#this man was by the entire student body) sat our whole year group down and tried to get the person who’d been stealing coats

[fingertipsmp3]

That school assembly post is bringing back so many buried memories lol

[mannien]

Mornings in Sheffield Park | TH - PROLOGUE

The one with graduation, daisies and carnations, and a hopeless emotional addiction.

Word count: 3.1k

Warnings: some stress and anxiety here and there

Some feelings are addictive. It’s easy to get used to the way something tingles with excitement, warms up with passion, or stings with powerful adrenaline rush. People get comfortable with feelings known and desired and more often than not, they turn them into coping mechanisms. Whatever sticks their wobbly pieces together the longest, is the ultimate solution. Feelings don’t need to be entirely positive or with pure intentions behind them. As long as they cover up the shattered pieces, they stay. They may enhance some experiences, especially when someone decides to stick with something as simple as joy. But some make life more difficult than it seems; they mess up the timeline and allow people to feel so many wrong things before reaching the truth.

An array of emotions weaves through fresh university graduates. A sense of freedom and relief is somewhat clouded by fear or excitement. Someone has an internship lined up, their friends take a year to travel across Europe, a roommate has an apprenticeship at their next job. Others might take things slow and see what the future holds, while some students get prepared to have a fresh start. The overall unknown seems to be the underlying tone in the speeches during the graduation ceremony, but each person in polished shoes and with a rapid heartbeat subconsciously sticks to a feeling that makes them feel more at ease.

Students of each program are called on stage. Every little success along the way is cradled into slippery hats and fitted gowns with the university’s subtle emblem on the front. The audience is sitting on the large balcony above the graduates. People clap with appreciation at each young person walking across the wooden floor and shaking the chancellor’s hand. Some receive a more enthusiastic applause, sometimes even a roar of cheers. As the long queue of journalism graduates makes its way through the hall, the names are listed rapidly. Students walk as if they were a part of an assembly line, trying their best not to delay the process of the nerve-wracking hand-shaking and walking without tripping. The last are always graduates with exceptional results, so the crowds are encouraged to clap vigorously. And that’s what’s heard when the eyes of two women in the audience are focused on the proud figure walking on stage: the loudest cheers of the afternoon so far.

“Remind me, why aren’t we screaming for your boyfriend, and the whole department of journalism is?” A questioning voice surprised Millie so much that she jumped in her seat.

“I’m nervous, Thea. That’s why.”

She stated the obvious. Millie Beaver was the one to frantically fix the sleeves of her gown as a nervous tick. She got up early that morning, dreading the day full of polished festivities and exaggerated elegance requested upon a bunch of tired, educated enough people. The pride in successfully finishing her studies was yet to come; her body was rather keen on reacting dramatically to the large crowds of scholars, pupils and their families. The dread of participating in an unrehearsed event like this clouded her brain and made her focus solely on not loosing it. Though she wouldn’t dare admit it to the smiling man, who was just about to shake some hands on stage. The confidence he wore on his face was something she was used to seeing, even in the least favourable scenarios.

“I still don’t get it, how some people are born so talented that they don’t need to work their asses off to get somewhere,” she shrugged, making her tight black curls shake with her head, “I mean, the hours we spent on reading and researching…”

“I guess we’re just different.”

“Different? It’s not fair, that’s what it is. Patriarchy at its finest.”

The comment made Millie laugh and release some of the tension. Her eyes followed Franklin into the side corridor, where a little crowd of his friends formed a circle around him – the star of the department - before continuing into their seats. His cheerful stance made her bit her lip in excitement; for a moment, she tried to forget about whatever was said through the speakers. She genuinely wanted to be feel happy for him and his academic achievements. After all, she spent previous months on watching him get to the top of their classes almost effortlessly, as if he was born to be talked about by the teachers.

Millie felt her heart speed up at the thought that he might start searching for her for a little cheer, or even a tiny wave of support. But Frank sat down and continued to enjoy his fame, and Thea started to pull her up from the wooden chair.

“Come on, it’s our turn.”

She followed her friend and attempted to smooth out the heavy gown. Her light brown hair flowed as she walked, making her nervously fix it every now and then. She turned to the very end of the queue to find Jane, who wore a wide smile. They made eye contact and the blonde sent her a half-smile, knowing that they are almost through the tough part. It calmed Millie to know that she had her support system, not only up in the balcony, but also somewhere among the students of literary and media studies. At one point she feared that her nightmare of falling off the stage will become reality, but as a surprise to her and her close ones, clumsy Millie walked gracefully and with pride painted across her face.

Mission accomplished: she made it through college without falling.

The main floor of the event hall once again filled with students, their peers, and families. Loud chatter was heard across the building as people were celebrating the achievements of the year’s graduates. Some of the groups moved outside and took in the chilly London air. It smelled of rain and freedom, clouded with light grey pillows in the sky.

The three girls tried to make it through the crowds of chatting people in search for the perfect spot to take pictures together. Jane wore the highest heels of them all, so she was designated to lead them to the wall with the logo of the university. In a tight weave of pinkie fingers, they rushed through the hall just as they would through a college party. Millie felt dizzy from the sea of the same black gowns surrounding them from every angle. Some people waved at them, so she kept her smile wide and left Thea – with her one hand free – to the waving back duty. Their secure escape led them safely to the back wall on the side of the entrance, where some of the students usually found peace between classes and sat down on the floor, watching over the busy entrance to the building during the semester. The carpet remembered a lot of spilled coffees and teas in the wobbly little cups purchased from the cafeteria inside. Millie let out a breath of relief, seeing that only a couple of students found this spot perfect for keeping the memories.

“Hey, congrats! We’re graduates!” Jane welcomed the group that was finishing their poses in front of the wall.

Thea laughed with them, but desperately waved her hand in front of her reddening face to cool off.

“I hate your speed in heels. That was too fast!”

“Don’t worry, at least you don’t have to run to the Linguistics ever again.” Millie pulled her little bag from underneath the gown and looked for a sheet of paper with old notes. As long as Jane was busy chatting up other students, the other two tackled the makeshift air conditioning to prevent Thea’s makeup from running.

“Okay, are we ready for some iPhone memories?” The sound of a snapshot stopped Millie from frantically fanning their friend’s face.

“You sound ready. Do you have a tripod or a selfie stick, though? I want to have a picture with all of you.”

“We could still catch that group and ask someone to snap a few?”

“I’m not running anywhere, I’ve just fixed my face!” Thea puffed her cheeks and did a few more waves around them, certainly for an enhanced dramatic effect.

“Then don’t run anywhere, I’ll call my mom to come here, she’s probably out for a smoke anyway.”

“You really want to have your graduation pictures taken by your mom?” Thea and Millie chuckled at Jane’s resigned sigh. “Maybe Frank could come here? I trust his steady hands more.”

“He was supposed to go to the student’s office after the ceremony. Honours and stuff.” Millie pursed her lips.

“Right when we need him! What a boyfriend.”

“Jane!”

“Do you need a hand, girls?”

A sudden male voice stopped the rising argument and made the three of them look into the corridor. He welcomed them with a warm smile and soft wrinkles by his eyes. With a small bunch of colourful flowers, he stood out in casual, non-graduate clothes, yet with similar youthfulness to him.

“I’m not my brother but I can take a straight picture in focus.”

“What the fuck?” Millie covered her mouth in shock. Hesitantly, she took one step away from Jane and Thea, afraid of her next reaction. “What the actual fuck are you doing here?”

“I came to my friend’s graduation, fancy seeing you here.”

“I’m serious!” She raised her voice and made her way over to him, meeting his steps somewhere in the middle of the distance. He was smiling at her stupidly and she couldn’t stop herself from mirroring his reaction.

“I’m serious too, you made it! That’s so cool!” He opened his arms and invited her in, with a small encouragement of his waving hand.

One of the most addictive feelings are those of an utter comfort and safety. This teasing sparkle making your insides warm up and encouraging you to be a little more positive. That’s precisely what Millie felt when she was engulfed in a tight hug by her childhood best friend. Tom held her tightly across her back and swayed them side to side, earning a hearty laugh from the girl who was now, shining. She felt a sense of genuine relief once he squeezed her in reassurance; her brotherly figure showed up, so she was finally able to relax. Suddenly everything felt easy and perfect. All of the stress, fear of the unknown, anxiety about the grand event of the day, and the rest of damaging emotions slowed down their tempo in her veins, simply because she was home. Her smile swiftly changed into more prominent and definitely brighter by a shade or two. As he held her close, he could feel Millie’s warmth suddenly radiate through his body, making his eyes twinkle with joy because of this very girl.

“Congratulations, Minnie Mouse, I’m so proud of you,” he whispered next to her ear, cautious of what others may hear from their little exchange. She did not need any more nerves weighting her down, so he decided not to make a big scene – even though he definitely wanted to tease her worrying head and make sure she’s having a good time. “you’re all grown up now, so I got you flowers.”

“Oh, so otherwise you wouldn’t?” Millie shook his head, but accepted a small bouquet of carnations and daisies.

“Nah, I know you hate flowers.” He winked at her and put his arm around Millie’s arms, tucking her into his side a little too tightly.

“Absolutely. Thanks Tom, I’ll throw them out after the pictures.”

“Go ahead,” He tucked her in even more, making her squirm in discomfort. It was one of their things, to squeeze one another too tight. It made them feel connected as if they were siblings. They knew how sibling love worked, Tom having three younger brothers and Millie being the youngest of three sisters, but it was refreshing to have it a little spiced up. She let out a shy laugh and pushed him away before taking the delicate bunch from him. She lost the smell of his familiar perfume and took a breath. Once he extended his hand to Millie’s friends, he was back to his public confidence and charm. “Hey! Thea and Jane, right?”

They took an intimidating number of pictures; some of them good enough to share with people, other more fitting into a private photo album filled with silly, heart-warming memories. The group shared a lot of easy laughs together; Millie’s girlfriends eased into the lightly flowing chatter with Tom in no time. It made her sink into the bubble of comfort and light; she was smiling brightly when they reached the entrance to the building. Tom opened the glass door for all of them. A slightly chilly air hit Millie in her blushing cheeks and slowed down the pinky glow spreading across her cheekbones. Somewhere in the distance she noticed her parents lurking excitedly at the group and waving them over expectantly.

There was this heaviness slowing her down and taking up an excess of space in the back of her mind. As they were making their way across the university’s main square, Millie slowly turned her head to the side. She perked up at the sound of loud cheers and noticed a familiar group of students. Among them, there was Frank—laughing and hugging people from his department—and he definitely enjoyed being in the centre of attention. She was sure he didn’t even notice her walking by, but she didn’t want it to affect her as much as it was going to.

In turn, what she didn’t think of was the attention someone would give to her best friend: the smiling, cheerful young man, who was shamelessly chatting up Millie, Thea and Jane.

“Oh my God, is that Tom Holland?”

This simple question, raised somewhere from the group of journalism graduates, didn’t surprise Tom. However, it definitely rose the hairs on the back of Millie’s neck. Though he brushed it off and sent her a reassuring smile, Millie felt panic flowing through her veins. They both knew it could happen, but Tom seemed to be focused more on making her a priority, rather than fearing being recognized as the famous actor. He watched her reaction, now fully aware of her boyfriend emerging from the crowd and skipping towards them.

“Hey, I was trying to find you earlier,” he brushed his hand through his dark blonde hair and gave her a brief smile, before turning excitedly to Tom. “Hey man, I didn’t know you were coming!”

“We just went to…” she paused, seeing as he was already extending his hand towards her friend. “…take pictures.”

“The girls had a nice little photoshoot back inside.” Tom cut short his smile, raising the side of his mouth only to her. He accepted Frank’s handshake but didn’t allow it to turn into a bro-hug. It was fairly easy to read their body language; Franklin tried his best to seem friendly with his girlfriend’s celebrity friend, but the said celebrity was too kind to allow his cheekiness outshine Millie’s comfort zone. Jane and Thea turned their heads away at the sight of palms squeezing a little too tight for a friendly greeting. Frank’s friends and a couple other bystanders watched the exchange with prying eyes, and Millie let out a frustrated groan at the unnecessary tension.

“Cool, cool. Can I steal my girl for a moment?”

Frank didn’t wait for an answer, but rather just took her hand and pulled her to the side, hiding slightly behind the group of people. He fixed the tinsel attached to her hat and winked at her, giving her his full attention. He looked at her with his gleaming blue eyes and made her smile at the intimate moment.

“You good, sweetie?”

“Yeah, just fine.”

“Good. I’ll see you tonight, yeah?”

“Are your parents here? I haven’t seen them.” She looked around, trying to find his mom’s flowing blonde hair.

“They went to get the table at the restaurant nearby. Wanna join us?” He searched her face and leaned in closer, brushing his nose against hers. Millie laid her hand on his shoulder and allowed him into her little space.

“Why are you asking me to choose between our parents?” She chuckled, but patiently waited for his reaction. “Could we all spend time together, at least once?”

“I told you, it’s not a good idea,” Frank brushed his lips against Millie’s, slowly easing her into him and making her return the kiss. “you can ask Tom to come to the party tonight, it’ll be fun.”

“No promises.”

They shared a few more kisses that left Millie breathless - Franklin wasn’t usually the one to publicly show his affection, so she craved anything he willing to give her. She smiled up at him and let him go, happy that he took the minute to catch up with her.

With one last wave of his hand, Frank joined his party. Although he was instantly pulled into celebratory pictures, he couldn’t help but watch Millie walk away; she joined Jane and Thea in a heart-warming group hug. She was just sweet like this: sticking to her people, making sure everyone’s happy, and embracing all the kindness in the simplest actions. Franklin smiled to himself at the sound of her cheerful laugh and turned back to his friends, but then he noticed the source of her laugh. Her and Tom did a barely-there joyful dance, raising their hands and curtseying to her parents. Alfred, her dad, patted him on the back and shook his hand vigorously, while Millie was being squeezed by her mom.

People from Frank’s department praised him for having any kind of relationship with Tom Holland. Frank watched Tom’s joyous exchange with his girlfriend. Tom was proudly paying attention to his best friend, and Millie’s cheeks were hurting from the smiles. She was content and felt at ease. She was sure that her heart was filled to the brim with love and comfort.

Yes, being addicted to feelings is difficult. It holds people hostage in the arms of the sole premise of positive emotional experiences. It’s also blinding for the addicts, making the loss of certain feelings hurt more than it should. Addiction feeds off the weak, the confused, and the uncertain. It eats them up alive and strives to receive more and more satisfaction. It allows for the illusion of reality, so that the addicts can project certain feelings onto their consciousness. They live in their bubbles of unruly contentment and often forget to look into their souls and perform a regular check-up.

Millie was an addict.

***

Please let me know what you think!

tagged: @peeterparkr @katieraven @kozybear @sunsetholland @hey-marlie @lauras-collection @cunaeparker @constellationsv @heyhihellowhatsup0

[vs-redemption]

I JUST CAME UP WITH THE CUTEST THING EVER!

Okok so UA prom night. Bakugou and reader have had secret crushes on each other but like it’s obvious to everyone except each other. Prom is prince/princess themed ok? Everyone goes in groups rather than singles bc no one wants to be left out right?

Bakugou and Reader are crowned prom king and queen!!! And they get their own dance while everyone watches — the song is the Beauty and the beast (a perfect fit for the two). And I think it’s adorable and maybe maybe they kiss 🤭

-🐱❤️

From Cindy: Okay so... lol inspiration for this suddenly smacked me in the brain and it ended up being so long (1,761 words). I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t stop. I had so much fun writing this so thank you 🐱 anon for another great idea.

Prom (Bakugo x Fem!Reader)

When your friends decided to attend your senior prom as a group rather than go through the trouble of finding dates, it was both a blessing and a curse for you. On the one hand, going with the social circle that you’d spent every moment of your high school years with provided the guarantee that you’d have a good time at the prince and princess themed dance no matter what. Plus, you wouldn’t end up in the awkward situation of either being rejected or getting stuck trying to make conversation with a single person the entire night. The downside though was that you had a very specific person in mind who you’d been dreaming of going to prom with ever since he’d caught your eye during the entrance exam to get into UA.

That person was Katsuki Bakugo.

It wasn’t as if you thought you had a chance with the explosive boy in question. He was in the same class as you after all, and although you had formed a weird sort of friendship over the years, he’d never shown any signs that he might return your feelings. And boy, did you have feelings. Through all the intense hero trainings and group study sessions, you’d really been able to get to know the ins and outs of his personality. You knew Bakugo came across as arrogant and abrasive at first glance, but somehow you’d never been able to see him that way. In your eyes, he was the most hardworking and passionate student in the whole school. You couldn’t help but admire how confident he was in his own strength and determination. Ever since his admittedly wild behavior during the sports festival in your first year, people had doubted his choice to pursue a career as a hero and criticized the way he interacted with other people. Never once did he waver in his goal though. He just continued to blaze forward, studying and training hard with that same unwavering persistence that you both loved and envied.

“You look amazing in that dress!” Mina winks and throws you a thumbs up as you all crowd in the dormitory bathroom to help each other get ready.

“Yellow really is your color,” Momo agrees with a smile. “People might actually mistake you for a real princess.”

“Stop!” You were blushing a little from all the attention and from the way your thoughts ran wild with fantasies of Bakugo finally noticing you as more than just a fellow hero course student. “We’re all going to look amazing tonight.”

“Good,” Hagakure chimes in, her pink dress fluttering around her invisible body as she twirled in front of the mirror. “We can’t make it too easy for the judges to pick the prom king and queen!”

Once everyone was ready, the group made their way down to the common room where all the boys were waiting. They all looked handsome and uncharacteristically dressed up in their suits, but you only had eyes for one of them. It was almost unfair how good Bakugo looked. His spikey blonde hair and fiery red eyes were already enough to give you butterflies, but the way his dark blue suit jacket fit perfectly over his broad shoulders and tapered down to show off his narrow waist had you feeling even more flustered.

“You idiots finally ready?” He asks, shoving his hands into his pockets casually. You couldn’t help but smile, remembering the way he’d carried on about dances being lame and how there was no way he’d go. You knew from the start that it was all talk. There was no way he would’ve allowed himself to disappoint his friends like that. He cared about all of them more than he’d ever admit.

The dance coordinators at the school had gone above and beyond when decorating the gymnasium which now looked like a scene out of a fairytale. Everywhere you looked had twinkling lights and cutouts of castle towers and horse drawn carriages. You and your friends made your way inside, smiling and waving to familiar faces from other classes and taking in the atmosphere created by the lighting and music. Finally, you noticed the platform set up in the back of the room where two empty thrones sat for the prom king and queen.

“All right! I’m ready to dance now!” Mina cheers once most students had arrived and the DJ, also known as Present Mic, had started to play more upbeat music. You followed her and the rest of the group to the center of the room and jumped right into the action. Time passed quickly as you got lost in the music and dancing, taking breaks every now and then to get something to drink and rehydrate. Never once though did you lose track of Bakugo’s presence. Whether he was on the dance floor, or off to the side talking to one of the others, you always seemed to know where he was like there was some sort of magnetic pull. It didn’t stop you from having a good time, but it made you wonder how much more magical the night would be if you could just steal even a single moment alone with him.

“All right! It’s that time of the night kids!” Present Mic announces later in the evening. “It’s time to announce this year’s prom king and queen!”

The room quiets down and everyone huddles together, feeling the building anticipation over the big reveal. You knew it was only the popular and good looking people that usually got chosen, but you were still excited, hoping that someone from your class might get the chance to wear the symbolic crown or tiara. Present Mic holds up a note that he must’ve gotten from one of the judges and looks down to read the names.

“And the results are in!” he says overdramatically, “Everyone give it up for your king and queen.”

The first name to come tumbling out of the man’s mouth was Bakugo’s, making you freeze up a bit and turn to look at him in shock. Of course he deserved it, but you couldn’t help but feel jealous already of the girl that would get to have the one on one dance with him after being crowned. The noise in the room seemed to fade out as you watched your crush turn and start walking right toward you, suddenly offering you his hand.

“Wh-what?” You didn’t understand, especially since the rest of the girls were suddenly squealing in your ear and patting you on the back.

“He just called both our names, dummy,” the insult comes out as a term of endearment which was normal for Bakugo, but the slight pink blush covering his cheeks was definitely new. He takes your hand into his and you awkwardly follow him up to the platform almost in a daze. You hadn’t even heard Present Mic call your name, but suddenly he was placing a glittery tiara on top of your head and a crown on top of Bakugo’s.

“Are you two ready for your dance?” the teacher asks. Truthfully you weren’t but you find yourself nodding anyway, your mind still trying to catch up with your body.

“You all right?” Bakugo asks, sounding just as uncomfortable as he pulls you into the middle of the room which was now clear of people. You were kind of surprised he was going along with all of this so easily, but before you could think about it any further “tale as old as time” starts to play over the sound system causing your face to heat up in embarrassment. You nod wordlessly again, answering his question. Suddenly he’s pulling you closer, one hand holding your own and the other sliding cautiously to the middle of your back.

For a moment, you are way too caught up with wondering how you’d ended up in such a situation to actually enjoy the way Bakugo starts to gently sway you back and forth to the music. A quick squeeze to your combined hands forces you back to the present and you look up at him nervously. “There you are, princess,” he lets out a short laugh. “I was starting to get worried for a second.”

“P-princess?” You stutter out the nickname. Bakugo’s confidence slips for a second and he averts his eyes, the pink on his cheeks becoming more pronounced.

“Well… it fits the situation, doesn’t it?” he mumbles before glancing up. “We’re royalty now.” Some of the tension leaves your body at his predictable behavior and you let out a small laugh.

“Only for tonight,” You point out, your lips forming a sad smile as you both continue to move across the floor to the music.

“It… uh… it doesn’t have to be,” he blurts out, his eyes continuing to look down.

“What do you mean?” your question comes out sounding breathless and the intensity of his gaze when it meets yours makes your stomach do a flip.

“I mean, this is kind of how I originally pictured prom to go before all those idiots suggested coming as a group.” He was still mumbling a bit but you heard every word.

“You were going to ask me to be your date?” You ask, your voice laced with shock and disbelief. He swallows thickly and then nods his head. The simple gesture fills your heart with happiness and you lean closer into him and tuck your head into his chest. All too soon, the song comes to an end and you’re forced to pull away. You don’t get too far before Bakugo is tugging you back and pressing a warm kiss to your cheek.

“If it’s all right with you,” he says softly while lifting up your hand in his, “I’d like to hold onto this for a little while.” You smile happily and lean forward to return his kiss.

“Bakugo, you can hold onto it for as long as you like,” you tell him honestly. His eyes light up at your words and he looks very much like the prince you had always imagined him to be.

After a moment, a new song began to play and the dance floor filled up with students again. You and Bakugo go back up to the platform to sit in your designated thrones while all your friends crowd around the two of you, congratulating and teasing you both. Surrounded by your closest friends with Bakugo’s hand clutched firmly in your own, you couldn’t imagine a more perfect ending to your prom night fairytale.

[huaxxian]

Stone Skipping || CH2 ; 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯

Half a year had passed since [name] and Senku had been revived at the very same day. Experiments were conducted, their home slightly improved, but the two had still made no other progress with the revival serum. Despite that, neither had given up, instead opting to continue trying.

The two teenagers had been gathering sticks in an area near their home, each having an axe of their own. “[nickname],” Senku looks down at their form, who sat in the very same branch he was standing on. Said person looked up at him, tilting their head. “You brought the basket, right?” They nodded in response, silently pointing at the basket below their branch. He nodded thankfully, adjusting the sticks gathered in his arms.

He could see them move to take it from his grasp, but he gave a pointed look, saying, “Don’t you dare take it. I already made you carry three other baskets back home.” A pout overtook their face, but nonetheless, they nodded and sat back down as he cut even more sticks from the upper branches.

rustle, rustle

step, step, step

[name] perked up at the sounds, turning their head to look past Senku’s form. Not even a moment later, an oh-so-ever-familiar form popped from the bushes as he pushed it aside, breathing heavily. The smile on their face widened as Taiju’s eyes widened at the sight of the duo. “S-Senku..! [nickname]!” His eyes teared up.

I found them! They’re alive!

From beside the shorter teenager, Senku smirked at him. “Kukuku, so you finally woke up, eh? You great big oaf, stop making your sibling worry for so long. You don’t want to see them with white hair so quickly, now do you?” He quickly moved down from the tree, offering his hand to [name] after, helping them down.

Immediately upon the teenager’s safe landing on the floor, Taiju started wailing, opening his arms to hurriedly give a hug their way. Not even concerned in the slightest, all [name] did was open their arms, beaming right back.

"You're alive, you're alive!! Senku, [nickname]! I c-can't believe it.."

Well, if [name] wasn't the slightest bit concerned, Senku most definitely was. Placing a foot on his face, the male hurriedly pushed the shortest out of Taiju's way, which ended up being behind him. "Don't hug either of us when you're buck naked, idiot! I'll fucking kill you!" [name] gave his back a pat, shaking their head. "Sen-chan, don't be too mean. You know it's completely just how Tai-chan is." They smiled, turning to the said person. "It's nice to see you after so long.. I would give you a hug, but.. I don't think Sen-chan would let me."

Taiju returned his sibling figure's smile. "It's okay! I get it.." He scratches his head sheepishly, laughing it off. "I think?" They giggled in response, motioning their head to follow them, which he did. Starting their trek back home, Senku spoke, "As of today, it's October 5th, in the year 5738 AD. How long you planning on sleeping in, huh?"

He pointed at [name], who was beside him, skipping as they went. "We've been awake and working for over a half a year now." Taiju blinked in surprise, the information slowly processing in his brain as seconds passed. "Huh?" The brawn of the group looked over to the other brain, confusion evident on his face. "How does Senku know just precisely what the date is..?"

[name] closed their eyes and smiled at him. "Sen-chan just counted, is all." Senku picked at his ear, scoffing. "As if there's another way of keeping track."

Another slow moment of processing.

"..So then, inside that darkness.. the whole time, you.." He glanced at [name] once more. "Did you too..?" His tone of voice had softened considerably, and so had his features. They shook their head. "It was just him, and I knew even then." They smiled and looked forward as Senku pushed aside the branches ahead of them.

"Even if I was able to wake up through sheer willpower alone.. If I were to wake up without means of survival in the midst of winter and with no food supply, it'd be game over. That's why, in order to survive, it was essential that I start in spring."

"That's also precisely why Sen-chan needs an accurate calendar," [name] added, "He wouldn't be able to know otherwise, and luck would be too much of a risk to depend on." Taiju placed a hand under his chin, opening his mouth to ask another question when Senku jerked his head to the front. "Hey, we're here. Don't just stand around gawking, get your ass over here and help out."

Brown eyes widened in astonishment. It wasn't no fancy house, but it was stable and enough. A simple rack made of sticks and vines leaned on the tree's huge trunk, holding several stone spears. "I haven't had enough manpower. [nickname] was of great help, but I didn't want to burn them out than what was necessary. That'd be stupid, I'd be working the only other person in this world death. It took up to an entire day of just drawing up life and survival plans on my own, while they hunted for food and materials. To progress forward into some kind of civilization from here.." He trailed off, glancing behind him to where the two stood, listening to his explanation.

"We've been waiting for you all this time," Taiju pointed to himself, confusion heavily lacing his face. "Yes, you, damnit Taiju. We waited for you because we were both ten billion percent sure that you were alive!" [name] walked forward, now beside the scientist. "You decided to tell Yuzu-chan about your feelings prior to the petrification, and we both knew Tai-chan well enough to know that you wouldn't give up after deciding so."

"Especially not after being cut off in the middle of a man's resolve," he huffed and smirked. "You weren't ball-less to the point of giving up and throwing in the towel after just a measly thousand years!"

Taiju looked down, clenching his fist. It was silent for a few seconds, but as always, with them, it doesn't last long. The fiery determination they had gotten accustomed to seeing had returned ten-fold, and they could only stare as he agreed.

"You're damned right!"

The scientist of the quartet looked over at his assistant. "Can ya get him some damn clothes already?" His nose scrunched in disgust as he pointed shakily at the muscular student, earning a confused and completely innocent look in return. [name] laughed at his obvious disgruntlement, nodding. "I'll go get clothes for Tai-chan!" They waved before carefully climbing their so-called ladder and hurrying inside.

◇─◇──◇─────◇──◇─◇

It didn't take long before Taiju had gotten his clothes, and before [name] was forced to rest by the one and only scientist of the group. The two had bickered back and forth repeatedly; Senku insisted that they take a break, since they apparently wouldn't be getting a lot even with Taiju around. Despite his confusion, Taiju agreed with this, making them reach a compromise.

[name] would rest just as the two wanted them to, but not up in the hut. Instead, they'd be napping on a covered area on the ground near the fire Senku was trying to make.

