afternoon as a bundle of nerves, the only thing on his mind being the ominous message sitting in his pocket. He felt as if he were falling, whilst simultaneously being crushed by stones. He was distracted in his classes, and though he was usually a dutiful note-taker, (Alice wasn’t the only one with good grades), he found himself staring blankly at his professors and not absorbing a word they said. This would give him a hell of a time doing the chapter quizzes later in the week, but today, the only thing that mattered was figuring things out with his girlfriend.
When he got to his apartment, Alice was waiting outside. She was so beautiful, just like always- short, cropped hair, flattened chest covered by a green sweater, brown slacks and matching penny loafers...she looked up at him, and Alfred could tell she’d been crying, the telltale red rings around her eyes being the only indication he needed. “Oh, baby…” He murmured, face crumpling as he approached her. “Whatever happened, I am so sorry, okay? Did something happen? Is it my fault?” Alice cleared her throat and gestured towards the door. “Alfred- I’d rather speak about this inside.” “Oh! Oh, right, of course, sorry,” Alfred fished his house key out of his jacket pocket, fumbling with it and unlocking his door after a couple tries. He placed a hand on Alice’s back, gently guiding her in. “Do you want tea?” He looked to her, eyes big and pleading for some kind of reassurance that things were okay. He didn’t get it, though. Alice’s face didn’t betray anything about why she’d come, and other than shaking her head to refuse the tea, it didn’t change. “Alfred,” She began, slowly. “I love you so, so much.” She took his hand, gaze cast down as she blinked quickly. “I hope I’ve made that quite clear over the years we’ve seen each other.” Alfred just nodded and squeezed her hand. He could be unobservant, but even he could tell that the air was heavy, and it was Alice’s time to speak. “What I need to tell you- it’s scary, because I’m afraid I may lose you if I say it, and I don’t ever want to lose you. But I need to make myself happy too, you know?” She looked up at him, sniffing and shaking her head, her bangs falling over her eyes. “You’re a wonderful man. And...I should have told you sooner, probably, but I just kept thinking you’d just get it eventually- I realize that was naive of me, ha, you’re not stupid in the slightest but you are dense, my Love.” She let out a hoarse chuckle, one that made Alfred nervous. It was the sad sort of laugh- one someone might do when they were getting ready to say goodbye. “Alice..” He started, but she cut him off. She looked up at him, meeting his eyes, and although she was nervous when she spoke, her voice didn’t tremble. “No, Alfred. My name is Arthur.”
Oh. Oh.
And suddenly, it clicked. Little things that really should have tipped him off, but didn’t because Arthur was right, he was dense, denser than lead- he should have noticed the day he’d seen Arthur in his binder, but god, he’d thought it was a compression tank for sports. He should have noticed when their teachers referred to Arthur as ‘he,’ and he never corrected them. He should have noticed it when Arthur absolutely beamed the day a stranger referred to him as ‘young man.’ And then, as Alfred floated back to the present, he realized Arthur was still talking.
“-And I know, Al, that you’ll always respect who I am, but I also realize that you’re attracted to women and I’m, well, not one. While I love you to death and I want to stay together more than anything, I realize that you might not be able to reciprocate that and I want you to know that I’m not going to be upset at you if you choose to break up with me-” He was talking a mile a minute, nervous and wringing his hands in the absolutely adorable way he always did when he was unsure of something but wanted it badly.
Laughing, Alfred scooped up his boyfriend, swinging him around like a doll. “Break up with you? Baby, I thought you were gonna break up with me!” He pressed a wet kiss to Arthur’s cheek, and hugged him close, nosing against his hair.
“So...we are staying together?” Arthur replied, arching his brow with a small, hopeful smile gracing his lips. Alfred kissed him, chuckling. “‘Course we are. Artie, you should know by now that I’m gonna love you no matter who you are.” Then, Alfred’s grin turned bashful, and he set Arthur down so he could rub the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, though, for not pickin’ up on it before.”
Arthur laughed as well, and gave a cute little snort, shaking his head. “I’ve been dating you long enough to know that subtlety isn’t always your strong suit. I’m not that surprised, to be honest.” He held out his arms, a silent request for Alfred to pick him up again. Alfred obliged.
Arthur nuzzled against his neck, and gently kissed the skin under his jaw. “I am pleased, though, that you’ve handled it well. You seem happy, at least.” “Of course I’m happy,” Alfred replied, turning his head to kiss Arthur’s brow. “I just found out that I’m dating the cutest guy in the whole world.”
#usuk#ukus#hetalia#aph#hws#APH England#APH America#hws england#hws america#arthur kirkland#alfred f. jones#alfred f jones#alfred's got a good heart he's just a lil dumb#please reblog!!#so more people can see
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fav animated films
tagged by @joeyjoeylee and @pynkhues (ty ladies 💖)
i’m gonna be real with y’all, it physically hurts me to see some of you dismissing animated films as for kids and cartoons. if you’ll allow me to put on my art kid hat for a second, i have a (usually drunken) impassioned rant that i roll out around the topic but to spare y’all and sum it up, it is an ART FORM made up of three different art forms in a trenchcoat and quite frankly, you fav ~films COULD!!!!!! NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!
mary and max
you want an animated movie that truly deserves the film moniker? look no further. this gorgeously stop motion animated film is the story of an eight year old australian girl who forms an incredibly unlikely friendship based on a life long pen pal relationship with a 44 year old new yorker with asperger’s. it’s a really beautiful story that, fair warning, gets pretty dark at points but i can honestly say has moved me like very few films have possibly for personal backstory reasons but also because it’s so damn good. idk, it makes me cry a lot. also, the soundtrack? incredible.
fantastic mr fox
i love wes anderson, i think he’s an artist and a master of visual and micro-storytelling. fantastic mr fox isn’t my all time favorite of his portfolio (that prize rotates between the royal tenenbaums, moonrise kingdom, and the grand budapest hotel), i love this movie a lot and it is one of my favorite animated films. it’s another stop motion (LISTEN THAT IS SUCH A COOL TECHNIQUE AND HONESTLY BREAKS MY BRAIN WITH EVERYTHING THAT GOES INTO IT) and the visuals can get downright eerie in a way that makes me shiver with glee.
coraline
another stop motion! the visual style of this movie is so gorgeous and complicated, i lost a bet over whether or not it was digitally or physically animated. i belligerently insisted capitalism would never allow for an animation studio to build such vibrant and intricate sets because there was absolutely no way that would be even a little bit cost effective and i have never ben happier to be wrong, tbh. the first time i watched this movie i immediately watched it two more times back to back bc i am very normal when i love stuff.
coco
i watch this movie a minimum of three times a year.
up
the first ten minutes of this movie is a greater love story than most love stories could ever aspire to be and that’s just the launching point for the rest. i am an absolute sucker for both found family and cross-generational relationships so this hits on multiple levels.
wall-e
this movie makes the list for a couple of reasons. one, I remain in awe of the kind of storytelling pixar can do without dialogue. two, it’s an inside joke between me and my husband (i’m eva, he’s wall-e, i never said it was a complicated or even a good joke but it makes me squishy nonetheless). we actually had a wall-e wedding cake topped with wall-e and eva funko pops and i hear it was gorgeous. i never saw it bc my flower girls stole it and smashed and ate it all in the back seat of their parents rental car.
spider-man: into the spider-verse
this movie is a mfing instant classic and if you haven’t seen it you’re only hurting yourself. the story is impeccable, the combination of depth and humor is absolute perfection and the animation is I N C R E D I B L E. they scrapped current CGI convention and went back to the hand-animation technique of shifting movement every second frame (alternating which frame, the first or second, depending on the vibe they wanted to give the scenes). they also scrapped motion blur to give the whole thing a sharper, more staccato feeling that (imo) really ramped up the energy and made it feel more comic book in a vague but crucial sort of way and also unique from other animated movies. THEN they went in and did the line work, painting and dot effects on top of all of that to give it that hand drawn, living painting feeling and honestly the whole thing is so lush and gorgeous if i think about it too much i want to punch myself in the face.
kubo and the two strings
look, the casting of this movie is a trainwreck, enough of one that i waffled a lot about putting it on this list. the fact that they told such a steeped in japanese culture story with all white people is a disaster and everyone involved should have known better. on the flip side, it’s one of the most breathtakingly beautiful animation jobs i’ve ever seen in my life so idk, i hold both of those facts in my head at the same time i guess.
anastasia
i have such a soft spot for this movie, I vividly remember seeing it in the theater. idk, it’s fantastic
the secret of NIMH
looking back this movie was SO DARK and i was SO OBSESSED WITH IT as a kid (still kind of an, tbh, in spite of the relentless cat slander, it’s incredibly thematically rich)
idk who has been tagged already so no pressure if you’ve already gone or you don’t wanna @nickmillerscaulk @foxmagpie @riosnecktattoo @jazillia007
#i have a lot of thoughts and feelinga about animation as an art form clearly#i need you guys to know i have never said films this many consecutive times in my life#tag games#shut up meg
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Booyah!
Pairing: Bucky x reader
Word Count: 1,725
Summary: You and Bucky use Tony’s time machine to take a trip back to NYC 1995 and visit Fao Schwarz and have a fun night out.
Author’s Note: This is for the HBC’s @the-ss-horniest-book-club 24 hour surprise drabble challenge and Traveling Through Time (which was my idea haha) I decided to do something really sort of ridiculous and silly. Tony built a time machine bc we know he can and the team gets to just have fun with it. It was hard to decide when to go back to but I picked the 90s because it’s part of my childhood. Although, I was way too young to be clubbing then- but I definitely went to Fao Schwarz! haha Anyway, hope you enjoy this. Thank you all so much for reading! Much love always! ❤❤❤
Warnings: Silly and fun fluff! Kisses! Some implied sexy fun! It’s just you and Bucky checking out 1995 for a few days, a few fun 90s slang phrases that I hopefully used right HAHA ;)
“Doll, are you sure this is a good idea?” Bucky looks at you before his eyes scan the time machine in Tony’s lab, the lights blinking sporadically and a low hum echoing off the walls. “I mean, what if we get stuck in 1995?” You give him a good once-over, letting your eyes linger at how nicely his white tee fits across his chest, “listen, you’re gonna love it and you’ll fit right in.” You let your gaze drop to his ass in the tight high waisted jeans before giving your belt a tug and pulling your jean jacket over your shoulders, “let’s go!”
He takes your hand and follows you inside, still unsure about the idea, “I wish this thing looked more like the DeLorean. At least we’d arrive in style. Well, here goes nothing.” Bucky closes the door and takes you in his arms, pulling down the lever and squeezing his eyes shut. For a second it feels like you’re free falling and you shriek, clinging to Bucky in a death grip. When the feeling subsides, you open your eyes and give Bucky a nervous glance. “You ok?” he asks quietly, smoothing some hair from your face. “Yes, you?”
Bucky nods, grasping your hand and pushing open the door of the time machine. “Woah.” You look outside and you’re greeted by the bright billboards of 1995’s times square. The Sony and Panasonic brand names stream across the skyline. “Hey, look at the Coca Cola symbol! That’s so cool!” You start pointing out all the fun things you recognize as Bucky just spins around in a circle, admiring the flashing lights and noises of the city streets.
After turning on the cloaking device for the machine he finally speaks, “ok, this is da bomb! I mean Times Square our time is cool, but this just feels different, lots of energy.” You narrow your eyes at his use of the 90s slang phrase, “are you making fun?” It’s hard to hide your smile when he takes your hand and holds it tightly in his own, exclaiming, “as if! It’s hella good!” You let your laughter loose and clutch your belly, trying to calm your breathing before saying, “let’s start with some toys!” Bucky’s eyebrows raise at the mention of toys and you smack his arm, “not those kinds of toys Buck. Although, we can definitely find some fun shops around here later if you want.”
He winks and lets you lead him away from the crowd to hail a cab. “Are you gonna tell me where we’re going baby girl?” You shake your head and slide into the car, giving the man an address with no name. The driver smiles and takes off, Bucky’s arm sliding around your shoulders so he can pull you close. “Ok, so this is totally fun. Who knew time travel would ever be a real thing?” You giggle and snuggle closer, “only for Tony and a lucky select few.”
When you pull up in front of FAO Schwarz, Bucky nearly jumps out of the cab, “no way! What a perfect idea! I haven’t been here in forever.” He takes your hand and rushes toward the door, stopping so abruptly you smash into his solid back. “Shit doll. I’m so sorry, I just wanted to ask if you had an extra hair tie?” Forgetting all about your dizziness you give him a mischievous smirk, “do I have a hair tie?” Your eyebrows wiggle so fast he starts to fidget nervously, “oh no. I’m definitely sorry I asked.”
You reach into your backpack and pull out a bright blue velvet scrunchie, “here you go Buck.” He first glares at the scrunchie before gracing you with the same look, “fine. Just. Don’t tell anyone.” He gathers his hair between his long fingers and pulls it to the base of his neck, securing it in messy bun with the bright blue velvet. “You. Look. Amazing.”
Bucky rolls his eyes but starts jogging toward the door, holding it open before dashing in behind you. The moment you enter the store you’re hit with a buzz of electricity from all the energy. It’s mobbed and there’s so much to look at you can barely focus your eyes. You hold tight to Bucky’s hand as you two start to wander around, acting like two kids every time you discover something new.
Bucky spots these giant bouncy Earth balls and grabs one, throwing it straight at your head. “Good catch,” he shouts, laughing when you launch it back at him as hard as you can. “And nice throw.” He picks up a basketball next and throws it at the hoop standing nearby, getting a clean shot in. “Now you’re just showing off.” He slides up next to you and pulls you in for a kiss. “Is it working?” he teases against your lips, deepening the kiss.
You nibble his bottom lip and reluctantly drag yourself away, “definitely.” With a giggle you head off toward the stuffed animal section, nearly screeching when you find the biggest stuffed teddy bear you’ve ever seen. “OH MY GOD BUCKY! I neeeeeed him!” When he doesn’t answer you turn around and can barely see his large frame hidden behind the biggest stuffed dog ever. “EEEEEE nevermind! I want him.”
Bucky somehow manages to get you into his arms while still holding the dog, “I think he needs to come home with us. You can hug him when I’m away on missions and you miss me.” You cuddle them both and nod into his chest, “yes please.” Bucky puts him back on the shelf so you can get him on the way out and heads up the escalator. You both smile big when you pass the iconic clock with the train and Bucky leans in close, tucking a stray hair behind your ear, “I love you.”
When you reach the second floor his eyes nearly bug out of his head at the sight of the Lego section. “Holy shit, this is insane!” You watch as he runs from set to set, gawking over how amazing each one is, “doll, you have to see this!” Following him around you can’t help but feel like a giddy kid, helping him pick out some sets to take home, “get whatever you want Buck. It will be fun to do these together.”
By the time you reach the checkout you’ve got the giant dog, several Lego sets and a few other trinkets you couldn’t resist. You stow everything away in the hidden time machine and laugh when your stomach growls, “I need to eat!” Bucky enthusiastically agrees, “let’s bounce!” You laugh while hailing another cab, at this point almost getting used to his usage of the fun 90s phrases, “aiiiiiight, Buck.”
Bucky’s stomach grumbles again and you pat it, dancing your fingers up to his jaw, “we’re almost there.” The food at Nobu does not disappoint and by the time you guys leave you’re full of delicious Japanese inspired cuisine. Bucky rubs his stomach, “I want to eat there every day!” You laugh, “me too! Ok, so let’s head to the hotel and nap and then get changed for our night out.”
You walk along the streets, your pace slow and easy as you enjoy the sights and sounds of everything around you. Once you reach the Plaza hotel you check in and head upstairs to your room, immediately toeing off your shoes and running a bath in the jacuzzi tub. Bucky watches as you remove your clothes and step into the hot water, sighing as it covers your body.
He quickly strips and gets in, situating himself behind you and pulling you between his legs. “If this is what every day in 1995 is like I’m not sure we should go back.” You rest your head back against his chest and moan when he lathers the soap into his hands and starts massaging your head. “I know right. But what about your home skillet, Steve? He’ll miss you so much!”
Bucky quietly repeats the term home skillet, clearly questioning its meaning while you keep going on about the time machine and why you have to go back. It isn’t until Bucky’s metal fingers dip between your legs that you’re ripped from your rambling thoughts. “Fuck,” you gasp, instantly on fire for him. The next hour goes by in a haze of soft touches, mingled breaths and tangled limbs. By the time you leave the bath your body feels like jelly and you’re more than ready for some rest.
After a nice nap you get up to get ready, changing into a look more suited for the club scene. Bucky eyes you appreciatively when you step out of the bathroom in your crop top and short skirt, “wow you look fly.” You take in his tight jeans and crisp tee shirt, the whole look completed with his leather jacket, “so do you. Ready to party?”
When the cab pulls up to Limelight you can already hear the loud thump of the bass and the line is down the street. “Woah, this place is hoppin’!” You laugh at his choice of words and get on the line, moving your hips and shimming against Bucky while you wait. “If you don’t cut it out I’m gonna have to drag you into a dark corner the second we get in there.” You don’t stop and the closer you get to the door the more you grind yourself over him. “Doll, you’re asking for it.” You turn around and throw him a million-dollar smile, “whatever.”
The instant you step into the club you can feel the air around you shift, the music vibrating through your body as strongly as the energy that radiates off the crowd. Bucky keeps you close as you make your way across the sea of writhing bodies and find yourselves a spot on the dance floor. The dancers on the platforms leave little to the imagination and the rhythm of the music just sets the mood for play. Bucky’s hands roam over every inch of your skin as you lose yourselves in the rowdy debauchery, finding it almost impossible to resist. Bucky’s lips meet your ear in a husky promise, “if you keep moving like this we’re gonna get jiggy with it right here on the dance floor.”
@addikted-2-dopamine @bugsbucky @buckstaybucky @bisousbucky @breezy1415 @buckys-henley @book-dragon-13 @chuuulip @eurynome827 @hiddles-rose @hailmary-yramliah @hawksmagnolia @harrysthiccthighss @ikaris-whore @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123 @jhangelface0523 @jewels2876 @loricameback @lorilane33 @littledarlinhavefaithinme @lookiamtrying @littleredstarfish @lokilvrr @marvelandotherfandomimagines @marvelgirl7 @nano--raptor @nerdypinupcrystal @pinkdiamond1016 @randomfandompenguin @sallycanwait68 @tuiccim @the-wayward-robot @this-kitten-is-smitten @yansi1923
#bucky barnes#bucky x reader#bucky x reader fluff#bucky x you#bucky fluff#bucky barnes x reader#bucky barnes x reader fluff#bucky#bucky barnes x you#bucky barnes imagine#bucky imagine#bucky fanfic#bucky barnes fanfiction#1990s#scrunchies#limelight#fao schwarz#nyc#1995#as if#booyah#hbc traveling through time drabbles#hbc 24 hour surprise drabble challenge#ladies of the hbc#time travel
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Assassins AU wip
So I've been thinking a lot about Southern Raiders Katara, and what her character would be like if she'd been raised to indulge that darkness. And then the thought "Kataang AU but they're assassins" made me laugh out loud in a meeting, and now here we are. But I've written like 10k words and am somehow still at the beginning? How do people write long things? What and how is plot? Ugh. Whatever. Have a chapter.
--
Aang’s eyes skimmed the crowd of Fire Nation nobles moving like a single organism under the ostentatious chandelier. Ozai’s parties were always tense affairs, an enjoyable night as likely as a gruesome public execution, but this one was especially anxious. The guard was double what Aang had seen on previous evenings. They weren’t just stationed at the doors but milling about the crowd, weapons on their hips, daring anyone to step out of line. Another bomb had gone off near parliament that week, and according to Aang’s sources Ozai’s paranoia was calling the shots even more than usual. This function was an expression of that more than anything else, a flimsy excuse to gather the most wealthy and powerful of his citizens and flex his muscles. Remind them of the closeness of his watch, the price of treason.
Aang’s eyes skated over the dance floor and paused. The dancing at these was without fail the most stilted he’d ever seen. He understood that in the Fire Nation, dancing was mostly ceremonial, a way to show respect for their host, an expression of patriotism made at gunpoint. It was the most stiff and joyless part of these stiff and joyless evenings. But this time Aang’s eyes caught on something new.
She was swaying in a sheer, dark red dress that he could just see the outlines of her body through. Thick dark hair swept up into a fashionable loose pile on her head, a few tendrils brushing her dark shoulders. No one thing about her was particularly out of place, other than being of obvious water tribe descent, a relative rarity in the capitol. But everything together caught him. It was the sway of her hips, he decided. The way she moved as if a part of the music, rather than shifting awkwardly alongside it like the other dancers. A fighter, certainly, from the lean definition of her bare back and shoulders. Aang wondered if she was one of the guards Ozai had hidden amongst the crowd. That would be odd, he thought he had files on all of them. And a woman from such far flung colonies would be a highly unusual choice for a palace assassin.
Tsungi horns blared, announcing the entrance of the ruling family, and Aang snapped his attention to the door, frowning at the unusual lapse in focus. The musicians fell silent and an abrupt stillness settled over the crowd. Attendants entered first, followed by yet another unit of guards. Aang wondered dryly if Ozai had ever considered the difference between displaying strength and paranoid weakness. A little shiver went through him as Ozai’s children entered. In studying this family he’d encountered all manner of atrocities, but something about the princess in particular unsettled him. He’d had the chance to observe her in person a handful of times now. Ozai’s heir was haughty and beautiful as always, but as her eyes swept too near to him and he had to concentrate on not tensing visibly. The monks had taught him that every life contains the same precious spark of humanity, and he’d never had cause to doubt this before seeing Azula up close for the first time, looking into her eyes, and seeing absolutely nothing staring back at him.
Ozai finally entered with a few military leaders and Aang’s body ticked into higher alert. He took a deep, stabilizing breath. He was as prepared for this as he’d ever be. Tonight was the result of years of carefully maneuvering himself into the capital’s moneyed elite. Everything was in place, every edge case planned for. If there was ever a chance to remove the dictator for good, it was tonight. He was ready.
--
Katara’s eyes tracked the commanders up the steps to the dias. She felt the familiar heat under her skin as she finally sized up her target in person, taking advantage of the whole room’s focus on him to take a first and only long look.
Ozai was older than he appeared in the propaganda plastered across every city, every textbook, every yuan. Their Glorious Leader. Her lip curled in disgust but she smoothed it into a tepid smile. He had a spray of gray across his temples, a sharp jaw, and deep set eyes hung with dark circles. His posture was slightly askew, probably a shoulder injury. She thought he favored his left leg, but wasn’t close enough to be sure. His expression was tense and he muttered sporadically to the man on his left. He was wearing a military style jacket in a deep red, plush looking material. She could tell from the way it sat against him that he had body armor underneath.
It was strange to finally see him in person, the man she’d spent her whole life training to kill. The corner of her mouth quirked up. She’d never been so ready for anything in her life.
Her dance partner slipped an arm around her waist as the music started back up. “A drink?” he asked. She smiled up at him and nodded, letting him guide her to the bar. It had been embarrassingly easy to get invited to this. After a ten minute conversation with Kazin at the university library she had her in. She’d had several backup plans of course, every piece of intel said getting here would be the hardest part. She rolled her eyes. White Lotus leadership had always had a penchant for dramatics.
Katara leaned against the bar and smiled at Kazin, half listening to him dribbling on about his father’s mining operation and half scanning the room over his shoulder. If security was this insane in the rest of the palace she’d have to rework some of her plans. Idiot militants. What the hell was blowing up a building half a block from a dummy parliament supposed to accomplish? If she ever saw Jet again she’d wring his stupid neck.
“Kazin, my darling, I didn’t know you were back in the city!” An older woman pressed a kiss to her date’s cheek and shot her a curious look. Katara automatically slid her face into a blank and amiable mask.
“Yes, school started last week. Auntie Azina, this is Zaia, from the northern colonies. She’s studying medicine at the university.”
“The northern colonies, how...exotic” the woman finished, narrowing her eyes slightly. “I didn’t know they were admitting colonials now. How times have changed.” Katara let the blankness seep deeper into her, enveloping herself in it the way Master Iroh had taught her. A lie cannot be detected if you make it your truth. Sweet, simple Zaia smiled wider and grasped the woman’s hand a touch too enthusiastically.
“Oh, it’s a dream come true, getting to study in the capital! I’m just so lucky to have been chosen.”
“Don’t be modest. Zaia was the top student at her university.” Kazin puffed up magnanimously. “Why wouldn’t we want the best minds of the colonies enriching our great civilization?”
“Hmm,” Azina had already lost interest in Katara and was scanning the room. “Ah! Ulan!”
A man in his 50s approached their group, kissing Azina lightly on the cheek. “This is my nephew, Zura’s son. Ulan was a dear friend of your father’s. Runs our shipping in the greater kingdom.” Kazin and Ulan exchanged pleasantries, Katara blissfully forgotten. Her attention caught on the quiet young man beside Ulan. She kept her eyes on the conversation, sizing up the newcomer in her periphery.
He was tall and lean, with dark hair shorn close to his scalp, sharp, elegant bone structure, and overly kind eyes that got her hackles up. She knew how to make her eyes kind too, and what sort of situations she did so in. A little too young and a little too handsome to sit right with her as a foreign shipping mogul. Maybe a rich kid working a cushy job for daddy’s company? There were certainly plenty of those in this city. He kept his eyes on the conversation as well, but something about his stance made her uneasy. The way he held himself felt...practiced. Maybe undercover security detail? No, that wasn’t right either. He wasn’t native Fire Nation, he couldn’t possibly work in the palace.
“Ah, how rude of me! This is my emissary from New Ozai City, Azan” Ulan said, gesturing to the young man. Cushy job with daddy after all. Kazin shook his hand as his Aunt flicked her eyes to the ceiling and pressed her lips into a thin line. Guess she didn’t like former colonials any more than current ones. A guard pressed close as he walked past the bar and Karara took a casual sip from her drink, slipping her arm through Kazin’s and angling her body slightly to keep him in view as he passed.
“And who is this lovely thing you have here.” Ulan drew closer than necessary and grinned down at her. He smelled like stale rice wine and the spicy fermented onions sitting in little bowls along the bar. Katara had a strong stomach, but it got a run for its money when he leaned in to kiss her cheek. When Kazin spoke up to introduce her she smiled and ducked her head as if overwhelmed by the attention rather than the smell.
“Charmed,” came a soft, deep voice on her left. Cushy Job Boy gave her a small bow and met her eyes directly, holding her gaze intently until she looked away. She really didn’t like that. She returned the bow with a warm smile and turned her attention back to her date.
“Another dance, Kazin?”
“If you insist, darling” he answered indulgently, as though speaking to a child. He steered her back to the dance floor, launching into a lecture on different types of mineral extractants as she noted the guards rotating their shifts around her.
--
When she saw the first stirrings of the next shift change, she excused herself to the restroom. Kazin barely acknowledged her, deep in conversation with an old general about iron ore. She couldn’t have dreamed up a better mark if she tried.
She’d spent weeks memorizing the palace layout and slipped quickly up a flight of stairs, down a hall, down two more flights, and into a servant’s wetroom near the back of the building. She swung herself up to a vent near the corner of the ceiling, bracing a foot against one wall and her shoulder against the other, and got to work on the screws holding the grate in place. Her ears pricked for the sound of footsteps, her hands made quick work of it with a tool from the small leather satchel that had been pressed between her breasts all night. When the last screw was loose, she dropped back to the floor, pulled her dress over her head, bundled it tightly around her waist, and swung herself smoothly into the air duct, pulling it shut behind her.