"When we need to use our heads.. I'll leave the thinking up to the two of you, Senku." Taiju glanced at his napping sibling. "And when we need to use our bodies.. you leave that to me." Senku glanced over as well. They looked comfortable enough, not at all irritated by the grass or the fire crackling nearby. Sleeping like a baby, they simultaneously thought, amused.

Senku turned towards Taiju once more. The time humanity took to climb from the stone age to our previous civilization.. was two million years. But, we're going to dash all the way back to the top all at once. "We'll take back the world and I'll identify the scientific cause on why we turned into stone, and how we were revived.. with the help of [name]."

Careful not to shout as he usually does, Taiju nodded and added, "And then.. I'll save Yuzuriha!"

"Three high school kids.. are going to build civilization from zero. We'll become the Adam and Eve of this world." Senku smirked widely, standing up and placing his hands on his waist. "Now, things are starting to get exciting!"

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The two were calm and quite frankly, inspired by each other's goals, only to panic as [name] sleepily moved around, adjusting their place during their sleep. They covered each other's mouths and stared worriedly down at the shortest of them three, but fortunately, they didn't wake up. Taiju and Senku looked at each other and nodded, vowing not to cause anymore noise.

Senku pointed at their tree house and mouthed, "Bring them up." The other caught on to this instantly and carefully scooped them up in his arms, making sure that they were comfortable and left asleep. Then, without much difficulty, Taiju brought them upstairs, his friend following in tow. He placed them down on their make-shift bed, pulling the extra animal skin they had used as a blanket over them not long after, patting their head affectionately.

Taiju blinked and turned to Senku. "Wait, so was it just you guys this whole time?" The male in question raised his eyebrow. "Yeah, it's just been us." Taiju stared at him, expecting him to say something. "Why are you staring at me like that for??" He opened his mouth, pointing as he whispered, "You didn't tell them about your fee—"

Senku quickly put a zip on his mouth, grumbling.

◇─◇──◇─────◇──◇─◇

The next morning, [name] had woken up to Senku and Taiju still sleeping. It must be pretty early still.. They pushed the blanket away from their form, standing up silently. The teen carefully walked down the ladder, keeping an eye out on the two until they were out of their vision. A yawn escaped their mouth as they stretched their arms and shoulders, shaking their head as they did. What to do..?

[eye color] eyes looked around. They could go hunting for food like mushrooms and animals, but it would be more efficient for Taiju to do it, because he was literal brawn. Though, maybe I should come with Tai-chan later on if he does end up gathering food.. He might take poisonous mushrooms along. [name] could make more jars or baskets, but Senku would most definitely scold them for working too hard. Again.

Honestly, they can't see what he's talking about.

So instead, they opted to walk towards the high school primate's statue. If they could remember correctly, which they could, Tsukasa Shishio's statue was not too far from Yuzuriha and the camphor tree.

True to their memory, it really wasn't far. No animals in sight, nor any other statues in his area. Nature's green, green, and more green is all that could be seen. Pretty, [name] smiled to themselves, gathering the bunch of dahlias and other flowers into their arms. Without much struggle at all, they weaved the bunch into a gorgeous flower crown, one that would surely fit snugly on Tsukasa's head.

They brought it on the male's head, fixing the vines and the petals softly, making sure that his vision wasn't obscured whatsoever. Next, they took a few steps back, admiring their work. As I thought, it does fit Tsuka-chan. [name] nodded in approval and sat down on a nearby root, humming a song they especially liked from back then.

I wonder how everything became like this.. A time-lapse would be interesting to see.

They looked down on the dirt. It was devoid of rocks, unlike the last few areas they've been in. Upon realizing, the teen immediately takes a stick and begins drawing on the ground. Three pairs of nubs.. three heads too. Leek for hair, spiky hair, wavy hair.. Rocket ship. Proud, they grinned and tilted their head, staring down at their work.

It wasn't the best of art, of course. It was merely three little chubby figures that represented the trio that they so deeply treasured. Their proud green faded, and soon, a frown had taken its place. Something's missing.. Quickly, [name] erased the rocket ship outline with their foot to make space. Then, without a shadow of a doubt, they added one more figure.

Long hair and buffy arms.. It's Tsuka-chan!

The grin from before returned anew. The rocket ship outline was quickly drawn again, and for this time, they were satisfied.

"I wonder if Tai-chan is already awake.. or Sen-chan.." They yawned and stood up, brushing away the not-so imaginary dirt around of their skirt. [eye color] eyes glanced behind to check on the statue one last time before smiling. "I'll see you soon, Tsuka-chan.."

With that, they turned back, walking back home.

◇─◇──◇─────◇──◇─◇

When they had arrived, the two were already awake and kicking, arranging their respective areas. Taiju had noticed them first, and with a happy shout, had alerted Senku as well. "You're back," the scientist nodded towards them in greeting. In contrast to his reaction, Taiju immediately got down from their little hut and bounded towards his sibling, hugging them tightly.

"Keep hugging them like that and they'll run out of air, you big idiot." Senku retorted as he followed suit, albeit less enthusiastically and more calmly. [name] only smiled in return, patting the taller on the back. "Big oaf, you up for gathering food?" Enthusiastically, the male in mention nodded his head, quickly taking a basket from nearby. [eye color] eyes glanced at the scientist, as if waiting.

Feeling their expectant stare, Senku snickered and picked at his ear with his pinky. "Of course, you're joining him too [nickname]. Keep him out of trouble, and make sure the idiot doesn't get himself attacked or poisoned." He pressed a hand against his mouth, as if trying to block the snickers.

Not that he was actually trying, though. It was actually the opposite.

Satisfied and amused, [name] closed their eyes and smiled, taking a basket as well. Taiju immediately dashes off, leaving a trail of dust behind him, and causing it to spread everywhere. [name] coughed and looked away from all the sand and dust before waving at the scientist. "We'll make sure not to take too long, Sen-chan.."

Senku gave another nod before turning away. The [hair color]-haired teen hurried, and with some effort, was able to catch Taiju before he could get too far from them.

"[nickname], what should we gather first?" [eye color] eyes looked around cautiously, taking in the environment. From what they could tell, there were some pigs nearby. The rustling as well as their familiar grunts is what gave it away. They quickly pressed a finger to their mouth, to which Taiju immediately silenced himself, waiting for their next order.

"There are pigs nearby. We don't know where the mushrooms are at right now, and since the pigs seem to be a closer choice, let's go with that.." [name] spoke as softly as they could, but loud enough for Taiju to still understand their message. He nodded in determination and moved to single-handedly take any pig on, but stopped as they placed a pale hand on their arm, halting him in his position. He looked towards his sibling in confusion, tilting his head.

[name] smiled at him and shook their head, motioning him to stay still, so he did. Taiju watched curiously as the teen quietly grabbed onto a branch and pulled their upper body up, causing them to now stand. Surprisingly enough, despite all the movement, the rustle of leaves seemed natural, as if it was just a rustle of the wind and not a teenager climbing a tree. He could only watch as [name] looked down at him from their position above, saying, "Please stay here, Tai-chan.. I'll bring them to you, so brace yourself to catch one or two, okay?"

Taiju beamed up at them. "Okay." He responded, lowering his stance and opening his arms wide. His sibling smiled at his determination and switched from tree to tree, getting closer to the area of the pigs, as evidenced by the growing sound of grunts. Few adults.. few young ones, [name] mused to themselves. Some squeals were pitched, but majority weren't.

I can't overwhelm Tai-chan with too many pigs. I can't trap them when they're this close either. The very best I can do is to get one or two younger pigs.. But how do I? They glanced around. They moved to another tree, one that was to the left of the pigs. Tai-chan is to the right. The pigs can't move to the north, there's no entrance or exit there. It's blocked. [name] quickly stood still and observed keenly from above.

There were four adults, but only two piglets to be seen. Sen-chan would be satisfied with one, or at the very most, two of them.

And so, they formulated a plan.

Without further a do, they dropped from the tree, not bothering to cover the noise. The pigs became alert, and soon enough, their eyes had caught on to the teen's form. They grew increasingly loud in sound and scattered, moving towards their left, the other remaining direction for escape. Quickly reacting, [name] ran towards the two mini-groups (stomping and making loud noise with their feet all the while), forcing the piglets to separate from their adults. This time, they moved towards Taiju's direction, just as they had planned.

[name] immediately began creating even more noise, as well as increasing their speed. In panic, the pigs hurried even closer towards Taiju's direction.

Any moment now. [eye color] eyes made contact with familiar brown ones, and they nodded. Taiju shouted as he tackled the two piglets into his grasp, making the shorter of the two smile and stop abruptly. With heavy breathing, they helped him place one piglet in each of their baskets.

"That was a good idea, [nickname]!" Taiju laughed and gave them a particularly hard pat on the back in congratulations, causing them to lose all the air they had regained and double over, coughing all the while.

"Ack— I'm sorry [nickname]!!"

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"Wow, you guys got so much," Senku stared down at the two's baskets, which now sat on the floor. "You got some crazy cheats going with your endurance there, Taiju.." He trailed off as he glanced to his assistant. "You didn't just dash wherever did you? [nickname] looks like they went through a hurricane." The scientist laughed as he pointed at them.

He wasn't wrong there. The poor [hair color]-haired teen had their hair all over their face, with tangles way more than they'd like. Leaves, petals, and even sand had gotten into their hair as well; Senku could only wonder what the hell Taiju had put them through to come back this haggard. [name] only smiled patiently as Taiju turned red in embarrassment, causing him to laugh even more.

"He did exactly that, actually.." Their words only made Taiju shout apologies, to which they shook their head at in amusement. "I couldn't stop him at all, sorry Sen-chan.." They chuckled and jokingly bowed their head in apology. Senku snickered again and walked towards them, patting away all the sand away from their hair. He removed the leaves and petals along the way, tugging gently at the strands that had gotten tangled.

"Don't you worry about it at all. I can't blame you when he's like this." He ignored Taiju's pouting at the side and only continued fixing his [hair color]-haired friend's head. It didn't take much arranging to actually clean [name] up, and soon enough, all was well. They smiled at him gratefully and he returned it slightly before backing away and moving towards the baskets.

Taiju watched in curiosity as he sat on the ground, expecting him to do something completely different, only to see him blatantly separating what they had found. [name], on the other hand, watched in amusement at their brother's reaction as Senku began listing them all off. "Amanita virosa, poisonous! Hypsizygus tessellatus, brown clamshell, edible! Amanita muscaria, Fly agaric, poisonous! Can't you just tell that thing's no good?! It looks like it came from Mario!"

With every mentioned name, Taiju's confused and aghast expression worsened, making them chuckle. "Calm down, Sen-chan.. That was a pretty good haul for the first time. I'm sure Tai-chan will take that into mind next time?" The two looked over to him. One stare was filled with doubt, and the other was one of utter patience and belief. Taiju doesn't respond, only choosing to blink at them in confusion. Senku sighed, "He probably won't, you know. Oh well, I'll bid you good luck when the time comes."

The scientist takes a few of the edible mushrooms and placed them on the sticks over the fire. The trio surrounded the fire they had made in silence, waiting for Senku's word. He first handed a decent-sized one over to Taiju, then proceeded to give an even bigger mushroom to the other teen. [name] blinked slowly as Senku gave them a stern glance. "Get some more fat in your bones, you look like you could get blown away by the wind any moment now."

From beside the [hair color]-haired teen, Taiju also added, "You always ate too less during lunch time too! Get some more food!" He immediately begins handing more mushrooms over to them, with Senku following right away. "I don't think I can stomach t-this much, you two.." [name] gently pushed the food away and just stuck with the one the scientist had given them. "But, I guess I can try eating this one at least..?" they smiled.

It wasn't the best compromise, but it satisfied the two males enough to leave them alone for now. Taiju took the first bite, making [name] and Senku stare expectantly. "D-Delicious!" He shouted in glee, "What'd you season these with?!" Senku grinned and begin taking normal-sized bites into his food as well.

"Just regular old salt that [nickname] and I extracted from the sea water. With just salt added, humans can eat just about anything. Salt is also indispensable when preserving food, and probably was the primitive man's greatest discovery." He explained. Taiju, upon finishing his mushroom, thanked the male whole-heartedly. "For all the things things I'd never be able to figure out! Both of you. I'll repay you in kind with determination and strength!"

He then finished his food and stood up, puffing his chest out in determination. Without even a warning, he took a basket and scurried off, shouting, "All right!! Time to go gather on the back side!"

Senku had opened his mouth to tell him that it was okay, but he had already been too far from their sight. He shook his head and turned to his side, where they sat with an amused smile and a still completely unfinished mushroom. "I don't get how you can keep up with him. He has too much stamina, he has got to be cheating with something." He grumbled, and gathered the sticks his friend had left into his hands. "Should you really be asking me that, Sen-chan? You have known them longer than I have, if anything, I'm surprised you've survived this long.." [name] chuckled and continued eating.

"Speaking of which, the back side is near towards the cave where you came from, right, Sen-chan?" The scientist hummed in confirmation. "Yeah, why?" He glanced over his shoulder, seeing them stand up and brush away any dirt that could have gotten on their skirt. "Maybe we should follow Tai-chan, he might assume there's someone else out there aside from us if he sees the pot.." Not expecting it, Senku let out an amused scoff. "I wouldn't be surprised if he did, he is a big oaf after all. Sure, let's go. His mind can go to absurd places and it'd be easier to explain when we're there."

[ Author's Note ] // So far, these are all the chapters I've pulled from quotev. As of this very moment, I'm working on two separate chapters: a 100-hearts special, and the next regular chapter. For those of you who found this in Tumblr, I made a poll before on what the readers would like for the special. As it turns out, 'Crossover Traveling' won. No one really expressed what they wanted aside from my friends, who I asked personally. I ended up choosing Kimetsu no Yaiba as your destination. That's all for this note, thank you so much for reading, and for your time!

[nct-jungjaehyun]

broken promises and long distance with jung jaehyun

this came out a long longer than i expected but i hopeyou love it nonetheless! please check out my pinned post if you can, it would mean a lot. happy reading with jung jaehyun.

the calendar stared back at you in disappointment. january 19th. it felt like just yesterday when you first brushed your hands on this leather sofa and promised yourself that you would tell him everything.

after boyfriend!jaehyun’s long pleads and whines, you finally stepped away from the states and came back into his arms. you graduated from college last year during late may, but you created a handful of excuses to lengthen your stay there. 

jaehyun did not mind waiting. he had been waiting for 14 years, what was a little more time? most of all, he was determined that time was not his enemy, distance was. friends and family warned him that your heart might stray, but he remained unmoved by his own heart. even when you had posted a picture of yourself being piggybacked by another man while posing on the top of the mountains, he never brought it up in your text messages. he never showed a hint of jealousy. while he never doubted your love for him, he was filled with constant fear that he would chase you away. whether he was on stage or filming a variety show, he made sure to keep his distance from all females and earned himself the title as the idol who cannot flirt for his life. however, his text messages with you tell a different story. his text bubbles would all fall under the category of lovey-dovey. the batches of cringey voice messages he delivered every week still sat unopened on your end.

you, on the other hand, returned his packages of text messages with lesser words as the months slipped by. for a college student as busy as you, a simple ‘okay’ seemed more than sufficient. you always wondered how jaehyun had endless time on his hands to send you paragraphs of text, some felt longer than the english assignments you were given.

before you went to the states, your entire world knew about jaehyun’s feelings for you. jaehyun’s world was much bigger, incomparably bigger. he had his fans to worry about and his members to stress for. you felt like a speck of dust in his life. the constant reminder from your parents that jaehyun will be the ultimate husband lost its meaning somewhere in between. 

moving to the states meant that a whole new planet will be added into your life. it was fascinating, all the people and places. at first, your motivation behind your english major was jaehyun. you wanted to communicate with him on another level, as well as to impress his members and fans if they were to ever find out about your relationship. during your second year in college, you considered giving up on your studies. the hundreds and thousands of dollars that jaehyun had poured from his own wallet to support you in college would have gone to waste. the guilt was enough to keep you up at night, questioning everything that you were doing. what were you going to do with this knowledge? you were staying up night after night to rush papers that lacked passion and energy. like a ghost, you floated through the crowded halls and sat through classes as an invisible. eating and sleeping turned into things that required immense effort. jaehyun sent his support not only financially, but also spiritually: “don’t forget to eat breakfast!” or “sleep tight!” in the end, you failed to meet his expectations. 

the wobbly tower you tried so hard to keep upright collapsed. a classmate took you to the hospital when you fainted at the library one day. he stayed at your bedside until the nurses informed him that you were replenished with all the nutrients and vitamins your frail body desperately craved for. it was not a long process, but the nightmares and loneliness the first few nights were unbearable. that is until he began coming by after class every day to tend to you. he was different from jaehyun. he was younger, but he carried a sense of maturity and sophistication that other men around you failed to demonstrate. unlike the other man across the world performing his heart out for his audience, this man on your bedside was willing to hold your hand and be the first person you see when you open your eyes. 

on the day of your graduation, you gave jaehyun another chance to grasp the tiny bit of hope to spark your relationship again. the first chance was at the hospital. you told yourself that you would clench your teeth and fight through the rest of college if he can show up right then. sure, a figure walked through and, we already know, it was your classmate, not jaehyun.

graduation day. you stared at the mirror and took a deep breath. “jung jaehyun,” you said, at the image of him pulled up on your phone, “be here for me and i promise i will be there for you for the rest of our lives.”

you waited and waited. they called your name and from the podium your eyes squinted into the sea of proud family and relatives of the class of 2020. sitting in your designated seat for valedictorians, you twist your back to search for him. again, nowhere to be found.

you called him the moment that the ceremony was over, hoping that you had simply missed him in the crowd and he was lingering somewhere on the grassy field with your parents.

the call went to voicemail. maybe his phone was on silent. you called again. nothing. the monotone voice that instructed you to call again played back quicker this time.

out of nowhere a hug engulfed you from the back. you broke out into a huge smile, realizing that jaehyun was still the same romantic and cheesy boy you knew best. 

you were wrong. 

turning around, the one who had hugged you was your classmate. in his arm, the object that spiked your back, was a bouquet of flowers. they were crysanthemums, your favorite. “congratulations,” he said, his cheeks blushing a strong pink, “i’m very proud of you.” it surprised you when he leaned down to kiss you on the cheek, but you did not dodge from it. it was sweet and charming of him.

today is january 19th and it was time to tell jaehyun everything. 

right on schedule, you see him coming through the main entrance of the sm building. he patted your head and asked, “hey, why did you want to meet me here?”

“it’s been a month since i came back and you’re already tired of me?” you laughed.

he shook his head, laughing with you, and invited you to the practice room. “the members are out shopping together. we have the practice room to ourselves.”

it always felt stifling to be around him. jaehyun was a delight, but sneaking around like criminals just to talk was not.

walking up to the practice room, where a plaque with the words NCT were engraved on it, felt like a blur. your heart was pounding and your legs somehow found it difficult to walk on flat ground. walking with him was not that bad if you compared it with what came after. the both of you broke out into an all out fight.

“what do you mean you found someone else? i waited so long for you to come back!” he shouted, arms flailing.

you flinched at the volume of his voice. you can not remember the last time that he raised his voice at you. “jaehyun, we were never really a thing. normal things that normal couples do, we never did any of those. you know that. we promised each other that we were going to get married when i finished college, but deep down we both knew that wasn’t gonna happen.”

“i don’t know about you, but i believed it was going to happen. why are you giving up on us so easily?”

“you’re telling me that you will be willing to let our relationship destroy your reputation and threaten your career? do it right now and we’ll get married.”

you left him speechless. it never occurred to him that he would have to choose. he felt that it would just happen, that he will have both. you and his career.

“when i was in the hospital-” you started.

“when were you in the hospital?” he interrupted, rushing forward to hold your arm. his eyes glanced down once, as if making sure he did not miss a broken limb.

“i forgot to eat my meals and i stayed up to finish work. no one was there to take care of me. i don’t blame you for that, but i silently wished, i wished hard, that you would show up. if you did, i was willing to give up everything, just to be by your side.”

“if i showed up...” jaehyun wondered how much this would have all changed if he would have listened to his heart. he missed you so much but when he thought about all the faces in the audience, he knew it wasn’t a decision for him to make. he had a responsibility to be a part of NCT. he assumed the love you two had for each other would be strong enough to withstand all of the obstacles.

“my graduation ceremony, where were you?” you questioned, although you already knew the answer. you surfed the web that night and realized that he had another ceremony to attend, an award ceremony. his group won best artist of the year.

when he didn’t answer, you answered for him, “congratulations on the award. i wasn’t sure if i should have mentioned it before...”

he took a step back, furthering the gap between the two of you. his eyes were growing teary and so were yours. “he was there... both times when i wasn’t?”

you nodded and stared at your feet as tears dripped onto your shoes.

that gap was restored when he leapt forward and gripped you tightly against his chest. he was sobbing now. “i’m sorry. please don’t leave. we can fix this. we can fix- we can still- we still love each other, don’t we?”

you sniffed back your tears, “don’t do this, jaehyun. it’s time to let go. we wasted 14 years bounded by this obligation to love each other. we loved each other too much.”

the knives that stabbed into your heart felt like they were being pulled out. one by one. all the wounds were opening, vulnerable for bacteria to infect it.

he pulled away and turned around to wipe away all of his tears that strayed from the rest which had soaked into your shirt.

your phone rang from the pocket of your jeans. jaehyun tensed at the new ringtone. it used to be the tune of his song, try again. the new ringtone was unfamiliar to him, but it was a song that you heard often. it was a piano recording of your favorite song played by him.

“don’t pick up. we’re not over. you can’t do this to me. tell me, what did i do wrong?” jaehyun was getting desperate. you wanted your relationship to work out as much as he did, but the only person who can heal the wounds in your heart was not him, it was the person who was calling you right then.

you picked up the call and put his voice on speaker. i contrast, his voice was soft and assuring, “hey, i’m outside, are you ready? i can drive around the block if you need some more time.”

you smiled at his attentiveness. it felt as if the world was put on hold and only you and him existed—something you once felt with jaehyun. “i’ll be right there, two more minutes, okay?”

jaehyun’s strong breaths pulled you away from your phone call. you glanced at him for a moment before talking into the phone, “hey, i’m really hungry, can we go to my favorite restaurant for dinner?”

you can see his smile despite not seeing him in person, “i already made a reservation, love. i also got you your favorite flowers, crysanthemums.”

“i’ll see you soon, alright? bye,” you ended.

“bye,” a barely audible kiss sound came from the phone before you tapped end call.

jaehyun did not hesitate to pick at your boyfriend’s words like a lawyer, “your favorite restaurant is not open today. your favorite flowers are roses. he doesn’t even know you.”

you sighed and grinned at him, trying your best not to look apologetic, because there was no need for apologies. “my favorite restaurant changed. it’s a new name that originated from the states. i never liked roses. your favorite are roses. i was never fond of the color red.

“things change, jaehyun, our hobbies, our favorite foods. these are all feelings. don’t ignore these feelings. right now, i only have feelings for him.” you raised your phone towards jaehyun at your last word, reminding him that the person you grew a newfound love for is real.

lifting the necklace from underneath your shirt, you twirled the ring that looped on the rope. “he gave me this promise ring. he has one, too. it’s a commitment. we’re both going to keep this promise.”

with that said, you turned away and headed for the door.

you paused after two steps, without turning around, you added, “be happy, jaehyun. find someone who will keep your promise and make sure to put them on top of all of your other commitments. i’ll pay you back all the money bit by bit. it’ll work out somehow.”

you heard a loud thump on the floor. it must be jaehyun. a part of you wanted to go back and comfort him, but going back would mean never moving forward.

the one outside waiting for you was willing to move forward with you. he inspired you to use your english major for private tutoring and perhaps someday write a book. 

holding your head high, you took a deep breath. you were glad to finally put jaehyun behind you. 

you did not want to dream of the future anymore, but one thing that you knew for sure: don’t lose sight of the one you have right now and love him with your whole heart.

[enjennie]

Chapter 2 - Coffee Boy and a Chess Tournament

Chapter 1

Chapter 3 - Here

Word count: 2.5k

The girls were in a frenzy when they got to know about Yuri’s mystery coffee man. The girls in question would be Seoyun, Hyebin and Cho with the exception of Minjae, who had some student council business and ran off before they could have lunch together.

“Oh my, who could this be? Describe him to me once more,” Cho had her arm looped through Yuri’s as they walked out of the dining hall after having their lunch. Seoyun and Hyebin walked a few steps in front of them. Yuri couldn’t help but giggle, a week hasn’t gone by yet but a boy had already managed to catch her eye. She thought about his face for a moment, and started describing it to Cho. “Well, he had kind of a messy hair look. Had a varsity jacket on and wore all black underneath. Really bright eyes and oh don’t even get me started about his smile,” Yuri almost swooned.

Cho repeatedly starts hitting Yuri’s arm, uncontrollably giggling and shaking her by the shoulders. “He was wearing a varsity jacket? So he must be on the team!”

“Probably? I’m not sure which sport, though,” Yuri tells Cho, but Cho only shook her off. “There’s only one varsity team, silly. The Neos,” Cho explained, making big motions with her hands, but Yuri was no longer focusing on what she was saying when the mystery man himself had come striding in front of them.

Yuri hurriedly gets Cho’s attention by tapping on her arm and whispering, “That’s him! Over there,” Cho follows Yuri’s eyes and the two look onto the field that stretched acres. “No way,” Cho’s eyes widened, pulling her sunglasses down to make sure she was seeing correctly. “Na Jaemin?” the girl exclaimed. 

“Are you sure it’s him?”

Seoyun, Cho, Yuri and Hyebin were now sat on a picnic bench in the quad, huddled together and discussing the situation at hand. “It all makes sense, of course it’s him! I should’ve known when Yuri said coffee!” Cho facepalmed at her own ignorance.

Cho is the elite’s main source of information. She knows what’s the latest news about anyone within the campus. Knows where to get the best drugs, who’s throwing the parties, and where. She’ll get to know anything, all with one swipe on her phone.  Which is why she felt foolish for not thinking about Na Jaemin, Oakwood’s heartthrob and one of their elite members. The boy who can send any girl to their feet with one look.  “I just didn’t expect it… I don’t know why after Yeeun I didn’t think Jaemin had it in him to date,”

Yuri’s head turn in light of the information. “Yeeun, my roommate?”

Seoyun nodded, “The two dated for the first two semesters of freshmen year, then broke off when Yeeun and Jeno got caught hooking up at a party,” she explained to the dumbfounded girl. Yuri frowned, “Was that why-“

“That’s why I told you not to meddle with Jeno,”

“Did Yeeun and Jeno date then?”

“Yes, for a while. Like, two weeks a while. We’ve never seen Jaemin and Jeno be apart for so long we thought it was over for good, but I guess they worked it out in the summer since they’re pals again,”

Yuri’s head was spinning at this point. She hadn’t even met Yeeun yet, so she tried not to get her perception of her roommate get affected by the things she’s hearing about her.

 After a while, the group of girls pack it up and start heading back to the dorms when Cho receives a text regarding a party. “Of course, it’s one of Jeno’s parties. So he can fish out the girls he wants to play with for the year,” Minjae, who’d joined them a few minutes before, rolled her eyes. Cho and Hyebin on the other hand didn’t share her distaste for the male. “You can’t deny, Jeno throws the best parties,”

She couldn’t. It was true. But she was uninterested.

“11pm chess tournament, first 5th at the Lee Estate,”

Yuri blinked, registering the unfamiliar terms. “First fifth?”

Minjae put her arm around the girl as she elucidated to the somehow always clueless Yuri. “The first fifth would mean this Friday. We use codes like chess tournament or board games to talk about upcoming parties. We change it up every now and then, though. To prevent weasels,”

Yuri understood right away, but didn’t think there would be a need for these types of stuff.

“Isn’t college all about parties?” Yuri asked, matter of factly, humouring Minjae and Seoyun. “Then you came to the wrong school. Oakwood doesn’t allow parties, this is where rich families send their troubled children they don’t have time for. Discipline here is no joke,”

Yuri wondered how she never knew this about the school she’d done extensive research about before applying to.

The week flew by quickly, and soon enough Yuri found herself on the fifth of the week. She managed to survive all her classes and was pretty satisfied with how well she’s coping up. Despite being new to her surroundings, she’s only gotten lost in the campus twice. Which is a record, for newbies apparently. Hyebin told Yuri about her first time getting lost at Oakwood and she ended up at the teacher’s locker rooms. She recalled having to squat under a desk for hours, praying to god no one would use the desk she was under. Both girls had a laugh about it.

Today would be the party, but before that, they had to join orgs and clubs. Minjae, as student body secretary, already has the council as her club. Seoyun on the other hand, signed up for theater along with Renjun. Cho and Hyebin, were nowhere in sight which forced Yuri to go about club hunting on her own.