The vent was slightly smaller than she’d expected, and it was slow work making her way through. That was fine, she’d left herself plenty of time. The party hadn’t even begun to break up yet.
Much of the journey was directly up, and she inched one foot, then the other, then her back up the metal plates of the ventilation system. It wasn’t particularly taxing; she was in excellent shape and had practiced this a thousand times over the last few months. It would have been boring if not for the thrill of being so close to her target. She’d hunted men before, but it had always felt like preparation for this. None of them were half as thrilling, though she’d thought Yon Rha would have been. It should have been sweet to end the life of the man who had, in every way that counted, ended hers. But for some reason it wasn’t. Maybe he ruined it by begging. She’d been hoping for a good fight.
When she reached the top floor, she pulled herself into a smaller, auxiliary vent and made her way to Ozai’s chamber. It was even more important to be utterly silent now, as she could clearly hear the movements and conversations of the servants below her. Perspiration beaded on her skin as she moved, creeping like a crab in her thin pants and cropped undershirt. Finally, she peered through one of the grates and saw the interior of Ozai’s private chambers. She stretched out carefully so that her limbs wouldn’t fall asleep and settled in to wait.
--
Aang watched Ozai get drunker than usual before retiring from the ballroom. That might make his job easier. When the first waves of people began heading for the exits, he carefully lost Ulan and headed to meet his contact in a half-hidden alcove in the inner hall. Ishran was already there, a slight man with a sheen of sweat on his balding head and a great deal of tension in his shoulders. This was no trained agent. Not for the first time, Aang wondered what had made this man decide to risk so much. It wasn’t the sort of thing one asked.
Ishran gave Aang a curt nod and pressed his fingers into the wall behind him. A servant’s door swung open and they disappeared through it.
“There will be a three minute gap between guard shifts outside his quarters. I hope that is enough, it’s all I could manage.” Despite his shaky appearance, Ishran’s voice was sharp and even as they climbed the windowless staircase. Aang was impressed he’d been able to pull that off. He was assuming he’d have to operate in complete silence.
“That’s more than enough. You’ve outdone yourself.”
A soft hmph was his only response. After several minutes they came to a stop.
“I’ll make sure he’s asleep, then wave you through.” Aang nodded, Ishran was the only one of them who could possibly excuse his appearance if Ozai was awake.
Ishran squinted at Aang for a moment, before turning to the large, stone door.
--
When Ozai finally shuffled in, sweating and stinking of liquor. Katara wrinkled her nose. A drunk target was usually too easy to be fun, but for him she’d make an exception. She spent the first half hour Ozai was asleep going over the layout. A large, canopied bed dominated the majority of the chamber. Gold and red tapestries adorned the walls, embroidered with dragon-dense battle scenes, and an ornate desk sat between the bed and the balcony.
When Ozai had been still for half an hour or so, Katara lowered herself out feet first, dangling for a moment before dropping to the floor without so much as a whisper of fabric to give her away. She felt the adrenaline rise in her. She let it make her stronger, clearer.
Katara crept to the bed. Ozai was already on his stomach. How helpful. She slipped the garrote from her shirt and in a swift, clean motion, had him pinned. Her hands tightened the cord around his throat at the same moment her legs clamped his arms to his body and her ankles locked around his chest. He jerked in her grasp and opened his mouth, but nothing came out. She’d placed the thin, woven wire with surgical precision, blocking not just air and blood, but preventing his throat from sliding into a position that could produce sound. He reared back against her and her back slammed into the wall with more force than she expected, his strength apparently untempered by age or alcohol. The wind was knocked from her, but her hold on him stayed true. He stumbled forward and slammed back again, this time catching her against the edge of the desk. A sharp snap like a whip being cracked split through the silent chamber. She gritted her teeth, pouring all her focus into her hold on him. The second time she hit the desk the snap was more of a wet crunch, and even through the haze of adrenaline she felt pain shattering down her side. He reared forward and thrashed again, but the movements were disorganized now, and she could tell he was losing consciousness. He fell to his knees and was just tipping forward as a soft creak snapped her head to a tapestry hanging on the far wall.
She was on him as soon as his hand slipped out to draw the fabric back from the hidden door. She took hold of the wrist and with a smooth pivot, pulled the intruder forward and swung around to slam her elbow into his windpipe. The last thing she needed was him calling for help. Still holding the wrist, she gave it a sharp twist, snapping it and getting a sharp rasp out of the man’s crushed throat as he doubled over in pain. A knee to the face and he was down. She was just turning back to Ozai’s prone form when a voice hissed from the darkness behind the tapestry..
--
Aang’s eyes darted from Ishran crumpled on the floor to the water tribe girl above him to Ozai’s empty bed. He was moving before he’d finished taking in the scene, not wanting to get pinned down in the narrow staircase.
“You,” she snarled as he lunged forward, putting his body between her and the servant on the floor. She dropped into a low stance and he swung down, hoping to sweep her legs out from under her. She was much smaller than him, he might be able to end this quickly. The chamber’s doors were shut, but she must have a way to signal the other guards.
She leapt easily over his attack and struck out with her heel as she fell. He caught it-- barely-- and shoved her hard. She flew back a few feet and hit the wall behind her, but was on him again by the time he regained his footing. Some remote part of him was impressed with her speed, but the majority of his mind was occupied dodging a flurry of strikes aimed at his head, neck, and chest. He jumped, twisted and lunged, always missing her hands and feet by millimeters. A sense of deja vu came over him and his mind flicked to the hours he’d spent in the training gates at the temple. The lesson was to be as a leaf, pivoting at every resistance, to pass through the storm. And she was very like a storm. When the flurry of blows began he hoped to tire her out before striking, but she wasn’t getting slower, wasn’t getting sloppy.
There was a subtle shift in her weight and saw her next strike coming. He sent a kick out to the side that would be left open by her attack. But she turned on a dime, ducking under his leg and catching his knee, sending him careening face-first towards the floor. He turned it into a roll and sprung up, but before his feet touched the floor he felt a bright shock of pain as she brought her elbow down on his solar plexus. He hit the ground hard, trying not to fight the muscle spasm, which would only prolong the seizing. She slipped a garrotte out of her shirt.
--
This guy was infuriating. She flew at him with everything she had and met only air. She didn’t recognize his form at all, but it certainly wasn’t Fire Nation. Their style was centered around brute force and bold, decisive strikes. It was a style she preferred in her opponents, especially larger ones. She could hurt them more by redirecting their strength than she could with her own. But this guy...this guy fought like it was a goddamn game of keep away. And she was running out of time.
Finally he struck out with his foot, and she used the energy of it to fling him down. While he recovered she managed to land a clean blow to his chest and he grunted and crumpled. She slid the garrote out, wishing for a quicker weapon, but the security at the palace was so tight this was all she’d been sure she could sneak in.
But he somehow recovered instantaneously. He flipped to his feet and circled away, putting himself between her and the door. They were on the far side of the bed now and his eyes fell on Ozai’s prone body. He froze and his eyes grew wide. Ever so slightly, his stance slipped.
“Is he dead?”
“He’s next in line after you,” she spat as she launched herself at him. He was distracted, unable to right his form in time. She feigned a direct hit then twisted in the air, vaulting off the wall and landing on his back.
“Wait” he rasped out, and she realized he’d managed to get a finger between her wire and his neck. Oh for fuck’s sake, would this guy just die already? She was debating just going with the slower, louder process of killing him like this when several things happened at once.
Ozai began to stir on the floor, coughing weakly and pushing himself up on his forearms. The main door to the chamber opened and a hesitant voice called out “Sir?” As she was taking all this in, the fake earth kingdom emissary grabbed her forearm and twisted roughly, ripping her off his back and over his head. The wall rushed up to meet her, enveloping her in a blinding flash of white.
--
The woman’s body slumped against the door she’d collided with. He hadn’t meant to throw her so hard, just needed time to reason with her, to explain. But now the guard was pushing the door back open and Ozai was stirring and before Aang knew what he was doing he’d scooped her unconscious body over his shoulder and slipped through the open window.
#kataang#kataang au#work in progress#avatar#avatar aang#katara#i dont want to post to ao3 till there's an end in sight#fanfic#atla fanfic
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Catch Me If You Can - Nishinoya Yuu
AU: Penpal / Travel
Warning: Manga Spoilers
Word Count: 7.6k+
How could he not have fallen in love with (Y/N) back then? The foreign transfer student that regaled stories of her adventures around the world with swinging arm movements and an indistinguishable accent that had been muddled over years of travel. She was a sun among stars. A linguistic animal lover that had a passion for learning and adventure. No one could resist her charm, not for long. She was expressive, loud and boisterous. But when given the chance, the outgoing girl will always sit quietly and listen with a kind smile on her face. How could anyone not want to know her?
It was nearing the end of March in 2014 when they last saw each other. Despite it being the beginning of spring, the sun was shooting down warm golden rays of light that (Y/N) happily bathed in. Nishinoya sat next to the excitable girl, looking at the various pins she had stuck into her worn down and faded hat, tired after years of travelling and use. It was spunky, out there, it suited her quite well. In her hand, she fiddled with a keychain that he had just given her moments prior. A small enamel volleyball that he had a duplicate of.
“I’m going to travel the world,” she said, leaning back against the stairs of the gym.
The graduation ceremony was long. Despite that, the volleyball team had gathered in their gym to send off the 3rd years, announcing Yamaguchi as the new captain, and making everyone cry. The 1st years were the worst, only getting to spend one year with their beloved elders.
Nishinoya smiled, stretching his legs along the steps to lay down beside her. “Where are you going to go first?”
She hummed, “I think I’ll go to Australia, I want the accent back.”
Nishinoya laughed and watched as the traveller held up the chain to her nose.
“I want to meet as many people as I can, get some new experiences,” she sighed before shooting up from her spot, nearly launching herself on top of Nishinoya’s relaxed position. Her eyes seemed to be twinkling as they looked into his, “I’m going to write you letters.”
How could he say no to that smile?
For three years they sent letters back and forth. Occasionally sending a care package, typically coming from (Y/N), who always seemed to have money to spare for the best quality of shipping. Nishinoya was always eager to open her letters. The words on the page would dance in his mind, creating beautiful images of the girl he remembered as she continued her travels. He would feel his heart squeeze with every package, carrying various treats and pictures for him to enjoy. Nishinoya always wanted to travel despite never having the funds to do so. Because of this, he lived vicariously through his long time crush’s adventures, holding every gift he received close to his heart.
He saved every last picture, letter, and gift. Yearning for when he would find the next one sitting snugly in the mailbox of his family home in Miyagi. 3 years since the day they graduated they had been exchanging letters, and 4 months since he last heard from his (Y/N), who had suddenly stopped. 4 months he waited.
Nishinoya waited desperately for her next reply, but it never came. Leaving him anxious for months as his family tried to calm him down. Nothing worked. Nishinoya spent most of his free time walled up in his room, ducked under the covers of his childhood bed, waiting.
It wasn’t until his grandfather, Mineo, knocked on his door that something happened.
It was the 2nd of July 2017 at 3:28pm.
“Eh, Yuu, there’s something in the mail for ya,” the old man teased, throwing a thumb over his shoulder.
Running out of his room, nearly knocking over his laughing elderly grandfather, the youngest Nishinoya ran out of his house, through the gates and to the mailbox. From the corner of his eye, he could see the mailman down the street. Inside the box was a neatly packaged envelope. He pulled it out gently, trying his best not to fold or mark the clean paper.
Once at the dinner table, family surrounding all sides, excitedly waiting for the boy to open the letter, Nishinoya let out a deep breath. His heart was pounding, gripping onto his ribcage like a prisoner wanting to escape. His hands shook, making the paper let out a desperate fluttering sound. He read the front of the paper.
The letter was sent from Australia. Particularly a city named Mutitjulu, which he didn’t bother to try and pronounce as even in his head, the English word seemed to only be a muffle of sounds. English wasn’t something he was good at anyway. He continued, staring at his name that was scripted on the front in a familiar style. One that he’s been reading for years.
“Well, what are you waiting for Yuu? Open it,” his mother pressured. She was excited too, tired of her son’s heaving and hawing over the past four months.
Taking in another wavering breath, Yuu opened the envelope gently and pulled out the crisp piece of paper. As he opened it, a wad of cash fell out, sprawling across the table his family sat at.
His grandfather laughed, “What is this? Some sort of ransom?”
“You’re not given money when you get a ransom note, let Yuu read the letter first,” His father chuckled as he watched his wife gather the money in a neat stack also grabbing the stiff paper ticket that had landed before her.
The first thing on the page was the date, followed by (Y/N)’s handwriting.
14 August 2014
Dear Yuu,
Australia feels like a home I wasn’t born into. It’s hot and my hair hate’s the humidity, but it’s a beautiful country. The accent makes it all worth it. While writing this, I sit at the bottom of one of Australia’s many sites, Uluru, a giant rock that would make you look like a worm in comparison. There are flies everywhere, and we’re painting stones in dotted patterns. I painted a lizard.
I’ve spent the last week in the outback with a group of born Australian’s working with Kangaroos. They are the funniest creatures, easily aggravated in the wild, but these ones have become used to humans over the years.
A man named Joshua has become my companion for the week. He’s taught me a lot, I can’t say it all in a singular letter, but here’s a funny story. One kangaroo, lovingly named Swipe, stole his hat on a particularly hot day, hiding it somewhere we never found. I had to give him my hat. When you see him, please, ask for it back, I miss it and will have more pins to add later.
Oh right, the money and the ticket. Well, I’m sorry for not telling you sooner, but I wanted it to be a surprise. By the time you get this letter, it should be about mid-summer of 2017. You know how you’ve always wanted to travel the world? Well, I’m picking out your stops. You won’t be able to contact me, that eliminates the fun out of it. But, that’s your mission.
Come and catch me~
Love,
(Y/N)
Nishinoya had to give it to her, Kangaroos were soft. And even in the heat of the Australian winter, he desperately wanted to snuggle up to them and bury his head into their chests. He had jokingly told Joshua that he wanted to be a joey in his next life, to which the Australian born man laughed and slapped his back.
It seemed as though, despite (Y/N)’s appearance in Mutitjulu having been 3 years prior to his arrival, that she had planned out his whole trip. Getting Joshua to walk him through every landmark and location in Australia that she had visited on her solo trip.
He was a tall man, tanned to a golden ochre colour from his days working under the blistering sun, and you could tell he did hard physical labour from his well built physique. Nishinoya would stare at him occasionally, mostly jealous of his overwhelming height.
The two men were visiting the Sydney Zoo, watching a gigantic alligator eat a whole chicken when Nishinoya asked the older man a question in broken English. He still needed practice.
“Did you help plan everything?” he asked referring to his tour around the continent.
The Aussie shook his head, making his messed up sandy coloured hair bounce. Turning away from the reptilian show, the tanned man looked at Nishinoya with a large smile.
“She did it all herself. Every last detail. You wouldn’t believe it when she told me her plan, she was going to burst!”
Leaving their suitcases at various hotels over the 3 month period and grabbing the bare minimum so they could trek through the day felt new to Nishinoya. He had spent his whole life in one location, only ever needing to carry around a bag or two wherever he went. Joshua carried around a leather satchel everywhere. At every location they stopped at he would reach into it and pull out a photo that (Y/N) had taken while there, handing over to Nishinoya.
“Keep it, I’ve made copies,” he said when Nishinoya tried to give them back.
Noya bought a photo album after that, carefully storing the photos in the slots that were available. He would flip through the pages until late when the birds started singing. The late nights staring at your photos led to beautiful dreams of hiking through forests and petting koalas together, holding hands and watching the sunset. He wanted that. Minus the gigantic spiders.
It was at the end of September when Joshua barged into Nishinoya’s room early in the morning and threw something at him.
“Oi! Get up, get packed. You got more than just a plane to catch.”
Noya, still tired from a long night of drinking — likely being Joshua’s way of sending him off — groggily grabbed at whatever had been bounced off his head. He rubbed his eyes, waiting for them to adjust to the light that Joshua had so graciously invited in beyond the curtains.
Groaning, Yuu turned his attention away from the bright sun and onto what laid in his hand. A familiar hat, worn out and covered with pins, it’s original colour faded into a dull grey. Next to it, a letter. His spine shot into a straight position as his fingers gently separated the lip of the envelope from its body as quickly as possible. Just like the one before, money, plane ticket and a letter. A noise in the corner of the room caught his attention, Joshua was stuffing Noya’s clothes haphazardly into his suitcases, throwing a change of clothes to the side for him to wear.
“Get changed Cobber, we got to go!”
Joshua steered the tourist onto his plane, not letting Noya take a detailed look at the ticket. At the gate to the airport, Nishinoya was pulled into a strong hug by the Aussie, who rambled into the shorter man’s ear about how he would miss his foreign wisdom and poorly constructed sentences (which had improved over the months).
Before he knew it, Nishinoya was on a plane, reading the note you had sent back for him.
21 February 2015
Dear Yuu,
You like dogs, right? Well, I sure hope you do. I’ve spent the last few weeks in Yukon, Canada (specifically Whitehorse) and HOLY! It is freezing up here in the wintertime. Luckily the group I’ve been working with provides the proper gear you need but still, it’s frigid. So be ready for that. Margaret will help you out. That’s not actually her name, but she says her real name is too hard for us to pronounce.
Anyway, dog sledding. You haven’t lived until you’ve tried it. It’s such a freeing feeling. Oh, and I might have given one of them the keychain you gave me. I’m sorry, but he was so sweet and I wanted to give him something of mine. His name is Mateus. Be sure to give him pets for me!
Make sure to spend that money well~
Love you,
(Y/N)
Although October wasn’t technically winter, the northern hemisphere was cold, too cold. Bundled up in thick layers, covered from head to toe, Nishinoya laid back in the tall snow, rubbing the bellies of eager huskies that rolled around next to him. Yuu laughed and one jumped at him, pushing his shoulder back into the snow and licking any visible skin he could reach.
“Ya! Mateus, please!” The dog backed off, sitting in the man’s lap, panting happily.
Nishinoya sat up, petting the friendly dog’s head with his thick glove. His other hand moved the collar so he could admire the given jewelry. The metal had oxidized, making it look brown and blue. The volleyball has definitely looked better but Nishinoya wouldn’t complain. The dog whimpered at his new human friend as he played with the chain.
Noya looked the husky in the eyes, “Awe, I miss her too bud.”
The dog whined again and pushed his head up against Noya’s hand. He obliged to the canines request, rubbing the space behind his ears. The dog lolled his head to the side, then let his body completely fall over Noya’s lap. The other’s came closer, joining the lazy dog puddle that made itself home around their new companion.
“If you keep letting them do that they’ll never let you leave.”
Margaret was a kind woman, older and a bit worn after years of working. She was ruff around the edges but as soon as she got a good look at Noya’s photo album (which now also held (Y/N)’s letters) she swept the young man into a bone-crushing hug, telling him about the memories she had from years prior. Noya listened to every story earnestly.
“She’s a natural,” she said. “Hopped onto the sled, grabbed the reins and off she went! Over the hills through the trees and the wolves listened to her every command.”
Margaret’s movements were a shadow of the girl he remembered. Large and unapologetic. He took a sip from his hot chocolate as he watched the woman’s arms wing in fluid motions. The fire that was lit next to them cast a shadow behind her, like a puppet. Other volunteers around the lodge watched in awe as she continued telling her of (Y/N). Just how did she manage to make everyone fall in love with her, would there be any room in her heart for him? Everywhere she went she seemed to take someone with her and Yuu couldn’t help but think he’d be left out. It nagged at him.
On the last day of his stay in Whitehorse, Margaret sat down next to Nishinoya and handed him a neatly wrapped pile.
“You know, I sometimes wondered why (Y/N) asked me to make duplicates of her photos. But after spending these past couple of months with you, I can understand it. You’ve got yourself a keeper.”
At the bottom of the pile of photos was the letter, sent back to Margaret from his next location. The woman patted his shoulder.
“You better pack up soon, I’ll drive you to the airport.”
3 September 2015
Dear Yuu,
I know the cold must have been ruff. Haha, get it? Ruff? Well, don’t worry, cause where you’re going next it’s all summer and sun (with the occasional thunderstorm but a little rain never hurt anybody).
The Florida keys are hot. I’ve been spending a lot of time either at the beach or indoors where it’s airconditioned, but It’s been a lot of fun relaxing in the sun here. I found a restaurant, tucked in behind the white fences of a narrow road just by the waterfront. It has a large sign saying “CASTAWAY” I think it’s fitting with the whole nautical theme. It has high ceilings and gives off a wood cabin by the lake sort of feel. All the workers are nice, I’m writing this while talking with them.
I recommend the honeybuns!
Love,
(Y/N)
The honey buns were delicious. They weren’t even something you had to order, but Nishinoya did anyway, every single time. Joe, the owner, along with his wife busted the bar table that Nishinoya sat at. He was the only one in there at the moment flipping through his photo album, adjusting all the photos in place, making them look orderly. Without looking, he reached for one of the many bread buns that sat in the woven basket next to him.
“You know Noya, there’s more food other than the honey buns,” Joe chuckled as he snatched the bun filled basket out of the grasp of Noya’s clingy hands, making said boy pout. Joe laughed again before slipping a laminated piece of paper his way, “Read the menu kid, you might find something worthwhile.”
Joe, despite his outward appearance being that of a beer drinking food lover (which he was), was an avid deep sea diver. Often going with Miranda to collect underwater treasures that could be used as decor for their restaurant.
Nishinoya nodded, thanking the kind man as he began to read. The words gave him a bit of a headache. English, definitely something he’s improved on since beginning his journey but still makes him run circles in his head. He rested his chin on the counter, squinting, hoping the change in sight would magically turn the English into Japanese. It did not, and after 5 minutes of continuous grumbling, Miranda came his way.
“Noya, sweetheart, take a look at the drinks would ya?” she laughed, towel and plate in one hand, flicking the back of the page with a long spindly finger from the other.
He flipped the page over.
The (Y/N) Special
“What is this?” he asked pointing to the only spot on the page that had kanji characters mixed in with the English alphabet.
Miranda smiled, leaning her elbows onto the counter. Flicking a chummy finger toward the page she explained, “That right there, is a drink (Y/N) made up on one of the nights she was here. She jumped over the counter and made us all one, then gave us the recipe for later.”
Joe came their way with a cheeky smile, “Give it a go. It’s got a bit of alcohol in it but not a lot, fine for a midday drink.”
Yuu gladly took the drink created and named after his beloved adventurer and gave it a big gulp. It was cold and sweet with a bit of lemon, perfect for the everlasting hot weather in Florida. He could imagine lounging at the beach or by a pool with (Y/N) sleeping peacefully by his side as he drank this, both of them soaking in the sun’s warmth. Noya sighed happily, resting his head in the palm of his hand.
“Hang in there kid. I don’t think there’s that much alcohol,” Joe teased as he flicked Nishinoya’s forehead. “Don’t go dozing off just yet, we’ve got your next letter.”
Noya didn’t even realize that Miranda had left, only just seeing her as she came back out from the restaurant’s back with a box in hand.
The pictures were of her in various places, just like all the others. Now mostly at the beach or at his current location. He didn’t hold himself back from admiring the images of your summer glow as you posed happily for the camera in your bathing suit. One image of your face stuffed with honey buns make him cackle outright. At the bottom of the box was a small corral and your note.
18 June 2016
Dear Yuu,
Oh YUU~ please don’t be mad at me! I know you probably wanted to see me first out of all our friends but I couldn’t help myself. Brazil was already on my list and where else would I go besides Rio de Janeiro?
Hinata has grown so much since high school, you’ve got to see him play. You should be proud of your Kohai, he’s gotten pretty amazing~ His roommate, Pedro, was really nice too he likes OnePiece and Spiral Knights. Reminds me of Kenma a bit. They were both kind enough to accommodate me for my stay. Oh, Oikawa showed up too.
Be sure to give Hinata a hug for me~
Love (Oh so very much),
(Y/N)
Had they still been in high school, Hinata would’ve probably blabbered about everything upon Nishinoya’s arrival. But, as you had said, Hinata had grown and thus, he learned some restraint. Managing to respect the wishes of his travelling upperclassman who insisted that he kept a tight lip about everything until Noya had begun his travels in Rio.
Noya, on the other hand, was rather discouraged that his past teammate had gotten to spend months with his girl. His girl? His girl. He grumbled, crossing his arms with a haughty huff.
Nishinoya had arrived in Rio in February of 2018, getting the chance to hear all of Hinata’s stories from the beginning of his appearance in the hot city. Heitor, Hinata’s teammate for a tournament they played a couple of months prior, listened carefully to Hinata’s ramblings as he switched back and forth between languages, translating as much as he could. Nishinoya also often found himself admiring Heitor’s coiling hair. A complete opposite texture from his own. (Y/N)’s appearance seemed to be news to Brazilian man as well, but both listened with rapt attention as the carrot head rambled.
Noya got really pouty when his friend showed him the pictures though, mostly fixating on the one that had Oikawa, Hinata, and (Y/N) all making strange faces at the camera.
“Shoyo, must you torture me like this?”
Hinata only responded with a large smile and wiggling dance.
Heitor and Pedro had become Nishinoya’s closest companions after Hinata left for Japan. Nice, Heitor’s newlywed wife, reminded him of Saeko, making her his go-to whenever he needed to rant to someone. She never understood a word he said, but would always give him a pat on the back and a warm smile. Luckily, Pedro had managed to pick up some Japanese during his time living with Hinata, making the learning curve of figuring out Portuguese a little easier.
At the near 3 month mark of his stay in Rio, Pedro came out of his room with a box that had Nishinoya’s name printed across it. “It. Yours,” he tried to say with heavily accented Japanese, which the streaked blonde man was thankful for.
The name across the top had obviously been done by Hinata, the messy script made it that evident, not that Noya could easily read it anyways. Just like the others, the box held a few remaining photos that Hinata didn’t give him during their time together and her letter. The envelope had a small crease in the top corner, likely from Hinata’s rough handling, but he was eager to read it despite its mediocre condition.
Pedro sat down next to Nishinoya, taking hold of the photo album, and offered to put them in order. Before he did though, he took his time flipping through the pages, listening to Nishinoya as he tried to explain what was happening in each photograph. Pedro smiled.
“I spoke to her quite often, she learned Portuguese rather quickly, I was surprised,” he paused for a moment, watching the memory that played in his mind from the photo he had taken of you and Hinata playing volleyball on the beach. “She is quite an amazing person.”
Despite not being able to fully understand what Pedro had said, Nishinoya could hear his feelings.
Why did she have to be so magnetic that even a near stranger felt her gravitational pull?
With an almost sad sigh, he gave Pedro a nudge and began to read the letter. It was filled with glitter. That was new.
31 December 2016
Dear Yuu,
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I might be a bit tipsy but that’s okay! I’ll write this anyway.
New years in France is filled with alcohol. I shouldn’t be surprised but the wine is surprisingly sweet? And you know me, I can’t restrain myself when it comes to sweets.
Paris is beautiful by the way. I can’t wait for you to see it. Danon has been an amazing tour guild. He even gives me a discount on the coffee from his family’s café. Despite being in the more expensive part of town the café is rather quaint. When his parents are out Donon lets me choose the music, it’s typically 70’s dance and pop music, like ABBA. Who am I kidding, It’s mostly ABBA. Sometimes other customers join me in dancing, Danon can’t because he works but I see him grooving behind the counter. I think I made it a tradition.