She’d thought about it for the whole week, however she wasn’t entirely sure yet. Originally, she would just join any orgs her friends were in but she can’t run for student body, and neither can she act so that was out of the question.

Yuri looked around her, flocks of people gathered in small and big groups, already looking like they were all familiar with each other. She dug her hands deep in her pockets and sighed before catching sight of somewhere that actually interested her.

Student Publication club, their banner was straight to the point and plain. A boy in a similar looking varsity as Yuri had seen Jaemin and Jeno wearing sat in front of the desk, beside him was Cho, who Yuri was glad to see. She walked towards them and waved when Cho’s eyes met hers.

“Yuri! Did you join a club yet?” Cho enthused. Yuri shook her head, and the boy beside Cho lifts his eyes from the paper he was reading.

“Depends, are you guys still hiring?” Yuri inspected the sign up sheet displayed on their table, which had a good amount of names scribbled on it already. Cho hands her a pen, “You’re so in. This is Mark, pub president,”

“I’d appreciate if you stopped calling our club a pub,” the said Mark scolds. “Nice to meet you I’m Mark Lee,” he stretched his hand forward and Yuri shook it. “Pleased to meet you, Mark,”

Mark has dark hair that fell over his forehead and round eyes that pierced through Yuri’s. He has high cheekbones and a nicely defined jawline. Mark flashes Yuri a smile and she’s stunned by it.

When will I stop getting surprised by all the hot boys that roam this school?

 “Hi, losers. How’s it going?” a boy with hair that resembled a lion’s mane had walked up to the table. He had full lips and cute cheeks.

“Speak for yourself, Donghyuck,” Cho retorts at the boy.

The boy faces Yuri, giving her a curt smile. “Oh, are you signing up? I got a tip for you… run now,” he says, before receiving a firm backhand smack from Mark who’d leaned over the table. Yuri laughed, watching the two boys wrestle. “It’s almost time. I reckon no one else wants to sign up, so what do you say we wrap up?” Cho nudges Mark and he agrees. “Yuri? Want to go together?”

“Sure,”

“Oh you’re the Yuri I’ve been hearing about. Hi, I’m Donghyuck, you can call me Hyuck for short,” the boy had gotten himself out of Mark’s headlock and fixed himself up. “The Yuri you’ve been hearing about?” Yuri asked.

Hyuck nods, “Renjun hit you with the soccer ball, right?” he chuckled and Yuri wanted to curl up into a ball right then and there. “Is that what I’m known for now?” Yuri scrunched her nose, cringing. Hyuck laughed, his eyes glimmered and he pats her shoulder as a form of consoling. “That’s fine, I was known as the bread boy last year… I shoved a whole roll into my mouth and the photos weren’t pretty,” he looked scornfully as he remembered his past.

Yuri’s lips curled into a smile and she laughed at Hyuck’s little story.

“Yuri, c’mon,” Cho pulls on Yuri’s arm and the two mutter a quick goodbye to each other before Yuri’s swept away.

“So you’ve met her,”

The boys were gathered in the field, by the bleachers. The soccer team was already their club, so they didn’t have to go club searching and signing up. Donghyuck and Mark had caught up to Jeno, Jaemin and Renjun who were sat, sharing a blunt.

“Yeah. You guys didn’t tell me she was that much of a stunner, I could’ve prepared for a better first impression,” muttered Hyuck, who had his hair in a mess and a lazy outfit to match.

Renjun scoffed, “Please, I hit her with a soccer ball. How’s that for a first impression?”

The boys shared laughs and Jeno looks over at Jaemin, who was looking through his camera checking the shots he was able to take from the event.

“Someone’s quiet,” Jeno comments.

Jaemin’s head shot up, already knowing it was him. “What?”

“I heard from Seoyun that you left quite an impression on Yuri,” Jeno sported a sly grin on his face. Jaemin rolls his eyes, looking back down at his camera.

“I just gave her coffee because she looked like she was gonna die without it,”

“Right,” Renjun murmured.

“Shut up, Renjun,” the boy hissed.

Yuri was confused. Not only did Minjae just push a Versace dress to her chest, complete with Louboutins to match, she also told her to ‘keep it’.

“Wait, but why?” uttered Yuri, examining the dress and shoes that probably cost more than all her life spending totaled. Minjae didn’t bat an eye as she pulled out another dress from her wardrobe in a stone blue shade, putting it against her body to check if it was what she was going for. “I don’t think red suits me, but I reckon it’d look good on you though, so keep it,” she mutters.

“I can’t take this, Minjae. But thank you,” Yuri mused as she put down the dress and shoes on the bed. Minjae turned around and crossed her arms. “Then what will you wear to the party?”

“I think I have a Zara dress somewhere,” Yuri shrugged.

“You can’t be caught dead in a Zara dress. We’re not in our 30s yet! Put this on. It’s an order,” Minjae took the dress and pushes it into Yuri’s hands once more. The girl could only abide.

 Once dressed, the girls go about their plan to meet up at Hyebin’s dorm. Sneaking past the RA and professors going on rounds, they arrived without getting caught. By 10:30, they were removing their heels to get ready to make their escape through Hyebin’s terrace.

“You want me to jump?” Yuri gasped, looking down at the height in which they had to come down from.

The rest of the girls had already made their way down, strategically climbing down using the rope they’d tied to the railing of the terrace. They were now waiting for Yuri, who looked like a cat scared for its life.

“You’ve got… three girls to catch you, don’t worry!” called Seoyun in a hushed voice.

“We have 2 minutes until the guard comes back around,” Minjae looked down at her phone.

“Granted, it’s our fault for not telling her beforehand that she’d be coming down at least 3 meters high off a balcony,” Hyebin looked up at Yuri in pity. “Come on, girl! You got this,” encouraged Seoyun at her poor friend.

Yuri’s heart raced and with sweaty hands, she threw her legs over the railing and grabbed onto the rope, hugging it for dear life. She probably flashed the three girls but her only agenda was to really get to the ground safe, and so she did.

“Great! Nice one, Yuri. Come on,” Seoyun had her heels in hand and she grabs Yuri’s with the other, pulling her to the direction of the trees for their getaway. Seoyun, Hyebin, Yuri and Minjae ran altogether until they reach a secluded area, unfamiliar to Yuri.

“Now,” Seoyun puts her heels back on. “The fun starts,” she continued, before running towards to a hooded figure in the distance and being engulfed in a hug. She pulls the person into the light, revealing Renjun.

“You girls ready to party?” yelled an ecstatic Jeno, who’d appeared from a convertible car parked behind Renjun.

I’ve gone down a 3 meter high balcony in the tiniest dress ever, Yuri thought. This better be one hell of a party.

[ladyanput]

Seeing Green Ch.6

    Wayne Manor had been much larger than what Marinette had been expecting. As she stepped out of the town car Damian’s father had sent to pick her up, she was struck by how huge the place was, it almost reminded her of a castle. But she didn’t dare say that aloud as she made her way up the front steps.

    “You look like you’re about to dart back down the driveway and never come back.” Marinette glanced back at Eva, who gave her an amused smile. 

When Mari had told her about being invited to meet Damian’s family, the TA had put her foot down in Marinette going alone. If her student was going to anyone’s house, she was going to meet the parents of the man her student was so infatuated with. Besides, if they were going to be doing some weird cult sacrifice, Eva could go and save Marinette before things got freaky. 

    “I’m just really nervous. Damian is great, but what if his family doesn’t like me? What if they think I’m only after Damian for his money? What if they decide I’m not worthy of him and they ban him from ever seeing me again and we can’t give this relationship a real shot? I might end up all alone, just like Lila said!” Marinette felt herself going into a panic attack, her breathing hitching. She felt herself calm down as soon as Eva gripped her shoulders and stared hard into her eyes. “What if I screw up, Eva?”

    “Now you stop that, they’d be lucky to be in your presence, and if they dare insult you, I’ll shove my boot so high up their ass, they’ll need to get it surgically removed.” Eva whispered, and Marinette laughed, feeling herself relax. “Besides, I’ve heard they’re good people, though they could be posing for the public. Let’s hope the articles are right.”

    “I certainly hope they are.” Both women jumped and turned towards the front door, not realizing that it had been opened. A kind - looking elderly man stood there, smiling at them. He bowed, then guided them inside. “I am glad you ladies have arrived safely. My name is Alfred, I have been working for Master Wayne for many years. When I heard Master Damian had a fancy for a young lady, I was excited to see him smiling much more than he used to. He speaks highly of you, Miss Marinette.”

    “D-does he really?” Marinette felt her heart skip a beat at Alfred’s words. The butler took her and Eva’s coats, before taking them to a living room. Marinette instantly felt her blood pressure spike at the sight of so many people in the room, and her palms suddenly felt clammy.

"Master Bruce, your guests have arrived." Alfred's voice broke through the chatter, and instantly all eyes were on Marinette, making her tremble. She could feel them all judging her, analyzing her… Trying to see what kind of person she was. She made herself smile, though she knew it didn't look quite right. She was just so nervous! "Dinner shall be ready in an hour's time."

When Alfred left, it took everything in Marinette not to bolt. What was she thinking, pursuing a Wayne? They probably thought she was only after him for his money! They must think she's a tramp, a shameless girl, a-

"I'm glad you made it, Angel." Damian stepped forward, and took her hands in his. At the gesture, Mari felt herself relax and her smile turned genuine. He leaned down and softly kissed her cheek. It felt so intimate, that it made her heart flutter. "My family hasn't shut up since I told them you'd be joining us tonight. I hope you are prepared to be swarmed."

"I'm sure I can handle it, I've been through tougher situations." Marinette joked as she spotted Dick striding up to them, a woman with vibrant red hair, and green eyes. Green that seemed to take up the entire eye. "Oh, hello Dick. I hope this meeting isn't as dramatic as last time."

"Well those classmates of yours aren't around, so the evening shouldn't be full of defamation about our family." Dick gave her a joking smile, before gesturing to the woman beside him. "Marinette, this is my wife Kory."

"It is most wonderful to meet the girl who has captured Damian's heart. I was truly afraid that he would never find love." Kory instantly wrapped Marinette into a hug, causing her to blush vividly. "Oh, and I love your outfit! Cass, Babs, look at this! She's just adorable!"

"Kory, you're going to break her if you hug her like that." One of the women stepped forward, her dark eyes meeting Marinette's. She was tall, slim, with short black hair that framed a pretty face. She held out a slim hand. "I'm Cassandra. It's nice to meet you, Marinette. Welcome to the crazy Wayne family."

"I'm Barbara, but you can call me Babs." A redhead in a wheelchair pushed herself forward, smiling and shook Marinette's hand after Cass had.

"I- I'm happy to meet you all too. Wow, I've never seen such a big family before." Marinette let out a shaky laugh, feeling a little overwhelmed. The atmosphere had changed. It was warm, inviting, and everyone was smiling now.

"So you're Demon Spawn's 'Angel'. Huh, I guess even demons have weaknesses." A tall man stepped up, pulling Marinette into a bear hug. He was handsome, with a spiky head of black hair with a shock of white at his right temple, and startlingly blue eyes. His grin was playful, before he set down the girl. "But by God, you're so small! Like a pixie."

"Jason, don't scare her." Marinette turned her gaze to the Bruce Wayne as he strode up, taking her hand and smiling warmly. "Welcome to Wayne Manor, Marinette. I am sorry about my children, they can be a handful."

"That's an understatement." Tim spoke up, a dry smile on his face. He nudged Dick when he saw Marinette beaming at everyone, bright like sunshine. It was almost refreshing.

"You're all swarming her, give her some space." Damian snapped out, wrapping an arm around Marinette and made her squeak when he dragged her close. He smiled apologetically to her. "I'm sorry, Angel, I should have prepared you better."

"I like them." Marinette spoke up quickly, taking his hand and giving it a light squeeze. She got onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, causing his face to go crimson. "As long as they don't think I'm a gold digger, I'm happy."

"Right, if you're a gold digger, I'm Rena Rouge." All eyes went to Evangeline, who was still standing in the doorway. She gave a wry smile as she winked at Marinette. "Don't worry, sugar cookie, they'd have to be crazy to think you're bad news."

It wasn't hard to hear the faint threat in Eva's voice, the entire Bat family heard it loud and clear. Damian rose a brow, his grip tightening slightly in Marinette's waist.

"Don't worry. I'd never let anyone think that of Marinette, they'd be facing my blade if they did." He commented casually, watching his brothers from the corner of his eye. He noticed that Jason looked almost nervous. 

"I think she's a real treat." Cass chimed it, grabbing Marinette's hand and pulling her free from Damian's possessive grasp. "Finally, some girl that the Demon Spawn can't scare off."

"Give it a few days." Tim piped up, and the family chuckled amongst themselves. Marinette felt her heart warm and her body relaxed. She was dragged over to the group of girls, all of them showering her with questions, so many that she could barely keep track of them all.

"Marinette, do you have any interests?" Bruce's voice cut through the mess of voices, and all eyes were soon trained on the patriarch of the Wayne family. His kind smile made Marinette's nerves get shot again.

"Um.. Well, I design." She stuttered out, tugging gently at the sweater she was wearing. Her cheeks burned as she felt the eyes again, judging her… "I actually made this sweater. And Evangeline's dress, though I think high heels in winter time is ridiculous."

Eva merely shrugged at the grumbled comment and smiled.

"But I hope to start my own brand someday." Marinette continued, everyone seeing that spark of passion in her eyes as she went on to explain her dreams of making clothes that can make any man or woman feel beautiful inside. She just wanted their self confidence to blossom and to see them smile.

It melted Bruce's heart a little, seeing her want to spread so much happiness, a rare trait in Gotham.

As soon as Marinette realized she was rambling, she flinched and went crimson."I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude." She whispered, hugging herself once again.

"Dinner is ready." Alfred appeared in the doorway, cutting off any comments that were going to be made.

Damian carefully took Marinette's hand and guided her towards the dining room, planting a small kiss on her temple.

"They're loving you." At his whispered assurance, she seemed to relax once again. This roller coaster of emotions was starting to make her feel a bit tired. She just… Didn't know if she could fully trust them, or if they trust her.

She realized the whole Lila mess had certainly messed up her sense of trust, didn't it?She took a deep breath, and sat with the family for a meal.And the meal was delicious, the atmosphere was warm and inviting. Everyone spoke of their day, of things that had annoyed them at work, there was playful banter, most of the teasing being thrown towards Damian, who in return made heated threats about slicing his brothers up and hiding the bodies. 

"What about your family?" Bruce spoke up, his kind eyes settling on Marinette once again. "You live in Paris, what is it like there?"

"Oh, I live with my parents. They're bakers, they are the best parents anyone could ask for, always helping me, supporting my dreams. I couldn't ask for better." Marinette admitted, feeling a faint tug at her heart, feeling desperately homesick for them. She really wanted her parents here, to meet Damian, to meet his family. They were always more careful that her and her trusting heart. "I'm currently in my last year at lycée, then I'm applying for internships at any fashion brand that I can."

"Marinette, I have a small question." Dick crossed his arms, tilting his head ever so slightly, as if he were pondering something. "That class of yours… Do they usually act in such a rambunctious way?"

"N- no, not usually.." Well, Marinette knew they hadn't been like that, not until Lila came around. Ever since Lila became the center of everything, the class had gotten more bold in many things, suddenly thinking nothing could touch them, no one could tell them no. Their attitudes at Wayne Enterprises had been abhorrent, to say the least. They hadn't listened to a single thing Dick had had to say, they had only hung only Lila's every word. 

It still hurt.

"That Lila puts a bad taste in my mouth." Damian muttered, poking at his food with his fork. He glanced over at his father, a pained look on his face. "She keeps going around, saying I'm her fiancé. And that class of hers laps it up."

"Not all of them!" Marinette's spine stiffened as the words in defense of her class rose in her mouth, but she swallowed them back down. No, the entirety of them did not deserve her kind words. "Alix and a few others don't believe that. But she's just such a force to be reckoned with, you can't really speak up against her…"

"She ruins lives, nearly makes people lose their jobs." Evangeline spoke up, shadows in her eyes. 

"But her lies are so obvious, from what Dick told us." Kory spoke up, her brows drawing together in confusion. "Why do they believe such obvious lies?"

"Because they're idiots who don't even share a single brain cell." Damian stood up abruptly, taking Marinette's hand. He felt her trembling, saw the glassiness of her eyes. "Thank you for dinner, Alfred, it was delicious. I'm going to go show Marinette around our home now."

The family stared after the couple, plans already beginning to form in their minds.

---

"They must think I'm a freak." Marinette leaned into Damian was they walked along the long halls of Wayne Manor. It was such an old architecture, yet kept in such good condition, she desperately wished she had brought her sketch book.

"They love you. They wouldn't talk to you if they didn't love you." Damian assured her softly, kissing the top of her head.But did they really? 

They could be faking, just to please Damian… They are probably talking behind her back now, saying how pathetic she was..

"Angel, you have that look on your face." Damian kissed her furrowed brow, causing her to blink. "That class of yours really hurt you, didn't they? Did they hurt you so badly, that you think no one likes you?"

When Marinette teared up, he hugged her close, and let her silently weep into his shoulder, slowly stroking her back as he did. All the while, he was plotting on how to destroy that class of hers.

Once her tears were shed, Marinette pulled back, wiping her cheeks, embarrassed."I'm sorry." She whispered, but Damian merely shook his head and softly kissed her cheek.

"I'm always here for you, Angel. Always."

Little did they know, Tim, Cass, and Alfred were listening in on the conversation, a bit confused at where this suave, gentleman had come from and where their uptight Damian went.

"This is gonna give me so much ammo to tease him." Tim snickered, only to help when Cass hit him upside the head.

---

When the car pulled up in front of the hotel, Damian quickly got out of the car, to let the two ladies out. 

"I have to say, Mr. Wayne, your father and siblings reassured me that you won't do anything bad to Marinette, so I suppose you get a pass this once." Evangeline smirked at Damian, giving him a playful wink before she headed inside.

"I hope she doesn't scare you off." Marinette gripped Damian's hand tightly as he helped her out of the car, only to tightly embrace him. "I loved meeting your family, they're really great."

"I'm glad you came, Angel. Maybe I can meet your parents soon, we wouldn't want to keep them in the dark about this? I'd lose brownie points that way." Damian joked, before cupping her face in his hands, leaning close. "Good night, and make sure to lock your window, alright?"

"..." Marinette's brows drew together slightly in confusion, but she nodded. "Good night, Dami. I'll call you in the morning."

He kissed her cheek before heading back to the car, giving her a small wave as he drove off.Marinette collapsed into bed, a dopey smile on her face as she hugged her pillow to her chest, her cheeks rosy from her thoughts of Damian.

"Tikki.." Marinette glanced over at the kwami that floated up beside her, her face going even more red now. "I've only known him for a few days, but… Would it be silly to fall in love with a guy in a few days?"

Tikki seemed to ponder her words before smiling to herself.

"It's very possible, Marinette. I've seen people fall in love in a single day, then later on get married for life, having a happy life together. But, to be safe, I wouldn't rush into anything too serious, just in case." Tikki nuzzled Marinette gently.

"I know, I kinda already came to that conclusion too, but I thought I was in love with Adrien soon after I met him as well." Hot tears welled up in Marinette's eyes as she hugged the pillow tighter. "I don't know what I'm going to do if I make another mistake, Tikki. I don't want to hurt again…"

Taglist:

@realrandomposts @interobanginyourmom @ladybug-182 @ladylb @zalladane @mochinek0 @poshplumcot @urbanpineapplefarmer @vixen-uchiha @angelofmusickaterinapetrova @thewheezingbubbledragon @northernbluetongue @violatiger8 @thequestionablyhuman @ginamarie1512 @maude-zarella @2sunchild2 @saphiraazure2708 @ayuchan07 @virgil-is-a-cutie @thepeacetea

[succubusphan]

Everything I Wanted

Summary: Dan dreams and dreams of what his life could have been if he had gotten everything he ever wanted - the what ifs that pale in comparisson to what he had now.

Based on the Billie Eilish song.

Rating: G

Word count: 4.9k

Tags: Mild Angst, fluff, established relationship, lots of love and support, My best attempt at being poetic with quite a bit of help. Mild references to homophobia.

A/n: This fic was written for @thoughtathought for winning the charity auction for Dan’s Birthday. Thank you so much for your donation and for being extra amazing! And thank you to @schnaf  for being my support and grammar beta and @icequeenjules26 for adding to the grammar and poetry aspect of the fic. Thank you both for your opinions and unthank you to both of you for roasting me (I’ll see you in hell.)

This is an accompanying piece to If I Ain’t Got You but can be read as a stand alone.

Read on ao3

Rain fell mercilessly upon the streets of Wokingham. Dan sighed and brushed a wet strand of hair out of his face - he hated this fucking weather. His hair was already ruined, but there was no way around it. He pulled his jacket tighter around his body and made his way to school. 

 Dan walked down the hallway of The Forest School confidently. For once in his life he was on time to meet his friends before the first lesson of the day. Some of the people standing off to the side waved at him as he made his way to their usual meeting point. He waved back with a smile even though he didn’t know them. He didn’t mind. It was normal for less popular students to look up to the more popular ones and want their attention in whatever form they could get; he honestly felt a bit bad for them. Luckily for Dan, he had fit into his group right from the start.

 He found them outside the library, as usual. Not because they used it, though. “We’re too cool for that,” Thatcher had said, so the group never went inside. In fact, Dan didn’t know what the inside even looked like. 

 He leaned against the wall, trying to look cool. “Hey, what’s up?”

 “Nice hair, Howell,” Thatcher said. 

 The rest of them laughed - as they usually did - but Dan didn’t mind, they were his friends after all. 

 Thatcher didn’t drop it, though. “You look like a drowned rat.”

 “Thank you, Thatcher! When I want to look like a wanker I’ll ask you for hair advice,” Dan elbowed him. 

 The group laughed even louder and that made Dan’s heart soar a bit; he enjoyed making people laugh like that.

 “Oi, at least I do well with the birds!” Thatcher laughed, wrapping one arm around Dan’s shoulders. “Are you going to call Lara back? She keeps asking.”

 “Uh, yeah. I- ” Dan tried not to let his smile falter. “I will, when it’s time… you know, you gotta let them wait so they want it more.” He winked and his friend roared with laughter again. This time he felt empty. He wasn’t going to call Lara, but he didn’t want to admit that. They accepted him as they knew him, a straight boy who did kind of well at school and was funny; a cool guy. They didn’t need to know that it wasn’t the truth - nobody did. 

 “Damn right! Smart move, Dan. Come on, let’s visit our little friend over there.” Thatcher pointed to a scrawny looking boy. 

 Dan didn’t speak to him, but he knew him. They sat together in math class. If Dan closed his eyes, he could see that shining black hair and those piercing blue eyes just as clear he saw them in front of him now… his rosy lips and long pale fingers tracing over Dan’s skin.

 He shut his eyes, dreading it already. He wanted to leave, he wanted to disappear off the face of the earth, but of course, he had no such luck. Thatcher grabbed his arm and pulled him along. Bullying was a mandatory group activity. 

 “What’s up, Gaylord? What’s it like being lord of the gays?” Thatcher spat. 

 Dan tried his best to seem invisible, to fall behind the rest; he didn’t want any part in this. 

 The guy, Richie was his name, rolled his eyes at them. “What’s it like being Lord of the ignorants? Will you need me to tutor you again, Thatcher? Will you start begging me to -”

 Thatcher’s fist cut him off. It wasn’t a real punch, Dan knew. Thatcher could do a lot more damage if he wanted to, but he seemed conflicted. 

“You have no right to speak to us like that. If you do it again, you will regret it.”

 Richie sighed in defeat. He suddenly looked much older. Dan felt like crying, but he didn’t - he couldn’t. Richie stared into his eyes with unshed tears; as if he knew. He knew that Dan was just like him, but he was also a coward. Someone who would rather be with the bullies instead of being their victim. 

 It was true, but he was their victim too, just in a different way. Richie wiped some blood from his lip and looked at it as if it was a foreign object, then back at Dan. ‘Aren’t you going to do anything?’ his eyes pleaded, but Dan just lowered his head.

 He felt as if the world was crashing down on him like a breaking wave, drowning him, suffocating him in the process, so he did what he usually did when nothing felt right: he ran. He turned around and exited through the back door. He could no longer keep the tears from falling; he was such a piece of garbage. He ran until his lungs felt like they were about to explode. Oh, he was going to be in so much shit for bailing, he was going to be found out, he was - 

 He reached the corner of the street and tried to set foot down on the pavement but he found no support so he fell and fell and fell, into a never-ending dark pit, swallowing him whole.

 Dan jolted awake, his heart pumping in his chest, he was covered in sweat and could feel tear tracks on his cheeks. He sluggishly wiped them off with the back of his hand and tried to calm himself with a breathing exercise. He looked to the right where  Phil laid at his side, undisturbed, and smiled.

 The sunlight coming in through the window formed something like a halo around him. Dan’s smile deepened as he examined Phil’s face - the face of the man that had been his companion for eleven years now. He saw their entire story on Phil’s face, in the signs of ageing he loved so much. The stray grey hair, the smile lines, they spoke of so many adventures, arguments, laughs and love; they reminded Dan of their history together, their history as partners, as best friends. 

 Phil pouted in his sleep and Dan’s heart swelled in his chest. He was so in love with him, even to this day. There was no other way to describe Phil than as his soulmate. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the remnants of the nightmare gradually fading from his memory. 

 Dan shuffled closer to Phil and placed his head on his shoulder, softly running his nose against Phil’s neck and breathing in his scent. He smelled like home. 

 Phil started to stir, unconsciously pulling Dan closer to his chest with a hum. Dan kissed Phil’s neck, causing him to finally crack one eye open and look at him questioningly. Dan just kept running his fingers through his chest hair, absentmindedly tracing little patterns without a notice. 

 Phil smiled and closed his eyes again, scrunching his face at the sunrays blinding him. “Mmm?”

 “Good morning,” Dan whispered. 

 “Morning.” He placed a kiss atop Dan’s head. “Why are you awake so early?”

 “Mmm. A dream.” He pulled at Phil’s chest hair a bit too hard, making him wince. “Or more like a nightmare… Bullies.”

 Phil frowned and held him a little tighter. “Dan, you know they can’t get you anymore.”

 “I know.” He sighed.

 “Wanna tell me about it?”

 “I guess it was how things could have gone if I’d been able to pass as straight as a teenager. That was everything I wanted, to just fit in.” 

 Phil hummed in acknowledgement. “Did they still bully you?”

 “No, I wouldn’t say they did, but they did something worse.”

 Phil stayed silent, giving Dan the time to process what he wanted to say. 

 “I was weak. They pressured me into being like them. They bullied my friend, Richie. In the dream, he wasn’t my friend, but he was gay and he knew I was too. He looked at me when Thatcher punched him.” Dan’s voice quivered; he suddenly felt like crying again. He allowed himself a moment to breathe. “He was pleading with his eyes, asking me for help and I did nothing.”

 Phil ran his hand up and down Dan’s arm comfortingly. “You wouldn’t have been like them, Dan. You know that, I know you do.”

 “How do you know? How can you be so sure?” Dan lifted his head and looked into Phil’s eyes.

 Smiling, Phil laced their fingers together. “Dan, I know you. We’ve been together for over ten years. I know you better than you know yourself.”

 Of course, Dan settled back down without replying. He wanted to deny that. He knew that Phil was right, but part of him always told him that he was not as great as people seemed to think, that he was just a great pretender. 

 But Phil pulled him away from that thought process right away. “Why do you think you had that dream?”

 The sunlight shined through the room, reflecting off of their sparkly nicknacks. Colourful circles danced on the far wall, vibrant shapes and patterns that created the illusion of a magical world. Dan kept running his fingers through Phil’s chest hair and followed the lights with his eyes. 

 “I guess writing about my childhood brought some memories back, and some doubts too,” he finally said. He hadn’t actually thought about it. His mind had been a bit more prone to … distress since he dived into his past and his mental health. 

 “Yeah, that would do it.”

 “Yeah,” Dan smiled softly, closing his eyes and placing a kiss on Phil’s chest. 

 “So it’s not because you think you actually would have been like that,” Phil pushed.

 “No, it’s not,” Dan said, his voice barely above a whisper. 

 Phil cupped his cheek and guided his chin up, pressing a kiss to his lips, his jaw, his dimples, his eyelids. Dan sighed and allowed himself to be loved, to feel happy and supported. Nobody could take this away from him. He was safe now.

 --

 The hail smashed against the window of his 35th floor office, Dan looked out into the London sky with a heavy sigh. He had managed to push through university somehow, graduate at the top of his class and become a Senior Partner by 30. 