Ooh, I also made another friend, her name’s Brielle, she's just lovely.
It’s beautiful here Yuu~
Love you loads.
(Y/N)
Was Nishinoya jealous when he met Danon? HELL YES HE WAS. The man was their age, and undeniably handsome, clean quaffed brown hair and perfect skin. Nishinoya spent his first few days in Paris giving the other man the side-eye.
That’s how it was, until one Friday evening, when Nishinoya walked into the café he was stopped frozen at the door.
“Ah Noya, my friend! Come join us!” Danon called over the music once he saw the shorter man enter.
In the Frenchman’s arms twirled a beautiful young woman with dark skin and braided hair that swung at the middle of her back. ABBA was playing, Noya noticed as he entered, weaving through the dancing couples of men and women alike. Danon and the woman met him halfway, and Danon, being the gentleman he is, bowed slightly as he gestured to her.
“This is Brielle. I’m sure (Y/N) must have mentioned her in her letter.”
Brielle laughed, waving her hand dismissively, “The two of us only got a moment together, a week at most. But she did talk about you Nishinoya. It's a pleasure to meet you.”
They spoke in English, with French accents, but Noya was thankful for the familiarity, although it did make him notice his own mangled accent even more.
“So what’s happening here?”
Danon laughed, “It’s (Y/N)’s night! What else?!”
The day slowly turned to night and the Eiffel tower began to glow outside the window. Nishinoya tried his best to dance in the sensual duets that took place in the middle of the floor, but more often than not, he went behind the counter, taking Danon’s parent’s place and giving them a chance to take centre stage. Out of the pairs, his parents were the most infectious. But anyone could look Danon’s way and see that he and Brielle were a match made for the night lights of Paris.
Towards the end of May, Nishinoya sat at one of the tables next to the chalk wall, sipping slowly at his tea. Danon came out from the back, giving his mother a rub on the shoulder before sitting across from the Japanese tourist. He placed a clean stack of images on the table between them. Before pointing to the chalk wall with a melancholic smile.
“She wrote you a message up there, ‘see you soon’, she said that a lot about you,” the taller man slid over the stack.
Noya slowly flipped through the photos, pausing at one that captured a moment of Danon holding (Y/N) in his arms as they danced, being perfectly framed by the Eiffel tower behind them. Noya gripped the photo a little tighter. His heart clawed at his insides again. That nagging feeling was back, making the palms of his hands feel sore and warm. Danon’s voice pulled him out of it easily, the man was a siren.
“She is a remarkable woman. If I had the same opportunity that you have right now,” he trailed off, pausing to take a breath, “I would follow her off the edge of the world if she asked me,” Danon took the photo out of Noya’s hands, giving it a fleeting look before tucking it into the album that rested open on the table.
Gulping, Noya met the man’s eyes across the table.
“Aren’t you with Brielle?”
Danon smiled, “I am. (Y/N) introduced us. Brielle knows of my infatuation but trusts me and I can’t thank her more for it.”
“You two are beautiful together,” Noya said, looking up at your name on the wall. He took another long, slow sip of his tea.
“As will the both of you. If you manage to catch her that is.” Danon spoke softly, joining his new friend in staring at their crush’s smooth writing on the wall. “Can you do me a favour, Noya?”
Nishinoya hummed, continuing to look up.
“Love her for the both of us, okay?”
8 May 2017
Dear Yuu,
A kind old man was nice enough to let me spend most of my time with him and his dog at their home in Hamburg, Germany. He’s a potato farmer! But sadly he injured his back working, what a spine breaker. Anyway, I offered my help farming in exchange for a warm bed and food. He was happy to help! Oh right, his name is Adal. He’s a bit of a grouch but I know he’s secretly a softy.
I managed to get to a few places around Germany before settling down there for the rest of the trip though. My favourite by far is the torn down Berlin wall. It’s covered in graffiti and art and it’s just filled with so much history. It’s overwhelming but seeing the broken wall is just such a beautiful sight. I don’t even think I can put it into words.
Don’t let Adal be too mean to you~
Love,
(Y/N)
Nishinoya knew what you meant by the wall being overwhelming. It felt like he had the memories of generations pushing down on his shoulders all while a swell of happiness and relief seemed to lift his chest upwards. It was a sight to behold.
Adelina was a kind but blunt woman in her 40’s. Their initial interaction was a shocking one that left a bitter taste in both of their mouths. Noya, a stranger that had shown up at Adal’s doorstep that was in the middle of vast farmland was greeted with a less than welcoming hello.
“Is Adal here?”
In broken English, Adelina responded, “Adal is dead. What do you want?”
After explaining his now new predicament to the resilient woman, she had broken into a gasp eyes wide as she rushed up the stairs of the house. She nearly tripped coming back down, holding a box that was covered in dust and set it down on the wood table in the middle of the large room visible from the door.
She had sighed while she blew off the dirt, “You must be Nishinoya, correct?”
Taking his shoes off at the door, he entered the premises. Adelina had gestured for him to take a seat in the chair across from her and the box. Nishinoya was understandably nervous at the time, desperately wanting to bite his nail or crack his cold knuckles, but he resisted.
“Adal was my father, he died last year and left everything to me,” she started. “I only met (Y/N) once but she was a kind woman from what I remember. Managed to break that old man’s shell. Not many can do that,” she laughed, tucking a greying piece of hair behind her ear.
Nishinoya listened to every word patiently. Adelina wasn’t a great storyteller, she often had to cycle back, remembering events that would have been told earlier on, and sounded rather monotone as she recounted them. For what it was worth though, once she got on the right track, she seemed to be able to recall every detail word for word despite the stories not having been from her own experiences.
“I know the plan was for you to work in the field, but I sold off the farmland not too long after he died,” she said, placing a glass of water for him on the table. “If I had thought a little further ahead, I probably would have waited until after your visit,” she scoffed sadly at herself. “I guess my mind was a bit preoccupied.”
“No, no. It’s alright. I’m the one showing up unannounced. You probably didn’t even remember the plan until I showed up.”
That night, Adeline offered to take Nishinoya on a grand tour through Germany.
“I should at least fulfill some duty that I was given, he would want me to,” she said, giving him a rare smile. “Diese Dinge passieren, und das Leben geht weiter.”
Despite having given him most of the pictures in the box on the first night, the letter remained untouched until after spending three months in the woman’s care. At the airport, Adeline thanked Noya for visiting and wished him well.
“Chase your dreams,” she said, sending him off with a final wave.
1 September 2017
Dear Yuu,
Somehow a little town at Italy’s ankle has made me believe that gods exist on earth. Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but these architects did an amazing job. The buildings are all colourful and beautiful to admire. Especially during the sunset. The whole town is cast with a warm glow.
I’ve been staying in Sorrento, (imagine if I was writing this from Torino! Haha). A small town by the bay known for its beautiful view of the water and 14th-Century architecture, very picturesque. I spend most of my time down by the bay, I’ve gone so often that I’ve even made friends with some of the fishermen. They even offered to take me spearfishing out in the bay. Their boats are beautiful but on windy days I definitely prefer the land.
Don’t let the marlins get to close, they’ll stab you~
Love you,
(Y/N)
“Eh, Noya! You did great! Let me take a photo for you.”
Donte was a middle-aged man that owned a boat by the pier. Often spending his weekends fishing for marlins to feed his family the following week. His hair was dark brown and mousy, slowly fading to grey at the sides of his hairline that trailed down his jaw into a patchy scruff of a beard that never seemed to grow. Quickly, the ageing man grabbed Noya’s phone off one of the seats in his large fishing boat and angled it to face the other man.
“Say: sorridi!” he cheered.
Noya dropped his borrowed trident like a spear on the tiled concrete and kicked up his left leg onto the large metal cleat at his side and balanced the weight of the large marlin between his arms. The fish’s mouth hung open, but Noya smiled into the camera of his phone, yelling out ‘sorridi’ as the photo was taken.
“Ah good. C’mon, I’ll treat you to lunch.”
It was during lunch when Donte began to entertain Nishinoya with some stories of (Y/N)’s visit. The big one was how we decided on the name of his boat. He explained that at the time, his ship was brand new when she visited, with (Y/N) being the first to book a time to experience marlin fishing on the new vessel. At the time the name hadn’t been printed on the side, and when Donte had mistakenly tripped over a loose line it sent him into the cold water of the bay. Despite being able to swim, the visiting woman had immediately pulled out the rope ladder tying to the side of the ship and dived him.
Donte laughed as he recalled floating in the water with (Y/N) staring at him with an irritated expression. “I can swim you know?” he said, making her grumble and paddle to the ladder she had set up moments prior.
“The water is nice, but you better get out soon,” she had teased. “Don’t want the marlins to attack.”
“Thought that ‘the Mad Mer’ was fitting. She did look like a goddess while swimming after all.”
The description made Noya smile happily.
Donte was starting his next story when Nishinoya felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
Asahi had sent him a message.
We’re all meeting up today.
Are you coming?
A cheeky grin pulled on the corner of Noya’s face. Swiping his phone across his screen and clicking, without sending a word to his friend the image was sent.
Woah, Noya!
Are you still following those letters?
Nishinoya chuckled.
You bet!
Donte nodded his head in Noya’s direction and took a large gulp of water and a bit of food from his plate. “Who you talking to?”
“Ah, an old friend. Sent him the picture of the marlin.”
On his final day, after packing up all his clothes, Nishinoya flipped through the new photos he collected. His favourite had been taken on the same day that she had dived into the water to help Donte. It was of (Y/N) in a flowing white dress, arms spread wide open, with the sun setting in the background making her dress glow. This photo closed out the passage of Sorrento, Italy.
30 March 2018
Dear Yuu,
Hazyview is quite the sight. It’s full of green trees and large expanses of grass. Rolling hills turn into mountains with sharp cliffs and rounded tops. It’s a sight you’ve never seen before.
I got to travel around a bit before settling in Hazyview so I could learn about all the languages they speak. It’s so interesting! I swear some of the people I met probably thought I was some foreign nut job, but I had fun
Working at a sanctuary for elephants is such a rewarding experience. I wish I could have stayed a bit longer to help. Luckily they primarily used English to communicate because of all the immigrating volunteers they get, but even the diverse collection of language there was amazing. But that’s not the point. Elephants. Elephants are the point.
We managed to save a baby and his mother from poachers! The little guy was rather clingy, and I got to name him!
Work your hardest~
Love,
(Y/N)
Nishinoya was relieved when he was able to practice his English again with fluent English speakers at the sanctuary. Nearly two years of practice has shown some improvement.
Jabulani was the man that greeted him when the helicopter landed at the sanctuary. His arms were wide open and his smile was big, showing off his pearly white teeth.
“Welcome!” he yelled over the sound of the helicopter’s blades spinning.
It took a couple of days for Nishinoya to get the chance to interact with the large beasts. That time was spent settling in, getting a tour, and learning about the protocol that was held in high regard at the sanctuary (for good reason).
When Jabulani, nicknamed Jabu, introduced Noya to the various elephants that were being rehabilitated he was brought to a pause at one.
“His name is Shino?”
“Ah yes. You’re (Y/N)’s friend. I almost forgot. She talked about you a lot.”
Noya made a large gesture with his arms, throwing them in the warm air. Then he adjusted the old button filled hat on his head to block the sun.
“When (Y/N) said she named a baby Elephant I thought I was going to be small! She named it after me, and he’s that big?!”
Jabu laughed at Noya’s pain. Giving a hard smack on the back. Earning a groan from the slightly saddened man.
“Don’t look at it like that. Think of it this way,” He said as he grabbed Noya’s shoulder, straightening his back. He gestured to the elephant’s trunk that started sprinkling water over its head. “She must think highly of you. Think you can reach great heights like the trunk of an elephant.”
“That height is mediocre when giraffes exist.”
The throwaway comment earned Noya another hard smack.
“Don’t say that around the elephants. They’re sensitive creatures.”
Occasionally, at night when everyone was lounging around the common area, eating food and relaxing, Nishinoya got the chance to listen to Juba and his friends speak in their native tongue. Zulu was something he had never heard prior to coming here, and as he listened to them converse fluidly without tripping over any syllable or sound he couldn’t help but realize why you appreciated the complexities of language so much.
The last letter was short, and when he opened it a picture slipped out. You wore Karasuno’s classic colour; black. You were in a waving salute, your two fingers in the motion of pointing away from your forehead. The back of the black tracksuit was visible thanks to your slightly turned position. You stood on the steps of the volleyball gym, the doors were open. The letter was sent back to Hazyview recently.
9 April 2019
Dear Yuu,
What do you think? The newest job suits me, huh? I managed to race through school while I waited. World Cultures, I’m excited.
See you on the first day of school~
Love,
(Y/N)
April 20th of 2019 was the first day of school. Nishinoya had flown in from Hazyview the night before, greeted by his parents who pestered him about all of his adventures on the way home. Still wide awake with jitters of excitement, Noya rambled about every moment and story, flipping through his nearly complete photo album.
He was wide awake until he wasn’t. Despite his eagerness to wake up early to the following day and hopefully ambush you in the morning before classes started, he managed to sleep through most of the day. When he finally did wake up he was groggy from the jet lag but forced himself to change into something more presentable than plane clothes. Be grabbed your old hat, oxidized keychain and his photo album before rushing out.
Once he got to the front gates he breathed in deeply. It had been years, and the nagging feeling had returned to his chest. Students gave him weird looks as they left the school grounds.
How could he not have fallen in love with you back then? But how could he be so naive to believe he was the only one? He thought of Danon in that moment, letting the words replay in his head. Over and over again. For the both of us.
Taking one last breath, he ran towards the old gym he remembered. The doors were slightly ajar and the welcoming sound of air-filled balls bouncing off the wooden gym floor made his heart race. He screamed as he kicked the doors wide open.
“(Y/N)!”
A high pitch screech followed.
“Noya? What the hell are you doing here?”
Despite the change in hair, now back to his natural black, Ukai hadn’t changed a bit. The squealer, Takeda, held his chest tightly as he stood straight, recovering from the sudden scare. The players on the gym floor began to murmur, they’d ask their coaches questions later.
“Sorry, Takeda, Ukai. Do you know where (Y/N) is?” Noya asked, gripping his belongings tightly. “I thought she was going to be in here.”
Takeda let out a shaky laugh, “You haven’t changed a bit, Noya. But did you maybe consider she’d be in the girl’s gym?”
Ukai sent Takeda a confused look, to which the bespectacled man waved off as if saying ‘I’ll explain later.’
Nishinoya began bouncing on his toes, ready to move. Wearing a smile, he yelled a loud ‘thanks!’ as he bowed, before running out the double doors.
The girl’s gym, though not one he visited in his past often except for those moments he went to see (Y/N), brought a familiar feeling. The sound of balls ricocheting off of solid surfaces greeted him as he stood outside the double doors, waiting, scared.
Then he heard your voice, heavily accented but pronouncing every word with a sense of style with accuracy. Soothing and sharp with a bit of a raspy bite from years of hysterical laughter and yelling.
“Tiny Hinata! Natsu, can you do me a favour real quick?”
Slowly, he pushed the doors open.
Nishinoya didn’t even see the young orange-haired girl lift the old polaroid camera to her face. He was too busy enjoying the old familiar feeling of his girl’s hands holding his back, hardly even hearing the smack of objects fall from his hands and onto the floor. He melted. Noses brushed against each other as she pulled him into a kiss that was worth the years of patient pining. He let out a breathless laugh when she pulled away, letting his head fall back for a moment as she used her hands to lift him back into an upright position. His hand came to rest on her shoulders, massaging them gently to fully know that she was there.
That nagging feeling finally crawled away, chased out by an eruption of warmth in his stomach.
“I finally caught you, (Y/N),” he said, wearing a dopey grin.
“Took you long enough,” she teased, hitting his arm.
Picking up his belongings that he had dropped suddenly, he held the brim of her old hat between his fingers and slipped it onto her head. Back where it belonged.
The photo was a pretty one, fitting perfectly into the last page of his album.
So this onshot comes from a prompt in my writers notebook that I’ve been wanting to write for over a year. And when talking to one of my firends we got really into multiple different idea’s and then dragged Kiwi into it. So this one is sort of collaborated.
I hope you liked it! it’s the longest thing I’ve written so far and it’s about the length of a regular two or three parted story. - Bacon
Posted: 03/07/2020
#Haikyuu x reader#Nishinoya Yuu#nishinoya x reader#Haikyuu#x reader#oneshot#oneshots#haikyuu oneshots#haikyuu reader insert#reader insert#aus#haikyuu aus#fluff#haikyu#anime x reader#anime#manga x reader#manga
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2020 Fic Year in Review
So I was tagged by both @kalee60 and @martelldoran - probably because they both know I’m a slut for tag games. I’m in, bitches.
Total number of completed stories:
6 completed, 1 WIP (but mostly written) on AO3
Total number of words:
41,813 published words... Closer to 65,000 in my gdocs
Fandoms written in:
MCU (Stucky)
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expected?
Uh, yeah. I hadn’t even watched more than CA:TFA and Iron Man until March this year when Disney+ launched here in the UK. Then I got into it, got HELLA SALTY about one particular film and in September/October time, decided I wanted to tell stories again. It went from writing out ficlets sporadically (Run your hands through my hair was the first) to writing TWIFFY almost every day.
What’s your own favourite story of the year?
I’m not sure. I really love The Way I Feel For You but Polaris was the first thing I published on AO3 and I love that fic even though it isn’t popular.
Did you take any writing risks this year?
Writing a multi-chapter was a big risk for me. I wasn’t really sure I could write in a different style and keep it snappy/sharp enough for people to enjoy. I have a tendency to get prose-y and I knew it wouldn’t work with the story I wanted to tell.
Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the new year?
Sign up to the Shrunkyclunks Bang 2021 (and flesh out an actual plot)
Maybe write a Regency AU
Definitely write a modified Gatsby AU
More prompt challenges
Most popular story of the year?
The Way I Feel For You is definitely my most popular. I can’t even look at my subscriber stats or I get paralysed and can’t write.
Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
I don’t think any of them are under-appreciated. I’m such a new writer and I’m a slut for attention and praise so I don’t really worry about it. People hit the X for so many reasons. I don’t need to know why, I just hope they find a fic they want to read instead!
Most fun story to write?
I wrote A century of not being a morning person in about forty five minutes. It’s crack-y but soft and it makes me laugh every time I imagine Bucky being rudely woken up in the morning.
Most unintentionally telling story:
The Kissing our way into the future series. I told a few people this but I’ve always had those sorts of kisses with exes, the type that say everything. I think I put myself in those fics more than I meant to.
Biggest disappointment:
I don’t know. Maybe some of the fandom drama that hit my dash if anything. I had a couple of fic ideas that I couldn’t write past Chapter 1 or 2 and I wish I could have done.
Biggest surprise:
The people in fandom. I literally knew nobody in October and just kind of flung myself at people and showed enthusiasm and everybody responded in kind. I definitely wouldn’t have written so much without you all.
This was fun! Tagging without pressure - @oh-i-swear-writes, @howdoyousleep3, @hawkeyeandthewintersoldier, @musette22, @hanitrash and anybody else who wants to do this!
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Under Pressure 6|15
FryeArcana
Chapter 6
Rei
Summary:
Tensions are rising but not in the city this time it's at work when a certain coworker make advances at you right when things aren't going great between you and Lin.
“sure doesn’t seem that way, she seems to like you a lot” Lin smirks, enjoying how upset you’re getting. “that’s her fault, not mine. besides it’ll never happen.” You rebutted as you turn around and take a couple steps away “why is that?” she asks noticing your shift “Cause she’s not you, Lin!” you burst out turning around to face her. You breathe deeply slightly panting “she’s not you…” you breathe out.
You’ve been feeling like yesterday was too weird for you being all professional at your job around Lin, so you felt cutting back and go back to how it was before but keeping some boundaries. You’re taking your helmet off when you notice Lin walking beside you “Morning, Chief” you greet her. She stops at her tracks and turns around to watch you mount off your bike and you ruffle your hair since it got flatten by the helmet. “morning, Lieutenant” she grumbles “you got that plan ready for my desk?” she asks you flatly as the both of you walk inside the building you open the door for her. “just about, got new information last night. Want to discuss the plan in my office?” Lin stiffens up a bit unsure on what to say “sure, now?” she looks up and watches the elevators rise as they go up to the upper floor. “whenever you’re available, chief” you give her a soft smile as you wave then head to your office.
You turn on the lights and take your jacket off as you’re in a buttoned up shirt, since you didn’t come back to the office you left your uniform jacket here. You go to your closet and change out, unbuttoning your shirt you hear a knock and quickly buttoned yourself back up and go to the door, “oh Rei, morning. Something wrong?” you look around confused to what she’s doing here in front of you. “oh no, everything is fine. I was coming up to hand Saikhan his queries and since you’re on the way I thought I could offer some coffee?” she sheepishly smiles as she offers you a cup. You look down at her then eye her “oh…nice. I appreciate it, thanks, Rei” you give her a smile “I should get back to work though, busy day” you step back trying to pull away from this “oh sure, you and your detectives are always constantly working.” She giggles as she tugs on her papers to her chest. You softly tap on the cup and nod curling your lips to a smile “yeah, we are. Well.. thanks for the coffee again, I’ll catch you around, bye” you nicely excuse yourself as you wave at her and close the door.
You set the cup of coffee on your desk and head back to the closet and unbutton your shirt and hang it in the closet as you grab your uniform jacket. You hear another knock at your door, you think it’s Rei, so you don’t answer. There is another knock, you groan as you button the bottom ones up “you know I can sense you in there” you hear Lin’s voice as she opens the door and let’s herself in closing the door behind her. She watches you button your uniform jacket up; you would’ve missed the blush creep into her cheeks if you weren’t looking at her. “Sorry, Chief. You’re always welcome in. Not like I have a choice” you smirk as you straighten out your sleeves and collar then walk over to your desk. “Right, well if you’re done doing whatever it is you’re doing we can get on with the plan on these triads.” Lin looks you over then sees the mess of paper in your office “what the flameo is all this?”. Now it’s your turn for a blush to creep up as you rub the back of your neck “my investigation, well Chief I’m a visual learner so it helps to spread out the information. Though I should’ve cleaned up, but it would mess with my process.” You walk over to crouch down and gather the papers in their stacks, cleaning up a bit. “leave it, wouldn’t mess with whatever process you have.” Lin orders and you stand up and walk back to your desk “very well, I know this looks like it makes no sense, but I’ve actually made a report of my findings that explains all this” you motion towards the area of the board, map, and papers. “you want to come around here and check this out” you motion her to come to your desk and offer your chair as she sits down as you lean over and point at a smaller version of the city’s map and an outline of your findings. “so as I said yesterday on the plans the Triple Threats have on this shipment. I’ve learned that it’s going to happen Friday night, 10 to be specific, during the pro-bending match. It’s going to happen at this dock here…” you grab a red fine tip marker and lean over Lin as you circle around the location. “I figure we would get two unmarked cars to stakeout and 3 boats on the ready until the opportune time to have them surrounded and strike.” You make marks at where each satomobile and boat would be placed to hide then you continue to draw arrows in the direction they would come in on the attack. You’re into the report that you don’t catch Lin’s glances as she listens to you work, until you finish and look over at her and see her eyes. Just now noticing how close your faces are to one another, your eyes glance down at her lips before looking back at her eyes. you lean in a bit but catch yourself, frowning a bit and pull away. Standing up straight, clearing your throat “well that’s the plan… hopefully it’s to your approval, Chief”. Lin looks down at your plan and looks it over once more taking it all in, “yes, it sounds promising. Very well in 3 days’ time, Friday we’ll move in. Is that all you have?” she stands up from your chair and makes her way towards the door “yes, Chief. Anything else you’ll be the first to know.” You state as you gather the papers together, but you don’t hear Lin leave yet “I didn’t know a secretary’s job description was to deliver coffee.” You quickly look up glancing over at the coffee then at her “I’m sorry?” your voice confused by her sudden comment “I saw that girl yesterday and again this morning both instances having to do with coffee.” She coldly states as she turns back around to face you “oh, that. It’s nothing. Nothing but an act of kindness between one friend to another” you calmly explain without giving it another thought. “some friend she is….to come several floors just to give a “friend” a cup of coffee.” You smirk “I understand how it must look to you, but despite your jealousy. Nothing is going on between Rei and I.” Lin huffs out “Jealous? please” she opens the door and walks out closing the door.
*
“almost done” you grunt as you tightened a screw, then put the object up in front of you admiring your work. Ever since the Equalist Revolution you didn’t want to be left without some sort of armor without having to rely on the police armor. After work, you decided to work on building your own, Asami let you use some of her scraps of metal sheets. You’ve easily bended some sheets to create forearm sleeves added a metal pipe for the cables to run through along the sleeve. You don’t have enough metal to make a full chest plate so you decided to make a back brace to which you can attach spool in the similar fashion that Lin wears hers on her back. You’ve spent the remainder of the day on this personal project of yours. Once you were almost done you head outside and tested it out on the side of your apartment building. You bend out the cable and scale up the side of the building, there is some coiling issues, and a couple loose bolts but you it’s a quick fix. You scale back down the building and fix the issues before putting up your protective armor in a locked cabinet. “this looks so cool, especially over my clothes” you mutter then yawn, “damn I’m tired” you head up to your bedroom and shower getting ready for bed.
*
Next Day
You groan as you push yourself off the ground and get back in a fighting stance. Wiping the bead of sweat from the tip of your eyebrow as you start charging Rei dodging the fire she’s sending down at you. You start bending rocks at her before you launch yourself up and punch the ground sending columns out of the group sending Rei down to the ground. You breathe hard catching your breath as you see Rei knocked on her back, you walk over and look at her “yield?” she nods and laughs taking your hand as you pull her up. You smile as you massage your fingers and start unwrapping your wrists from the bindings, “you’re good at sparing, Rei. Thanks again for agreeing” you breathe out as Rei has a towel dabbing on her neck “oh no problem, glad I could help.” She smiles at you “thought may I ask why me?.” you look up at her as you slowly stop unwinding the bindings “oh, I would’ve asked Mako or avatar Korra but he’s out of the office. Since you’re the only other firebender I know. I figured I should ask.” You explain to her as you look down at your wrists flexing your hands “but why fire?” Rei turns her body in your direction, “hmm? Oh well I had this incident with a firebender when I was a kid. Where I got burned pretty badly. It’s how I got this mark on my bicep, I have another on the left side of my back” you show her your arm where the mark is. She reaches over and touches your mark and you step back moving your arm away. You don’t feel right having her touch you like this. “sorry” she is quick to apologize to you and you shake your head “it’s fine…I’m a good fighter. Though I do have some timidness fighting against fire. I guess I still have some reservations on that incident, so I want to get better. A better understanding on a firebender’s fighting style.” You state as you pace in the training arena “that’s smart. You say you have reservations, but I didn’t notice any during the sparing.” Rei looks at you while you walk and grabs a drink of water. You smirk “well I trust you enough to know you’re not going to do anything below the belt.” you chuckle a bit and a silence comes between the two of you as you unwrap the other binding from your left wrist. Rei walks up to you and lifts your chin with a finger, so you’ll look at her “I’ll never hurt you, y/n” she whispers slightly biting her lip as she leans in and presses her lips on yours. You’re in a state of shock by her sudden advance, gently put your hands on her shoulders and push her back, “what are you doing?” you look at her in disbelief. “a kiss, silly” Rei smiles as she reaches over to move some hair away from your eyes and you grab her wrist and pushes her advances off. “Stop. I know what a kiss is, the question is why?!” You put more of a distance between the two of you. “I mean it’s pretty obvious that I like you.” Rei states as she takes a step closer to you. You take another step back, “well quit it. I don’t like you like that. We’re just colleagues. Nothing romantic is going on here.” You glare at her, standing your ground as you create more boundaries. “but the glances, the talks, the flirting…” Rei stammers about confused. You look at her confused “flirting? What flirting?! There has been no flirting. I’ve joked around but there wasn’t any flirting!” you stammer over your words then sigh deeply rubbing your temple “… Rei, look, I’m sorry. You’re a nice girl and all but I’m not interested in you. At All” Rei rubs her forehead trying comprehend what’s going on “I’m sorry, I could have sworn you were gay. My gaydar is usually not wrong.” She puts her hand on her hip in disbelief.