 He loved his career, he really did: the competitive aspect of it, the debate, and helping people. Sometimes he could even go as far as to say that he was happy, but most days he felt merely content. 

 Everyone had praised him for having so much drive and ambition, which was, in great part, the reason for his success, but sometimes he didn’t want any of it. 

 He had achieved what most people would want in life: A career, success, money, a loving boyfriend; but when he got home, when he crossed that door, he wanted to leave it all behind. He didn’t want to be a lawyer or discuss laws, or his cases, of the state of the world. He only wanted to be Dan; just Dan.

 He got on his Porsche and not five minutes later he was parked in front of his beautiful home. Then, he pushed the alarm button, locking it for the night and with the twist of a key, he was inside. 

 He removed his shoes by the door with a sigh and the noise of the TV coming from the lounge made him smile so he followed it. Richard sat on their sofa with his legs close to the side, gently moving his glass of wine in circles, letting the air mix with its contents. Dan walked up to him with a smile and cupped his cheek as he kissed his lips tenderly. “Hi,” he whispered against his boyfriend’s lips.

 “Hi,” Richard said immediately, letting his eyes return to the TV. “Why don’t you get changed? Dinner will be ready soon.”

 “Thank you, do you want to play Mario Kart while we eat?”

 Richard scoffed without even looking at him. “Dan, you know I do not like that sort of childish game and neither should you. You are a lawyer, and 30 years old at that. It’s time to grow up.”

 Dan’s smile vanished, he swallowed thick and his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. “Right.”

 Richard heard it in his voice before Dan could say anything, he stretched his hand towards Dan and Dan held his out as well. Richard laced their fingers and pulled him onto the sofa. “I love you, Dan. I just think it’s time to let all those childish things go. We’re adults.” He ran his fingers on Dan’s chin gently. “And you, my love, need a shave.”

 Dan frowned; he felt so lost. He wanted to run. He was fed up with all the constrictions, the responsibilities, the eternal office hours and society’s demands on how he should behave. He just wanted to be happy, even for a little while. Why wasn’t that allowed? Why didn’t he have the right to play videogames and wear stupid pyjamas and have fun? He let out a heavy sigh. He felt so drained all of a sudden; if he’d had any energy, he would’ve cried, but he put on a little smile instead. “Could you shave me?” He asked. 

 Richard smiled widely. “Of course, love. Go change and meet me in the bathroom.”

 Dan smiled a little wider and went into their bedroom. It was their little thing, Richard liked to take care of Dan and Dan took care of him too. Maybe he was right, maybe Dan needed to stop wasting time. 

 Dan grabbed his pizza themed pyjamas, but then he shook his head, choosing to put on his Armani pair instead. Then, he grabbed all of his dorky pyjamas and video games and went into the kitchen; he stood beside the rubbish bin for a minute, finally shoving them in before he could regret his decision. The anime would be next, but that was a task for another day.

 He let Richard shave him, lost in thought with his head resting back on the chair. “Do you ever think about switching careers?”

 Richard raised an eyebrow at him and continued slowly dragging the razor on his chin.“No, of course not. Why?”

 “Sometimes I think this is killing my soul, like I’m slowly wasting away.”

 Richard stilled his hands. “Don’t be silly! And what would you do?” He asked with a smile before continuing.

 “I don’t know. I used to act; I’ve always loved theatre and comedy… something related to art, I guess.”

 Richard clucked his tongue and rolled his eyes with an amused smile. “Of course,” he kissed Dan’s head. “Tell you what, if you still want to do that when we retire, I will support you. What do you think?”

 Dan sank in his chair feeling even more empty than before. “Yeah, you’re right.” In a way, he was always acting to be the version of him that everyone expected.

 He stayed up until 4 that night, watching stand up comedy specials and dreaming of a better life that would never come. Maybe achieving your dreams was not all that people made it out to be. He wished he would have allowed himself to make mistakes, but now it was too late. He should have dropped out when he got the chance. Now he was trapped.

 Trapped was the first word clearly standing out in the jumbled mess that was Dan’s thoughts when he woke up.  He opened his eyes and tried to focus on his surroundings. He felt paralyzed, unable to move a single muscle, and a dull feeling of panic enveloped him like a heavy blanket, suffocating him; it rested on his chest like a boulder and made it hard to breathe. ‘Is this sleep paralysis?’. He blinked repeatedly, trying to make sense of the situation, until his eyes finally found what he sluggishly identified as source of his predicament: A very cuddly, sleeping Phil. 

 He was draped over Dan almost completely, his arms tightly wrapped around him and one of his legs tangled in Dan’s.

 Dan tried to move his feet, but that only caused him pins and needles. Disrupted by the movement, Phil wrapped his leg over his and hooked his foot behind his knee.

 Unable to contain himself, Dan snorted. Even in his sleep, Phil wanted to stake his claim on him. Dan sighed - he really loved that silly goose. Unbeknownst to most, Phil was also a cover hogger, which often left Dan feeling cold and vengeful. 

 Taking advantage of Phil’s state, he did the only thing he could think of: he rolled them back onto Phil’s side of the bed and smiled. Now it was his turn to wrap himself around Phil tightly and enjoy the warmth, but he used the covers to shelter them both from the chilly morning air. 

 The first rays of sun peeked above the horizon and Dan couldn’t help but feel incredibly grateful that he had pursued his career with Phil at his side - Phil, his partner in crime, his number one supporter, his companion through life. They had been a great duo for so many years, allowing them to grow as a pair but also as individuals in a secure environment. Now they got to stand beside each other in support and pride. 

 Phil hummed in his sleep as Dan caressed his arms softly, feeling the texture of the hairs there. It felt rough but comforting, like the pavement under the palm after a fall, reminding him he was still alive - overall, it felt real. It reminded him that even though his life felt like a dream, like a fairy-tale someone had written about his life, that was not what it was. It was his reality, no matter how unbelievable it seemed. 

 He sighed. This is what he wanted now. Cuddles in bed with his boyfriend, a career in a field he truly enjoyed, he truly felt himself in, and respect from the people in his life. He had it all, and he was well aware that without Phil’s love, support and encouragement he never would have made it. “Thank you,” he whispered into the quiet of the room, the words building up in his throat and breaking free entirely without his consent.

 “Mm?” Phil mumbled, not opening his eyes, obviously still in his dreamland.

 “Nothing, go back to sleep.” Dan smiled.

 “K. Make me breakfast.” Phil requested, clearly still asleep. “Don’t - let the unicorn eat Norman.”

“Ok, I won’t,” Dan said, dropping a kiss to his chest and settling back to sleep with a sigh. 

 --

 A fine snowfall accompanied his trip through familiar streets, but even the delicate, white flakes did little to turn the scenery more pleasing. They couldn’t cover the piles of old snow at the side of the road, the dirt making them look like a brown slush that just served to make Dan’s inner child very sad. 

 He still remembered when his dad filled his room with artificial snow for his birthday and they had an amazing time playing in it; their laughter had woken up his mom and baby brother who had joined their games. Everything had been perfectly white, but no such luck today.

 Returning to the family home for christmas was always an emotional ordeal and this time was no different. 

 He sighed happily, wiping off the taxi window with his finger to be able to see out. He couldn’t wait to see them all. Once the car reached its destination, he paid the driver and dragged his suitcase out of the trunk. Before he could make it to the door, his dad stepped out, smiling widely and ready to take his suitcase - not without giving him a hug first, though.

 “Hello, son. How was the trip?” his dad asked, already dragging the suitcase to the door.

 Dan shoved his hands in his pockets to shield them from the cold and smiled. “It was good, thank you. Where’s Mum?”

 “In the kitchen with grandma. Adrian went for a run in the woods with Colin.”

 Dan shook his head fondly. “Same as usual then. Popsy? Watching the TV?”

 His Dad laughed. “Yes, I’m afraid.” 

 They made their way inside and shut the door behind them. Robert took the suitcase upstairs while Dan shook his granddad’s hand and went to the kitchen to greet the rest of the family and receive some hugs. He had been craving them more than ever lately. 

 “Oh, Daniel, it’s so good to see you. Come here,” his grandma said, opening her arms for a hug. 

 Dan hugged her tightly. “Hi, I missed you so much.” He never wanted to let go. It was silly, but he felt emotional at being able to see his family again after six months. 

 “That’s easy enough to solve, come visit more often!” his mum said, her arms stretched for an embrace already. 

 Dan hugged her and placed his chin atop her head. “Hi, mummy. How are you?” 

 “Quite well, my dear, but we were looking for someone to help us with the cookies!” she said, stepping away and rubbing his arm. 

 Dan sighed and rolled his eyes with an amused smile. “Ok, but I want real butter.”

 “Ok, she laughed. “It’s in the fridge, let it soften on the counter.” 

 Dan nodded and started to work on the recipe he had been taught so many years ago. At this point it was more a matter of muscle memory than thinking, so he relaxed into his baker role. 

 His grandma placed a hand on his arm trying to get his attention. “Daniel, how is this semester going? Did you get the extension you wanted on that paper?” 

 “No.” He smiled tightly. “Everything is going well. I need to improve some grades but I think I can manage to keep my score.” 

 His mum scoffed. “Of course you can, you always do.” 

 “Certainly, that’s why we never worry about you. How is that boyfriend of yours doing?” 

 “Thank you, grandma.” He kissed her temple. “He is doing well, he is working on his thesis so he will be spending the holidays on campus.” 

 The conversation slowly dissolved but they continued to work in an enjoyable silence. 

 Once the tray was in the oven, Dan finally decided to go back to his old room and flopped onto the bed. He huffed and sat back up, reaching for his suitcase and getting his laptop out. 

 He settled against the headboard and pulled up the latest video from his favourite youtuber, amazingphil. Phil was so gorgeous and fun and smart. Sometimes Dan wondered what would’ve happened if he had actually replied to him on twitter. Sending that dm had been risky enough, so he had dropped it immediately. Besides, he’d had a boyfriend at the time. There had been no reason to go looking for someone else; it wasn’t like Dan to do something like that.

 Dan pouted, ‘Would we have gotten along? What if we would’ve actually become boyfriends?’ He snorted. That was ridiculous. It’s not like someone famous like Phil was going to be interested in Dan, and he had to go to Uni anyway. Once he arrived at campus and settled in, he felt less lonely. It was at university that he opened his heart again and met his current boyfriend. He pressed his lips into a line thinking about the horrible breakup with the previous one. Dan didn’t even like to mention him by name so everyone called him “Voldemort.”

 ’Would Phil have cheated on me? Would have he broken my heart?’ 

 Dan left his computer on the bed beside him and laid down, looking around at the rainbow decorations, some put up by him, some added by his mum after he left. The pictures of them at Pride as a family were his favourites, he was tempted to bring them back to campus with him.

 He was already dreading going back. Oh, how he wished he would’ve stayed a happy child forever, but the older he got the more his loving family expected of him. He was the first child, pampered to no end, every opportunity at his fingertips, and they expected nothing but the best from him. They told him that often enough. 

 They didn’t demand it of him, they just expected it, out of love and support for him. In his family’s eyes, there was nothing wrong that Dan could do, and failing uni was one of those things. So many times during high school he had secretly pulled all nighters to keep his grades up, but now, at university, it was completely different. He felt like he was constantly trying to catch up but he never did. 

 Every single aspect of his life was crumbling, his grades, his health, his relationship and… his mental health. He didn’t have a reason to be sad, he knew that. So many kids wished they had what he’d had all his life, but he was still struggling. He was caving under the pressure, it was pathetic. 

 His boyfriend was going to break up with him, he could feel it coming. His family had been so disappointed when his highschool boyfriend dumped him right before Christmas, they had had to return his presents and all. And now, they had a family vacation coming shortly but it seemed like Dan couldn’t hold a man - or find the right one - he didn’t know anymore.

 His phone dinged, he checked the notification wearily. It was his boyfriend. “This is not working, Dan. I think we need to talk.”

 There it was. Of course, he waited until Dan was away to do this. Dan felt like he was hyperventilating and for a moment he thought that he was going to faint but instead, he started sobbing. Everything looked hazy but he could make out the water coming in from all the windows and doors flooding his room the more he cried. He was drowning in his own sorrows. He stood in an attempt to escape, but before he could even call for help, he found himself in a lake, kicking, trying to swim towards the surface, but he could never reach it. His lungs hurt more and more with every passing second. 

 “Dan? Dan!” a comforting voice called him, he swam to it. A ray of light broke through the water. 

 “Dan, wake up,” the voice whispered.

 Phil brushed his lips against Dan’s face. Dan was crying in his sleep so Phil shushed him and tried to chase the tears away, leaving a trail of kisses as he whispered: “As long as I’m here no one can hurt you.”

 Dan stirred awake and held onto him, continuing to sob so desperately it scared even himself. Sadness rested on his chest like a body of water, like he was trapped at the sombre bottom of the ocean, slowly but steadily getting crushed by the pressure. 

 “What’s wrong?” 

 Dan shook his head and kept on weeping, clutching at Phil for dear life, as if he was the anchor that kept himself from floating away, from sinking even further down into the darkness.

 “Dan, talk to me. Please, you’re worrying me.”

 “Sorry,” Dan tried to let out between his sobs. He struggled to get a grip of himself, to calm himself down, but it still took him a few minutes. 

 “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Phil pressed their foreheads together. 

 Dan swallowed, but nodded. “I had another dream.” He settled onto Phil’s chest, both for comfort and to avoid the piercing stare that only served to rile him up further. 

 “A nightmare.”

 “Mhm. I was home for christmas and everything was perfect.” 

 “That doesn’t sound too bad, what happened?” 

 “They loved me, and accepted me and they thought I was the smartest guy ever.” 

 Phil hummed but let him continue. 

 “In the end, the pressure became too much. Even the fact that they accepted my boyfriend turned into something else they could judge me on.” He sighed and finally met Phil’s eyes. “And the worst part was that I never messaged you back on twitter. We never met. I kept bouncing from one unhappy relationship to another.”

 Phil raised his eyebrows at him but said nothing. 

 “So this boyfriend started to break up with me over text -” 

 This time, Phil interrupted him. “Ouch.” 

 Dan smiled softly. “Yeah, so I started crying and my room flooded. Water kept coming in from everywhere and then it turned into a lake, so I tried to swim but I couldn’t. I was about to drown, but then you called me and I followed your voice. It was like a ray of sunshine flickering through the water.”

 Phil grinned and tightened his hold on Dan. “I knew you loved me. So, what does it mean?” 

 “I think it relates to the other dreams - or nightmares. In each of them I get things I wanted throughout my life so I end up in a very different place than I am right now.” 

 “Would that be so bad?” Phil asked him. 

 “Yes. Everything is as it should be. If I could go back in time, I would do it all over again. There is no life I would rather have than what we have right now.” 

 “I love you so much,” Phil said and kissed him oh so sweetly, their lips barely touching, just letting them rest on his with the weight of a feather. 

 “Love you,” Dan mumbled into the kiss. And he did, he really did. As long as he had Phil’s love and support, he had everything he wanted. 

[cupcakes4747]

Truth Or Dare | one

Word Count: 2K

Warnings: n/a

Pairing: Namjoon x Reader, Jungkook x Reader

Genre: fluff

Laptop. Check. Phone. Check. Supplies. Check. Keys. Where are the keys? You looked around for the keys, trying to quickly find them. After ten minutes of searching, you realized that they were in your hand the entire time. You groaned at yourself and quickly rushed out the door. You didn’t want to be late for your first day at university. You wanted everything to be perfect. Ever since you were in middle school, you have been dreaming of going to this college, and you couldn’t believe you had actually made it. You had all sorts or expectations for college you had been thinking about for years. Studying in aesthetic hipster cafes, getting your own apartment, partying with your friends, and most of all, getting a boyfriend. You were the only person you knew that has never had a boyfriend. All through middle and high school, all of your friends would get a new boyfriend every few months and you would always have to third wheel and watch them make out with each other. They would tell you stories about losing their virginity and how awesome sex was, while you on the other hand had never been asked out, or even kissed. You never understood why; you weren’t unattractive, and there was nothing wrong with your personality, but for some reason, it really hurt your self esteem. You thought that you were undesirable and repelling to boys. But now you were in college. You were older, smarter, and since your awkward phase was over, prettier. And there were a whole bunch of new guys who didn’t know who you were and this was your chance to prove to yourself that you weren’t as undesired as you thought. However, ever since you moved into your dorm three weeks ago, you’ve been having all sorts of bad luck. First, the moving van was two days late, so you had to live in your dorm for two days without any of your stuff. Then, you accidentally clogged the toilet and had to call a plumber who ended up doing a horrible job of fixing it. And then, a few days ago, when you went grocery shopping, you realized at the checkout line that you had forgotten your wallet. You didn’t want to be late for your first day of university on top of all that. You ran as fast as you could to the bus stop and as you checked the time after you sat in the bus, you gave a breath of relief. You were five minutes ahead of schedule.

Making it to class on time, you finally started to calm down. You watched as all the students piled into the lecture hall, looking for someone who seemed friendly enough to introduce yourself to later. Then you made eye contact with the most beautiful boy you have ever seen in your life. He had dark brown hair that fell over his eyes, a tall, muscular build, and that mysterious “bad-boy” look. You couldn’t take your eyes off of him. And just your luck, this attractive man happened to sit right next to you. Oh my god, what am I supposed to do? Do I talk to him, or...? Your thoughts were interrupted when you heard him say:

“Wow, I must be in heaven, because I am looking at an angel.” Is this guy flirting with me? You blushed. Nobody had ever flirted with you before. You didn’t know how to react so you just let out a nervous giggle, even though you later on realized that that was the dumbest pick up line ever. The class started and the cute boy kept making sarcastic and funny retorts to everything the professor would say. You found yourself giggling to everything he was saying and you weren’t sure if it was because you genuinely found it funny or just because you thought he was attractive. After class ended, you both formally introduced yourselves and the cute boy, who said his name was Jungkook, asked you if you wanted to go to a party that weekend. You had never been to an official party before; only small get-togethers with your close friends. Everything you knew about frat parties was from the over-exaggerated scenes in college movies.

“Sure, why not,” you said nonchalantly, as if partying was a regular part of your routine and that getting asked to go to a party by a hot guy was an everyday occurrence. 

“Great, see you in class tomorrow, Y/N,” Jungkook replied. You beamed as you speed walked out of the lecture hall. This was the most interaction you’ve had with a guy your age other than the weird nerdy kids on the math team back in high school.

When you arrived home, you dashed straight to your closet to figure out what you were going to wear to the party, completely ignoring your pending responsibilities as an adult. How did people dress at college parties? Should you wear something trendy? Something stylish and fashionable? Something cute and innocent? Something sexy? You had never thought of yourself as sexy, but as you were looking at your reflection in the full-length mirror, you realized that your body was not that bad. You worked out consistently and ate healthy, which made you look healthy. And plus, a sexy guy like Jungkook would probably be interested in a sexy girl. You didn’t own any sort of sexy dress, but you knew your roommate had plenty, but she was out somewhere so you couldn’t ask her then. You sighed and decided to get started on your homework.

The next day, you walked into your first class, excited to see Jungkook, but he was nowhere to be found. Disappointed, you sat down at your seat and listened to the professor.

“For our very first project of the school year, we will be doing a partner project where each assigned pair will be assigned a piece of classical literature and have a series of mini-assignments to complete about it,” your professor’s voice boomed across the large lecture hall, “It will be due a month from today.” You groaned internally. You hated partner projects. Either the other person would take control of everything and not let you have any input or say of what goes into the project or the other person would completely slack off and not do anything, leaving you to do all the work. The professor started calling out names of the assigned pairs from his list. Please let my partner be Jungkook, please let my partner be Jungkook. “Y/N and Namjoon, you two will be partners. Please raise your hands.” You raised your hand and looked around the lecture hall for another raised hand. A tall man walked up to you with his hand outstretched.

“Hi, I’m Namjoon, your partner.” You shook his hand and introduced yourself to him. He was almost an entire foot taller than you and could be quite handsome if he didn't dress so dorky. He was wearing a plaid sweater vest on top of a shirt and with pants that did not match at all. Along with that he was wearing a paper-bag brown hat which made him look like a journalist from the 1950s. You appreciated cute dorks since you considered yourself to be one. You both had decided to meet at the library later that day to get started on the project, both of you deciding that it was a bad idea to procrastinate and that it was smartest to start as soon as possible. 

Later, in the afternoon, you were walking to the library to meet Namjoon to get started on the project and heard footsteps running up to you.

"Hey, beautiful," Jungkook smirked after he caught up to you. Your heart fluttered.

"What are you doing here? Where were you in class today?" you questioned.

"Oh, I ditched. I was still hungover from a gathering at my friend's place last night. Did I miss anything important?"

"We started a project with assigned partners. I'm meeting him up at the library right now."

"Oh, boring. I'm glad I ditched." You rolled your eyes.

"Anyways, I need to go now. It was nice talking to you, Jungkook."

"Wait, are you still coming to the party on Friday?" Oh my gosh, he remembered! 

"Yes, text me the details, please." You told Jungkook your number as he typed it into his phone.

"Okay, cool. I'll let you know everything. Bring your hot friends." You rolled your eyes at him again.

"Yeah, sure. Bye." You didn't know how you were capable of keeping up a causal conversation with an insanely good-looking guy. Usually, when a good-looking guy would approach you, which they rarely did, you would just panic and freeze, and never be able to come up with anything interesting, witty, or funny to say, causing yourself to reply only with one-word answers, making yourself look unconfident. The problem was that you were kind of unconfident. Other people's opinions mattered way too much to you, causing you to revolve your life around how others will react. You knew it was unhealthy, but had no idea how to stop.

Lost in your thoughts, you had already made it to the library.

“Hey there!” Namjoon said. He had already found a table and was ready to go with his laptop open. “I already got a headstart on the assigment. I came up with multiple points of views to analyze this part of the text.”

“Wow, you are really on top of things,” you replied, impressed.

“I already read this back in high school for fun. Although it was a few years ago, I have a general idea about what happens.” And here you were thinking you were the only person of your age group who read classic literature just for fun, but decided against mentioning that you had also read it for fun in high school. Now that you were in a new location where nobody knew who you were, this was a second chance at a first impression. You did not want to be considered a nerd anymore.

You sat down and began reading and discussing the novel with him. Even though you just met him, you found that you really enjoyed working with him. Namjoon had a different perspective than you which made you see the novel in an entirely different way and vice versa. It was refreshing to have a deep conversation about a topic both people enjoy, as most exchanges you’ve had in the past year were just shallow small talk. As you both reflected and discussed, you had breezily finished the assignment in much less time than you anticipated. Perfect. More time to get ready for the party. 

“Nice work. We got done really fast. Maybe to speed up this project and get this over with, we can finish the next essay question tonight since it will be fresh in our memory,” stated Namjoon.

“Actually I’m going to a party tonight. Tomorrow maybe?” you said trying to hide the proudness in your voice. You never thought that you would be partying instead of doing homework since it was usually the reverse. You thought he would think that you were super cool and adventurous for partying in the first week of school, since it was something you would have never even contemplated doing in high school. Namjoon, however, seemed unfazed by this. 

“All right I’ll just submit mine tonight. You can do yours tomorrow. I’m happy to proofread your work before turning it in if you’d like.” A small part of you was disappointed that he didn’t seem to think anything of it and another small part of you was worried he would think you were irresponsible or a bad student when in reality that couldn’t be further from the truth. It was still nice of him to offer to help you when you knew he was probably busy with other things.

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” you said gratefully as you packed up your things, “When can you meet up next?” 

“How about Sunday evening?”

“Works for me.” You both bid your farewells and went your separate ways, eager to go to your first college party and see Jungkook.

[itsyourchoice-hp]

Year 1: The Wrath of Professor Snape

Author's Note: I hope you are enjoying the story so far! Reviews are much appreciated, as I would love to know what you all think. ____________________________________________________________________________________   The student behind Cath had to give her a little prod before she stumbled forward onto the stage. The staff table was behind her, but she had little time to observe before she sat down on the stool and turned to face the entire student body. Professor McGonagall placed a massive pointed Wizard’s Hat on her head. It was so big that it covered her eyes. To Cathryn’s surprise, the hat began to talk to her. It sounded almost as if it were a voice in her head. “Ah, a Malfoy… Well, Slytherin could be an easy choice. You have the ambition, no doubt. But there is a brave Gryffindor heart in there, yes indeed… It seems you could belong in both houses,” it said.  Cathryn wondered if everybody else could her what he was saying to her. She was worried that it was taking a long time. What if the hat couldn’t decided which house to place her in? Cathryn couldn’t imagine the look of disappointment on her Father’s face when she arrived on their doorstep and told her parents that she didn’t belong in any house and therefore couldn’t attend school. “There is much you don’t know about yourself… so it had better be Gryffindor!” the hat exclaimed. Cathryn was stunned as the table to the far right erupted in cheers. The hat was taken off her head, and as she made her way off the stage, she caught a glance of Draco at the Slytherin table, who looked equally as surprised. In fact, most of the Slytherins were staring at her with scowls or mouths open in shock. She fought back tears as she hurried into a seat at the Gryffindor table. What were her parents going to say? Why was she the only person in her family tree who hadn’t been in Slytherin? “Cheer up, now, we aren’t all that bad!” a voice broke Cathryn’s anxious thoughts. She looked up. Sitting across from her were two identical twins, both tall and lanky with red hair and freckles - undoubtedly Weasleys. “Welcome to Gryffindor. I’m Fred,” one said, shaking her hand. “And I’m George,” the other said, taking her other hand at the same time and shaking it. “Hello,” she managed to say. Yet another redhead boy, who looked a couple years older than the twins and displayed a shiny Prefect’s badge on his robes, leaned over and glared at the twins. “Ssh!” he hissed. “That’s our brother Percy,” Fred explained. “He really puts a damper on things, that one…” George added. When Percy gave them another glare, both twins stuck their tongues out at him. As the Sorting continued, Cathryn looked around the table at everyone. She caught eyes with Harry, Ron and Hermione who all smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up. She managed to smile back, but felt a bit jealous as the Slytherin table cheered and hissed as two students in a row were sorted into their house. Ginny Weasley joined the Gryffindor table soon after (all the Weasley boys cheered the loudest) and as the last few students took their turns on the stool, Cathryn looked to the staff table. Hagrid sat at one end, beaming around at everyone and drinking from a massive goblet. In the very centre was an old man with a very long white beard and a blue pointed hat. He wore robes of light blue and gold and peered over half-moon glasses. Next to him was an empty seat where Cathryn presumed belonged to Professor McGonagall.  The professor next to the empty seat took her by surprise, for he was staring straight at her, his eyebrows knit together in a look that looked oddly like anger. He had sallow skin, a rather hooked nose and long, black hair that reached to his high-collared black robes. His staring made Cathryn feel quite uncomfortable, but as soon as their eyes met, he looked away and started at his plate for the rest of the Sorting Ceremony. Cathryn leaned over to the twins and whispered, “Who is the professor next to the empty chair?” The twins both grimaced. “Snape,” they replied. She nodded, remembering the conversation that she’d had on the train earlier. It seemed that nobody quite liked Professor Snape. And by the looks of it, he didn’t like anybody either - particularly Cath. Perhaps he was expecting her to be sorted into Slytherin too because Draco was? But why would he be so angry about it? *** Much to Cathryn’s surprise, a great horned owl dropped off a letter from home at the breakfast table the morning after the Sorting Ceremony had taken place. She opened the letter and unfolded the parchment to find a couple of lines in her mother’s handwriting: Cathryn, Congratulations on being sorted into Gryffindor. I am very proud of you, and I’m sure it will grow to feel like a home to you. We hope you are settling in well at Hogwarts. If you’ve forgetting anything, don’t hesitate to send us an Owl back. Much love, Mum   Cath frowned, picturing her Father with a very disappointed look on her face when the news came that she hadn’t been sorted into Slytherin. He had probably refused to let her mother write “we are very proud of you”. Cath usually wasn’t one to overanalyze, but such a short reply seemed like a good enough cause for worry. Perhaps her parents were going to shun her now. She was probably the disgrace of the family. It would cause her parents so much distress that her Father would lose his job at the Ministry and they would be forced to sell the Malfoy Manor that had been in the family for centuries… they would have to live in a small, dingy flat. They would be the shame of the Malfoy family - even Nana and Grandad would stop visiting. Or maybe, they would just throw her out of the house to begin with and she would have to start panhandling. Would Professor Dumbledore let her work in the school kitchens to earn her keep? The sound of a bell ringing shook Cath from her melodramatic thoughts. She quickly slung her school bag over her shoulder and followed the other Gryffindor First Year students out of the Great hall, deciding that she was probably overreacting to her mother’s letter. Pushing it to the back of her thoughts, she entered the doors of a cold and dark dungeon for her first class - Potions. The students were seated at round tables in groups of four. Cath joined Ginny Weasley, Esmerelda Goldsworth, Jeffrey O’Connor and, and Colin Creevy (a boy who was constantly asking to take Harry’s picture) at a table. Waiting for them at the front was a glowering Professor Snape. The dim lighting of the dungeon gave him a creepy and rather green look. “I expect my students to arrive at class on time. Not one moment early, nor one moment late. I will not tolerate my time being wasted, especially on First Year students who need all the education they can get,” he said sourly in a deep, sneering voice. Cathryn exchanged uncomfortable glances with the students around her table. “In my classroom, I expect students to behave with the utmost respect for the art of Potions. I have no patience for those who arrive late, talk out of turn, fail to complete homework, or do not follow my instruction. Failure to comply will result in punishment and deduction of house points. Am I understood?” he looked around, as if daring someone to speak up. The dungeon was silent. “We will move on to attendance. When I call your name, you will simply raise your hand,” he said, unfolding a roll of parchment that sat on his desk. Cathryn was certainly beginning to see what Harry, Ron and Hermione were saying when they had told her about Professor Snape. She was already beginning to dislike him. Whatever side of him Draco saw, he clearly wasn’t showing it today. “Adams, Christine,” he began. A girl with black, chin length hair raised her hand timidly. “Birch, Lauren… Blackstone, Michael… Creevy, Colin…” Snape continued down the list. His lip practically curled as he said, “Malfoy, Cathryn,” through clenched teeth. Cath raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit angry at his reaction to her name. Professor Snape scanned the classroom until his eyes rested on her, glaring. “Did I not instruct you to raise you hand when I call your name, Miss Malfoy?” he asked. She sighed through her nose and rose her hand in obedience. “Clearly you are already showing a lack of respect for the rules I’ve given you. Five points from Gryffindor,” he said. When he noticed the scowl on her face he added, “You will soon find out that not everything in this life will be simply handed to you, Malfoy.” He continued to take attendance as Cathryn’s face became hot with embarrassment. “He hates me,” she muttered.   “That makes two of us,” said Harry to Cathryn at a table in the Great Hall the following Saturday. The two of them, along with Ron, Hermione and Draco were gathered there, doing homework (or in Harry and Ron’s case, playing Wizard’s Chess). “Maybe he’s getting bored of picking on Harry, so he needs someone new,” Ron suggested, as his Knight took out one of Harry’s pawns. “Or maybe he just can’t favour two Malfoys,” suggested Draco with a sneer. “So he has to pick a favourite. “Draco,” Hermione chided him from behind a stack of books. “Well whatever it is, I’m not about to let him make a fool of me in front of the whole class whenever he pleases,” said Cathryn determinedly, now doodling on her Transfiguration homework. “It’s best not to fight fire with fire when it comes to Snape, like Harry does,” Hermione advised her. “I do not-“ Harry broke off before he could disagree with her. “Well… I suppose I do.” “Have you replied to Mother and Father’s letter yet, Cath?” Draco asked Cathryn, changing the subject. She just shook her head. “Were they pleased that you were sorted into Gryffindor?” Hermione asked. “It’s none of your business, Hermione,” Ron said, looking as if she had just said something offensive. Cathryn laughed as Hermione scowled at him. “They weren’t over the moon about it, that’s for sure. From what I could gather from the four sentences my Mother wrote, they were probably a bit surprised. My Father didn’t write anything at all. Maybe he died of shock.” “I’m sure they’ll get over it,” Draco said, though he didn’t look to sure of it himself. “You can always come stay with my family over the holidays if they disown you,” Ron offered. “They won’t disown you,” Hermione assured her. It was all very kind of them, but Cath couldn’t help but think that they didn’t know the proud, Pureblood Slytherin wizard that was her Father. If he was encouraging Draco not to hang out with his Gryffindor friends, the chances that he would be happy his own daughter was one probably wouldn’t please him. “Cath, you should come to the Quidditch game today,” Harry suggested. “Gryffindor versus Slytherin. You can watch me put your brother to shame.” “Eat dung, Potter,” Draco snapped. “We’ll see who’s going to be put to shame. My father got me a Nimbus 2001 as a present before the start of school.” Quidditch was the most popular Wizarding sport - one that was played in the air on flying broomsticks. Draco was a seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team, and practiced tirelessly every summer in their backyard. From what he had told her, Harry was also a Seeker - in fact, the youngest one in history. Normally First Years weren’t allowed to join the Quidditch team, but Harry’s skill had been discovered and he’d been given special permission from Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore. Her father had mentioned something about special treatment when Draco had explained this, but even being the prideful brat he was, Draco admitted that Harry really was quite good. “You know what I got as a present before the start of school? My brothers old gloves. Gloves! What on earth am I going to need those for?” Ron grumbled bitterly. Draco snickered. “Well, it is quite cold outside, I’m sure they’ll come in handy if they haven’t got too many holes in them.” “Draco,” Hermione and Cathryn scolded in unison. *** As weeks passed, Cathryn began to feel more and more at home at Gryffindor. She got on well with the other girls in her dorm, most evenings were spent with Harry, Hermione, Ron, Fred, George, Ginny and their other Gryffindor friends in the Common Room, and (save Potions) her classes were most enjoyable. The brisk autumn air slowly gave way to wind and snow, and the day before it was time for Cathryn and Draco to go home for Christmas break, Hogwarts was covered in thick blankets of sparkling white snow. However, something very strange happened that day. The last class of the day had finished, and Cathryn and Ginny were walking along with their other classmates back to Gryffindor Tower so that they could get ready for dinner A strange sight in the corridor caused them to stop in their tracks and let out a gasp. They were standing in ankle deep water, and a cat belonging to the school caretaker was suspended in midair, appearing to be paralyzed. Ginny gave a sudden sob beside Cathryn and fled back the way they had came from. “Ginny!” Cathryn said. Before she could attempt to follow her, Professor McGonagall arrived. The sight made her eyes widen in shock. She lifted up the hem of her robes. “Your attention please,” she said immediately, loud enough for the group to hear. Other students attempting to go down the corridor were now gathered around, whispering to each other. “Everyone is to return to their Common Rooms immediately. This corridor is officially off limits until further notice, so please do not attempt to reach your Common Rooms this way.” The students began talking amongst themselves again, all conspiring as to what had happened. As Cathryn looked over her shoulder, Professor McGonagall began to perform spells that closed off the corridor. If Ginny had already gone back to the Common Room, Cathryn could not find her. Her reaction to the scene they had just witnessed both confused and concerned Cath, and when the bell rang for dinner, Cathryn quickly went to the Great Hall to find Harry, Ron and Hermione and tell them what had happened. The three of them were already talking about it as she took a seat beside them. “Did you hear?” Ron asked. “It’s so strange…” Hermione said anxiously.  “I was there,” Cath replied. “We were walking out of our last class, and the hallway was filled with water. Then, we saw Mr. Filch’s cat just hanging in midair. She was stiff as a board - she looked like she was paralyzed or something.” “Weird…” Harry said, shaking his head. “By the way… have either of you seen Ginny? She was rather upset when it happened. She ran off before Professor McGonagall could get there, and I didn’t see her in the Common Room when we got back,” Cath said. Ron shrugged. “She’s just sensitive, that’s all. I’m sure she’ll get over it.” However, Ginny never showed up to dinner and when Cathryn returned to her dorm that night, the curtains of her four-poster bed were already pulled shut. Cath lay in bed for a while, mulling the situation over in her head before sleep fell over her.

[liliesoftherain]

My Hero Academia Main 3 Boys x Reader

Ch.3 Class Rep & Field Trip Time

Ch.1 Ch.2 

Here’s part three! I made a sketch of how I think the readers hero outfit looks if you wanna check it out. I can’t draw for shit so I’m sorry the picture sucks.Thanks for reading! 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

The next morning wasn't any less exciting, as it seemed the media was finally taking action of AllMight's new teaching role. You saw many journalists one morning when you were trying to make your way onto the campus, and thankfully saw someone you knew.

"Bakugou! Wait up!" You shouted, jogging to walk side by side. He didn't really slow down, but he gave you a quick glance to let you know he at least sees you. He looked pretty grumpy so you didn't say anything else.

"Excuse me kid! Are you in AllMight's class?" A reporter lady with brown hair in a pantsuit cut you guys off, shoving a microphone straight into Bakugou's face. He was about to walk around, but she stayed firmly in front of him.

"Hey wait, aren't you that Sludge villain kid?" You saw Bakugou tense up, and it finally clicked. That kid was Bakugou. It had to be, the same spiky blond hair and explosions. You only saw it on the news and briefly heard your father talk about it, so you really didn't give it another thought when coming to school. 

Although it looks as he really didn't want to remember, as his body went stiff and he glared at the lady.

"Walk away. Right now." She ignored him as he walked forward, instead cutting you off from walking with him.

"What about you girly, got any information your boyfriend here didn't want to share."

"My-my boyfriend?" You face flushed. People thought you guys were together?! You were just walking into school! What guys and girls couldn't be friends?

She held the mic close to you face, smirking at the flustered look. You wanted to walk around but she was staring you down, and after that comment you couldn't think clearly enough to move. 

A hand grabbed your wrist and yanked you away from the stares, you glanced up and saw Bakugou dragging you away, his mouth set in a firm line at the reporters. 

"You're all leeches, get out of here." You looked back and saw they went straight onto targeting someone else, poor Mr. Aizawa. At least he'll set them straight. 

You were still being pulled along in his tight grip, you noticed that his hand almost felt cold compared to yours, even with his explosive quirk. Since your body temperature was higher than most due to the way you stored your light. 

"Uh thanks Bakugou, you saved me from being trampled." You voice must've snapped him out of whatever daze he was in, because he dropped your wrist faster than you could blink.

"Shut up glitter bomb, you weren't moving fast enough and I wanted to make sure you didn't say some stupid shit." You laughed at his grouchy response, and walked side by side with him in silence till you reached the classroom. 

You were surprised when he slowed down and let you walk in first. While he didn't do anything chivalrous and hold the door open, it was still thoughtful to let you go first. So you just thanked him and paid no mind to it, shuffling to your seat waiting for class to start.

When class finally did start, Mr. Aizawa began to congratulate you all on the combat training that occurred yesterday. 

"I saw the video feeds and went over each teams results. Bakugou." Mr. Aizawa stared hard at him. You looked over, and couldn't see his face due to sitting behind him.

"You're talented, so don't sulk like a child about your loss okay." You heard him huff before looking towards the window, his face still hidden from view so you didn't know exactly how he felt.

"Yeah whatever."

"And Midoriya." Deku's body jolted in surprise, then you saw the nervous look from waiting to be chewed out.

"It seems you only won was by messing up your arm again. Work harder, and I don't want the excuse of you not having control of your quirk. It;s already getting old. You can't keep breaking your body training here."

"But, it will be a useful quirk once you get a handle on it." You saw Izuku shoot up with a smile, glad to have been praised, even if the tiniest bit. It was hard to receive praise from your teacher so you felt happy for him.

"Right!"

"Let's get down to business, our first task, will decide your future."

The whole class froze in anticipation. What could it be? Another type of quirk test?

"You all need to pick a class representative." You all sighed in relief, not knowing if you could handle another fight between classmates so soon. 

The entire class went into an uproar about who should be the class officer. 

"Pick me guys! I wanna be class rep!" Kirishima shouted while standing, you dragged him back in his chair while he grinned over at you.

"Sorry but I'm just so excited, it would be amazing from my transcripts!" 

"Yea I get what you mean, my dad was the class officer his time here too. I'd like to follow in his footsteps!" You say back just as eagerly.

"Woah really, your dad went to U.A?"  

Before you could answer you were cut off by Iida yelling about his method of choosing the class representative.

"Therefore, the most logical way to figure this out is democratically. We will hold an election!"

While some others protested, you agreed it was the best way to figure this out civilly.  With Aizawa's uncaring permission, you got to vote.

The scores were written up on the board, and you were surprised to see Midoriya had 3 whole votes.

"Wow Izuku, looks like you're the winner huh?" You gave him a smile. He looked shocked and was yelling about not knowing how he got the job. 

"Okay you idiots! Who voted for him!" Bakugou stood up and glared around the classroom. 

"Well (y/n), looks like you'll have to keep Midoriya in check! Sucks that you beat me again." Kirishima slapped your back playfully, even with a frown on his face. 

"What are you.." You trailed off, looking at the board to see that you had came in the second spot with two votes. 

"Holy crap who did that." You wondered out loud. Kirishima shoved you towards the front, and you found yourself standing next to a shaking Izuku, who had an ugly look on his face.

"Alright the class rep is Midoriya, and the deputy is Hakamata." You stood straight, steeling your nerves as you stared out at the sea of your peers. Izuku couldn't stop shaking so you nudged him and whispered,

"Hey calm down, you're going to be fine."

"Really? This isn't a mistake?" You sighed, putting a hand to your temple. Izuku was a good person, but you knew this was going to be a painful year. 

You heard Kirishima yell from the back of the classroom he could get behind you and Midoriya as officers. As well as someone else agree you handled yourself really well during the training exercise.

Lunch rolled around as you sat next to Mina, waiting for the other guys to show up. You all seemed to form a little rag tag group. 

"Oh bestie I'm so proud of you!" She gushed, even though you barely knew her she seemed attached to the hip to you. You couldn't be upset, because you actually really liked having a female friend, and she was very sweet to you.

"Thanks Mina, I hope I can make everyone proud. I can't wait to tell my dad about this position."

"I'm sure he'll be proud! There's no way he won't be!" 

An alarm sounded off, and you were confused as to why it was. You've never heard this alarm before and got worried.

"Level 3 security breach! Please all students evacuate the building in an orderly fashion!"

Level three, breach of security? You saw everyone get up and rush out of the cafeteria. You pulled Mina behind you, holding onto her so she wouldn't get dragged away. It was so crowded, and people were shoving and screaming. You fought you way along the side of the wall where the windows were, to at least not be surrounded on all sides. You looked outside to see what kind of danger everyone could be in and only saw, the press?

"It's just the press!" You heard someone yell, and saw Iida. 

"Iida! We have to let everyone know!" He saw that you noticed as well and nodded at you.

"I was afraid there was some type of attack on the school! Don't worry everyone-oof!" He was slammed against the window and you gasped. 

"Here Mina, climb on the window sill, be careful!" You helped her up, and she looked scared. 

"Where are you going?!" 

"I have to help Iida!" You shoved your way through the crowd and helped Iida back to his feet.

"We need to find a way to make everyone listen!" He yelled impatiently. You heard a scream and saw Ochaco being dragged away. You quickly held your hand out and pushed yourself towards her. Trying to grab a hold and pull her towards you, it worked, and you dragged her against the current of the students. She held onto you and Iida both, and when you looked up you saw his face change.

"Uraraka, I need you to use your quirk! Make me float above the other students! (y/n), set off a light blast to push me towards the front of the students and hopefully get their attention!"

You both agreed and Ochaco slapped his hand and he lost his gravitational pull. He jumped up and you pushed him forward, letting out a blast of bright light following him. Most students stopped to see what was going on, a flying man with a bright light flying by.

Your push had him twisting in the air before he caught onto the bar by the exit sign for support.

"LISTEN UP, EVERYTHING IS OKAY! IT'S JUST THE MEDIA OUTSIDE, EVERYTHING'S FINE. THERE'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT! As U.A. students we can't let fear get to us." You stared in awe as he made the entire room quiet, and you yelled out as well.

"Please! Everyone exit in an orderly manner! We can't let someone get hurt by all this shoving! Walk towards the exits and watch out for anyone on the ground!" 

People listened as they all made a slow exit, heading back to the classrooms. You stayed by the doors and made sure everyone got out safely and with no foul play. Watching through the window as the police arrived. 

Once back in the classroom, you sent Iida a smile before walking towards the front, a shaking Izuku not far behind you.

"C'mon Izuku, let's get started." You smiled at him, hoping it would calm his nerves. 

"Uhm yea! So uh, we got to figure out the other class officers! But uh, first off.." He looked down, "There's something I have to say. I think Tenya Iida should be out class rep!" Your mouth dropped open, forming a small 'o' as he continued to praise Iida for his support during the crisis situation. You grinned and agreed.

"Without Iida we still would be in a panic, I agree with you Midoriya if that's what you really want." 

"Yeah, you know what. If (y/n) even agrees I'm good!" Kirishima grinned at Iida. "You manned up and took charge, even though you looked like the exit guy sign." 

"If Midoriya is nominating me for this job," Iida stood, hand raised high, " I accept!" 

"That was a very kind thing to do Izuku." You smiled at him, and he laughed back.

"It's only the right thing. You two will make a great team, just like how you proved that today!"

You continued on with class duties, picking out other officers before the time came and it was for hero training!

"I wonder what we have going on today." You looked at Sero, who was looking bored, waiting for Aizawa to continue the lesson.

"Who knows, I hope it's some more training, I want to keep getting stronger!"  Kirishima started throwing air punches. 

"Well I hope it's something a little different, being a hero isn't just about fighting you know." You shot back.

"Quiet down." Mr. Aizawa interrupted. 

"Today's training will be a little different," You smirked smugly at Kirishima for being right, he just rolled his eyes. "you'll have three instructors. Myself, AllMight, and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you. "

"Wow three pros. That's pretty cool."

"Sir, what kind of training is this?" Sero asked.

"Rescue," Aizawa held out a card much like AllMight did the day prior. "You will be dealing with natural disasters and such."

"Wow disasters huh? Sounds like a big workout." Denki said, looking perplexed, even more so when Mina yelled back at him how amazing it was going to be.

"It's real hero stuff, " Kirishima patted Denki on the back. "It's what separates the men from the boys."

"Hey!" He pouted. "I'm a man!" 

"Yea okay dude," Kirishima laughed and pointed at you. "(y/n) is way more manlier than you, try to prove me wrong." You snickered back and high-fived the redhead while Denki pouted at the both of you.

"You guys are mean."

"Hey, I wasn't finished." The class quieted down from Mr. Aizawa's stern voice. You guys looked back at him, his face made it clear he was exhausted with you all.

"What you wear in this exercise is up to you, I would choose carefully. Seeing as even though you're excited about your costumes, remember you aren't really used to them, it could even hinder your abilities." Aizawa pressed the remote and all of the cases for your costumes came out.

"We'll have to take a bus to get there since this training is at an off campus facility. Get ready and let's go." 

You all got up to grab your suits, and went to change in the locker room. 

"You're costume is super cute (y/n)! I wish mine was better, and maybe not so skin tight." Ochaco laughed, rubbing her arm self consciously. 

"I still think it looks really cool on you! Not as much as mine, but mine is the best here! Look at the colors!" Gushed Mina. She twirled around and began to pose, causing you both to laugh.

"It looks great yes, both of yours do! Mine is mainly so I don't overheat myself." 

"That reminds me, how exactly does your quirk work (y/n)?" 

"Well," You started, explaining to every girl who were now gathered around you.

"I take the property of light, and manipulate the chemical formula, so in a sense I can go back and forth from making a light from a solid to its original form. Even almost making myself light, that's how I was able to run so fast."

"It's really fascinating to hear about everyone's unique quirks, don't you guys agree?" Momo questioned thoughtfully.

"Like, in some way's quirks can be similar yet at the same time at a whole other level. Like when someone can lift make small objects float, to the extreme like you Uraraka, who can cancel out the gravitational pull of just about anything and make that float." You all muttered in agreement with Momo, it really was kind of cool to know your power could've been something else entirely. 

You girls headed outside, waiting for anyone else along with the bus to arrive.

"Hey Deku why are you in your P.E. clothes?" Ochaco asked, walking with you as you both stopped in front of said boy.

"Didn't you see his outfit after the training?" You laughed.

"Yea, it was kinda trashed. I'm still waiting for the support company to fix it up" Izuku agreed. 

A loud whistle blew out, making everyone turn their heads to their class rep, who was looking more determined than ever to fulfill his duties.

"Ok gather around class 1-A! Form two neat lines based on your student numbers to ensure we load the bus efficiently. "

"Iida doesn't seem to be slowing down, kicking it into high gear for this role." Izuku sighed, and you laughed loudly.

"Why Midoriya, was that a pun?" He flushed before agreeing, making you laugh even louder. You've never heard this kid joke before, you didn't think his stuttering heart would've allowed him to try. 

He shook his arms, ranting on about he wasn't trying to make fun of him before you had to shut him up.

"Jeez Izuku you're doing that thing again where the words just keep coming out. How do you have that much air?" 

"I-uh sorry! I didn't realize!" You shake your head with another chuckle before making your way onto the bus with the other students. Noticing the layout of the bus really didn't match with the original way Tenya wanted everyone to sit.

You sat down on Kirishima's left, the edge seat. When you looked towards the other seats to your side you saw Bakugou sitting next to Jiro, and Todoroki just behind them. You sighed and leaned back further into the plush seats, ignoring Iida's sulking about his ruined plans. Your attention was caught when Tsu said she wanted to make an observation about Izuku.

"That power of yours, it's really a lot like AllMight's isn't it?" You glanced over and saw him jump, nerves making him shake like normal. This confused you. If he was such a fanboy, shouldn't he be more thrilled?

"What really? You think so huh? I never really thought so, I don't think that could be a possibility!"

"Izuku, what's the big deal." Your eyes narrowed as you saw him gulp, not looking into your eyes. "Wouldn't it be cool to say you had a strong quirk like a Pro, even if it wasn't exactly the same?" 

"Even though it's powerful, it's really not like AllMight's that much." Kirishima pointed out. 

"I mean, AllMight doesn't break his bones after ever smash. I'd say their really different." He sighed, making his arm harden with his quirk.

"Even so I do have to admit it's pretty flashy, and Midoriya's would make a great Pro Hero quirk, you'll get noticed! Unlike mine, not too flashy, just able to get the bad guys down is all I'm good for.

"Hey I think you're quirk is really cool!" You pipe up, not liking that he was putting himself down. 

"I mean I'd love to have a quirk that didn't make me overheat constantly. You know how tough it is when I get a fever? I feel like I'm melting." You say with an over-dramatic sigh, you really hated getting sick.

"Okay but you're probably are one of the best when it comes to having a Pro Quirk! I mean, Todoroki and Bakugou probably are the best ones here but you ain't far behind! Even Bakugou can tell it's a good and flashy quirk! What does he call you again? Glitter Worm?" You laughed, looking at Bakugou who was already staring at you, with a grunt he looked away as soon as you two made eye contact.

"Glitter worm? That's pretty good, but I'm glitter bomb to him. Pretty cute don't you think." You wink at the other students, ignoring Aoyama when he argued he was the only one who sparkled here. 

"Oh man Bakugou gave you a cute nickname!?" Mina squealed, and you swore you could see hearts form in her eyes.

"That's so romantic! It's even matching his own quirk! You both are the bomb! Ahh I want someone to give me a cutesy name!"

You blushed, waving your arms around, reminding yourself of the way Iida looks when he is shouting out commands. 

"Th-that's not-"

"I don't see Bakugou as the romance type though," Tsu spoke out, "he's always angry, he'll never be that popular, especially with the ladies."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY? I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!" Bakugou lurched forward, hand gripping the rail tightly as he glared at Tsu. All she did in reply was point and mutter an 'See? I told you so.'

"You know, we still barely know one another, but it goes to show how we all know your personality is a flaming pile of crap. I agree with Tsu, you would never be able to charm a girl. "

Bakugou turned his furious stare towards Kaminari, who was the one to agree with Tsu about the romance issue.

"YOU'RE GOING TO REGRET THE DAY YOU APPLIED TO THIS SCHOOL YOU LOSER, I'LL KILL YOU. WHO ARE YOU TO THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME HUH!?"

"Because unlike you, I can woo a woman Bakugou." Denki smugly retorted as he blew a kiss at you with a wink. You felt your body shiver in disturbance at being flirted with by him. You could imagine your father's reaction too, the poor boy would be crushed by a Pro Hero even before the first week of school ended!

"Gross Kaminari, I don't want you blowing your germs in my direction, you're not good at romance either you know."

"EITHER?? SO YOU'RE PUTTING ME ON THE SAME LEVEL AS THIS EXTRA, HUH ICKY GLOW WORM?"

"I mean, you're not exactly making me swoon by calling me an icky worm, Bakugou." Kirishima howled in laughter as Bakugou snapped and yelled at you both. Iida jumped in yelling back about treating everyone with respect.

"What a disgusting conversation." Momo glared, her hand over her mouth as she was really going to get sick.

"Oh c'mon Momo," You smiled, " It's all fun and games."

"Yeah!" Ochaco grinned, "It's kind of fun listening to them fight, plus I think (y/n) and Bakugou would make a great couple!" 

Your jaw dropped, hands cupping your cheeks to hide your blush as you heard more squeaks and squeals of agreement coming from Mina. 

"Oh they would be the cutest together wouldn't they! I swear I saw them holding hands this morning!" Everyone's chatter stopped, looking between both you and the hothead.

"I-It's not what you think! The reporters were all up in my face and he was just dragging me away!"

"Awh she's blushing! ADMIT YOU LIKE HIM!" Mina cackled, everyone teasing you for your red face, causing you to sink further into the chair.

"HEY SHUT IT RIGHT NOW IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU! NO ONE LIKES ANYONE YOU DAMN NERD." Bakugou was red in the face as well, he was yelling at everyone so you knew that was why, since there was no way he could be embarrassed. Unlike you, you were sure your face was a bright red beacon, all because of the teasing! How could they say that so casually?

"Hey hey we're here, knock it off." Aizawa grumbled out.

"Yes sir!" You all responded, and you sat up and turned to look out the window, marveling at the large dome building you were pulling up to, excited for the training about to come.

[keig-hoe-takami]

Chapter 4

Masterlist

The three friends gaped at the crowd around the UA campus, it was only the third day of school and already news reporters were circling the school gates.

‘Excuse me! You three there!’ a reported yelled as the students were noticed by the group ‘What’s it like being All Might’s pupils?’ Voices converged into one as more reporters hounded them for comments.

‘Come on guys, here.’ Kirishima put his arms around the two girls to the side of him, dragging them forcefully through the crowd, ‘He’s a great teacher, we’re really learning a lot from him!’ He shouted in the hopes of calming the crowd down, he succeeded partially, allowing the three to finally rush through the gates.

‘Oh my god that was crazy!’ Ichirou gasped, ‘I didn’t realise people would be so interested in All Might being a teacher!’

‘I mean, I guess it is pretty cool since he’s the number one hero,’ Kirishima said, looking back at the still restless crowd,

‘I hope they don’t use those pictures, you messed up my damn hair Kiri!’ Mina cried out as she tried to flatten the now frizzy mess,

‘Sorry Mina, I didn’t mean to- just wanted to protect you that’s all.’ Kirishima apologised,

‘Spoken like a true hero.’ Ichirou said, ‘I’m sure they wont use the pictures though, they’ll probably want some more candid photos.’ Mina smiled at her, slightly reassured.

‘Lets get on with home room notices…’ Mr Aizawa said calmly, ‘I’m sorry to have to spring this on you all, but we need to pick a class president.’

A ripple of excitement rolled over the class, finally they were going to be doing something school like!!

‘I wanna be class president!’ Kirishima cried out,

‘I love leader positions- Ill do it!’ Mina challenged

‘I wanna do it too!’ The girl in front of Ichirou said, almost everyone had raised their hands, Ichirou included, excited for the opportunity to prove themselves at UA.

‘BE QUIET!!’ A loud, commanding voice caused everyone to turn to the back of the room, Tenya Iida began to speak, ‘This is a task laden with responsibility where you must carry and pull everyone else’s weight! Just because you’d like to do it doesn’t mean you can!’ The tall boy had a point but he seemed to be taking the entire thing way to seriously, ‘It is a holy office that requires the great esteem and trust of those around you…! The only truly worthy leader will emerge from a democratic choice reflecting the will of the people! It must be settled with a vote!

‘But everyone will just vote for themselves!’ Kirishima shouted back,

‘Which is why the person who does earn multiple votes will be the truly appropriate person for the job, no?!’ Iida explained, Ichirou understood exactly what he meant, and placed a hand on Kirishima’s shoulder in warning.

In the end, almost everybody voted for themselves, and Ichirou wasn’t innocent. It was true that she didn’t really know anyone well enough yet to assume that they would be a good leader, though she was pleased that Momo had won vice-president, but she had also wanted to see if she could have won.

Midoriya stood at the class next to the taller girl, nervously shaking as he excepted his place as class president, ‘So then its president Midoriya and vice-president Yaoyorozu.’ Aizawa confirmed, stepping out of his sleeping bag.

The lunch rush cafeteria was just as amazing as usual; Ichirou and Mina took their seats with the boys at an empty table.