Lin would never admit it out openly to you, but the thought of you being with someone else or anyone stepping in between, boiled her blood. She was looking for you, to ask questions about the leader Viper, but didn’t find you in your office, she asked around the hall wondering where you went off to. She heard from Detective Gang that you decided to go spar in the training ground during your lunch break. As she was about to walk in the room she see Rei go in to kiss y/n, Lin back away from the area and has her back against the wall. Balling her fists she was about to go balls blazing and her mind goes to one thing She’s closer to her age, you’re old. You’re better off alone. Yet again you get left for a younger woman. What has Lin done that not once but now twice has her romances have been taken away by a younger attractive more feminine woman. Lin was so focused in her career and had been with Tenzin for almost a decade she never thought of anything whenever Tenzin teaching that new acolyte Pema. It was part of his whole keeping up the Air Nation legacy after all. It wasn’t until she was starting to notice little things like Tenzin, coming home later than normal and drifting apart. Until he broke up with her to be with Pema, she realized how foolish she was to not notice it sooner. At least it has only been six months of her time with y/n and not ten years. You’re not going to fall for this again. Cut it off right now before anything builds further and you won’t get hurt. Build your walls back up and shut it off. Never again will you lower your wall for them. She balled her fist
“I’m gay, yea. I’m attracted to women. I’m just not attracted…to you.” You stand unsure how she going to react to that last bit it sounded a bit harsh. Her eyes glared at you “what’s not attractive about me? I’m quite the catch” she walks up to you. You quickly take steps back “I’m sure you are. You’re just not my type….” You try to ease her down gently. “oh so beautiful women aren’t your type?” she crosses her arms not taking you serious at this point. “it takes more than looks to get my attention Rei” you roll your eyes as you cross your arms, turning your back away from her, “you should leave, breaks almost over”. You sense Rei about to say something else that you ball your fists getting tired of this banter that your outburst “I like someone else! Okay. I only have eyes for her. I’m done talking about this. Get out.” You look at her wave your hands out the door as you walk away going to your gym bag. “Does she work here?” she asks, and you shake your head annoyingly “no, you don’t know her. Lunch break is over.” Before Rei can push any information out you get interrupted by none other than Lin.
Fuck
Lin was going to just walk away to prep the official break up after work until… she heard your outburst. She stood still when that bitch asked if the person you liked worked in this station and she felt your heart pulse quicker than normal before denying it. Lin grew annoyed of this bitch talking to you, so she stepped in to save you anymore torment and to just get this slut away.
“what is a secretary doing on the training grounds, only officers are permitted, Lieutenant.” She barks out to which Rei quickly grabs her things and runs out the room. Leaving you standing by the benches as you put your wrappings in your bag and grab your uniform jacket. “are you going to give me an explanation.” Lin walks into the room and closes the door behind her as she walks over to you. You look up at her as you step back to the back of the room over by the water station, “where are you going” she barks out. “what, can’t grab a drink of water” you bark back as you grab a paper cup and swig some water. You walk inside the training room intentionally getting as farther away from the door away from any wandering ears putting on the jacket, but you don’t button it up yet. “I thought it was fine since she works at the station. I didn’t think it was a problem, Chief.” You finally talk, looking down at the ground as you rub the back of your neck. “the sparing match or the kiss?” she spat out as she crossed her arms you look up fast you almost take out your neck “you saw that?!” you lower your head as you groan out lowering yourself down as you bring your hands up your hair. How the fuck, are you in this situation right now. “I think I saw plenty” Lin states. You bring your head up to look at her “oh so you saw me shove her off, then proceed to tell her that nothing was ever going to happen between me and her.” You state as you look up at her while you’re crouched down Lin rolls her eyes “I can’t take you seriously when you’re crouched down like some coward.” She snarls. You ball your fists as you stand up straight and walk right up to her, “what about now, Chief” you enunciate the last word “how is this for coward” you glare at her. “this is your place of employment not your space to mix business with pleasure” she states as she has her arms behind her back. You roll your eyes, “you know more than anyone that I take my job seriously.”
“maybe, that little shit show earlier says otherwise.” she shrugs as she hides her emotions well and takes control of the room.
“oh come on! Rei is nothing. She’s no one to me.” you raise your voice as you throw your rag to a wall. You starting to lose control of your emotions.
“sure doesn’t seem that way, she seems to like you a lot” Lin smirks, enjoying how upset you’re getting. “that’s her fault, not mine. besides it’ll never happen.” You rebutted as you turn around and take a couple steps away “why is that?” she asks noticing your shift
“Cause she’s not you, Lin!” you burst out turning around to face her, slightly panting “she’s not you…” you breathe out. Lin’s eyes widen as she takes a step back from your outburst. “control yourself Lieutenant” she says coolly undeterred by your statement. You give her a face, how the fuck is she so calm yet you’re the one on the brink of breaking you stand up straight. Lin gives yourself a moment to control your emotions and breathing “you’re right. I was out of line. This is clearly not a conversation to be having at work. Excuse me, chief” you rush pass her as you button up your uniform “take the rest of the day off, Lieutenant” Lin calls out. You shake your head as you get your belongings “I’m fine, Chief. I’ll manage” you respond back. “it wasn’t a suggestion.” She walks out of the water station as she looks at you while she walks past you “it’s an order” you look up to see her as she walks out the room. You drop your bag in defeat before you pick it up again and rush out the station, not stopping to talk to anyone especially not Rei as she’s sitting behind the lobby counter.
*
You’ve spent the afternoon at a bar drinking your thoughts away, you’ve probably been there for 3 hours until Chen recommended you go home and offered to call you a cab. You wave him off and told him you’re fine and barely even drunk. You made sure to drink enough water and one you got somber enough you stumble out the bar and buy yourself a packet of cigarettes and a lighter from a nearby corner store.
You lean against the oak bark and breathe deeply closing your eyes as you focus on the clashing of waves of the water. How could you even allow yourself to drink because of a woman. It angered you, you take a cigarette out and light it, taking a puff and smoke. Opening your eyes as you look out at the horizon watching the sunset. You’ve given up smoking for years after learning of other ways to relax and get rid of your stress, but nothing seems to work now. You don’t understand the pull between you and Lin, it almost seemed magnetic since the first time you met. There was always this underline chemistry between the two of you. Everything seemed to click and make sense when you two spent those two days in the compound. How perfect your lips met and melded together when you shared your first kiss. You subconsciously brush your lips as you think back to that moment just know. Then close your eyes to force yourself to think of something else and take another smoke. Putting your hand on your face bringing your knee up to your chest. “Wow I am pathetic” you mutter and laugh at yourself. You don’t have anyone to talk to about this, everyone is out with Korra. Tenzin is with his family visiting Air Temples. Asami went back to the south pole to talk with Varrick. Well at least I haven’t cried. That’s one good thing. You laugh again as you take another puff. You notice a band of teens meeting up near the center of the park and start playing their instruments. You listen to their jazz music and lean your head back and enjoy it. The music and the smoking seem to allow you to let go of all your bad energy.
*
“hey…..hey you… you alive?” you feel a hand on your shoulder as they shake you. You wake up suddenly and grab their wrist about to bend it back, “woah woah, I’m not here to hurt you, kid” you hear the voice as you regain your eyesight rubbing them to see clearly. You see an impoverished man “uh hi” you mutter out your throat dry, “hey you look familiar, you come here often?” he asks you as he hands you back your now put out cigarette. “uh thanks for putting that out and yeah, I usually sit at this tree often” you croak out “Oh yeah, I’ve seen you here multiple times. oh here, this might help” he takes out a canteen and hands it to you and you cautiously eye him as you reach out to it but stop yourself “It’s not poisoned or anything. It’s just water.” You take his canteen and slowly bring your lips to it and take a sip and drink the water “thanks” you gave him a smile and sit up “so who are you?” you ask him as you look around, you must’ve been asleep for half an hour to an hour. “I’m Gommu, I live over in that bush” he pointed towards it and you scratch your head Gommu, that name sounds familiar… “wait, are you the same Gommu that helped Team Avatar?” you look at him. He smiles bright and proudly “the very same” he points to himself. “so what’s a fella like you doing passed out here don’t you got a bed” he changes the conversation back to you. “huh? Oh yeah I do, but I just really enjoy the scenery here. The sounds of the waves, the feeling of the earth, the wind, I guess all there is missing is the fire and you’ll have all the elements.” Gommu smiles and nods agreeing with you “yup, which is why I live like I do. The nomadic vagabond culture is the best” he falls back putting his arms behind his head and smiles gazing up at the first starts appearing in the sky. “I remember nights I would go camping, I traveled a lot in my youth and gaze up at the stars, but I like sleeping in a bed, it beats the hard ground” you laugh then look around once again “hey Gommu, you hungry?” you look over at him “eh, I can eat. You want to fish in the river?” he asks excitingly, you chuckle “um, I don’t think we that’s legal, Gommu. No, there’s a diner close to here. My treat.” You offer as you begin to stand up and dust yourself off.
*
You and Gommu laugh over his silly stories of having to run away from a guard while he and Korra were fishing in the river. “it was weird seeing a water tribe girl frying up some fish with fire bending, but who am I to judge. All I wanted was them tasty-smelling fishies” he told while he munched on some rice and veggies. You laugh “I can’t believe Korra was fishing in the river, well now that you mention it, I can totally believe it.” You laugh some more as you put some duck into your mouth. Gommu tells you all about his time with Team Avatar down in the sewers. “wait you were a former telegraph operator for the United Forces?!” you almost choked on your food. “yup!” Gommu smiles “that’s so cool! I’ve always wondering how to send a message, but never got the hang of it” you remarked “eh it’s a trade and a skill to practice, but once you got it. It’s stuck in your brain” he poked at his temple as he squinted at you. You smile and nod as you pay for the meal and the both of you head on back to the park. “thanks, Gommu” you say to him quietly as you make way to his bush. “for what? If anything I should thank you for that meal” he rubbed his belly as he picked at his teeth. You smile “I was feeling sort of down earlier, but you helped distract my mind away from it. All my friends are out of the city at the moment. I’m glad I have at least one friend still in Republic City” you pat his shoulder. “eh don’t mention it, kid. Whenever you need a talk or got any tasty-smelling fishies. You know where to find me” he fingers guns you and winks. You wave at him then put your hand in your pocket and feel the packet of cigarettes then stop Gommu “Hey Gommu, you want this carton? I don’t really need it nor want it. Trying to break the habit. Maybe you know someone who wants it” you hand it to him, and he puts it in his pocket “sure, I know some folks” he gives you a salute as he runs over to the bush and dives in and you walk away out the park. You inhale and exhale deeply feeling a new sense of peace wave over you, something you felt lost without. But you stop dead in your tracks, where the fuck is Nox?!
#fanfic#lin x reader#linbeifong#lin beifong#TLOK2UnderPressure#fyrefics#linxreader#linbeifongxreader#linbeifong x reader
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Caging a White Wolf with His Bird
“Just say it. Just bloody say it, Geralt, instead of brooding over there and refusing to look at me. You blame me for this, don’t you?”
Across the damp cell, with its unforgiving stench, Geralt leaned into the bars, his hands placed firmly on two parallel iron rods. If Jaskier didn’t know Geralt’s strength, from the rippling muscles and furrowed brow he would’ve guessed he was half-ready to bend them.
However, he knew that Geralt’s inhuman strength wasn’t quite that great. Unfortunately, because now he was just trapped in here, being glared at from afar.
Well, Jaskier assumed he was glaring. All he could see were the remnants of an angry eyebrow on Geralt’s left side.
“If we’re stuck in here for a few hours, we should probably at least attempt talking this out like adults instead of pouting like children, correct?” When the silence pervaded, Jaskier was half ready to pull off his boot and toss it at the Witcher. But considering these were his favorite, best-polished leather, he decided against it.
Fashion won over fiery rage.
Flopping back down on the shitty cot bed of this small-town dungeon, Jaskier felt his spine crack in several places just from coming in contact. He groaned. “I get this is your style, stiff-faced and silent like a very angry, very cursed marionette of a person, but for the love of god say-”
“Fuck. Shut up, Jaskier.”
And with a glance back, the Bard finally saw those yellow eyes meet his. They were dilated, frustrated, but something in the way he clenched his fists wasn’t the kind of control Geralt had when he was holding in rage. It was something much more unstable.
Raising an eyebrow, Jaskier felt his petulance deflate from his lungs, turning his huffy response into something much quieter. “Why are you afraid, Geralt?” Within seconds, Jaskier’s mind started to reel. They were just a half-assed cell in Posada, after a little too raunchy of a night.
Well, raunchy may be an... inappropriate word, but the severity was still correct. “I’m sorry that I flirted with that man’s fiance, okay? I didn’t know. I was drunk after playing, like I often am, and she was beautiful, like women often are, and she made no indication when her hand was unbuttoning my pants that there was a jealous man on the other side of the bar.”
“No, you didn’t notice, did you.”