‘I’ve been talking to Asui quite a lot, she’s the frog girl who sits behind me,’ Mina explained to Ichirou, ‘I think she’s really nice, told me to call her Tsu- so I guess that means we’re friends!’,

‘That’s great, you’ll have to introduce me,’ Ichirou smiled at her friend as the two tucked into their noodles, ‘Sometimes Jirou turns round to chat to me, she so cool- her dad was in a band or something like that.’

‘She sounds awesome, there’s so many cool people in our class! I don’t even have a backstory.’ Mina sulked,

‘What do you mean you don’t have a backstory, you weirdo.’ Ichirou questioned,

‘Well, Kiri dyed his hair, and you don’t have a dad-‘ Mina started,

‘Hey, those jokes are only funny if I do them.’ Ichirou jokingly narrowed her eyes at the girl,

‘Whatever,’ Mina stuck her tongue out at her,

‘Besides, you saved those girls from that villain, that’s backstory.’ Ichirou motioned with her fork,

‘Don’t remind me of that! It’s so scary to think of!’ Mina covered her eyes, shaking her head,

‘Sorry Pinky, but you were so brave!’ Ichirou nudged the girl next to her,

‘Move up.’ Ichirou looked up at the recognisably gruff voice above her, her eyes met with Bakugou’s stern face. The girl smiled, sliding along the bench to allow the boy to sit next to her.

‘Baku-bro!’ Kirishima said, ‘Didn’t expect you to actually come sit with us!’

‘Don’t make a big deal of it shitty-hair.’ Bakugou replied, sending a glare in Kirishima’s direction, the boy put his hands up in surrender, Denki and Sero’s eyes widened,

‘Hey we got the same meal!’ Ichirou exclaimed as she saw Bakugou begin eating his noodles, ‘Mina got it too.’ She added, becoming nervous as Bakugou didn’t reply,

‘They’re pretty good.’ The boy mumbled as he finished his dish quickly, holy shit he eats fast- Ichirou thought to herself, turning to Mina who was wiggling her eyebrows suggestively back at Ichirou who faked puking to save face.

Suddenly, a loud blaring noise rang out through the cafeteria, ‘SECURITY LEVEL 3 HAS BEEN BREACHED. STUDENTS, PLEASE PROMPTLY EVACUATE.’

‘Evacuate!’ Denki exclaimed as the group left their seats, joining the crowd of teenagers trying to get to the school safety points,

‘It means someone’s infiltrated the school grounds!’ A voice shouted over the crowd, whipping the students into an even bigger frenzy. Ichirou was jostled into a wall by her upperclassmen as they raced to the door, finding it difficult to see her friends thanks to the tall 3rd years,

‘Mina! Kiri, where are you?’ She cried out, becoming stressed at the chaos of the situation as she was pushed into the wall again, face first this time. She had no clue what was going on. Her ears were ringing with the crescendo of voices and her tail was hidden between her legs in fear. Overwhelmed, she turned again, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mina’s pink hair, instead she was met by another wall.

‘Watch yourself, runt.’ Ichirou looked up to see Bakugou standing above her, ‘listen, this is those damn reporters, alright? Don’t go running around like a damn idiot.’

‘O-okay.’ Ichirou mumbled, dangerously aware of how close the two were, she was practically trapped by his strong chest,

‘The hells up with your damn ears?’ The boy questioned abruptly, noticing the way they twitched, moving independently in all directions,

‘Um, its just loud.’ Ichirou answered, her tail wiggling from side to side as she felt her entire body heat up,

‘Huh.’ Bakugou grunted, before promptly flattening the girls ears with his hands, dulling the sound and pulling her even closer to him. Ichirou’s eyes went wide at the sudden intrusion, the sensitivity of her ears causing the speed of her tail to increase rapidly, thrashing from side to side as she gripped the boys forearm.

Ichirou wasn’t sure how much time passed in this position, but she was soon taken out of her trance as Bakugou lifted his hands from her ears.

‘Its over.’ He stated, the somewhat dazed girl lifted her head from where she had burrowed into his front, she looked around noticing Iida being helped down from a doorway? How he’d got there she didn’t know- ‘He jumped.’ Bakugou stated as he took a step back from the girl, Ichirou nodded in acknowledgement as her arm dropped back to her side. Bakugou nodded back before sticking his hands in his pockets and turning to walk away.

‘For the foundational skill of heroics we’ll study today,’ Aizawa started as his class calmed down, ‘It was decided you’ll be supervised by a three-man team comprising of me, All Might and somebody else.’ Decided? Ichirou thought to herself, what were they going to be doing that needed three teachers?

‘Be the hero everyone need, whether it’s a flood or any other disaster’ The teacher dramatically revealed the activity, ‘It’s the trail of rescue!!’ Ichirou’s face broke into a smile, thanks to her wolf traits, rescue was surely going to be a strong point of hers.

‘Trail of rescue… sounds a bit difficult this time round…’ Kaminari pondered,

‘Cmon, dumbass, that’s what a hero’s whole job is!! I’m chomping at the bit!!’ Kiri replied, almost jumping out of his chair in his excitement,

‘As I was saying,’ Aizawa continued, staring down the two boys, ‘This time, it’s entirely up to each of you whether or not you wear your costume. Some of your costumes probably aren’t adapted to the task at hand, after all. The training area is fairly far away, so we’ll get there by bus. That’s all.’

‘I cant believe we’re going on a school trip!’ Mina swung Ichirou and hers hands as the two girls walked to the bus,

‘Same! I wonder who the somebody else Sensei was talking about is.’ Ichirou nodded in agreement as they came to a stop,

‘In order to get everybody seated smoothly on the bus, file into two lines according to your numbers.’ Iida, the classes new president, shouted to the waiting students,

‘Damn it, we cant sit next to each other! Why’d Iida do that.’ Mina sulked,

‘I think he’s pretty good, besides we’re close to each other so don’t worry.’ The other girl reassured as they parted to find their space in line. Ichirou was one of the last on the bus, but she soon realised poor Iida’s system had failed, no one was sat in their right places,

‘Rou!! I saved you a seat!’ Mina called from one of the benches at the front of the bus and Ichirou soon found herself sat between her and Kaminari,

‘So it ended up being this kind of bus anyway!’ Iida said defeatedly as he sat next to Mina,

‘Yeah there was no poi-‘ the girl began,

‘I think you did really well organising it Iida!’ Ichirou interrupted, sending a glare to her friend,

‘Thank you, Sato.’ Iida replied, turning to the girl,

‘Oh, call me Ichirou, we already have a Sato in this class.’ She said smiling and giving the boy a thumbs up,

‘Alright, Sa- Ichirou.’ Iida nodded his appreciation before turning to talk to Midoriya, Ichirou turned to her friends, who seemed to be in the middle of a conversation,

‘I’m kinda jealous of that kind of simple enhancer type quirk, though! There a lot you can do with one, and flashily too!’ Kirishima complimented Midoriya, ‘My hardening power isn’t bad for punch-ups, but I hate that its just not that flashy.’

‘Well , I think its an awesome quirk! Definitely a quirk that’ll be great use to a pro!’ Ichirou smiled at Midoriya’s reassurance, she was beginning to really like the strange boy.

‘Besides, Kiri, you know heroics has a lot about it that’s more like a popularity contest too, right?? You’re so nice I’m sure you’ll do great!’ Ichirou chimed in,

‘Yeah, like everyone’s gonna love Ichirou bc she’s like a teddy bear!’ Mina patted the girls head, rubbing at her ears as Ichirou leaned into the touch,

‘If we’re talking the double whammy of flashy and strong, you can’t not mention Todoroki and Bakugou!’ Kirishima added, deflecting attention,

‘Bakugou’s always fuming, so he wont be very popular.’ Asui mentioned, offhandedly, clearly not realising what she was saying,

‘The hell did you say! I’ll be popular, too!!’ The boy exploded from behind them, gripping the rails in front of him.

‘It’s only been a brief while since our socialisation has commenced and yet already we have been made apodictically cognisant of your personality, redolent as it is of a turd getting steamed in a sewer.’ Kaminari pressed the boy to further anger, Ichirou smacked his arm as she stifled a laugh,

‘Huh?! What the hell kinda vocabulary is that?! Ill fucking kill you!!’ Bakugou was practically bending the railing in anger, face scrunched up in a terrifying, but almost cute, fit of rage,

‘Damn Bakugou, you are one fouled mouthed dude.’ Kaminari continued, despite the fear in his eyes, and Ichirou had half a mind to smack a hand over the boys mouth.

‘We’re almost there. Settle down already…’ Aizawa ordered, before Bakugou jumped the railing and attacked Kaminari,

Bakugou kept his eyes trained on the poor boy, eyebrows drawn in a scowl. Ichirou looked at him subconsciously, wondering how in the world the boy could get so angry, that is, until his eyes flickered onto hers. She raised an eyebrow, snapping out of her thoughts quickly, but the boy didn’t reply, instead deciding to turn away as he so often did when their eyes met.

Ichirou’s eyes lit up as she finally saw the wide expanse of simulations the class would be training with, she shared a look with Mina whose own eyes were wide- the place looked like an amusement park!

‘Is this USJ or something?!’ Ichirou heard behind her, she had heard of the place before when researching UA as a school,

‘This is a practical training area I created to simulate all kinds of accidents and disasters,’ A voice came from the right, causing the student to turn and meet the 3rd teacher they’d be working with- the space hero 13! ‘It’s name is… the Ultimate Space for Jams!!’ they finished as the class burst in excitement,

‘I cant believe its 13!!’ Mina grabbed Ichirou’s hand and gripped tightly, gasping at the thought of meeting another pro hero,

‘I know! And they’re going to be teaching us!’ Ichirou added, just as excited as her friend to be learning from such an amazing hero.

‘Before we begin, just a thing,,, or two,’ 13 started again as the chatter died down, ‘I’m certain you’re all already quite aware, my quirk is called ‘black hole’ no matter what material may get sucked into its vortex, I’m afraid it will turn into dust.’

‘That’s a quirk perfect for removing wreckage and saving people injured by disasters!’ Midoriya shouted out excitedly,

‘Yes… it is, however, a power that could also be easily used to kill people. And in that way, it’s no different from the quirks of everyone here.’ At those words, Ichirou felt herself tremble, remembering how long it took for her to get used to her claws, how she would wake up scratched and bloody from restless nights, how she cut her friends, teachers, her own mother. ‘Naturally, in this society of super humans, quirks are strictly regulated, and the requirements for their lawful use enforced. Now, this lesson will serve as a fresh start! Lets get to studying about how to wield our quirks for the sake of human life! That is all! You have my gratitude for listening so intently and patiently!’ 13 finished their speech with a bow and was met with a round of applause from the students, all empowered by the words.

‘All right, first things first…’ Aizawa began, seeming to be disturbed by something in the centre court, Ichirou couldn’t see very well, but there seemed to be a swirling black mass- by the looks of things it wasn’t part of the training course. ‘Huddle together and don’t move!’ He shouted back as figures began to emerge from the darkness, ‘13! Protect the students!’

‘Is this like that training pattern at the entrance exam? Kiri said as Ichirou backed into him,

‘I really don’t think so- sensei looks nervous.’ Ichirou turned to the boy, speaking quietly as to not alarm the others.

‘Don’t move!’ Aizawa shouted back to the huddled children as he fixed his goggles, ‘Those are villains!!’ Ichirou’s suspicions had been right, she stepped back in realisation that these were the people the pro hero’s battled- and they were coming for her class.

‘Rou, can you hear what’s going on?’ Kirishima asked as he wrapped a protective arm around the girl who nodded in return, training her focus on the centre of the chaos.

‘According to the teachers curriculum we procured yesterday, Mr All Might was supposed to be here…’ Ichirou’s ears twitched at the unexpected voice coming from inside the black hole,

‘They wanted All Might,’ She relayed, ‘and I’m fairly certain that the black mass is actually a person.’ Kirishima and some of those around her seemed almost relieved that they weren’t the target,

‘You can’t tell me All Might… the symbol of peace… isn’t here…’ a dry rasping voice consumed Ichirou’s sensitive ears, it was a voice she was certain would haunt her forever, ‘I wonder if he’ll show up if we kill the kids?’

Ichirou tensed- they needed to get out.

a/n : its getting spicy y’all ft. Bakugou’s tiddies :)

taglist : @jazzylove

[shigarakis-fifth-hand]

Yandere! Shigaraki x Reader; All An Illusion

❤️ Enjoy the series! one two

Y/n Kayama, the class president of her middle school all three years, straight A+s, the school's star athlete and of course, the one with the most volunteer hours. She lived a perfect life, almost too perfect. There was something she was hiding, and I needed to find out. Ever since I saw her win at the recommended students' application exam for UA, I knew I needed to keep up with her and that she would be valuable. I remember that day like it was yesterday.

"Now Shigaraki, All Might will be watching on security cameras, so you cannot get near the students," Toga spoke into my earpiece. I looked out onto the 5 students in front of me. The son of Endeavor with red and white hair, a blue-haired girl, a guy who controlled wind, a shape shifter, and someone who controlled vines from his hands. These were the kids that were the best of the best and recommended for having a greater chance to get into UA. 

The headteacher Aizawa was having them race for their first test. All of the guys looked at each other confidently, ignoring each other except when they gave each other looks of disgust. The girl, on the other hand, walked around nervously, looking up at people with her eyes down. She was the shortest in the group, and the guys kept smirking at her behind her back. She was a joke, and I couldn't help wondering what she was doing here. Someone really recommended her?

"Have a good target Shiga?" Toga asked as I could tell she was excited to have someone. I didn't even notice the stupid nickname, I was too wrapped up. "No, the best one I can see is Endeavor's son, and even he is boring. I don't know why we need to add a child to the all they do is cause trouble.", I could hear Toga gasp, and I laughed, knowing that these kids were her age. 

"Anyways, I'll look into the son once they're over. I'm recording now to show All-For-One." Toga had hacked into the school cameras and was watching the cameras from afar. She had made me come to get a better look at them, so here I was, hiding in the bushes, watching a bunch of kids. Sure, they were 18, but they all had baby faces that made me feel weird.

"Thank you for waiting!  Now head to the starting line. Surely all you know how a race works! Run to the end of the line and run back. Your body and any effects of your quirk must stay in your lane, and not interfere with other contestants. Any willing to do so will get you immediately disqualified." Present Mic told the kids as they nodded. "Don't think too much about it. Use your quirks as much as you can. The first person to cross the finishing line wins. Now, wait until we say go." Aizawa instructed before giving a nod to the blue-haired girl. What was going on there?

 As the counter started to go down from five, I watched the girl breathe in and out before getting ready. Suddenly, she was confident. Once the mark said go, it was a flash, but I saw everything. The girl froze the path with a step of her foot, using wind to push her self to the end of the lane and back in an instant. her feet barely touched the ground, but when they did, the ice slid her faster and faster. Before any of the boys, she was done. She began breathing heavily, sinking to her knees in exhaustion. Seconds after her, the guys finished in surprise. "What?! How'd she win?" The plant controller walked up to her angrily. 

"She crossed the path before you Haruko, now step back," Aizawa growled protectively as Haruko's face turned red. "Hell no! I'm not letting some girl win!" Immediately vines sprouted out of his hand and wrapped around the girl's throat and lifted her off the ground. The drama was getting good... 

Immediately, Aizawa and Mic began running towards the fight while the girl choked. You could see her face becoming pale as the guys behind Haruko started yelling towards him. But then, plants sprouted out of the girl's hand, pushing Haruko far from her. The vines crumpled down back into the ground as the girl began to breathe. Everyone grew silent as they stared at her. Did she just use that guy's quirk against himself? "Haruko, Nezu's office. Now!"  

Haruko stared at the girl in disbelief as he walked off. "Y/n!  Are you okay? I should have disabled his quirk but I was too in shock and I'm exhausted from all our training and-" The girl smiled at Aizawa. "You should have seen the look on his face! I can't believe I won!" She jumped up and down in glee like she forgot what just happened. She turned towards the boys as they all bowed to her. 

"I think we are all deeply sorry for not stepping in. Not to be rude, but your win caught us off guard. I hope you accept our apology." The shapeshifter apologized as the wind-controller spoke up. "Yes, we are in the wrong as well. I hope you can accept my apology." She smiled at him, then looking at Endeavor's son. She just looked at her in disbelief. "You... used all of our quirks in the race, and then used his against himself. How did you do that?" 

She just smiled and shook her head. "It was nice meeting you guys, but I am going to see my mother after this. I hope I meet you all someday. Good luck with the academic exam." And with that, she stepped away, grabbing her bag and walking away, leaving all the guys in shock, glancing at each other with confused looks. "Boss? Hello? Did you see that?! She's awesome! She can use other people's quirks! Did you see that Shiggy?" I nodded, staring at the girl who walked away. "She's perfect." And I began to make our plan.

I had the League start following her around from that very minute. I watched her walk to school in the morning, had Dabi watch her walk to her volunteering center, had Twice walk with her to her house, and I even watched her sneak out from time to time to go to parties and such. That's when I started listening to her conversations with her friends. 

I did this for months straight before she got into UA. I remember I sat on her balcony, knowing the UA results were coming that night. That's when I heard her cheering, and watched her spin around her room in happiness. Even though I heard All Might's gross voice congratulating her, I was still happy. That night was the first night I snuck into her house to see if I could find anything to reveal a dark secret. Nobody was that perfect. 

From the moment I started following her, I saw how she was treated by her parents. I saw how she cried whenever she was alone. I saw how she made herself throw up, and how she would train all night and then not eat the next day. I saw how she counted calories, kept a pocket knife in her locker behind her mirror, and looked so sad sometimes even though she always gave a fake smile.

The way her parents treated her was the worst part though. When she hurt herself, I knew she'd get over it. But her parents were a whole other story. I was there the day that her mom was taken to rehab. Poor Y/n had to sit there and watch her mom be taken away.

"You bitch! You made your father do this, didn't you? You want me gone, don't you? Think you run the world, now don't you? Just you watch, nobody will be there to keep your father from smacking the shit out of you whenever he likes! Think you can take him because you're in UA? Well get ready you motherfucker, you'll regret it! You'll r-" And then the car door slammed shut on her face. I wanted to kill her at the moment, but I knew that she wouldn't be able to hurt Y/n anymore. 

Nobody knows this, but I'm the one that called the rehab center. I had been watching the family for months, and I had plenty of pictures and videos of her getting drunk and high off meds day after day. Y/n thinks it was her father, and I'm going to keep it that way. I can't have anyone hurting the next member of my League.

But then there's her father, the worst man alive. They say villains are the worst, which is wrong. From when I watch Y/n at their school's swim practice, I can see the scars from years ago are still very visible. I've seen the way he yells at her, smashing beer bottles on her head, threatening her, chasing her, and beating her, I want to kill him. It would be so easy to slip my wrist and decay his whole face. But to only bring more issues into Y/n’s life would be hypocritical. 

That's why I sent an email to Aizawa, full of pictures of him hurting Y/n. She thinks that he just figured it out, but it was me. That girl doesn't know it, but I'm the best thing that's ever happened to her. And she will realize it whether she wants to or not. I might not be in love, but damn she's nice to look at.

Lately, the plan has come all together. We have recruited everyone for the League... except Y/n. We need her to be complete, and then we can bring the entire world its knees. If we can get her to steal All Might's quirk and use it, then possibly we can beat him using his quirk. All of us agree that she will be valuable to the league. Now, all we have to do is infiltrate using Kurogiri, grab her and then get the hell out of dodge. So here we are, watching the USJ and all the students in front of it.

"Look, that's the files of all the UA students! We can find Y/n's if I'm fast enough!" As Thirteen led the students inside, Toga ran to get a file. "Here ya go! They won't notice if one student’s files are missing." I smiled, inserting the paper into my pocket. "Okay Toga, go meet up with Kurogiri. I'll send an alert if something goes wrong." She nodded and skipped away as I sighed. Damn, it was happening. I had dreamed about it ever since Brother gave me the idea. So here we were, about to kidnap Y/n from her whole life. 

Honestly, she should be thanking us. I just couldn't wrap my mind around what she was all about, and honestly, I didn't trust her one bit. I would keep my eye on her for a while. I didn't trust anyone else's judgment but my own. Dabi was driven by sex, and Toga and Twice were driven by the possibilities of friendship. Kurogiri was too damn respectful to ever suspect a woman, and Mr. Compress didn’t like to “interfere” with girls. They had no idea the kind of girl they were dealing with.

I walked around the side of the building and peeked through one of the windows. Y/n was in the mountain area, but Kurogiri and everyone else already knew that. I hated that I had to hire so many random guys for this job, knowing that they just liked looking at teenage girls. Her hero suit showed off all of her legs and was skin tight to where you could see her chest and waist. These guys were surely jerking off to her in their free time, knowing what kind of people they were. 

Such creeps. 

I didn't even like talking to them, and I didn't want them touching her. Working in the villain area made you work with the scum of the Earth, the type that raped girls and sold them to each other for profits. I despised them with a passion, but it was the only way we would be able to hold off everyone until we got Y/n.

And then, I saw the portal open inside the center of the USJ. I smiled, watching the heroes and students so surprised. Immediately, most of my men and then Toga ran to the mountainside, leaving the Nomus and a few of the guys to fight off the students and teachers. I watched from afar as this tye-dye haired freak propelled him, his green-haired boyfriend, and Y/n up in an ice tower for safety. Slowly I saw the teachers begin making their way closer and closer towards the mountains. I growled in anger. 

I thought the Nomus would be enough, but the teachers must be too concerned with the students to bother. Especially Aizawa, the black-haired gay one who took care of Y/n before the dorms became a thing. He had taken care of her sister too and had become so much more protective of her.

That's when I saw Toga grab Y/n and hold a knife to her neck in front of those two spike-haired freaks. I knew she was doing it for the show, but I hoped she wouldn't hurt our new member. Y/n will have a hard time befriending Toga if that's how she sees the bubbly, murderous blonde. I could see the fear in  Y/n's eyes too. I see Aizawa running towards them and they and Toga do too. Then she does something that neither of us talked about. She throws Y/n off the cliff and into a portal. I can hear her scream from here. I rest against the window and sigh, looking up into the sky. I smile happily, thinking about our accomplishments. "Now onto step two."

Ignoring the crying and yelling of the students inside, I stroll inside a portal peacefully. "Stop villain!" I look up to see Tenya Iida. I know his father, Brother once fought against him. "What have I done to classify me as a villain? Huh?" The boy is lost for words since he has been gone this entire time to get help. "Y-you're Tomura Shigaraki! I know you!" I just shrug as he looks at me bewildered. He has no idea I took his classmate, and am leaving the scene. "Exactly, now please, if I may." I turn around as the portal closes. 

"Oh, and I'll tell Y/n you said hi." I smile as he begins to run towards me. Luckily, the portal closes just in time. I happily stroll into our hideout. Looking out, I see the beautiful kitchen. Ever since Dabi robbed the bank, Kurogiri spent his time remodeling. That man dresses to impress, and I appreciate it. It looks nice, nothing like a villain hideout at all. It's more of a mafia castle than villain hideout at this point. A nice condo at the very top of a nice complex. Of course, nobody goes through the main lobby without a disguise, so Kurogiri comes in handy on the daily. Toga did get tan once and dye her hair, so she did the grocery runs for awhile. 

Maybe someday (y/n) will be trusted enough to go get groceries and come back. One day I'll destroy the world, and she'll be there to watch the world burn.

I sit on one of the bar stools and wait for everyone to come back. "How'd it go?" Dabi asks, walking in from the staircase. "Successful of course. I would have let you go, but I don't trust you so I didn't want to." I laugh at my joke, which he just snickers at. "I can't believe you trusted a random guy with Y/n. You should have seen how he threw her down the stairs. I think I heard her in pain." He grins at the thought of her getting hurt. The sadistic freak.

 "What? Someone threw her?! I told those guys to be easy on her or else they were dead! If she gets hurt, our entire plan is ruined! I'll have that guy's life in my hands if he ever shows his face here." I angrily storm downstairs to see his friends. Just a bunch of muscular guys, but with no quirks. Not much of a threat, so I won't care when I kill them all. No witnesses are the way to go for me. "Which one of you dealt with the captive?” I asked as one of them raised their hand, as if they were proud of it. “Great. Thank you.” I walked back upstairs, trying not to disintegrate them there.

I just hope Y/n doesn't get terrified of everyone here. It'll be harder to get her to agree with us and work with us. I know she'll try to run off, but I'd rather her not get away. I step up the stairs and into the main room again, where Dabi has another drink in his hand. "So he just threw her down there? What about the bed I put down there?" I ask as he laughs. "Yes, he threw her down there carelessly and she landed on the bed." He laughed as I walked by, smacking him in the back of the head. "Don't be a dick to her, alright?" I exclaim, opening the door and beginning to walk down.

Immediately I see her, sleeping on the cold hard floor in a position as if she has been thrown. I growl, extremely annoyed. I tighten the blindfold around her eyes. She can't use her quirk if she can't see, so she'll be keeping this on for a few days. I pick her up like a feather and put her on the bed against the wall. I tie her arms and legs to the bed, making sure she can't escape. There's a pain killer, a note from Toga, and a glass of water beside her, just so she doesn't die before we can even do anything. I sigh, walking back up the stairs slowly. In the back of my mind, I can still hear her soft breathing.

Shutting the door behind me, I make eye contact with Dabi. "How does she look? Any head injuries?" he asks as I just shake my head. I already don't like how concerned suddenly he is for Y/n. She's not a play toy, she's going to be our next weapon. "Now what?" Dabi asks as I nod towards the door. "Well, you kill the guys downstairs, I get my hands on the guy who threw her, and then we discuss the plan at dinner. I want to talk to her tonight, to calm her. I'm holding myself responsible for keeping her in the basement all night. I don't trust any of you with that task." I explain to Dabi as he nods, only half listening from what I can tell.

 "She just needs to keep that blindfold on. I'm looking over her profile and-" I rip it from his hands. How dare he read about my girl?! "Let's see that. Straight A+s, third in the class, went to a private middle school and was voted Most Likely to Succeed in her 8th year. That's not hard to believe. Her teachers all say she's a good student, and she was expected to win the Sports Festival by 54% out of her entire class. Wow. Sadly, she won't be able to participate, but it'd be fun to see her beat up all those guys in her class." Dabi smiled as he looked at her profile picture.

"Buzz off loser, I thought I put this in my pocket ya thief. I know all of that, I've been keeping track of everything." I fold it back up and put in in my pocket. "Dabi! Shigaraki! He's here." Toga opens the door, followed by another quirkless, muscular dude. It must be the guy who threw Y/n down the stairs. "You're the one who handled Y/n when she came into the building from the portal, right?" The guy smiles and nods proudly. I want to smack him immediately, but I have a better idea. "Well thank you." I reach out my hand as he takes it to shake. The moment he touches it, he screams before turning into dust within that second.

 "Good. Now go down and finish all of them Dabi. Thank you Toga." Toga smiles as she takes the spiral staircase to her room. I look outside to see that the sun is setting. What a day.

I smile and begin to make my way down to Y/n. Picking her up, I carry her upstairs to the main room and tie her into a chair. I remove the rag from her mouth and tighten the cloth on her eyes. I sit there, staring at her as the rest of the League comes up to join me. We all sit on the couch until Toga hops up with the knife in her hand. "Get ready!" She smiles, overly excited as she cuts a slit into Y/n’s arm. Immediately she starts squirming until I can tell she is fully awake. “Hey! Cut it out!” I tug the knife away from Toga, feeling sorry for Y/n.

 "Hello?" Her voice is dry, and from the wet cloth on her eyes, I can tell she has been crying. She's so pathetic, we can shape her into a real villain. "Hi Y/n~Senpai! Remember me?!" Y/n immediately flinches before realizing she is tied up. "W-what?! What's going on? What do you want from me?!" She yells until I put four out of five of my fingers on her neck. "How about you tell us about your quirk? What is your weakness?" I ask as I see her bottom lip quiver. How pathetic. "Tell me, or else I put all five of my fingers on your neck." I tighten my grip on her neck. She gasps, sucking up all the air she can. "Shigaraki..." She whispers in fear.

"My quirk is Theft. If I look someone in the eye, I can steal their quirk for 24 hours. If it's a quirk that is hard to control, sometimes I can't use it without messing up. I use a contact on my right eye to block my vision whenever I don't want someone else's quirk. I've used a lot, from Mt. Lady's to Aizawa's." I smile, letting go of her neck. She bends over in pain, gasping for air. 

"What's your blood type Y/n? Have you met your soulmate, or in a relationship? Anything tracking your location? Any metal implants or anything in your hero suit that is magnetic? What about flammable?" Kurogiri asks as she shakes her head no, writing it all on a clipboard. "No soulmate or relationship? But you're so cute! We should get milkshakes when all this drama is over w-" Dabi shushes Toga, stopping her from rambling. 

"Now for the important part. We want you to join us. We won't hurt you unless you resist. Now, are you going to fight us, or be with us?" Dabi asks as I hear Y/n sniffle. "I'll be with you. J-just don't hurt me." Toga bursts out laughing. "I would never hurt anyone!" We all roll our eyes as she giggles. Twice tries to make her stop.

"Okay, that is it for today. It's getting late, you need to stay here. We all will take turns watching you tonight. All you need to do is sleep. You've had a long day." Kurogiri's words are strangely comforting as Y/n nods. Slowly, I can hear her breathing slow and realize that she's fallen asleep. 

Slowly, everyone else leaves to go to sleep. The first hour is my shift. I sit on the couch playing video games with my headphones on until I can't do it any longer. I rest my leg on her foot and drift off into a light sleep.

[whatzaoverwatch]

The Reaper of the Opera Chapter 9: The Man Behind the Mask

Time for some backstories! It’s going to be a lot different than the original story so take this as you will.

First Prev Next

Nighttime/Managers Office

The group had made themselves to the managers office. Taking in the previous events as much as they could. Genji sat by your side while Hanzo remained close by. You remained quiet with your hand upon your collarbone, tracing where the ring once rested. Trying to ease yourself from the return of the man that haunted you. Lucio had been reading the book he was give of the performance they were forced into. The confusion on his face was evident on how much he wasn’t a fan of the work. Hana left in a rather distress situation by his side, mumbling to him every now and again with a few saddened sobs. Fareeha and Jesse remained by Anas side while she was sat down before everyone else. A tea freshly made for anyone to take part of. Reinhardt and Torbjorn sat at their assigned desks to take in the situation. The smallest of the group rather determined to figure this whole thing out.

“Alright Ana, we want to hear everything,” Torbjorn demanded, a lot more bitter than he was before, “who exactly is this Reaper and what does he want with this company?”

Ana took a sip from her tea, taking a second to have herself composed. Clearly uneasy with herself in this situation. Her eye scanning the room to take in their rather tense expressions. Her sight fixated on you before she finally spoke.

“When the Overwatch Opera Company had opened its doors, the public only knew of one owner: Jack Morrison. But there was another who had a say on the theatres creation. His name was Gabriel Reyes.”

Jesse’s brows furrowed by the name. A hand over his metallic arm in silence. Looks around the room were seen by the unfamiliar name. Fareeha looked to her mother as if she had remembered something.

“He was that costume designer from years ago. The one you always told me about.” Fareeha spoke, feeling Ana place a hand over her own.

“You were so young habibti, he was there the day that you were born. He and Jack became your godfathers. Always making your most beautiful dresses,” She recalled, almost imagining the little girl that was so eager to see the shows long ago, “But he was more than that, he took care of the backstage, assisted with the performances, helped build and finance the theatre from scratch. Even took in Jesse so many years ago as an assistant.”

“We don’t need to go into that detail mam.” Jesse was quick to speak up, the memories still too raw in his head to have brought up. Ana nodding in understanding.

“My point is: he was a huge asset to the creation of this theatre. If anything, he was just as much of an owner as Jack was.”

“How come we hadn’t heard about him? I never saw his name in any of the articles I had read.” Reinhardt questioned, taking a teacup for himself to have a drink. Ana rested her cup to the side, her face softening at the memories.

“When we were opening the building, we were only allow to give the manager title to one person. He thought it’d be more suited for Jack to bring in the younger folk. He was happy that Jack took on the title while he took in the behind the scenes work. However, the glory of the opening didn’t last,” She confessed, her hands now folded in her lap, “We were not selling the tickets as well as we did at the opening. Tastes changed overtime on what the public wanted to see. Trying to please the more modern attendees with some new work. Nothing was ever enough. Jack and Gabriel had argued about whether to keep with tradition or aim to please the newer generation. Gabriel wanted to try some of his own creations, but they would’ve never impressed the critics. What was truly the downfall was the incident.”

“Incident?” Reinhardt perked up, gasping at a sudden realization, “You mean the stage accident which caused the entire theatre to burn down years ago? Many lives were lost that day.”

“The very one,” Ana stated, her head lowering at the memory, “A broken fuse caused the entire stage to go up in flames. Gabriel insisted he checked everything, but I found himself becoming distracted from his work. Jack and I tried to rescue as many as we could. Unfortunately, we couldn’t save everyone, and Gabriel was left behind in the building. Not a single trace of him could be found. We suffered greatly from that tragedy, losing money and our former supporters thought that it was a great risk to uphold the company. Having to rely on wealthy patrons and the community for support.”

“Our father included,” Hanzo recalled, having the attention upon the two brothers, “He was well known in preserving classic art. Part of his fortune would always be given to the theatre. Even [Name]s father contributed to that cause.”

Having you remember your father taking you to the theatre, drawing you into the passion for music in the first place. The theatre was also where you had met Genji long ago. An act of kindness and charity was what started all of this in the first place. Feeling Genjis hand over yours, your fingers curled around his in comfort.

“Sojiro and [Names Father] adored the company, they had wished for you three to take part of the company someday. I suppose it was fate for you two to return after all of these years.” Ana claimed, looking over to you and Genji. Torbjorn grunted to clear the attention away.

“As much as anyone wants to hear the history, I very much want to know about the present. Unless you are meaning to tell us that this Gabriel Reyes came back from the dead and became the Reaper.” Torbjorn wondered, scratching his beard while Ana looked to him with certainty.

“That is exactly what I mean to tell you,” The air hanging thick around everyone. Jesse lowly cursed while the others exchanged glances, “I thought for so long that he was dead. Jack and I even held a memorial. We lost a great man and a dear friend. It wasn’t until he had visited us one fateful night. We thought it was all a dream, but he made certain that it was real. He wasn’t the joyful, charismatic man that he once was. He was angry, cold, and cruel. Blaming us for leaving him behind to become what he was. Thinking that we had forgotten about him. All of him, body and mind, were taken in that fire.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Fareeha demanded, looking to her mother for any reason to hold such a secret. Ana turned to her daughter with a saddened look.

“He knew us too well Fareeha. He wasn’t afraid to take what we loved most. He would’ve come after you, he threatened to take Vincent from Jack. Telling us never to speak of him, letting his memory be held without his presence. He made us break the bonds of our loved ones. Sam left because of how much I pushed him away,” Ghosting over her left ring finger, a faint mark to where a wedding ring once rested. Grimacing at what occurred, she covered her face to compose herself, “Jack no longer wanted to be held responsible for him, so he gave up his manager position. He told me how he wanted to find peace. It hurt to see my friend drinking away when he had lost Vincent. When he left that day months ago, I knew Gabriel had gotten to him.”

“Why didn’t you leave?” Reinhardt asked, broken in his words as he knew the burdens that the older woman had to carry. Ana lifted her head, drawing her attention towards you.

“When I took in [Name] after her fathers passing, I had every notion of taking her and Fareeha with me,” You lifted her gaze to see the pain in your mentors eye, “But Gabriel heard [Name] sing. Wanting to know about the siren that echoed in his mind. He wanted her to become what he couldn’t. He instructed that I take her in as a student, while he would train her voice. At first, I believed that it was out of spite, to take in another that I cherished. But then I learned the truth.”

“That is?” Torbjorn asked, seeing the two of you give each other a silent stare. It was you who had spoken up to answer.

“He fell in love with me.”

Genji looked down at you with shock. Everyone having their eyes on you now as the pieces were put together. He had devoted himself to train you and take you away for so long. His words started to make sense on how he wished to not be forgotten. You are his only chance of escaping that isolation that he found himself in. You weren’t sure what he truly hid behind the mask, but it was enough to enrage him when you tried to look. The anger terrified you, now you found justification for his fury. Genji squeezed your hand once more with a hint of pain in his eyes. His emotions were not seen from you as Ana spoke once more.

“I began to see the old Gabriel again whenever he listened to your voice. Somehow you managed to bring that side of him, even if he no longer wanted to be seen,” Ana spoke with a frown, “I don’t expect your forgiveness, I have placed you and everyone else in great danger with this secret. I never wanted him to take it this far, but I fear on what he will do if we stray from his orders again.”

“So, if you had told any of us, none of this wouldn’t have happened?” Jesse asked, voice cold as his focus was on his arm. Ana turned to him, hearing the sour infliction in his voice. She tried to reach over to him for comfort, knowing Gabriel raised him like a son.

“Jesse-“

He quickly got up from his seat, denying any of the sympathy from Ana. Spinning around with a look of anger in his eyes.

“Reyes always had something to hide. This whole time he tried to raise me better than anyone else, trying to teach me to be better than I thought myself as. Even trying to save my ass during the fire all those years ago and here he is turning against his words?” He spat, pacing back ant forth before he slammed his fist against the desk, “The damn bastard is playing us all! We are nothing but a fucking show to him. I say you take us to where he is, and we settle this now.”

“McCree, he knows this theatre more than any of us,” Reinhardt stated, looking to Ana for any hope, “If he has been watching over us, then he has every intention of having a back up plan if we don’t listen.”

“Then we play his game,” Genji finally spoke, everyone's eyes now on the younger Shimada as he rose from his seat. Even you were curious on that suggestion, “All he wants is for his show to go on, right? Then let us give him the show.”

“What??” The two managers shouted in unison. Rising from their seats in disbelief of his words.

“Are you really sure you want to do this show? It’s already messed up from what I am reading. He really is living in the olden days.” Lucio piped up, placing the book down with a huff.

“Whether the show is successful or not, he wants it to be heard. The only way he will know if his piece is being played is if he is attending it himself,” Turning to Hanzo, he placed his hands on the sides of his arms, “We conceal the theatre, guarding it with our men at every corner. The moment he makes his appearance, we strike him down.”

Hanzo furrowed his brows from Genjis plan, only to find himself invested on the idea. The managers exchanging glances to find themselves giving into the plot as well. Fareeha was left to comfort Ana for that moment. McCree pointed to Genji with a smirk.

“I like the way you think, we corner him like the damn rat he is.” He stated.

“Finally, a good idea for once. We will do whatever we can to keep the place locked up tight.” Torbjorn agreed with crossed arms. Reinhardt raises his hand as if the ask a question.

“And what of the audience? Won’t they feel uncomfortable with the amount of guards around them?” Reinhardt pondered, trying to find some sense in the idea. Genji turned to the two men, thinking upon it with a hum.

“We will proclaim it as part of the show. Theatre these days always include audience interaction. It’s a cheap but cunning gimmick to hide what is really going on,” He plotted, pacing back and forth in thought, “so long as [Name] takes the lead role, he will come to see her. We can have everyone set up an-“

“No!”

You made your voice heard, rising from your seat in exasperation. His plan being withered into your brain, shaking your head on how it will plan out.

“Can’t you see that’s what he wants? He wants me, he wants me to sing for him,” Approaching Genji, you stepped in front of him in fear, “If you give him what he wants he will win. I won’t do it!”

“Oh great, NOW she doesn’t want to sing,” Hana huffed from her corner, wagging her finger at you with a glare, “You know that most of this is your fault. All because he wanted some pretty face new girl to show me up. Why don’t you actually play along and do what he says. In fact, why don’t we let him take her so he doesn’t have to bother us anymore?”

“Hana!” Lucio turned to her, having you shrivel up with guilt at those words. Hana not regretting her words from the bitterness she felt from Reapers insults.

You placed your hands over your head as you could hear the whispers once more. This was your fault. As Ana had said, he was drawn to you by your singing. All the pieces fell together so perfectly. If only you had shut away the voices. If only you weren’t a fool to be deceived by his songs. The angel of music your father made you believe would come for you. Shutting your eyes tightly, only to feel Genjis hands over yours.

“[Name], don’t listen to Hana. I don’t intend for him to take you away. We just need to follow his instructions.” Hearing Genjis words, you stepped away from him quickly.

“So, I am to be bait?” You whimpered, seeing the regret in his eyes, “Genji, you said me that you would protect me from him. That is what you promised me! What if your plan fails? What if he already knows what is going on? He will take me again! I will never be able to escape him. I can’t do this...I won’t!”

“[Name]…” He went to reach for you, causing you to smack his hand away. The action leaving everyone drawn back. Everything you had repressed began to crumble down before you. Tears building in your eyes, shaking uncontrollably before heading to the door.

“I need to be alone!” You cried, pushing past Hanzo and slamming the door behind you. Genji went towards the door, calling to you in distress.

“[Name] wait!” Halted by Hanzo, he gave him a stern expression.

“Leave her be, Genji.” He instructed his younger brother, watching his concern be directed towards the doorway.

“You ask too much of her,” Ana spoke, turning with a frown, “She is right, he may very well know of this plan.”

“So long as you remain here and not speak about it.” Jesse glare at the older woman sternly. Receiving the same cold look in return.

“Do you wish to imprison me? If you think I am some tattle tale then you are wrong. How long do you intend on keeping me here?” Watching as McCrees arm rested on the desk before her, a subtle reminder of what had happened.

“Only until all of this blows over. No offense but my trust in you right now isn’t in your favour mam,” Leaning against the desk, he points at the brothers with determination, “We will follow the plan, just make sure [Name] is prepared to take her place.”

“Understood.” Hanzo nodded, leaving Genji to worry about you in the meantime. Reinhardt slumped back into his seat, rubbing his head with a sigh.

“So, the show must go on.”

To be continued

[loveissupernatural]

      “The Man Behind the Mask”                        Pt 7

Peter Parker x reader

Warnings: Slight violence, spiders

Summary: You’ve recently moved to Queens, New York after your father finds a new job with the U.S. government handling alien affairs in the city. You’ve grown up in a small town, and it’s your junior year of high school; culture shock takes a whole new meaning when you’re saved by the famed new web-slinging Avenger - and when you meet a new group of friends at Midtown High that seem to always be hiding something. But things quickly get personal.

Masterlist / Pt 1 – Pt 2 – Pt 3 – Pt 4 – Pt 5 – Pt 6

Peter exited the bedroom to find another chair so that he could join you at the desk. You took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to calm the frantic pounding in your chest. You and Peter were about to look at something that very few people had seen, and that even fewer were supposed to see. You were about to get your answers.

Peter returned quickly with a metal folding chair, placing it next to yours with a dull thud.

“Here we go…” he all but whispered to you, opening the envelope and carefully pulling out its contents. You held your breath. Peter’s brows furrowed as he pulled apart the multiple files and pages, spreading them out on his desk until the entire surface was covered. You finally let out the breath you were holding in an awed whistle.

You scooted your chair even closer to the desk, eager to get a close look. Peter sat down as well, scooting close, and if you weren’t so enamored by the secrets these pages held, you’d be drinking up his proximity with barely-controlled enthusiasm.

You spread your palms over the endless diagrams and reports, sighing. “So, smart guy, what’re we looking at here?”

Peter’s mouth curled into a half grin at your nickname for him, sneaking a peek at you from the side of his vision. “Well,” he began, sounding flattered and a little proud, “from what I can tell – ” he brought a few thin sheets of paper toward you that contained light drawings “– we’ve got some kind of schematic here. See?” He layered the long pieces of paper together, a few different ways, before a bigger picture began to appear. “Lemme figure this out,” he murmured, almost to himself, and you loved the way his tongue barely peeped out from the corner of his mouth as he thought.

You leaned in closer toward him and toward the desk, watching the papers intently. Peter began to slow, and placed one last sheet on top.

“What the hell is that?” he asks himself quietly, and you would think his puzzled face was adorable if it wasn’t for the fact it was slowly morphing into horror.

“Peter?” you asked hesitantly, looking from him to the schematic. “What – what’s wrong?”

You’d never seen this expression on his face before, and it disturbed you. He looked angry, but mostly scared, eyes full of question.

“I’ve – I’ve seen something like this before,” he said, and he twisted the pile until it was facing you. Your eyes wandered the pages, looking for his cause for sudden concern, and then you saw it.

Between thinly sketched lines and footnotes, a layered image of a creature began to emerge. Each thin page contained one small part of its body and make up, full of scribbles and calculations that you couldn’t begin to understand, but when the pages were placed on top of each other, it formed a blueprint of some kind. A schematic of something that looked terrifying.

“What… is it?” you breathed, finger tracing the faint outlines.

Peter shook his head slowly, but it wasn’t from lack of understanding. It was from disbelief.

“I thought – I thought this was over,” he said to himself, running a hand through his hair. He suddenly shot up from his seat, knocking the metal chair onto the ground, making you jump. Peter was pacing back and forth, back and forth, not looking at you. His eyes were pink.

You were in the dark. “Hey, hey! Peter, what’s going on? What’s wrong?” “I’ve seen that tech before,” he grimaced, pacing even faster now. His eyes were darting around the room, as if his saving grace was written somewhere on the walls or on the ceiling. “This is bad, Y/N. This is really, really bad.”

“I’m lost,” you blanched, standing up. You approached Peter’s frantic form and placed your hands on his shoulders, then gently slid them down his arms, trying to calm him. Your hands settled at his wrists. He looked up at you, and you didn’t like what you saw. You’d never seen him like this.

“It’s hard to explain,” he shook his head. But then the words started pouring out. “I – not me, I mean Spider-Man – he’s dealt with this tech before. There was this super bad guy, h-he was stealing alien wreckage from the attack on New York years ago and using it to create weapons. He was hurting people.”

“You mean that guy with the metal wings?” you asked, trying to catch Peter’s gaze long enough to calm him down. “I remember, I saw it online. Spider-Man stopped him, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, he did,” Peter answered darkly. “The government went in and cleaned the place out. He was sent to prison.”

“Well, that’s good, right?” you asked encouragingly, squeezing his wrists gently.

“The government went in and cleaned the place out,” Peter repeated slowly, shaking his head. His brows were so furrowed that multiple stress lines were forming on his forehead.

“You – you mean, they didn’t get rid of it,” you realized, and your hands dropped from his wrists weakly.

Peter marched over toward the desk, pointing at the precise drawing of the creature. “Some of these parts, they were in Vulture’s lab,” he insisted. “I-I mean, ya know, that’s what Mr. Stark said. That Spider-Man said. That he saw.” Peter suddenly seemed awkward.

“So, what, instead of dismantling this guy’s work they just…?”

“Revamped it. And they’ve added to it. They’re…” Peter leaned over the schematic, chocolate waves falling messily to his forehead. “They created a-a weapon. But it’s not… I don’t think it’s just a weapon. It’s, like, a thing.”

You joined him, leaning over his shoulder, looking at the drawing again. You could see where Peter’s horror was building from. The machine, or creature, or whatever it was, looked like a cross between a giant spider and some sort of alien being. Its multiple arms were large, jagged, and stretched rigid, it’s head large and covered in what appeared to be metallic plates. You’d seen the news footage from the attack on New York years ago, and you’d seen what those aliens looked like: a nightmarish combination of technological battle armor, putrid skin, and sharp teeth.

Peter began separating the pages, and pointed to each individual one. “Look, Vulture used these kinds of plasma cannons, he built them himself.” Peter pointed to its frightening head, and to its eyes. “Do these look familiar to you?”

As he picked apart each page, he slowed, fixated with one in particular. He looked like he was going to be sick.

You searched the page Peter was staring at, and saw the words “tissue regeneration” scribbled in red ink at the very top. The depictions were obviously not technological, and you realized with a pang of terror that this was alien tissue, pulled from the corpses of the fallen army. There were detached arms and legs, a sketch of vein and organ structure, bones.

“They’re stitching it together,” Peter croaked.

You covered your mouth. You weren’t sure of what this meant for you, or for your family. You weren’t sure what this meant for anyone else.

“Is – is that what hurt my dad?” you asked, but your voice was hoarse, blocked by the nausea and fear congealing into a ball inside of your throat.

Peter didn’t answer, but started rifling through the remaining files so quickly that you don’t know how he could possibly be reading them.

He held up something that looked like a journal, turning to you. “It’s an event log.” —————————————– Ned rushed over as soon as his family dinner finished, barely making it out the front door with excuses about helping you two with your Chemistry project.

“Pete, my mom’s gonna kill me,” Ned whined, taking a seat on the top mattress of Peter’s bunk bed. He threw his backpack down on the ground without care. “She knows that you’re the best Chemistry student in our class. You should’ve seen the look on her face when I told her I had to come over to help you guys. No way she believed me.”

“Dude, worry about your mom later,” Peter said exasperatedly, shoving the pile of schematic papers into Ned’s hands. Peter’s hair was a total mess at this point, and he looked a little crazed. “We’ve got a problem. Like, a really big problem.”

“Like, a Spider-Man-sized problem or a Mr. Stark-sized problem?” Ned asked, turning the papers every which way in his hands, then holding them up to the light.

Peter looked at you nervously, then back to Ned. “I-I don’t know, man. But we’ve gotta tell somebody.”

You held up the black, soft covered journal that Peter had found. “We think this is an event log or something,” you told Ned. “We were waiting to go through it until you got here.”

“Oh, thanks guys,” Ned said, touching his heart. “I feel like an important part of the team.” He grinned to himself and muttered something that sounded like ‘guy in the chair’.

Peter sat down beside your place on his lower bunk, peering into the journal as you opened the first page. It was covered in numbers and words that meant nothing to you. It was chicken scratch. The next page, however, contained dates and times, with short descriptions written out beside each one.

“August 20th, 15:00 hours,” Peter read aloud over your shoulder. “Project Megarachne begins testing phase 1.”

“Megarachne?” you repeated, confused.

“It means big-ass spider,” Ned offered offhandedly, still twisting the schematics in every direction like some secret would reveal itself if he just stuck his tongue out the right way. You gulped.

Peter continued reading over your shoulder. “Memory configuration complete, A.I. integration successful.”

“Is this thing some freaky alien robot?” Ned asked, turning his body so that his head hung off of the edge of the bunk upside down. You doubted he could decipher the scratch-like handwriting like that.

Peter kept reading to himself silently, and reached to gently take the journal from you. You obliged, although you’d miss him peering over your shoulder.

“Yeeesss?” Peter answered eventually, “But… no?”

He reached his hand into the air, waiting for the schematics, but Ned was still twisting them above his head like he was trying to see some optical illusion.

“Dude,” Peter said insistently, wiggling his fingers, and Ned handed him the papers with a huff.

Peter flitted through each page with speed, and you wondered how he understood a single word or number. Then he looked back to the journal. Then back to the schematics. Then back to the journal again.

“It’s – I think it’s both?” he said, and it was obvious that while he was fearful, he was captivated. “It’s like a robot, but with real tissue. They created an A.I., but… but it was sourced from base programming they found inside the aliens’ brains.”

You’d never heard of anything like it before.

“Mr. Stark – Ironman – that’s why he blew up the Mothership during The Battle of New York. It was the power source, the command center,” Peter explained to you, and Ned nodded in rapt agreement, his head still upside down. “When Ironman nuked the Mothership, they all shut down and they died. They weren’t robots exactly, I mean, they were alive, ya know? But they weren’t.”

“So… they’re playing Frankenstein with this thing?” Ned asked with equal measure of awe and fright.

Peter flipped through each page of the journal until he came to the last entry, and to your horror, it was covered in ash and what you sincerely hoped wasn’t –

“Aw, man, is that blood?!” Ned asked, almost sounding like he thought it was cool.

Peter held it away from his face, cringing. “Ugh, gross.”

“What does the last page say?” you asked, and now it was your turn to lean over his shoulder.

Peter squinted. A lot of the timestamps were unreadable behind the rust-colored stain.

“Being… is… sentient?” With a nose wrinkled in disgust, he brought the journal close to his face again. “That’s it. It’s stopped after that.”

“Yeah, well, we know why,” Ned said pointedly. With a lurch of your stomach, you wondered whose blood was on that page. You hoped it wasn’t your father’s.

“So… you think that it, I don’t know, came to life and broke out?” you spoke your thoughts aloud. “It caused the explosion and that’s why my dad is in the hospital?”

“I mean, it makes sense,” Peter replied, chewing his lip. “That could explain why they’ve got goons covering the place. They don’t want a word of it leaked to the public.”

“No one on the floors above or below…” you mumbled to yourself in thought. “But why all of the guns? Why the steel doors and security protocols?”

Peter took a deep breath. He stared at the menacing creature on the page before him, and his eyes never left the drawing when he answered, “Maybe they’re scared it’s gonna come back.”

You swallowed hard, fighting the tears that were threatening to spill. The thought of your father covered in gauze and casts, comatose, trapped in that bed with nowhere to go as this monstrous creature stalked through his doorway to finish what it started…

“You – you have to tell Spider-Man, you have to tell Mr. Stark,” you squeaked pitifully, a rogue tear leaving a trail down your cheek. “This thing, it could come back for my dad, for everyone in that hospital. Could you im-imagine what it could do to do New York?”

Peter grasped your arms, desperately trying to catch your frantic eyes with his wide chocolate ones. “Hey, hey, hey, Y/N, it’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna take care of this, I promise. Your dad is gonna be fine.”

As much as you wanted to believe Peter, you couldn’t. “You can’t know that.” A look of pure determination set across Peter’s face, and he looked up at Ned, still hanging upside down. “C’mon, man, we’ve got work to do.”

Although neither of you wanted it, you went back home shortly after your revelations. Peter insisted that you needed a good night’s sleep, and that they couldn’t contact Spider-Man while you were still there, in case your personal goon was still keeping tabs on you. You knew he was right, but Peter’s presence made everything going on in your life at that moment seem more tolerable, and you’d miss the balm of his kind eyes and sweet voice. Ned and Peter promised to update you at school the next day.

Just as Peter warned, Aunt May shoved cab fare in your hand and absolutely refused to take it back. You waved goodbye to them both solemnly, trying to hide the panic in your eyes in front of Peter’s aunt.

Your apartment felt even more lonely and cold now that the sun had set, allowing darkness to creep in like an unwelcome house guest. You laid in bed, staring at the shadowed vaulted ceiling of your bedroom, watching the fan lazily turn with a faint click.

Your mind, through the trauma of your recent discovery, tried to logically wrap around what you’d learned with Peter and Ned. The government, like they always do, played around with something that they didn’t understand and ended up creating a worse monster than they had to begin with. They thought, in their predictable arrogance, that they could control it. Use it. They’d been wrong, and people were hurt because of it – people were dead because of it. You were so grateful that your father wasn’t the latter.

You fell into a fitful sleep that night, giant spider-like aliens crawling through your dreams. —————————————— The next day, after an awkwardly silent ride to school with your tree of a government-assigned babysitter (it was weird now that you were in the know about his secrets), you rushed inside the bustling halls of Midtown High with buzzing anticipation. You ran toward Peter and Ned’s lockers after spotting a mop of familiar-looking wavy chocolate hair through the crowd. Their backs were to you.

“Dude, you do know that this is gonna get complicated, right?” Ned told Peter, placing another piece of tape on the already large mound holding up the Death Star replica hanging from the top of his locker. “Helping Y/N with her dad, avoiding the feds, figuring out where Arachnizilla is and how to stop it all while hiding th—”

“Dude, I told you, stop calling it Arachnizilla,” Peter chided. “It’s lame.”

“No, it’s not!” Ned insisted, and it sounded like it was for the hundredth time.

“Arachnizilla, huh?”

Peter and Ned spun around at the sound of your voice, looking like they’d gotten caught with their hands in a cookie jar. How much had you heard?

“Heyyyy, y-you!” Peter greeted with a nervous grimace, deep-set panic in his eyes.

You narrowed your gaze at them, painfully aware that you had walked in on a conversation that you were not meant to hear. Peter and Ned did this all the time – talking about something heatedly under their breaths until you approached, then acted like nothing happened. You used to shrug it off, thinking that it was personal or just guy stuff, but this time you’d heard your name.

They were hiding something from you.

“So, what’s the big secret?” you laughed with a forced smile. This obviously concerned your father and the discoveries you all made last night. Why were you being kept in the dark? And why the hell did they look so nervous, especially Peter?

“Secret?” Ned laughed forcefully, swatting away your question like an invisible fly. “Pfft, what secret? Isn’t – isn’t that funny, Peter?”

“Yeah, f-funny,” Peter croaked weakly. His voice went up an octave.

“What’s gonna ‘get complicated’?” you quoted Ned’s words back to them. Your grip tightened on your backpack straps.

“Spider-Man,” Ned blurted. Peter slapped a palm to his forehead.

“Ya know, um, Spider-Man…” Peter fished, looking anywhere but at you for the rest of his sentence, “his, uh, his life is – is about to get complicated, you know? What with the f-feds looking for him and sneaking info to us and dealing with – with that alien thing—”

“—Arachnizilla—”

“Ned, shut up.”

You sighed. Of course this was about Spider-Man. You swore that you’d never heard of such a secretive superhero. Everyone knew the identity of The Avengers, with the exception of the masked web-slinger.