It should have been a question, but Geralt was just gritting his teeth, growling over there like a starved animal.
Jaskier felt a tightness is his chest, something seizing his heart and squeezing it. He’d made Geralt angry before, he knew what angry looked like. This was something different, just as ferocious, he couldn’t identify it, and he didn’t know how to react to it. Every little fluttering laugh or hopeless joke in his body was being swallowed by the uncertainty.
Standing up, Jaskier took a step towards Geralt. With his hands reaching towards the Witcher, he said, “I’m serious, Geralt. I’m sorry. We’ll be out by morning, though. And I’ll try to be more careful with my... escapades.”
“Yeah, you should be.”
“What does that mean?”
With a roll of his eyes, Geralt pushed off the bars and finally turned to him, shoulders straight, his body towering over his. Not in the literal sense, but those eyes looked down on him from above his flared nostrils and it just felt like the Witcher was up on some high horse while he was down on the ground, a lowly lech.
No matter how right Geralt was, that he caused a bit too much trouble today, Jaskier did not appreciate being looked down on. He crossed his arms, waiting for whatever stupid thing the Witcher was about to say.
Geralt finally said, “Maybe I’m tired of watching you... fraternize with a new person in every town we visit.”
“Says the man with a kink for every court sorceress we meet.”
His eyes thinned, a horizon line centered by a corn husk moon. “I don’t do that anymore.”
Throwing up his hands, Jaskier was starting to topple off his own edge. This was what the man was mad about? What was next, him launching into a soliloquy about safe sex? “And why not? You were much less bristled porcupine. More like a well-fanged werewolf puppy who eats other werewolf puppies for coin.” Jaskier grimaced. “That analogy was dumb, it doesn’t go in the next song. But if I wanted to embarrass you for being a pompous ass, it would!”
Just then, Geralt grabbed his collar. But the second his fingers closed on the cloth, tight, he let go just as quickly. “Forget about it.”
“Hard to forget about whatever kind of teenage mood swings you’re on right now.”
“Jaskier, please.”
“You saying please? Now I know something’s truly up. You can talk to me, y’know? The male ego about emotions is overrated.”
Geralt shut his eyes, swallowed, looked like he was trying to pretend he was anywhere else. Jaskier stepped closer, but that only made Geralt back up into the bars. When his eyes flashed open, it wasn’t the fierce, soul-piercing gaze he was used to. He looked so soft; maybe even scared. “Don’t.”
“Tell me. I’d do anything for you.”
With a shuddering breath, Geralt, said, “I don’t want to see you with anyone anymore.”
“I- I didn’t realize my sexscapades bothered you so much. I’ll... I’ll be subtle.”
“No.” The Witcher’s eyes scanned his face, looked down to his hands, and to Jaskier’s confusion and surprise, took his own, large paw and brushed it lightly against the Bard’s cheek. “I don’t have the right, but I don’t want you with anyone.”
Furrowing his brow, Jaskier was confused. “Celibacy isn’t exactly my style. Or yours, Geralt. I don’t quite understand-”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Just shut up.” And before Jaskier could even attempt another word, Geralt’s hands cupped his face and pulled him into a kiss.
Jaskier started it off stunned, immobilized. He never would have suspected the Witcher had any interest in him; not that he’d never shown interest in any men, but certainly not men like him.
All these years, they had been friends, companions, business partners of sorts, but Geralt always acted like Jaskier was an annoying tick on a good day, a sucking leech on a bad one. He’d never thought Geralt wanted him to suck-
Just then, Geralt released him and stepped back and away, like even being close to Jaskier was a bad idea. “I’m an idiot.”
“Normally I’m the idiot, so this is a little refreshing.”
“Not funny.”
Jaskier didn’t really know how to approach Geralt. All these years, he was up on some mountain, an eagle, a wolf, a wild untameable beast and Jaskier was his little bird, a pet he sometimes kept around for fun little larks.
It wasn’t that the man wasn’t attractive; he’d known that from the second he met him, all those years ago in the tavern ten feet above them. But Jaskier always assumed that someone like Geralt would never be interested in a weak, funny little bird.
Geralt growled, “Just say something and get this over with.”
But for once in his life, Jaskier had nothing to say. Instead, he grabbed Geralt’s hand and drew himself close.
Those yellow eyes watched him with such mistrustful scrutiny; tracking every twitch, every touch, like at any moment Jaskier could bite him.
To think, the White Wolf was scared of little old him.
Helpless to his own smile, Jaskier placed his hand on Geralt’s chest. “I’ll stop if someone better takes their place.”
Before Geralt could feel insecurity, talk them in circles like the man he wasn’t, Jaskier grabbed hold of his hair and slightly tugged, pulling Geralt’s face to his.
And he kissed him again.
Maybe this night left alone in a cage wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to a bird and a wolf.
#Witcher fanfic#Geraskier#bird and wolf#geralt x Jaskier#Geralt x Dandelion#Jeralt#Locked up fic#Witcher fic#just for fun#One-shot#trapped in close quarters#Jaskier's sexcapades
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Catradora. Something soft pls
I know I said drabble requests but Scone gets a whole ass fic because why not.Title: After it allWord count: 1730Rating: General
“AAaddooorraaaaa, I’m tirreeddd.” Catra groaned while she flopped herself down on the blonde’s lap. “I’m just gonna, stay here.” Catra told her, the Magicat purred and laid on her lap. Adora looked down at Catra with surprise. They had just finished their meeting about what to do next for Etheria after the defeat of Horde Prime. Adora was surprised that after everything they’ve been through, Catra was just to lay down on her lap and complain how tired she was?
Adora looked down at her, Catra still had some scars on her here and there. Her new outfit looked fitting to her from Adora’s angle, yet didn’t. Adora looked at her mismatched eyes, her head tilting as her slightly while she wondered what to do next. Adora was so surprised, she never had Catra be this close to her without fighting her in a very long time. It felt so odd to her, especially since Catra was just sitting on her lap purring loudly like old times. Adora didn’t know what to do. She just sat there on her chair, looking at Catra in surprise. Catra squinted at her, stopping her purring and looking annoyed with her.
“Heellooo Etheria to Adora heeelloooo.” Catra waved at her. Adora blinked and looked at her in surprise. Adora’s eyes widening and bits of her hair falling from her ponytail.
“Oh um…hey Catra.”
“Hey Adora. You’re my bed now. Get used to it.”
Catra hasn’t changed much, Adora realized.
“That’s fine but…wouldn’t you want to sleep on an actual bed?” Adora asked raising a brow at her. “There’s a lot of rooms in Brightmoo-”
“Adora, there’s no spare rooms.” Glimmer quickly added in while she looked at the hologram on intercom. She hummed and swiped a few things here and there, then began typing. “I can understand if you two need space, but there’s a lot of rebellion fighters sleeping in the castle and it’s going to take awhile to well…empty out any rooms since we need to focus on the rebuilding efforts. Plus…Catra is literally laying down on your lap and you’re letting her stay there. Why don’t you just let her use your bed?”
Adora blushed at the suggestion. Catra, use her bed?! That was a shock. Adora would have never thought- “If you’re going to take me to your bed you’re going to have to carry me because I don’t feel like walking.” Catra said looking at her sharp fingernails. Catra was oddly out of character even for Adora at this point. Adora couldn’t help but growing suspicious. Since when did Catra get so bossy?
“Fine. I’ll take you to my bed then.” Adora picked up Catra with both of her arms. Catra mewled in surprise, blinking. She was expecting Adora to just well…stay there. Laws of the cat laying on a human and all. Adora broke a sacred rule among cat lovers and she wasn’t sorry for it. “My bed is far more comfortable than the other beds in Brightmoon anyways.” She told her with a smirk. Catra pouts at her smirk.
“Just shut up and take me there already, Adora.” Catra hissed. Adora laughed. Glimmer looked on in surprise.
“Taking her to your bed just like that then?” Glimmer noted with a grin on her lips. She pointed at the two of them, noting how Adora was carrying Catra bridal style. “I thought you would put up more of a fight, but Bow still owes me money then.” Glimmer responded with a smug expression. “So tell me, have you guys well…told each other yet?”
Catra and Adora looked at each other confused. “Told each other what?” They both asked in unison.
“That, well…” Glimmer made her hands fold into the perfect shape for one to make sock puppets. She pressed her hands together and made kissing noises. “Oh Adora I missed you so much, I’m so happy to finally be with you. Hiss. Hiss. Purr.” Glimmer mocked Catra’s voice. “Oh I love you Catra! Mawh mawh mawh.” Glimmer pressed her hands together more, her expression stayed that same smug expression while the two looked at Glimmer in shock and their faces turned red. “Mawh, mawh, mawh. I love you so much Catra, let’s get married and never have to leave each other ever again. Mawh mawh.”
“Queen Glimmer of Bright Moon!” Adora gasped out, shocked.
“Sparkles!” Catra equally yelled out in shock.
“I’m not lying though!” Glimmer slammed her hands on the table, her look striking fear into their souls. “Ever since me and Catra came back from Horde Prime’s ship all you’ve been doing is giving each other bedroom eyes!! I’m sick and tired of this romantic and possibly sexual tension! Just kiss and get married already! Queen’s orders!” Glimmer grabbed the end of her cape, flipping it with her as she turned around. Glimmer teleported away, assuming she was done being third wheel to Catra and Adora’s antics.
Adora and Catra looked at each other with confused and scared looks. The blush still on their faces. Adora smirked and opened her mouth to say something then Catra added, “No. I’m not going to marry you. Sparkles is not the boss of me.”
Adora’s smirk turned into a frown. “B-”
“What is marriage anyways?”
Adora soon realized that Catra didn’t know what marriage was. Adora didn’t know much of it herself until Spinerlla and Netossa came into the picture. The two were married. So Adora hummed as they walked out of the war room to Adora’s room. Adora had to think, and thinking of an explanation to a concept she barely understood was harder than she thought. “Well, marriage is kind of a fancy way of saying you want to be with someone for as long as their alive. You know how we have our squadron back in the Horde? And we stayed with them until we become Force Captains? It’s like that…but with two people, and you get to pick who you stay with.”
“So it’s basically a fancy way of saying partners for life?”
Adora nodded. Catra gave her a sort of look that told her that everything came together.
“We should get married then.” Catra told her with her ears perking up. Adora froze. Catra pouts and waves her hands in front of her face. “Heellooo Etheria to Adora?! You’re really doing this again?! Are you sure you’re not brain damaged?!” Adora looks down at Catra, her face was one of pure shock.
“A-are you sure about that?!” Adora asked her, Adora picked up the pace, walking a little quicker to her bedroom.
Catra sighed, waving her hands around. “Sure why not, I mean since we are on the same side now, why not make it official right?” Catra responded nonchalantly.
Adora wanted to scream.
If Catra didn’t stop she was going to scream.
Once they got to her room, Adora kicked that door open like it owed her lunch money. It was probably broken in some parts but she didn’t care. Adora was trying her best to suppress her emotions. Catra looked a little worried…maybe saying that was a bad idea. Adora was going insane. Catra leaped off of her hold, landing on her feet on the ground. Catra took a good look around the room before looking back at Adora who was closing the door. “Hey. You. Bed. Now.” Catra commanded. Adora blinked.
“What?”
“You heard me. Bed. Now. You’re acting crazy.”
“You’re the one who’s acting crazy!”
“Oh, are we really going to argue over this?”
“Yes, we are.”
Adora and Catra looked at each other. Both females sharing grins while they prepared for their ritual. “Oh you wanna fight huh?” Adora asked her with playfulness in her expression. Catra nodded, her claws retracting and her tail lashed about. Her haunches rose as well as her fur. The both of them look at each her. They were ready. “The first one to touch the bed has to admit their crazy.” Adora proclaimed.
“I can agree to those terms.” Catra replied, with their wager set the two began battle. Catra being the first one to launch at Adora. Adora moved herself to the side, barely dodging Catra’s attack. Catra was able to counter and used her agility to turn herself around and grab Adora by her waist, pushing her to the bed. Adora attempted to push, pull, or even stop herself but the momentum was so strong that Catra pinned Adora to her bed.
Catra looked down at her, grinning widely while her tail lashed about. Catra’s pupils turned from their natural slits to wide dilated pupils. Catra was treasuring in this moment. Adora heard her loud purrs. It was obvious that the Magicat was enjoying this. Adora in a sense enjoyed their swift battle too, even if she lost. The two stared at each other. Catra couldn’t help but be excited at seeing her below her. Her claws slowly pulled out while she dug them into the bed, tearing some of the blanket and bedding. Catra’s breathing was rapid as if she ran for her life.
Adora looked up in surprise, Catra was liking this a little too much? Adora’s blush returned to her face. Catra looked beautiful, even as she tore into her bed. “Hey.” Her voice soft and gentle. “Come closer, I want to tell you something.” Adora whispered. Catra pulled her face closer, wanting to hear what the loser had to say.
What surprised her, was what Adora did next.
Instead of admitting she was just some crazy person who needed sleep, Adora kissed her. Catra’s fur stood on end, her tail froze in surprise. Everything froze in surprise, the only sound heard in their room was Catra’s loud purring and the tear of her claws through the bedding. Adora closed her eyes while the two shared that kiss. The tears began to fall between them, both of their eyes watering. Catra retracted her claws, holding that kiss for a few moments before pulling away.
“I love you.” Adora told her.
“I love you too, ya dork. Now…let me just hold you for awhile.”
Adora nodded, the two moved enough that they were both lying in the same bed. Side by side, looking at each other. Catra smiled and held Adora, pulling her close and nuzzling into her neck. Catra purred loudly while she kissed her shoulder blade up to her neck, then her cheek and finally to her lips. The two shared a soft and tender, while brief, kiss.
Catra and Adora fell asleep after that kiss. They were going to have a long recovery to help with, and they would need all of the rest they would be able to get.
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