“Did you talk to him?” you asked, retreating your suspicious tone. Their reasoning was sound enough for you, for now at least.

If you didn’t know better, you’d think Peter was breathing a sigh of relief. “Yeah, we talked to him right after you left,” Ned chimed in, giving Peter a moment to regain himself. “He’s on it.”

You nearly collapsed in relief against the lockers beside theirs, closing your eyes and letting the weight of last night’s worry lift from you, if only for a moment. You smiled bigger than you had in days. “Guys, that’s so amazing.”

Peter still seemed nervous, but his smile mirrored yours. “I told you, Y/N, everything would be fine.” His smile grew a little, prideful. “Spider-Man is on the case.”

Suddenly, you felt a hand on your arm, and turned to find a dark-haired guy wearing a permanently-etched smirk. He was vaguely familiar, and as he looked into your eyes, you realized with trepidation that he was one of the many assholes that catcalled you in the hallways almost daily.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed me around,” he said, licking his lips as he looked you up and down. “I figured it was about time I introduced myself. The name’s Flash.”

“Flash,” you repeated, trying to hide the bite in your voice for the sake of propriety. You personally thought it was a dumb name. He evidently didn’t pick up on your less than enthusiastic tone because his hand was still on your arm.

“Yeah,” he affirmed with a cocky nod, leaning against the lockers beside you. “I figured it was high time I came and rescued the damsel in distress.”

You scoffed, but you’re sure that Flash thought you laughed. “Excuse me?”

His unkind eyes darted behind you toward Ned and Peter, and he sneered. “You’re new, so I wouldn’t expect you to know. There’s better company in this school than Penis Parker and Pillsbury Doughboy over there.”

You couldn’t stop the drop of your jaw. The nerve of this guy.

“They’re losers,” he continued, shrugging his shoulders as if they were diagnosed with a terminal illness and nothing could be done.

“Leave her alone, Flash,” came Peter’s voice from behind you, and you couldn’t help but savor the little spark of joy that his protective tone ignited within you.

Flash scoffed and his dark eyes filled with mirth. “Ooh, Parker’s coming out to play.” His eyes settled back on you, and you hated how it made you feel. His hand still hadn’t moved from your arm and its grip was tightening. “C’mon. It’s Y/N, right? Let me show you the people you wanna be hanging out with at Midtown. I could show you around after school.”

You had a gut feeling that you had no interest in this guy’s definition of “show you around”.

Just then, Peter was between you and the invasive Flash, pushing away Flash’s hand from your arm. Relief flooded you at the loss of contact, but your heart hammered at the evident upcoming confrontation.

“Dude, back off,” Peter said and his tone was barely even. You could tell there was irritation boiling just underneath the surface of his words.

Flash went from being amused by Peter’s quips to irritated. “Whatcha gonna do about it, barf bag?” He was a few inches taller than Peter, and he used that height to look down on him as he took a step into Peter’s personal space. All you could see was Peter’s back and Flash’s mocking face. The back of Peter’s neck was turning red.

“Peter…” Ned warned from behind you.

You didn’t like this. Sure, Peter was secretly kind of jacked (at least from what you could tell), but you’d never peg him as the fighting type, and you definitely couldn’t say the same about Flash. Your eyes darted to Peter’s balled fists.

“Shut up, Pillsbury,” Flash quipped at Ned, but his eyes never left Peter’s. He was taunting him. “Come on, Parker. I know you wanna punch me.”

“He’s just trying to get a rise out of you,” Ned said, stepping around you and gently tugging at Peter’s elbow. His tone had turned desperate. “Let’s just go, man.”

“That’s right, just go,” Flash shrugged. He grinned wolfishly at you over Peter’s shoulder. “Leave her with me, I’ll show her a good time.”

It happened so fast that you almost missed it. Peter’s fist flew out from his side and collided with Flash’s jaw, eliciting a sickening crack. You yelped in shock as Flash dropped to the floor.

He was out cold from a single punch.

You stared at the scene in shock. Flash had landed on his back, cushioned by his backpack, head lolled to the side. A tiny trickle of blood pooled at the corner of his mouth.

“Peter,” Ned breathed, and to your surprise he sounded almost disappointed. “Just one punch? You totally could’ve drawn that out longer.”

Peter shook his head at Ned in a “drop it” kind of way, then turned to you with searching eyes filled with pure concern. “Are you okay?”

You nodded and opened your mouth to speak, but no words came out. Were you surprised that Peter handled Flash with a seemingly-easy single punch? Honestly, yes you were. You would’ve never expected the sweet-looking bookworm to have such a grueling right uppercut. He hadn’t even drawn back his fist.

Were you embarrassed that the two caused a scene, over you no less? A little, but the stares of passersby was greatly outweighed by your shock. You looked down at Peter’s now unclenched hand, and there wasn’t even the hint of a mark.

But mostly, you were grateful. Nothing you could’ve said would’ve shaken Flash off, that much you knew, and Peter had stepped up to defend you. Effortlessly.

You flushed deeply at the realization that, honestly, you were a little turned on.

But you still hadn’t answered him, and worry pierced Peter’s brow. “I’m fine,” you finally said to Peter’s relief. You desperately tried to fight back the raging heat that you could feel rising from your neck, to your ears, to your cheeks.

“Are you sure? You seem kind of upset,” Ned said, noticing your redness.

Oh, that was the last thing you were, you thought with intense embarrassment. Peter gently placed his hands on your bare arms at Ned’s words.

“I’m so sorry about that,” Peter began in a clumsy tumble of words. “I – I shouldn’t have done that, and I know it was stupid, but – but he was disrespecting you and he wouldn’t leave you alone, and I’ve known Flash for forever, he’s always been a dick and never knows when to stop and—”

Oh, how much you wanted to kiss him.

“—and he always does shit like this, ya know? And it’s one thing when he’s being an ass to me and Ned, but you—”

Stop staring at his lips, you scolded yourself, which only turned the thermostat up on your already fiery blush. Of course, Ned and Peter thought this meant you were getting more upset.

“—don’t hate me,” Peter was saying, and you realized that you’d missed half of his sentence because you couldn’t stop thinking about how badly you wanted to make out with him. “I’ll – I’ll never punch anyone ever again, okay?”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Ned muttered under his breath. Peter shot him an unamused glare, but there was no venom in it.

“Mr. Parker!” rang a deep voice, and all three of you jumped apart. A man that you recognized from your first day as the principle was marching down the hall, his broom-like mustache quivering.

Peter gulped. “Shit.”

Pt 8

Tags: @rivaea @starksparker @its-nikki-bitch @martinafigoli @castawayclaires @rintheemolion

If you’d like to be tagged, DM me!

[kileyrose-2003]

Rose the Hat x Fem! Reader

A/N: Hello lovelies! This request was made by @mewbleu I hope you enjoy. I'm sorry it took so long to write. Bare with me everyone as I have another imagine coming out this week and part 2 of the fanfic coming soon.

Warnings: Child death, violence, implied alcoholism, blood, implied sexual content, violence against children

From the time you were small, you always knew you were different. Your parents both had the shining like you. They always insisted it was good thing, a gift in all actuality and that you were special. Most people couldn't do things like project out of body or see things so far in advance it benefited others, but you could.

Though you didn't know if being special was a good thing in your case. You had a natural healer energy and people often grew attached to you but with its pros came its cons.

Dark entities or 'ghost people' as you liked to call them, sometimes found their way to you. The pretty woman in the hat being the most recurring one in particular.

She was different than all the other ghost you seen. For one thing, the beginning interactions you had with her were friendly but also she wasn't dead. She was alive.

When you first talked about it with your mom she was confused. She too could see spirit but they never were alive.

Your mother thought she had to be dead based off the way you described her. While your own parents raised you in a very bohemian upbringing and they considered themselves to be hippies, they didn't dress like Rose.

They didn't know anyone who still owned silk top from the sixties and had such antiquities adorn in their hair. At first she brushed it off that maybe you were mistaken and that maybe it was possible you did make friends with some young hippie that may be possibly dead but it didn't bother her. She was oddly happy for you.

In the beginning, Rose was sort of your friend in a way. It brought you a sense of warmth that you never felt before. You didn't have any friends your age that could do any of the same things that you could and while Rose was far from your age, she'd still show you little tricks with her mind and reaffirm your thoughts and that was good enough for you.

"I feel lonely," You told her one night as her apparition stood in your room, staring at you silently from the empty side of your bed. "My mommy and daddy are like us but I didn't know there were people like you out there who could see ghostie people too."

Rose smiled at you and sat down at the foot of your bed. "There are alot of people like us out there. It's just a matter of finding the most special ones and you my darling, are very special."

The words brought a smile to your face and you blushed, feeling a sense of secureness in knowing that it wasn't just your parents who seen how different you were.

"Thanks. Am I ever going to meet you, pretty lady in the hat? I like you." Normaly you enjoyed Rose's smile but in that moment the grin on her face hinted at darkness that laid below the surface of her beautiful front.

"Maybe when you're a little older and you have more magic in you but for right now, no." You frowned and Rose reached her hand forward to take your petite one in hers, although it did no good because your hand sunk right through her transparent ones.

"Don't be sad though, it's a good thing," She reassured you. "Okay." You laid back in bed and rolled onto your side. "Goodnight, pretty lady in the hat."

"Goodnight, Y/n." She'd stay with you until you fell asleep and when you woke up in the morning, she'd be gone. It was an enjoyable having a friend like her.

As you got older though, the more you started to question just exactly how much of a friend she really was.

You had a baby sitter who was a bright, young college student who liked to indulge your 'over active imagination' as she called it but you didn't mind that she didn't understand. Just that she listened to you was enough to make you happy to be around her while your parents were out.

The one night as you got ready for bed you begged and begged for her to braid your hair. Of course she obliged but it wasn't without curiosity.

"Can we put ribbon in it too?" You asked excitedly, practically bouncing up and down. "Like weave it in there?"

You nodded excitedly and she attempted to add the ribbon in. "Did you see someone on TV with their hair like this and that's why you want it like this?"

You giggled and shook your head. "Not on TV, in my room!" The girl would of been lying if she said she didn't feel a hint of chills running down her spine.

"Your room?" You nodded happily and snuggled your patchwork doll close to your chest. "Mhm. She's really pretty but she doesn't have ribbon in her hair though."

"Oh? What does she have then?"

"Buttons and yarn. I think she might have that metal thingy on a bike too."

Your baby sitter narrowed her eyes. "A bike chain?" You shrugged. "Maybe. I think that's what it's called anyways. What's the matter? You looked scared."

The young girl shook her head and smiled. "I-it's nothing, sweetie. Come on, let's get you all tucked in bed."

You eagerly snuggled into the covers, hiding yourself away from the cold outside. "Sweet dreams, Y/n. Dream safely."

"Goodnight," You hummed softly and rolled onto your side, quickly drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

When your parents got home later she voiced her concern to your mother in quiet. "I know Y/n is different from other kids she..understands more but I just thought I'd tell you because I thought it was a little alarming."

"We've known about this for a while," She mused as she watered some of her plants. "I don't see her. Y/n does but I'll look into it."

Over the next few weeks your mom began asking more about Rose, trying to pry information about her out of you.

"Why does her name matter?" You snapped as your mom tucked you in. "Because if she's your friend you should at least know her name. So what it is?"

You shrugged. "I don't know. She never told me."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know mommy. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"Okay," She hummed and kissed the top of your head. "Goodnight sweetheart."

"Night mommy." You rolled over onto your side, staring at the wall for a while. By that point Rose would of normally be already sitting at the bottom of your bed, but not tonight.

'Maybe she's busy.' You told yourself as you pulled your stuffed doll close to your chest. "Goodnight pretty lady in the hat," You mumbled into the air and began to drift off to sleep.

Normally when you slept it was uninterrupted and deep but that night was different. You kept tossing and turning. Not because you weren't comfortable but because something was wrong somewhere.

After another ten minutes of rolling around you sat up in bed, still holding your doll close. You looked around your room for a few seconds, trying to find anything that could be the source of discomfort but nothing.

"It's just like pictures in a book," You whispered aloud and closed your eyes. "They're not real." When you opened your eyes you found yourself standing in the middle of the woods. The weather was warm and muggy. Even in your light fabric pajamas, you were hot.

When you breathed in you could smell the overwhelming aroma of embers burning from a campfire. You let out a cough and followed the burning light through the woods.

'Don't do it.' That inner voice inside said but you pushed it away, thinking that maybe if you seen what was going on you could help. But something kept pulling you forward.

We are The True Knot

What is tied may mever be untied

We Endure

Your made your way down the beaten path and what was there horrified you. A group of people stood their. Like a chain of paper dolls or snowflakes chanting.

You seen your mother do chants in her meditation but this was completely different.

The worse part was the body on the green grass. The girl on the ground was maybe your age. 5 to 7 years old.

You heard the name Violet being whispered in your ear and you let out a scared cry.

A cloud of what you hought was campfire smoke was above the group. Next to the body was Rose. Her hands like bloody gloves confessing to her sins and a man with intense eyes. Like a Crow. They all turned to stare at you.

The pretty lady in the hat, no Rose! That was her name, smiled at you contently. "Well! Hi there!" She greeted and you immediately started to cry.

"Aww, what's wrong sweetie? Aren't you happy to see me?" You shook your head, backing up towards a tree. "Y-you can't hurt me when I'm like this!"

"Oh silly girl. I'm not going to hurt you." She pinned you against the tree and you dug your little hands into the bark.

"Then what are you going to do to me?" You sobbed and Rose knelt down to your level. "I'm going to keep you here. Don't you want to go home and join our family?"

Her hand bore down on your wrist hard enough to hurt and you let out a scream. As Rose was about to drag you away a light shined above the two of you and the entire space faded away into darkness.

"Get the hell away from her!" Your mother bellowed and Rose let go of your wrist. "Mama!" You cried and looked up at the light.

Rose growled and narrowed her eyes. "You just messed with the wrong bitch! She's mine!"

"No, she's not!" The environment around you both shook and Rose went flying into the darkness and before you knew it you were back in your room, crying into your mother's arms.

"It's okay," She soothed and kissed the top of your head as she rocked you back and forth. You cried and held onto her shirt.

"They killed her!" Your mom rubbed your back and let out a pained sigh. "I know..I know."

You sobbed into her that whole night, desperately wishing for the first time in your short life you weren't special.

You felt hurt that someone you had grown close to could hurt someone like that. It was a recurring theme and lapse of faith in yourself you had to deal with every day over the years.

You never seen Rose again after that but her presence in your house left an aftermath of chaos and your mother devoted all her time to protecting you from her because she was sure even if it wasn't in the near future you would see her again.

It tore your parents relationship apart and not after, they both decided to go their seperate ways. Even though both of them insisted it had nothing to do with you, you couldn't help but blame yourself.

Everything was so normal and so at peace until she came along. As you grew older you grew to despise her and tried your hardest to block her out of your thoughts but sometimes your memories of her managed to slip back in. The pain she caused you was so great it was hard to forget.

You were twenty now and on your way back from the grocery/ liquor store run when you felt like you were being watched.

It was unusual because after the whole ordeal with Rose, you were paranoid of being watched to begin with but this was a different feeling. Someone was in your mind.

You were about look out of the mirror of your car to see if anyone was behind you when you felt your phone ringing in your pocket.

You pulled it out and answered and as you turned into the road leading to your apartment complex.

"Hello?"

"Y/n?" You let out a sigh and grip the steering wheel. "Hi mom."

"Why haven't you called me? It's been three days since I've spoken to you."

"I know, mom. I-"

"Have you been drinking?"

You looked down at the bag of liquor sitting in your passenger seat. "No," You answered carefully. "Of course not."

"Bullshit. You forget you lived with me as a teenager and I know your drinking voice."

You drove up into your parking spot and stopped the car. "I know, mom. I know."

"Then why are you lying to me?"

"C-can we please just get off the subject?!" You whispered harshly and grabbed your bag of liquor off the seat.

"Sure, sorry. I just worry about you, you know?" You could hear the tiredness and hurt in her voice.

"I know mama. I'm sorry," You whispered softly and walked up the stairs to the second floor. "It's okay sweetie. How was your day?"

You put the key in the lock to your apartment door. "It was alright. I went grocery shopping today."

"How was that?"

"Good." You opened the door. "I got some really cool looking-" You seen a woman sitting on your sofa and let out a scream.

"Well, hi there!" You dropped your bag of groceries on the floor, picking your head up to look in your living room.

"Y/n?! Is everything okay?" You debated on saying something but Rose made a silent tutting gesture with her hand.

"I-i'll have to call you back," You mumbled into the phone. "And if I don't, know that I love you."

"What?" Your mother screamed. "Y/n, don't hang you up on me! Y/n! Y/n-" You hung up and shoved your phone in your pocket.

"I-i remember you. You're the-" Rose smiled viciously and stood up from her spot on the sofa. "The pretty lady in the hat? Such a fitting name for me, isn't it?"

You nodded nervously, eliciting a giggle from Rose. She was by far the most beautiful woman you'd ever seen but mixed in with that beauty was her insanity. Just by looking in her eyes could tell this woman was an utter psychopath.

"No need to be scared of me, sweetie." She kicked the bags of groceries aside and moved closer to you, pinning you against the wall. "I told you you'd see me one day."

"What if I made up my mind?" She grinned and caressed your cheek. "Why on earth would you want to do that, huh? Still such a bright and clever girl, so so pretty too."

You lowered your head, refusing to look at Rose. "What do you want?" She picked your head up with her fingers and held it high. "I want to take you on a trip. Don't you want to meet my friends? I remember you did when you were little." She placed a kiss against your cheek.

You pushed her away and Rose looked on at you slightly taken aback. "No, I don't. What I want is for you to get the hell out of my apartment."

Rose shoved you against the wall and caressed your cheek. "My, such a temper. You know, I don't care for being talked back to."

You shook your head and squeezed your eyes shut, feeling so small and trapped. "Please let me go."

"Aww, no sweetie. No, I won't. You already got away from me once and it won't happen again." She kissed your neck, nipping at your cartilage afterwards. Her bright, murderous eyes you remembered all too well shone when she pulled away and you felt the hair on your arms stand straight up. "Still such a special little thing, aren't you?"

You gasped and tried to run from her but Rose was quick, wrapping her arms tightly around your waist. "Only a little pinch."

"No! No! Please!" You begged, hearing her uncap the needle. "I'll see you later, sweetheart."

"No! No-" The needle of the syringe pricked the sensitive skin on your neck and as Rose pushed down on the plunger flunge you felt yourself going limper. After a few seconds your eyes rolled into the back of your head and you dropped to the floor.

"That's it," She cooed and scooped you up in her arms. "Hope you're ready for our little road trip." She carried you out to her trailer and you were never seen by anyone who knew you again.

Part 2

A few hours later you kicked and screamed as Rose carried you out of the RV. "No! No! No!" You begged and flopped against her. "Please..please! I won't tell! I swear."

"Honey, it's not personal and I know you wouldn't but it's just not a practical option." She dropped you on the ground roughly and the other's began to tie you up.

As you stared up at the sky in distress, you pictured Violet's little face in your head and felt your anxiety rise.

Tears started streaming down your cheek and Rose stood infront of you. A part of her that still felt attached to you hurt to see you in pain but she needed to eat. The whole family did.

She raised the knife above her head, balancing it inbetween the tips of her fingers before resting it at her side. "Are you going to hurt me? Like you did to Violet?" Your inside burns and you felt like you wanted to throw up.

"Yes." You let out a pained scream as she rubbed the blade against your cheek. "Pain purifies steam, fear too. So now you understand."

"No!" You sobbed as you watched Rose raise the knife above her head. "No, Rose..please.." You continued to beg until she plunged the knife deep into your calf.

You shrieked and a large cloud of steam came floating out of your mouth. You felt weaker as the steam came out but the worse was sense of humiliation you felt. Like you had been violated or stolen from.

"Oh damn!" Rose rasped in an almost sexual tone. "Even at your age, you taste so good. Like flowers and liquor."

She clamped her hands around your throat and you winced, squeezing your eyes shut as you felt your steam poured out of your mouth more. You choked on your own sobs and dug your hands into the dirt.

Rose's eyes softened a little bit, her glowing blue orbs staring into yours. "So much fear for most of your life, huh?"

You didn't respond to her and Rose roughly tugged on your hair. "Answer me!"

"Yes!" You barely managed to scream out the word and let out a pitiful whimper. "W-why?"

"Why what?" She spat, keeping her firm grip on you.

"Why me? You could of had Violet, any other girl that was born around the time I was. Why me?" You didn't meet her eye. "I-i didn't want this! I didn't ask for any of this. I just-"

"Just what?" Rose asked softly.

"I just want to be normal! I don't want to special anymore. I just want to be loved. I just want it all to stop!" You hitched a sob and Rose released the grip on your neck.

She stood up and paced back and forth, trying to get her head back in the game.

"Rosie, you okay?" Crow stood up to her level. "Yeah, I'm okay..I just..you know what, it can wait til later."

"You're sure?" He asked.

"Yeah." She ran her thumb over your cheek as if to give you some comfort and raised the knife above her head. You squeezed your eyes shut, expecting to feel pain radiating through your body but nothing happened.

Why couldn't she hurt you? Rose, who considered herself to be quite numb to the feelings of others but highly intuned with her own needs didn't know. Even after everything you seen and how long it had been since she seen you there was something about you, some steamy element that made her feel attached to you like a magnet.

"I-i can't do it.." Rose stabbed the knife into the dirt beside you and put her hands over her face.

"Why not?" Crow asked, trying his hardest to keep his infrequent temper at bay. The rest of The Knot looked visibly displeased and hungry which set your anxiety even higher than it was.

"I-I feel something for her." Rose's eyes brimmed with insanity and you tried to squirm away her despite the pain radiating through your left leg and the restrains on your wrist.

"What? Rose we don't feel things for a Steamhead. If you keep it alive it's dangerous. It will-"

"I know!" She tightened her grip on your wrist. "She's special though and like I did many years ago, I want her." She let out a maniacal laugh that made Crow's shoulders stiffen. "I fucking want her." She stared deep into your eyes.

"I just want to go home!" You sobbed, fat tears running down your cheeks. "Shh.." Rose wiped your tears away with the back of her thumbs, staining your skin crimson with your own blood. "It's okay."

"No, it's not! Please just let me go home," You begged. "You know I can't do that. Can you all start untying her, please?"

The others nodded and quickly did as she asked. "Then what are we going to do with her?" You heard the Crow ask.

"I have a different plan for this one because she's special. Fitting how everything comes around, right sweetheart?" She gestured to the little scar on her hand.

You gritted your teeth in pain and spit in her face. "Fuck you." You raised your good leg up in the air and connected your heeled boot to her pretty face.

"Oh, you little bitch!" Rose screamed and raised her hand at you, swiftly smacking you across the face before falling back. It was loud enough for the sound to radiate for a good distance and you winced it the stinging sensation on your face.

Rose was distracted by the pain and others seemed to paying you no attention at all. You seen your chance to make your get away and made a run for it as soon as you got the chancs.

The dirt beneath you kicked up into the air as your shoes collided roughly into the ground. Your blood sputtered out on impact and the further the distance you walked, the limp increase.

Your chest felt tight and everything burned but your fight or flight instincts were on high and you were ready to take on everything or anyone.

As you began to slow your running pace you could vaguely hear the sound of bare feet crunching against the leaves behind you.

"Y/n!" You struggled to straggle forward as the light limp in your leg grew worse. "Where are you, honeydoll?"

You found the nearest tree close by and grabbed onto it, flinging yourself behind it. "I know you're around here somewhere."

The crunching of the leaves stopped momentarily and you could feel eyes burning in your direction. "You know if you're going to run from me then mine as well you try and cover your tracks. I see your blood."

"Shit." You darted out from behind the tree and tripped over a cut down stump from a tree that previously grew there.

You pulled your already injured leg up to your chest and slid backwards against the dirt each step Rose took closer to you.

"Y/n-"

"Don't! Just get away!"

"Y/n-"

"No!"

You squirmed back forward and Rose got frustrated, roughly taking your wrist in her hands. She knelt down to your level and your eyes interlocked with her stormy grey ones.

"If I was going to hurt you, I would of done it by now." You nodded nervously. Rose ran a finger across your cheek. "Poor darling, you're so cold and bloodied." She grabbed you enough your arms and lifted you up. "Come on."

"W-where are you taking me?" She grunted as she placed your arm around her shoulders. "To my trailer. I have a first aid kit in there. I should be able to fix you up there."

"Okay." You nodded lazily, starting to feel the blood loss getting to you. You fought for your eyes to stay open and keep moving.

"Just a little longer, Y/n." Rose winced and helped you up the stairs to her trailer. Once you got inside she set down on her. "There we go, lay back."

You willing complied and rested your head against one of the many pillows Rose collected over the years.

"This is going to sting, okay?" She warned. You nodded and gripped onto her blankets as she put the hydrogen peroxide over your cut.

You hissed in pain and bit down on your lip. "Fuck." Rose laughed throatily. "I told you it was going to sting. Maybe if you didn't run from me none of this would of happened."

"Well maybe if you weren't trying to kill me I wouldn't of ran!" You spat defensively. Rose glared and began to wrap up your leg.

"..I told you I was going to let you be." Your eyes went wide. "After you stabbed me! Rose, I just want to go home."

"I can't do that sweetheart." As she finished wrapping up your leg she helped you sit up on the bed. "Then what are you going to do with me?"

"Option A: You go outside and I let whichever member of my family that is standing closest by drop you off somewhere and let you wander around bloddied in the woods because I will strip you of your bandages and I can't promise it will be painless death or, you stay here with me."

You looked away with uncertainty in your eyes. "You don't have to be turned yet if you don't want to but you will want it eventually, I reassure you." She grinned.

"I could never be like you." Rose rolled her eyes. "Oh please, you rubes know nothing on what it's like to be us. To live like the kings and queens of humanity and the pleasures in the aftermath of taking steam and the chaos that ensued afterwards."

"Killing people makes you horny?" She laughed. "More amorous then anything, my sweet." She got her knees and leaned forward to kiss your lips. "I can give you a comparison on the steam part, if you'd like."

You shoved her away. "No, I don't want you to touch me like that. Ever." For a reason Rose couldn't fathom, she had to push away some pain caused by your words.

"It's not going to be a terrible existence, Y/n." She took your hand in hers. "You kill people, Rose! I seen you kill someone."

"Violet? Oh yes, we actually just finished her steam a few days ago. It made me think of you."

"And you tried to kill me! I can't trust you as far as I can throw you!"

"You learned to like being around me as a little girl. I can't why you can't learn to again." You glared at Rose. "Because I thought you were my friend."

"I still am, aren't I?" Rose was met with silence. "Y/n, for fucks sake would you just say something?"

"I-" You broke down in tears and Rose felt a pang of guilt blooming inside her. She pulled you close to her and ran her fingers through your hair.

"You took everything from me!" You sobbed into her. "I know. Either way we were going to have you though so you should of just gave in. Some of it is my fault though." Your tears soaked her chest.

"I feel so broken..and so confused! I just want to be loved but I don't know how to even love me anymore!"

"I know and we'll fix that. Come on, don't cry." You sniffled and tried to wipe some of your tears away but they just kept flowing.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." You kept saying over and over again. "Shhh..it's okay. Nothing to be sorry about."

"You scared me when you killed Violet. You scared me!" Rose wiped your face off with her sleeve. "I know but it's all out of survival and I won't hurt you like that ever again, I promise."

You nodded and wiped some of the tears away, just trying to calm yourself down a little bit. "So what do you say?"

"I'll stay." Rose grinned and placed a kiss against your cheek. "Good." She pulled you down on her bed and wrapped her arms around your waist. "You're freezing. I know ways of warming you up, you know."

You let out a laugh which brought Rose some relief. "Maybe when in a few days when I'm back to normal."

"Whatever you're comfortable with." She ran her fingers through your hair. "Get some rest, please?"

"You won't leave me?" You asked softly. "I won't. I promise." You let out a peaceful sigh and nuzzled closely to Rose's chest.

She drew small circles on your back with her fingers and sent you waves of relaxation. "Sleep." You eyes fluttered shut and soon you succumbed to a peaceful slumber.

Rose stayed up for a while, searching through your mind and taking in all the information about you she missed from the years you spent apart.

"So much anger and fear." She whispered softly. "Bouncing back and from place to place and surpressing who you really are. Oh yes, you're going to be a clingy little thing for a while but I don't mind."

You shifted in your sleep and Rose tightened her grip around you. "Relax, you're home now."

"Home," You mumbled softly in your sleep and Rose smiled softly. Sne placed her hat down behind her on the bed as if it was a prized crown and spooned you. "Yes, home. Just exactly where you're supposed to be."